A/N: Double update leading to T-7. Woot.

I'm sorry, Penny. You're my third-favourite RWBY girl, right behind Pyrrha and Nora. You're too good to go out like this, and I wish I could've actually featured you in this story more.

Also, let it be known that I am so angry that I can't write Mercury's exchange with Ruby in this fic. It might honestly come as a separate oneshot, that's how much I love it. (For those of you who don't know- despite how creepy I've made him in this fic, I love Mercury. Easily one of my favourite RWBY boys)

OST 1: Snowy Valak Mountain (Night) by ACE+

OST 2 (for the fight): The Ultimate Weapon by Keiichi Okabe

Let me know what you think!

Laws of Attraction

There was only an hour left until the second finals match. Pyrrha's footsteps were hollow and battered as she entered JNPR's bedroom, closing the door behind her with as much quietude and grace as she could muster.

Which, in all honesty, wasn't a lot.

She was exhausted. Ever since her doubles match, her heart had been aching. Nothing had been the same, and she had been able to gain no respite even in the moments of calm. Nothing was okay.

Pulling out her Scroll, she tapped into her personal Aura gauge. The reading wasn't anywhere close to being at one hundred percent full. If I fight with this tonight, then it's not going to be pretty. But, what other choice did she have if her name was called?

The seconds and minutes kept ticking by, and all she could do was numbly do what she came here for. With makeup kit in hand, she went off to the blissfully empty washroom. Coming face-to-face with her reflection was daunting, as she looked just about as bad as she would have expected- hair mussed, eyelids visibly puffy and red, concealer and foundation washed away with her tears, lines of green eyeshadow and dark mascara pooling in ugly lines down her cheeks.

You deserve to look worse than this, after what you did, the little black box whispered.

She didn't fight it, merely wiping away what remained on her face with a cleanser. I know. Each swipe revealed more and more of her pale face, skin splotchy from her breakdown and overall exhaustion. I deserve far, far worse. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she had to pause for a few moments before she could continue her work. I hurt Jaune, after all. I hurt the one person who could never physically fight back. I hurt the one person I want to protect the most. She sank on her heels for a moment, foundation sponge gripped so tight in her hand that it tore a little.

Well, the little box sneered, Nora always said you should use your polarity on his armour.

She didn't respond.

When at last she was done and the makeup kit was back on her desk, Pyrrha hooked Miló and Akoúo onto their holsters and took a few steps towards the door. She caught her reflection in Nora's small mirror, sitting up on a shelf- her mirror image was perfect once more, without a hair out of place. The only thing that differentiated this Pyrrha from how the world knew her was the colour of her eyes- usually so bright and vibrant, they were now dulled, a haze covering her vision. Despairing.

The lack of green was unsettling. Before she knew it, Pyrrha was standing back at her desk, pulling out a familiar jewelry box. With trembling fingers, she removed the earring Jaune gave her and lay it flat in her palm, the emerald stud catching the light so beautifully.

For a moment, she hesitated instinctively. For official, broadcasted tournaments, I need to wear only what our sponsors have approved-

But this was her last tournament, wasn't it? Her sponsors' rules, her mother's rules- they didn't matter, not anymore.

With that out of the way, another question emerged in her mind. Do I even deserve to wear it? she pondered numbly.

It's not like you'll be able to have any other part of his heart, the box mocked relentlessly. She didn't respond, but the earring was in her ear in the next heartbeat. The mix of shame and joy she held within when looking at her reflection was nauseating.

I guess this is all I have left. If that's the case… I'm not letting it go. Looking back up to her bloodshot eyes in the mirror, she sighed. I need him by me, more than ever.

The earring glinted in her right lobe, the green almost balancing out the paleness of her complexion, restoring some life to otherwise-deadened eyes. She placed the box back in a drawer, right beside the photo album Nora had given her, stuffed to the brim with photographs, courtesy of the bubbly girl; it sat right beside the little folded-up apron from Ren, now well-worn and stained from many long nights as a sous-chef.

