Shattered Destiny (ch2)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL PATRONS! THANK YOU!!

Some people gave me some very accurate theories and predictions! But I think you'll all still be surprised more than once about future events.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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												Chapter 2. The Beginning Of The End

Getting to sleep that night was a struggle for Yang.

She'd opted to try and stay awake for as long as she could, but her teammates reminded her she'd be fighting in the finals tomorrow, and couldn't afford to be tired while doing it.

Weiss fell asleep right away due to her exhaustion from today's battle, and Ruby wasn't far behind her. Blake only stayed up a while longer to read, and ultimately, it was she who persuaded Yang to finally go to bed.

But even though the light was turned off and she laid her head down on her pillow, Yang did everything she could to stay awake. That residual static in the back of her mind kept flaring up, fluctuating in the most unsettling of ways.

When she did close her eyes, images of fire and Grimm painted the backs of her eyelids. The scene of Weiss getting burnt kept replaying in her mind. When Ruby and Blake ran out into the arena, Yang saw the same images she'd seen the night before.

Adam was slashing at Blake's ankles, until she collapsed. He lifted his sword above her and plunged it down deep. Her screams rang out, then were overlapped by someone else's.

Ruby tumbled to the ground with an arrow in her chest, bleeding profusely as she wailed to Yang for help.

And Yang ran.

She ran as hard as she could, but she never made it to them.

There was a black blur, like that of wings, and then the voice came back.

/You've failed the first test... And it was such an easy one... so preventable.../

Yang was once again shown the images of Weiss being burnt, coughing and charred. She tried to reach out to her teammates, but the ache in her skull split through once again, resulting in her immobility.

/Next time... it won't be so harmless, Yang.../

She tried to shake the voice away.

But when she next looked up, Weiss was being torn to pieces by Grimm. Adam was flaying Blake, carving her inside out. A barrage of arrows were shot into Ruby's motionless body...

Pyrrha had jumped down from the stands to try and help, calling out their names. But then the shadows took her, suffocating her until there was nothing left but red dust.

Yang couldn't take it.

"NO! STOP IT!"

She screamed until her voice broke, hot tears spilling down. An agonizing pain shot through face, then her stomach, just like last time. She felt like she was being beaten by some invisible force, and she was helpless to stop it.

Then it was the same horrible feeling in her stomach, like she was going to throw up, like her heart was going to burst out.

"No... why...? Stop it... Ruby... Weiss... Blake... Pyrrha..."

And then more pain tore through her right arm, seizing the nerves all the way up to her elbow. She couldn't feel anything below that. It was just numb... as though it wasn't even there at all...

She woke with a horrible start, never having realized she'd fallen asleep in the first place. There was a damp spot on her pillow, drool and tears and even a bit of blood from where she'd bitten down on her lip in her sleep.

She sat up and wiped her right hand over her mouth, confirming that her arm was still attached. She swallowed the blood, hating the taste and scent of it, but needing to erase it at any cost.

She sat there for a long while, holding onto her right arm with her left hand, touching it over and over again to reaffirm it was still there.

She glanced over at Ruby's bed and heard her little sister snoring peacefully from behind the draping blankets. Below her, Weiss' breathing was a little raspy, but she too, seemed all right. Blake was quiet beneath her, save from a few little twitches of her ears now and again.

They were all okay.

/It was just another nightmare... God, when will it end...?/

But there was one last person she'd seen in her dreams that she just wanted to check on.

It was past 1AM now, but she grabbed her scroll anyway and sent out a message to Pyrrha:

//Hey, sorry it's so late. Hope I don't wake you and that you'll see this in the morning. I just can't sleep tonight so I'm texting you out of boredom. With all that happened with Weiss today, I didn't get the chance to see you or say congrats on yours and Nora's win today! You guys were awesome! Good luck tomorrow in the singles' match. See you there!//

She sent it without hesitating, not wanting to have second thoughts.

Part of her knew Pyrrha was probably asleep, and that would be the reason why she wouldn't reply, not because something had happened to her. But given what was going on in her mind, Yang couldn't help but worry.

However, by some strange coincidence, her scroll buzzed not a minute later with a reply from Pyrrha:

//It's perfectly fine, Yang! I'm actually having a bit of trouble sleeping tonight, as well, so I appreciate your message! Thank you so much! And I'll give Nora your regards in the morning, as well! I'll see you tomorrow! Good luck!//

Yang couldn't help but feel better after her brief conversation with her classmate. No matter the situation, Pyrrha was always positive and supportive, a source of solace and strength, particularly towards her friends and teammates. Yang always felt comforted whenever she was around her or speaking to her.

