A Dash of Knightshade - Chapter 2

Second (and so far final) chapter for Dash of Knightshade. This one has Pyrrha and Yang's views on Blake's sudden change in relationship with Jaune. Beware for Pyrrha fans, she takes a giant L this chapter.

Next story will be an update for Minecraft Jaune!

For anyone interested in making a commission, email me at: storylover543@gmail.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pyrrha was not happy.

Things had been so grand ever since she arrived in Beacon. She'd gotten friends - true friends, not those leeches back home - and met Jaune. Her heart fluttered at the thought of him. Jaune, the first true friend she'd ever gotten in Beacon. The first person to see her for who she truly was. Not as the Invincible Girl or the Pride of Argus. Just Pyrrha Nikos, a normal girl who wanted someone who could truly understand her for who she was.

...Granted that was because he had no idea who she was, but it still counted as far as she was concerned. Jaune was just so kind, so caring, so...good. Was he flawless? Of course not. He'd cheated his way into Beacon and let his pride keep him from accepting her offer to help him. But Pyrrha didn't hold it against him. He'd swallowed his pride in the end and understood it wasn't a weakness to rely on others. He was human, just like the rest of them...sans Blake.

The thought of the not-so-hidden Faunus made the champion furrow her brows. She didn't really know a lot about her. While Team JNPR and Team RWBY were friendly enough, inter-team friendships outside of Jaune and Ruby just wasn't a thing. They were close enough to share polite conversation and even spend time together around campus if they just so happened to come across one another, but she wouldn't say they'd go out of their way to try and hang out. That had been the status quo for the entire year.

...Until recently.

One day, Blake started spending time with Jaune. It had come completely out of nowhere and without explanation. Everyone had been confused, but Blake, as expected, refused to explain herself. When Yang had asked, she'd rolled her eyes and said she was 'making friends' without any further elaboration. Jaune wasn't any help either. When Pyrrha herself asked, he'd simply shrugged and said that he had no idea but he was happy that he'd made a new friend.

Perhaps Pyrrha might've agreed if it remained as just the two of them becoming friends, but it was different. Blake had taken to hanging around Jaune often - enough that Yang had complained about how her partner was never around. She was almost always by Jaune's side. She sat next to him in class, in the cafeteria, and often monopolized his attention whenever possible to talk about books and other such things. It was plain for all to see...

Except, of course, for Jaune who found nothing weird with the catgirl's behavior. And if he didn't find it odd, Pyrrha knew she couldn't bring it up as suspicious. Jane was so open to others - it was the reason that he'd accepted her for who she was. To try and turn him against Blake would've been hypocritical, no matter how tempting it was.

And it was oh so tempting...

She'd invited Jaune to the library so they could study for the midterms. It would be just the two of them, alone in a cozy little corner. Maybe physics wasn't the most romantic subject to set the mood, but she could make it work. She'd won fights against far worse odds.

So it was that she sat across from him on a small table out of sight from everyone else. She would've chosen to sit next to him, but she couldn't muster up the courage just yet. She'd get there, she told herself, but until then she would take it slow...and maybe, if she plucked up her nerve, she could play a little game of footsie. She'd read that it was apparently a very sexy thing to do.

Pyrrha took a deep breath to brace herself and said, "So, Jaune-"

"Jaune," another gratingly familiar voice cut in. The partners looked up, one with a smile and one with a deep frown, as Blake thieving cat Belladonna sauntered over to their table. Pyrrha's eyes narrowed as the other woman deliberately eyed the scattered books and notes on the table, "Studying for the midterms? Mind if I join you?'

"I do-"

"That's a great idea! The more the merrier, right?" Jaune said. She was about to protest the unwanted intrusion when Jaune gave that oh-so-innocent look, "You don't mind, right, Pyr?"

