"Shit..." Emerald peered through a crack in the warehouse door and watched helplessly as the soldiers aggressively forced Cinder into the VTOL and dragged John's unconscious body in with her.
Two soldiers slowly approached the warehouse.
Emerald darted behind some cover. She held her hand over her mouth in an attempt to muffle the panicked breathing sounds she was making.
"So... you think they might be in here?" Cecil asked nervously, his laser rifle scanning the dark, ominous building. Stacks of empty canisters, crates and barrels filled the warehouse, creating a maze filled with places to hide.
Ray sighed "I think so, why else would she be here?". He looked over to his left and peered in the corner. For a moment he felt like he saw something move... but there was nothing there now. "... man, this place give me the creeps..."
The sound of something being knocked over in the distance echoed through the warehouse. The soldiers froze.
"M-Maybe we just tell Qrow that we didn't find anything...?" Cecil panicked. He begun to back towards the door. "I have a daughter man! I wanna watch her grow up!"
Ray shook his head and sighed. "OK!" He started to shout "LISTEN UP YOUR FUCKERS! WE'RE GIVING YOU THIS ONE CHANCE! COME OUT AND SURRENDER, OR WE WILL BURN THIS WAREHOUSE TO THE GROUND!!"
Silence.
Cecil turned to the door.
A relieved smile stretched across Ray's face. "Well, we can say we tried. Let's g-"
Cecil paused. "R-Ray?" he asked as he turned back to where his friend just stood.
He was gone.
"F-Fuck man! Don't joke with me! Come out!"
Silence.
"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!"
Cecil heard movement above him. He looked up-
Then the strangest thing happened. He hit the ground, but he saw his body standing there for a moment without him. It fell to the ground, without his head-
Cecil tried to breath. He couldn't.
Then he realised what had happened. He had just enough time to catch the bandaged man who decapitated him before his brain cells begun to die.
"Mira..." he thought "... I'm so sorry..."
Emerald waited a few minutes until the soldiers outside finally dispersed. "Fuck... Merc, what are we gonna do!?"
"Well, we have two options" Mercury crept out of the shadows, followed closely by Neo. They stood near the thief, keeping their voices to a dull whisper.
"First option, we run. We find a nice place to live, where no one can find us... free from Cinder, Salem, Vale, Mistral... just you and me-" Mercury stopped as he felt the combined glares of Neo and Emerald.
The bandaged man twitched unnaturally and moved closer to the assassin.
"S-Second option... we finish the mission-"
"So we just abandon the boss?" Emerald leaned against the wall. She was tempted by the first option... but Neo and the bandaged man would never let them do it. As far as Emerald knew, those two were Salem's creations - which is why neither could speak... Salem didn't like her creations talking back to her. They were dangerous.
"Yep." the silver assassin backed away from the bandaged man slightly. "F-For now I mean... once shit hits the fan, we can rescue her and her little cat along with Torchwick."
An uncomfortable silence fell.
The sounds of Emerald, Neo and Mercury's breathing filled the warehouse... but the bandaged man didn't make a sound. It was... creepy.
"Okay..." the green thief sighed. "Makes sense. Pyrrha's fight is going to be tonight-"
She froze. "SHIT! John's fight was next! If he can't fight..."
Mercury's mouth dropped. "They'll move Pyrrha's fight forward... we gotta move, now!"
The assassin and thief ran for the stadium, leaving the creations behind.
The bandaged man twitched uneasily. He could feel something... something familiar. She was alive. He managed a twisted smile and walked into the shadows-
Neo lost sight of him, but she didn't care. She knew her role. She would have to free Torchwick... along Cinder and John now. She spun her umbrella playfully and smiled.
The crowd roared to life in the stadium.
"Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen." Peter's voice was softer, apologetic. "Firstly I would like to apologise on behalf of all of Beacon Academy... Yang Xiao Long's actions in the previous fight were unacceptable. Rest assured that she will be severely punished." he sounded sad. He liked Yang...
"Indeed Peter, but the show must go on!" Oobleck took over. The crowd cheered. "Can our combatants: Sun Wukong and John Munezane please report to the arena!".
Sun stood at one end. He searched the crowd for Blake-
She wasn't there.
He sighed.
The crowd began restless.
"John Munezane, report to the arena immediately..." Oobleck announced again.
"Something is wrong..." Daryun checked his scroll. John wasn't answering his messages, or his calls. "It's not like him to miss a fight..."
"Stupid cat... probably fucking that whor-"
"Take it easy sis!" Nume interrupted his sister and sighed. "Whatever, boss, what are we gonna do? John said he had something to do with Cinder, right?"
"That's what worries me..." Daryun checked the progress of his decryption. Almost there. "... okay... Neri, stall the commentators-"
"Wait, what!?" the bunny shot him a slightly terrified look.
"Nume, come with me. We're going cat hunting" the sickly hunter stood and ran for the exit, with the archer close behind.
"... great... 'stall them'..." Nerisa sighed. She made her way to the commentators booth. The stadium was packed, even more so than before. People were gathered, some secretly hoping for another act of brutality, others just wanting to see what all the fuss was about.
She pushed her way into the booth-
"Um..."
Oobleck turned to her and turned his mic off. "Yes, what is it?"
"I'm Nerisa-"
"John's teammate, yes, I know." Oobleck spoke quickly. The crowd were losing patience. "I'm guessing he can't fight..."
"He can! Just... well, he's... missing... can we delay?-"
"No." Oobleck shot her down. "But... there is something we can do..." he turned to Peter and nodded.
Peter's voice boomed in over the speakers "Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for your patience! Due to unforeseen circumstances John Munezane has been disqualified-"
The crowd booed.
"But his teammate, who survived the double rounds with him, will take his place. So please give a warm welcome to Nerisa Usagi!"
The crowd cheered as the bunny nervously stepped out into the arena.
"Shit... what am I doing?..." she looked around the stadium. The pressure was immense. She looked over at her opponent - the blonde haired monkey faunus-
He winked. "'Sup, I'm Sun. Man... I was hoping to kick that stupid cat's face in... I don't know what happened between him and Blake, but I don't like it-"
"Yeah... I wanna kick his stupid sexy ass too..." Nerisa sighed. She looked up at the screen. "... I really didn't expect to be fighting today..."
"Hey kid..." Qrow entered Yang's cell. He sighed in relief, expecting much worse. Her cell was a decent size, with a bed, a toilet and even a window. Yang herself laid on her bed, facing the wall. She clutched the photo of team STRQ tightly. She was being held in Ironwood's ship.
"... so... you wanna talk about what happened?". Qrow sat on the bed beside her.
She slowly turned. Her eyes were red and sore - she had been crying.
"Well... why did you do it?" the uncle stared at the ground. Her face... she reminded him so much of his sister Raven...
"You know why..." she sat up and tucked her legs under her chin. Sadness tainted her voice.
Qrow shuffled on the bed, sitting next to Yang and leaning against the wall. He placed his arm around her. "All I know is that you attacked that kid. Everything here thinks you're lying, or crazy..."
