[RWBY] RWBY Shorts

[AndrewJTalon]

Another bit I wasn't sure where to put in the main story. This takes place when Yang was in the hospital recovering.



- - -



The Grimm Ursa bellowed and charged, its red eyes glowing with hate. Just like every other such monster Jaune had faced. He knew the drill: It was almost instinct by now.



He side stepped the charge. He shield bashed the monster in the side of the head, knocking it off balance. He surged his Aura. He brought his sword down through its neck, decapitating it, and dodged out of the way of its bulk.



The monster fell, headless, smashing into the ground as it began to dissolve. Another Ursa charged nearby, but its head went up in a black Grimm dust explosion. Jaune nodded back to May, who was hanging back in a tree.



"Keep it up!" Jaune shouted, "We're almost there!"



Around him, the rest of his 'team' fought the Grimm furiously as they poured through the breach in the wall. Not in Radian's main three walls, but in its outer Fourth Ring. This had largely been abandoned as the town contracted from its glory days as capital of Gallia, but was still somewhat maintained in key areas to secure travel.



After Vale's fall, refugees had started pouring it, so they had to make more room. Which meant more people, which meant more Grimm, which meant repairing the Fourth Ring.



The only way to do that was to thin out the Grimm numbers enough to do that. So, Jaune and a few of his classmates had taken that job upon themselves since Radian's militia was already stretched thin.



Nora and Ren worked together nearby, Ren slashing through smaller Grimm like Beowulves while Nora flattened the big ones. On Jaune's other side, Cardin bashed a Boarbatusk flat with his mace, while Velvet used her hand to hand combat abilities to keep Beowulves off him. Behind him, Arslan used her own impressive martial arts and Ruby her speed to kill any Grimm that got past their vanguard, while Neptune fired blasts from his electric rifle to cover them.



They pressed forward towards the large breach in the wall, keeping the Grimm from advancing any further. Jaune's Scroll beeped loudly. He tapped the speaker on it as he stabbed a Beowulf through the throat.



"Jaune here!"



"Son, we're almost there," his father called out, "Just hold out for another minute!"



"Got it!" Jaune shouted, shield bashing another Beowulf before slashing its spine apart, "ONE MINUTE GUYS!"



"ROGER!" Cardin bellowed. He swung his mace down and unleashed a Fire Dust blast, annihilating another Ursa that was trying to get through. A Beowulf leaped through the smoke, latching its jaws onto his shoulder.



"CARDIN!" Velvet shouted, occupied with two more Beowulves.



"MAY! RUBY!" Jaune shouted.



Two shots range out, and the Beowulf vanished into smoke. Cardin didn't have time to show gratitude though: A massive Ursa Alpha barreled through the broken wall, roaring in challenge. Jaune grit his teeth.



"Arslan! Ren! Nora! We're flanking it!" He shouted. "May! Ruby! Neptune! Fire support! Cardin! Velvet! Keep any others from getting through!"



Neptune unleashed a blast of lighting that hit the Alpha Ursa on its back, making it roar. Rounds from Ruby and May's weapons blasted it in the eyes. Arslan dashed foward, as Jaune joined her. She powered up her Aura and leaped, dropkicking the Ursa in the neck before backflipping away. Ren closed in, unleashing a withering hail of Dust rounds from his guns as he leaped over the Ursa. Jaune and Nora charged in, Jaune slashing through its front paws while Nora fired off grenades to hit its back.



It reared up with a roar of agony. Arslan threw her dagger-dart and pierced its throat. Nora spun in the air and slammed her hammer right on its head, slamming it down into the dirt. Jaune stabbed it in the eyes, blinding it, as it bellowed in rage.



"EVERYONE! MOVE!" Nick Arc bellowed. Instinct took over, and everyone broke away from the bellowing Alpha Ursa at speed. It got back up, roaring in pain but still very much ready for the fight...



When a golden yellow Aura blast blew its head off. A sonic boom rattled the air, and a mighty seven foot tall man in white and black armor with a giant sword charged in to swing a six foot long sword.



The massive Alpha Ursa, the size of a truck, was split in half before it began to dissolve.



Nick Arc pulled back, his mighty railgun sword at the ready, as two armored trucks drove up to the wall. One carried large square blocks made of metal on its flatbed, while the other had a pile of rocks in its back. Nick sheathed his sword, and hefted up the first block. He slammed it down with a grunt in the middle of the hole in the wall, and stepped back. A moment later, with loud grinding sounds, the metal expanded. In a few seconds, the metal covered most of the breach.



"All right!" Nick shouted, moving away from the wall as the flatbed truck moved away. He waved his hands to the other truck driver, who turned around and backed in, loud beeping filling the air. At some point, Nick held up his hand and then waved it in a circle, before moving out of the way.



The dump truck's bed tilted back, and a pile of stones fell behind the metal barrier. The pile filled up most of the gaps, but it was clear its main job was just to hold the barrier in place. Nick nodded, then waved the truck on. The dump truck's bed lowered again, and it drove away. Nick then waved to the Hunters-in-Training, and they approached.



"Phew... Good job, guys," Nick complimented them, "This stuff was only meant as an emergency patch, but it'll hold until we get the construction guys out here. Mind filling in the rest? It'll be a big help."



Jaune nodded.



"Sure. We'll resume the patrol after we finish," he said.



"Good," Nick sighed. He stared intently at Jaune. "When's the last time you guys took a break?"



Silence fell.



"Um," Ruby tried. Nick scowled.



"Well?"



"We had lunch," Jaune said, "But we had to deal with the breach-"



"Rotate out some scouts and rest after filling up the cracks."



"But Dad-!" Jaune tried, but Nick shook his head.



"You're no good to me if you're exhausted."



He got up onto the back of the flatbed, rummaged around, and then pulled out some shovels. He tossed them down to the teenagers.



"Rest. That's an order," Nick stated. He slapped the top of the truck cab. "Come on, Monty! To the next one!"



The trucks drove off, leaving the Hunters in training to watch. Jaune sighed, and picked up a shovel.



"You heard him," he ordered, "Let's get shoveling."



"Man," Neptune sighed, "Seriously?"



"Heh," Nora giggled, grabbing her own shovel, "This is just like that training mission to that town on the Vacuoan Border, huh Jaune-Jaune? We had to dig a ditch! Pyrrha, remember when you couldn't-?"



She froze. Jaune, Ren, Ruby and Arslan all stared at her. Nora shook, still grinning, but her eyes were tense.



"Hahaha... That's... That's funny," she laughed softly, "I just... I just remembered... I just remembered she's dead. Isn't that... Isn't that...?"



Her eyes filled with tears that began to roll down her cheeks. She let out a soft sob.



"I just remembered... How could I forget?" She whispered.



Jaune gaped, working his jaw. He shook his head. He looked to Ruby, whose own eyes were filled with tears. He looked to Cardin, whose head was bowed. He tried Arslan, who looked grimm but...



"... Fill in the gaps," Jaune ordered, "Arslan, take charge."



"Of course," Arslan murmured, taking the shovel. Jaune wrapped an arm around Nora and led her away as she sobbed. May stepped aside, her head bowed. Neptune grimaced, and said nothing. Velvet sniffled, clutching at her arm as Cardin wrapped one around her shoulders.



Ren took Nora's other side, wrapping his arm around her waist. Ruby followed at a close pace, unsure of what to do or say. Jaune led them over to a tree, and sat them down as Nora continued to cry.



"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I know..." Nora sobbed, "I know she's dead... How... How could I forget a thing like that?"



Ren sat down with her, and held her. His face was like stone as he rubbed soothing circles into his partner's back. Jaune's face was tight and grim. He looked back at Ruby. Ruby also sniffled.



"I'm sorry," she mumbled, "I-I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."



Jaune let out a soft breath. He pulled Ruby into a hug.



"It's all right," he managed in a dead tone, "It's all right..."



- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -



Ruby sighed in some frustration as she scanned around the Emerald Forest. She'd been out here for hours and all she had to show for her efforts were sweaty clothes.



"Why do the ninjas of our teams keep running off?" Ruby grumbled, scanning about with her silver eyes. Zwei sniffed nearby, looking a bit lost.



Nora and Jaune had come to them in the early morning, very distraught. Ren had received a package, which was unusual enough. He had then gone up to the Headmaster's office to speak privately with Ozpin: Even more unusual. Finally, Ren had outright vanished. Which would be like Yang no longer using puns, or Blake and Weiss getting along! Or Ruby not liking cookies!



So they'd gone out to look for him. Not an easy task, given he was a ninja. Ruby thought Zwei would give her the advantage, but so far, her adorable little Corgi was no better at tracking than her.



"Thought Blake would find him for sure," Ruby grumbled, kicking a rock petulantly, "She's our ninja. Is Ren that much better a ninja than she is?"



A haunting tune played on strings slowly drifted through the forest. Ruby froze and looked around, listening intently.



It echoed this way and that... But Zwei immediately locked on and with a cute little bark, he raced off through the trees. Ruby followed, keeping her speed down.



They came out into a clearing where a small waterfall cascaded onto a stream. The music grew stronger, and Zwei barked again. Ruby locked onto a large boulder near the river.



There was Ren, sitting cross legged, playing a rounded stringed instrument. Even from here, her keen eyes saw it was in bad shape, with missing paint and rusted metal... Yet the music it produced was still very beautiful.



Ren slowly turned his head and stared at her, still plucking at the strings. Ruby waved awkwardly.



"H-Hey... You okay, Ren?" She asked.



Ren turned his pink eyes away and stared at the waterfall, still plucking away at the instrument. Ruby and Zwei exchanged a look. The corgi shrugged, and then trotted up to jump up onto the rock. He settled down next to Ren, curling up beside him. Ren continued to play, not reacting. Ruby took a deep breath and walked up to the boulder cautiously.



She was cute, but she wasn't corgi cute.



"We... We were all really worried about you," she said, "Nora was terrified."



Ren inclined his chin an inch, still playing.



"... I'll make it up to her," he said quietly.



"What's that? What are you playing?" Ruby inquired, after another moment of letting the music wash over her. Ren let out a soft sigh.



"A pipa. A Mistralian lute. It was..."



He paused his music.



"It was my mother's."



Ruby's face fell. Ren continued quietly, and resumed the song.



"She would play it for me when I was young. A scavenger found it in my old village. One of Ozpin's agents got it, and sent it to me."



"Oh... That..." Ruby struggled, "That was very kind... I... I didn't know you could play."



Ren's finger plucking became a bit more... Tense.



"My mother was teaching me it before..."



He trailed off.



Ruby winced. She climbed up onto the boulder, very slowly, like Ren might bolt at any time. She shakily reached out, hesitated... Then rested a hand on his shoulder. He didn't react to this, the sad song still spilling from the instrument like tears.



"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I just... Why run off? I mean... Nora-"



Ren slowly shook his head.



"Nora's mother abandoned her," he said quietly, "While my parents took care of her too... I... I did not want to remind her."



He bowed his head.



"I didn't want her to be reminded of what I had... And she never did," he said softly.



Ruby shook her head.



"I... I don't think she would be hurt by that," Ruby said softly. "She loves you. You know that, right?"



Ren stared out at the falling water, the spray, his song continuing on automatic.



"Yes," he murmured. "I just... It's my pain. I did not want to burden her."



"Burden her?" Ruby asked in confusion.



"She is..." Ren considered his words carefully, "Everything to me. I have no right to make her feel pain."



"Like by running away and scaring her?" Ruby asked sarcastically... Before slapping her hands over her mouth in horror. Ren ceased the music and stared at her intensely. Zwei quickly intervened, putting his head in Ren's lap and whining for attention. Ren stared down at the dog, then up at the cringing Ruby. He let out a soft sigh, before reaching down to scratch behind Zwei's ears. The corgi growled happily as Ren looked aside.



"... Sorry," he murmured.



Ruby shook her head.



"We... We all do stupid stuff when we're... We're upset," Ruby managed. "I-I tried this super cool move when my Uncle told me I wasn't old enough. I... I just wanted to be amazing like my mom... Ended up breaking my wrist."



Ren nodded. Ruby looked intently at the pipa, her eyes narrowing. Something had been bothering her about it from the moment she'd seen it.



"Did... Did your mom do anything else with the pipa?" She asked.



"Like what?" Ren asked, blinking.



Ruby held out her hands.



"Can... Can I see it? I won't break it, promise," she said.



Ren stared intently at her, before slowly handing over the instrument. Ruby took it in her hands, as though it was made of glass. As the waterfall roared, she examined the pipa from every angle. It was red and blue, with what she thought was an oni-skull shaped head with large fangs. She pulled out a small toolkit from her combat skirt, and began fiddling with a few bits here and there. She felt Ren tense, but Zwei came to the rescue by hopping up to lick his face affectionately.



Finally, Ruby applied a bit of oil to a few spots, then scrubbed a few bits clean with some steel wool. She beamed at Ren, and turned the back of the pipa to him.



"Look, look!" She said happily, pointing at a few lines, "Dust runes!"



"Dust runes?" Ren asked, intrigued as he leaned in to study them. Ruby nodded eagerly.



"Yeah! Some old mechashift weapons had them installed instead of traditional circuitry! They don't do as much, but they last REALLY long! Jaune's got some on Crocea Mors!"



She held the pipa out to him. He took hold of it carefully.



"What do the runes do?" He asked.



"Try surging your Aura through it," Ruby said, "And press... That part!" She pointed to a depression under the oni head. Ren's Aura flared with pink energy... He pressed the depression...



A flash of Aura and the pipa transformed into a curved, single-edged sword with an elaborate hilt and handle. Mistralian letters glowed on the fine blade. Ren stared in wonder at the weapon. He stood up, Zwei hopping out of his lap. Ren swung and thrust the blade a few times, weighing it carefully. He ran his hands over the blade, which, despite the age of the weapon, was still shiny.



Ren slowly turn to Ruby. His lips trembled.



"... Thank you, Ruby," he said softly, voice choked with emotion. Ruby beamed, stood up, and hugged him tightly around the mid-section.



"No problem, Ren," she said. "So um... What do the letters say?"



Ren took a deep breath and centered himself. He looked at the letters, even as he tried to pull away from the hug. Ruby, however, would not let him. So he read it anyway.



"It's a poem. It reads: 'My veins are strings, my pulse is percussion, my breath is air flowing through a woodwind, and there is no place for the distortion of evil in the music of my life.'"



"Woah," Ruby whispered, "Awesome! Did your mom write that?"



"I believe so," Ren said with a slow nod.



Ruby beamed.



"Your mom sounds really cool!"



Ren smiled softly.



"She was."



- - -



A short bit between Ren and Ruby. I thought it might be cool if Ren had some legacy from his family that Ruby could help him work out.



The poem and transforming pipa are from "Thunderbolt Fantasy".

 

[AndrewJTalon]

I think work broke my brain because this is what popped out this morning:

- - -

A familiar scene. Pyrrha Nikos walks up to the tree she pinned a young Jaune Arc to in order to save him. She smiles up at him.

Pyrrha: "Hello Jaune... Is there still room for me on your team?"

Jaune: "... Yes."

Jaune looks pretty distressed. Pyrrha frowns. She helps him down. Once on the ground, he starts panting and wheezing and shaking.

Pyrrha: "Um... Sorry about the-?"

Jaune: "Saving me? No, thanks, that was great, holy shit what was this idiot thinking?! That was terrifying! And why do I have sneakers?! WHAT FUCKER BECOMES A HERO IN SNEAKERS?!"

Jaune continues to mutter and rant to himself as Pyrrha stares in deeper concern.

Jaune: "Shit shit shit is this Hell?! Is this God's punishment?! If I died I wanted to go to Heaven, not start over in this show! Did I not pray enough?! HOLY SHIT WAIT... GETTING MEMORIES...!"

Jaune groans and holds his head.

Jaune: "... Holy shit... So that's canon. I don't even know what the hell to think about that..."

Pyrrha: "Um, Jaune?"

Jaune starts and looks over at Pyrrha. He coughs.

Jaune: "Ummm... Look. I know we just met and I was kind of a douche but... Can I please have a hug?"

Pyrrha: flush "... Okay."

She hugs him. He relaxes and sighs.

Jaune: "Thanks... Oh crap now this feels creepy." He gently pushes her away and clears his throat "An-Anyway... Um... Pyrrha? I'm gonna level with you here... My Aura is not unlocked."

Pyrrha: "Oh?"

Jaune: "Yeah. My mom was... Holy shit that's canon too?! I just made that up! How-Questions for later. Anyway! My mom was going to unlock it for me when I went to medical school... Which is where I'm supposed to be right now, but I wanted to be a Hunter and so, uh... Here I am."

Pyrrha: "I... I see. Defying your parents is... Is difficult."

Jaune: nods "Yup... You do have parents, right? Like, you know their names? Faces? History?"

Pyrrha: deeply concerned "Yes?"

Jaune: "Oh thank God... Anyway! If you could do me a solid and unlock my Aura, I promise I will not slow you down. I just... I really want to be a Hunter and help people, like my family before me. Can you help me, please?"

Pyrrha: confused, but smiling more genuinely "I'd be happy to, Jaune."

Jaune: smiles back "Thanks."

- - -

Upon fighting a Grimm...

Jaune: "WHY THE FUCK DO THEY LOOK SO MUCH SCARIER?! IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FREAKING ANIME CGI!"

- - -

Upon meeting up with the others...

Ruby: "Hey Jaune!"

Jaune: "Oh, hey Ruby." Catches Weiss "Hey bitch who left me to die."

Weiss: "Wha-Excuse you-?!" Jaune drops her and steps over her "ACK! HEY!"

Jaune: "Sooo, we've got the Relics, I vote we all run for it. Any objections?"

Yang: "Nope!"

Jaune: "Cool!"

- - -

Jaune: "HOLY SHIT DIE YOU OVERGROWN ARACHNID! DIIIIIE! DIIIIIIIIIE! NORA! SQUISH IT SOME MORE!"

Nora: "CAN DO VIOLENT LEADER!"

- - -

And at the dorms, later...

