Male Reader x RWBY: Volume 3 / Reader x Yang Xiao Long

Chapter VI: A Test of Faith

"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.