AN: Here we go, one of the final two chapters to close out the Ever After Forest Arc. Coincidentally, we're closing out the school year for Beacon Academy too. This is uncharted territory. Usually, Beacon Academy has to get its shit wrecked nearly beyond repair before we leave the school. Well, I think we've long established we don't play by canon rules anymore. All the same, I hope you all enjoy this.
Chapter 63: End of Term
The next several days after the incident in Ever After Forest were a blur for Ruby and the rest of her class. First, everyone had to attend the memorial service for Professor Greene. There was not a dry eye in the audience. Professor Greene's stealth classes were notoriously hard, but she was always kind and encouraging. Her funeral was especially hard on Team JNPR, who had been the ones forced to flee while she covered their escape. But the one who took it hardest out of everyone was Pyrrha Nikos.
Is this really what my life is now? She wondered as she stared at the elderly parents of Professor Greene, weeping profusely. People dying for me left and right, because of who I am now? Because of what I am now?
I made a mistake, entering that chamber. I made a mistake in taking the Fall Maiden's power. That was what Pyrrha concluded when the funeral was over.
The very next day, Professor Ozpin made an announcement. Due to recent events, it was decided that final exams to move onto next year's grade would be canceled and all students would be allowed to move forward to their subsequent school year if they wish to do so.
During this time, Ruby and Yang had gotten a visit from their dad, who looked like he had just gotten through a month's worth of sleepless nights. After nearly being crushed by a bear hug and checking both for injuries, Taiyang Xiao Long reassured them both that they could return to Beacon if they wished. However, he also made this clear to them.
"You two have to be more careful, I don't know if I can take another scare like that."
After a week of recovery and trying to move on from all the trauma from the forest, Team RWBY was finally able to relax in their dorm room. "It feels like it's been an eternity since we've been here." Blake noted, looking around her dorm room.
"Yeah, but in spite of that, it's nice to be home." Yang replied, relaxing into her bunk bed.
Ruby looked around. It did not feel right to just be relaxing in the dorm room after what happened. Cinder was still out there, as was that huge associate of her's. Worst of all, Salem had the nerve to taunt them all before they retreated like they were the ones who won.
But Yang was right about one thing. It was nice to be home. Ruby was home. That fact made her feel at ease. "So, what happens now?" Blake asked. "I mean, if final exams have been canceled and everyone gets to move on by default, then what now? We just move on to Break?"
"Sounds like it." Yang shrugged. She then addressed Ruby. "So, what do you think, Rubes? Are we just gonna hang out at home for Term Break?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I think that'll be fine." Ruby forced a smile. "It's been awhile since we've been back home on Patch. It'd be nice to get to visit all the bakeries and weapon shops again."
Yang nodded. "It will be. But, I think this is probably going to be a pretty lowkey break for us." She admitted. "After what happened in the forest, dad's probably going to want us within arms reach the entire time."
Yang groaned. "That means no clubbing for me." She lamented.
"Yang, you can't blame your father for wanting that after what happened." Weiss chided.
Yang winced, knowing that the idea of a father actually giving a shit about what happened to her was probably something Weiss dreamed of. "Sorry, Weiss." She muttered.
Weiss smiled. "Hey, no need to apologize, this has been a tough time for all of us. We all deserve a break. I'm just hoping my next visit to Atlas doesn't involve dealing with a terrorist attack."
This made the other members of Team RWBY perk up, even Ruby, who had seemed so distant. "You're going back to Atlas?" Blake's eyes widened.
Weiss nodded, blushing slightly. "Mother called me a few days ago. She…was beside herself, asking me if I was okay, if my classmates were okay, if my friends were okay." Weiss inhaled sharply, holding back tears. "She was sober. She was the most sober I've ever heard her sound in years."
In spite of how stressed she was, Ruby had to smile at that, knowing that whatever Professor Kobalt had said to Weiss's mom, it was sticking. "Then…she asked if I wanted to stay at Atlas for the Term Break. I…I said yes."
Blake looked at Weiss in surprise. "But Weiss, if you go back, that means you have to face your dad, right?"
