34

Chapter 34:

"What is that!?" exclaimed Weiss, rising out of her seat, gaping at the sight of Ruby's transformed cloak.

Sasame tittered. "Ruby-chan was hard-pressed enough that she decided to go for broke."

"You mean she was holding back the entire time?" asked Yang incredulously.

"Not holding back," said Sasame. "However, she wasn't originally prepared to play all the cards in her hand. Tenyo no Hana isn't so much her trump card as it is a last resort, most of the time."

"Last resort?" asked Jaune worriedly.

"At present, the technique is still incomplete," said Sasame. "As you can see, Ruby-chan's cloak is actually a construct of manifested Aura. That is a rare skill, even amongst us Mibu. Ruby-chan's Manifestation is so complete that she doesn't even need to consciously maintain it any longer. What's more, in its inert state, it really is no different than a regular piece of clothing. It doesn't register as Aura to people's senses, so Ruby-chan can use Suppression without removing it.

"This technique ignites the Aura that her cloak is woven from, giving it potent offensive and defensive capabilities. It is virtually impenetrable to all but the strongest or sharpest attacks, yet also capable of unleashing its concentrated plasma on her targets."

"It sounds perfect," said Blake. "So why would it be a last resort?"

"Because it isn't stable," said Sasame. "It's based on a technique used by a teacher of Ruby-chan's friend. Keikoku can wreathe his body in fire to protect himself from attack in a similar manner. However, using such a technique burns through a person's Aura quickly. In Keikoku's case, he supports his Fire-Wall with an additional technique, which grants him an explosive increase in power in exchange for burning through his stamina rapidly. Ruby-chan's technique is similar, except she solidifies her lightning into a garment to enshroud her body."

"So, because Ruby doesn't use that support technique..." said Ren, cluing in to what Sasame was saying.

"She's burning up her Aura," said Nora.

Sasame nodded. "Indeed, although it's a bit more complicated than that. At her current Aura-level, Ruby-chan will burn out her Aura in about two minutes. If she can't defeat Pyrrha-chan by then, Ruby-chan will lose by default."

"So why doesn't she use the support technique that her teacher uses?" asked Jaune.

"Because Ruby-chan wants to be a Huntress," said Sasame. "A Huntress cannot afford to spend her stamina wastefully. So she wants to be able to use this technique without draining her stamina."

"But what good is it if she drains her Aura instead?" asked Weiss.

"No good," said Sasame. "In its current state, this technique is incomplete. Ruby-chan wants to figure out how to stabilize it, so that she can maintain it without burning through her Aura. But that is easier said than done. Not using a support technique aside, lightning is much more unstable than fire is. It doesn't help that Ruby-chan wasn't formally taught lightning techniques."

"Why not?" asked Weiss.

"Because lightning-users are extremely rare within the Mibu," explained Sasame. "Lightning is not one of the Five Principle Styles that form the core of our clan's schools of Manifestation. Ruby-chan came across the basis for her lightning techniques by finding ancient scrolls, penned by a shinobi named Sarutobi Sasuke. She has yet to fully grasp the basis for those techniques, though she has managed to take what she's learned and put her own spin on it.

"Right now, this particular technique is unstable, so she has to continually feed her Aura into it to maintain it, which is why Ruby-chan hardly ever uses it outside of sparring matches and mock battles. In the real world, against the Grimm, that technique is a last resort, a move of desperation, when Ruby-chan can't afford to hold anything back. Although...in this particular case, it's actually an extravagance."

"Extravagance?" Weiss stared down at the flaming Ruby in confusion. A blazing cloak of pure Aura was hardly what she would consider an "extravagance."

"Yes," said Sasame with a laugh. "In this situation, it's a luxury, something for her to use when she can afford to put everything she has into fighting the opponent right in front of her, without needing to worry about what might come afterwards.

"What that ultimately means is that this battle has entered its final phase. Whatever the outcome, it will be within the next two minutes."

Ruby rushed forward at Pyrrha, pivoting off her foot as she did so, sending her body into a spin and flaring the crackling, petaled cloak out in front of her. Several of the petals of plasma that now made up the garment detached, flying at Pyrrha like comets.

Falling back, Pyrrha reached out desperately with her Semblance, calling her shield back to her left arm, barely managing to recover it in time to stop one of the bolts that would have hit her directly. It exploded with enough force to jolt her arm and rock her body back, while sending a painful jolt down her arm. Her body was rocked by additional shockwaves as the other petals struck the floor around her and exploded.

Riding the force of those explosions, Pyrrha jumped upwards into the air. It proved to be the right decision as Ruby whirled through the space she'd occupied before, lightning-wreathed swords slicing and crackling through the air where Pyrrha had just been. Releasing her hold on her shield, she used her Semblance to suspend it in mid-air, then used it as a platform to kick off of, launching herself back down faster than gravity could draw her down. She flew over Ruby's back, slashing with Milo in sword-mode as she passed. However, her blade glanced off Ruby's cloak, the deceptively soft-looking petals having the hardness and strength of steel scales. Even that brief contact sent another painful jolt down Pyrrha's arm.