She ran her fingers over the binding of the album, then picked it up. It was much heftier than it had been a few months earlier on that chilly winter's night when she had opened it up for the first time. Inside, its pages were full of numerous pictures- trips down to Vale, sneaky portraits taken during class, midnight-snack rendezvous- and each one sparked warmth and joy and love in her heart, like nothing else quite could.

With a shaky sigh, she shut the book, tracing the words on the cover while she placed it back inside the drawer. 'JNPR Volume 1', it read.

It might have to be the only volume, Nora. I'm so sorry.

Tears pricked her eyes. She picked the book up once more, opening it up to the first page, where Nora had placed a picture of the four of them to commemorate the forming of their team. Shuffling over to her bed, she sat down, thumbing the photo lovingly. Ren, and his quiet calmness, his stoic practicality, his inability to take a joke- Jaune, her first friend, the boy who could make her heart sing- and Nora, the one person who had truly been behind her all along.

Sisters.

She shut the book, placing it on her pillow. She would look at it more after the match. For now, she had to head to the arena, win her (potential) match, and try and get some sleep. Try and calm down her heart, try and heal her Aura so that the next day, if- no, when- she won, she'd be ready to take on her next opponent. Try and make her team proud. Try and keep the storm raging on in her gut a secret.

She didn't know if she could do it, but she had to try.

What happened next was a blur to the redhead- she left the room, flicking off the lights and jogging to the docks as quickly as she could. Next thing she knew, she was standing onstage, with Sun on her right side and a very nervous boy from Vacuo on her left. The crowds cheered for the finalists, albeit quieter than before the morning's unsettling match. It was clear that Yang and Mercury's fight was still on everyone's mind.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for being so flexible and coming for this evening's event," Professor Oobleck began. Even through the holo-screen, Pyrrha could see the weariness plaguing his face, and the even higher-than-normal levels of jitters. Professor Port seemed to be faring the same.

I guess everyone was hit somehow by this morning, she thought tiredly. They must've been responsible for some of the damage control. Nothing about that fight was normal. Yet, she shook it out of her mind without a second thought. That was a problem for later. If she dwelled upon it too much now, she'd never be able to focus.

"Well," Professor Port chimed in, "I think it's time we saw a solid fight, right, Barty?"

"I wholeheartedly agree," the younger announced with a stern nod. The roulette wheels appeared onscreen once more. "Alright. It is now time to begin the randomization process for our next fight."

The elder continued as the first wheel slowed to a gradual stop with a light ping, "It looks like our first contender is... Penny Polendina from Atlas!" The second wheel began to slow, and Pyrrha, along with everyone else in the stadium, fastened their eyes on the blur of colour which began to take form. "And her opponent will be... Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!"

Pyrrha's heart sank into her boots. Of course it would be me. Sun patted her on the shoulder. "You can do it!" he said encouragingly, giving her a thumbs-up before following the other three finalists off the field. Soon, only Pyrrha and the girl in question remained.

This was the first time Pyrrha ever had a close-up look at Penny. So this is Ruby's friend, huh? she thought numbly to herself. The girl had thick orange hair styled innocently with a large pink bow and long bangs fluttering in crescent-shaped green eyes. The sheer positive energy exuding from the girl was almost radiant amidst the clouds in Pyrrha's heart, the weariness in her soul.

Unfortunately, that weariness was visible in her Aura, no matter how much makeup she wore. When the Aura gauges appeared onscreen, she heard Professor Oobleck murmur, "Oh, it looks like Pyrrha is going to be fighting at half-strength today. This match has suddenly become a lot more exciting!"

"No fight without any stakes is worth fighting- so this shall make it all the more thrilling!" Professor Port added, albeit with less enthusiasm than normal.

The central platform of the arena began to lift into the air, the ring of spotlights rising to illuminate their small battle arena once more. As they rose upwards, Pyrrha glanced up at the commentator's booth. Onscreen, she could see the worried creases in their foreheads as they continued their conversation about Aura recovery for the uninformed audience.

Let them know, she thought wearily. Her eyes fell back to the floor, shoulders slouching slightly. What's the point in pretending?

