Beta Read by: Crescent Sunrise

Recommended Story: "Wilting Rose" by Shaded122

~MZ~

The few days since the start of the doubles round began went by swiftly for May. While nothing truly astonishing happened she spent her time as usual. Working out in the mornings, spending as much time with Ruby as she could manage with the end of the festival approaching rapidly, training either with her team in the hardlight room or practicing on the target range. It seemed like the more the tournament went on the less others used the public facilities. Teams still in the tournament training in more reclusive places like the woods around the school in an effort to hide whatever tricks they have not already shown. While those who weren't still in it allowed themselves a break to relax and enjoy the festival.

There was something almost eerie about standing at the range and seeing thirty empty stalls. May enjoyed her privacy certainly, but there was a limit even for her. So she was grateful the few times Ruby joined her.

She had been there when Yang and Weiss won their match and she was left astonished how easily Ruby's team made friends with just about everyone they came in contact with. At first May just assumed it had been Ruby's own adorable charisma that came out whenever Ruby was sufficiently distracted from the idea of meeting new people. But watching Weiss and Yang turn two openly hostile opponents into friends after scraping by the match with a win was impressive.

Unfortunately she hadn't been able to hang around after the match to celebrate with team RWBY since she did have obligations towards her own team and her extremely understanding partner. They hadn't made her go with them into the city but she had felt terrible knowing she was neglecting them to pursue more time with Little Red.

Which is how she ended up in the arcade Ruby took her to on their date. Using the leftover tokens from that evening with her teammates to have some fun. Sure she could have just tossed the bag at her team and gone off with Ruby. But it bothered her that she hadn't spent much time with them in leisure as she would have preferred.

"And that's game!"

May joined Nolan and Brawnz in a low groan as Roy gave a little cheer after once more winning a game of air hockey. It was the only game in the arcade he was really good at and considering he had been a decent sport after getting soundly beaten by everyone else in the other games they tried with the exception of skee ball, game in which they were all equally terrible, they decided to indulge him for awhile.

Though it was getting out of hand now that he began to challenge other arcade goers for small amounts of Lien to challenge him slowly growing a pot to 'defeat the champion'. That lasted until Brawnz put an end to it by dragging Roy deeper into the arcade by the back of his jacket before the employees could notice and intervene.

"You know you didn't have to come out with us May, we know how it is. You only get to see her in person for a little while longer after all. You're stuck with us for two more years. We get it completely." Nolan comments as they stand to follow after the pair that just walked off.

"I know, it's just… I still feel guilty. I've spent all my free time either lounging in trees or chasing after Ruby. We're a team and I've been neglecting you all. One evening away won't hurt our relationship and I did want to hang out with you guys." May replied turning sideways to let a pair of kids run by before they could bump into her.

With nothing he could say that wouldn't just lead to the conversation repeating itself Nolan simply rolled his eyes as they came across one of the newest addition to the arcade. A large square grid using hardlight tech like Beacon has for training to produce models within of various characters that are controlled by the players wearing sensor rigs. A player throwing a punch would see his chosen avatar doing the same on the large grid.

Of course this was where they found Roy and Brawnz duking it out with a pair of muscle bound brawlers for avatars. From the life bars hovering overhead it was quite clear that Brawnz was winning to no one's surprise.

When Roy's character went down following a vicious uppercut Brawnz gave a few seconds to showboat throwing a few quick punches. Roy was about to reselect when a kid who couldn't have been older than twelve tapped him on the back. May watched as her teammate knelt down and listened for a moment before shrugging and taking off the sensor gear. Offering it to the kid before getting off the platform and moving over the May and Nolan.

"It's etiquette I guess. If there are people waiting the loser has to walk and let someone else have a go at it." Roy says when he rejoins the other two and they turn to watch the grid as the kid selects a large demonic looking avatar with horns and wings before squaring up.

Brawnz went into the match with a grin throwing punches left and right only to blink in surprise when the kid pulled back and reared his upper body back only to lean forward as if roaring. When his avatar mimicked the motion however it let out a torrent of pixelated fire over it's opponent and Brawnz was left flabbergasted and back pedaling as he tried to recover from the attack. In the end it was futile though as the kid capitalised and chased him down.

