Destiny.

To say things has gotten really gloomy was an understatement. Ever since Yang seemingly attacked Mercury unprovoked, people had been very vocal about their disgust towards her, some even saying she should be expelled for such an horrible act. But Yang's friends were very aware of the fact that Yang would never attack anyone for no reason, which of course lead to some anger towards the people who were judging Yang despite not knowing a single thing about her. The situation had created a lot of tension, and the Tournament as a whole had become less appealing for many.

In team LSBL's room, Severa was pacing around the room in a clear state of unrest. Her team where sitting on their beds, each of them having been effected by what happened.

"Severa, would you sit down? You are making us nervous" Lucina said.

"Oh, sorry that I'm being a little tense, because a good friend of mine is being accused of something she would never do" Severa said, clearly annoyed.

"Look, we all know Yang would never attack someone for no reason. But we saw it, everyone saw it. Mercury was just standing there, and Yang broke his leg" Lucina said.

"You're right, Yang would never attack anyone for no reason. Which means Mercury must've done something to provoke Yang in to attacking him. He was the one who did something wrong, and now Yang is the one being blamed for it" Severa said, barely keeping her frustration in check.

Lucina was starting to get fed up with Severa's attitude "Maybe so. But in the end it doesn't matter what we think. The world saw what she did and made their own conclusions. I have a feeling Yang will be disqualified".

"But she is not the one who's in the wrong! Damn It!" Severa shouted before punching a hole in the wall... that was the final straw.

"Enough Severa!" Lucina raised her voice before standing up "If you can't control yourself, then go outside, and don't come back until you've calmed down!".

Severa glares at her for a moment before leaving the room without another word. Lucina sits back down, and sighed. She hated what she did, but Severa was getting to worked up, and keeping her in the room would only add to her growing frustration. It was clear Severa would need some space to cool of.

"So... what now? We are already out of the tournament, and now team RWBY is out too... I hate to say it, but I've lost interest in the tournament now" Lyre said.

Lucina sighed again "You can do whatever you want. I will keep watching the tournament".

"If you say so boss" Lyre said before looking at Bernadetta "Will you be ok?".

"Yes... I will be fine. I just need to be alone for a bit" Bernadetta answered.

"Understood. See you later, Bernie" Lucina said as both she and Lyre left the room.

Bernadetta looked down, wondering about what she should do. Nothing made sense anymore.

Lucina and Lyre walked through the hallway and noticed Ruby and Weiss leaving their room.

Weiss shakes her head and sighing "This is a mess...".

Jaune peeks out of Team JNPR's room, with his team peering around the edge in concern "She doing okay?".

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

"Can't blame her for being down... What happened out there must've effected her more than anyone" Lucina said as she and Lyre walked up.

Ruby holds her hands up "I heard Mercury and his team rushed back to Haven to be with his family. So, until they land, no one can really question him about what happened".

"I bet he is going to put all the blame on Yang..." Lyre muttered.

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

"All right then. If that's the case..." Ruby turns her gaze up "Pyrrha?".

Pyrrha looks to the younger girl as she gets herself seated on on a bed "Hm?".

Ruby holds her clenched hands up as she tries to put on a grin "You be sure to win one for Beacon, okay?".

Weiss nods as she and Blake also smile sadly "It's what Yang would want".

Pyrrha turns her head away before coming back with her attempt at a confident look "I'll... do my best".

Ruby smiles excitedly "I'll be sure to watch tonight in case you're picked!".

Pyrrha's smile dips down into worry as she looks away. Something was clearly bothering her.

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

Weiss nodded once "Ditto. Coffee?".

Blake smiles "Tea".

"Can I join you two?" Lyre asked.

"Of course" Weiss.

The members of RWBY and LSBL walk down the hall, and Jaune only closes the door when he sees Ruby disappear behind the corner. Pyrrha continues to look forlorn.


Meanwhile, Yang was alone in team RWBY's room. She had recently spoken to Qrow, who told her something that helped keep her mind of what happened for a bit. But she was still distraught over what happened. She won her match, yet she still lost. Suddenly she heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" She asked as she looked at the door. A moment latter, Bernadetta peeked inside "Bernie?".