Weiss nodded. "But it also means that I get to make up for lost time with my mother." She reminded Blake. "I can't pass up that chance, Blake. I've wanted this for so long. And she wants it too. I can't pass up this chance. Not when Mother and I are on the same page of trying to make things right."
Blake was taken aback by Weiss' reasoning. She then smiled and nodded. "You've changed." She praised her friend. She then chuckled. "I…suppose I have too."
"We all have." Yang pointed out.
Blake looked away, visibly embarrassed by something that she was hiding. "What's up, Blake?" Yang asked curiously.
"I'm going home for Term Break too." Blake admitted. "I'm going back to Menagerie."
This caught everyone's attention. "Seriously?" Weiss could not believe what she was hearing. With Blake's status as an ex-White Fang, she had always assumed that Blake had a rough home life, and that was how she fell in with that crowd.
Blake nodded. Her shame became more apparent. "I hurt a lot of people when I ran away to join the White Fang. I hurt a lot of people with the White Fang, but I intend to make up for that as a Huntress. But, I need to be something other than a Huntress to make things right with the people I hurt when I left Menagerie."
"I avoided them for so long because of fear…shame…whatever you want to call it." Blake admitted. "I don't want that to be my life anymore."
Yang held out her scroll. "We're all gonna keep in touch, right? Like, actually keep in touch?" She grinned. "None of that shit where, we only say we're gonna stay in touch, make plans, and then never have it amount to anything."
The tension lightened and Weiss and Blake laughed. "No, of course not, of course we're going to stay in touch." Blake promised.
"Knowing Mother, she's going to want to hear everything about my friends." Weiss added. "I think she would love to video call the three of you."
Before the girls could discuss their Term Break any further, there was a knock at their door. "It's open!" Yang exclaimed.
The door opened, revealing a visibly drained Glynda Goodwitch. "Professor Goodwitch!" Ruby snapped from her stupor to gasp at the sight of how awful their professor looked.
"I'm just checking in." Glynda said. "Also, I wanted to inform you all that you are expected to have your dorms packed and cleared before the week is up."
"We'll be packed with time to spare, Professor." Weiss promised.
"How are you all feeling?" Glynda asked. "You all seem to have made a full recovery."
"Weiss and I had plenty of time to rest up after our fights." Yang replied. "To be honest, I'm more shocked that Ruby and Blake aren't still in the hospital after fighting Cinder several times."
"To be honest, Yang, I'm having trouble coming to terms with that myself." Blake admitted. "We were on death's door the first time, and I have no idea how we got away alive."
Ruby winced as the memories of being healed by the Headless Horseman, of all beings, came to her. She still had no idea why they bothered, and what they could possibly need her for in the future. It scared her. And that was why Blake did not know the truth.
Glynda nodded. "Well, I'm glad the four of you are alright. The only student who needed any further hospitalization was Mr. Arc. I was just glad that he got out in time for Ann…for Professor Greene's funeral."
Ruby winced again as she truly began to comprehend the simple fact that Stealth Classes would never be the same again. That was because Professor Greene would not be the one who teaches them from now on. It hurt.
"What about mentally, though? Do you four still feel good about continuing with your studies at Beacon?" Glynda inquired curiously. Her expression then turned serious. "After all, you four know the truth now, right? The truth of this never ending conflict in Remnant."
The members of Team RWBY all looked at each other. Yang then replied. "To be honest, I don't agree with Hansel's choice to tell you all the truth, but what's done is done." Glynda acknowledged.
"And Ruby knowing the truth before the rest of us was okay?" Yang folded her arms with a scowl.
Glynda bit her lip. "Whatever you choose, I promise, nobody here will hold anything against you." She told them. "But if you choose to return, I promise we'll do all we can to make sure you are as prepared for these conflicts as you wish to be. All we ask in return is that you do not tell anyone else about the enemy."
The rest of Team RWBY nodded. They could at least agree with that much for now. Glynda's expression then turned crest-fallen. "Now, unless you wish to discuss anything else, I need to leave campus. I'm glad you're all okay." She then forced a smile. "And for what it's worth, I am proud of how you conducted yourselves."
