[RWBY] RWBY Shorts

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune and Weiss are talking and it's nice out...

Weiss: "... So that is why I really want to reform my family company."

Jaune: "Gosh Weiss. I'm so sorry. I must have come off as a gold digger-I'm really sorry-"

Weiss: "No! No, it's fine. I'm... Trying to be nicer. Though frankly you haven't made it easier."

Jaune: "Er, sorry? But how has my family made things bad for you? They haven't been bullying you, have they?"

Weiss: "NO! It's just that... Ugh... How could a dolt like you be related to so many incredible and insane people?!"

Jaune: shrugs "No clue. But I mean... It's not all roses."

Weiss: sigh "You just... You know... My own family is..."

Jaune: "Weiss. Just because your family is... Dysfunctional, doesn't mean you are. And all my family members think you're great! Honest! Not because of your name but because of who you are!"

Weiss: "Except for Mordred."

Jaune: "Yeah but she's Mordred. She actually told you ways to improve, so she does care about your well being."

Weiss: "Really? Well... That's pretty nice, I suppose."

Jaune: smiles "Don't think of it as what you don't have. Just think of it as proof that... That you can have a happy family, one day."

Weiss: blush "O-Oh?"

Jaune: "Yeah."

A truck beeps and approaches them. Jaune smiles.

Jaune: "Oh hey! He's here!"

Weiss: sighs "So, who's your newest crazy family member, Jaune? A vampire? A witch? A-A witch who is a zombie?!"

Jaune: "No. He's not biological family. But he is a good family friend."

Weiss: "Oh?"

Jaune: "Yeah! He's a truck!"

Weiss: "You mean a truck driver?"

The truck transforms into a gigantic humanoid robot.
Jaune: "Nope."

Optimus Prime: "Hello Jaune. Hello Weiss. It's nice to meet you. I am Optimus Prime."

Weiss: crying "Whyyyyyy?!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Up next, Yang and Blake react to the real Bumblebee.....

Click to shrink...

Bumblebee would definitely get along well with the Arcs, Jaune in particular.

Yang: "So Jaune... You also named your car Bumblebee?"

Jaune: "Er, he came with the name-"

Yang: "Well! Let's see who's the best Bumblebee, hmmmm?"

Jaune: "Oh boy..." low voice "Buddy? Um... Should we win? Or lose? Because I'm not sure which would be worse."

Bumblebee: Plays Manual's "Gas Gas Gas".

Jaune: "All right, let's go for it."

ONE RACE LATER...

Jaune: smiles politely as the winner "Good job, Yang. You almost had us a few times."

Yang: scowls

Jaune: "I mean... I'm up for a rematch! We both need to keep getting better and improving our skills?"

Yang: scowls

Jaune: "... I'll buy you dinner first?"

Yang: "... We'll go dancing too?"

Jaune: "Sure?"

Yang: "Good. I'll wear something nice. You'd better do the same."

Jaune: "No problem?"

Yang: "GOOD! You're giving me a ride home after I drop off Bumblebee at the garage!"

Jaune: "Sure?"

Yang drives off with red cheeks. Jaune blinks.

Jaune: "... What just happened?"

Bumblebee: Plays "I Want You".

Jaune: blush "THAT'S NOT HELPING!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

It was a tight fit in the rocket locker, but Jaune was all too familiar with making calls when trapped in them (thanks Cardin). He got his Scroll out and dialed the first people on his call list even as he was jostled and slammed around. Still, he got his message out:

"Ruby! Weiss! You need to go help Pyrrha out! She's fighting Cinder alone! And Cinder's got-She's got some kind of power boost! They're at the top of Beacon Tower, help her! Please!"

Thankfully, Ruby answered-Apparently for both herself and Weiss.

"We're on it, Jaune! Just hold on, we'll-!"

The rocket locker landed hard on the ground. Jaune barely stayed on his feet and was slammed around. He cradled his Scroll in his arms, trying to protect it. The locker shuddered to a halt, and Jaune sucked in a deep breath. He summoned up his Aura and punched through the door. He stumbled out into the light. He winced against the light, but his vision soon cleared.

He had landed in Hell: Grimm were rampaging all over the outer courtyard. Civilians were running and screaming. The smell of blood and smoke filled the air. Jaune looked around, taking a few deep breaths.

He was squeezing his Scroll tightly. A few Grimm Beowulves turned their red eyes and snarled at him. Fear filled him, and all of his old fears and insecurities reared their heads.

"I can't lose you… I love you. Goodbye…"

He shouldn't be here. He was never supposed to be here. Even Pyrrha didn't think he would. Why else would she send him away?

He was useless.

The weak link.

Nothing had changed, had it?

Nothing at all-

He saw a familiar Huntress-in-Training sitting against a nearby wall. Her head was bowed. She held onto a sniper rifle but she wasn't using it. A pack of Beowulves were advancing on her, yet she didn't seem to care.

Jaune took one last deep breath. He tucked his Scroll away and pulled his weapons out. He charged for the nearest Beowulf. It lunged for him, but he stunned it with his shield and slashed its head off. The rest of the Beowulves tried to flank Jaune, but he swung his blade hard and fast, his anger fueling him as Pyrrha's training guided him through every step and strike.

One two three… Four five six… Six three one…

In moments, the Grimm were all dusted. Jaune turned to the girl. She looked up, revealing her red hair and single visible blue-gray eye under her bulky hoodie.

"May, right?" Jaune asked quietly. She stared at him.

"Come on," he said, "We gotta get out there."

"I…" May trembled. "M-My team… They're all…"

Jaune looked around. He saw some remains in a pile some distance away. He covered his mouth and tried to focus on staying calm. He could recognize the clothes through the blood.

He took another deep breath. He turned back to May.

"I know," he said quietly, "I-I'm sorry. We can't change that. But we can save other people. Someone I really care about is fighting for her life-For all of us. We need to help her. I-I can't do it alone."

He held out his hand. May stared at it like it was something utterly alien.

"Come on," he said, "We can't… We can't let anyone else lose what you have."

May shivered for a moment. She took a deep breath. She took Jaune's hand. He yanked her up to her feet. Her eyes glowed gently and she gasped.

"DUCK!"

Jaune dropped instinctively as May pulled her sniper rifle and opened fire. Jaune looked over his shoulder: Two Grimm Ursas were falling apart. Jaune stood up, and looked back at May. She was panting hard, but stared at him intently. Jaune smiled.

"Good job," he said.

"I…" She nodded. "Y-Yes…"

She still couldn't look at what was left of her comrades. Jaune couldn't blame her… But he couldn't let her focus back on that.

"Come on, let's go," he said, pulling out his Scroll with one hand, while taking her hand with the other. He dialed his friends as he led her away to some pillars for cover.

"Nora, Ren! Pyrrha's fighting against Cinder at the top of Beacon Tower! We gotta back her up!"

Static blared at him, before Nora's voice came through.

"Jaune-Jaune?! You're okay?!"

"Yes," Jaune said, "We're near the outer dorms! We'll meet you at the library!"

"Gotcha! We'll see you there!" Nora cheered. "Don't worry, we've got this!"

Jaune nodded. He turned to May and held his sword and shield up.

"Can you make it to the library?"

May trembled, but managed a nod. Jaune nodded back and smiled even as it seemed like the world was falling down around them. His father had always met every battle with a big, bright smile.

A warrior never lets anyone see how scared he is. If he looks like he has no worries and they can win? Then victory is always possible.

"All right. Let's go!"

- - - -

"That's…" Yang gaped at Jaune before turning to May with a heartbroken expression. "May… I can't even…"

May slowly nodded, her eyes still down on the table. Arslan squeezed her hand tightly. Jaune for his part was able to reach over to squeeze May's other hand. May didn't look up but she seemed a little less tense.

Isabel cleared her throat.

"We can stop at any-"

"No," May murmured. "We… We keep going… I'm sorry."

Jaune looked over at Ren and Nora. Nora had tears in her eyes but she nodded.

"Renny and I were at the cafeteria," she said, "So we headed off to go and help Jaune-Jaune. We headed off and fought through a lot of Grimm and some White Fang jerks."

Ren nodded. He glanced over at Cardin, who was holding Velvet. The tall redheaded boy took a deep breath. He tightened his grip around the rabbit Faunus girl.

"At the same time…"

Velvet grimaced deeply.

"We… Well…"

- - -

Cardin Winchester's head was ringing when he came to. He pushed himself to his feet, panting softly. He shook his head to try and clear it. He looked around.

Dove, Sky, and Russel were lying on the floor. Just where that Mercury dick and that Emerald bitch had left them after clobbering them at the entrance to the main tower. Cardin headed over to Russel: The Dust specialist had to have some Healing Dust. He dug into Russel's belt pouches and pulled out some white cartridges.

"Good," he muttered. "Shit… Okay, uh…" He channeled his Aura to try and heal up Russel first. He was better at this kind of crap, after all, and-

He heard the loud whistles of rockets. He looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened in horror. Several rockets screamed right for them! He summoned his Aura and got in front of his team to try and protect them.

Gotta time this just right-!

"YAH!" He swung Executioner and unleashed a Fire Dust blast. Several rockets went up in huge explosions… But two got through. They hit the tower overhead. Cardin looked up and gaped as the outer superstructure began to fall.

"Shit shit SHIT!" Cardin shouted. He ran as hard as he could, throwing himself out of the way of the debris as it fell behind him with a cacophony of booms and crashes. He was blown out of the way by the impact, landing in a tumble. He again struggled back to his feet and looked back at the flaming wreckage. He stormed back in, holding his arm up to protect his face.

"Damnit, damnit…!"

Gunfire erupted nearby, and bullets shot around him. He glared at the White Fang troops and ran for it as the rounds whizzed over his head. He clenched his free fist as he sprinted away.

"Damnit, damnit, damnit…!"

These animals had… Had killed his team… His team…!

They were working with the Grimm! How in the hell could someone work with the Grimm?!

What the hell was going on?!

He just kept running. An Ursa charged in front of him, but he slammed Executioner down on its skull and it fell apart as it died. He kept running, as fast as he could, until he came to a stop near some pillars. It was the library. He could see people running and screaming, fires burning, Grimm snarling and attacking while Hunters and Huntresses and even police fought White Fang terrorists. He panted for breath.

He could see Team CVFY fighting nearby. Adel was unleashing hell with her gatling gun, while Fox and Yatsuhashi covered her at close range. Velvet was over trying to help some fallen civilian, an old woman, with her injuries. Everything was muted, as though he was underwater.

The same White Fang troops opened fire with more rockets. Coco tried to shoot them down, but they slammed into the ground nearby. Massive explosions went off, consuming Coco, Fox and Yatsuhashi. Velvet and the civilian were blown away, Velvet trying to keep herself between the blast and the old human woman.

Do something, Cardin's mind screamed, even as his body remained frozen, Do something…!

Velvet looked up shakily, and gaped in horror at the flaming ruins. Cardin couldn't see anything beyond flames, smoke and rubble. Just like his team…

Do something!

Velvet looked over at the White Fang troops approaching her, holding up guns and swords. Her eyes were blank in shock and horror. The White Fang troops raised their guns.

DO SOMETHING!

"RAWRRR!"

His yell got their attention. He slammed Executioner down and unleashed a Fire Dust blast at the ground underneath their feet. The tiled ground bucked and shattered from the force, sending debris up like shrapnel. Several of the White Fang troops fell screaming, while others opened fire. Cardin charged through, his Aura flaring, as he swung Executioner around. He unleashed more Fire Dust blasts, blasting the White Fang troops away.

One wielding a large chainsaw sword dodged around the blasts, and swung for Cardin. He held up Executioner and blocked the hit. There was enough force that it shoved him back. He took another hit, and another, and another. The chainsaw wielding Faunus was fast, and had full Aura. Cardin couldn't keep up, and another hit to his gut slammed him back into the rubble. Cardin grit his teeth and struggled back up. The White Fang Faunus held his chainsaw sword up overhead, a smug, bloody smirk on his face.

He couldn't see Velvet anywhere.

I've gone fucking insane, he thought, I'm dying to save an animal… After failing my team… Failing everyone…

Cardin summoned up some saliva, and spat it at the White Fang trooper as he swung down on him.

Well, he thought grimly, At least… I saved someone. At least… I did one thing right in my-

"AAUUUGHH!"

A hail of bullets tore the White Fang trooper apart. Cardin gaped, then looked to his right. Velvet jogged up, holding up a Hardlight Dust version of Coco's gatling gun. She was trembling, but her face was set. She reached down to Cardin. He took her hand as she pulled him up.

"Th-Thanks," he managed between labored breaths.

Velvet nodded back shakily. Her eyes were hard despite the tears in her eyes. They both looked and saw more White Fang troops and Grimm advancing.

"We'll hold them here," Cardin decided, looking around. "Can't let them get any further."

"And we won't leave a single bloody fuck alive," Velvet snarled, tightening her grip on her hardlight weapon.

As strange as it sounded… Cardin's heart skipped a beat and his cheeks turned red when he heard her accent come out.He shook his head.

"Not a single one," he agreed.

Fuck, I really am going insane, he thought, reloading Executioner and getting ready for the next wave of enemies.

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

A good friend of mine has commented I often write a lot of "sketches" that would work well as stories in their own right, but don't develop them. So I'm gonna work more on doing that and taking things a step at a time. Here is a one shot sketch I put together and had a few more snippets for, but now I've put it all together into a very still one shot. Here is the revised and finished version of "Innocence":

- - -

Pyrrha and Jaune had returned to the dormroom after enough training session on the roof. Jaune groaned a bit as Pyrrha helped support him through the door into the dorm.

"Thanks Pyrrha," Jaune managed, "Ugh... I feel like I got hit by a truck."

Pyrrha blushed then smiled.

"Um, sorry..."

"No! No, that's good," Jaune said with a nod, "No pain... Ugh... No gain, r-right?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that's entirely untrue," Pyrrha said gently, "Though you have been getting a lot better."

"Yay," Jaune sighed. Pyrrha smiled encouragingly at him.

"No, really! You have improved a LOT!" She said happily. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

"Trying, but it's how I've been since I can remember," Jaune sighed. They stopped in front of Jaune's bed. Pyrrha frowned deeply, studying the bed carefully. Jaune looked at her, and then back at the bed.

"Uh... You okay Pyr?" He asked. Pyrrha flushed and nodded quickly.

"O-Oh! Yes! J-Just fine! Um... Hmm..."

Jaune cast about in his mind for things that might bother Pyrrha.

His bed was spic and span, he made it properly every morning... That couldn't be it... So...

He decided to take a shot in the dark.

"Is it about the Dance?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha turned bright red.

"Um, er, uh... S-Sort of?" She managed. Jaune blinked.

Damn. She looked cute when she was nervous. It was nice to see, to be honest. Sure, she was gorgeous, but this felt more... Real, somehow.

"Well, don't worry about it," Jaune said with a grin, "You'll gonna have to beat the boys off with Milo! So many of them are going to want to ask you out!"

Pyrrha fidgeted and looked aside.

"Oh... Um... Y-Yeah, you bet," she murmured quietly.

Jaune frowned.

"What, you think otherwise?"

"It's just... Um... Well, the big reason is that uh... I-I mean... I think I intimidate a lot of people," she admitted.

Jaune stared.

"Really? I..." He thought about it. "Oh... Um, I guess that makes sense. You being a celebrity and all."

"Y-yeah," Pyrrha said quietly, "You... You're one of the few people I've met who can actually... Y-You know... Talk to me like I'm a person."

Jaune smiled widely.

"Well, you are. To me. A great person!"

Pyrrha's cheeks burned an even brighter red. She seemed a bit unsteady. Concerned, Jaune forgot about his fatigue and reached out to her.

"Pyr? You okay-?"

"EEP!"

Pyrrha tried to move her foot forward, while Jaune moved his back. She grabbed hold of his hand and he was pulled forward as he remembered how tired he was. The end result of this lack of coordination was predictable if you've ever watched romcom anime.

"ACK!"

"EEEP!"

Jaune landed on his bed, on his back. The pain of his aching muscles was again forgotten as Pyrrha laid on top of him. Her wide green eyes stared into his wide blue ones as she perched atop him.

Her face soon turned as red as her hair, and her lip wobbled. Jaune took a deep breath to calm himself.

After all, this was his friend Pyrrha. They'd just fallen together. Nevermind his rapidly beating heart or his red cheeks, he was not going to freak out. Not when Pyrrha looked close to tears.

"Pyrrha, are you okay?" He asked.

Pyrrha sobbed, and fell off the bed onto the floor. Bewildered and terrified, Jaune knelt down with her.

"Pyrrha? Pyrrha, what is it?! Are you all right?!"

"Oh noooo... I'm... I'm..." She sobbed. "I'M A SLUT!"

Jaune blinked. Of all the things he had ever expected Pyrrha Nikos to say, that was... That wasn't in the top one hundred things he'd anticipate. Hell, it wasn't in the top thousand. It may as well not even be on the list!

"H-Huh?" Jaune managed, his jaw dropped. Pyrrha sniffled, and wiped her eyes. She looked up at him pleadingly.

"This... This isn't how I wanted it to go... B-But... You're a good man, Jaune. I-I know you are! You... You'd forgive the mother of your child for being... Being loose, r-right?!"

"My what?!" Jaune exclaimed, falling back in his crouch and slamming back into the bunk. Pyrrha continued to weep.

"I swear Jaune, I'll be the best wife you ever could ask for! I-I'll do anything you want! The-The most lewd, depraved things imaginable! I'll-I'll have twenty of your children if you wanted! I'll financially support us-!"

"WOAH WOAH WOAH!" Jaune cried, gettiing his rapidly stampeding thoughts all together into something approaching calm, before he grabbed her hands between his. He looked her in the eyes.

"Pyrrha?! What are you talking about?!" He demanded.

Pyrrha sniffled.

"I... I laid on a bed with a boy! That means... I'm pregnant now!"

Jaune blinked. He blinked again. He blinked a third time.

"I... Wha... You think... That's how it works?" He asked in utter disbelief.

Pyrrha sobbed again, and nodded.

"Isn't it?"

Jaune stared at her for a long time... Before he snickered.

"Hahaha! Oh, that's a great one, Pyr! I'm so glad you've loosened up enough to joke! Haaa... Wow, that is unconventional but... Y-yeah! You as a sheltered girl, not knowing... HAHAHAHA! Oh wow, you got me! That's hilarious!"

Pyrrha continued to sniffle, looking uncomprehendingly at Jaune. Jaune slowly stopped laughing.

"... You... You are joking... Right?"

Pyrrha huffed, and looked aside.

"I-I can't believe you're treating our child as a joking matter, Jaune!" Pyrrha sniffled again. "How could you?! What-What kind of a man are you? To-To just have a girl in your bed and then treat her like a joke!"

The door was opened. Ruby and Weiss entered, with Blake looking in curiously. Ruby looked concerned while Weiss frowned deeply.

"Is everything all right?" Ruby asked.

"What did you do, Arc?! You made Pyrrha cry!" Weiss growled.

Jaune opened his mouth but for once, Pyrrha interrupted him.

"I'm pregnant and he thinks it's a joke!"

"YOU'RE WHAT?!" Ruby and Weiss shrieked. Blake's jaw dropped as her hair bow perked right up.

"He got me pregnant," Pyrrha declared, "When we sat together on the bed! I only did it with him, I swear!"

Jaune relaxed a little. After all, surely, no one could believe that-

"You-You scoundrel!" Weiss snarled. "You had better take responsibility!"

Wait what?! Jaune thought in disbelief.

"Wow! Can I be an aunty?" Ruby grinned. "Congratulations!"

Jaune stared at them for any hints that this was a joke. A terrible, terrible joke being played at his expense.

Blake's eyes widened… And then narrowed as she smirked devilishly. The punchline was not forthcoming.

Jaune slapped a hand over his face and sighed.

It's gonna be a long night...

Blake spoke up with a hint of mischief, "That's not the only method to make babies."

Everyone's eyes snapped to the smirking black cat Faunus. She continued:

"Remember that time during Initiation when he caught you, Weiss?"

Weiss's response was a stutter of shock that grew into a screech.

"W-W-W-WHAT?!"

Blake's smugness was palpable.

"Congratulations."

Ruby, suddenly alarmed, went paler than usual.

"W-WAIT! WE'VE SAT ON THE SAME BED BEFORE PLAYING VIDEO GAMES?!" She covered her bright red cheeks. "OH NOOO...!"

"Oh yes. You've been very busy, haven't you Jaune?" Blake teased.

Jaune shook his head and held up his hands in a vain effort to restore order and sanity.

"No, wait, that's not what-!"

"YOU-YOU LITTLE HUSSY!" Pyrrha snarled, glaring death at Ruby.

"I-I'M NOT A HUSSY!" Ruby defended herself. She looked to Jaune and fell to her knees, begging him.

"Oh, Jaune, please! We're besties, r-right? You'd never abandon me in my time of need?"

Jaune attempted to calm the situation, "Of course not but-!"

Weiss grabbed Ruby and pulled her away. She then stepped in between Pyrrha and Jaune and spread her arms wide.

"BACK OFF! CLEARLY I'M THE ONE HE'S GOING TO MARRY AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR! N-NOT YOU HARLOTS!"

Jaune, bewildered, could only manage, "Wait what?!"

"YOU DON'T EVEN LIKE HIM!" Pyrrha snarled.

"WELL HE'S GONNA TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND I'M NOT SHARING!" Weiss retorted. Ruby pouted angrily as she shook her fists.

"THAT'S NOT FAIR, WEISS! HE'S MY BEST FRIEND!"

"Well he liked me first!"

Pyrrha, now bright red, confessed, "W-WELL I'VE BEEN IN LOVE WITH HIM SINCE THE DAY WE MET! I-I'VE HAD TO HOLD MYSELF BACK BECAUSE I WAS SAVING MYSELF FOR MARRIAGE!"

Weiss scoffed.

"HA! You're the one who unlocked his Aura! You're clearly just a slut!"

"ME?! Y-You-You-You treat men like dirt and then treat them nice!" Pyrrha trembled and clenched her fists. "You-You- TWO-FACED WHORE!"

"BITCH!" Weiss snapped back.

"WEISS YOU TRAITOR!" Ruby shouted, back on her feet and glaring at Weiss, "WE'RE PARTNERS!"

"NOT WHEN IT COMES TO THIS!" Weiss cried.

Jaune, trying to regain control, pleaded desperately:

"Nonono hold on! HOLD ON! Let's all calm down..." He sat on the bed with a sigh and noticed someone was holding his hand. He looked to his side, "... Blake?"

"BLAKE?!" Weiss, Pyrrha, and Ruby all exclaimed in unison.

Blake, feigning embarrassment with her hands over her cheeks, said, "Oh noooo. I'm pregnant toooo! You really are quite the playboy aren't you Jaune?"

"YOU-YOU HORNY NO GOOD ALLEY CAT!" Weiss seethed.

"HOW COULD YOU JAUNE?! ANOTHER?!" Pyrrha sobbed, "Ohh I had to fall for the most amazing man ever didn't I?! No one woman is enough for him!"

"HE'S INSATIABLE!" Ruby added as she too sobbed.

"BLAKE!" Jaune bellowed in anger and confusion.

Blake, barely holding back her laughter, teased:

"Please be gentle~?"

Jaune, having had enough, stood up and pointed angrily at the smug catgirl.

"DAMNIT BLAKE THAT'S NOT FUNNY!"

"NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS FUNNY," Weiss shouted, near tears, "YOU TWO-TIMING BASTARD!"

"What's not funny?"

Everyone looked over at the door to the dorm. Yang was standing there, drawn by the commotion. She looked concerned. Jaune opened his mouth and held up a hand to try and get some semblance of control back.

"No wait-!"

"YAAANG! I GOT PREGNANT THANKS TO JAUNE!" Ruby wailed.

"HE GOT ME TOO!" Weiss cried.

"HE GOT ME FIRST!" Pyrrha claimed, a tad smugly.

Weiss scoffed.

"HA! Please... He lusted after me and wanted me more than you two! I-I'm clearly the one he wants the most! You were just side pieces!"

"THAT'S NOT FAIR, WEISS! WE'RE BESTIES!" Ruby sobbed, but Weiss was unrepentant.

"EXCUSE YOU?!" Pyrrha snarled. "You're going to challenge ME?!"

"Yes I am!" Weiss declared, "And Blake is-is just a wanton slut!"

"What? I'm perfectly happily marrying Jaune!" Blake added, in between her snickers.

Yang's hair blazed gold and her eyes burned red.

"... I'm sorry, Jaune, but I'm gonna have to kill you now."

Jaune sighed and held his hands up.

"I DIDN'T-!" He took a deep breath, then continued, "I didn't... Okay. Let me explain before you kill me, please?"

Yang punched her fists together ominously.

"You have ten seconds."

"They think sitting on a boy's bed with them makes babies. That's all I have done, nothing else, I swear," Jaune explained, well within the time limit.

Yang blinked. She blinked again.

"Hwhah?"

Pyrrha, Ruby, and Weiss were still arguing in the background.

"BUT I WAS IN LOVE WITH JAUNE FROM THE MOMENT I MET HIM!" Pyrrha declared. "I-I'll do any depraved, debauched thing he could EVER want a woman to do!"

"I-I would do more!" Ruby shouted, "Plus I'm younger than you two hags!"

"EXCUSE YOU?!" Weiss snarled.

"Besides, I SAW HIM FIRST!" Ruby finished.

"But I happen to be a princess so Jaune would be my King," Blake interjected, smirking like the smug troll she was, "That means I'm a better choice of wife than all of you."

"WHAT?!" Weiss, Pyrrha, and Ruby exclaimed in unison, glaring at the cat Faunus. Blake smirked over at the distressed Jaune.

"Don't worry Jaune, I'll let you keep them as part of our Royal Harem... Though only I get to sleep in your bed full time. That way we'll make even more babies!"

"I WANT TO MAKE MORE BABIES WITH HIM!" Pyrrha and Ruby shouted.

Yang, who had been watching all of this while dumbstruck, finally snickered.

"... okay, that's frickin' hilarious."

"NOT TO ME!" Jaune shouted. Ruby nodded quickly.

"THERE'S NOTHING FUNNY ABOUT THIS, YANG! YOU'RE GONNA BE AN AUNT! AND NO KILLING JAUNE! HE'S GONNA BE MY HUSBAND!" She hugged him.

"Not if I break every bone in your body you won't," Pyrrha threatened.

"I'll bury you all in an icy hell for eternity and CASTRATE Jaune before I give him up to you SLUTS!" Weiss seethed.

"Oh my, that's a lot of aggression!" Blake snickered. "I had no idea you could inspire such feelings in women, Jaune! I just might fall for you!"

"BLAAAKE!" Jaune wailed.

"YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM!" Weiss shouted. She turned to the laughing blonde brawler. "YANG! I'LL PAY YOU A MILLION LIEN TO PUT THESE-THESE HARLOTS IN THEIR PLACE!"

"Money wasted," Pyrrha hissed, wearing a psychotic smile,."I'll just have to beat you all to death-"

Yang interjected, finally getting control of her laughter.

"O-Okay, okay! Everyone let's calm down before this stops being funny!" She sighed and then admitted, "Okay, Jaune? I... May have dropped the ball and not told Ruby about babies."

"YA THINK?!"

"Oh gee, sorry for not being the best underaged surrogate mother!" Yang retorted sarcastically. Jaune groaned and rubbed his face. He looked at the other women in the room.

"I just... How do you NOT know how babies are made?!"

"OF COURSE I KNOW HOW THEY'RE MADE!" Weiss shouted angrily. "You lay together in a bed or-or a man holds a woman in his arms and nine months later you get the baby from the stork! It's all very simple!"

"Oh? There's a bird involved?" Pyrrha asked. "I suppose that would make sense."

Ruby frowned.

"Dad told me I was a blue light special from the store! The mommy and daddy start the baby with a hug in bed, and then they need to get the rest to assemble it properly! And Yang said that whatever Dad said was true and to not bother her!"

Jaune shot a furious glare at Yang. Yang coughed.

"... Okay, at least when it comes to Ruby? This may be my bad."

Blake started laughing her ass off, holding in her giggles with both hands over her mouth.

Yang, pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"... I'm probably going to regret this, but Ruby, Weiss, Pyrrha? You three come with me. Time for you to learn where babies really come from."

Blake somehow laughed even harder.

"I don't know why you're laughing, Blake. You're helping," she growled.

Jaune sighed in relief.

Yang wheeled on him and glared.

"And you are, too!"

"Me?!" Jaune squeaked.

"You're in this damn mess and team leader so yes, you're gonna help me! Besides, you're a farm boy! You know how this works!"

Jaune grumbled, but slowly nodded.

"Fine..."

"W-With... Demonstrations? Snrk!" Blake teased.

"I SWEAR TO GOD BLAKE!" Jaune shouted.

"Don't yell at me, I'm in a delicate condition~!"

- - -

Two very awkward hours later…

"... And that's that!"

Yang smiled at her audience, a plethora of health books, posters, and holographic projections behind her telling the the story of human reproduction. Plus a few of Blake's hentai doujins, but they were in there under protest from Jaune.

Pyrrha, Weiss, and Ruby were sitting on a bed. Jaune was wisely standing apart from the women. Blake was in a chair, and still snickering while writing things down in a notebook.

"And... And that's... How it works...?" Weiss asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Yang nodded with a smile.

"Yup!"

"Really?" Pyrrha asked, also red faced. Jaune nodded.

"Absolutely."

"... I need to have a chat with my mother," Pyrrha growled softly.

"And my father, with my boot," Weiss growled.

The Schnee heiress then looked at Jaune, her face bright red.

"So um... That... That's what you wanted to do with me, Jaune?" She asked very quietly.

Jaune, avoiding eye contact by looking at the ceiling, coughed.

"Um, I-I mean... Yes? Only if you wanted to."

"R-Really? You... You don't want my money or-or status? Just... Me?" Weiss asked softly. Jaune nodded.

"I-I mean, more than just physically! But... Uh... Yeah? If-If we really fell in love and... Junk?" He offered, a bit lamely.

Ruby chimed in, looking hopefully.

"What about me?!"

At Yang's glare, Jaune chose his words very carefully.

"Ummmm... Only if you wanted to... And you were legal? But yes?"

