Shattered Destiny (ch8)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL PATRONS! THANK YOU!

I must say I rather enjoyed the reactions to the last chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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												Chapter 8. A New Fate

Yang fell before Pyrrha in a puddle of her own blood. She was coughing and choking in agony, crying out in pain.

Pyrrha screamed for her again and again, fresh tears pouring down her face.

Only then, in wake of such horror, did she find the strength to move. She reached out for her dear friend and pulled Yang into her arms, screaming and crying.

"No! Yang, Y-Yang, no! Oh, what have you done...? What have you done...?" She pulled Yang in to her chest, conjuring up what little aura she had left and sharing it with her.

Yang continued to shake and sob in her arms, whispering broken fragments of her name.

"P-Pyrrha..."

"Shh..." she soothed, blinking more tears away. "It's all right. D-Don't talk..."

"N...No..." Yang grunted. "I have to..." She tried to push herself up a bit, only to discover there really was no support coming from her right side. She couldn't feel anything there, only horrible pain.

That was the final part of her nightmares, of her visions. With this, she'd seen, felt, or prevented everything they'd encompassed now.

And she knew her mother understood that.

Raven hadn't moved an inch since she'd brought down her sword. It was still red and wet with her daughter's blood.

Yang turned a distraught gaze to her now. There was pain, anguish, rage, and so much more in her eyes.

But past all of that, there was confidence, defiance, triumph.

She tried to speak with just as much passion as the pain she was feeling.

"This... is over," she rasped. "And you know it."

Raven stared down at her with unblinking eyes and an unreadable expression.

Yang sniffled, swallowing thickly as her own aura joined Pyrrha's at the gaping wound at her elbow. But she didn't let that pain stop her now. Not after she'd come so far.

"It's over... You'd said... there was no way left that I could prevent her death... But I just did. You were wrong. I f-found a way to... to prevent every death you'd shown me. I... I changed fate. Wh-Which means... this is over."

Her mother said nothing. She just kept staring down at her sword and at her mangled daughter.

Pyrrha curled protectively over Yang now, sending an equally distraught but serious gaze up at the woman.

"Yang is right..." she sobbed. "I'm not... entirely certain what all of this is.. and what's happened... but I know now that... that she's changed my destiny. That I've been permitted to live because of what Yang has done for me. So... no one needs to die anymore."

Yang coughed in her arms, her eyelids fluttering weakly. She tried to use her hand to hold onto Pyrrha's, but couldn't be sure if she made contact or not.

"P-Pyrrha..."

"Hush. It's all right, Yang." Pyrrha leaned over her and gently rested her forehead against hers. "You... You've done your part. You've done... so much... Now it's my turn."

Yang had done so much for her, more than Pyrrha could probably ever truly know.

She'd shown her that she could change fate. And she'd proven that there was a peaceful way out of this, where not a single drop more of blood needed to be shed.

Pyrrha was finished hiding from herself.

She was finished running from her destiny.

She was finished suppressing her feelings.

She wiped the tears away from Yang's cheeks, and pressed a small, soft kiss to the side of her face.

Yang blinked up at her, drowsy and confused, her eyes glazing over from the blood loss. Pyrrha smiled down at her, brighter than the sun, and a single tear fell down to land on Yang's other cheek.

"Thank you, Yang."

Yang had done so much for her. She'd saved her life.

She'd made Pyrrha realize that she could change her own destiny.

When Pyrrha had been ready to lie down and die, Yang had shown her she could stand up and fight.

So it was time to stop running from it.

She was alive now because of Yang.

And because she was alive, she could fight back against her fate.

Carefully, she laid Yang down on the ground. Her aura had managed to stop most of the bleeding, but it was still a heart-wrenching scene.

Her best friend... has lost a part of herself for Pyrrha's sake. That immense sacrifice deserved to be justified.

Pyrrha intended to thank Yang for her loss by ensuring there was no more. No more blood needed to be spilled. No more lives needed to be taken.

Pyrrha found the strength to stand.

She wasn't scared anymore.

Not of Raven. Not of Cinder. Not of the Grimm.

And not of her own destiny.

She cast one last look at Raven, who still hadn't moved.

