Dreams Do Come True

by DragonoftheEastblue

Do you believe in destiny? I certainly do, and so do two young Huntsmen-in-training who are about to have their lives changed forever. A retelling of events from the end of the Beacon Dance where Jaune realizes and accepts Pyrrha's feelings, and takes the first step on a journey he never knew was waiting for him. World-building/Canon-Restoration. Arkos, Boop, BlackSun, Iceberg, etc

6. Chapter VI: For Love and For Glory

Chapter VI: For Love and For Glory

Both first-year teams entered the arena. They addressed the crowd as they had done during the opening ceremony, before stopping and standing thirty feet apart. On the tiles were two designated starting positions, and the first-years made sure to stand on them so they could face one another. They had already seen that the arena could change shape; not only to alter the terrain, but to replace any broken tiles. This was useful for an additional reason. The locker-areas of Beacon and Shade were not head to head, and since the tiles of the arena could be swapped out, there were done so to make sure the correct starting positions were in place with every new match. This helped avoid any confusion for the combatants as well as the spectators.

As they waited for the match to begin, the teams were examining each other carefully, trying their best to determine the skill sets of each opponent.

"Looks like three brawlers and a sniper" said Jaune to Pyrrha.

"Yes, I can see her rifle" she confirmed, referring to May Zedong, the only woman on Team BRNZ.

"She's going to be a problem."

"Annoying you mean" commented Nora.

"She'll be covering her teammates" guessed Ren.

"Then we need to take her out as soon as possible" advised the blond.

Pyrrha was about to suggest a plan of attack, then the screens switched to the commentator's box.

"At last we have our second match of the tournament; Team JNPR of Beacon versus Team BRNZ of Shade!" announced Port with gusto. "And I do mean 'at last', as I am sure that everyone has been waiting for this one as much as I have. Wouldn't you say so, Bart?"

"Oh absolutely, Peter! Miss Nikos always draws in large crowds, as her long record of tournament victories in both Mistral and Atlas prove many times over! So no doubt many are eager to see her do what she does best in this tournament; myself included. Furthermore, to see two of my favourite students competing is something that, as a teacher, fills me with indescribable joy."

"Yes, I understand completely! Miss Valkyrie is my favourite student, and I've been looking forward to see how she fairs as well. Interestingly, you were telling me earlier that Mr. Arc has a rather impressive knack for history."

"Indeed he does! Top of his class in fact, beating both Miss Nikos and Miss Schnee!"

"I'm still bitter about that final exam" muttered Weiss, folding her arms crossly, and only became more cross as Yang began to rub her head.

"There there" said the blonde.

"But will brains help in this contest of strength? Let's find out!" said Port, as the terrain random selection began.

"Thanks for trying, Doc" sighed Jaune.

"Hee hee, I'm his favourite" smiled Nora, referring to the Grimm Studies professor.

"At least you were mentioned" noted Ren, feeling as if he was suddenly turning into the third wheel, which was odd given they were in a team of four. His eyes suddenly darted to the right as he felt a hand begin to rub his head, and saw that it was none other than his entire world.

"There there" she said consolingly, eyes closed and smiling, her cheeks tinted pink. Ren felt his own warm as the environment roulette landed on two symbols: a green pine tree and a gray thunderstuck mountain.

"No time to complain, Ren" alerted Jaune reaching for the hilt of Crocea Mors. "Draw your weapons and get ready!"

The rest of Team JNPR complied and joined him, as the arena completed its transformation.

"Three...two...one" counted down Port.

"Alea iacta est (The die is cast)" Jaune said under his breath.

"BEGIN!"

"Sagitta! (Arrow!)" the blond shouted as they charged. Ren peeled off from the group after May, who was sprinting to the tree line.

Brawnz Ni, the captain of the enemy team, locked eyes with Pyrrha, and launched himself at her with a jumping knee strike. Pyrrha blocked the attack with Akoúo and was pushed back slightly, before she swung Miló in its xiphos form in an overhead stroke, aiming for Brawnz's head. He blocked the attack with the claws on his left gauntlet, and used his right gauntlet to block the edge of Akoúo when the redhead assailed with it.

Nora went for Nolan Porfirio, the boy with dark red hair, a deep sky blue jacket, and wielding what appeared to be a cattle prod, by leaping a good twenty feet in the air, and swung Magnhild at him. He dodged to the left, letting the giant hammer strike the ground with such force that it shattered at least six of the arena tiles, sending shrapnel in all directions. He then thrust his cattle prod at the ginger, who leaned backward, allowing the prod to sail past by mere inches. Nora quickly regained her footing and swung a haymaker punch, aiming for Nolan's right cheek. He quickly tucked and rolled to avoid the attack, before getting back onto his feet, as Nora used the momentum of her punch to raise her hammer and face her opponent.

Jaune engaged with Roy Stallion, a boy with gold tipped brown cornrow dreadlocks and buzzsaw gauntlets, who spun into a double strike which the blond blocked with his heater shield. Jaune quickly landed a shield bash on Roy, causing him to stumble to one knee, and allowing the swordsman to thrust Corcea Mors at the Vacuan boy's chest. Roy parried the trust with his left buzzsaw, and punched with his right, aiming for Jaune's exposed left thigh. Instinctively, the blond raised his leg, allowing the buzzsaw to strike his greave, glad that he remembered Pyrrha's advice. He then did a diagonal slash at Roy's shoulder, but his opponent rolled to the right to avoid the attack, and quickly got to his feet, firing a pair of buzzsaw blades at the blond, who blocked them with his shield.

On the forest half of the arena, May had reached the tree line, and vanished into the cover of the thick foliage. From the cover of the leaves, she quickly took aim at her pursuer, and fired right before him, leading the shot. Just before she took the shot, Ren realized that he had no chance of reaching her, and halted, causing the bullet to fly into the tile just in front of him. Ren immediately began to flip backwards, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and the sniper as she fired upon him. Jaune instantly took notice and began to bark orders.

"Sniper! Receptum! (Fall back!)" he shouted, signalling to an outcrop at the base of the mountain half of the arena. Ren and Nora quickly got behind Jaune and Pyrrha, who used their shields to cover their retreat from the hail of sniper fire. They quickly vaulted over the rocks and kept their heads down as bullets whizzed overhead. "I gave you one job. One job!" he hissed at Ren.

The amateur chef shrugged. "She was faster than I expected."

"Regardless, we can't advance while taking sniper fire" Pyrrha said, informing the obvious, before turning her attention to her captain. "What do we do?"

"The plan hasn't changed. We have to take out their sniper. Nora, covering fire" he ordered.

"Got it" the ginger grinned, transforming Magnhild into its grenade launcher configuration, and began to fire upon the members of Team BRNZ, halting their advance.

"Ren, draw her fire."

"Great, I wanted to get shot today" he replied dryly.

"If you get hit, that's on you, cuz there's no way she's a better shot than Ruby" retorted Jaune. "Just give Pyrrha enough time to get a beat on her. Go!"

Without hesitation, Ren bolted around the outcrop towards the trees, just as Pyrrha did a flourish to transform Miló into its M1 Garand sniper rifle configuration, and took position at the edge of their cover. May instantly took notice of Ren and smirked.

'Again?' she thought in amusement, repetition and predictability being bread and butter for snipers. She once again began to lead her shots, forcing Ren to zigzag.

Pyrrha immediately reacted to the sniper's gun shots, which were clearly visible in her scope, and she leveled her crosshair just above where the last muzzle flash had been. She quickly pulled the trigger thrice, holding her rifle tight enough so that the recoil hardly affected her shots; though with halved loads, the recoil was even more manageable than usual. The first shot struck the barrel of May's rifle, taking her by surprise, as she hadn't realized that anyone on Team JNPR was armed with projectile weapons; especially ones so precise. The second shot hit her in the shoulder, causing her Aura armour to take a heavy hit, and the final shot hitting her rifle scope, completely shattering it.

"Fuck!" she cursed, jumping out of her perch, knowing she needed to reposition.

It was too little too late however, as Ren had closed the distance between them, and quickly drew Stormflower, unleashing a hail of bullets, and knocking her out of the air. May crashed to the ground, but quickly forced herself to stand, and swing her rifle by the barrel as if it were a bat. Ren used the sickle bayonets of his pistols to block the attack, before pushing May backward, and spun to deliver a powerful spinning hook kick, hitting her in the right temple. While she reeled, Ren holstered his pistols in mid-spin, and swiftly disarmed her completely by grabbing her rifle and twisting it from her grasp.

"Over the top! Oppugnare! (Charge!)" shouted Jaune leaping over the outcrop with Pyrrha and Nora right behind, transforming their weapons as they vaulted.

"Shit! We got to help May!" said Roy.

"No! We have to take out Nikos!" ordered Brawnz. "Without her, the rest are nothing! Move out!"

He then began to sprint at the advancing Beaconites, backed up by Roy and Nolan. Jaune had heard the other captain's orders, and was not in any way pleased by his comments. He was now gunning for Brawnz, wanting to fight captain to captain, but knew he had to change tactics the moment Nolan pulled ahead.

