The Jaune Archive: To Survive and Prosper (OUTDATED)

by The Rade Blunner

The original version of the first installment of the Jaune Archive prior to being reworked. Please read Jaune: Hero of Beacon for the newer and updated version. The original summary can be found in Chapter 1 in this version.

13. Last Leaf Falling

Editorial Note:

The following chapter will begin after another extract from one of Headmaster Ozpin's logs, which occurred during the meeting Pyrrha attended shortly after the end of the preceding chapter. The extract provides vital information, insights, and context behind the events that would shortly be recounted in these accounts as well as providing the reader some deeper understanding about the Maidens and Ozpin's intergenerational shadow war against Salem, uncovering secrets that were hidden from the world at the time.

The Ozpin Logs: The Next Fall Maiden

So far, the festival has been nothing short of convivial as it should be, with the only incident so far being Qrow's confrontation with Winter Schnee, and even that was not disrupting enough to spoil the people's enjoyment from the festival and nobody was harmed from it apart from one of James' expendable war machines.

It does not mean we can take any respites, however. The festival was always a recurring event for our adversaries to take advantage of. Salem's previous attempts of taking action during the festival are far from her last. And as such, even in a time of peace, we still need to remain prudent until we are certain that Salem and her forces have stopped.

Our successful countermeasures against The White Fang and Merlot did not stop James from deploying extra security in Vale for the festival, knowing Salem's forces are afoot if recent incidents are any indication. The recent drug epidemic in the kingdom was not helping matters, and the UCC is doing everything they can to end it. I have to congratulate Jaune once again for his contribution in exposing one of the sources responsible for it—thereby accelerating the progress of ridding the drugs from the kingdom.

Anyhow, the tournament was booming with activity—with the second round coming to a pass as audiences from all over the world watched in thrill of the exuberant matches involving two members of one team against another pair. Among these matches include Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos competing against a Flynt Coal and Neon Katt from Team FNKI of Atlas Academy. As expected, Mr. Arc and Ms. Nikos stood victorious during the match and it was still a compelling battle as the fascination of the matches involved was not about the outcome of the battle but on how they would remain triumphant against their opponents, no matter the odds.

Both Arc and Nikos never ceased to amaze me. They have given me nothing but good impressions over these months despite their individual flaws, especially the former's. Pyrrha Nikos, in particular, made a perfect candidate that I did not waste any further time in choosing her to become the next Fall Maiden. Though there were several other viable options, the girls of Team RWBY being an example, Pyrrha was simply unmatched, even surpassing her more experienced upperclassmen.

She was perfect. Her combination of skill, intelligence and altruism are all qualities that made her a very suitable candidate that there was no reason not to choose her as the next Fall Maiden. I approached her for a secret assignment a few days prior which she gladly accepted.

After the second round of the tournament concluded, I summoned her to my office. There were three individuals in the room. Pyrrha, myself and Qrow, who was still in a bitter mood, especially concerning James. I congratulated Pyrrha for her victory during that round as she informs me it won't be her last battle during the tournament as she was selected to represent her team for the finals involving matches between individual members of one team.

"Well, it comes as no surprise that they have chosen you to move on to the final round of the tournament. Your performance was exemplary."

She humbly nodded, "Thank you, Professor Ozpin, but I would have never made it this far without my teammates."

"Hey, cereal girl, I know you guys are really that great and all, but I think you're giving them too much credit. I'm sure you would have got here without their help," Qrow stated, leaning against the column behind my study, speaking with his rough voice that was distinct enough that you could tell that he was him, drunk or otherwise. "You can thank your track record, your semblance, your partner's good luck charm that he inherited from his daddy, and his stupidly powerful laser gun for that. Not to mention, Oz' downright idiotic matchmaking system."

"Now, now, Qrow. I know you're still upset but we don't want Miss Nikos here to feel unwelcome now."

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've been introduced," Pyrrha said as she turned toward him.

"The name's Qrow. Spelled with a 'Q' by the way, in case you'll write that down." [1] He replied, still speaking in a disgruntled tone.

"Qrow is a trusted colleague of mine." I informed Pyrrha, "I'm sure you have heard of him from an incident roughly two days ago?"

She took a brief moment to look back at that occasion before recognizing the name that was mentioned to her. "So, you must be Yang and Ruby's uncle."

"You really are that bright for a cereal mascot," He snickered. "Yes, you are looking at the one and only Uncle Qrow." The hostility remained in his voice, but it was alleviated to an extent. "Now give this girl a prize by telling her what this is all about now."

"Please, take a seat," I told her. She promptly complied before I made my inquiry. "What is your favourite fairy tale?"

She appeared puzzled at my question. "I'm sorry?"

"Fairy tales, stories from your childhood," I elaborated. "Surely you must remember some of them."

Although she remained slightly confused over the seemingly random question, she gave me some answers. "Well, there's The Tale of The Two Brothers, The Shallow Sea, The Girl in the Tower..."

While all three of them hold some meaningful relevance for me, I suggested a much more pertinent tale. One that is one of the key factors to the very meeting she was present at. "What about The Story of the Seasons?"

"Well, of course!" she answered before recounting the tale, or at least the more popularized, gentler version of it that is often considered as the defined retelling of the story, contrary to the original version which was relatively closer to what truly happened.

It was a story about a callous, elderly hermit who refuses to leave his own house when he is visited by four travelling sisters, each representing one of the four seasons. The sisters performed acts of kindness towards the hermit as they encouraged him to embrace the world around him. This gave the hermit a positive outlook toward humanity. To repay the kindness of the four girls, the old man gifted them with supernatural powers, that they may use them to help others until the end of times.

"Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. The Four Maidens," she concluded. "My mother loves that story."

I gave a smile, showing how impressed I am on her knowledge of the story and asked, "Would you believe me if I told you that one's been around since I was a boy?"

She resonated a brief laugh, thinking that I was making a jest. "You're not that old, Professor."

"Well, would you believe me if I told you it was true?" I shifted to a more solemn tone.

After noticing that I was being serious with my word. She hesitated, glancing around the room before replying with utmost scepticism. "I beg your pardon?"

"What if I told you that there were four maidens existing in this world, that could wield such tremendous power, without Dust?" I inquired with her.

She was still confused as she continued to inquire about the subject matter. "You mean like a Semblance?

"Like magic."

She paused, unsure of what to answer. "I…"

"Yeah. First time hearing this, it's pretty crazy," Qrow interjected.

"You're serious?" She turned back to me

I sternly stared at her uncertain gaze. "Do I look like I'm joking?"

She took a moment to absorb that question before conceding. "No," she silently stared into the ground, at a loss of further words, putting the office into a moment of silence before she gave another question, "What does this have to do with my assignment?"

In order for me to answer that, she had to answer this question first. "Are you familiar with The Ruinous Powers, Miss Nikos?"

Her gaze returned to mine. "I haven't. I take it that they have something to do with magic?"

"You're not mistaken. I do not blame you if you are not aware of them. Knowledge of The Ruinous Powers is dangerous enough of itself. But if we are to proceed, I'm going to need you to explain them to you. I trust that you would acknowledge the risks that we will bring you and that you're going to keep this between us for the sake of everyone's benefit?"

She gave a single nod without a word. I gave her a content look, impressed with how she was handling this so far despite how dangerous this is. This was one of the reasons why I have chosen her for this affair. This shows how ready she was regardless of the circumstance.

"Very well, then," I began to divulge her of the beings in question. "The Ruinous Powers are four demonic entities from a realm known as The Warp. Their powers are fueled by everyday emotions, making them worse than the Grimm as they find their powers to be alluring," I explained, standing up from my chair as I walked to the window behind me. "They are known as The Gods of Chaos. Khorne, The Blood God; Tzeentch, The Changer of Ways; Nurgle the Plague Lord and Slaanesh, The Prince of Pleasure. All four of them have their own distinct motives and agendas. But with all of their unholy powers combined they can render the full powers of Chaos in its fullest potential that could undoubtedly bring about the end of our world as we know it [2]."

I stared at the view of the Academy from my tower as I continued my lecture. "The Warp, the dimension they reside in, is the source of all the magical powers the Maidens possessed." I continued as I turned back to face her again. "And while we're on the subject, let me tell you that many fairy tales were actually quite grim; these types of stories tend to be expurgated, being softened and given happy endings to make them less appalling so that these tales may no longer feed the Grimm by inspiring fear. The story of the Four Maidens is one of them."

This caught her interest. "Really? Then how did the original tale go then?"

"In the original story, they were depicted as unfortunate women who were cursed by an evil wizard with dangerous powers that they may use to bring havoc on every path they take until they eventually die, in which their powers pass to another host in a never-ending cycle. The women who possess these powers are regarded as witches and are often treated with contempt, usually ending with them getting burned at a stake."

Pyrrha stared at me as she listened while I walked back to my study, sighing to myself that I have to recall some unpleasant memories that always haunted me every single day. "Today, they are considered as an urban legend as sightings of their power have become much rarer over the past few ages. Although the story was told to be grim due to the limited understanding on how these powers works, most of it was true."

It should be noted that the softened version of the fairy tale was interestingly more closer to what happened in reality. The old wizard was desperate in looking for young women worthy enough for these powers in the fight against the increasing darkness. However, he failed to take account that these women, no matter how pure they may be are still vulnerable to the same darkness they were suppose to fight, and the world feared them as they were not ready to witness such power. I learnt a lot that day, and it's one mistake I have no choice but to live up with.

I continued, "The Maidens truly are cursed with magical powers and they do get passed into another host upon death, and it was true that they were persecuted back then. Since these powers came from The Warp which is tied to the Chaos Gods—the powers they hold are demonic in nature, but not every host is inheritably bad; some only wanted to go on with their daily lives while others genuinely wanted to use these powers for altruistic means. And we are here to make sure that these powers are only used for good. If they don't then they are in danger of being corrupted by The Ruinous Powers of Chaos, making them closer into putting the world into an end."

As I finished explaining to her regarding the truth about the Maidens and their powers, I went back on sitting at my chair. "Now do you understand what is at stake here?"

She remained speechless, pondering on everything she was told. "I don't… know what to say."

"I know this is a lot to take in, but we need you right now, and you're one of the few who are qualified enough to take up this task," I said. "So please, Pyrrha, the fate of the world is counting on us."

She gave me a hesitant look, taking a short time to reflect on it before finally giving a proper response. "What do you need me to do?"

I flashed a content smile as I answered, "We need you to be the next host of the Fall Maiden's Powers."

She was shocked upon hearing that revelation, as well as confused over my use of a plural pronoun. "We?" She uttered a moment before turning to the elevator when Glynda and James finally arrived. Right on cue, I may add.

"Sorry we're late," James apologized as he and Glynda stepped out from the elevator.

"Professor Goodwitch? General Ironwood?"

"Fret not, Miss Nikos. We're still the same teachers and Headmasters you met when you arrived at Beacon." Glynda reassured.

"Except we've got a little part-time job," Qrow added as he stood beside the two.

"We are the protectors of the world," James followed.

"And we need your help," I finished.

It took a short moment for her to contemplate. "I know you have a lot of questions, Pyrrha, which is why we would like you to come with us. There is something we would like to show you. We will tell you everything you need to know." I stood from my chair and led her to the elevator.

We brought her to the vault located in the lowest underground level of the Beacon Tower which was only accessible to a few individuals. Almost all of those aforementioned individuals were present during that particular moment.

We explained to her the procedures of the Maiden's powers, elaborating on how they transfer to another host. We told her that they not only transfer to young women specifically upon death but who was in their final thoughts as well. Otherwise, their powers get transferred arbitrarily to another young woman who was more difficult to track down. Fortunately, such occurrences are rare. However, it also meant that our enemies are just aware of who the next maiden is, and in those circumstances, we had to act with haste.

"Why tell me all of this now? Why not wait until I've graduated?" Pyrrha questioned.

"Honestly, we've run out of time," Qrow answered candidly. "I don't know if you've noticed, but things are getting a lot scarier out in the world. Tensions are high. Grimm are growing stronger, more prevalent. Chaos is getting closer into dooming us all. And it's not going to be long before the peace we've been enjoying for so long gets thrown out the window."

"You're not talking about a war?" she further asked after receiving that impression.

"Not a war between nations," James replied.

"We can fill you in on the details once we know that you're with us. For now, all you need to know is that one of the Maidens has been attacked. And for the first time in history, part of her power was stolen," Qrow stated.

When we finally arrived at the edge of the vault's hallway, we approached the two pods attached to a large machine between them. One of the pods was empty while the other stood upright and was occupied. This was when Pyrrha met Amber for the first time.

"Is that..." Pyrrha uttered after seeing her lying unconscious inside the pod's glass window.

I made a regretful sigh before I finished her sentence. "The current Fall Maiden—Amber Burnell."

Amber was still in the state she always has been since we found her; lying unconscious inside one of the pods that were continuously maintaining her life through the use of her aura with nothing but undergarments and a burn mark on her face which she received shortly after being put into a comatose.

"She's... still alive."

"For now," James added. "We're using state of the art Atlas technology to keep her stable. But there is a lot about this situation that is... unprecedented."

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked apprehensively.

He made a regretful sigh, "Well, we don't know what will happen if—when she passes."

"Won't her power just transfer to the next host?"

"Look who's been listening!" Qrow exclaimed before whispering at me. "She is smart."

"Under normal circumstances, yes." James nodded. "But this is a delicate situation. It's not uncommon for the last thoughts of the slain to be of their attacker." He turned back to Amber. "And to make matters worse, no one's seen the power split like this before. For all we know, it will seek out its other half."

"Her assailant…" Pyrrha followed.

"And that would not bode well for any of us," I stated.

Pyrrha looked down for a moment to cogitate before she stepped in front of Amber's pod. She put a hand on the window as she continued to ponder the revelation that was given to her. "So, if I were to obtain her powers, wouldn't that mean I would have some sort of connection to The Warp that you mentioned?"

As much as I was impressed that she was able to follow with all the information that we gave to her, I was regretful that I had to respond with the harsh truth. "Sadly, yes. Being the source of all magic where the Chaos Gods also reside, it is one dimension that is too precarious to a normal human mind as it is dangerously enigmatic. One would require strong mental willpower to withstand its effects. This is one of the reasons why knowledge of The Warp is better off being hidden from the rest of the world. Chaos is already growing stronger every day through mere emotions, and things will only escalate if they become public knowledge since more people would start worshipping them directly, and that we cannot have."

"So that means her attacker now has some connection to The Warp through the Maiden's powers," she mused.

"Correct, which is why we need to take immediate action as soon as possible."

"There are already several Chaos cults scattered around Remnant for years now. Worshipping either one or more of the Chaos Gods if not all of them," James explained. "Most of the people who are aware of them believe them to be nothing more than enigmatic if questionable pagan cults, and we are doing our best to keep it that way. They seek the Maidens since they view their connection to The Warp as keys to their religion. We cannot allow them and their powers to fall into their hands."

Pyrrha's hand withdrew from the window. "How do you know all of this? Especially if most of this is forbidden knowledge," she queried.

"This Order has been around longer than you can imagine, all I can say for now is that we have our ways," I answered. The Order has a complex background that can be described clearly and laconically, but these are things that she's not yet ready to hear. "And there is also a significant portion of The Watchers of Remnant that is aware of Chaos and is doing what they can to counteract them, even having an entire corps dedicated to tracking and hunting down Maidens in hopes of subduing them. Despite our mutual goals to stop Chaos for the sake global stability, we tend to disagree on what methods that need to be utilized, which is why I prefer to remain ahead of them."

"From what we understand, it used to be common knowledge," Glynda stepped in. "But as you know, there are those who are hungry for power that seeks the Maidens to inherit their strength. Hence why we removed them from the public eye that their existence faded to legend."

"Every legend and fairy tale had to start from somewhere, even the craziest ones are told because of this. This group was founded so that neither the Maidens nor the people end up destroying the world along with themselves," Qrow described, pulling his flask and taking a drink from it before continuing. "The things we're telling you go against hundreds of years of human history; that includes religion. [3] Why else do you think that we don't want the world to learn about all of this?"