Yes, she very much did mind. She wanted to tell Blake to fuck off and take her stupid bow with her (seriously, who did she think she was fooling?). But seeing Jaune's smile made her bite her tongue, "Sure," she said through gritted teeth. Pyrrha's fist gripped her knee hard enough for her veins to bulge when Blake sat to Jaune's right without any shame at all. And then she scooted her chair closer and it took everything Pyrrha had to not grab one of the textbooks and break the thieving cat's jaw with it.

Pyrrha could only seethe as Blake pressed up against Jaune's side. The conniving little bitch. She saw what she was doing. She was trying to play it off like it was nothing, but she saw the the way Blake's chest pushed into Jaune's arm. Jaune, bless his heart, didn't seem to notice, but Pyrrha did. And if she were anyone else she would've already smashed Blake's head straight through this table. Who did she think she was? Did she think she could swoop in like that after ignoring Jaune for almost the entire year?

"I'm having a real hard time with this," Jaune tapped one of the pages of their math books.

Blake looked it over and spoke up before Pyrrha could interject, "That's a typical Nevermore problem. A village is ten miles away and Nevermores can fly 3.5 miles per ten minutes. You're a Huntsman on foot seven miles from the village but you also have to deal with a forest, which will slow your speed down by about 30 percent. If a Huntsman can go 1.4 miles per four minutes and you have to go through a forest for half of the trip to the village then how long will it take you to get to the village and will it be before the Nevermore gets there?"

The next couple of hours passed with the three of them studying. Or rather, Blake teaching Jaune while Pyrrha was forced to be the awkward third wheel. How was this girl so good at mathematics? From what team RWBY told them, she'd been living outside the walls for the past five years, and yet here she was teaching like she knew it like the back of her hand. And Jaune, so blissfully sweet and ignorant, saw no problems with how Blake was behaving.

Why now, Pyrrha wondered. What made Blake decide to intrude where she didn't belong? A part of her was tempted to take the thieving cat aside and warn her to back off, but years of training on how to conduct herself made her bite her tongue. Also, as much as she hated to admit it, Blake hadn't done anything wrong. She liked Jaune - more than liked - but that didn't mean she was entitled to his undivided attention...as much as she wished that was true.

But that didn't mean she had to be happy about Blake being here. If it was someone else like Ruby then she would've understood. It still would've been...displeasing, but she'd understand. The two were close friends, the only real individual inter-team relationship. But Blake? How? She'd called him Sun at one point!

Curfew couldn't have come fast enough. Pyrrha had to resist smiling from ear to ear as they got back to their dorm and Blake couldn't follow them inside. Too bad, so sad, "Goodnight, Blake~" She slammed the door in her face before she could say anything back. She'd need to find some way to make her back off soon. Tell Jaune her feelings...at some point. One of these days. She just had to work herself up to it, okay?! She didn't want to ruin their friendship.

"That was nice of Blake to help us," Jaune said.

Help you, Pyrrha wanted to say. She helped him only because she was a horny little cat. She didn't say that, of course. Instead, she put a placid smile on her face and hummed to avoid hurting Jaune's feelings.

Sleep didn't come easy for Pyrrha. She tossed and turned in her bed and was constantly plagued by nightmares of Blake stealing Jaune away. All with a smug, catty smirk on her face. This is your fault, her eyes seemed to say. He's mine now because you wouldn't tell him how you felt. Pyrrha could only watch, her words failing her, as Blake pressed her lips against Jaune's and moaned shamelessly. All the while she maintained eye contact with Pyrrha.

And then she slid her tongue inside.

Pyrrha shot up in a cold sweat. Her breaths came out in ragged pants and her heart beat a mile a minute. It was just a dream, she told herself. Jaune wasn't gone and Blake hadn't stolen him. Everything was okay...

And then she turned to Jaune's bed and found Blake looming over Jaune's bed.

Pyrrha's scream was so loud that, had the rooms not been soundproof, she was sure that the entire school would've heard. Blake turned and blinked, looking not at all surprised considering she'd just found her stalking Jaune. Pyrrha scrambled to get out of the bed and slipped on the blanket, landing on the floor in a crumpled heap. Milo and Akuo were still at her locker, but she could beat Blake down easily with her bare hands!