"I'M NOT LYING!" her voice started to break. She buried her head into her knees further as she desperately hid her tears.
"Well... I would go with crazy..." Qrow smiled "but... I don't think this is your fault. Mercury... Emerald... there's something else going on here. I get the feeling that we're not out of the woods yet..."
Yang looked up at him. "... maybe I am crazy... maybe that's why mom..." she stopped and turned back to the photo. It was wet with her tears and crumpled up.
Qrow sighed. "I said look after that..." he paused "... and I though your dark haired friend was the emo one, come on Yang... this isn't like you..."
"I saw her." Yang leaned against her uncle and stared into the photo. "Mom... I mean..."
Qrow was silent.
"I was in a lot of trouble... took a pretty hard hit." The blonde huntress paused, deep in thought. The memories of her battle on the train flooded her mind. "... when I came to, the person attacking me was gone. And... I thought I saw..." Yang sighed. "... I guess I am crazy-"
"You're not crazy Yang... well, maybe a little!" he laughed "After all, we are related, and with a mom like Raven... well, you don't stand much of a chance-"
"HEY!" she playfully hit him.
"But... in all seriousness, that was your mom alright. Let me guess, she didn't say a word? Typical Raven..."
"H-How... how did you know that?" Yang looked up at Qrow's eyes.
"I don't see her very often, but she does try to keep in touch-"
Yang looked sadder. Her mother kept in touch with her brother, but not her own daughter...
"Does... does she hate me?" she started to cry.
Qrow paused. "You... no, she doesn't hate you" he hugged his niece and sighed. "It's just... you weren't exactly planned, you know? It was a night of hot passion-"
"EW! QROW!" Yang pushed him away.
They both laughed.
"Good..." the drunkard smiled. "I'm glad to see you smile again." His voice became serious once more. "She wanted me to give you a message... I was gonna wait 'til the right time... but, well, fuck it... this is good enough."
Yang fell silent.
"She wanted me to tell you that she saved you once. But you shouldn't expect that kindness again." Qrow looked out of the window. The sun was getting low, but it was still a while from setting. "Raven's got an... interesting way of looking at the world. I don't particularly agree with it." he paused. "She's dangerous... just like you".
He continued "I know it's hard... but bad things happen. You have to accept them and move on-" he smiled. If his father could see him now... see him giving advice, acting like the grown up... he'd laugh.
"Move on to what...?" Yang pulled away.
"Well... Raven let some info slip before she took off. If you ever want to track her down..." Qrow turned back to his niece-
She was looking right at him, wiping tears away.
"I think I might be able to help." he smiled. "But, that can wait. Right now, we need to get you out of here and... more importantly, you need to talk to Ruby."
*punch*
Cinder spat blood onto the floor. She found herself in an interrogation chamber on Ironwood's flagship. The walls were a bright white, with lights hidden behind panels. A small white table sat in the middle of the tiny room. Two chairs - the one she sat on was very uncomfortable - sat either side of the table. Her hands were bound tightly behind her. The door blended into the wall, becoming invisible. It looked like a sealed chamber with no exit-
It was terrifying.
"I will ask you again..." Ironwood sighed and straightened his tie. "Where. Is. Salem?"
Cinder looked up with the most innocent expression she could. Tears welled in her eyes. "I DON'T KNOW WHO THAT IS!" she lied, breaking into tears. "Where is John!? Is he OK!?"
Ironwood smiled. "The cat?" he leaned in close, Cinder could feel his breath on her face. "Don't worry, I'll be paying him a visit very soon-"
*knock*
Ironwood sighed and headed to the door. He turned back and glared at Cinder one last time before leaving the room.
*punch*
Ironwood rubbed his jaw and glared at the man who just punched him - Qrow. "Are you satisfied now?"
Yang stood behind the drunkard, looking very depressed.
The General sighed loudly. "Yang has been expelled. She's no longer a member of team RWBY or a student at Beacon. Escort her to her dorm, collect her things and take her home... before I change my mind." Ironwood cocked his head and whispered to the drunkard "There are a lot of people who want to see her burn for what she did..."
Qrow roared in anger, but it was no use. "Fine... but this isn't over."
"One more thing... did you want to speak to one of the prisoners before you go?"
"You bet I do..." Qrow pushed past Ironwood and into Cinder's cell, signalling Yang to stay back. He sat on the chair opposite her.
"Cinder Fall..." he sighed-
Her eyes welled with more tears. "Please... let me go... I haven't done anyth-"
"You have her power. The last of the Fall maiden's power. Ironwood confirmed it, so you can drop the act. Now, your teammates: Mercury, Emerald and Neopolitan... where are they?"
Cinder struggled to contain a smile. They hadn't been captured yet. There was still hope. "I... they're innocent-"
"I saw two of them... on the day you attacked Amber. Their faces were blurred, but I saw enough of 'em to convince me. So, where are they?" Qrow's voice became irritated.
Cinder didn't answer.
"Fine... but just a warning. Ironwood won't show you... or him any mercy."
"Him...? John! Is he OK!?" Cinder's voice was filled with genuine worry.
Qrow stood and headed to the exit. "Tell Ironwood what he wants... he needs you, not him."
John's eyes slowly opened. His vision was blurred, his ears rang but were slowly clearing. He found himself dangling from the ceiling by a chain. The chain cut into his wrists, his hands felt numb. His feet didn't quite reach the floor. The pain was excruciating.
"Awake, huh?" Qrow smiled. "So tell me, how does a former White Fang assassin end up with a human girl?"
"I'm not..." John started. He sighed. They knew. "... that was a long time ago!"
"Yet, here you are." Qrow laughed. "So, Cinder, what is she to you?"
John blushed. He still didn't know for sure. The last few days had been crazy. Cinder, Blake, Neri... his mind struggled. "I..." then he remembered last night. The passion... It all seemed so clear then. "... I love her..."
The drunken hunter took a swig of his drink. "You're a strange one... but fine, I guess we can't choose who we love." he looked into the distance for a moment. His mind flashed to a red haired girl... her silver eyes... "Sum-" he mumbled, then shook his head.
"Where is Salem?" he glared at the cat.
"Who?"
Qrow leaned in and stared at John's yellow cat eyes. A few moments passed in silence. "You really don't know, do you?" he laughed. "Cinder's been using you... great, here I was, hoping you might be able to help..."
"Cindy!" John struggled in his chains, but they only dug deeper into his wrists. The pain intensified. He screamed.
"Ironwood won't kill her." Qrow assured the cat. "But you... well, I'm sorry kid-"
The door swung open and a soldier nodded at the drunkard.
John eyed the room. He could teleport out of the chains... but then he'd just be trapped and they would intensify the security. If he was to escape he would need perfect timing.
Qrow sighed and followed the soldier out.
"What was that about?" Yang shot him a puzzled look.