"It would cause panic. And we all know what that would bring to The Ruinous Powers and our Kingdom's walls." I concluded before going back to the topic of the Fall Maiden. "Which is why we would like to—"

"I'll do it," Pyrrha interjected, earning our collective attention. "If you believe that this will help humanity—then I will become your Fall Maiden," she asserted. Although we expected her to take up the task, we were not prepared to hear this declaration. "That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

As much as we were elated that she decided to accept a pivotal responsibility, there were still some ramifications to be wary of due to how delicate this was, even to the likes of her. "It is, but I am afraid it is not that simple. Given Amber's condition, you will not be able to inherit her power naturally," I explained to her. "However, General Ironwood believes he has a solution."

"For the past few years, Atlas has been studying aura from a more scientific standpoint; how it works, what's it made of, how it can be used." James explained, "We've made significant strides. And we believe we've found a way to capture it."

"Capture it and cram it into something else," Qrow added before looking at Pyrrha contemptuously. "Or in your case—"

Pyrrha took a moment to absorb that statement before discerning what he was trying to convey. She turned toward James. "That's—"

"Classified," James interjected.

"...Wrong!"

"The feeling is mutual," Glynda glared at James beside her before looking back at Pyrrha. "But desperate times call for desperate measures."

"And these are indeed desperate times," James stepped in. "We can't transfer Amber's power to you, but we can give you what those powers are bound to,"

"Her aura…" Pyrrha perceived.

"Her life would become intertwined with yours. The question is, what would happen to you?" I asked rhetorically. "You have an important decision before you, Miss Nikos. There is no guarantee this transfer will work. And there is no telling if you will be the same person if it does. I advise you to take time on this matter. But understand that before the Vytal Festival is over, we will need your answer."

She looked back at Amber again to contemplate before staring back at us as I continued.

"The assailant that attacked the Fall Maiden has made their first move. And there's no telling when their next move will be…"

She kept looking at us silently before giving us a nod, a response which was adequate enough for the time being. The meeting concluded afterward; everything that needed to be said was done. While it was safe to assume that she now inherits the position especially after telling her sensitive information, it was ideal to allow her to finish the tournament before we carry out this procedure.

I admit it was regretful giving someone who has a bright future ahead of them with such responsibility. But this what Huntsmen are made for; to give out their lives for the sake of a better world. And I know that she will fulfill her duty.

=o=

1. Had he told that to Jaune sooner, it would have saved me from some work, even if most of them were just a simple change in letters.

2. Commonly known as Chaos Undivided. It is still regarded as a theory however, as the Chaos Gods and their followers are often in conflict with one another.

3. It is worth mentioning that any religions which do not worship the Chaos Gods are often the main source of starving them off due to people channeling their emotions to different gods instead (whether they exist or not) rather than refusing to believe them at all which was a common misconception prior to that discovery when it was usually thought that the gods were powered by belief.

---

Chapter 13

Last Leaf Falling

---

"Grief, disappointment and despair, all begin with hope."

-Inside the Mind of Ozma: The Bearer of The Curse.

What did I do wrong to come to this?

I always knew that my lies won't last forever; it was only a matter of time until someone discovers the truth one way or another, but I did everything I could to uphold this charade to spare them from experiencing the pain of realizing that all of my achievements that they respected me for were unmerited. But in the end, it was all for nothing.

Pyrrha, Ren, Nora and all of Team RWBY stared at me with varying expressions of disappointment, betrayal, fury, disbelief or regret; frankly, I couldn't blame them. They just discovered that someone who they thought was a hero, friend, and leader turning out to be a selfish fake who used them for his advantage to get through his hectic school years. They had every right to hate me.

Pyrrha stood in front of the group, her emerald eyes were fixed at my own, tearing in dismay, hoping that this was nothing but a cruel joke. I could almost see my pitiful reflection as I gazed back. "Is it true? That everything we thought about you was a lie all along."

To my regret, I could only nod silently. I already deceived her for too long now and there was no point making more white lies as they would only make this worse. I couldn't do anything but to remain idle and admit to everything I have been hiding from them since the beginning and it was far too late to apologize.

She woefully squeezed her eyes shut, barely fighting back her tears. Her fist clenched as I felt my armor quiver from her magnetism. I expected her to hurl me away with it, but nothing happened. She unclenched her fist as the sensation left my armor before putting her disappointed gaze at me again. "If you cared about us, you would have told us. You would have been honest. But you didn't, and that says a lot."

I silently stared at them ashamedly before my eyes fell to the ground which felt like a black void as I could not even remember where I was standing anymore. Ruby was noticeably weeping; Weiss was folding her arms as she shook her head. Blake averted her gaze with her ears turned back; Yang's eyes furiously blinked red, being that repulsed to my existence alone; Ren likewise glared at me while Nora closed her eyes, facing the ground.

Pyrrha spoke again, "Why, Jaune. Why must you lie to us like this?"

I made a sorrowful sigh as I looked at her green eyes and gave her my explanation. "I didn't know what else to do. It was stuck with me and I thought you'd hate me if I told you the truth. But it looks like that wouldn't have made a difference, now would it?"

I was so afraid at what might happen that it only ended up as another testimony of my spineless cowardice. Sometimes I asked myself why I even bothered to continue lying at those who called me a friend when I knew this was going to happen eventually.

She kept glaring at me, barely fighting back her grief. "I-I still can't believe this. I thought you were my friend, my partner, our leader. If you're not really the Jaune we grew to know then who are you?"

"I'm nothing," I regretfully stared at them as I finally told them who I truly am.

After she took a brief moment to contemplate, she stood upright and reasserted her calm, yet furious glare. "If you're really that much of a coward that you had to pretend to be something else and have the audacity to lie to us about it, then maybe you deserve to be treated as nothing," she growled coldly.

Part of me wanted to apologize but I knew that an apology won't fix all the bridges I burned behind their backs. I don't believe I deserved any pity anyway. I took advantage of their friendship; I manipulated them into believing something I'm not; I took all glory away from the true heroes, and I did all of those things being fully aware of it. I deserved all of this.

She then turned away from me and led everyone out. Ruby gave me a disheartened glance before following the other girls. Ren simply shook his head before walking away as well.

"Nora?" I looked at her standing, sorrowfully staring at me for one last time. Tears were dripping out from her turquoise eyes when she turned away her gaze and followed Ren without uttering a single word.

The only person remaining was Weiss who continued to frown at me. She appeared aggrieved before shifting to a more regretful expression. "I trusted you…"

"Maybe you shouldn't have," I grieved.

"I wish I didn't at all," she turned away her icy gaze and walked out.

I was all alone, left with nothing but guilt and ruminations of my wrongdoings. I didn't do anything further other than to stand there. Disheartened, defeated, without any more friends, and without any more will to move forward, let alone a clue of what to do next.

There was nothing left.

As the growing abyss of darkness was about to engulf me, I suddenly woke up. My heart pounded rapidly as I took heavy breaths before I looked around my surroundings and realized that I was at my dorm, lying on my bed.

It was thankfully all just a dream, but even still, it felt like a cautionary vision of what might happen if I didn't set things right when it is too late. My secrets were still hidden and I still have plenty of time left, but if I were to make sure this nightmare won't become a reality, I would have to tell them the truth sooner, no matter how taxing it would be; and I already decided that I will confess to Pyrrha later that day.

Rubbing my eyes, I continued to scan around my dorm before seeing that Nora was pounding the bathroom door anxiously. "Hurry up, Ren! I can't hold it for much longer!"

"Defecating is an art, Nora. You can't rush art," Ren responded while inside the bathroom. That sounded like something Ren would say, but at the same time, it doesn't. It wasn't the most appropriate thing to hear after an upsetting nightmare, but those very words were everything I needed to hear to assure myself that all was well.

Thankfully for Nora, the door opened not long after. The toilet flushed before Ren walked out of the bathroom. "Finally!" Nora rushed inside before slamming the door shut.

"She really never gets tired, does she?" I asked Ren as I sat at my bed. Nora partied hard for the previous night and was still full of energy even when heading to bed. She wasn't able to sleep until much later in that night and she was still able to wake up earlier than us as vibrant as ever. We tried to tell her to slow down and save most of it after Pyrrha wins the final round for us, but it did not make her any less excited over our victory for the previous round. If this is how she celebrates our win for the doubles round, one cannot imagine how she is going to celebrate when we win the finals shortly before our first year comes to an end. All I know is that we brace for it.

"Maybe when she eats more pancakes than her stomach can handle, but I doubt that she'll ever reach her limit," he hypothesized.

"Oh, okay," I said. There was simply no way to wear her out, even if she gets tired, she'll only need a few hours of sleep before waking up fully rested. Sleeping in the same room with her was quite a challenge because she snores louder than Torchwick's screaming when she broke his bones. Thankfully, I was able to get used to it as time went on.

I was rather thankful that she was a short sleeper because it meant that I wouldn't have to bear with it for too long. I have to feel bad for Ren for dealing with this every night, at least I stay in a separate room with thick walls from my rowdy sisters. This is one of the reasons why you shouldn't feed Nora any sugar.

"As much as I want to spend some time alone and let someone else look after her, everyone seems like they're going somewhere so I'm stuck with her again," he said with an exasperated sigh.

"Nothing you can't handle, buddy," I told him. If there's anyone who can babysit someone like Nora, it's him. She hasn't broken him yet after being stuck with her for half of his life and that's saying something because I can't imagine putting up with Nora for more than several years, let alone half my life. Being on the same team as her as well as being her leader for three more years is already asking too much, and I'm still not sure if I will be around for that long. At least my sisters give me a break. This slightly brightened him up, which was hard to tell since I rarely see Ren change his expression.

"So anyway, where's Pyrrha?" I stood from my bed, noticing that she was the only team member not present in the dorm.

"She's sparring with the girls in the combat hall. She thought she'd practice for tomorrow while she still has time before your date, or a 'totally platonic hangout' as Nora would call it."

I still wasn't sure if these two are even dating or not. For as long as they are together, they still seem indecisive if they want to treat their relationship as romantic or not and it would probably stay that way until one of them does something about it. And it looks like my relationship with Pyrrha would get there first even though we've only known each other for a relatively short period. It's kind of sad if you think about it.

"Look, just give us some time, then maybe you can say we're really dating."

"Whatever you say. Just treat her well, alright?" He walked back toward his study.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" I nodded at him right before the bathroom door abruptly popped open.

"You're finally going on a date?!" Nora happily shouted, being thrilled by the implication that she and Beacon's favorite freshman duo is going together. "Where are you two going? Are you going to take her to the movies? To a romantic dinner date? Oh! Maybe you two could watch the fireworks later tonight?!"

I exhaled through my nose, not being surprised by her reaction at this point. "Maybe one or two of those things, Nora. Just let us learn to know each other more and we'll see how it goes from there. Alright, Nora?"

She nodded. "Roger-Dodger! Go get her, Fearless Leader!"

Don't get too excited, Nora, there's a chance that this might end up being our last date, I mumbled as I proceeded to my daily routine before I go meet Pyrrha, taking a blissful shower and an appetizing snack to wipe out all remaining thoughts about the nightmare I just had. The only thing left to do is to prevent the possibility of it ever happening and I was determined to make sure of it.

---

I headed to the combat hall after taking my breakfast. Upon entering, I saw Blake and Yang pitting themselves against Pyrrha. A battle between three of the most popular girls among Beacon's freshmen, [1] something that a fair amount of people dreamed of seeing especially the more perverted ones that get off to Huntresses getting it on with each other, it's a popular fetish these days and I'd be a complete hypocrite if I didn't admit that I was also guilty of enjoying it. Brothers forgive me. [2]

The match was presumably to give Pyrrha some extra challenge while Yang also gets to practice since they told me that she would represent Team RWBY in the next round. She was also able to practice her dynamics with Blake while getting a taste of what fighting with Pyrrha feels like, giving her some preparation in case she faces her in the future that it would make for a farer match. It's a win-win regardless of who will come out victorious in that spar.

Of course, being what she's famous for—Pyrrha still had the upper-hand even if she's facing two opponents that were close to her level, and they were already a duo that was known to be a deadly force together despite their respective fighting styles contrasting each other.

Pyrrha was parrying blades with Blake while pushing Yang from her behind. She changed her xiphos to its spear form, turning to Yang to sweep her leg with her spear. Yan hopped above it and threw a kick which Pyrrha blocked. She shifted back towards Blake and swung her spear, shoving her katana away before bashing her with her shield and then striking her until she was down.

She began twirling and thrusting her spear at Yang who tried to use her gauntlets to block them before they eventually overwhelmed her, hitting her with chained strikes before Pyrrha hurled her into the air. As Yang was thrown off mid-air, Pyrrha threw her shield at Yang, hitting her face before pulling it back to her.

As Yang quickly recovers after landing on the floor, "Oh you wanna play it that way, huh, P-Money?" Her eyes then shifted to red while her blonde hair began glowing. "Then let's fucking do it!" She yelled as I finally heard her swear once again.

Not counting the infamous food fight, I haven't seen anyone beat Yang while her semblance is active prior to this, making her invincible to an extent. Even Pyrrha struggled against her in the aforementioned food fight, but she didn't have any of her weapons back then so seeing her take on Yang at her fullest was something worth watching.

I sat at one of the front seats and watched the battle unfold. Yang hurled herself toward Pyrrha prompting her to raise her shield. A single strike was strong enough to push Pyrrha back, albeit slightly. Pyrrha began dodging from Yang's following punches in an effort to wear her out while finding an opening for her to strike.

It was then that Yang decided to step back and fire shotgun shells at Pyrrha. Pyrrha ran across the arena, transforming her weapon to a rifle as Yang's shells missed her. Pyrrha began firing back as Yang attempted to avoid her bullets. One of Pyrrha's shots managed to hit her, thus making her semblance dangerous as a side-effect from giving her damage.

Pyrrha kept a distance and her shield raised as Yang charged at her again. She continued to aim and fire at Yang while avoiding her until she was practically blinded by rage. Yang's attacks became harder and quicker that a single hit would even deplete all of Pyrrha's remaining aura (which was still close to full by the time I got in) but this also made her easier to tire and she was running out of ammo after several failed shots at Pyrrha.

Yang carried on with the offense, hoping to make a successful strike at her. Unfortunately for her, Pyrrha was determined enough not to get hit at least once. She used everything she had to block and avoid any and all her attacks while countering them when getting the chance. Yang's aura was slowly draining from the damages and the use of her semblance.

"For Fuck's sake! H-Hold still!" Yang punches became slower as fatigue was wearing her out. Pyrrha kept dodging until Yang was slow enough to give her an adequate opening to finish her off. She repeatedly sliced Yang with her xiphos before turning it back to a spear and gave one last thrust that finally put her aura in the red.

Having lost all the aura needed to keep her semblance active, Yang's hair went back to normal after she collapsed to the floor. She took a few deep breaths before being able to speak again. "Good shit, P-Money." Her eyes turned back to purple, losing her strong power as well as losing her strong language. "F—Fu—Fudge."

Got to hand it to Pyrrha, she managed to defeat Yang even with her semblance, a feat that most people thought was impossible. That's my girl. If Yang couldn't beat her even with backup and her semblance, then I don't know who could. Penny might be an even match for her but we'll see. The winner gets tea, that's for sure.

Pyrrha walked on to Yang and helped her up. "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry, I'm good. It actually felt kinda nice losing like this for once even if it did tick me off," she said as she went back on her feet. "No one has ever able to knock me out like that. You really can't be beaten, can you?"

Pyrrha shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't lost a match for a long time. Maybe someone will defeat me someday."

"So you won like four tournaments in a row and still haven't lost a single fight for a long time? Hot Dang. Looks like I know who I'll be betting for."

Blake approached the two as she stretched her own back. "Yang, I know Pyrrha is an undefeated champion and she is sure to win this but please don't gamble."

"Oh, come on, I was only kidding!" Yang chuckled, "…or am I?" This made Blake glare at her, making her partner giggle. "Okay, okay, I won't." she conceded before going back to the subject of combat.

"Well, here's one way to learn that I'm not that invincible. The same kinda goes for you too, Pyr. No offense, but winning all the time doesn't mean you can't lose. There is a first time for everything after all."

