"I think there quite a few teams still remaining." Jet said to Ruby as he stoked her hair lightly. Ruby, who was standing close to him, nuzzled into his chest, saying as she did so, her voice muffled "Soon I'll need to return my dead tree branch to the earth."
Yang, who had just arrived, couldn't help but give a soft 'Awww.' at the couple. They remained that way, until Jet finally replied with "I don't think I've been preening my little rose enough in that case, she's grown thorns."
It was two days after Jet had made up with Weiss and Yang, and the tournament had begun. Team RWBY had faced off against two teams so far, and Ruby thought they had wrecked the two opponents. LIJN had also dominated, and now only four teams stood; RWBY, JNPR, CDNL and LIJN. Lessons were suspended for the four teams, meaning that Jet and Ruby were able to spend more free time together outside of training.
Ruby immediately broke apart, both her and Jet now grinning. "Think you can take me and Crescent Rose?" she asked, her competitive voice now in action.
"You will never beat me and Midnight Rose." Jet replied, boisterous but with a dark undertone. It was his own, playful tone, something he called his "Dark Lord" act. "You've yet to see what else she can do." he said, even darker than before.
Before Ruby or Yang, who had walked up to the pair, could speak in return, the tournament board they were standing next to had changed. As they watched the board, Izzet appeared beside Jet, startling Ruby and Yang, but Jet did not react. The board now read the semi-final rounds. CDNL against JNPR. RWBY against LIJN.
"Looks like I'll get to show you, Ruby." Jet said, as he took Izzet's offered hand and disappeared. Yang looked worried, but Ruby gave her a confident smile, to which she returned.
"Let's do this."
Jet stood alone as the other three members of his team donned their armour for battle against Team RWBY. He would be lying to himself if he said that he was not afraid. Ruby was a tough opponent to pin down.
'Heh. You didn't make it seem difficult.' A gravely, almost bestial parody of Jet's own voice spoke from inside his head. Jet knew who this was, and its coming only heralded disaster.
"What do you want, voice?" Jet thought to it.
"Really, we must find a better name for me than simply 'the voice'. I was thinking Flux, since you are the embodiment of order within your mind and, while similar to you, I am also your opposite."
"Very well, Flux. My question still stands, however." Jet responded.
"I'm getting hungry. It is almost too long since I last feasted." Flux replied menacingly.
"Your hunger for aura energy ends in death. I will not let you seize control of me again." Jet hissed aloud, remembering what had happened the last time Flux had won control of his body.
"Ever since you came to Beacon, fighting the Grimm and performing your team's signature move has sustained me. But it has not satisfied me. I need aura energy, for it is my life's blood. Death releases more of it." Flux growled, revealing a feminine tone to its voice.
"Suppose I was to let you die? What then?" Jet challenged, but he heard Flux laughing. The sound echoed in Jet's mind.
"I am you. You are me. If one of us dies, the other follows. I don't want to die, but I also don't want you to die, my love." Flux whispered, losing some of the bestiality of her voice.
"If you care for me, then why can't you see that your killings bring me great sorrow?" Jet asked.
"I do, and it pains me, but we cannot co-exist while you still refuse to give me a boost every once in a while, or lend me control of our body. I've not given you any reason to not trust me while I'm not starving." Flux said.
"Then how about this? I will learn to trust you after you've proven yourself worth my trust. I will give you a chance." Jet replied, softly.
"That is all I ask for, my love." was her only reply.
After briefing Blake and Yang on their opponents, they entered the arena. Already waiting for them, LIJN stood on the starting platforms. It was a team on team match, with the winning team having one member still standing.
Lilac stood cheerily on hers, beaming, waving to the cheering crowd. Izzet stood solemnly, hands behind her back. Nouvelle was waving to the crowd as well, a self-assured smile on her face. Jet stood on the leader's platform, and as Ruby caught his eyes, he focussed on her, and grinned, a challenging look on his face. His wings were out, feathers fluttering in the low breeze.
