Shattered Destiny (ch7)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL PATRONS! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

We're back to Yang's POV from here on out. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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													Chapter 7. Sacrifice

She'd never run faster in her entire life.

As soon as Yang had gotten off the air ship, she hadn't exactly known where to go on Beacon's campus in order to search for her little sister. For a brief amount of time, she'd been preoccupied with the Grimm, and had no choice but to fight them off when she couldn't manage to avoid them altogether. She'd proceeded rather aimlessly, merely fighting whatever enemies came her way, while always making sure to look out for Ruby or anyone who may have seen her.

But it hadn't been long before Yang had gotten her answer.

The gargantuan dragon Grimm was a horrifying sight indeed. With its size and ability to spawn more monsters at will, it could've easily destroyed an entire kingdom in a matter of days, which made a small place like Beacon child's play.

And if Yang knew her little sister, Ruby would be where that dragon was.

So she'd ran to follow the mighty beast where it perched on Beacon's tower. And that point, Yang wished Blake or Weiss had been there with her to help get her to the top. But as she was, it took her a devastating amount of time to reach the top on her own, through the process of merely climbing up the side of the building, clinging to nothing more than jutting pieces of debris.

It had taken her a bit of time. But as she'd discover, it hadn't taken her too long. She hauled herself up and over the edge just in time to assess what was happening up top.

That woman – Cinder – was there, and there was an odd, unnatural glow around her. Pyrrha knelt behind her, eyes wide and tears streaming down her face. Yang was temporarily flooded with relief just to see that she was still alive.

But that relief was immediately pushed aside to be replaced with something very different.

She witnessed Cinder drawing her bow and arrow, and aiming at Ruby.

Then it was rage. Love. The fierce, unbreakable desire to protect.

Yang activated her semblance and was there in a heartbeat, skewing the arrow's trajectory with a bullet, and then throwing herself in the line of fire. With Ruby now behind herself, nothing was going to touch her little sister anymore.

Yang's voice rang out more ferocious than the dragon's roar.

"Get the hell away from my little sister!"

Her eyes were burning red, her hair was alive with flames, and her breath was visible steam.

This was it. If she could simply stop this woman here and now... No one else would have to die.

Yang charged whilst her opponent was still regaining control over her bow. The blonde fired several punches and bullets along with them. She was only vaguely aware of Pyrrha's scream from somewhere nearby.

"Yang, no! You can't fight her when she's like this! She's-!"

But Yang never got the chance to hear the end of Pyrrha's warning.

With impossible speed, Cinder twisted her body and threw out her bow, the edge of which slammed into the side of Yang's face at close-range, sending her spiraling back. As Yang staggered, she wasn't even given a second to catch her breath or assess what had just happened before her opponent was upon her.

She was kicked with the sharp tips of high-heeled shoes, and punched by fists that had an impossible amount of power charged up behind them.

Yang didn't know what was going on, but she knew Cinder shouldn't be this strong. There was... some kind of power emitting from her, to the point where it was almost leaking free.

Yang tried to fight back, but the woman was too fast, too precise with all of her hits. Yang was already physically exhausted from the numerous fights against the Grimm up until now. Coupled with the mental and emotional exhaustion that had come along with being viewed as a vicious criminal who attacked innocent people, she didn't have a lot of strength left.

The only thing that kept her getting back to her feet was remembering the other people on this rooftop.

Her baby sister, whom she'd vowed to always protect.

And her best friend, who'd shared thoughts, trust, and emotions with Yang that she'd never shared with anyone else. In turn, Yang had done the same for her.

They were both indescribably precious people, ones she'd never stop fighting for until she'd drawn her last breath.

/If that's how it has to be... then so be it!/

Presently, she shoved herself back up to her feet, spitting out an acidic mixture of saliva and blood. She growled as she faced her adversary.

She hadn't landed so much as a single blow on Cinder after that first surprise bullet. The woman stood calmly and quietly, that strange glow still surrounding her.

Though Yang didn't know exactly what was going on, she could gather enough information based on what she knew.