Pyrrha nodded. "I know, but I don't plan on tasting defeat yet," she affirmed.

Yang cockily smirked. "You're on, P-Money."

"So I'm guessing you two are ready for tomorrow then?" Blake asked.

"Oh, I sure am!" Yang chirped before noticing me in the seats. "And look who's here. Enjoyed the show, lady killer?"

"Pretty much," I laconically replied. Showing a friendly grin to hide the fact that I was fawning on three of the hottest girls in class, all drenched in sweat. "Got to say, you girls sure show one heck of a fight."

"Glad to hear," Pyrrha nodded, showing a hint of flattery on her face. "The last two rounds are going to be quite interesting won't they, won't they?"

"You got that right, and there's no way I'm losing!" Yang boasted. "By the time my match is over, everyone will be talking about me!" [3]

And not for the wrong reasons hopefully. You got to adore her enthusiasm though, she knows that Pyrrha was an undefeated champion and already witnessed her skill, even after it is proven that her infamous semblance wasn't enough to beat her, she was still confident enough to challenge her anyway. Whatever happens, Yang is definitely going to enjoy her Huntress career, punching Grimm and making names as she takes selfies with people who would be too busy staring at something particular to look at the camera.

"Hey, guys!" Ruby zoomed in the arena as Weiss followed behind her. "How did it go?"

"We still can't beat her. She's that good," Blake answered.

"Then this means that our best hope in winning the championship is if she's never matched against us, and that's only if Yang or Pyrrha loses a prior match before that," Weiss lamented.

Pyrrha's constant victories are pretty much why I'm not that much worried about the outcome of the tournament. Even if she loses, I could always console her and tell her that losing is just part of life, and sometimes you just have to give someone else a room to win. I never really cared that much about the tournament anyway and I only bothered to enforce my own fame while it lasts, and since there aren't any more rounds that concern me, I could safely say that I might as well sleep through it at this point which I could but I have to be there for Pyrrha as long as she's still representing my team.

"Undefeated or not. I'll be ready. I learned some of her tricks this session, they can't save her forever!" Yang pumped her fists.

"Noted," Pyrrha tranquilly acknowledged.

"But hey, second place doesn't sound bad either. I'll be happy to see either of you winning!" Ruby piped buoyantly.

I smiled at Ruby's contagious optimism before looking at my partner and asking her about the thing which was the reason why I was there. "So Pyrrha. Are you ready to go now?"

"Oh right. I'll be there in a second!" She headed out of the stage.

"Where are you two going?" Yang asked.

"Oh, you know, just spend some time in town and all," I answered.

She made a teasing grin. "Sounds to me that you're going on a date together."

Ruby beamed while Weiss' expression remained unchanged and Blake could only give me a slight smile. "You're finally dating?!"

Here we go, I mumbled to myself, blushing along with Pyrrha who was now right beside me. While it was the best way to describe it, I was still hesitant to call it that. "Maybe. But it's nothing like what you might be thinking," I told her, not that it helped me much.

"Yeah, sure," Yang said, unconvinced. I figured as much that it wasn't worth trying to tell her otherwise since she would just continue teasing me to her last breath.

"It's just so cute seeing you two together like this. D'aaaw!" Ruby bubbled while her partner just stared at her with an unsure look.

Keep being cute, Ruby, I thought. At this rate, she'd be too adorable for the Grimm to even touch her. It's pretty endearing if you ask me.

Blake smiled at us both. "Well, date or not, I do hope it will turn out great for the both of you," she said as her partner patted her on the back for giving us her best wishes.

"Appreciate it," I thanked before turning toward the exit, which I noticed was being opened.

A familiar velveteen rabbit entered the combat hall, holding an old-school style camera that bore her colors. "Excuse me. Sorry if I disturbed you. But do you mind if I take a few pictures?"

"Sure, why not?" Ruby answered.

"Thank you," Velvet walked closer toward us. "Would you mind showing Miló and Akoúo̱?" [4] she requested at Pyrrha.

"Oh," Pyrrha pulled out her weapons and showed it to Velvet. "Yes, of course."

Pyrrha posed as Velvet took a snap of her camera. A click was heard from the camera before Velvet put it down, taking a second to review her shot. "Alright. Thanks, Pyrrha,"

"You're welcome."

Velvet walked closer to the stage in which Blake and Yang were still standing on. "Oh, so it is our turn?" Yang said as she and her partner turned to her.

"Say cheese, you two!" Velvet pointed her camera at the duo. Yang posed with a wide grin, showing off her gauntlets while Blake just shyly smiled and held her katana and its sheathe down.

Ruby approached Velvet as the latter finished taking a photo of the two. "So what are you up to, Velvet?"

"Oh you know, just working on my photography," Velvet replied. "Wanna see what I took?"

We took a look at the gallery on her camera. Her photos looked… amateurish to put it nicely. Her photo for Pyrrha zoomed in too close to her weapons, barely showing her face, the same likewise goes for her other pictures including the one that featured me posing after the doubles round; the camera was too focused on my sword and pistol.

As much as I want to comment on the photo's questionable quality, I didn't want to be rude to her. Velvet could use some commendations even if it looked like she wasn't trying. "Uh, they're okay…" I said, forcing a compliment before trying to make some constructive feedback. Emphasis on 'trying.' "You… just need to work on your angles. I guess."

"Yeah, I know they're not really the best…" she put the camera away with a slight frown. "Photography isn't something I necessarily enjoy. I'm just doing it for something I need."

"You could take another picture. I won't mind," Pyrrha told her.

"It's okay. I got what I came for. The pictures I need don't have to be good or perfect, or anything," she insisted as her smile returned to her face.

"If you say so."

"Thank you all for your time. I really have to go now! Take care!" Velvet said, taking the stairs back to the exit.

Ruby waved at her as she left for the door. "You too!"

After there was nothing left to do in the combat hall, Pyrrha and I left the building. I looked at her and saw that she was still sweaty, taking short huffs from her recent fight with Yang. "Ready to head out?" I asked.

"Give me a few more minutes. I need to wash the sweat off," she replied.

I gave an understanding nod as she headed to the residence hall. I took time appreciating her backside until she was out of my sight. I shook my head off from all the dirty thoughts on her taking a shower and went to sit at one of the benches in the courtyard. I was about to spend a day with her and perving wasn't going to help me. Still, I have to thank whatever Gods out there for letting fate have me be paired to a formidable beauty like Pyrrha. I guess there are a few silver linings on some of my misfortunes.

A rough ten minutes passed and Pyrrha came back wearing a red shirt underneath a brown jacket and black skinny jeans. Her hair was also down, a rare sight to see, likely so that the paparazzi won't instantly recognize her in public. "I'm back!"

Although her appearance was more modest, showing less skin, she was no less beautiful as she was. I stared at her wide-eyed, dumbfounded at how gorgeous she looked even when she's only wearing simple casual clothes. It almost gave me déjà vu to when I first laid eyes on her.

"Is something the matter?" she quizzed, seeing that I was spacing out on her.

"N-N-No! Not at all," I stuttered before regaining my composure. "Let's just go, shall we?"

We walked down the courtyard together as we headed to the Bullhead docks. On our way, we encountered Coco who saw us walking together in civilian clothing. She was wearing her usual clothes which she also wears during combat. I presumed that she was wearing different sunglasses since the previous one was destroyed during her last fight.

"Hey there," she greeted, making us stop to spare some time with her. "Finally going on a date, are you?"

"Something like that. I mean…"

She grinned as she shook her head. "Come on, just admit it. You two are going somewhere to get to know each other. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a date to me."

I shrugged knowing it couldn't be helped. If that's what they want to use that term then I'm not stopping them. I just wanted to be honest with Pyrrha regardless of what might happen next and we still haven't fully decided if this was going to be romantic or not.

"By the way, that look is rocking you, Pyr. Simple and clean; I like it."

"Why thank you, Coco," Pyrrha said. "Sorry that you didn't make it last round."

"It's fine. They got us there, I have to admit," Coco crossed her arms as her tone became somewhat bitter. "I'm honestly impressed. I didn't expect my ass to get kicked like that. But at the same time, I can't help but feel something weird about those CMEN guys. Especially that green-haired chick. Maybe it's because I'm still mad at her for breaking my rims, but I don't think they're about as sweet as their team's name."

So it looks like I'm not the only one smelling something fishy about them. It could be because they always have that suspicious aura around them, but I couldn't tell if it's that the case or if it's just me. "Yeah, they probably might be as salty as their other name," I quipped, slightly flashing a childish grin over that remark.

Coco chortled at my dirty joke. "Do you say stuff like that near your girlfriend, Jaune?" she told me as I looked at Pyrrha who was giving me an unsure look over that jest. And before you get the wrong idea, I only know that because my sisters make jokes like this all the time and this is one of the cleaner ones.

We were about to bid her farewell and leave when we suddenly heard an enticing voice coming toward us. "Hello, everyone."

We turned to see Cinder Fall walking toward us, wearing her combat clothes that consisted of a light brown sleeveless jacket reaching down to her midriff which was unbuttoned to show the sarashi wrapped at her top as well as her forearms; black fingerless gloves; and grey pants with matching boots. She was followed by her black-haired, green-eyed, gothic lolita of a teammate, Nico Dougal, who I rarely see since I first bumped into her. Heck, I don't think I even heard her talk once.

As I met her again, so did that nagging feeling in my subconscious whether she was around, and I still had a faint hint of what was causing that.

"Hello there, Cinder," Pyrrha greeted.

"Oh, it's you." Coco lost her smile, feeling ambivalent by their presence. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think that outfit really suits you."

For some reason, I agree with her. Maybe it's because I wasn't used to seeing her wear something like that with her mysterious beauty, but something felt wrong. I don't know exactly what it is but I feel it.

"Well, that's your opinion. But don't worry these aren't my only set of clothes," she replied with that alluring voice of hers that complimented her gorgeous looks. Well, if that's the case then she should have picked something better to wear but I digress. "Anyway, I'm glad you remember me, Pyrrha. What are you up to today?"

I stopped gawking at both of their exposed midriffs and answered the question. "Not much, just hanging out with my partner."

"Is that so?" She lifted an eyebrow at us before she began leering at Coco. "And you must be the leader of the team that Mercury and Emerald defeated last round."

She crossed her arms in a rather resentful manner while trying not to appear as outright hostile. "That's right. Props to your team, I guess."

"I'm so sorry about Emerald. She can be very rough sometimes. But at the end of the day, it's all just fun and games right?" Cinder tilted near her.

I could notice Coco's eyes narrow behind those shades. "Right…"

Her companion, meanwhile, continues to make an ominous gaze at me with her emerald green eyes. I wasn't sure what to say or what to think. "Uh, hello… Nico."

She just smiled at me, not saying a single word. Kind of reminds me of another short girl I used to know. Thinking of her is probably why I had that annoying sensation when I'm around her or even her team.

"Okay then…"

"Oh, don't mind her. She's not much of a talker herself," Cinder stated before facing toward me. "I can see that she fancy you," she said as Nico grinned at me. I could only force a smile as I looked down at her petite face.

Coco glared at Cinder for a few more seconds before she stood up from the bench. "You know what, I think I'm needed elsewhere. So if you'll excuse me, I'll see myself off," She excused herself as she began to walk away.

"If you say so," Cinder uttered as Coco left.

Which reminded me that Pyrrha and I should be leaving as well. As much as I would like to know more about Cinder and her partner, my curiosities had to wait. Not to mention, this conversation was becoming a little too uncomfortable. "Speaking of which, we should be going too. It was nice talking to you again, Cinder."

"Alright then. Have a nice date" she said before turning at Pyrrha. "Be sure to put a show for us tomorrow."

We walked away from them as we made our way to the Bullhead docks. I glanced back to see that the two were watching us leave before I noticed that Pyrrha bore a somewhat worried expression on the way.

"Something wrong?" I asked, making a brief halt.

"I don't know…" she muttered, contemplating on the ground on what that might be. "Let's just go."

With that, we carried on as we went back to focusing on our date. We can't let whatever's been bothering us disturb what was supposed to be our time together as partners.

As we were about to reach the Bullhead station, we saw that Ren and Nora were already there, apparently waiting for us.

"Hello, Ren and Nora, is there something you need?" Pyrrha asked Nora zoomed in front of us as Ren caught up with her.

"Oh, y'know, just enjoying the weather," she grinned.

Being a stranger to subtlety, it was clear that she was not even trying to hide it. While it was autumn, the weather was almost the same as it always was. It was clear that she wanted to see us before we left. "Yeah, sure you are," I snarked.

"Well, Jaune and I are heading to town. So I only ask you to take care and try not to wreck the academy while we're gone, okay?" Pyrrha told her.

"Don't worry, I got her under control… hopefully," Ren forced a smile.

"Okie, dokie! Just make sure you two have a great time!" Nora chirped.

Pyrrha and I looked at each other and shrugged before proceeding to one of the Bullheads. The Bullhead took off to Vale a few minutes after we boarded. I could hear Nora celebrating with some fans as we left. Some confetti can be heard springing until we were at a distance where their cheering faded.

Leave Beacon with Pyrrha, check. What was supposed to be a simple task honestly felt like the hardest step to complete and I'm just getting started.

=o=

1. Despite her introverted nature, Blake did receive fans of her own, as much as I find that to be a ridiculous fact. This was largely due to being part of Team RWBY especially after winning our victory during the first round.

2. While I find that to be obscene for more reasons than one, I frankly couldn't care less as long as he's not imagining it with me. I'm still wondering where the absurd assumptions about my sexuality even come from.

3. Oh Yang, you always talk too much.

4. Velvet has everyone's weapon's names memorized, mostly thanks to her semblance, which was photographic memory, explaining her knowledge and decent grades. Keep in mind that it only works when her aura is active, otherwise, she acts as if she forgot some details.

---

"So where are we going?" Pyrrha asked as soon as we stepped out of the Bullhead station.

I rubbed my chin and went to thinking. Vale's capital is a big city so there were plenty of places to start with. "Just somewhere simple," I replied before the retro diner where my sisters ate came to mind. "There's a diner in Downtown if you want to eat."

"Sure, I haven't eaten yet so that's a perfect place to start."

We proceeded on foot, traversing to Downtown in the direction towards Joe's Diner while engaging in some small-talk. It was a good call for Pyrrha to sport a different look because only a few of her fans were able to recognize her and it's usually because they were able to notice me since I was wearing my usual clothes just with a different hoodie and without any armor.

Thankfully they weren't much of a hindrance, all they asked for are some photos and some autographs, the usual thing we've been doing for a while now. They were nice enough to respect our business too, hence why they didn't bother us any further. Far better than dealing with the gods-damn paparazzi, I'd say.

When we arrived at Joe's Diner, I ordered a cheeseburger with some fries. The lack of tanna was disappointing but it didn't bother that much as I never expected it to be on the menu, considering how niche the drink was in this kingdom. Besides, I just drank one last breakfast. Pyrrha, meanwhile, settled for a salad meal. Looks like someone's having a healthy diet today, I thought.

To top it off, we took chocolate sundaes as dessert. It was then I found out that not even the mighty four-time champion was immune to brain freeze. There were just some things that aura can't protect you from.

There wasn't anything else noteworthy to tell; we weren't able to talk as we were too preoccupied with our own food during the duration. At best, we gave each other some awkward glances and a few gazes. There was plenty of time to chat anyway so it was fine.

After we left the diner, we wandered around the town and looked for a place to go to, when all of a sudden, we witnessed a group of faunus getting arrested in the street. By the looks of it, it was no ordinary arrest as the Atlesian authorities were more involved than the local police who were only watching on the sidelines.

"Oh, my," Pyrrha watched the Atlesian guards escort the felons to the transport van.

We decided to walk closer for a better look. "What happened here?" I asked the copper who was standing behind his patrol car's door.

"Some faunus blokes just caused a public disturbance by assaulting some Atlesian Paladins while hollerin' that their people should rise up against Atlas or something," He glanced at the two broken robots lying in the ground.

