A/N: This chapter was hard to put out. Also, very unrelated PSA: this chapter was mainly late due to helping a good friend through an extreme emotional crisis the other night. If you are a survivor of any sort of abuse/assault, please seek help. You are loved and cared for, and deserve to be protected and safe. Life might feel like it's ending now, and it's okay to feel that way. That's normal- but life isn't ending. There are resources available everywhere, both online and off, to support you, be it informational, legal, or emotional. Do not suffer in silence, please.
Anyways. T-10. Home stretch. It's go time. I know it seems like the finale is coming up soon, but think about how much stuff Pyrrha actually goes through. It'll work out, trust me. Sorry (not sorry) for the sad times.
Let me know what you think of the chapter!
Laws of Attraction
Pyrrha's ragged breaths nearly formed clouds of vapour in the unexpectedly chilly night air as she burst out onto the dormitory rooftop. Sweat trailed down from her temples, clinging to her skin, freezing reminders of just how broken and scared she truly was. Her vision swam, and it wasn't until she felt the cold concrete tear her hands and bruise her knees that she realized exactly where she was.
I fell down, she understood numbly, the pain barely registering in her mind. Rather than focusing her Aura to heal the wounds, however, she let them be- let them sting, let the pain intensify, let it wash over her until her hands and knees throbbed and ached.
The pain brought her back to reality.
Stumbling, she crawled to the edge of the rooftop, swinging her legs down to hang over the edge. Her feet hurt, too- she ran her toes against the side of the building, distantly noticing that her feet were both bare, freezing in the night air.
Leaning over the edge to look at her feet, her eyes zeroed in on the lampposts beside the dormitory. The ground was so far away- if she didn't protect herself, if she didn't use her Aura to shield herself, if she just jumped-
No!
Instantly, she threw her torso back, slamming her back against the pavement. Her arms flew up to her face to cover her eyes, the sleeves of her sweater absorbing the tears and sweat that continued to run down her cheeks. Self-hatred flooded her, sickening, turning her stomach this way and that.
What is going on? Why is this happening?
Her lips trembled against her sleeve, and she was immediately transported back to JNPR's room. Jaune's face had been so innocent, so sweet- so pure, completely unaware of her lips taking advantage of his trust, pressed against his skin-
Gods. I'm awful. I don't deserve to be here, she sobbed internally, but the words twisted into incoherent sobs before they could ever escape her lips.
The little black box roared with laughter. Then isn't the power of the Maidens a good thing? it cackled incessantly, its words poisonous as they oozed into her stomach, painting her insides black with tar-like guilt and shame. You won't be able to stay here any longer! You'll have to live in secrecy! That's the only way to hide that power from those who will misuse it!
But I don't want to leave! her mind begged, and a pitiful whine escaped her lips, still stifled by fabric. I want to stay with them. They're all I've ever wanted!
The voices hissed, All you've ever wanted is to be a Huntress. This will make you the best Huntress of all. Or, are you saying that you'll run away, too?
That very thought sent a new, fresh stab of pain right through her heart. She scrunched up her eyes, swallowing gasping breaths of air.
I just don't want to be alone again, she whispered internally.
Because that was all it had ever boiled down to. Her time in Beacon had given her the one thing she had ever truly wanted- people who loved her for who she was. Her friends were by her side, and the very thought of saying goodbye to them sent wave after wave of misery through her, wracking her body with hurt.
So you want someone else to suffer like that?
It's not that! No one should suffer on their own in isolation! she protested with herself. But if I don't have them, then what will I have left? I won't even be 'Pyrrha Nikos' anymore if I'm a Maiden. I'll…
You'll be a monster, the voice screamed gleefully. A monster who deserves to be alone.
A sharp intake of breath. She held it in her as long as she could before releasing the air in one long, shaky exhale.
…I really am the most suited to take on this power, aren't I? Suddenly, a slew of nearly hysterical giggles began to bubble in her chest, bursting forth manically. I'm used to being alone.
Jaune's face flashed back into her mind, and the giggles transformed instantaneously into sobs once more.
