The day was tiring. After the exhilaration of watching Shirou and Pyrrha's spar, the only thing Ruby wanted to do was sleep. But thanks to the ton of homework Professor Port left them, sleep was nothing more but a distant dream. The girls laid down on their beds, exhausted from the day's events, as Rin headed for the shower.

"Jaune seemed pretty down, didn't he?" Ruby asked her teammates, her voice muffled by her pillow.

"If you're so concerned about him, maybe you should check up on him?" Blake suggested.

"Don't worry about it, Pyrrha's got that covered." Yang said, looking down from her bed. "But I already have an idea what's bothering him."

Weiss leaned back on her elbow and crossed her legs. She fingered through her notes before saying, "Winchester. Ugh."

"Oooh, the Ice Queen knows. Didn't know you paid so much attention to Jaune, Weiss." Yang teased, grinning from ear to ear.

"It's not that!" the heiress huffed. "I mean, everyone can see it. Have you seen Cardin? Always strutting around with his chest puffed, acting like he owns the place. He's been picking on Jaune since day one. Typical alpha male behavior."

"You sound like you'll get along then." Yang said. "With Cardin, I mean, not Jaune."

"Oh ha-ha, that's very funny." Weiss closed her notes and collapsed on her bed.

After a moment of silence, Ruby spoke up.

"Think we should do something about it?"

"I don't know, Rubes, it's not really our fight." Yang shrugged. "Plus I'm sure Jaune can handle it. He might look like a wimp, occasionally act like a wimp, but I can tell that he's tough. He has something to prove. Someone like Cardin won't be able to knock him down for long."

The eyes of her three teammates widened in surprise.

"Wow." Weiss said. "That's… profound, Yang. I didn't know you had it in you."

The blonde brawler grinned and leaned forward on her elbows. "…plus I saw him in the showers this morning and man, despite the fact that he sucks at swinging a sword, he is ripped." she emphasized her point with a low growl. "I swear I could crush coal into diamond on his abs."

"Aaaand there's the Yang I know." Ruby deadpanned.

The shower doors opened and out walked Rin, her long hair tied up in a bun. She sat on her bed, separate from team RWBY, and began silently blow drying her hair.

"You heading out Rin?" Ruby asked.

"Hmmm?" Rin glanced at the younger girl, a hairpin in her mouth. "Yeah, Shirou and I are going somewhere."

"You have money now?" Ruby asked out of nowhere.

"Ugh, you can't just ask people that!" Weiss protested.

Rin just laughed. "We don't. But we're not planning to go out to eat or anything. We're just going to find a place to talk."

Yang grinned instantly. "'To talk?' Is that some kind of code word for seeex?"

"Yang!"
"Yang!"

Weiss and Ruby said at the same time, flustered.

"Wha—" Rin was just as flustered, but managed to keep her cheeks their original color. "What— no!"

"Awwww." Yang pouted in disappointment.

"We have a different code word for that." she said after a delay.

"Oooh."

Chapter 4
Cooldown

"So! Debrief time!" Rin said, enthusiastically slapping down her yellow notepad on the table.

Shirou cringed at her noise. They were in the barely occupied library on the second floor, surrounded by empty computer terminals. A few studious students sat far away from the pair. Luckily no one made a big deal out of Rin's noise.

Shirou tilted his head at the notepad, "Do you seriously have no plan to ever use your Scroll?"

"Hey," she pouted. "I will have you know that I have successfully used my Scroll to open the door to our room yesterday. That's an achievement, don't you think?" she smiled and flipped open the notepad.

Rin placed a dainty finger on a blank page. Magical energy burned and words appeared on the paper, one character at a time.

"Let's start with the basics. Speed, strength, and all that. How would you compare Nikos to the opponents you've already fought?"

"She's definitely not Servant-level, that's for sure." Shirou said. "But she's fast and her movements were hard to predict. The first few seconds of fighting against her reminded me of fighting Kuzuki. She was difficult to read and used her weapons creatively." he leaned back and rubbed his chin. "Though that's probably because her weapon transforms. Fighting her was not like fighting a traditional spear or sword user. The blade's center of gravity shifts based on its form, and she can make subtle adjustments to her stances and strikes based on that."

