Authors Note: Important note about next week's upload at the bottom.

Pyrrha struggled with the clasp of her blouse, before sighing in frustration and sitting back in her chair. She looked back towards her bed, wishing nothing more than to go back to sleep, but knew she had lessons to attend.

The few hours of sleep she had gotten since her nightmare had been dreamless, thankfully, but not nearly enough. Rather than the eight hours she usually got it, it felt like only a two or three. It left her tired and irritable, a fact that her team had already picked up on. She hadn't snapped at them or anything, no angry outburst or enraged accusations, but it had apparently been enough.

She had apologized, of course, telling them to go on to breakfast ahead of her while she finished getting ready. They had been a little hesitant but she had managed to convince them it was for the best. It gave her the time to focus on what was wrong without having to keep up appearances.

Not the plastic smile kind of appearances, she had moved well past that with her team, but more so the 'I'm fine' variety. She didn't want to worry them and so she would rather struggle alone. Or, so she'd thought.

The only thing she'd been able to think about was her dream. It had all been so… vivid. Her hands still shook when she thought about it, that also being the reason she was struggling to button up her uniform.

After a few more minutes of trying, and a few impolite mutterings towards the inventor of buttons later, she was dressed. She opened the door to the bathroom, checking herself in the mirror to make sure she was at least somewhat presentable.

Pyrrha let out a disappointed sigh at what she saw. Her clothes were on right, a little wrinkled here and there but nothing to be concerned about. Her hair looked fine from a distance, but upon closer inspection it was clearly a mess, at least by her standards.

The part that bothered her however were her eyes. Bloodshot with not too subtle bags under them, it was all too easy to tell she hadn't slept properly. Her hands fidgeted at her sides, refusing to hold still as she tried to force on the fake smile she so often relied on.

It would be enough to convince most but if anyone looked too closely they might assume she was falling apart, and she felt like it. Her body had ached from the moment she had woken, feeling sore in a way she hadn't been familiar with since her last tournament match.

The exhaustion of a difficult fight, one that was a test of mental fortitude as well as physical prowess. She had loved that feeling once, the adrenaline rush of real combat where either side could come out on top. It had been the largest motivator for her to start fighting.

This was different however, this was something more. It wasn't reassuring, there was no satisfaction of a fight well fought. There was only pain and a deep sense of something being wrong.

Pyrrha shook her head, ignoring her reflection and the headache that came with it, as she turned away. Stopping only to grab her scroll and take a deep breath, she stepped out into the halls of Beacon.

Thankfully most of the students were either still in their rooms, training, or in the cafeteria at this time. That meant she would have a few more minutes of peace at least.

The walk to the cafeteria felt longer than usual but she ignored it, assuming it was due to how she was feeling.

Her stomach churned as she stood outside the large door, unsure as to what might have caused it. She couldn't recall the last time she had eaten, that must have been it. Her body was in pain, her head felt like it was splitting, and now she felt nauseous.

She considered turning and heading for the nurses office, but a quiet, cold voice in the back of her head said it wouldn't matter. Sighing, she entered the cafeteria and set off in search of her team. It didn't take long to find them, partly because they always sat in the same area and partly because she could hear Nora from the entrance.

She took her seat next to Jaune, getting a mix of polite nods and concerned looks from her friends. Her partner pushed a tray of food to her, watching her for a moment, she smiled back as best she could. He didn't seem to buy it but turned back towards Nora all the same, along with everyone else.

Pyrrha looked down at porridge and had to make an effort not to throw up as her stomach rolled once more, coupled with her headache and she was regretting not going to see the nurse.

"What's wrong?" Pyrrha looked up to see Ruby, who she hadn't even noticed was sitting across from her, staring back. Eyes filled with concern.

"N-nothing, I'm just not feeling well." Pyrrha again tried to smile, for her friends benefit, but it died an ugly death as her head pulsed once more.