Whatever powers Cinder now had, she must have obtained recently, likely at some point during this unprecedented attack on Beacon. But clearly, simply obtaining that power wasn't good enough for her. She needed to stay here until she'd done something else.

And Yang's visions had told her exactly what that was.

She wanted to use this power.

Cinder wasn't going to leave here until she'd killed Pyrrha.

So that either meant Yang would have to kill her first, or die defending her friend.

She told herself she was prepared for either option.

She had no choice but to engage in combat with the woman once again. If Yang stayed down, Cinder would kill Pyrrha, and then Ruby and herself, no doubt. So Yang had no choice but to keep fighting.

She missed every punch, every shot, and in return suffered every blow Cinder tossed her way. Yang staggered, stumbled, and swayed, but she kept getting back up.

All the while, Pyrrha whimpered and cried for her to please stop. Yang couldn't afford to look at her friend, but she knew this was torture for her.

For whatever reason, Pyrrha couldn't fight right now. She couldn't even stand up. And now she was being forced to watch one of her best friends fight her battles for her, a battle that would quite possibly end with Yang's death.

Her broken sobs and pleas kept carrying out.

"No... please, stop... Don't do this..."

Yang's heart wavered every time she heard her friend's voice.

But she couldn't stop fighting. Not until she was physically and entirely unable to.

As she was now, taking hit after hit from Cinder, she was merely delaying the inevitable. She knew that. But if it could allow Ruby and Pyrrha to live just a second longer, she'd gladly continue for as long as she could.

She swung and missed again, took another kick to the ribs again.

Again and again. Over and over.

Until she hit the ground and finally couldn't get up anymore.

She tried and tried to push herself back up, but her arms were too weak and shaking far too much. She could hear Cinder's footsteps approaching her now, slow and deafening, taking her time.

/Damn it!/ Yang spat out another mouthful of blood and saliva. /She's... she's not completely in control of her powers. I can tell that much for sure. It's leaking off of her and she's clearly not used to it yet. If I could just find some way to exploit her inexperience with it, I could-/

"Agh!"

She cried out as the sharp heel of a shoe slammed mercilessly onto her spine. Yang heard Pyrrha scream out her name and a slew of pleas, but they all went ignored by Cinder.

The woman leaned down over Yang, taking her time in slipping the string of her bow around her throat. She then pulled back, forcing Yang's head up, exposing her neck. Cinder half-purred, half-growled into her ear.

"Are we quite finished here?" she snarled. "You've delayed me long enough. If only your dear little sister were awake to watch me slit your throat from ear to ear."

Yang growled defiantly, her eyes still rimmed with red and searing a look of sheer hatred up into Cinder's amber gaze.

"You- hhgk-!"

She was cut off as Cinder tugged on the bow again, the taut string pressing dangerously against Yang's windpipe.

"Once you're out of the way, I'll be sure to take my time with your dear little sister. I'll wake her up first so she can feel every arrow I'm going to put into her."

"Bitch-" Yang rasped. "I'll-"

"You'll do what? By that point you'll be lying here in a pool of your own blood. But don't worry. I'll make sure she sees you one last time before I put an arrow in her heart."

Yang made a furious effort to surge upward and throw her off, but Cinder didn't budge. She pressed her weight harder onto Yang's back and pulled on the bow, constricting Yang's air even more. The woman went on calmly.

"After that, I just have to kill the intended host. That shouldn't be too difficult, considering she can't do much more than cry like a scared little girl now. Watching you two die will certainly resolve her to her fate as well."

Of all the despicable things Cinder was saying, for some reason, that one word stuck in Yang's mind.

Fate. Or otherwise referred to as destiny.

It reminded her of the text message conversation she'd had with Pyrrha only a few nights prior.

Pyrrha had told Yang that she was scared of her destiny, that she felt trapped by it, constrained to follow whatever predetermined path was laid out for her.

If Yang lost now, she'd only be letting Pyrrha fall victim to her worst fears, and succumb to the fate that had been looming over her for her entire life.