Her slip had woken up the rest of team JNPR. Finally, she thought. They would see Blake for-

"Pyrrha? You fell off the bed?" Nora yawned and then, much to Pyrrha's utter disbelief, greeted Blake casually, "What's up, Blake? Anything new?"

"Nothing so far. Pyrrha woke up, though." Blake shrugged, "Did you have a nightmare, Pyrrha? You yelled pretty loudly there."

"No, I did not have a nightmare!" Pyrrha shouted.

"There's no shame in nightmares. We all have them." Ren said understandingly.

"I'm not ashamed!" She wriggled out of the blanket and pointed at the intruder, "I screamed because Blake broke into our room!"

"Huh?" Jaune finally spoke. He rubbed both his eyes and looked between the intruding stalker and his partner, best friend, and future soulmate. Realization dawned on his face and his eyes widened, "Oh...I knew we forgot something! Sorry about that, Pyr!"

...

What?

Pyrrha could only watch blankly as Jaune stretched his arms above his head and gestured to Blake, "Blake told me she was gonna look out for me to make sure I got a good night's sleep. I told Ren and Nora, but you were out that day. Something about your agent?" At the back of her mind, she vaguely recalled leaving to do just that a week ago, "When you came back it kinda just slipped my mind. My bad. Professor Port's essay distracted me."

"Ugh, that one was a pain," Nora agreed.

Pyrrha opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came. It took a few seconds before she finally found the words, "You mean to tell me...that Blake has been stalking you for the past week?" And she didn't even realize it.

"Not stalking," Blake said.

"You shush!" Pyrrha growled.

"She's right. She's not stalking me." Jaune defending the intruder made her want to scream, "She told me it's something Faunus do for their friends. Make sure they get a good night's rest and all. I thought it was weird at first, but then again, I'm not a Faunus. If Blake says it's normal for her then it's normal."

"Yes. There's nothing odd about this at all," Blake lied as easily as she breathed.

"That...That's crazy! She's obviously lying to you!"

"Eh...I dunno, Pyrrha. You're not a Faunus, so how do you know?" Nora asked.

"That's...well..."

"I did the same thing for team RWBY before. They never woke up though." Oh, how convenient! "This is a tradition back home. I'm just making sure that Jaune gets a good night's sleep. A poor sleep cycle stifles the creative juices, and we can't have that."

"She's right. I gotta get a good night's rest if I'm gonna think up all those awesome new team attacks!" Pyrrha winced. Yes, those...amazing team attacks, "Blake's really been helping out! I can feel the ideas just flowing out!"

"You can never have too many good ideas, Jaune." Blake smiled. Pyrrha grit her teeth.

"Could we go back to sleep now? We've gotta deal with Port tomorrow."

Pyrrha wanted to say no, to grab Blake and toss her out the window headfirst, but she knew that this was a battle she could not win. Blake, the conniving sneak, had tricked the rest of her team with her web of lies. But she wasn't fooled. Oh no. She might not win this fight, but she'd defeat her in the end.

Pressing her lips into a thin line, Pyrrha returned to her bed and spent the rest of the night glaring at the looming Faunus. The fact that Blake paid her absolutely no mind only angered her further. She didn't even consider her a threat! That was worse than if she'd been smug about it!

Pyrrha swore to herself that Blake wouldn't get her dirty little claws into Jaune if it was the last thing she did!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yang never really considered herself the jealous type. Having to help raise Ruby from a young age meant that she was desperate for a less 'tied down' lifestyle. That was one of the main reasons she'd chosen to become a Huntress. A life on the road with nothing but herself and Bumblebee. Remnant was a big place and she could spend years exploring the four kingdoms without a care in the world. She dreamed of that kind of life. The wandering hero you read about in Ruby's comic books.

Which was why she was surprised at how much she found herself focusing on Blake.