"White Fang?" I inquired, being the thing that popped up to my mind when I think of Atlas-hating faunus radicals; it was too feasible for it not to be the case.

"Probably. Could be just a bunch of arse-kissers trying to spread the word," the officer shrugged. "In any case, these folks are in big trouble. We even found some of them carrying some frenzon. So it could be possible that they could just be high and upset but nothing is stopping us from guessing that it's both."

Frenzon? Aren't those one of the drugs Junior's gang has been hiding? I asked myself.

"I frankly don't mind people demonstrating their right to protest, but during the middle of the festival…" Pyrrha gave her opinion.

The officer nodded in agreement. "I know that not every sod is happy with Atlas, but this isn't helping at all, especially when this bloody festival is 'pose to be a time when the kingdoms gettin' along and such." He looked back to the scene and saw that news vans have arrived, which is a good indicator for us to leave before they notice us. "And if I were you two lovebirds, I'd get out of here already and carry on me day. Wouldn't want to think of some rubbish like this on a romantic date, would ya'?"

As much as I'd like to correct him at that last part, he was right that we should go now. No time in trying to debate about it. "We'll do just that. Thank you, officer."

He nodded as we left. We quickly walked away from the scene before the press (or as I'd like to call, The Pest) [1] would find us and ruin our day. After passing a few blocks. We noticed that we were not far off from Vale's park and thought it would be a nice place to visit. Sightseeing was always obligatory for dates. If you don't have any money to buy food, tickets or flowers, you could always go for a walk especially to a place where you don't have to pay in order to visit.

We entered the park. The place looked astounding during the season, even if there were some leaves littered everywhere on the ground that cleaners have to rake them away. The vibrant green and red trees were pretty to look at and set the mood for us. The park wasn't that crowded, helping with the peaceful and quiet atmosphere. There were a few people there going on a stroll there, along with some tourists who happen to come by during the festival; thankfully, none of them bothered us, letting us enjoy our stroll without any rude interruption. It was a bit refreshing not to get mobbed by fans in public for a few hours.

Pyrrha smiled at the sight around her as we traversed through the park. A good sign since I was supposed to make her feel good and show her how much her well-being means to me even though I wasn't exactly honest to her for the whole year we had as partners.

"You know, I always enjoy the outdoors during fall. It's my favorite season," she said.

"I can see why," I appreciate my surroundings as well. "Fall's pretty fun. I remember playing with leaves when I was little."

She giggled, "That must have been fun. I used to chase some flying leaves myself, usually at the park at Argus. I would go home and decorate my wall with the leaves I collected."

"Really?" I looked at her with a bright expression, admiring the reminiscing of her childhood.

"Those were simpler times. I didn't have to worry about staying on the top then. I was just a normal girl with a normal life with normal hobbies, and I miss those moments. I think of them every time I look outside during autumn. It always puts a smile on my face."

Listening to her only reminded me of how much I missed being an innocent, naive boy, and how much I wanted to things to go back the way they were if not for the painful memories that changed my life, memories that I have been struggling to let go of for years. But now it was my chance to make happy memories again, and I was intent on making this day into something we could never forget for the sake of our goodwill. "Well, what's stopping us from reliving those moments? We're here so we could forget our troubles and enjoy ourselves aren't we?" I said before I saw a maple leaf flying in the wind. "Look there's one now!"

Pyrrha grinned and began running toward it. "Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's go get it! Whoever doesn't catch it gets to pay for our next snack!" she said cheerfully. Since she usually acts like a serious valedictorian, it was rare seeing her in a playful mood and I was happy to see her finally enjoying herself, not thinking about her worries and cherishing the moment.

"Challenge accepted, Miss Nikos!" I smirked, chasing the leaf as well.

We raced toward the leaf as it continued to fly through the park. Despite my Huntsman training, Pyrrha remained ahead of me even though holding back since she ran slower than her usual pace, and I didn't run as fast as I normally would likely because I didn't think of an Ursa chasing after me, but then again, that would have been cheating. I should jog my lazy ass more often.

The maple leaf left the pathway and flew above the grass. We stepped to the grass before Pyrrha caught it with her two hands and put it in one of her jacket's pockets.

Well, I guess I'll be the one paying for our snacks then, I thought, not that I mind at all.

I saw a pile of leaves near a tree. I promptly jumped into it, coming out from the top of the pile shortly after when I saw about to jump to it while I was still in there.

"Wait!" I tried yelling at her, but it was no use as Pyrrha was already diving into the pile before she could hear me. She crashed in front of me, which would have hurt a lot more if our auras didn't thankfully make sure we only experience minimum pain. When we both recovered, we stared at each other awkwardly at what just happened. Pyrrha looked pretty embarrassed for her abrupt action and doing it without thinking while I just looked at her eyes, not knowing what else to think.

We eventually laughed it off and rolled to my side. We both just lied down in the leaf pile, peacefully watching the cloudy sky above us.

"I'm glad I came here with you," she said with a satisfied look on her face, and I was just as happy with how this day was turning out. But I still had to remind myself of one of the main reasons I took her out and it gave me time to think while relaxing on the pile with her.

After half an hour of lying there, we resumed walking through the park, exchanging stories about our childhood during the season, telling each other how fun autumn can be even if it isn't as popular as summer or winter, or even spring.

We then found ourselves near a lake. We spotted a small flock of pigeons walking on the ground nearby while being fed with some bread crumbs from a few passersby.

"Aww, I think they're hungry," Pyrrha said. "It's unfortunate that we don't have anything to feed them with."

I sweated nervously as I noticed some of the pigeons started staring at me with malicious intent. "They look fine to me," I told shivered while giving a half-suppressed laugh as I tried slinking away with her. "Come on. I think we should go."

Before I knew it, the pigeons abruptly flew toward me en masse. They swarmed all over me as they tried scratching me with their talons. Pyrrha just stood there and watched, frozen in shock with her hand covering her mouth. If it wasn't for my aura, I would have been covered in claw marks.

Pigeons are probably the worst type of bird ever, and I assume many of you that had unfortunate encounters with them understand why. I'm still wondering how people were able to use these winged rats as couriers back then by shoving up their messages in their asses when the other thing they're known for is dropping literal shit from the sky. [2]

It took some struggling but I managed to shake them off. As they flew away from me, I panted while checking myself for any scars they left.

"Are you okay?" Pyrrha lifted my chin and looked for injuries. "What was that? I didn't see you do anything to provoke them."

I did and it was existing as Jaune Arc. I'm still asking what I did to Mother Nature for animals to hate me that much to this day. Was it for the deer that I accidentally shot as a kid? Probably not, because I could still remember animals trying to kill me far before that. Hell, the reason why Verte made her cottage was to keep her pets away from me when I was still a baby, if I recall that correctly, suggesting that I've been having this trait since I was freaking born. It can't be my semblance either because I didn't have my aura then.

"I'm fine. I probably just caught them in a bad mood." I forced a smile barely. Nevertheless she was reassured that I was mostly fine. "Let's just keep going."

Pyrrha and I carried on and passed through the bridge above the lake while I watched the same flock of pigeons that attacked me flying away into the sun. After seeing that, I was willing to forgive those winged bastards for giving me such a beautiful sight. It would've made a nice photo.

When we reached what I believed was the center of the park, we saw the statue of King Phadrig VII on horseback, raising his sword—The Crocea Mors, the sword that he gifted to my family and the sword that was currently stored on my locker that moment. This was one of the few things I know about history, mainly because my family loves to remind me of it.

We stopped to comment on the statue. "Well, would you look at that, King Phadrig VII. And it looks like he has The Crocea Mors with him."

"Oh right. If I recalled correctly, your ancestor—Harry Arc used to serve him during the Great War and the king gave him his sword as a token of gratitude," Pyrrha mentioned.

Look like everyone knows of his story. "Yup, quite the relic it is. And as a kid, I always wanted to be like him."

"I'm sure he'd be proud of you," she comforted. "You Arcs are destined for greatness and so far you've been doing well at following it."

Doing well at maintaining the illusion of it to be more accurate. He'd probably be disappointed to learn that my reputation was unmerited and that I was only carrying the family legacy to save myself. [3] "And I have a lot to live up to. You know how it is."

She looked down and frowned. "Yeah. I don't know how long I will still be called the Invincible girl. I had a feeling this might be my first time to lose after several years of continuous victories."

"You'll be alright. No matter what happens you'll always be our champion," I consoled, cheesy as it may sound.

She looked back up and her face brightened up. "Maybe I'm overthinking this. Thank you, Jaune. I appreciate your kindness."

"Just being a good friend," I instinctively said in my nice guy routine before looking back at the statue. "You know I wouldn't be surprised if they make a statue of us."

"I hope not. I want to be remembered as something more than an idol. But I guess that won't be happening any time soon."

I stared at her, confused on that last part. "What do you mean?"

"I-It's nothing. I'm just having some negative thoughts about this."

I kept my brow raised over whatever that was before going back to the statue. "I get the feeling too but at least you deserve one."

"I appreciate your support, Jaune, and I do love my fans, but I don't want to stay on a pedestal for long. Everyone is expecting a lot from me; I don't know how much I can take it anymore."

I look at her and realize that she was having the same dilemma as mine, the only difference is that she earned her reputation, but everyone is treating her to be too much of an icon. Even I am guilty of it since I tend to use her to keep me safe knowing that she'll succeed largely because she's known to win every time. "I understand..."

"I'm sorry. A lot has been going on in my mind right now," she muttered. "Can we go?"

We walked away from the statue. I looked at Pyrrha who seemed upset, probably thinking about her hardships again.

Thinking of a way to cheer her up so I could see her in a jovial mood again. The coin eventually dropped as I realized that I should take her to the fairgrounds back in Beacon. What better way to forget our troubles than to go enjoy the festival like what everyone is doing? I thought.

After a couple more hours of sightseeing, we reached the other side of the park. We noticed that dusk was arriving and that we'll have to find a way to spend the evening. Luckily, I already had something in mind.

"So, you want to head back to Beacon and go to the carnival?" I asked while aimlessly wandering around Vale's sidewalks.

"I'd love that," she nodded, almost smiling again. "Why not?"

I gave her a modest grin before hailing a cab to take us back to the Bullhead station. The park was a great place to relive memories, but I'm going to need more than that to give Pyrrha what she deserves. I was about to give her a night she wouldn't forget.

And hopefully, it would be for the better.

=o=

1. The media isn't exactly well-regarded so he's not the only one to call them that.

2. First off, only a breed of homing pigeons are capable of delivering messages; they do so by being sent in a cage and flying back to where they came from with a message. And anyone who's familiar with carrier pigeons is that their messages are strapped in a cylinder attached to their legs. I have never heard of a pigeon carrying a message in their rectums and the thought of it alone disgusts me.

3. As someone who has access to classified documents regarding Harry 'The Flash' Arc, I could at least say that Jaune was actually braver than his ancestor especially later in his career.

---

The sun had already set by the time we returned to Beacon. Colored lights were illuminating around the fairgrounds as students and visitors alike enjoyed the night. Seeing as the place was more vivid than it was the previous days, the festival was indeed at full-swing. The singles round beginning tomorrow might have something to do with it. To say nothing of the fact that there would be a fireworks show within a few hours. Wouldn't want to miss that.

Pyrrha and I walked through the fairgrounds, smiling at the vibrant sight before us. Our fans and fellow students greeted us as we passed through them with some wishing Pyrrha well on her next fight and others complimenting her appearance. Naturally, we returned the gesture and wished them an exciting night.

"So what do you want to do first?" I asked Pyrrha as we stopped walking for a brief moment to discuss our next activity.

She shrugged, glancing around for a moment. "Can't decide on where to start. There are plenty of things to do here."

I began looking around before noticing a shooting gallery behind her. The game uses rifles so it would give some Pyrrha some practice as a plus. She could easily win one of the prizes in the display. Hell, she'd undoubtedly win all of those prizes if she played repeatedly. "How about some target practice?"

She turned back and saw the booth. "Don't mind if I do," she said to me with a grin.

We walked over to the counter of the shooting gallery and paid for a round of the game. Pyrrha stepped in and picked up the rifle. She took some time examining the rifle before the game started until she realized that it functions similar to the one she uses so it took less than a few seconds for her to figure out how to use it.

As the round started, five targets sprung up on the range. Pyrrha dispatched all five of them within less than a couple of seconds, shocking both me and the booth attendant of her quick and sudden draw and firing all of the targets without missing a shot, her facial expression shifting from warm and amiable to a professional one; tranquil and focused, never making a single blink.

She swiftly fired at one target to another as the next batches of targets appeared, quickly pulling the bolt in between shots and clearing the batches in only a matter of a few seconds or less with perfect efficiency. Even when the next batches provided more challenge, with moving targets and targets that you have to avoid shooting appearing, she still manages to clear them without breaking a single drop of sweat.

After the final batch was done, confetti began springing at the range while the lights began to flash as the scoreboard says that she just won a new record. Pyrrha blinked and dropped her stoic look. "Did I win?"

The booth attendant stepped in, still awed by her exceptional marksmanship. "You! You just won a new record!"

"I did?"

"I have never seen anyone shoot like that. My, your score is going to be impossible to top. Congratulations, Miss! Now pick a prize to your liking!" The booth attendant gestured to the prize corner, mostly consisting of stuffed animals.

Pyrrha drew her gaze to the prizes hanging on the wall and started to choose between them. "I haven't got a stuffed toy in years, but if I were to pick one, I'll take…." A fluffy yellow-brown bunny then caught her interest. "That one."

She pointed at the bunny. The booth attendant took it from the display and gave it to her. It was simple yet satisfactory enough of a prize and it'll be easier to manage than say, Nora's large teddy bears which had to be sewn multiple times.

"A rabbit huh, good choice," I commented. Her choice felt appropriate as Pumpkin Pete's new mascot; must be one of the reasons why she picked it. Speaking of which, it does remind me of my Pumpkin Pete doll when I was a kid. Good times.

"I just like rabbits. I always wanted to have one as a pet," she hugged her new rabbit toy. "And they kinda remind me of you."

"Really?" I asked curiously, yet amusedly.

She flushed. "I don't know, maybe because rabbits are smart and full of surprises."

"And because they're cute?" I added cheekily.

"You said it yourself," she giggled, giving me a good chuckle. "So, do you want to try?"

"Sure, why not?" I stepped in and paid for a round. The booth attendant gave me a rifle; it almost weighs the same as an actual battle-ready rifle but it was still lighter.

"You sure you know how to use these? I recall that you once told me that you went hunting before." Pyrrha asked.

"Yep, I held these when I was twelve. I'm just more of a handgun type of guy so I don't use rifles much though," I answered. Although I was trained to use any type of firearms, my muscle memory was too specialized in wielding handguns with my left arm despite it requiring more skill than using long guns with two arms.

"There aren't any dears nearby, are there?" I looked around for anything that has antlers on their head.

She gave a puzzled glance at her side before looking back at me. "Uh, no. Why did you ask?"

"Oh, nothing," I began aiming the rifle toward the range. "Here goes nothing."

The targets popped up as I aimed toward them through my iron sights and then firing, repeating until the gallery was clear. Naturally, I wasn't as impressed as Pyrrha. I took my time to aim to make sure the shots would land at the target but I still had to act quickly since the game was also about how fast you could shoot so I ended up missing with one or two shots. There's also the fact that the targets can't harm me so they're not much of a threat that my survival instincts could suddenly enhance marksmanship for a brief moment. I can shoot rifles, true, I'm just not as good with them as with one-handed guns.

When I finished the round, my score was, while adequate, was barely enough to reach the leaderboards. Which was fine, I never really expected much of myself to begin with.

"Not bad," Pyrrha remarked.

"Not my best work," I handed the gun back to the owner. "At least you got a prize."

She smiled. "Still, I think what you did was solid for someone who's not a dedicated marksman," she said as we left the booth while she carries her prize, moving on to look for the next attraction we might visit. We still had plenty of time to spare.

While exploring, I noticed two familiar figures sitting in front of a pancake stall while I was looking around. Those two figures turned out to be Ren and Nora. They noticed us as Nora gave me a thumbs up while Ren gestured to me that we shouldn't worry and that he's keeping a close eye on her while eating cotton candy.