Qrow paused for a moment, debating whether or not he should tell her. "I... I'll tell ya later, come on" he led his niece to a VTOL in the hanger bay, it was already prepped and waiting. The hanger was HUGE, filled with aircraft... so many aircraft. Most were already filled with robotic soldiers. "Shit, Jimmy..." Qrow mumbled. "This looks like an invasion force..."
*punch*
Cinder fell onto the ground. Her hands remained tied up behind her, her Fall maiden's power was still sealed.
"Salem... where is she? Don't make me ask again, I hate repeating myself..." Ironwood grabbed the huntress by her throat and pushed her against the wall.
She remained silent.
He leaned in and whispered. "I need you alive. I can't risk your power going to one of your teammates when you die... I need it to stay here, with Atlas-"
Cinder sighed in relief.
"But... you'd be surprised how much punishment the human body can take without dying..." Ironwood's grip tightened. "Those pretty little eyes of yours... those arms and legs... you don't need them."
Cinder started to shake.
"So... what will it be?" Ironwood threw her to the floor and drew his pistol - it was huge. Calling it a pistol was a bit of an understatement, it was more like a hand cannon. He aimed it at her right eye.
"... whatever you do to me..." Cinder's eyes filled with genuine tears "... she can do worse..."
"We'll see." The General moved his pistol and aimed at her leg-
He fired.
"Alright, let's try to keep this fight clean!" Peter's voice boomed out of the speakers. The arena rose again, matching the configuration of the last battle. There would be no more surprises, not more randomisation - just two fighters and pure skill. "Combatants, get ready!"
The crowd couldn't be more excited.
Nerisa drew her spear and readied herself. She eyed her opponent. Sun Wukong. His chest was bare, a white shirt open over it. He wore red gloves and blue jeans. He drew his staff and spun-
Girls in the crowd screamed in excitement.
He winked at Neri.
Nerisa's long green hair hung loosely and blew in the wind. Her brown rabbit ears were forced down and hid in her hair - which was uncomfortable, but she had gotten used to it. A green bandanna held them down and almost matched her hair colour. Her skin was dark, her eyes were a deep blue. She wore tight fitting leather trousers, which provided a decent amount of protection and plenty of movement... honestly she had worn them hoping to get a reaction from John, but the cat left all too quickly. Her tank-top was dark green and slightly too big for her, but it was comfortable and a little raunchy without making her self-conscious. Finally thick leather armoured gloves sat on each hand, with the fingers cut out to allow her to move her hands freely, and knee high black combat boots provided additional padding for her landings - which she was grateful for.
The green haired bunny blushed a little at Sun's wink. She had to admit it, he was hot.
"3!"
The countdown had begun. Sun continued to show off by spinning his staff. Blake wasn't in the crowd, but she might still be watching - and he was going to impress her!
"2!"
Nerisa angled her spear down and crouched slightly. Her legs begun to tense up.
"1!"
The hunters stared into each other's eyes.
"BEGIN!"
The bunny leapt high into the air-
Sun begun to run and erratically dodge from side to side. He kept moving, making Nerisa's job a lot harder.
The bunny was starting to fall towards the ground. She had no choice. She darted for him at max speed-
*crash*
Her spear dug into the ground and missed her target-
Sun moved in-
Neri pulled her spear back - keeping the tip in the ground. The spear bent, then suddenly she released it and it snapped back and slammed towards the monkey-
He sidestepped, narrowly dodging the wooden part of the weapon-
Then felt Nerisa's foot in his ripped chest. His muscles tensed and absorbed the damage.
"FUCK! Why are you sexy!?" Nerisa screamed, then blushed "S-Strong!! I said strong!" she leapt back, now without a weapon.
The monkey smiled. "Well, you're not so bad yourself" he winked, dropped his staff and brought his hands together.
"Oh my! How exciting! It looks like Mr Wukong is about to activate his semblance!" Oobleck exclaimed excitedly. "He calls it Via Sun!"
Oobleck didn't need to explain Sun's semblance. It soon became obvious as two Sun clones appeared in front of him. They were semi-transparent and glowed a bright yellow. The clones raced towards Neri.
She hadn't had a chance to see him use them, she'd missed his double battle. The bunny begun to race towards the edge of the arena. She needed to get Sun away from her spear-
But the real Sun didn't move. He stayed exactly where he was, his hands clasped tightly together-
Suddenly an idea popped into Nerisa's mind. She smiled.
"He attacked me!" Yang insisted. She back in team RWBY's dorm. Ruby and Blake sat on Weiss's bed, both staring at the ground.
Blake sighed. "There's video footage... and millions of viewers who saw it... and..." she turned to Ruby.
"We saw you sis..." Ruby couldn't look up. "... you attacked him..."
The blonde huntress felt rage... anger... but then, despair. Her own sister didn't believe her. The girl she called her best friend didn't believe her... she started to cry-
The door swung open.
Yang turned. Her mouth dropped open.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic!" Weiss smiled weakly "I'm fine!" she stepped into the room and glared at Ruby and Blake. She waited for a moment expecting them to get off her bed... but they didn't. She sighed and sat next to Yang.
"You saw it too, right Weiss?" Blake brought her knees up and buried her head in them.
"Huh? Oh... that..." the icy huntress smiled. "Yang would never do that! There must be a mistake-" Weiss saw movement to her left - Yang was staring at her, with teared up eyes and a smile on her face.
"T-Thank you Weiss!" the blonde huntress hugged her-
"OW! Not so rough!" Weiss pushed her away. "... I mean... we all believe you, don't we?" she looked expectantly at Ruby and Blake.
"M-Maybe..." Ruby slowly looked up and smiled at Weiss "... maybe she was just stressed, right? She saw something that wasn't there-"
"RUBY!" Yang's scream interrupted her. "P-Please... say you believe me..."
Silence.
"Please..." Yang's voice became weaker.
"I... I can't!" Ruby stood and sprinted out of the door.
The blonde huntress laid on her side and wept. She felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry..." Weiss searched for the words... but her mind was blank. It didn't matter though, the gesture was enough.
"I..." Blake mumbled.
"Blake! Yang's hotheaded, sure, but not ruthless!" the icy huntress glared at the faunus.
Blake looked away.
Weiss's mouth dropped.
"I..." Blake's eyes slowly met with Yang's. "... I want to believe you..." she closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Then sat up straight. "I had someone... very dear to me change. It wasn't instant, it was gradual... little choices that began to pile up."
Blake moved towards the edge of the bed.
Yang sat up.
The black huntress continued "He told me not to worry... at first, they were accidents. But then it was self-defence and... and before long, even I begun to think he was right." she looked to the side and broke eye contact. "This is all just... very... familiar."
Blake shook her head slowly. "But... you're not him..." she looked up at her friend. "You've never done anything like this before... so, I want to trust you." she paused. "I WILL trust you. But first, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me that he attacked you. I need you promise me that you regret having to do what you did."
