When Pyrrha decided to come to Vale and attend Beacon, she did so with more in mind than merely being part of the best Academy in the world.
By being in another kingdom and studying among the best, she would possibly no longer be the invincible girl; the champion, or some celebrity.
Certainly, she didn't want to consider herself less or belittle all her effort and dedication to reach these achievements, regardless of the burdens that came along with it.
She would keep fighting with all her might until she found someone who proved stronger and finally managed to break her winning streak.
For that reason, her expectation was only to be considered another girl in Beacon, striving to be a Huntress with the noble intention of helping others in the future, and not as an object of admiration/envy for those who considered her out of reach or blessed with talent without considering all her effort and dedication over the years.
Pyrrha just didn't wish to be put on a pedestal anymore and feel excluded, rejected even, by those around her.
For a moment, she believed she had succeeded in her goal before arriving in the Vale.
All thanks to the one revered as Moonlight Shadow, a name more than appropriate with the setting in which its ascension took place, having the broken moon ever present in the night sky over its dark and mysterious figure. He or she, no one knew which, was an entity of power that exceeded anything imaginable, be it human, faunus or Grimm, and changed the world for the better in a matter of minutes using that overwhelming power.
Definitely the result of an unimaginable amount of training, or that level of control and precision demonstrated shouldn't be possible.
At least, that's what she wanted to believe.
The notion that this person was something else, as many believed it to be, was bound to distort reality and logic.
Exactly why it was undeniable that such a feat had thrown the entire world into chaos, in more ways than one, and stolen all the attention, including the one normally directed at her.
There were so many topics of discussion regarding Moonlight Shadow that ranged from more serious and relevant matters such as its identity, and whether this person was really an ally or a future threat, to more banal things such as the meaning behind the name of the attack used to destroy the Grimm.
No one could understand what Shadow Release meant and what it had to do with one metal star becoming countless others.
The best guess was with the black electricity that sang like countless birds and couldn't have originated from mere Dust.
All this, as intriguing as it was, didn't matter.
At least, not to her...maybe a little.
The point was, for the first time in a long time, Pyrrha found herself being ignored by the people around her.
She could finally experience what it was like to be normal again, and gosh, it was so...liberating, in a way that removed the invisible and ever-present weight that those distant stares represented.
This feeling was simply indescribable and made her immensely happy.
For this indirect gift that could be considered mundane by most people, but priceless to her, Pyrrha would always be grateful to this mighty hero.
However, unfortunately, there was truth behind a certain popular saying.
All good things are short-lived.
After arriving in Beacon on this new day that surely represented a fresh start for the world, she made the mistake of letting her doubts speak louder in the midst of so many people and inevitably attracting attention to have some students begin to notice her again.
Before long the whispers returned along with those glances at her.
In the end, it seemed that nothing had changed and all her excitement was crushed by the sudden return of that uncomfortable weight in her chest that the admiration and envy of others represented.
Just as she was about to give up on her dream, which couldn't have been simpler and more naive, something proved different from the usual.
While, yes, she was still well-known and even had some curious students actually trying to approach her, even if it was with ulterior motives to secure her as a possible partner for initiation and teammate, there was someone walking around who helped diminish this unwanted attention considerably.
In fact, even Pyrrha couldn't help but have her green eyes following this unexpected ally with reason.
After all, undeniably, this boy was very, very, very handsome, even more so with this pair of eyes that, although strange, were nevertheless beautiful as jewels as unique as those patterns.
There was also the way he dressed, in a way that definitely didn't help his modesty and discretion...not that she was complaining.
She and all the girls at school, apparently.
It was rare for her to have an opportunity like this...not to admire a handsome boy, although this was the first one she had seen and left no doubt in her mind as to his attractiveness. No, this opportunity was about being able to be on the opposite side of her usual situation and see herself doing what others normally did to her.
While she wouldn't be arrogant to say that the kind of attention she received was the same, Pyrrha knew that she was considered attractive, maybe even too much so for most boys to give up without even trying.
Bunch of herbivores who only had the nerve to say dirty things about her behind a computer screen, all of them.
A problem that the girls didn't seem to have as they followed this boy around without caring about anything else.
With this, for the first time, Pyrrha found herself admiring someone from afar.
Again, she was 'normal' and could just act like any other girl her age did upon seeing a boy who could win a beauty contest even among models, and have some... fantasies about it.
Such thoughts made blood pool to warm and redden her face as well as bring to life a genuine smile.
For a moment, Pyrrha felt like she had gone back to her pre-teen years, all those years before she won her first tournament when things were simpler, and it made her feel good, in a way that hadn't happened in a long time.
But that wasn't all.
To her surprise, this wasn't just some handsome boy who appeared to make the girls' day brighter, and some boys too, apparently.
