EXTRACURRICULAR

Several days have passed since Torchwick's rampage across downtown Vale, and for that same amount of time, me and Yang have been together. We don't exactly know how this is going to affect the team and people we hang out with, so we decide to keep our relationship a secret for the time being. Up until the time is right, is what Yang said exactly.

Ruby is expectedly oblivious about the whole thing, but Yang's pretty confident she wouldn't mind the change in our relationship status. In fact, Yang thinks Ruby would be ecstatic, and frankly, I agree with her. It's just that Ruby can be a bit extra sometimes when she's all hyper and stuff. Weiss would be indifferent about it, I think. She herself has been too focused on Neptune to notice any other romances going on around her, including that of Jaune's attempt to whisk her away. If anything, Weiss would be annoyed at the fact that Yang got a boyfriend before her. The problem then is Blake...

"Still worried about the White Fang."

Me and Yang both glance at Blake who could barely keep her eyes open.

"You think she'll be alright?"

Yang asked. I shrugged my shoulders in response since I legitimately do not know the answer to that question. Blake's been on an emotional rollercoaster lately. She's been distracted and a bit more distant than usual lately, and any hint of disagreement to her point of view about the whole situation we found ourselves in would instantly set her off. She's a big part of the reason why we're keeping up the secrecy around our relationship.

Not that I mind.

Cinder is already looking into my family, the Nest is compromised, and I'm bound by a contract I have no way of backing out of. The last thing I need is to add more fuel to the fire, and Yang is quite the fire starter alright. Now that I have her however, I have no intention of letting Cinder hurt her or any of my family any longer. I just gotta find my moment to figure out what it is she's really after and I think based on the conversation I overheard last night- courtesy of the radio feather I slipped underneath Cinder's floor- they may be interested in Pyrrha.

"And that's the match!"

Glynda calls the match after Pyrrha absolutely decimates team CRDL. It was a surprise to have Pyrrha fight against a whole team, but I don't think anyone ever doubted that she would win.

"Man.. she's gonna be a tough match up if we ever meet them in the tournament."

Yang pushed herself back against her chair and crossed her arms. Her face full of determination and enthusiasm that I've only ever seen on Ruby's face. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, they are sisters after all.

"You're fired up."

I commented, with an uninterested look on my face.

"Aren't you? Who wouldn't be after seeing that?"

I shrugged and leaned back close to her till our shoulders touched.

"Cardin had it coming. Not really a surprise that Pyrrha would take the cake on this one."

Yang leaned closer to my face with a cheeky smile.

"Happy that your 'friend' got the W?"

I sighed then smiled. This would have been a big issue in the past, but now that we're together, I know this is her way of teasing me.

"Yeah, of course."

Yang slowly wrapped her fingers around mine underneath the desk, away from everyone's view, slowly gripping them tighter till our palms began to rub against each other.

"You're never gonna tell me what you and Pyrrha talk about privately all time are you?"

I flash a big smile her way and answered.

"NOPE!"

Me and Yang giggled softly, then focused our eyes on Glynda, who seemed to be intent on extending this pointless class as long as she possibly could.

"Alright, now I know that's a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers? Ms. Belladonna?"

Everyone's gaze shifted towards Blake, who had her eyes opened in disbelief. She slammed her book shut, fully ready to argue, but Glynda promptly shut her down before a single word could escape her mouth.

"You've been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don't you -"

Before she could finish, a man from the other side of the room raised his hand.

"I'll do it."

It was Mercury.

Surprised that somebody actually volunteered, Glynda quickly composed herself and skimmed through the list of name on her scroll.

"Mercury was it? Very well, let's find you an opponent."

Before Glynda could finish going through her list, Mercury interrupted her.

"Actually, I wanna fight her..."

