A Spartan's or Lioness's Knight
Chapter 1
Beacon Academy
One PM
"And with our position and defenses, we were able to repel the Grimm and drive them from the village, earning the gratitude of everyone there." Professor Port said, telling the class one of his 'true' battles that he partook in when he was younger. Yet, because he was so into his storytelling, he failed to realize that nearly the whole class was asleep, including his two colleagues.
*RRRRRIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGG*
"Oh, how sad our classes are so short." Port said as the bell woke up the students and his colleagues. Yet all of them were grateful Port failed to notice that.
"I-I... um. Yes. How sad." Glynda said before clearing her throat. As unprofessional as it was, Glynda, like the rest of the students, had trouble staying awake during Port's stories. And while she initially tried her best to stay awake, Glynda quickly learned to take advantage of this to catch up on any missing sleep. "Thank you for your stories, Port."
"Yes. Thank you." Professor Peach said, struggling to hold back a yawn.
"It is my pleasure." Port said, smiling.
"But... uh... anyway. That was the bell." Glynda said. All the students were about to get up but stopped when Glynda gave everyone a warning glare. "But before I dismiss anyone, I want to remind everyone that this was the last class of the day."
"WOOHOO!" Some students cheered but went deathly quiet when Glynda cracked her whip against the desk.
"And the reason for this is because the first-year students from Haven Academy will be coming and staying here for the next six months due to... reasons. Anyway. For the rest of the day, they will be shown around, given their schedule, and be assigned their dorm, hence the canceled classes. Afterward, each team will be assigned to one Haven team as a sort of buddy system to show them the ropes and to answer any questions they might have. Your team leaders will receive messages that contain all the details. Alright. Now, you all may leave." Glynda said before leaving, with Port and Peach following right behind.
"What do you think the reason is?" Yang asked, curious, as both teams gathered their books.
"I heard from an... acquaintance who has a friend that goes to Haven that a fumigation incident led to contaminating the water and discovering the plumbing was in desperate need of repair. And not wanting the students to fall behind, Lionheart asked Ozpin if he could send the first-year students here since they were the ones most affected by it, and he agreed." Blake answered.
"That was nice of him." Ren said.
"Who do you think we will be paired up with, Jaune?" Ruby asked.
"Not sure, Rubes. It could be anyone." Jaune answered.
"Does anyone of us even know anyone from Haven?" Nora asked.
"Nope." Team Rwby answered.
"No. I used to know one, but she graduated a while back." Jaune answered, surprising the others. "But none currently."
"I don't know anyone from Haven either." Ren said.
"I know a couple of people from my time at Sanctum. But I'm not sure if they went to Haven or did something else." Pyrrha answered after racking her brain.
Contrary to popular belief, Pyrrha did have a few friends growing up. Granted, she only made them while training at Sanctum Academy. Nevertheless, they were decent friends, and she even made her best friend there. Although some might say otherwise since, despite being best friends, they were always competing against each other. Yet, it was always in good fun and never personal. They were close. And even during the years between Sanctum Academy and Beacon Academy, they stayed in touch. Unfortunately, due to her fame, conflicting schedules, and time zones, they lost contact with each other. Pyrrha still wonders what happened to her best friend and if she managed to get into Haven Academy as she always wanted.
"Well, hopefully, whatever team we get assigned to is tolerable." Weiss said.
"Hopefully." Blake agreed.
"But even if that is not the case, then luckily, we just need to show them around and maybe answer some questions." Ren said.
"True." Blake and Weiss said.
"What time do you think they might arrive?" Nora asked.
"Not sure." Jaune answered.
"We still have to wait for the messages to arrive." Ruby added.
"True. So, what should we do in the meantime?" Ren asked.
"Perhaps we can all watch a movie together." Pyrrha suggested while glancing at her crush and subtly moving closer to him. While she still had to clue him to her feelings, there was no way she was going to pass a chance to spend time with him. Granted, she would have preferred it if they were alone.
"Sure. That sounds like fun." Nora said.
"And a decent way to pass the time until we get the message." Blake said.
"But we should also clean our rooms just in case they have to be there until their rooms are ready." Weiss said. "Because I won't let them think that we live like slobs."
"True. We should clean up a bit before we watch the movie." Ren said.
"While that does sound fun and all, we can't join you guys." Yang said, shocking the others.
"Wait. What?" Weiss asked, surprised and confused.