Rin jotted down notes with her pen and rubbed her temple.

"Right, right. Skip the technical sword-stuff for me, will you? What about her capabilities as a fighter, her physical feats, exactly?"

Shirou eyed the ceiling as he recalled his spar.

"You were right about us being stronger and faster with Reinforcement. She didn't hit as hard as I thought she would whenever our weapons clashed."

"Didn't she break your ribs?"

"Yeah, but that blow was particularly strong."

"She compensated by hitting harder?"

"Yes. By that point I felt that she had to. I think at some point she realized that technique wasn't going to be enough to defeat me. I felt her magical energy— her Aura, flare up at certain points to augment her strength and speed."

Rin looked up from her notes and raised an eyebrow, "I didn't notice that."

"It was very subtle." he shrugged. "In fact, everything she did was very subtle." Shirou narrowed his eyes and frowned. "I noticed that at some point… she tried to do something to Kanshou and Bakuya."

"You're going to have to give me more than 'something', Shirou."

Shirou raised his palm and placed it flat on the table. "You mentioned that Auras are basically shields, right? Like invisible, solid walls that protect people?"

"Yeah, sure. That's one way to describe Aura."

"So, when a projectile, say a baseball hits a wall, it's supposed to just bounce away harmlessly, right?"

"Yes…" Rin pouted. "What are you getting it?"

"It definitely wasn't Aura then." Shirou crossed his arms and nodded. "She was projecting something… or attempted to project something against my swords. At one point, when our blades clashed, I felt a barrier protecting her hand. This barrier tried to push Bakuya away, redirect it a small amount."

"So something like magnetism?" Rin tilted her head.

"Yes, but it wasn't that effective, like trying to use a leaf blower on Saber." Shirou shrugged. "That's probably her Semblance, isn't it? Magnetism?"

Rin jotted down 'magnetism' under a label of 'Pyrrha Nikos' on her notes. "Probably. At the very least, I'm glad that it doesn't affect noble phantasms."

"It worked on the rest of my swords, though." Shirou pointed out.

"When you attempted to Gilgamesh her?"

"Yes. She first deflected the blades with her sword and spear alone. But when I amped up my assault, I saw and felt her use her Semblance to redirect the rest of the blades."

"She had to," Rin conceded. "The one time you hit her, twenty-percent of her Aura just evaporated. Were those Noble Phantasms?"

"No. Just generic blades. Some of them were replicas of Saber's sword…"

"What."

"…that I saw at a renaissance fair."

"Ah."

Rin tapped her pen and thought about her next question. "What type of arrows did you shoot at her?"

"The ones that weren't strong enough to destroy a house, if that's what you're asking." Shirou deadpanned. "I didn't infuse any of the arrows with prana. Didn't think I had to. I shot at lower rates and velocities to see how they'd interact with her shield. Regular arrows seemed strong enough to knock her back a few inches while she deflected them head-on. After that, Pyrrha resorted to dodging and deflecting them instead."

"So, the Invincible Girl isn't so invincible after all." Rin mused. When Shirou gave her an odd look, she added, "It's her nickname."

They spent the rest of the hour discussing the spar. Shirou compared her speed and strength with his own, often using Kuzuki, Saber, or Archer as a basis for her feats. Rin paid attention intently, writing down every important detail in her notepad. As the clock hit eleven, Rin closed her notepad, the ink on the page on Pyrrha Nikos disappearing.

On their way back to the dorms, the pair spotted Pyrrha and Jaune talking on a rooftop.

"Want to listen in?" Rin asked, half seriously. "Maybe it's a steamy confession of love."

"Rin." Shirou gave her a look.

"Oh, fine." she huffed and stalked off ahead of him. "I'll see you tomorrow, Shirou."

