Chapter 7: Do You Believe In Destiny?
Team RWBY's Dorm, 15:45 pm…
Nathan never expected he could dislike General Ironwood any more than he already did. Until now.
"I'm sorry, but you've left us with no choice." Ironwood declared.
"But he attacked me!" Yang protested.
"Video footage and millions of viewers say otherwise." Ironwood said firmly.
"But Yang would never do that!" Weiss countered.
"Yeah." Ruby added, standing up.
Ironwood sighed. "You all seem like good students." He said. "And the staff here at Beacon are fully aware that you would never lash out the way you did, under normal circumstances. What I believe, and hope this to be, is nothing more than the results of stress and adrenaline. When you're out on the battlefield, your judgement can become clouded in an instant; sometimes you see things that simply aren't there. Even after the fight has passed."
"Depends on the quality of the soldier." Nathan remarked. "I don't know what soldiers you served with, but-"
"I don't recall asking your opinion, young man." Ironwood said rudely, eyeing Nathan as if silently ordering him to shut up.
"You got it anyway, Ironwood." Nathan replied. "Not sorry."
Ironwood glared at Nathan before Yang interjected:
"But I wasn't tr-"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Ironwood snapped, silencing Yang. "The sad truth is, whether it was an accident or an assault, it doesn't matter. The world saw you attack an innocent student. They've already drawn their own conclusions. And it's my job to inform you that… you're disqualified."
Yang's face fell, and she bowed her head.
Nathan saw this and said: "That's it? No formal inquiry, no chance for Yang to tell her side of the story, no choice but to stand there and take it? Forgive me for saying so, but that's the biggest heap of bullshit I've heard since Weiss said she'd get ahead using only her brain! No offence, Weiss."
"None taken." Weiss replied, as Ironwood rounded on Nathan.
"What did I tell you about voicing your opinion, young man?" Ironwood demanded.
"Nothing I cared to listen to, Ironwood." Nathan said, standing up and facing him down. "You're telling these girls that you're too fucking scared to face the world and say that you're gonna get Yang's side of the story before making a decision. And I'm not gonna stand for that."
"Stand down." Ironwood ordered.
"No. Not until you tell me you're gonna grow some fucking balls and give Yang a chance to defend herself." Nathan replied, folding his arms.
"Stand down before I disqualify your team as well for refusal to comply with a military official's orders!" Ironwood demanded.
"Yeah, good luck pacifying Argus for denying their hero Pyrrha her chance for glory." Nathan replied. "Real smart, Ironwood, pissing off the only city that tolerates you having a military base there outside of your own base in Atlas."
Ironwood glared daggers at Nathan, saying: "Stand. Down. Or I will have you arrested for insubordination."
Nathan held his ground, spreading his arms out. "You've got my full permission to try, motherfucker."
For what felt like ages, Ironwood and Nathan stared one another down, neither backing down.
Finally, Ironwood took a deep breath and pushed past Nathan, taking his leave.
"Fucking asshole." Nathan muttered as he joined Team RWBY.
"You guys believe me, right?" Yang asked, eyeing them all.
"Duh!" Ruby exclaimed.
"You're hot-headed, but you're not ruthless." Weiss added.
"Yeah. Ironwood should have given you a chance to at least defend yourself." Nathan said. "But no. Apparently he left his balls in Atlas. Unless he has none to speak of whatsoever."
Yang smiled appreciatively before eyeing the only team member who hadn't said a word since returning:
Blake.
"Blake?" Yang asked tentatively.
Nathan faced his girlfriend too, wondering if she had anything to say.
Blake at first didn't respond, bowing her head even more, prompting Ruby and Weiss to share a look.
"I want to believe you." Blake finally said after a long silence.
"Huh?" Ruby asked.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss demanded.
"What are you talking about, Blake?" Nathan asked, seeing Yang's face fall even more.
"Blake…?" Yang asked, her eyes brimming with tears.
"How can you say something like that?" Weiss once again demanded as Blake bowed her head again. "Yang would never lie to us."
"Yeah; what's wrong with you?" Nathan inquired. "You're Yang's best friend!"