Jaune: "Ohhh geez... How did I end up the leader?! Ohhh we are so fucked... I couldn't even handle being a supervisor at Amazon, how's this gonna work out...?"

Ruby: "Hey Jaune! You okay?"

Jaune: "Just... Rethinking my life choices. Or death choices."

Ruby: "Oh... Can I help?"

Jaune: "I don't really know... But thanks for being here for me. You're just as sweet and kind as... Uh... I thought you'd be!"

Ruby: beams "Awww...!" hugs him

Jaune: "HURK! Ruby... Loosen your grip a little?"

Ruby: "Sure!"

- - -

Later in the dormroom bathroom...

Jaune: Okay... So there are two almost legal super hot girls in my team. One is Nora and she's with Ren... And just because I'm a teenager doesn't mean I'm a horny idiot, right? Right. Plus, he's my bro. Bro code applies. But unfortunately, that leaves...

He steps out. Pyrrha beams in her pajamas: A T-shirt with panties.

Pyrrha: brightly "Ready for bed, Jaune?"

Jaune: "... Sure..." I am so going to hell... Or maybe I'm already there.

- - -

Yeah, it's crap, but 99.9 percent of anything self insert-like is. So meh. Don't expect a continuation.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

... Goddamnit, stupid brain won't shut up. I gotta stop watching so much trashy anime.

- - -

Jaune calls his parents.

Jaune: "Hey Mom... Dad... Um... I know this is a little awkward-"

Isabel: "Are you going to come home and go to medical school?"

Jaune: "No. No I am not."

Isabel: scowls "Jaune, we've been over this a hundred times-"

Jaune: "Yes Mom, I know. You saw a lot of terrible crap as Hunters. I get it. But I want to help and protect people like you two! So please, at least let me try? If I fail, I'll come back and study. I promise."

Isabel: "... Well... I mean... I suppose you're being mature about this..."

Jaune: "Also? You know those medical techniques you were going to teach me with unlocked Aura? I kind of need them now."

Isabel: sighs "What makes you think I'll teach you them now-?"

Jaune: "Well..." Looks contrite and mumbles "This big guy's been bullying me in combat class..."

Isabel: eyes narrow "Who?"

Jaune: "Oh! Uh, nothing! I mean, it's no big deal-"

Isabel: "WHO IS BULLYING MY BABY BOY?!"

Jaune: Sheesh, no wonder he had such low self esteem! "Uh... Mom, you know that calling the school about it only makes it worse, right? Besides... If I do learn these medical techniques and I fail? I'll be a shoe in for medical school?"

Isabel: "..." sighs "Well... I suppose I can give you the basics..."

Jaune: "Thanks!"

- - -

The next day in combat class...

Jaune: Seriously, that fanon is canon? I have to face Cardin until I win? What bullshit is this?

Cardin: "All right Jauney Boy, ready to lose?"

Jaune: all smiles "Hey Cardin. Funny thing. Did you know my mother invented a few medical techniques with Aura that are stupidly easy to use? I don't know why I didn't ask her to teach me sooner, ego issues probably, but I picked up one or two last night!"

Cardin: "So what?!" He swung his Mace... Jaune sidesteps it and then flares his Aura

Jaune: "So this."

He shield bashes Cardin so hard he flies out of the ring and slams into the floor.

Jaune: "... Shit... Did NOT mean to go that hard... Sorry Cardin! So, that means I win, right?"

Goodwitch: "Uh, yes! Good work, Mister Arc."

Jaune: "Thanks Teach!"

With his friends...

Yang: "Nice bash, VB! Really left an impact!"

Jaune: "Thanks Dragon Girl."

Yang: "Eh?"

Jaune: "Well, why should you be the only one with pet names?" winks

Yang: gapes "Wow... One win and you're smooth?"

Jaune: "Looks like!"

Jaune: Wait, shit... They're all still underaged to me. It's so creepy. WHY ARE YOU BEING CREEPY?! STOP BEING CREEPY!

Pyrrha: beams "That was... Pretty good, Jaune..."

Jaune: "But?"

Pyrrha: "Um, well..."

Jaune: "I need honest feedback to improve. So... What did I do wrong?"

Pyrrha: wince "Well... Your dodge was good, I can tell you've had dancing experience. But it had too much flair: That wastes energy. And your shield bash needed more motion from your hips and a better stance. You're lucky that Cardin wasn't taking you seriously, but now he will."

Jaune: Well... There goes my confidence... "Thank you Pyrrha. I just need to train to get better."

Ren: "It is impressive you were able to learn an Aura technique in one night."

Jaune: yawns "Yeah... Though to be fair, I knew the basics very well thanks to my mom's instruction. You guys wanna learn too?"

Nora: "YES! How much does it boost your strength?!"

Jaune: "Like... Ten times in short bursts? My mom can go to a hundred times though."

Yang: "A hundred times?!" Grabs his arm "You're training with me!"

Pyrrha: "He-He is on my team-"

Ruby: "I WANNA STOP BEING A PIPSQUEAK!"

Jaune: "How will being stronger help with that?!"

Nora: "HE'S ON OUR TEAM! TEACH ME! I WANNA LIFT A PANCAKE HOUSE OVER MY HEAD!"

Jaune: "Mayyyybe we'll wait on teaching you, Nora."

Jaune: Shiiiiiit... See, this is why Jaune didn't train. It just causes so many issues... Fuck. I'm a smartphone away from being a shitty isekai protagonist... Well, at least I don't have a token animal girl love interest...

 

[AndrewJTalon]

This is a confrontation I do want to happen in a lot of my fics, because frankly, having a good if flawed mother fight Raven (who is TERRIBLE) has some dramatic possibilities. Just not sure where to put it in the Sanctuary-verse, but I'm holding onto it.

In this scenario, Jaune and Yang were in the ruins of Arcadia, the old Arc Family fortress mansion on the Arc Farm Grounds. It used to be their home, but after it burned down in the Great War they abandoned it save for the mausoleum underneath where they inter their dead and weapons. Raven shows up with some goons. Yang and Jaune are exhausted from fighting off Bandit and Grimm attacks around Radian.

- - -

"Mom?!" Yang gasped.

Raven shot her daughter a cold, contemptuous look. The ruins of Arcadia loomed around them: The sun shone down upon them, casting shadows through the intertwined trees and pillars that made up the ancient fortress.

"I had thought about asking you to join us," Raven stated, as her Bandits went down the marble stairs to the mausoleum, "But I see you're a lost cause."

Yang clenched her fists, her lip wobbled. Raven shook her head.

"You're just as weak as you were when I left: A pathetic whining brat."

"I was a baby-!"

"So? I held a sword in my hands when I was five," Raven sneered, "You were so needy, so helpless. Your father insisted we coddle you. I wasn't going to raise a weakling. I watched you at Beacon, hoped that going through what you did would make you strong..."

She snorted.

"And now... You're just a pathetic cripple."

Yang gaped in shock.

"M-Mom-"

"You're only useful to me in that you get me close to useful things," Raven snorted, "The Arcs are weak but they left a great legacy. One I'll be making use of. That's the only reason you still live, you pathetic-"

"Shut the fuck up, you old hag!"

The angry voice was so harsh, it took Yang a moment to realize it was Jaune. She stared at him as he glared hatefully at Raven, stepping in front of her.

"You're just a coward!"

Raven's eyes narrowed.

"Who do you think you are-?"

"You're criticizing your daughter for being a human being. For caring about others, for trying to protect them, while all you do is steal and run away!" Jaune spat. "You're the weakling here! Too weak to stay to raise your daughter! Too weak to do anything useful but sponge off of other people's hard work! You're pathetic!"

Raven's eyes narrowed. She blurred, and backhanded Jaune. He went flying into a pillar, slamming against it and falling to the stone floor hard.

"JAUNE!" Yang shouted. She turned back to her mother, fire in her eyes. She swung at her, but Raven knocked her aside with her hilted sword. She landed hard on the ground with a cry. Raven shook her head.

"You shacked up with Isabel's boy, huh? Figures. She was the same," Raven spat, "Arrogant in her weakness, insisting on saving the pathetic instead of fighting properly." She began to draw her sword as she stalked towards Jaune. "Maybe I'll leave her a present: A reminder that she can't save everyone-"

"That's enough."

Raven paused and turned her head. Jaune and Yang looked up. Isabel slowly walked into the main floor of the ruined mansion, her pace slow and deliberate. Her steps echoed in the still air. Raven smirked.

"Here to protect your brat, Izzy?" She sneered, "You know how this goes."

Yang stared at Isabel. She'd seen the woman annoyed, even a bit angry with her husband or Jaune or her...

The cold fury burning in her eyes right now was like nothing she'd ever seen before.

"Yang, Jaune, take cover," she stated, "I'll handle Raven."

"But Mom-!"

"No buts, I will handle this," Isabel stated again.

Jaune got up and ran to help Yang up. She accepted and they ambled out of the way behind the thickest pillar.

Isabel took a slow breath. She reached back under her green skirt, and pulled out a pair of white and black fighting gloves. She slowly pulled them on, then assumed a fighting stance.

Raven's smirk widened as she brought Omen up.

"Suits me fine," she returned. "It's a shame: You could have been useful to keep alive, but now-"

Raven's head rocked back, and blood flew from her mouth. Yang's eyes widened: Isabel had moved so fast and struck Raven so hard she had barely been able to see it!

"HA! HA! HA! HA!" Isabel called out, pummeling Raven with a flurry of open-palm strikes. Raven quickly rallied though, unleashing a blast of electricity from her hands. Isabel was blasted back, but she flipped over and landed on her feet. Raven snarled and held her sword up, as Isabel narrowed her eyes. Isabel then charged, deftly jumping over Raven's sword swing to land a kick in her face.

The Bandit Princess flew backwards, slamming against a stone wall. She spun on her feet out of the way of Isabel's follow up kick, and began to swing and thrust furiously at the doctor. Isabel dodged and deflected the sword blows, using open palm blocks and parries as she kept driving Raven back. Raven thrust savagely for Isabel's side, but the blonde twisted out of the way with inhuman flexibility-In the same motion, she trapped Raven's sword hand and delivered an elbow into her solar plexus.

Raven faltered, falling back. Isabel knocked her sword out of her hand, bent her knees, flared her Aura, then backflipped-Landing a kick to Raven's chin that sent the Bandit Queen flipping and smashing through the nearest stone wall with a thunderous boom!

Isabel landed, fists up in a ready stance. Raven emerge from the rubble with a flourish, blasting the bricks and mortar away with a flare of her Aura. She seethed.

"You little-!"

Raven summoned Omen back to her hand with her power, and charged, swinging wildly at Isabel. The blonde woman deftly dodged and parried the strikes with her armored gloves, before dropping down to legsweep Raven. Raven jumped over the strike, then reached down to grab Isabel by the face. She landed and yanked Isabel up, who cried out in surprise.

"Bitch!"

Raven swung Isabel around, smashing her through the base of a stone pillar, before letting her fly at the far wall. Isabel twisted in mid-air and landed in a wide stance on the wall, the wind rushing from her passage and blowing up petals and leaves from the flowers growing out of the floor.

Raven smirked up at Isabel. Isabel glared down at her. In an instant, the blonde crouched, and launched herself off the wall right at Raven. Raven swung Omen for her, but Isabel knocked the blade aside and slammed another fist right into Raven's stomach!

"HURK-!"

Isabel kept up her momentum, knocking Raven right off her feet and grabbing her by her neck. She charged through, slamming Raven's head into the stone floor hard enough to dig craters, before leaping up high into the air with Raven in her grip. Her Aura flared like the sun before she twisted in mid-air and flung Raven right into the floor like a meteor, cracking the marble floors!

SMASH!

Raven grit her teeth and tried to get back up, but Isabel landed both feet right on her belly, throwing up dust and leaves as the floor cratered. Raven coughed out blood. Isabel hopped off Raven, and picked her up by her throat. She punched her, again and again and again, before slamming her head into a nearby pillar.

Isabel finished her off with a sweeping kick to the face, ramming her face into the ruined marble staircase and breaking three steps. Isabel stood over her, still in a combat stance.

"Had enough?" Isabel asked, panting softly.

Raven seethed. She got up, her Aura crackling with power as she summoned Omen once again.

Her earpiece buzzed. She tapped it and scowled.

"What? ... You've lost how many...?!"

She seethed.

"Fine... Fall back," she hissed. She glared at Isabel as she swung Omen and created a portal which she jumped through. She tossed back a final threat:

"This isn't over, quack."

"I'll be waiting, coward," Isabel growled.

- - -

Obviously inspired by this fight scene:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqZ1kN4Wkdw

Isabel was trained in martial arts from the start but the Aura techniques intrigued her as she thought she could use them for medical purposes. This, along with her Semblance, made her not just a great doctor... But a very formidable hand to hand combatant.

That said, if Raven cut loose with her full Maiden powers, Isabel is rather outmatched. So fortunately for her, Raven decided to retreat as losing her entire tribe for Radian is not worthwhile.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

I also had an idea for Yang and Isabel to train in martial arts. It doesn't have to be in Sanctuary, really. It could just be fun in any setting at Beacon. Because Yang just talking and training in martial arts with a mother figure could be very interesting and fun!

And Ren too, since he is also a martial artist and needs more love.

- - -

Yang was trying some morning exercises with her new arm. Isabel watched her as they practiced outside of the house in the front yard. Yang threw her punches and went through some combos and katas, trying to get used to the arm. Ren meditated nearby while Nora did terrible things to a stack of pancakes.

Isabel: "Hmmm... You're recovering nicely. You'll need more training to really get going again, but you've got a solid foundation. Taiyang taught you South Liu-Bei Kickboxing and Valean Boxing?"

Yang: "Yeah... You could tell with just a few katas?"

Isabel: "Actually, I used to spar with your father in school. He was very gifted, and very hard to fight, even when I was a senior and he was a freshman."

Yang: "Wow. He was that good?"

Isabel: "Definitely!"

Yang: "What about you?"

Isabel: "Me? I learned several martial arts. Hunters need to be flexible in hand to hand combat."

Isabel demonstrates a few smooth katas, kicking, punching, and evading. Ren watches with some interest.

Ren: "Impressive. Fuujin kickboxing and Guan Yu-style kung fu I believe?"

Isabel: smiles "Very good, Ren! I learned Fuujin from my grandfather, and the kung fu from my master Li Tieguai."

Yang: "Wow. You could figure it out with a look, Zen?"

Ren: "I had a lot of practice."

Isabel: "Heh. That really is the key to anything." She engages in a quick spar with Ren, who keeps up easily. "Very good, Ren! White Crane style, right?"

Ren: "Yes."

Yang: "Wow. He had to tell me that for me to figure it out."

Isabel: "Just lots of practice!"

Yang shook her head and stared at Isabel.

Yang: "How did you keep up with it even with your doctorate, the farm and... Eight kids?"

Isabel: "It actually helped make all of those things a LOT easier."

Ren: "Indeed."

Yang: "Heh. Funny, isn't White Crane traditionally a feminine style?" winks

Ren: deadpan "Based on your styles, wouldn't that make you masculine?"

Yang, eyes narrowing: "Hey!"

Nora, on the sidelines: "Oooh, she can dish it out but she can't take it!"

Isabel: "Easy, both of you. There's no wrong way to beat up someone as long as you win."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

[RWBY] RWBY Shorts

Just a place for my stray RWBY Plot bunnies and ideas to go. - - - “Pyrrha. We need to...

forum.questionablequesting.com

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?!" Ruby demanded angrily. Cardin Winchester, for his part, was doing his level best not to seem intimidated by a group of young ladies.

However, the fact they could collective kick his ass (and looked very intent on doing so) made that difficult. Nevertheless, Mama Winchester didn't raise no pussy.

"I was gonna talk to someone-Not that it's your business!" Cardin growled. Yang's eyes burned red like hot coals, as she slammed her fists together.

"Oh really? Who you gonna talk to with flowers?" Yang asked with a growl.

"Uhhh..."

"No! Not Jaune!" Ruby gasped in horror. Cardin gaped in shock and disbelief.

"WHAT?! NO I-!"

"It's classic really," Blake nodded with a bit of a blush, "He denied his homosexual feelings out of societal pressure, and bullied Jaune instead."

Pyrrha gaped in shock as she blushed. Weiss too had a red face. Blake had a dreamy look on hers, while Yang and Ruby sputtered. Cardin, desperate to salvage this, resorted to a tactic his father had employed in difficult budgetary meetings:

Yelling.

"I AM NOT GAY! THESE ARE NOT FOR JAUNE! THESE ARE FOR VELVET!"

The girls all stared at him. Blake hummed.

"Well, that's a bit disappointing-"

"No it's not!" Weiss insisted. "Clearly, he was bullying her out of denial of his romantic feelings! For a girl who forced Jaune out on a date!"

"I-!" Cardin really did want to protest this. Like HELL did he have romantic feelings for Velvet! Sure, he wanted to make things up to her but romantic feelings?

"Of course!" Blake insisted, soft but sure, as she looked intently at Cardin, "It's a classic tragic story of starcrossed lovers! The girl he could not love, but did anyway! Just like Jomeo and Ruliet!" She sighed softly, "I can work with this."

"So can we," Pyrrha stated with a very scary smile. She grabbed onto Cardin's shoulder with terrifying strength. "How would you like to realize your true love... And keep Velvet away from Jaune Arc?"

"Anything for true love," Yang said with a similarly terrifying smile, grabbing onto Cardin's other shoulder. Weiss and Ruby too gained grins that seemed more like gleaming knives in the setting sun.

"Ohhhhh, I get it!" Ruby giggled. "Absolutely anything for true love!"

"Yes, how fortunate he fell into our hands," Weiss smirked.

Blake was furiously writing in a notebook.

Cardin looked about himself. There was no escape. No way out.

"I uh... Well..."

His politician father had taught him another important lesson, one Cardin realized he'd been too foolish and inexperienced to really grasp until now:

You have to know when to hold 'em, and when to fold 'em.

This was clearly the latter.