Shirou glanced back up and saw that Pyrrha had retreated inside. He however stopped when he saw the sight of a familiar boy climbing the building's outside wall, eventually arriving on the rooftop where Jaune stood. Shirou reinforced his eyes and instantly recognized who the boy was. And judging by the way he and Jaune were talking, it was obvious that they weren't having the friendliest conversation.

[—

"You're immature and impulsive!" Rin walked in on the sight of an agitated Weiss yelling at a scared Ruby. "I have no idea what Ozpin was thinking putting you in charge!"

"Weiss…" the younger girl could only meekly whisper.

"Hey, that's pushing things too far!" Yang defended her sister, standing between her and the heiress.

Weiss was about to retort, when she saw Rin by the doorway. With a final, boastful huff, she turned away from the blonde and her sister and stormed off, passing Rin as she left. The nineteen-year-old magus stood awkwardly in her spot, not really knowing what to say or do. Yang sat her sister down on Blake's bed and began speaking to her softly. Rin strayed away from them and instead approached Blake, who was silently reading a book by the open window.

"Soooo…" Rin started. "…what happened?"

"Disagreements and misunderstandings." Blake replied. "Ruby was giving us one of her inspirational speeches when Weiss just sorta, snapped, I guess. Probably has something to do with how irate she's been lately."

"Weiss doesn't like inspirational speeches?" Rin grinned.

"It's not that." Blake narrowed her eyes and closed her book. "I'm not sure. In any case, I wouldn't think too much about it. Weiss has always been about proving herself. I think Ruby being assigned as our leader bothered her more than she let on."

Rin watched Yang comfort Ruby. The older girl had her sister in her arms, patting her head affectionately. Seeing the pair like that tugged at her heartstrings.

Could that have been her and Sakura, in some other time, some other world? Would she even be a good big sister in the first place? No. It didn't matter. Sakura was a Matou now, with challenges to face and responsibilities of her own. Now, in this world away from home, thoughts like those were nothing but a distraction.

Still.

Rin turned to Blake and smiled, "Do you have any idea where Weiss could have gone?"

[—

Rin found the white-haired heiress by the Cliffside, sitting with her legs hanging over the ledge. Her beautiful hair danced in the wind as the cold ocean air blew past. The wind chilled Rin to the very bone, but it didn't seem to bother Weiss. She approached the younger girl slowly and settled down to Weiss' left, hugging herself tight to protect against the biting cold.

"I know what you're here for." Weiss said. "And don't worry. I know what I did and I know what I have to do. I'll… apologize tomorrow."

"I can see why everyone calls you Ice Queen now." Rin noted idly.

Weiss blinked twice before replying. "Uh, yeah. This is summer weather back in Atlas."

"I can see that." Rin said, rubbing her arms. She gazed into the open sea, listening to the sound of waves crashing against the rocks below. "I lived most of my life in a city close to the sea."

Weiss glanced at Rin as the magus closed her eyes.

"I was never fond of visiting the bay. I guess I just didn't have the time, really— didn't find the time to enjoy the sea back home. I had a lot of weight on my shoulders in high school. Grade-A student, top of my class and popular to a degree. You know the drill."

Weiss raised her eyebrow in surprise. She still wasn't sure where Rin was getting at. "I thought you'd be more humble, Rin."

"I'm just stating facts." Rin replied. "If I close my eyes like this and listen to the ocean, I can pretend that I'm back home. One of my fondest memories in Japan was the first and only time I spent an evening by the sea."

"I thought you said you didn't like visiting the bay?"

"I didn't. But one night, I had to stay late after school. Shirou was there, waiting for me." a fond smile formed on Rin's lips. "We ate out and on our way home, we took a detour, until we eventually found ourselves by the bay. It was so quiet then, so peaceful. I don't remember why, but Shirou and I decided to spend the night right then and there, beside the sea."

"You just… slept there? What, where, on the sand? In an abandoned shack somewhere?" Weiss asked, incredulous.

"We're magi." Rin winked. "We managed."

"I don't think I want to know."

Rin laughed and turned back toward the ocean. "The evening seemed to last forever. There, under the moonlight and far away from the city, I felt distanced from all my responsibilities." after a moment of silence, she added. "Is it the same for you? Are you here because you want to escape the expectations that people put on you?"