Gods, Jaune. I don't want to let him go. Being by his side… that would be enough. A silly, heartbroken smile appeared on her lips, trembling as she realized the irony of it all. I'd be able to protect him forever with that power. He would probably still be the one person to truly treat me the same, treat me like me. But I wouldn't be able to stay by his side. That would be too much to ask for.
This is all too much. I don't want to be alone. I'm… I'm scared.
She had slung Miló and Akoúo clumsily at her waist when she had bolted out of her room. Remembering their presence, she pulled the weapons into her hands, running her scratched-up fingers against the smooth metal.
"What do I do, Dad?" she finally sobbed aloud, clutching the golden gifts to her chest. Despite the freezing touch of the metal in the night, the weapons burned in her hands, alive, almost pulsing with their own heartbeat. "I-if I say yes, then won't you be all I'll have left?"
Yet, they didn't respond, and she couldn't hear her father's voice reassuring her in her heart. She was alone.
Suddenly, a shaky voice startled her into silence, words drowned out by her own gasps. She swallowed her breath, holding still, praying that she had imagined the voice.
"Pyrrha?" the voice called again, louder this time.
Lurching upright, Pyrrha pulled her legs up from the ledge, curling into a ball. Wrapping an arm around her knees, she immediately began wiping her sleeve against her cheeks, panic rising far too quickly for her to handle. Please don't look at me, don't come over here-
But instead of looking at her face, or pulling her around, thin, strong arms merely wrapped a thick blanket around her shoulders. The arms then settled around her neck, coaxing her into their embrace against a petite, feminine form.
"I saw you run out," Nora murmured, the worry even breaking through the sleepiness in her tone. "I was scared. Are you okay?"
Pyrrha trembled. She had never opened up to Nora about her anxieties before.
And yet, in that moment, those arms felt like they were only thing grounding her to reality- grounding her to that rooftop, with the ledge so dangerously nearby. "Nora?" she breathed slowly.
The orange-haired girl gingerly turned Pyrrha around so that they were facing one another. Pyrrha hid her face in her sleeves, but the shorter girl tenderly pulled her hands away, revealing her broken expression. "Oh, Pyrrha…" Nora whispered, crestfallen. "What the heck happened?"
Oh, how she longed to say it- just tell the entire awful story of that entire awful evening to those big, attentive, pale blue eyes.
She trembled. The little black box whispered mockingly, its words wrapping tendrils of shadow around her body, trapping her in place, If you do, then Nora will know too much. Will she be in danger then? Can you do that to her?
"…I can't tell you," Pyrrha finally whispered, keeping her eyes cast downwards.
"Pyrrha, you can," Nora insisted, squeezing her shoulders. "You can tell me anything."
"No," the redhead protested, burying her face in her knees, "I can't."
She couldn't see Nora's reaction, but she did feel the girl pull her face up. The other girl wore an expression of guilt, of frustration, and of empathy. Nora shifted to her knees, grabbing Pyrrha's hands tightly in her own. Leaning forward, she pressed her forehead against Pyrrha's, just as Pyrrha had done to Jaune only a little while earlier. "Boop," Nora whispered.
The redhead froze.
"I don't know what happened, but I'm with you, okay Pyrrha? We're sisters, right?"
I don't want to be alone again!
Pyrrha's shoulders began to tremble and shake, until at last the girl gave up all pretenses. She didn't need to tell Nora about the Maidens. She would keep the girl safe and in the dark. After all, Nora's heart was already breaking in solidarity with Pyrrha- that much was clear from the tears welling up in pale eyes.
Reaching forward, Pyrrha finally wrapped her own arms around Nora, pulling the other girl close. Together, with no more questions asked between the two, they cried until they were spent, until they could no longer feel their faces and appendages from the cold. And then, they shuffled back inside, wrapped in the blanket Nora had brought for her. Nora asked no more questions, and Pyrrha gave no answers. And that was good enough.
Thankfully, it was Ren who shook them both awake the next morning from where they had curled up together on Pyrrha's bed. Their faces were puffy and swollen, and the boy immediately began to play the mother hen, bringing them ice packs and cold compresses before ushering them off to the showers.