She didn't want that to come true. She didn't want Pyrrha to believe she was helpless and had no control or choices within her own life.

She could fight back. She could change her future. She could defy fate and live on.

Yang wanted to prove that to her. She wanted to live with Pyrrha, and stand proudly at her side...

The string pressed around her throat was being pulled harder, forcing Yang to go limp. She felt Cinder crouching down over her, holding the bow in place with one hand as she reached for an arrow with the other.

By this point, Pyrrha was screaming at the top of her lungs.

"No! Please stop this! You got what you wanted, didn't you? Just leave us be! Don't hurt her! Please stop!"

But Cinder proceeded as though she hadn't heard a thing.

Yang choked back a sob that got lodged in her throat. She was getting dizzy from the lack of oxygen, and her vision was shifting out of focus. She felt the cold blade of an arrow being pressed to her throat. Cinder braced it there firmly, ready to slice it across in one swift motion.

"Don't worry," she murmured. "I'll take good care of your little sister and your little friend."

Yang could only close her eyes, let the tears drip down, and accept her own fate.

/I'm sorry, Pyrrha... Ruby... I couldn't protect you after all.../

"Noooooo!"

Pyrrha's scream cracked the air around them. Yang felt the tip of the arrow press in against her neck-

-and suddenly it was gone.

The arrow fell to the ground at her forearms, the bow string snapped and allowed her to breathe again, and the weight of Cinder's body on her back vanished all at once.

Gasping, Yang frantically flipped herself around, grabbing the arrow as a means of self-defense. Her eyes grew wide at what she saw.

A woman dressed all in black and red stepped out of thin air. The portal disappeared in a flash of crimson light as Yang beheld the sight of her mother's back.

Cinder, despite her newfound powers, had yet to get used to controlling them properly. The surprise attack had knocked her down, where she presently lie unconscious in the debris.

The dragon still waited for its master's command on the side of the building, and as such didn't move.

Both Yang and Pyrrha beheld the sight of Raven, who'd taken out their adversary in a single, brutal hit. Of course, that was only thanks to her obscure abilities and the element of surprise.

Yang caught her breath as she got her bearings. She looked to Pyrrha a dozen or so yards away. She was still frozen on her knees, covered in dirt and blood and tears, her green eyes wide with shock at the newcomer's sudden appearance.

Pyrrha was all right.

Yang next looked to Ruby.

Her little sister was closer to her than Pyrrha was. She was lying on her side, with Crescent Rose just a few inches from her grasp and her red cloak draped over her. She was still unconscious, but Yang was just so thankful she was still alive. She half-crawled, half-dragged herself over to Ruby's side and touched her cheek.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I almost..."

She couldn't bear to think about it. She leaned down and kissed Ruby's forehead gently.

Then, she straightened up and turned to address her mother.

"What are you doing here?"

Raven hadn't budged since she'd shown herself. But now, she reached up to remove her mask and turned her head. She glared at Yang over her shoulder.

"That's twice I've saved you now. There won't be a third time."

Yang returned her mother's gaze with an equal fervor. She nodded once.

/Fine. At least it's all over now./

Those were her thoughts.

But as she prepared herself to gather Ruby into her arms, Yang froze when she noticed her mother begin to approach Pyrrha.

The young champion's relieved smile soon faded into an uncertain frown. Raven's sword was drawn, and as she approached, she didn't seem to have any intentions of sheathing it.

Yang laid Ruby back down and jumped to her feet.

"Wait! Wh-What are you doing?"

Raven paused only to whip around and face her daughter once again.

"You think this is over? Are you really that naive, Yang? I told you. This doesn't end until she dies."

Horrified, Yang forced her legs to move.

"No! You don't have to do that! Cinder-"

"-May have the Maiden's powers now. I'll have to kill her, too. But the girl goes first. If she's already dead when the current host dies, the powers will have to seek a new host, one nobody will know about. They'll be safe that way, where no one can recognize and target them. We'll all be safe that way."