"Malleus! (Hammer)" he shouted, causing Nora to eagerly take point, very much wanting another go at the pink-eyed Huntsman-in-training.

She made an overly telegraphed swing, allowing Nolan to drive his cattle prod into her gut, causing her to double over. Believing he had incapacitated her, Nolan threw a full-strength punch at the ginger's head. To his shock, Nora caught the punch and held it like a vice, as she slowly raised her head, grinning like a wild-woman.

"Thanks for the snack" she said, her body beginning to arch with electricity. Before Nolan could react, she rammed the top of Magnhild enforced by pink lightning into his chest, sending him flying across the arena.

During this exchange, Jaune and Pyrrha had begun to fight Roy and Brawnz, which was an impressive display of skill and teamwork. To the spectators, it appeared as if the couple was engaging in a dance, twisting and spinning around each other. They were in perfect sync, covering one another and alternating between their two opponents. The amount of time Jaune and Pyrrha had dedicated to training was now paying off, for they knew each other's movements so well, they could coordinate their combat without even speaking.

While they fought, Ren was ending his fight with May. It was incredibly one-sided, as the Vacuan Huntress-in-training had neither a backup weapon, nor any close-quarter-combat training. Ren delivered a pair of back to back crescent kicks, scattering what remained of her Aura armour. These were followed by a palm strike to her throat that led into two elbow strikes, before he began to twist his body as his pink Aura charged. Only pausing for a moment, Ren unleashed a left-handed palm strike to the centre of May's abdomen, sending her flying a dozen feet, before she crashed into the grass, unconscious.

"Lie Ren has defeated May Zedong!" announced Professor Port, as May's portrait faded on the screen.

"It's now a four versus three fight in favour of Team JNPR!" added Doctor Oobleck.

"We have to take out Nikos, now!" Brawnz shouted, and dashed away from Jaune to overwhelm Pyrrha.

Jaune tried to give chase, but Roy fired his blades at him, covering his captain, and allowing a weakened but still conscious Nolan, to join in the rush. The redhead held her ground, raising Akoúo and Miló, more than ready to take on all three at once. However, her captain had other plans.

"Pila pone! (Drop your javelin!)" he shouted, getting his lieutenant's attention. "Malleus! (Hammer)."

Understanding what he was doing, Pyrrha quickly dropped to one knee, revealing to the remaining members of Team BRNZ a very eager Nora swinging her hammer at them, lightning coursing through her body and weapon. Brawnz was able to pull himself backward, but Roy and Nolan were not so lucky, eating the brute force of Magnhild, and were sent flying out of the arena, into the walls of the Coliseum.

"Roy Stallion and Nolan Porfirio have been defeated by double knockout by Nora Valkyrie!" shouted Oobleck.

"See why she's my favourite student?" said Port with pride.

"With the match suddenly becoming a four versus one in Team JNPR's favour, I certainly do, Peter!"

Brawnz staggered backward, realizing just how much of a miscalculation he had made. His eyes darted between Pyrrha and Jaune, who were staring at him in amusement.

"So you thought that the whole team was being carried by Pyrrha, huh?" asked Jaune, not liking how the rest of them were being thrown under the bus. "As you can see, that isn't the case. How about I give you some advice" he continued, beginning to casually walk towards him, with Pyrrha at his side. "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy..."

"...for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat" continued Pyrrha, giving the blond a knowing glance, which he saw, and a smirk spread across his face.

"If you know neither the enemy nor yourself..." he carried on.

"...you will succumb in every battle" she ended, halting at the same time as her captain.

"You made your bed, now sleep in it" Jaune stated, pointing his sword at Brawnz, who was beyond confused, as he never expected to be literally schooled. "Welcome to Vale."

The couple unleashed a flurry of blows at the Vacuan student, who did everything he could to parry, block, and dodge the attacks. Of course, he could not fend off the assault. Pyrrha alone was more than a match for him, so both she and Jaune was overkill. Strikes began to get past Brawnz's defenses, whittling down his Aura, and of course dealing damage. He brought up his right clawed gauntlet to try and hit Jaune, but the blond took the motion as an attack of opportunity, and hit him with the edge of his heater shield, causing the Vacuan to reel back in pain.

"Pilum! Impetus altus! (Javelin! Attack high!)" he called, raising his shield above his head as if he were protecting himself from a volley of arrows.

Pyrrha understood his command, and leapt onto his shield, jumping off of it into the air, with the added momentum of Jaune aiding in liftoff. As she soared, Jaune grabbed Brawnz before he could recover, and drove his poleyn covered right knee into his opponent's gut. Above them, Pyrrha began her descent, spinning forward, and brought her right heel brutally onto Brawnz's head, forcing him to one knee, and shattering his Aura armour completely. Miraculously, he was still conscious, and forced himself to rise, but was unable to defend himself as both of his opponents unleashed powerful spinning side kicks that hit him with such force, he was sent flying out of the arena; unconscious before he hit the ground.

"And Brawnz Ni has been defeated by Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos! The winner of the match is Team JNPR!" announced Oobleck.

The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers and applause, the Valians and Mistralese loudest of all. The couple simultaneously struck their shields twice with the flats of their swords, which caused Pyrrha to look at Jaune with playful annoyance.

"Hey! That's my thing!" she defended.

"Sorry. I noticed how much you did it during our training sessions and it looked cool, so I thought I should do it too" he replied, playfully brushing the accusation off as he sheathed his sword and shield. "I think it's fair given that you took my speech."

"Those were passages from General Arthur Paladin's book on war strategies!" she laughed, attaching Akoúo and Miló to her back. "He's the most studied general in history, and his writings have severed as a guide to military forces the world over. My father would read it to me when I was a child."

"Huh, me too actually. Well, I said it because it seemed appropriate. Either way" he said, folding his arms. "I think, as captain, I can borrow my lieutenant's flourishes if I so choose."

"No you can't!"

"Careful, Nikos" he warned in mock authority, pointing a finger at her. "That's insubordination."

"You jerk!" she laughed, giving him a playful shove, causing him to drop the facade and laugh together.

From a distance, Ren and Nora watched the couple with approving smiles on their faces.

"They've come a long way, haven't they?" Ren commented, folding his arms with a smirk.

"Yup" agreed the ginger, strapping Magnhild to her back, and placing her hands on her hips. "Jaune's become confident, and Pyrrha's come out her shell. They're both themselves now."

"They were made for each other" he added softly. "They've become pillars of support for one another; each other's good luck charm."

"Yeah..." Nora couldn't help herself from stealing a glance at him, thinking that he was made for her. Hesitating, she decided to take a chance and ask him the question that had been on her mind since the lockers. "Um...Ren...do you really think I'm your good luck charm?"

The raven-haired young man looked at her for a moment, and felt his cheeks begin to warm as he saw the soft shy expression on her face. He looked back at their laughing friends, before taking a breath to steady himself.

"Yes and no" he answered honestly. "We've kept our promise to watch out for one another, relying on each other to keep us safe. The captain of the team we just faced assumed that Pyrrha was the one carrying us to victory; she being nothing more than a crutch for the rest of to lean on, as if we're too weak to fend for ourselves." He took another deep breath, knowing he was going to admit something more personal than he ever had to her before. "That's honestly a gross way to see your friends. I do rely on you, but I would never refer to you as a crutch or use you as one. You're so much more than that. Honestly, I would have never made it this far without you. So if calling you my good luck charm is what works for now, then I will."

Nora felt her heart skip a beat, his words taking her completely by surprise. Was he saying what she wanted him to be saying? Ren was so reserved as a person, and normally communicated by saying very little. She had grown to understand him in that respect, so hearing him speak like this was entirely new. She hadn't expected him to give her that head rub either, as his usual displays of affection never surpassed hugs; hugs that she always initiated. Then again, he did say she was pretty in the dress she wore for the Dance. Was this just a continuation of what was born from his conversation with Jaune that night? It had been so long since the last out-of-nowhere compliment that she honestly expected it would take another year before it would happen again. However, with him now voicing his thoughts, her mind began to race, trying to unpack his words and decipher them.

She desperately wanted to interpret his words as an admittance that she meant more to him than a surrogate sister. Finally learning that he had been checking her out was certainly fueling that desire, and was steadily building her confidence. However, she knew that she'd be lying to herself by considering him checking her out as an indication that he felt what she did for him. Her feelings were deep and passionate, growing in depth and passion with each passing year. It was love that she felt, not simply physical attraction. And yet, Ren saying that she was the reason he made it this far, filled her with more joy than she could put into words. He did care for her more deeply than he expressed, and while it was still in the territory of family, it nonetheless touched her greatly.

Nora knew that the right answer was the hardest; she needed to be patient. It was soul crushing, given just how long she had waited for him to begin to see her as a woman, but she knew she needed to be grateful for these small steps, and allow him to come to her. After she'd been the one to chase him, it was appropriate that it was now his turn.

She smiled at that premise, and without warning punched Ren in the arm. He jumped, not expecting it, and clutched his right bicep in confusion.

