Heart's Desires

Chapter One

Disclaimer: RWBY is the intellectual property of Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. I claim no ownership.

Long ago, before the formation of the first cities of Man, there was a woman of indescribable grace and beauty. Her eyes glimmered with passion, her skin was the softest shade of peach, and her voice could draw the envy of a choir of angels. Her touch was said to have caressed one's very soul, and her heart was said to be large enough to fit all of Vytal within it. This woman drew the admiration of many, and was looked up to as the very pinnacle of earthly beauty.

Her radiance attracted many a suitor, all of them promising untold riches and everlasting comfort if she were to only join them in holy matrimony. The woman was aware of how beautiful she was. She knew that it was merely her unrivaled grace that attracted men like moths to a flame. So the woman, unphased by their promises of luxury, turned down each and every suitor.

When one young suitor begged her to tell him what he could do to earn her hand, the woman thought for a long moment. She needed to hand him a difficult, near impossible, task to test how far his love extended. She remembered that an Elder Deathstalker dwelled within the nearby forest. Many hunting parties had gone out to slay it, only to come back with far fewer hunters than before. So, the woman told the suitor that, in order to win her love, he had to slay the Elder Deathstalker by himself and bring her the tail.

The young suitor, terrified by the thought of having to face such a creature, left the woman and bothered her no more. Every suitor afterwards was presented this task, and every suitor turned it down.

This trend continued for years, from adolescence to adulthood. Slowly, the number of suitors coming to her door trickled down to none. The woman remained staunch. She would settle for no less than someone who loved her enough to be willing to face the undefeated creature of Grimm. Her parents despaired, believing that she would never settle down and start a family.

Until one day, a young hunter appeared on her doorstep. The hunter, fresh from training, asked the woman for her hand in marriage. The woman merely told him the task he must accomplish in order to win her love. To her surprise, the hunter accepted the task without hesitation, and ran off to accomplish the task before she could speak another word.

Guilt roiled in the woman's stomach. She had not intended for anyone to attempt the task. That he had accepted showed her that he cared more for her than any suitor before him, and now he had ran off to his death. For the first time in her life, the woman felt despair. With a heavy heart, the woman retreated into her home and did not reemerge afterwards.

The next day, there was a knock at her door. With guilt still burdening her soul, the woman trudged to the door, ready to simply turn away this suitor without a second thought. To her shock, it was the young hunter from the previous day. He was no longer clean, though. The hunter was covered in dirt and blood, his armor was beaten and scuffed. In the hunter's hand, being dragged behind him, was the tail of the Elder Deathstalker.

The woman, overjoyed by his return and smitten with his accomplishment, agreed to marry the young hunter. The strength and depth of the young hunter's love became a story that fathers passed unto their sons, and mothers unto their daughters.

The snap of a text book being shut snapped everyone out of their trance.

"And that, class, is the tale of how Love's Depth Day came to be," Professor Oobleck announced, his usual rushed manner of speaking returning. The class took a few seconds to regain their bearings. Professor Oobleck was a surprisingly captivating storyteller.

The wild-haired professor took another sip of his espresso and began speaking rapid-fire. "Since the story's creation, Love's Depth Day has become day for all the stout-hearted young men to prove their love to their romantic interests. Of course, slaying exceptionally powerful Grimm has fallen out of the tradition considering the amount of failed attempts."

Another sip of espresso and a blurred dash to the other side of the room.

"So. If any of you hot-blooded young males think sneaking off to forest to hunt for Grimm is a great way to woo your lady friend, I want you to really consider the pros and cons of attempting such a thing. In my experience, flowers work just fine. They also lack the tendency to remove your limbs."

Another sip emptied his shot of espresso.

"Well. Most flowers do."

In the blink of an eye, the cup landed on his desk among the other empty mugs and shots, and a full cup of coffee appeared in his other hand. That no one visibly reacted to the feat was a testament to how common such a sight was. Oobleck sipped his coffee and opened his mouth to continue speaking when the bell rang.