Team RWBY took their positions, Weiss focussing on Nouvelle, Yang in front of Izzet, and Blake set to take on Lilac. LIJN pulled out their weapons, Lilac brandishing her men of war, Izzet with her two blades, and Nouvelle pulled out Flaming Meteor. Finally, Jet slowly unfolded Midnight Rose, letting Ruby see every detail, the blade gleaming even in daylight.
There was a moment of silence in which Ruby and Jet locked eyes. But before either could look away, the gong had sounded.
"Freezerburn!" Ruby yelled, and her teammates responded, blanketing the arena in mist.
"Flame Twister!" Jet's voice sounded out, and Ruby could see Lilac leap into the air, while Nouvelle spun in circles, generating fire as she did. A bright flash shone out which blinded Ruby and her teammates before knocking them backwards. As Ruby rubbed her eyes and got up, she noticed the mist had gone!
The rest of her team was disorientated, and Jet took full advantage. "Attack!" he commanded, and the entirety of team LIJN charged.
At LIJN's charge, Ruby and her teammates rose up to meet them. Jet immediately charged at Ruby, Nouvelle going for Yang, Lilac attacking Weiss, and both Blake and Izzet were nowhere to be seen.
Ruby dodged several swipes from Midnight Rose, and swung back with Crescent Rose. The first was dodged by Jet but the second connected, knocking Jet back. He bounced back using a dark glyph and swung will full momentum, aiming at Ruby's head, but she leaped out of the way and attacked, intending to catch him unawares. She succeeded, cracking him around the head with the side of her scythe, but Jet used his own weapon to hook and slam Ruby into the ground. Jet meanwhile was sent flying into the opposite end of the arena.
Ruby got up and took her bearings. Blake was down, having been beaten by Izzet, who was now facing Yang, Nouvelle's defeated body behind her. Weiss and Lilac were still clashing, and Jet rose in the distance. Ruby checked the Aura screen, she was the only one in the yellow, with everyone else at red, though Jet had the most left out of them.
Jet did not resume his attack, after checking the aura indicators himself. Ruby saw him grin as he called to his team.
"Final Phase!"
Without warning, both Izzet and Lilac disengaged from their opponents, and stood beside Jet. Ruby, Yang and Weiss gathered together, wary.
"Do it, Jet." Lilac said, turning to her leader. "We must end this."
Izzet nodded, and Jet, with an audible sigh, raised his weapon, and yelled to Ruby; "Time to show you what our secret move is! Dark Ultimatum!"
At this, he slashed both Izzet and Lilac with Midnight Rose, taking them out of the fight. Both slumped to the ground, Lilac uttering a pained cry.
"Why would you do that?" Yang yelled. Ruby couldn't understand. Why had he just defeated his own teammates? Jet began to glow with purple energy, and Weiss pointed at the aura screen.
"Um, Yang? Ruby?" They turned and their mouths fell agape. Jet's aura was completely restored!
"Now!" Jet roared, his voice almost demonic now. "YOU. ARE. FINISHED!" He took off with his wings, his eyes turning fully black. Yang immediately moved to block him, but Jet countered with a sweeping swing with Midnight Rose, and hit her with the glowing scythe, sending her crashing into the wall. Weiss met the same fate, the glyph she'd thrown up being broken by Jet's impossible level of strength. Ruby saw both of their auras plummet towards zero.
With a hard whack to the stomach from the blunt end of the scythe, the attacker being too fast to even see, Ruby was sent spiraling backwards. The match was over, and she could barely keep her eyes open, the pain was too intense from Midnight Rose's hit. She couldn't understand. How was Jet this powerful?
Ruby did not last, and was barely conscious, and only vaguely felt Jet picking her up. She tried to cuddle him, to let him know she was ok, before she blacked out.
Jet turned to his team, who were only just picking themselves off the ground. His eyes were an emerald colour again.
"Let's get these girls to the infirmary, then we can patch these wounds."