Touching down, Pyrrha reversed course, and launched a full attack on Ruby's back, aiming to break through her defense and cut away her remaining Aura. However, each of the three slashes she launched simply glanced off the cloak, with more electric shocks rushing along the blade of Pyrrha's weapon, and into her hand. Through her Semblance, Pyrrha felt the pushing sensation of the magnetic charge of one of Ruby's swords as it pierced through the feathers of her cloak, stabbing right for Pyrrha's stomach. Pyrrha used her semblance to slow down Ruby's backwards thrust, even as she retreated, barely managing to escape out of the sword's reach in time.

However, a portion of the energy that made up Ruby's cloak abruptly flowed down the length of her sword, twisting and twining along its length, before shooting off of its tip and blasting into Pyrrha's stomach, launching her back. Pyrrha skidded to a stop, nearly tripping over the broken and cratered surface of the ring, while Ruby followed through, whirling in, attacking with her swords, which merged almost completely with the hem of her cloak to produce flashing slashes that seared and scorched away parts of Pyrrha's Aura, even when Pyrrha blocked or dodged them.

Calling Akouo back to her left arm, Pyrrha fell back, defending as best she could. In a sense, she had the advantage. Even without Ruby's statement earlier, Pyrrha could tell that Ruby was burning out. In a sense, this technique had a similar weakness to Yang's Semblance, which Pyrrha had observed during some of Yang's previous matches. Letting this technique run its course would burn out Ruby's Aura, leaving Pyrrha the winner...if she could just hold out for the time it took Ruby to run out of Aura.

Of course, that was assuming she could hold out that long. Ruby's attacks were fierce, and did damage, even when they didn't make direct contact. Worse still, whenever Pyrrha's own attacks struck that cloak, the concentrated electricity merged with it sent electric jolts running down Pyrrha's own weapon and into her body, ensuring that Pyrrha paid for each attack she landed. Just being in Ruby's vicinity was beginning to become a challenge, as the heat released by the cloak warmed the air through convection, turning the sparring ring into a giant oven...with Pyrrha practically right up against the heating element.

I need time and distance, thought Pyrrha, realizing, of course, that those were the last things Ruby would give her. Still, she had to try. This was the do-or-die moment of the match. Falling another step back, Pyrrha flipped her grip on Milo, switching to its rifle mode just in time to angle the barrel upwards and fire a shot right for the sole visible vulnerable spot Ruby had right now, her face, visible through the opening of the cloak.

However, without breaking stride, Ruby turned slightly, shifting her head and shoulders around so that Pyrrha's shot glanced off the feathered layers of her hood instead. In the same move, she swept Bara up in her left hand, the lightning-lined blade striking the barrel of Pyrrha's rifle. The electric jolt that ran through Pyrrha's weapon prompted a spasm from her hand. The combination of switching her grip, followed by the recoil of the rapid shot that followed, combined with the shock of Ruby's attack, was enough to knock it free, throwing the weapon up into the air. Now Pyrrha only had her shield to block with. Not wanting to give Pyrrha a chance to throw it, Ruby charged straight in.

Desperately, Pyrrha threw out her right hand, fingers spread, as she put the full force of her Semblance into stopping Ruby's blades, repelling them with all the power she was capable of. This would bring Ruby to a stop, and give her a chance to counter, then recover Milo.

But Ruby shocked her by doing the last thing Pyrrha expected...letting go. At the exact instant she felt Pyrrha's Semblance begin to repel her blades, Ruby relinquished her hold on them, allowing them to be blown back behind her, the two swords spinning through the air to land outside the ring on the opposite side, piercing into the floor and standing upright.

Recovering from her shock, just in time, Pyrrha raised her shield, interposing it directly between herself and Ruby being her only resort at this point. There was nothing left for her to repel. Time itself seemed to slow down as she watched Ruby's hands rise up. Intense plasma swirling off her cloak and winding down her arms. At the same time, Pyrrha noticed Ruby's cloak getting shorter, as the energy that made it up was fed into her attack. Pyrrha realized that the electric current produced by Ruby's strike would be conducted right through Akouo, threatening to electrocute Pyrrha, even if she wasn't knocked out of the ring. Pyrrha realized that Ruby was putting the last dregs of her Aura into this technique. She probably intended to leave herself just enough that she didn't cross the threshold into the critical zone. More importantly, by consuming her cloak, Ruby's attack was also stripping away her protection.

Because of that, Pyrrha saw her chance. Even as she braced her shield against the oncoming attack, she reached out with her Semblance to Milo, which was still flying upwards through the air, reaching the arc of its flight. Manipulating it, Pyrrha triggered its functions, switching it into javelin-mode.

Ruby's lead foot stepped down on the floor with enough force that the hard surface cracked, and Pyrrha felt the impact through her own feet, coming to a complete stop as Ruby transferred all of her forward momentum into her hands. The palms of Ruby's hands slammed into the surface of Pyrrha's shield, the plasma Projecting outwards with incredible force.