"Likewise" she said, showing him her smile, which painted his cheeks even pinker. Ren felt his heart began to beat as he looked into her big turquoise eyes, but smiled back, her words sending a wave of warmth across his body.

From the stands, Cinder and her cohorts watched Team JNPR throughout their post-match banter, with cold malice in their eyes. Mercury glared specifically at Pyrrha, the realization sinking in.

"And what do you make of that?" asked the half-Maiden, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

Mercury remained silent for a moment, contemplating whether he should be honest with her. The venom in her voice compelled him to speak frankly, if cautiously.

"She was holding back during our fight" he said at last.

Cinder pressed her index finger and thumb against a kernel of popcorn, slowly burning it.

"Will that be a problem?"

The assassin glanced over to Emerald, who looked back at him, and he could tell despite her well crafted mask, that she was feeling the same murderous tension being exuded by their leader. Her face may have been still, but her eyes betrayed what she was truly feeling.

"Not in the least" he replied coldly.

"Well that was even more of a spectacle than I expected it to be!" said Professor Port heartily.

"Yes indeed, Peter! All my expectations have been surpassed! Truly extraordinary!" agreed Oobleck with gusto. "The crowd expected the best, and by the Gods they got their money's worth with this one!"

"Absolutely, Bart! And I must say, Jaune Arc has truly grown as both a warrior and a commander. If he ever hesitated turning this fight, I couldn't see it. Stupendous work on his part!"

"Agreed my old friend. Team JNPR as a whole has come in top condition with their eyes set on winning the entire tournament. It wouldn't be ethical as an educator, but I would love to take a look at the bettering odds! Of course, I cannot condone gambling either!"

"Yeah, is it too late to change my bet?" asked Qrow from a bar stool at the private skybox, holding a glass of whisky gingerly in his left hand.

"All bets are final" denied Ironwood with a smirk, looking over his shoulder. "You can make a new bet if you'd like."

"...No thanks" he muttered into his glass, wondering why someone with his luck agreed to make a bet in the first place.

"Only the Gods know what the future holds. For now, Team JNPR will be advancing to the Doubles Round, and we will have to wait to see how they fare" added Port. "Until then, take a well earned rest, and allow us to prepare for the next match: Team SSSN versus Team NDGO!"

Team JNPR complied and walked together back to their corner, as Jaune sheepishly scratched his cheek, blushing from the praise. They traversed the now familiar path back to the reserved seating in the stands, each with a spring in their step.

"We won!" cried Nora excitedly when they returned to their friends.

"We saw!" Ruby cheered. "You guys did great!"

"That's an understatement. You all did a fantastic job" complimented Blake with a small smile.

"I'm actually impressed" Yang added, nodding in approval. "You two especially" indicated Jaune and Pyrrha "I thought you two were just making out during your private training sessions, but it looks like you really did train."

The couple felt their faces flush, but both decided to just accept the complement and not even address the tease.

"Thanks everyone. That means a lot" the captain said genuinely. "We look forward to seeing you in the Doubles."

"Same here" added Sun grinning. "Taking you guys on is gonna be tons of fun."

"You won't be saying that when you lose!" warned Nora with a grin of her own.

"As if we'd lose! You'll be the ones eating your words; unless you get super lucky."

"Well, we already got our good luck charms, so you're in trouble!"

"Oh yeah? Which are?"

"The person you care about, apparently" said Jaune, as he rubbed Pyrrha's head, causing her to blush. "Makes sense."

"Then I guess we should do that too; makes things even" smirked Sun, reaching over to rub Blake's head.

"A-Ah" the Cat Faunus stuttered, not ready for several reasons for him to do such a thing, and quickly said "W-Well, Y-Yang was the one that convinced me to go with you to the Dance so..."

The Vacuan Faunus paused for a moment, before changing targets.

"Ooo goodie" the elder Xiao Long said with venomous sarcasm. "I always wanted my own Monkey's Paw."

Sun instantly froze and sucked on his teeth, before returning to Blake and quickly rubbed her head.

"Well then, let's head to our corner, shall we boys?"

"I guess we should" agreed Neptune, as did the rest of Team SSSN.

"Good luck" said Weiss with a slight blush, which deepened when the blue-haired boy smiled at her, and took her hand to kiss it.

"Sorry about Yang" apologized Ruby, holding up her hands as if in prayer. "She's very particular about her hair."

"Good to know" replied Sun. "See you guys after the fight."

As Team SSSN shuffled past, Nora gave the blond a knowing glare, indicating that she was ready to brawl, and couldn't wait to face him in the next round. Sun returned the glare of his own, though a much more playful one, before disappearing around the corner with the rest of his team.

"OK, what was that about?" asked Yang, looking at her raven-haired friend with a cocked eyebrow.

"Yes, why would you suggest he rub her head and not yours? He's your boyfriend" added Weiss, equally confused.

"H-He's not my–how's my bow?" the Cat Faunus stuttered, blushing deeply while touching her bow to make sure that her ears were properly concealed.

"It's fine. So why where you not down for Sun petting his kitty?" the blonde continued to pry. She was more restrained than she usually was when teasing about the Vacuan Faunus, but nevertheless wanted to know why Blake acted as she had.

"I-It's nothing. Just forget about it."

Yang and Weiss looked at one another confused, not sure what to make of Blake's behaviour, but reluctantly shrugged, letting it slide till a later date.

"Regardless, you four did very well. Well done" complimented Weiss.

"Thank you, Weiss" replied Pyrrha, smiling appreciatively.

"I must ask, what were those commands your where shouting, Jaune? I couldn't make out the words."

"Oh! Jaune taught us how to use commands in a different language so that the enemy team wouldn't know what we're planning!" explained Nora with pride, before slumping over. "It took so long to memorize. Only our captain would give us homework."

"Hey, you pulled through in the end" said Jaune supportively.

"Wait, you speak another language?" asked Yang incredulously.

"Etiam, didici a parentibus. Est unus de antiquis lingua. Datum quam antiqui domus mea est, et saepe locutus est. (Yes, I learned it from my parents. It is one of the ancient tongues. Given how old-fashioned my family is, we spoke it often)" he spoke eloquently, taking Team RWBY by surprise.

"Whoa" gasped Ruby, eyes wide.

"Where did this come from?" demanded Yang, also baffled.

"I know! It's cool isn't it?" Nora stated rather excitedly. "Who would have thought Jaune knew another language?"

"Überraschend?, ja. Ich muss jedoch einwerfen, wenn Sie denken, dass es so einzigartig ist, wie Sie andeuten (Surprising?, yes. However, I must interject if you think it is as unique as you are implying)" added Weiss, nonetheless eyeing Jaune suspiciously as she spoke.

"Dýo boroún na paíxoun se aftó to paichnídi (Two can play at this game)" commented Pyrrha smirking. "Í tría, se aftín tin períptosi (Or three, in this case)."

Yang clutched her head as if she had been told that her precious bike had been totaled.

"What is going on?!" she demanded before the realization struck her. "Oh wait, of course the history nerds would know a bunch of languages no one speaks anymore! Forget I said anything."

"Yare yare" said Ren under his breath, which only Nora heard and caused her to smirk, as he almost never spoke in his mother tongue.

Jaune and Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh at the blonde's frustration, as it was a new and fascinating experience for them. Suddenly, the taller blond felt his Scroll vibrate in his pocket, though it oddly seemed as if it wasn't stopping. Confused, he fished it out, and his eyes widened in realization.

"What's wrong?" asked Pyrrha, noticing the bewildered look on her captain's face.

"It's..." he began, his eyes bouncing up and down the screen, unsure of what to say. "My entire family is messaging me."

"Really? Why?" asked Nora curiously.

Jaune paused for a moment as he read the notifications flying in.

"...They're all...congratulating me..."

Indeed, each and every one of the texts that were sent Jaune's way, were those of his immediate and extended family cheering him on. He assumed that only some would bother to tune into the tournament, but he was shocked to see just how many of them had been watching his match. His mother and sisters, he understood, seeing their messages at the very top, alongside his brother-in-law, who he had a very distant relationship with, and expected him not to message him. Nonetheless, he had, along with his eldest sister, congratulating him and his team on their first victory. He began to slowly go through them all, reading each text and replying in kind, whilst feeling a strange humbling warmth wash over him. They were all honest and endearing, and with each one that he read, caused him to feel more and more pride for his family grow in his heart. However, when he finished, he noticed that one person had not sent a word.

'Of course he wouldn't text me' he thought with a sigh, feeling a bit foolish.

"Well Peter, after that last match, Vacuo fans are sure to be hurting" said Oobleck. "But this next one will have them on the edge of their seats!"

"Without a doubt, Bart! Team JNPR has become an odd-on favourite leading up to the tournament, and without question have gained more support after their first match. But this team has been making a name for themselves ever since they made their first appearance in the Vacuan circuit" added Port. "They are some of the toughest, testosterone-filled Huntsmen-in-training we've seen so far! I'm of course talking about...Team SSSN of Shade!"