Mercury arrogantly pointed her fingers at Pyrrha, much to everyone's surprise. Well, everyone but me and Emerald. I know exactly what he's going for. Pyrrha ain't exactly a pushover, she's a world renowned fighter capable of going toe to toe with the world's best hunters and huntresses. If I was in Cinder's shoes, I'd consider her a threat. I'm willing to bet big Lien that Mercury's fighting her to gauge her strength. I'm sure he wouldn't do anything stupid, but that doesn't mean I trust him either.

"I'm afraid Miss Nikos just finished the match. I recommend you pick a different partner."

Glynda tried to defend Pyrrha, but she insisted.

"No, it's okay! I'd be happy to oblige."

I wish she didn't say anything and let Glynda postpone this match. I look at Emerald who had a mischievous smile on her face. Seeing make that face made my stomach turn, I cannot let these two mess with my friends.

Friends... it's weird to even think about me associated with the word, but I'd like to believe that Team RWBY and JNPR are now my friends.

"Yang. Don't be too mad at me, alright?"

I whispered. She looked at me baffled, not sure what I was about to do, and why I was standing up.

"WELL, IF PYRRHA's ON THE TABLE."

Glynda snapped her head my way, and glared at me with a look so terrifying a grimm would run away.

"Too late, Mr. Flyheight, you had your chance. Now please sit down and try again nex-"

I closed my eyes and smiled while I slip my hands in my pockets.

"My team put it to a vote. Professor Ozpin named my team Team RWBY. I was a recent addition. It's only right they participate as R-W-B-Y, ain't no room in there for an E, Professor G. I am an extra member after all, but that also means I won't be getting any sort of action from now till the tournament. He will."

I casually point my thumb at Mercury.

"True..."

Goodwitch whispered under her breath, trying to hide the fact that she's agreeing with the argument I'm making.

"My skills will be too dull by the time the tournament ends. Ain't no better way to keep a blade sharp than to test it against the best. 'Sides, I don't think ol' boy over there will mind."

I looked at Mercury with a cheeky smile, hoping to piss him off, but it looks like he doesn't really mind at all. He simply shrugged his shoulders and returned my smile with a more arrogant one.

"All yours buddy."

I stretch my arms and slowly made my way through the student seating area without waiting for Glynda's response.

"Welp, there you go Professor. Imma head down there in a bit. Sit tight Pyrrha."

As I pass by Mercury, he whispered a threat so calm and casually without even so much as a glimpse.

"Make sure you do your job right."

I returned his hostility in kind.

"Don't worry, it's not in me to do things halfheartedly."

And with that, I was on my way to the arena. I tightened the scarlet scarf around my waist and folded the sleeves of my black shirt above my elbows. I gave the golden buttons running along my chest a quick shine, as I twirl the hilt of my bladeless katana on my hand.

"I wasn't expecting you to pull something like that."

Pyrrha smiled, as I slowly made my way up the stage.

"Yeah well. Reasons."

She raised her shield and pointed her sword at me, still laughing about the whole thing.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

I flick the hand gripping my weapon, instantly summoning the ice blade.

"Means I have something to tell you right after this."

She widened her stance, slightly bending her knees.

"Looking forward to it."

I raise my katana close to my cheeks and mirrored her stance.

"Look forward to this L you're about to take."

"Bring it on!"

Glynda looked at us, acknowledging the fact that we were both ready without having the need to ask.

YANG POV

"Begin!"

Glynda swung her arm downwards, before elegantly vanishing into the sidelines, leaving Ezra and Pyrrha on the arena. The two wasted no time rushing each other, their blades instantly clashing. The look on both Ezra and Pyrrha's face was filled with eagerness and excitement, the kind of face you can only make when your sparring with a friend.

I'll admit, I am a little jealous, but these past few days have been nothing short of a dream. I am done doubting Ezra. Whatever secrets he hides for Pyrrha, doesn't matter anymore. I completely trust him with the fact that I belong to him, and he belongs to me.

"GO! EZRA! Kick Pyrrha's butt!"

Ruby pumped her fists and yelled as loud as she could. Not to be outdone, Nora and Jaune cheered just as loud as my sister.