He gulped and managed the tiniest hint of bluster, for the sake of his ego if nothing else.

"S-Sure... I would appreciate you helping me with... My romantic problems..."

"Right this way~," Pyrrha said, almost sing-song, as RWBY and Pyrrha led their captive towards the Bullheads.

I will never be jealous of Arc again, Cardin swore to himself, never ever NEVER!

- - -

Jaune wasn't entirely ignorant of how wealthy and luxurious places could be. He'd been to more than a few casinos and Dust rush towns on the Frontier, and even stayed at a five star hotel on a trip down to the Juzan Kingdom.

Of course that had been due to the city losing power thanks to a terrorist attack and Mister Duke leading them all to aid in the defense against the Grimm. The hotel hadn't had power for most of the time they'd been there, but the surroundings were still amazing.

That said, he couldn't keep his jaw closed very long as he entered Minerva's with Velvet. The carpet felt so soft and plush it was like it was made out of the fluffiest hares you could find. The wood paneling was inlaid with gold and silver lines that resembled tree branches. The view out the window let you see the entirety of Vale, lights shining like the stars above as the sun set and cast the night over everything.

Jaune managed to peel his eyes away from everything to focus on the menu. His heart pounded hard in his ears. He slowly looked up at Velvet, who had a similar desperate look in her eyes.

"... I think the wine selection costs more than my dang house," Jaune admitted quietly. Velvet managed a small, nervous giggle.

"S-Same," she squeaked.

The waiter arrived, his perfectly cut mustache so straight it was like it had been cut with a level. His suit was so perfect Jaune wondered if he had a Semblance to make it appear brand new.

"Would the sir and madam enjoy water while making their decision? Perhaps wine?" He asked pleasantly.

Jaune glanced over at Velvet. Velvet winced, but tried.

"Um... What is the cheapest selection you have?" She asked.

The waiter chuckled kindly.

"Fret not, Miss Scarlatina. Miss Adel is well known to me. She would not spend her money on frivolous people. Please, enjoy!"

"Er... Then sir, would you please make some recommendations?" Jaune asked. "My Gallian's a mite rusty."

"Of course Mister Arc," the waiter said with a smile, "Miss Adel sent us a dossier on both of you. I believe you will enjoy your meals. If I may?"

They handed him the menus, and he poured them some spring water. He departed in silence, leaving both to drink the water and stare at the table.

"Er... Um..." Jaune tried.

"Uh, um," Velvet also attempted.

Jaune let out a breath. He smiled at her.

"So... How long you an' Miss Adel been friends?"

Velvet perked up and smiled.

"Oh! Um, we actually met in middle school," she said cheerfully, "Her mom sent her to public school so she wouldn't become, ya know, a primadonna."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. Velvet flushed and shrugged.

"It uh... It mostly worked," she said.

"Nah. She's a force o' nature for sure," Jaune agreed. "I admire her spirit."

"Oh? You uh, you like women like that?" Velvet managed. Jaune coughed.

"Well uh... I like a lot o' kinds of women... N-Not that I'm some dandy!" He insisted, waving his hands, "I-I swear, I ain't... I mean, I had me a girlfriend in Radian but uh, that's the only one! I promise!"

"It-It's okay," Velvet said, waving her hands as well, "Uh, I-I've never even had a boyfriend! So um... Er..."

She sighed and bowed her head.

"I'm really sorry," she mumbled, "I... This isn't how I wanted it to go, exactly."

Jaune shook his head. He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. She looked up and flushed.

"Hey. There... There ain't no expectations on this thing," he said, "I'm just here to have a nice time with a pretty, wonderful lady. One kind enough to thank me for... For helping her."

He smiled and shook his head.

"Not that you had to-"

"I-I really wanted to," Velvet insisted, holding onto his hand tightly. "I mean... I saw a lot of students just look away. Mind their own business. You... You got up and just called Cardin out." She blushed deeply.

"I... I admire that. It's... It's hard for me to be brave like that."

"Really?" Jaune asked. Velvet sighed, her ears drooping.

"Yeah... I-I've had to keep so much... So much inside. My dad's a human, my mom's a Faunus. People... People talk. Humans and Faunus alike."

"Oh, Miss Scarlatina," Jaune breathed quietly, his tone full of sympathy, "I'm sorry."

She beamed.

"But... Well... You came in like a knight in shining armor, and... Well... I-I really liked that."

Jaune worried his lower lip.

"I... I had a talk with Cardin after," he said. Velvet raised her eyebrows. He held up a hand. "Nothin' violent. I just told him to get over himself. We're all here to protect people from the Grimm. Fightin' over who lost who in what war ain't gonna help."

"Oh," Velvet paused, pulling her hand away to worry them in her lap, "Oh... I-I see. He... Lost people in the Revolution?"

"Yeah," Jaune said quietly, "But that ain't no excuse to act that way."

"N-No, of course not," Velvet shook her head, her eyes sad, "Just... My grandfather told me about the war. How people looked at Faunus like monsters out of fear. How some Faunus fought alongside humans. He just... He made it clear it was a lot more complicated than human good, Faunus bad."

"Well, sure," Jaune said with a nod, "Don't mean folks gotta take it from either side though."

"No," Velvet agreed.

Some wine and appetizers arrived. A salad for Velvet and some dark bread and cheese for Jaune. The two ate, while continuing to talk.

Velvet was born in a small bubble town near Vale where a lot of Menagerian ex-pats lived: Faunus who had gone to Menagerie for a good life, but had returned after becoming disillusioned with the All Faunus Kingdom. Her father was an engineer who traveled to Atlas for work while her mom stayed at home with her twelve younger brothers and sisters. Jaune related his own difficulties in a large family in Radian, and the two laughed a bit over their shared experiences.

The main course arrived: A vegetable pasta for Velvet, and a classic prime rib steak with vegetables and potatoes for Jaune. They continued to talk, going from subject to subject.

If Jaune was being honest? Velvet was definitely comfortable to talk to. She was kind, funny, and once she calmed down, very fun. There was a... A camradery there. Someone he'd be happy to be friends with as they both worked to become Hunters.

Dessert rolled around, and after a few drinks of wine and a high class beer, they were both a bit giggly.

"N-No, no! Honest!" Velvet laughed, holding up her Scroll, "See? Total dork!"

Jaune stared at the picture of Velvet in middle school-The Faunus was practically vanishing in an oversized sweater with glasses. He snorted in laughter.

"Wow... You sure transformed, like a butterfly!"

"That was mostly Coco," Velvet explained, tucking her Scroll back into her purse, "I finally gave in after years of her begging to do my make up." She gestured to her impressive chest, "After these came in, I needed the help."

Jaune choked on his beer. He coughed hard and pounded his chest. Velvet, concerned, got up and went around to his side.

"Jaune? Are you all right?!"

"J-Just... Just fine!" He managed, keeping his eyes well away from her chest.

Their waiter reappeared, smiling warmly and handing Jaune some water. He gratefully drank it.

"Would sir and ma'am enjoy the patio? It has fewer people at this hour," he said.

Velvet smiled at Jaune. Jaune smiled back. He stood up and held out his arm. She took it. He turned to the waiter.

"Uh, thank you, Mister-?"

"Ebon, sir," he said, "And don't worry, the tip has been taken care of." He leaned in and muttered quietly:

"You couldn't afford it anyway."

"G-Good to know," Jaune managed.

- - -

They made it to the patio, and indeed, it was sparsely populated at this hour. They walked out to the railing and looked out across Vale. Velvet sucked in a deep breath, her eyes shining.

"Wow," she murmured happily. Jaune nodded, smiling as he stared at her face.

He then immediately pulled his eyes away, blushing hard.

"Something wrong?" She asked urgently, "Do-Do you need more water?"

"N-No, I'm... I'm fine, really," Jaune said, waving his free hand, "Just uh... Boy howdy do you look pretty."

Velvet blushed and smiled warmly at Jaune.

"Thank you," she replied quietly. She sighed and looked back at the cityscape.

"This... This was nice," she said.

Jaune nodded.

"Sure was," he said.

Velvet worried her lower lip. Jaune turned to stare at her.

"Somethin' wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing!" Velvet said quickly. Jaune stared more intently which made her flush. She looked back out at the city.

"Well... Um..."

She pulled her arms away and put her hands together. She sighed.

"I... Um... I'm sorry, I just..."

Velvet shook her head.

"It is... It has been wonderful," she said, "But there's... I-I mean..." She sighed again.

"... I'm feeling like I would one of my brothers for you," she said frankly.

Jaune blinked. Velvet turned bright red.

"N-Not that you're unattractive! F-Far from it!" She insisted and waved her hands around almost frantically, "I-I loved getting to talk to you and eat and-and just get to know you... And you've so handsome, but I..."

Her ears drooped. She wrapped her arms around her with a very sad look on her face.

"I just... I thought I would be feeling butterflies in my stomach over you. Or-Or feel a spark. Some real heat, and... Well..." She shrugged helplessly.

"It... It's not there," she finished lamely.

She bowed her head and stared at the patio tiles. Jaune stared in silence for a bit. Velvet stuttered.

"I-I mean... Maybe it's just a first date, maybe it's just that this place is so expensive, m-maybe I just built you up in my head and..."

She closed her eyes tightly.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

She felt Jaune's hands on her elbows. She started and looked up into his face. He smiled gently.

"Like I said, I'm just here to have a good time with a nice, pretty lady," he said, "And I do believe we've had that."

Velvet smiled and became a lot less tense. She nodded.

"Y-Yeah... Yeah," she murmured. She shook her head. "I mean... Maybe... Maybe we could hang out more?"

"I would like that," Jaune said with a nod. He shrugged. "Sides... Ain't lookin' for love right now. It... Makes things complicated."

"Your ex?" Velvet asked, immediately filled with sympathy. Jaune looked out at the stars and nodded slowly.

"Among other reasons," he said, "Me? If I'm datin' a woman, it's for keeps. If we ain't gonna have matrimony as the goal? Then... We ain't goin' that far. Nothin' wrong with hanging out though."

"No, of course not," Velvet said with a nod, "I just... Um... Love's a lot more complicated than I thought, you know?"

Jaune sighed.

"Well, maybe we'll fall in love in the future anyway. Maybe it's the wrong time. Or maybe we'll both stay friends," he shrugged, "I'm startin' to realize the same. I'm just... Tryin' to keep as open a mind as I can."

Velvet smiled nervously.

"And um... Trying to avoid angering your harem?"

Jaune flushed deeply.

"I-It-It ain't a harem!" He sputtered. Velvet giggled.

"I suppose if you were trying to recruit for it, I might be more interested," she teased. Jaune flushed.

"Oh geez, Miss..."

"I think I like men who are a little more assertive anyway," Velvet hummed, "N-Not that you aren't assertive!" She waved her hands, "You can be! You're just... Not the right kind and... Ugh... Feelings are shite!"

She blushed and covered her mouth as her accent slipped out. Jaune laughed quietly.

"You're a real riot, Miss Scarlatina."

She smiled happily.

"Please... Call me Velvet. Since we're friends?"

"Sure can."

- - -

They walked out onto the street after leaving the restaurant. Jaune was already scanning for a taxi and cursing that he hadn't gotten Orleans' license yet. The vain horse didn't like the Department of Vehicles, nor their cameras.

"VELVET!"

Both Jaune and Velvet turned... And their jaws dropped. Dressed in tight leather pants, an open white button up shirt that showed off his pegs, scaly boots, and a rose in his hand, one Cardin Winchester approached. His eyebrow was twitching a bit as he looked over his shoulder, before he looked at them.

"Velvet, I..." His jaw dropped and face went red. "Oh Breaker you're hot."

Velvet's cheeks went bright red. Jaune scowled.

"Cardin, I thought I talked about this-"

"No! Nonono, I um... I'm here to... To..." Cardin shook his head to get his bearings, "Uh... A-Apologize." He held out the red rose to Velvet. "I... I was being an idiot. I want you to be my girlfriend, Velvet. All that bullying was just because I-I like you. Please... Accept my feelings!"

He went down to a knee, as though some myterious force had grabbed onto the metal in his pants and forced him down. He held the rose up to Velvet. She blushed deeply, and glanced between Cardin and Jaune.

Jaune blinked a few times. He shook his head and smiled at Velvet.

"Well... You did say you liked assertive men," he said.

"Um... Er... You... You don't mind...?" Velvet stuttered.

"S'long as he's genuine and ain't gonna cause trouble," Jaune stated, glaring down at the Winchester heir. Cardin shook his head.

"N-No! No, I am! I totally..." He stared at Velvet some more. "Holy crap she's so hot..."

He paused and blanched.

"I said that out loud didn't I?" He mumbled.

Velvet giggled. She walked over and took Cardin's hand. She pulled him up.

"Well... Um... I suppose I could... Give you a chance, with all the effort you put in," she said warmly. "We did just eat so... Would you like to go for a walk?"

"S-Sure," Cardin managed. He lowered his voice as he and Velvet walked away, but Jaune's keen ears picked his voice up.

"Can we stop by a store? This outfit is... Chilly. And it chafes."

Velvet giggled.

"I think I know a place."

Jaune watched them walk off into the night, and pushed his hat up at an angle to scratch the side of his head.

"Well... Ain't that somethin'," he chuckled.

He then felt Ruby wrap around him like a rope around a steer.

"Hurk!"

"JAUNE!" Ruby wailed. "We saw the whole thing! How could she dump you for her bully?!"

"The nerve of her!" Weiss added, walking into view (and hastily tossing a trenchcoat, scarf, and sunglasses into the trash), "Playing on your emotions!"

"We're here if you need us, Jaune, count on it," Pyrrha added, also tossing some random clothes into a trashcan. Yang walked up and sighed, patting Jaune on the shoulder.

"You okay there, Stud?"

Blake was scribbling things into her notebook and giggling a lot. Jaune heaved a sigh.

"Yeah... I'm fine," he said, "We decided we were better off as friends and... Apparently she likes men who are uh... Direct."

"Can't say I blame her," Yang smirked. Ruby tightened her hug, as Pyrrha and Weiss coughed suspiciously. Jaune sighed.

"... Ya'll wanna get some ice cream?"

"Sure!" Ruby cheered.

I'll sort this out myself one day, Jaune thought, as they headed for an ice cream parlor, One day.

- - -

I know, right? A girl deciding she doesn't want to be part of Jaune's harem? Insanity!

But I thought it would be a fun way to end things, and indulge a ship I really like, without making it come off as too out of character or bashy.

Poor Cardin has no idea what he's in for.

I may write some Jaune/Velvet in the future, but it is not this fic.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Blake... Had mistimed her jump. Her emotions were such a jumble after detaching from the train and jumping... She slammed into a barn roof, hard.

She fell, and hard. Even with her Aura, she could feel her ankle twist beyond comfort. She let out a cry, one she stifled...

But she could see a giant hulking figure in the darkness around the barn. She grit her teeth, tried to focus her Aura to speed up her healing. Yet after tonight's events, she was hungry, tired... And just out of energy. She raised Gambol Shroud, ready to fire. If this would be her last stand... She would fight.

The figure... Stepped into the moonlight.

He was tall, at least seven foot, and wore white and black armor with hints of rust here and there. It was a paladin's armor, a mix of old fashioned plating and modern support panels. His helmet was round and all-encompassing, with a black visor and a faceplate with some breathing holes bored into it. He wore a weathered blue duster, and held a gigantic sword behind his back.

Blake's jaw dropped in shock.

The Rusted Knight...?

Her childhood hero. The spirit of heroism itself.

How... How is he here?! Blake thought in shock. Here... Real...?!

"Rusted Knight?" She murmured.

He shone in the moonlight as he walked towards her. He stopped some distance away... Before holding out his hand. Blake stared at it.

"Ah...?"

"You look," he spoke, in a pleasant baritone that made Blake feel safe and warm, "Like you need some help, young lady."

Blake trembled a bit. She shut her eyes for a moment. Pain still burned in her ankle.

He couldn't be the real thing. He was just a human... A Hunter...

He stared at her, his mask giving up nothing. He spoke again:

"I don't know what you've been through. What you're running from. I won't ask. All I want is to help. If you say no, I'll just turn and walk away. If you ask... I'll help. That's all. This world would be better if we all just extended a hand to help others when they needed it, no questions asked."

Blake sniffled. It was right out of the Rusted Knight...

She slowly reached out and took his hand. Hers was so small in his. He pulled her up, and helped her walk.

"My name's Nick, what's yours?" He asked.

"... Blake," she decided on.

"That's a nice name," Nick, the Rusted Knight, said with a nod.

- - -

Basically, Nick Arc finds and rescues Blake. Despite herself, she trusts him because while he's a little off in some ways, in his full Armor? He is a dead ringer for the Rusted Knight. He also read those fairy tales as a child. So they have something to bond over.

This could have happened before Jaune set out for Beacon, so Blake might go with him on the journey.

 

[SharkCultist]

Heheheheheheh let's mix us up some tropes!

---

Terry Cotta was looking forward to a easy Friday. Beacon was introducing a new core class today (which was super weird) and it was the only class of the day.

He's not sure how he got approval to name his class "dust for dummies, dorks, and dipshits" but oh well.

Terry sat down with his bully shield friends from the upperclassmen. Teams RWBY and PWNR.

"Hi guys!"

After the usual early morning grunts and grumbles of people up far to early without coffee.

"So you guys looking forward to the new class?"

"Hmph it's a waste of a time slot is what it is, and why is it a mandatory class for all three years?"

"I dunno, maybe this professor John guy made a big discovery?"

"I doubt it. What's his last name I'll look him up?"

"Uh, it just says John."

At this the entire population of second years went as quiet as Wisteria (and she's mute!).

"Him."

Never before had Terry been so scared to look at Ruby, except maybe that time at the pool with the ice dust....

"Him?"

"John NoName that arrogant, backstabbing, smooth talking slimy, sexy, two-faced mother fucker!"

Terry had been expecting a lot of people to blow up. He wasn't expecting it to be Weiss. She's usually just snippy not....well that.