As a last resort, almost without thinking, Pyrrha channeled her Semblance through her shield, willing it to repel whatever of Ruby that she could, be it something as small as a few coins in her pocket. However, to Pyrrha's surprise, the plasma of Ruby's attack was repelled instead, the energy and the magnetic force Pyrrha channeled out through her shield caused the two to push away from one another. However, Ruby was braced, and the magnetic field only affected the energy of her attack. Pyrrha, on the other hand, found her own defensive effort repelling herself backwards.

Pyrrha felt her feet leave the surface of the ring, and she was blown backwards through the air with such speed that she knew she wouldn't touch down inside the arena. One way or another, she was on her way out. If her last trick didn't work, she would lose. Please, make it in time!

In the air above and behind Ruby, Milo whirled about, the tip of its blade orienting like a compass needle, aiming right for an exposed portion of Ruby's torso. Finally, Pyrrha pulled the trigger, firing the rifle and using the recoil to make the javelin accelerate downwards explosively. Ruby, having concentrated on her attack, had let her guard down and didn't realize that Milo was coming, until the crack of the rifle-shot reached her ears. By then it was too late.

Several things happened at once. Pyrrha's flight took her out past the boundary of the ring, her back slamming into the safety barrier, the energy she'd repelled away and herself away from seeming to engulf her in a cloud of sparks, though her shield staved off enough of them to save her Aura. At the same time, Milo pierced down. Ruby shifted her body at the last second, but the javelin's blade still found its mark on her side, cutting past her to sink into the arena floor as Ruby collapsed to the side. Over all of that, the buzzer sounded, announcing the end of the match.

The sparks dispersed, and Pyrrha slumped to her knees, gasping for breath.

Ruby remained where she was, sprawled out on the floor, panting as well, her Aura flickering, crackling, and finally dispersing.

A shocked silence descended over the arena So enthralled was most of the audience by the outcome that words had deserted them entirely. Almost as one, they all leaned forward, watching and waiting with bated breath for the outcome.

Ruby grunted and began to force herself up, feeling certain that she'd just lost. Across from her, Pyrrha made a similar noise and tried to stand, though her shaking legs gave out and she sank back down onto one knee again. Like Ruby, Pyrrha was certain that she'd just lost, sure that she'd left the ring before her last-ditch attack had hit home.

There was a faint crackle as the barrier came down, followed by the click of Glynda's heels as the professor walked out into the ring, carefully stepping over the broken pieces of the floor as she strode out between the girls, her eyes still fixed on her scroll, disbelief written across the professor's face. "The match...is a draw."

"What the hell?"

"How is that even possible?"

A twitch of her eyelid was the sole visible expression of Glynda's irritation as she turned to address the exclamations. "As unlikely as it is, such a result is possible. The systems are calibrated so that it can be assessed to within a tenth of a second which of the end-round conditions were met first. To summarize, Ms. Nikos left the ring and Ms. Rose lost the remainder of her Aura so close together as to be simultaneous to our system, thus...a draw."

Commotion exploded across the spectator seats as the students talked frantically with one another, discussing the match outcome. Glynda's eyebrow twitched again. "Quiet!"

The conversation stopped in an instant and a tense hush fell over the audience.

"Thank you," said Glynda, with an annoyed sigh. "You may chatter as much as you like after class, but right now, you need to be focused on the participants, and what you can learn from their match."

Glynda turned back to Pyrrha and Ruby, both of whom had been completely frozen in their tracks by the announcement of the draw, neither of them knowing what to make of this outcome. Then Ruby sighed tiredly and slumped a little, the tattered remnants of her red cloak dissolving into petals and drifting away before disappearing completely. Hearing a snort from Pyrrha, Ruby blinked and looked up to see Pyrrha smiling at her. A second later, Ruby smiled back.

It was such a ridiculous outcome, such a silly way for their match to end, that neither of them could completely restrain their mirth. Soon, they were both laughing softly. Normally, Glynda would have demanded their silence and attention so that she could provide her assessment of their performance. However, out of respect for their spectacular match, she let them laugh themselves out of the tense atmosphere they had been in earlier, figuring that they had earned this small respite.

After a minute, their laughter trailed off. Blinking, they slowly turned and blushed when they realized that Glynda had been watching them the whole time.

"That was an excellent match, both of you," said Glynda frankly. "You both surpassed my wildest expectations. However, that does not mean that there is not room for improvement."

She turned to Ruby. "Ms. Rose, your swordsmanship is excellent, and your use of lightning is, likewise, superb. However, it seems you still mostly regard those aspects of your style as separate disciplines. If you want to advance, you must determine a way to integrate them together. I also suspect that I do not need to tell you how unfeasible that last technique you used would be in a real-world situation."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Ruby, bowing her head slightly. "Thank you."

Glynda gave Ruby the smallest of smiles before turning to regard Pyrrha. "Ms. Nikos, your use of your Semblance is brilliantly refined. However, now that your hand has been shown, I'm sure you are aware that it is probably time to consider new applications for it. There are no issues with your control. However, it is clear that you are inexperienced in how to wield such a Semblance in a more overt manner."

"Thank you, Professor," said Pyrrha, also bowing her head.

Glynda nodded. "Do either of you need help standing?"