From the Vacuan corner of the Coliseum emerged Sun and his teammates to the thunderous cheers of their countrymen in the stands. The cheers only grew as Team SSSN began to hype them up, waving and saluting the audience with gusto, making it clear they were not new to this sort of spectacle. There were of course many young women, Human and Faunus, squealing with joy to see them. This did not go unnoticed by Weiss and Blake, who simultaneously tensed, feeling pangs of jealously in their chests.

"Sun Wukong and his team are certainly a force to be reckoned with, with many expecting them to make all the way to the grand-finals and take the tournament" continued Port.

"And after their fellow classmates were knocked out by our own students, they have more reasons than you can count to win today!" Oobleck noted. "Though I very much doubt you need to tell them that."

As Team SSSN reached their starting position, Weiss plucked up her courage and cupped the sides of her mouth.

"Good luck, Neptune!" she called. While the photos of them together at the Dance had spread humours just as they did for Pyrrha and Sun, it seemed that Neptune's fan-girls either didn't care or didn't believe they were involved. Understandably that got under her skin, and she wanted to make it clear that they now had to keep their distance, for she had already struck her claim.

Her cries caught the blue-haired boy's attention, and he turned his head to see the blushing heiress. He grinned and saluted her, which erased the jealousy completely, and replaced it with calming tenderness. Weiss calling out caught Sun's attention as well, and he locked eyes with Blake, giving her a special double-gun gesture with a wink, eliciting a blush and a small smile from his target.

"Yeah, totally not your boyfriend" Yang said sarcastically, nudging her friend playfully.

"For those who can't handle these boys, brace yourselves for the lovely ladies of Team NDGO of Haven!" announced Port, enticing the Mistralese team from their corner into the arena.

"Good luck, girls!" called Pyrrha waving. The blushing members of Team RWBY looked at the redhead, which caused her to give them an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but they were my classmates at Sanctum. I can wish them luck, at least."

"You think they'll beat SSSN?" asked Jaune.

"Team NDGO are a solid team, and did quite well back home, though I don't know how much they've improved since I left. Furthermore, I'm not well informed on Team SSSN's abilities, so I cannot make a solid prediction for either outcome" the Mistralese champion confessed.

"Either way, we'll be cheering for the team with Weiss and Blake's boyfriends" said Yang with a grin.

"Go Weiss and Blake's boyfriends!" cheered Ruby and Nora, causing the girls in question to become very flustered.

Returning to the arena, the teams began to size each other up.

"These dorks are famous? Seriously?" asked Dew Gayl, the young woman with dark blonde hair and violet eyes, holding a spear in her right hand. "I can't say I'm impressed."

"I don'know, I think they're cute" said Nebula Violette, the captain of the team with short indigo hair and a crossbow on her back, eyeing up Sun.

"Sorry ladies, Neptune and I off the market" informed the Monkey Faunus, holding his hands up defensively. "But might I interest you in our friends over here? They're single and ready to mingle."

He held out his hands to his left, indicating Scarlet and Sage. The latter posed with a grin on his face, while the former turned to look at his captain with an expression of confusion and bewilderment. Team NDGO looked over the other members of Team SSSN, and weren't shy in showing their initial judgements.

"I guess the outcome of the match will change our level of interest" Nebula said casually, as the biome roulette began to spin. The first slot landed on a symbol of sunny dunes and stone formations, causing Team SSSN to fist bump one another.

"Nice! Home-turf advantage!" grinned Sun.

"Makes you miss the sun and sand of home more than ever, huh?" remarked Neptune, stretching and soaking the sunlight as it formed behind him.

"I actually miss having sand in my shoes" added Scarlet.

"Think the other half will be caves filled with monsters? Then it'll really be like home" Sage asked, as the second slot slowed its rotation.

"Hey! The ocean!" cheered Dew excitedly, causing the heads of Team SSSN to snap to the holographic screen, which now displayed at symbol of a tidal wave.

"Fuck..." cursed Sun, his eyes shifting to Neptune, who hands had balled into tightly clenched fists, and despite the sun beating down on them, was developing a cold sweat.

"Oh no..." moaned Blake.

"What?" asked Yang.

The Cat Faunus winced in sympathy as she looked at the blue-haired Vacuan, for she could clearly see the fear in his face.

"Neptune's...afraid of water" she said slowly.

"What?" echoed Weiss, looking at her friend with concern. "What do you mean he's afraid of water?"

"When I was hanging out with Team SSSN" explained Blake, rubbing the back of her arm as she spoke, "we walked past one of the little ponds on campus, and suddenly Neptune walked as far away as he could, coming back when we completely cleared it. When I asked what was wrong, he wouldn't say, and it was Sun who told me afterwards what happened."

The Schnee heiress looked back to the arena, her anxious eyes resting on Neptune, and she pressed her hands, fingers interlaced, into her lap.

'Please be make it through the match safely' she prayed.

"Three...two...one..." counted down Oobleck, as both Teams, safe for Neptune, drew their weapons.

"Neptune!" shouted Sun, snapped his friend out of his paralysis, which made him draw Ionio, currently in its rifle configuration. "You can do this, dude!"

"Y-Yeah" stuttered the lieutenant, gripping his weapon like a vice.

"BEGIN!"

Neptune instantly backed off, and with impressive agility, scaled the rock formation and took a designated marksman's position; or so he argued in his retreat. Team NDGO watched him in confusion, as Sun sighed, knowing how bad his friend's actions appeared.

"Did he just abandon you?" asked Nebula.

"No he...he's just...repositioning" he replied, which earned him looks of disbelief from the girls. "Forgive him, he means well."

Nebula smirked. "Attack!" she ordered, charging with her teammates.

"Bollocks" muttered Scarlet, tossing his coat, knowing he would have to put in extra work.

"Don't worry, we got this" reassured Sun with confidence as he cracked his knuckles, his nunchaku tucked under his arm as he did so. "Let's kick some ass!"

The remaining members of Team SSSN engaged their opponents, knowing they would have to avoid being swarmed, given they were rushing into a four versus three situation. Scarlet locked eyes with Octavia Ember, the girl with brick-red hair and wielding a kris short-sword, and swung his cutlass, Midnight Star, in a wide stroke at her. She immediately fell to her knees and slid under the blade, before pivoting and lunging at Scarlet's exposed back. The Vacuan managed to reach behind with his sword and parried the attack, before spinning to the right to face his opponent.

Dew and Sage clashed several times before they entered the sand portion of the arena. Given the length of their weapons, it was difficult for them to engage properly. Deciding to take a new approach, Dew began wave her spear and summoned thirty foot tall tornadoes, kicking up sand, and created a miniature sandstorm. The three wind columns began to buffer Sage, and surrounded him before merging. Instantly, Sage felt his body lifting, and he quickly plunged his greatsword, Pilgrim, into the sand, hooking his right leg around the blade, taking care to use his Aura to avoid cutting himself. He began looking around him, trying to locate his opponent in the sandstorm, as he knew she would attack him when she realized he hadn't been thrown by her tornadoes. Then from the corner of his eye, he saw the glimmer of green moving towards him. Realizing it was the Dust crystal embedded in the head of Dew's spear, he readied himself just in time to see the sharp tip emerge from the swirling sand. He twisted his shoulders to the left, allowing the spear to pass, and like a vice, caught the shaft of the weapon. This caused Dew to halt in her tracks and her eyes widen, now visible to the Vacuan Huntsman-in-training.

"How...?" she gasped. Sage merely smirked.

"We have a lot of sandstorms back home" he said calmly.

Without wasting the element of surprise, Sage grasped the spear with both hands, and with all his might, flung the Mistralese girl directly into her own tornado. She tumbled in the column before being thrown from it, and out of the arena, crashing onto the surrounding grass.

"Dew Gayl has been thrown out of bounds!" announced Oobleck. "And SSSN gains the advantage!"

Sage grinned that his plan had worked, before taking closer inspection of the spear that was still in his hands.

"Hmmm, nice spear" he complimented honestly, turning it over before reaching into his coat.

Outside the arena, Dew was dusting herself off, not happy with her defeat. She then jumped in shock as her spear impaled itself two feet above her head, with a small piece of paper tied to it. When she pulled it off, she saw a Scroll number with Sage's signature had been scribbled upon it in surprising fine spidery writing.

"Yeah right" she said, rolling her eyes.

In the arena, Octavia was now facing both Sun and Scarlet, as her evenly matched fight with the red-haired swordsman, caused the captain to lend a hand. Feeling the pressure, she swung her sword in a wide arch, which produced a wave of flame that also kicked up a plume of sand. While the Vacuan boys were quite used to sand and sandstorms, adding fire to the mix was a less familiar issue. Suddenly from behind them came a volley of blue electric bolts provided by Neptune, aimed for Octavia, who managed to deflect them. This gave Sun the opportunity to jump in the air and land a butterfly kick on the swordswoman, causing her to stumble. Scarlet then noticed Nebula rushing in to support her teammate, and began to fire his flintlock, Skullbuster, at her, before engaging her with his cutlass. With Sun able to properly fight one-on-one, he unleashed a storm of blows, separating and reconfiguring Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang from staff formation to nunchaku, and back again. When Octavia's defenses were completely blown open, he swung his staff around his body in a beautiful flourish before performing a powerful lunge, knocking her back with such force she was unconscious before she crashed onto the sand.