Suddenly, a high-pitched, bubbly voice broke through her thoughts. "Sal-u-tations, Pyrrha Nikos!" Penny called, saluting her excitedly before propping her hands up on her hips. With a cheery, trusting nod, she added, "It's an honor to finally meet you!"

Pyrrha's frown deepened as she looked at the girl. In her exhaustion, Penny was a little fuzzy, clarity fading in and out with every breath. And, when Pyrrha looked up at her out of the corner of her eye, she realized just how similar her colouring and enthusiasm was to Nora.

I hurt Jaune earlier. I lost control and used my Semblance and hurt Jaune. She lifted her hands in front of her face, clenching and relaxing her fists slowly. Now, I have to fight someone like Nora. This isn't right.

She didn't want to fight anyone, not so soon after what had happened around the dining hall. Holding her fists tight at last, she closed her eyes, breathing in, out- 1, 2-

It didn't work. Instead, all she felt was an emptiness in her heart. Once upon a time, this was all she had needed to calm herself down reliably.

Gods, it's only been 24 hours since I saw Amber.

It was too much.

She furrowed her brow, straightening up. This wasn't the time to be thinking about the Maidens. If she won this match, then she'd for sure be allowed to stay with her team until the end of the tournament, until she was no longer needed to fight for Team JNPR. She had to win, reluctant to fight or not.

Thankfully, it seemed that Penny didn't notice her frustration. "This is going to be so much fun!" the girl chirped across the arena.

"Fighters, are you ready?" the green-haired professor cried.

Penny beamed at Pyrrha, nothing but sheer anticipation for the match ahead on her face. Pyrrha blinked slowly, mustering up as much energy as she could, searching in her heart for the familiar battle mask.

I thought you don't need masks anymore? the little black box jeered.

This is how I fight, she replied emotionlessly, feeling her expression calm, mouth twisting into a weak scowl. Her head cleared just enough to have the sense to bring Miló and Akoúo into her hands.

"3!" Professor Oobleck called.

It's time. Her hands gripped her blade and shield just a little tighter, and she raised her eyes to meet Penny's once more.

"2!"

I need to win this. Everyone's counting on me. She gently lifted up her xiphos, pressing her father's initial to her forehead.

"1!"

I will win.

Onscreen, the Huntsman leaned forward in his seat. "Begin!"

Immediately, Penny summoned the numerous floating blades she had used against Team CRDL. They moved at will, graceful and elegant as they danced in midair, following the movements of her fingers perfectly. After they were all released and airborne, Penny launched a slew of silver towards Pyrrha.

It's time.

Without even blinking, Pyrrha rushed forward. Seeing the blades was hardly necessary- with this many of them, as they entered her vicinity, she simply felt their magnetic pull with her Semblance. Using that reading as her guide, she easily dodged, leapt over, and deflected every single blade that came her way with her shield and blade.

Tucking Akoúo away and pulling Miló into a javelin, Pyrrha charged towards Penny. Unfortunately, the blades came back quickly, and what was intended to be Pyrrha's offense quickly became a game of parrying the flurry of blows Penny unleashed upon her. Pyrrha twirled and danced around her with Miló, striking away any opportunity for Penny to land a hit. But, it was all she could do to keep abreast with the girl.

Out of the blue, one blade snuck up through the center of her defense- Pyrrha had no time to block it. In the blink of an eye, Pyrrha somersaulted away, dropping Miló to the ground as she moved. The weapon flew back to her hand the moment she had righted herself- but the fact that she had knocked Miló away was unsettling enough. No one had ever truly pushed her off her guard in a tournament match before.

"My word!" Professor Port bellowed. "What a tremendous display by Miss Polendina!"

Pyrrha grimaced bitterly. It's all too much.

Penny sent out another wave of her swords, but this time, Pyrrha was ready. She leapt upright, landing on one of the blades midair before jumping off once more, using her momentum to swing Miló down onto the girl. The other girl was somehow ready, unfortunately, and managed to pull back her swords quick enough to block the assault.