The battle was intense and ferocious. Pyrrha was relentless in her assault, but Ezra was just as tenacious. He wasn't passive and evasive like his previous bout with Weiss. He was constantly parrying her attacks, smashing his blade against Pyrrha's weapon shattering it with every stroke and rebuilding it just as quickly. With each break, Ezra's blade dissolves and turns into mist that slowly engulfed the classroom.

"For a fight so fiery, it sure is getting cold in here."

Ren astutely commented, just as you'd expect out of him.

Ezra grinned at Pyrrha then swung his katana wildly at Pyrrha's head. She quickly ducked under and countered by striking his leg. Ezra nimbly jumped and spun sideways, slashing downwards at Pyrrha at the same time, who quickly raised her shield to block the incoming attack. Pyrrha attempted to stand up, but Ezra stomped his left foot on her shield as he landed, pinning her down on the spot before he transitioned into a backflip.

Without giving her a chance to recover, Ezra dashed at Pyrrha, who was still trying to regain her footing. Ezra was engulfed himself in mist that instantly dissolved as soon as it collided with Pyrrha.

"W-what?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. His sudden disappearance broke her focus.

"I've never seen that move before."

But Ruby fell ominously fell silent.

"I- I think I have."

I looked at her shocked. Unless Ezra has been secretly sparring with Ruby, there ain't no way that she'd seen that move before, cause I've never seen it. I temporarily ignore Ruby, and set my sights back at the fight. Ezra suddenly appeared above Pyrrha with his knees pointing forward. Pyrrha quickly blocked the attack, but Ezra shattered into a handful of snowflakes. This move I've seen before.

"FLAWLESS DUET!"

He slid down and slashed at Pyrrha, which she easily rolled out of. Ezra dragged his hand across the ground, creating a streak of ice underneath his palms. He swiftly gathered himself, transferring the momentum from his slide into a full-on sprint, with each step shattering the ice path he created and turning them into mist. Once again, the mist engulfed him, and once again he vanished, but this time Ezra didn't pull any trickery and struck Pyrrha head on.

Pyrrha however, was far too talented to be caught off guard. At the last second, she raised her sword and block Ezra's katana. The two blades grinded against each other as the two vie for control, except everybody knows how fragile Ezra's katana is.

"Breakthrough, Pyrrha!"

Nora stood up, unable to contain the adrenaline running through her, and yelled. Pyrrha's gaze intensified, it was as if Nora's voice gave her body an extra jolt as she slowly began to overpower Ezra.

"Oh no! His blade's breaking!"

Ruby leaned back and clutched her cheeks. Not wanting Ezra to lose, I felt compelled to cheer him on to.

"DON'T LET HER BEAT YOU! GO!"

Sheesh, my throat felt rough after that one. It was also... a little embarrassing.

Ezra closed his eyes and smiled as soon as he heard my voice. He tilted his blade at an angle that would easily cause it to snap. Pyrrha not expecting this, lost her balance momentarily and fell forward. Ezra twirled and executed an elegant pirouette around Pyrrha, swinging his broken katana at her as he ended his spin kneeling down. Pyrrha caught herself just in time to clumsily block his strike with her shield, but the other half of Ezra's blade never dissolved. It instantly sucked the mist around the two of them, creating a huge ice shard that catapulted downward, grazing Pyrrha's shoulders causing her aura to glow.

Ezra stabbed his katana at the ice shard and grinded its blade against it as he swung at Pyrrha. The longer his blade stayed in contact with the ice shard, the more of it was reformed. By the time his blade was about to hit her, his katana was fully formed once again.

Pyrrha backflipped, evading his strike. Before she could land, she threw her shield on the ground like a rubber ball, bouncing it at Ezra. Ezra however, noticed the same move used against Team CRDL. He agilely sidestepped and roundhouse kicked the shield away, instead of bouncing it back to Pyrrha, effectively disarming her. He aggressively pressed the attack and dashed forward, pressuring Pyrrha with a flurry of strikes that pushed her to the edge of the arena.