Which was why Yang hated seeing her vanish in that nightmare.

/But that's all it is. A nightmare. Nothing more. Maybe I'm going a little nuts from all the stress of the tournament, but that should all be over soon anyway./

She put her scroll aside and pulled the blankets back up to her chest, rolling onto her back to stare at the ceiling for a time. She waited, but no voice came creeping back into her head.

So she dared to close her eyes and let out a long, peaceful sigh. She'd found that calm breathing and meditation were often much more beneficial than tossing and turning were on sleepless nights, so she opted for the former.

It took her a long time, and it was difficult to consciously lasso her thoughts away from the darker side of her mind. But eventually, she felt herself slipping under.

But of course, not before that voice came to her again.

/Relax all you want. It won't change anything. Only you can do that.../

She was too far gone to try and wake herself back up to address it.

So she had no other choice but to sleep with that thought tacked to the back of her mind.

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The following day, her teammates were bubbling with excitement and anticipation.

Ruby crawled up into her sister's bed to hug her awake. Weiss' healing injuries didn't stop her from giving Yang a "do"s and "don't"s speech at breakfast. And Blake was smiling a lot more than usual.

Pyrrha even stopped by their table to present her with a dazzling white smile and words of support and good luck. Yang fist-bumped her before Pyrrha took her leave.

By all means, she should've been entirely focused on today's matches.

But it was starting to feel just like yesterday had - an unsettling night's worth of images in the back of her mind, fading kindly into a nice morning.

But yesterday hadn't ended so well, given Weiss' injuries. At least she'd been okay in the end, but Yang couldn't help but feel like she could've done something to prevent the incident altogether. Maybe if she'd paid more-

"Yang, pay attention!" the heiress snapped from across the table. "I mean, honestly. I'm trying to help you out here by giving you tips, remember?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Sorry."

"Honestly... All right, so where were we? Right, so if your opponent happens to be from Vacuo, here's what you can expect..."

Weiss went on giving her discourse, as she'd been doing for the past thirty minutes. Yang had half a mind to jokingly comment about how wrong she'd been about yesterday's opponents. But she was far too relieved just to see that Weiss was being her old self, talking as much as usual, despite what had happened.

/Yesterday was just a fluke, she told herself. It won't happen again./

And the rest of the day seemed to go by in accordance to those thoughts.

She and her teammates enjoyed the fairgrounds for a time, and whenever she managed to catch Pyrrha's eye, Yang would give a little wave or a thumbs up.

As the day went on, the atmosphere became more and more tinged with excitement.

Until at last, the singles' matches were underway.

An announcement was made, and the names of all the people participating rang out through the air as all the students and audience members began making their way toward the arena.

Yang and her team made it to the point where the aisles for seats and the arena split, and that was where they parted ways.

Naturally, Ruby was the first one to throw her arms around her big sister, giggling merrily as Yang spun her around. "Good luck, Yang! You're gonna do awesome! Break a leg!"

"Thanks, Ruby." Yang put her down and kissed her atop the head, then gave her hair a quick little ruffle.

Weiss stepped up next, her posture as prim and proper as ever, looking ten times better than she had yesterday now that her skin wasn't grey.

"Remember, Yang. Depending on where they're from, your opponent is likely to have a specific fighting style. If you can work in accordance to that-"

"I get it, I get it." Yang slung an arm across her shoulders and leaned into her. "Jeez, you're so uptight." She stepped away as Weiss brushed her off with a huff. Yang put the teasing aside and smiled. "Thanks, Weiss. Really."

The heiress gave a quick nod, then looked away.

Finally, Blake stepped in, wearing a small, but wonderfully genuine smile.

"Good luck, Yang. You're going to do great."

To Yang's surprise, her taciturn partner actually hugged her briefly, and it was all the blonde could do to quickly return the contact before it was over.

"Thanks, Blake. I'll do my best."

Finally, Yang stepped away, looking over the three of them one last time.

She wanted to win. She wanted to make them proud. More than anything.

All four of them moved in for one last group hug before parting with little waves. Yang turned around to face the arena, then headed off to her waiting area.

She scoured the faces of the other people present there, all of her potential opponents. Some she recognized and some she didn't, but she'd treat them all with equal respect and vigor, should she end up fighting them today.

But there were a few people she knew very well.

Penny found Yang before the blonde even spotted her, coming up on Yang's side to tap her, causing her to jump.

