Invite Pyrrha to sparring session

During her second semester at Beacon academy, Weiss witnessed Pyrrha put on a fabulous display of combat by defeating the entirety of Team CRDL by herself! Seeing her in action live was breathtaking! Excitement raced to every corner of Weiss' skin from watching her fight. It was like watching a dance.

Strangely, a student from Mistral academy called Mercury Black challenged her to a sparring session after witnessing her slaughter an entire team. Maybe it was out of ego. Perhaps he wanted to scout the competition. Could they have a grudge against Pyrrha for not going to Haven academy? Regardless of the reason, he forfeited the fight without putting up much of a real fight.

Weiss ran to meet Pyrrha once her arena sparring concluded. Without time to think of what she was going to say, all she knew was she had to see Pyrrha in battle again!

"Pyrrha!" Weiss calls frantically in the hallway.

"Yes Weiss?" Pyrrha responds, wondering if something was wrong.

"I... I, uh, I wanted to ask if you wanted to spar with me later today?" Weiss fumbles. Weiss feels like a dwarf looking up at Pyrrha's face.

"Yes, of course. Is something wrong?" Pyrrha adds.

"No! I just really needed to train. With you! That is... it is... very important!" Weiss replies, bumbling like an idiot.

"Let's say we meet at 8pm in the gymnasium?" Pyrrha suggests.

"Absolutely! See you then!" Weiss shouts before running into the girl's bathroom.

Weiss begins beating herself up over the way she choked up around Pyrrha. She locks herself in a bathroom stall and bangs her head against the palm of her hand. Even though she made a step in the first direction, she made a fool out of herself while doing it. Of all the times to get stage fright, why did it have to be when she's pursuing love? She could suppress the butterflies in her stomach while singing ballads to please her father. Why not when she acts of her own accord? Weiss will just have to roll with it.

"Think positive," she tells herself repeatedly.

Weiss changes into some sports gear and psyches herself up before meeting Pyrrha inside the gymnasium. Weiss had colour coded shirts and shorts tailor made for her team with their names on it shortly after making amends with Blake during their first semester. Her team got lots of attention from guys when they played volleyball in these outfits... Weiss is first to arrive but does not have to wait long for Pyrrha to show up.

Pyrrha arrived in a black and gold sports bra with all black yoga pants. She kept on her golden neckpiece and bracelet from her usual attire. Her scarlet hair waved with her powerful stride graciously. And she rocked that midriff! You could smooth out stones against Pyrrha's chiselled abs! Pyrrha’s physique was like a marble statue built in dedication to the forgotten gods of South Amina. Weiss had never seen this much of Pyrrha- all her muscle was hidden under her armour.

Her long legs came to halt as Pyrrha waved. Weiss waved back with a smile, awestruck by her beauty. Pyrrha threw down her bag and took out her weapon, standing at the edge of a duelling ring.

"You do know that once your feet enter the duelling ring, the match starts immediately right?" Pyrrha jokes, scrolling her eyes down to Weiss' feet.

Weiss notices she is within the duelling ring. No one had ever enforced the rule that a match must begin once two or more people step inside. Even in Atlas, people were used to dilly dallying during her training sessions around duelling rings.

"You must take sparring really seriously to enforce that rule..." Weiss comments.

"Respecting the duelling ring is about more than following rules. It is respect for the art of battle itself," Pyrrha responds.

Weiss steps back to the edge of the duelling ring. Pyrrha is not the kind of person to joke about starting a fight immediately if she stepped into the ring with her. The art of battle is a core feature to the culture of the Colossae, the people of South Amina which Pyrrha descends from.

"May I ask why you wanted to spar so late?" Weiss questions.

"The gymnasium is much quieter when it's late. It becomes a better environment to spar or just talk. You seemed on edge earlier today. Would prefer to spar or just talk?" Pyrrha responds.

Pyrrha cracks a smile. She likes the way Weiss thinks! Weiss blushes as her eyes shift to the side. Pyrrha steps forward into the ring, twirling her spear in hand.

"Don't lose your breath!" Pyrrha remarks as she takes a stance.

Weiss takes a deep breath, holds up her rapier in a fencing stance and enters the duelling ring. Her slow advance reeks of hesitation and self-doubt. Pyrrha can smell her anxiety. Her uneven breathing and shaky hands are tell-tale signs that her heart is not in the fight. This is unacceptable. Pyrrha will not go on the offensive against a foe unprepared to engage.

Pyrrha relaxes her stance and throws her spear out of the duelling ring. She gives Weiss a stern look as she slaps her shield. If Weiss wants something out of Pyrrha, she has to come and get it!

Weiss feels insulted by Pyrrha's decision to throw away her weapon before the fight began. Did she really think Weiss was so weak that she could win without it?! Weiss lunges forward with a series of jabs from her rapier. Pyrrha repels Weiss' strikes with her shield. Her eyes are fixed on Weiss' upper body. She read her every movement. When Weiss overextends her arm on a thrust, Pyrrha side steps it and shield-bumps them back.

The **** of Pyrrha's push makes Weiss wobble and kick to regain her footing. She's not as graceful as usual...

"Tell me Weiss, why did you feel the need to spar with me specifically?" Pyrrha asks.

"Because you're amazing!" Weiss replies with a hint of frustration.

"Do you feel... inadequate?" Pyrrha questions.

Weiss aims a thrust at Pyrrha's chest. She manages to dodge the attack and grabs the end of Weiss rapier in the process. Weiss tries to pull her weapon away but it doesn't budge. Pyrrha grip strength is too powerful. Her green eyes stare Weiss down from above.