"Octavia Ember has been defeated by knockout!" announced Port. "The fight has become a four versus two match in Team SSSN's favour!"

Despite this unfavourable turn, the remaining members of Team NDGO were not showing any signs of surrender. Scarlet and Nebula fought while they ran across the arena towards the beach half. This was more difficult than it should have been however, as Gwen Darcy, the other remaining member of Team NDGO with shoulder length black hair pulled back into ringlets, was hailing throwing knives at him. In combination with Nebula loosing crossbow bolts, Scarlet knew he had to put some distance between them, as fighting them at the same time would mean certain defeat. He fired a quick volley at Gwen before taking off for the capsized pirate ship. Instantly, the girl threw a knife at the swordsman's exposed back, but the blade was blocked by Pilgrim impaling itself between them. Sage came barreling in to reclaim his weapon and even the odds, which did not boost the girls' confidence.

"Just keep moving and stay out of range of his sword; I'll be back" Nebula instructed before taking off after Scarlet.

Gwen looked at the tall muscular opponent as he pulled a sword nearly as tall he was out of the ground.

"Yeah sure, no problem" she muttered nervously, her eyes also drifting to Sun, who for some reason wasn't trying to fight with his teammate. The Faunus noticed this and grinned, as if he could read her mind.

"It wouldn't be gentlemanly to gang up on a woman, especially when it's such an uneven fight, so don't worry. Sage is more than enough for the job anyways" he explained. "This match is as good as won."

"Lucky me" she retorted sarcastically, drawing a pair of throwing knives.

Scarlet boarded the ship and fired the trigger guard of Skullbuster, which doubled as a grappling hook, at the yard of the mainmast, and hoisted himself onto it. From below, Nebula fired her crossbow and imbedded a bolt into the mast, and used it as a stepping stone to reach the pirate-like Vacuan. When they finally came face to face, she grinned and held out her crossbow with both hands on the stock. Scarlet thought she was going to try and bayonet him with the blade at the front of the crossbow; which was odd enough given it was where the cocking stirrup would be placed. Just as these thoughts raced through his mind, the limbs of the crossbow collapsed and the blade extended, turning the weapon into a makeshift Iklwa spear.

The pair clashed blades, dancing across either sides of the yard. They both displayed wonderful balance in their exchange, though it was clear that the Vacuan was especially gifted. This made the fight more challenging for Nebula, as she wielded her weapon with both hands, forcing her to make rather limited strikes for fear of losing her balance and falling. Scarlet was not so limited, and parried the attacks expertly, before grabbing the foregrip of the crossbow with his free hand, and swiping at Nebula's legs with Midnight Star. The indigo-haired girl raised her right leg to avoid the attack, giving Scarlet the opportunity to spin clockwise and drive his right elbow into the centre of her chest, knocking her off the yard and into the water below. Pleased with himself, the swordsman glanced back to the fight between Sage and Gwen, which was still in progress, as neither had been able to land effect blows.

"I'll return the favour then, shall I?" he said to himself, and fired Skullbuster's hook at Gwen, catching her ankle, and hoisted her up as he jumped off the yard, using himself as a counter weight. As soon as he touched down, he sheathed his sword and used two fingers to whistle. "Oi, Neptune! Got a free one for ya!" he hollered.

The blue-haired lieutenant, who got as close as he dared, leveled Ionio's barrel at the suspended Huntress-in-training, charged a bolt, and fired it at her. It struck Gwen heavily, and shocked her till she went limp, passing out from the surge. Scarlet then let go of his pistol to bring her down, catching her with ease, and placed her gingerly on the sand.

"Gwen Darcy has been eliminated by an electrifying knockout blow from Neptune Vasilias!" announced Oobleck. "This match is all but over, as it now a four versus one in Team SSSN's favour!"

All that remained of Team NDGO was their captain, Nebula, who was now treading water, holding her crossbow in short spear form, eyes darting between all four members of Team SSSN.

"No shame in bowing out" offered Sun, walking with swagger towards her with Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang in its staff configuration, resting on his left shoulder.

The indigo-haired teen smirked despite the situation, and pointed the tip of her blade at the other captain, clearly unwilling to yield.

"Maybe for you, but surrendering isn't my style" she replied confidently. "I'd be willing to give you my number if you forfeit, though."

Sun laughed as he entered the water.

"Sorry. Like I said, I'm off the market" he repeated, stopping around a dozen feet in front of his opponent. "Also, I'm into brunettes."

There was a momentary pause before Nebula bolted forward, crossing the distance between them in a flash, and brought her weapon down onto the Faunus. With both speed and grace, Sun split his staff into two pairs of shotgun-nunchaku, and parried the attack with Ruyi Bang in his left hand. He then spin-cocked Jingu Bang in his right, and shot the crossbow out of Nebula's hands, causing her eyes to widen at his speed. The blond then spun clockwise, tossing Jingu Bang to his other hand and he channeled his Aura into his right palm, before striking Nebula below the thorax with such force that she was sent flying into the hull of capsized ship, crashing into the sand beside her teammate.

"Captain Nebula Violette has been defeated by captain Sun Wukong!" announced Port. "Team NDGO has been eliminated from the tournament, sending Team SSSN to the Doubles Round!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, with the Vacuan spectators reaching a fever pitch, ecstatic that their favourite team had avenged the previous loss. Sun pounded his chest like a gorilla, and along with his team, responded to the crowd enthusiastically. The Mistralese groaned in despair, now with two back to back loses, their spirits were dampened greatly. Team RWBY and JNPR joined in the cheers, and laughed at Team SSSN's celebratory dance with Sun windmilling in the middle. However, Neptune stood there rather solemnly, clearly not as enthused as his friends.

"That was a fantastic match!" complimented Oobleck. "I'm sure the Vacuans watching at home would agree, as Team SSSN has ended Shade Academy's losing streak!"

"And I would bet that the Mistralese at home are hurting for the opposite reason" added Professor Port. "But fear not! There is still a chance for the Kingdom of Mistral to achieve glory, as Team CLME will be facing Team ICCE of Ýdalir in ten minutes time. If Team SSSN would finish their dance number, that is."

Sun and his friends heard the message loud and clear, and made their way back to their assigned corner, taking care to avoid the water as it vanished below ground. In the stands, Weiss rose to her feet.

"Let's go congratulate them" she said, grabbing Blake's hand, and dragged her away from the others, ignoring her protests. They reached the hall below ground, and headed in the opposite direction, hoping to reach the Vacuan locker-room before Team SSSN exited the arena. They caught them just as they entered the waiting room, all minus Neptune brandishing excited smiles on their faces. "Congratulations!"

"Hey, thanks, Ice Queen! Glad to know someone is happy we won" the Monkey Faunus teased, clearly referring to Blake, who received a strong nudge from Weiss.

"Y-You did really well. I'm glad you won" the brunette said softly, blushing from both embarrassment and nervousness. Her blush only depended when Sun grinned at her, pleased by receiving her praise.

"I think we should go topside to give the lovebirds some time alone. What do you say, Scarlet?" said Sage with a smirk.

"I'd say so. They've certainly earned it" he replied, and walked out of the waiting area after saluting the girls. Neptune began to walk for the door, but was stopped by Weiss.

"You did very well, Neptune" she said softly, but felt a sting when he didn't look at her.

"Yeah...I'll see you guys later..." he sighed, and walked out into the hall.

"Nep–" began the heiress, but felt the words die in her throat; the sight of the blue-haired Vacuan making her feel deep concern, as despite him being 6'3, he appeared to be much smaller as he sulked. She instantly wanted to chase after him, but the need to understand what had affected him so strongly forced her to stay, and she turned to face Sun. "What happened?"

The blond rubbed the back of his neck. "Forgive him. He's just..."

"Blake told me that Neptune is afraid of water" she echoed. "I watched the fight. That was not fear; that was how someone with a phobia behaves. Please tell me what happened to him."

Sun folded his arms, as he wasn't sure if it was his place to reveal part of his friend's past, even if it was to the girl who liked him. Nonetheless, he could see the concerned expression on her face was genuine and he sighed, giving in to her demand.

"We're from a desert Kingdom. There's barely any water as it is, so most of us don't know how to swim. Only people close enough to the coast get that chance, which is how I learned. Funny enough, Neptune's parents are fishermen, so you'd figure he'd know how...but no. Instead, he has a deep fear of drowning."

He paused for a moment when he noticed Weiss held her hands together tightly, pressing them against her skirt, and he quickly continued.

"When he was a kid, he nearly drowned, and he's been terrified of water ever since. I've tried convincing him to look for a way to get over it, but he won't budge. And for the record, I've never seen him act that way before. He reacted way worse than usual, and I guess it's because you were watching."

"What?" the white-haired Atlassian gasped, feeling as if she had been stabbed in the chest.