"Hm. Very well. I want all of you to write a report on the history of Love's Depth Day and how it has affected today's society. Three pages. Due in two days time. Further details will be sent to your Scrolls. Class dismissed."

The professor was seated behind his desk in a flash, looking over the papers scattered across it. It was clear that the class no longer existed in his mind.

Pyrrha's materials were already neatly organized and put away. She remained seated though, patiently waiting for Jaune to discover where his pencil had disappeared to. As she waited, her mind was abuzz with thoughts.

Love's Depth Day was only a few days away, which had prompted Professor Oobleck's lecture. Of course, several boys had already approached her before today. She turned them all down. There was only one boy she wanted.

"Ready to go, Pyrrha?"

The redhead turned to look at the object of her affections. Jaune was standing up, waiting for her with an oblivious smile. He had no idea what that smile did to her insides.

In fact, he had no idea what he was to her at all.

With an internal sigh but an external smile, Pyrrha nodded and stood up to follow him to the cafeteria.

In the cafeteria, Team RWBY and Team JNPR were mingling at their usual table, where Ren was explaining his plans to Weiss.

"So...you two are spending Love's Depth Day together...? But as friends...?"

Ren was unphased by Weiss' dubiousness. He just shrugged and casually explained the circumstances.

"We've done it since we were kids. She always asks me to spend the day together- "

"Buh nuh togeffer-togeffer," Nora butted it in, her mouth full of food.

Weiss gave Ren an odd look, "Isn't it supposed to be the guy who does the asking?"

Ren glanced pointedly at Nora, who had continued her eating contest with Ruby, and then fixed Weiss with a deadpan look. Weiss coughed into her hand.

"Right. I see," was her response. No other explanation was needed. It was unfortunate, as Weiss had hoped she could push Ren to take her out until after Love's Depth Day. She wasn't especially interested in him, but she needed someone to act as a buffer against other advances. And the mellow boy was rather cute. The only other boy she could turn to was-

"Speaking of love."

Weiss' eye twitched and she turned to her left to see Jaune putting on his best impression of a dashing gentleman. She was less than impressed.

Jaune continued speaking, either ignoring or completely oblivious of the deadpan look on her face, "Just say the word, Snow Angel, and I'll sweep you right off your feet."

A long moment consisting of Jaune smiling at her and Weiss glowering back at him passed silently. Slowly, the smile on Jaune's face turned into awkward and he turned back towards his tray.

Further down the table, Pyrrha was glancing at the scene and picking at her food distractedly. It hurt a little to watch Jaune attempt to flirt with Weiss, but she couldn't be mad at him for it. It's not like he knew how Pyrrha felt about him. It figured that the one guy she wanted was interested in someone else. Her only saving grace was that Weiss was wholly uninterested in Jaune.

Pyrrha sighed quietly and turned her eyes back towards her food. Her sigh wasn't quiet enough to escape Yang's notice, however. "What's up, P-Money?"

The amazon gave the golden-haired girl a reassuring smile, "It's nothing, Yang. I'm just thin-...did you just call me 'P-Money'?"

Yang completely ignored the question and latched on to what had caught her interest. "Don't think you can hide anything from me, Pyrrha," she said, a playful smirk splashed across her face. "Now, watchya got on your mind?"

Another quiet sigh escaped Pyrrha's lips. She knew Yang wouldn't let it go, but perhaps she would be satisfied with just a simple, undetailed answer. So, turning back to her tray, she nonchalantly responded. "I'm just thinking about Love's Depth Day."

"And how you want to spend it with Jaune?"

"Ye- ," Pyrrha caught the word before it could finish. Her head spun back around to look straight at Yang, and her eyes were widened in a mix of shock and embarrassment. "How did you- ?"

"How did I know that you're crushing on Vomit Boy?" Yang interrupted, her face perfectly imitating a cat who ate the canary. "Please, Pyrrha. You may think you're subtle, but to me, you're as obvious as a horde of stampeding Boarbatusks."