One thing was sure. His Friday just got a whole bunch less peaceful.

---

This was the only class Terry knew of being held in the basement, hell until half a hour ago he didn't even know the school had a basement!

Which made the class a bitch to find but luckily they made it in time.

Unluckily the entire student body was here and 1/3 of them were radiating visible auras of bloodlust.

"Morning Padawan, I'm your professor Jaune. Not John, not J-man, not johnny, Jaune. Though in menagerie some people call me Big Richard, and if I'm feeling pretty you can call me Tiffany."

This. Was not what Terry expected. A guy around the same age as team PWNR wearing a old faded comic book T-shirt and a...armored fluffy pink bathrobe with a bunny hood? This was the teacher? What the hell man!

Terry went to ask a question before team wmpl (wimple) sauntered it.

"Oh, stragglers. Pack your shit. You're banned from my class, and since this is a required class, you're expelled."

(Idly Terry could make out team C4 panicking as they had been almost late. Cranberry working overtime to keep carl, carl, and carl from causing a scene.)

"You can't do that, you're just some guy."

"Ah, tardy and a bit retardy I see. Weiss care to correct them?" When Weiss stayed silent he gave her a glance. "or perhaps join them?"

"This is Jaune NoName, the world's only huntsmen to do two thought to be impossible things, graduate beacon in a day, and do it with a locked aura."

"This dude don't even have a aura? Man sit down civvy."

That was definitely the wrong thing to say because next thing Terry knows the team is buried a inch into the wall outside before Jaune closes the door.

"Right, I'm here to teach you how to use dust."

"We already know how to use dust....sir."

Oooh Terry could hear the strain in Yangs voice.

"Ha, no. You know how to take one of the most valuable finite resources in the world and use it to make booms. You're like a homeless man using the secrets of particle physics to heat a can of beans."

Well that's a bit harsh.

"And I'm sure you can enlighten is, right?"

"Got it on one frosty the no-man. I'm gonna fix aaaaall your dumbassery. Step 1."

And with a swing of his arm too fast to see suddenly everyone in the room had a broken aura.

"You start glowing in my class you break that shit again."

"What the hell man!"

"Ok class I'm going to be level with you. Aura? Aura is a mistake. Aura is you looking deep inside yourself and overshooting your goal because the lake is empty and hitting the shiny runner up prize. Congratulations."

"That's insane, you're insane, and so is Ozpin for hiring you."

"Feel free to bitch at ozzy all you want, I'm not too happy about him hounding for a year then blackmailing me into a teaching spot, luckily I'm only stuck here until your cores form and one of you can teach."

What? "Sir what's a core?"

"Thank you generic background bully target! Ok so. Take a dust, grip it, stab it, eat it, I don't care just make flesh to crystal contact. Then pull like you're looking for your aura and guide it to your chest. You're gonna have to do this a few times. Do not forget what color crystal you used or you will die. Don't do this with a active aura until I tell you your core is finished forming. Do everything right and you should build up your own regenerating power reserve that you can do whatever with, though at first it's gonna be stuff like sparks and pocket sand, but eventually you'll even be able to do non elemental stuff.

Jaune glances at the clock.

"Eh fuck it, class is over, any questions ask the Grimm skull in the corner."

What?

"Yo."

The FUCK.

---

So here's some canon to the snip but didn't make it in things.

Jaune passed by playing everything like a good boy until the Grimm were dead. He then knocked everyone out, took ALL the relics, and basically blackmailed the headmaster for a deploma.

Terry is terra cotta-arcs cousin. He is a weak baby man. He's gonna be a monster at magical power like the rest of his team.

Pyros the 3rd. Terry's partner. Imagine a 7 foot tall golden retriever of a man in bright gold armor who speaks in the third person. He'd be so popular for how helpful and friendly he is if it wasn't the entire rest of his personality.

I didn't come up with his other two teammates (I know I fail)

But there is team C4! Poor cranberry wished to be on a team with a hunky guy. She ended up with the triplet gymbros carl, carl, and carl. Surprisingly a well put together and functional team. They just thrive her crazy. (Ozpin laughs every time he sends team BOOM out and they have to explain the acronym is CCCC)

And finally Wisteria. Playful and mysterious lavender mute sh- yeah it's neo.

 

[mgl1206]

Glynda's thoughts drifted as she watched the fight between Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester. It was the 7th time she'd set them up, and she could hear the voices of her students behind her. The whispers that she hated him, that he'd done something to piss her off. No, that was not the truth, despite what they believed, she did not hate Mr. Arc.

She watched as Mr. Arc brought a heavy strike down onto Mr. Winchester but it was received by his opponent's mace and deflected to the side. Throwing off his balance and leaving his abdomen open to attack. An opening that Mr. Winchester was more than willing to utilize.

Was she disappointed in Mr. Arc? Yes, she was disappointed in him, after all, he had used false documents to enter her school. But that was something she would have forgiven him for, were it not for one thing.

The blow blew back Mr. Arc, sending him flying to the edge of the ring. Clumsily, he caught himself and managed to stop himself from rolling out of the ring. His aura was already below 80%, an indicator of his inexperience and inefficient use of his aura.

He had no training, and he had snuck into a Huntsmen Academy without even having his aura unlocked. It was something she ripped into Ozpin for but she could tell from his reaction that even he had not expected the boy to pull off something so foolish.

After making some distance from the edge of the ring, Mr. Arc stopped and waited for the larger opponent to charge him first. She could see that despite his fatigue, he was far from giving up. For all his faults, Mr. Arc had always been the most tenacious of all her students, and only one of two who had never surrendered in a fight. The other being his partner and mentor.

And that was the crux of the issue at hand. He was untrained in combat, in the use of aura, and in being a Huntsman in general. He was a civilian. And Glynda was terrified.

Mr. Winchester charged the smaller teen with reckless abandon, clearly expecting this fight to go as it had before. But not this time. He was caught off guard when Mr. Arc sidestepped him at the last instant and with a graceful spin -that no doubt came from his dancing background- slammed his sword onto the back of his opponent.

Losing her students was one of the few things that she always dreaded the most. Informing their parents, the grief, the anger, and the despair in their eyes hurt more than any physical injury ever could. And that was just their families. Watching their team and friends shatter arguably hurt worse. The way their eyes lost their shine, their spiral into depression, and the empty seats in her classroom.

The momentum carried Mr. Winchester forward, causing him to tumble across the ground. But true to his years of training, he recovered quickly, and unlike his years of training, she could see fury in his eyes. Something that she knew would get him killed.

That was the real reason she did this to Mr. Arc., why she had to make him hate her. Not because he was weak, not because of his transcripts, but because she didn't want to lose another student. And if that meant breaking his dreams. Then she'd be the evil witch people expected her to be. So long as he lives, so long as she doesn't have to see his team break apart in grief and madness.

Mr. Winchester charged Mr. Arc again and attacked him in a ferocious melee, but Jaune was not about to give in. He took the blows with his shield, patiently waiting for just the perfect time to strike back.

It didn't matter to her that he'd grown faster than any student she'd ever seen. It didn't matter that he was well on his way to his victory in her class. There was just no way for Jaune to catch up to his peers who'd trained for almost a decade, not with only a few months of training.

Suddenly, Jaune struck, ducking under a wild swing by Mr. Winchester, Jaune swung his sword up into a devastating slash. A strike that connected with his opponent's head, disorienting him, but he did not give his opponent a moment to recollect himself and quickly followed up the strike with a shield slam right into his opponent's throat. Lowering his aura well into the yellow range.

She'd seen them of course, Jaune and Ms. Nikos, training on the rooftops at night. Doing what should have been something that was technically her job. But her responsibilities as the Vice-Headmistress and her job of overseeing several hundred aura-powered teenagers had left her with little time to teach Jaune. And the other teachers were equally occupied with the Council not allowing them to hire extra teachers. As such, she had to get Mr. Arc to quit of his own free will. It was the only way to keep him safe.

Jaune took the initiative to charge Mr. Winchester again and attempted to do a shield bash, but it wasn't fast enough. Mr. Winchester dropped his weapon and instead grabbed onto his shield and dragged him to the ground, where he'd be an easy target for his mace.

But Mr. Arc was a stubborn man and he'd endured her attempts, and somehow had managed to thrive under it instead. Perhaps it was because he wanted to prove her wrong. But he never needed to. Glynda knew that Jaune had potential and would have made a wonderful Huntsman, one of the best even. But that was if he had been trained from the start.

But Jaune was not one to give up so readily, keeping his cool under the assault, he waited for the moment when Mr. Winchester used the burn dust in his mace. He had been paying attention and had noticed that Mr. Winchester never used the burn dust more than once at a time. Leaving him an opening to escape from the ground. An opening that had just arrived.

But maybe, just maybe, she was wrong. He had, after all, managed to kill an Ursa Major on his own with no outside training. A feat that very few, almost no one, could claim. She didn't know, maybe she did underestimate Jaune's talent and resolve.

At the perfect moment, Jaune collapsed his shield and rolled to the side, dodging the heavy - but nonexplosive - blow of Mr. Winchester's weapon. Now with an opening, Jaune rolled back and with as much force as he could muster, swung his sword into Mr. Winchester's left shoulder and arm. The same arm that he used to wield his weapon. Sent reeling from the blow and with no weapon, Mr. Winchester was no longer in an advantageous position. Trepidation was clearly visible on his face as he realized that for the first time, he might lose.

Did she want to risk it though? Could she really get past her fear to help Jaune get stronger? She looked at him again, his face full of determination. A far cry from his usually awkward persona.

The two combatants stared at each other before Jaune launched forward in an aura-enhanced rush. Mr. Winchester was unable to do anything as Jaune's ferocious assault left him with little in the way of retaliating. Any attempt he made to try and reach for his weapon was intercepted, and any attempt to try and retaliate was parried, blocked, or simply avoided. And Glynda realized that he had been holding back earlier. He had been aiming for his weapon from the start, and with it gone, there was simply no way for Mr. Winchester to retaliate. Especially when he was no pugilist like Ms. Xiao-Long.

Glynda couldn't help but smile Jaune depleted Mr. Winchester's aura to below red, with his own comfortably in the high yellow. Indeed, despite being aware of his potential, she had still underestimated just how talented he actually was. Perhaps he was on par with Ms. Nikos in that department. Regardless, she had been proven wrong and despite her still lingering fears, she couldn't help but be excited for Jaune's growth.

"Mr. Arc wins this match. Mr. Arc. You let Mr. Winchester underestimate you and disarmed him, taking advantage of his overreliance on his weapon to defeat him. I'd provide other recommendations, but I do believe your partner has that covered." Her praise was met with silence, surprising many of the students who believed she hated Jaune. But the silence was quickly broken by a shout from Jaune's energetic teammate, soon followed by the rest of his team and friends.

"Mr. Winchester, while you performed well initially, you let your emotions get the better of you. Leaving you open to being manipulated and subsequently resulting in the loss of your sole weapon. I do recommend you practice with either a backup weapon or in CQC. Recommendations that also apply to many of you as well." Glynda stated as she glared at many of the offending students, who wilted under her gaze.

"That'll be all for today, class dismissed, and Mr. Arc?" The blonde knight looked up to meet his teacher. "Congratulations on your first win."

———

Hope the way I wrote it wasn't too weird. I was kinda going for a two story thing. Where one is what Glynda is seeing and is the fight between Jaune and Cardin while the other is Glynda's own internal thoughts and the way the fight is going is also kinda how Glynda's own thoughts change as well. At least that was the goal, not sure how well I achieved that or not.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Yang was chilling out on the quad. Jaune was sitting nearby since they'd just finished a run, and he was playing a game on his Scroll.

Yang: "So... Since I'm helping you train and all, VB, mind giving me your notes for next week's exam?"

Jaune: sigh "I thought I left this behind in high school."

Yang: "Hey, not my fault you're actually good at the written tests!"

Jaune: "I will help you study, Yang, but I'm not going any further."

Yang: "Oh~? How far do you want to go~?"

Jaune: flush "Yang...!"

Which is when there's a flash of rainbow light... And a chubby, sort of anthopomorphic pony appears.

Pony: "Yahng! Yahhhhng!"

Yang: "Wha-Oh, fuck."

Jaune: "Huh?!"

Pony: "We need your help! Please! Only your dextrous fingers and human brain can save us!"

Yang: "NO!"

Pony: "But-"

Yang: "NO!" She gets up and glares "I keep helping you jerks but you never actually need me! EVER!"

Pony: "But-!"

Yang: "I HAVE A LIFE DAMNIT!"

Pony: sniffles, whimpers

Yang: "..."

Pony: Keeps sniffling

Yang: "..." angry, frustrated, depressed sigh "FINE."

Pony: "Yay! We might need your friend too!"

Yang: "Yeah. Sure. Of course."

Jaune: "Hwah?!"

After a magical adventure in a fantasy pony land where things are resolved without Yang or Jaune's help needed, the ponies of Ponyland celebrate happily as Yang sighs and Jaune sits with her.

Jaune: "Wow... It really is a magical fantasy land-"

Yang: "It's balls! They never actually needed me, they just keep yanking me on these stupid 'adventures'! But I can't say NO, right? I just can't say NO because they're all dumbasses!" sigh "What the hell?!"

Shady: A pink pony "Well, if you weren't a virgin we couldn't call you anymore."

Yang: "Say what?!"

Jaune: "Huh?!"

Shady: "The pony magic only brings pure maidens to our land. So if you got a boyfriend we'd have to ask another little girl to help us and have whimsical adventures!"

Yang: "Wha-WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!"

Shady: "Tell you what? Oh! The virgin thing? Sorry, thought you knew. You do always help us and you've never had a boyfriend-"

Yang: grabs Jaune "Jaune! You're my boyfriend now!"

Jaune: "Urk! Okay?"

Yang: "I'm losing my virginity in Princess Pony's freaking bedchamber RIGHT NOW!"

Jaune: "Okay!"

Yang drags Jaune off. The ponies all look at Shady.

Honeysuckle: "Shadyyyy! Why'd you have to tell her?!"

Shady: "Well... Maybe we don't need her anymore. Maybe we can evolve to a new generation! A fourth generation! Where we ponies don't need a human to fix all our problems for us!"

A beat.

Shady: "Also Princess Pony's kind of a bitch."

The other ponies nod and murmur agreement.

Shady: "What do you think, Applejack?"

Applejack is being attacked by a Grimm.

Applejack: "AIYEEEEEE!"

Ponies: exasperated but fond sigh "Oh, Applejack..."

- - -

Obviously inspired by this series of videos:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNJFPRqsdjk

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Well, Doctor Jaune "Knowall" could certainly appreciate Ozpin for one thing: He kept his assembly speeches short. He sat in the front row of the auditorium with the other teachers, the huge masses of students all staring, enraptured, as Ozpin finished his spiel.

"... So remember: The time may come when everything will be asked of you, and more. You will find your courage then, if you seek it out," Ozpin concluded. He waited for the applause to die down, before he nodded.

"There are a few staff changes this year," he announced, leaning slightly forward on his cane, "To start with, Professor Peach will be leaving on maternity leave at the end of the semester. Let us extend our congratulations."

More applause followed, as the blonde, pink-wearing professor blushed with a proud smile. Knowall contributed to the applause politely.

"Nurse Tsune will be taking a leave of absence to finish her doctorate," Ozpin continued, "So our new Head Medical Practitioner will be Doctor Jaune Knowall. Please come up, Doctor."

He nodded to Jaune. The time traveler hesitated, then looked to Glynda on his right. The combat instructor nodded in encouragement, again giving him a small smile. Knowall stood up and walked up on stage.

He scanned the crowd. He immediately noted many young ladies were staring intently at him. Several were gossiping quietly, shooting him looks and giggling. Mentally he groaned. That was the last thing he needed.

He found his younger self in the crowd. Even from this distance, it was easy to tell that the younger Jaune had definitely toughened up: His shoulders were a bit more broad, his armor was a bit worn, he wore proper boots instead of sneakers and there was a more confident look in his eyes.

So he followed my advice, Knowall thought, That's good.

On his left side was... He frowned a bit at the cat Faunus girl who was badly disguised with a hair bow. She stared back at him in some confusion with her yellow eyes.

Blake Belladonna? That's a surprise.

On his younger counterpart's right was a small girl in red with black hair and silver eyes. A very familiar girl, who grinned happily back.

Ruby Rose? Right, this is where she went, Knowall thought. He paused.

Wait, if she's here then that means...

He found a shock of blonde hair in the audience. His heart nearly stopped.

She was younger. Had both arms. Was shooting him a cocky smirk.

Yang...

He clenched his fists briefly. The memories just seeing her caused him to recall...

She's not her, he reminded himself firmly, She's not her. You can't do anything with her here. Nothing but save her. Save everyone.

He took a deep breath and looked out at the crowd. He used a calming technique his mother had taught him to suppress his emotions, and keep control.

"I'm Doctor Jaune Knowall. I look forward to working with you," he said in a calm, even voice. He added a small, crooked smile: "But let's hope I don't have to see you too often, unless you're training to be medics."

It was a corny joke his mother had told often. It got some laughs, which broke some of the tension. He nodded, then turned to walk off the stage. The meeting broke up after that, and Knowall made for one of the exits.

"Hey! D-Doctor Knowall!"

Damnit.

He turned to his younger self. The teenager grinned and waved in a friendly way.

"I see you made it to Beacon," Knowall said quietly. Jaune nodded.

"Yeah. That-That training really helped!" He said enthusiastically.

"Good," Knowall stated firmly. Jaune flushed.

"Though uh... I had some help along the way," he said. Blake Belladonna walked up, stopping at Jaune's side. She studied Knowall carefully.

"Blake Belladonna," she introduced herself. "Jaune and I travelled here together."

"And she helped me train," Jaune continued with a grin, "She's really good!"

"That's good to know," Knowall replied in a neutral tone. He nodded to her. "You two should go and rest up for the Initiation tomorrow."

"Already?" Jaune frowned.

"It's going to be tough," Knowall stated firmly.