"Uh..." Ruby gathered her strength and pushed herself up with her legs. They strained and she wobbled unsteadily. However, she managed to maintain her balance and remain standing. "I'm good."

"I'm fine as well," said Pyrrha, standing up with a bit more ease.

Ruby looked down beside her and saw Pyrrha's javelin, anchored into the floor behind her. Grabbing the shaft, she gently pulled it out and carefully tossed it over to Pyrrha, who caught it with a grateful smile. Walking over, Pyrrha helped support Ruby as she hobbled over to where her swords had landed. Smiling apologetically at her weapons, Ruby pulled them out of the ground and rejoined the swords together, before sheathing them behind her.

"Now then...I will be a while repairing the ring," said Glynda, looking at the destruction around her. "You may talk amongst yourselves for the time being. When I am done I expect you all to quiet down. I suspect that, by the time I finish, we shall have time for just one more match."

Drawing her riding crop, Glynda flicked it in authoritative gestures, the chunks and pieces of the broken ring flying together and merging, cracks vanishing as though it had never been broken in the first place.

"She made the same observations I did," noted Sasame, watching Glynda. "She's a fine teacher."

"Yeah, Professor Goodwitch may be strict, but she knows her stuff," said Yang.

"It's incredible," said Weiss. "I never imagined that anyone could fight Pyrrha to a draw."

"That's my Ruby-chan," said Sasame proudly. "And she'll only get better from here on out. Then again, so will Pyrrha-chan. Those two will become excellent rivals, and push one another to greater heights."

Now, if only a certain someone could understand her potential. She glanced back to the back of the room, behind the furthest row of seats. Taiyang Xiao Long had been standing there only a moment ago. But he had vanished now. Sasame sensed a faint trace of his Aura leading out of the room, and down towards the locker room. Oh dear...

Pyrrha supported Ruby as they made their way out of the ring, heading to the hallway that led to the adjacent locker room. With a gesture of her hand, Pyrrha used her Semblance to call the discarded pieces of Ruby's armor to her. Even though she could stand on her own, Ruby figured she might need Pyrrha's help to reach the spectator seats. While Pyrrha put Milo and Akouo away, Ruby strapped her armor back onto her shoulders and hips. When she finished, she saw Pyrrha looking at her...oddly.

"What's up?" she asked.

Pyrrha blinked, then her cheeks turned pink and she smiled awkwardly. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "It's just...it seems so odd to see you without your cloak."

"Yeah," said Ruby forlornly. "I feel kinda...uh...underdressed without it. I won't have enough Aura to remake it until I get a good night's sleep though."

"I never imagined that your cloak was like that, though," said Pyrrha. "I mean...making your Aura into a garment. I can't believe such techniques exist."

"Aura can do a lot more than people think," said Ruby. "That's what I've been wanting to show all of you."

Pyrrha nodded. "I really am beginning to look forward to learning what I might really be able to do if I apply myself."

"I'm looking forward to it too," said Ruby.

Suddenly, Ruby jerked, feeling a stinging sensation between her shoulder blades, as though she'd been jabbed with a needle. Whirling around, she saw Taiyang standing at one of the other entrances of the locker room, the one that led up to the spectator seating. She'd been so engrossed in her match with Pyrrha that she'd completely forgotten her father was even here. Now he was standing there, the stubborn set of his jaw indicating that he was not happy. Ruby got the feeling that Taiyang was not there to grudgingly admit that he'd been wrong about her, and "reluctantly" allow her to remain at Beacon (despite it not being his decision to make).

"What?" she asked tersely, leaning back a little on the bench she'd been resting on.

"You didn't win," said Taiyang plainly.

"Nope," said Ruby with a disappointed sigh. It wasn't that she was bitter about the outcome. But she really had been fighting to win, so it was a little discouraging. "Still...I'll just have to get better." She threw a confident smile Pyrrha's way. "I'll win next time."

"There's not going to be a next time," said Taiyang. "Did you forget about our bet?"

"Huh?" blurted Pyrrha in confusion, looking back and forth between father and daughter.

"You didn't win, so you're coming home with me," growled Taiyang, striding towards Ruby.

So that's what he was so smug about earlier, thought Ruby. It seemed strange that Taiyang had looked so satisfied. After she'd turned his offer down the previous night, he'd apparently seen her acceptance of Pyrrha's challenge as her changing her mind, which was beyond stupid.

"No I'm not," Ruby said, a growl entering her own voice. "I didn't take your stupid bet, remember? I didn't take it because I don't need to. If you don't want me here, that's your problem. But I'm not going anywhere."

"But you accepted her challenge," protested Taiyang.

"Yeah, because I was going to do that anyway," answered Ruby. "Her challenge had nothing to do with your stupid bet, and me accepting the match didn't mean I changed my mind about not taking it."

"For God's sake!" exclaimed Taiyang. "I thought you'd realize by now that this isn't for you, Ruby. Look at what a mess you are. You should realize just how dangerous and painful this is."

"That's right," said Ruby. "I hurt all over. But, guess what. I'm fine with it. I'd do it all over again." She smirked. "In fact I plan to. I'm not going to leave this as a draw."