Weiss leaned away, surprised. "Uh, not really? I just came here because I like the cold."

"Oh." Rin frowned in disappointment. That was a hell of an opener she gave, and to hear it wasted made her sad. "Well… My incredibly touching story aside, what's bothering you, Weiss?"

"Nothing is bothering me." the girl snapped back.

"So that argument you had with Ruby's your definition of 'nothing'?" Rin grinned.

Weiss slumped her shoulders and sighed. Her cheeks were slowly turning red from the cold, but she made no attempt to keep herself warm. "It's just not fair."

"What's not fair?"

"Her being assigned as our glorious leader."

"And why don't you think it's fair?"

Weiss hesitated before answering. On one hand, she knew that Rin wanted to help, but on the other hand, she wasn't sure if she should be burdening Rin with her personal problems. This was an issue between her and Ruby. No one else should be involved.

"You and Ruby are complete opposites, it's unbelievable." Rin said when Weiss did not immediately respond. "She's impulsive and awkward, you're precise and confident. She falls asleep in class all the time and you're a hardworking, organized student. You're wondering why, despite your traits, Professor Ozpin still chose her over you."

Weiss kept quiet and managed only a small nod.

"Well, I think Ozpin's decision boils down to two reasons." Rin raised her index finger. "One, because team WRBY— warbee— doesn't sound as catchy as RWBY, and two," she raised her middle finger. "because Ozpin has a point. Ruby is the better leader."

"Wha— What didn't you just say—"

"I said what? I didn't say anything." Rin smiled. "I only said that you and Ruby are complete opposites. I said that she falls asleep in class and that you're a hardworking student, that she's socially awkward and you're confident in yourself. But do you really think that your traits make you the better leader?"

When Weiss chose to look away instead of replying, Rin continued.

"Being a leader is all about inspiring respect. It's not about strength, it's not about discipline, precision, or power— it's about having charisma and confidence. As painful as it is to accept, Ruby is a balanced blend of charisma and confidence."

"But she's so…childish." Weiss whined.

"She's childish, but she knows how to get things done." Rin replied. "She's basically a dolt—"

"—she is a dolt."

"—but she's a charismatic dolt. Our room is a complete and total mess. You guys made terrible, impromptu bunk beds, for God's sake! And correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you allow those monstrosities to happen?"

Weiss frowned. As ugly as they were, she was proud of the bunk beds they cobbled together. "It was a three-to-one decision."

"Well, if you really wanted to be a leader, then you should have been able to convince them that it was a bad idea." Rin replied simply. "The point I'm getting at is that maybe you should give Ruby a chance. You're already following her lead, aren't you? Why not keep going? You can still show off by being her partner." she joked.

Weiss stood up and planted her foot firmly on the ground. "But I'm the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. My fathe— my family expects more from me."

Rin tilted her head. "So? I'm the heiress of the Tohsaka Family. My family is 200 years old. We have never failed to produce a powerful magus in generations. We are partly responsible for a ritual that may or may not have almost destroyed our world twice—"

"—wait, what?"

"—despite this, I still let Shirou do most of the heavy lifting whenever we get into trouble. I try to be the best at what I do, but I also realize that I can't be the best at everything. Sometimes you just have to put your faith on someone else."

Rin stood. She wasn't as tall as Yang, but she was still tall enough to look down at Weiss.

"Plus. You have a reputation to uphold. An heiress shouldn't lack confidence in her abilities. Ruby won the leadership lottery, but she's still not the best student in the school, right? It shouldn't hurt trusting that little red reaper for a bit, don't you think?"

[—

"Watching you do that never gets old." Nora mused, sitting beside Shirou.

The magus sat on his haunches in a corner of the dorm room. A blue cloth lay on the floor. Upon it were rows of blades. Knives, swords, spear tips, and daggers of various colorful designs lay together. None of the weapons were noble phantasms, but they have all at one point captured Shirou's attention. Shirou had his palm open, a blade in the process of materializing floating inches above the floor.