Ruby's cheeks flushed.

"R-Really?!"

Pyrrha cleared her throat.

"You-You want to do that with me too, r-right Jaune?! Right?! Since... Since I do love you!"

Jaune blushed and nodded quickly.

"Yes! If we went out on dates or-or something and we grew close enough and romance and-You get what I mean!"

Blake smirked.

"What about me, Jaune?" She asked in a playful tone.

Jaune snapped.

"LIKE HELL YOU TROLL!"

Blake pouted.

"Honestly, so cruel! But I like how harsh you can be, Jaune. It's exciting~!"

"Why are you like this?" Jaune groaned.

"Come now, this is the most fun I've had in ages," Blake chuckled. "But seriously? How do you feel about me?"

Jaune groaned.

"YES YOU'RE ALL VERY ATTRACTIVE! Including Yang!"

Yang blinked and her entire face went red.

"Wait wha-"

"Not just physically! All of you are beautiful on the inside and out!" Jaune went on, oblivious to Yang's growing blush, "You're all brave, kind, smart, determined, and-and wonderful! Even with your flaws! Some more than others!" He glared at Blake, then looked back at the room in general.

"You'd all be great wives and mothers! But there's a-a lot of stuff between just-just dating and-and that!"

Silence fell. Yang in particular was blushing hard and having trouble looking directly at Jaune all of a sudden. Even Blake's cheeks were red, as Weiss and Pyrrha's faces burned like torches.

Ruby, ever the quickest, seized the opportunity to leap up and grab onto Jaune's arm. She smiled up at him sweetly.

"Buuut, being best friends means I'm closer to it than Weiss, Blake, Yang or Pyrrha, right?"

"I uh-" Jaune tried.

"WHAT?! Like hell you are!" Weiss growled. Pyrrha scoffed.

"You didn't even like him, Weiss! Besides, I'M HIS PARTNER!"

"Yeah but now that I know he's not after me just for money but... You know…" She trailed off as she blushed deeply, "A family and love-"

"FAMILY AND LOVE ARE THINGS I'VE WANTED MY ENTIRE LIFE!" Pyrrha declared, "I WANT TO HAVE THAT WITH JAUNE RIGHT NOW!"

Jaune, in an attempt to calm things down, held up his hands and smiled nervously.

"Only after dating for a really long time and if we were both fine with it-!"

"And that means I'm still doing better than you all!" Ruby declared, maturely sticking her tongue out, "HA!"

Yang, clenching her fist, growled, "Jaaauuunne...!"

In sheer desperation, Jaune got up and took Yang's fists in his hands, stating, "I'd want to do that with you too, Yang! After dating and if we fell in love!"

Yang, again bright red, was caught off guard for a second time.

"WH-WH-WHAT?!"

"WHAT?!" Weiss, Pyrrha, and Ruby all exclaimed, fire in their eyes.

Blake was laughing so hard she was rolling on the floor, tears streaming from her eyes without any attempt to hold back.

Jaune looked around at the furious females around him, gulped, and came up with the only plan he could to try and escape his predicament.

"So now that that's all out there, I think my mom's calling me. This was great, let's never do it again LATER!" He turned and leaped out the nearest exit.

"SHIT IT WAS A WINDOOOOOW-!"

There was a loud crash, and silence. All five girls stared at the window in shock.

After a moment, Jaune called out, "... I'M OKAY!"

All five young ladies looked at one another.

"... I'm taking him for myself and I'm kicking all your asses to do it," Yang declared.

"LIKE HELL YOU ARE!" Pyrrha snarled.

The five young ladies were left to bicker or, in Blake's case, to continue laughing herself sick.

Jaune returned to his dorm, sighing. Nora and Ren were waiting, sitting together on Ren's bed.

Nora beamed at her leader.

"Jaune! Great news!"

Jaune sighed, hoping that Nora's usual madness would improve his spirits after the very long day he'd had.

"Yes?"

"Ren finally got me preggers!" She beamed as she held Ren's hand. "Right on our bed!"

Jaune stared. He then shook his head.

"... Not falling for it, Nora."

Nora pouted.

"SHOOT! I always mess up the punchline!"

"I thought it was funny," Ren deadpanned.

"Were you just watching that whole catastrophe?!" Jaune demanded in exasperation. Nora beamed and nodded cheerfully.

"Eeyup!"

"And you didn't think to intervene once?!"

Ren shrugged.

"It was like a ten car pile up involving clowns and jets. Of course we weren't going to intervene, Jaune."

"Yuh huh!" Nora chirped brightly.

Jaune sighed and collapsed face first into his bed.

"I hate you both," he moaned.

"We love you too, Jaune-Jaune~!" Nora cheerfully responded, eating from her popcorn bucket.

"Next time we'll share our popcorn." Ren added.

Jaune, bewildered, sat up and stared at them.

"Wait, you had popcorn on hand to watch the whole thing with?! How-Why...?"

He stopped and shook his head.

As Nora opened her mouth to explain, Jaune cut her off.

"Forget it! I don't want to know."

"A wise policy," Ren concluded.

- - -

It is as I intended: Extremely silly. But I hope you enjoyed it.

 

[SharkCultist]

Yang Xaoi-long is a simple woman

She is not however a stupid one.

Indeed she's actually quite intelligent. But her first default to solving a issue is usually to punch it, and when that doesn't work? She finds a new way to punch it.

Her entire long life and many achievements has all been working towards one goal.

From gaining the magic of a maiden and developing it past simply throwing elements around like a child throwing a tantrum.

To learning advanced engineering and mechanical forging.

Even chaining down Ozma, Cinder, and Penny to study their unique souls all came for one great purpose. A purpose that she was 450 years 8 months 2 weeks and a handful of hours into completing.

Before her laid her great creation. A crimson metallic arm, slightly bulk and cylindrical but a gleaming work of art.

And in front of that laid a much less beautiful creation. A chaotic mess of wires and crystals roughly shaped like a circle standing upright in front of her. Dangerously shaking and sparking. It's highly unstable and yangs pretty sure it's going to explode in about 30 minutes.

Good thing she only needs 5.

Any scientist who saw the gate would be simultaneously awed and horrified by it. The use of hardlight dust to create components that were currently impossible to forge was brilliant.

Stabbing enough gravity dust into the thing to cause gravity to double while inactive is insane. Especially once you add in the multiple energy dust reactors included in the design.

The damn thing is liable to rip a hole in the fabric of space and time.

Which is exactly what Yang wants.

She puts on the glove and links her soul to it, and with a smile on her face that hasn't been seen since Ruby died Yang finally does what she's been asking to for almost 500 years.

Yang throws a punch.

And the world goes white.

---

Ruby Rose is ten years old and she wants to be a hero. She wants to save people and punch bad guys. She....wants anything exciting to happen on a boring Sunday.

Which is right about when the sky rips open and shoots something red at her general direction and makes everything explode.

Be careful what you wish for.

Once the dust clears and the world stops spinning and ringing Ruby drags herself over to the crater to see what it is.

It's a fist. A big red fist. It's shiny and cool and Ruby definitely has to try it on!

So she slides her arm inside.

And with a yellow glow (the same shade as yangs aura) the armored fist shrinks until it fits like a glove except nicer. It feels like a hug. Like it was made just for her.

And then it spoke to her.

{Hey there!}

"Ah! Scary glove ghost!"

{Wait wait wait, no ghost here I'm....a hero tool?}

"That sounds like a question."

{Well I'm your tool now, you do want to be a hero right?}

"Heck yeah I do!"

{Great! Then you'll be the best dang hero this world's ever seen.}

"Cooooool! Oh, wait right. My name's Ruby. Do you have a name?"

{...you can call me.... Burning Heart.}

---

Ruby never caught on to that little distinction and Yang never cleared that up. She just let Ruby think she was a friend.

But she was always there helping Ruby in the only way she knew how.

Punching.

Cinder stole someone's magic? Punch it out of her.

Silver eyes people stuck inside goopy Grimm monsters? Punch them out of the goop. (Hi mom!)

Immortal grimm witch causing problems? Introduce entropy directly into her soul. Through the medium of punches.

Truly every problem could be solved by punching.

Well almost every problem.

{You got a date?!}

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Vale, Dockyards



- - -



Cinnamon Berahard was nearly seven years old, and she was super bored. Her mama and papa had told her that a trip up to Vale would be fun and exciting! But most of the trip had been about Papa buying and selling and talking to boring old people. Mama had at least bought her a dolly. It was a beautiful china doll, and she'd named her Priscilla.



She held onto Priscilla tightly as she sat in the back of the car, bored. Their front left tire had gone flat and Papa was fixing it. She watched Papa and Mama work on it together while they argued. The world outside was dark except for street lights and big, grim looking warehouses. They were creepy, so she focused her attention on her parents.



"I told you we were lost," Mama sighed, "Why didn't you just buy a proper Scroll?"



"Feh!" Papa snorted. "My old Scroll works just fine! We just took a bit of a detour, that's all."



"A detour, he says," Mama groaned, "who knows what kinds of thieves and cutthroats could be around here!"



"Please," Papa chuckled, "This is a civilized city! There ain't no bandits or thieves or-"



There was a loud explosion nearby. Everyone jumped, especially Cinnamon. She saw a gout of flame rise up behind the buildings. She gasped in amazement.



Maybe it was like her CCTV programs back home! Hunters and Huntresses on the street, fighting against bad guys!



"... Let's call the police," Mama suggested. Papa nodded.



"I think you're right." He pulled out his Scroll, and made the call. "Hello, Vale Police? Yes, I'd like to report a-"



A ragged looking young Faunus with cat ears, black clothing, and a white mask jumped through a window in the building across the street. He landed hard on the pavement and sprang towards them faster than a horse! He slapped Papa and Mama, sending them both sprawling to the pavement.



"MAMA! PAPA!" Cinnamon shrieked. The Faunus man opened the door and checked the keys. He groaned.



"Great, I gotta fix the tire..." He glared at Cinnamon, and she shrunk back. "You're really fucking slow, you humans!"



"I-I-!"



"STOP RIGHT THERE!"



Cinnamon and the Faunus looked back. Four young women in yellow, black, white and red leaped down, landing on the street. In an instant, the Faunus seized Cinnamon and yanked her in front of him. She screamed in fear and began to cry as he held a gun against her head.



"One more step, and goodbye little human!" He snarled. The girl in red, with black hair with red tips and a huge red scythe, froze. She shook her head.



"Y-You're bluffing!" She cried. "You're not gonna kill her!"



The Faunus grinned and jabbed the gun against Cinnamon's head. She whimpered. She wet her pants. She shook and trembled violently.



"You think I care?" The Faunus scoffed. "You'd better back up, nice and easy. Even you aren't fast enough to get to me before I pull the trigger!"



"Let her go!" The girl in black offered, "The White Fang is better than this!"



"FEH! Where have you been, Princess?" The Faunus scoffed. "Now, back off! Weapons down!"



"You're a scum sucking scoundrel!" The girl in white cursed, while the girl in yellow with blonde hair snarled angrily. The Faunus laughed.



"It keeps me breathing, darling. Now, you-HEY!"



Cinnamon stared through her tears. A man had appeared, jumping down from the same window. His poncho waved dramatically as he held onto his cowboy hat. He stared intently at Cinnamon and the Faunus as he stood up. The Faunus growled.



"YOU! Same thing, cowboy! You try anything and-!"



BANG!



The Faunus' body went limp even as Cinnamon's ears hurt. The Faunus dropped like a puppet with its strings cut. In an instant, the girl in red appeared and caught Cinnamon as she felt. She buried her face in her chest, sobbing loudly even as the girl in red rubbed her back.



She glanced up: The man was holding a revolver and pointing it at the Faunus. The Faunus had crumpled to the ground. He wasn't moving.



Cinnamon shivered and buried her face back in the girl's chest.



"Mama... Papa...?" She managed.



"They're okay," the girl said softly, "They're just... Just asleep."



"... The bad guy?" She asked.



The girl in red was silent as police sirens filled the air.



- - -



Yang was the first to recover from the abrupt end of the pursuit. Jaune barking orders into his Scroll helped take her eyes away from the dead Faunus.



"Pyrrha, Nora, make sure nobody else gets away, we caught one straggler," he stated, "Ren, sweep the area one last time. All of you, come to my signal location ASAP."



"Roger," Pyrrha spoke.



"Okey dokey Jaune-Jaune!" Nora replied.



"Understood," Ren said.



Jaune closed the Scroll as the cops arrived. He holstered his weapon, his face grim and stony.



"You... You killed him," Weiss said, soft and disbelieving.



Jaune very slowly nodded.



"Yes miss," he said, his voice devoid of its customary warmth. He glanced at the corpse briefly. "Let's check on the adults, make sure they're all right. Weiss, you got Healing Dust, right?"



Weiss kept staring.



"Weiss?" He pressed.



"Y-Yes, I'm on it," Weiss said, turning and heading over to the two groaning humans. Blake continued to stare at him intensely. She walked up close, her yellow eyes narrowed.



"Was that necessary?" Blake asked, quiet but angry. Jaune let out a soft sigh.



"... I hope so," he muttered.



Yang walked up and rested a hand on his shoulder. She gave Blake a very stern look.



"Threatening to murder a child is rarely something a good person does, Blake," Yang stated in a flat, angry tone.



"He was desperate, he was scared-" Blake tried. Yang glared.



"He had a choice. He made the wrong one," Yang practically spat.



Blake stared intensely at Jaune, who was still as blank faced as a cube of marble. A few moments later, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora jumped in. The cops were securing the area. One, a sergeant by her stripes, walked over to look down at the body. She then turned to look over the assorted Hunters-in-Training.



"Which one of you shot him?" She demanded, brushing a few stray black hairs behind her ears as she scowled.



Ruby opened her mouth-To what end, Yang didn't know. Jaune shook his head and stepped foward.



"That would be me, ma'am," Jaune replied calmly. Pyrrha's eyes widened. Ren and Nora stared intensely. Ruby shook her head and dashed forward, still holding the weeping girl.



"He was holding a girl hostage, he was going to shoot her-!"



The sergeant held up her hand and Ruby fell silent. The Red Reaper glanced at Jaune, looking distraught but over what, Yang couldn't tell. She could guess a few things, though.



"You can all give your full statements at the station," she stated, "What's your name, son?"



"Jaune Arc."



"Sergeant Matty Dillon," she introduced herself, "Under city policy when it comes to Hunters-in-Training, I'm going to have to take you into custody pending assessment of the incident and interviews with the witnesses." She held out her hand. "I'll need you to surrender your weapons and come with me."



"Hey! Hang on a second!" Yang argued, "That bastard was going to kill a little girl! You can't just arrest Jaune for that-!"



"It's all right, Yang," Jaune said quietly. He undid his gun and swordbelt, and handed it over to Sergeant Dillon-His revolvers and Crocea Mors hung from it. He pulled out a knife from his boot, and pulled his shotgun off his shoulders and handed it over too. Dillon raised an eyebrow.



"Anything else?"



"No ma'am," Jaune said politely. He held out his wrists. "Do you need to cuff me?"



"Yes," Dillon said, slapping them on, "It's just procedure."



"But he didn't do-!" Ruby tried, but Jaune shot her a look.



"It's all right, Ruby. I've..." A look of shame came over his face, before his determined expression returned.



"I've been through this before," he said carefully.



Ruby's jaw dropped. Yang gaped. Blake gasped. Weiss, still tending to the wounded, still shot a shocked look back. Pyrrha's eyes widened. Ren closed his eyes while Nora shook her head.



"You can all come along in another car," Dillon stated, "We'll try to get this sorted out as quickly as possible. I'll read you your rights on the way."



"Yes ma'am," Jaune said. He looked around at his friends.



"It's gonna be all right, I promise," he said, as Dillon escorted him towards one of the police cruisers. Ruby stared in shock, even as the little girl stared after him.



"Is... Is he gonna go to jail?" She asked.



"Not if we can help it," Yang growled.



"Cinnamon!"



The little girl looked over. She beamed as she saw her parents standing up, smiling.



"MAMA! PAPA!"



She dropped from Ruby's arms and ran over to them. They embraced the little girl happily.



"Well," Yang muttered, "I can think of a few people thankful Jaune took his shot."



Blake just scowled deeply.



Weiss approached, looking anxious.



"We-We should go with him," she said, "After all... He'll need our testimony... R-Right?"



"Let's go," Pyrrha said grimly, as they headed towards a second police cruiser.



- - -



I'm working on the other Cowboys of Remnant bit, but I wanted to try something a bit darker. Any thoughts so far?

Click to shrink...

Things were, from a certain point of view, very straightforward from then on. They were all taken to the police station, which was a stately old building in downtown Vale leftover from the Post-Great War Construction Boom, with high vaulted ceilings and gothic exteriors.



They got to stay in a waiting room, while, one by one, they were each taken to an interview room to be interrogated separately. They didn't say "interrogation", but Blake knew more than enough by now what this was.



They didn't talk much. She told them it would look bad if they seemed to be coming up with a collective story. Yang and Weiss glared, but they acquiesced. They each kept quiet, Yang hugging Ruby to keep her calm.



Each of them went in, talked for a while with Sergeant Dillon, then came out. The sergeant was nonplussed by all of them-Even Nora.



Then came Blake's turn. She silently walked into the interview room and sat down on the far side of the desk. The walls were covered in white wallpaper, and a camera watched silently from above. The sergeant sat down across from her, eyes narrowed.



"Miss Belladonna," she said.



"Sergeant," Blake greeted in a neutral tone.



Dillon checked her Scroll, then looked up at Blake. The clock ticked away in the background-An intentional touch, Blake knew, to make suspects nervous.



"I believe you've been told not to go on vigilante excursions in the past?" The sergeant asked dryly. Blake slowly nodded.



"In this case, I was trying to speak with some... Some friends of mine," she decided on, "Who were going to a White Fang rally. I was hoping to talk them out of it... Then things escalated."



"Not as badly as last time," Dillon stated dryly. Blake shook her head.



"If the police aren't stopping them from bringing in military grade equipment, then it is up to the common citizen to do what they can," she said quietly, her tone neutral but her eyes narrowed. Dillon sucked in an angry breath, then let it out as a frustrated sigh.



"... Your heart is in the right place," Dillon agreed, "Even if the rest of you isn't. But let's look at the incident tonight, shall we? You broke up the rally-"



"They opened fire first," Blake said, "We tried to keep it from escalating-!"



"But the White Fang always escalates, Miss Belladonna," Dillon stated flatly, "Has since Sienna Khan took over."



Blake winced. She kept her ears from flattening out of sheer willpower.



"They-They didn't mean to-"



Dillon scoffed.



"They've threatened any Faunus who became a cop with harassment and worse. All so it looks like humans beating up Faunus. My partner was a Faunus, best I ever had." Dillon glared angrily at Blake.



"Until they burnt his house down. His family was safe... But he got the message. Loud and clear." She shook her head, and took a deep breath.



"That was unprofessional," the sergeant said quietly, "Forgive me."



Blake didn't know if she was being manipulated or not. Dillon's body language seemed too genuine to be a lie. The anger in her voice...



No. She had to stay focused.



"I... Y-Yes," Blake managed.



"So," Dillon said, looking over her notes, "You engaged the organizers of the rally. One set off a Dust Bomb-That's when we got the 911 call from the Berahards. The perpetrator ran out onto 12th street. Correct?"



"Yes."



"He struck Mister and Mrs. Berahard."



"I didn't see it for myself but they were lying on the ground when we arrived, yes," Blake said carefully. Dillon stared at her and nodded.



"All right. He took the girl hostage though, correct?"



"... Yes," Blake said quietly.



"Held a gun to her head?" Dillon pressed.



"Yes."



"What did you do?" She asked.



"We tried to talk him down," Blake said quietly.



"Do you know how high his Aura was?" Dillon asked. "If he had a Semblance?"



"We believe he was Aura unlocked given his speed, agility and strength," Blake said quietly, "We're not sure how strong it was. If he was taking a hostage, I... I suppose it may have been low?"



Dillon nodded.



"Then what happened?"



"Jaune caught up," Blake said softly, "The... The perpetrator threatened him... Then..."



She took a breath.



"Then Jaune shot him," she finished.



"Where?" Dillon asked.



"Between the eyes," Blake said softly, tensing up slightly.



Dillon stared at her.



"Do you think he acted wrongly?" She asked.



Blake was silent. She sucked in a breath.



"I believe that, given how the situation looked-"



"Yes or no, Miss Belladonna," Dillon stated. She leaned forward and lowered her voice.



"It's all right to disagree with his actions," she said, "To be uncomfortable with killing. I prefer Hunters who can be honest about it."



Blake let out a hiss.



"... If we'd had more time, we... We may have been able to talk him down," Blake said quietly. "I-I want to believe we could have done it."



Dillon made a note.



"I see..."



She asked a few more questions, taking down a few more notes, before she nodded.



"Thank you. You're free to go," she said, "We'll have a decision shortly."



"Of course," Blake said with a slow nod. She slowly stood up and exited the room. She walked back to the waiting area, where the rest of RWBY and NPR were waiting around. Yang and Weiss shot her suspicious looks as she sat down.



"I didn't tell them anything they didn't already know," Blake said quietly.



"Did they ask for your opinion on things?" Yang asked. Blake winced.



"They did..."



"And?" Weiss demanded.



"I gave them my opinion," Blake said.



"Which was?"



"Guys, please," Ruby said, shaking her head, "Don't. It-It won't help."



Blake scowled, a feeling of self righteousness swelling in her chest.



"We could have talked him down," Blake hissed, "If we'd had more time-"



"He had his gun to a child's head, Blake!" Yang growled. "You really think he could have been talked out of it?!"



"He was scared, he was desperate-" Blake tried, but Weiss shook her head.



"Criminals often are," Weiss growled.



"You don't get to say anything-!"



"White Fang terrorists murdered members of my family," Weiss shot back, "Did they deserve to be killed? Should I be killed because of my family's crimes?"



"No!" Blake whisper-shouted, "Of-Of course not! But your history with Faunus-"



"And your history with White Fang makes you no better," Weiss growled. "If he was a human holding a gun to a Faunus child's head, he still should have been taken down!"



Blake looked over at Ruby for support.



"Ruby? You were trying to talk him down, right?"



Ruby nodded shakily.



"If we could have... Yeah... But..." She sighed. "L-Look... I... I don't like that we had to shoot him. I don't..."



Her eyes opened with a steely determination.



"I also got the same horror stories and attempts to discourage me from becoming a Hunter that Yang did," Ruby insisted, "How-How we fight people sometimes. Bad people. And some people can't be talked down. I..." She shook her head. "I don't like it. I wish we could have-have done something else..."



Tears came to her eyes.



"It's my fault," she whispered, "I'm team leader. If-If I'd thought of something else-If I'd come up with a plan, he wouldn't be dead and Jaune wouldn't... Wouldn't...!"



She began to sob. Yang hugged her tightly. Weiss shot a glare at Blake. Blake bowed her head, feeling low.



"Ruby," Nora said softly. The ginger walked over and sat down on the coffee table between the cheap couches. She reached out to hold Ruby's hands.



"Ruby, look at me," Nora said quietly. Ruby sniffled and looked into her eyes.



"Sometimes there is no good choice, just the least worst," Nora said softly. She nodded over at Ren, who was sitting quietly in a cheap armchair. The stoic ninja nodded.



"Yes," he said, "We've experienced that many times in our lives."



Pyrrha sucked in a breath. She nodded stoically.



"I know this too," she said quietly. She shrugged. "If we'd been there sooner... If you'd had more time... We can't change what happened. All we can do is deal with it."



Ruby sniffled again. Blake looked away for something, anything else to focus on.



"Jaune?" She blurted out. The cowboy emerged from the backrooms, his face like stone. Sergeant Dillon accompanied him, carrying his weapons. She handed them over.



"Everything you handed in," Dillon stated. Jaune put his gunbelt back on without a word. The sergeant looked back.



"You'll probably be getting hell from your professors," she said, and everyone winced, "But you're clear. No charges will be pressed. Just try to avoid anything else like this in the future, huh?"



With that, the Sergeant turned and headed off. Jaune looked at his friends. He saw Ruby still crying. She got up and hugged him. He returned it.



He sighed and patted Ruby's back comfortingly.



"Let's go home, huh?"

- - -



Even back at Beacon, and even after suffering through Professor Goodwitch's wrath (two weeks detention), Blake couldn't sleep. She felt too restless, too nervous. The tension in the dormroom was almost suffocating.



She climbed out the window and up to the rooftop. She heard the faint sounds of a guitar being played over the wind. She sniffed the wind, and followed a familiar scent. She jumped off the roof, landing easily. She dashed after the scent in the direction of the music.



She made it to the stables. A campfire was going just outside the paddock. Jaune was there, playing his guitar, staring into the flames. Orleans was asleep, and softly snoring in her stable. Blake stopped short of the fire, and listened to the tune for a while.



He began to sing softly.



"Hard time here and everywhere you go

Times is harder than ever been before..."



She hesitated, then cleared her throat. Jaune looked up, his fingers still plucking at the strings.



"Miss Blake," he returned quietly.



Blake worried her lower lip.



"May... Can we talk?" She asked softly.



Jaune nodded. He kept playing and stared back into the fire. Blake sat down on the log next to him, fidgeting a bit.



Jaune kept playing, a gentle acoustic. He would sing softly under his breath every now and then.



"And the people are driftin' from door to door

Can't find no heaven, I don't care where they go..."



Blake finally took a deep breath.



"I... I'm sorry."



Jaune kept plucking away quietly. He looked over at her in curiosity.



"What for?"



"I..." She winced. "I told the police that... That I didn't think you... You should have killed him."



Jaune was silent save for his guitar strings. He snorted softly then looked back into the flames.



"That's fair," he said.



Blake started.



"You... You aren't mad?"



Jaune shrugged.



"If Pyrrha or Ren had gotten there sooner, we could have brought him down. If I'd given you more time, maybe..." he sighed, "But I had a choice: Kill him, save the little girl... Or kill him after he'd shot her. I didn't want to bet her life."



Blake sighed and shut her eyes.



"... I've been where he was," she confessed.



Jaune stared at her. Blake shook her head.



"I-I never... I never took a child hostage. But I've used underhanded means, bluffs, violence... All to get what I wanted. I thought... I thought I was justified, as part of the White Fang. I thought I was righteous. I thought... I thought that almost anything was justified for freedom."



She stared down at her hands.



"... And I was wrong," she whispered, "I realized I was just making people fear and hate Faunus more than they already did. That-That I was making things worse. I realized that. I made the right decision."



She bowed her head.



"... And I can't stop asking myself: Could he have made the right decision?" She whispered. "Would he have realized what he was doing was wrong, and... And made a better choice? If... If..."



"If I didn't kill him," Jaune murmured. Blake looked into his eyes. He was grim, his eyes as hard as flint. He then closed them and sighed, looking very tired. Very old.



"I asked myself that too," he admitted. At Blake's look, he shook his head. "I... I've had to kill before, Blake. To defend my friends. To defend others. I... I looked into the eyes of those men, just before they..."



He steeled himself.



"Before I killed them. And I wondered the same thing. Could they have changed? Become better men if I'd let 'em live?"



Blake stared at him, her eyes reflecting the firelight.



"What happened?" She asked softly.



Jaune shifted a bit, setting his guitar to the side. He sighed and looked up at the stars.



"My pa and Mister Duke told me that our choices determine where we end up in life. Their choices led them to attack innocent people. My choices led me to stand between those men and people who needed protectin'. We all suffer the consequences of our choices. Theirs were to die... And mine is to live with the fact I killed them."



He looked intently into her eyes.



"You chose to get out. To run. To try and do better, to make up for what you did," Jaune said quietly, "And I... I'm choosing to believe I ain't a bad person. That the evil I do won't outweigh the good. That's what... What I'm choosing."



He looked back into the flames.



"No matter how hard it is to do that," he whispered.



Blake stared back. She slowly took his hand.



"We both will," she murmured.



He squeezed her hand back.



They watched the flames in silence underneath the star filled sky.



- - -

 

[SharkCultist]

Had a kind of funny idea of team RWBY running into a guy who looks like a edgy bitch/square enox character and assuming he's gonna be bad or fight them. But it just turns out it's all for practical reasons


Weiss: "Your outfit is seventy percent belts. Why? What possible reason could you need that many belts for? You can't have a good reason."

Hunter:"Semblance effects my size. Belts and oversized clothes was cheaper than constantly replacing stuff and having to pay back for indecent exposure."

Weiss:"Ok that might be a good reason."

Yang:"Why's he dressed in more black than a my chemical romance concert?"

Hunter:"I'm a faunus."

Yang: "I'm not making the connection here. Blake am I being racist?"

Blake: "Probably."

Hunter: "My faunus trait is being cold blooded. The dark clothes help trap heat."

Ruby: ok, maybe we were a little judgy about those things. But explain the bloody bag and knife!

Hunter: "I work at a butcher shop and I'm tossing out the scraps at a farther away dumpster so it doesn't stink near the shop or attract wild animals."

*Hunter leaves team Ruby alone so he can finish his shift and then get back to his true passion.

Being a nemesis to team CRDL*

 

[AndrewJTalon]

A fun premise for a crack fic that was posted on the SB thread was team RWBY, being disaster prone and rather self destructive, are in bad financial shape after defeating Salem. Especially if there are no more Grimm. Jaune though is doing well for himself and so...

- - -

Jaune Arc checked the address. He looked at the apartment building that had definitely seen better days. He checked the address again. He shook his head.



He walked up to the door, and knocked on it. He waited.



The door opened a crack.



"H-Hey, so, um, the rent's gonna be a little late and I know you're angry but-"



"Ruby?" Jaune asked. The door fully opened. The girl's silver eyes widened. She was in nothing but her panties and what looked like her old uniform shirt from Beacon-Which had been patched several times.



"Jaune?!" Ruby gasped. Her face brightened, and she hugged him. "JAUNE!"



He hugged her back tightly, laughing. He swung her around. He then set her back down. Ruby pouted up at him.



"You keep getting taller! It's not fair!"



"Sorry, it's how it works," Jaune said with a shrug. Ruby beamed.



"What brought you here?"



"Oh, well, uh, my sister Lilac is finally getting married and I wanted to invite you all," he said, "I couldn't seem to find your Scroll number anymore, so I tracked you down."