"You're going to have to," said Taiyang. "You don't belong at Beacon. If you're too shortsighted to see that after what happened today, then I don't have any choice but to do this the hard way. One way or another, you're coming home with me."

"Like hell I am!" snapped Ruby. "I'm not going anywhere with you, you deluded jerk!"

Taiyang snarled wordlessly and stalked across the remaining distance between them. Reaching out, he clamped his hand around Ruby's right forearm, his hand closing like a steel vice. Ruby grunted and grimaced, a nervous sweat breaking out across her forehead. She'd completely burned out her Aura in her match with Pyrrha. Without that, there was no way she could resist her father, a trained Huntsman, no matter how long it had been since he'd started taking active missions.

"Get up!" shouted Taiyang, pulling Ruby's arm hard enough to send a jolt of pain down her shoulder, making her cry out.

"Let go of her!" shouted Pyrrha, rushing at them. However, she was caught off-guard when Taiyang snapped his free arm out, slamming the back of his fist into Pyrrha's face, knocking her clean off her feet and sending her flying a short distance, before she hit the floor and slid right back into the door of her locker.

"Stay out of this!" shouted Taiyang.

A whisper of steel reached Taiyang's ear, and he suddenly felt a chill at his neck. His eyes went back to Ruby, who was glaring at him, her silver eyes shining with pure, unadulterated rage. The second Taiyang's fist had made contact with Pyrrha's face, Ruby's free hand had gone to her sword and drawn it. Now the edge of Akaibara's crimson blade rested right up against his jugular. Taiyang swallowed nervously, feeling his Aura part before the sword's seemingly supernaturally-sharp edge.

A secret Ruby hadn't imparted to her friends was that, for the most part, when fighting other people Ruby didn't use her Aura to enhance the sharpness of her blades, she used her Aura to blunt them. Akaibara's own Aura enhanced the sword's edge on its own to such an extent that, if Ruby didn't use her own Aura to sheathe the blades themselves, she could severely injure her opponents with frightening ease. It was a technique that she had put a great deal of time and effort into refining, to ensure it never slipped. Of course, now that she had no Aura herself, Akaibara's own Aura made it all that much more of a threat.

"Touch her..." hissed Ruby, "...touch any of my friends like that again, and I'll make you regret it in Hell."

"Ruby, drop it," commanded Taiyang, putting all his fatherly authority into his tone. "You're not allowed to have weapons."

"I don't give a flying fuck what you do and don't allow!" snarled Ruby, almost making Taiyang cut himself on her sword with the surprised jolt that ran through his body at her use of such intense profanity. "You don't get a say in this anymore. Now let go of my arm...or I'm cutting yours off."

Taiyang's eyes darted to Akaibara, then back to Ruby's eyes as he contemplated striking, and trying to knock her sword out of her grip.

"Try it," hissed Ruby, sensing his intention.

Swallowing again, Taiyang reluctantly released Ruby's arm and stepped back away from her. Ruby remained where she was, her sword still leveled at him. "Are you okay?" she called, not taking her eyes off her father.

"I...I'll be all right," said Pyrrha, forcing herself up by practically climbing up the door of her locker.

Ruby narrowed her eyes at Taiyang. "Get out of my sight. Go back to your stupid little house on Patch, and never come back."

"No," growled Taiyang, clenching his hands into fists. "I'm not going back without you."

"I'm sick of this," growled Ruby.

"Ruby, you don't have what it takes," said Taiyang earnestly. "That's why I made that bet in the first place. By now you should understand that you can't handle this kind of life. You might think you're doing well, but there's no way your opponent was taking you seriously."

"Of course she was," growled Ruby.

"That's not possible," said Taiyang. "No one in their right mind would go all-out against a frail little girl like you."

The next thing he knew, Taiyang's head snapped to the side, his cheek stinging from the force of Pyrrha's slap. She'd put all her remaining strength and Aura into the blow, generating enough force to stagger the powerfully-built man, in spite of her fatigue.

"How dare you...?" hissed Pyrrha, her emerald eyes sparkling with fury. "Don't you dare insult me or Ruby by suggesting that I didn't take our match seriously. I put everything I had into that match. I put more than I knew I had into that match. Ruby Rose is my friend and my biggest rival, and I refuse to let you belittle everything we poured our hearts and souls into."

"Y-you can't be serious," stammered Taiyang, his hand covering his still-throbbing cheek. "I know who you are. Do you expect me to believe that the legendary Pyrrha Nikos could really be forced into a draw?"

"I was," said Pyrrha. "Don't you dare suggest I didn't take this match seriously. The entire reason I'm a champion at all is because I always take my opponents seriously, no matter who they are, no matter what their skill-level might be. I refuse to underestimate them. That includes Ruby. She's the first person to push me so hard since I was still in training. I won't let you take her away, not when there's so much I can learn from her."

"SHUT UP!" roared Taiyang. The force of his anger alone made Pyrrha take a hesitant step backwards. "You're not a member of this family! You have no right to talk about what doesn't involve you!"

Pyrrha swallowed, but firmed her resolve and stepped forward again. "You're trying to drag my teammate and our team leader away from us. That involves me."