The fact that she had been found out so easily caused a light tinge of pink to grace her cheeks. Pyrrha could only be astonished at Yang's people-reading skills and grateful that she had lowered her voice from its usual volume.

The blonde leaned against the table and buffed her nails on her considerable chest. "Personally, I don't see his appeal. But hey, to each her own." Despite the casual manner of her speech, the smug grin never left her face.

"Really?" Pyrrha responded casually. "Personally, I don't quite understand how anyone can't see it."

Yang's expression grew more teasing at that. "Spoken like a true, lovey-dovey schoolgirl."

Pyrrha's cheeks flushed at the comment. She still retained her composed facade, mostly unperturbed by Yang's teasing. It was just Yang being Yang. Eventually she'd grow bored and pursue other topics. Unfortunately for Pyrrha, this was a topic that Yang wanted to see to the end.

"Ya know," the blonde continued, leaning in slightly, "I seriously don't get it. I mean, you're a bigshot celebrity, right? You gotta have studs throwing themselves at your feet."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the quirk at the end of her lips. "They just weren't up to my standards, I suppose," she said airily.

"And Vomit Boy is?"

"Jaune is," Pyrrha corrected, feeling a flash of irritation. Yang held her hands up in faux surrender, but that damn grin was still present.

"You sound a bit testy, Pyrrha. Don't like his nickname?"

A light sigh left Pyrrha's lips, and she responded with a mildly firm tone. "Regardless of his...shortcomings, Jaune is still a good hunter and leader. He deserves some respect."

"Sounds like someone's pretty devoted to their leader," Yang said. "It's a shame, though..."

The tone was unmistakably baiting. Pyrrha couldn't help but bite. "What is?"

Yang made nonchalant motion with her hand, "Oh, it's nothing, really. It's just that you're so devoted to him, but he's way too oblivious to notice you. It's gotta sting a bit."

'And there it is,' Pyrrha thought in exasperation. She wondered if Yang had been building to this moment from the start. Given the cheshire grin on her face, it seemed all too likely. The point of it all still eluded her. Now that Yang had her where she wanted her, though, she might as well see what brawler was trying to get at.

"I'll admit...it...hurts a little. Just a little, though," Pyrrha admitted carefully. She could admit physical weakness easily. Emotional weakness was a bit...odder.

Yang nodded and placed her hand on her chin, striking a thinking pose. "If you could get him to notice you, though, then it's a cakewalk from there."

Beating around the bush always felt like waste of time to Pyrrha. So, true to form, she got to the point in her own, polite manner. "What are you trying to say, Yang?"

Yang, unphased by Pyrrha's forwardness, grinned at her. "What I'm saying is, if you just use what you got, then Jaune'll be putty in your hands."

A quirked eyebrow. "'Use what I got'?"

"You know," Yang shrugged her shoulders. "Use your stuff."

The confusion on Pyrrha's face didn't let up. "My...'stuff'?"

"Yeah. Your goods." Yang shrugged her shoulders again, much more exaggeratedly this time. The effect it had on her bust was visible, and comprehension dawned on Pyrrha's face.

Followed immediately by embarrassment.

"Y-Yang...," Pyrrha began, a visible streak of red across her face, "You're not suggesting I...that I seduce Jaune...are you?"

Yang's hands shot up in front of her, "Whoa, sister. No one said anything about seducing. If you want to do that, that's your business."

Pyrrha's eyebrow quirked again, "What else could you have a meant?"

"I just meant that if you flirt with him a little, you'll have his attention in no time," she clarified matter-of-factly. Pyrrha remained unconvinced.

"Really? Because I could have sworn you just suggested I use my body to get his attention."

The busty blonde shrugged her shoulder, "Well, yeah, sorta. We flirt with our bodies. You can't tell me you've never tried to get a guy's attention by stretching a little."

Pyrrha response was airy but blunt. "I assure you, I haven't."

"Well, I suppose that's fair enough. Every girl has her own method," Yang said, waving her hand dismissively. "Then how do you flirt?"

"I...don't."

Yang blinked once.

Then she blinked again.

"You...don't?" Yang asked, seemingly bewildered by the redhead's confession.