With that, Glynda left Team RWBY to their own devices. Ruby raised a confused eyebrow. "Where could Professor Goodwitch possibly be going that she needs to leave campus?" She wondered out loud.
The rest of Team RWBY looked at each other with sorrowful expressions on their faces. Ruby did not know. With all the stuff that happened after the fight, she never found out. Weiss then swallowed and replied. "Where she's gone every day for the past several days." She replied with a saddened expression on her face. "To the hospital, to visit Professor Kobalt."
Glynda arrived at Beacon General just under an hour later. She was directed to Hansel's room as usual, as it had practically become routine these past several weeks. She received no greeting from Hansel himself upon entry. He was still unconscious from the ruthless beating he had received from Hazel Rainart.
However, the doctor tending to Hansel greeted her. "Doctor Farrell," she greeted back, "has there been any change in his condition."
Faye Farrell shook her head. "Every time his Aura recharges significantly, it is then used up to repair another part of his body." Farrell sighed. "I'm going to be blunt, it's nothing short of a miracle that he is still alive. There were plenty who thought when he was brought in, he was going to die."
Farrell sighed as she reviewed the notes on Hansel's medical records over the past several days. "First, his spine was repaired. Then, the nerves that were incinerated by overclocking his Semblance were regenerated. Next, all bones that were shattered were reset and repaired. And all superficial wounds were closed. Now, his body needs rest, and lots of it."
Farrell shook her head. "He should not have been able to survive everything his body had been put through. If Aura is strong enough, even such grievous injuries can be healed, but it's rare. And he certainly has the Aura for the task. Even so, by all accounts, his body should not have lasted long enough for that to happen."
Farrell hummed. "I guess this is what my interns call being 'built different.'" She mused.
Glynda gazed at the bedridden, unconscious Hansel. The eight years he spent in training and on the road has made him into a mighty warrior. I worried about him…but I never imagined I'd ever see him in the hospital like this.
Glynda approached Hansel and gingerly stroked his hair. A part of her hoped that would stir him. However, he was completely motionless. "My boy." She muttered to herself.
Farrell looked away. "For what it's worth, I think he'll be out of here within another week."
"Faye, I owe you one for this." Glynda said to her former classmate.
Farrell smiled. "It's okay, Glyn'." She promised. "I may have washed out of Beacon, but I found my place here as a doctor. But that doesn't change the fact that we're friends. Even if he is adopted, he's still your boy, so I'm going to make sure he gets the best treatment here. Your insurance is still good here, so you're good to go."
"Thank you, Faye." Glynda nodded. "Do you mind if you give us some time alone?"
"Not at all." Farrell left the room, leaving Glynda with her privacy.
Later, new arrivals entered the hospital lobby. Ruby made her way to the front counter with her teammates in tow. "Can I help you, dear?" The receptionist asked her.
"Umm, we were just wondering if it was okay to visit Hansel Kobalt?" Ruby asked.
The receptionist's expression soured slightly at the mention of Hansel. "We're his students," Ruby explained, desperately trying to ignore the change in expression so that she would not get upset, "we just wanted to make sure he was okay. It is visiting hours, right?"
The receptionist inhaled sharply and quickly typed something into her monitor. "It appears he is still not well enough for visitors."
"Huh? But we know someone who has been visiting him!" Ruby exclaimed.
"If you're talking about Professor Goodwitch, that's different." The receptionist scowled. "She has a personal connection with Mr. Kobalt."
"We're his students, is that not enough of a personal connection?" Ruby insisted.
The receptionist's scowl deepened. Blake's ears twitched slightly, knowing that Ruby was getting on this woman's nerves. Thankfully, the woman who was actually allowed to see Hansel came to their rescue. A nurse was flanking her. "What are you four doing here? Didn't I tell you that you should be focused on packing?" Glynda asked.
Yang smiled and clapped Ruby on the back. "When she heard Teach is still in the hospital, she wanted to check up on him."
Glynda sighed. "Well, unfortunately, the receptionist here is correct. Hansel is not in any shape to receive visitors right now."
Ruby grumbled at this. She then held out an envelope. "We…got him a get-well card on the way here." She admitted. "We just…thought it might cheer him up. Can we at least drop it off?"