"It involves us too."

The sound of Jaune's voice drew everyone's attention to the door. It wasn't just Jaune, but Weiss and Team RYNB as well. Sasame stood at the front, the expression on her face pleasantly cheerful, but the Aura of anger and malice radiating from her anything but.

"My my," said Sasame. "So...you tried to use whether or not she could defeat one of the top students in her class as the basis for whether or not Ruby-chan is suited to be here, Xiao Long-san. It's clear that, even should Ruby-chan have won, you still wouldn't have accepted it. You'd move the goalposts as far as possible to justify taking her back with you."

Taiyang growled. However, while he was focused on Sasame, Ruby's friends had all moved past him and assembled between him and Ruby, with Yang standing behind Ruby, resting encouraging hands on her shoulders.

"You might pretend this doesn't involve us," said Weiss firmly. "But Ruby Rose is the leader of our team and an irreplaceable part of it. Team Raspberry isn't complete without her, so we refuse to allow you to take her away."

"Weiss," whispered Ruby, her eyes beginning to tear up to hear the girl who had once been so vehemently opposed to her presence and leadership now defending her so earnestly.

"This is absurd!" snapped Taiyang, turning to glare at the students. "Yang, talk some sense into your sister."

"No," said Yang firmly.

"What?" gasped Taiyang, shocked by Yang's sudden defiance.

"I'm not going to 'talk sense' into Ruby," said Yang, smiling down at Ruby from behind. "She's already talked sense into me. I'm not going to stand in her way any longer. In fact, I'm going to do everything I can to support her."

"Y-you...how could you?" growled Taiyang. His eyes narrowed. "After what you've done, how dare you support Ruby putting herself in danger like this? You'd like for her to get herself killed, wouldn't you? You don't care about her. You never have."

"Of course I care about her," said Yang, though her smile faded and Ruby could sense Yang trembling through her grip on Ruby's shoulders.

"Don't lie to me!" snapped Taiyang. "You've never really cared about her safety. That's why you were so willing to drag her into the forest on that stupid quest of yours-"

The next thing Taiyang knew, a small, but powerful fist slammed into his cheek, snapping his head around, the force of the punch knocking him to the floor. Ruby stood over him, her fist clenched and held at the ready after punching him. Her Aura flared around her body, almost like an outline of her missing cloak. Behind her, her friends stared at her in shock. Her Aura had been completely drained just a second ago.

"Shut the fuck up!" hissed Ruby, glaring at her father. "You don't get to say a damn thing about what Yang did back then. The reason she went off like that was because of you! While she was taking care of me, you were busy getting drunk and acting like a sad sack of shit, because Mom was gone. Unlike you, Yang actually had the strength to get over it and do the right thing. So don't you dare hold that over her, you fucking hypocrite."

"Ruby...I...I was..." stammered Taiyang.

"I'm sick of hearing you use Mom's death as an excuse!" snapped Ruby. "Yang and I were hurt too. But Yang got over it. She stepped up and took care of me, while you just kept on going. You didn't do shit, because you thought your feelings, your pain were the only things that mattered. You didn't care about what anyone else felt, you only ever thought about yourself.

"Even now, it's all you're thinking about. You don't actually care what's right or what's best for me. You just want what makes you feel better about yourself. Well, I'm sick of being nice. I did everything Sasame-nee suggested, gave you every chance to look past your own nose. But there's no point. I don't see you as my father anymore and...I don't think I ever will. Go back to your stupid little house on Patch and don't bother us again."

Sasame folded her arms and sighed sadly. "Very harsh, Ruby-chan. But I can't really disagree with you this time. At this point, Xiao Long-san is not a suitable father for either of you girls."

Taiyang staggered to his feet. "I've heard ENOUGH!" he barked. "Ruby, I'm taking you home if I have to beat every student in this school to a pulp to do it."

"That won't be necessary," said Sasame, drawing Taiyang's attention back to her. "I'm sure Beacon's faculty would be more than willing to show you the door, Xiao Long-san. However, I will save them some extra work, and subdue you myself."

Taiyang growled and turned to fully face Sasame, cracking his knuckles. "You know, I've spent the last couple of days thinking about how to pay you back for taking my daughter away from me. I'll show you what happens to people who meddle with my little girl."

Sasame frowned. "Honestly," she sighed, "you disappoint me, Xiao Long-san. For someone so obsessively concerned with Ruby-chan's safety, it's unsettling to see that you're so oblivious to danger." She brought her hands together and cracked her knuckles in the same manner that Taiyang had. "If getting disciplined with just my tail wasn't enough, perhaps it's time for you to see what happens when I use my hands."

Growling furiously, Taiyang stalked forward. However, before he could even think about attacking, Sasame suddenly blurred into motion, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye. She raised her right first, preparing to unleash a straightforward punch. Taiyang's eyes widened, and a horrified gasp escaped his throat.

Sasame's fist should have looked comically small to him. It was a fist the size of a child's. Yet, as she approached, to his mind's eye, it seemed to swell in size, until it was bigger than his entire body, her approaching knuckles carrying the absolute premonition...of death. Taiyang froze in place, every sense in his body telling him that his life was about to end, right then and there.