"Is everything all right, Yang?" Blake asked, slightly worried.
"Everything is alight, Blakey." Yang answered, earning a growl from the faunus. "It's just that me, Rubes, and Vomit boy here will be heading into town."
"We are?" Jaune asked, confused before remembering. "Oh, right. I nearly forgot."
"Forgot what, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, curious.
"Yeah. My nephew's and two of my sisters' birthdays are coming up. I still need to get Adrian's gift and pick up my sisters' gifts since they are ready today. But I needed help, and Yang offered to help. And Ruby offered to tag along. Although, I have a feeling they want something in return." Jaune explained.
"Well, more so me than Ruby. I also need help picking out a gift but for our dad instead. Ruby already got hers ready; I just need to get mine and need a little outside opinion." Yang said.
"And it's been a while since we hang out. So I figured now's a good time as any." Ruby added, looking forward to spending time with Jaune, whom she and Yang saw as they always wanted.
"Yeah. It has been a while. But you know what's going to happen while we are out since Yang and I are coming." Jaune said with a devious smirk.
"I do?" Ruby asked, confused before realization dawned on her. "Oh."
"Yup. We're going to tease you during the whole trip."
"Especially about your secret friend that you have been sneaking out to see and hoping none of us would find out about." Yang added with a smirk.
"EEP!" Ruby shouted before using her semblance to dash out of the room.
"So this is how it feels to finally be on the giving end instead of the receiving end." Jaune chuckled.
"I take it you have been on the receiving end a lot." Yang said, smiling.
"Oh, yes. But that's what happens when you have six older sisters and one younger who is protected by the others."
"It must have been chaotic growing up." Ren said, silently wondering if he would have had siblings had his life not been the way it is.
"You have no idea."
"But you would still protect them no matter what." Weiss said, wondering if it was too late for her and Winter to make amends and create a bond similar to what Jaune has with his sisters.
"Or trade it for anything else." Blake added.
"Of course. They mean the world to me, and I wouldn't trade it for anything."
"That's nice that you have a great relationship with your family, Jaune-Jaune. Do you think we will be able to meet your family in the future?" Nora asked while she and Blake sent Pyrrha knowing looks, causing her to blush. They both knew about her obvious crush on her blond leader. But they both agreed not to interfere and let everything play out. Although, at times, they did wish Pyrrha would just confess to Jaune.
"Maybe. We would need to set it up, though, since one of my sisters lives in Argus while the other lives in Atlas. And three others have already moved and live all over Vale." Jaune answered.
"Perhaps we can do it the next time we have a vacation. And if you give me the name of your sister who lives in Atlas, I might be able to get someone to bring her to your family's home." Weiss said.
"Again, I would still need to call ahead. But if they are up for it, then sure, and I'll send you her name. Thanks, Weiss."
"No problem."
"So. When are you three leaving?" Blake asked.
"Well, since our last class just finished, we can go now. That is if Yang is okay with it."
"Sure. We can go out now. Plus, the quicker we get it done, the better." Yang said. "And, if we're lucky, we would still have enough time to watch another movie."
"Alright. Do you guys need anything while we are out?"
"No, I don't think so." Weiss answered after thinking it over.
"But we could use some more snacks since our stash is running low." Blake answered.
"Alright." Yang said, mentally writing it down.
"And you guys?" Jaune asked his team.
"We could also use some snacks and drinks." Ren answered before quickly adding. "But make sure you get the low-sugar kind."
"Ahh." Nora whined, causing everyone to chuckle.
"Okay. And you, Pyrrha?" Jaune asked his partner.
"Aside from some hand sanitizer and what Ren said, I don't think we need anything else." Pyrrha said, thinking it over before gaining an innocent look that instantly told Jaune what she was going to say next. "But I wouldn't say no to you picking up some chocolate. I heard some stores were having a discount for Mistral chocolate."
"Okay, Pyr. I'll swing by the store to get some for you." Jaune said, chuckling at his partner's love for chocolate.
"What time do you guys think you will be back?" Weiss asked.
"I don't think it will take more than a few hours." Yang answered.
"But in any case, if we get the messages about what team we're assigned to, we'll pass them on to you." Jaune added.
"Alright." Weiss said.
"Oh. Before you go, Jaune. Make sure to take your hoodie or a light coat since it's supposed to get colder later. And don't forget to take your motion sickness pills." Pyrrha said.