"They disappear after a few days, don't they?" Ren asked, sitting cross-legged on his bed.

There were only four of them in the room, with Jaune still away somewhere.

"Yes. They originally only lasted for a few hours, but luckily my Projection is getting better." Shirou replied. "This is basically my idea of an evening work out."

"Aside from the push-ups, sit ups, and squats you do?" Nora added.

"Yes." Shirou smiled.

"You'll have to do more than push-ups to beat Pyrrha though." Nora said, beaming. "Right Pyrrha?"

The Mistralian champion kept quiet. She sat on the table by the window, gazing outside, deep in her thoughts.

"Remnant to Pyrrha. Hello?" Nora called out. "Pyyyyyrrrhaaa!?"

Pyrrha blinked, knocked out of her thoughts. "Yes, Nora?"

"Are you okay? Are you thinking about Jaune? You're thinking about Jaune, aren't you?"

"I—I am not."

"She's thinking about Jaune." Nora said to Shirou. "She has a thing for him."

The champion flushed instantly. "I—I—"

"I've noticed." Shirou replied. "I think everyone's noticed." after a bit of hesitation, Shirou added. "I saw you two talking by the balcony a while ago."

Before Pyrrha could say anything, he added. "I didn't listen in, if that's your concern. But even from far away, I could see that you weren't exactly having the most pleasant of conversations. Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Pyrrha replied, a bit more stiffly than she might have wanted. "Jaune's just stubborn, that's all."

Shirou considered telling her about Cardin, but decided against it.

"Whatever your problem is, I hope you'll both sort it out soon. You guys have a field trip tomorrow, don't you?"

Shirou lowered the completed blade beside its siblings, smiling in satisfaction. He glanced up at Pyrrha and gave her a knowing smile.

"Field trips are the best places for friends to make up."

Pyrrha looked away, biting her lip. Shirou had a point, but Jaune's stubbornness still grated her. His pride, his confidence— whatever you called it— didn't allow him to accept her help. It bothered Pyrrha to no end how much that hurt her.

"Will you be coming with us?" Ren asked as the silenced stretched on.

"Rin will, definitely. Tomorrow marks her first day as a student in your school." he mentioned Rin's intention to enroll her and Shirou to the school at lunch yesterday. Everyone's reactions were mixed, at best. "But I'm still not sure I want to go."

"You're not enrolling as a student?" Ren asked. "That hasn't happened in a while. Thousands of applicants each year try to get into Beacon. So many people would have loved to be in your shoes."

Shirou shrugged. "Enrollment is just a formality, anyway. It's not like Rin and I will graduate into actual huntsmen after four years. Rin probably just wants formal access to your libraries or something." he refused to tell them the truth, about her deal with Ozpin, at least until it was necessary.

"If Rin's a student," Nora said. "Then what will you be then? A loafer?"

"Nora!"
"Nora!"

"Ozpin asked me to help with security." Shirou said. "It's… an informal arrangement. But he said that Beacon could always use the extra hands. I'm also planning on helping out wherever I'm needed."

"Like what, cleaning hallways and stuff? Like a janitor?"

"NORA!"
"NORA!"

Shirou shrugged, not at all offended by the redhead's frankness. "Sure. Anything to pay back Ozpin and his sympathy."

Pyrrha and Ren shared a look, surprised by Shirou's kindness and willingness to help out at Beacon. Nora on her part crossed her arms and nodded before saying, "Man, Shirou. You're weird."

A/N: Slow chapter this week, I know.

To clarify a line from the previous chapter; Shirou isn't developing shame from being a Faker or anything. He doesn't have a problem with relying on stolen Noble Phantasms for combat. He only realizes that he probably won't always have access to these NPs because he won't always have an unlimited supply of prana to draw upon. Not to mention things could happen that could hinder him, should he grow too reliant on Noble Phantasms (e.g. Gilgamesh). Because of this, he wants to develop his other skills, in order to become a better magus and fighter. I'll clarify these thoughts in future chapters.

I would like to thank everyone who has been following the story thus far.