"I'm not blaming you! And he's not blaming you either!" the blond Faunus hastily clarified, waving his hands defensively. "He just wanted to look good for you and fight well. And if I could guess to why he's so disappointed, is that he might think that you think he's a coward."

"A coward?!" repeated Weiss gobsmacked. "Why in all of Remnant would he think that?"

"He cares about what you think of him" Sun replied. "He turned you down at the Dance because of how bad of a dancer he is, and he's told me how much he regrets doing that. And now, he acted even more cowardly, so he feels shameful."

Weiss mouth fell open. "Having stage fright and being paralyzed by memories of a past trauma is not the same thing!" she argued in frustration, and without uttering another word, turned and walked with all possible haste out of the room after the blue-haired young man.

Sun reached out to stop her, but was too late, and instead began to rub the back of his head in annoyance.

"Gahh! Neptune is gonna be so pissed at me for telling her!" he groaned, cursing himself.

"You did it because you care about him. He won't be mad at you for that" reasoned Blake, feeling rather proud of him for telling Weiss the truth.

"Maybe. I just know that he really does care about her, and it was so dumb of him to turn her down because he can't dance worth a shit. He doesn't want to mess this up any further, and I don't want him too either" he reasoned. "It's weird how stubborn he can get sometimes when he's usually so polite and understanding."

Blake placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at her.

"You did the right thing. I kind of understand your frustration, since everyone, especially Yang, weren't happy with me turning you down and not wanting to go to the Dance. Neptune is your best friend and you want him to be happy. He'll understand why you did it before long" she explained with a small smile.

Sun gazed at the disguised Faunus, and couldn't help but smile back.

"I guess you're right. We'll find out soon enough. Shall we meet up with the others?" he asked.

"Yes" she replied before blushing and looking away. "And I really am happy that you won."

Sun grinned, knowing that this time she was being genuine, and wrapped his left arm around her, pulling her into a sideways hug.

"Thanks. You're super cute when you're shy, ya know that?"

Blake's face lit up when he did this, and couldn't come up with a proper response, causing the blond to laugh, and guide her to the exit so that they could return to the stands.

λΛλ

Weiss had looked everywhere below the Coliseum for Neptune, before finally returning to the surface and exiting the stadium. She had tried to call him several times but he wasn't answering his Scroll, meaning he did not want to be found. That wasn't going to stop her however, as she knew that she needed to get to him, even if his stubbornness didn't want her to. When she did finally leave the Coliseum, she surveyed the city streets before her. It was unsurprisingly dead, as everyone who had come for the festival were all currently spectating the tournament. To her relief, her eyes finally rested on the boy she was looking for, seated on a park bench and inspecting his rifle. She slowly walked up to him, and when he didn't acknowledge her presence, she spoke.

"Neptune?"

The blue-haired student's head snapped to attention, and looked at her with genuine shock, as if he had been so focused on tuning Ionio, he hadn't noticed her approach.

"...May I sit down?" she asked softly.

He gazed at her for a moment before silently nodding, and returned his attention to his weapon. Weiss sat beside him, but remained silent. She had been so preoccupied with trying to find him that she hadn't given herself the time to ponder over what exactly she would say to him. For her to simply say outright that his feelings of shame for being aquaphobic were wrong, would probably not be the wisest decision to make. Nevertheless, she needed to say something, as she couldn't bear to see him in such a state. Taking a breath to steady herself, she began to break the silence.

"You did very well today" she complimented again, slowly.

"Hmmm" he hummed, clearly not convinced by her words.

Weiss felt another sting in her chest, and decided to try and gently get to the root of the issue.

"Is everything OK? The others seem very happy with their performance."

"The guys always do well, and today was no different" he replied flatly.

The heiress looked down at her hands that were once again balled into fists as they gripped her skirt. There was no other option; right to the root.

"Sun told me why you are afraid of water" she confessed at last, making Neptune look at her.

"Why wou–"

"You're not a coward!" she exclaimed, cutting him off. "I cannot imagine what it must have been like to nearly drown, or what it must feel like now to harbour that fear, but none of that makes you a coward. I would never think of you that way!"

Neptune stared at her in shock, not expecting her to say that, and began to feel a conflicting set of emotions building.

"But I backed away from the fight in fear. How am I not a coward?" he argued.

"But it isn't your fault! You nearly drowned. Anyone would have acted the way to did."

"Yeah, but I'm not just anyone. I'm training to be a Huntsman, and a Huntsman isn't supposed to be afraid of dumb stuff like that" he growled, displaying more anger than he wanted to. He massaged his temples in an attempt to calm himself, before speaking once more. "Did I ever tell you why I decided to become a Huntsman?" he asked. When Weiss shook her head, he continued. "In Vacuo, the unwritten rule is that if you can survive here, then you are welcome here. Because of that, everyone learns how to fight; whether you become an official Huntsman or not. The culture is pretty nomadic, but there are some permanent towns, one of which is my hometown near the coast. My parents are fishermen, and I was expected to continue the family business. After I nearly drowned on a fishing trip when I was a kid, I could never get near the water, let alone board a ship ever again, so I felt beyond useless; my only talent taken away from me. I knew that I had to do something to help my parents when they would be too old to run the business, so I chose the only path that made any sense: to become a Huntsman. I want to be something my parents can be proud of, even if I can't carry on the family trade. So far, I've managed to become a strong fighter and gain fame, but that fear hasn't left me. I might be a minor celebrity and have all the confidence in the world, jumping into any fight, ready to face any challenge, but I'm still afraid of water. So long as I never have to fight Sea Grimm I'll be fine, right?"

Weiss looked upon him in muteness, taken aback by his words. The cool and dapper presentation that Neptune usually displayed had now completely washed away, revealing a conflicted and stressed young man. This was the first time that she had seen this side of him, and was beginning to understand why he was struggling.

Neptune pressed the butt of Ionio's stock against the top of his boot as he stared at the ground.

"I'm not as cool as you think am anymore, huh?" he stated half-heartedly, with an equally half-hearted smirk on his face. That smirk instantly vanished when he felt a soft hand take his left, causing him to look at the white-haired Huntress-in-training, who gazed at him with tender eyes.

"Yes, your coolness was the reason I became interested in you when we first met" she said honestly, squeezing his hand. "But getting to know you as a person is the reason why I've stayed. Coolness, is a form of appearance, and I have spent my entire life with people who spend every waking moment keeping up appearances. What I value far more, is honesty. And what I want is for you to be honest with me. Are you interested in my family name or me?"

"What?" blinked Neptune, "Of course I'm interested in you. I didn't know who you were until afterwards. You think I like you because you're some rich girl?"

"Do you?"

"No!" he gasped, dropping his rifle and turning to face Weiss. "I just thought that you were beautiful and I wanted to get to know you. I turned you down because I didn't want to make a fool of myself and make you look bad in the process. It was stupid of me yeah, and I really owe Jaune for telling me to stop being up my own ass and just be honest, but I'm–"

"Then I don't care if you have a fear of water or if you can't dance. I like you for you, and that fact you like me for me, means more to me than I can express" she said, cutting him off gently. "I can help with the dancing, and while I am not sure how to help you overcome your aquaphobia, I'm more than willing to try, if you want me to."

Neptune swallowed, suddenly becoming very aware of his tongue. He hadn't expected her to be so open, given her rather reserved nature. On top of that, she was without a doubt an Ice Queen, and yet, she was now glowing with a warmth he hadn't seen before. It made his heart quicken its pace, and felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His squeezed her hand in gratitude as he returned her smile.

"Are we alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think we are. Thank you, Snow Angel" he replied softly, eliciting a blush from the Atlassian, who secretly loved her nickname.

To show her appreciation of her pet name, she took him by surprise and kissed him tenderly on the cheek. Her smile widened when she saw that it caused the Vacuan boy to blush, as well as deepen her own. It was to be expected of course, as that had been their first proper display of affection, other than him kissing her hand. Glad that she had that affect on him, she rose to her feet, maintaining her gentle grasp of his hand.

"Shall we go back to the others?" Weiss asked softly.

It took a moment for Neptune to find his voice, but quickly responded when he did.

"As much as I would love for us just to stay here and spend some time alone, I guess we should" he confessed as he picked up Ionio and fastened it to his back. He then semi-consciously changed his grip of her hand so that their fingers were now interlaced, and together they walked back to the Coliseum. Secretly, the pair was thinking the same thing: they both were incredibly thankful for one another, and they were greatly indebted to Jaune Arc.

λΛλ

Just as the couple returned to the reserved seating in the stands, Professor Port was in the process of selecting the biomes for the last match of the day.

"Finally, you're back!" said Ruby, clearly not pleased at how long they had taken to return.

"You almost missed the start of the match! What the Hell were you two doing?" Yang asked in annoyance.

"I can hazard a guess" added Blake, pointing out that the couple in question were holding hands.

"Oh of course" Yang remarked as she rolled her eyes, though she let slip a smirk. "Should have guessed."

"Hey, way to go Ice Queen" said Sun, giving them a thumbs up.