"Right. Thanks for reminding me, Pyr. I would have forgotten to take them." Jaune said.
"What would you do without your kind and caring partner, Jaune-Jaune?" Nora asked, smirking at Pyrrha.
"Probably be vomiting all over the bullhead and on somebody's poor shoes." Yang teased, causing Jaune to roll his eyes.
"Anyway. Let's change out of our uniforms, and then we can get going." Jaune said.
"Alright. See you later, guys." Yang said before she and Jaune turned around and headed for the door.
"So, how do you want to tease, Ruby?" Jaune asked with a mischievous smile.
"Oh, I know the perfect way. But we should make it so that she thinks we forgot about it." Yang answered as they exited the room.
"Those three sure grew close." Ren said.
"Yeah." The others agreed.
"Don't you ever worry those two might make a move on Jaune?" Weiss asked Pyrrha.
"No. I'm not worried." Pyrrha answered.
"Really?" Ren asked.
"Yeah. Initially, I was a little worried. But that went away when Ruby told me that she only saw Jaune as a brother."
"What about Yang?" Weiss asked.
"She's taken." Blake answered with a smile that told them all they needed to know.
"So what now?" Nora asked.
"Let's head to our dorms and clean up a bit since we don't know if the teams we're assigned to be there for a bit. Then we can watch a movie." Pyrrha answered.
"Alright." Everyone agreed.
"Hopefully, the two dolts don't forget to send us the message if they are still out in Vale." Weiss said as they exited the classroom.
Two Hours Later
"I knew we should have made those dolts stay with us." Weiss huffed, annoyed.
After Jaune, Yang, and Ruby left, the rest of the two teams figured they would be back before they got the message. And if not, they trusted the three would send them the message with all the details. As such, they decided to take it easy and relax. Yet, that all went out the window when Jaune and Ruby finally texted them the details. Initially, they thought they would still have some time to prepare, grab anything they needed, and double-check to see if everything was ready. But again, that all went out the window when they realized the teams would be arriving at roughly three ten. And that wouldn't be so bad if they didn't receive the message at three. So, they scrambled to get ready before rushing outside to meet the teams they were assigned to.
"Yeah." Everyone else agreed.
"I would be willing to let it go if they only just received the message." Ren began, slightly irked. While he didn't hold against his friends and knew they were probably busy when the message came, he still would have liked more of a heads-up since he didn't like rushing things.
"But knowing them, I doubt it." Blake finished.
"Yeah." The others said.
"So, what was your team again?" Nora asked.
"Team SECM." Weiss answered.
"Not sure about that name." Ren said.
"Same." Blake and Weiss agreed.
"What about yours?" Blake asked.
"We have Team ABRN." Pyrrha answered.
"Did Jaune tell you what each member's name is?" Weiss asked.
"Nope. I texted him to see if he forgot, but he replied that the message only had the team name."
"Great." Blake said, rolling her eyes.
"Sometimes I feel like Headmaster Ozpin purposely omits information just to mess with the student population." Weiss said.
"Same." The others agreed. But they perked up when they heard the familiar sound of bullheads approaching.
"But it looks like we're about to find out their names soon." Ren said.
They all waited for the bullheads to land. And once they did, they walked up to them, with the one on the right opening the doors first. And out came four relatively tall females. Three of them were wearing apparel that made them look like holy knights or angels. But the fourth one was clad in heavy-looking armour. Three of them had swords that gave off a protective aura, while the fourth in the heavy armour carried a lance. However, what caught Team JNPR's, Weiss's, and Blake's attention was the symbol each of them had on their outfits. It was a red fleur-de-lys with a skull over it.
"Hello. Are any of you, by chance, Team Rwby?" The one with white hair and a halo-like thing on the back of her head asked.
"Yes. Well, us, anyway. Half our team is in Vale helping a friend and getting supplies." Blake answered.
"I am Weiss, and this is Blake." Weiss said, gesturing to herself before pointing to Blake.
"It is an honor to meet you. I am Katherine Elysius. And these are my teammates. Celestine. Ephrael Stern. And Morvenn Vahl." Katherine said while pointing to each of her teammates when she said their names.
"Um. It is nice to meet you, too." Blake said.
"So. Shall we give you a tour of Beacon, or do you want us to show you to your dorm first?" Weiss asked.
"Our dorm first. It was a long trip, and we wish to relax first." Katherine answered.