"I don't know what happened, I'm not going to ask. Just… you two need to take better care of yourselves," the boy said exasperatedly, but his eyes betrayed his concern and heartbreak at seeing their pain, and Pyrrha wanted to cry all over again at his care.
By the time they left that morning, the puffiness around their eyes had calmed down. With a touch of makeup, Pyrrha was back to looking like her competition-ready self, at least on the outside.
Jaune didn't notice a thing, and his ignorance carried them through the morning until they were all seated upon an airship heading towards Amity Colosseum for the first day of the finals. There were to be the first four individual matches that day- then, the following day would dedicated to the semifinals. The true finals would be the day after that, with a match between the previous day's losers in order to find the third-place winner. And then, the Vytal Festival Tournament would be over.
And then I'll have to make my choice.
Her eyes blankly took in the bright blue sky outside of the window, her mind not really processing anything- instead, all she could focus on was the image of the four figures standing in the underground vault the day before, the picture disturbingly clear in her mind.
I'm going to have to choose.
It was Ruby's voice, indignant and frustrated, which broke her out of her trance. "Cardin, don't you dare bother Penny! She beat your team fair and square!"
Shifting in her seat, she watched as Cardin towered over Ruby, his glare enough to kill a weaker individual. "And what if I do go 'bother' her? What are you gonna do about it?" The boy narrowed his eyes, growling, "If I had been up there, I would have destroyed her. My team should be in the finals."
Without even realizing it, Pyrrha stood up. The rest of her team stared up at her from where they were seated around her, confused by her intervention. "Cardin," she called loudly, "I wouldn't bother Penny or Ruby if I were you."
The boy's eyes flashed angrily. He bit back his next words, nearly growing purple from the effort. Finally, he spat, "So you're telling me that little knife-freak from Atlas is with you too, Nikos?"
She crossed her arms, raising a brow, the mask of utmost confidence upon her face despite the emptiness in her heart. No, I've never even talked to her- but she's Ruby's friend, and that's enough for me. "Yes, she is," she lied smoothly. "And, I believe we had a deal when it came to my friends, Cardin."
For a moment, it seemed as if the tall boy would start a fight, hackles raised and teeth bared- then, Cardin harrumphed and stormed off, leaving Ruby perplexed but satisfied. Awkwardly, everyone went back to what they were doing, pushing Cardin's bitterness out of their minds.
Jaune, unfortunately, wasn't so easy to please. "Pyrrha, what was that about?" the blond whispered, gaze suspicious. "What did you mean by a 'deal'? When did you talk to Cardin?"
Pyrrha sighed, immediately regretting getting involved. With a strained smile, she attempted, "It's really nothing, Jaune-"
"Pyrrha," Jaune insisted slowly, "did you say something to Cardin?"
Slightly panicked, Pyrrha glanced over to Nora and Ren, but the other two simply stared back, wide-eyed and unsure. Nora clumsily interjected, "Hey, we can talk about this after the finals! Maybe not now-"
"No, Nora," Jaune said firmly. Locking eyes with Pyrrha, the blue orbs blazed with restrained anger and distrust. "Please, Pyrrha. Tell me. What did you say to Cardin?"
Pyrrha sighed and furrowed her brow, massaging her temples. It had been months since her conversation in CRDL's room- Has it really been that long since Forever Fall? she wondered, amazed- so the memory was yet a little hazy. "It really wasn't anything big. I just told him to not go after me, or any of us, again."
And yet, it wasn't just that. She was lying through her teeth, and she knew it. She had gone after Cardin, had found out his secret, and had used it against him just like the taller boy had blackmailed Jaune. With that realization, shame flooded through her. Wait, what did I actually do to him?
I can't tell Jaune that, though! With as welcoming of a smile as she could muster, she added, "I just wanted to make sure he left all of us alone!"