After returning to the main hall because of the peak of an absurdly powerful and rage-filled Aura; one that coincidentally fit the description of Moonlight Shadow precisely enough to make her anxious about this legendary hero being in Beacon, Pyrrha discovered something possibly better that helped dispel this momentary theory and gave her reason to keep the smile on her face.
The second time on the same day because of the same boy.
Something that had never happened before; as well as finding someone who really had something in common with her.
He is famous too! Pyrrha had her Scroll in hand to watch the video everyone was talking about; one whose views easily exceeded the total sum of what she had on the internet by an absurd margin. Far more famous than me! The video wasn't all, there were images of him in different clothes on other occasions that were also hot topics of discussion on the internet, second only to Moonlight Shadow. On top of it, he is also a good person!
If more people were like that, the world would definitely be a much better place.
Too bad he wasn't as perfect as his appearance suggested.
Considering all those girls who were clinging to him, this boy was a womanizer.
Still, Pyrrha couldn't help but ignore this small flaw as she understood why these girls were fighting over him and softened her smile.
The reason for this was in the final image of the video with him smiling so fondly that butterflies appeared in her stomach, something supposedly fictitious and so often quoted in romance stories that she didn't expect to be real.
The possible meaning behind this fanciful phenomenon made her heart beat faster and her only relief was knowing that there was hardly a girl alive who wouldn't have a similar reaction in her place, especially because of how cute and noble this boy's attitude was in treating this crying little girl as if she were part of his family.
Considering the atmosphere around her, Pyrrha was sure that even the boys jealous of his popularity and good looks were changing their minds, especially the one next to her who didn't even seem to notice her existence.
"Wow!" Jaune had his eyes shining in admiration as he witnessed the heroic attitude of his mentor and possible friend. "Sasuke is so cool!"
Not only in the video, but also for showing his sovereignty in the legendary art of ignoring girls to get them to like him, even managing to look uncomfortable while having three beauties in his arms!
Just how long would it take for Jaune to reach this divine level of indifference?!
His opportunity to start learning and showing himself worthy was there when a female voice capable of sending shivers through his body because of its closeness and softness brought him out of his thoughts.
The girl who was speaking to him was a green-eyed, red-haired beauty dressed like a true Huntress; one who looked as strong as she was beautiful and second to none of those who were with Sasuke.
"Do you know him?" Pyrrha couldn't help but ask, however being sure to do so with a friendly smile that could melt most of the boys. I hope this one doesn't know me.
Otherwise, he would probably choke without being able to say a word and run away while blushing like a little boy.
Something more common than she would like to admit.
That, or she would have another strange fan on her hands to deal with.
To her surprise, however, this boy looked at her in shock, then with some excitement that made him glow only to freeze in place and widen his eyes.
Such a reaction was unknown even to her and it made Pyrrha nervous, imagining that she had drawn bad luck, especially when he looked her up and down in an unobtrusive way to start irritating her.
Before she could make her dissatisfaction known, however, came another unexpected change in the strangeness of this blond boy.
It took some time, but Jaune realized his mistake in staring at this pretty girl instead of putting his teachings into practice!
He quickly went into his super serious mode and crossed his arms as he looked away, but not without letting an audible "Hmph" echo and hoping it was good enough.
It was, to confuse and irritate Pyrrha even more.
What the hell was that?! She almost poked this boy with her spear, something that has happened before, but she managed to restrain herself as her eyes twitched a bit. First, he almost devours me with his eyes and then he does this?! What's his problem?!
That was also the first time and definitely not in a good way.
For a moment, Pyrrha believed she had been rejected as if she wasn't pretty enough for this idiot.
An impossibility, she knew that very well.
Many people had made a point of reminding her of it over the years, even before her fame.
In that case, there had to be a different reason for this, and if she paid attention, this boy seemed...offended?
Could it be that she was the one who did something wrong?
Well, trying to start a conversation with someone unknown can have that kind of result, Pyrrha had forgotten that after so long. After all, I am bothering him.
Still, this reaction was...extreme, to say the least, especially when he could have just walked away instead of remaining still where he was while looking at her out of the corner of his eyes, almost as if he was waiting for something.
The problem was that she didn't know what exactly.
Maybe an apology? If so, for what? Asking a question?
Then she remembered the expression he had and the gleam in his eyes as he focused on that boy, whom he called Sasuke while blushing as much as the other girls around...
Ooh! Pyrrha came to the only conclusion that made sense! Maybe he cuts that way?!
After all, to reject her like that, without an apparent reason, and show such adoration for an overly handsome boy, had to mean something.
That and he thinks I'm flirting with him! Pyrrha finished her reasoning and needed to correct this misunderstanding immediately! "Sorry for my intrusion, I didn't mean to bother you," she really didn't, that was her curiosity speaking louder. "Then why don't we try again?" she suggested with some hope and all he did was open one of his blue eyes at her and that was more than enough. "My name is Pyrrha Nikkos, what's yours?"
The silence was the answer she got and it almost discouraged her, but not enough to make her give up. Especially since her name didn't gain any reaction, meaning he didn't know about her and that was all she wanted!