"COME ON! PYRRHA! DON'T LET TEAM JNPR LOSE!"

Jaune tucked his palms close to his lips and yelled as loud as he can, making me and Weiss cringe from ear pain. I can complain all I want about his ear piercing yell, but whatever it was that Jaune seem to have worked. It was like a switch was flipped inside Pyrrha, cause all of a sudden, her strikes are bit faster, stronger, and much much much more ferocious. So much so that it was Ezra's turn to be pushed back.

All that steam and bravado he was showing earlier was quickly fading. His katana's not regenerating as fast and his movements are a tad bit slower. It was as if Ezra completely forgot how to block, as he focused more of his energy dodging than parrying. The rise and fall of his chest is much more apparent, and his balance is slowly crumbling.

"He's tired."

I accidently let slip what was on my mind. Though it wasn't just me who was worried as the rest of my team, minus the sleeping Blake, chimed in.

"Well, stamina wasn't really his strong suit to begin with."

Weiss continued.

"I know!" Ruby replied in a panic. "Not to mention he can't maintain his semblance for this long, and to have it active with this wide of a range is..."

BAD. REAL BAD.

The mist around us began to fade, and the momentum rapidly shifted towards Pyrrha. Their blades clashed numerous times with each collision pushing Ezra back closer and closer to his end of the stage. For what seemed like the last time, their blades met. Ezra gathered what strength he had left and fortified his blade, grinding it against Pyrrha's sword. Their eyes locked, with each person refusing to blink. Ezra's resolve was impressive, and was so fierce that everyone in the room collectively stared at him awe, being able to withstand Pyrrha for this long. However, no one in this room, believed that Ezra could best Pyrrha in battle of strength. Not even me.

Physical strength was never his forte.

"Ohhhh... Ezra come on, do something."

Ruby anxiously tapped her foot. Her eyes began to water, as she stubbornly refused to blink.

"Don't worry." I reassured her. "Ez's got Pyrrha right where he wants him."

Don't you? Ezra.

Pyrrha's sword began to slowly dig into Ezra's blade, like hot knife through butter. Just before his blade could snap, Ezra grabbed the top half of his blade, harming himself in the process. He ducked under Pyrrha and kicked her hand to create space as he rolled out of the way. He recklessly hopped forward and threw his katana at her, which Pyrrha easily dodged.

Ezra's aura began to glow into a sky blue color, as he crushed what remains of his blade in his palms. Pyrrha swung her sword once downward, then up diagonally, and down once more with blistering speed, but Ezra nimbly dodged all three strikes. He grabbed the circlet on her left arm and threw her over his shoulders, knocking her off balance. With all his might, Ezra extended his arm and sprayed a mist filled with thousands of tiny ice shards aimed squarely at Pyrrha.

It would seem that victory was at hand for Ezra, but out of nowhere, Pyrrha raised her shield and blocked the attack. Ezra had his eyes widened and his jaws dropped. He hesitated just enough for Pyrrha to rush him and slam herself and her shield against his chest to knock him off the stage, ending the match.

"The winner of this match: Miss Pyrrha Nikos!"

Everyone in the crowd stood up and gave the two a standing ovation, well except for Mercury. I smiled and waved at Ezra, proud that he was able to give Pyrrha some real trouble. But something else was bothered me just a moment ago, but I chose to ignore in favor of the fight.

"Ruby..."

I placed my hand at my sister's shoulder and interrupted her pompous cheering.

"Yeah?"

This was different. I know I wasn't jealous, and Ruby's too young to even have the idea of loving a man, weapons sure, but a man. Not a chance. If Ezra was training with Ruby behind our backs, that's totally cool, but the way she said the words she said earlier... something doesn't feel right.

"What do you mean you've seen that move before?"

EZRA POV

I was clumsy. I should have expected it. It sucks that I've lost after being cheered on by Yang, but I guess being cheered on by someone you love works both ways. For me and for Pyrrha.

"Polarity."

I slowly sat up, as Pyrrha made her way towards me with a huge grin.