"Ruby? Who is it?" Yang's voice echoed from inside. "If it's the landlady, I'll handle it! What's one more concussion to her-?"



She came around the corner and gaped. She too was in very little.



"J-Jaune!" Yang gasped happily. Jaune waved, keeping his eyes on her forehead.



"Hey Yang!"



"Jaune?!" Weiss gasped. She poked her head around the corner. Her eyes widened. She then sped up to him, dressed in a house dress that had seen far better days. "Please! Come in! Don't mind the mess! Or our state of dress! Have some tea!"



"Hey Weiss! I uh, sure, no problem...?" Jaune managed. He took in the state of their dwelling with a growing sense of disbelief every step he took. Spartan was a good word for it. Cluttered as well: Pieces of weapons, mending or drying clothes, and endless job applications. It was amazing how it seemed so barebones and so messy at the same time.



Blake was outside on the cluttered balcony, sunning herself in her bra and panties. Weiss scowled at her.



"Blake! We have a visitor!"



Blake rolled over and paid Jaune with an intense stare.



"Jaune?" She gasped.



"Ah, hey," Jaune said with a smile as Weiss set him down at their ragged table. Blake got up and pulled on her yukata-Which had also seen better days.



"What are you doing here? N-Not that it's not nice to see you, and all," Blake managed.



"It's amazing you know his name," Yang snarked, "Given how little you talked to him since we met."



"It's amazing you treat him nicely, given how you barely acknowledged his existence, too," Blake growled back. The two began to bicker as Weiss brought over some tea and Ruby sat with Jaune.



"They broke up, it was messy," Ruby confided in him. Jaune slowly nodded, and took tea from Weiss with a strained, polite smile.



"Ah. Thank you, Weiss."



"Anything for you, Jaune," Weiss said with a smile.



Jaune sipped the tea and hid his grimace-He'd had to endure his sister's experiments in tea for a long time, after all. An ironing board fell out of the wall, which Ruby caught just in time before it brained him.



"Ah, sorry!" Ruby said, shoving it back into place, "You okay?"



"Yeah, just fine," Jaune said with a smile. "I uh... So..." He looked around, "This... Doesn't seem like where I expected you all to be."



Blake and Yang paused in their fighting. Ruby's smile became very brittle. Blake coughed.



"Ah, well... I mean, with the Grimm vanishing and all... And my parents being voted out of office for gross incompetence..." Blake shrugged.



"What a shocker that was," Weiss snarked. Blake glared death at the Schnee heiress.



"Like you can talk! Your father's entire empire collapsed overnight and left you nothing!"



"Well-I-You-!" Weiss sputtered before she huffed.



"At the very least, we're not Yang and Ruby!"



"HEY!" Yang and Ruby growled.



"So what if he's a deadbeat?!" Yang demanded. "He wasn't pure evil OR a politician!"



"And I'm sure he's totally happy with that rich heiress who won't get bored of him when she gets out of her DILF fetish!" Weiss sneered.



"Why you-!"



Ruby cleared her throat. Very loudly. Yang and Weiss stopped but kept glaring at each other. Blake was also angry but kept silent.



"So... How are things with you?" Ruby managed with forced cheer.



Jaune sipped his tea and debated internally about how to break this... And decided to be tactful.



"I'm good. I'm almost finished with medical school, and my mom's got a residency lined up for me at our hospital," he said.



Four pairs of eyes all looked intently at him.



"You-You're a doctor?" Weiss sputtered.



"Well um, I got into medical school before I ran off to Beacon," Jaune said, "Pretty sure I mentioned it a few times?"



Blank stares. Even on Ruby. Jaune sighed.



Well, it's not like I remember everything they told me about their lives, right?



"But I wanted to be a Huntsman so bad... But uh, yeah. My Semblance makes it pretty easy, too. I've been staying at the family farm while I studied and I've also been working at the brewery."



"You... Your family owns a brewery?" Yang asked. Jaune nodded.



"Yeah. A big one. We expanded it along with the farm last year..."



"Oh... That... That's great, Jaune," Ruby said with a smile, "That's super great! Good for you!"



"Very," Blake muttered, staring at Jaune with a strange expression. Yang blinked rapidly, then looked to the side.



"So uh..."



"Um..."



"Er..."



Jaune looked at all the girls. He really did care for them, honest! Even after everything. How could you not be fond of the people you saved the world with?



"Right, well," Jaune coughed, "Like I said, I'm inviting you all to my sister's wedding." He held out the invitations. Each girl took one.



"Oh, wonderful," Weiss sighed, "I got to work a wedding once! I got to take home some of the cake leftovers... Er... Um..." Her eyes dipped.



"Least you got to keep your leftovers," Yang grumbled. "I came out of a cake at a bachelor party. Couldn't keep anything..."



Silence fell. The ironing board fell onto his head. Naturally, his Aura protected him. But as the ironing board had none, it snapped in two and fell to the floor.



"Oh no!" Ruby cried, falling to her knees. "I'm so sorry Jaune-Oh no! How do I fix this?!"



"We could steal the neighbor's ironing board," Blake suggested.



"They added more pitbulls," Weiss whined.



"And those bites hurt," Yang groaned.



Jaune finally came to a decision.



"You know what? There's a cottage on our land," he said, "That you all can stay in, since we've got so many guests in the house. It's small, but it has four bedrooms. You all can stay."



Four pairs of eyes again stared at him. Jaune smiled.



"I mean, you girls really could use a vacation, with how hard you've been working," he said, "And uh, you'll have to clean it and maintain it. And maybe do some chores around the farm. But other than that? You'd be fine to stay while you... You figure things out."



"We-We wouldn't want to impose," Weiss said, her manners coming into play, "Or be a-a burden-"



"Do you have hot water?" Yang asked, direct as always. Jaune nodded. Yang cheered. "YES! We're in! Um, for the wedding! N-Not that-I mean, work will just have to get along without us!"



"Weddings are more importan than our careers after all!" Blake nodded furiously. "We-We can help with that too!"



"Only if you want," Jaune said with a smile, "You're my guests, after all."



"Absolutely!" Weiss gushed. "I love weddings! Do you think I can keep leftovers?"



"All you like," Jaune said with a nod.



Ruby hugged Jaune tightly. She sniffled.



"Thank you," she whispered into his ear, "Thank you...!"



Jaune patted her on the back with a smile.



"Hey... We world-saving heroes have to stick together, right?"



After all, they were his friends. They'd been there for him in his darkest hours.



... Well okay, Nora and Ren had been there for him in his darkest hours. And sometimes Ruby and Yang. Once Weiss... Never Blake... But the point was, they were his friends, and he was definitely not going to let them stay in a ratty apartment if he could help it. Heck, being here with them like this? It felt like old times.



If he had to massage the truth a little to let them keep their pride? He would do it. It was worth it.



There was a very insistent knock at the door. All four girls of RWBY's eyes widened.



"Crap, it's the landlady!" Yang hissed.



"Out the back window!" Blake wailed. "Take everything you can carry!"



"Don't forget the coupons!" Ruby cried. "Or my tools!"



Yup. Definitely just like old times.



- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

It was a tight fit in the rocket locker, but Jaune was all too familiar with making calls when trapped in them (thanks Cardin). He got his Scroll out and dialed the first people on his call list even as he was jostled and slammed around. Still, he got his message out:

"Ruby! Weiss! You need to go help Pyrrha out! She's fighting Cinder alone! And Cinder's got-She's got some kind of power boost! They're at the top of Beacon Tower, help her! Please!"

Thankfully, Ruby answered-Apparently for both herself and Weiss.

"We're on it, Jaune! Just hold on, we'll-!"

The rocket locker landed hard on the ground. Jaune barely stayed on his feet and was slammed around. He cradled his Scroll in his arms, trying to protect it. The locker shuddered to a halt, and Jaune sucked in a deep breath. He summoned up his Aura and punched through the door. He stumbled out into the light. He winced against the light, but his vision soon cleared.

He had landed in Hell: Grimm were rampaging all over the outer courtyard. Civilians were running and screaming. The smell of blood and smoke filled the air. Jaune looked around, taking a few deep breaths.

He was squeezing his Scroll tightly. A few Grimm Beowulves turned their red eyes and snarled at him. Fear filled him, and all of his old fears and insecurities reared their heads.

"I can't lose you… I love you. Goodbye…"

He shouldn't be here. He was never supposed to be here. Even Pyrrha didn't think he would. Why else would she send him away?

He was useless.

The weak link.

Nothing had changed, had it?

Nothing at all-

He saw a familiar Huntress-in-Training sitting against a nearby wall. Her head was bowed. She held onto a sniper rifle but she wasn't using it. A pack of Beowulves were advancing on her, yet she didn't seem to care.

Jaune took one last deep breath. He tucked his Scroll away and pulled his weapons out. He charged for the nearest Beowulf. It lunged for him, but he stunned it with his shield and slashed its head off. The rest of the Beowulves tried to flank Jaune, but he swung his blade hard and fast, his anger fueling him as Pyrrha's training guided him through every step and strike.

One two three… Four five six… Six three one…

In moments, the Grimm were all dusted. Jaune turned to the girl. She looked up, revealing her red hair and single visible blue-gray eye under her bulky hoodie.

"May, right?" Jaune asked quietly. She stared at him.

"Come on," he said, "We gotta get out there."

"I…" May trembled. "M-My team… They're all…"

Jaune looked around. He saw some remains in a pile some distance away. He covered his mouth and tried to focus on staying calm. He could recognize the clothes through the blood.

He took another deep breath. He turned back to May.

"I know," he said quietly, "I-I'm sorry. We can't change that. But we can save other people. Someone I really care about is fighting for her life-For all of us. We need to help her. I-I can't do it alone."

He held out his hand. May stared at it like it was something utterly alien.

"Come on," he said, "We can't… We can't let anyone else lose what you have."

May shivered for a moment. She took a deep breath. She took Jaune's hand. He yanked her up to her feet. Her eyes glowed gently and she gasped.

"DUCK!"

Jaune dropped instinctively as May pulled her sniper rifle and opened fire. Jaune looked over his shoulder: Two Grimm Ursas were falling apart. Jaune stood up, and looked back at May. She was panting hard, but stared at him intently. Jaune smiled.

"Good job," he said.

"I…" She nodded. "Y-Yes…"

She still couldn't look at what was left of her comrades. Jaune couldn't blame her… But he couldn't let her focus back on that.

"Come on, let's go," he said, pulling out his Scroll with one hand, while taking her hand with the other. He dialed his friends as he led her away to some pillars for cover.

"Nora, Ren! Pyrrha's fighting against Cinder at the top of Beacon Tower! We gotta back her up!"

Static blared at him, before Nora's voice came through.

"Jaune-Jaune?! You're okay?!"

"Yes," Jaune said, "We're near the outer dorms! We'll meet you at the library!"

"Gotcha! We'll see you there!" Nora cheered. "Don't worry, we've got this!"

Jaune nodded. He turned to May and held his sword and shield up.

"Can you make it to the library?"

May trembled, but managed a nod. Jaune nodded back and smiled even as it seemed like the world was falling down around them. His father had always met every battle with a big, bright smile.

A warrior never lets anyone see how scared he is. If he looks like he has no worries and they can win? Then victory is always possible.

"All right. Let's go!"

- - - -

"That's…" Yang gaped at Jaune before turning to May with a heartbroken expression. "May… I can't even…"

May slowly nodded, her eyes still down on the table. Arslan squeezed her hand tightly. Jaune for his part was able to reach over to squeeze May's other hand. May didn't look up but she seemed a little less tense.

Isabel cleared her throat.

"We can stop at any-"

"No," May murmured. "We… We keep going… I'm sorry."

Jaune looked over at Ren and Nora. Nora had tears in her eyes but she nodded.

"Renny and I were at the cafeteria," she said, "So we headed off to go and help Jaune-Jaune. We headed off and fought through a lot of Grimm and some White Fang jerks."

Ren nodded. He glanced over at Cardin, who was holding Velvet. The tall redheaded boy took a deep breath. He tightened his grip around the rabbit Faunus girl.

"At the same time…"

Velvet grimaced deeply.

"We… Well…"

"We came back to see the finals," Cardin said quietly, "My team I mean. When the attack happened, we were trying to defend people in the arena." He paused, his expression very dark. Velvet squeezed his hand tightly.

"We were trapped. We had two options: Hole up and hold out, or try to break through. So…"

- - -

Cardin growled as he held up the Executioner, crouched down behind some seats in the bottom row. Dove was at his right, Sky to his left, and Russel was behind them in support. A large crowd of civilians were behind them, as Grimm, Atlas drones and White Fang troops fired on them from all around the arena. Griffin Grimm were flying overhead.

"We gotta get out of here," Dove suggested, "We're pinned here."

"We could hole up, wait for reinforcements," Sky suggested, adjusting his goggles.

Cardin shook his head, slapping his mace against his palm.

"We can't! Atlas' fleet has left, we're on our own!"

"Yeah!" Russel growled. Cardin nodded.

"Besides! We can take 'em! What are a bunch of Grimm, tin cans and animals gonna do to us?" He smirked. "We're gonna smash through!"

Russel slammed his weapons together and grinned.

"Let's do it!"

Dove sucked in a deep breath and nodded.

"All right. It's better to not stay here."

"Russel!" Cardin ordered, "Let's open up a hole! Dove! Sky! Get 'em moving! On three! One! Two! THREE!"

Cardin and Russel stood up and unleashed Blast Dust shots at the nearest concentration of Grimm and White Fang. The resulting explosions blew a lot of chairs and bodies up into the air.

"COME ON! LET'S GO!" Sky shouted, and the civilians, with some encouragement, got up. Cardin and Russel charged ahead, as Dove and Sky opened fire on any other Grimm or White Fang who popped out of the smoke. They raced up the stairs of the arena, and made it out the gate into the concourse. Cardin swung Executioner and unleashed another Fire Blast, blowing through several drones. Dove unleashed several precise shots, leaping up into the air to fire several shots through drones.

Cardin looked around. He spotted a food stand with reinforced concrete walls around it. He swung his hand forward towards it.

"That way!" He shouted, over the cries of the civilians, "We'll use it for cover! RUSSEL! COVER!"

"ON IT!" Russel unleashed Ice Dust blasts, sending ice shrapnel ahead. He wiped out several Grimm in quick succession. Sky fired to the left, as Cardin led them towards the food counter.

"More incoming!" Sky shouted. Cardin looked behind them: Multiple drones and Grimm were charging from behind. The wide concourse meant they were out in the open.

"KEEP FIGHTING!" Cardin shouted. He ran ahead, as several drones charged at them. He swung Executioner and smashed through the first, then slammed his elbow into the next's head. He grabbed a third and threw it with a grunt at another group of Grimm.

"Cardin!" Dove shouted over the gunfire and shouts, "We're out in the open! We gotta go back!"

"NO! KEEP GOING!" Cardin barked, as Russel unleashed more Fire Dust blasts into a pack of Grimm. "WE GOTTA KEEP GOING!"

He looked out from the concourse railing to the grounds below. He smiled broadly: There weren't a lot of Grimm or other enemies down there. It would be tough, but they could make it! They just had to get down, find some shelter-

A massive metallic shape stomped through the grounds. Its huge rocket boosters ignited, and the form flew up through the air. Cardin's eyes widened as he scrambled back.

"FALL BACK! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" He shouted.

The gigantic Paladin mech landed on the concourse with an earthshaking thud. Concrete rained from above as the giant robot stomped and turned towards them, its huge guns coming to bear.

The civilians screamed and panicked, running back. Sky tried to keep control but they fell into a chaotic rabble. He had to jump up over them to stay out of the way, landing with the rest of the team.

"TAKE IT DOWN!" Cardin shouted, charging in. The Paladin's gatling gun opened up, and he held up his arms and Executioner while powering up his Aura to protect himself. The shots bounced off him at first, but the giant robot unleashed a cannon blast next and Cardin was sent flying.

"CARDIN!" Russel shouted. He swung his revolvers and sent Ice Dust sheets against the Paladin. The ice crawled up the legs as Sky and Dove fired on it repeatedly. The Paladin struggle through the ice, but continued to fire.

Cardin got up, shook his head free of his daze, and charged again. Dove and Sky fired repeatedly as they flanked the Paladin, while Russel unleashed more Dust blasts. Cardin rammed the Executioner into the side of the mech's leg and unleashed Blast Dust at point blank range.

The metallic knee of the Paladin exploded. Cardin unleashed another blast, and another. The Paladin turned and opened fire. Cardin ducked and dashed between the robot's legs, running behind it and pointing the Executioner at the small of its back while Russel unleashed another Blast Dust shot at the chest of the Paladin.

The Paladin shuddered.

"RUSSEL! LIGHTNING DUST!" Cardin shouted.

Russel unleashed a blast of Lightning Dust at the Paladin. It shuddered again before collapsing. Cardin grinned. Sky cheered. Russel whooped.

"YEAH!" Cardin cheered. "We did it!"

"We have the tools, we have the talent!" Russel whooped.

"OH YEAH!" Sky laughed.

Dove frowned.

"Guys? I think this is very bad."

The Paladin began to shake and shudder. The Dust reactor began to glow and heat up. Cardin's eyes widened.

"RUN!" Cardin shouted. Dove, Sky and Russel turned, rushing back towards the civilians who had been hiding in the gate. Cardin tried to run around the Paladin… When its right arm cannons fired off a leftover round.

The blast erupted right under Cardin's feet and sent him flying off of the concourse. He fell from the balcony down to the ground. He slammed in hard, breaking the concrete underneath him, face first as the Paladin exploded and everything went black.

Cardin groaned. His ears were ringing and his despite his Aura, he was sore all over. He was covered in rubble. He surged his Aura. He pushed himself back up, shoving the concrete aside. He looked back up at the arena. His jaw dropped.

The entire side of the arena facing him was on fire, with a massive hole in multiple levels. Debris fell like rain while the levels sagged and shuddered.

"Guys! GUYS-!"

He pulled out his Scroll and hit the radio mode.

"DOVE! SKY! RUSSEL!"

Static was his only answer. Cardin grit his teeth.

"GUYS!"

His Scroll stuttered and he heard Dove's voice.

"Cardin… Get out… We'll-!"

The transmission cut out. Cardin shook it furiously.

"Dove?! DOVE?! ANYONE?!"

He stared at the rubble. It was like there was just nothing. All he could see was flames and rubble.

Then bullets whizzed by his head.

"Shit, shit!"

He looked over to see White Fang troops and Grimm advancing on his position. He turned and ran for it as the rounds whizzed over his head. He clenched his free fist as he sprinted away.

"Damnit, damnit, damnit…!"

These animals had… Had killed his team… His team…!

They were working with the Grimm! How in the hell could someone work with the Grimm?!

What the hell was going on?!

He just kept running. An Ursa charged in front of him, but he slammed Executioner down on its skull and it fell apart as it died. He kept running, as fast as he could, until he came to a stop near the Elpaba courtyard. He could see people running and screaming, fires burning, Grimm snarling and attacking while Hunters and Huntresses and even police fought White Fang terrorists. He panted for breath.

Which was when a Grimm Ursa roared. He looked to the right and saw the Ursa charging him. He stared, his entire body feeling numb.

A stream of red Dust bullets tore through the Grimm and it evaporated. Cardin looked over at one of the stone fountains. Coco Adel glared at him over her gatling gun.

"WINCHESTER!" She barked, as the rest of her team fought furiously nearby, "MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL!"

Yatsuhachi swung his sword furiously, taking out several Grimm with every blow. Fox dashed about, taking out Grimm with punches. Velvet was treating an injured civilian woman behind the fountain.

"M-My team is at the Arena!" Cardin tried, "They need help-!"

"So do we!" Coco shouted. "BEHIND YOU!"

Cardin turned and swung Executioner. He unleashed a Dust blast at point blank range, blowing apart two Beowulves. He panted hard. Coco let loose with more Gatling gun fire, tearing apart numerous Grimm and Atlas drones as they kept advancing on the evacuation route.

Cardin ran up, swinging hard to take out any enemies he could see. He made it to where Velvet was treating the old woman, providing her cover. The rest of Team CFVY advanced away from the fountain near some of the marble pillars, keeping Grimm and drones at bay.

Cardin looked up and saw several White Fang troops advancing on the courtyard. They weren't carrying rifles or swords alone though: They were hefting up rocket launchers.

"GET DOWN-!" He shouted. It was too late: They fired a massive barrage of rockets right at Team CVFY.

Coco tried to shoot them down, but they slammed into the ground nearby. Massive explosions went off, consuming Coco, Fox and Yatsuhashi. Cardin threw himself in front of Velvet, covering her with his body. Rubble and debris flew through the air and rained down on him.

"Guh…" Cardin groaned. Velvet pushed away and stood up. She looked behind him in horror. Cardin looked back. His face fell.

"GUYS!" Velvet screamed. The pillars had fallen, reduced into a pile of burning rubble.

"FOX! COCO! YATSU!" She shrieked. She tried to charge in, but Cardin pulled her back. "LET ME GO! LET ME-!"

Bullets whizzed over their heads. Cardin shoved her down behind the fountain. He grimaced as he peeked up over the fountain: The White Fang were coming through, targeting the civilians. The old woman nearby was gasping in desperation.

Cardin couldn't see anything beyond flames, smoke and rubble.

Just like my team… Just like…!

Velvet broke free of his arms and charged again. She ran up to the rubble, screaming the names of her teammates.

"COCO! FOX! YAT-UGH!"

A Dust round hit her, and she was slammed down to the ground. A White Fang soldier, leading a full troop, advanced on her. She struggled back onto her elbows. The White Fang trooper held up his rifle and pointed it at Velvet's head. As did the rest of them.

Do something, Cardin's mind screamed, even as his body remained frozen, Do something…!

Velvet looked up shakily, and gaped in horror at the soldier.

DO SOMETHING!

"RAWRRR!"

His yell got their attention. He slammed Executioner down and unleashed a Fire Dust blast at the ground underneath their feet. The tiled ground bucked and shattered from the force, sending debris up like shrapnel. Several of the White Fang troops fell screaming, while others opened fire. Cardin charged through, his Aura flaring, as he swung Executioner around. He unleashed more Fire Dust blasts, blasting the White Fang troops away.

One wielding a large chainsaw sword dodged around the blasts, and swung for Cardin. He held up Executioner and blocked the hit. There was enough force that it shoved him back. He took another hit, and another, and another. The chainsaw wielding Faunus was fast, and had full Aura. Cardin couldn't keep up, and another hit to his gut slammed him back into the rubble. Cardin grit his teeth and struggled back up. The White Fang Faunus held his chainsaw sword up overhead, a smug, bloody smirk on his face.

He couldn't see Velvet anywhere.

I've gone fucking insane, he thought, I'm dying to save an animal… After failing my team… Failing everyone…

Cardin summoned up some saliva, and spat it at the White Fang trooper as he swung down on him.

Well, he thought grimly, At least… I saved someone. At least… I did one thing right in my-

"AAUUUGHH!"

A hail of bullets tore the White Fang trooper apart. Cardin gaped, then looked to his right. Velvet jogged up, holding up a Hardlight Dust version of Coco's gatling gun. She was trembling, but her face was set. She reached down to Cardin. He took her hand as she pulled him up.

"Th-Thanks," he managed between labored breaths.

Velvet nodded back shakily. Her eyes were hard despite the tears in her eyes. They both looked and saw more White Fang troops and Grimm advancing.

"We'll hold them here," Cardin decided, looking around. "Can't let them get any further."

"And we won't leave a single bloody fuck alive," Velvet snarled, tightening her grip on her hardlight weapon.

As strange as it sounded… Cardin's heart skipped a beat and his cheeks turned red when he heard her accent come out.

He shook his head.

"Not a single one," he agreed.

Fuck, I really am going insane, he thought, reloading Executioner and getting ready for the next wave of enemies.

- - -

Velvet was softly crying into Cardin's shoulder as Yang stared at them. She looked back down at her hands. She again clenched her fists and unclenched them. She shut her eyes tightly.

All the while… I was unconscious, she thought, her guilt stabbing deeply into her chest.

"Maybe," Yang tried, "Maybe they survived? Mister Arc said they-they weren't listed as dead, right?"

Cardin sucked in a breath. He tried to speak, but Velvet turned her head from his chest and glared at her.

"No," she stated angrily. "No… I know. They were murdered."

A taut, awkward silence fell over the living room. Ruby bowed her head again. Ren was stoic as always, but his sorrow was evident in his body language. Jaune exhaled through his nostrils.

Nora cleared her throat softly.

"After that," Nora said quickly, though in a very quiet tone, "Renny and I fought our way towards the library. And we ran into Jaune-Jaune and Maya…"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune comes from a long line of harem protagonists. It's something that happens to the Arc Family members. But Jaune just wants to focus on becoming a Huntsman and a hero! Not have babies right now!

So Jaune is working as hard as possible to NOT fall in love with anyone. He tries various tactics, but they all seem to fail.

Each path:

Ruby is definitely the Little Sister/Genki Girl path, in that she's growing up into a woman and Jaune's growth into a man links them.

Yang is the Party Girl, the Outgoing Girl path with a bit of gyaru and a heart of gold. She also has family issues he could help resolve. She'd be a little like Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter: She kicks ass and is very strong, but is also very kind and domestic.

Weiss is the haughty tsundere Ice Queen path whom Jaune melts.

Blake is the kuudere with a dark and mysterious past who heals with Jaune.

Pyrrha is the Sempai path, the mentor who is torn between expressing her feelings and her fear of destroying their friendship.

Glynda is the older woman/Teacher path, who has denied herself romance but her heart is being awakened by this young man's kindness and courage.

Arslan could be (if you use my fanon) a Religious Girl and other Sempai path, complicated by her rivalry/friendship with Pyrrha.

May could be the Shy Girl path, helping to bring her out of her shell and grow as a person as she silently admires Jaune (kind of like Hinata from Naruto).

Cinder and/or Emerald of course is the Bad Girl, whom Jaune must redeem with the power of love.

Neo is the fun Yandere/Bad Girl: Romancing her is just as dangerous as rejecting her but she could become a good person if Jaune is strong enough.

Winter would be a variation on the Tsundere Ice Queen/Older Sister/Sempai Path.

Naturally Jaune doesn't want to have a harem so him focusing on one girl but inadvertently making them all compete for him harder could be fun. But what other things might he try to avoid his fate?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Nick and Isabel did have harems, but they were largely oblivious to it.

Nick's Harem:

Isabel Arc (Tsundere)
Glynda Goodwitch (Kuudere)
Willow Schnee (Ojousama)
Sienna Khan (Catgirl Tsundere)
Professor Peach (Was the studious type who loved nature and got along well with Nick on nature, too shy to spit out her feelings)
Professor Mombi (Shy Academic Interest, since she's Beacon's Librarian)
Summer Rose (Friend and Bakadere who was a possible path but gave up early on for Taiyang)
Raven Branwen (Bad Girl Path, who gave up on him and went for Taiyang instead)

Isabel's Harem:

Nick (Good Guy, Idiot Hero)
James Ironwood (Stoic, Reserved, admired her greatly but kept expecting her to pick up on his subtle overtures. Was also a fanboy of her Nana Arturia)
Qrow Branwen (Cheerful Idiot with a Dark Past, he liked her a lot but his feelings never went anywhere with her or with Summer, so he eventually gave up on love)
Kurenai Kitamura (Lone Mistralian Swordsman who kept challenging Nick to duels to impress Isabel, thinking his martial prowess was the most important thing and if he proved he was the greatest Swordsman on Remnant, of course she would love him! She did not.)
Count Caliban Testoasa (Yandere, Asshole Lord who tried to blackmail her into becoming his bride and was defeated by Team AARN and STRQ's collective efforts. Nick beat him in one on one combat and the guy was buried alive in his own castle.)
Mercer Sith Sr (Childhood Friend who cared very deeply for her, but she only saw him as a brother. He gradually accepted this when he met Nick and gave them his blessing)
Roman Torchwick (Bad Boy Path)
Professor Oobleck (Entirely One-sided: Isabel had a massive crush on Oobleck and she was her ideal man, or so she thought. He gently let her down)

 

[The Sleepless One]

Finally finished this.

---

Cowboys of Remnant: Yang 'Em High

When Yang came to him asking for a "super important favor," Jaune was more than willing to assist. He helped his friends through thick and thin, and she was definitely among the thickest.

... He would keep that thought to himself.

The point being, he was more than willing to help her as, despite her outrageous flirting and innuendo, she was a brave, strong, reliable and warm young woman who he was proud to call one of his best friends.

He just didn't think helping her would involve clinging to her, admittedly very nice, midriff as she weaved her motorcycle around and through evening traffic on their way into downtown Vale. It was all a blur, seeing as it was taking all his concentration to hold on to the girl, the bike, and his hat.

"I miss Orleans," Jaune muttered into the golden mane enveloping his head as Yang wove Bumblebee between two trucks, to the anger and honking of their drivers.

"What?" Yang shouted back to him. "I can't hear you over the wind!"

Jaune was too busy spitting strands of blonde hair out of his mouth to reply.

Yang slowed down as they pulled into a rougher part of Vale, eventually parking her bike outside of a rather disreputable looking establishment.

"Where are we?" Jaune asked as he clambered off the motorcycle, shaking his legs out. The blasted contraption was far too uncomfortable, especially compared to Orleans.

"The Bar With No Name," Yang stated proudly, stretching as she did so. Jaune avoided staring at the interesting things that did to her body, before her answer finally registered in his brain.

The cowboy blinked. "Is that its real name? Doesn't that mean it's 'The Bar With A Name' then?"

The brawler grinned. "Nope! It doesn't have a name, that's just what everyone calls it."

"But... isn't that what a name is?" He asked. "What folks call it?"

The other blonde slapped his back, staggering him. "Don't overthink it, stud. C'mon! The bartender is supposed to be the second best info broker in the city!" She sauntered off towards the entrance.

Jaune quickly caught up to her. "Second best? Why not the best one?"

"Let's just say, we've got a... complicated relationship."

"What do you even need an information broker for?" Jaune asked, noting how some of the locals were side-eying them.

Yang groaned. "Blake is being all… Blakey about the White Fang and Torchwick, so I decided to just ask the people whose jobs it is to know things. For a fee."