"No!" Yang snapped. "That's not-"

"Enough!" Raven shouted. "This could end with two people dying, or two million. It's not a choice, Yang. It's the only option."

"No!" Yang screamed again. She kept stumbling as she ran, trying desperately to reach Pyrrha before her mother did. "It doesn't have to be this way! You've seen by now, haven't you? Haven't I proven to you that I can change fate? I have and you know it!"

She fell again, scraping her knees and palms on more sharp debris. Raven still had yet to draw another step closer to her target.

"Perhaps..." she said.

"Not 'perhaps'!" Yang spat, shoving herself back up again. "You know that I have! I used what you showed me, and once I understood it was real, I stopped it! I saved Blake, and Weiss, and I saved Ruby! So you know I can save Pyrrha, too!"

"You can't." Raven's voice dropped to a lower tone now. "You can't save her now, Yang."

"Then why?!" she shouted. "If I couldn't save her, then why the hell did you even bother showing me all of those visions? Why the hell did you even let me believe that I could?"

"Because at one point, you could have!" she snapped. "But that point in time has come and gone. It's not possible anymore, Yang."

She advanced another few steps, until her blade was within range of the confused, terrified girl. Pyrrha stared up at her with wide eyes, tears streaming down either side of her face. She shook her head slowly.

"No... p-please..."

But Raven raised her sword without mercy.

"I'm sorry. This is the only way. You know that, don't you? Accept your fate. You've never been able to change it from the moment you'd been born."

And Pyrrha could only see the truth in those words.

All her life, she'd been fated for this.

She'd been lifted up onto a pedestal as a student and as a performer, only to discover she was the proper host of the Fall Maiden's powers.

She was the idol that would send a message to the world. The angel that had no other choice but to lose her wings.

If her death would prevent the deaths of others, then shouldn't she accept her fate after all?

/Maybe... it's time I stopped fighting it.../

She lowered her hopeless gaze away from Raven's cunning one.

/One martyr can spare a thousand lives.../

She closed her eyes, bowed her head, and accepted her fate.

"NO!"

Yang stumbled again in her desperation to reach them. She'd be damned if she let it end like this, after all that had been changed, after all that had been salvaged. She forced herself back up and kept running.

"Pyrrha, no! Don't accept that! You can still change your destiny! You can still fight! But you can only do that if you're alive!"

She kept running, her vision blurred by tears and sweat and blood.

But her words seemed to have struck a chord within her friend.

Pyrrha gasped softly, feeling a prickling sensation within her chest. Her heart which had previously been resolved to stillness now beat with a new fervor.

/She's right.../

Slowly, Pyrrha lifted her head once again. She looked up at the woman before her now, not with fear and acceptance, but with confidence and defiance. Her green eyes glared up into crimson, and the woman narrowed her gaze.

"She... Yang is right..." Pyrrha rasped. "I don't... have to accept this fate... this destiny... I won't."

Raven drew her sword back despite the girl's determined words.

"I'm sorry. But you have no choice but to accept."

"I refuse," Pyrrha acclaimed.

Her defiant declaration actually caused Raven to hesitate. She tightened her grip on her sword but didn't move it.

Yang continued to rush toward them. She wasn't far now. Just a few more seconds-

"No." Raven shook her head, fighting back the part of herself that longed to believe Pyrrha, that longed to show her mercy and spare her life so that she might prove Raven's predictions wrong.

But Raven knew. She knew firsthand what would happen if she didn't kill this girl here and now. She had to.

"I have to-"

She raised her sword up high and closed her eyes.

Pyrrha's heart stopped. She couldn't move. She wanted to fight now. She wanted to defy her fate. But she couldn't move.

With one swift, sharp motion, Raven's sword came down-

"NO-!"

Blood sprayed down over Pyrrha's face, staining her hair and clothes.

But it wasn't her own blood.

Like an angel cut down, Yang fell before her. Red pooled where she hit the ground, her clothes, hair, and skin stained with red. Her right arm landed several feet away.

Pyrrha's voice shook the air with a horrible, heartbreaking scream.

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A/N: Different methods, same results.