"Sure. Follow us." Blake said. Nodding, Katherine and her teammates followed Blake and Weiss back into Beacon.
"That was weird." Ren said.
"Yeah." Pyrrha agreed.
"But what was with the symbol?" Nora asked.
"I have no idea."
"Maybe they are a family?"
"Perhaps. And it could be a family crest."
"Hey. The doors to the other bullhead are opening." Ren said. Turning back to the bullhead, the three of them patiently waited for the doors to fully open. And once they did, two males and one female stepped out, with the last female riding a hoverboard. However, while the rest of each team didn't notice, a member of each briefly froze up once they spotted each other. But they quickly shook it off and acted like normal.
"Hello. You three must be part of Team JNPR, right?" The female with platinum blonde hair and olive green eyes asked once they reached team JNPR.
"Yes. That would be us. Although, our leader isn't here at the moment." Ren answered.
"Do you know when he will be back?" The male with pink hair asked.
"He should be back soon." Nora answered.
"Alright. But in the meantime, we can get to know each other." The female with blonde hair said.
"True." Pyrrha agreed with a subtle nod that the other caught.
"I am Arslan Altan." Arslan began before pointing to the other female. "This is Reese Chloris."
"Hey." Reese said, hopping off her hoverboard.
"Next is Nadir Shiko."
"How's it going." Nadir said, smiling.
"And last is Bolin Hori."
"Hello." Bolin said, nodding his head.
"I am Pyrrha Nikos-" Pyrrha began.
"We know. You're pretty famous after all and inspired a lot of people." Reese interjected with a smirk. But it went away when Arslan gave her a gentle slap.
"Don't cut off other people when it is not called for, Reese." Arlsan warned before turning back to Pyrrha. "Continue."
"Thanks." Pyrrha said, smiling. "Anyway. I'm also in charge of the team when our leader isn't here. As for our teammates, first is Lie Ren."
"Hello." Ren said, smiling.
"And next is Nora Valkyrie."
"That's me." Nora cheered, causing everyone to chuckle.
"Now that we got that out of the way. Do you want us to show you to your dorm or around Beacon?" Ren asked.
"Our dorm. We need to unpack our bags and take a break. It was a long trip." Reese said.
"Good idea. But you three need to go ahead. I need to talk with Nikos here since she is the acting leader at the moment. And since we're most likely going to be working together, we should set a few things straight first about our teams." Arslan said.
"True." Pyrrha agreed, easily seeing through the 'explanation.' "Ren. Can you show them to their dorm?"
"Sure." Ren agreed before motioning to the others to follow him and Nora. Once they were out of sight, Pyrrha and Arlsan turned back to each other and looked at each other straight in the eye.
"Nikos." Arslan said with a straight face while crossing her arms.
"Altan." Pyrrha said, also crossing her arms while keeping a straight face. However, the 'tension' soon broke as both of them laughed as they relaxed their stance. And once they composed themselves, they quickly closed the distance and pulled each other into a tight hug. They could not begin to describe how they felt at finally seeing their best friend/rival again.
"It's so good to see you, Pyrrha." Arslan said as they separated.
"It's good to see you too, Arslan." Pyrrha said, smiling.
"It's been what, like, a year since we've lost contact with each other."
"A little less, actually. Still. We have a lot to catch up on; like you achieving your goal of making it to Haven."
"And you coming here to Beacon, making new friends, and somehow not being the team leader."
"True. Let's head to the bench so we can sit and catch up." Pyrrha said, pointing to the nearby bench that was under the shade of a tree.
"Sure." Arslan agreed as they made their way to the bench.
Ninety Minutes Later
"And that's how Nora scared off all those parasites pretending to be journalists away from our dorm. But, to their horror, they ran into an annoyed Ms. Goodwitch." Pyrrha said, telling Arslan about one of her more recent, tame adventures at Beacon Academy.
"Serves them right for trespassing and trying to invade your personal life. But is Ms. Goodwitch really as scary as some make her out to be?" Arslan asked, laughing.
"Yes and no. She is scary. But she is also reasonable. Glynda only generally scares students when they are misbehaving or something else along those lines. But she shows favor and is more lenient to students who are actively trying to better themselves. Still, it's best you try to stay on her good side."
"Of course. And I'll tell my team that. But speaking of teams, do you think we might be able to do team exercises?"
"I'll have to ask my team's leader about that. But I don't see why not. We already occasionally do team exercises with Team Rwby."