"Makes some sense, I reckon. Jus' surprised they work in a dump like this."

The cowboy took note of the dilapidated state of the building, the condition of the vehicles parked outside of it, and the looks the rough folks standing near the entrance were shooting at them and muttered, "Wish you'd let me bring more than just my revolver."

"C'mooooon," Yang drawled, shooting him a cocky look over her shoulder. "We won't even need your peashooter. 'Sides, the place is supposed to be neutral ground. No drawing weapons unless something's really wrong."

Jaune sighed. "I've got a bad feelin' 'bout this."

"Jaune, I'm a big girl, I can handle myself," she said with a mock glare.

"Never said you weren't," the cowboy protested. "But-"

"But nothing. I can handle this. You're just insurance."

"Yes ma'am," he sighed again.

_

The interior of The Bar With No Name was, in keeping with its outward appearance, borderline condemned. The smells of cheap beer, cigarette smoke, and stale sweat wafted through a large, dimly lit room filled with run-down furniture and even more run-down people. A few pool tables occupied the far end of the space, but only one appeared to have all four legs and actually be in use. Music, some song that was more screaming than instrumentation, poured out of a flickering jukebox in a close by corner. Knick-knacks of all sorts, from preserved Grimm bones to band posters to twisted chunks of metal that may have once been weapons, were mounted on the walls. A large woman wearing a jean vest covered in fabric patches tended the bar, serving beer in cloudy glass steins to the handful of patrons near her. Behind her, bottles of liquor of all kinds were stacked up against the wall, many in precarious positions.

It was, oddly enough, not the worst watering hole Jaune had ever been to.

Yang led the way to the bar, strutting between the tables and patrons without a care in the world, leaving Jaune to glare back at everyone shooting them dirty looks. Many looked away, but Jaune could feel others staring daggers at his back. An undercurrent of nervous tension ran through his body, but he thought back to what Mr. Duke had told him when dealing with some of the independent tribes they'd run into during cattle drives.

"It don't matter you're about to piss yourself in fear. You keep your pace even, your breath calm, and give every sonnovabitch in your path the most steely-eyed glare you can muster. That'll see you right."

It was pretty good advice, Jaune mused, seeing how quickly some of the older patrons looked away when he met their eyes.

Turning around, he leaned against the bar, keeping an eye out for trouble while his companion met with her contact.

"Hey, are you Momma K?" Yang asked the bartender.

"Who's askin'?" The woman behind the bar growled, as she turned one gimlet eye on the buxom blonde, the other misted over white with scars. Even more old marks of battle criss-crossed her face, giving her skin a weathered look. She was of height with Jaune, but far broader, packed with a thick layer of fat and an even thicker layer of muscle. Tattoos of all kinds wound up and down her exposed arms, but the cowboy couldn't tell what they all were in the dim light of the bar.

"Name's Yang," the blonde at his side replied. "I wanted to ask some questions."

The bartender grunted. "Yeah, I'm Momma K. If you wanna ask questions, then I better see some cash."

Yang placed a small stack of lien cards on the bar before murmuring in a low voice, "I'm good for it. But I want answers first."

Jaune tuned out the negotiations, instead focusing on the closest patrons. Nearly all of them were wearing denim jackets similar to Momma K's, although there was one odd man wearing a suit and red sunglasses. Said man seemed to freeze upon seeing Yang and made for the door shortly afterwards. Most of the other patrons were occupied in their drinks or games, but a handful kept wary eyes on the exchange going on at the bar, tension visible on their faces.

"That's bullshit!" exclaimed his companion, prompting Jaune to refocus on her.

"Torchwick ain't a man you want as an enemy, girl," the bartender growled in reply. "I'm doing you a favor, turning your ungrateful ass down. I didn't even take your money."

"All I'm hearing is that you're a coward!" Yang retorted, eyes flashing red.

"Watch yourself!" Momma K snarled, slamming two fists like ham hocks onto the bar. "I'm not gonna let some wannabe Huntress with more tits than brains run her mouth in my house!"

Yang slammed her fists right next to the older women's and leaned forward. "Well I'm not letting some old hag who's way past her prime and bitter about it stop me!"

"I'm a Huntress, girl. Became one through grit and determination!" the bartender retorted, her unclouded eye blazing. "What'd you do, spread your legs for the exam board?"

The brawler barked out a short and mean laugh. "You? A Huntress? You're scared of Torchwick! You'd piss yourself if you ever saw a Grimm."

"I've seen things that would haunt your nightmares, girl. And I've seen your kind before," the big woman ground out, low and menacing. "The kind that think being a Huntress is fun. You think you can wander the world, just having adventures and living life without a care! But you'll get hurt. You'll lose people. You'll give up. You're that kind of shallow."

Flame crept down Yang's golden mane, and her face twisted into a snarl of rage. "You don't know a thing about me! I'll never give up! And I definitely won't spend the rest of my life rotting away in some shitty dive bar!"

Jaune and the other patrons had been watching the exchange with a sense of mounting horror as the insults grew more severe but even they were unprepared for the sheer swiftness of the fist that slammed into Yang's face. With an earsplitting report, the blonde brawler was sent hurtling through the air before landing on the jukebox on the other side of the bar. For a few moments, there was nothing but silence before the younger Huntress clambered back to her feet. As she did so, the ancient contraption that had cushioned her fall sputtered to life and the plucking of a guitar echoed through the air.

"That's when everything went wrong...'' The voice of the singer crooned out from the music machine, filling the bar, as Yang charged the bartender with a scream of fury. Momma leaped onto the top of the counter, revealing a pair of ratty jeans covering one tree-trunk-like leg and an actual tree trunk serving as a peg leg. Momma K roared in turn as she met Yang's charge with her own, colliding with the burning blonde while still in the air. The two brawlers grappled and punched and kicked and snarled as their battle carried them all across the bar, tearing up their surroundings and any unfortunate bystanders.

Jaune, meanwhile, was occupied with the rest of the now hostile patrons of the establishment. Grabbing a stein off the counter, he smashed it into a man's face before giving him a solid kick to the gut, cracking his brownish aura and sending him hurtling through a table. Two more thugs rushed the cowboy but a jab apiece left both of them curled up on the floor, groaning in pain. Another went down when an expertly thrown ashtray caught him in the forehead and two more were knocked out of the fight when the cowboy clonked their heads together. Another goon attempted to brain Jaune over the head with a chair, but a swift kick to the crotch disabused him of the notion.

"Ninety-nine ways that you're willing to die!"

"Hell's bells! Don't even try if you ain't got aura!" Jaune snarled as he back-handed another man unconscious. He was gratified to see a solid half of his potential enemies break for the exits. The other half immediately shimmering in a variety of colors dampened his mood considerably.

"Break your mama heart now she startin' to cry!"

The aura empowered fighters were actually almost a challenge, even if most of them couldn't manage more beyond a basic shield and physical enhancement. Ducking under the fist of a woman blazing teal, Jaune launched two punches into her diaphragm, shattering her aura, before uppercutting her into the ceiling. With a rush of air, a man in a ten gallon hat suddenly appeared behind the cowboy, arms raised for a grab. He was unprepared for his target to whirl around and grab him by the shoulders before continuing the spin and launching him into a knot of oncoming fighters.

"Seven foot goon lined up in the room!"

The next few minutes passed in a blur as Jaune ducked and weaved through the bar brawlers. At one point he found himself using a barstool to bludgeon his enemies, before the improvised weapon collapsed from the abuse. His fists proved more than up to the challenge after that, although a few combatants possessed aura capable of actually withstanding more than four or five punches or had enough skill to strike. Even then, Jaune was stronger, tougher, and meaner than all of them put together, something the remaining handful of patrons realized when they saw all the unconscious figures slumped around the bar. At some point the music had stopped when the jukebox finally died. The fighters huddled together defensively, wide-eyed stares locked on the panting cowboy wiping his knuckles off with a rag.

Taking a deep breath, he put his dukes up once again, glaring at the few remaining toughs. "Well? Y'all still hankerin' for an asswhuppin?"

They ran.

A thunderclap of noise echoed from behind Jaune, prompting him to whirl around, eyes peeled. He was just in time to duck under the flying form of Momma K, who flipped midair, landing on her peg leg and executing a pirouette to bleed off momentum. Yang slid to a stop across from her, panting heavily but with her eyes and hair returned to their normal coloration.

The two brawlers charged each other again, meeting each other fist on fist. Heavy thooms of noise and air pressure blasted away from the two fighters as they attempted to beat each other unconscious. Jaune, meanwhile, had taken cover behind a mostly intact table, determining that discretion was the better part of valor, but peaked his head over the top so he could keep an eye on his fellow blonde.

Yang's fighting style was much like her: brutal, straightforward, and effective. But it came with a glaring flaw, one that Jaune had seen every time the boxer sparred.

Yang's defenses were terrible. She would allow herself to take blows that could easily be blocked or dodged, confident her aura would absorb the hit and power up her Semblance, and now she was paying the price for her hubris.

Momma K was stronger than Yang. Frighteningly so. Every punch, every elbow, every headbutt would buckle and deform Yang's aura, actually hurting the blonde through her previously impregnable shield. Her Semblance charged up massively in response, but the tradeoff clearly wasn't worth it in Jaune's eyes. Livid bruises covered Yang's skin and her Aura was probably expending itself to heal all of them.

Yang apparently realized the same thing because that was when she reactivated her Semblance. All the punishment she'd endured over the course of the fight was converted into power for her Aura. She blurred as her hair and eyes burst into flame and Momma K found herself fending off a suddenly much more dangerous opponent. Yang's gloved hands slammed into the other Huntress multiple times, the older woman's Aura flaring green as it blocked the attacks. The bartender found herself on the back foot and soon enough, one mighty punch caught her across the face with a resounding boom, knocking her head back. Yang followed up the hit by grabbing the other woman's jean jacket and spinning about to throw her, only for said jacket to tear and the bartender to roll away and spring to her feet.

The large woman wiped the corner of her mouth , giving Yang an appraising look. "Not bad, girl. I almost felt that. But you're three decades too young to beat me."

Yang's aura flickered as her hair continued to blaze. "Oh yeah? Looks to me like I've got you on the ropes."

"Then you ain't a good judge," Momma K laughed. "I'm just getting warmed up."

Green light flared around the bartender as she brought her aura to the fore, and Jaune found himself much more concerned for Yang's chances. His gut started screaming that they were outclassed, that this old Huntress, albeit crippled, would still be more than a match for the two of them.

So he took the road less traveled.

"WAIT!" He cried, stepping out of cover.

Both the women started as the cowboy walked towards them, hands held high. "Wait! Can't we resolve this without any more fightin'? Look around!"

The two brawlers paused and did as Jaune bade, finally noticing the torn up floorboards and walls, the demolished furniture, and the many, many unconscious bodies strewn about the place.

"Hmph," Momma K hmphed. "Sure did a number on my place, boy. I should take it out of your hide."

"Some of the fault for the state of your establishment does lie with me, ma'am," Jaune admitted as he attempted to bring the full force of his charisma to bear. "But I would like to point out that you punched my friend first. Until that point it was just heated words."

"Yeah! You- mph!" Yang's outburst was cut off by Jaune slapping his hand over her mouth.

"All I'm sayin' is that I reckon we should let bygones be bygones and go our separate ways afore anymore unpleasantness," he continued.

The flat stare the bartender gave him was only matched by the blonde brawler's glare. The pleading sidelong glance he shot to Yang seemed to mollify her somewhat, but something told him he'd be in for it later.

Momma K noticed the byplay and seemed to come to a decision, letting loose a long sigh. "... Fine. Girl, you and your boytoy are free to go. But you're not welcome in my bar. Don't show your face around here no more if you know what's good for you."

Yang's eyes flickered red again but the cowboy managed to head her off. "Thank you for your, uh, forbearance, ma'am."

The older Huntress snorted, almost amused. "If you want to thank me, teach your girlfriend some manners."

A spike of anger flared in Jaune's chest at the words and he was about to snarl out something he'd probably regret, when Momma K raised her massive peg leg and slammed it into the floorboards. A wave of green aura flowed down the cutdown tree trunk and into the splintered flooring, spreading across the room and up the walls into the ceiling. With a series of creaks and groans, broken wood all across the bar seemed to come to life and twist together, seamlessly repairing itself. What was previously a building on the verge of being condemned now stood stronger, nearly all the wear and tear Jaune had seen on arrival disappearing before his eyes as what was clearly Momma K's Semblance wiped it away.

The cowboy swallowed, contemplating just how terrifying fighting someone who could control wood could be in a wooden building. Yang's wide-eyed stare told him she had realized the exact same thing.

"Alright, kids, scram," the bartender growled, turning her back on the two of them.

Yang and Jaune exchanged a look before breaking for the door.

_

They made it back to Bumblebee without incident, the street being conspicuously deserted of all the toughs they'd seen on the way in. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Jaune noted that he'd actually come out of the experience completely unscathed, aside from some slightly sore knuckles. Yang had clearly taken the brunt of the injuries, even if most of the bruises were fading.

Turning to say something to his companion, the cowboy found himself struck dumb by the sight of her in the flickering light of the streetlamps. She dabbed at her sweaty forehead with a scrap of denim, chest heaving, lilac eyes unfocused as she wandered through her thoughts. Once again, Jaune was forced to acknowledge that Yang Xiao Long was gorgeous. Behind the sweat and bruises lay one of the most beautiful women he'd ever laid eyes on and everything about her threw his heart and stomach into a tizzy.

Jaune swallowed, collecting himself. "Yang?"

The brawler started before zeroing in on him and giving him a lopsided smile. "Sorry, was thinking. Things really didn't go according to plan there. Thanks for having my back, cowboy."

Jaune returned the smile, "Of course. Anytime."

"And hey!" The blonde's grin turned mischievous. "It wasn't a complete wash!" She brandished the scrap of denim in her hands, much to Jaune's confusion.

"Momma K's jacket?"

"Nah, what was in the jacket!" Yang rummaged around inside her own jacket before pulling out a handful of foil wrapped tubes. "Valencian Cigars!"

Jaune blinked, eyeing the little cylinders that could go for hundreds of lien each. "Hot damn, Yang. That's actually a good haul."

"I know right? Wanna give them a try?"

"I would, but, uh," Jaune glanced back at the Bar with No Name. "Maybe we should get out of here before Momma K notices?"

A roar of rage rattled the windows of the building.

Yang blanched before jumping onto her bike, Jaune clambering on after her and wrapping his arms tight around her midriff.

"Gogogogogo-"

As they tore down the street with the squeal of rubber, Jaune decided that maybe this motorcycle thing was alright after all.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune sighed as he closed his locker. It was right after Forever Fall, and he was still a little sore. Mostly from training with Pyrrha, but he appreciated that.

He turned... Only to be greeted by Cardin. The big guy looked remorseful.

"Uh, hey Jaune."

"Cardin," Jaune said, "What do you want?"

"Uh... Well...?" He sighed, and handed Jaune a small device. "Just... Clench up."

"Clench wha-?"

The world turned into white light, and the locker room vanished. The world returned, and Jaune was left gasping hard. He held a hand over his fast beating heart, and looked around frantically.

Cardin stood there, looking very serious. That was literally the only familiar thing around a large, wide, and dark command center of some kind. Numerous control panels blinked and beeped at him, while holograms slowly turned in the air.

"Wha-What in the-?!"

"Welcome, young Jaune Arc!"

A tall redheaded man with a receding hairline, a friendly mustache, and a white labcoat ran up and shook Jaune's hand.

"Uh, Jaune? This is my dad," Cardin introduced him.

"My name is Doctor Rufus Winchester!" The doctor declared, "And I've been looking for someone like you for a long time! You see... Vale needs defenders. It needs power to protect it, especially with all the evil-doers striking fear into the hearts of people nowadays! Do you agree?"

"Um, yeah, I-I do," Jaune said with a nod, feeling dazed, "What does that have to do with me?"

"Well! I discovered an ancient facility near Vale that was the fortress headquarters of great heroes of the past!" Winchester declared. He clicked a remote control, and several tubes lit up. All were filled with body armor and suits, all of it brightly colored. Jaune's eyes widened in recognition.

"W-Wait... You mean... The Valean Rangers?!" He gasped.

"Yup!" Doctor Winchester grinned. "These ancient heroes defended Vale from the Grimm and other evil forces! And I have decided to bring that back! You are one of the few people my son has found that would be compatible with this great power... And one of the few we would trust with such might!"

Jaune looked at Cardin, who grimaced.

"Sorry about all that," Cardin apologized, "I... I've had to act like a jerk to see who would intervene, who would stand up to me." He sighed. His father patted him on the shoulder.

"Thank you son. It hasn't been easy... But you found us a great recruit! One of the first!" He grinned at Jaune. "What do you say, Jaune? You want to be a hero, right? Well... Here is your chance."

Jaune blinked rapidly, and an old-fashioned childlike elation filled his heart.

"Where do I sign up?!"

- - -

Headmaster Ozpin was sipping his morning coffee and going over some reports... When his holographic TV screen switched on. He'd had the computer set to flag anything that matched certain descriptions of unusual behavior going on.

He watched Lisa Lavender start her spiel, mildly concerned.

"And we're standing here near a battle going on between two costumed individuals and members of the White Fang!"

Costumed individuals...? Ozpin wondered.

The camera panned over. A tall man in red armor, and a shorter man in white, battled the White Fang members, defeating them handily. Lisa Lavender ran forward, as did the camera man. Ozpin's eyes widened.

Oh no... It can't be...!

"Lisa Lavender with VNN! Who are you two?!" The reporter demanded.

The two figures in dark helmets posed dramatically.

"We are... the Neo Valean Rangers!" They declared dramatically, as explosions went off behind them.

Ozpin slammed his face into his desk with a loud groan.

"Who found that thing?! I thought I buried that entire disgrace under a mountain!"

He could only imagine Salem's reaction...

- - -

Salem stared at the news screen. She then... Began to cackle. Watts and Tyrian stared uneasily at her.

"Uh, My Queen-?"

"So! Ozma wants to go old school with this, does he?" She laughed. "SO BE IT! Watts! Begin creating Grimm monsters for me! Make them unique! I'll need at least one a week!"

"Er... And then, my Queen?"

"Then... WE SHALL MAKE THE MONSTERS GROW! BWAHAHAHAHA!"

- - -

With all the anime references in RWBY, it is strange there aren't more Sentai/Power Rangers references. So what the hell.

Click to shrink...

Jaune: "Wait, wait, wait... You're a super hero?!"

Cardin: "Yup."

Jaune: "So why were you acting like a racist bully?!"

Cardin: sighs "We were looking for people who would fit the psychology of heroes. You know, someone who would step in to stop a bully, or save a guy who was a jerk to them."

Jaune: "Oh..."

Cardin: "Honestly, nobody got up to stop me bullying Velvet? Nobody?"

Jaune: "Er, well..."

Cardin: "But you did save me so, you're good!"

Jaune: "Ah. Thanks. So, why are the suits spandex?"

Doctor Winchester: "It is NOT spandex! It's a nanoassembling smart fabric created by direct power and control via the Morphing Grid!" huff

Jaune: "Er, okay, sorry... So! I think we're gonna need more Rangers."

Winchester: "Absolutely! Sadly, it's not just character we are looking for! Certain Aura signatures are the only ones that can handle a connection to the Morphing Grid! To fight the Evil Queen Salem and her Grimm Putties, we must look out for new allies and members! And you will be a huge help, Jaune!"

Jaune: "You think so?"

Winchester: "Of course! Though we'll probably have to look out for an evil Ranger, that's how it always goes in the Archives of the Rangers."

Jaune: "Evil? Is... Is Evil Queen Salem the type to use Evil Rangers?"

With Salem, in her castle...

Salem: "Hmmm... We need a hot female villainess. One I can make into an evil Ranger... One good at seduction... Hmmm... CINDER!"

Cinder: expectant "Yes my Queen?"

Salem: "Know anyone good at being seductive?"

Cinder: "I... What?!"

Salem: "Preferably one who looks good in spandex. You've been hitting the donuts a little hard lately."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

They went to the children's hospital, then Saint Lucy's Orphanage. Each place, Nick directed them to help cheer up the children and to help fix things up around as needed. Nora, Ren, Pyrrha and Jaune took to it happily. And even with Jaune's distraction, he gave it his all.



Kid: "Die evil Grimm!" He charges with a stick. Jaune growls and snarls, as the other children squeal and laugh. The kid misses Jaune... And Jaune clutches at his chest.



Jaune: "ARGH! You struck me! I'm dying... Everything's... Going dark...!"



He falls over dramatically. The kids all cheer.



Kids: "YAY!"



Kid 2: sniffles "Oh no! Don't be dead, Jaune! Don't be dead!"



Nora: "I'll apply some lightning!" She holds up her hand and it crackles with lightning



Pyrrha: "Or maybe a princess needs to kiss him better?"



Jaune quickly sits up.



Jaune: "I'm totally fine! I'm better, I'm better!"



Kid 1: makes a face "Kissing? Ugh!"



Jaune: "Heh... You might not mind it so much when you're older."



Nora: "THE KISSING GRIMM IS GONNA ATTACK! RAWR! MWAH! MWAH! MWAH!"



The kids scream in laughter and flee as Nora chases them. Ren chuckles and shakes his head as he follows her. Jaune sits up as Pyrrha walks over to him.



Jaune: "Heh..."



Pyrrha: smiles "You're very good with children."



Jaune: "Oh... Thanks. You've been doing well too, you know."



Pyrrha: blush "I... My favorite PR events were when I got to meet children. Read to them in the hospital. I... I liked how they smiled."



Jaune smiled warmly at her.



Jaune: "Yeah. It makes it all worth it..."



Pyrrha: "Are you all right, Jaune?"



Jaune: lets out a breath through his nostrils "... I've done all I can."



Pyrrha: "So... It's to do with Cinder's plan?"



Jaune: slowly nods "Yeah... I'm hoping they'll handle it."



Pyrrha: "RWBY?"



Jaune: "Yes."



Pyrrha: sighs and slowly nods "I see..."



Jaune: sighs "Ozpin told me to keep to this mission."



Pyrrha: "You think he has a plan?"



Jaune: "Probably."



Pyrrha: "What happens when Cinder finds out you've been playing her?"



Jaune: "..." sucks in a deep breath "You think she's onto us?"



Pyrrha: "I think she's smart enough to figure it out."



Jaune: "I have some ideas. I think we can take her... I also hope we won't have to fight her."



Pyrrha: "Because she kills me?"



Jaune: "She won't. I won't let her, Pyr. That will never happen, I promise."



Pyrrha: blush "Jaune..."



Nick: "HEY!"



Jaune and Pyrrha jump. Nick laughs his big, booming laugh.



Nick: "HAHAHA! Come along, Jaune! Pyrrha! We need to work more on cheering more kids up! LET'S GET TO IT!"



Jaune: "Yes Dad!"



Pyrrha: "Yes Mister Arc!"



Nick: "Pyrrha! You go and help unload that truck of donations! Jaune? A moment."



Pyrrha: "Right!" Pyrrha heads off



Jaune: "Yes Dad?"



Nick: "Yang is a very nice girl, son."



Jaune: blanch "Y-Yes, she is! I'm not cheating on her Dad-!"



Nick: "I know son, hahahaha!" He slaps Jaune on the back, nearly making him stumble "I know! But you gotta be careful! You see, the Arc Rizz is dangerous!"



Jaune: incredulous "Rizz?"



Nick: "It's short for 'charisma', son-"



Jaune: "I know what it means! I just-How do you know what it means?!"



Nick: "HAHAHA! I'm hip! I'm up on modern slang, son! I'm not cringe!"



Jaune: "What?"



Nick: "I'm just like you, fr! Fr!"



Jaune: "Please stop."



Nick: "No cap! Also, I love your drip!"



Jaune: "DAD!"



Nick: "HAHAHAHA! Lighten up, son! I'm just having fun!"



Jaune: groans



Jaune's Brain: Well, at least someone is having it right now...

Click to shrink...

They spent the night at the hospital on cots. Jaune didn't get much sleep, but he did his best.



The next day, they went out to Vale's Central Square in the New Town district for lunch. In the center of a large roundabout was a huge fountain and statue, commemorating the brave people who had lost their lives during the War of the Thrush: A huge conflict between the nations of Vale a few decades before the Great War.



It was also near the main gates of Vale itself... Where the train would breach.



Pyrrha: "Jaune? Jaune, are you all right?"



Jaune: "Hm? Oh..."



Nora: "I mean, you haven't even touched your food!" Nora grabs one of his crepes and scarfs it down "Mmmm~! Lunch pancakes!"



Nick: "Nora!" scowl "No stealing from your brother's plate!"



Nora: contritely "Sorry Dad."



Nick: "That's better. Seriously though sport, what's up?"



Jaune: "Just... Ya know..." shrugs "A little concerned about stuff."



Jaune's Brain: Ruby should have called me by now... Why didn't she call me? I was supposed to get a transmission, garbled, this morning... Did I change the timeline too much? Did they stop the train?



Nick: "Ahhh... I get it." chuckles "Worried for your girlfriend, huh son?"



Jaune: "Yes."



Nick: nods "Ahh... I was worried about your mother a lot, too. She had a tendency to charge in to rescue people on impulse. And to stand her ground to defend her patients, even if she was all alone. And to go to places I dared not enter, for fear of death!"



Ren: "Such as?"



Nick: shudders "The fashion department."



Nora: "HORRORS!"



Nick: brightly "But this is a training mission! I'm sure everything will be fine!"



Jaune: "Y-Yeah... Fine..."



Which was when everyone's Scroll, and the large holographic billboard screens overhead, began to flicker. A static-y image of Professor Oobleck appeared.



Oobleck: "Citize-of Vale-Imminent dis~ster-activate the emer-cy-now-train-main gat---Under---you must-!"



The image flickered out, going back to advertising. Nick frowned deeply, put his money on the table, and stood up.



Nick: "Check social media, see if anyone else saw that. I'm going to talk to the police."



Nick headed over to some cops sitting in a nearby police car, pulling out his Hunter ID. They talked for a bit while Jaune, Nora, Ren and Pyrrha all scrolled through their Scrolls. Jaune checked the time: 11:50 AM.



Pyrrha: "Seems like it only affected the billboards in this area, near the main gate... Is that what he meant?"



Ren: "But where's the disaster? What kind of disaster?"



Jaune's Brain: In the show, the area around the main gates was deserted... But here...



There were hundreds, maybe thousands of people wandering around. Jaune took a deep breath.



Jaune: "Guys? We gotta get everyone out of here. Now."



Pyrrha: "Wha-?"



Jaune: "Get people out of here! That's an order!"



Jaune gets up, rushes to his father and the cops.



Jaune: "Start the emergency sirens, get everyone out of here!"



Cop 1: "What? Kid, we're still trying to-"



Jaune: "The attack is imminent! You gotta start the sirens and evacuate the area! NOW!"



Cop 2: "Listen kid, we're already dealing with-"



Jaune: looks to Nick "Dad? Please."



Nick looks very thoughtful... Then reaches out and hits the siren controls on the police car dash, which goes off loudly. Lots of people look in their direction.



Cop 2: "Hey! You can't just-!"



Nick grabs the mouthpiece on the radio and hits the speakers.



Nick: "EVERYONE! THERE IS A TERRORIST ATTACK IMMINENT IN THIS AREA! EVERYONE EVACUATE! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!"



He punctuates this by holding up Blont Joyuese, and firing a round that cracks like thunder. People scream and begin to run. Pyrrha, Nora and Ren dash out, breaking up the crowds and managing them. The first cop glares at Jaune and Nick.



Cop 1: "The hell did you-?!"



Nick: Grabs the Cop by the collar and looks him in the eyes, while growling like an angry lion "Get everyone out of here now."



Cop 1: squeaks "Y-Yes sir!"



Jaune and Nick head out, helping to kepe people moving. Getting them out of cars, picking up anyone who gets left behind or trampled. The emergency sirens begin to blare as barriers appear across the intersections.



Jaune's Brain: In the show it happened earlier than they planned... It looked like it was the afternoon at least. Now? It's high noon... Why'd they change it? Why'd they-?



He's near the gates when he spots a little girl hiding under a car. He lays down and extends a hand.



Jaune: "Hey! Come on, we gotta get out of here!"



Girl: cries, shakes her head



Jaune: "We gotta get out of here, it's not safe!"



The girl continues to refuse. Jaune sighs, then yanks the car up and rolls it over. The little girl looks at him in astonishment, holding onto a stuffed bunny.



Jaune: "Come on!"



He grabs her in his arms and heads for the nearest intersection... When he feels it. The ground rumbles and shakes.



Jaune's Brain: Oh no-!



In the show, it was barely rendered. Here... It was like the entire world just upended itself. The ground erupted like a volcano going off. Cars and boulders flew through the air. Jaune ran, keeping the screaming little girl in front of him when SOMETHING big hit him and forced him down. He held the little girl tightly as hell rained down upon them. Last thing he saw was a clock on a billboard reading 11:59.



Jaune's Brain: Damn... Butterflies... It's early...



Then everything went black.

 

[TheFabulousCustodes]

My RWBY Short Idea

"The Beacon Cultural & Culinary Festival"
​

Ozpin - "Well Glynda, you've certainly outdone yourself organizing the festival this year, given the constraints on your time recently..."

Glynda - "You mean Team RWBY's antics? Like the docks blowing up? The chase through downtown Vale with Atlas's stolen military equipment? An field trip turned into a anti-terrorist operation? Or the paperwork for said incidents that mysteriously wound up on my desk, instead of yours?"

Ozpin "Oh...... look over there! I believe that Tai's daughters have a barbeque stand set up.

Yang - "Hey, Mrs G! Ready to taste some authentic Patch barbeque?

Ruby- "It turned out pretty good considering we couldn't find the exact kind of wood Dad and Uncle Qrow use!"

Glynda - *stomach rumbling*

Glynda - "I suppose we could break early for lunch. That barbeque sandwhich special does look tempting....."

Yang - "One BBQ sandwhich on Remnant's best bread coming up!"

*Jaune Approaches*​

Jaune - "Ha! Remnant's best bread comes from Radian, and the Valoise province!"

Yang - "Patch sour dough is the best in the world, Vomit Boy!"