"Are you sick?" Ruby kept her voice low so as to not attract anyone else's attention. Weiss looked like she had noticed but elected to allow her partner to be the one to address the issue, in fact, both teams seemed more than willing to accommodate it. Focusing on Nora's stories with an unusual intensity.

"No, Ruby, I'm not sick just…" Pyrrha bit her lip, glancing around to make sure they were well and truly separated from other teams. She trusted her friends to see her as a person, but most students tended to see her differently, even so far into the year. "I had a bad dream, is all."

"Are you sure that's all it was?" Something about Ruby's voice made her hesitate, looking up Pyrrha saw the seriousness of her question written on her face. It was… strange, to see her look like that.

To see her look so grim faced and worried. It didn't help that it played into her own fears. A quiet voice in the back of her head had been asking that same question all morning. The headache had managed to drown it out up until now but, hearing Ruby ask those same words, that voice that had been a whisper was now more akin to shouting.

"I-I… I don't know, maybe I am sick." Despite their age difference, Pyrrha looked away. Unable to maintain eye contact with the younger girl. "What else could it be?"

"I don't know…" Ruby's voice sounded so quiet that she was sure she wasn't meant to hear it.

Pyrrha glanced back down at her food, sighing as she took the spoon set beside it. She'd have to eat, especially if she was sick, and she felt like she could stomach it at the moment.

"You look tired."

Pyrrha groaned in response, not bothering to lift her head from the table as she struggled to think.

"Okay yeah, that was probably a little obvious." She groaned. "Okay, a lot obvious." Jaune's voice was filled with entirely too much amusement. "Maybe you should go see the nurse?"

Pyrrha lifted her head and looked at her partner. "It won't help." Before dropping her head straight back onto the table.

"At least you'll be able to rest over the weekend." Her partner said. "Sleep off whatever's wrong."

That's right… the weekend. She could have sworn it was still early in the week but made no complaint. School life was often like that, a never ending cycle of weekdays followed by short breaks to relax. The weekends had a habit of creeping up on her… but she was s-

Pyrrha groaned as her headache worsened once more.

"You really should go see the nurse." She considered heading his advice but decided against it. She wasn't sure why but she was certain it wouldn't help. Instead, she would suffer through it.

"I'll be fine."

Jaune sighed beside her, his disappointment almost enough to get her to go anyways. "At least call it an early night. Go get some sleep after class is over."

Pyrrha sat up, ignoring the pain for a moment. "I don't think I could afford to miss class."

"Pyrrha… this is the last class."

"R-right… of course it is."

Jaune set his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure Professor Port would let you go early if you asked him, or you could just sneak out. It's not like he'd notice."

"No, no, it's okay." Pyrrha shook her head gently, at least until the pain made her realize how poor an idea that was. "I already made it through the day, might as well finish it."

Juane looked like he wanted to say something more but after a moment he removed his hand from her shoulder and turned back to the eccentric professor.

Pyrrha attempted to do the same, but found that she couldn't follow along. The entire day had been a blur, she'd felt disconnected from it all. The pain serving as the only consistent thing throughout the day, that and her friends of course.

They had all clearly noticed something was wrong at breakfast, but they all had their own ways of dealing with it. Nora and Yang attempted to distract her, more so the former but Yang was more than willing to play along.

Weiss and Blake had been running interference the whole day, making sure people at least left her alone where possible. A cold glare here and there and their friend group was even more isolated than normal.

Jaune and Ren had been trying to convince her to go see the nurse all day, with just about everyone else chiming in at some point to agree with them. Ruby had been the only one not to.

In fact, Ruby had been the one to defuse a lot of those situations, giving Pyrrha an out either by drawing their attention on herself or drawing her away entirely. She'd taken the answer of 'it won't help' in stride and seemed determined to help however she could.

Pyrrha appreciated it all, even if it was a little strange to have everyone looking at her like that. Like she was weak.

They didn't mean it in a negative way of course, just that she needed help, and she did. Sadly, none of them knew how to help her, and the nurse would be of no use.