"You know. If you hadn't told me, I would have thought that the members of Team Rwby were part of your team in some kind of experiment your headmaster made to see if larger teams could work as well as smaller teams."
"I honestly wouldn't put it past my headmaster to do something like that." Pyrrha chuckled.
"Since we're on the topic of leaders, when is yours supposed to return? I would like to discuss a few things with him."
"He texted me. He should be arriving soon with the two other members of Team Rwby."
"Good. Besides, I want to know if he has been treating my best friend with the respect she deserves." Arslan said.
"Don't worry. He does. Honestly, he's a great friend and partner who cares a lot about me, the team, and our friends."
"Good. Having a genuine friend is hard to find nowadays since this world is full of false friends who only use others to get ahead in life."
"Tell me about it. Luckily, none of the friends I made here are like that."
"That's good."
"What about your team?"
"As I said, we're good friends. Although, I sometimes get annoyed by Reese's antics. But that's just part of her charm. She is very outgoing and loves to party."
"She might like Yang from team Rwby since she also loves to party."
"We should probably keep them away from each other."
"Or under supervision." Pyrrha said, causing the both of them to chuckle. But they both stopped when they heard the sounds of a bullhead landing. "Well. It looks like he's here."
"Your leader?"
"Yup."
"Great." Arslan said as they watched the passengers get off. But one in particular immediately caught her eye. "Who's the blonde one? The cute one. Do you know him?"
"Oh, you mean Sun." Pyrrha said, pointing toward the faunus student who was now part of Beacon. "Technically, yes. We met a while back when Blake introduced us. But aside from the initial talk, we haven't really spoken with each other."
"No, not Sun. I know him. And yes, he is a little handsome, but I wasn't asking about him."
"Then who were you talking about?" Pyrrha asked, confused.
"The one carrying the girl with a red cape on his shoulders with a blonde-haired girl walking next to him."
"Oh." Pyrrha said, tensing slightly when she realized Arslan was pointing toward her crush and team leader, Jaune. However, she relaxed when she figured that Arslan was just being nice. After all, even some others admitted that Jaune was kind of cute even though he wasn't their type, which was their loss in Pyrrha's eyes. "That's Jaune Arc. He's my team leader and partner. The one he is carrying is Ruby Rose, leader of Team Rwby. And the blonde one next to him is Yang Xiao Long. She is Ruby's step-sister."
"Huh. Well, it seems like they are quite close." Arslan said, smiling at the scene.
"They are. They're good friends. Although, Yang and Ruby have admitted that they see Jaune as a sort of brother they always wanted."
"Well, he is giving off a sort of older brother aura. And, maybe in the right light, you could mistake them as cousins."
"Maybe. Anyway. Let's go introduce ourselves."
"Sure." Arslan agreed. Getting up, Pyrrha and Arslan made their way over to Jaune, Yang, and Ruby. Fortunately, since it wasn't crowded, they spotted them, so they stopped walking and waited for them.
"Hey, Pyrrha." Ruby said.
"Hey, Pyr." Jaune said, smiling, causing the Spartan's heart to flutter.
"Hey, Cereal Girl." Yang said, causing Pyrrha to roll her eyes and Arslan to chuckle at the nickname. It was certainly better than some of the other nicknames she heard. "Who's your friend?"
"This is Arslan Altan. She's the leader of Team ABRN, which is the team we were assigned to." Pyrrha answered.
"Hello." Arslan said, never taking her eyes off Jaune.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ruby." Ruby said, shaking Arlsan's hand. Although, everyone let out a chuckle when Jaune had to kneel slightly so they could so comfortably.
"Nice to meet you, too."
"I'm Yang. And this loveable goofball is Jaune Arc." Yang said, causing Jaune to blush and roll his eyes. "He's the leader of Team JNPR. And the little gremlin on his shoulders-"
"HEY!" Ruby shouted before sticking her tongue out at Yang.
"-is my step-sister and the leader of Team Rwby."
"Nice to meet you, too. But where's the rest of your team?" Arslan asked.
"Not sure. They are probably in our dorm."
"But speaking of teams. Did the one we're assigned to arrive yet?" Ruby asked.
"Yes. They arrived about an hour and a half ago. They asked if Blake and Weiss could take them to their dorm first so they could rest. So they are probably still there. Although, Weiss and Blake were not too happy about being alone or the late messages." Pyrrha answered.