Pyrrha's question gives Weiss some pause. She never wanted to delve into the territory of her performance as a huntsman. Her conversation with Professor Port in the first semester already wounded her ego enough. The answer is written all over Weiss' face.

"Let me rephrase my question- why do you feel inadequate?" Pyrrha asks.

"I have always seen myself as the weakest link of my team..." Weiss confesses, still in vain to pull her weapon back.

"Jaune felt like that too... You on the other hand are a lot more skilled than Jaune. And if I were to ask Ruby, I am sure she would disagree with you," Pyrrha remarks.

Weiss' rapier suddenly slips free from Pyrrha's grasp. It's like Pyrrha's hand was a magnet with how difficult it was for Weiss to withdraw her before! Before Weiss can compose herself, Pyrrha dashes forward with a shoulder charge, levelling her flat on her ass. Weiss is astounded by how quickly Pyrrha could make a fool out of her. She rises to her feet quickly and makes a stance. The ice queen's blood boils with frustration.

"I have never felt like I was good enough! I felt like you were the only person who could understand!" Weiss declares.

Weiss, taking the fight more seriously, swings at Pyrrha with fierce intent.

"You know what it is like to have so much pressure to succeed that it could break you like glass!" Weiss rages.

Weiss grunts while slashing wildly until something, anything, breaks through. She has hit a metaphorical wall. There is a mental block withholding her potential. Being under pressure for so many years with so many lofty expectations is causing the ice queen to melt.

Pyrrha uses her semblance to pull in her spear from outside the ring and switches from defensive to attacks. It takes only a few swings to open up Weiss' defence and shove her over again with a shield swipe.

"You can do better than that. More!" Pyrrha answers playfully.

Weiss propels at Pyrrha with a glyph recklessly. Her aim was to pressure Pyrrha back for a ring out. Weiss manages to make Pyrrha take a few paces back until Pyrrha performs a sweeping kick, ducking underneath Weiss' attack. She lands flat on her back as Pyrrha walks towards the centre of the ring to reset the fighting positions.

Pyrrha waits for Weiss to roll over and gets up. Weiss stands with a hardened look on her face without taking a stance.

"If you want me to help, you need to be more specific. What is your problem?" Pyrrha says.

Pyrrha is first to strike at Weiss this time. Weiss panics, frantically trying to defend herself for dear life. Weiss tries to create space by walking back. Pyrrha won't ease up on her. Weiss uses her glyphs defensively to repel Pyrrha's onslaught. Pyrrha flawlessly leaps over Weiss' head with a front flip and kicks Weiss hard enough to reach the ring's edge on the opposite side.

Weiss' stance is sloppier once she is on her feet again. Her hand rattles while holding her rapier. Weiss is terrified of the situation she has found herself in. She cannot run away from this conversation- the troublesome desires of her heart she used to keep in a box have come to confront her. They demand she fights for what she wants! Even if it means getting hurt in the process. The ice queen must thaw and pour her heart out.

With no way out, Weiss shakes herself to get a grip! She puts on her game face and makes her approach carefully.

Weiss' pulse pounds as she and Pyrrha begin to circle each other, locked in the dance of the duel. Fiery words fizzle under her skin, rising to the tip of her tongue in the heat of the tango.

"There are days when I look in the mirror and I wonder if the person I am looking at is real," Weiss narrates.

"Go on..." Pyrrha responds.

Weiss and Pyrrha clash blades. Sparring with Pyrrha is on a different level to sparring with Team RWBY. She has no way of outclassing her. Weiss is using her full arsenal of glyphs to move around the ring and help her defence. Yet Pyrrha always finds a way around them every time.

Weiss is beaten down by Pyrrha- she is swiped, swatted, shoved to ground repeatedly regardless of how well Weiss uses her semblance. Their sparring soon attracts the attention of the few people still using the gymnasium.

"Your semblance won't help you in this fight. The fighter, not their abilities or tools, is what wins the battle! If anything, I'm getting the impression that the Schnee legacy is a hindrance to you, given that your semblance is hereditary and all..." Pyrrha remarks.

Pyrrha's words click with Weiss. Within mere minutes, Pyrrha has diagnosed a problem that Weiss has not been able to articulate properly her entire life. Weiss was imprisoned by the Schnee legacy, right down to the way she fought. Weiss had been learning to fight like Winter told her to. Like her family has done for generations.

"Part of me feels I was born to fulfil someone else's dream! No matter where I go or what I do, the Schnee legacy follows me and I'm sick of it!" Weiss shouts as she takes a stand.

"Legacy is not just about the past. It's about the present too. Destiny is for taking, not given! But you must fight for yourself to grab it! Forget the past! Tell me what you want now!" Pyrrha replies at Weiss as they circle each other once more.

"I want to be loved! I want my own life!" Weiss declares passionately.

Weiss' lunges forward with lightning speed and strikes Pyrrha in the guts. Her footing slips as she attempts a follow up attack, giving Pyrrha the perfect opportunity to grab Weiss and hurl her out of the ring. Weiss stands, rearing for more. Unfortunately, she notices that she's fallen outside the duelling ring.

With a deflated sigh, Weiss bows her head to accept defeat. While not directly confessing her love for Pyrrha, Weiss has blurted out one her biggest secrets- her loneliness. Weiss is mentally fatigued from her sparring match- fighting Grimm in the woods would be easier than carrying the weight of her heart. Pyrrha relaxes her stance and walks to meet Weiss outside of the ring.

"You are off balance. You panic when you are not in full control," Pyrrha says soothingly.

"Can we take a break? I'm starting to wonder if I was ever in control..." Weiss replies.