Why wouldn't the nurse be able to help? She couldn't help but think. Tsune knows a lot about her job, a little head and stomach ache is nothing compared to what must happen every year.

She wasn't sure why, but she knew it would be a waste of time. That was enough to stop her from going, but it wasn't enough to convince the others.

The bell rang and Pyrrha winced but remained seated. She didn't feel like trying to force her way through the crowds would be a good idea.

Beside her, Jaune stood and looked at her. Though her head was still on the table, she could feel his eyes on her.

"Nurse's office." He stated. "That's a team leader order."

Pyrrha groaned preparing to tell him what she had been saying all day, only to pause. How did she know it would be a waste of time?

The dream…

Had she been sick in the dream? She couldn't recall but… that sounded right. Had she really avoided it all day because she had dreamt about it not helping?

"I'll go."

"I don't wanna hear it, you've been-" Jaune cut himself off and Pyrrha felt a smile creep onto her face, despite the pain. "You will?"

"Yeah, I'll go right now in fact."

"Great!" Jaune sounded relieved. "I'll go wi-"

"I'll go with her!" Ruby piped up from nearby, cutting Jaune off. Pyrrha didn't have to look up to know that the younger girl was likely blushing, and that Yang was likely wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at her. "I just wanna make sure she's okay…"

Pyrrha couldn't object, mostly because it would make her a monster. FInally, she lifted her head and looked at Jaune, squinting her eyes against the brightness of the classroom. "You need to study anyway, I'll be fine."

They all gave their goodbyes, even though most of them stayed in the same room, and went on their way. Pyrrha remained sitting through it all, rubbing her temples to ease the pain. It didn't work as well as she would have liked but it did help somewhat, allowing her to think.

"Ready to go?"

Pyrrha stood, nodding softly. The nurse would be able to help, she refused to accept anything else. The voice in the back of her head began to subside, as did the headache.

Tsune hadn't been able to help, at least, not beyond medication. She had said it was all the symptoms of a seasonal bug but that there was little she could do to treat the root cause. The medication was to deal with the symptoms until she got better. That would have to work in the meantime.

Other than that, she had suggested rest. Insisted on it actually. She offered Pyrrha a small room to wait in while the medication took effect, saying that she wanted to check the progress and dosage.

Pyrrha had wanted to decline but Ruby had given her a hurtful look and she'd been guilted into it before she knew it. Her friend had offered to stay with her to help her back to her room but she didn't want to be a burden.

She had managed to get a little bit of sleep and, with the help of Tsune's medication, she was feeling almost normal. There was still a distant feeling of unwellness, she could tell her body was sick but she no longer felt it.

By the time she had finally left the medical wing of Beacon, it was already dark outside. She was about to check her scroll for the time when she realized a more pressing issue.

She was lost. She wasn't entirely sure how it happened but she didn't recognize the surrounding halls of beacon and struggled to tell what part of the school she was in. Had she really been so distracted?

Pyrrha looked out the nearby window but saw nothing, the darkness creating a nigh impenetrable barrier only a dozen or so feet from the wall. With no one around she sighed in frustration and embarrassment. She was about to turn and head back the way she came but her eyes fell on a section of the wall and she froze.

Something about the way it looked was… wrong. She wasn't sure why but she expected there to be something else. Despite the fact she had never seen this section of the school before, her brain was sure that there should have been a doorway or… and elevator but… there was nothing.

Her hand touched the wall.

"It is rather late to be wandering the school grounds, don't you agree Miss Nikos?"

Pyrrha felt her heart leap into her throat as she spun on the spot, feeling like she had just been caught doing something wrong. Despite the reaction he hadn't been doing anything out of the ordinary, aside from being lost.

"Sorry si-Headmaster," She bowed her head slightly. "I'm afraid I got lost on my way back from the nurses office." She felt her cheeks heat up slightly as she tried to stop herself from fidgeting.