Yang rubbed her eyes, wiping the tears away with her scarf. She looked Blake right in her yellow, cat like eyes. "I saw him attack me, so I attacked back."
Silence filled the room.
Then, finally, after what felt like an eternity Blake smiled. "Okay. Thank you. I believe you Yang-"
The door burst open. Ruby walked in, tears streaming down her face. "SIS!... I..." she had been listening to the conversation. She was moved by Blake's words. "TEAM HUG!".
The girls stood in silence, each fight back tears. They embraced each other in a group hug, their heads touching.
"I'm so sorry sis!" Ruby cried. She pulled out a tissue and blew her nose into it hard-
"Ruby..." rage built in Weiss's voice.
Ruby looked at the 'tissue' in confusion. It looked... lacy...
"Whose were my panties..." irritation filled Weiss's voice.
The girls, excluding Weiss, laughed hard. Their tears slowly stopped flowing.
But Yang soon returned to sadness. "They're kicking me out of RWBY..."
"Well, I don't care what they say!" Weiss nodded in determination. "You will always be Yang of team RWBY"
"YEAH!" Ruby shrieked.
Blake nodded and smiled.
Outside the room Qrow smiled and wiped a slight tear from his eye. "See Yang? You're not alone." he mumbled.
Nerisa leapt up high into the air, soaring over the clones and landing close to Sun. She ran at him-
He opened his eyes-
She was gone.
He heard movement behind him and turned-
Nerisa slashed her spear across his face. The blade cut into his aura and created a small cut on his face, but his aura held.
The clones had caught up now. They ran at Neri, one grabbed her and pushed her back. It started to glow.
*bang*
A loud explosion echoed through the stadium. A brilliant white light shone from where the clone was. As it faded Sun blinked in horror-
Nerisa was gone.
Did he go too far? Had she been vaporised!?
*stab*
The bunny's spear dug into his shoulder. The monkey looked up and smiled at the faunus above him. She held herself in the air, forcing the spear to penetrate deeper.
Sun's aura started to plummet.
"Not bad, good looks and skill..." he winked and moved his hands - causing his second clone to instantly vanish. He reached up and grabbed the spear. With all his might he squeezed on the wood hard, until-
*snap*
Nerisa fell, holding a stick in her hands. The spear head remained lodged in Sun's shoulder, her weapon's effectiveness was dramatically reduced-
*whack*
Nerisa felt Sun's knee impacting her stomach. She squealed slightly and hit the ground in pain.
"Well, this should be fun!" the monkey laughed and grabbed his staff. He spun it around and beckoned the bunny towards him "Come on Nerisa, show me what you've got!"
The bunny stood. She looked at the broken end of her spear and sighed. She looked into the crowd at the empty seats. "John..."
"NERI!!!" Nume's voice screamed out, piercing the crowd's cheering. "KICK HIS ASS!!!"
The bunny laughed. She looked around the crowd. The people looked so happy. They cheered, they chatted. Friends, families, lovers, even enemies... everyone was united. This was the true strength of a hunter. She nodded, filled with determination. "This is what I want," she smiled "fighting grimm? Struggling through exams and tournaments? It's all for this... to bring joy to the people".
"Woah... that's pretty deep" Sun said.
"Yeah..." Nerisa readied her stick. "Alright. I'm ready."
"Nume!" Daryun sighed and dragged him teammate out of the stadium. "Come on, we've got to find John."
"Sure, whatever... didn't he say he had to give those paramedic uniforms back today? Maybe we should check there..." Nume sighed. The sickly hunter stopped. His eyes were wide.
Nume sighed more "... are you listening, or-"
"Nume!" Daryun grabbed the bunny's shoulders. "You're a genius! Paramedics... that must be it! Go to the hospital, I'll meet up with you later!" he instantly turned and ran to find the paramedics that had carried Mercury away. If his theory was right... then Yang's 'accident' was planned.
"Well..." Blake wiped a tear away and blushed. "I'll help you pack."
"AH! I was supposed to meet Anton!" Ruby panicked.
Her sister laughed. "It's okay, you go." the tears had finally stopped. "I promise you girls... this isn't the last you'll see of me!"
Ruby gave Yang one final hug and ran out of the room, towards her date.
Blake shot Weiss a look.
"Oh... um, yeah... I'll be right back" laughed Weiss as she left the room.
Clodus was waiting, smiling.
Weiss closed the door behind her and whispered "This is a mess..."
"Is she..." Jaune slowly cracked open team JNPR's dorm room and stuck his head out. JNPR's room was opposite RWBY's. He had heard crying and muffled voices, but little else. "... doing okay?"
The door slowly swung open fully, revealing a concerned looking Nora, Ren and Pyrrha.
"She's... doing the best she can" Weiss sighed.
"Yeah... oh, I heard Mercury and his team rushed back to Haven-" Clodus stepped forwards, wanting to be included in the conversation-
"Yes, to be with his family. Although that's just a rumour..." Ren shrugged. "The police aren't saying much..." he stopped himself. "Oh, but, if there's anything we can do... please don't hesitate to ask."
Ruby's head poked around the corner-
Weiss screamed. "WHERE DID YOU COME FROM!?"
"Anything...?" Ruby smiled menacingly.
Ren nervously nodded.
"OK! Then... Pyrrha!" the red caped huntress narrowed her eyes as Pyrrha sat nervously on her bed. "You be sure to win one for Beacon, okay!?"
Weiss hit Ruby, sighed, then smiled at Pyrrha "Y-Yes, it's what Yang would want"
The red haired fighter turned her head and stared at the ground. The Fall maiden... the choice she would have to make... the tournament was almost over. Today and tomorrow... then she would have to make her choice. Her mind filled with thoughts "A life of meaning, of purpose... or..." she looked at Jaune and blushed... "or him".
"I'll do my best" she forced a smile.
"OOH! I'll be sure to watch your fight tonight! Though I don't think Anton will be there..." Ruby sighed.
"Yeah, he's helping me move some stuff!" Clodus stretched. "It's about time I moved into the dorm fully, I mean I am an official member of team RWBY after all!". He paused. The timing look awful... he was moving in as Yang was moving out.
"Well... sorry, but I won't be there Ruby... I need to rest-" Weiss rubbed her wounds-
Suddenly a loud meow came from the RWBY dorm.
The hunters fell silent.
"U-Um... I don't think Blake will be either..." the icy huntress blushed.
"Aww... I'll be alone... but it's okay! I can chat to Penny after the fight!"
Weiss grabbed Clodus's hand and started to walk away "Oh Ruby, didn't you have a date, or something?"
The red caped hunter screamed and vanished, leaving a trail of rose petals down the corridor.
"Our leader..." sighed the white huntress.
"He's late" the woman sighed, tapping her foot impatiently. He was always late. But today was supposed to be different-
"Mommy!" Mira ran up to her mother, her smile wide. She was six years old last week, but her father was busy with the train incident. He had people to question, reports to write and she had barely seen him. But he made a promise today. "Mommy!!! When's daddy coming home?" the young girl smiled, chocolate cake smeared around her face.