Pyrrha was too focused on finding the next attraction to notice our two other teammates watching us. "Hey, Jaune. This one looks exciting. Let's check it out, shall we?" she said as she pointed at a swinging pirate ship ride and grabbed my arm and pulled me toward it.

"Uh, okay," I said, not being able to do anything but comply with her.

So far, this day was looking up to be one of the best days we have as partners; I had never seen Pyrrha be this happy before. There are only a few more days left until the school year ends after this tournament and I wanted to make pleasant memories for us to look back to. For now, we had to enjoy it while it lasts.

---

We spent the next couple of hours visiting an assortment of attractions—from simple carnival games to riding a roller-coaster. If I'm honest, I enjoyed the rides that aren't too extreme like bumper cars and others that don't involve much adrenaline as they are much less nauseating. I think I must have thrown up in at least four plastic bags. That's not even mentioning that the scale of the rides weren't as impressive as the ones from actual amusement parks so they could be more manageable by the academy, meaning I lost my lunch and almost wet myself to downscaled rides; the roller-coaster didn't even have a loop.

Overall though, it was a blast. It was funny seeing Pyrrha be scared at the haunted house that she almost used her semblance which would have made her harm someone or break something, thankfully I was there to help her get through it. She continues to dominate most carnival games though, and the ones she didn't were known to be rigged.

The fireworks display was about to begin. We thought that it would be nice to watch it while riding on a Ferris Wheel to wrap things up, so we stood on line for roughly ten minutes before it was scheduled to begin.

Like most other rides in the fairgrounds, the Ferris Wheel was modestly sized but it was tall enough to give you a nice view of Beacon, Vale and the sea between it.

While still in line, I bought some cotton candy for the two of us to eat while riding the Ferris Wheel. I checked my scroll to see if we're on schedule and saw that we were just in time to see the show shortly begin once we're next in line.

I returned to the line where Pyrrha was waiting for me. I saw that we were almost next. "Here, this should keep things sweet." I handed her the pink cone of cotton candy as I kept the blue one. She smiled as I sniggered at my lame joke. "Get it? Cause cotton candies are… nevermind."

We finally went on board at one of the passenger cars. As we took a seat, the Ferris Wheel lifted us from the ground as we watched the fairgrounds come into view, along with the cityscape of Vale which lights are glimmering across the sea from Beacon under the starry night.

"You know, I had a lot of fun today. I enjoyed every minute spending time with you, Jaune. I never wanted it to end," she said after a few minutes of silence, admiring the sight around her. The restful quietness of the passenger car ascending upwards into the calm sky helped the serene atmosphere, compared to the noisy crowd at the fairgrounds accompanied by the cheery carnival music, even if those were still slightly audible from up there.

I gave her a warm smile. "Happy to help, Pyrrha."

"This is what I exactly needed—A time with just the two of us; having fun with nothing to worry about," she said. I glanced down to see that my hand was dangerously close toward hers, both were resting at the passenger car's seat.

"Yeah…" I looked back at the scenery as I'm reminded of what I wanted to tell her. I hesitated for a minute, contemplating in the night sky if I should divulge my dark secrets that I have been keeping from her since the beginning. I silently sighed, I knew that it was the time for me to snitch on myself.

"I'm glad that I have you in my life and as my partner. People only like me because of what I am, not because of who I am. If I wasn't the invincible champion they see me as, would they still love me?"

"I think about that all the time…" I muttered to myself as I looked back at my life before this whole mess started. It's funny how it felt like the world was once against you and then began singing chants to your name the next day all because of an unfortunate series of events. If it wasn't for my undeserved reputation, I'd be a nobody.

"You know how it is. Which is why I'm grateful that you see me as something more than what everyone's been perceiving me for a long time ever since I made my first win. For all the achievements I have, having you as my partner has been my greatest one yet."

I felt my cheeks burn. It was one of the sweetest things she ever said if a bit corny coming from someone like her. "You're welcome, Pyrrha."

She gave me a gratified look before her eyes shifted downwards with a downtrodden expression. "It's just a shame that some good things would have to come to an end soon."

"Don't worry, it's not like this would be the last time we'll do this," I said in a consoling manner while the thought of this potentially being our last moment together as partners because of what she's about to hear haunted me. I was so deeply bothered by it that I could barely hold a smile at the moment.

"It's just that…" she took a deep breath and turned to me. "Jaune… do you believe in destiny?

Befuddled by that question, I didn't know what else to do but give her my answer. "Um... I-I don't know. I guess that depends on how you view it."

Her frown slightly disappeared temporarily. "When I think of destiny, I don't think of a predetermined fate you can't escape. But rather... some sort of final goal, something you work towards your entire life."

I don't know where this was coming from nor was I aware of what's going on with her, though I do remember hearing this question from Ozpin when the semester began. "Okay. Uh, yeah. I can see that, sure," I remarked, not knowing what else to say.

She continued to ramble as I noticed her fists clench. "Well, what would you do if something came along that you... never expected? Something that had the potential to stand between you and your destiny?"

That was when I started to become more curious about what she's talking about. "Like what?"

She suddenly stressed out and spoke vehemently. "Or what if you could suddenly fulfill your destiny in an instant, but at the cost of who you were?"

I was taken aback by her yelling. I knew something was bothering her since the day started and I wanted nothing more than to help. "Pyrrha, are you okay?" I was about to place a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

Tears burst out from her face. "I don't know anymore!"

I pulled my hand back in shock. She sobbed for a moment before taking a deep breath, realizing she must have ruined the mood and was close to lashing out on me. "I'm sorry for yelling. You've done nothing but be a good friend to me. You didn't deserve to be yelled out like that."

But I wasn't always a good friend. Hell, I didn't think I could ever say I ever was. I saw it as nothing more than an act to reach a certain end. And maybe I did deserve to be yelled out, which was why I have finally decided to open up to myself. If I could even genuinely call myself her friend, I would have to be honest to her and no half-truths this time. "No, if anything I should be sorry."

"Huh?" She gazed at me tearfully.

"There is… something you should know about me." I made a regretful sigh as I looked down. "You're going to hate me after hearing this." I was afraid that my nightmare from earlier was about to come true, but I was at a point where I didn't want to keep up this charade nor could I care about it anymore. She deserved to know the truth.

She gave me another confused stare. "Why is that?"

I sorrowfully returned her gaze. "Because it's going to change how you see me forever."

She took a few seconds to look at me in disbelief. "Why would you say something like that?! I could never bring myself to hate you," she chided on the verge of tears.

I made another sigh as I acknowledged myself that I was about to pass the point of no return. "Pyrrha I… I-I'm not what you guys think I am."

She stared at me speechlessly as she paid attention to what I was about to tell her.

"I'm not a hero." I shook my head before I went on to elaborate. "I'm not brave; I'm not selfless, I'm actually the opposite!" I stated, raising my voice in the most candid manner I've ever been. "I didn't want to be a Huntsman and I didn't want to be here! I never deserved to be called a hero, let alone get all the credit while almost everyone else gets glossed over. I wasn't trying to save anyone; I was actually trying to save myself the entire time. What happened in Podunk, the bank, and at Mountain Glenn were all because of stupid mistakes. Being a hero has been nothing but trouble for me!"

I was barely looking at her in the eye, yet this was the most honest I've ever been to her since we met. "I have been trying to avoid fighting the best I could. Hell, I've been trying to get you, Ren and Nora to do most of the work for me because you all would make better Huntsmen than I ever would. But I had to keep putting on a show to keep people believing that I'm a hero because if everyone finds out that I'm a pathetic coward who doesn't deserve the praise I've been getting, my life will become worse than it already is and I might take the family down with me! Now I'm stuck with people hailing me as something I'm not that it got Ozpin into giving me attention and sending me in dangerous missions because he thinks I could magically solve his problems because of my reputation, all while I keep hoping that one day everyone would just forget about me and move on so all of this bullshit would just FUCKING STOP!" I almost yelled at the top of my lungs that my voice almost cracked, and it all so that I could show that I wasn't kidding around.

"I'm… I'm nothing! I'm nothing like my father, or my grandfather, or my grandfather before him!" I bellowed, almost sobbing. "I'm just a dumb loser and a selfish scoundrel who isn't worthy of carring on my family's legacy yet I still try to keep up this stupid game because I was afraid of what might happen if someone finds out that I'm a fake. So I had to lie to everyone including those who I call my friends and I keep asking myself why do I even bother?!"

I panted, catching my breath before continuing in a lower tone. "I just all want this to stop. I can't keep doing this anymore. I don't think I even care about what you might think of me now nor do I care about what's going to happen to me. I just wanted to stop lying to you. This stupid charade has gone far too long now."

Pyrrha looked at me frozen as she pondered everything I just said to her. I was finally able to get all of that out of my chest with the possible cost of her trust and maybe my family's honor and getting months of work down the gutter. I expected her to be disappointed at me for realizing what I am just like what happened in my nightmare; at best, she might show some remorse, but I told myself not to push my luck because at that point it must've run out. All I needed to tell her the truth, whatever the cost; my whole life be damned.

But then she did the unthinkable.

"Pyrrha, I am really sorry." I looked down and avoided her gaze out of shame and guilt. "You thought you found the friend that you always needed when it turned out that I'm not much better than the ones that put you on the pedestal. You deserved far better. I don't know if you'll ever forgive m—"

Before I could notice it, she grabbed my head and planted her lips towards mine at the same time the fireworks began setting off. Her eyes were closed while mine was wide open as I just sat there, paralyzed in shock, but I could still remember it being so soothing that I almost forgot about my insecurities.

After a few seconds, she finally pulled herself away. "You're wrong! You are a true friend. Even if you were aware of my reputation, you still saw me for what I am and gave me something that no one else had ever given me. You have shown to me more than once that you truly care, not just for me, but to your team and others as well. That's not something a selfish scoundrel would do."

I wordlessly stared at her with my jaw dropped while trying to process what just happened as she continued explaining her conviction.

"Maybe you did lie about being a brave hero, and maybe you aren't as good as people thought you to be. But does that matter if you have been nothing but a good friend to me? I can see it in your eyes that you are better than how you see yourself. I have been lonely for most of my life with no real reason to move on other than to keep winning, and then you came in. I know for certain for all the flaws you told me, you truly do care. You are a true hero and more than that in that regard. Nothing you say or deny is going to change that."

I was still frozen in shock but I was nonetheless relieved that I was able to realize that I wasn't dreaming this at all and that Pyrrha still thinks warmly of me despite my transgressions which I bluntly admitted at her. "Pyrrha… I don't know, I-I—"

"I love you, Jaune. I don't care what you think of yourself and how you can't see what everyone sees in you. There's no one else I'd rather be with right now," she expressed. By then, I had trouble making any more self-deprecating thoughts as I was too engrossed with her bright and beautiful smile that I always loved her for while fireworks burst in the sky behind her heavenly face that only a Goddess would have.

Even though I had trouble believing it for myself, I always suspected Pyrrha of having feelings for me. The way she looks at me and how she feels better when I'm around her made it evident. I would have happily returned those feelings sooner if I didn't think that it could ruin our friendship and if I didn't feel so unworthy. She was too much of an amazing person to be with someone as pathetic as me. I doubted that she'd like me for what I truly am. But maybe I was wrong.

"I love you too," I returned, finally being able to vent that nagging feeling I had for her for a long time which I initially thought was just a stupid phase that happens in every single school year but turned out to be more than that. "I guess I was just too scared. Some fearless leader I turn out to be."

"You are a fearless leader." She gently held my hand. "You fought on and faced the odds when you knew the risks; you continued to walk the path of a Huntsman even though you said you didn't feel worthy. And you staunchly led our team for months into a force to be reckoned with. But most importantly, you were always there for your friends when they needed it. That is what made you brave. Don't you forget that."

It was that moment where I couldn't help but brighten up. My usual routine of musing with denial, guilt, and self-doubt after receiving such a compliment was absent and I welcomed the change. After all the dilemmas I'm forced to deal with, I was just happy that things turned out this way that I didn't want to ruin it.

"I just don't know what the others might think of this," I muttered.

"You can handle it. You're an Arc, and you're not as bad as you thought yourself to be. I'm sure they'll forgive you." She comforted, placing her hand to my cheek. " And I'll be there for you… hopefully."

I noticed her frown and gave her a comforting look. "I know you will. You have never let me down, Pyrrha, and I doubt that you ever will." I said before I leaned forward and kissed her. I could feel her letting go of her troubles, along with mine as she returned the kiss.

After we finished, she turned to the sky and admired the fireworks before her. "We should let go of our negative thoughts for now. We're supposed to have a good time, aren't we?"

I looked back up and nodded. "Yeah, you're right." I wouldn't want to miss the show. "Let's enjoy this while it lasts."

We fixed our gaze at the dark blue night sky and watched the colorful explosions together, all while at the top of the world. Any anxious and doubtful thoughts faded away thanks to our mutual comfort. There was nothing to worry about, it was only me and her on this beautiful night.

Pyrrha leaned next to my shoulder, "I don't want this to end."

I wrapped my arm around her. "Me too, Pyrrha. Me too."

I never thought I'd finally get a sincere and serious date, let alone see the day where I become the boyfriend of one of the mascots of my favorite cereal brand. Rouge is going to be happy when she hears about this; she's going to celebrate by wrecking the town with her drunken antics unless someone hides the drinks from her.

I do still have some doubts and I don't know if this relationship might even last. But as long as she's happy, so am I.

For such a complicated mess my life has been, I finally found myself being glad of being a part of someone's life.

---

Editorial Note: In the following day, General Ironwood invited Pyrrha for a secret meeting concerning a very likely match for the tournament's final round as well as revealing some secrets regarding Penny Polendina.

Atlas Military Archive: Audio Transcript between General Ironwood and Pyrrha Nikos hours before the final round of the 40th Biennial Vytal Tournament

General Ironwood's Office, Beacon Tower, 0647 Hours

Gen. Ironwood: Good morning, Miss Nikos. Thank you for coming.

Nikos: And to you as well, General.

Gen. Ironwood: I've noticed you have been training this early in the morning.

Nikos: I needed to stay sharp sir. I was also doing some research concerning the Maidens and the conflict that the Headmaster is in.

Gen. Ironwood: Very good. Though you could have asked for information from us. Information from third-party sources regarding these topics are dubious at best. But let's talk about that for another time. Let me tell you why I sent you here. I know this is short notice but it is of utmost importance.

Nikos: Does it concern the Maidens, sir?

Gen. Ironwood: No, but it does contain top secret information that I'm trusting you with. If I tell you this, everything you hear will stay in this room.

Nikos: You can trust me with anything, General. What seems to be the issue?

Gen. Ironwood: Miss Nikos, if I may ask, how often do you use your semblance during combat. Do you think you can win without it?

Nikos: I use it when I absolutely need to, General, but I don't necessarily need it in order to win. Most of my victories were usually the result of my continuous practice. My semblance only plays a part in them.

Gen. Ironwood: (audible sigh of relief) Good. That's good to hear.

Nikos: Why did you ask, sir?

Gen. Ironwood: It's because… (exhales) The final round will have its matchups chosen randomly before they begin, and we need you to refrain from using your semblance when you get matched with Penny.

Nikos: (pauses) I'll do as you wish, but can you explain why, sir?

Gen. Ironwood: The truth is… Penny is not a real girl. She's actually a machine made to emulate a young human girl and was given aura through the same piece of Atlesian technology that we will use to transfer Amber's aura to you. She's not made of flesh, but of metal, [1] and what does your semblance do to metal?

Nikos: It would tear her apart…

Gen. Ironwood: Correct, and if that were to happen in front of a global audience, the results would be catastrophic. You're only one of the few who have been told about this. Not even Ozpin and her own team knows.

Nikos: Can't you just make sure we are never matched?

Gen. Ironwood: We can, but we figured as much that a match between both of you was inevitable, whether you get chosen together or when both of you become the last contestants remaining. We had no other better alternative than to simply warn you about this.

Nikos: (silence)

Gen. Ironwood: Please, Pyrrha. There have been enough problems for us as of recent. Yesterday's incident proved to us that the forces of Chaos are near, and we have to bear with some controversy to ensure everyone's safety. All we are asking for is your cooperation.