Glynda was taken aback by this. Her expression softened. "Room 812," she told them, "please don't mess with any of the instruments."
Glynda turned to the nurse who had been escorting her. "Do you mind taking these four there?"
"I…suppose we can make an exception if they just want to drop off a get-well card." The nurse replied before gesturing for Team RWBY to follow her.
The girls followed the nurse into an elevator and were quickly brought to floor eight. "I must admit, I'm surprised he's getting visitors. Is he really just your teacher?"
"He's a good teacher, and he's where he is right now because he was trying to protect his students. A gift card is the least any of us can do for him." Weiss pointed out, with Blake nodding in agreement.
The nurse winced. "I…didn't realize that was why he ended up in the hospital."
Blake scowled. "Perhaps don't make assumptions then." She muttered under her breath, haunted by the sight of Glynda sobbing over his unconscious body. She could tell this woman did not like the idea of Hansel in this hospital.
A man who has someone who's willing to cry for him like Professor Goodwitch did, cannot be a terrible person, and certainly not the monster everyone thinks he is.
Team RWBY and the nurse soon reached room 812. "Don't be too shocked when you see him like this." The nurse told them. "To be honest, when he was brought in, half the hospital thought he'd be dead before the first night was up. Just be glad you visited him after all the superficial wounds closed."
The nurse then saw one of her colleagues struggling with some supplies and ran over to help him. "Come on, let's drop the card off." Weiss suggested.
"I hope he likes it." Ruby muttered, finally speaking up after the receptionist's desk.
"It's the thought that counts, Rubes." Yang grinned.
The grin then turned teasing. "Just remember, no fondling Teach this time. This is a public hospital after all." Yang reminded her. "Who knows what these nurses and orderlies will think of you."
"YANG!" Ruby shrieked as the memories of Hansel and his total-not-amazing-rock-hard-abs and how they felt in her hands ran through her mind.
Weiss opened the door, ignoring the banter between the two siblings. Then she froze in place as she came face to face with how Hansel looked, unconscious and in bed. Blake winced when she saw it as well. It's almost been a week and he's still like this?
Ruby and Yang both stopped their banter when they saw the state their teacher was in. Ruby felt her heart stop. Hansel was hooked up to several machines and IVs and was completely motionless. Yang had to restrain herself from looking horrified for Ruby's sake. "Oh shit." She muttered under her breath.
Ruby almost crushed the envelope at the sight of seeing Hansel in such a state. "Hey, Rubes, it's gonna be fine." Yang told her. "The wounds seem to have closed up, and they've got him hooked up to machines to keep him from getting any worse."
Ruby nodded and relaxed considerably. She then gingerly placed the envelope on the nightstand next to Hansel's bed. Yang then spotted something next to the envelope and gasped. Her expression turned from worried to gleeful as she immediately shot over and grabbed Hansel's scroll.
"Yang, whatever you're thinking, stop right now." Blake gave her best friend a deadpan expression.
"We have a unique opportunity to see what's on Teach's scroll. I for one would love to see what kind of dirty little fetishes a moody bastard like him has." Yang pointed out while Ruby turned red in disbelief. "Aren't you the least bit curious about what kind of kinky shit he's into? A young male's scroll is a treasure trove of knowledge."
"None of us are you." Weiss pointed out.
Yang then opened up the scroll with ease. "For real! He has no password?"
"He probably thinks nobody would be stupid enough to try and peek through his scroll." Blake noted.
"Clearly, he never accounted for Yang." Weiss added.
"Okay, now we go through his Bookshelf app. There's doubt that Teach has plenty of dirty books in there." Yang pointed out.
"And if you find nothing at all?" Blake frowned.
"If I find nothing there, we go through his DustNet history."
"Stop saying we!" Weiss yelled. "There is no we in this scenario."
"Is she forgetting about incognito mode?" Blake muttered under her breath.
Yang opened up Bookshelf. "Oh bookshelf of perviness, what secrets do you hold?" She said out loud.
