Her nightmares were getting worse by the day. Practically every night she would find herself struggling to fight a battle she couldn't win. That she couldn't stop.

At first she had shrugged it off, hating it but knowing that it would pass. Only, it never did. Every night, she tried to sleep, and every night the nightmare returned.

The same nightmare, every time. A dream of death and destruction, of heartache and betrayal.

A dream that always ended in fire atop the tower.

And when she woke up.

She would be drenched in sweat, as if she had just fought a battle for hours on end. Her muscles would ache, and her mind would be restless. When she looked in the mirror, her hair was a mess, and her eyes moved erratically, scanning any sort of movement with a paranoia that she couldn't get rid of. Her team was always growing more worried, but even in spite of the disturbing dreams, Pyrrha reassured them to the best of her ability.

It was never enough and they constantly worried, asking what they could do to help. She told herself it was a sign that they cared, and they did, but she struggled to keep that frustration from boiling over.

She found herself needing more and more time alone in order to sort her thoughts and gain her bearings lest she snap at her friends. She had started to usher them on ahead of her in the mornings.

Which happened to be the source of her current frustration.

Pyrrha sighed in frustration, once again trying, and failing, to navigate the school. She had learned just how unfamiliar she was with the school grounds lately, but she had thought she was more than familiar enough to not get lost going to breakfast!

Clearly, she had been wrong.

She tried to not let her anger get the better of her, her years in the spotlight back in Mistral helping her to keep her calm, but it was starting to falter.

Her anger was only fueled by her ever present headache and sense of nausea, both of which had been driving her up the walls over the last few weeks. She had gone to Tsune numerous times, to the point that it had almost become routine, and each time she was met with the same 's resident doctor had no idea what might be wrong with her.

Tsune had taken blood samples and sent them off to be tested, but they were still weeks away from hearing anything back. In the meantime she had been given some slightly stronger medication to help alleviate the symptoms.

Once that had failed she had been given some even stronger ones.

Pyrrha had lied about how she was feeling on her last visit, saying that the medication was helping despite the fact that it wasn't. She'd given up on there being anything the doctor could do. She had only really gone at Jaune's insistence and to check on when they were set to know for sure what was wrong with her.

It wouldn't be until after the festival.

Pyrrha didn't plan on going back.

She turned the corner, seeing another hallway nearly identical to the one she had just come down. For a moment she had considered hitting the wall in an uncharacteristic fit of rage, but she managed to wrangle that desire back before it could actually happen.

Ten minutes later, however, and she was no longer trying to hold back her anger.

Whatever deity watched over Beacon clearly saw what was about to happen to the prestigious academies hallways and decided to finally give her a break.

As she rounded another corner, seeing another identical hallway, she spotted Ruby standing next to one of the windows, staring out with unusual intensity. Before she could even fully process her luck, Ruby had turned to see her.

"Pyrrha?" She stepped towards her, a smile falling from her face as she took in her friends appearance, stopping a moment later. "What's wrong?"

Pyrrha liked to think she wasn't a cruel person, in fact, she liked to think she was at least decent. She wasn't the sort to yell at innocent little girls trying to help.

Sadly, it seemed she didn't even understand herself anymore.

"Nothing's wrong!" Pyrrha snapped back, only realizing the emotion, the sheer anger, in her voice when Ruby's face twisted in a mix of surprise and fear.

Looking at that hurtful expression, Pyrrha felt as if her heart had been wrenched from her chest. "R-Ruby, I'm sorry! I-I..." She tried to come up with an excuse, but couldn't. "I don't know what came over me, I'm so sor-" She was cut off as Ruby collided with her, wrapping her arms around her back and hugging her as tight as possible.

"Ruby I'm so sorry…" Pyrrha, after a moment, hesitantly returned the hug.

She didn't say anything for the longest time, simply holding on to Pyrrha.

She wasn't sure when the first tear had slipped, only that one moment she was 'fine' and the next she felt like she had fallen apart. No longer able to hold back the frustration and anger that had been building up for days.

Ruby remained quiet through her soft sobs, hugging her tighter with each one.

She had no idea how long they stood there, nor could she say if anyone had seen them, but she didn't care. When all was said and done, she felt better than she had in weeks.

Ruby was the first to pull away, though the look on her face said she wouldn't hesitate to do it again if Pyrrha looked like she needed it.

She took the chance to rub at her eyes, turning away slightly in embarrassment.

"What's wrong?" Ruby's voice was quiet, almost as if she expected Pyrrha to run at a loud noise or that she would yell at her again. To her shock, she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't

Pyrrha took a moment to compose herself, trying to steady her breathing. When she had at least some confidence back she stepped towards the window. Unable to look at Ruby as she spoke.

"I don't know what's wrong." She struggled to keep her voice steady. "I-I don't know what's happening to me and I feel so alone… I know I'm not, and I keep telling myself that, but it doesn't help." She struggled to keep the tears from flowing once more. "Nothing makes any sense!"

Pyrrha refused to look back, unable to bear whatever look Ruby would be giving her without breaking down once more.

"You're not alone," Ruby stepped closer. "You have people you can rely on, people you can trust." She placed her hand on her back. "You can trust us…"

Pyrrha didn't dare look back, she couldn't, even as she began to explain everything. The turmoil she had been feeling inside, the building frustration that she couldn't explain, but more than anything she talked about the nightmares.

"I'm not crazy, I know they aren't real," She was trying to convince herself just as much as she was Ruby. "But it just felt so… real." It was a contradiction, she knew it, but she couldn't stop herself from saying, nor believing, it.

Through it all, Ruby had sat quietly, letting her rant and vent her issues. She had simply watched her, eyes filled with concern for her friend.