"Can I come in?" Bernadetta asked shyly.

Yang was surprised, but nodded "Sure".

Bernadetta stepped inside and closed the door "So... how are you feeling?".

"Been better..." Yang answered, but noticed that Bernadetta looked hesitant "Are you... scared of me now?".

Bernadetta gasped before shaking her head "No... I am just confused. What happened out there Yang?".

"I saw Mercury attack me, and I defended myself. I don't know why I was the only one who saw it, but I know what I saw" Yang answered.

Bernadetta was quiet for a moment before she began walking closer to Yang "I know what I saw... But I also know that someone who worked so hard to earn my trust, to make me feel safe... would never do something like that without a reason... I trust you Yang. If you say what happened was self defense, then I believe you".

Yang looked at her in surprise before tears formed in her eyes "Thank you, Bernadetta... You have no idea how badly I needed to hear that... I was so scared that you wouldn't want to be with me anymore".

Bernadetta was quiet for a moment before she walked up to Yang... and kissed her. Yang got wide eyes, not expecting that at all. She never would've imagine that someone as shy and easily flustered like Bernadetta, would be the one to make them have their first true kiss. This was certainly a surprise... but a good one.

After a few seconds, Bernadetta pulled back and blushed "S-Sorry! I didn't know what else to do! Oh gosh I really messed up! I will just leave and-".

Yang stopped her "Don't go... please, don't go".

Bernadetta looked at her, still blushing but nodded "Ok... I will stay".

Yang let Bernadetta sit on her lap and held her close, with the smaller girl resting her head on Yang's chest... they both needed this.


In the twilight, Severa had finally calmed down. Lucina was right, she did need some time to cool of. But now that her anger had simmered down, Severa was left with a lot of questions. She was always suspicious of Mercury and his team, but she didn't have a shred of evidence to prove that they were up to no good. And that frustrated her to no end. Just what was happening? And why couldn't anyone do anything to stop it? Severa was brought out of her frustration when she heard sobbing. She looked and saw... Pyrrha?

"Pyrrha!" Severa called out as she hurried towards her cousin. Pyrrha gasped and quickly tried to wipe away her tears, but there was no use "Pyrrha, what's wrong? What happened?!".

"I-It's nothing..." Pyrrha said, but Severa didn't buy her excuse for a second.

"Bull! Don't even try making up any excuses! I can't even remember the last time I saw you cry. Tell me what happened, right now!" Severa demanded. She was already frustrated by what was happening, but seeing her strong cousin cry instantly topped the list of things to worry about.

"I... I'm sorry, Severa... I can't" Pyrrha said.

"Yes you can! I love you Pyrrha, but your selflessness really annoys me sometimes. It's ok to talk to me about things that is bothering you. And if that's considered selfish, then be a little selfish!" Severa said, keeping Pyrrha in place, there was no way she was going to let her cousin walk away after seeing how distraught she was.

"I..." Pyrrha said glancing at Ozpin's tower.

Severa's keen eyes noticed this and she looked towards the tower "Did Ozpin say something to you?".

"Severa, please just stay out of this. I don't want you getting in to trouble" Pyrrha begged.

"Your problems ar my problems, Pyrrha. That's how things has always been in our relationship. We are family, we always help each other. No matter what the problem is" Severa reminded.

Pyrrha looked down before she sighed "Do you believe in destiny?".

Severa blinked in confusion "What?".

"Destiny... Many views it differently. I personally believe my destiny is to become a huntress. That's what I've believed all my life... What do you think your destiny is, Severa?" Pyrrha asked.

Severa was confused, but she did have an answer "To tell you the truth, Pyrrha... I don't believe in destiny. I believe my choices are mine and mine alone, and I refuse to let anyone tell me otherwise... You might not like what I'm going to say, Pyrrha, but I need to say it. I believe destiny is just an excuse. Something people hold on to in order to justify whatever happens in their life, be it good or bad. That some are destined for greatness, while some are destined to suffer. Not everything happens for a reason, sometimes things just happens. And I don't believe there is such a thing as destiny".