Jaune - "Vomit is a good word to describe it, since its sold in a plastic bag that can be reused after you taste the bread!"

Jaune/Yang - "Grrrrrr..."

​

Ozpin - "Now, now, its good to see people excited about Vale's rich cultural heritage preserved by the wise King Ozwyn during the Great War, but lets not brawl over it. Where is the rest of your team, Miss Rose?"

​

Ruby - "Um, Weiss said she was bringing something from Atlas, fish related I think..... Ohhh! There they are! Hi guys!"

Weiss - "Headmaster, Headmistress. Welcome to our stand!"

​

Blake - "Can I put the bag down before my spine gains a permanent injury?"

​

Glynda - *Sigh* "I will assist you with my semblance, Miss Belladonna. Now, Miss Schnee, what have you brought?"

​

Ozpin - "Indeed, I'm curious as to what's inside all of those cans."

​

Weiss - *starts monkeying around with a can opener* "I was able to have my father's company ship a number of very traditional Atlesian fish dishes here to Vale at great expense so the plebian masses could experience them!"

Blake - "Fish?"

Weiss - "Indeed! The cold waters surrounding the continent of Solitas are some of the richest fisheries on Remnant! Now just let me finish opening these cans of Hakarl, and Surstromming!"

Jaune - "Wait, isn't that....."

*Some time later..."
​

Lisa Lavender - "In other news, The Beacon Cultural and Culinary Festival will resume tomorrow after the location of what has been described as "Remnant's worst raw sewage leak" has been found, and cleaned up."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Dust Class was usually Weiss' favorite. Despite all her issues with her parents and her intense training, there was still a small childlike glee in getting to use Dust in new and creative ways. As well as showing off her talents.

However, there was one small wrinkle in this semester's class.

Professor Peach looked around the class, as her eyes settle on Weiss. She smile warmly.

"All right, Miss Schnee. Today, you'll work with Miss Valkyrie!"

Weiss's face fell.

"Oh no... Not in Dust class," she mumbled.

Conversely, Nora was ecstatic, shouting, "WOO! All right Weissy, let's get to work!" As she leaped over and landed right next to Weiss.

Weiss twitched a bit.

"Save me... I'm too young to die..."

Nora and Dust almost always ended in explosions. Endless explosions.

"Weissy? You okay?"

"I…" Weiss shook her head. "Let's just get this over with, huh?"

Nora beamed.

"Right to work! Just fine for me!"

Give me strength, Weiss prayed as they began.

An hour into their session…

"So you adjust the mixture to 1/45. Add it in with a little shake of your wrist each time for even distribution," Nora said.

Weiss blinked a few times. She sighed and nodded in resignation.

"All right..." She did so. Nora beamed happily and grinned.

"Ooh! We should add some Lightning Dust in this layer to ensure that the detonation is within 1.2 milliseconds!"

Weiss could only muster an "Okay..." as she added the Dust to their concoction.

Maybe I'll just get a failing grade and nothing will blow up… Weiss thought.

Professor Peach cleared her throat and got everyone's attention on her.

"All right. Let's test your mixtures in the test chamber. Goggles, everyone!"

Each team's Dust combination was loaded into the detonation chamber, and tested. Several small explosions followed, contained within the blast chambers. Weiss winced as their mixture went in. Peach hit the ignition button… Weiss prayed again…

The mixture went off like a small but perfectly controlled star, before fading away. Weiss blinked rapidly as Nora beamed. Peach turned to the two women and grinned.

"Perfect score, Miss Schnee and Miss Valkyrie! Your mixture was spot on for precision!"

"YAY! Do we get gold stars?" Nora cheered. The professor chuckled.

"Just A-pluses, Miss Valkyrie."

"Oh. Guess we gotta do better next time for those!" Nora surmised with an optimistic smile.

Professor Peach, with a warm laugh, said, "Keep it up and I'll see what I can do."

Weiss stared at her lab partner in utter disbelief. They both went back to their seats to do the post-test write up. Nora then stared back at Weiss, still smiling.

"Something on my face?"

"How did you learn so much about Dust?" Weiss asked.

"Oh!" Nora hummed, then with a smile, explained, "Well, we learned the basics of Dust from some old books we found in the village ruins"

"Village…?" Weiss questioned. Nora shrugged.

"Our village. My mom… Dropped me off when I was baby and ran. Renny's folks raised us… Until the village was destroyed by Grimm."

She said it so matter of factly, yet Weiss couldn't imagine how painful that must have been. Losing your entire world and only having one other person to rely on.

"I… I'm sorry," Weiss whispered, shame in her voice. Nora shrugged, her face sad for a moment before she continued on with a small but genuine smile.

"Renny's good but I really took to it! I had to learn to help keep Renny safe! To support us!" She grinned and winked at Weiss. "Nearly blew myself up a few times but it was worth it!"

Weiss, not sure how to feel about that, nodded slowly.

"O-Oh... I see... You learned very well," she said softly.

"Thanks!" Nora beamed. "You're really good too! Do…" Here Nora hesitated for a moment, before her grin returned in full force, "Do you think we could work on Dust more in the future?"

Weiss slowly smiled and nodded.

"Of course," she said.

Nora squealed.

"YAY!"

She then hugged Weiss tightly.

"URK! Nora… Too tight! Too tight!"

"Oh! Sorry!" Nora apologized, letting the slimmer girl go.

As Nora got to scribbling, Weiss studied her. Honestly, she'd started the year dismissing Nora, Ren and Jaune. All in favor of Pyrrha. All just to make a connection that could be beneficial to her.

Sure, Jaune had started as an annoying admirer, but after the Dance? He'd become a lot more mature. Weiss had gotten used to her team. She had begun questioning a lot of her previous assumptions.

Before, she'd come to the conclusion Nora was just a brainless nutjob. A little maniac filled with energy. Working with her though… Sure, she was a bit much, but she didn't deserve the scorn her mind heaped on her.

None of her friends did.

Weiss smiled. She'd been making amends with everyone. Maybe it was time to be more active in doing good things for her friends.

As soon as class ended, she opened up her Scroll and made a few calls.

- - -

"Uggggh," Nora moaned, her head lying on the table in the common room between RWBY and JNPR's dorms, "Free Period suuuuucks if you're not free!"

"We do need to study," Jaune pointed out. Nora pouted.

"I wanted to bake cookies with Ruby!"

"She's also studying," Pyrrha observed with a smile, as Ren took notes next to her, "Yang's orders."

"But she's team leader!" Nora groaned. She then grinned. "Wait! Can I also bully my team leader to do stuff?"

"No," Jaune said firmly.

Nora scowled.

"I'm gonna!"

"No."

The door opened. All four Hunters-in-Training looked and saw Weiss enter. She beamed and nodded.

"Hello all."

"Hey Weiss," Jaune said with a smile. "This is a nice surprise!"

Weiss walked up to Nora, and handed her a letter.

"Nora! Here!" she said.

Nora, puzzled, opened it to find an official looking letter. She looked up at Weiss in confusion. The Schnee heiress cleared her throat.

"It's a job offer. Would you like to become an SDC Dust Quality Control Engineer?"

Jaune and Pyrrha's eyes widened. Ren raised an eyebrow. Nora hummed, then held the letter out to Jaune.

"Is this a lot, Jaune?" She asked.

Jaune's eyes widened in disbelief. He then nodded.

"That's a LOT, Nora."

Excited, Nora declared, "Really? HEE! Renny! I'm the breadwinner of the family!"

"I knew you could do it, sweetheart," Ren observed in his usual deadpan.

"YEAH!" Nora cheered, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'll expect a hot bath, dinner, and you naked except for an apron every day!"

"Of course," Ren again deadpanned, not even twitching.

"Er... It seems kind of sudden, Nora," Pyrrha pointed out carefully.

"Also, don't you need to finish schooling and become a Huntress, Nora?" Jaune pressed a bit.

Realization dawned on Nora. She pounded her palm with her fist.

"Oh yeah!" She smiled and handed the letter back to Weiss.

"Sorry Weissy, I wanna be a Huntress!"

Weiss' face fell.

"But I... Oh..." She bowed her head.

How foolish of her. She'd just… Barged in with her assumptions again, hadn't she? Just tried to do things without thinking about Nora's feelings. It was stupid, impulsive…

Nora beamed.

"The job sounds neat though, so maybe I'll take it in the future?"

Weiss looked up. Nora's face held no resentment, only warmth. She flushed and nodded.

"I... Oh... Um, sure."

"Thanks! You want to work on Dust Class homework together?"

"You wouldn't mind?" Weiss asked, looking over at Jaune, Pyrrha and Ren.

Jaune wore a fond smile. It made him look rather wistful, and maybe the tiniest bit handsome. If Weiss was being charitable.

"We can work on our other homework later," He said. Pyrrha also smiled softly. Ren's face held a hint of warmth, before he nodded and left his best friend to work with Weiss. Weiss let herself smile happily, and relax.

"I... I would like that," she said to Nora.

Nora grinned, full of energy. She pulled up a chair and Weiss sat next to her. She plopped herself down next to Weiss, and pulled out the papers.

"That last mixture was all about precision, which is great! But sometimes you just wanna make a REALLY big explosion! Ooh! Maybe we can add in some Ice Dust and make giant exploding Snowflakes! Wouldn't that be great?!"

"I... Suppose it would be," Weiss agreed cautiously.

"YAY!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune was working on some homework alone in the dormroom. Nora and Ren were out doing... Well he honestly stopped asking after they came back with a stuffed giraffe. Pyrrha was off shooting a commercial. He'd offered to come along as support, but Pyrrha had stated that she didn't want to spoil his evening.



Honestly, she could be so weird sometimes.



So he pondered his essay on the history of Dust Mine protection by Hunters, trying to figure out what more he could say on the subject... When the door slammed open. He started and looked up as Yang walked in. She shut the door behind her, panting for breath.



"Yang?" Jaune asked in disbelief.



Yang turned to Jaune and coughed.



"Oh! Uh... Hey VB," she greeted.



"Uh, yeah, hey," Jaune said dryly. His sarcasm faded as she saw her distressed look. He cleared his throat.



"Can I help you with something? Are you all right?" He asked with more concern in his voice. Yang sighed and rubbed the back of her head.



"Well... Ya know, I uh... I do need help," she said.



Jaune blinked. He pushed away from the desk and stood up. He walked over to her and stopped about two meters away.



"How can I help?" He asked.



"Just like that?" Yang asked, blinking. Jaune nodded.



"Just like that," he said.



"It's..." Yang sighed. "Honestly, this... You probably can't even help me. And it's kind of embarrassing."



Jaune's frown deepened.



"Hey," he said, "Whatever it is? I won't laugh. I won't say a word to anyone. Promise."



Yang looked up at him intensely.



"You promise?" She asked.



"On my word as an Arc," Jaune said, pressing a hand over his chest with a small smile. Honestly, given how out of sorts Yang was, he didn't know what it was but he sure as hell wasn't going to leave her in the lurch.



"It's just..." She sighed, "Look, um... You've been on a date before, right?"



Jaune blinked. He very slowly nodded.



"Yeah."



Yang started and stared at him.



"Really?" She asked. Jaune frowned a bit.



"Is it really that surprising?" He asked. Yang held up her hands.



"Ah, no. No! Sorry, didn't mean to come off like... Really?"



Jaune sighed and nodded.



"Yes."



"How many?" Yang asked.



"I dunno... I lost count? Twenty? Thirty?" Jaune guessed.



"With the same person?" Yang asked. Jaune nodded.



"Yeah, mostly," he said. Yang blinked a few more times.



"So, wait... You've had a girlfriend before?"



Jaune nodded.



"Yeah. I did."



Yang winced.



"Oh... Sorry," she apologized. Jaune shrugged.



"It's fine," he sighed, "She uh... We didn't work out. We agreed it wouldn't work out and broke up."



"So you've gone through the whole... Whole thing?" Yang pressed. Jaune blinked rapidly.



"Yes? Why?"



"Well..."



"Yang, you're not usually like this," Jaune pointed out as gently as he could, "Maybe I could help if you told me what's going on?"



He didn't want to be pushy but this was, frankly, starting to weird him out. Yang heaved a large sigh and crossed her arms under her chest.



"Well... I've been chatting with some ladies from the other teams. Going out, gossiping a bit. And well... Every time it comes to talking about boys, I uh..." She shrugged. "I have to make stuff up."



Jaune blinked.



"What? Why?"



"Because I've never been on a date," Yang said tersely. "Not a real one! Not with-with a guy! Hell I've never even been..." She trailed off and her cheeks colored. Jaune blinked a few times.



"Been...?"



"Kissed," Yang admitted with a sigh. She seemed to be bracing herself for something. Jaune blinked a few times, then shrugged.



"Oh. Because you had to take care of Ruby, right?"



She started and shot a disbelieving look at him.



"Wha-?!"



"Well," Jaune said, "The way you had to take care of her and all... I mean, she said you did go out and party from time to time but always alone. And that you never brought a boy home. Or to anywhere she spied on you-Errrr..."



Jaune winced as Yang growled. She clenched her fist.



"That little...!" She flushed, coughed, then sighed.



"Yeah," she said with a shrug, "I mean... I love to go out and dance. Have fun. But Ruby..."



Jaune nodded.



"Yeah. I get it," he said.



"And it's not like I didn't have a lot of guys asking," she said, "Especially after puberty."



Jaune nodded, not trusting his mouth to say something stupid.



"But they... They were the same guys who were jerks before I got boobs. And the girls? Geez... Catty as hell. And they aren't even Blake," Yang joked. Jaune snickered. Yang sighed.



"These girls though... I do like them. But whenever the subject comes up," Yang shrugged helplessly, "I just... I smile, I nod... I lie if I'm forced to say something and then wait for things to move on. So uh..." She squeezed her bicep nervously.



"I-I mean... I was..." She sighed and shut her eyes.



"It seems really stupid right now."



"What?" Jaune asked. Yang shrugged again.



"I dunno, if you could... Help me out with... With things? Maybe tell me about your dates with your ex? So I could make up more-"



"You probably don't want to use those," Jaune said with a small laugh, "We mostly went out to barn dances, the rodeo, tractor pulls, movie nights-"



"It's still more than what I have," Yang grumbled. Jaune paused for a bit. He then smiled nervously.



"Hang on."



"Eh?" Yang asked, blinking. He turned and rummaged around in his closet. He pulled out a box of candies, and turned back to Yang. He then headed to the windowsill, where Ren was keeping a garden of herbs. He pulled a few of the flowering ones (resolving to make it up to Ren), and then turned to Yang. He walked up to her, and held out the candy and flowers.



"Yang, would you do me the honor of going on a date with me this evening?"



Yang's jaw dropped. Jaune flushed and coughed, as his sudden inspiration ran into the wall of his self doubts and reality.



"I-I mean... You don't have to tell them it's me. You can make stuff up. And-And it would just be as friends, but I'd pay for everything," he clarified quickly.



"Jaune..."



"Look, you're my friend," Jaune said, "Ruby's my best friend. If you need help with this, I will. I mean, I know... I'm a... I mean, I know I'm Vomit Boy and all that. But if you want to impress your friends-"



"It's... Not just that," Yang sighed, "Though damn, I feel really freaking shallow."



Jaune shrugged.



"Sometimes it's okay to be shallow."



"I..." Yang sighed. "I don't resent Ruby. I don't. I love her. I just... There's so much I missed out on taking care of her. And yeah I've got a juvenile record but... All of that was just to find..." She glanced to the side. "Nevermind. Point is, I just... I wanna experience normal girl things, I guess."



"Well," Jaune shrugged, holding out the candy and flowers, "Normal girl things are going out with some loser and then deciding to dump him."



"I wouldn't do that!" Yang laughed, taking the candy and flowers, "We-We'd have a messy, mutual break up. Totally public. I'd break a lot of things because I'd be sooo devastated!"



Jaune laughed as Yang grinned.



"Yeah... Not my style. I'd probably just mope dramatically. Maybe stare at the moon all poetically. Sit in the rain."



"Ha! You'd look like some poor drowned golden retriever."



"I think you'd look more like that with your hair."



"Ah, but I'd never let my hair get wet," Yang pointed out with a smirk. Jaune shrugged.



"Shame. You'd look even better like that."



Again Yang blushed, and she stared at him with a shocked grin.



"Wha... You're flirting with me!"



"I..." Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "I-I guess I am! It's uh... It's been a while."



Yang giggled. Jaune sucked in a deep breath.



"But I mean it. You. Me. Friendly date. We just go out and have fun. What do you say?"



Yang stared at him.



"Why aren't you this smooth with Weisscream?" She asked.



Jaune sighed and rubbed his cheek.



"I guess... I dunno... I wanted to impress her. You? I just... I want to make you feel better."



Yang stared for a long moment. before she nodded.



"Okay. You're on," she said.



Jaune blinked rapidly.



"Really?"



"Yeah. Really. Let's go out. Right now," she said.



Jaune shrugged, and extended his arm. She took it.



"All right... But uh, please no blowing up a warehouse? I got in enough trouble last time."



"I make no promises~!"



- - -



Just something fun and off the cuff. It's a little headscratching for Yang perhaps but again, off the top of my head.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The cathedral on Beacon's grounds had stood for centuries. The original building was constructed during the heyday of the First Emerald Dynasty as a place to worship The Brother Gods, but that changed during the accession of the Third Emerald Dynasty with the arrival of the ship known as The Dawn Chaser: the ship traditionally believed to be the first vessel to circumnavigate the world, though some historians dispute this.



The Dawn Chaser carried several missionaries seeking to spread the good news of The Table Breaker, and many members of the royal family believed the teachings of these missionaries. As a result the house of worship was remodeled into a Church of The Broken Table.



Yet over the centuries, as the King of Vale abdicated and more power went to the city rather than Beacon, the cathedral had fallen into disuse. The faith itself was strong and vibrant, but without a royal family at the castle, it had fallen into disuse. It was preserved by charity and the students, but seldom opened save for Yuletide celebrations.



Here, Arslan Altan knelt in front of the broken table statue in the sanctuary. Her head was bowed in prayer.



Her ears twitched very slightly. She sucked in a slow, low breath.



"There is no need to hide," she spoke, the acoustics of the church carrying her voice far, "None can hide from God, after all."



A pause. Arslan opened her eyes and looked up. Blake Belladonna had landed in front of her. She scowled slightly at Arslan.



"Can I help you, Miss Belladonna?" Arslan asked politely.



"You're a Faunus," Blake accused her. Arslan nodded.



"Yes. It is on my ID card."



"But you look...!" Blake looked her over. Arslan smiled softly. She took a deep breath.



She unleashed a roar, so harsh and powerful that Blake nearly jumped out of her skin. Arslan stopped, her smile widening just a hair.



"My vocal chords are that of a lion's," she said, "That is my family trait. Though my uncle Raw has ears."



"You don't smell like a Faunus," Blake growled. Arslan stared at her.



"What do I smell like then, Miss Belladonna?"



"Incense," Blake stated, "Very strong..." She trailed off. She shook her head.



"Why... Why are you hiding what you are?"



Arslan closed her eyes and resumed her prayer.



"I'm not. My mother and father are Faunus, this is public record," she said.



"Yes," Blake admitted, "But they've never spoken on Faunus rights, despite being famous! Despite being-!"



"Able to influence things?" Arslan asked. She felt Blake's scowl. "Have you sought me out to shame me for my inaction then?"



"I..." Blake paused. "I wanted to understand why. You're rich, you're well regarded..."



"We work," Arslan said, "through the Church. We reach out to all who need a helping hand, Faunus or human."



"But you could do so much for your people!" Blake insisted. "So much for the welfare of-!"



Arslan opened her eyes and turned to Blake. She narrowed them at the black cat Faunus.



"Tell me," she said, "Does every human child have a mother and father?"



Blake blinked.



"What do you-?"



"It's a simple question," Arslan pressed, "Do they all have mothers and fathers? Do they all live together in homes, happily?"



Blake blinked a few times and shook her head.



"No, but-"



"I believe your own partner lost both of her mothers," Arslan continued, "Abandoned by one, and the other taken by death. Is this not so?"



"It is, but what does-?" Blake scowled. "I-I do care about that but she's not a Faunus! She wasn't enslaved-!"



"Were you?"



Blake gaped.



"What?!"



"Were you enslaved?" Arslan asked. "Were you put in chains and made to work?"



"No," Blake allowed, "But the SDC does it to Faunus all the time-!"



"Agreed, it is a terrible crime," Arslan nodded, "My mother spoke out against the SDC's abuses on many occasions. It even cost her an acting role."



"I..." Blake scowled, "But you don't just-!"



"We don't just what, Miss Belladonna?" Arslan asked softly, "Just care for the welfare of Faunus? Focus all our efforts only on Faunus?"



Blake glared.



"I just don't understand how... How you've done so well and yet you don't speak in favor of Menagerie."



"Or the White Fang?" Arslan asked.



Blake winced.



"They're not the same-!"



"And yet," Arslan said quietly, "They are still connected. Your father may have denounced them, but they still fight. And are still supported by Menagerie. Not all of them, and not by your family... But they are still connected. And any support of Menagerie will be used by the White Fang as a means of justifying more terrorism. Is that not so?"



Blake opened and closed her mouth several times. She then bowed her head, ears flat against it.



"I suppose... I suppose that's fair," she murmured.



Arslan looked at the statue of the Table Breaker. As expected of the Third Emerald Dynasty's artistic tradition, even bound and shaven, even covered in welts and bruises, and even with a knife stuck in his chest, Aslan's face was a study in beautiful nobility. The sculptor had captured it perfectly.



"Aslan came in the form of a Faunus because he came for all of us," Arslan stated, "For at the time, the Faunus were a minority under a mighty empire. Subjugated and under martial law. But His disciples were humans and Faunus. He lived as a Faunus, and died as a Faunus, and the first two to see His return to life were two human women. He spoke that he had come for all of us with souls, to save them."



Arslan looked back at Blake, who was staring at the statue herself.



"Because the world is dark and cold and full of monsters," Arslan said, "And in the end? We all need to stand together against it. I have not hidden what I am... But in light of the larger responsibility to the world? Being a Faunus is secondary compared to having a soul."



"I've heard this many times before," Blake stated, "I've also heard that the Table Breaker was stolen. Based on our Animal God."



"From the White Fang?" Arslan asked, almost amused. "Are they not the ones who also claim Faunus discovered fire? Discovered Dust? Invented writing and civilization itself? What incredible misfortune our race has, to create everything for man but to never claim power that would come with such things."



Blake grimaced. She glared at one of the stained glass windows. Arslan followed her gaze and nodded.



"That's one of my favorites," she said, "When Saint Reepicheep's tail was restored by Aslan."



Blake studied the stained glass intently. She sucked in a breath.



"He had lost his in a great battle. His followers were willing to cut off their own tails, because they could not bare to have such an honor while their Chief went without," she murmured. "And so Aslan restored it, not for Reepicheep's honor, but for the love his people had for their chief."



Arslan nodded solemnly, though her smile grew.



"You know it?"



"I do read a great deal," Blake admitted. She sighed. She sat down on a pew next to Arslan, and slumped a bit.



"I'm... Struggling to find my path," she admitted. "I don't... I don't think this is mine."



She gestured to the church. Arslan nodded.



"Why?"



"Because... There's so much hatred and injustice in the world," Blake sighed, "So much anger. Even when I thought I was doing good... I was doing worse. I tried. I tried so hard to-to change things. To not make people fear and hate us..."



She shook her head.



"I failed."



"You did then," Arslan said, "But it also brought you here. Has that been a disaster?"



Blake thought about it.



"... No," she admitted.



"Then maybe this is where you are meant to be," Arslan said. Blake snorted.



"What? Did the Tablebreaker bring me here?"



"If He did not want you here, you would not be," Arslan said calmly. Blake huffed.



"I don't need a sermon."



"Then what do you want, Blake Belladonna?" Arslan asked quietly.



Blake stared intently at the statue for a long time. She sucked in a breath.



"I... I want to stop the White Fang from doing bad things... I want to make up for my... My mistakes."



Arslan nodded.



"Then perhaps you are exactly where you need to be."



Blake sighed heavily.



"... I'm sorry I interrupted you," Blake spoke. Arslan shook her head.



"You did not. After all, I should help my fellow beings when they are in need."



"Why?" Blake asked, a bit sharply, "Because you'll get into Heaven?"



Arslan smiled wryly.



"Because it is the right thing to do."



- - -



Yeah I'm picking on Blake a bit more. And yeah I'm using Arslan as a Warrior Nun to do it, as well as Christian theology. I've been reading a lot more C. S. Lewis, give me a break. My muse just insists upon being heard, and so, here she is.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

It was a beautiful Saturday. Team RWBY found Team JNPR outside on Beacon's main lawn at the picnic tables. They sat together, enjoying some tea out of some thermoses. With them was an elegant older woman, dressed in a blue and white dress, sipping her tea from a very old fashioned set. Her white hair was elegantly tied up in a bun with blue ribbons, save for a single ahoge standing on the top of her head, and her blue eyes crinkled with smile lines.

"Hey guys! My uh... My Nana came to visit," Jaune explained.

Weiss breathed a small sigh of relief. Finally, a normal Arc!

"Aren't you going to introduce me to the rest of your friends, Jaune? It's very rude," Arturia gently scolded him, a fond smile on her face.

Jaune winced.

"Sorry. Um, Nana? This is Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao-Long, and Blake Belladonna. Everyone? This is my Nana Arturia."

The members of RWBY gave polite greetings back. Weiss even curtseyed, which Arturia seemed to approve of before she turned back to Jaune.

"I'm very proud of you, Jaune. Getting into Beacon! First try, too!" Arturia complimented him. Jaune flushed and looked around gratefully at his friends.

"Er uh, well... I had a lot of help," Jaune admitted modestly.

Ruby smiled back, before she asked the most natural and socially appropriate question she could think of.

"Oh... Wow. Your Nana? So she's your grandma?"

Nailed it, she thought.

"Great-grandmother actually," Arturia clarified.

"WOW! You must be super old!" Ruby exclaimed in awe.

"RUBY!" Weiss scolded.

Yang couldn't help but snicker, even as she put Ruby in a headlock.

"URK! YANG!" Ruby complained.

Arturia laughed, sipping her tea at the antics of the two sisters,

"I am!"

"Er, yeah," Jaune confirmed, looking a bit embarrassed.

Pyrrha was visibly starstruck.

"She fought in the Great War!"

"Oh, I did my part," Arturia responded modestly.

"Well, that's very impressive," Weiss acknowledged.

"You don't actually look that old," Yang commented, letting Ruby go.

"Healthy living! I keep in shape!" Arturia said, then turned her attention back to Jaune. "I hope you are keeping up with your training, Jaune?"

"I am!" Jaune assured her.

Arturia looked thoughtful as she sipped her cup of tea.

"Hm... Mind if I test you?" Arturia proposed.

"Ummm..." Jaune hesitated.

"It would be wonderful, Jaune! Can she test me, next?" Pyrrha chimed in eagerly.

"Me too! She seems SUPER fun!" Nora added excitedly.

Ren nodded, "It would be an honor, ma'am."

RWBY was left feeling confused. Though they all noted the large metal briefcase near the old woman. Arturia chuckled, and patted the case like it was an old, familiar friend.

"Oh, I'm deeply flattered! Honestly though, I don't know how much fun I'll be. I'm old, after all. And I do want to check on Jaune's progress."

Jaune looked extremely nervous, which Blake, Yang, Weiss, and Ruby noticed.

"Well uh... I mean, Pyrrha is training me—"

"Hmmmm..." Arturia eyed Pyrrha with a keen expression. "I see. I'll test her first then?"

Pyrrha's eyes seemed to shine. Ruby frowned.

She's that excited to fight an old lady? She thought.

"Wonderful! Is here and now good?" Pyrrha asked excitedly.

"Perfectly!" Arturia agreed.

"Uh, Pyrrha? You sure you want to do this?" Ruby asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I mean uh... Maybe Jaune's Nana needs to take a break? It must have been a long trip from uh... Where are you from?" Yang questioned.

Arturia finished her tea, then rose, "Radian."

"Right, there," Yang echoed. Weiss's manners took over as she stepped nearer with a smile.

"Yes! Surely we can wait, have some more tea-?"

"No, no. I do need to know just who is teaching my great-grandson," Arturia insisted. Jaune sighed, looking resigned. He then got up and picked up the briefcase. With some difficulty, he lifted it.

"Nngh… All right," He handed the heavy briefcase over to her. Arturia took it, the small old woman barely even noticing the burden she carried. Jaune sucked in a deep breath.

"Um... Just remember, Nana—" Jaune tried. Arturia reached out and patted Jaune's bicep with a fond smile.

"Oh Jaune, you worrywart! You're such a sweet lad. But your partner will be fine." Arturia chuckled and stretched, "Mmm! Honestly, she seems like she'll give me some trouble. But I like trouble!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Arc!" Pyrrha gleefully.

"Call me Nana Arturia!" Arturia replied with warmth.

"Hee!" Pyrrha giggled, her cheeks red.

As Arturia and Pyrrha walked off onto the grassy knoll, Ruby frowned deeply.

"Um... Why are we letting the... How old is she?"

"One hundred and five," Jaune answered blandly.

"One hundred and five year old woman fight the best student in Beacon?!" Ruby asked.

Jaune shook his head.

"Honestly? I'm more worried about Pyrrha," he confessed. Weiss frowned.

"Her?! What about your great-grandmother?! She looks... Well, she's well preserved but she's still really old!" Weiss countered quietly.

"Ah. So you don't recognize her," Ren noted. Weiss scowled.

"Recognize who? I'll admit she looks... A little familiar," Weiss pondered.

"Waiiit for it!" Nora anticipated with a broad grin.

Arturia then pulled on gray armor, which expanded and locked around her midsection. She donned gauntlets and greaves that automatically locked into place. She then drew a sword that glowed with Aura Energy, her eyes reflecting the same power. In a moment, Nana Arturia had transformed from a sweet old lady to a deadly knight, her face and eyes grim with the promise of battle.

Pyrrha was practically beside herself with excitement.

"Wha...?! No.. No way-!" Weiss gasped.

Blake's eyes widened in disbelief.