Pyrrha hoped she didn't think she was mad.

"How long have you been having nightmares?" Ruby's voice carried no judgment.

"A few weeks," Pyrrha thought for a moment. "Or maybe a few months, I can't remember…"

"And it's always the same one?" Pyrrha only nodded. Ruby remained silent for a moment before speaking. "Then maybe they aren't just dreams."

For the briefest of moments, Pyrrha thought she was mocking her. She turned to face her friend, a miserable smile on her face, only to freeze when she met silver eyes staring at her with an intensity unlike anything she could recall.

"I'm not saying they're real." Ruby defended her point. "I'm not calling you crazy, Pyrrha, because you're not. You're my friend and I want to help you." Pyrrha's smile turned watery, tears once again a real possibility. "But maybe these dreams are trying to tell you something."

Pyrrha waited for her to continue, but she never did. "Tell me what?" Her voice shook as she spoke.

The look that crossed over Ruby's face could only be described as complicated, numerous emotions warring with each other in a struggle for dominance. Above all, she saw frustration.

Anger.

It didn't fit Ruby at all.

"Dreams are created by your subconscious, usually they don't mean anything, but recurring dreams are different." Ruby explained. "Recurring dreams are the subconsciousness of saying something is wrong, or it's trying to draw your attention to something."

"How do you kn-"

"Blake and Yang were arguing over what dreams meant within earshot of Weiss." Ruby blushed in embarrassment. "She… corrected them once they got on her nerves."

Pyrrha thought for a moment, taking the time to wipe at the moisture that had built up in her eyes. "How do I figure out what it means though?"

If it even meant anything. The cynical part of her brain refused to let her have hope.

"I… dont know." Ruby looked almost as disappointed as Pyrrha felt. "Just… pay attention to it, I guess." She paused for a moment before going on. "I'm sorry I can't hel-"

It was Pyrrha's turn to surprise her friend, pulling her in for another hug.

"You've done more than enough, Ruby." Pyrrha said. "Thank you."

When they pulled away, Ruby was blushing. "Heh, what are friends for?"

Pyrrha took a deep breath, struggling to compose herself but managing a small genuine smile.

"I was on my way to breakfast when I found you, but… I'm not hungry anymore." She hadn't been hungry in the first place, only going in search of her team, but she just couldn't put up with the crowds. "I'm gonna head back to my room and get ready for class."

Pyrrha nodded and turned only stopping when Ruby spoke.

"Class?" She sounded confused. "We don't have class this week, or the next one." Pyrrha turned to look at her. "It's the festival…"

Already?

She had thought she still had time. Had it really flown by so quickly?

No… it hadn't, and yet what Ruby said was true. Pyrrha looked out the window seeing what her friend had been looking at, Amity Arena loomed over the academy as it had been for several days now.

Only it hadn't been.

Pyrrha shook her head, struggling to think. They didn't have class, which meant she was free to train for the tournament…

The idea didn't sound nearly as appealing as it usually did.

"Didn't I overhear you and Jaune talking about a new game you two were playing?"

Ruby's eyes lit up in excitement for a moment, before a thought occurred to her. "Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?"

Pyrrha nearly choked, preparing to apologize only to stop once she caught the look on her friends face as she struggled to hold back laughter.

She was teasing her.

Pyrrha turned and made to walk down one of the halls, only for Ruby to reach out and grab her arm before she could leave.

"Wrong way." Pyrrha's face turned a shade darker as she followed behind.

Pyrrha surged up, striking out at the monster who tried to kill her. She hit only air. The darkness receded once more, allowing her to see her dorm room.

It had simply been another dream… The nightmare.

She turned over to look at her scroll, seeing that she had been able to get at least some sleep in preparation for the next day's events.

They had made it to the doubles rounds, team JNPR having won their first match by a sizable margin. She had been so proud in that moment, despite the fact that she had single handedly faced greater odds and come out on top.

Something about fighting with her team made it feel like so much more. Pyrrha was no stranger to team fights, she had done a couple in the past, but this one had been something entirely different.

When they found themselves victorious, Pyrrha had smiled brighter than any championship she had won.

Then she'd remembered what came next, and her smile had died.

Pyrrha shook her head, standing and moving towards the bathroom only to pause as she neared the door. Something was wrong, but she couldn't say exactly what.

Examining her surroundings she found nothing out of place. Her team was still soundly asleep and the room was quiet.

The feeling began to fade and she shrugged it off, blaming her paranoia. That was until she looked back at the bathroom.

The feeling came back stronger, a voice in her head telling her to turn back. She very nearly didn't listen, stepping forward towards the darkness. She caught a glimpse of light bouncing off of the mirror and stopped, her mind going back towards the nightmare she had just woken from.

And the evil that sat behind the glass. Slowly, she backed away. Each step serving to lessen the feeling of wrongness that prevailed her, until she found herself falling back onto her bed.

She pulled the sheet up and slipped back under them, never turning her back on the doorway.

It was irrational, she knew, a fear of the dark was something for children, but as she sat there looking into the darkness she couldn't help but think of her nightmare.

She knew that sense of wrongness she had just felt, it was familiar and yet she was sure she had never actually experienced it. At least, not while awake.

It was fake, of course.

Right?

Authors Note: Short chapter is short because it was a pain in the ass. Also the reason it is a bit late. My apologies.

Also, no, this is not a Pyrrha X Ruby fic. I'm just gonna say it out right, since I know a number of people will see the constant interactions and think otherwise. I usually don't shoot ideas like that down so directly so early in the story, but this felt important enough to address.

Hope you enjoyed and as always remember to review. I love reading them regardless of if they are positive or negative. They help me to improve the story either way.

Sincerely SE