"A cat nap sounds good to me anyway," Blake said with a soft shrug. "Nice to meet you, Doctor."

She walked off with Jaune in tow. Knowall watched them go, and then shook his head.

"I take it this is going to be difficult for you," Ozpin asked, walking up behind Knowall without making the slightest noise. Knowall nodded curtly, his eyes again finding Yang in the crowd.

"You might say that," Knowall said quietly.

Ozpin leaned on his cane, and hummed thoughtfully.

"We all have our demons," he said gently.

"Some more than others," Knowall muttered.

"Let's get to the office," Ozpin said quietly, "We're going to need every scrap of information you can give me."

Knowall nodded.

"Understood, sir."

- - -

"Seriously," Yang enthused to Ruby as they headed for the ballroom, "I think I'm gonna catch a fever with Doctor Knowall around!"

"Yang, ew!" Ruby gagged, "He's like, old!"

"Mature is more like it," Yang giggled, "And did you see the way he looked at me? So intense!"

"Isn't that kind of weird though? For a teacher to be staring at a student?" Ruby asked. "I mean, if he actually did anything, he'd be a creep!"

"Pfft, please, a guy like that couldn't be a creep if he tried!" Yang scoffed.

"Well, he's not a creep but he is... Weird," Jaune contributed, walking behind with Blake in tow. Yang looked back over her shoulder at the strange pair.

"Really?" Yang asked with a grin, "You know him?"

"Course he knows him," Ruby stated, "Jaune told me about him!"

"He just helped me get to Beacon and trained me a little," Jaune said, a bit nervous with Yang's intense scrutiny on him.

"So, what, is he like a relative of yours?"

"He does look very much like you," Blake opined, her frown deepening. Jaune shrugged.

"He might be? My family's big enough I've got cousins I don't even know about."

"Well then," Yang grinned, taking Jaune's arm and leading him towards the ballroom, "You're gonna give me all the deets on Doctor Studly, understand?"

"Er, sure?"

Ruby and Blake followed, both looking rather annoyed with the blondes. Though for different reasons.

- - -

Click to shrink...

Blake Belladonna had fled the White Fang. She'd left her entire life, even her boyfriend, behind. All for her principles. Principles she had forgotten, but remembered when she'd seen the fear in the eyes of those humans.

She'd found refuge in a barn when she abandoned the train. She'd taken what sleep she could, only to be awakened by loud thunder and cold rain pouring down onto her. With a grimace, she'd left the barn and tried to see shelter out in the cold, wet night.

She'd found the main road, and a truck had splashed a puddle all over her. Cold, exhausted, wet, and depressed, she'd sat down under a tree and curled up.

She had no one. No one at all. She'd run away from everyone who had ever cared for her into a cold, unforgiving world.

She had no one to blame for herself... It was all her fault...

"Hey... You okay?"

She looked up in shock. She hadn't heard the approach of the boy over the harsh pounding of the rain. He was tall, a bit scraggly but well built. He wore white and black armor over a black hoodie, jeans, and boots. A large backpack carried his supplies and a sword was at his side. He smiled kindly and held an umbrella up over her.

A knight? She thought.

"I..." She bowed her head and stared down at the ground.

"H-Hey," the boy tried, "You don't have to answer. I just... Look. I'm going to the local inn. I've got money for a room. If you want to share it..."

He blushed and shook his head rapidly.

"N-Not that I mean to-I mean-I'm not-!"

Blake stared at him in disbelief. He resembled the protagonists in her fantasy books. So kind, so warm. She could feel his Aura from here and it was like a beautiful bonfire. She could see nothing, hear nothing but kindness and sincerity in his heartbeat and his body language.

"Um... My name is Jaune Arc. What's yours?"

Her life was so cold, so empty. Here was a light in the darkness. A source of warmth.

Maybe... Maybe Heaven had not abandoned her. Maybe... This was another chance.

One she didn't deserve, but she'd been given all the same.

She reached out and took his hand.

"Blake Belladonna..."

He'd been as good as his word. He'd gotten them a room at the inn. He'd slept on the floor and given her the bed. He'd gotten her a hot meal. They even went shopping for new clothes-She'd paid for them, even if he'd insisted on it.

He was so kind and genuine... A little too kind and genuine, at times. She'd kept him from falling for a few scams from bandits. After that, she'd finally asked where they were going.

He said he was going to Beacon, to become a Hunter like his parents.

Mysteriously, an offer from the Headmaster to join Beacon hit her Scroll soon after.

So she'd gone with it. They had the same goal, after all. They began to train together.

He was... Incredibly unprepared and untrained. But he was strong, had enormous Aura power, and was quick to learn. His sheer power was honestly staggering-He had more Aura than Adam and his top five lieutenants, her included, combined.

He had so little control over his Aura it just radiated everywhere, and she felt so warm and happy around him!

But Blake refused to put her neuroses on him. Her last romance had ended terribly. She... She couldn't afford to be selfish. Not to such a kind, loving, warm young man.

Her... Her friend.

Her partner. Or rather... Who she thought would be her partner.

Jaune walked along in the Emerald Forest, scanning around carefully as Blake walked at his side... Pyrrha on his other.

"Thanks for pinning me to that tree, Pyrrha," Jaune said with a laugh, "Uh, I'm still working on landings with Aura."

"Oh, think nothing of it, Jaune!" Pyrrha giggled.

Blake dug her nails into her palm. She grit her teeth.

Yang was following along too, Blake's partner. She was... Fine. Aside from the puns and the bounciness, the fact she wouldn't stop talking...

"Yeah, but it's good we got up and leafed, right?" Yang giggled. Jaune actually laughed, and Blake bristled.

Don't laugh at her jokes! They're terrible!

"Anyway," Jaune said, "Blake? You smell or hear anything dangerous?"

Blake sniffed and listened.

"Yes. Eight Beowulves, and Four Ursas are in our way," Blake said.

Jaune nodded. Shortly after, they came across the Grimm gathered in a pack. Jaune pulled out his sword and opened up his mechashift shield.

"All right. Yang? We'll be up front-Hit them towards me, we'll keep them boxed in. Pyrrha and Blake? On the flanks. Let's take them down."

"Of course Jaune!" Pyrrha said cheerfully.

"Sounds fine by me! You be the anvil, and I'll be the hammer!" Yang grinned.

"Just fine," Blake muttered as she drew Gambol Shroud.

They made quick work of the Grimm. Jaune was the strong, support tank, Yang was the strong offensive tank. Pyrrha was fast and mobile, hitting hard at all ranges, while she swept through the stragglers. They finished them off in no time. Jaune grinned.

"Wow! We did great work! Even faster than when it was just you and me, Blake!"

"Yes. It was," Blake grumbled. Pyrrha beamed.

"I think we're going to be a great team!"

"The best!" Yang laughed, bumping Jaune's shoulder with her own.

Blake ground her sharp teeth.

Yes. It was good. So good...

"You okay Blake?" Jaune asked, frowning in concern, "You're gripping Gambol Shroud pretty hard."

"I'm fine," Blake hissed. Jaune took her hands in his, and massaged some pressure points.

"Don't overstrain your muscles, we've got a ways to go," Jaune said firmly. "Here: My mom did this for my dad all the time when he fought. Does it feel better?"

She saw how stiff Pyrrha's smile became. And how Yang raised an eyebrow.

She smirked a bit smugly as Jaune's warmth was once again solely hers.

"Just fine..."

- - -

Doctor Knowall watched the Initiation play out on the holoscreens with Ozpin and Glynda. Ozpin sipped his hot chocolate, while Glynda made some observations every now and then.

"Winchester's team seems well suited to close-range combat. None of them have any stealth or much range, though Sky's Voice Imitation Semblance might come in handy for distractions."

"Miss Rose and Miss Schnee are an unlikely pair... Hopefully they won't kill eachother."

"Zalbar's team is a bit light on muscle, so we may wish to shuffle them around. Plus, what name would you make out of ZXXZ anyway?"

There was an alert and a few red-tinged holoscreens appeared. Ozpin looked at this cluster as several people in white masks and black outfits walked into the woods. He frowned.

"Intruders in Sector 56," he murmured.

"White Fang," Glynda growled, "In such numbers?"

Ozpin looked over at Knowall.

"Knowall? Anything to add to this?"

His eyes widened in shock. Glynda's soon followed.

Knowall's face was locked in a cold, furious snarl. His fists were clenched and glowing with Aura energy.

"... I'll handle this," he growled.

"You will need backup-" Glynda protested, but Knowall shook his head.

"No. I will not," Knowall stated, firm and angry. He turned and headed out.

- - -

Rathbone peered down the sights of his sniper rifle. A black bowed girl in white and black was running along with a bunch of humans.

Not that there was any shortage of them around.

"That's her," he muttered to his comrades, "Adam's main squeeze. If we bring her back after killing all these students... He'll reward us greatly!"

"Sure those Dust Rounds won't kill her? We can't bring back a corpse," he comrade grumbled.

"They'll be just fine-"

Something blocked his view. He scowled.

"What the-?!"

Someone yanked his rifle out of his hands. That same someone crushed the rifle between his hands like it was made of tinfoil. Rathbone looked up in shock at the tall blond human in a simple blue suit, red tie, glasses, and white lab coat.

He grinned furiously, his blue eyes burning with Aura.

"White Fang, huh? Here to kill a load of innocent students for your master?"

Rathbone gasped.

"You-Kill him-!"

His comrades pulled their guns and opened fire. Rathbone's eyes widened in disbelief as the man caught every round with his hands. The White Fang members stopped firing, and gaped as he dropped the bullets in front of them.

"Yeah. Not today,"

Jaune punched all of them, so fast he was only a blur. He then stepped back. Rathbone gaped, and felt his stomach.

"I... What... What did you do?! I didn't feel-!"

Pain filled his entire body. He coughed and covered his mouth with his hand. He looked down at the blood and gaped in shock.

"I just triggered your immune systems to consume your bodies from the inside," Knowall snarled. "Your lungs, your liver, your heart-It will all tear itself apart. Your brain, lungs, and heart will be last, along with your nervous system so that you will die in the worst agony possible for anyone to experience."

Rathbone gaped as his body went numb. His comrades gasped in horror as they too began to shake and cough blood.

"But... But why-?!"

Knowall glared. His hatred seemed like heat from a fire that was threatening to consume him.

"Because you took everything from me," Knowall snarled. "You destroy all life just for your selfish hatred, consumed by your idiocy and rage. You never look beyond your own pain, you just inflict it upon others. Well... Guess what? You get to experience a fraction of what you've caused the innocent."

"N-No, please!" Rathbone begged, falling to his knees. "Please! We-We'll tell you anything! Help you give up our plans! Please! J-Just... Just don't! PLEASE! You're a doctor, right?! You-You're a doctor!"

"You're a doctor, right?"

Jaune had looked up to his fiancé from some notes he was taking. They were sitting in their small apartment in Atlas. She was full of concern for him. He shrugged.

"Yeah, I am," he said.

"So, aren't you supposed to do no harm?" She asked. "You've been doing a lot of harm in a fight."

Jaune frowned.

"I... I can't let you fight alone," he said. "Besides, if I'm with you... I need to help."

"Yeah but..." Yang frowned, "You're so... Gentle."

"So, what?" Jaune scoffed. It was the same argument his mom had used. "I'm not cut out to fight with you?"

"No, you're actually pretty great," Yang said with a soft smile, "But... I just... I don't want you to become something you're not. I don't... I don't want you to become cruel. The world beats people down... It can destroy them."

She contemplated her cybernetic arm for a moment.

"Don't let the world turn you into a monster, Jaune. No matter what it does... Promise me?"

Jaune turned to her, and smiled warmly.

"I promise..."

Knowall took a long, deep breath. Glynda descended behind him. He could tell she'd been there for a while though, from how concerned her tone was.

"Doctor Knowall?" She prompted. "Well?"

"... You will cooperate with the authorities in every way," Knowall stated. "Leave nothing out."

Rathbone nodded frantically. Knowall quickly touched all of them, and their vitals slowly returned to normal. A few police Bullheads flew up overhead, and cops descended. They began to cuff and secure the White Fang members. Knowall turned away and looked down into the valley. Glynda looked at Knowall in deep concern. She hesitated.

"Doctor?"

He adjusted his glasses.

"... Sorry about that," he murmured, "I'm fine now."

Glynda stared intently at him.

"Are you sure about that?"

Knowall's eyes found a blonde head of hair down in the valley. He was silent for a time.

"... Sure enough," he murmured.

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Isabel was finishing some paperwork in the dormroom, while Arjun meditated and Saia read a book. The door opened and Nick walked in with a bright smile.

Isabel: "You're late, Nick. I thought we were going to hang out after class?"

Nick: "Oh! Sorry I'm a bit late! But I've got great news!" All smiles

Isabel: "Oh? What is it?"

Nick: "Well, you guys keep telling me I don't know anything about social stuff."

Arjun: "You don't."

Saia: "No offense."

Isabel: "You're like a nine year old in a seventeen year old's body."

Nick: "So I decided to train and learn how to do it properly! And I've succeeded at something social!"

Isabel: smile "Good for you, Nick! What was it?"

Nick: "I asked a girl on a date... And she said yes!"

Silence. Arjun and Saia sloooowly move to the far side of the room away from Isabel and Nick. Isabel is still smiling, even as her eyebrow twitches.

Isabel: "Really? Well... That's... Nice! Who did you ask?"

Nick: Oblivious "Summer! She's nice and we get along great!"

Isabel: TWITCH "Oh! Yes! Summer! That's... Yes."

Nick: "She's gonna take me to a video game arcade! I saw those around and I didn't know what they were so she's gonna show me! And then we're having lunch! I'm paying! That... That is how you're supposed to do it, right?"

Isabel: "It... It can vary but it's a good start."

Nick: "Well, I thought Summer would be a good choice! You're always telling me to stay away from certain girls who would be no good for me, but you don't have any problems with Summer! So I asked her!"

Isabel: "That's... That's great Nick. Truly."

Nick: beams "Thanks for pushing me to get better at stuff, Izzy. I couldn't do it without you! You're the best partner a guy could ask for!"

Isabel: "... Yes... Well... Um... Do you need any help with the date?"

Nick: "Well... I wouldn't mind it... But maybe later, huh? It's late, and I gotta get a shower."

Isabel: Dead State, smile "That's fine, Nick."

Nick: "Thanks Izzy!" He heads into the bathroom... The water starts...

Arjun: "... You know, you could just tell him that you like him-"

Isabel: bright red "I DO NOT LIKE HIM! I-I don't-HOW COULD I EVER LIKE THAT IDIOT?! He-He's stupid and careless and crass and-and I don't like him like that at all! Summer is a perfect choice for him, they're BOTH idiots!"

Isabel growls and grips onto the wooden panels of her bed in irritation.

Isabel: "They can go and have a date! Doesn't matter to me, not ONE bit! Not at all!"

Saia: "Isabel?"

Isabel: "YES?"

Saia: "You're gonna-"

The entire bedframe snaps and falls apart under the pressure of Isabel's fingers.

Saia: "... That."

Arjun: "Clearly it does, Isabel. And clearly you do care for him-"

Isabel: "I DO NOT!"

Saia: "It does seem counterproductive to deny your feelings when he's not even chasing you. If you got him to chase you, then you can play this strange game of yours-"

Isabel: "I'M NOT PLAYING ANYTHING! I DON'T LIKE HIM AND THAT'S FINAL! HE CAN GO AND GET MARRIED AND HAVE A DOZEN BABIES WITH SUMMER FOR ALL I CARE!" She storms out and slams the door.

Arjun and Saia look at each other and sigh.

Arjun: "Why must Valean women be like this?"

Saia: "It is quite beyond me, my Prince."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -



Jaune was relaxing a bit out on the quad under his favorite tree. He played his guitar without much form or direction, just putting up a random tune that spoke of his exhaustion. Orleans drank from one of many fountains around the campus nearby, not a care in the world.



"Mmhmmhmhmhm..." An old tune came to his mind and his fingers set to realizing it, "Mmhmhmhm... I dig my hole, you build a wall... I dig my hole, you build a wall... One day that wall is gonna fall~..."



It was a bleak song he'd heard from some Faunus on a cattle drive, but it had stuck in his head ever since. He closed his eyes and sang it softly, enjoying the music and the afternoon breeze.



"Ahem."



Jaune's eyes snapped open and his hand went to rest on his gun. He looked up. Sun Wukong stood there, his golden hair and bronze skin shining in the sun. Even wearing his school uniform, he left it unbuttoned to show off his chest.



As far as Jaune was concerned, the man could do as he pleased. That said, he could only imagine the whoopin' his Nana would give Sun if she showed up like that in her classroom.



"What can I do for you, Mister Wukong?" Jaune asked, pleasant and polite enough. Sun sat down, his tail waving a bit in nervousness. He kept smiling.



"That's a nice song you're playing," he said.



Jaune nodded.



"Thank you."



"Old Faunus Revolutionary song, I think," Sun continued.



Jaune thrummed his guitar strings and nodded thoughtfully.



"That so? Some Faunus cowhands taught it to me. Been playin' it ever since."



"Mm," Sun nodded. They sat in silence for a time. Orleans shot an inquisitive look over at them, but Jaune shook his head at his horse. She resumed guzzling her water, though kept an eye on them.



"So," Sun began, trying to sound casual, "You and Blake are... Friends, right?"



Jaune blinked, still strumming his guitar. He nodded.



"Yessir."



Sun nodded thoughtfully.



"Good friends?"



"Well," Jaune considered, "We have saved eachother's lives. I believe that makes us friends at the very least."



Sun nodded thoughtfully, working his jaw. Jaune frankly kind of wished Sun would get to the point.



"So... You're not... Together, right?"



Ah. There it was. Jaune shook his head.



"Er, no. We are not," he said firmly. Sun stared intently at him. Jaune coughed. "What? We're not."



"Neptune just told me your shotgun speech and well," Sun shrugged awkwardly. Jaune chuckled.