Blake only responded with a sigh. "Nathan, you should know why I'm-"
"Yeah, I do. But that doesn't mean you should just turn your back on Yang!" Nathan interrupted. "I didn't turn my back on Ahsoka when she got framed for something she didn't do!"
"Who's Ahsoka?" Weiss asked confusedly.
Nathan ignored her and said: "It doesn't matter. Yang needs you right now, Blake. And if you're gonna turn around and say you don't believe her, then... then I'm not sure I want to be around you!" At that, Nathan turned and stormed off, ignoring Blake's pleas to stay.
Somewhere on Beacon Academy's grounds…
Nathan leaned back and tried to relax, trying his best to calm down.
His anger at Blake had dissipated, replaced by a realisation that he might have just ruined any chance of a future between them.
Now his anger was directed at himself, knowing that he'd screwed up, maybe even worse than some of his screw-ups during the Clone Wars, of which he'd had a few, though mainly during the early days of his time fighting.
"Got a lot on your mind?" A voice said.
Nathan looked up to find Velvet stood there, eyeing him. "Oh, hey Velvet." Sitting up, he said: "And yeah. I've got a lot on my mind. Figure I've just about screwed things up with Blake."
"How so?" Velvet asked, joining Nathan on the bench.
"It's all this bullshit about Yang." Nathan replied. "Blake didn't want to believe her when she said Mercury attacked her, and…" Nathan sighed. "It's just all too familiar for me."
"You had something happen in your past?" Velvet asked.
Nathan silently nodded. Aside from Team RWBY or his own teammates, Velvet was one of the very few people that Nathan had trusted with the knowledge about the Jedi.
"I can imagine how it'd feel that way." Velvet stated. "But… in a way, Blake is justified for thinking that. Her past affected her in a way that's similar to how yours has affected you."
"I realise that now." Nathan says. "But I'm worried it's too late for me to tell Blake face to face."
Velvet smiled gently. "Nathan; it's never too late. Wait for all this to calm down, and then tell her. Then, even if this is the end for you two, the chance still arises for you both to be friends afterwards."
"Yeah…" Nathan said sadly. "Friends…"
Velvet nudged him. "But I doubt it. I've seen how you and Blake are together. It's honestly quite lovely. She'll forgive you. Every relationship has its rough patches, and your relationship with Blake is no different. It's moving past that which determines which couples last and which ones don't."
"Since when did you become a couples counsellor?" Nathan asked jokingly.
Velvet sighed. "My parents aren't together anymore." She replied. "My father's too busy carving out the future in Atlas, whilst my mother's still at home here in Vale. I stopped hoping they'd get back together long ago. They're happy as they are, and I didn't want to ruin that by being a spoilt brat and demanding they get back together."
"Wow…" Nathan remarked. "That's rough."
"I also look at things on the bright side." Velvet said. "At least I don't have an annoying little brother or sister."
Nathan cracked up at that. "Amen to that. And to being only children."
"Yup." Velvet said before saying: "Well, I had best get going. Coco will have my ears if I don't make it to her next meeting."
Nathan chuckled and said: "See you later, Velvet. And… thanks for the talk."
"Any time, Nathan. My office hours are between four pm and dinnertime." Velvet replied jokingly.
Nathan laughed and replied: "I'll try and book an appointment for me and Blake. Though I wouldn't mind a threesome."
Velvet immediately blushed madly at that thought.
Nathan laughed once more and said: "Kidding. Though I will say if I were older and Blake weren't in the picture… You'd definitely be on the radar."
Velvet smiled and said: "Thank you, Nathan. And trust me… you'd be on mine as well if you were older and Blake wasn't in the picture."
Nathan smiled before watching Velvet leave, taking a deep breath. He'd needed that talk. Now all that remained was finding Blake and hoping that it wasn't too late to win her back.
He then sensed his teammates nearby, and decided to join them. In all the mess with Yang, he'd neglected to go see them.
Not long later, outside the dorms…
"Nate!" Nora called out as Nathan joined her and Ren.