Only now did the woman finally tear her gaze away from her daughter. She lifted her eyes to meet Pyrrha's.

Pyrrha returned and held her gaze, leaving no room for miscommunications of what she had done, what she was doing, and what she was about to do.

But she didn't move.

Not until Raven had sheathed her sword and dipped her head.

Only then did Pyrrha leave Yang's side. She walked right past Raven and didn't so much as glance at her again.

She strutted over to where Cinder lie, still unconscious from the blow Raven had dealt her earlier. She could feel the power leaking off of her. That had been part of the reason why she'd lost. Because Cinder wasn't the proper host for the Fall Maiden's powers, and therefore her body had been unable to control them as intended.

"Don't worry," Pyrrha murmured. "I've come to take them back now."

She stopped once she'd reached the other woman and then knelt down. Reaching out her hand, she let it hover over Cinder.

Even in doing just that much, she felt some of the Maiden's powers naturally rise up to wreath around her fingers.

Pyrrha closed her eyes and inhaled a long, deep breath. She wasn't scared anymore. She wasn't uncertain about this.

Before, down in the basement with Ozpin, when she'd been trapped inside that capsule, she'd doubted herself. She'd been afraid of losing her memories of who she was. She'd been afraid of failure and of losing the people she cared about. That was why Cinder had been able to steal the powers from her.

But Pyrrha wasn't afraid of anything anymore. Her confidence, her determination, and her just heart all made her strong now.

She had friends who would fight for her. Friends who would die for her.

She had so many people she loved and cared about, so many people she wanted to protect. That was why she had been the proper host of the Maiden's powers in the first place. And she realized that now.

As she inhaled, she could feel the powers flowing back into her, where they rightfully belonged. The stream of energy flowed in effortlessly.

It felt like waves of bubbling, boiling water had been trapped inside a container that was too small. But now it was allowed to flow freely and comfortably into a vessel that could accommodate every last drop.

In this manner, Pyrrha took back her power. And it seemed somehow glad to be back with her.

Cinder woke just as the last bit flowed back into Pyrrha's fingertips. The girl reopened her eyes and stood, her green eyes bright with clarity. She hadn't lost her memories or knowledge of who she was. She knew exactly who she was, and what she was going to do to end all of this once and for all.

She met Cinder's eyes and recognized the fear in them. But unlike her, Pyrrha was a merciful girl.

"Go."

The single word was all that needed to be said.

Perhaps Cinder would come back another time to try and steal the powers back. But Pyrrha would deal with that when it happened, if it ever did.

Cinder dragged herself to her feet, and faced her only for a minute. She was angry that she'd lost, that she'd failed.

But more than anything, she was scared.

So she turned, and without a word, she ran. An air ship lowered itself to the edge of the tower to collect her as if on cue, and then it was gone.

Pyrrha turned back around to take in the scene on the rooftop.

Ruby was curled up not too far away, and had yet to regain consciousness. Pyrrha wanted to thank her properly too, for trying to defend her.

But Raven was still there, standing over Yang who was somehow still awake. Pyrrha made her way back over to the dark-haired woman and gained her attention.

"Are you satisfied now? This is over, isn't it?"

The woman said nothing. She merely glanced at Pyrrha and remained silent. Despite all this woman had done and tried to do to Pyrrha and her friends, she smiled at her.

"Perhaps you don't believe me? Do you need a demonstration to prove to you that these powers are rightfully mine?"

A deafening roar split the air just then, and the entire tower shook. The dragon had been roused by the sudden presence and transferring of the Maiden's powers and was now agitated.

Solemnly, Pyrrha dipped her head to Raven. She then turned to face the massive beast where it was spreading its wings, drawn out from its state of melancholy.

Yang was barely able to keep her eyes open at that point, but she refused to close them until she could see for certain what had happened.

Pyrrha strutted up to the edge of the tower, just a few yards away from where the dragon was lifting its head and beginning to move. Its massive jaws parted, the mouth opening as far as halfway down its neck. It could easily swallow a few air ships whole, let alone a single girl.

There was a powerful rush of air as the beast beat its wings. Its claws dug into the building, creating more splinters and chunks of debris as the structure shook. A deafening roar rattled the air and the tower alike as the monster began to take flight.