Arturia's sword turned invisible, and in a split second, she was hammering her mighty blade against Pyrrha's Milo and Akoúo̱ so fast that sparks flew. Pyrrha tried to rally and go on the offensive, but Arturia's speed, precision, reach, and strength were phenomenal. Pyrrha feinted and tried to flank Arturia, but the elderly woman parried her strikes, giving ground slowly as Pyrrha became more mobile.

Pyrrha then feinted and side-flipped to get behind Arturia. The knight swung her blade behind herself, unleashing an Aura Slash that Pyrrha barely dodged, cutting a tree behind her in half and sending it falling over.

All of RWBY was gobsmacked; Jaune looked relieved, Nora cheered, and Ren smiled softly.

"Haa... Haa... Haa... Very impressive, young lady." Arturia raised her sword in salute.

"Haa... Haa... You too, Nana Arturia!" Pyrrha panted, unbelievably happy.

Arturia hummed thoughtfully, turning a critical eye over the young woman.

"That said, you rely very heavily on your Semblance to fight. If you were blinded or distracted by loud noises, it could throw off your concentration. It is admirable you are so gifted and train so hard... But do not forget that true battle does not have rules," Arturia advised.

"Yes Nana Arturia!" Pyrrha responded eagerly. Arturia looked at her great-Grandson.

"Hmmm... Also... Jaune? While Pyrrha is very good at swordplay... I don't think emulating her style suits you, at least in that way. She's very mobile, you are not," Arturia observed.

"Er, well, not really," Jaune admitted. Arturia nodded.

"I will teach you my own style while she trains you in more general combat. You should know how to fight like a proper knight: Great cunning and calculation, but speed and strength are just as important!" Arturia stated.

Jaune nodded, "Um... What will Mom say though?"

Arturia sighed.

"I may have respected her wishes when you were a child, but you have clearly chosen your path."

"Thank you Nana," Jaune smiled.

Ruby got her mouth working first.

"That armor… That sword… That style…?"

Ruby's silver eyes widened.

"Nana… Arturia…P-Pendragon-Arc?!" She gasped.

Arturia chuckled softly and nodded.

"Pendragon is my maiden name. I took my husband's last name: Arc!"

Dead silence ensued until Blake broke it.

"Your Nana... Is Empress Arturia Pendragon?! Queen of Albion?! The Saber Queen?!"

Jaune coughed. Pyrrha looked like she was holding in a squeal of delight. Nora grinned broadly. Arturia chuckled, holding a hand to her cheek.

"Oh my, that was a very long time ago. I abdicated, after all," Arturia replied modestly.

"Y-You slew over ten thousand enemy soldiers in ONE DAY during the siege of Camelot!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Did I? Huh! I didn't really keep count. Couldn't afford to," Arturia said nonchalantly.

A tall old man with tanned skin, white hair, and golden-brown eyes approached, carrying bags of fast food. He wore plain black and white clothing, save for a long red coat. He smiled warmly as he came up to Arturia. He bent down to kiss her, which she happily returned.

"Mwah! Hello darling!" Arturia greeted.

"Hey," Shirou returned.

"Hey Papa Shirou," Jaune added with a wave.

"SHIROU?!" The RWBY girls gasped.

"That's me. Nice to meet you!" Shirou introduced himself. He then smirked a bit. "As for that battle? I got about half of them, but I wasn't keeping count either. Too busy watching you, beloved," the man said with a smile to Arturia.

Arturia blushed and giggled like a schoolgirl.

"Aw! Sweet as always, my beloved Shirou. Did you get-?" Arturia asked.

"Yes, just how you like them. I see you worked up a sweat!" Shirou confirmed, handing her a bag.

Arturia took out a burger and sat down with her husband at the picnic table, happily eating as Shirou smiled and joined her with his own burger.

"Shirou Arc, of Unlimited Blade Works?!" Weiss gasped.

"Holy crap...!" Yang muttered, looking back and forth between Jaune and his great-grandfather. Shirou smiled at Blake and nodded.

"Heh. Been a while since I was called that. You're a good student of history!" Shirou complimented.

"Th-Thank you sir!" Weiss thanked with a blush.

"Call me Papa!" Shirou insisted.

"O-Oh my," Weiss murmured as Blake smirked.

Ruby grabbed Jaune and dragged him aside, with the rest of RWBY and JNPR joining them a short distance away as Shirou and Arturia enjoyed their burgers. Ruby then grabbed his arms and glared up at him with adorable little pout.

"When were you going to TELL ME your great-grandparents were some of the most incredible fighters in history?!" Ruby demanded.

"You're of THOSE Arcs?!" Weiss gasped. Jaune coughed and shrugged.

"I-I mean… You didn't ask?" Jaune replied in exasperation.

"I-But-THEY'RE SO COOL!" Ruby gasped. "INCREDIBLE!"

"Yes. I know. But to me, they're just my great-grandparents. So please..." Jaune sighed.

"O-Oh, um, sorry," Ruby blushed deeply, pulling away from Jaune.

Weiss cleared her throat.

"You know, um... It is curious you didn't bring them up. With me," Weiss noted.

"Oh, so now you're interested in him?" Yang teased.

"In his family history!" Weiss clarified.

Jaune sighed heavily.

"Because of this, okay? I love them to death... But I'm not using them to get attention. I want to earn my way through life myself... Not thanks to their names," Jaune explained.

"... I... I can understand that, Ar-Um... Jaune," Weiss conceded.

"Same," Blake agreed.

Jaune smiled warmly at his friends. Pyrrha smiled back and cleared her throat.

"Completely, Jaune. I just... It's such an honor to fight her! She's still so incredible!" Pyrrha said, thrilled.

Yang grinned.

"You think I could fight her next?! Or your Papa? Damn, he still looks amazing! I am seeing the future and I like it~!"

Pyrrha turned a very brittle smile onto Yang.

"What do you mean by that?"

"What do you think I mean, P-Money?" Yang countered, her eyes flashing red as she grinned like a hungry dragon.

Weiss cleared her throat and held up her hands.

"Hey! There's no need to fight! Especially not over Arc!" Weiss interjected, though her voice lacked her usual ire with Jaune. Blake smirked.

"Says the girl who's been eyeing his great-grandpa with lust in her eyes since he showed up?" Blake teased.

"I have not!" Weiss retorted, bright red.

"DID YOU SEE THAT ARMOR?!" Ruby asked in awe.

"IT WENT ALL SWOOSH AND CRANK AND WHIRR-WHIRR!" Nora mimicked the sounds with some elaborate hand gestures.

"Indeed," Ren deadpanned dryly.

Pyrrha and Yang glared at one another over their smiles. Weiss and Blake argued, while Nora chanted "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" Ren continued to sip tea from his own thermos, looking faintly amused.

Jaune sighed. He walked over to his great-grandparents and sat down. Ruby joined him, deciding to let her friends deal with their problems herself. Shirou handed them some burgers, which they both began to dig into.

"If it helps, son, I've been where you are. With your great-Aunties Sakura and Rin," Shirou offered with a small smile. .

"What happened?" Jaune asked.

Arturia swallowed a bite of her burger, a bit of ketchup on her cheek. Shirou automatically wiped it clean with a paper towel, which she smiled thankfully to before she spoke.

"I beat them into submission and made it clear Shirou was my man and I was first wife. This will work itself out," Arturia said confidently.

Jaune groaned… While Ruby got a speculative look on her face.

"Ruby?" Jaune asked.

"Oh, um, nothing!" Ruby quickly lied with a big smile.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

On the roof of their dorm, Pyrrha and Jaune were engaged in a training session. The sun set, painting the sky in hues of purple and orange. The first stars began to twinkle above them, casting a peaceful, almost romantic ambiance over the scene. Jaune managed a skillful move, catching Pyrrha's blade and knocking it aside while sliding into her guard. With his sword at her throat, both were panting from the effort, but Pyrrha's face was lit with a smile.

"Wonderful, Jaune! Much, much better!" she exclaimed.

Jaune lowered his weapons, his own smile breaking through.

"All thanks to you, Pyr. Am I actually getting better?"

"Much! You know how many people could actually get their blade on me?" Pyrrha responded.

"We are just training—" Jaune began, but Pyrrha cut him off, her hand gently resting on his chestplate.

"Jaune... You're really doing well. Please, take the compliment."

Flushing, Jaune nodded.

"Pyr... Thank you. Thank you for everything."

They stood there in silence, just enjoying the moment as the setting sun backlit them. For a moment, Jaune almost imagined a loving look in Pyrrha's eyes. Which of course was ridiculous. She was just his friend. His dearest friend… A super attractive woman who was touching him… Staring into his eyes…

Suddenly, a voice broke the tranquility.

"KISSSSSSS!"

Both Jaune and Pyrrha jumped back in surprise, looking around to find the source of the interruption.

"Who was—?!" Pyrrha looked around, while Jaune groaned.

"Oh no..."

A beautiful woman, blonde with a veil over her face, dressed in black, floated down onto the roof. She huffed in mock annoyance.

"Is that any way to greet your great-great Auntie, Jaune?"

"Hello, Aunt Morgan," Jaune said wearily.

Pyrrha flushed.

"O-Oh? Um... Hello, ma'am?"

Jaune gestured to Pyrrha.

"This is-"

Morgan snorted.

"Of course I know who she is! Pyrrha Nikos!" She beamed at them both, "And you two could make some amazing babies together!"

Pyrrha turned bright red, stuttering rapidly, while Jaune scolded her.

"AUNTIE! You do this every time! Stop it! You're weirding out my friend!"

Morgan continued unabated, "Well it's not MY fault that your bloodline would allow your progeny to become immensely powerful and let me reclaim the throne of Albion and rule the world! Of course, I could always use a Black Knight!"

She beamed as she hugged Jaune.

"What do you say, Nephew? You'd be at my side, helping me conquer all the world! And you'd give me not only lands, but grandbabies!"

Pyrrha squeaked, her cheeks burning as red as the setting sun. Jaune scowled.

"For the last time, NO."

"Come on!" Morgan protested, "If you don't like her, how about that blonde brawler? Or the catgirl? Or the Schnee heiress? Or the silver eyed girl, when she grows up a bit? Or all of them at once?"

Jaune sighed as his shoulders slumped.

"Can't you go bother any of our other family members?"

"They keep throwing salt at me! And cold iron! Can you imagine the nerve?!" Morgan whined.

"Yes. Yes I can," Jaune deadpanned.

Morgan then dramatically fell to her knees and grabbed his hand.

"Please Jaune! Ever since the divorce with Lot I had to do Only Fans just to make ends meet! Please be my Black Knight?!"

Jaune gaped in disbelief before yanking his hand away.

"You have so many other skills, Auntie! Why are you doing THAT?!"

Morgan shrugged.

"It feeds my ego and my capricious vices!"

Suddenly, another voice boomed, "SISTER!"

Morgan gasped as Arturia leaped up onto the roof. The former Empress of Vytal brandished her sword as Morgan growled.

"SISTER!" Morgan responded in kind.

"I told you to leave my great-grandson alone!" Arturia growled.

"And I told you to leave my great-grandnephew alone! Especially when I'm scheming!"

"I told you, NO MORE SCHEMING!" Arturia shouted.

"I'm the older sister! I'll do all the scheming I want!" Morgan shouted.

Arturia swung her sword, unleashing an Aura blade. Morgan jumped over the energy blast, and summoned up a staff to fire Aura-powered Dust blasts back.

As the two fought furiously, Jaune turned to the still blushing Pyrrha. He patted her shoulder gently.

"I'm really sorry about that. She's been really hurting ever since the divorce and falling out with Nana... You okay, Pyrrha?"

"S-So many babies…"

Jaune blinked.

"Pyr?"

Pyrrha, still a bit dazed, coughed and shook her head.

"I-I'm fine!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune peered at the locker, struggling with the jammed door. He had just arrived at Beacon and was already struggling with his rocket locker.

"Geez... This locker is really freaking…"

He caught sight of a pale girl with black hair and a bow on her head walking to another rocket locker. It took him a moment to place her. He had seen her a few times around Beacon campus, but the way she walked, the way she moved…

It clicked in his mind in a second.

"Wait a minute... Blake?!"

The cat Faunus in disguise turned around and blinked in surprise. Her eyes then widened in recognition.

"... Jaune?!"

"BLAKE! It is you!" Jaune exclaimed, wrapping her in a joyful hug, his laughter echoing in the locker room. "It's been so long! I missed you!"

Blake blushed, slightly taken aback by the sudden affection.

"Oh, uh... Um... Y-Yeah... It's been a while, huh? How... How are you?"

"I'm great! Made it to Beacon! How about you? You're also a Huntress, huh? Or, uh, gonna become one?" Jaune asked, still beaming. Blake managed a small smile back, though she remained stiff in his arms.

"Sure am... I didn't think your parents would let you train?" Blake responded, her curiosity piqued.

Jaune's eyes suddenly darted to the side.

"Oh, uh... I mean, I wore 'em down," Jaune admitted with a less than convincing smile.

Blake raised an eyebrow. She then hummed as she looked him up and down. He had certainly filled out. However…

"You did get your Aura unlocked though, right?" Blake asked, probing further.

Jaune hesitated.

"... Surrre... Sure did!"

Blake gave him a knowing look.

"... Jaune. Your Aura isn't unlocked, is it?"

"Ummm... Maybe?" Jaune confessed.

With a sigh, Blake continued, "... Do you even know how to use your sword?"

"Of course! The pointy end goes in the Grimm," Jaune said with a nervous chuckle.

Despite everything, Blake couldn't help but laugh.

"You're still so hopeless... Still. I guess I can't really speak." She placed her hand on his chest, unlocking his Aura with a gentle touch.

"For it is in deliverance that we achieve change. Through this, we become a paragon of justice to share with all. Infinite in truth and unbound by the past, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, redeem thee…"

She could feel the surge of power radiate back through her. Her entire body seemed to warm up, and she shivered.

Memories long thought gone filled her mind. Her mother had been suffering from a rare illness between protests. The only doctor who could treat it was down in Radian. It had been a long trip and there was the fear that they wouldn't treat her. Her father had said there was nothing to worry about… Yet the whole time, he had been stone faced.

They managed to make it to Radian. She still remembered the city walls, the mountains, and the beautiful forests. They'd entered the town, guided by the white castle gleaming in the sunlight. That was the hospital.

They came to the hospital. They waited in the lobby, Blake holding her mother's hand. Eventually, a kind looking blonde woman in a green dress and white labcoat came. She smiled and told her that her mother would be fine, before she led them away.

Blake was shown to a courtyard to stay in. And there… Was a little boy her age. Blond, wearing a red shirt and blue shorts. He was playing with some toys, and had some books in a bag nearby. There was a fountain gurgling happily nearby.

"This is my son," the kind woman said, "Jaune? This is Blake. Her mother is getting treated. I want you two to play together, okay?"

Jaune smiled.

"Okay Mama!"

"Be good," Isabel said.

"Be good," Dad had told her. They had left. Jaune then walked up and took her hand.

"Do you like books?" Jaune had asked.

Blake blinked, her ears twitching.

"I do…"

So he'd pulled out some books and they'd read them together. They were all fairytales, and tales of adventures. Jaune smiled happily as they read together, but it was hard to relax.

"What's wrong?" Jaune asked.

"... Will my mama be okay?" Blake had asked.

Jaune nodded eagerly.

"My Mama is the best doctor ever! She'll be fine, I promise!"

"You do?" Blake had asked. Jaune nodded again.

"Yeah! We're Arcs, and Arcs never go back on their word!"

He was right. Her mother had recovered, though it had taken a few weeks of rest. They'd stayed at the Arc Farmhouse. That summer, Blake had gotten to play for the first time she could remember. It had seemed like the fight for Faunus Rights was far away. Some kind of dream.

Jaune… He was the first friend she'd ever had at her age. Leaving him… She had cried so hard. He had cried even harder. He'd drawn her "the best picture ever" and given her a book and…

She took his hand now, and smiled warmly up at him.

"There. Just stick with me. We'll do all right, I promise," she said.

Jaune smiled back, and her heart beat a little faster.

"Thanks Blake. Where did you go off to, anyway? One day… You just stopped sending letters. Your parents kept calling, hoping you'd show up at our farm. I... I really missed you," Jaune said, his voice softening with sincerity.

"And I... I missed you," Blake sighed, her expression… She looked away.

She had run off to join the White Fang. She had abandoned everything she had known to fight humans directly. She had left… Everything behind. Including his gifts.

Including him.

"It's... Complicated. I'll... I'll tell you when I'm ready. Can you... Can you be patient with me please?"

Blake almost couldn't bare to look up at him. She didn't know how she could even begin. Where she could even start…

She felt him hug her. She looked up in surprise. He smiled warmly.

"It's okay. Whenever you want to… I'll listen. I promise. We're gonna get married, remember?" Jaune reminded her, his tone light but earnest.

Blake gave an exasperated chuckle, "You proposed when we were six."

"And?" Jaune asked with a teasing smile. "An Arc-"

"Always keeps his word," Blake sighed, "Same old Jaune..." But her chuckle suggested she wasn't entirely displeased by the reminder. She pulled away, still holding his hand.

"Let's go!"

Jaune smiled and nodded.

"Ready when you are."

She had been told by Ozpin that she was safe from the White Fang here. That they couldn't get to her.

She wanted to believe it. She wanted to think she didn't have to run anymore.

She might have to leave Jaune behind. If Adam knew she was close to a human, if he even suspected…

No, Blake thought to herself as they made their way out to the Initiation, He… He won't find me. He won't take him away from me…

She had to hope. She had to believe.

She had to.

 

[SharkCultist]

Adam Taurus. Was tired.

He'd spent years running on nothing but rage at humanity convinced of their evil for their betrayal of him.

And then he was betrayed by Faunus. Left alone by the person he trusted most in the world, and when he went back and told others of her betrayal they brushed him off.

Adam was done. It wasn't humans he couldn't stand, it was just people. So Adam took his blade and marched into the mountains without a backwards glance or a word to anyone.

---

It's been about three years and Adam was a much different man. His rigid posture had relaxed without his constant anger and burden of leadership.

His hair has grown out and lost its spikiness when it reached shoulder length. Haircuts seem low in the priority list, it gets cut when it gets in the way.

His eyes still retained their sharpness but their wasn't any anger in his gaze, just discipline.

Living alone in the mountains had its benefits.

Well not totally alone.

"Dad we caught a boar!"

"Didn't even see us!"

Two little girls who did more for me in three years than all the comrades and togetherness in the white fang.

Crystal a little antelope faunus, quick as can be without aura. The little amber eyed, green haired girl was a menace.

Juniper while calmer and easier to catch was no less a troublemaker. Despite not having quite a few advantages that her sister did (after all she didn't have night vision). Still the blonde haired green eyes tomboy gave him a few grey hairs. (Figuratively. He checked.)

"And how did you kill this boar? Hopefully not with the knives I told you not to touch?"

The girls like always conveniently forget rules when they're trying to be helpful or have fun.

"No stories after dinner tonight and you both get to help me dress the boar."

"Eeew but daaaaaad it's all sticky!"

"And smelly!"

"That's why it's a punishment girls. Now go get your raincoats (a purchase from a rare trip to civilization) this is going to be a messy one."

As he watches the little girls race to their small mountain cottage Adam can't help but think that pulling the two surviving little girls out of a ruined camper was the best decision he ever made.

The second being coming to the mountains in the first place. Peace agrees with Adam.

But unfortunately a old unwelcome figure was about to bring him war, as team RWBY lost while away from beacon stumble across his cottage and daughters.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

We have had Jaune as Batman in this thread before. And hey, I love Batman. But I also love another superhero who could use some love, and whose movie is coming out this year.

To that end...

- - -

Jaune Arc was fourteen years old. Like many teenagers, he had taken to spending time on the walls of Radian to get a break from his parents. He sighed as he looked out over the Albus Mountain range, lost in his thoughts.



Thoughts that a certain cat Faunus girl interrupted when she placed her hands over his eyes.



"Guess who~!" She teased.



Jaune sighed.



"Katy?"



"Aww..." Katy pulled back with a little pout. Jaune smiled at her expression, then turned back to looking out at the valley. Katy frowned and leaned over the wall with him, staring intently at her boyfriend.



"You okay?"



"Just..." He groaned. "I can't believe they won't let me go to the Hunter School! I passed all the physical tests!"



"You totally did," Katy giggled. Jaune gave her a glare without much heat. She smiled and nuzzled him. "Come on, Jaune. You're gonna be a shoe-in at medical school! Why do you want to be a Huntsman so bad, anyway?"



"Because I want to help people," Jaune insisted, "I mean... Really help them. All my ancestors were great Huntsmen, heroes... Why can't I?"



Katy shrugged.



"I dunno... Your parents have always been weird. Maybe it's because you're the baby of the family? The only boy?"



"Maybe," Jaune muttered, "I just can't help thinking there's something they're not telling me..."



He heard a loud metallic screeching. He winced and held his ears. Katy gasped.



"Jaune? Jaune, you okay? You-?"



He looked out. He saw a Bullhead airship falling towards the ground.



"Call it in! It's an airship crash!" Jaune shouted. He leaped off the wall and slid down the bricks, before he got to the ground. He ran for it, hearing Katy shouting for help to the militia on the wall.



He saw the airship crash, heard the boom. He raced through the trees, everything becoming a blur. He skidded to a halt near the wreck. The Bullhead was very tough. Its hull was mostly intact. He could hear crying. He rushed to the hatch, and grabbed onto the metal. It burned his hands, but it gave way to his fingers like tissue paper. He tore the door open and tossed it aside. He dashed in, covering his face against the flames and smoke.



He spotted two people: Faunus by the look of them. They were in the pilot and co-pilot seats, unconscious. Jaune quickly ripped their belts off and carried them both out on his shoulders. He raced away from the wreck, hearing Radian's own airships and recovery vehicles closing in. He set the couple down, and they coughed as they began to breathe again.



The pilot, a man, looked at Jaune, then at the Bullhead with wild eyes.



"Our daughter-She's still inside!"



Jaune turned and dashed back into the wreck. He scanned around through the flames, searching frantically. He heard the crying again, in the back. The ship's bathroom...



He tore the door off the bathroom. A little girl, strapped into the emergency harness over the toilet, sniffled and cried when she saw him.



"It's okay!" Jaune shouted. "I'm gonna get you out of here!"



He tore the straps away, and pulled the little girl into his arms. She clung to him like a barnacle, and he kept her surrounded by his strong arms. He turned and ran out of the Bullhead, towards the hatch. He emerged into the sunlight. He could see his father with Militia troops some distance away, securing the area. He could see his mother already tending to the injured parents.



He saw both of them look up at him. His mother's eyes widened.



"JAUNE! RUN!"



"I-!"



The engines of the burning Bullhead exploded. He fell to his knees, hoping to protect the little girl with his body. Hoping his death let her live, offered what protection he could!



Jaune felt the flames, felt the heat wash over him like a wave at the beach. He felt metal shrapnel hit his body... And bounce off.



He felt his clothes burn... But not his flesh.



He heard the little girl scream, cry. He held her tighter as the flames subsided.



He stood up, the girl safe but shaken in his arms. He blinked and looked down at those arms.



His shirt was burn away. His jeans and shorts were burned to a crisp, barely staying on him. Yet his flesh looked as unblemished and clean as though he'd just gotten out of the bath.



He gawked in disbelief. He looked up. His parents, the militiamen, even Katy... All stared at him in varying degrees of wonder and shock.



What... What just happened...? His mind asked weakly.



- - -



That night, he was back at the Arc farmhouse. He'd gotten checked out, gotten new clothes, and then slipped away to the barn to think.



He sat up in the top rafters, which held a variety of items he'd collected: A telescope, a desk, posters of Huntsmen and images from the Very Large Telescope. A Valean Flag in one corner. All familiar, all comforting. The sounds of the night filled the barn as the stars and broken moon came out.



His parents came up into the rafters, his mother leading. She took a deep breath.



"Jaune? I... I'm sure you have a lot of questions about what happened today," she began. Dad stood nearby her, looking uncharacteristically grim. Jaune slowly nodded.



"I... Yeah," he said. He looked at his hands. "I mean... Did my Aura activate? Is-Is that my Semblance?"



"No," Isabel said quietly. Jaune jerked and stared at her. She shook her head. She walked up to him, and held out her Scroll. She presented an Aura scanning app, something most medics had. She held it over Jaune. It gave no reading. Jaune blinked rapidly.



"But... If I don't have Aura or a Semblance then... What's going on?"



Nick sighed heavily.



"Son? It's time you learned... Well... The truth."



They took him down the stairs, and out of the barn. They went into the nearby copse of trees. In here, Jaune's grandfather had built his wife a replica of a Fuujin-style hotsprings. Next to this was an old storage shed, which had been chained shut as long as Jaune could remember. Nick brought out a key, unlocked it, and pulled the chains loose.



Isabel hugged him tightly.



"Son... I want you to know," Isabel said softly, "We love you. No matter what, okay?"



"Mom, you-you're scaring me," Jaune managed, "Dad too."



Nick opened the shed door. He reached for an old lightswitch, and turned it on.



The light flooded the shed. Jaune blinked rapidly... Then gaped.



It looked like a sleek vehicle-A cockpit in tinted black glass dominated it. Behind the cockpit was a white engine assembly, with fins. At the front of the thing was what almost looked like a radar dome. The metal glistened and almost seemed to move, like a living creature.



"Fourteen years ago, this crashed several miles outside of town," Nick murmured, "Your mother and I were driving home from a Hunter job. We investigated the crash site... And found you inside this thing. We took you with us, hid the thing. We said we'd had you on the mission-It had been a very long one, about a year, after all..."



Jaune's jaw remained dropped. Isabel took over.



"We took a sample of the thing to a friend of ours at Lutetia University. He asked if we got it from a meteorite-He'd never seen the materials in it before. He thought it might have come from... Outside the solar system."



Jaune slowly shook his head.



"You..." He backed away from his mother's embrace. "You're kidding. You're kidding!"

He looked between his father and mother. He looked for the slightest hint that his parents were playing a prank on him.



His father remained stoic. His mother cried silently.



Jaune shook his head and stared at the craft.



"You're not kidding?!" He gasped.



Nick reached down and pressed on the side of the craft. The cockpit swung open. He picked up a small box, and handed it over to Jaune.



"We found this, along with a few blankets," Nick said softly, "We tried to open it, but... It wouldn't budge. Even a hammer didn't break it."



Jaune took the box in shaky hands. It then lit up with blue lines. Lines that danced over the surface of the box, before turning into a strange symbol: An S embedded inside a diamond-shaped shield.



The box emitted a beam... And in an instant, Jaune was elsewhere. He gasped and looked around himself: He was standing in a dark but warm looking home, wide open spaces with what seemed to be open windows looking out over a vast, alien landscape. The ground was burnt orange, with black plants and green and blue crystals jutting out in various shapes. In the distance, he could see buildings made of the same material, stretching up into a yellow sky. Overhead burned a red sun.



"Hello, Kal-El."



Jaune started and turned around. He saw two figures: A man and a woman. The man was tall, athletic, and proud, with blond hair and brown eyes. He wore a black bodysuit underneath a red robe, with the S-Shield symbol on his chest. The woman, also blonde but with blue eyes, had her hair in a neat bun and wore a similar bodysuit. Her robe was blue, with a similar S-Shield symbol on her chest.



"Kal-who?"



"I am Jor-El," the man introduced himself.



"I am Lara," the woman introduced herself, "We are your parents."



"Wha-What?!" Jaune gasped, his knees shaking. Jor-El continued as though Jaune hadn't reacted.



"This is a recording we left for you. For when you learned the truth of your origins," Jor-El said. His face became sad. "I wish we were there with you, son. But this was the only way to save you."



"Save me?! From what?" Jaune demanded.



Lara spoke, her eyes compassionate.



"You are the only survivor of a planet called Krypton. It is approximately 17 lightyears away from the planet you now inhabit. We call it Earth, for its ancient name, but the inhabitants currently call it Remnant. We sent you here to escape Krypton's destruction."



"By now, you will have noticed you are stronger and faster than humans," Jor-El continued, "Even with their ability to enhance themselves with Aura and other means, the yellow Sun of Remnant gives you incredible powers."



"I know this must be a lot to take in, son," Lara said softly, her face heartbreaking beautiful in her sorrow, "I know this must be a great shock. I wish I could be there with you to-to comfort you. To guide you. To love you. Please, tell me... Are you loved? Did kind people find and raise you?"



Jaune took a few deep, calming breaths. His eyes were filled with tears as his entire life seemed to flash before his eyes. He slowly nodded.



"Yes."



Both Jor-El and Lara relaxed. Lara herself smiled.



"I am so glad," Lara spoke softly. "So glad... There is so much for you to know."



"So much we need to tell you," Jor-El added, a slight smile on his face. "I know this world isn't perfect, son. Krypton wasn't either. We were destroyed by our own hubris. We reached such heights, did so many incredible things... But we failed. We fell to our pride, our arrogance."



He shook his head. In a flash, thousands of years of wonders went through Jaune's brain. Art, science, culture-All incredible...



Yet he also saw images of the last days of Krypton. Stagnation, corruption, oppression and xenophobia. He saw his parents fight for what was right and try to do good... All for naught.



Yet most importantly, he saw images of his parents loving him, caring for him, and smiling down at him. He felt a smile come to his own face, despite his tears.



"Beyond survival, Kal, that is why we sent you to Remnant," Jor-El said. Lara nodded.



"They have great potential, Kal," Lara spoke, "Greater than they know. They reached such heights, then fell, then climbed again, then fell... Yet still they try to become greater. Better."



"They can break this cycle, Kal," Jor-El said, "They can be a great people, they wish to. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, we have sent them you..."



He felt hands hold his. He felt his heart fill near to bursting.



"Our only son."



The vision ended. Isabel and Nick were holding his hands, both looking concerned.



"Jaune? Jaune, are you all right?" Isabel asked.



"Son?" Nick whispered, his eyes shiny.



Jaune sniffled... But his smile remained.



"Yeah... Yeah, I'm all right," he said. He glanced up at the stars.



"Everything will be all right... I promise."



- - -



Because hey. He's already a farmboy and a bit of a cornball. Why isekai Superman into this world, when Jaune Arc could fit the bill?