"Hey, you two. Got any idea where Jaune and Pyrrha are?" Nathan asked as he hugged Nora.
"Yeah, they're talking privately nearby." Ren replied.
"Though at the rate they're going, it's probably going to end with them in the bedroom." Nora added.
"Nora…" Ren chided.
"Nora's got a point though." Nathan said. "Pyrrha and Jaune have been getting a lot closer, lately. Way things are going, they'll be bumping uglies by this time next week."
Ren sighed. "At least now I know where Nora gets her ideas from."
"Not all of them." Nathan replied. "Most of them are all her." Ruffling Nora's hair.
Nora then gasped with horror. "I CAN'T BELIEVE WE FORGOT!" She shouted.
"Forgot what?" Ren and Nathan asked.
"We were supposed to form our own secret clique, have secret meetings and pull pranks on unsuspecting teachers!" Nora said. "How in the world did we forget that?!"
"Probably because of everything we've already been through." Nathan replied. "But… maybe after the tournament's over and done with; we can consider getting started on that."
"YES!" Nora declared, pumping her fists in the air triumphantly.
Ren sighed and eyed Nathan. "You have no idea what you've just unleashed, Nathan."
"I was bound to find out sooner or later, Ren." Nathan replied. "Figured I'd just pop the cherry, so to speak. Just like Jaune's gonna pop Pyrrha's cherry at some point in the near future."
Ren groaned as Nora giggled.
"Or you popping Blake's." Nora remarked.
At the mention of Blake, Nathan's face fell.
Noticing, Nora asked: "Is… everything alright?" She asked, her mirth forgotten at the sight of Nathan's sadness.
"Yeah, things are good. Just need to talk to Blake about something, is all." Nathan answered.
"You're not breaking up with her, are you?" Nora asked suddenly.
"No, no, fuck no!" Nathan replied. "Just… we're on a rocky surface, so to speak. I just talked with Velvet… and I'm hoping I can salvage things."
"I'm sure you can, Nate." Nora said confidently. "It's obvious for all of us that Blake loves you, and vice versa."
"Rough patches are perfectly normal for any meaningful relationship." Ren added. "Most especially romantic ones. Sometimes, they end a relationship outright. In other cases, they make the relationship stronger than it was before the rough patch."
"Yeah!" Nora said. "You'll be back with Blake before you can even say 'Pyrrha's getting laid tonight'!"
"Nora!" Ren chided.
"Pyrrha's getting laid tonight." Nathan retorted almost instantly afterwards.
Nora then burst out laughing whilst Ren shook his head in disbelief, smiling.
Nathan made to say something else, but he sensed a wave of sadness coming from a nearby source:
Pyrrha.
Without warning, Nathan took off running, ignoring Nora and Ren's confused inquiries. From what he could sense, Pyrrha needed someone to talk to. And he wasn't about to leave her hanging when he could help.
With Pyrrha, later…
It wasn't long before Nathan caught sight of Pyrrha, seeing her stood staring up at the statue dominating Beacon's courtyard.
"Pyrrha!" He called out, drawing her attention, stopping sharply as he got a closer look.
Pyrrha looked like she'd been crying. Her eyes were puffy, and her lower lip quivered.
Closing the distance, Nathan said: "Pyrrha… is everything alright? What's wrong?"
Pyrrha didn't respond, just looked back up at the statue, a mournful expression on her face.
"Pyrrha…?" Nathan asked worriedly, joining her.
"Do… do you believe in destiny, Nathan?" Pyrrha asked suddenly.
Nathan's eyes narrowed in confusion as he asked: "Pyrrha, what are you talking about?"
"Just answer the question!" Pyrrha said, eyeing him.
Taking a deep breath, Nathan shook his head. "Not since Order 66 was issued." Facing the statue, Nathan said: "I used to, though. I used to believe it was my destiny to one day become a Jedi, and do some serious good for the galaxy. I had so many different goals I wanted to accomplish as a Jedi, too." Sighing, Nathan added: "But then I watched helplessly as countless Jedi Knights and masters were gunned down in a hail of blasterfire by the very soldiers we had fought beside for three bloody years. After that, destiny became a concept I couldn't care less about."