Pyrrha looked down "I see...".

"Ok, I gave you an honest answer. Now it's your turn. What is going on?" Severa asked.

Pyrrha looked at her before she sighed "I can't tell you... All I can say is that I will need to make a choice... a choice that could change our lives forever".

Severa narrowed her eyes "And Ozpin forced that choice on you? Alright then. If you can't tell me, then I will just have to ask him myself".

Pyrrha got wide eyes "Severa don't! It's not worth it!".

"No! If he is the reason why you are suffering, then I will talk to him! And if you want to stop me, you will have to fight me!" Severa declared as she kept walking.

Pyrrha watched her go. She wanted to stop her... but there was no way she could hurt Severa... Why did she have to be so stubborn!?


At the cliffside docking bays down the main alleyway and under the floating Amity Colosseum, Ruby and Lucina walks up to the end of the line waiting to get in the transport up to the arena. Ruby turns her head to see Brawnz and Nolan talking outside the line, and beyond that, Sun walking away, Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang over his shoulder, with a familiar rabbit Faunus snapping photos of him. Ruby and Lucina share a look before they step out of line and approaches her from behind as she continues taking pictures with her camera until she notices who's behind her.

Velvet turnins around "Ruby, Lucina, how you two going?"

Ruby raised a hand in greeting "Hi, Velvet! What're you up to?".

Velvet rolled her eyes happily "Oh, you know. Just working on my photography. Do you wanna see?"

She offers her camera to Ruby and Lucina, looking extremely delighted. Ruby and Lucina immediately notices that Velvet didn't even get all of Sun in her picture, cutting out his head and feet.

"That's... better" Ruby said as she steps away as she grins in forced approval.

"Just maybe zoom out a little more" Lucina said, being honest but doing her best not to sound rude.

Velvet decides to ask in concern "I'm... sorry to hear about your sister, Ruby. Is she doing okay?".

Ruby looks away "Yeah, she's fine, heh. Thanks".

Velvet puts Anesidora away in the box on her back "I think it's just awful what people are saying about her. Yang's such a nice person".

Ruby laughs a little as she rubs the back of her head "Well, I'm glad someone thinks so".

"Yang wouldn't do something like that without a reason" Lucina said.

Velvet shakes her head, arms crossed "Most people don't know what it's like on the battlefield. I mean, even experienced fighters can get scared and start seeing things. If it happened to Coco, it can happen to anyone".

Ruby cocked her head to the side "Coco?".

"Did something happen?" Lucina asked.

Velvet nods "Yeah. She swore she saw Yatsu with her in the forest during the fight with Emerald and Mercury, but he never even made it out of the geyser fields. Stress-induced hallucinations, apparently".

"Yeah..." Ruby said.

She and Lucina shares a look of suspicion, seems like people tends to act differently whenever Mercury is involved... Suddenly both look back at Velvet after a quick flash startles them.

Velvet lowers the camera from her face, smiling apologetically "Oh! Sorry. By the way, are you two dating yet?".

"What!?" Ruby and Lucina asked at the same time, both blushing.

"I mean, Severa and Blake are dating. I heard Weiss and Lyre were each other's dates during the dance. And seems like Yang and Bernadetta are together now too. So several people believe Team RWBY and LSBL are going to be Beacon's big dating teams. You two are the only members of your teams who aren't dating yet" Velevet explained.

Lucina and Ruby were both really red.

"W-we're just friends!" Lucina said.

"Y-yeah! Friends! Really good friends!" Ruby added.

Velevet giggled "Sure, whatever you say".

Lucina and Ruby quickly returned to the line. They did not need this awkwardness right now.


Meanwhile, Ozpin was sitting in his office, waiting for the next match to begin. Suddenly he heard the elevator arrived... and Severa stormed in without asking for permission.

"Miss Tiamo? What can I do for you?" Ozpin asked.