Her mother slammed her fist into the wall-
*thud*
Mira backed off slowly.
"Cecil... you low life piece of shit! You dare lie to our daughter!?" she spat at the ground and stormed into the kitchen, reaching for a bottle of vodka.
"M-Mommy... please don't be mad..." Mira slowly approached her mother, shaking. "Daddy's a hero! He's out saving people!"
Her mother threw the bottle on the floor. Shattered glass sprayed out. "SHUT UP!" tears formed in her eyes. "He's no hero...". She hadn't planned on this life. Cecil was an accident - a drunken mistake... and so was Mira. Peer pressure and shame kept her from aborting the child, but every time she stopped to think what her life might have been... if only she hadn't gotten drunk on that one night-
Mira started to cry.
Her mother slammed the kitchen door shut and desperately drowned out her daughters screams with another bottle of vodka. It was going to be a long night.
A few minutes passed and it became obvious to Mira that her mother wasn't going to comfort her. "Daddy..." she whispered, her voice pained and sad. He would comfort her. He was nice.
The six year old put on her shoes and smiled wide. She was a big girl now! She pushed the door open and stepped outside... then ran back in and grabbed her teddy. It was a scary world out there after all!
Jaune waved goodbye to the ice queen and smiled. She looked happy, happier than she would have been with him. He slowly turned into the dorm and shut the door.
Pyrrha sat on her bed, staring at the floor. She looked distracted, deep in thought-
"YOU HEARD THE LADY!"
Pyrrha bolted upright and leaned away from the shouting Nora. The orange haired crazy girl leaned in close, her eyes narrowed. "No more moping around!"
Pyrrha blinked.
When she opened her eyes Nora was dressed in pink sportswear and standing on the opposite side of the dorm, her hands on her hips, her eyes closed. A mischievous smile stretched across her face.
The orange huntress snapped her arm forwards and pointed right at the red fighter, her turquoise eyes suddenly opened and locked with Pyrrha's. "We gotta get your big butt in shape for the biiiiig-" her pointing hand formed a fist. She punched the air "FIGHT!".
The crazed huntress begun to run on the spot. In an instant she was on the floor, doing press ups, then a moment later she was doing star jumps-
Pyrrha struggled to keep up. Nora was exhausting- "Wait... big butt?" Pyrrha thought, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.
The orange haired girl reached for some weights-
They were comically oversized.
"IT COULD BE THE MOST IMPORTANT FIGHT OF YOUR LIFE!!!" she strained to lift the weights, her legs begun to buckle-
Then fell onto the ground and panted.
Silence filled the dorm for a moment.
"...Um..." Pyrrha cocked her head and begun to stand-
Nora sat up. She was fine.
"Nora's right" the ninja interrupted. She stood by the door wearing a bright pink apron - thanks to Nora putting her clothes in with his whites during the wash - red text stood out clearing on the front of the apron: "Please do nothing to the cook". Ren had written it neatly on there himself, hoping to deter Nora.
It didn't work.
The ninja continued "You can't let your concern for Yang hold you back"
The red fighter contained a laugh. She didn't care about Yang - that psycho deserved her punishment. But Amber... Raven... she couldn't get them out of her mind. The thought of 'Amber Nikos' still haunted her.
Ren sighed "You need to focus! You'll be defending the honour of Beacon Academy-"
"YEAH! We can't let those Haven rats win!!" Nora was stood again, she punched the air and jumped around excitedly.
"Indeed" Ren smiled at her-
Nora blushed.
He didn't expect that. "W-Well-" he promptly handed Pyrrha a glass of vile looking green liquid. It seemed to be mostly plant matter, the stench was unbearable and the colour was very unappetising. The liquid became darker towards the bottom as the plant fragments collected together-
Pyrrha fought her gag reflex.
"This blend of herbs and vegetables is filled with nutrients vital to your body's well being-"
Pyrrha wasn't listening. She stared at the liquid... it seemed to bubble slightly-
She suddenly felt the ninja's stare. "O-Oh!" she smiled nervously "T-That's..." she struggled to think of a word that wasn't insulting. None came to mind.
Ren smiled. "Please, there's no need to thank me-"
Nora made vomiting sounds "Eww! That looks like slime from a lake-bed!"
It was slime from a lake bed. Ren smiled more, Nora was learning. "Algae contains numerous spectacular properties-" he handed the orange huntress the glass. "See for yourself!"
Nora stared at it. She tilted her head. She sniffed. She did not look impressed. But she didn't fight as Ren gently poured it into her mouth.
Ren was all too used to this. Without him Nora would live on chocolate and snacks alone.
She closed her eyes and held the liquid in her mouth. She tried to swallow-
Her gag reflex kicked in. Her face became green. She started to sweat-
Then proceeded to spray the ninja with the green liquid.
He sighed.
The orange huntress ran to the bin and begun to fill it with her lunch. The stench of vomit filled the room. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" she turned to Ren, a lump of what was once food slid down her chin and into the bin.
"Me?" Ren looked genuinely puzzled. "You're the one who wasted perfectly good juice" he used his fingers to collect some of the drops that she sprayed him with and licked it.
Nora crawled towards her old friend and pulled herself up-
"H-Hey! My apron-"
"WE'RE SUPPOSED TO HELP HER!" she begun to shake Ren " NOT POISON HER!-". She suddenly stopped. Her face became green again.
"N-Nora, please!" Ren tried to push her away put he failed-
Pyrrha looked away. She heard Nora retch, the sound of liquid spraying out, then a very sad sigh from Ren.
Jaune begun to feel sick himself. "H-Hey, how about we get some fresh air?... After you two change your clothes...".
Ten minutes later Pyrrha found herself outside. She sat on the floor, leaning against the window of the main hall. Clouds were staring to gather... it was going to be a storm night. She looked up and caught an amber coloured leaf as it flew past. Autumn was starting, then it would be winter-
She paused. Autumn... Fall... once again the image of the dying Amber flashed in her head.
The leaf danced in the breeze, slowly falling towards the fighter. It landed by her foot.
"Is this some way of telling me what I should do?..." she mumbled. She begun to quiver. Tears formed in her eyes.
Destiny... it was a word that had haunted her all her life. Her mother always said she was destined for greatness, that she would become a brave hero and save the world. It was destiny that brought her to victory in battle after battle. It was fate that brought her to Beacon. It was fate that brought her to Jaune...
"Is life really pre-written like that?" she wondered. "Is there someone writing out everything I'm going to say, or do?"
"Hey..." Jaune's voice interrupted her thoughts. The fighter looked up at him.
The blonde haired leader held bright pink cotton candy in his right hand. He smiled at her, but Pyrrha could see he was worried.
"It's, um" Jaune laughed "it's no green goo... it's certainly not healthy... but I still think it might do some good." He extended his hand offered her the candy-
Pyrrha only felt worse. Here he was, trying to cheer her up... he was a good man... more than she deserved. She looked into his deep, blue eyes. "I don't want to lose him..." she thought "I want to be with him... even if that means leaving the world to die-". She felt guilty, selfish...