The result was comical as Brawnz was left pouting as the kid grinned. The team might have been trained fighters but it became increasingly obvious to them as they went up with arcade regulars that those skills did not necessarily translate to the wild world of video games as the more avid players took each of them to task in any game they tried. At least May's shooting did assist her in the shooting games but having good reactions didn't really stack up when going against players who knew exactly where the enemies would be before they even appeared on screen due to experience.

May stayed with her team the entire morning until she got the message from Ruby that her friend Penny was about to start her match and Yang and Weiss would be up after. So happily she separated from her team and began making her way back to Beacon pulling up the tournament footage on her scroll to keep up with the matches.

~RR~

Ruby watched as Penny single handedly won the match without any help from her partner Ciel. Beating down Russel Thrush and Sky Lark and ending it in a double knock out by exploding the boulders the two had used for cover.

In her excitement to talk to her friend again she got up from her seat and ran for the stadium exit Penny was taking. She made it ten steps past her grinning girlfriend before turning around rushing to grab May by the arm and drag the startled older girl along behind her. "May! You have to meet my friend Penny, come on!"

She didn't pay any attention to May's sputtering as she hurried to catch up with the robotic girl only letting go of May's hand when she caught up to Penny and called out. To be fair, Ruby hadn't expected Penny to actually throw herself into the hug and for someone who looks so small Penny's metal body was quite heavy. Sure Ruby could have just moved out of the way but she didn't want to upset Penny by avoiding the hug so she just ended up letting it happen and all of Penny's weight hit her forcing her to the ground hard enough to make her wince even with her aura protecting her.

The chuckling from her girlfriend was not exactly a welcome inclusion either adding the Ruby's embarrassment.

When she manages to get back to her feet, Ruby brushes off her skirt as Penny cherrily introduces her teammate. And admittedly the way that introduction went was less than ideal. The little reaper barely had a chance to say hello before Ciel interrupted her and began rattling off her information.

It was when she listed Ruby's status as 'questionable' that May began chuckling again and Ruby felt a blush entering her cheeks. As she tried to ignore it and the awkward pause that followed in order to start talking to Penny again. This time when Ciel interrupted to try and hurry Penny along, the robotic girl asked for a minute and in response, Ciel stepped back and began staring at her watch.

'She didn't take that literally did she? Oh my Oum she did.' And Ruby didn't even need to look to tell that May was struggling to hold her amusement behind her. She wasn't very successful at hiding it when little sounds kept escaping.

"Soooo, Penny! I have someone I want you to meet, this is my girlfriend, May." She said turning and reaching over to physically drag May into the conversation.

"Salutations, May, I would like to say I've heard all about you from Ruby but we don't really get as many chances to talk as I would like. I haven't really had much of a conversation with her since I helped her deal with the White Fang on the docks."

"You were there for that, huh? My team hadn't arrived just yet when that happened. Still, it was a good thing you all ended up doing." The sniper said with an easy smile as she let go of Ruby's hand in favor of sliding it under her cloak and around her waist. It was another of those casually affectionate things Ruby noticed her girlfriend would occasionally do.

It was always the same any time they were in the room together Ruby would watch as May would slowly move until they were near to each other and inevitably, May would end up holding Ruby in one way or another. The little reaper wasn't sure if May even realized she was doing it but Ruby had no intention of complaining about it considering how warm it made her feel whenever it happened.

Catching herself leaning against May, she returned to the conversation as Penny looked her way and changed the conversation topic.

"Ruby, I actually was hoping I would have a chance to talk to you," Penny looked around before she lowered her voice, "I want to stay at Beacon." The robotic girl stated and Ruby found her smile dying on her lips.

'Penny's the first of her kind, a robot with a soul and incredible skill. There's no way Atlas will be willing to let her stay here so far out of their reach after the tournament.'

"Penny, they'll never let you do that." Ruby replied trying to ignore May's curious look while she focused on Penny.