But even in wake of all this, Pyrrha stood perfectly still.

Calmly, she lifted both hands, and even from this distance, Yang could make out a faint glow emitting from her skin.

Around Cinder, this power had been out of control. But with Pyrrha, it seemed to have settled.

Yang was beginning to feel herself slip away. Her eyelids kept falling heavily shut, and the pain at her right elbow pooled like so much blood she'd lost.

She glimpsed her little sister one last time, still lying motionless, but alive. And she knew that now, Pyrrha would keep her safe.

Yang looked one last time to her mother. The woman had turned her back by now, without so much as a word.

There was so much Yang still wanted to say to her, so much she still wanted to ask her. Her throat scratched in protest as she tried to conjure up the breath to speak, but in the end she managed to get out a single rasp of a word.

"M-Mom..."

Raven paused only briefly. But she didn't turn nor look back at her. She merely lifted her sword, pulsing a bright red glow, and cut into thin air. A black scratch mark lingered behind in the path of the blade, and seemed to beckon her in.

Yang struggled to push herself up with her left arm, but a dizzy spell crashed down on her. She slumped back to the ground just as an immense sensation of movement shook the building.

She didn't have to look to know Pyrrha was fighting the dragon entirely on her own. And she didn't have to hear the beast's dwindling cries to know she was winning.

Yang knew her mother was going to leave her again. She just found a bit of solace in the fact that this time, she'd at least get to watch her go.

Raven stepped into the portal, her black hair and clothes blending in, as though she were a part of it.

And just like that, she was gone.

Not a trace of her was left behind. Nothing but a whisper, words Yang struggled to make sense of.

She was gone.

And only then did Yang finally understand this was all over.

Even though she'd failed to understand the prophecies at first, she'd managed to take them seriously before anyone could die because of her inaction.

She'd lost her match against Mercury because everyone had thought she'd attacked him unprovoked and caused him great harm for no reason.

But she'd stopped him and the people who had been helping him in their plot, and she'd proven her innocence in doing so. She'd fought off the Grimm and the White Fang, and even when she'd had no idea how she could win, she'd found a way.

And as a result, she hadn't had to watch anyone she loved die.

She'd saved Blake from her past, from the vicious claws of the White Fang, and from her ruthless ex-partner.

She'd saved Weiss from the ferocious and animalistic Grimm.

She'd saved Ruby from the arrow that would've otherwise pierced her heart.

And she'd saved Pyrrha. Or rather, she'd helped, and Pyrrha had saved herself.

She'd directly influenced preventing the deaths of the four people she loved and cared about most in the world, and in doing so, had most likely prevented the deaths of other civilians and comrades as well.

And all she'd paid for it was an arm. When she thought about it that way, it really didn't seem like all that bad of an exchange.

But even so, she didn't want to think about that now.

She couldn't turn or move herself anymore, but she was still aware of how the air was shifting in tumultuous bursts.

Pyrrha was still fighting, and still winning. Things were breaking, cracking, crumbling, but the only sounds of distress were coming from the monster.

Yang couldn't really see her fighting, but she could imagine what Pyrrha must've looked like. Gallant and confident, strong and sure. She'd never waver in the face of danger if it meant protecting something precious to her. Just like Yang, or any other huntress.

It wasn't long before an enormous roar seemed to make all of Beacon rumble. The rhythmic beating of the massive wings came to an abrupt halt, and was followed by silence.

Yang could sense its presence disappearing. She heard Pyrrha's footsteps approaching, though she passed Yang by and must've gone to Ruby first, and Yang was thankful for that.

After that, she heard her friend rushing towards her, calling out Yang's name fretfully.

But that was the end of the line for Yang. No matter how hard she fought now, she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. Her mind slipped away into someplace dark and quiet, and with her conscious went all the pain she had previously been feeling.

Only one thing flashed through her mind; those two words her mother had spoken to her before she'd vanished.

Only now could Yang make sense of them.

It was the last thing she'd ever be able to remember from all of this.

"Thank you."

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A/N: At last, it's all over. But the story has a bit more to cover!