"Yeah. Sorry about that. It was our fault entirely." Jaune sheepishly said. "We promise it won't happen again."
"It's fine, Jaune. Just a little heads up would have been nice so we don't have to scramble to get everything ready."
"Alright. Thanks, Pyr."
"Anyway. We should probably get going." Yang said.
"Yeah." Ruby said before tapping Jaune's head twice. "Down, please."
"Okay, Ruby." Jaune said, smiling as he picked up Ruby and placed her on the ground. "Oh. Are you still up for later?"
"Of course. You know I wouldn't miss our weekly comic book readings. Just don't forget to bring the snacks."
"Alright. And you don't forget to bring the drinks. And here's your bags." Jaune said before handing Ruby the bag of her team's snacks and drinks.
"See you guys." Yang said.
"It was nice meeting you, Arslan." Ruby said as they left.
"They seem nice." Arslan said.
"They are. Although being friends with Yang does mean you have to put up with her terrible puns." Jaune said.
"Oh, no. She loves puns, doesn't she?"
"Oh, yeah. And they are terrible. But if you can get past that and her teasing, Yang is a great friend to have. She will always have your back no matter what."
"And the other one?"
"Ruby. She's a good friend. And we're each other's first friends. We also get along because of how many things we like... and that we're both socially awkward."
"That's nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone is socially awkward at one point in their lives."
"True." Jaune shrugged. "Anyway. Where's the rest of your team?"
"They're in our new dorm, resting. Well, two are probably resting, and the third is possibly looking to see if there is someplace to skate using her hoverboard."
"If she is, hopefully she doesn't run into Ms. Goodwitch." Jaune chuckled.
"If the stories Pyrrha and the rumors I heard are true, then hopefully."
"Also. You're the leader of Team JNPR, right?"
"Yup. Somehow. Honestly, Pyrrha would have made an excellent leader, yet Ozpin chose me."
"Well, maybe he sees something in you that you haven't discovered yet."
"Perhaps."
"Don't sell yourself short, Jaune. You have been an excellent leader so far. And I know you will get better as time goes on." Pyrrha assured with a gentle smile.
"Pyrrha's right. Everyone gets better with time. And maybe, down the road, you will discover the reason why Ozpin chose you to be the leader." Arslan added.
"Thanks. I appreciate the reassurance." Jaune said, smiling.
"You're welcome, Jaune." Pyrrha said.
"Anytime." Arslan added. "But anyway. Do you think it would be possible to do joint team exercises since our teams are assigned to each other now?"
"Sure. I don't see why not. Although, we should wait until you all have your schedules set so we can work out a time without anything getting in the way. And we can even do team bonding things to get to know each other better."
"Sure. That would be good. Thanks." Arslan said, smiling.
"No problem. Anyway. I'm going to go now. My arms are getting tired from carrying these bags." Jaune said.
"Alright. It was nice meeting you, Jaune." Arslan said.
"It was nice meeting you too, Arslan. And I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of your team." Jaune said. "See you. And see you later, Pyr."
"See you, Jaune." Pyrrha said.
"Oh. Before I forget. I couldn't find the chocolate you wanted. But I did find something else."
"Really? What is it?" Pyrrha asked, curious.
"Oh, I'm not going to reveal it. You're just going to have to wait until later."
"Fine." Pyrrha pouted, causing Arslan and Jaune to chuckle.
"See you." Jaune said before heading inside.
"Well, Jaune was nice. And so were the other two." Arslan said, looking at Jaune's retreating form and liking what she saw.
"Yeah. They are nice, especially Jaune. I'm glad to have him as my partner and the rest of my team and Team Rwby as my friends." Pyrrha agreed.
"And I'm glad you're making actual friends, Pyrrha. And not those kinds of false friends back in Sanctum or the ones that tried becoming your 'friends' because of your fame."
"Thanks, Arslan."
"You're welcome, Pyrrha. And everyone deserves to have good friends." Arslan said, with Pyrrha agreeing. However, Pyrrha tensed up considerably by what Arslan said next. "Especially your partner and team leader, Jaune Arc. You know, he is cute, easy on the eyes, humble, friendly, seems to care greatly for others, and overall a great guy."
"He... is." Pyrrha agreed, unsure of what Arslan was getting at and was slightly scared because of it. "He is a great guy."
"Seems that way. You know what? I know this is pretty short and sudden. But I'm going to ask Jaune out. He seems like great boyfriend materiel."