"I know, but I have a plan." Penny responded and it was then that Ciel took a deliberate step forward and pointed at her watch. Interrupting the conversation to let them know it had been exactly one minute. While Ruby was a little annoyed to have the conversation interrupted like that she was also rather happy that Ciel managed to provide as an amusing distraction for her girlfriend who even now was trying hard to keep herself from laughing.

"Oh Little Red, I do love the friends you make. Hope Ciel didn't get upset at me for laughing at her, but jeez, that girl needs to relax a little." May commented as they turned back to their seats where Yang and Weiss had already left to prep for their own round.

~MZ~

It was a soft wind blowing through the trees that woke May from her nap as she was forced to shift in order to retain her balance. She was avoiding her team after successfully getting her team back for their teasing of late by using an aggressive amount of duct tape to bind their hands to each others after they passed out on the floor of the room the previous night. The logistics of it was rather difficult to pull off without waking them up but in the end it worked out. The three of them would no doubt have gotten free by now as evening had begun to creep in.

'I'm surprised they ended up winning that match really. They paired off poorly to start with, if they had swapped targets, then FNKI wouldn't have been able to cope nearly as well as they did. Weiss would have been able to use ice to mess up Neon's skating and Flynt wasn't much of note up close,Yang could have taken him without to much trouble.'

It was an errant though she'd toyed with for awhile, torn between just saying it and letting them figure it out on their own. With Yang going into the finals though, the team was already one people were keeping an eye on and May was very impressed indeed. They were first years afterall, it was impressive they made it in to begin with. Still, she doubted Yang would be able to take down Pyrrha even if she was aware of Pyrrha's Semblance going into the fight.

But, there was always the chance that they wouldn't have to fight until the very end. It would be amazing for both teams to end up in the finals of the tournament certainly. Unlikely to be sure, but it was looking more and more possible with every match.

Still the first round of the singles matches was coming up soon and May couldn't keep hiding if she wanted to watch them at the colosseum. That and she had a favor to ask Ruby's partner. So with a huff she hopped down from her tree and began moving toward the transport ships, her hand patting at one of her pockets to make sure she had what she needed on her.

'I hope she doesn't mind helping me out.'

It didn't take too long to get up and into the colosseum, and from there finding Ruby's team was pretty easy with their coloration sticking out in the crowd. Unfortunately, their team was bracketed by SSSN and JNPR.

'Or very fortunately, considering that Ruby will likely let me share a seat with her when she realizes I can't sit next to her. Maybe she did it intentionally? Nah, she's way too shy to be that devious.'

With plenty of time before the fighters would be called in May hurried over and waved at the group, leaning against the wall in front of her girlfriend. "Hey everyone. I guess with the three of you here that means you selected Yang to advance?"

"Hmph, as if she would have accepted anyone else. She's far too stubborn to sit on the sidelines." Weiss replied getting a sheepish grin from Ruby.

"Yeah, I noticed that. She's definitely the straightforward type, that will bite her against a more devious opponent I guess but hey, getting this far at all is amazing. I already congratulated Ruby for it but all of you deserve to hear it. It's really impressive, you should all be proud of yourselves." May responded pleased when her praise brought smiles to the faces of Blake and Ruby while it seemed to mollify Weiss' slight consternation at not being the one to represent the team.

"Hey so um… Look I wanted to ask you if you could do a small thing that would be a huge favor for me Weiss." May asks her hand moving into a pocket as the other scratches at the back of her neck as a sign of discomfort. And she was growing frustrated trying to ignore the curiosity from the others all around the heiress.

Following the request Weiss lifted a brow and waited for what she was actually being asked. May could see it on her face and didn't really want to ask so directly in front of so many people. Still, she could already see the Heiress losing interest and May could think of several reasons why. 'She's rich and famous, she must be used to people trying to take advantage of her, speak idiot, before you make a mess of things.' Her mind chastised and though she mumbled the words she wanted to say she pulled the items from her pocket and held them out to the Schnee girl.