Nikos: As you say, General. It is my duty to prevent further chaos after all.

Gen. Ironwood: Very good. I knew Ozpin was right about choosing you as the next Maiden. You are free to go. If there are any questions, let me know. I'll be here if you need me.

Nikos: Will do, sir.

=o=

1. Penny's frame, to be exact, is made out of metal while her body's outer layer was made out of silicone to give an impression of human skin.

---

I woke up the next morning after a peaceful slumber—a good sign since I didn't get any nightmares about one of my greatest apprehensions. While no one aside from Pyrrha was still aware of my secret yet, I feel a lot better since the confession. Hell, I even became more confident about next year thanks to her. After several months, I finally didn't feel conflicted about the future anymore. Things were finally looking up.

Getting up, I looked at Pyrrha's bed. Her bed was empty since she woke up earlier than I did. I noticed that the stuffed animal she won the day before was sitting peacefully at it and the leaf she caught was put on the wall near her bed. I smiled at the sight, recalling those pleasant moments yesterday.

Her desk, however, told a different story. An assortment of books was jumbled around it, which was strange since Pyrrha always made sure her things remained perfectly organized that she would take extra time to scrub every speck of dust off her workplace. This tells me that despite the wonderful date she had, there was still something that isn't right.

Examining the muddled pile of books, I saw that they were full of titles that Pyrrha won't normally be interested in; Fairy Tales Uncensored, The Truth About Magic, Maidens: Fact or Fiction? The Secret Wars of Remnant, The Call of Chaos and weirdly enough, The Autobiography of Ozpin: Headmaster of Beacon.

If Pyrrha hasn't been acting strange a lot lately, I would have concluded that Nora or maybe Ren misplaced their books on her desk, but seeing as she has been acting as if the world is about to end, something was going on that she's not telling us. I'm still wondering what was all her talk about destiny right before our confession.

Ren shortly appeared wearing a pink apron with the print that says, 'Please do nothing to the cook' beneath his usual clothes. He was also carrying a glass filled with a green liquid of sorts. "Good morning," he greeted in his usual tone as he saw that I was awake.

"Morning."

I took some time to stretch before moving to sit at the side of my bed when Ren spoke again. "Pyrrha woke up early today."

I looked unsurprised as I initially thought that it wasn't tied to recent behavior and she's usually the first to wake up after Nora. It was the final round after all; unbeaten champion or not, she's going to need all the practice she could get in the morning. "She always does, doesn't she?"

"Earlier than Nora," he then added.

I felt my eyes gape after hearing that. It was just I suspected. This could mean that she slept for a short period in her standards. While it's understandable because she could use some practice the morning before the singles round, it was too unusual for her. "How is she doing?"

"She told us about yesterday. Which I must say, congratulations," He said, so either he must have heard about it or Pyrrha told them. It was bound to happen sooner or later. "But she seems to be busy with something. I don't know what it is and she refuses to tell me anything about it. It probably has something to do with the upcoming match but I'm not really sure."

With that remark, it all but confirmed my concerns. "Well, I figured as much," I remarked before asking about the 'drink' he was holding—if you can call that a drink, that is. "What's that?"

"Oh, this? This is a blend of herbs and vegetables filled with nutrients vital to your body's well-being. I recommend you to try it out," he tried offering it to me.

That alone sounds impractically disgusting despite sounding good on paper. I almost barfed after smelling it, which was enough to tell me that wasn't edible no matter what Ren describes it as. One would be excused for mistaking it as puke. "I think I'm good."

"Are you sure? It's good for you."

About as good as chugging an entire bottle of pills into your stomach, I bet. "No, really, I'm fine," I insisted, stepping back from the drink.

Nora suddenly burst into the dorm with confetti raining behind her. "Congratulations, Fearless Leader! You and Pyrrha are finally a couple! Took you long enough, you son of a gun," she cheered with a wide grin on her face. "Team Awesome is going to be together forever! This is gonna be the best week of our life! Oh, I could gush about this all day."

I pretty much have gotten used to her fangirling over our relationship at this point and I was wondering more on how she was able to time this. I wasn't being watched, was I? "Were you waiting for me to wake up for this?" I asked. She assumed that question was rhetorical so she didn't answer—it wasn't though, I was really that curious and she left me in the dark on that subject.

"Ren, you're not trying to feed Jaune with that stuff, are you?" She glares at him, to which Ren just responded with a shrug. Sound like even Nora wasn't eccentric enough to be a fan of whatever that drink was. It's credits to carrots that only Ren was capable enough to drink that green goop.

"So, where is Pyrrha right now?" I asked the two.

"Oh, she's at the library. Probably to read more of those weird books," Nora frowned, folding her arms. "She could use some company, and who else would be a better choice than you?"

Right, I thought as I got up from my bed. It was time for me to do what a good boyfriend should do. "Way ahead of you."

"That's the spirit! Go cheer her up. Make our beloved champion happy! She's going to need some love and support for her next match!" Nora pumped.

"Alright," I walked toward the bathroom door to take a shower. Before entering the bathroom, I turned around to give my indefatigable hammer-wielding teammate one important message. "Oh, and please try not to ruin the mood this time."

She obediently nodded. "If you say so! I wouldn't want to get your way. I wish nothing but the best for both of you!"

"Thanks, Nora." I closed the bathroom door, smiling at her. Good to know she's still as compliant as ever and still capable of being respectful despite her manic nature, especially when it came to my relationship with Pyrrha.

After I was finished bathing myself, I took a quick breakfast before heading to the library. I was able to find her in the private section. She was on a desk, sleeping on a book about conspiracy theories (or something, I don't know) with a messy pile beside her which had mysterious folders below them. [1]

While I thought it was cute watching her sleep like this, I knew that I shouldn't get too distracted and that she still has a few problems unresolved, so I walked to her and shook her awake. "Hey."

She moaned as her eyes slowly opened. She looked up and smiled upon seeing me as if seeing my face again slightly cheered her up. "Hey."

I was content at seeing her smile despite whatever's troubling her. I wanted her to be happy just like the night before and not to worry about anything. "You okay?"

she turned to the pile of books on the desk. "I'm fine. I've just been doing a lot of reading recently."

"Like what?" I inquired.

"Myths, Legends, Fairy Tales. Like the silver-eyed warriors for example—who are believed to be capable of obliterating Grimm with a single look." She stacked the books in an orderly fashion. "I've been wondering if some of these tales are indeed true and not just legends."

Not the answer I was expecting but at least I was going somewhere. If that was the case, then at least I can relax, knowing that Pyrrha's problem wasn't that severe, [2] so long as she stops making us worry about dilemmas that came out of nowhere. "Can't really judge you for being into that kind of stuff, but what makes you say that they could be real?"

"People don't just write these things out of nowhere. I mean many of them are inspired by true stories."

"Pyrrha, I don't mean to disrespect—it's the last thing I want to do to you right now, but think you're reading into it too much."

"I'm sorry. It's really just—"

Just by reading her face alone, there seems to be something troubling her. I don't know if what she's reading has something to do about it nor do I want to believe that she's hiding something from me as we can't be distrusting each other after we just become honest with our feelings.

I held both of her shoulders in comfort. "Do you need help with something? I'm always here to lend you a hand."

"I really appreciate that but I'm fine. It's nothing I can't handle. I was just given an assignment by Professor Ozpin and I needed to prepare for a bit," she explained as I let go of her. "I can't really talk about it. I'm sorry for making you worry."

I made an internal sigh, I simply just couldn't leave her all by herself when something is troubling her. No matter, what's important is that she stops worrying. If I can't help her directly then I'd have to put her in a good mood. "Well, whatever it is, if you need someone to talk to, I'm always listening. Just remember that you're not alone anymore." I tenderly reminded her.

"Thanks, Jaune," she said before leaning closer and gave a kiss on the cheek. My cheeks went red and I urged myself not to wipe out it for the time being.

We finally stood up. "C'mon let's head out. I'll buy you lunch.

"You really don't have to do that," she remarked as we began leaving the library.

"Yeah, but I can and I will. You will be getting your lunch from me today and that's an order from your leader and boyfriend," I insisted even though I was already the one to pay for our snacks last night.

She playfully giggled and conceded with my decision, "Alright then."

We left the building together, holding each other as we walked through the courtyard. I was a bit skeptical about the PDA [3], but then again, everyone already treats us as a couple ever since the public learned that we were paired, so we might as well go for it and let everyone know that we are indeed official. It was enough for them to get the message so it's not like we needed to kiss in the arena or anything.

Though not many people were able to notice it since everyone appeared to be more concerned at the fact that more Atlesian ships were hovering in the skies above Beacon and Vale than usual. I didn't know what it was all about and I just assumed that it wasn't anything too serious that the Atlesian military was just putting on a show of force or something, but I was about to find out why shortly.

=o=

1. Those folders were provided by Ozpin which contained dossiers regarding The Maidens, The Forces of Chaos and some details about Ozpin's Shadow War. They were physically written to prevent data breaches and potential hackers from accessing them, which turned out to be a very good call.

2. Unfortunately for them, it was.

3. Public Display of Affection. As stated, their relationship wasn't considered anything of a surprise, and besides, PDAs weren't much frowned upon in Vale.

---

Editorial Note: Here is yet another excerpt. This one covers the incident that prompted General Ironwood to tighten the security in Vale. While the reason for it will be explained shortly after Jaune learns about it, his description was lacking in some relevant details concerning the current affair.

Archived News Article: White Fang Radical firebombs Atlas Embassy during a festive night. By Vicker McTyler, VNN.

Despite the Vytal Festival being a time of joy and harmony, celebrating the peace between the four kingdoms of Remnant after the devastating Great War, there are still groups and individuals that unleash anger and violence against those who they fervently despise even during a jubilant time like this.

At 10 p.m. at Vale's commercial district, the festival was on its fourth night when the Atlesian Embassy suddenly burst into flames. The Embassy's fire alarm promptly went off as the fire department rushed to the embassy. A lone woman was caught by security cameras throwing bottles containing fire dust to the embassy before running away from the scene. The VPD was immediately notified and were able to quickly apprehend the suspect minutes after the attack.

The perpetrator, who was identified as a bovine faunus by the name of Tawny Vaquero (age 27) was charged for arson before it was extended to terrorism after her affiliation with the White Fang's terrorist cell in Vale was revealed when Vaquero confirmed being a member, along with the organization proudly claiming responsibility for the attack.

"Let this be a message to the northern fascists that the world will truly be never at peace until they pay for the oppression of faunus with their own blood. They think they can fancy themselves as peacemakers during a festival that partly celebrates the emancipation of the faunus people, yet continue to persecute us? Well then, let us remind them of what they truly are, and that we will not stand idly by," says a masked representative of the White Fang on a video following the attack.

Vaquero was a staunch advocate for faunus rights and opposes the Atlesian Government along with companies who are accused of mistreating their faunus employees, especially the Schnee Dust Company (SDC). She was present in several protests and rallies at various Atlesian and SDC establishments prior to this attack and has spoken out against them multiple times on social media, occasionally making threatening (and other times, strange) remarks.

Additionally, it was discovered that Vaquero was under the influence of illegal drugs, specifically frenzon. Frenzon is a term of psychological control drugs that were used to keep users fanatical with their cause and were once treated as 'combat drugs'. [1] It was internationally banned by the United Councils Committee (UCC) after the Great War along with several other drugs. The production of these drugs was strictly prohibited and the remaining supply is currently sparse and is nowadays known for its use by several outlaw cults which all follow specific dogmas that may or may not be related to one another.

It appears that cultists are no longer the only ones possessing such drugs. A sudden influx of rare and illegal narcotics made its way to Vale during the past week. The Silverlock Street Triads was one such organization that has been found harboring these sorts of narcotics. A major club they own was raided by the VPD two days before this incident happened. (Beacon Student Celebrity, Jaune Arc was also rumored to be involved in this raid. This was still yet to be officially confirmed by the VPD.)

This was not the first incident where Atlesians were attacked by radical faunus advocates during the festival that happened to carry the very same narcotics. Earlier the same day, four faunus youths were arrested by Atlesian Security Forces stationed at Vale with assistance from the VPD for assaulting AK-200s on patrol. Like Vaquero, they were also possessing and were under the influence of frenzon, it was also confirmed earlier that they indeed have connections with the White Fang. With this, it was evident the White Fang is indeed one of the organizations possessing these drugs.

The Valish Government with support from the United Councils Committee is seeking immediate action to prevent the spread of narcotics across the kingdom before the epidemic becomes more severe.

Aside from several AK-200s (Atlesian Knight-200) and a few cleaner bots that were destroyed during the attack, there were fortunately no casualties due to the employees and diplomats attending an invitational party at Vale's SDC building during the night.

"I actually was considering going back to the place when I realized that I left my wallet there. Glad that I got drunk instead," said an embassy employee who wishes to remain anonymous.

Atlesian and Valish authorities continue cooperating to prevent further incidents and to quash the recent epidemic. Several Atlesian Forces have been deployed in Vale with the approval of the UCC to tighten the security of the kingdom from any further attacks.

"The Festival will continue as planned. Citizens and attendees are encouraged to remain calm and carry on with the festivities while we continue to maintain the peace. Spreading fear and chaos is exactly what these extremists want and we are not going to allow them to disrupt this time of peace and happiness. Under our security, we will ensure that these attacks won't happen again," said General Ironwood, head of the Atlesian Forces in a public speech regarding the incident.

In face of all these disturbances, many have continued to enjoy the festival, with numerous attendees anticipating the final round of the 40th Biennal Vytal Tournament that will feature Pyrrha Nikos, the four-time champion of the Mistrali Regional Tournament, who will compete in a singles match to become an international champion.

=o=

1. According to reports from the White Fang. Vaquero was actually a recent recruit to the organization chosen by Adam to firebomb the embassy as part of an initiation due to being expendable. She was also drugged with frenzon to keep her resentful toward the Atlas government and keep her from questioning the task that was given to her.

---

During lunch, I checked the news on my scroll to see what the hell was going on. I learned that some asshole from the White Fang firebombed the Atlesian Embassy and was on one of those drugs that the Triads were hiding the other day, explaining why Vale was suddenly getting more military aid from Atlas.

Dammit, those terrorists don't know when to quit. This better not become my problem. I wasn't in a mood for their crap at the moment.

When we got to the Coliseum, more Atlesian Knights were patrolling the coliseum compared to the previous days where there were only a handful of Atlesian Guards that were present. Ren and Nora were displeased with the number of 'mechanical abominations' roaming around, but as much as they wanted to do some damage (especially Nora), they knew they didn't need to avoid unwanted attention.

The Atlesian Knights were inspecting people for possible threats at the concourse and loading docks. They were prioritizing on faunus to make sure they were not affiliated with the White Fang. No wonder why the faunus were especially upset now that they're being profiled because some of their extreme cousins decided to ruin things for everyone.

Ren and Nora went ahead to the seatings while I accompanied Pyrrha to the backstage. After arriving there, we went our separate ways and I saw Blake and Yang talking near the wall of the corridor on my way to the seats. It sounds like Blake was at it again, but thankfully, her partner was there to knock some sense into her before she could put us on a repeat from the first week of this semester.

"I know how you feel, Blake. But now is not the time for you to worry about that. Let the military handle it for now," Yang advised.

Blake's bow was noticeably twitching. "I just feel like we need to do something about it. What's happening right now just isn't right."

"They almost got to you before, Blake, and I don't want that to happen. Let it go for a bit, and maybe we'll try to figure it out when the time's right," Yang soothed.

"I don't know," Blake muttered as her eyes fell to the floor.

Yang grabbed her shoulder. "Everything will be alright. We're partners, we look for each other. Right now, I need you to focus on supporting me for my next match, and I'll be sure to return the favor after we're done with this okay?"

Blake looked like she still wasn't sure, but she did brighten up and made an acknowledging nod before the two parted. Blake seemed to have remembered the lesson she learned; the White Fang's attack was obviously done to provoke people, so it was good for her to stay put—for now at least.