More words got caught in her throat in an instant. Weiss, Blake and Ruby found themselves curious as to what was on Hansel's Bookshelf now. "So what kind of books does he actually have?" The trio asked Yang.
Then, they saw the titles Yang was staring at. Teaching for Dummies, 10 Great Tips for New Teachers, How to Be the Best Teacher and Earn the Love of Your Students. And that was just to name a few. Half of the books were self-help books on teaching.
Ruby had to restrain herself from crying. All this time, he was stewing over ways he could do better for all of us.
Yang, however, could not stop a few tears from falling, as she remembered all the horrible things she said about Hansel after his first day of teaching. While it was all deserved back then with what Hansel, now it just made her feel awful. Especially with all of these books she was now seeing. He really meant it when he said he was going to try to do better.
She wiped the tears from her eyes. "You know something." Yang muttered. She then looked at Ruby with a sad smile. "I'm glad you convinced us to give him another chance. You've got a good eye for people, Rubes."
Yang put the scroll down and threw her arm over Ruby. "Now come on, let's leave Teach to recover."
"He's earned that much." Blake added while Weiss nodded in agreement.
With that, Team RWBY left Beacon General.
As the day drew closer to an end, Pyrrha Nikos desperately tried to take her mind off of everything that had happened with some training in the arena. Training had always been a great sort of 'meditation session' for Pyrrha before she joined Beacon. When she was alone, with no cameras on her, journalists trying to speak with her, or audiences cheering for the undefeated queen, that had been when she felt the most at peace.
However, things were somehow more complicated than they had been in the past. Fall Maidens, masters of Grimm, villains who wanted the power she now had. Pyrrha had come to Beacon Academy to get far away from fame and recognition, and yet somehow ended up with an even bigger target on her back.
And worst of all, people were now dying and getting hurt because of her. In her efforts to escape from the pedestal of the undefeated champion, she had ended up on a different pedestal. One that was practically for a goddess; a literal goddess. She had people dying for her now, because of what she was. And it made her want to vomit.
No amount of training was going to provide her the peace of mind necessary to get over this.
"Pyrrha?" Came the voice of Amber, the previous Fall Maiden, who now lived rent-free in her head, figuratively and literally.
"Go away." Pyrrha muttered.
"Pyrrha…you know ignoring me isn't going to do you any good."
"Go away." Pyrrha repeated.
"Pyrrha, we were actually in synch for a moment. My power became yours! If you're going to attract such attention from now on, you might as well master my power."
"Go away." Pyrrha said a third time.
"I'm sorry about your teacher, and I'm sorry about the man you love. But don't you think that the best thing you can do for them both is to make sure you're strong enough so that you can fight this battle yourself next time?"
"I SAID GO AWAY!" Pyrrha finally snapped.
At that moment, a familiar voice gasped. Pyrrha turned to see a stunned and somewhat hurt Ruby standing there. Ironically, the girl had come here to blow off some steam through training as well, only to walk into this situation. Pyrrha immediately realized that Ruby thought she was talking to her, yelling at her. However, how does one explain you're talking to the voice in your head and not be made to seem like a crazy person?
For a brief moment, Pyrrha forgot her worries and sputtered. "Ruby, I'm so sorry. I swear, when I said that, I wasn't talking to you, I was…" Pyrrha trailed off, remembering that it was impossible to explain this without sounding insane.
Ruby then realized what was happening and wiped away her hurt expression. "I get it, you're talking to the previous Fall Maiden, aren't you?"
Pyrrha gasped. "How did you…"
Ruby smiled sadly. "Professor Kobalt told us, while we were on our way to back you guys up." She laughed bitterly. "Some backup we were. Professor Kobalt did all the heavy lifting. Yang and Weiss managed to beat Mercury and Emerald, but the big bosses got away."
"So you know everything." Pyrrha muttered.
Ruby nodded. "Did he tell you how I ended up agreeing to it all?" Pyrrha bitterly asked. "It was either take this burden, or that woman gets the whole damn thing. What kind of choice is that, huh?"
Ruby had no response for that. However, perhaps she could try to relate? If Pyrrha really had the same kind of burden she had, perhaps the two could help each other through it, right? "I get it," she promised, "really, I do."