Argh, I really gotta work on all my other stories, but hey: Sometimes you just gotta get a silly idea out.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -



Okay. He had a sidekick now. Wonder-Zwei said he was a partner, which was different than a sidekick, which Jaune accepted. Zwei was just picky like that.



The thing was, he had no idea how to summon Crimson Reaper to aid him in his war on injustice. She just kept showing up!



He was on patrol late one night on the Huntscycle (patent pending) with Zwei in the sidecar, thinking over the many changes this new wrinkle in his superheroic career.



"Hey, how did you get this motorcycle anyway?" He asked.



"Woof."



The Huntsman rolled his eyes behind his mask.



"'It fell off a superhero vehicle truck?' You expect me to believe that?"



"Woof!"



"I'm not complaining, but you could have come up with a better excuse than that!"



"Woof!"



"I'm just saying, if we're superheroes, we shouldn't do bad things for a greater good! That's like a slippery slope!"



"Woof! Woof!"



Jaune blinked.



"Wait, your owner tried to be a superhero? This is his old bike? How did that go?"



"Woof."



The Huntsman winced.



"That bad, huh? Well! Fear not my canine crusader, our own superheroic career will do far better than that lackluster yet worthy war on wantonness!"



"Woof."



"I am not bad at alliteration!" The Huntsman protested. The police band went off, and he listened to the transmission. "Sounds like trouble at the ice rink! Huntsman and Wonder-Zwei, AWAY!"



They raced to the Elsa Memorial Recreation Ice Rink and leaped off their bike. Huntsman dramatically stormed into the rec center. He marched up to the front counter and posed with his hands on his hips, Wonder-Zwei next to him.



"Good citizen! You called 9-1-1?"



The receptionist, a middle aged woman with bushy hair, blinked twice at the masked man and his dog, and then shrugged.



"Er... Well, one of the patrons did. She's in the food court."



"Thank you, good citizen! You should evacuate immediately!" Huntsman declared, rushing past the desk with Wonder-Zwei in tow. The receptionist shrugged and packed up.



"Well I did want a half day anyway, sooo..."



Huntsman and Wonder-Zwei dramatically burst into the food court of the ice rink, fists, weapons and paws ready for action!"



"Halt, evildoer!" Huntsman cried. "You will...!"



He blinked. An ethereal beauty sat on one of the tables, dressed in icy garments that seemed to flow. She wore a blue and silver masquerade ball mask, and held up a rapier badly disguised as an ice wand.



"Hello, Huntsman," the icy woman greeted with a sinister smirk, "Here to melt my icy schemes?"



Huntsman pointed dramatically at the ice woman.



"What manner of diabolical plot have you brought about... Uh..."



"Ice Queen!" The woman declared, "And my sinister plots are-!"



A little boy in a green parka and blue knit hat walked up to her. He smiled with a gap in his front teeth.



"Miss Ice Queen, can I have another snowcone?" He asked.



Ice Queen beamed and patted him on the head.



"Of course sweetie! Here you go!" She used Ice Dust to create snow, which she then packed into a simple cone. She then drizzled it with very expensive looking syrups and handed it to the boy. "I hope you enjoy it!"



"Sure will!" The boy said, "You're the best!"



She cooed over him cutely licking the snowcone. He turned and headed off, waving at her. She waved back cheerfully. She then turned to the Huntsman and smirked.



"Behold! My evil scheme!" She announced.



The Huntsman gasped in horror.



"You-You're using snowcones to mind control small children!" He accused.



Ice Queen blinked, then flushed.



"What?! NO! I would never do something that terrible!"



"Then..." Huntsman racked his brain. "You're making snowcones to turn them into ICE ZOMBIES! Admit it!"



"NO!" The Ice Queen shook her head. "That's even more horrible!"



The Huntsman grumbled and rubbed his chin.



"Then what is your dastardly plot, Ice Queen?"



Ice Queen smirked and spread her hands wide.



"Isn't it obvious?"



Huntsman and Wonder-Zwei looked at eachother, shrugged, then looked back at Ice Queen.



"It is not," Huntsman said. Ice Queen cackled.



"I am giving these poor orphaned children snowcones! So that while they will know happiness from something simple, the sugar will make them hyper and cause tooth decay!"



"YOU FIEND!" The Huntsman cried. He then blinked.



"Wait, they can just avoid that with proper dental hygiene!"



"OF COURSE!" Ice Queen cackled, holding up some toothbrushes and packs of floss, "Which is why I gave each of them some tooth cleaning kits for free!"



"Which contains mind control chemicals to make them your slaves! YOU FIEND!" Huntsman cried again. Ice Queen blanched and shook her head.



"NO! No mind control is involved!" Ice Queen huffed. "But who likes to floss? Certainly not children!"



The Huntsman blinked.



"Is that all you've done?" He asked. Ice Queen cackled again, putting her hands on her slim hips.



"Foolish superhero! I've also put recommendations in for them to be adopted by wonderful families across Remnant! So they will no longer be orphans but happy foster children!"



"YOU..." Huntsman blinked several times. "That's not remotely evil! I mean... Are you sure you're a supervillain?"



Ice Queen stomped in her extremely fashionable boots.



"Of course I am! Indeed, I arranged this entire trap for you, Huntsman! So that you would fall into my clutches!"



Wonder-Zwei, long since bored with the conversation, went to go be cute and steal some snowcones from the happy orphans.



"Okay, so... What diabolical plan do you have for me?" Huntsman asked. Ice Queen blushed and poked her fingers together.



"Oh... You know... Someone so incredibly heroic, uh... Um... W-Well, I was... Thinking we could go for... Ice Cream? On the beach? Sometime?" She cleared her throat. "As part of my evil scheme!"



"WHAT?!"



Huntsman jumped. Red Huntress stormed in, looking furious.



"Red Huntress?!" Huntsman gasped. "So you're in on this too?"



"WHAT?! No!" Red Huntress snarled, glaring at Ice Queen, "I-I have my own evil plots to make you take me for ice cream and a walk on the beach!"



"That... Doesn't sound like an evil scheme," Huntsman pointed out. Red Huntress blushed. Ice Queen growled.



"It is when Red Huntress is horning in on my evil plots with Huntsman! GO GET YOUR OWN!"



"NO! He's MY arch nemesis!" Red Huntress shot back.



"I mean, all you've really done is just come in on Roman and Neo's schemes," Huntsman pointed out. Red Huntress huffed.



"I-M-My entire thing is stealing other villains' schemes to try and get my hands on YOU! That's WAY more evil than some-some ICE BIMBO pretending to be a villainess!"



"HOW DARE YOU!" Ice Queen shot back, shaking her wand, "I'm going to buy all these orphans cookies and sweets so they'll have tummy aches!"



"YAY!" The orphans cheered, "ICE QUEEN IS THE BEST!"



"You're going to have tummy aches!" Ice Queen cried, "It's not a GOOD THING!"



The Huntsman sighed and rubbed his forehead.



"Wonder-Zwei? Have any laws been broken?" He asked his canine compatriot.



Wonder-Zwei paused in eating some pizza off the floor, thought about it, and then replied:



"Woof."



"AHA! A fraudulent 9-1-1 call!" Huntsman cried, pointing to the ceiling. He then pointed it at the two supervillainesses. "Which one of you made a false 9-1-1 call? That's a serious offense I would have to bring you in for!"



Ice Queen and Red Huntress both raised their hands.



"I DID!"



They turned and glared at eachother.



"YOU LIAR!" They shouted in synch.



"I was here first! Clearly I made the call!" Ice Queen declared.



"AHA! But I knew you'd be here so I made the call FIRST!" Red Huntress smirked.



"YOU DID NOT! THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE!" Ice Queen snarled. "You-You balloon chested bimbo who can't think of your own evil schemes!"



"You stick girl loser! You're practically a philantropist!" Red Huntress sneered.



"YOU BITCH!"



Ice Queen tackled Red Huntress. Red Huntress fought back. It wasn't much of a battle, to be honest: Red Huntress was much taller and stronger than Ice Queen. However, Ice Queen made up for this with extremely dirty fighting.



"ICE DOWN YOUR CORSET, YOU STRUMPET!"



"EEEEEP! YOU BRAT!"



Huntsman again cleared his throat.



"Ah, excuse me, you two-?"



"WHORE!"



"SKANK!"



Huntsman growled, stalked over, and grabbed both supervillainesses by the napes of their necks. He held them apart like he had fighting kittens at the farm back home.



"That's enough!" He barked. "You two should know better than to act like that in front of children!"



"We think it was great!" One of the boys cheered, before one of the girls socked him. "OW! HEY!"



Huntsman set them both down and gave them a very stern glare.



"Now, I know you're supervillains... Sort of... But we will do things properly around here! You don't see Roman Torchwick flashing skin in his fights with me, do you? Or using such harsh language! You two better act properly!"



"Yes Daddy," Red Huntress and Ice Queen answered in unison.



Both young women blushed bright red. Huntsman blinked.



"Wait wha-?"



A burst of rose petals announced the appearance of-



"CRIMSON REAPER is here to save the day!" Huntsman's sidekick, who dramatically swung in with her oversized scythe. Huntsman held up his hands.



"Uh, thanks Crimson Reaper, but we're actually sorting this out peacefully."



"NO!" Crimson Reaper cried, putting herself between Ice Queen and Red Huntress and Huntsman, "They're just luring you into an unspeakable trap!"



"N-No! It's not unspeakable!" Insisted Ice Queen with a blush, "Just not in front of children!"



Huntsman gasped.



"Then... You're going to lure me into a trap involving meat grinders and poisonous spiders?"



"N-No!" Ice Queen cried. "Of course not! I was thinking um, silk sheets and-"



"THAT'S WAY MORE DANGEROUS!" Crimson Reaper cried. Huntsman shook his head.



"I don't think it is. What is she doing to do with silk sheets? Tie me up?"



Ice Queen's face turned so red her mask looked like it might melt off. Red Huntress began to drool. Crimson Reaper, bright red, spun her scythe around and hit Huntsman in the stomach.



"URK!"



"OH NO!" Crimson Reaper cried, jerking about in an unconvincingly fashion, "THOSE EVIL SNOWCONES ARE FILLED WITH MIND CONTROL JUICE!"



"Wait what?!" Ice Queen cried. "No they aren't-!"



"I had FOUR and I'm totally doing her will!" Crimson Reaper cried, again smacking Huntsman in the stomach with the butt of her scythe.



"ARGH!"



"OH NO! THIS WAS THEIR EVIL PLAN!" Crimson Reaper shouted desperately, "FLEE HUNTSMAN! YOU'RE OUTNUMBERED!"



"I will not!" Huntsman grabbed Crimson Reaper, disarmed her, and tossed Wonder-Zwei the scythe. The Corgi of Justice caught it in his teeth, as Huntsman restrained Crimson Reaper in a fireman's hold. He glared at Ice Queen.



"You got me to drop my guard and now my sidekick is under your control!" He accused.



Ice Queen flushed.



"N-No, I didn't-!"



"That's so diabolical!" Huntsman glared at her. "From now on, you're my number one archnemesis!"



"WHAT?!" Red Huntress cried angrily. Ice Queen gaped... Then smirked at Red Huntress. She cackled again.



"BWAHAHAHAHA! Yes! See how truly evil I am?! Huntsman, you'll have to put your all into stopping me! Put all your effort into stopping my nefarious plans!"



"Oh I will!" Huntsman declared. Ice Queen flushed.



"And-And I'll make extra special death traps, just for you, so we can be alone together and-ACK!"



Red Huntress punched Ice Queen in the back of the neck, and she dropped like a puppet with her strings cut. Knocked to the ground, Ice Queen crumpled to the floor. Red Huntress cackled.



"And once again, I have stolen another scheme from another pathetic supervillainess!" Red Huntress guffawed, spreading her arms out wide, "Now I will be the one to make orphans smile happily and have tummy aches!"



"You absolute fiend!" Huntsman swore. "I knew no villainess could be as conniving, twisted, and pure evil as you, Red Huntress!" He glared. "You're always going to be my number one!"



Red Huntress... Giggled.



"Y-You mean that?"



"HEY!" Crimson Reaper cried. "I'm the one with mind control juice in me! Take me back to your secret lair and cure me already!"



"Oh, sorry old chum!" Huntsman apologized. He'd nearly completely forgotten! He shot one last glare at Red Huntress and the recovering Ice Queen. "You two are going to be very sorry you disturbed the peace of my city and tried to put my sidekick under mind control! Wonder-Zwei! AWAY!"



The two ran out of the food court. Red Huntress sighed happily as Ice Queen got to her feet. She rubbed the back of her neck and scowled at Red Huntress.



"I don't know who the hell you are, but I'm gonna make you pay!" Ice Queen seethed. Red Huntress giggled. "Hey! Are you listening?!"



"I'm his number one archnemesis again~!" Red Huntress giggled.



"He said BOTH of us!" Ice Queen growled.



"But I'm his archnemesis!" Red Huntress sighed happily.



"Yeah," said one kid, "But Crimson Reaper's his sidekick."



Both supervillainesses paused. They rushed out of the ice rink and onto the street. Huntsman was already driving away with Crimson Reaper in his arms, Wonder-Zwei having called the sidecar after winning rock-paper-scissors.



The Crimson Reaper looked back at the two supervillainesses... And smirked the smuggest smirk they had ever seen.



Ice Queen and Red Huntress growled.



"New plan," Red Huntress stated, "We eliminate the sidekick."



"Agreed!"



- - -



Yeah, this? This feels more my speed.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -



Jaune sighed as he got off the Bullhead onto the Beacon airship dock. It was already raining buckets. He knew the weather was going to turn ugly, but he just had to get the latest issue of Kamen Vale! He was supporting independent creators!



He opened up Crocea Mors and held it over his head. He walked out into the rain, the plinking of the raindrops against his shield already very annoying. He could make out some other students running for cover, or walking slowly with umbrellas.



Why didn't I think of that? Jaune sighed. His nana had hundreds of umbrellas, why hadn't he taken one of hers when he left Radian?



He made it into the Elphaba Gardens, a series of ruins and flowerbeds just outside Beacon proper, and took some refuge under a few pillars. He sighed and pulled out his Scroll: He was going to let his friends know he had made it but it might be a bit because of the rain...



"Meow..."



He paused and looked around. He spotted a black cat a few feet away, sitting on some marble bricks. It was soaked and looked deeply unhappy, as it too sought shelter from the downpour.



Jaune's heart melted.



"Aw..." He knelt down and smiled, holding his fingers out. "Here kitty kitty. Here."



The cat stared at him with bright yellow eyes. Jaune kept smiling.



"It's no fun being cold and wet in the rain, huh?" He asked in a low, even tone. "Come with me and I'll get you dry, warmed up, and fed. How's that?"



The cat considered things for a moment, as though staying out in the rain might be preferable. It then hopped off its bricks, and slowly approached with its tail and head held high. It paused to sniff Jaune's fingers curiously. Jaune kept smiling.



"That's it... You know I mean you no harm," he murmured softly.



The cat again turned up its nose... Before it dashed up to him and leaped into his arms. He cradled the cat against his hoodie, and it nestled into the warm fabric. Jaune chuckled.



"Told ya. Come on, let's get inside."



He held the shield up and ran. The cat curled up against his arm, but still dug its claws into his skin. Geez, even with Aura it smarted!



"You're pretty strong," Jaune said with a smile, "You have to be, to be here."



The cat purred.



- - -



Jaune got to JNPR's common room. He set the cat down, pulled some towels from a closet, and dried it off. It yowled a bit, but soon was purring happily as he gently warmed it up. He then headed to the kitchenette, rummaged through the cabinets, and pulled out some tuna cans. He smiled and opened them, dumping the contents onto a plate he set down on the floor.



"Blake really likes these, so I'm sure you will too," Jaune said, "You're both cats of discerning tastes."



The cat meowed in a way that almost sounded like laughter. Jaune blinked, then shrugged. It was pretty cute, after all.



He poured the cat some cream in a saucer as well, which it lapped up eagerly.



"You must have been starving," Jaune chuckled, "Poor thing."



He sighed as he looked over his clothes. Despite his best efforts, he was soaked.



"I'll be right back," he told the cat. He headed into the dormroom proper. He knocked first, just to ensure no more embarrassing moments.



(Why Pyrrha had THAT sexy a nightie, he had no idea. Nor why she didn't seem all that upset he'd seen her in it.)



He opened the door and looked around. Nobody was in. He frowned, then spotted a note on the desk. He walked over and read it.



Dear Jaune. Nora ran off to the zoo again so Ren and I are going to save her. We'll be back soon. Sorry. Lo-Sincerely Pyrrha.



Jaune smiled and sighed.



"Well, at least I don't have to talk to the cops this time," he sighed. He pulled off his armor and hoodie, then his undershirt. He looked over at the open door: The cat was staring at him. Jaune chuckled as he kept stripping.



"I guess nudity is fine with you-You've only got that fur coat on," he joked. The cat meowed. Jaune shrugged, then went into the shower. He turned it to scorching, and cleaned up. He exited about ten minutes later, feeling refreshed. The cat was still there, watching him. He dressed in a shirt and jeans, and picked the cat and some textbooks up. He walked out into the common room, intent on doing some studying and maybe figuring out what to do with the cat later. It claimed his lap, and he dutifully scratched behind its ears and stroked its back until it was purring happily.



He had just sat down at a desk and broken out his books and Scrolls... When the dormroom door burst open. Blake stood there, sniffing the air.



"Oh, hey Blake," Jaune said with a smile, "I thought it was game night?"



"It is," Blake confirmed, "But I smelled something..." She trailed off as she caught sight of the cat. The cat glanced at Blake with a smug look. Jaune looked down at the cat and then back up at Blake.



"Oh! I found this little guy outside, soaked to the bone," Jaune explained, "So I brought him inside to warm up and have some food. I fed him some tuna you like-Hope you don't mind?"



Blake's jaw dropped. She gaped in disbelief at the cat. Jaune blinked.



"Um... Blake? You okay?"



"I... Well..." Blake tried. "Um..."



The cat... Poofed into a cloud of smoke. In an instant, there was something else in Jaune's lap. A very female, very naked something else."



Jaune stared into yellow eyes. Yellow eyes in a heart-shaped face. A beautiful face attached to a very curvy, athletic and dark-skinned woman with cat ears, purple hair and a very smug expression.



Jaune felt like his entire body broke out in a blush, and he willed his eyes to stay on the cat woman's. She grinned.



"Well! He's certainly an improvement over your last boyfriend, Blake dear," Yoruichi chuckled, "He knows how to handle a pussy very well!"



"AUNT YORUICHI!" Blake screeched.



Jaune's eyes rolled back into his head as he fainted.



- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -



Jaune sighed as he got off the Bullhead onto the Beacon airship dock. It was already raining buckets. He knew the weather was going to turn ugly, but he just had to get the latest issue of Kamen Vale! He was supporting independent creators!



He opened up Crocea Mors and held it over his head. He walked out into the rain, the plinking of the raindrops against his shield already very annoying. He could make out some other students running for cover, or walking slowly with umbrellas.



Why didn't I think of that? Jaune sighed. His nana had hundreds of umbrellas, why hadn't he taken one of hers when he left Radian?



He made it into the Elphaba Gardens, a series of ruins and flowerbeds just outside Beacon proper, and took some refuge under a few pillars. He sighed and pulled out his Scroll: He was going to let his friends know he had made it but it might be a bit because of the rain...



"Meow..."



He paused and looked around. He spotted a black cat a few feet away, sitting on some marble bricks. It was soaked and looked deeply unhappy, as it too sought shelter from the downpour.



Jaune's heart melted.



"Aw..." He knelt down and smiled, holding his fingers out. "Here kitty kitty. Here."



The cat stared at him with bright yellow eyes. Jaune kept smiling.



"It's no fun being cold and wet in the rain, huh?" He asked in a low, even tone. "Come with me and I'll get you dry, warmed up, and fed. How's that?"



The cat considered things for a moment, as though staying out in the rain might be preferable. It then hopped off its bricks, and slowly approached with its tail and head held high. It paused to sniff Jaune's fingers curiously. Jaune kept smiling.



"That's it... You know I mean you no harm," he murmured softly.



The cat again turned up its nose... Before it dashed up to him and leaped into his arms. He cradled the cat against his hoodie, and it nestled into the warm fabric. Jaune chuckled.



"Told ya. Come on, let's get inside."



He held the shield up and ran. The cat curled up against his arm, but still dug its claws into his skin. Geez, even with Aura it smarted!



"You're pretty strong," Jaune said with a smile, "You have to be, to be here."



The cat purred.



- - -



Jaune got to JNPR's common room. He set the cat down, pulled some towels from a closet, and dried it off. It yowled a bit, but soon was purring happily as he gently warmed it up. He then headed to the kitchenette, rummaged through the cabinets, and pulled out some tuna cans. He smiled and opened them, dumping the contents onto a plate he set down on the floor.



"Blake really likes these, so I'm sure you will too," Jaune said, "You're both cats of discerning tastes."



The cat meowed in a way that almost sounded like laughter. Jaune blinked, then shrugged. It was pretty cute, after all.



He poured the cat some cream in a saucer as well, which it lapped up eagerly.



"You must have been starving," Jaune chuckled, "Poor thing."



He sighed as he looked over his clothes. Despite his best efforts, he was soaked.



"I'll be right back," he told the cat. He headed into the dormroom proper. He knocked first, just to ensure no more embarrassing moments.



(Why Pyrrha had THAT sexy a nightie, he had no idea. Nor why she didn't seem all that upset he'd seen her in it.)



He opened the door and looked around. Nobody was in. He frowned, then spotted a note on the desk. He walked over and read it.



Dear Jaune. Nora ran off to the zoo again so Ren and I are going to save her. We'll be back soon. Sorry. Lo-Sincerely Pyrrha.



Jaune smiled and sighed.



"Well, at least I don't have to talk to the cops this time," he sighed. He pulled off his armor and hoodie, then his undershirt. He looked over at the open door: The cat was staring at him. Jaune chuckled as he kept stripping.



"I guess nudity is fine with you-You've only got that fur coat on," he joked. The cat meowed. Jaune shrugged, then went into the shower. He turned it to scorching, and cleaned up. He exited about ten minutes later, feeling refreshed. The cat was still there, watching him. He dressed in a shirt and jeans, and picked the cat and some textbooks up. He walked out into the common room, intent on doing some studying and maybe figuring out what to do with the cat later. It claimed his lap, and he dutifully scratched behind its ears and stroked its back until it was purring happily.



He had just sat down at a desk and broken out his books and Scrolls... When the dormroom door burst open. Blake stood there, sniffing the air.



"Oh, hey Blake," Jaune said with a smile, "I thought it was game night?"



"It is," Blake confirmed, "But I smelled something..." She trailed off as she caught sight of the cat. The cat glanced at Blake with a smug look. Jaune looked down at the cat and then back up at Blake.



"Oh! I found this little guy outside, soaked to the bone," Jaune explained, "So I brought him inside to warm up and have some food. I fed him some tuna you like-Hope you don't mind?"



Blake's jaw dropped. She gaped in disbelief at the cat. Jaune blinked.



"Um... Blake? You okay?"



"I... Well..." Blake tried. "Um..."



The cat... Poofed into a cloud of smoke. In an instant, there was something else in Jaune's lap. A very female, very naked something else."



Jaune stared into yellow eyes. Yellow eyes in a heart-shaped face. A beautiful face attached to a very curvy, athletic and dark-skinned woman with cat ears, purple hair and a very smug expression.



Jaune felt like his entire body broke out in a blush, and he willed his eyes to stay on the cat woman's. She grinned.



"Well! He's certainly an improvement over your last boyfriend, Blake dear," Yoruichi chuckled, "He knows how to handle a pussy very well!"



"AUNT YORUICHI!" Blake screeched.



Jaune's eyes rolled back into his head as he fainted.



- - -



Let's be cool, mods. It's just how Yoruichi rolls. She is a massive troll and tease and she can't help appearing naked when she transforms.

Click to shrink...

Jaune awoke to Blake violently shaking his shoulder. He blinked and looked around: He was lying on a couch. Yoruichi was nowhere to be seen.



"Wha-Who-What-?"



"She's getting dressed in the dormroom," Blake hissed quietly.



"Wait, that was real?!" Jaune gasped in disbelief. Blake nodded with a sigh.



"Yes. Her Semblance lets her transform into a cat, apparently."



Jaune blinked several times, before his face turned bright red again.



"O-Oh... Um... Listen, I had no idea-"



"I know," Blake muttered. She sighed and rubbed her face. "Look: It's really complicated but I need you to... To play along, okay?"



"Play along with what?" Jaune asked, getting back to his feet. Blake opened her mouth to speak, but the door opened. Yoruichi entered, now dressed in black pants, sleek boots, an orange Mistral-style tunic over a black shirt , and her hair tied up in a ponytail.



None of this diminished her attractiveness in the slightest. Jaune's blush was a testament to that.



"Well, now that I'm decent," Yoruichi smirked, winking at the bright red Jaune, "Let's get the important stuff out of the way."



Blake opened her mouth.



"Auntie, I-!"



Yoruichi was in front of Blake in an instant, hugging her tightly. She beamed and nuzzled into the top of Blake's head.



"I'm so glad you're safe. You have any idea how worried we've all been about you?! Your mother is still crying herself to sleep every night! But thank God you're safe and away from those monsters."



Blake stammered.



"A-Auntie, I didn't-I mean-They weren't monsters! At-At the start," Blake allowed.



Yoruichi gave Blake a grave expression. She lifted her Scroll and activated the holographic projector. A beautiful tiger Faunus woman in a tanktop and robes was sitting on a throne and smiling. Next to her stood a tall young man with horns and spiky hair, wearing black robes and a mask over his eyes. Blake's eyes widened in horror as the recording began.



"Your daughter is doing well, Ghira and Kali," the woman spoke, a slight smirk on her face, "She serves our mission very well. She is in excellent health. She will continue to do so as long as you abide by our agreement." The tiger Faunus' smirk grew just a bit.



"Have no fear. When you are ready to step down, Blake will be more than ready to assume your leadership role... With myself as advisor, and Adam her worthy consort and protector." Sienna gestured to the man. Her smile became outright venomous as Adam nodded.



"We will purge the weakness from Menagerie, and humanity will be where they should be: Under our feet. I look forward to the day I can call you Father and Mother."



Blake's jaw dropped. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. Jaune, unable to think of anything better, put an arm around her shoulders to support her as her knees wobbled.



Yoruichi shut off the Scroll, her face grim.



"They... All... All this time...?" Blake whispered, shaking.



Jaune guided her down to the couch as she trembled. Yoruichi knelt down to look Blake in the eyes and took her hands between hers.



"I've been trying to get in and rescue you for years, Blake," Yoruichi said softly, "But Sienna was trained in my arts too. And with the threat to your life? All I could do was keep an eye on you. If I could have gotten you out, I would have... I am so sorry, Blake."



Blake cried. She cried ugly, and loudly. Jaune, again bereft of ideas, pulled her into a hug. She sobbed into his chest, her shoulders shaking. He awkwardly patted her on the back, trying to sooth her.



"It's okay... It's okay," Jaune whispered.



It took her some time to pull herself together, but Blake managed it. Her eyes were red, and she was still sniffling, but she managed to face Yoruichi.



"No... I-I'm sorry," she whispered, "I-I was so stupid...!"



Yoruichi smiled and squeezed Blake's hand.



"We all are when we're young," Yoruichi said back, "But wisdom is acknowledging it, and striving to do better."



Blake nodded slowly. She sucked in a few calming breaths. She looked up at Jaune and flushed, before glancing away.



"Th-Thank you," she mumbled. Jaune smiled and shrugged awkwardly.



"I uh... It's okay," he said, "It's what you needed."



Yoruichi smiled.



"So... I take it Ozpin let you in?"



Blake nodded.



"He-He said he would offer me sanctuary... A chance to start over. He... Has he told my parents?"



"Yes," Yoruichi said, "But they wanted me to make sure you were all right. And that you were happy. Are you happy, Blake?"



Blake was silent, considering. She took another deep breath.



"I am," she said, "Happier than I was. Adam though-"



"We'll deal with him," Yoruichi said firmly, squeezing Blake's hands between hers. "He's dangerous, yes, but we will stand up to him."



Blake slowly nodded. Yoruichi smiled.



"So... Would you like to talk to your parents now?"



Blake's ears flattened against her skull. She slowly shook her head.



"I... I can't. Not right now," she said quietly.



"They will forgive you," Yoruichi encouraged, "They love you."



"That's what I'm afraid of," Blake muttered. Yoruichi sighed then shrugged.



"Well, it is up to you. I will just tell them you're all right," she said. She then smirked devilishly. "And that you have a handsome human boyfriend."



Jaune's eyes widened.



"Wait what?!" Jaune yelped. Yoruichi glared, a knife suddenly appearing in her hand. A knife she now had pointed at Jaune's throat.



"She is the princess of Menagerie, after all. No man should be so familiar with her unless he's seeking marriage."



Jaune gaped.



"N-No, I mean, we're friends-sort of-I'm just-!"



Blake took his hand and nodded frantically.



"Y-Yes! He's my boyfriend!" She babbled.



Jaune's eyes widened.



"Wha-?!"



"In fact, we're engaged!" Blake cried again.



"Blake, wha-!"



"I'M PREGNANT WITH HIS CHILD!" Blake blurted out.



Yoruichi pulled her knife away, all smiles.



"Well well! Good for you two! I'll report that to your parents! They'll be thrilled! I'll check up on you from time to time to see how the baby is coming along~! Bye~!"



With that, Yoruichi threw down a smoke bomb. When the fumes cleared, she was long gone. Jaune opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again as he turned to stare at the mortified Blake.



"Blake what in the fu-?!"