Pyrrha just couldn't land a single hit. Her entire body felt sluggish, moving through molasses, vision still barely focusing on the opponent at hand. She moved in a trance, dancing around the eight blades as well as she could, but no matter how much she tried to land a hit, she just couldn't.

After a while, she paused, bringing Akoúo back into hand. At this rate, she wouldn't be able to guard herself with just Miló- her reflexes had dimmed considerably. But, as her eyes glanced down momentarily at the weapons in her hands, she suddenly saw black clouds surrounding the metal, bending it against her volition.

She gasped, blinking hard and fast. Her weapons returned to normal, her Semblance nowhere to be seen. Have I truly lost so much control over my Semblance that I can't even tell when I'm using it anymore? she thought, absolutely terrified.

Pyrrha didn't have time to question it, though. Penny began gearing up for another round. Penny doesn't fight in close quarters. I need to get her alone.

With that in mind, Pyrrha leapt forward, expertly dodging every awaiting sword from Penny until the two girls were a scant few feet apart. Stepping in between Penny and her blades, Pyrrha was able to catch her off guard. Soon, she had begun to decimate the girl's Aura, raining attacks on the other girl's helpless form.

Penny slid away from Pyrrha as soon as she could twist herself free from Pyrrha's onslaught. Calling her blades back to her, the girl transformed her swords into laser rifles, firing bright green projectiles at Pyrrha from one end of the arena. Pyrrha rolled on the floor, flipping herself over and tumbling to avoid each of the laser beams which relentlessly began to fire upon her. Shifting Miló into a blade once more, she parried the remaining swords which flew towards her alongside the lasers.

Finally, there was an opening. Her legs screamed from the exertion, but Pyrrha willed all her strength into a powerful lunge forward, tearing right through Penny's defenses. With one charge, she knocked Penny back to the edge of the arena. Satisfaction immediately blossomed in her chest, a victorious grin spreading across her face as the other girl's Aura bar began to rocket towards the red.

It's over now… wait-

And, just as quickly, that feeling died as Penny suddenly flew forward, the lasers firing behind her, acting as propulsion thrusters. There was no time to brace herself as the orange-haired girl crashed a powerful kick down upon Pyrrha, the redhead only barely managed to block and skid away with Akoúo. The force behind the kick was enough to dent the shield momentarily, even with Pyrrha's Semblance holding it together.

Pyrrha rolled backwards. This is enough. I need to end it. As she straightened herself up, however, she missed the sharp blade flying in from her right, then her left- and before her disoriented mind could even catch up, she had been disarmed, Akoúo and Miló lying on opposite sides of the field adjacent to Pyrrha.

The redhead growled under her breath, dragging Miló back with her Semblance. She was beyond caring about using her polarity stealthily- everything hurt, everything ached. She just needed to rest- she needed to stop. Her black Semblance glowed around her red blade, and she could hear the professors chattering about it in the background, but she could not find the energy within herself to retrieve her weapons on foot.

However, Penny seemed determined to keep her unarmed. With one of her blades, the other girl blocked Miló's path, sending it skidding off into the side of the arena. The weapon returned to Penny, flying around her in that uncannily smooth flight that Pyrrha was becoming far too sick of seeing.

A sharp scratching of metal-on-metal filled the air. With a determined smirk, Penny raised her hands, bringing all eight blades of hers into line above her head.

And then, the amount of blades doubled.

Then, they tripled.

Quadrupled.

All thoughts of retrieving her own weapons fell away as her vision swam, heart racing, and Penny's blade multiplied in the air over and over again until they formed a spiked thicket above the girl's head. Pyrrha could no longer even see the holo-screens behind her, nor the cheering audience; the blades were too numerous.

The dark cloud of destruction was all aimed at her. She stopped breathing, taking an unsteady step back. No training in the world could have prepared her for this.

The blades all came down on her head at once.

Is she trying to kill me? The thought was pervasive, horrifying. No. No! But what else could she intend, with that many weapons? For the first time in her entire life, Pyrrha felt true fear during a battle, her mask decimated to nothing.