Those words, unfortunately, were the wrong choice. Jaune's expression fell to one of hurt and betrayal, and he shrank into his seat, averting his gaze. "But… I told you I spoke to him, Pyrrha. I told you that he wasn't an issue anymore." His words were careful, deliberate- testing the waters to see how long he could go without his voice cracking completely. She could already hear the frustration beginning to choke the boy up. "Did you protect me again, Pyrrha? When I saved Cardin, I thought- I thought that he and I finally saw eye-to-eye. I thought he was leaving us alone because he owed me."
As he spoke, the airship finally reached the colosseum, and the other passengers stood up to exit the vehicle. Jaune followed suit- but before he left them all behind, he gave her one final, bitter smile. "I really thought I had gotten better, y'know? But I guess… I guess I wasn't strong enough to protect you after all, Pyrrha." He shook his head ruefully, and Pyrrha's heart sank into the floor, melting in acid and pain, as she saw tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. "Nora, Ren, I'll… I'll save you a seat. I'm… gonna go ahead. Pyrrha, good luck out there! I… I know you'll win." With an angry snort, he added, "You always do."
And with that, the boy left the three of them behind with their eyes wide, mouths agape. After a moment, Nora launched herself at Pyrrha, instantly whispering, "No, Pyrrha, don't worry about it, okay? You've got a match to focus on! Don't let silly Jaune get you down."
"Pyrrha," Ren murmured, detaching Nora from the stunned redhead, "did you actually say something to Cardin?"
Silently, she nodded.
Ren let out a long, tired breath. Finally, he stood up, stretching before pulling the two girls to their feet by the arms. "I don't think that was right of you. But… Well, what's done is done. What matters now is that you focus on the finals. We'll talk to Jaune for you." They walked off the ship and into the docking station, the crowd even busier than usual.
"I- I just didn't want Cardin to harass him anymore," Pyrrha whispered, utterly dejected.
Nora smoothed her bangs lovingly as they headed towards the stairs leading down to the waiting room. "We know, Pyrrha. Jaune's- well, Jaune. He's just a little more sensitive about not being as… y'know, strong as the rest of us. We'll get him to calm down."
With these words, they gave her a quick hug of encouragement and waved goodbye before heading off to the VIP seats.
Pyrrha had no time to think about the whirlwind of emotions which had just blown over her. Their other friends had followed them off the ship at a respectful distance, but now, Yang, who had been chosen to represent Team RWBY, slung a friendly arm around Pyrrha's shoulders and guided her down the stairs. "Aww, it's alright, Pyrrha! Jaune'll come back around in no time. For now, we've gotta focus on the finals!" Her lilac eyes shimmered in delighted anticipation for the match ahead, but Pyrrha had no energy to meet her enthusiasm halfway.
She barely even noticed where they were in space until the sound of the audience suddenly filled her eyes, rushing in like a tidal wave, drowning her. Momentarily disoriented, she shook herself upright, casting a glance at the other competitors in the line- there were only eight students left in the competition including her. To her surprise, she knew at least half of them- Sun, Yang and Penny were on the other end of the line, chipper as they waved to the crowd.
To her immediate right- and to her immediate distaste- was Mercury. The boy sent her a haughty wink, sparking a shiver of unease down her spine.
Professor Port began with his usual bravado, "Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for! The one-on-one finals!"
The crowd roared in excitement at his words, coming to life more spectacularly than ever before. Pyrrha clutched her arm uneasily, keeping her eyes turned away from the cameras, from the other competitors- she knew that no matter how much she tried, her mask wouldn't come back on.
Not with Jaune ignoring her like that.
Her heart sank to the ground as she remembered the hurt in his eyes. I did it to help you, she repeated for the umpteenth time that day. Her gaze drifted upwards to the monitor, where a camera had taken to showing off the VIP seating areas. General Ironwood appeared on screen for a moment, watching the finalists with calculated interest. Pyrrha shuddered, tearing her eyes away immediately from the stern man's face.
I don't want to choose.
The elder Huntsman continued from the commentator's booth, "Barty, why don't you explain the rules?"
Professor Oobleck perked up in his seat. "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!" Professor Port enthused.