Mercury was passing through as he noticed me eavesdropping on the two. "Ey, you okay there, hero?"

"Hey there, Merc," I greeted. "I'm fine. Just checking on my friends."

"Trying to make sure your girlfriends are alright, aren't you?" He snickered as I gave him a weird look over the joke that I really should have seen coming. "I'm kidding. But I take it you have a girlfriend by now?"

"I do actually. Don't need to tell you who it is, you probably already know her by now," I made a sideways glance in case of a nearby paparazzi. Gossip sites are going to have a field day milking this when they find out about it.

"Nice," He remarked with a slight grin on his face. "Good for you."

Trust me, everyone would be, even if it will only surprise a few. "I take it that you're going to represent your team for this round?" I presumed since I saw him heading to the backstage like Yang.

"Yep. I'm going to make history today," He boasted as he makes a couple of light kicks in the air. "I got my game on."

"Well, best of luck then," I said, he's going to need it because he'll be facing my toughest friends yet (and a few others who were able to get this far). Gotta give him props for his optimism though, as arrogant as he may sound.

"You'll be surprised." He smirked confidently as he resumed walking to where he was going. "Catch you later!"

I went to the seatings and sat between Ren, Nora and the girls of Team RWBY sans Yang as we waited for a few minutes for the round to officially start.

The Vytal logo finally appeared on the screens around the arena. The professors in the commentator's booth began their announcement as Doctor Oobleck spoke. This time, he spoke at a relatively slower pace. His speech was still rapid, but it was easier to catch up with him.

"As you may know, there was a recent attempt to disrupt the peace within the festival, and you may have been affected by its result. I advise you not to think about that now. We cannot let this incident divide us in a time of respite and friendly competition. Regardless of how you may feel about how this situation is being handled, please do not forget why we are all here celebrating this festival in the first place."

The doctor spoke to the audience in a calm and subdued manner. It seemed to have worked as there was nothing but silence in the arena following that statement.

"I couldn't have said that better myself," Professor Port concurred before killing the mood harder than how he claimed to have killed an Alpha with his mustache. "And I am known for my sheer charisma!" he bragged, you could hear a few groans from his students as the silence within the audience broke. "Anyway, enough of that, folks. Let's not linger on this subject and let us begin the moment you've all been waiting for! Raising, his voice as the crowd went back to cheering. "The one-on-one finals!"

Eight of the finalists were lined up in the middle of the arena. Among them were Mercury, Yang, Penny, Pyrrha, and Sun representing their respective teams. (I mean no disrespect but the other three of the finalists kind of look flat compared to everyone else or it's probably just me). [1]

Pyrrha stood at the left end of the line, looking nervous. I hoped she's doing alright and that her perturbations won't affect her performance. She looked at the audience and gazed towards me as I smiled at her, which seemed to have comforted her for a bit.

"Barty, why don't you explain the rules?"

Professor Oobleck returned to his usual pace. "Ah, it's quite simple, Peter. Instead of a bracket system, each round of the finals will be randomly determined immediately before the match takes place!"

"Much like any good hunt, there will be zero time to prepare!"

"Ah, yes, yes! Now, let's see who our first match will be!" the doctor declared, pointing towards the camera.

Everyone tensely stared at the screen as a roulette containing two slots of the finalists began spinning. After a brief moment of suspense, the roulette has finally chosen its contestants for the first match of this round.

"Yang Xiao Long and Mercury Black!" Professor Port announced. It was an interesting matchup, we get to see whether punches or kicks will seize the day.

"Break a leg, sis!" Ruby cheerfully cried out.

Little did she know how true those words would become. I couldn't blame her because nobody expected what would happen next.

=o=

1. The three other contestants were, Castel Moore of Team CRTS (Charteuse) from Beacon, Phoenix Thornton of Team WHAT (White) from Atlas Academy, and Zafran Al-Bahri of Team QARZ (Quartz) from Shade.

---

I couldn't believe what I just witnessed with my very own eyes.

It all started as an engaging unarmed fight between a blonde brawler and a kickboxer with the tendency to backflip and breakdance during battle. At one point Mercury was able to knock Yang down and pinned her with a barrage of shots from his boots with only 16% of her aura left; another hit and she would have been out for good.

Of course, it triggered her semblance and she was able to beat him down until he was out of aura. He was barely able to fight back.

With that, Yang was declared the winner. She was walking away from him, when all of a sudden, she decided to turn back and fired on his leg when he was already down with no aura left. The crowd gasped in shock while the tournament's broadcast was promptly cut.

Everything just went to hell from there.

The paramedics quickly carried Mercury out of the stage while the Atlesian Guardsmen surrounded Yang and arrested her on spot. The same crowd that cheered at her during the match was now booing at her for her foul play. We, her friends and comrades, were no less shocked.

This caused the next match to be delayed for a couple of hours while the showrunners try to sort things out. When we flew back to Beacon, Yang was placed on house arrest and arrived at the academy in a prison transport while being escorted by Atlesian Guardsmen. Students looked at her in shame as she passed by, and she couldn't do anything but look down.

I sat in my dorm with my team as we uncomfortably listened to the muffled scolding of General Ironwood on Team RWBY's dorm, still processing what Yang just did. Pyrrha looked especially glum, silently sitting on her bed with another thing added to her list of worries.

I looked out the window and saw that there were Atlesian Knights everywhere. I was rather thankful that The Pest wasn't allowed to be in Beacon grounds at the moment, otherwise, there would have been more ruckus outside the residence hall.

First a firebombing and now this. Could this get any worse? What the hell is going on? Couldn't anyone just calm the hell down for once?

"I still can't believe this." Nora walked back and forth around the room before stopping toward Ren. "Did Yang really just do what I saw?"

"Unedited footage and millions of eye-witnesses don't lie, Nora." Ren was looking on his scroll. "Don't get me wrong, I'm about as dumbfounded much as you are. As aggressive she can be—she would never go this far."

"Don't you think she was blinded by her semblance or something?" I asked as it seems to be the only plausible theory I had from what caused her to unceremoniously break a downed person's leg.

"I saw her eyes turn back to normal shortly after Mercury was defeated. It couldn't have been her semblance."

"You're right. And she was low on aura after she used her semblance. She couldn't have activated it again since it was cooling down." I recalled, just remembering some notes I had on everyone. "If it's not that, then what is it then?"

"I'm not sure. It could have been a result of stress or high amounts of adrenaline," Ren shrugged.

Nora harrumphed. "All of you know me, and even I don't go that crazy when I'm that pumped up," she pointed out. "Something is definitely off."

As much as I find that hard to believe, I couldn't find myself disagreeing with her. Nora's a nightmare at her worst, but she acts frenzied only when I allow her to; she's otherwise capable of holding out her temper. Since Yang's disposition was supposed to be relatively more manageable than Nora's (let's be honest, everyone else is), then it couldn't possibly be narrowed down to just her striking a downed opponent in a fit of rage. There was much more to this and we intend to find out what it was.

When I noticed General Ironwood and his troops leaving the residence hall from the dorm's window. I headed out to check on them. Opening the door, I saw Yang's teammates standing outside their dorm.

"Is she doing okay?" I asked worriedly.

"She's doing the best she can," Blake downheartedly answered.

"We're disqualified," Weiss added. "Her ankles have been tagged so she can't get out of the dorm."

"I heard Mercury and his team rushed back to be his family," Ruby said, trying to sound as optimistic as she could. "So, until they land, no one can really question him about what happened."

Ren stepped in. "If there's anything we can do, please don't hesitate to ask."

She briefly looked down. "Alright then, if that's the case… Pyrrha?" She called, grabbing her attention from across the room as Ruby beamed at her. "Be sure to win one from Beacon, okay?"

"It's what Yang would want," Weiss chimed in.

She looked away for a moment before turning back on them with a bright expression. "I'll do my best."

"I'll be sure to watch tonight in case you're picked!" She chirped. I smiled as I looked at Ruby's cheerful face, noticing her radiant silver eyes. While I always knew her eyes were silver, it reminded me of one of the legends Pyrrha was talking about, but that's probably just me.

"Sorry but, I think I've had enough fighting for one year," Blake said.

"Ditto," Weiss nodded. I heard myself chiming in internally, amazed that I was able to even get this far, and there were still three more years waiting for me.

"Coffee?" Weiss asked.

"Tea," Blake replied before the three of them left.

I turned back to my dorm to see Nora profoundly pointing her finger toward Pyrrha. "You heard the lady! No more moping around! Are you just going to sit there and frown while there's a big fight ahead of you? No! The Pyrrha I know isn't going to let some puny tournament bring her down! She will fight, for the sake of her friends who she will never let down that easily, and for what she believes in!"

Nora continued her stirring speech as I delightfully watched. Pyrrha's eyes were wide in astonishment. "What's there to worry about? You're the fiercest, most talented warrior I've ever known, backed up by caring teammates who stood beside you ever since the moment we held the same chess pieces together and we will continue to stick by your side no matter what! We fought small Grimm, big Grimm, super Grimm, mad scientists who created said super Grimm, as well as baddies who tried to use the Grimm! Whatever you will face next is nothing compared to what you have fought and defeated!" She grabbed her arm from the bed, making her stand up. "Now are you going to let your worries get the best of you?"

"No…" Pyrrha muttered.

Nora firmly grabbed her shoulders. "I can't hear you!"

"No!"

"Now we're talking!" she pumped her fists in the air. "So stop brooding and make us proud! Scratch that, we're already proud of you, so make us prouder then! We know you can do it, Pyrrha!"

I saw Pyrrha's face brighten up. We all looked at her with warm looks of encouragement. With that, she was reassured that we'll always be there for her.

Who knew someone like Nora would actually make a good motivational speaker.

As Nora was pumping her fists up, her stomach growled. "Hold on, I know the drill." Ren stood up to fetch some snacks for her.

I looked at Pyrrha and she gave me a bright smile, indicating that she was successfully cheered up. This was exactly what she needed before the match.

"I'm going to check on Yang," I informed them before looking at Ren and Nora. "You guys take care of her for now."

"Go on ahead. We're not going anywhere as long as there were machines roaming around the campus," Ren replied.

I knocked on the door and opened it after Yang told me to come in. The first thing that happened which I really should have expected was—Zwei angrily barking at me.

"Calm down, Zwei. Jaune's not gonna hurt a good boy," Yang said. With that, he faced away from me and began to chase his own tail until he went to sleep on his dog bed placed at the corner of the dorm.

I can't really attest if he's really a good boy though.

"What brings you here?" she asked.

To be honest, I wasn't even sure if it was a good idea to visit her. [1] I just thought I'd talk to her to see if she really was innocent as she seems. Aside from that, I might as well help out Yang so I could stay on her good side and so I could prove that I was a genuine friend even if I lied to her and everyone. "I thought I'd hear your side of the story of what just happened," I explained, sitting at the desk's chair next to the wall. "Whatever you just did, we're still friends, aren't we?"

"Aren't you afraid that I might suddenly lash out or something?"

As a matter of fact, I was. I kept my guard up during the entire time I was there, fearing that she might strike the least I expected, especially with what she did that put her in that position. But I told myself to just treat Yang the way she always was, a flirty, silly blonde biker with a penchant for puns. Really bad puns. If she really was that guilty and dangerous, her teammates would have warned me about her.

"That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about you," I partially lied, speaking in my hero persona. Sometimes I just never learn, but I'll grow out of it eventually.

She paused for a moment before making a question. "Jaune, you really don't believe what you just saw, do you?"

"I don't know. I don't want to believe it but I can't just deny what I just saw either," I answered. "Why did you do it? He was out of aura. You already won. Couldn't you just have walked out and enjoyed your victory?"

"I didn't—!" she exclaimed before taking a deep breath and explained her side of the story. "Look, this may sound hard to believe. I actually was walking away. Then I heard him say something before I saw him coming after me. So I fired at him. The next thing I knew, I was being arrested. I didn't knew he was down all along until I saw the video," Her lilac eyes bored towards mine, "I swear, that really happened. Call me crazy but I saw what I saw and it felt real to me."

She doesn't sound like she's lying. While no one remembered Mercury threatening and attacking her after the fight, the tone of her voice was telling me she was being sincere and her gaze hasn't swayed away from mine. And she wasn't that much of a clever devil to deceive like that. Trust me, I've been doing this longer than I should.

"Maybe everyone's right. It was all just in my head. I'm really just a hotheaded bimbo, aren't I?" She leaned down and covered her face.

I regretfully stared at her as I found a way to give her some consolation. "I don't know. But I do know this—I heard you talking down Blake before the match," I stated, prompted her into looking back up. "I don't think you would have let yourself be blinded with rage after telling her that. And I know for certain that you aren't a liar."

"So, do you believe me?"

"I believe you didn't do that without a good reason," I asserted. "I won't lie, this is becoming more complicated than it looks, but somehow I know for certain that this isn't your fault. We just need to get the bottom of it if we're to prove you're innocent."

She smiled at me. "I'm glad to know that not everyone is buying this."

"Just remember that so long as we know you're not guilty, we will always have your back. That's what friends are for. Right?"

"Right," she happily nodded. "I really appreciate that. Though, I still haven't forgiven you for blasting ketchup on my hair the first day of the semester though."

Oh, so she wants to play that game, huh? "And I still haven't forgotten that you broke my tea," I playfully retorted.

She chuckled. "Oh, I miss those days. Kinda hard to imagine that it's almost a year, doncha think?"

"Yeah. Oh, how time flies." I could still remember it like it was yesterday; it's one of the reasons why I didn't fully regret going to Beacon. "I should go now," I said, standing up from the chair. "You think you'll be okay?"

"Don't sweat it. This isn't the first time I was on house arrest remember?"

Oh right, she got a harsher sentence for her criminal record when our investigation of the White Fang went wrong, at least she was free to roam around the academy then so long as she stayed there. It's a shame she's basically got another charge of assault now. "Yeah, I remember," I grinned, walking back to the door.

"And hey." She called, making me turn around before I left. "Don't lose your joy, Lover Boy," she winked.

I chuckled before responding appropriately. "I enjoyed our talks, Goldilocks."

She beamed at me before I finally left the dorm, reassured that she'll be okay despite what she was going through.

As I closed the door, I saw Qrow, the dark-haired guy who just fought Weiss' sister a few days ago, leaning on the wall next to the dorm. "You planning something with my niece, hero?"

He almost startled me. His raspy voice and appearance didn't help. "You don't have to worry about me, there's already someone."

"I can guess who it is," he shook his head. "We're living in fucked up times, kid, if I were you, I wouldn't be too attached to my teammates."

Yeah, that was what I told myself before it went into the gutter like most of my plans to keep my reputation from becoming worse. What's his deal anyway? I'm starting to see why Weiss' sister couldn't stand him, not helped with his breath reeking of alcohol that it kept reminding me of Uncle Jørgen. [2] This wasn't something I expected from an uncle of two personable girls. "I guess it's too late for that."

He harrumphed, "That's not my problem. What were you doing there anyway?"

"I just wanted to hear what she has to say about it. It doesn't sound like she's lying."

"She didn't threaten you to say that, didn't she?" He questioned, making me narrow my eyes as he made a huff. "Nah, who am I kidding? Nothing ever threatens you Arcs, is there?" He stood up. "I knew Yang since she was born. She really means well but she's sometimes way over her head. I remember her picking fights with bullies when she was a kid. If I'm honest with you, I'm not surprised at what she did, just disappointed that she did that when the whole world's watching her." He said. "Regardless if she's guilty or not, the damage has been done, this is going to be the first thing people will think about when they see her."

"Are you telling me not to help your own niece out?" I questioned.

"What I'm telling you is that you should focus on other things. I'm not that worried about her because I know that she's tough enough to take it. She'd face the whole world if she wants to. I'm more worried about her sister. As much as I'm proud of her, she's too naïve for her own good, and I don't want her to end up like her mom." He said. That, I can see. I haven't heard much about Ruby's mom but it's because she didn't want to talk about her when she's brought up, which was completely understandable. "Look, kid, something big is coming. Take my advice and keep watching your back. Soon, you'll learn that the Grimm are the least of your problems."