"What gave it away?"

She knelt down, placing her hand on my shoulder. Pyrrha grabbed my elbow and lifted me up. Not that I needed it, but I appreciate the gesture.

"My last attack. It was calculated, you were close to your shield sure, but you wouldn't have enough time to grab it and block my attack at the same time. The only way you would have blocked it is if your shield magically teleported to your bracer- which it did. So you're either a witch or you somehow magnetized it."

She didn't respond, only giggled, which is confirmation enough for me. Now I have the terrible job of relaying this information to my 'colleagues.' I dusted off the dirt on my arms before looking at her straight in the eyes.

"Subtle, underhanded, and sneaky. How very unlike you."

I raised an eyebrow at her, which she responded with with an awkward smile.

"I like it."

She crossed her arms together then joking punched my shoulder.

"So... what was it you were gonna tell me?"

I laughed, trying to hide my embarrassment, but alas, I can feel the heat rising to my face. It's pretty clear that even without the help of a mirror that I'm blushing.

"Well... me and Yang got together."

Pyrrha widened her eyes and covered her mouth.

"Really!? When? Have you two kissed yet?"

Don't really know how to respond to that one.

"I-I mean congratulations, that 's big news! Who else knows?"

Before I could respond, Yang interrupted us.

"No one, just us two. Well, three now."

"YANG!"

Pyrrha and I yelled in sync.

"I-it's not what you think I swear!"

Pyrrha waved her hand in a panic, fully aware of the argument that me and Yang had last time, and that it was about her.

"It's all good Pyrrha, I was wrong to be mad. I rushed down here to see if this jerk's okay."

Yang was a little less playful with her punches, but I can tell that she's still joking around and was still surprisingly calm.

"I- also came down here to apologize, Pyrrha. That night me and Ez had that argument, I may have been a bit sneaky and didn't close the door all the way. I knew you've been wanting to explain things to me, and I've kinda been ignoring you too. Somehow I knew it wasn't what it looked like, but I still wanted to believe my wild imagination cause that was the only thing that made sense at the time..."

Yang looked at the ground and began to draw random circles with her boot, not wanting to look at Pyrrha, but she quickly found her resolve and snapped out of her hesitation.

"So, Pyrrha, I'm sorry."

Pyrrha sighed and hugged Yang.

"There's nothing to apologize for, I'm sure Ezra can explain why we hang out with each often... I- ah, I'm simply too embarrassed to say it out loud right now."

Yang looked at me with a curious face. I flashed a cheeky grin at her and Pyrrha and shrugged my shoulders.

"Vomit boy."

Yang looked up, deep in thought. It took her a minute to connect two and two together, but once she did, Yang quickly jerked her head towards Pyrrha with her mouth wide open.

"NO WAY!?"

Pyrrha grinned awkwardly.

"Y-yeah, ahaha... way."

Yang's shock slowly turned into a mischievous grin.

"You know Pyrrha, me and Weiss are coordinating the dance this weekend, I can hook you up with a little something something so you and Jaune can have a moment."

She winked.

"If you know what I'm saying."

Pyrrha's face began to turn red, and the once proud and stoic Pyrrha Nikos began to unravel.

"N-no, no! It's okay, besides he doesn't seem interested in me anyways. He likes Weiss waaaay more. Speaking of Weiss, why haven't you told them yet? Your team, I mean."

Nice save.

"We don't exactly know how they'll take it. I'm sure Ruby will be happy, but she'll instantly blow it out of proportion, and if you know Ruby, that's kind of hard to handle sometimes."

Yang added. She looked my way, and urged me to continue.

"Weiss will probably be indifferent about it, so long as it doesn't interfere with our day-to-day studies and training. She's also a bit distracted with her own romance."

Pyrrha so far has been nodding in agreement, silently waiting for the rest of our explanations. Yang and I looked at each other for a second, the concern in her face mirrored mine, then we glanced back at Pyrrha, projecting the same look the two of us had for each other.

"The real problem is Blake."