He blinked and, suddenly, he found Sasame's fist, looking like its normal size, hovering just beyond the tip of his nose. Sasame had raised herself up on her tail to put her face and fist at the level of Taiyang's face. Seeing him come back to his senses, and the sheen of terrified sweat that had broken out over his skin, Sasame smiled teasingly. Inching her fist forward, she lightly tapped it against the tip of his nose. "Boop."

There was a sensation, almost like a spark of static electricity, that passed between them. Abruptly, Taiyang felt as though something was winding its way through his body. His Aura was pulled inwards, and black, chain-like marks stretched across his skin, making his muscles seize up. Quivering, Taiyang dropped to the floor, unable to move at all.

"Wha-what did you do?" he gasped.

"I sealed your Aura and fettered your body," said Sasame cheerfully. "You'll be able to move under your own power in a few hours. But you will not have access to your Aura for the next two weeks. I suggest you use that time to reflect on just how your foolishness has cost you."

"I won't forget this!" snarled Taiyang.

"I imagine not," said Sasame. "But I don't mind either way. Now, we just need to inform the faculty and have you removed."

"That will not be necessary," announced Glynda as she came through the arena entrance. "I wondered why so many of my students had left the stands. Mr. Xiao Long, your behavior has proven to be unacceptably disruptive. You will be off Beacon grounds before the day is out, and your visitation rights will be revoked. If you attempt to set foot on campus again, you will be arrested, turned over to the authorities in Vale, and charged with trespassing."

Ignoring Taiyang's shouted protests, Glynda turned her stern gaze on her students. "All of you should return to your seats. There is one match remaining today and any of you, save Ms. Rose and Ms. Nikos, might be challenged. In the meantime, Mr. Xiao Long shall be dealt with."

The students nodded and turned, also ignoring Taiyang's shouts as he strained and struggled against the bonds Sasame had implanted in his body, only managing to weakly flop like a landed fish. Sasame lingered slightly, meeting Glynda's eyes and giving her a sunny smile, before following in their wake.

Glynda watched them go, before looking down at Taiyang and sighing in disappointment.

Ruby reached the bottom of the stairs before she staggered, nearly pitching forward onto her face. Jaune saved her at the last second by catching her shoulders. "Owwwww..." Ruby groaned. "My head..."

"Are you okay?" asked Jaune, trying to keep her steady, noting that the Aura that had been swirling around her when she'd punched her father had quickly dissipated.

"She will be," said Sasame. "As power born from the spirit, Aura is responsive to strong emotions. Ruby-chan's anger drew forth extra power in that moment. However, there is always a price for going beyond your limits like that. The strain has left her fatigued...and with a nasty migraine."

Reaching up, Sasame enveloped her hand with her pink Aura, and gently brushed it across Ruby's brow, her touch sweeping the throbbing sensation out of Ruby's skull. "Thanks, Sasame-nee," said Ruby softly.

"You're welcome," said Sasame, before nodding to Jaune. "Let's get you seated."

Jaune smiled and gently hefted Ruby up in his arms, carrying her up the steps. He blushed slightly to see the odd looks the other students in their class gave him as he carried Ruby to her seat and settled her as best he could, Ruby sighing with relief and leaning against him as he sat down next to her.

"Thanks for coming for me," Ruby said to her friends.

"We're glad to," said Ren, giving Ruby a warmer smile than usual.

Down below, they saw Glynda stride out to the floor and look around, asking who wanted to volunteer for the next match, pointedly ignoring Cardin's raised hand and instead picking another student.

Following the intense match, Ruby and Pyrrha were almost too tired to concentrate on their homework. Still, they kept at it doggedly, with Weiss doing more than usual to help them through the difficult sections. By the time they finished, the two former combatants were barely able to keep their eyes open.

Shortly before dinner, Ruby was abruptly surprised by a call on her scroll. Pulling it out, she realized that she was receiving a call from Ashley. "Uh...Hello?"

"Ruby!" exclaimed Ashley over the line. "I can't believe it! You're incredible!"

"Huh?"

Ashley didn't even seem to hear Ruby's confused response as she began to babble excitedly. "That was the most awesome thing I ever saw. I didn't realize you were so amazing!"

"Wait! What? What are you talking about?" Ruby asked, feeling dizzy and out of her depth.

"Your match with Pyrrha, silly," said Ashley excitedly. "It's all over the net. I heard it was even livestreamed. I wish I could have seen that, but I was in class when it happened."

"My...match...you saw it?" Ruby almost felt as though Ashley was speaking in an unknown language.

"You didn't know?" asked Ashley, seeming to calm slightly in the face of Ruby's confusion.

"Know what?" asked Ruby.

"When you were fighting Pyrrha, a bunch of students in your class were recording it on their scrolls," said Ashley. "The videos are being posted all over the net, and shared all across the world. You're gonna be famous, the girl who fight the Goddess of Victory to a draw."

"Huuuuuuuuuh?!" Ruby's cheeks were practically on fire and she felt lightheaded and dizzy.