"Yeah, thanks for telling her by the way, asshole" the lieutenant shot back with only half-seriousness.

"Hey! I was trying to help you out, bro!"

"You did, and thanks, but you're still an asshole for doing it. Now move over" he answered with a smirk.

Sun clicked his tongue sassily, and slapped Sage's arm to initiate the shuffle to allow Neptune and Weiss to sit to his left. When they sat, Weiss leaned over to the Monkey Faunus and whispered a thank you to him. He gave a curt nod and a grin, glad that things had worked out.

"And now let us begin the final match of the day! Team CLME of Haven vs Team ICCE of Ýdalir!" announced Oobleck. "Three...two...one...BEGIN!"

"Go Cinder! Go Emerald!" cheered Ruby.

"Kick their asses!" shouted Yang.

"It appears we will be cheering for opposing teams" said Weiss matter-of-factly. "I'll be cheering for my countrymen this time round. You can understand, right Pyrrha?"

"Hmmm" the redhead hummed, focusing intently on Team CLME.

"What's wrong?" asked Jaune, instantly able to tell that something was on her mind.

"Team CLME" she began, "they are your friends, yes?"

"Yeah, they're really nice. Emerald even found my wallet at the fairgrounds" explained Ruby.

Pyrrha remained silent, continuing to watch the match hunched over with her chin pressed against her interlaced fingers, elbows resting on her legs.

"...I don't know who they are" she said at last, causing the others to look at her, Blake gazing at her with exceptional focus.

"What do you mean?" asked the Atlassian Huntress-in-training.

"I don't recognize them. They're from Mistral, and they have to be our age, therefore I must have seen them when I was at Sanctum. And yet, I don't remember their faces in the slightest" the Mistralese champion explained cautiously.

"Maybe they're from a different school. We're from Signal but Coco's from Pharos" reasoned Yang.

"Sanctum is the only Primary Huntsmen Academy in Mistrial" Pyrrha informed. "Therefore, they must be graduates of Sanctum, and they did not graduate with me."

"Maybe they got pushed ahead like I did" suggested Ruby.

"But they're our age so that can't be" countered Blake, beginning to understand what the redheaded swordswoman was getting at. "They're first-years so they had to have gone to Sanctum with Pyrrha."

"There must be so many students in Mistral, Pyrrha" argued Weiss. "You couldn't possible remember them all."

"Yes, I can" she countered resolutely, not taking her eyes off the match. "I am a four-time consecutive champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament. I have fought with every known and unknown combatant in my age bracket from across the Kingdom of Mistral. I kept an eye on the Mistral tournament rankings throughout my time as an active athlete, and continued to do so since I transferred here. I never forget a face, and I can say with certainty that I have no idea who Team CLME is."

A tense atmosphere of uneasiness settled upon the group, as they now understood the severity of what she was implying. Pyrrha knew exactly who Team ARBN and NDGO were, so it was very suspicious that the members of Team CLME were entirely alien to the most prolific and well-traveled athlete of their generation; especially when they claimed to be her countrymen. It begged the question: just who were they?

"Perhaps they are like us" suggested Weiss, referring to herself and Pyrrha. "They merely transferred from another Kingdom."

"How likely is that?" asked Jaune. "I know why Pyrrha left Mistral; why did you leave, Weiss?"

"I didn't want to serve in the military alongside my sister, though I still wanted to be a strong representative of the House of Schnee, and honour Atlas" the heiress replied. "I chose to enroll into Beacon to further strengthen the bonds between our once feuding Kingdoms, as well as to stand united in our fight against the Grimm."

"Exactly. Weiss and I are special cases. The vast majority of people train and operate within their Kingdoms" continued Pyrrha. "All of us here are from the four Kingdoms of Remnant. Does anyone recognize them?"

"They didn't go to Signal, and I'm pretty sure they didn't go to Pharos either" admitted Yang.

"Not ringing any bells" confirmed Coco, as Team CFVY had begun to listen in on the conversation.

"Definitely not from Oscuro" tossed in Sun. "Hell, I can tell just by looking at them they sure aren't from Vacuo; unless I missed something."

"Nah, you're spot on" agreed Neptune, along with Scarlet and Sage.

"Then I can confirm they aren't from Atlas either" confessed Weiss, "thus making my point invalid."

"They could just be a special exception" offered Jaune, though not entirely believing his own suggestion. "Can't people just enroll so long as they qualify?"

He added that possibility as a reference to himself, Blake, Ren, and Nora, for none of them had attended either Signal or Pharos. Then again, they had all been caught by Huntmaster Ozpin, and Jaune certainly didn't qualify the same way his friends did; previous education or no. It was only by Ozpin's empathetic blessing that they hadn't been rejected outright. What this did do however, was plant a small seed of doubt in Pyrrha's mind.

"I suppose..." she said slowly, "though that would be a rare thing to occur...and for it to happen not only once, but thrice more afterwards..." Pyrha then frowned, and went over what she had said. 'Am I over thinking this?' she asked herself.

Team CLME could very well have been a special case. And even if they weren't, would it not be hypocritical to withhold the same benefit of the doubt she had given Jaune? Though that was true, there was still an uneasy shadow that hovered over her mind, however. Ever since she fought Mercury Black, there had been an eerie feeling of caution that never dissipated. She could tell that he had been holding back, and she wasn't entirely sure why. It could very well be that he was merely testing her for the tournament, which if anything, pointed to the fact that he would be sent to the Singles Round. Nevertheless, there was still something unsettling about the young man. He may have a strong poker-face, but his eyes had a hint of malice behind them. The same went for his captain, Cinder. There was something indescribably cruel about her aura; not her literal Aura, but her general composure; something that could only be sensed instinctually. That final thought brought the concerned redhead to the only reasonable conclusion, for she knew where the road would lead otherwise.

"Perhaps I should have a talk with them" Pyrrha suggested at last. "Instead of creating conspiracy theories, I will simply ask them directly."

"That would be the most logical option" agreed Ren, with Nora nodding.

"Are you going to ask them after their match ends?" asked Jaune.

"Yes, I think I will."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Pyrrha straightened and placed her hands into her lap.

"No, I think it would be best if I spoke to them alone. I'm not looking to start an altercation. I just wish to clarify the confusion. Thank you though, Jaune."

The blond eyed her with uncertainty, his own anxiety heightened with her voicing her suspicions. Her voice then began to echo in his mind, recalling her previous words of caution.

"Nevertheless, our enemies do appear to be gathering at our gates, and it must be for a reason. I have fears regarding the White Fang, as a terrorist group mobilizing at the same time as a massive international gathering like the Vytal Festival, could spell..."

While things had been very quiet after they had stopped Roman Torchwick's assault, the looming fear of the White Fang and their other allies was ever present in the back of their minds. They still had no real idea as to why they had united, nor did they know exactly why they were attacking the capital in the first place. Was it just to cause terror, or was there an even more sinister objective? This of course led Jaune to wonder if these unknown players were connected to...

'That might be reaching...' he thought, though now that he had contemplated the possibility, it was impossible to shelve it entirely; a feeling in his gut warning him to be cautious.

Blake had also been thinking along those lines. She had initially been too preoccupied with her fears regarding Adam and the White Fang to notice, but now that things had calmed, she had switched her focus to Team CLME. She couldn't put her finger on it, but they were strangely familiar. Had she met them before? She couldn't even guess the general timeframe where she could have encountered them; though it most certainly had to have been before coming to Beacon. It was that possibility that caused her to hesitate, and not share immediately with the others she was having the same suspicions as Pyrrha. Doing so meant she would have to explain more about her past than she was willing to share, and she selfishly hopped it wouldn't come to that just yet.

"And the winner of the match is Team CLME of Haven!" announced Professor Port. "The Mistralese are certainly happy with that display, though I'm of course just stating the obvious. What an explosive Day One of the tournament, wouldn't you say, Bart?"

"Indeed I would! And it only makes me more excited for the matches that are to come! But that will have to wait, as that concludes the matches for today. We shall see you all tomorrow, so please leave the Coliseum IN A CALM AND ORDERLY FASHION!" bellowed Oobleck.

With that announcement, Pyrrha rose to her feet, and turned to leave, but stopped when she felt a familiar hand take hers.

"You sure?" Jauned asked once again.

"Yes, don't worry" she replied softly, squeezing before reluctantly letting go.

The blond watched his lieutenant leave, before slumping into his seat with his arms crossed. The others hadn't moved either, unsure of what to do next. They could simply return to their dorms and wait for Pyrrha's return, but the uneasiness that had blanketed them, kept the students rooted. Perhaps it would be better if they waited for her make her way back to the reserved seating, as it would be difficult for them to leave, given that the Coliseum was emptying. Jaune began to tap his finger against his arm, his patience thinning by the second, until it finally emptied like sand in an hourglass.

"Gods damn it all" he spat before jumping to his feet and heading straight for the exit.