The green-haired Huntsman pushed up his glasses. "Ah, yes, yes! Now, let's see who our first match will be!" Then, he pointed to the holo-screens, where the match-selecting roulette began to spin. This time, however, it contained individuals rather than doubles. The first roulette slowed, then finally halted upon Mercury's face. The second roulette then stopped on Yang's image, and the blonde instantly held her fist up in the air in excitement at the end of the line.
Pyrrha let out a sigh of relief. Whether it had been by manipulation or by pure luck, Professor Goodwitch had kept true to her word- Pyrrha would get a chance to rest before her match. She was feeling far too sluggish to put her all into it at the moment.
"Yang Xiao Long and Mercury Black!" Professor Port announced, allowing the audience to cheer for the two individuals. "Would all other combatants please leave the stage!"
"I guess I won't be fighting you again, Miss Nikos," Mercury muttered under his breath. Pyrrha glanced over briefly to her right. However, her jaw fell open slightly in shock as she saw the sadistic grin creeping onto his face, the hazy look he sent pointedly her way under heavy-lidded lashes. "That's good for me, now isn't it?"
"What-?" she breathed, but she had no chance to question him as the other competitors began to file back out into one of the waiting rooms. Biting back her words, she sighed wearily, following the last person in line.
"Who do you think is gonna win?" Sun chimed in from behind her as they reached the edge of the arena.
Pyrrha paused in the doorway, glancing back over her shoulder at Yang and Mercury. I want to say it'll be Yang, she thought worriedly, but I... I just don't know about him.
Completely unaware of her inner turmoil, Sun chirped, "I bet it's gonna be Yang. That girl could take down anyone."
Mutely, she nodded. Oh, how I hope so.
Eventually, she found herself back in the main waiting room on that side of the arena. The other competitors left – since there were only four matches that day, the events were spread out until the early evening, meaning all of the finalists had more than enough time to head back to their seats to enjoy the matches alongside their teams.
But Pyrrha wasn't feeling up to it. Her seat was usually beside Jaune, but… at this point, did that place even belong to her?
She sighed, taking a seat upon one of the benches. There was a monitor inside this room, which meant she would be able to watch the match in relative silence.
Sun placed a friendly hand onto her shoulder. "You gonna join us up there or what?" he asked, face open and earnest.
Pyrrha smiled as best as she could. "I'll… I think I'm going to enjoy it from in here," she said at last. "Go, hurry back to your seat! You'll miss some of it if you wait here any longer."
"Oh, shoot, you're right! See ya!" the blond Faunus called before bolting up the back stairs, tail swishing behind him.
Onscreen, the floor opened up- but, unlike the other matches, there were no environmental challenges to be had in this round. Instead, a ring of spotlights emerged, highlighting the central platform (thankfully repaired after Nora obliterated it the day before) with the two competitors facing off in the middle. The platform lifted up in the air with more gravity-Dust, making a much smaller arena- rather than a large force field, they had to constrain their fight to the central platform. The first one to lose their Aura to the red, or to be knocked off of the platform, would lose the match.
As always, Professor Port beamed at the camera from his booth alongside Professor Oobleck. "Three! Two! One! Begin!"
Yang and Mercury immediately began to exchange blows, trading a flurry of kicks and punches so swift that even the professors couldn't keep up with their pace in their commentary. Projectiles were shot at every opportunity, and the arena became nothing more jumbled fists and boots and cries of pain and exertion. Due to her imbalanced heart and dizzying lack of sleep, even Pyrrha had difficulty keeping track of who was where.
However, it was when Mercury was knocked off of the platform that the doubt began to creep back in. She watched idly as the boy propelled himself back onto the stage with bullets fired from his boots, where he instantly went back onto the offensive. Her mind drifted back to Mercury's doubles fight with Emerald- CFVY had been utterly destroyed during the match. That memory still didn't sit quite right with the redhead. Coco was far too strong to be taken down by someone as weak as Mercury- she still strongly believed it.
Unless, the little black box whispered, poison dripping from its words, he was holding back when he fought you. Maybe there's something he's hiding. It would make sense, after all- he was fighting against Yang, who was an incredibly strong fighter in her own right, with such ease that it looked almost effortless.