She knew from Dad and Uncle Qrow that Beacon had partners and teams. She figured that she'd be friendly with her partner but they'd go their separate ways once graduation came. Some partners did stick together for the long haul, but Yang wasn't the type. She wanted to be free! No responsibilities, nothing tying her down. That was what being a Huntress represented to her. The freedom to live life on her own terms and no one else's.

Blake seemed perfect for that. The two of them got along great but had different goals in life. Blake wanted to help out the Faunus while Yang was still planning to enjoy her youth just being a wandering Huntress. Still, that didn't mean they couldn't be friends in the meantime. Blake was a girl who took a lot to open up, and Yang took no small amount of pride in the fact that she'd managed just that. Cause it wasn't easy. It took a lot of effort and a heart-to-heart to break through Blake Belladonna's tough outer shell.

So you could imagine that she was feeling pretty annoyed when Blake was suddenly so clingy to Vomit Boy, of all people. Like, seriously? It took her weeks to even get Blake to look up from her book and there VB was with Blake treating him like he was that author she always gushed about. It was weird. Neither Weiss nor Ruby cared - Weiss was happy that Jaune was too distracted to flirt with her and Ruby was happy that Blake was making new friends - but Yang wouldn't take it lying down. Oh no. She refused to be the inferior blonde!

"So, Blake!" Yang grinned. It was the weekend now, which meant the perfect time to try and reclaim her place as Blake's favorite blonde, "You, me, and an all-night party at Vale's premier nightclub. Whaddaya say?" Yang's easygoing tone would've made anyone else putty in her hands. Even Weiss couldn't resist the patented Xiao-Long charm. There was a reason Dad managed to bag both Raven and Mom. And no, it wasn't because of depression or Mom being a homewrecker! Shut up, Jill!

Her partner yawned and tilted her head at the sudden invitation. Blake was sleeping in a lot lately, which was weird considering she was sleeping way earlier than normal. Like full-on 'blanket burrito covering her entire body' levels of sleep. Yang didn't mind too much. Sleeping in meant that Ruby and Weiss were gone, so she didn't have to worry about being interrupted.

"Like...tonight?" Blake yawned again.

"Tonight up till tomorrow!" Yang laughed, "What do you say, Kitty Kat? Ready for the night for your life?"

"Uh...sorry, I'm doing something with Jaune." Blake swung her legs over the edge of the bed and made her way to the closest, completely missing (or ignoring) Yang's fallen expression, "We're going to be spending all day in Vale today, and since we're going to be out so late, we'll be spending the night at a hotel. Could you tell Ruby and Weiss later so they don't worry?"

"You're staying out all day then staying at a hotel with him?" Yang raised a brow, "Uh...are you two..." She rubbed her hands together and made lip-smacking noises.

Blake wrinkled her nose and turned to her with a dirty look, "Not everything is about as something as base as sex, Yang." She scoffed, "Believe it or not, there are other kinds of bonds. Ones that aren't because of something so crude. What I have with Jaune transcends the normal relationship between a man and a woman."

"Uh-huh." Yang crossed her arms. Her bullshit meter was going through the roof, "Is that why every time you go meet him you bring one of those porn books?" Now Yang wasn't a prude by any means, but she'd read those books and...woof. They were enough to make her put it down and wonder if she was just the vanilla-handholding virgin kind of girl. It was a good thing neither Ruby or Weiss saw them. Weiss-cream would've melted and Ruby's innocence would've been lost forever.

"It's true." Blake huffed.

"Mhm. And, uh, what's the cause of this 'transcendent' relationship?"

"...You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"Jaune...understands me in a way no one else can." Both Yang's brows raised. Okay, wow. That came out of fucking nowhere. And she would've been lying if she said she didn't feel just a little bit snubbed here, "He was there for me at my lowest points. When I thought about giving up, thought that I had no one by my side, he was there. He...always found the right words." Yang's hands balled into shaky fists, "I...don't think I'd be the same person I am now if not for him."

"Wow, uh...you make it sound like you've known him for way longer than a year."

"I suppose it seems that way." Blake hummed, "We only met at Beacon, and I didn't realize who he really was until recently. Looking back on it, I don't know how I missed it. It was so obvious. Jaune is...he completes me."