Her friends watched the exchange with interest. Jaune and Pyrrha, who'd been sitting next to her on either side, managed to hear both sides of the exchange, as did Blake, whose sharper sense of hearing was able to pick it up from a slight distance. Jaune and Pyrrha both went to their scrolls and began to go through video-sharing sites on the net. It only took them a matter of seconds to uncover the videos that Ashley was talking about.

"What's going on?" asked Yang, coming to look over their shoulders. She gasped as she saw the videos that had been posted to the web.

"Ashley's right," said Jaune, glancing through search results. "Ruby and Pyrrha's fight is all over the place. There's half a dozen articles on it already."

Hearing this, the other students pulled out their scrolls and began to conduct searches of their own. The videos recorded by their classmates were appearing, not just on video sites, but on blogs and even Dust-net news sites all over. With each second they spent searching, they found more and more.

"Oh dear..." said Pyrrha nervously. Opening one article, she realized that it wasn't just the outcome of the match that was making headlines. The revelation of her Semblance to the world at large was creating waves too.

"Ruby...are you okay?" asked Ashley, worried about Ruby's rather…unusual…response to finding out she'd suddenly become famous worldwide.

"Uh...Sort of..." Ruby blinked. "I just...I didn't think...I mean...Pyrrha just wanted a match. I didn't think it would turn into something this big."

"I...I'm sorry," said Ashley. "I figured you'd know already. I didn't mean to blindside you."

"It's...all right," said Ruby. "I just really wasn't expecting it."

"Well...um...we can talk about it the next time we get together," said Ashley.

"Uh...sure," said Ruby. "I'm not sure when would be good. I don't want to make you leave work early again."

"We'll think of something," said Ashley. "We can talk later."

"Okay," said Ruby, smiling despite her nervousness over what she'd just learned.

"Bye," said Ashley.

"Bye," Ruby said back, before hanging up.

"Everything okay?" asked Yang, looking at her sister worriedly.

"I...I'm not sure," admitted Ruby, staring down at the table. "When I agreed to fight Pyrrha, I didn't think it would turn into something this...big."

"Honestly, I wasn't thinking about that either," admitted Pyrrha shyly. "It didn't even occur to me that some of the students might be recording our match."

"Ashley said they were even livestreaming it," said Ruby, "whatever that means."

"Well, I wouldn't worry too much about it," said Yang with cheerful confidence. "I'm sure it'll all blow over."

"I'm not so sure," said Weiss. "Pyrrha Nikos is world-famous, and she's practically a household name in Mistral. There may be serious repercussions, if her image is damaged as a result of this match."

"Why?" asked Nora. "What's the big deal if she's fought to a draw?"

"Because people have built up an image of her in their minds as the Invincible Girl," said Weiss. "When people put someone up on a pedestal like that...they can become quite volatile, when that image of perfection is damaged in some way."

Pyrrha sighed, staring down, though everyone noted that she was looking considerably paler, all of a sudden.

Jaune wrapped a warm arm around Ruby's shoulders, pulling her against him, his presence comforting to her. With his other hand, he reached across Ruby and rested it over Pyrrha's hands. "Don't worry," he said firmly. "Whatever else, we've all got your backs on this. We know for a fact that it doesn't matter to the teachers what crazy crap gets spread around on the net. They're only going to judge us on how we perform here."

"You're right," said Pyrrha, looking up and smiling at Jaune, a bit of her color returning.

Ruby's stomach growled and she blushed slightly as her friends laughed. "I guess it's time for dinner," she said nervously. Despite that, she didn't budge from her seat.

"Ruby? Everything okay?" asked Yang.

"It's just...I get the feeling everyone is gonna be staring at us," said Ruby with a sigh. She still remembered the first few days of their time at Beacon, where almost all eyes had gone to Pyrrha whenever she entered any room. Just being caught on the fringes of all that concentrated attention had been nerve-wracking enough. The idea of being the focus of it...Ruby shuddered. It was no wonder Pyrrha had wanted to distance herself from her fame.

To her surprise though, Jaune grinned. "Actually, I've got an idea," he said. "Why don't you two head back to the dorm and relax?"

"Relax?" asked Pyrrha, sharing a confused look with Ruby.

"Yeah," said Jaune. "Take your showers, get your pajamas on, take the evening off. Don't worry about anything for the rest of the night. I'll get your food from the dining hall and bring it straight to you."

"But what about our evening training?" asked Ruby.

"Since we're just working on Temper and Suppression, I think we can manage without you for a night," said Jaune, with everyone else around the table nodding. "And you deserve the night off too, Pyrrha. I don't think one night's gonna let you fall behind."

"He's right," said Sasame, speaking up for the first time in a while. "Both of you have earned an evening's respite. I second Jaune-kun's suggestion."

"Yeah, it's a good idea," said Yang. "We'll get you girls dinner-in-bed."

Ruby and Pyrrha shared one last look before looking back to Jaune, who nodded at them.

"All right," said Ruby.

Their homework already taken care of, they packed their books and school implements and headed for the library exit. As they did, Sasame watched Jaune with a look of intense interest.