Been there, done that, I muttered to myself, hoping he's just drunk off his mind.

"And go talk to your partner, she really needs it," He said before going into Team RWBY's dorm.

Of course, why wouldn't I? Pyrrha needed all the support from her team and friends, especially what she was going through.

I opened my dorm's room and saw that Pyrrha was nowhere to be found. Ren and Nora were watching the windows through a binocular, being robophobic again. I'm still wondering why those two were still subscribed with the beliefs of the machine cult they were no longer a part of.

"What a repugnant sight." Ren hissed in disgust while observing the Atlesian Knights on the campus.

"Damn you, Atlas. The more I look at those tin cans the more I want to crush them. I can imagine myself doing it now." Nora growled before she noticed me enter. "Oh, Jaune. If you're looking for Pyrrha, she's at the rooftop. She said she needed some time alone."

Probably because she couldn't think clearly since you two keep fear mongering about robots, I thought. "Alright, I'll leave you to your business," I nodded at them as I shut the door and immediately went upstairs since there was no reason for me to stay there and keep listening to their anti-robotic sentiments.

As I made my way to the rooftop, I found her sitting near the edge of the roof all by herself, watching the sky and the view before her as usual. Memories of our moments in this place came back, from when we discovered it as our training spot on our first week, practicing together after classes to more recent memories like when we shared drinks and had a little heart-to-heart shortly after winning the doubles round.

I walked to her side. "You okay, Pyrrha?"

She turned back and gave me a reassuring smile. "I'm okay. I've just thought about some things."

"Really? What things?" I asked, sitting as well.

"Can't exactly say. There's just been a lot of my mind lately," she said with a hint of apprehension, but aside from that, she doesn't sound too upset.

"Still anxious about the next match, Pyrrha?" I asked.

"Not really. In fact, I actually don't care about winning anymore," she looked at the campus and the surrounding sea.

That's… interesting to hear especially after Nora's motivational speech for her. "What makes you say that?"

"Because it doesn't matter if I win or lose anymore. The friends I made and the life I found here in Beacon is already the greatest victory I ever had. I knew I would find a better purpose in life, but I didn't know how much it would change my life," she explained as she faced me. "It was always my destiny to become a Huntress, and being a Huntress is about fighting for who you care about and what you believe in. I'll continue to fight, not for pride or victory but for my friends, especially you. Because it's you that makes it worth it."

I could see that she was almost in tears. I put a hand on the side of her head and gently wiped them off. "I really cannot thank you enough for everything you did for me,"

"You know me, I'm here for you until the end. You mean that much to me," I replied with a friendly smirk. "I should thank you too. You made me realize that there's more to Beacon and being a part of a team than just using it to save myself, you know?"

"Well, that makes us even," she grinned, leaning at my shoulder as she held my other hand that was resting on the ground. Though I was still uncertain if that was ever truly the case since it has done more to me than I'll ever do to her. It was one of the reasons why I felt so unworthy for her, but I was willing to humor her opinion for her sake.

"I'm glad I have you. Can't imagine what would have happened if we never found each other," I said truthfully.

"Same," she replied before taking a moment to look back at the year we had together, "I still can't help but be amazed about everything that happened this year."

"There'll be plenty more where that came from," I nodded.

"I hope you're right," she remarked, sounding worried for a bit but she remained eased resting at my shoulder.

I was recalling my days here in Beacon, trying to grasp where did I go so right when I remembered that I only told Pyrrha about my secret so far. "I really should tell the others about me soon. They deserve to know the truth as well."

"Don't worry, I'll be there for you, just like you'll be there for me later. We look out for each other."

I could only smile. I have endured these past months in the academy, hoping that I would get through this in one piece and find a way out after getting dragged into it against my will. I never thought I would find happiness with someone who I initially saw as a means to an end while cherishing all the friends I've made and having fond memories of the academy that once haunted me.

"Let's stay like this for a moment, shall we?" She went back to gazing at the sky.

"I can't argue with that," I put an arm around her shoulder, embracing her as we enjoyed each other's company, reassured that everything would be alright.

Whatever we'll face, I know we'll get through it together. Maybe three more years on Beacon won't be so bad after all.

=o=

1. It truly wasn't. There were surveillance cameras. General Ironwood planned on confronting him about it later that night but decided to ignore it due to the events that preceded after that.

2. Jørgen Gustavsen is distinctively notorious for his abysmal breath caused by his alcoholism. Amusingly enough, he and Qrow used to be drinking buddies when Caiaphas Arc was working under Ozpin's order.

---

It was already night when we returned to the coliseum. Despite the relevant event that caused the following match to be delayed, many people were still aching for some action. That being said, there were about as plenty of people who were skeptical about the tournament continuing. Combine that with the strict Atlesian security that stemmed from another incident. To make matters worse, I heard that the threat of a Grimm invasion just increased because of those disturbances.

Unlike her teammates, Ruby decided to attend since she told us that Yang didn't want to force her to stay and worry about her and that she'll be fine by herself and since she wanted to see Penny fight. When walking through the coliseum, everyone was giving scornful looks at her for what Yang did. If it weren't for us accompanying and staying close to her, she would have been harassed on sight. Nobody wanted to have some serious beef with us even if we are still getting along with the leader of a team that was now deemed as controversial.

Ren and Nora went with Ruby to the seats while I went with Pyrrha on the way to the backstage so I could give her a few more minutes of company before splitting up.

"Here we go," Pyrrha muttered when we arrived by the entrance of the backstage.

"You did amazing last round. I'm sure you can do this," I alleviate her remaining doubts as she prepares for her next match.

"I know. I just couldn't shake off that feeling, you know?" I understand where she was coming from. You will always feel your adrenaline pump hard before a battle no matter how prepared you are especially if it's for a major fight.

"Just remember that we're proud of you no matter what."

She smiled and leaned forward to give me a short, sweet and chaste kiss. "Thank you. For everything."

I paused and blushed as we looked at each other for a few more seconds. "Good luck."

I locked my gaze unto her as she was entering the backstage. I was about to turn around and walk away when I saw Ruby rushing towards us with her semblance.

"Pyrrha, wait!" she yelled, grabbing Pyrrha's attention as well, making her turn back to her. "There's something I need to tell you first. It's very important!"

Pyrrha raised a brow. "What is it?"

"I really can't tell you here! We need to talk in private," she panted.

"Why's that?" I took my turn to ask, confused by the abrupt commotion which I wouldn't hear about.

"There's no time to explain! Would you mind if I borrow Pyrrha for a second?"

I wasn't sure about this especially since I didn't know what was this all about and why was this so sudden but had no reason not to trust Ruby. "Alright. If that's what you want." I answered before turning, "Pyrrha, you're okay with this right?"

"It's okay. There's still time. We're not really in a rush."

"Oh, thank goodness. I'm really sorry. I know this all of a sudden but you really need to hear this," Ruby meekly apologized

"It's fine, don't worry. If it's that urgent, then let's not waste any more time," Pyrrha said, turning to me before following Ruby. "You go on ahead, we'll be alright."

I nodded as I watched them leave, still wondering what was that all about but it was none of my business so I simply shrugged it off.

Arriving at the seats, I sat beside Ren and Nora. Ruby appeared a few minutes later, taking a deep breath, making me guess that her talk with Pyrrha went better than she expected.

It was still bothering me for a bit so I decided to ask her about it. "So what was that all about?"

"Oh, nothing," she briefly avoided my gaze. "I just realized something and I thought I should tell her about it."

That still didn't satisfy me so I kept asking her about it. I admit I came off looking rather nosy. "Mind giving me a hint?"

"Sorry, it's confidential. I mean really confidential," she insisted. "Maybe I should tell you one day."

"Alright then." There was no reason for me to question her trust, and the tournament was going live.

The Vytal logo appeared before us at the screen but before the tournament officially resumed, the camera cut to General Ironwood making an announcement concerning the recent disruptions. I remember him blinking only once during the beginning of his speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are aware that you have all been appalled by the recent incident that some of you may have some questions regarding our contestants, especially after an earlier incident where we are forced to take drastic measures to prevent another attack. While we understand the concerns, the tournament will continue as planned. The tournament is no stranger to incidents like these, and has been present since the first tournament, [1] but has those disruptions ever stopped the event? No. The tournament hasn't been stopped then and we will not stop now. We refuse to let this be remembered as a dark day. We are here to put aside our differences and show how far we had come since The Great War. Always know that friendship and unity will always conquer fear and hate. So let us continue and that we may all forget about our troubles in favor of something wonderful. May you all have a pleasant evening."

Gotta admit the general does know how to make a speech. By that point, everyone has seemed to forget about what Yang did and focus on the next fight for the tournament.

"Now with that out of the way, let us continue the final round of the Vytal Tournament!" Professor Port announced as the audience cheered. "Here are our contestants!"

The six remaining contestants were elevated to the stage as they got ready for the following battle.

"All right, it's now time to begin the randomization process for our next fight!" Doctor Oobleck declared as the selection of the fighters began shuffling.

"It looks like our first contender is…" Professor Port observed the roulette before the first contestant was chosen. "Penny Polendina from Atlas!"

The randomization continues. "And her opponent will be..." The audience excitedly gaped at the next slot until it finally stopped. "Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!"

Pyrrha vs Penny, huh? This will be interesting, I thought as an exuberant cheer was heard from every side of the arena as they eagerly await the battle between these two redheaded powerhouses.

"Go Penny! Go Pyrrha!" Ruby shouted cheerfully. I was delighted to know that she was going to be happy regardless of who wins.

Or that's what I thought at least.

I could notice her still shaken up about something, but I thought it was just me so I didn't think about it too much.

"Heck yeah, give me some of that PvP[2]!" Nora rejoiced, jumping from her seat while her partner can only force such an exclamation.

"Yay."

The battle began shortly after the other contestants left the stage. I closely watch as Penny remotely swings her flying blades before sending them towards Pyrrha. Pyrrha flipped forward, blocking the blades with her shield while on the way.

As Pyrrha was in close proximity to her opponent, she put her shield at her back and began swinging her spear. Penny efficiently dodged them while homing her blades back toward her. Pyrrha flipped away from the blades from coming from her behind before she thrust herself back to Penny.

Penny continuously gestured her blades at Pyrrha as the latter deflects them by spinning her spear. This was one of the few times I saw Pyrrha struggling as she was dealing with an opponent she has never faced before. Pyrrha flipped back after avoiding another hurl of blades from Penny. She stormed towards her, leaping on one of the blades flying toward her. As Pyrrha was hurling herself towards her, she attempted to make a vertical slash, only for Penny's blades to gather together and block it.

"My word! What a tremendous display by Miss Polendina!" Professor Port commentated as the fight went on, with Penny throwing her blades at Pyrrha, pushing her back.

Nora was enthusiastically cheering. "Whoa, yeah, go Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha used her magnetism to roll her shield to her arm. Aside from that, I noticed that Pyrrha never once used her semblance during the fight. I figured that she was saving it for later. After all, she never really used her semblance unless it was absolutely necessary. Penny's weaponry and fighting style were perfect for Pyrrha's semblance to use against. Just look at what it did to Umi during that one fight in combat class.

While I was trying to watch what would happen next, I felt a strange sensation in my head. My vision suddenly blurred for a second. I looked around, trying to process what just happened and spotted Weiss at the nearest entryway waving at me. Just me directly; it didn't look like she was trying to get the other's attention, not even her partner's. Confused, I rubbed my eyes and saw her gesturing for me to come to her before she walked away.

This seemed very important and I needed to figure out what she was doing in Amity Arena because I thought she stayed back in Beacon along with Blake. As much as I didn't want to miss something crucial in Pyrrha's fight, I knew she'd be fine (or I thought she would be) and that this shouldn't take too long.

So I carefully stood up and headed out, others were too engrossed with the fight to notice me leave. When I exited the arena, I saw that the corridor was empty. Scanning around, Weiss was nowhere to be found.

Strange, I thought. Just as when I was about to think that it must be all in my head—I felt something coming close to me from my behind.

I instinctively grabbed the arm behind me and saw Cinder's teammate—Nico trying to stab the back of my neck with a short syringe. Before I could react any further, she dropped the syringe, catching it with her other hand and injected it on my left arm.

I tried retaliating by turning back and swinging my fist at her. She swept from my back, moving to my front. I felt the sedatives starting to take effect and I couldn't do anything but barely look at Nico smiling sinisterly at me as my consciousness slowly fades.

The next thing I knew was that I became dazed enough that I fell on my back. Nico walked to my head, staring at me. She leaned close to my face as she shut her eyes. When she opened them again, her eyes became mismatched, turning from green to brown and pink before giving me a wink. Upon seeing that, it took me a few seconds to figure out that she was the Neapolitan Butcher all long and that she was able to trick me into coming to her and putting me to sleep. I always suspected it to be the case but I thought I was only being paranoid over a girl who happened to be short and silent.

That was the last thing I saw before passing out.

=o=

1. In fact, Yang's apparent assault on Mercury was rather mild compared to most of the incidents that occurred during previous tournaments; ranging from riots to unauthorized shootouts and even lethal accidents. Among them was the incident that occurred at the very first Vytal Festival, where one of the contestants was inadvertently killed during a match. This was largely due to most of the rules not being fully established at the time.

2. An acronym for 'Player vs. Player' a term used in gaming while Nora is using it to refer to the first letter of Penny and Pyrrha's given names.

---

One down, only two more chapters to go. Recent updates have been slow due to work and other things IRL; this chapter ended up being longer than expected when it was only supposed to cover a date and a couple of matches that didn't involve Jaune. Well, I guess things are just not as simple as they seem. But since the next chapter will cover an event that takes in a single night, it should be relatively shorter and a lot more straightforward, similar to earlier chapters in this fic, I hope.

Some of you may be shocked or confused at the sudden inclusion of The Warp and The Chaos Gods from Warhammer in this story. Let me inform you that this, along with most of the story was planned from the start (and no that's not me taking a page out of CRWBY's book, I'm actually being serious about this.) The first chapter of this fic was published in August of 2018, back when Salem's origins and motivations against Ozpin were unknown. When V6 finally revealed information about Salem (and Jaune's family to an extent), I only have to make a few adjustments to the story while I continue following my own ideas. A few chapters subtlety foreshadowed Chaos and Salem's possible connection to it, though I admit, they were too subtle that even if you are familiar with Warhammer Lore, you likely didn't notice them. Eh, what's done is done, I suppose. You get what I'm trying to do, so please just bear with it.

If you're not familiar with Warhammer (40k or Fantasy) and/or it's elements, fret not, most of the characters are unaware of these things either and they'll often be explained just so you won't be lost. Rest assured that you don't need to be a fan of Warhammer to enjoy this story.

This decision was so that the fic can become more distinct from the other stories that follow the show's plotline by making the Warhammer elements more apparent rather than just putting some references to it while basing the story's idea from Ciaphas Cain. Speaking of which, this story should stop following the show's plotline by the time the you-know-what is done.

While I'm taking some elements from 40k such as The Warp and using it as a name for the Realm of Chaos; and that the fic's main premise is inspired from a novel series that takes place in that universe, the Chaos Gods here are more based on their Warhammer Fantasy incarnations. In fact, the idea for this was that the Chaos Gods from fantasy are actually invading Remnant's Realm after they successfully destroyed The Warhammer World during The End Times (As far as I'm concerned, The Age of Sigmar did not happen). The reason for this was because the Chaos Gods in fantasy were only a threat to a single world while 40k's Chaos Gods were galaxy-wide horrors who would have conquered Remnant within less than a day. So to be a bit fair to our heroes, I pitted them against a relatively less-powerful version of Chaos. Now I know that The Realm of Chaos is actually called The Aethyr in Warhammer Fantasy but The Warp is a more recognizable nickname and from what I've seen, it is rarely referred to as The Aethyr.

And that's all I could say at the moment. I hoped you enjoyed it. Since the Coronavirus is getting worse by the time of this writing, I do hope you stay safe as well.

And also to make it more accessible and since not everyone has a Spotify Account, the playlist is now YouTube:

(youtube,com / playlist?list=PLx-5liPQvheIpI_fglcpwH-rVE4CkOJVw)