"Now for the moment you've all been waiting for. The one on one finals!"

The crowd's cheers echo throughout the Amity Arena and shake the night sky at Port's words.

"Barty. Why don't you explain the rules?"

"Ah, it's quite simple Peter, instead of a bracket system..."

You ignore the rest of Oobleck's words, already familiar with how the finals rounds would play out. While the idea of random selection immediately before the match was meant to shake up the competition, it was actually more favorable in your opinion. Eliminating prep time meant the finals rounds would be a real test of skills. A measure of how well your opponents had been paying attention until now, and how well they could fight. There was just one tiny problem.

Standing on your immediate right was Yang. The two of you had been ecstatic to find that you'd both be competing in the finals, having a private celebration the night of your previous match. What concerned you, however, was the prospect of the possibility of having to fight Yang. She had already told you that if the two of you met on the battlefield to give it everything you've got, and you were more than confident that you would come out victorious. The problem was you took issue with the idea of hurting Yang, and that subconsciously affected your ability to fight. If your last training session was any indication, it was likely you would hesitate and end up losing.

"Hey (F/N), are you feeling alright?" Yang asks, giving you a concerned look.

Pushing the thoughts from your head, you put on a smile and wrap an arm around her waist. "I'm fine."

"Good." She smiles up at you. "Beacon's counting on you to win this thing."

"Me?" You ask. "What about Pyrrha?"

Yang frowns.

"A-And you, of course." You add hastily.

Yang laughs. "I don't expect to win this thing." She says. "I'm not an idiot. I know you or Pyrrha could easily beat me without breaking a sweat. No, so long as I make through at least one round I'll be happy."

"Okay." You nod. "And why aren't we counting on Pyrrha to win?"

"Well..." Yang lowers her voice to a whisper, "I don't know if you've noticed, but she hasn't been looking very, er... confident lately."

Peering over the top of Yang's head, you gaze down the line at Pyrrha. Indeed, she doesn't look her best. Her gaze looks unfocused, like she's got something else on her mind, and she's rubbing her arm in a nervous manner.

"I hope she's okay." You say.

Suddenly, Professor Port's voice booms over the stadium's sound system, shaking you from your thoughts.

"Yang Xiao Long and Mercury Black!"

"Looks like I'm up." Yang says cheerfully over the sound of the audience's applause. "Wish me luck."

Wrapping your hands around her waist, you lift her off her feet and give her a kissing her with a fervor that surprises you both, before setting her back on the ground.

"Good luck."

Time Skip:

What just happened? What the hell just happened?! You wouldn't have believed it if someone had told you, and even having seen it with your own eyes you still weren't quite sure you believed it. You knew Yang better than anyone, and there was no way she would ever attack someone like that. And yet, there Mercury was, lying on the ground and clutching his leg as Emerald comforted him. Atlas soldier had encircled Yang, weapons raised and safeties off. Running through the tunnel connecting the arena to the backstage, you're stopped from progressing any further by two more Atlesian soldiers.

"Let me through." You demand.

"Hey, back up kid." One of them says, holding up a hand. "No one's allowed through."

"That's my girlfriend." You say, pointing over their shoulders at Yang.

"Sorry, that doesn't matter."

"Not to mention your girlfriend just maimed an innocent kid." The second guard says. "Maybe try finding a girl who isn't a psycho hothead."

Grabbing the man by his armor, you lift him up and slam him into the wall.

"What did you just say?"

"What's going on here?" A voice calls from behind you.

Dropping the guard, you turn and see a tall man in a grey undercoat beneath a white overcoat, his pants tucked into his silver boots.

"Who are you?" You snarl.

"My name is General Ironwood." He says, the two soldiers snapping to attention. "I'm here to escort Miss Xiao Long from the premises."

"Well General," you snarl, "I'm warning you, if one of your soldiers so much as touches a single hair on Yang's head, I'll..."

"Yes, yes." Ironwood says dismissively. "I'm perfectly aware of your relationship with Miss Xiao Long, as well as where that sentence was headed. Rest assured I have no intention of harming your girlfriend. Now if you would please step aside, you can see Miss Xiao Long once she's back at Beacon."

The last few words are spoken with authority. As angry as you might be, you know the General and his soldiers are just doing their jobs. Slowing your breathing, you resignedly step aside, allowing the General to pass.

As Ironwood is about to walk out onto the arena, he takes pause and turns to the soldier who had insulted Yang earlier.

"Private Steel."

"General." The man says, snapping to attention once more.

"I would recommend learning how and when to hold you tongue, otherwise you might find yourself in the hospital at some point. And out of a job."

"Y-Yes sir."

Time Skip:

It's been an hour since the incident. As of present, you're pacing outside Team RWBY's dorm. Much to your chagrin, the General had insisted on talking with Team RWBY privately, going so far as posting two armed guards on either side of the door specifically to keep you out. After what seemed like hours, the General finally exits the room.

"Easy Mr. (L/N)." He says, placing a hand on your shoulder to stop you from rushing into the room. "Tensions are high enough already, and bursting into that room in your agitated state won't make matters any better."

Nodding, you ask as calmly as you can, "How's Yang?"

"Despite all evidence to the contrary, she's insisting she saw young Mr. Black attack her."

"And?"

"Well, Mr. Black is currently with his family. They're still unsure if there will be any lasting damage. As of present, they're not pressing any legal charges, nor is she facing any criminal charges. She has however, been disqualified from the tournament."

"What?" You say, outraged. "But she didn't..."

"It doesn't matter what she did or didn't do." The General says forcefully. "As I just got finished telling your friends, the public has already come to their own conclusions. There's nothing more to be done."

With a wave of his hands, he beckons the two Atelesian Knights to follow him as he makes his way down the hall.

Gently opening the door, you pass by Ruby, Weiss, and Blake who appear to be headed to Team JNPR's dorm. Closing the door softly behind you, you turn to see Yang sitting on Weiss' bed, her knees brought up to her chest.

"You alright?" You ask.

Yang doesn't respond, instead tightening her grip more securely around her legs.

"You believe me, right?" She asks, looking into your eyes.

"Do you really need to ask that?"

"Please." She whispers, tears falling from her eyes. "I just need to hear you say it."

"Yang," You say quietly, sitting on the bed at her feet, "I would believe that everyone in Remnant is mistaken before I would ever think you capable of attacking someone while they're down."

Yang is still silent. Reaching towards her, you gently take her hand in your own. She looks at you.

"Hey. If you say he attacked you, he attacked you."

She smiles. It's a small smile, but it's a smile nonetheless. Repositioning yourself, you move so you're sitting next to her. You hold her closely with your right arm, gently running your fingers through her long, golden locks.

"You should get going." She says after several minutes.

"Where would I go?" You ask. "I'm right where I need to be."

"No, (F/N), you need to be at the arena. The next fight is going to be announced soon and you need to be there in case it's you."

"But..."

"I'll be fine." She says, putting on a smile. "Now get going. If you get yourself disqualified for something as lame as not showing up, I'll kick your ass."

"Alright, alright." You smile.

You're just about to leave when Yang stops you.

"Hey (F/N)." She says quietly. "Make sure you win. For me, okay?"

Nodding, you step out into the hall, a new sense of vigor burning in your chest.

VOTE: As we near the fall of Beacon, there are two potential pathways the story could take. As the readers, I want you to vote on which scenario you would rather see. During the fall, should (F/N) A. Join Pyrrha in the fight against Cinder, or B. Face off with Adam Taurus. Please comment. Voting will close on February 29th , 2019 at 1:00 pm, EST.