Pyrrha sniffled and said: "Well; I always believed destiny was… a final goal of sorts, something you work towards your entire life."
"And…?" Nathan asked, sensing there was more to what Pyrrha was saying.
"Something's… something's come to my attention that's made me question what my destiny is." Pyrrha elaborated.
"What is it?" Nathan inquired. "Has Jaune finally fessed up about how he feels?"
At the mention of Jaune, Pyrrha burst into tears once again. "No, it's nothing like that! This wasn't how I thought things would happen!"
"Hey, hey…" Nathan said, taking Pyrrha by the shoulders. "Calm down. What is it, Pyrrha?"
"I… I can't say." Pyrrha replied with a sob.
"Bullshit." Nathan replied. "Come on, Pyrrha. You can tell me if nobody else."
Stifling another sob, Pyrrha said: "After the tournament… I… I have a choice to make. One that… that might change me forever."
"How so?" Nathan asks. "Some sort of deific power or some shit?"
"It doesn't matter." Pyrrha replied, before breaking down once again. "I don't know what to do!" She sobbed. "Everything inside me is telling me to say yes, but I badly want to say no! But… but I-"
Nathan silenced her with a warm, tight hug. "Hey, hey, sssh, it's okay." Nathan said softly, holding her close, letting her just cry into his shoulder.
He didn't know how long he held her there for, but he didn't care. All Nathan did care about was being the shoulder Pyrrha needed to cry on right now.
Eventually, Nathan broke the hug. "Pyrrha, look at me."
Pyrrha's tearful eyes met his, as Nathan said:
"What I believe now, is making my own destiny. Carving one out for myself." Pausing, Nathan says: "Sometimes, you can't just blindly follow. Sometimes, you got to forge your own path. And if you want my opinion; this is one of those times for you. I can't make the choices for you, but what I can do is tell you that no matter what choices you make; I'll back you one hundred and ten percent, all the way."
Pyrrha wiped away her tears as a smile threatened to break through. "Th… thank you, Nathan.
Nathan then hugged her once again. "Pyrrha; from the day we had that talk about my past until now, you've been my best friend. If there's anything you need, I'll be there for you."
Pyrrha once more sobbed, but this time happier. "Thank you, Nathan. I'm glad I get to call you my friend."
"Likewise, Pyrrha." Nathan replied. "Now come on. We have a tournament you've got to win."
Pyrrha nodded and together, she and Nathan headed off to Amity Arena, ready for anything they might encounter.
Nathan and Pyrrha's friendship was always going to be a big part of the story. Pyrrha is my favourite character in RWBY, so I thought it only right that my OC becomes close friends with her.
But also, if their first conversation in Rising Darkness caused Ironwood to dislike Nathan, their confrontation in this chapter is probably where Ironwood starts to hate Nathan. Because it's unlikely that anyone has forced Ironwood to back off through sheer will like Nathan has before now, whilst openly defying Ironwood's demands.
Then there's the rough patch between Blake and Nathan. No relationship goes without arguments. It's how a relationship deals with arguments that defines its strength. Hopefully Blake and Nathan can push through.
All that said; let's answer some reviews, shall we?
april-551: Figured it'd be interesting if Blake had a sibling from an earlier relationship of either of her parents. You'll see what happened to bring Kanan into the world in later stories, but he will be a featured character. Also, Nathan's one of Pyrrha's closest friends, not to mention he can sense your thoughts. He'd know pretty quick that something was amiss. As for Cinder looking for info on Nathan... she'll have an idea of his capabilities soon enough.
keybladelight: As cool as that'd be, Nathan has more pressing priorities than to torture someone the public considers innocent. He's been around politics, he knows how such an action might appear. Plus; he's no sadist. Nathan doesn't enjoy causing people pain; only does it when needed (Like when Juno keeps popping up and Nathan has to roast her again and again and again...).
Either way; thank you all for reading the chapter. If you enjoyed it... you know what to do.
With that said; I shall see you all next week with chapter 8; which sees things go from bad to much, much worse.
T-Rock14