Footsteps sounded in the distance.
Jaune turned to see Nora skipping around the corner. Ren followed close behind, holding a giant tub of popcorn... Nora had insisted on buying the biggest one. Pyrrha's fight would start in less than an hour.
"This is going to get cold..." Ren sighed. "We should have waited-"
Nora covered his mouth. Her eyes widened at Pyrrha and Jaune. She was crazy... but even she knew when to leave two people alone.
"C'mon Ren! Let's go back to the fairgrounds, I'll win you another stuffed animal!" she started to drag him back.
"Fairgrounds?" Ren sounded confused. There wasn't a fair on today.
Pyrrha stared at the pink candy-
Jaune sat next to her.
He was warm... the red fighter blushed.
Jaune smiled, his voice became soft and caring "You were the first person to ever believe in me, you know that?"
They turned to each other, their eyes met.
"Even when I told my parents I was going to Beacon," Jaune turned away and sighed "they told me not to worry if I ended up having to move back home." he forced a smile "How depressing is that?". His own family didn't believe in him... but Pyrrha did.
The red fighter broke eye contact "I'm sure... t-they didn't mean-"
She stopped, dropping the cotton candy-
Her hand felt warm.
She looked down. Jaune was holding her hand. He leaned in closer to her. "I guess... I'm just trying to say that..." he paused as he searched for the words. His heart raced. "You've always been there for me... even when I didn't deserve it".
He smiled at her. "I can tell there's something on your mind, so... "
Pyrrha said nothing.
"... I dunno..." Jaune looked away-
He took a deep breath. The turned back to her. "How can I help?". She had always been there for him. She unlocked his aura, giving him the abilities he needed to be a hunter. She trained him to fight, she comforted him when Weiss turned him down... he loved her. He would do anything for her.
Pyrrha smiled and wiped the tears away. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She had dreamt of doing this for so long. The warmth... the faint sound of his heartbeat. The touch of his hand...
"You're already doing it" Pyrrha smiled and allowed herself to be lost in the moment. For the briefest of moments she forgot about Amber. Raven. Her destiny. For this one moment she was Pyrrha Nikos and she was happy.
But... if there were gods in this world, they were cruel. Pyrrha's moment of joy quickly faded. The sound of another leaf hitting the floor forced her eyes to open. "... Jaune?" she sat up and moved away from him, forcing her hand free. "I... I don't know what to do..."
This was it. Her last chance. She would let him decide.
"What do you mean?" the blonde leader sat up a little straighter, his voice filled with concern.
"Do..." she turned to him. "Do you believe in destiny?"
Jaune paused for a moment. "Um... I dunno.. I guess that depends on how you view it."
"When I think of destiny..." Pyrrha's mind filled with memories. Her mother and father forcing her to fight, stopping her from playing with other children. The endless hours spent swinging her sword in practise. All to complete her 'destiny'. "I... I don't think of a predetermined fate you can't escape..." she paused and doubted herself. "...but rather..." she smiled "some sort of final goal. Something you work towards your entire life."
Jaune stretched out "Okay, uh... yeah... I can see that, sure."
"Well... what would you do if something came along that you never expected...?" Pyrrha's voice begun to break as she fought back tears. "Something that had the potential to stand between you and your destiny?"
"Like... what?"
Pyrrha ignored the question, allowing a glimmer of hope to take over "Or what if you could suddenly fulfill your destiny in an instant, but at the cost of who you were!?"
Jaune laughed a little as he reached out to touch her "Pyrrha... you're not making any sense-"
She stood.
"NONE OF IT MAKES SENSE!" She screamed and turned away.
Jaune slowly stood, his mouth wide open. He had never seen her acting like this before... she was usually in perfect control of her emotions.
"THIS ISN'T HOW THINGS WERE SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!" she started to cry.
"I'm sorry!" Jaune panicked. "P-Please.. I'm just trying to understand what's wrong..."
The red fighter regained her composure. She felt awful... she had taken her anger out on the man she loved... "I... I'm sorry Jaune..." she turned to face him. "I've always been told that I was destined to become a huntress... to become a hero. To protect the world."
She sighed. "And it's become increasingly clear to me that they were right... but..." she fought back tears again. "I don't know if I can do it..."
"Of course you can." Jaune interrupted. "The Pyrrha Nikos I know would never back down from a challenge!... If you really believe that it's your destiny to save the world, you can't let anything stand in your way." He smiled. "But... only if that's what you believe."
For the first time in her life Pyrrha was given a choice. For the first time someone would let her decide what she wanted to do and not judge her. She covered her mouth and turned as tears streamed down her face.
"P-Pyrrha...?" Jaune slowly walked towards her. He looked confused... but mostly sad. He hated to see her cry like this. "I'm a terrible leader..." he thought.
"D-Did I say something wrong!?" he moved in close-
"STOP!" Pyrrha held out her hand-
*thud*
She slowly opened her eyes. Her mouth dropped. Her semblance allowed her control of polarity - magnetism.... and Jaune was wearing metal armour plates.
Jaune's body was pinned against a supporting pillar. The pillar was cracked. Blood poured from his head. His armour glowed black with Pyrrha's power-
"I... I did this...!?" she released him immediately, a look of absolute horror filled her-
*thud*
He fell to the ground.
A moment later the blonde hunter stood. He was shaking, in pain, but he kept a brave face.
"I'm..." Pyrrha wept uncontrollably. "I'm so sorry!" She hadn't lost control of her power like that in years... even after all this time... had she ever truly grown? Was she still just the scared little girl, following orders?
The red fighter turned and ran at full speed. She hated herself. She didn't deserve to be happy... fighting was all she was ever good at. She knew what she had to do.
"PYRRHA! Jaune screamed in deperation "WAIT!!!".
She kept running.
"Oh! What a wonderful battle we have here!" Oobleck smiled. Nerisa... Sun... they represented the true spirit of the tournament - and they were both faunus. Yet despite the racism that still persisted there were humans in the crowd of all walks of life cheering them on.
Nerisa was exhausted. This battle had gone on for so long now... "S-Sun...?"
The monkey held himself up with his staff "Y-Yeah...?"
"Can we call it a draw?"
The monkey laughed. "G-Getting tired already, Neri?" -
Sun leapt at her and spun, his staff battering her body. She was not longer able to block it-
Her aura drained-
A single thought raced through Nerisa's mind "No... I... I want to win!".
The bunny dropped towards the ground, narrowly dodging a powerful swing. Her heart raced. Sweat dripped down every curve of her body. She reached out her hand and touched the floor of the arena-
Then pivoted on it and pushed both legs into Sun's perfectly toned chest-
The bunny smiled. Her semblance was the laughing stock of Haven... she could jump really high. That was it. She hated it, not only because it was useless in battle and nowhere near as cool as the others... but because it was so... typical of a rabbit. A constant reminder of her faunus heritage and the bullying that it attracted.