"Sal~u~tations, Yang! Isn't it so exciting to be here? I'm very excited!"

Yang sighed before giving the ginger-haired girl a smile.

"You bet. Good luck, Penny!"

"And the same goes for you!" she said with a salute.

Almost as soon as Penny scampered off, Yang found someone else to occupy her attention. Pyrrha caught her eye and waved Yang over enthusiastically.

"Good afternoon, Yang. Are you ready for the finals?" Standing there with her javelin in one hand and her shield in the other, the young champion certainly looked ready. Yang raised her fists and bumped them together.

"You bet!" Then, she lowered her voice into a bit more private tone. "By the way, sorry if my text woke you up last night."

"Oh, not at all! Please don't worry about it! I'd been waking up on and off all night, and seeing your message really made me happy!"

"Yeah? That's a relief."

Yang decided to stand next to her classmate as they all awaited the first match's pairing announcement. There was a bit of chatter around them, but for a moment, both Yang and Pyrrha were silent, their eyes trained on the screen that would soon tell them their opponents.

For a moment, Yang's mind started to regress into those dark thoughts again, like a tide dragging her back bit by bit. She tried to keep away, but the image of her nightmares just kept resurfacing.

One second Pyrrha was there. The next, nothing but red dust filled her place.

And then there was the horrible aching Yang herself had felt, in her jaw, her gut, her skull...

"Oh!" Pyrrha's pleasant voice drew Yang back up and into reality. "I forgot to ask. How is Weiss doing?"

"Oh, she's fine," Yang replied. "On her way to a full recovery already."

"That's grand news!" she beamed. But then, the smile faded, and her tone dropped. "And... what about you, Yang? How are you doing?"

"Huh...?"

She hadn't been expecting such a question directed at herself. Pyrrha's eyes were stern and serious, and something told Yang that if she spoke a lie, Pyrrha would call her out on it right away. Pyrrha had always been incredibly perceptive, so Yang didn't know why she was surprised about having her troubles discovered by her. Had she been that obvious about it?

Pyrrha was still waiting patiently for an answer, though in her mind, Yang's prolonged hesitation was answer enough. The blonde ran a hand back through her hair and sighed softly.

"Pyrrha-"

But just then, Dr. Oobleck's voice rang out across the stadium, declaring that the first match-up would now be shown. The announcement effectively drew everyone's attention up to the huge screen, and whatever conversation had been spawning between Yang and Pyrrha was forgotten in the anticipation.

Yang watched as the blur of faces passed by in the first of the two boxes, until at last it came to an indisputable stop on one person. It took her a moment to realize she was looking at herself.

"Oh, how exciting!" Pyrrha smiled, patting Yang's shoulder. "You'll be first!"

"Yeah. Awesome..." Yang mumbled as much to herself, but wasn't sure if she was entirely convinced about her own supposed enthusiasm. She glanced across to the second box to see who her opponent was.

Mercury Black. He was a familiar face, but not one she knew all that well.

But Pyrrha had something to say about him, too.

"I think you'll do just fine," she said, a little more tightly. "I don't want to judge, but that boy seems to have a tendency to give up when things get too difficult for him." She turned to Yang with another smile. "Best of luck! I know you'll do wonderfully, Yang!"

"Hey, uh, Pyrrha-?"

But before she could hope to say any more, the excited crowds started cheering her name, demanding she take the center of the arena and face her opponent. The knot that had been forming in her stomach until now tightened just a bit more.

/I'm being ridiculous. That weird dream meant nothing. I need to focus now./

So she squared her shoulders and sucked in a deep, steadying breath.

A glance to one side showed her teammates in the crowd. Weiss and Blake were clapping excitedly, while Ruby was pumping her fist in the air.

Everyone else cleared the arena, moving back to gather behind the safety lines. Yang advanced, and a few seconds later, she saw her opponent do the same. His swagger and smugness alone made her want to deck him once just for being a total prick, but she kept her cool.

Naturally, they exchanged a few comments before the match begun, some more subtle or scathing than others.

For a long moment, nothing felt real to Yang. The lights were so blinding, the noise was raucous, and she didn't think she could feel her own footsteps.

And then, just like that, reality hit her in the face.

Literally.

She'd barely realized the buzzer had rung before Mercury's boot was colliding with her cheek.

She was sent skidding, spitting up a small mouthful of red. Growling, she charged at him, throwing fiery parries and hard-aimed bullets.

His kicks were as ruthless as her punches were, and everything seemed to happen in a blur of motion and sparks. She'd land a hit, then take one, dodge an attack, then miss.