Not only her, but Jaune could also hardly believe the positive outcome of his first attempt either!
I-is it really working?! He was trembling inside, never imagining that this method would work right away! I shouldn't have doubted Sasuke!
That man wasn't the supreme master without good reason!
In that case, he needed to keep it up and ignore her even more!
Unfortunately, he was still just a novice and had his limits.
"I think you might be getting the wrong idea here," Pyrrha kept trying, assuming that the fact that he hadn't turned away from her meant that he was still listening, "I just want to talk a little and maybe form a friendship?" Still nothing, so she decided to use her last card up her sleeve. "I really like your hair."
Said and done.
It was like watching something melt, and all that closed-off attitude was gone, leaving only a smiling blond who jumped out of joy like a little girl as he grabbed her hand.
"Own, stop it!" Jaune couldn't help himself, getting all giggly at the first compliment from a girl who wasn't his mother or one of his sisters. "Yours is wonderful too!"
Yeah, definitely gay, Pyrrah smiled, happy for the opportunity to have such a lively friend. A shame, since he is kind of cute... in a silly way.
A bastard in attitude, but cute.
Speaking of cute, she couldn't and wouldn't forget Sasuke, the boy who made her feel sensations unknown to her before this day and who she still wanted to get to know better.
Especially after noticing his discomfort with his current situation.
From one person who dislikes attention to another, I should greet him later. The idea was there to make Pyrrha's heart flutter with anticipation. I'm sure we would have a lot to talk about...
They had some things in common, from what she could tell, and that could be a good start.
The challenge would be those girls surrounding him, but Pyrrha had faced and defeated far worse.
Mere fangirls were no challenge, regardless of how beautiful those four girls were.
A decision that became true when something unexpected happened; a revelation that confirmed hitherto speculative feelings, either of admiration or of...something more.
While she was listening to the blond boy, now identified as Jaune Arc, talk cheerfully about beauty treatments to make her hair silkier and softer than his own, a subject he seemed to know to absurd levels, Sasuke was dealing with the request for an autograph made by the couple that revealed his fame to everyone.
Something that should be as typical for him as it was for her.
Or so she thought, never imagining what such an innocent request would result in.
No one could.
The emotional response Sasuke had was one capable of bringing his oscillating Aura to the surface and making Pyrrha's eyes widen. This powerful Aura was one she recognized from afar, being the same one that filled the entire school earlier with its anger and...
Could belong to Moonlight Shadow... If Pyrrha's heart wasn't already beating like crazy before this, now it was trying to jump out of her mouth! Sasuke is the Moonlight Shadow?!
The possibility was there with every peak of this Aura that surpassed hers by a margin almost impossible to comprehend!
Just as it explained how all those Grimm were drawn in and subsequently exterminated!
Fortunately, only those with large amounts of Aura and control could identify these changes and similarities.
Otherwise, there would be total chaos with this revelation that was bound to happen sooner or later.
Wait! Pyrrha just realized something else to stir her heart. Does this mean that the two I have come to admire are the same person?!
Not only her, apparently, if the atmosphere in the hall meant that much.
Fortunately, the reason was a little different and after Jaune revealed this boy's name for all to hear, that's when the biggest change happened to silence everyone and with reason.
Never in her life had Pyrrha felt like crying and hugging someone she didn't even know properly.
The emotions present in a conflicting Aura, tears, and heartbreaking words gave reason for this sudden impulse.
"I'm not a hero and never will be."
Then something that many have seen before, at the end of that video of the Grimm extermination and confirming his identity as the Moonlight Shadow, Sasuke disappeared amid green leaves, tears, and the sadness of his Aura.
For a moment, Pyrrha felt something break inside her and overflow from her eyes, just as it had happened to those girls who desperately cried out for the name of this hero in denial.
Once again she found herself experiencing an unfamiliar sensation.
This one, however, was far from pleasant.
Still, she couldn't let herself be shaken; not the way it did with those other girls, let alone allow these emotions to influence her actions, not when something bad was about to happen.
Without hesitation, Pyrrha moved to stop the situation from escalating further before the professors arrived and the world plunged into chaos with this revelation once more.
Short chapter as I said it would be, but on the bright side it's centered on Pyrrha whom you guys wanted so badly.
Anyway, about Sasuke being over dramatic or too emotive, I know it's kind of out of character, especially when he is not on the "dark side" of it but it's something that I build to be like that from the beginning. And Yes, there is a reason for it so bear with me.
About the DxD fic, just to let you guys know that I'll keep writing it. For a Sasuke fic, I think it was well-received and that is a good reason for me. So when will there be a new chapter? Honestly? I have no idea, but at least I'm writing more.
That's all I have to say, so review, and if you want to support me and read up to five chapters ahead, take a look at my P t r & on (slash) Bertoti
The next one comes out on the 15th.