"Well, you're different. You actually fought alongside us in battle. My pa and Mister Duke always said the truest sense of a man is found when he's in a fight. You fight well. You looked after Blake. I don't see no reason to go overboard. If you want to date Blake, it's up to her, not me."



He kept strumming his guitar. Sun nodded thoughtfully.



"I guess that's fair," he said, "Just, you know... You seem to have quite the following."



Jaune blinked.



"I do?" He asked.



Sun stared back at him in utter disbelief.



"Yes? How could you not notice?!"



"I mean, I have seven sisters," Jaune said with a shrug, "And while uh, a few of the ladies here might be sweet on me... Um... I ain't inclined to pursue any until I'm sure it's gonna be serious, you know? I don't wanna lead on women. If I date seriously? It's for keeps."



Sun blinked rapidly at him.



"Neptune said you were crazy," Sun observed.



Jaune scowled.



"What's crazy about not breakin' hearts? Sides, I make these ladies angry, they could all kill me."



Sun hummed and nodded.



"That's fair. Still... Good on you, bro. You're cool." He patted Jaune's shoulder. "Thanks."



"Don't mention it," Jaune said. Sun brightened as he looked past Jaune's shoulder. The cowboy looked back and smiled as well.



The rest of JNPR and RWBY approached. Sun got up and dashed right in front of Blake with an eager smile.



"Hey Blake! I found this nice little coffee shop on Tombs street that's also a bookstore. Wanna check it out this Saturday?"



Blake hummed. She looked between the relaxing Jaune, who was now playing a song for the rest of their friends as they sat down around him.



"Well... What were you talking about with Jaune?" She asked.



Sun, guileless as ever, smiled and shrugged.



"Just getting permission to date you from your big brother, I guess."



Blake hummed again. She really shouldn't... But...



"Oh, I see," she said, "Wait a moment."



She practically skipped over to Jaune and shot for him. With a yelp, he held his guitar out of the way as she landed in his lap.



"Blake!" Ruby gasped.



"Jaune onii-chan," Blake crooned, nuzzling Jaune's nose, "Do I have permission to go on a date with Sun this Saturday?"



She felt the glares of Weiss, Yang, Pyrrha, and Ruby. She couldn't help but relish them.



Jaune, bright red, nodded quickly.



"S-Sure! No problem!"



"Thanks. I'm so sorry, but one man just isn't enough for me~," Blake whispered loudly. "Or woman." She kissed him on the nose. "Thanks~."



She got up slowly, swaying her hips as she walked up to Sun. Sun stared in disbelief as Jaune was left bright red. Weiss sputtered. Pyrrha and Yang glared death, as Ruby growled. Nora gave Blake a thumbs up, as Ren sighed and just tried to meditate.



"Ha... Man, I knew you were a joker but geez," Sun laughed. Blake smiled at him and took his arm between hers.



"Was I?" She asked.



Sun gaped. Blake shrugged.



"Guess you'll just have to find out~..."



- - -



Because Troll!Blake is a lot of fun.

 

[Gur40]

-Ruby tries to be a ninja as a lark. Shenanigans ensue.

Click to shrink...

Stolen from Tumblr just fit to me:
razorblade180
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12h ago

Yang: All I'm saying is a good Full Nelson could've helped the situation.

Blake: I don't think that works against Xenomorphs.

Yang: But nobody ever tries in the movies. Just step on the tail too and- oh.

There's a sock on the dorm doorknob

Blake: Huh…I guess we're seeing another movie.

Yang: Works for me. Hopefully Weiss will be less sassy after scoring.

Blake: What makes you think Ruby isn't behind the door?

Yang: Pfft, no, no, no, no, I don't have to worry about that yet. She sweats shaking a person hand. It's definitely Weiss.

Blake: Could be both of them.

Yang: My little sister isn't currently behind this door.

Blake: Okay~

Yang: Don't do that. Ruby is probably somewhere trying not to pass out from embarrassment after seeing the sock herself. I mean who would think Weiss would be so bold and forward?

Weiss: Nobody, because "she" isn't.

The black and yellow of team RWBY whip their head around to see the girl crossing her arms as she stared at them with mild blush.

Weiss: Are they done yet?

Yang:…..

It felt instantaneous. The moment Yang so much as twitched her body, a glyph was in front of the door and Blake had her in Full Nelson as she started dragging her away.

Blake: Maybe you're right. This is a handy hold.

Yang: Release me.

Blake: I don't have siblings, but this feels like one of those pivotal moments where you be supportive and not ruin something as it's happening.

Weiss: As a younger sister, Blake is correct. Look at it like this, there's only three reasonable options. If it's Penny, you lose. If it's Pyrrha, you lose. If it's Jaune, you still have to fight Pyrrha.

Yang: That won't save them from my wrath! And if it's none of those three?

Blake and Weiss: Then we'll help you kill them.

Ruby: Who are we killing?

WBY:*turn around* Ruby!?

Ruby:*workout gear* H-Hi? How was the movie?

Weiss: Who's in our dorm!?

Ruby: Huh? Oh, Coco paid me to use it with Velvet. Because their team was tired from a mission.

Yang: Oh cool.

Weiss: Cool!? You can't just rent out our-

Ruby: I swapped our sheets and charged half of Yang's weight in lien.

Weiss: Outstanding.

Yang: My weight!?

Blake: Even when you win, you lose. *lets go* I guess you were right not to worry.

Ruby: Did you think I was in there? A third of my social circle is in this hallway. And the rest are across it.

Weiss: Yeah you need more friends.

Ruby: I'm not taking that from you.

Yang: Welp, now that my adrenaline is calming down, let's go grab a bite or something. Honestly I feel bad. I'm sure Velvet heard some of that.

Ruby: That wouldn't surprise me.

Blake: We'll apologize later.

All four of them walk away in peace, their team life remaining in tact.

Several minutes earlier, inside the dorm.

Yang: *being aggressively loud outside*

Ruby:*puts on shirt* Yeah, so I'm just gonna fly out the window, then come back up through the corridor and lure them away so you can escape.

Jaune: I thought your sister liked me?

Aggressive struggling continues

Ruby: Let's not take risks.

Jaune: Yeah I like my life. Fortunately, *pulls out scroll* Coco said she'd do me a solid for helping Velvet out. Heh, she already said "go for it."

Ruby: Should I be jealous that you have such a cool girl's number?

Jaune:Not after what we've been doing. I don't know about you but I'm still convinced this is a dream.

Ruby:*kisses cheek* I know~

Yang: That won't save them from my wrath!

Ruby:..Let me go prevent a nightmare.

Jaune: Please and thank you.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Yeah but it would probably got all mid isekai.

... Goddamnit, stupid brain won't shut up. I gotta stop watching so much trashy anime.

- - -

Jaune calls his parents.

Jaune: "Hey Mom... Dad... Um... I know this is a little awkward-"

Isabel: "Are you going to come home and go to medical school?"

Jaune: "No. No I am not."

Isabel: scowls "Jaune, we've been over this a hundred times-"

Jaune: "Yes Mom, I know. You saw a lot of terrible crap as Hunters. I get it. But I want to help and protect people like you two! So please, at least let me try? If I fail, I'll come back and study. I promise."

Isabel: "... Well... I mean... I suppose you're being mature about this..."

Jaune: "Also? You know those medical techniques you were going to teach me with unlocked Aura? I kind of need them now."

Isabel: sighs "What makes you think I'll teach you them now-?"

Jaune: "Well..." Looks contrite and mumbles "This big guy's been bullying me in combat class..."

Isabel: eyes narrow "Who?"

Jaune: "Oh! Uh, nothing! I mean, it's no big deal-"

Isabel: "WHO IS BULLYING MY BABY BOY?!"

Jaune: Sheesh, no wonder he had such low self esteem! "Uh... Mom, you know that calling the school about it only makes it worse, right? Besides... If I do learn these medical techniques and I fail? I'll be a shoe in for medical school?"

Isabel: "..." sighs "Well... I suppose I can give you the basics..."

Jaune: "Thanks!"

- - -

The next day in combat class...

Jaune: Seriously, that fanon is canon? I have to face Cardin until I win? What bullshit is this?

Cardin: "All right Jauney Boy, ready to lose?"

Jaune: all smiles "Hey Cardin. Funny thing. Did you know my mother invented a few medical techniques with Aura that are stupidly easy to use? I don't know why I didn't ask her to teach me sooner, ego issues probably, but I picked up one or two last night!"

Cardin: "So what?!" He swung his Mace... Jaune sidesteps it and then flares his Aura

Jaune: "So this."

He shield bashes Cardin so hard he flies out of the ring and slams into the floor.

Jaune: "... Shit... Did NOT mean to go that hard... Sorry Cardin! So, that means I win, right?"

Goodwitch: "Uh, yes! Good work, Mister Arc."

Jaune: "Thanks Teach!"

With his friends...

Yang: "Nice bash, VB! Really left an impact!"

Jaune: "Thanks Dragon Girl."

Yang: "Eh?"

Jaune: "Well, why should you be the only one with pet names?" winks

Yang: gapes "Wow... One win and you're smooth?"

Jaune: "Looks like!"

Jaune: Wait, shit... They're all still underaged to me. It's so creepy. WHY ARE YOU BEING CREEPY?! STOP BEING CREEPY!

Pyrrha: beams "That was... Pretty good, Jaune..."

Jaune: "But?"

Pyrrha: "Um, well..."

Jaune: "I need honest feedback to improve. So... What did I do wrong?"

Pyrrha: wince "Well... Your dodge was good, I can tell you've had dancing experience. But it had too much flair: That wastes energy. And your shield bash needed more motion from your hips and a better stance. You're lucky that Cardin wasn't taking you seriously, but now he will."

Jaune: Well... There goes my confidence... "Thank you Pyrrha. I mean that. Really."

Pyrrha: "Sorry... You just need to train to get better."

Jaune: "That's what I'm here for!"

Ren: "It is impressive you were able to learn an Aura technique in one night."

Jaune: yawns "Yeah... Though to be fair, I knew the basics very well thanks to my mom's instruction. I bet you guys could all pick it up way faster and better. You wanna learn too?"

Nora: "YES! How much does it boost your strength?!"

Jaune: "Like... Ten times in short bursts? My mom can go to a hundred times though."

Yang: "A hundred times?!" Grabs his arm "You're training with me!"

Pyrrha: "He-He is on my team-"

Ruby: "I WANNA STOP BEING A PIPSQUEAK!"

Jaune: "How will being stronger help with that?!"

Nora: "HE'S ON OUR TEAM! TEACH ME! I WANNA LIFT A PANCAKE HOUSE OVER MY HEAD!"

Jaune: "Mayyyybe we'll wait on teaching you, Nora."

Jaune: Shiiiiiit... See, this is why Jaune didn't train. It just causes so many issues... Fuck. I'm a smartphone away from being a shitty isekai protagonist... Well, at least I don't have a token animal girl love interest...

Click to shrink...

When Blake runs off... And they fight the White Fang... Jaune finally takes Blake aside.

Jaune: "Okay, Blake? Real talk. Don't do this again."

Blake: "What? But I have to-"

Jaune: "Blake, why is it your job to go on a one cat crusade against the White Fang? It's not in your job description, is it?"

Blake: "I, I don't have a job-"

Jaune: "Princess is technically a job."

Blake: gapes "J-Jaune, you... How-?!"

Jaune: "Grew up with Faunus in Radian. One of them was a huge fanboy of yours. It was honestly kind of weird and unsettling. He was devastated when you joined White Fang."

Blake: "Wha-You're blackmailing me?!"

Jaune: "I'm telling you... If you do this all on your own and get captured, or worse? One, you'll make Ruby cry. Two, you'll make your parents cry. Three? You'll be playing right into their hands because as long as they had you as a hostage? They could keep your parents from getting directly involved. You want to stop the White Fang? You're going to need help."

Blake: "How... How do I know I can trust you?"

Jaune: "I've kept my mouth shut from the moment I met you. But if you keep trying to pull this tragic heroine shit on us, your friends? I will do more than talk."

Blake: "Like what?"

Jaune: "I will tie you up and gag you if I must."

Blake: blushes "... Y-You wouldn't dare-!"

Jaune: "I dropped Weiss Schnee on her small but well toned ass. Do I look like I'm the kind of man you want to mess with? I care about you all, Blake. That's why I'm going to push back on this. So if you want to fight the White Fang? Sure thing. But we're doing it smart, and we're doing it together. Got it?"

Blake: "..." licks her lips "No man tells me what to do-"

Jaune: "Do NOT pull that shit with me, Blake. Your dad may have been permissive, but I'm not. He's not here. I am. You keep this up, I'm bringing the hammer down. But only because I care. We good?"

Blake: scowls "... Fine. But you'd better not forget to keep me in my place, Jaune."

Jaune: "Don't worry. I won't."

Blake walks off. Pyrrha, Ren and Nora approach Jaune.

Pyrrha: "What was that all about?"

Jaune: "Just making some things clear." She'll probably still run off at least once... But maybe I can at least check her worst impulses for now. She'll probably hate me but... We can work that out later.

Meanwhile, in Blake's mind...

Blake: Who does that human think he is, ordering me around?! Blackmailing me?! He... He threatened to tie me up! Is he really... Does he really want to... To make me his pet?!

Blake blushes severely.

Blake: No... No... I can't give in too easily... He has to work for it... Put me in my place... Then take me and make me his~...!

Ruby: "Blake? You okay?"

Blake: "... I might need to buy a collar."

Ruby: "Eh?"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

When Blake runs off... And they fight the White Fang... Jaune finally takes Blake aside.



Jaune: "Okay, Blake? Real talk. Don't do this again."



Blake: "What? But I have to-"



Jaune: "Blake, why is it your job to go on a one cat crusade against the White Fang? It's not in your job description, is it?"



Blake: "I, I don't have a job-"



Jaune: "Princess is technically a job."



Blake: gapes "J-Jaune, you... How-?!"



Jaune: "Grew up with Faunus in Radian. One of them was a huge fanboy of yours. It was honestly kind of weird and unsettling. He was devastated when you joined White Fang."



Blake: "Wha-You're blackmailing me?!"



Jaune: "I'm telling you... If you do this all on your own and get captured, or worse? One, you'll make Ruby cry. Two, you'll make your parents cry. Three? You'll be playing right into their hands because as long as they had you as a hostage? They could keep your parents from getting directly involved. You want to stop the White Fang? You're going to need help."



Blake: "How... How do I know I can trust you?"



Jaune: "I've kept my mouth shut from the moment I met you. But if you keep trying to pull this tragic heroine shit on us, your friends? I will do more than talk."



Blake: "Like what?"



Jaune: "I will tie you up and gag you if I must."



Blake: blushes "... Y-You wouldn't dare-!"



Jaune: "I dropped Weiss Schnee on her small but well toned ass. Do I look like I'm the kind of man you want to mess with? I care about you all, Blake. That's why I'm going to push back on this. So if you want to fight the White Fang? Sure thing. But we're doing it smart, and we're doing it together. Got it?"



Blake: "..." licks her lips "No man tells me what to do-"



Jaune: "Do NOT pull that shit with me, Blake. Your dad may have been permissive, but I'm not. He's not here. I am. You keep this up, I'm bringing the hammer down. But only because I care. We good?"



Blake: scowls "... Fine. But you'd better not forget to keep me in my place, Jaune."



Jaune: "Don't worry. I won't."



Blake walks off. Pyrrha, Ren and Nora approach Jaune.



Pyrrha: "What was that all about?"



Jaune: "Just making some things clear." She'll probably still run off at least once... But maybe I can at least check her worst impulses for now. She'll probably hate me but... We can work that out later.



Meanwhile, in Blake's mind...



Blake: Who does that human think he is, ordering me around?! Blackmailing me?! He... He threatened to tie me up! Is he really... Does he really want to... To make me his pet?!



Blake blushes severely.



Blake: No... No... I can't give in too easily... He has to work for it... Put me in my place... Then take me and make me his~...!



Ruby: "Blake? You okay?"



Blake: "... I might need to buy a collar."



Ruby: "Eh?"

Click to shrink...

Pyrrha had noticed that Jaune spent a lot of time just staring at the stars by himself. She didn't mean to intrude, but she was curious about it.



Pyrrha: "Jaune? Are you all right?"



Jaune: "Hm? Oh, yeah." He smiles sadly at her, before looking back at the stars



Pyrrha: "I just... You seem so sad when you look at the stars."



Jaune: "Oh. Well..." He shrugs and sighs. "Life... Isn't quite what I thought it was. A lot of my conceptions for how things worked were... Well... Shattered."



Pyrrha: "Oh?" She sits next to him



Jaune: "Yeah."



Silence.



Pyrrha: "Um... If you need to talk... I-I'll listen?"



Jaune: "I appreciate it but... I don't want to worry you."



Pyrrha: "I'm worried about you anyway. You seem... Older, somehow."



Jaune: nervous "D-Do I?"



Pyrrha: "Yes... Like you've seen terrible things. Things that have aged you."



Jaune: sighs "... I guess I kind of have. It's... Complicated."



Pyrrha: "I'm still here."



Jaune: "... I thought that was it. That this was my end, my release. That I'd get my eternal reward... And here I am. It's a fantasy to some, but... To me? It's... Not what I was hoping for. It's just living someone else's dream with a lot of responsibility I didn't ask for."



Pyrrha: "Oh... My..."



Jaune: "But... I mean... Since I'm here? I have to use what I know to help people. Because you are people. You're not just... Characters in a story. You're real. You have hopes and dreams and fears and... And I have to do what I can do help you. But I don't know if I even can help you. If I can do anything to change things. Even this knowledge I have is incomplete. I only got a tiny picture of what this world was like and there's so much I don't know."



Pyrrha: "... Then... Then you are no different from anyone else." She smiles gently "You're just another mortal doing the best he can. There's... There's no shame in that."



Jaune: "I wish I could think like that... But I'm not quite that either. There's so much on my shoulders and... And all I can do is try to help others with their burdens. Because they wouldn't understand mine."



