Imperfect Symmetry

[NOTICE: RWBY, Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, and all characters are property of Rooster Teeth. Story content ©2014 Jessica X and Yinyangbangbang.]

Starlight reflected on the gold of Pyrrha Nikos's armour as she stared out over the grounds of Beacon Academy. It was so much more peaceful at this hour than at any other. If she were truly honest with herself, that was the underlying reason for her visits to the roof. Not because she craved isolation, not for the supposed "thrill" of circumventing the rules. No. It was the harmonic splendour of the landscaping and architecture, planned down to the last minute detail and then opened up for students and staff alike to live within, to enjoy as part of their daily routines.

The irony was not lost on her that she enjoyed it more from up here, when she was not a part of it, than any time at which she walked the stone paths among the greenery. For most, it was merely functional. To her, it was a painting to be viewed, not touched. A pristine paradise.

'Because exploring something usually isn't as satisfying as admiring it from afar,' she thought to herself with a morose little smile. It was a thought she often had but rarely shared. There simply was no one currently in her life who could appreciate such poetic mutterings. Unimportant. She was here to train and become a huntress. To fight. All else was secondary.

And then her quiet reverie was broken.

"Sorry I'm late! I just went to help Ruby and Weiss get back. They were asleep in the library for some reason, can you believe that?"

Jaune Arc had arrived, scratching the back of his blonde head while walking slowly toward the redhead. It was that time of the week again for their private sparring sessions. Something he really enjoyed; far more than with anyone else, or in class. It was indisputable that since their sessions began he had doubled in skill, confidence, and even managed to build up a lot of upper-body strength. All thanks to Pyrrha's kindness and patience, he was finally able to be the leader Ozpin had seen in him when he was first assigned.

One of her eyes sparkled darkly when she turned halfway towards her teammate. "In the library?"

"Yeah, under the table! I have no idea what's with those two..." He then looked out in the same direction as Pyrrha. Like her, he also appreciated the sight of the Beacon premises, but not as much as he did the colors of the sky. The deep navy blues, dotted with white sparkles of light. Even the clouds had a light charm about them. "Wonderful night, huh?"

"Mmm." Then, with no further warning, she drew Miló from behind her back and flung it directly at his chest, blade-first.

"WHOA!" he yelped. Within an instant, he drew both sword and shield, holding the latter steady for Miló to bounce off. Usually, this would have caught him completely off guard and it would have taken most of his aura to heal himself afterward, but the past sessions had benefited his reaction time immensely.

Nodding approvingly, Pyrrha raised Akoúō to the ready as she turned to give him her full attention. "Very good, Jaune. You've been working on that without me, haven't you?"

"Only in class, nothing really extreme. Wouldn't have been able to do it without ya, though," he added sheepishly. Right away, he spread his legs to lower his centre of gravity, holding his arms ready to await her move.

"Then I'm happy for you," she laughed easily. "You have me at a disadvantage right now; my weapon is over there, and yours is at hand. What should your next move be?"

It still took him longer than most to plan out his moves, and a few seconds passed before Jaune began to run toward Pyrrha.

What would be the best move? To swing his sword? No, she still had Akoúō, she would just reflect the strike. This of course would have been the move he'd have chosen before they trained together, but now Jaune was more battle ready. This time, he swung his shield to knock her own away, preparing to strike with his sword.