This caused a domino effect, beginning with Nora and Ren, who were compelled to follow their captain. Blake was only a moment behind along with Weiss, which caused Sun and Neptune to follow. With only a moment of hesitation, the rest of the group brought up the rear, and quickly caught up with the brisk pace set by Jaune. They used the subterranean halls that linked the four locker areas to get to the Mistral side, as there was no doubt Pyrrha had chosen the same route.

"Do you think something is going to happen?" asked Blake, walking to Jaune's right as he led the pack.

"I pray that it won't come to that" he replied honestly, eyes locked forward.

"The fact you've been gripping your sword like that says otherwise" commented Weiss, who had noticed the blond had been holding the hilt of Crocea Mors as if he was afraid it would be taken from him.

"If they so much as lay a finger on Pyrrha, I'll take their heads" he growled, his Aura pulsing for an instant, causing his golden locks to flare, and revealed he had succumbed to his darker suspicions of Team CLME.

This took his immediate friends aback, never before hearing him speak in such an intimidating tone, or making such a violent threat. However, while shocking, it wasn't surprising in the least. Jaune and Pyrrha had yet to go on an official date, but it was abundantly clear that they cared deeply for one another; to the point the others could confidently call it love. If her life was in any way in jeopardy, then it was fully expected for him to want to protect her with his. That confirmed a few things for the others, as Jaune had not been alone in is his speculations, and set a new tone. Instinctively, the others reached for their weapons as they neared the Mistral locker-room, now expecting the worst.

However, Ruby and Yang were less than content with the blond's anger, for it implied a harsh animosity to their new "friends". It was strange that Pyrrha didn't recognize them, but the Xiao Long sisters weren't ready to throw them under the bus and think of them as their enemies. Cinder, Emerald, Mercury had all been so nice to them ever since they first met. Even their other teammate, Laura, while hadn't spoken a word, also seemed nice enough. The girls weren't so naive that they had forgotten Pyrrha words, and what Jaune's threat was diverting from them: suspecting Team CLME was connected to Torchwick and Taurus. As suspicious as the situation was, they weren't prepared to jump to that conclusion just yet, and would need more proof before joining in.

When the Huntsmen-in-training entered the locker-room, they unfortunately found it deserted, and Jaune quickly led the others to the passage that led above ground. As they finally exited the Coliseum, they found themselves amongst the spectators, and they desperately began looking around for Pyrrha.

"She's there!" called Ruby, pointing across the park to the tall Mistralese Huntress-in-training, who seemed to be looking for something or someone.

They quickly made their way over to her, and Jaune was the first to call out, causing her to face them.

"Jaune, everyone" she said in surprise, not expecting them all to follow her.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"I don't know" she admitted. "I just caught a glimpse of them exiting the locker area, but when I exited the Coliseum, they were gone. I must have lost them in the crowd. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. You're OK, and that's what matters" sighed the blond in relief. "We'll get another chance tomorrow, or even today if you want to go directly to the arranged lodging for the Haven students."

Pyrrha paused for a moment, thinking over the suggestion, before glancing to her friends, whom she now noticed were tense and resting their hands on their arms.

"No, I think it would be best if we all sleep on it, as I can clearly see you were all spoiling for a fight" she replied.

"If anyone was spoiling for a fight, it was this one" Yang remarked, wrapping her knuckle against Jaune's pauldron. "He was about to go berserk if they attacked you."

"Uhuh" agreed Coco with a smirk. "Remember girls, find yourself a man that wants to protect you like this one wants to protect Nikos."

The captain of Team JNPR blushed at the call out, realizing how brutally honest he had been. He meant every word of it of course, but it was the first time that he had shown just how far he would go for Pyrrha in front on his friends. He looked at the redhead and found her lightly blushing with a small smile on her face.

"Yes, I'd consider myself very lucky. And thank you for your concern, everyone" she said graciously. "However, I must point on that this is exactly why I wished to speak to Team CLME alone, for you all look rather hostile to my eyes, therefore you will certainly appear hostile to them. Again, I think we should sleep on, for it will give me enough time to think it over, and see if I've merely forgotten their faces. Rushing to violence is not the answer, and we should never attribute malice when stupidity will do, as my father liked to say; stupidity in this case being my faulty memory. I think we should go and enjoy the rest of our day, and perhaps Team CFVY should rest, given you will be fighting tomorrow."

"Not a bad idea; that or take advantage of the festival's sales and get some last minute shopping done" contemplated the well dressed second-year, eyeing the crowd. "Then again, maybe not with this amount of people about."

"How about we get something to eat? I'm starving!" moaned Nora.

"I think we've earned that after our victories" smirked Ren.

"I'm down" agreed Sun "Who's up for BBQ?"

The students all voiced their agreement, and headed through Albion's Commercial District in search of a good BBQ joint. However, Jaune, Pyrrha, and Blake still had their suspicions of Team CLME, and continued to mull over the supposed Mistralese team's origins. Only time would tell how correct their suspicions would be.

λΛλ

As the sun set over Beacon Academy, Huntmasters Ozpin and Ironwood, along with Winter, Qrow, Glynda, Port, and Oobleck, all situated themselves in the headmaster's office around his desk. All possessed stern expressions on their faces as they examined the portraits of Team CLME on a holoscreen.

"So these are Her Pawns and Bishop?" asked Port.

"Unfortunately" replied Winter, shaking her head in disbelief. "For them to recruit so young..."

"Don't let their baby faces fool you, Ice Queen" addressed Qrow, fishing out a leather-bound flask from his vest. "They may be young, but they must have been taken in for a reason; that one especially" he pointed at Mercury "I knew that one the moment I laid eyes on him."

"It isn't hard to believe She would recruit people no older than our students by that very admittance" added Ozpin, pressing his chin into his fingers. "Do we not train child soldiers?"

"Only voluntarily and for a much holier cause" countered Ironwood, inspecting a tablet he held in his hands as he smoked a cigar. "Intent is just as important as means."

"Then what are we to do?" asked Oobleck. "We can't possibly continue with the tournament if they've infiltrated our defenses to this degree."

"We have to carry on given how far they've infiltrated" corrected Ozpin, nodding to the General.

"Exactly" James agreed, taking a long draw from his cigar before slowly blowing the greyish blue smoke out of his lips, ending with a retrohale through his nose. "The border has effectively been secured, shutting down any external threat. It's the internal threat we need to worry about. Thankfully, we are more in a position of control than you may think. My military opinion is to continue to draw them in until it's too late for them to retreat."

"And continue to put the lives of our students at risk" remarked Glynda bitterly. "Not to mention the thousands of spectators, and the hundreds of thousands of civilians in the city."

"I have sworn an oath to defend the lives of the innocent just as you have, Glynda. I will not let a single soul be taken; you have my word."

"Then arrest them!" she shot back. "If we know who they are then just stop them before they can do any more damage."

"We are still gathering intelligence" explained Winter. "If we engage the enemy before pinpointing the exact location of Adam Taurus and his forces, then not only have we lost an incredible opportunity to capture a vile terrorist at the top of Atlas' Most Wanted list, but possibly provoke a repeat of what happened in Mantle. We cannot allow either to occur."

The Deputy-Huntmistress stood in mute frustration, struggling with the need to argue for the safety of the school and the city, versus conceding to the valid points of her brethren. She turned to look at Ozpin for support, but only received an apologetic look.

"James is our military advisor, Glynda" the silver-haired Huntmaster said with empathy. "My field is ancient history and folklore, therefore I have no choice but to put my faith in the General's and the Major's guidance. We all have our part to play."

"Then we do nothing?" she asked incredulously.

"Hardly" countered Ozpin, pouring himself a cup of tea. "We shall continue with the current plan. Bart and Peter will continue to officiate the tournament unaltered, giving our informant more time to collect the information we need. Qrow will keep an eye on our uninvited guests, while I will play the part of the dutiful Huntmaster."

"And keep the Council in the dark" added Qrow in amusement, taking a swig of his flask.

"Anything to impede the bureaucrats" commented Winter with a small smirk.

"And you're certain that this plan will work?" continued Glynda.

Ironwood exhaled the smoke of his cigar slowly before giving his well thought out reply.

"When you surround an army, leave an outlet free. Do not press a desperate foe too hard at first. Instead, exhibit the coyness of a maiden, until the enemy gives you an opening. Afterwards, emulate the rapidity of a running hare, and it will be too late for the enemy to oppose you. Such is the art of warfare."

Winter nodded in approval as Glynda looked to the marble floor, partially unconvinced. She crossed her arms and took a breath before looking back to her Huntmaster.

"Will that be all?" she asked, slightly hopeful there was more.

"Not quite" admitted Ozpin bringing his teacup to his lips and blew gently before taking a sip. "I believe it is time to have a word with Miss Nikos."

---

And there we go. Sorry that it took longer than expected. My free time is almost non-existent at the moment, so I'll probably have to abandon any hard schedule regarding this fic; though I will still try to get it out weekly.

Also, there were many of you that were confused as to why I changed the Kingdom and Academy of origin of Teams SSSN and NDGO. I hope that this chapter explained why I made the change, and why it is...infuriating (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ ┻━┻

Cheers, and see you all next time. Ave Legio JNPR! Ad Victoria!