Pyrrha: "Isn't that presumptuous? Egotistical? Maybe we'd understand better than you think."



Jaune: "..." laughs softly "Maybe... I just know that... This is kind of a second chance for me. One I didn't want... But one I won't squander. Because... Well... I love you."



Pyrrha: Bright red "L-L-L-Love me?!"



Jaune: "All of you. Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Blake, Ren, Nora... You're all dear to me. Even more so now. I... I can't let anything happen to you. Any of you." He hugged her "And I won't. Just... Help me do the best I can, please."



Pyrrha: "I-I... Y-Yes, of course..." Hugs him back, feeling giddy



Ruby: "Wait... You love us?!"



Jaune and Pyrrha look up in shock. RWBY, Nora and Ren are there on the rooftop.



Yang: blush "W-Wow... Kind of forward of you, huh VB?"



Weiss: "Geez... Like anyone would believe that!"



Blake: "You're blushing."



Weiss: "Shut up!"



Nora: "Awww... So can we be adopted, Jaune? I can't marry you but adoption is totally on the table!"



Ren: "... I also love you, Jaune."



Blake: happy look



Ren: "In a brotherly way."



Blake: Disappointed



Jaune: "No, I mean, I love you all but I mean, uh... Er..."



Jaune's Brain: Goddamnit, you KNEW that kind of talk would get you into trouble but you had to get all poetic! Idiot!

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Pyrrha had noticed that Jaune spent a lot of time just staring at the stars by himself. She didn't mean to intrude, but she was curious about it.

Pyrrha: "Jaune? Are you all right?"

Jaune: "Hm? Oh, yeah." He smiles sadly at her, before looking back at the stars

Pyrrha: "I just... You seem so sad when you look at the stars."

Jaune: "Oh. Well..." He shrugs and sighs. "Life... Isn't quite what I thought it was. A lot of my conceptions for how things worked were... Well... Shattered."

Pyrrha: "Oh?" She sits next to him

Jaune: "Yeah."

Silence.

Pyrrha: "Um... If you need to talk... I-I'll listen?"

Jaune: "I appreciate it but... I don't want to worry you."

Pyrrha: "I'm worried about you anyway. You seem... Older, somehow."

Jaune: nervous "D-Do I?"

Pyrrha: "Yes... Like you've seen terrible things. Things that have aged you."

Jaune: sighs "... I guess I kind of have. It's... Complicated."

Pyrrha: "I'm still here."

Jaune: "... I thought that was it. That this was my end, my release. That I'd get my eternal reward... And here I am. It's a fantasy to some, but... To me? It's... Not what I was hoping for. It's just living someone else's dream with a lot of responsibility I didn't ask for."

Pyrrha: "Oh... My..."

Jaune: "But... I mean... Since I'm here? I have to use what I know to help people. Because you are people. You're not just... Characters in a story. You're real. You have hopes and dreams and fears and... And I have to do what I can do help you. But I don't know if I even can help you. If I can do anything to change things. Even this knowledge I have is incomplete. I only got a tiny picture of what this world was like and there's so much I don't know."

Pyrrha: "... Then... Then you are no different from anyone else." She smiles gently "You're just another mortal doing the best he can. There's... There's no shame in that."

Jaune: "I wish I could think like that... But I'm not quite that either. There's so much on my shoulders and... And all I can do is try to help others with their burdens. Because they wouldn't understand mine."

Pyrrha: "Isn't that presumptuous? Egotistical? Maybe we'd understand better than you think."

Jaune: "..." laughs softly "Maybe... I just know that... This is kind of a second chance for me. One I didn't want... But one I won't squander. Because... Well... I love you."

Pyrrha: Bright red "L-L-L-Love me?!"

Jaune: "All of you. Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Blake, Ren, Nora... You're all dear to me. Even more so now. I... I can't let anything happen to you. Any of you." He hugged her "And I won't. Just... Help me do the best I can, please."

Pyrrha: "I-I... Y-Yes, of course..." Hugs him back, feeling giddy

Ruby: "Wait... You love us?!"

Jaune and Pyrrha look up in shock. RWBY, Nora and Ren are there on the rooftop.

Yang: blush "W-Wow... Kind of forward of you, huh VB?"

Weiss: "Geez... Like anyone would believe that!"

Blake: "You're blushing."

Weiss: "Shut up!"

Nora: "Awww... So can we be adopted, Jaune? I can't marry you but adoption is totally on the table!"

Ren: "... I also love you, Jaune."

Blake: happy look

Ren: "In a brotherly way."

Blake: Disappointed

Jaune: "No, I mean, I love you all but I mean, uh... Er..."

Jaune's Brain: Goddamnit, you KNEW that kind of talk would get you into trouble but you had to get all poetic! Idiot!

Click to shrink...

Later, Jaune meets with Ozpin. The Headmaster was very busy, but Jaune had pressed the issue and so Ozpin had agreed to a meeting in his office.

Ozpin: "Please, have some hot chocolate, Mister Arc."

Jaune: "Thanks but I just had breakfast."

Ozpin: "Suit yourself." sips his mug "Mm. I find it better than coffee."

Jaune: "Depends on the coffee, I suppose. And how it's prepared."

Ozpin: "Mmm. To each their own, but my personal experience is that humans just keep trying to make coffee and alcohol taste better just to make the experience of imbibing it more pleasant."

Jaune: "I suppose you would know best, sir. After all, you were around when it was invented."

Ozpin: chuckles "A crack about my age! And a very good one."

Jaune: smiles "No. I mean that very literally, Ozma."

Dead silence. Ozpin stares at Jaune and slowly sets down his mug.

Jaune: "I'm going to guess you're going for your cane, which is filled up with energy from you constantly doing stuff. You really should make better use of it."

Ozpin: "How could you possibly-?"

Jaune: "I just hit my head and... I had a vision. A vision of the future. I know that the sword my Nana keeps in her closet is actual magic. I know that the moon wasn't fractured on accident. And I know about you... And Salem. I saw the Fall Maiden's powers taken by one of Salem's agents. Vale and Atlas, destroyed. And the Ever After. How?" shrugs "Got me. Maybe it's my Semblance. Maybe it's magic. You got any Arcs in your body hopping family tree, Ozzy?"

Ozpin looks absolutely flabbergasted. Outwardly, Jaune is smirking. Inwardly, he's doing his best to keep himself together.

Jaune's Brain: Shit shit shit... Why do I have to play it like an asshole Independent Harry Potter fic?! TONE IT DOWN!

Ozpin: "... And what is it you intend to do with this information, Mister Arc?"

Jaune: "A lot of people I care about died in this future. A lot of it due to mistakes. Mistakes we could avoid. I want to avoid those mistakes, Headmaster. So... I'm going to give you as much information as I can to help you. But... I have to be careful about it. The second we use this information, the future changes and a lot of other things become worthless. And for all I know, I got a lot of things wrong."

He shook his head.

Jaune: "All I know is... I think I've got the memories of a much, MUCH older man in my head. One who has seen horrors. Horrors beyond comprehension. If I can save my friends, my family... Just people in general from it? Then it's worth it. So please sir... I am asking you to help me."

Ozpin: "... I will." He shook his head "... Thank you for surprising me for the first time in a long, long time. It's... A unique experience."

Jaune: "I can imagine. Anyway, first off... I have some questions since the vision wasn't entirely clear. Can I ask some?"

Ozpin: "If it does not compromise anyone's safety, I can try to answer it."

Jaune: "Don't worry, this is ancient history. Namely: Why hasn't Salem steamrolled Remnant already? She's immortal and has incredible magic. She controls the Grimm. She should have already won."

Ozpin: sips "Did not the vision show you the Moon breaking?"

Jaune: "I mean, it did, but I saw a war between Salem and the Gods and... Uh... Stuff."

Ozpin: "Hmmm... Perhaps it interpreted things in a metaphorical sense. Something easier for your mind to comprehend. Salem... Well... You saw how we met and fell in love?"

Jaune: "Rescued her from a tower, yeah."

Ozpin: nods "Our magical abilities were so in tune, we revolutionized it. We brought about wonders... But even with all our power, I was still prone to mortal failings. I died from a disease. Salem... Used all her magic, all her knowledge, to bring me back. But in doing so? She unleashed the greatest evil this world has ever known."

Jaune's jaw drops.

Jaune: "You don't mean... The Grimm?!"

Ozpin: "The story got twisted and altered over thousands of years in many religious traditions. The Table Breakers hold that Man brought forth the Grimm due to temptation by Evil herself to gain power over life and death. The Pathists believe that desperate desire, unchecked and unmanaged, brought forth a darkness to consume the light. The Dharmists believe it was a battle between the arrogant humans and the saddened gods as humanity sought to gain eternal life. In the end... They each have a piece of the truth. Salem brought forth the Grimm to save me."

Jaune: "Holy shit..."

Ozpin: nods gravely "This act made us both immortal, and powerful. We united man and Faunuskind together into a grand magical civilization. We fought the Grimm, made the world safe... But all the while, the price of ripping through the barriers of reality to the afterlife was paid by my wife. She was consumed by evil. She wanted to eliminate all death, all suffering... By making us all like her. Grimm."

Jaune: gapes

Ozpin: "I fought her. She gathered followers, promising them immortality. With the combined might of our armies? It was very much like a war between the gods. The world was devastated. She... She killed our daughters. I had only one chance: An ancient ritual to seal her away, as death had no hold on her. I managed to do it... Sealed her away into what was our home on the Dragon Continent... But the backlash of it shattered the moon, destroyed almost all magic, and sealed most of my power away into the four souls of our daughters, and four other items of great power."

Jaune: Holy shit... This is better than the original by leaps and bounds! How did this not get through to Monty?! Ah well...

Jaune: "So, if Salem gets her hands on the Maidens and Relics-?"

Ozpin: "Her full power will be unleashed. Even as she is, after centuries, she can manipulate through dreams and at times, project her image. She can control the Grimm but not as she once did. Even so... She has kept up this war for thousands of years. If she were to be released with her full power, and in possession of mine...? Remnant would be doomed."

Jaune: "Damn... So... Yeah. We totally want to stop that from happening."

Ozpin: "There is another problem... Her seal is weakening. There are still safeguards she cannot overcome without my power thanks to the ritual, but her power is growing. Enough that she's been able to take physical form in her castle for a few centuries. Even without her full strength she is formidable."

Jaune: "And I guess we can't just nuke her into oblivion?"

Ozpin: "I have considered it... But frankly, unleashing that much energy against the very thing keeping her sealed is probably not a good idea."

Jaune: "I kind of have to agree... Though I think General Ironwood still wants to try that strategy. Maybe you should tell him why it's not a good idea?"

Ozpin: "I have, though I didn't tell him the full details. However, if we're talking about the fate of billions, I may need to rethink that. Among other things."

Jaune: "Wow... You're... Uh... No offense Headmaster but you're way different from in the visions!"

Ozpin: "I am?"

Jaune: "Yeah."

Ozpin: "How so?"

Jaune tells him. Ozpin pauses a moment to digest this, and shakes his head.

Ozpin: "If I did make such decisions, Jaune... No wonder we were losing in the future."

Jaune: "Yeah, I kind of agree... I don't know if I got a bad transmission or something but... Even if only bits and pieces of it are true? I hope it helps."

Ozpin: "Prophecy has always been a difficult and complex subject, Jaune. Don't feel bad about not getting a complete picture. The future is always in motion."

Jaune: snerk "... Uh, sorry. Little in-joke."

Ozpin: "Indeed. Also... Rest assured that even if I did inhabit a teenaged body? I am unlikely to ever 'mack on' Miss Rose."

Jaune: "Oh... That's good."

Ozpin: "Though do take care with your own romantic endeavours? Miss Xiao-Long would be most put out."

Jaune: "Uh, n-no! I'm not-I'm totally not-!"

Ozpin: "Unless you intend to emulate your great-grandfather and go for a harem ending? It's not uncommon in the Arc line, you know-"

Jaune: "WHAT?! NO! I-I didn't even know that was an option-!"

Ozpin: "Of course it's an option. And if it gives us a better chance for survival, perhaps we should take it. I could give you some advice-"

Jaune: "NO! NO! I AM GOOD! TOTALLY GOOD!"

Ozpin: smirk, sips

Jaune: sigh "That's really not funny, Headmaster."

Ozpin: "Who said I was joking?"

Jaune: "Fuck. I am a terrible isekai protagonist."

Ozpin: "Language."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

As you might be able to tell, I'm a bit stressed at work with nothing to do. So...

- - -

The island of Patch

It was late afternoon when F=five-year-old Jaune Arc stared in wonder at the two-storey tall cabin he and his parents approached on horseback. He was held securely in his mother's lap as she guided her horse towards the wooden building, her husband Nick on his own steed close behind.

"Tai? Tai!" Isabel shouted. There was no response. Nick frowned as he dismounted.

"Though we were going to meet at the airship port," he murmured. His eyes began to scan around carefully, his senses alert.

"I thought so too," Isabel hummed, sliding off her own horse easily as she held Jaune in her arms. He wiggled before he got loose, dropping onto the grass.

"Mama, where's Yang and Ruby?" Jaune asked. He was pretty put out, which was understandable: He'd only talked with Ruby and Yang via CCT call. He was now finally healthy enough to travel, and he was eager to meet the daughters of some of his parents' good friends in person!

"I don't know, sweetie, we're going to find out," Isabel said with a gentle smile. She held onto his hand tightly all the same: It was habit from how weak and sickly he had been for so long.

Nick frowned deeply and Isabel looked at him in concern.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Strange tracks," he murmured. Isabel studied the ground. She shrugged.

"Toy wagon tracks. They were probably playing," she said.

Nick hummed but said nothing more.

Nick strode forward up to the wooden door, and knocked on it hard.

"Tai? Qrow?!" He shouted. "Anybody?!"

Again, there was nothing but silence. Nick frowned as Isabel pulled out her Scroll.

"He missed us at the airship port," she mumbled thoughtfully, dialing the Xiao-Long's home number, "He didn't call about anything..." She held the Scroll up to her ear as Jaune struggled against her grip playfully, "... Tai? This is Izzy. We made it to the house. Please call us as soon as you can..."

Nick tried the door handle. It was unlocked and swung open easily. Nick's frown deepened as Isabel stared.

"Izzy? Smell anything?"

Izzy enhanced her sense of smell by several times. She pulled Jaune up into her arms as Nick stepped in carefully. Isabel followed.

"He's in here," she said quietly. "Tai! TAI!"

Both Arcs spotted a human form on the couch, wrapped up in a weathered blanket in front of the TV. There were messy plates everywhere as a lone puppy licked at one. The dog was a corgi, and whimpered urgently as Nick walked over and grabbed the blanket. He pulled it off, revealing a very disheveled Taiyang Xiao-Long. He rubbed his messy stubble and stared blearily up at them.

"Huh? Izzy? Nick?"

"Nick, what happened?" Isabel asked urgently, "I thought you were going to meet us at the airship port?"

"Oh... Ohhhh..." Taiyang rubbed his face with a groan. "That... That was today... Right... Sorry."

"When's the last time you had a shower?" Isabel asked, as Jaune grimaced and pointed at Tai.

"Uncle Tai's all dirty!"

"I uh..." Taiyang scratched his head. "Not sure. School's closed this week, um... I thought we could..."

Nick turned on the lights. Tai grimaced and squinted. Nick glanced at his wife, and then down at the floor.

"Izzy. Look."

Isabel looked down. She focused her eyes like a hawk or eagle and made out some messy tracks: Made by a child's wagon.

"Where are Yang and Ruby?" Isabel asked tightly. She enhanced her hearing, but couldn't pick up any children around aside from Jaune.

"They..."

Tai's eyes widened in sudden realization and horror, his detachment falling away like a cloak.

"Where-Where are they-?!"

"Out the door!" Nick shouted. He turned and ran, dashing right outside.

"NICK! Wait, NICK!" Isabel cried. She turned to Taiyang and made a face before shaking her head.

"Oh Breaker, where are they-what did they-?!"

"We'll find them, Tai!" Isabel barked, just like in her leader days at Beacon. It seemed to get Tai's attention given how he looked intently at her. "We're going to find them! Just... Here. Watch Jaune, we will be right back, I promise!"

Taiyang shook his head and began to move towards the door.

"They're my girls, I can't just-!"

Isabel put a hand on his chest then pushed him down onto the couch. He fell without much balance and gaped stupidly up at her. She then put Jaune on Tai's lap.

"Jaune? Stay with Uncle Tai. Watch him. We will be right back, I promise," she said. She kissed her baby boy's head. "But don't go anywhere, this is very important. Do you understand?"

"Yes Mama!" Jaune said, nodding quickly.

Isabel turned and dashed out the door after her husband.

He put on his most serious face and stared intently at the distressed Tai. He then reached out and patted the older blond man on the hand.

"Don't worry, Uncle Tai! Mama and Daddy are gonna find Ruby and Yang! You'll see!" He beamed. "They're the best!"

"Y-Yeah... Sure kid," Tai murmured.

- - -

This was stupid. The stupidest thing ever.

Yang had heard her mother... Her real mother... Might have been living on the island somewhere. After Mom... After she died, Daddy was just... He wasn't there. He fell apart. He went to work but... Even when she shouted at him, he barely reacted.

He was broken.

So Yang thought... Maybe if she found her real Mom, Dad would get better. Dad would be fixed.

Maybe she could fix everything.

So she'd put Ruby into her wagon and set out when she was sure Dad wasn't home. She'd seen a big pile of blankets on the couch but that was normal.

Ruby had giggled and clapped happily every step of their journey, the two-year old enraptured by every fluttering bug and colorful flower. Yang though was serious just like a real Huntress. She had a mission to complete.

It was pretty deep in the woods (and things had gotten very dark) when they found an old looking cabin. It was made of rotted wood and sagging timbers. Honestly, it looked like where a witch from a fairy tale would live.

Still...

"Mama?" Yang called out. "It's Yang and Ruby! Mama? Are you there?"