But why would he do that? What's his goal?
She didn't want to think about it. It was all too much.
Suddenly, Mercury managed to gain some distance on the blonde. Taking the opportunity, he kicked silvery projectiles out around the arena, filling the air around him without even bothering to aim at Yang. Instead, he used her confusion to knock her off balance and land a fearsome kick straight to her stomach, throwing the girl back down with a painful crash. The projectiles homed in onto the girl's still body, exploding upon contact with a blast of smoke and energy. Mercury stood up, brushed off his shirt, and sent a cocky smirk to the cameras.
No, Pyrrha thought, watching the events play out with wide, hazy green eyes. I don't believe it. She looked over at the Aura gauges, still displayed at the corner of the live feed. While Mercury was currently above Yang, who was barely hanging on out of the red, Yang was still not technically out for the count.
In an instant, the smoke cleared with a blaze of fire, and Mercury's annoyed grimace shone through even on camera. Yang was back on her feet, burning with anger and frustration. She shot forward, dodging his fervent attempts to ward her off, and landed a few succinct blows all over his body. Soon, the boy's Aura dropped to nothing, and she threw him down with one final punch, sending a shockwave through the air with her fists.
The blonde sighed, slowly lowering her fists. Professor Port cheered in the background over deafening applause from the audience, "What a way to kick off the finals!"
The stage began to lower, the overhead spotlights turning off and sinking back into the floor as Professor Oobleck stated proudly, "Yang Xiao Long wins!"
And suddenly, Pyrrha's heart grew cold.
Without ever losing her trademark, goofy grin, Yang waved to the crowd, walked past Mercury's stumbling form, looked back at him over her shoulder, and shot an explosive bullet straight into the boy's calf. Even through the microphones channelled through to the tinny speakers in the waiting room, Pyrrha could hear the audible shattering of his bones through his boot. Mercury reeled backwards, collapsing, face twisted in pain.
In the background from the commentator's booth, she heard a chair scrape against the floor loudly. Professor Oobleck gasped, "My word!"
In the distance- presumably away from the microphone- the older Huntsman hissed, "Cut the cameras!"
But they didn't cut in time. The entire audience began to boo and jeer at the girl, screaming slurs and words of disgust.
But… Mercury didn't attack her. Why would Yang do that unprovoked? I've never seen her go after anyone first! She's the one always pacifying Ruby when she wants to fight!
Mercury rolled back and forth, gripping his leg, desperation and fear painted clear as day onto his face. Although Pyrrha couldn't hear him, she knew that this was serious.
A loud bang from behind her stole her attention momentarily. In a blur, Emerald sprinted down the stairs, rushing past her and entering the stadium floor with nary a thought towards anything else.
And yet, Yang didn't realize what was going on. Instead, oddly enough, the girl seemed to be intimidating Mercury, wearing a smug look of defiance.
Pyrrha watched in horror as a squad of Atlesian Knights, led by two soldiers, mobilized from a hidden door near Pyrrha's waiting room. They circled Yang, guns raised, clearly ordering her to stand down.
Immediately, Yang's jaw grew slack, the girl's eyes shifting from anger to confusion and fear. Pyrrha could only stand up slowly, taking in the whole situation in an almost detached manner. Emerald appeared onscreen, caught by cameras at last, the girl rushing to her teammate's aid on the central platform.
Yang wouldn't do this, Pyrrha repeated in her mind. Once paramedics appeared onscreen to transport the broken boy, her feet automatically took her out of the waiting room, up the stairs, and into the loading station. Finding a seat near the ramps leading into the awaiting ships, she took a seat. Physically, she looked poised and ready- her heart was a different story.
Something is wrong here.
Professor Ozpin and the others had revealed the truth yesterday- that Pyrrha had been right to suspect foul play all along. All of her little fears and discomforts had led up to a truth more painful than she could have ever imagined.
So what, then, was the truth behind this match? Behind Emerald, and Mercury, and the fight against CFVY, and now this?
She hung her head low. I just… I don't know anymore.
What she did know, however, was that time was running out.