The hundreds of blade flew towards her. Before she could even blink, Pyrrha gathered up all the strength she could, all of the remaining Aura she had left, into a ball in her gut. Then, in one fell swoop, she threw her arms out to the sides, sending back a shockwave of her Semblance over the entire opposing half of the arena. Her magnetized burst caught every single blade and turned it around, sending them back at Penny before she could withdraw.

Suddenly, there was no longer a horde of swords flying her way. There were only eight curved blades in the air, soaring directly at her opponent. Gone were the spidery blades filling the air like a dust cloud. But- but how? That's not what I saw! That's not what- she attacked me with hundreds of them-

Please move, she thought distantly. Yet, Penny couldn't- as if thrown backwards by the force of Pyrrha's Semblance, she simply staggered backwards, making no move to evade. It didn't make any sense though. Jaune had looked just as startled earlier that evening when she had used her polarity on accident. But in his case, the blond had been wearing armour. This girl was dressed in a casual dress and high socks, nothing more. Why couldn't she move? Why was she standing as if she were nothing but a ragdoll, arms open against her will?

Then, glinting in the light, Pyrrha saw the truth behind her almost-magical control of her blades. Tiny strings glistened under the spotlights, extending out from Penny's sleeves to the hilt of each weapon- and with the blades being thrown back, the strings had to follow.

No, oh god no, no-

The words didn't leave her mouth in time. The strings wrapped around Penny's arms and her waist. Their speed was too great. It was too quick for Pyrrha to halt their movement- her Semblance just wasn't quick enough. All she could do was watch, eyes trembling, bones quaking, knees clanking together in her greaves, Miló and Akoúo lying by the wayside, forgotten, as the strings cinched tight around Penny's body, crushing her bones like aluminum. And, what felt simultaneously like in the blink of an eye, and in utter slow-motion, the strings pulled too tight and cut clean through Penny's body, severing her arms and legs from her upper torso.

She never even had a chance to fight back.

Penny's arms fell limply first, haggard and to the sides. Her face retained its expression of shock as it toppled backwards, the cut at her waist separating it clean from her hips and legs. Those very legs stood for a moment on their own, teetering in place before falling haphazardly to the side.

Her swords, now without direction, fell raggedly to the ground one by one. A scrap of cloth, torn off from Penny's arm, floated gently towards the arena floor. It was quickly stabbed through by the eighth, and decidedly last, airborne knife, the blade embedding itself into the ground. Then, all was still.

I'm a murderer.

Unlike what she might have expected, there was no blood. There were no bones, no organs spilling out of the clear cut through her torso. Pyrrha could only watch in utter horror, her eyes so wide it felt as if the orbs would pop out from the pressure, the fear, the screaming from the black box which drowned her from the inside out. She wanted to speak, but she couldn't- liquid terror filled her throat, silencing her, allowing only burbles of air to escape her slack jaw.

She could hear the professors in the booth cry in protest, in shock, in fear- but their words were nothing but noise to her. There was absolutely nothing anyone could say that would break through the shroud of dread that filled her heart, the wind in her ears drowning out even the screams from the audience. Her eyes remained locked on Penny's body- on the wiring exposed in her torso, a metal, skeletal frame visible amidst the slightly-glowing green ooze slowly pouring out of her broken arm, her legs still twitching as if attached to her body still.

The levitating arena whirred back to life as the audience cried. As it lowered, the spotlights fading away, Pyrrha still didn't move. Electric sparks jumped and danced across the wires poking out of Penny's detached limbs.

She was a machine.

The black box hissed, She was still more loved than you. You don't need to be a Maiden- you're already a monster.

Out of the corner of her eye, the holo-screen which usually showed audience reactions panned across the crowd. Caught in the back of one section of the audience, right at the entrance of the general seating, was a familiar, tiny young woman slumped over on her knees, red cape haggard, weeping openly.

Ruby.

A shuddering breath finally entered her lungs, and Pyrrha careened in place, barely able to stay on her feet.

What have I done?