"WHAT!?" Pyrrha shouted, shocked, confused, and horrified. She knew there was always a possibility that someone else could fall for Jaune. But she hoped she could work up the courage to confess her feelings before that happened. Unfortunately, that was no longer the case, as someone else had fallen for him. And even more unfortunately, it was Arlsan, her best friend and rival, who had fallen for Jaune.
"No need to shout, Pyrrha. But yeah. I'm going to ask him out."
"B-but you just met Jaune."
"I know that. But as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. And I'm pretty sure we could make it work."
"Still. Maybe you should wait a bit."
"Yeah, no. As someone once told me, never put off tomorrow, something you can do today. And I have a strong feeling that if I don't make my move, someone else will do it."
"True. But-um. Um." Pyrrha struggled to come up with something, ANYTHING, to dissuade Arslan.
Pyrrha knew that she still had to work up the courage to confess her feelings to Jaune and, in the meantime, had been dropping hints that Jaune failed to pick up on. However, Pyrrha knew that Arslan wasn't like that. She was much bolder than her, especially in conversations, and would say what was on her mind without hesitation. As such, if Pyrrha didn't stop Arslan, she knew she would have Jaune by the end of the day. And Pyrrha wasn't going to let that happen without a fight.
"Maybe you should wait. It could just be a good first impression that makes you think that."
"Maybe. But still."
"Ah. Seriously, Arslan. Maybe you should-" Pyrrha began, but Arslan cut her off.
"Pyrrha." Arslan said, annoyed. "Why don't you want me to ask out your team leader?"
"I-it's not that I don't want you... no, no, that came out wrong."
"Then why?"
"I-it's just that I d-don't want-"
"Wait. You have a crush on him, too, do you." Arslan said, causing Pyrrha to sigh.
"Yes."
"And you haven't made your move yet."
"Yes. I have been dropping hints for a while. But Jaune hasn't picked up on any of them."
"I can see that. He does seem like someone who would miss some hints someone would drop. But that is also on you for not just saying it to his face. And it seems like it's come to bite you in the butt."
"I know." Pyrrha sighed before gaining a look of determination. "But that does not mean I'm going to give Jaune up without a fight... That doesn't sound right."
"Yeah. That doesn't sound quite right." Arslan agreed, causing both of them to chuckle. But she then gave a confident smirk. "But you might know Jaune for longer, but that doesn't mean I won't give up without a fight either. And I'm going to get him."
"Not happening." Pyrrha said, crossing her arms. "Hmm. So neither of us are going to back down."
"Seems like it." Arslan said, doing the same.
"So, how do we settle this?"
"Hmm. While I don't like calling it this when it involves certain things, how about we make it a competition."
"A competition? For Jaune's feelings?" Pyrrha asked, unsure of how to feel about it.
"Yes and no. It's more to see who can get Jaune to notice them first. And before you say anything, we're still going to treat Jaune with the respect he deserves, and anything that might harm him is out of the question."
"Okay, good." Pyrrha sighed in relief. "So what are the goals?"
"Try to get him to notice our feelings or have him ask us out. I would say until one of us asks him out, but I believe in fair play."
"Not sure how I feel about that. But alright."
"So, do we have a deal?" Arslan asked, feeling confident about the whole thing.
"Yes." Pyrrha confidently answered.
"Alright. Then may the best woman win." Arlsan said as they shook hands.
"So. When should we start?"
*BOOM*
"How about tomorrow." Arslan suggested as it started to rain heavily.
"Uh, sure. We can even go over the rules and details later." Pyrrha agreed.
"Sounds good."
"But in the meantime, let's head inside and dry off."
"Sure. I don't want to get sick on the first day. Plus, our teams are probably wondering where we are."
"True. But speaking of that, since we don't have anything else planned for today aside from helping you and your team settle in, we can do something together."
"Like what?" Arslan asked, curious.
"We can watch a movie and make some snacks."
"That sounds like fun. I'll tell my teammates. But first. Can you show me where my new dorm is? I have no idea where it is."
"Of course, Arslan. What are friends for, after all." Pyrrha said, smiling. Smiling as well, Arslan followed her long-time friend into Beacon and out of the rain. Yet, the competition did not leave their minds. However, despite whatever the outcome was, they knew they would still be friends in the end.
Notes:
An idea that came from reading one of the few Arslan/Jaune stories out there.