"No, you don't." Pyrrha immediately shut down Ruby before she could explain herself. "How could you possibly understand?"
"Pyrrha…"
"My entire life, I've been this unbelievable prodigy. I've been showered with endorsements, praise, everything that should make a person happy, but all it did was leave me empty!" Pyrrha shouted. "All it did was leave me on a pedestal where I couldn't interact with anyone else! Bond with anyone else!"
Admittedly, Ruby was more angry about being brushed aside than she should have been. Still, she was trying to connect to Pyrrha and help her through what she was going through, and the woman was being so stubborn.
"I went to Beacon because I wanted to get away from all of that! Not to end up some fucking demigoddess!" Pyrrha shouted.
"Now villains beyond even me are after this power! The spotlight is on me once again in a way I never imagined or even wanted!" Pyrrha continued to rant. Tears then began to fall as she continued. "And Professor Greene had to die because of that! Professor Greene is dead because of me! Jaune almost died because of me!"
"I don't want this! I hate this! I hate it so much!" Pyrrha wailed. "How could I end up on an even higher pedestal than I was before? After all of that, I end up being forced into an even more miserable, lonely life than before! What kind of sick joke is this?"
"People are getting hurt and dying for me! Because of me!" Pyrrha glared at Ruby. "How could you possibly understand that?"
That was the moment Ruby snapped. In her sorrow and rage, Pyrrha failed to notice that Ruby had moved. It was only when she felt the fist connect to her face that she realized sweet and innocent Ruby actually punched her.
She didn't just punch her. Ruby hit Pyrrha with enough force to actually send the undefeated champion onto her back. It was then that Pyrrha got a good look at Ruby's expression. It was a painful look that mixed anger, sorrow and frustration. The girl's silver eyes were burning right through her very soul.
"I just got back from seeing our combat professor, who is one of the strongest people I've come to know, unconscious and in the hospital. And unlike the last time I saw him like that, I don't know when he's going to wake up! Do you think I want to live with that? Do you think I like being so powerless that someone else has to get hurt for my sake?" Ruby yelled. "He got those injuries fighting for all of us!"
"Do you honestly think that it's all about you, Pyrrha?!" Ruby screamed. Pyrrha was taken aback. This was the angriest she had ever seen Ruby. "Hell, do you honestly think that this is about your stupid new powers?"
"Do you honestly think Professor Greene died just for you? Because you're so much more special than everyone else?" Ruby continued to rant. "Do you think Jaune got hurt protecting you, because of that? Do you think Professor Kobalt got put in a coma just for you?"
"If you don't want people to give you special treatment, if you don't want to be put on a pedestal, then stop acting like you're special dammit!"
Pyrrha was actually starting to feel fear from Ruby's anger. She understood the source of course. Ruby snapping was just…not right. Yet, at the same time, there was something unexplainable about this fear. Something that seemed…instinctual.
"Professor Kobalt didn't just get put in a coma for you! He did it for all of us!" Ruby reminded her. "Jaune didn't get hurt protecting you because you're a demigoddess! He did it because he cares about you!"
"And most of all, Professor Greene did not die for you because you were you! She died for you because you're her student! You know as well as I do she would've done the same for any of us! Because that was the kind of person she was! That's the kind of person all the teachers at Beacon are!"
"Ruby…" Pyrrha trailed off.
"I know that's the kind of people they are…and I hate it!" Ruby admitted. "I respect it so much, but I also hate it! I have the power to make a difference, but I still need people to save me!"
"It's the same with you!" Ruby reminded her, tears falling freely now. "That's why the both of us have to master our power, Pyrrha! We've gotta train until we drop so that we can keep the people we care about in our lives!"
Pyrrha's eyes widened as she slowly came to realize just what kind of message Ruby was trying to get through to her. "If you don't want to be on a pedestal…then stop putting yourself on one!" Ruby shouted passionately.
Pyrrha lowered her head in shame. So that's it, huh? It wasn't just all of Remnant…the one who put me on my pedestal the most was myself. Pyrrha realized. In the end, I always assumed that people only cared about the celebrity and not the real me, and I never truly tried to connect with people because of that assumption.