Yang gulped nervously and failed to suppress a blush. The way Blake spoke, the look on her face...it was enough to make her feel embarrassed just from proximity. Yang had never been in love. Sure, she was jealous about Blake going for another blonde, and maybe she would've liked it if Blake stuck around after they all graduated, but the way Blake was acting...it was like she'd found her soulmate...and it was Jaune, of all people. Like, nothing against the guy, but she had no fucking clue how he managed to snag Blake, of all people. If anything, she would've thought he'd end up with Ruby. The two of them had so much in common.

"You sound like you're in love with him," Yang whispered.

"Oh, Yang. Yang, Yang, Yang." Blake said pityingly, like she was talking to a kid who just didn't know any better, "What Jaune and I share goes beyond such simple things. Labels like 'love' are so...limiting. For the longest time, Jaune was my hope, my rock, my oasis in a cruel, unjust world. Maybe someday I can repay him for all he's done for me. I could become his inspiration, his...muse." Blake giggled. Actually giggled. It was eerie.

Yang couldn't say anything else. How could she? She knew when she was beaten. Yang left the room without another word and ran into Jaune leaving his room at the same time. Before he could say anything, she grabbed both his shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes, "You make her the happiest woman on Remnant, you hear me?" She let go of him and walked down the hall, mouth curled up in a bittersweet smile of a relationship that could never be.

...

"Hey, wait, what? Yang? Yang!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Vytal Tournament was the event of the year. It was the chance for every up-and-comer to make their mark on the global stage. Everyone on Remnant would be watching, and the one who claimed it all would have their name remembered in history forever.

The mood across Beacon had been palpable. Every student dreamed of getting their name in the history books, especially for this year. Pyrrha knew that it was because of her. Each person wanted to be the one to knock the Invincible Girl off her pedestal. Self-proclaimed rivals declared their intention to defeat her and even the less-invested ones knew that there was glory to be had at her loss. In any other circumstance, Pyrrha would've hated every second of it.

Now she just didn't care. All that mattered to her now was winning. Because this wasn't just another tournament that she could put as the fifth notch on her belt. No, it was far more important than that. She'd promised something to herself. Once she won the tournament, she would confess her feelings to Jaune for everyone in the world to hear. Perhaps it was rash, one might think, but she'd already set her mind to it. She would prove to the world the depth of her feelings for Jaune.

She had to do this. With every day that passed, Blake took more and more. She was around Jaune constantly and no one had any problem with it! Even Yang, the one person she thought she could rely on, had decided to give the two of them her blessing.

Pyrrha had finally reached her limit when Blake started training Jaune. It was for his own good, she said. She was already good with a sword and she had to make sure Jaune was okay. She decided then and there that she needed to not only confess her feelings to Jaune but prove that she deserved to be with him. And what better way than winning the Vytal?

Going through the group and pair fights was easy. Without anything holding her back, her training and Semblance ensured that she decimated the competition. More than a few of her fellow contestants looked at her with both awe and fear, but she paid them no mind. Her focus was purely on winning.

Soon enough, team JNPR had reached the finals. She'd taken the role of representative, of course. There were a few other contestants who'd reached the same position, but she was drawn to only one. Team RWBY had won all their previous fights as well and Blake had been their chosen representative. It was as if destiny was lining everything up, She would do it. She would defeat Blake and prove once and for all that she was superior.

And then...she lost.

The fight had been a long and frantic one. She'd thought that removing Blake's weapon would make her easy pickings, but that couldn't have been farther from the truth. Blake fought like a woman possessed, attacking and dodging with ferocious speed and cutting through her defenses despite all her training. By the time it was over, Pyrrha was laid out on the floor with her Aura in the red while Blake stood victoriously over her,

Silence echoed across the arena as the crowd witnessed the impossible. Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl, had lost. Blake Belladonna had defeated the undefeatable. The quiet didn't last long before it was replaced by raucous cheers. Blake Belladonna was the Vytal Tournament champion.