"Well, you wouldn't be the first. I myself was once in your very shoes, the school can be such a maze if one allows themselves to wander it's halls while distracted." The Headmaster smiled softly,even as it failed to reach his eyes. "Fear not, you haven't wandered into a restricted area or such nonsense. This isn't Atlas after all." He chuckled at his joke, encouraging her to do the same. "Why don't I help you get back?"

"Oh, that isn't necessary, si-Headmaster." Pyrrha smiled as best she could. "I wouldn't want to be a bur-"

"Nonsense, I always have time for my students." He turned slightly, encouraging her to follow him.

Hesitantly, she moved to follow. "If you-"

"Pyrrha!" Pyrrha froze, turning to see a blur of rose petals fly at her at impossible speeds. A moment later Ruby was standing in front of her. "I was so worried!"

"I-" Her mind struggled to respond.

"I went back to the nurses office and you weren't there!" Ruby huffed, crossing her arms and attempting her best Weiss impersonation. It failed spectacularly, looking more like a puppy who had just had its toy stolen.

"I… I'm sorry?" She wasn't really sure how to feel. Ruby looked up at her with an expression that definitely helped the puppy analogy and Pyrrha's resolve melted. "Sorry."

There was a polite cough behind her, reminding her of the headmaster's presence.

"Miss Rose, come to watch over your friend have you?" Ruby shook her head and Pyrrha felt her cheeks begin to heat up once again. It was embarrassing to say she needed the support, but she really did considering how confused she'd been lately. "Well, I was just about to help her back to the dorms if you'd care to join us."

"I can take her." Ruby smiled brightly, ignoring, or more likely not realizing, how rude that might have sounded. The headmaster didn't seem to mind however, smiling and stepping aside.

"Very well, I leave her in your capable hands." He nodded to Ruby before turning to face her. "And Miss Nikos, I advise you to take some rest. A wouldn't be right for a young maiden such as yourself to take ill so close to the Vytal festival."

Something about his words bothered her and, judging by the way she had begun to fidget slightly, they bothered Ruby as well. A moment later he was gone, the odd feeling along with him.

"Did he seem a bit… off to you?" Ruby kept her voice low, as if he might hear her despite the fact that he had walked off in the opposite direction of them.

It was oddly reassuring to know that she wasn't the only one who noticed however.

"I haven't interacted with him much but…" Pyrrha paused to think. "Yeah, he did seem a little different."

Ruby seemed to ponder it for a moment before turning her attention back on her sick friend. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," To her surprise, she was honest. "Tsune was able to give me some medicine to help with the migraines."

"Tsune?" Ruby asked in confusion. "Is she the nurse?"

"Yeah," Pyrrha blushed. "It's a shortened version of her real name. She's not very fond of it apparently." She could understand why her parents had picked such a unique name.

"I didn't know that…" Ruby mumbled to herself. Pyrrha supposed that was fair, nobody in their group had spent much time in the nurse's office. She had only known her name because… because…

Pyrrha shook her head, banishing the thought before it could go any further.

"Welp, here we are."

Pyrrha looked up to see that, true to what she had said, they had arrived at the dorm building. She ignored the fact that the walk had been surprisingly short, guessing that they had been closer than she had thought.

She was tempted to ask how Ruby knew where to find her, but decided to leave it be. She was grateful all the same. Before long they were standing outside their respective rooms. Pyrrha glanced back over her shoulder to see Ruby watching her.

"Is something wrong?"

Ruby hummed. "No I was… just waiting for something I guess."

"Waiting for what?"

"I dont know." Ruby struggled for an answer. "Good night Pyrrha."

"Good-" The door closed a moment later. Pyrrha sighed but couldn't focus on anything other than sleep.

Opening the door she turned towards her bed, only taking the time to change into her sleepwear. The second her head touched the pillow, she felt the tiredness of her body finally take hold.

Authors Note: All right, this is another chapter.

I need to take some time to hammer out the plot a bit more, so I might take this next upload slot to do that. If you don't get an update next weekend, thats why. Fear not, I have not perished or abandoned the project.

Hope y'all enjoyed and as always I encourage you to review and let me know what you think.

Sincerely SE