Pyrrha's eyes turned to the side as she explained herself, "I just never found time or reason to...'flirt'. I was always training and participating in tournaments, and there was never a guy I was romantically interested in..."

"Until Jaune?" came the rhetorical question. Pyrrha nodded, still not finding it in her to meet Yang's eyes.

"So, let me get this straight," Yang began. "You've never flirted because you never liked someone before Vom- Jaune. And because of that, you have no idea how to flirt with him. And he's way too oblivious to pick up on any of your subtle signals. Did I get it all?"

"That's the gist of it, I suppose," Pyrrha shrugged, sounding fairly accepting of her circumstances. Yang threw her arm around Pyrrha's shoulder and brought her in close, a grin back on the blonde's face.

"You're in luck, P-Money, because you just happen to be friends with a girl who can wrap any guy in the school around her finger," she claimed.

Pyrrha gave her an odd look, "There it is again. Why am I 'P-Mon- '?"

"With my help," Yang interrupted, "you'll have Jaune eating outta the palm of your hands in no time."

"That's not exactly what I wa- "

"And all you have to do is follow my advice," Yang continued unabated. "You up for it?"

Pyrrha gave Yang a friendly, if a bit exasperated, smile. "Thank you, Yang. Really. But I don't need Jaune to 'eat out of the palm of my hands'. When the right time comes, I'll tell him how I feel."

Yang shrugged nonchalantly and returned Pyrrha's personal space. "That's cool. I just hope 'the right time' happens before my sister realizes the feelings she has for that dork."

That caught Pyrrha's attention. "Feelings?" she questioned tentatively.

"Oh yeah," Yang nodded casually. "She's crushing on him big time. She just doesn't know it yet. But I guarantee you when she does, she won't waste any time going for it. It's a family trait."

Pyrrha wasn't stupid. She knew Yang was saying these things to get her to accept the help. However, that didn't do much to blunt the likelihood of such a claim. If Ruby did indeed have unrealized feelings for Jaune, she could end up complicating matters severely. She didn't want to have to rip away the younger girl's crush, but she wasn't about to let Jaune slip through her fingers while she still had a chance.

"Why would you help me gain the affections of the boy your sister likes?" Pyrrha questioned. Yang wasn't perturbed at all by the implication behind it.

"My baby sister is...kinda naive," Yang said. "She's more into weapons than people, so her people skills aren't really that good. If she realizes she likes Jaune, she might think its love. And if Jaune rejects her when she thinks she's in love..."

She didn't need to continue. It was all too clear why Yang was so set on helping her. Pyrrha had seen how inconsolable younger teens got when the 'love of their life' didn't love them back. While she doubted Ruby was so dramatic, she would really rather not see how the girl would deal with rejection.

'If he rejects her,' a tiny, almost inaudible voice in her mind said. She promptly ignored that cynical part of her mind. There would be no possibility of rejection or otherwise because Pyrrha would get to Jaune before Ruby. It might sting the girl's heart for a bit, but it was better than shattering it and causing Yang to hunt down Jaune with the fury of an Alpha Beowolf.

For the umpteenth time that day, Pyrrha sighed. Then she looked at Yang with a resigned smile.

"Very well. I accept your help."

Yang smiled victoriously, "Great! Meet me by the fountain after school. We're gonna get you your man."

A/N: First chapter, done. This is my first attempt at a multi-chapter story in the RWBY section. It's the wrong holiday for the current season but I wanted to get this out. So ignore all the Halloween decorations around you as you read this.

The original idea for this story started out as an amusing thought, and it eventually grew into a basic plot (sic rhymes, yo). Please, do tell me what you think. I enjoy character interactions, and I want to be sure I didn't wonk it up. This chapter will be subject to minor changes until the next update.

Shoutout to Ember and shikshiinjr from RWBY Forums for their help with brainstorming some ideas that'll be used later on.

Whoever can catch the reference to a certain tumblr-using RWBY fan will get a shoutout next chapter.

KineticKaiser, out.