That got her a look of surprise from the girl in question. "Wh-what did you say? You were mumbling." Weiss asked leaning forward to look at the items being held out to her, a marker and some kind of disk case.

May let out a small sigh before speaking up a bit and explaining herself. "I was hoping you'd be willing to autograph this. My mom is a big fan I guess, she got really excited the other day when she was watching the tournament and realized that the W in your team name was Weiss Schnee and that I'm dating your partner. She loved that last song you did before coming to Beacon. She didn't hear it in person or anything but she listened to the recordings. So I figured getting her this with your signature on it would be a good gift for her, you know?"

May was greeted to a lack of response as the Heiress gaped at her hand for a long moment. And May was about to pull the items back when the girl reached out and took them with a small smile. "You know, no one has ever asked for my signature before. My concerts were only available to people my father wanted to rub shoulders with anyway. I didn't even know they were released publically. It's kind of nice."

The sniper watched as Weiss signed the case for the disk with an elegant script before taking it back and giving the Heiress a lopsided and slightly embarrassed smile. "Thanks Weiss, my mom will love this."

"I didn't know you were a singer, Weiss." Ruby commented turning to look at the white haired girl with a wide grin.

"It was never a career or anything, I actually think my father spent more money than we could have possibly taken in hosting those concerts. It was just another way for him to show off money and power. But the songs were my own and it was kind of fun sometimes, I suppose." Weiss replied rubbing her chin thoughtfully before shrugging. "I guess if you want to listen I wouldn't mind singing for you all."

"I wouldn't mind listening in if you do it before we have to head back. But uh, I guess I'll see you all later. Matches should be starting soon and I have to find myself a seat. But before I do…" May comments reaching down to takes Ruby's hands and gently pulling her out of her seat and into a hug pecking the younger girl on the cheek.

With a little spin May switches their positions and sits herself down. "Oh look, guess I found a seat closer than I thought." May states with a wicked little smile as Ruby's friends start to chuckle at the antics. It takes Ruby a moment to realize what May has done and what it means she'll have to do in order to sit with her team.

May watches as the realization hits her girlfriend with a grin like the cat that caught the canary before giving her embarrassed girlfriend a small kiss on the cheek. Nuzzling into the shorter girl like an overly affectionate cat. May takes a moment to luxuriate in the proximity before relaxing back into the seat.

It takes Ruby a bit longer to do the same, leaning back into May only to shoot forward again with a bounce that made May wince when the finalists entered the fighting arena. May shifted Ruby's weight in her lap to one side so she could see as well, smirking as Yang walked out waving at the crowds all around.

'If Yang is feeling the pressure then she's amazing at hiding it' May considered watching the eight participants line up in the arena before the announcers Doctor Oobleck and Professor Port began to explain how the last matches would be decided.

"Not exactly the case." May comments aloud after Port mentions there being zero time for participants to prepare.

"What do you mean?" Weiss asks glancing over briefly before her gazes moves back to the large screens showing her two professors.

"Sure they might not be able to strategize beforehand but there are only seven other people you could be matched against. It's not exactly to hard to plan out how to fight someone if you've paid any attention to what other teams are going into the finals. Pay enough attention and some of the choices would become obvious as well." May replies as the randomizer begins to cycle through participants. "And for those who don't get picked right away the more other people fight the narrower your list of potential opponents becomes."

The conversation falls silent though when the randomizer slows down and the first position is selected as Mercury Black followed by Yang Xiao Long.

AN

This one actually took awhile to write. But I don't really have that much to say otherwise. I have noticed some people mentioned how glad they are that I haven't abandoned this story and that makes me really happy actually. I do hate how long it takes sometimes to get them out with my life the way it is but I do what I can to work on my stories whenever I am able.

As always a special thanks for my reviewers Guest#1 (Robthekiwi121), MrFox7189, Nagaichi, DschingisKhan, Guest #2, Mousey Kimmy, and TigerCritic I don't require reviews for my work but it always makes me happy to recieve them and I read every single one.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this story. Thanks again to those who favorite or follow. I love you all, and I'll see you next time.