Blake offered her a hand up, and she was too numb to do anything but accept. Every sound came in one ear and out the other. She'd lost. All her plans, her destiny, were wasted. She'd fought for love, for a future, and she failed.

All eyes were on Blake now, but her gaze was focused only on one person.

"I'm dedicating this victory to Jaune Arc!" she screamed.

Her smile shined so bright that Pyrrha almost looked away. Pyrrha was a maiden in love, but Blake was...she was more than that. What she felt for Jaune was something indescribable. It was a force strong enough to let her achieve anything. Compared to her, Pyrrha was nothing more than a schoolgirl with a crush.

Pyrrha closed her eyes and finally conceded defeat. She'd fought her hardest and came up short, but there was no shame in that. She could only hope that Blake and Jaune had a happy future together.

She was completely unaware that the only thing on Blake's mind right then was the first chapter of Jaune's new original work. An underdog fighter who defeated the reigning tournament champion for the sake of her crippled childhood friend. Beating Pyrrha wasn't exactly like that, but she hoped he'd got some inspiration from it anyway.

Oh, she couldn't wait for it to be released!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kali took a sip of her tea and sighed. Another day, another bunch of problems. The White Fang was stoking the fires and her dear Ghira was doing his best to ensure that the innocent Faunus wouldn't be caught up in the reprisals. She did her best to help - facilitating meetings and trying to curb the radicalization - but it was an uphill battle. Too many of them thought that the only solution was picking up a gun and acting as if racism was something they could shoot.

But that was about what was expected. Being the chieftain of Menagerie was a difficult job, especially with their own personal issues.

She set her tea down and stared at her reflection on the brown surface. It'd been a little over five years since she'd seen her little girl. Not so little anymore, she reminded herself sadly. She would've been a young woman now. Every day she damned Sienna for refusing to even tell her how her daughter was doing or where she was besides 'she's alive'. If she and Ghira weren't tied down by their responsibilities they would've scoured all of Remnant to find their kitten.

There was a loud bang on the door. Someone was outside. Kali forced a smile on her face and stood up. It was probably Rolf with another problem they had to deal with, "Yes, how can I-" Her words stopped and she gasped as she fully opened the door and saw who was on the other side.

Blake. Her daughter stood in front of her with a hesitant smile. Over half a decade since she'd seen her last and yet she recognized the young woman as if she was the same little girl who left all those years ago, "H-Hey, mo-"

She didn't get to finish. Kali pulled her daughter into a bone-crushing embrace. She wanted to scream, wanted to tell her off for all the years of worry she'd put them through, but in the end, relief won out over anger and she just kept hugging her daughter. If only Ghira were here right now, he'd definitely hold her tight and never let go.

"Um..." Another voice cut in.

Kali looked away from her prodigal daughter. There was another person there, a young man who looked to be about her kitten's age. Tall and broad-shouldered with messy blonde hair and deep blue eyes. More importantly, he looked Human, at least from a glance, though his trait might have been subtle or hidden under his clothing.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." Kali laughed and (reluctantly) pulled away from her daughter.

"Mom, this is Jaune..." Blake smiled and wrapped both arms around his left. Kali's eyes widened as the realization hit. The soft smile, the blushing cheeks...oh!

"This is your boyf-"

"He's my favorite author!" Blake cut her off.

...

"Um, what?"

"He's made so many good stories, Mom!" Blake said excitedly. It was the same tone she used when Kali cooked her favorite fish meals, "They're so well-written and the characters are amazing!"

"Ahaha...I see." Kali coughed, "Perhaps we should come inside and talk about things."

Kali led Jaune and her eagerly rambling daughter inside. This wasn't exactly how she imagined meeting her daughter again, but she wasn't complaining.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Poor Pyrrha. Lost because Blake wanted to give Jaune 'inspiration' for his new story. Then there's Yang playing it cool while Jaune has no clue what's going on.

Anyway, I'll be doing the next chapter for Minecraft Jaune, like I said.