Severa slammed her hands on Ozpin's desk "Cut the crap! What the hell did you do to my cousin!?".

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean" Ozpin said.

"You know damn well what I mean! I just found Pyrrha in a crying mess! And I know for a fact you had something to do with it! She refused to tell me herself, all I got out of her was that she had a massive choice to make! A choice you forced on her!" Severa almost yelled.

Ozpin looked surprised for a moment, before he sighed "I should've known that keeping such a secret would be to painful for her... I am sorry, Severa, but I'm afraid I can't tell you. Not yet".

"WHY!? What is going on!? Why would you force such a juggernaut of a decision on someone who is terrible at making decisions of her own?!" Severa demanded.

"All you need to know for now is that young Pyrrha could be the key to saving us all. Now, I would appreciate if you would leave my office" Ozpin said more sternly.

Severa glares at him "If anything happens to my cousin. I swear, I will make you pay for it. I swear it!".

With her mind spoken, Severa stormed out of the office. Ozpin sighs as he leans back in his chair. He really hoped Severa wouldn't get a reason to make good on her threat.


Back in the Colosseum, people are back in the stands cheering and ready for entertainment as Ruby descends down the steps to an open seat. Despite everything that's happened, she's smiling widely, looking around at the assembled crowds... until her stupefied eyes see a familiar, glaring face on the other side of the arena.

"Emerald's... here?" She said to herself.

As if sensing she's being watched, Emerald leans forward to glare at Ruby, who suddenly gets up with a worried expression and runs towards the exit tunnel. Checking to see if no one's around, she enters a door labeled with a yellow maintenance sign and finds herself inside of the Colosseum. She walks forward with determination as the announcers' voices are heard, muffled behind the brick walls.

"All right, it's now time to begin the randomization process for our next fight!" Oobleck said.

The sound of the roulette is heard faintly, but what makes Ruby stop in her tracks is the sight of another unexpected friend. stepping out from a nearby tunnel, completely unharmed and definitely not going home.

Ruby began squinting as if making sure "Mercury?".

"It looks like our first contender is... Penny Polendina from Atlas..." Port said.

Ruby's attention goes from the broadcast to the fraud "What are you doing?".

"And her opponent will be... Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!" Port said

Ruby's head dips in thought until she realizes the awful truth "No...".

Mercury putts a hand to his chin "Ooh, polarity versus metal. That could be bad".

Ruby glares at her new opponent, reaching back to grab Crescent Rose, only to remember she doesn't have it on her. Mercury simply grins maliciously and sets himself up in a fighting pose.


Meanwhile, Lucina was on her way back to her seat after a quick bathroom break. But she suddenly got a very bad feeling in her gut, as if sensing something really bad was going to happen. She began hurrying back, until she stopped when she saw someone leaning on the wall.

"Líf?" She asked in confusion... and she wondered why he was wearing a dark armor.

Líf looks at her and before she could react, he sent a blast of dark energy at her, which struck her square in the chest. Lucina was knocked to the floor, and was struggling to breath, as she her lungs were filling up with air, but she couldn't breath out.

"Sorry, but you and your friend is getting a little to close. And we can't have you interfering at such a crucial part of the plan" Líf said as he walked up to Lucina and kneels next to her "Don't worry, you will not die yet. After all, Cinder wants you alive".

Líf suddenly slammed his palm in to Lucina's chest, knocking the built up air out of her lungs, before it could do any damage. And it somehow also helped her breath normally again, but she was coughing a lot.

"You should recover just in time to have an up front view of the beginning of the end. Cinder told me she wanted you to see it. Enjoy the show, Lucina" Líf said before he got up and walked away.

Lucina desperately began crawling back towards the arena. Whatever was about to happen, she needs to stop it.

Outside, the arena's center is lifting back into the air, and an oblivious Penny is grinning wildly, with her fellow redhead Nora cheering excitedly from the stands, even getting Ren to let out a reluctant Yaaay... Pyrrha's face and body still filled with depression and looks to the ground... not knowing what was about to happen.

No one would be ready for what happens next.

.

Tell me what you think.