"I PANICKED!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Name: Warden Schnee
Allusion: Yukon Cornelius, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Naming Process: Warden means "to watch" or "to guard". It comes from the Old French word wardein, which means "guardian".
Age: 30s-40s
Background: The Schnees were once a family of modest means, until Nicholas Schnee discovered a new process of mining Dust that made him rich overnight. His two children, Warden and Willow, took different paths as their father founded the Schnee Dust Company: Warden went to trade and engineering school and became the top man for mining in the company, while Willow went to university and received training to become an upper class lady. The siblings, however, were inseparable and loved one another very much. With Willow handling the social arena and Warden the no-nonsense chief of operations, the SDC grew into one of the biggest companies in Atlas. However, all was not well. Nicholas died, and Willow's husband, Jacques Schnee, took over as CEO. He and Warden butted heads on almost everything. While Jacques had the backing of the board of directors and Willow (in most things), Warden had the backing of the workers and laborers. Things remained tense between Jacques and Warden: Even more so when Winter, Weiss and Whitley were born. Warden was very protective of his nieces and nephew, and acted as more of a father figure to them than Jacques ever did. At some point during a security breach, Warden was killed by White Fang terrorists. Jacques subsequently took direct control over the mining operations and while his efforts made the SDC into one of the richest companies on Remnant, it also ruined its reputation. Willow always suspected Jacques had something to do with Warden's death, but could never prove it.
Race: Human
Emblem: The Schnee Family Emblem
Weapon: "Lucky Strike" - A Dust Enhanced Pickaxe
Semblance: Schnee Family Semblance "Glyphs"
Allowed Warden to summon Glyphs he could combine with Dust to produce a wide variety of effects for combat, though he mainly used it mining.
Appearance: Tall, broad man with a bushy white beard, white hair, blue eyes. Slim jaw he hid with his beard. Heavily muscled. Scars on his hands and face from a Dust explosion years back.
Outfit: Dark blue coveralls, heavy boots, heavy leather gloves, hardhat. Simple trousers, button up shirt, tie and jacket when casual.
Personality: Stoic and professional, most of the time, but could be very hot blooded and courageous. When angry, was terrifying to behold. Deeply loved his family. Was not particularly concerned with wealth or appearances but did dress properly for public events. Valued his employees very dearly, even got heavily scarred saving several from a Dust explosion in a mine. Hated Jacques and never trusted him. Was said to be able to smell and taste Dust when it was near, and was an exceptional Dust miner and prospector.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Nora and Ren had fled Amity Stadium when the attack began, calling their rocket lockers to get their gear. After that? They had charged into the fight. There was no shortage of enemies to engage, after all.

The library already had several small fires,

"YEEHAH!" Nora cried, bringing Magnhild down on the head of a small Ursa. Ren, as always, covered her, firing Stormflower to take out a few Beowulves flanking them. Several civilians ran by, and Nora cheerfully waved them towards the evacuation route with her hammer.

"That way! No, THAT way! You got it!"

Nora sighed and shook her head and scanned around as the civilians ran. Ren slowly nodded. He reached out to pat her forearm. She smiled and reached out to pat his back. It was reassuring. He didn't need to say anything at times like this.

"Think the VDF will help?" Nora asked, her eyes scanning the skies overhead.

Ren shook his head.

"I don't know. The Atlas fleet left." His eyes widened slightly as he saw a Nevermore fly towards them. Beacon's autoguns were supposed to be firing, but there was no cannon fire to keep the airborne Grimm at bay.

Ren held up his guns and opened fire on it. Nora quickly dashed forward and swung her hammer to deflect a feather it launched. She hit the feather away, as Ren's Dust rounds tore through the Grimm. It fell, dissolving into smoke and dust before it hit the ground.

"KEEP GOING!" Nora shouted at the civilians, who ran as hard as they could.

A platoon of Atlasian drones walked around a corner, their guns raised. They pointed their weapons at the fleeing civilians. Ren scowled.

They're intentionally targeting civilians. Not Hunters, he thought.

"NORA!"

Nora swung around and unleashed a series of grenades at the drones. She aimed them to explode just ahead and above them, targeting their heads. Multiple drones fell back, their sensors and fronts damaged, but the ones behind began to open fire. Nora charged in with the smoke as cover, breaking some Lightning Dust in her fist to charge her Semblance. She swung her hammer down and unleashed her grenades on the first Drone she could hit. The grenades went off and propelled her up into the air. With great practice, she flipped and twisted around as she flew over the heads of the drones.

In unison, the robots pointed their weapons upwards and opened fire. Dust Rounds shot all around her as Nora unleashed another barrage of grenades at the top of her arc. Several drones went up in the explosions as Nora landed behind them. She charged into them, swinging her hammer as hard as she could. Drones went flying as wrecked chunks of metal.

She heard a Grimm snarl behind her. She glanced back over her shoulder-A Beowulf charged.

Ren's Stormflower was going off nearby. She could imagine him charging to try and get a shot off on the Beowulf. Trying to save her, as he always did. She grinned.

Nora knew death. She knew it all too well. She knew it could come at any time and life was cruel. It was why she tried to make the most of life, to have fun and spread joy.

To grin in the face of death, because tears had never done anything for her or Ren. Whether she lived or died, she would refuse to yield to Death and cry in the face of it.

"YEEHAAAAAA!" Nora cheered, pulling up her hammer to fight on!

- - -

Everyone stared at Nora. She sniffled softly, but smiled like the sun.

"Geez Nora," Yang murmured. Nora nodded.

"Which is when Jaune-Jaune and Maya came in," Nora said.

- - -

Jaune couldn't tell if the screams he heard in the distance were from civilians, students, or members of the White Fang. He hoped that most of the screams came from the attacking terrorists getting their just desserts, but that was mostly angry wishful thinking. Everything was a mess, and despite all the time he had spent at Beacon, things had gotten very chaotic with all the damage.

They ducked into a heavily damaged administrative building and ran down a hallway. There weren't any enemies in here but the constant sounds of destruction followed them.

Over those sounds of battle, he was able to hear something very familiar:

Nora screaming.

"May!" Jaune shouted as they scrambled through the ruins of some study rooms, "I hear Nora! Can you see her?"

Jaune almost immediately regretted asking: He was hoping the sniper's sharp eyes or hearing would help zero in on things. She was, after all, a sniper. That required good senses and May had been incredibly on the ball in their fight at the tournament. But they weren't even near a window! What was he thinking? He expected her to tell him off.

Instead, May turned her head and her visible eye began to glow gently. She scanned around and looked right through the solid wall to their left.

"There!" She pointed. Jaune had a few questions but they could be solved properly with some violence. He charged and smashed through the wall, bashing a large hole through the wall. He could see Nora all right, on the promenade around the library. She was battling some drones. A Beowulf charged her from behind. She turned to swing her hammer at the monster, but even from this distance Jaune could tell she wouldn't make it in time.

"MAY!" Jaune shouted. May raised her rifle as Jaune moved to the side. She locked on and pulled the trigger. The Dust round shot through the air and pierced the Grimm through its head. It dissolved into dust, as Nora swung around. The bombastic orangette turned and grinned as she spotted them.

"JAUNE-JAUNE!"

Jaune and May headed across the promenade towards Nora. Several Beowulves raced around a corner, snarling.

The first was a scout, Jaune reasoned, May can't fire on the move…!

Ren's Stormflower rang out, and several of the Beowulves fell. Nora charged to meet them, swinging her hammer and unleashing several grenades. More Grimm fell to the blasts, but a few raced through and zeroed in on May. Jaune stopped and stepped in front of May. He swung his sword, slicing the first lunging Grimm's head in half. Another tried to flank him, but he bashed it in the head with his shield and sent it flying.

Nora charged past Jaune's right side and swung her hammer down, unleashing another blast against a pair of Beowulves, reducing them to ash. Ren appeared out of the smoke, taking Jaune's left side and unleashing more fire on the Grimm.

"Great to see you!" Nora shouted happily, swinging her hammer around to punt a Grimm up and away.

"Getting to the tower is going to be difficult," Ren said, "There's a lot of Grimm and White Fang concentrated around this route."

Jaune nodded and glanced at May, who was staying behind him and taking shots at Grimm.

"Can you find us a way, May?" Jaune shouted over the gunfire. May bit her lower lip, and her eyes began to glow once more. She scanned around, as Jaune gutted a Beowulf that got through Ren and Nora's attacks.

"There!" She cried, "Back towards the Elphaba Courtyard! We could try that way! We would need to cut through the library!"

"Wait, what?!" Nora shouted, punching a Grimm out while swinging her hammer through another, "Do you have future sight?!"

"Um, uh, I can see Aura. M-My Semblance is Aura Vision!" May quickly explained.

- - -

"That's a hell of a Semblance," Yang observed. May slowly nodded, having recovered her composure somewhat. May sighed.

"Y-Yeah… I can see people's Souls and…" She bowed her head.

"I can see when they…"

Ruby tightened her hug around her fellow sniper. May sniffled. Yang's face fell.

To see people's souls leave their bodies? To see the moment they die?

God… I can't even imagine that. I don't think I want to.

"Anyway," Jaune said gently, "This is when we… We found you. With Blake."

Yang sucked in a deep breath. Everyone looked over at her. She shrugged as her eyes went down to the coffee table.

"I was in my dorm, under house arrest still," Yang muttered. "I tried to find my team. I fought through some Grimm. I got to the library. I saw that… That Adam guy standing over Blake."

She paused again, a flash of pain going through her artificial arm.

"I charged… Then I…"

She reached over and squeezed her artificial forearm. She clenched her synthetic fist and took another deep breath.

Ruby squeezed her hand again. She could feel Jaune's hand rest on her forearm. She looked up into Jaune's eyes. He had nothing but empathy in his expression, a heartbreaking understanding.

Yang took a few deep breaths to calm down.

God…

"I… I passed out when he…" A heavy silence fell, as the logs in the fireplace crackled.

"Maybe we could take a break?" Neptune suggested quietly. Yang slowly shook her head.

"No. No, we keep going," she stated. "Jaune?"

Jaune nodded back, his face grim.

"Right. Anyway, we tried to figure out a way to get to Pyrrha…"

- - -

Another Grimm charged through the melee, snarling. Ren stepped forward and thrust his open palm out. A flash of Pink Aura erupted from his hand and knocked the Grimm towards Jaune. Jaune swung his sword through the Grimm, cutting it in half.

Nora pouted, kicking a Beowulf in the face and sending it flying.

"Awww! I wanted to meet someone who could see the future!"

"That would just spoil everything," Ren deadpanned. Nora beamed, firing off a few grenades at a few more Grimm trying to come around the corner. They exploded from the force of the explosions, as Ren fired more rounds to take out the survivors.

"You're right Renny! Welcome aboard, May-May! We're gonna save Pyrrha!"

"Absolutely!" Jaune stated. "Nora! May! Which way?"

May pointed towards the furthest door of the library, parts of the building on fire. Well, nothing for it. Jaune nodded. He rummaged through his packs and tossed Ren some spare clips.

"MOVE! Ren! Give us cover!"

Nodding gratefully, Ren swapped out the clips and fired a barrage. May and Nora rushed behind Jaune and Ren, heading into the library. Ren went next, still firing, while Jaune brought up the rear with his shield and sword up. They made it through the door into the library. The tall windows were broken, furniture was broken and books were in piles all over the place. May had come to a stop in the middle of the library, scanning around, while Nora had charged ahead to the other side of the reading room, looking around.

"Lotta bad guys this way, Jaune-Jaune!" Nora said.

"Agreed," May said with a wince, "A lot of White Fang, Grimm and…"

She looked over at the door into another reading room. She narrowed her eyes to focus.

"Someone's in there!" She cried. "Two people! I-I think one is Injured!"

Jaune headed in, his sword and shield ready. Ren followed, Stormflower at the ready. Nora maintained cover to their rear as May lifted her rifle up, both Huntresses following into the reading room.

The first thing Jaune noticed was a shock of blonde hair on the floor. His heart clenched as he made out Yang's fallen form on the floor and ice seemed to drop into his stomach. There was a pool of blood underneath her. Her face was pale and her eyes were closed.

No… Oh God, please, no…!

He wasn't as close to Yang as he was to Ruby, but to see her on the ground like this? Missing an arm?

A familiar black and white clad girl was kneeling by Yang, trying to wrap up her arm with torn strips of fabric she'd gotten from the curtains. She looked up in alarm, her breathing labored and blood dripping from her lips.

"Jaune?" She gasped.

"Blake?!"

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The poster says you shouldn't take this too seriously, and you take it too seriously. Freaking nerds, all of you.

That said, however...

- - -

Jaune Arc checked the address. He looked at the apartment building that had definitely seen better days. He checked the address again. He shook his head.

He walked up to the door, and knocked on it. He waited.

The door opened a crack.

"H-Hey, so, um, the rent's gonna be a little late and I know you're angry but-"

"Ruby?" Jaune asked. The door fully opened. The girl's silver eyes widened. She was in nothing but her panties and what looked like her old uniform shirt from Beacon-Which had been patched several times.

"Jaune?!" Ruby gasped. Her face brightened, and she hugged him. "JAUNE!"

He hugged her back tightly, laughing. He swung her around. He then set her back down. Ruby pouted up at him.

"You keep getting taller! It's not fair!"

"Sorry, it's how it works," Jaune said with a shrug. Ruby beamed.

"What brought you here?"

"Oh, well, uh, my sister Lilac is finally getting married and I wanted to invite you all," he said, "I couldn't seem to find your Scroll number anymore, so I tracked you down."

"Ruby? Who is it?" Yang's voice echoed from inside. "If it's the landlady, I'll handle it! What's one more concussion to her-?"

She came around the corner and gaped. She too was in very little.

"J-Jaune!" Yang gasped happily. Jaune waved, keeping his eyes on her forehead.

"Hey Yang!"

"Jaune?!" Weiss gasped. She poked her head around the corner. Her eyes widened. She then sped up to him, dressed in a house dress that had seen far better days. "Please! Come in! Don't mind the mess! Or our state of dress! Have some tea!"

"Hey Weiss! I uh, sure, no problem...?" Jaune managed. He took in the state of their dwelling with a growing sense of disbelief every step he took. Spartan was a good word for it. Cluttered as well: Pieces of weapons, mending or drying clothes, and endless job applications. It was amazing how it seemed so barebones and so messy at the same time.

Blake was outside on the cluttered balcony, sunning herself in her bra and panties. Weiss scowled at her.

"Blake! We have a visitor!"

Blake rolled over and paid Jaune with an intense stare.

"Jaune?" She gasped.

"Ah, hey," Jaune said with a smile as Weiss set him down at their ragged table. Blake got up and pulled on her yukata-Which had also seen better days.

"What are you doing here? N-Not that it's not nice to see you, and all," Blake managed.

"It's amazing you know his name," Yang snarked, "Given how little you talked to him since we met."

"It's amazing you treat him nicely, given how you barely acknowledged his existence, too," Blake growled back. The two began to bicker as Weiss brought over some tea and Ruby sat with Jaune.

"They broke up, it was messy," Ruby confided in him. Jaune slowly nodded, and took tea from Weiss with a strained, polite smile.

"Ah. Thank you, Weiss."

"Anything for you, Jaune," Weiss said with a smile.

Jaune sipped the tea and hid his grimace-He'd had to endure his sister's experiments in tea for a long time, after all. An ironing board fell out of the wall, which Ruby caught just in time before it brained him.

"Ah, sorry!" Ruby said, shoving it back into place, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just fine," Jaune said with a smile. "I uh... So..." He looked around, "This... Doesn't seem like where I expected you all to be."

Blake and Yang paused in their fighting. Ruby's smile became very brittle. Blake coughed.

"Ah, well... I mean, with the Grimm vanishing and all... And my parents being voted out of office for gross incompetence..." Blake shrugged.

"What a shocker that was," Weiss snarked. Blake glared death at the Schnee heiress.

"Like you can talk! Your father's entire empire collapsed overnight and left you nothing!"

"Well-I-You-!" Weiss sputtered before she huffed.

"At the very least, we're not Yang and Ruby!"

"HEY!" Yang and Ruby growled.

"So what if he's a deadbeat?!" Yang demanded. "He wasn't pure evil OR a politician!"

"And I'm sure he's totally happy with that rich heiress who won't get bored of him when she gets out of her DILF fetish!" Weiss sneered.

"Why you-!"

Ruby cleared her throat. Very loudly. Yang and Weiss stopped but kept glaring at each other. Blake was also angry but kept silent.

"So... How are things with you?" Ruby managed with forced cheer.

Jaune sipped his tea and debated internally about how to break this... And decided to be tactful.

"I'm good. I'm almost finished with medical school, and my mom's got a residency lined up for me at our hospital," he said.

Four pairs of eyes all looked intently at him.

"You-You're a doctor?" Weiss sputtered.

"Well um, I got into medical school before I ran off to Beacon," Jaune said, "Pretty sure I mentioned it a few times?"

Blank stares. Even on Ruby. Jaune sighed.

Well, it's not like I remember everything they told me about their lives, right?

"But I wanted to be a Huntsman so bad... But uh, yeah. My Semblance makes it pretty easy, too. I've been staying at the family farm while I studied and I've also been working at the brewery."

"You... Your family owns a brewery?" Yang asked. Jaune nodded.

"Yeah. A big one. We expanded it along with the farm last year..."

"Oh... That... That's great, Jaune," Ruby said with a smile, "That's super great! Good for you!"

"Very," Blake muttered, staring at Jaune with a strange expression. Yang blinked rapidly, then looked to the side.

"So uh..."

"Um..."

"Er..."

Jaune looked at all the girls. He really did care for them, honest! Even after everything. How could you not be fond of the people you saved the world with?

"Right, well," Jaune coughed, "Like I said, I'm inviting you all to my sister's wedding." He held out the invitations. Each girl took one.

"Oh, wonderful," Weiss sighed, "I got to work a wedding once! I got to take home some of the cake leftovers... Er... Um..." Her eyes dipped.

"Least you got to keep your leftovers," Yang grumbled. "I came out of a cake at a bachelor party. Couldn't keep anything..."

Silence fell. The ironing board fell onto his head. Naturally, his Aura protected him. But as the ironing board had none, it snapped in two and fell to the floor.

"Oh no!" Ruby cried, falling to her knees. "I'm so sorry Jaune-Oh no! How do I fix this?!"

"We could steal the neighbor's ironing board," Blake suggested.

"They added more pitbulls," Weiss whined.

"And those bites hurt," Yang groaned.

Jaune finally came to a decision.

"You know what? There's a cottage on our land," he said, "That you all can stay in, since we've got so many guests in the house. It's small, but it has four bedrooms. You all can stay."

Four pairs of eyes again stared at him. Jaune smiled.

"I mean, you girls really could use a vacation, with how hard you've been working," he said, "And uh, you'll have to clean it and maintain it. And maybe do some chores around the farm. But other than that? You'd be fine to stay while you... You figure things out."

"We-We wouldn't want to impose," Weiss said, her manners coming into play, "Or be a-a burden-"

"Do you have hot water?" Yang asked, direct as always. Jaune nodded. Yang cheered. "YES! We're in! Um, for the wedding! N-Not that-I mean, work will just have to get along without us!"

"Weddings are more importan than our careers after all!" Blake nodded furiously. "We-We can help with that too!"

"Only if you want," Jaune said with a smile, "You're my guests, after all."

"Absolutely!" Weiss gushed. "I love weddings! Do you think I can keep leftovers?"

"All you like," Jaune said with a nod.

Ruby hugged Jaune tightly. She sniffled.

"Thank you," she whispered into his ear, "Thank you...!"

Jaune patted her on the back with a smile.

"Hey... We world-saving heroes have to stick together, right?"

After all, they were his friends. They'd been there for him in his darkest hours.

... Well okay, Nora and Ren had been there for him in his darkest hours. And sometimes Ruby and Yang. Once Weiss... Never Blake... But the point was, they were his friends, and he was definitely not going to let them stay in a ratty apartment if he could help it. Heck, being here with them like this? It felt like old times.

If he had to massage the truth a little to let them keep their pride? He would do it. It was worth it.

There was a very insistent knock at the door. The eyes of all four girls widened.

"Crap, it's the landlady!" Yang hissed.

"Out the back window!" Blake wailed. "Take everything you can carry!"

"Don't forget the coupons!" Ruby cried. "Or my tools!"

Yup. Definitely just like old times.

- - -

Titanmaster_117 Just a fun little continuation if you'd like to expand on the idea. It would be pure crack and silliness but hey, that is the original premise you went with and I hope I kept the spirit of the piece.

Click to shrink...

They made it to Jaune's car. Which Ruby goggled at for a bit.

"It's a... Truck?" Ruby asked in disbelief. It was a large, four door pickup truck: Dark blue and white coloring. The Weyland Motors badge was proudly displayed on the nose of the mighty mechanical beast, underneath some heavy bullbars.

Jaune grinned and shrugged.

"My parents helped me to buy it when I graduated. And hey, it works very well right now doesn't it?"

The huge pile of belongings they tossed into the truck bed was answer enough. Jaune slid into the driver's seat while the rest of RWBY clambered in.

"I called shotgun!" Ruby protested, struggling with Yang.

"I'm the oldest! I call it!" Yang growled.

"I-I secretly called it!" Weiss shouted, struggling weakly to pull one of the two sisters out.

Blake, not caring, just took the backseat.

A shotgun blast went over the top of the truck. Everyone looked back to see a very angry woman in a bathrobe, hair curlers, and wielding a shotgun shake her fist at them.

"YOU LYING NO GOOD CHEAPSKATES! WHEN I GET DONE WITH YOU I'LL-!"

"Okay, I'm fine with being in the back!" Ruby declared, appearing in the back with her Semblance. Weiss sat down with her while Yang settled into the front. Jaune turned the key and put the truck into gear. He floored it and raced off, the landlady firing off a few more shots at them but thankfully missing each time.

"Did... Did she set it to miss?" Jaune asked as he pulled out onto the freeway. Blake shrugged.

"She's a little blind in one eye."

"Oh, poor thing," Jaune sighed.

A pause.

"Are we going to have to drive the whole way to Radian kneedeep in rose petals?" Weiss asked tiredly.

"Why are you complaining?!" Ruby demanded.

"It's just a bit much, okay?!"

"I got used to it," Yang shrugged.

Blake was batting at some of the petals with a broad smile.

"I'm having a great time," she said. "Can we stop for tuna?"

Jaune burst out laughing. All the girls turned and stared at him. Yang reached out her hand to rest it on his shoulder.

"Are... Are you okay, Jaune?"

The blond young man grinned.

"Oh... Nothing. I just missed you guys."

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

They made it to Jaune's car. Which Ruby goggled at for a bit.

"It's a... Truck?" Ruby asked in disbelief. It was a large, four door pickup truck: Dark blue and white coloring. The Weyland Motors badge was proudly displayed on the nose of the mighty mechanical beast, underneath some heavy bullbars.

Jaune grinned and shrugged.

"My parents helped me to buy it when I graduated. And hey, it works very well right now doesn't it?"

The huge pile of belongings they tossed into the truck bed was answer enough. Jaune slid into the driver's seat while the rest of RWBY clambered in.

"I called shotgun!" Ruby protested, struggling with Yang.

"I'm the oldest! I call it!" Yang growled.

"I-I secretly called it!" Weiss shouted, struggling weakly to pull one of the two sisters out.

Blake, not caring, just took the backseat.

A shotgun blast went over the top of the truck. Everyone looked back to see a very angry woman in a bathrobe, hair curlers, and wielding a shotgun shake her fist at them.

"YOU LYING NO GOOD CHEAPSKATES! WHEN I GET DONE WITH YOU I'LL-!"

"Okay, I'm fine with being in the back!" Ruby declared, appearing in the back with her Semblance. Weiss sat down with her while Yang settled into the front. Jaune turned the key and put the truck into gear. He floored it and raced off, the landlady firing off a few more shots at them but thankfully missing each time.

"Did... Did she set it to miss?" Jaune asked as he pulled out onto the freeway. Blake shrugged.

"She's a little blind in one eye."

"Oh, poor thing," Jaune sighed.

A pause.

"Are we going to have to drive the whole way to Radian kneedeep in rose petals?" Weiss asked tiredly.

"Why are you complaining?!" Ruby demanded.

"It's just a bit much, okay?!"

"I got used to it," Yang shrugged.

Blake was batting at some of the petals with a broad smile.

"I'm having a great time," she said. "Can we stop for tuna?"

Jaune burst out laughing. All the girls turned and stared at him. Yang reached out her hand to rest it on his shoulder.

"Are... Are you okay, Jaune?"

The blond young man grinned.

"Oh... Nothing. I just missed you guys."

- - -

Click to shrink...

These should probably be one chapter but oh well...

- - -

They drove from Vale on the new highway up towards Gallia, the sub-kingdom Radian was in. After the war, with the diminishing numbers of Grimm, construction was massively easier across all of Remnant and new areas opened up for resource exploitation and colonization.

Everywhere they looked along the journey was contruction: Building new homes, new businesses, new lives for people everywhere.

"HEY BUDDY MOVE IT!"

Jaune sighed and rolled down the window of the truck. He poked his head out to stare at the motorist shaking his fist and honking his horn at him in a red sportscar. One vehicle amid hundreds all now moving like snails on the highway.

"I can't! It's a jam!" He shouted back.

"YOU COULD MOVE UP A FOOT!"

"I'm not moving up a foot! A foot is nothing!" Jaune argued back.

"IT'S A FOOT CLOSER TO MY DESTINATION!"

Jaune sighed and pulled his head back. He rolled the window back up.

"This sucks!" Ruby groaned, glaring at the miles of cars ahead of them, "There are five lanes, how are they all jammed?!"

"According to Jaune's Scroll," Weiss reported, scrolling through data on the communications device, "A construction crane stalled and caused some accidents several miles ahead."

"Great," Ruby sighed. She grabbed the Scroll. "I wanna game!"

"No! No! I'm looking into dresses for the wedding!" Weiss insisted. "W-We need to look our best for Jaune...'s sister's wedding!"

"There's a dress shop in Radian," Jaune said with a smile, "And my sisters have a LOT of old dresses, believe me. We'll find you all something great, I promise."

Weiss blushed and smiled warmly.

"I-Thank you Jaune," she said.

"Yeah," Ruby nodded.

"Completely," Yang added.

Blake was trying to sleep.

Ruby pulled on the Scroll again.

"I want to game! It's been months!"

"NO! I'm going to look up the dress shop in Radian!" Weiss growled.

"You can WAIT! I need some stimulation!" Ruby whined. "This is soooo boring!"

"At least it's not aggravating like listening to you whine!" Weiss seethed.

Jaune sighed, reached back, and took his Scroll back. He looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

"Guys? Just share it," he said, "It's okay."

"Besides, he can't exactly turn this thing around and go home," Yang joked. Ruby and Weiss flushed.

"Ahem," Weiss managed, "Sorry Jaune... And Ruby. I guess."

"Hmph!" Ruby huffed. She sighed heavily. "Sorry Jaune. Sorry Weiss."

"It's fine," Jaune nodded, "It's been an exciting day."

He handed the Scroll back and the two friends began to scroll on the device in peace. Jaune looked over at Yang, who shot him a strange little smile.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing," Yang said softly. Jaune blinked, then mentally shrugged as he looked back out the windscreen. Still a sea of slowly moving cars as far as the eye could see, sadly.

The guy behind them honked more loudly. Jaune rolled his eyes.

"Want me to shut him up?" Yang asked with a grin and wink. She held up her fists. Jaune shook his head.

"No. He's just blowing off steam," he shrugged. "Not like he can hurt us or anything."

The horn got louder. Blake grumbled and opened her eyes.

"Idiot," Blake hissed. She opened the window and looked back out at the driver. "Hey! Knock it off! We're all stuck!"

"Stuff it, you cat bitch!" He shouted back.

Jaune growled. Yang's eyes flashed red. Weiss and Ruby scowled.

"HEY! That's racist!" Blake shouted. "Are you anti-Faunus?!"

The man pulled his hat off, revealing dog ears.

"NO! I hate Cat Faunus!"

Blake gasped and then growled.

"You only hate us because we're better than you in every way, you flea bitten mongrel!"

"Uptight feline cunt!"

"TOILET WATER GUZZLER!"

"SAND BOX SHITTER!"

"Okay, that's enough!" Ruby said worriedly, pulling Blake back in. Yang helpfully rolled the window back up, reaching over Jaune's lap to the controls. Jaune coughed.

Weiss smirked a bit.

"Well, well, well... I suppose stereotypes are fine when a Faunus does it?" She snarked.

"NO!" Blake growled. "It's not a stereotype if it's true! Dog Faunus are all bastards! And they're just jealous of us! It's not racism when Faunus do it to other Faunus!"

"I can't imagine how your parents ever lost their election," Weiss drawled. Blake growled.

"I can't imagine how your dad lost his fortune!"

"You little-!"

Ruby winced. Yang turned, reached back and shoved them apart.

"Will you two quit it already?!" She demanded. "It's gonna be a long enough drive as it is!"

"You'd take her side!" Blake sniffed. "You're a dog lover!"

"I'm taking the side that's NOT MAKING EVERYONE MISERABLE!"

Jaune checked the clock and the fading light. The sun was already going down behind the Albus mountains. He sighed heavily.

"Hey," he said, "We're near the exit for Edge. How about we stop there at a hotel and resume the trip tomorrow? The wedding's in ten days after all."

"Sounds GREAT!" Ruby insisted with a strained smile.

"Yes, just fine," Weiss muttered, scowling at Blake. Blake scowled back at her and Yang, but nodded. Yang pulled back and sighed, nodding in agreement.

"Sounds good to me..."

They inched their way to the exit, the dog Faunus in the red sportscar honking the whole way. Jaune sighed in relief as they got into turning distance.

"Finally," he muttered. "Okay, here we go-"

"Just one second~," Weiss chirped. She opened the window and sent off a Glyph which hit the sportscar. It sputtered to a halt and died. The Dog Faunus driver gaped.

"WHAT THE-YOU LITTLE-CAT LOVING-BITCHES-!"

Jaune gaped at this utter abuse of power. Weiss pulled back and smirked.

"Now we can go," she said. Blake smirked.

"Well... Thank you for that."

"I didn't do it for you!" Weiss sniffed, "I did it because he's an annoying cad! No manners whatsoever!"

Jaune put on the gas and prayed the guy didn't have a dashcam. He sighed.

"This is like that time at Tin Town," he muttered.

"Come on," Yang laughed, "This is nothing like Tin Town! Nothing's on fire!"

The sportscar burst into flames behind them. The Dog Faunus man got out and yelped wildly.

Jaune's jaw dropped. Ruby's smile became even more strained.

"Gun it!" She cried.

Jaune complied all too eagerly.

- - -