They seemed about tied in her mind, because he was starting to limp and cough just as much as she was.

This pain... felt oddly familiar somehow. Like she'd felt it before, but couldn't remember how, when, or why...

She couldn't explain what happened next.

It felt like she temporarily blacked out while still on her feet.

But the next thing she knew... the crowds had stopped cheering.

A deafening, weighted silence crashed down over the audience. Mercury had crumpled, screaming in sheer agony, clutching his leg.

"My leg! She- She broke my leg!"

Yang didn't even register his words right away. She couldn't even understand what was happening.

"W...What? The hell are you saying? I didn't-!"

"Mercury!" Emerald, his partner, was hurrying onto the arena frantically. She knelt at his side as he continued to wail in pain.

"Why did she do that?! Why did she attack me?!"

Emerald just shook her head, looking hollow and terrified.

Yang's stomach sank and flipped all at the same time.

"What's he-?"

But a flash of motion caught her eye, directing her attention up to the display screens.

They showed something that... never happened.

They didn't show how Mercury had attacked her first, and Yang had simply been defending herself. Instead, it depicted things as though Yang had been the one to initiate a totally random and vicious attack, even after the final buzzer had rung.

Her heart struck in horror as she watched. The crowds were still shrieking in dismay and outrage, demanding for her disqualification.

"No..."

She staggered back, but the next thing she knew, she was surrounded by armed guards.

"Yang Xiao Long! Stand down!"

Their guns were pointed right at her, as though she were some kind of dangerous criminal. Anger and fear flared up inside her as she rounded on them, her eyes flashing red.

"What are you doing?! He attacked me!"

/Didn't he...?/

The screens certainly didn't show that.

But... But she knew it was true. She'd experienced it herself. She'd lived in that moment. She knew she was right. She had to be...

But the guards weren't willing to listen to her. They only demanded her immediate surrender as the medics rushed to surround Mercury.

He... He wasn't just faking it. He'd broken his leg somehow, even though Yang knew she hadn't been the one to do it.

But... what if she had?

/No... No, no, no! I can't let them win! They tricked me! They rigged this somehow! I can't believe their lies!/

But no matter how hard she tried to keep a calm head, the chaos around her was far too much to bear.

The professors giving the announcements were scrambling to shut off the instant replay screen, and everyone in the audience was crying out in terror or demanding Yang be taken away.

The guards never for a second asked to hear her side of the story, and Mercury's shouts of pain echoed throughout the arena, even as he was taken away.

Yang couldn't move. The confusion, fear, and guilt piled up into a suffocating mound of weight that didn't allow her to so much as flinch anymore. The entire world hated her right now.

/No... maybe not everyone.../

Her last shred of hope was to look for her teammates, praying they'd be on her side. She expected them to be as outraged as she felt, already proclaiming her innocence to those around them, fighting for her.

But...

But that wasn't what she saw.

Blake's eyes were wide with something Yang had never wanted to elicit in her.

Fear. The fear she would've looked at someone like Adam with. That's who Yang resembled now, in Blake's eyes.

Weiss was in utter shock, disbelief. Her hands were pressed hard over her mouth, and she could barely breathe, barely comprehend what she'd seen, and what she was still seeing.

And the bond of trust Yang had striven for months to build between them seemed to be severed in a matter of seconds.

But nothing hurt more than Ruby's reaction.

Her little sister was... beyond emotion.

Her eyes were blank, though tears were streaming down her cheeks. She was huddled up in her seat, rocking back and forth.

To Ruby, Yang had been one of the few people to hold up her entire world, a pillar of support, comfort, and strength.

And now that pillar had come crashing down, and half her world had gone with it.

Seeing that her own partner, teammate, and sister didn't believe her...

That was what brought Yang to tears, and to her knees.

She collapsed, defeated in every way, a sickening nausea rising up like bile in the back of her throat. It felt so familiar, this hopeless, helpless feeling... She'd felt it somewhere before, this poignant, unbearable ache...

Where? Where had she felt this before...?

And like another kick to the head, it hit her.

/My dream-/

And then her mind was shaken by a splitting pain as that voice forced its way back in.

/I'm very disappointed, Yang. I gave you ample time and opportunity this time. And still, you've failed the second test.../

That ominous voice, the distraught faces of her loved ones, and the sickening agony in her chest...

They were the last things she sensed before the world turned black.

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A/N: Maybe now Yang will start to take her dream seriously. But what if it's already too late? Next chapter will start straying from the canon and build up it's own plot, as well as answer a few questions you may have!