RWBY Through Worlds

148: Find You

The Fall Relic was indeed hidden in a cave. Shine had been right.

It seemed fitting, as Ozpin had wanted to hide it more than the others.

Cinder flew in, like walking was too basic for her, and picked it up.

It shrank to fit her hand.

Then she flew out.

Shine had not gotten up yet. The blast had damaged her more than Ozpin.

Pyrrha, who was still feeling it, but more resistant than Shine, pushed herself up again.

"Well, this is really pretty ironic." Cinder, of course, had to gloat. "All that, and you fell for it."

"Not all of us." Ozpin struggled to get up.

Cinder shot him down again.

"Stop it!" Pyrrha jumped to her feet. "Stop doing that."

Cinder turned to her.

"Ah, Nikos." She made a sword in her hand. "This is almost nostalgic for me. Remember what it was like before? But an arrow is too good for you this time. I think I could make it more painful."

"Are you really just going to ignore  everything we talked about up there?" Pyrrha said, without any fear, to Cinder's surprise.

"Why would I listen to that?" Cinder said.

"Because you know we're right," Pyrrha said, steadily. "You can sense it, can't you? Even with all our failings, have we ever lied to you?"

"Are you really doing this right now?" Cinder pointed her weapon at Pyrrha quickly. "You do realize I'm about to kill you, again, and I'm even stronger this time than before? This is the time for stupid questions?"

"Do you remember what I said to you?" Pyrrha tried something different. "Right before you killed me?"

Cinder raised an eyebrow. "Yes." 

"What was it?" Pyrrha challenged her.

"You asked me if I believe in destiny," Cinder said.

"And you told me 'yes,'" Pyrrha said.

Pause.

"What's your point?" Cinder didn't get it.

"Why did you say yes?" Pyrrha aksed.

"Because, I think destiny is something that you seize for yourself," Cinder said. "You take it in your hands. In fact, that's something I think you'd know all about, since you hid your Semblance from people. You were good, Nikos, but I was better."

"Maybe." Pyrrha didn't take the bait. "Interestingly, it's very like something I said right before that happened... I also thought destiny is something you choose."

"Well, then why is it my fault if I've just chosen it more strongly than you have?" Cinder held up her sword again. "Admit it, we're the same. You just lost."

"Yes." Pyrrha looked her in the eyes. "We were the same."

Cinder wasn't ready for that.

"That's what I've been thinking all this time," Pyrrha said. "I couldn't explain why I didn't hate you for what you did to me--but I see it now. It's because I came to the tower to do the same thing to you and to Amber that you did. You just beat me to it. Do you know  what I was most upset about when I remembered what happened? It wasn't that I died, it was that I lost."

She had succeeded in shocking Cinder into forgetting that she was going to stab her for a few seconds.

Cinder was gaping.