But today she had an idea. Something even the genius Daryun hadn't thought of. Nerisa pushed her legs into Sun and activated her semblance-
With a powerful blast of energy he was sent flying across the arena and smashing into the barrier that protected the audience.
He coughed blood.
Then slowly fell to the ground, managing a wink mid-air.
The siren sounded.
Nerisa stood in shock. "I... did I just...?"
"AND NERISA USAGI WINS!!!" Oobleck's voice sounded out, filled with excitement.
The crowd roared.
The bunny smiled like she had never smiled before. She won! Without the help of John, or her brother or anyone else! She was no longer the scared bunny hiding away from the world. She was Nerisa Usagi, huntress and tournament finalist!
Neri walked out of the arena with her head held high.
"Not bad" Sun smiled at her as she rounded the corner and turned into the dark corridor. "Well Nerisa, I was thinking..." he blushed. "D-Do you wanna... maybe... get a coffee... or something..."
Her heart raced. "A-Are you asking me out?"
He nodded.
"Yes!" She smiled back. Suddenly a great weight lifted from her. She was no longer chasing the cat's shadow... she had moved on.
"Excuse me... have you seen my daddy?" Mira pulled at the business man's suit as she pleaded-
He glared and kept walking.
The young girl kept walking down the narrow street. Most shops that lined it were closed, with most people either at the festival itself or in the stadium. Her feet begun to heart. She debated going back home... but she was lost. "Mommy... daddy..." tears begun to well in her eyes-
She saw a figure in the distance.
Her eyes lit up. She chased after it.
"E-Excuse me, mister!" she tugged at the man's clothes-
"Huh...?" they weren't clothes... they were bandages. This man was covered in them. His movements seemed... off, unnatural...
His head twisted around, resting in a very painful position. A single eye peered from the bandages and stared into Mira's soul.
"H-Have you seen my daddy...?" she shook in fear.
The bandaged man silently reached out his hand. It shook as it approached the girl's head.
Mira closed her eyes and hugged her teddy tightly. The bear was black and fluffy. It wasn't the prettiest bear, or the softest... but she loved it. It was a present from her father. She would often cuddle it when she heard her parents fighting late at night, imagining that she was hugging her daddy.
*pat*
Mira opened her bright blue eyes in confusion. The bandaged man was patting her head-
She smiled, some of her teeth were missing.
"Yay! Someone nice!" she thought. "He must know daddy!"
The hand on her head tightened its grip.
"H-Hey mister, that hurts..." she started to cry.
The hand tightened further.
"S-Stop!" she struggled, but failed to break free.
The bandaged man grabbed the child's head tightly and yanked it up, removing it and a chunk of her spine from her body. The headless corpse fell to the ground. The teddy became soaked with blood.
He threw the lifeless head to the ground and continued towards Beacon tower. He struggled, desperate to speak-
A sound came out.
It was quiet... primal... almost grimm like, but a single word could be made out. "RaVeN...".
Cinder screamed in pain and fell to the floor. She tried to reach for her leg, but her hands were still tightly bound together.
"Well?" Ironwood placed his foot on her neck and pinned her in place. A twisted smile stretched across his face-
Cinder said nothing.
The General sighed. "So be it." he turned to a camera in the top corner of the room and nodded-
A wall flickered for a moment, then became transparent-
Cinder's heart sank. John was chained up, dangling from the ceiling.
"This is a one way mirror. We can see him, he can't see us." Ironwood begun to explain. "Furthermore these walls are sound-proof. He can't hear us..." he smiled and nodded again. Speakers in the cell blared to life. The sound of John panting filled the room.
"H-He's innocent, he doesn't know anything!" the dark haired huntress looked at the cat. He was in pain... this was all her fault...
"I know." Ironwood leaned in closer. "But that just means he's expendable." He nodded again to the camera.
John's cell door swung open and tall muscular soldiers entered. The held stun-rods.
"W-Where is she!? YOU FUCKS!" John roared in defiance-
Then screamed in agony as the soldiers begun to beat him with their weapons. Each hit sent a powerful bolt of electricity through his body. His muscles tensed, his body begun to smoke.
"STOP IT!" Cinder screamed.
"Then tell me... where is Salem?"
"HAVEN!" she screamed. "SHE'S IN HAVEN!"
Ironwood smiled.
The soldiers continued to beat John.
"PLEASE! STOP THEM!!" genuine tears flooded down her face.
"You've answered one question, well done. Now let's move on to the rest."
The dark haired huntress wept, every one of her lover's screams hurt far more than any bullet "JOHN!!!!" she screamed.
The sun was beginning to set. The last fight of the day was about to begin. Ruby walked up to the main landing pad of Beacon and sighed. The queue was huge. "Man... this would be so much easier if Anton could just fly me up there...".
She turned to catch a glimpse of Beacon academy behind her and smiled. It had been a short year, the time had raced past. She had made true friends for life, fallen in love, learnt so much about battle and history and so much more.
*snap*
Ruby turned towards the sound of a camera-
Velvet, the bunny faunus of team CFVY, stood at the pad, taking photos of passing hunters.
Ruby cocked her head and shrugged. Waiting was boring. She walked over to the photographer-
Velvet turned and smiled. "Ruby! How you going?"
"How you going?" Ruby wondered what that actually meant. Velvet's accent was... odd, she clearly wasn't from Vale. But she was still a good friend. "Hi Velvet! What are you up to?" Ruby asked, ignoring Velvet's question.
The bunny smiled. She held a very old looking, gold plated camera in her hands. "Oh, you know - just working on my photography..." she had spent all semester 'working on her photography' - taking endless photos of hunters and huntresses. Ruby was beginning to suspect that she had... kinkier motivations for taking the photos.
"Do you wanna see?" Velvet moved beside Ruby and showed her the camera.
Ruby blushed. She didn't know what kind of photos to expect. "U-Um..." but she didn't have time to refuse. Velvet excitedly flipped through the photos-
She was an awful photographer. Every shot was at an angle, most were missing the hunter's head... yet the hunter's weapon was clearly visible in each photo.
"T-That's... b-better..." Ruby had gotten better too - better at lying.
"I'm..." Velvet shifted awkwardly. "I'm sorry to hear about your sister... is she doing okay?"
"... Yeah... I think so..." the red huntress sighed and looked back at Beacon. The thought of being in the same year as her sister had filled her with excitement! The chance to fight alongside her in the same team was amazing and had made Ruby's time in Beacon a lot easier. She remembered back to her first day, how nervous she was... she had been moved up 2 years, leaving all of her friends at Signal behind. Yang was the only constant.
But now... Yang was being kicked out.
"R-Ruby? I'm sorry..." Velvet's voice snapped the red huntress out of it.
"Huh?" Ruby felt something wet move down her face. She was crying.