I latched onto Jaune for that reason, because he had never heard of me. I thought he'd be an easy 'friend' because of that. But all this time, I've been a terrible friend. I lashed out at Jaune when I was dealing with the pressure of Professor Ozpin's offer. All I did was put up a wall between us, placing myself back on the pedestal I hated so much.
Even now I still place barriers between us. I visited Jaune in the hospital, but ever since his discharge and his family arrived to care for him, I've barely been in contact with him. I've barely acknowledged what he did for me in Ever After because I felt so guilty about him getting hurt because of me. Same with Nora and Ren.
Pyrrha rubbed her cheek, noting that it actually stung. Aura would take care of that soon. I don't want that, the rest of Team JNPR, and all the other friends I've made here, I want to stay with them all. And the only way to do that now…is to master this power. I need to take responsibility for who I am, for my sake, and for everyone else's.
No more blame, and no more walls. Besides, even if it wasn't much of a choice, Professor Ozpin did offer me an out that night. I made the choice to take these powers, and I have to take responsibility for both the powers, and the decision itself.
"Amber…will you forgive me?" Pyrrha asked her predecessor.
"I already have. I'm a part of you now, remember?" Amber replied sweetly. "I understand everything you're going through, because I basically am you."
"Ruby," Pyrrha rose to her feet and gave her young friend a genuine smile, "thank you. And…I'm sorry. Lashing out like that was wrong."
Ruby wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled. "It's okay. Like I said, I get it, remember?"
Pyrrha nodded. I won't ask her what kind of burden she's dealing with yet. She vowed inwardly. I don't have the right to ask her that after how I treated her. But, once we both have a better handle on whatever is causing our respective burdens…I'll ask her once more.
"I'm going to master these powers." Pyrrha promised Ruby. "You better work hard yourself."
Ruby nodded. "Of course!" She exclaimed.
Pyrrha then chuckled as she gave Ruby a mischievous grin. "I mean it, you better. Because once our second year starts, from now on, we're going at it every chance we get." She promised Ruby.
Ruby blinked in surprise. "Eh?"
Pyrrha's chuckle turned into a full laugh as she strode past Ruby. "It's been a long time since someone punched me like that. I may hate the fame the title of 'undefeated champion' gives me, but I do owe it to myself to honor the title. I fully intend to pay you back for that punch, so you better be prepared for that day."
Ruby's eyes widened, realizing she had just made a very dangerous enemy. However, that fear was quickly replaced by jubilation, as she subsequently realized this was Pyrrha's way of recognizing her as a worthy rival. She smiled brightly, in spite of the stress of the past several days. "You're on!" She exclaimed as she raised her hand.
Pyrrha turned around and high-fived Ruby. Professor Greene…are you watching from Heaven? Pyrrha wondered. Your sacrifice meant something. I can already tell.
With that, Pyrrha turned around once more. "You don't have to leave." Ruby pointed out.
"I owe a few friends some actual attention. I've been ignoring them for too long." Pyrrha left the arena
As soon as Pyrrha left, she heard Amber's voice once more. "I'm really glad you left."
"Huh, why?"
"You felt it, did you not? The wariness that comes with being in the presence of someone with powers like hers? Cinder likely feels no such fear, and that is why she continuously fails against that girl. But you do, and that already makes you a fine Maiden, Pyrrha."
"Power like hers? It's Ruby. What do you mean, Amber?"
"Pyrrha, power like hers is meant to serve as divine retribution to those who use their gifts for evil." Amber revealed, making Pyrrha stop in her tracks.
"Her power goes by another name: the Wrath of the Gods."
Soon, the school term came to an end. Beacon's students could now go home…
AN: I've never really run from the fact that Hansel was an absolutely awful person when he was introduced. That's on me. I messed up and gave him probably one of the worst first impressions imaginable. All I can do now is my best to redeem the character.
And yes, Ruby's little speech to Pyrrha does come across as self-righteous and hypocritical. That's intentional. That's what character arcs are for. And hey, even if the messenger was a little...off-base, that doesn't change the fact this version of Pyrrha needed to hear that.
Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you all next time.