"It's awful what people are saying about her! Yang's such a nice person!" the bunny put her camera away and attempted to comfort the crying Ruby. "Most people don't know what it's like on the battlefield..."
Velvet nodded to herself. "I mean, even experienced fighters can get scared and start seeing things! If it happened to Coco, it can happen to anyone."
"Co...co?" Ruby wiped her tears away.
"Yeah..." Velvet sighed "She swore she saw Yatsu with her in the forest... during the fight with Emerald and Mercury, but he never even made it out of the geyser fields."
Ruby stared back at Velvet, deep in thought. "Mercury..."
"Stress-induced hallucinations, apparently" shrugged the bunny.
"Yeah..." Ruby turned back to Beacon again.
*flash*
She screamed and turned back to Velvet, her fists raised defensively.
Velvet lowered her camera quickly and blushed. "Ooh! Sorry"
Ruby shuddered as she wondered what, exactly, Velvet planned to do with that photo.
The crowd cheered. The stadium was completely packed. Every single seat was filled, yet Ruby felt lonely. Yang and Blake were packing, Weiss was resting, Clodus and Anton were moving Clodus's stuff into the dorm.
Ruby was alone.
She looked around her and sighed. No sigh of Jaune or anyone she knew, they were somewhere in the massive crowd, but she had no idea where-
Her mouth dropped.
She spotted someone she knew...
Sat across the stadium, almost completely opposite her, was a green haired huntress. "Emerald? She's here?" Ruby crossed her arms. She remembered Ren's and Clodus's words earlier, Emerald and Mercury had returned to Haven... right?
"She swore she saw Yatsu with her in the forest... during the fight with Emerald and Mercury" Velvet's voice echoed in her head.
Emerald squinted in Ruby's direction.
The red caped huntress froze.
Emerald had seen her.
Ruby quickly jumped out of her seat and walked calmly towards the exit-
She could feel eyes following her.
She ducked through a maintenance door and found herself in the corridor that the paramedics would use to get quick access to and from the stadium. It was long, wide and circled the stadium, with large exits to landing pads strategically placed. The floor was white, with red stains that hadn't been fully cleaned. The walls were grey with green stripes stretching about a metre up them. Lights on the ceiling dimly illuminated it.
It was quiet.
It was creepy.
Her footsteps echoed loudly.
She kept walking.
Her footsteps got louder.
She started to run-
A pain in her chest stopped her. Her injuries still weren't fully healed.
"Alright," Oobleck's voice was muffled, but Ruby could still hear it. "it's now time to begin the next match! Due to the horrific circumstances this morning, this will be the last semi-final. The winner will go on to face Nerisa Usagi for the title of 'Vytal Champion'!"
The crowd roared in excitement.
Ruby sighed in relief. She found the exit, it was just ahead-
She saw movement.
She froze.
A silver haired man walked into the middle of the corridor. He paused, smiled, then turned to Ruby.
"M-Mercury?" Ruby squinted. It was definitely him.
"Now, let us introduce our fighters! Penny Polendina from Atlas!!" Peter's muffled voice blared out.
Ruby stepped back.
Mercury stepped forwards.
"What are you doing...?" she asked tentatively.
"And, her opponent is..." Peter paused, revelling in the crowd's excitement. "Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!!!"
The crowd went wild. Pyrrha was the favourite to win, many people had bets placed on her.
Mercury smiled.
Ruby's mouth dropped.
She cursed herself for not thinking about it sooner! Penny was a robot, and Pyrrha-
"Ooh, polarity versus metal?" the silver assassin laughed. "That could be bad."
The red caped huntress crouched slightly into a combat stance. She reached for her weapon-
It wasn't there. She didn't bring it, why would she? She came to spectate, to cheer Pyrrha and Penny on, not to fight! Mercury stepped closer. He had his weapons - his legs - both of them.
"Y-Your leg..." Ruby glared. He wasn't hurt at all - which meant Yang was being kicked out for no reason! "Why are you doing this!?"
"Well..." the assassin readied himself for battle. He looked down at his scroll. "You'll find out very soon... but first" he smiled "I want to have some fun. There's no Cinder to stop me now... and no butterfly to save you". He eyed Ruby's body, following every curve, and smiled menacingly.
Daryun panted. "F-Found you..."
The sickly hunter had tracked this paramedic to a small pub in the middle of the city. The streets were empty, with most people either in the stadium or watching at home.
The paramedic turned in confusion "Hey, you shouldn't be here kid!" he took a swig of beer and sighed. "Run along and watch those kids kill each other... or something..."
The pub was quiet too, with only a handful of drunken patrons. It was dimly lit and was filled with a low hum of chatter. The paramedic sat at a table in the corner, drinking his problems away.
"M-Mercury Black..." the sickly hunter panted "... the paramedics who took him... w-who-"
"Oh? Them?" the paramedic sighed "No idea, they never made it to the hospital-" he gritted his teeth. He had lost the patient... and with him, his job. His wife had kicked him out in anger. "Today can't get worse..." he thought.
"DESCRIBE THEM!!" Daryun grabbed the man and shook him.
"AH! A girl with weird coloured eyes, a dark haired girl with amber eyes and a cat-"
*beep*
Daryun released the paramedic and looked down at his scroll. His eyes widened. His decryption was finished! He begun to scroll through the file - it was a communication log.
"Fucking kids... now get outta here!" the paramedic leaned back in his chair and stared into his glass.
Daryun's eyes froze on two words in the log. His heart raced. "White... Fang..." his eyes raced through the log. Cinder was coordinating an attack on Vale-
He saw the date.
Today's date.
He saw the time-
"SHIT!" he quickly pocketed his scroll and ran for Beacon tower. He didn't know who he could or couldn't trust, but he knew one thing. He had to warn the headmaster - Ozpin - before it was too late! "HEY!" he turned as he reached the exit. "There's an attack coming! Everyone, get to a shelter!".
No one moved.
Daryun ran out.
"Tourists, huh?" laughed the bartender. "Like we need to worry, with all the hunters here nothing bad could happen.
He couldn't be more wrong.
The sickly hunter sprinted down the street, desperately trying to call Nume-
He didn't answer.
"FUCK!" he screamed. "He's probably having sex with that Octavia....". He tried Nerisa-
No answer.
"Come on buddy... don't let me down!" he tried John.
The call couldn't even connect.
*stab*
Daryun felt a sharp pain in his back and fell to the ground, screaming in pain.
He turned.
A man covered in bandages approached him.
The sickly hunter desperately crawled away, screaming at the top of his lungs for help-
The bandaged man positioned himself above the hunter and pinned him with his foot-
"P-Please! Stop! I beg you!" Daryun shook in fear. John had mentioned a bandaged man with Cinder's team... "Oh gods..." the hunter thought "Is this it...? Is this how I die!?"
"rA...vEn...." the twisted creature contorted its body. Bones seemed to break in him, but he didn't care.
Daryun closed his eyes. "Cinder... she planned this all along! John... my friend, please... don't let her fool you!"
*stab*