Silence greeted her... Then an inhuman snarl. Red eyes appeared out of the shadows, and dark forms began to emerge. Fear filled Yang, as Ruby began to cry behind her. She stepped back until she bumped into the wagon as the Grimm advanced.

"Mama! Daddy!" She screamed, her arms going around little Ruby, "ANYONE! SOMEBODY! HELP!"

The lead Grimm looked like a nightmare made real. It snarled, baring large, sharp fangs that matched its bone white mask. Yang trembled and shook as she kept screaming.

"SOMEBODY! HELP! PLEASE!"

The Grimm lunged... Then something tall landed in front of them with a rush of wind. A gigantic white sword lashed out and the Grimm exploded in a flash of yellow light!

"I've got these, get the girls and GO!" A tall man, a darker blond than her daddy with a beard, bellowed. In moments, strong arms wrapped around Yang and Ruby both and they were flying!

Well, jumping. They leaped very high in the air and landed. Yang looked up in shock at the woman holding them and now running faster than a racing horse.

She was very pretty. Blonde, though much lighter than her own. Green-blue eyes behind glasses that looked over them frantically.

"Are you all right? Are you hurt?" The woman asked urgently.

In the moment, Yang couldn't help but wonder:

"Mama?"

"No sweetie, it's me, Aunt Isabel, remember?" The woman said with a soft, kind smile even as she dashed through the woods, "It's okay. You're safe now, you're safe..."

Right... Aunt Isabel. Daddy's friend. She was coming to visit. Yang had completely forgotten.

"What about...?" She looked over Isabel's shoulder. A massive explosion of yellow energy erupted, and she could hear the howls of Grimm.

Aunt Isabel chuckled at Yang and Ruby's wide eyes.

"Oh, he'll be just fine. Don't you worry. He's a Huntsman, after all."

- - -

Nick did catch up, grinning the same way he did after wiping out a horde of Grimm. He took Ruby in his arms, and the toddler soon giggled and began to play with his beard. They arrived back at the cabin soon after. Isabel's eyes widened when she saw Jaune standing outside, looking scared.

"What happened, son?" Nick immediately asked, free hand going for his sword again.

"Um... Uncle Qrow came in and told me to wait out here," he said, as he stroked the head of the dog. His eyes widened when he saw the girls. "Yang? Ruby?"

"Jaune!" Yang cheered. She'd wanted to meet the Bubble Boy since she'd seen him on the CCT! "Where's your bubble?"

"I don't need it anymore!" Jaune said proudly.

There was the sound of a loud crash inside. Isabel grimaced.

"I should-"

Nick shook his head. Isabel scowled.

"Nick, I-"

"Please Izzy, let me handle this?" Nick asked softly. "After we show him his kids are all right."

Isabel sighed but nodded. Jaune helpfully opened the door, and Nick patted his son on his head.

"Good job, Jaune," he said. They entered... To see Qrow shaking Taiyang by the collar.

"-What the hell do you mean you lost them?! You let them run off and-?!"

"DAD!" Yang and Ruby cried. Taiyang's eyes lit up and filled with tears. He dropped to his knees as the Arcs set Yang and Ruby down. The two little girls ran up and hugged their dad, the reality of what had just happened catching back up to them.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry... I'm so glad you're safe!" Taiyang sobbed.

Nick and Isabel stood a bit awkwardly. Qrow heaved a sigh of relief and managed a smile at his nieces. Jaune clung to Isabel's leg, and she stroked the top of his head.

Once Taiyang got himself back under control, Isabel very gently ushered the girls away.

"I'm going to make them some food," she said, "Jaune? Come on."

The three children and Isabel vanished into the kitchen. It was then that Qrow grabbed Taiyang and dragged him outside. Nick stepped out of the way, then followed at a slow pace.

Qrow threw Tai to the ground, and the blond yelped.

"Your kids nearly fucking died, Tai," Qrow seethed. "You're fucking lucky the Arcs were here, fucking lucky. I wasn't here. I was late."

"I-But-"

"But. Fucking. Nothing," Qrow snarled, kicking Taiyang in the stomach, "The fuck is the matter with you?! What would Summer think, huh?! You falling to fucking pieces and letting her kids die?!"

"Don't bring her up!" Taiyang growled back, his Aura flaring. He leaped to his feet and threw a punch. One that Qrow blocked. He punched Taiyang in the face.

"Can't even fucking defend your own kids! You fucking pathetic-!"

Nick Arc very calmly grabbed onto both men's wrists and pulled them apart. He used his great height to lift them both off the ground.

"Let me go, Nick! It's the only way he's gonna fucking-!"

"I'LL BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF-!"

Nick squeezed both men's wrists hard. Hard enough they both winced in pain despite their own powerful Auras. Nick's face remained serious... But calm.

"That's enough," he stated, his voice low but powerful like approaching thunder.

Both Tai and Qrow lowered their arms though they glared balefully at Nick. He set them down after a moment. He then took a deep breath.

"Tai... How long has this been happening?" He asked quietly.

"I..." Tai shook his head. "This... This is the first time they ran off-"

"You know what I mean," Nick rumbled. Tai looked to the side as Qrow glared at him.

"... Ever since Summer died, I've had... Bad days... Weeks, sometimes," Tai said quietly.

"How bad?" Nick pressed.

"... I..." Tai stared at the ground.

"Tai," Qrow growled.

"... Yang's had to cook and wash and... Even clean me, sometimes," he whispered. "She's gone shopping, I give her the money..."

Nick's eyes narrowed but his voice remained even.

"Qrow?"

"I've been making money, long hours, you know how it is," Qrow said, his face darkening, "I didn't... I didn't realize-"

"Guys," Nick interrupted, "Even if this isn't my jurisdiction... I am an officer of the law. Militia captains have to be accepted into the Rangers."

Both Tai and Qrow went very still. Tai paled.

"Nick, I... Please, they're all I have-!"

"Your daughters very nearly died today, Tai," Nick said quietly, "If we weren't here, they would have. I've had to take children out of homes for less."

Qrow immediately moved in front of his brother-in-law and best friend, their previous argument all but forgotten.

"Nick, please," Qrow said, "I-I can stay home more, I can help him get his head on straight... I know how serious this is but-"

"What's the guarantee this won't happen again in a few weeks?" Nick asked sharply. "You wanna bet your nieces' lives on that?"

Qrow grimaced.

"Nick, please," Taiyang whispered.

Nick sucked in a very deep breath. He then let it out.

Taiyang's fists clenched and unclenched. Qrow shook his head.

"Nick, you can't just-I'll go to Ozpin-!"

"Do not pull that card on me, Qrow," Nick growled, his Aura flaring like a small sun in the dying light, "You will not win."

Qrow grit his teeth... Lowered his hand from his weapon. Nick tamped down on his power, and resumed speaking as though nothing had happened.

"But because we're friends, I'm going to give you two options. One: Yang and Ruby visit and stay at our house in Radian for a while. We've got plenty of room, and plenty of eyes on them. Jaune would love to have kids his own age to play with who don't know him as the Bubble Boy. They will be safe, they will be happy. They'll stay as long as you want. Legally, they'll still be yours. They'll call you every day."

Nick looked at Tai significantly.

"Meanwhile... You get yourself together. Now... That's going to take a while. Don't lie, Tai. It will. Qrow just beating the crap out of you isn't going to cut it. Therapy with someone Izzy recommends. And if you have any more... Bad days? Bad weeks? They come with us for a while. Until you sort it out."

Taiyang stared back at Nick, tense but less filled with despair.

"And option two?"

Nick sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"I go to the local authorities. I tell them the situation. They come here and assess things. And from there, it will be out of our hands."

Qrow sucked in a breath. He looked over at Tai.

"Tai?"

Taiyang stared at the house for a long time, silent and morose. All three men could faintly hear children laughing from the kitchen. Taiyang held his breath... Then sagged as he let it out.

"... I'll... Get them packed," he murmured.

Nick nodded slowly. He reached out and squeezed Taiyang's shoulder.

"You're going to get better, Tai, I promise," he said quietly, "But unless you do? You're going to lose everything. This is so you don't."

Tai slowly nodded, and patted Nick's hand.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

Qrow sighed. He then patted Taiyang's other shoulder.

"We'll get through this, buddy. I swear."

- - -

So, how's this for an AU?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Isabel Arc stirred as the front door opened. In an instant, her faculties returned from her deep REM to fully aware. She enhanced her senses of scent and hearing and listened to the footsteps of the person entering the house. Her heart rate slowed and she relaxed as she recognized who it was in an instant.

She got out of bed and headed down the stairs, the red light of the late afternoon sky shining through the windows. She rushed down the steps, every creak and pop comfortingly familiar, dashed through the living room and right into the kitchen.

"Nick!"

Nick smiled at her happily, sitting down at the table. He was filthy, his hair askew, his beard dusty, his clothing covered in dirt and leaves. Lilac thoughtfully poured her father a jug of beer, which he downed happily. While he did that, Isabel hugged him-Something he returned with one massive arm as he drank deep.

"Haaa... Beer, hugs, home: Best things ever," Nick chuckled as he finished. He kissed his wife, as Lilac thoughtfully took the mug and turned away in embarrassment at her parents' show of affection.

"Mmm... You all right?" Isabel asked urgently. Nick nodded.

"I'm fine. Had to take down a few Griffons."

Isabel's eyes shot wide open. Her jaw dropped. Lilac dropped her mug and gaped at her father in shock.

"Griffons?!" They both gasped. Nick nodded.

"Yup. They were pretty tough. Carolina was able to take out their wings with the 50 Cal and Caboose used the rocket launchers to keep them grounded. Damn hard to fight them until we got them on the ground." He brightened. "Then I just hacked them apart with Joxeuse here!"

He patted his trusty railgun sword as it hung off his back. Isabel groaned in exasperation.

"NICK! Why didn't you get me?!"

"Wasn't time," Nick grunted, "They were going to attack Spondel. You couldn't get there that fast and they weren't gonna wait. Sides, you needed your sleep!"

"Why were you in Spondel?!" Isabel demanded, "That's thirty minutes away!"

"Well, we've culled the majority of the Grimm around Radian," Nick said with a shrug, "They called for aid. I wasn't gonna ignore them, Izzy! Not with so many of our best fighters off in Vale!"

Isabel groaned. As much as she might call her husband an idiot, he was perfectly logical when it came to combat.

"Still... Griffons. We haven't seen those around Radian in almost a century," she shuddered.

"Are more of them coming, Dad?" Lilac asked urgently. Nick smiled at his daughter and reached out to squeeze her hand comfortingly.

"Nah. The National Guard's finally in place with their anti-Grimm batteries around the Valley. We should be all right."

Isabel sighed in relief.

"Still, I wish I was with you," she muttered, touching her forehead to Nick's.

"Me too," Nick said with a nod, "I could have thrown you at them, and you could have torn their wings off. Like when we fought that Garuda in Jaipur. Remember?"

"Which one?" Isabel deadpanned, recalling the several battles they had fought to liberate the kingdom of Pandu with their old teammates Prince Arjun and Saia, "We fought three, then the REALLY big one King Duryodhana summoned right in Hastinapur."

Nick hummed and nodded. A furious battle in the middle of a major metropolitan city against a gigantic flying demon Grimm under the control of a mad despot did tend to stick in one's memory.

"Good point. Man, was he a jerk. It wasn't even fun to fight him after a while." Nick held his hands up. "He was all like 'It is useless to resist my power! You have supported Arjun in vain! I am a god and you are mere insects!'"

Isabel managed a giggle at her husband's bad impression.

"He was quite the blowhard," she agreed, "No wonder his own Grimm ate him: Anything to shut him up."

"Yeah, but Arjun totally got the win," Nick nodded, "He hit him last. It's only fair."

Isabel sighed.

"Any word from them?"

Nick's good mood soured and he became a bit pensive. Lilac poured him another beer, which he nodded his thanks to before drinking.

"Radio's picking up some messages. CCT net gets some updates. I hope Orchid's work fixes it soon, cause what I've seen is bad."

Isabel steadied her nerves with her Semblance.

"How bad?" She asked.

Nick heaved a long sigh.

"Jaipur got attacked by one of the factions in Mistral's civil war."

Isabel's lips thinned as Lilac gasped. Jaipur was the biggest trading city between Pandu and Mistral, and one of the busiest ports in the world. It was the gateway to Anima for much of the world.

"Attacked?"

Nick scowled.

"A Mistralian air battleship attacked with missiles. Hundreds are dead at least, and the walls were deliberately breached in many key areas. They also herded Grimm in to assault the city before they were shot down."

Isabel's jaw dropped.

"That's... Insane," she muttered, "The factions in Mistral need support of other kingdoms to win this civil war. Using Grimm like this will just alienate everyone or make the conflict worse! The only reason you'd do that is..."

Her eyes widened in realization.

"If that's what you wanted to happen," she whispered.

Nick nodded. Lilac moved closer. Isabel reached out to squeeze her hand comfortingly.

"Arjun thinks the same thing," Nick said quietly. "He's getting yelled at by his entire Council to retaliate against all the factions in Mistral, since they're all claiming they didn't do it. But given this happened right after the Vytal attack... He thinks it's a false flag."

"But Mistral's still at war," Isabel sighed, "Which means that the next attack may not be a false flag and it will drag them and every other semi-independent kingdom into it anyway."

"Mm," Nick nodded slowly.

"I don't understand why any humans would do this! This chaos across the entire world all at once doesn't benefit anyone!" Isabel scowled thoughtfully. "It's like something out of the old legends. The Witch Queen of Argus claimed she had a darker, more dread master who wanted to overthrow the world of Men and Faunus..."

"So did Duryodhana, before he died," Nick said gravely. Isabel shook her head.

"At the time I thought he was just insane. All the things he'd done to himself for power... But now..."

Isabel scoffed.

"Not that the words of a thousand year old legend or a dead madman would count for anything."

"We... Have some witnesses from the Vytal attack," Lilac said carefully.

Isabel and Nick looked at her. Lilac shrugged. Isabel nodded slowly.

"We do," she agreed, "But... How much weight will a few teenagers' words have when an entire continent is at war?"

"Arjun would listen," Nick said brightly. Isabel gave her husband a deadpan look.

"Arjun will need proof."

"We'll see what we can do," he said, "We just have to ask them, maybe get their Scrolls and look through the information, maybe go back and see-"

"Nick!" Isabel growled. "They have been fighting for their lives for weeks now! Fighting even though I told you not to put them in! Especially Jaune!"

Nick nodded.

"They needed the rest, I don't disagree," he said, "But we needed the help, Izzy." He brightened in pride.

"You should have seen Jaune! He led his people so well! They never hesitated to obey an order! He threw himself into the thick of it and kicked so much butt! It's amazing how far he's come-"

Isabel rose out of Nick's lap and glared angrily at him.

"He is our son!"

"And he's chosen his path," Nick said calmly. "I'm letting his friends rest and relax because they need it... But they're going to go back out into the fight eventually, Izzy. You know this. He lost too much to stay away."

The healer and the paladin stared at one another. Isabel's gaze was tight, anxious, and angry. Nick's was grave but serene. After a tense silence Isabel sighed deeply.

"Maybe," she muttered, "But I don't have to accept it."

Nick nodded, as Lilac turned away to mind her own business at the sink.

"I know."

Isabel looked out the window. A familiar group of Hunters-in-Training were riding a wagon down the road into the farm.

She hurried out the side door to greet them. She smiled as the outdoor lights came out, illuminating the group in the horse drawn wagon as they came up the drive.

"Hey! How did... You... Do...?"

Jaune stepped out first, covered in blue feathers, grass and dirt. The rest of the teens looked similarly disheveled and exhausted-Save for Nora, who wore a crown of blue feathers around her head.

"... Choux birds?" Isabel guessed, and even with her Semblance of Total Body Control, it was difficult not to giggle.

"Yup," Jaune stated flatly.

Isabel sighed.

"Well, it could have been worse," she said. She beamed.

"And I think you've all earned a reward!"

"Do we get to fry the little bastards up with oil?" Neptune growled.

"No, but even better!" Isabel cheered. "Hot springs!"

"Hot springs?" Everyone not an Arc echoed in confusion.

- - -

Bit more exposition heavy this time but I wanted to give a slightly bigger view of the world as things unfold.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune: Okay... Look. I'm a teenaged boy with a bit of an old man's brain in my head. That doesn't make me a creep, right? Right! I'm totally not a creep. Besides, my years of wisdom mean I'm not just ruled by my hormones. Right? Right!"

Yang walks into the common room, toweling her hair off after a shower. She's only wearing a towel. She beams at Jaune.

Yang: "Hey VB. Staying in too, huh?"

Jaune: "... Y-Yes."

Yang: "Any... Plans?"

Jaune: "Uhhh..."

Yang: "You know..." smirks, leans in "Maybe I could... Fit you in, huh~?"

Jaune: Why is she flirting with me holy shit you pervert you gotta stop yourself this is a fantasy come true NO DAMNIT SHE'S GONNA END UP WITH THE SHITTY KITTY YOU KNOW THIS DAMNIT FUCK SHIT BALLS BOOBIES-!

Yang: Heh, he's always so serious and now he's completely off guard! He's kind of cute when he's blushing. Maybe I'll lean in a bit closer and really spook him...

She does so... Her lips breathing hot air against his.

Yang: "What do you think~?"

Finally those years of experience crystallize.

Jaune: "..." Deep breath "... I dunno. I don't think you could handle me."

Yang: blink "... Oho? Vomit Boy's got some pride, huh?"

Jaune: "Not pride. Just honesty."

Yang: "That's a very bold claim to make. You wanna prove it?"

Jaune: "... You first."

Yang: "Huh?!"

Jaune: "You first."

Yang: "... Are you asking me to drop my towel, VB?"

Jaune: "Do I need to ask? You started this, after all. Do you want to see where it goes?"

Yang: Blushes bright red "Y-You... I uh..."

Jaune: shrugs, turns back to his book

Yang: Wha... THAT'S NOT HOW THIS IS SUPPOSED TO GO! HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE A STAMMERING, BLUSHING MESS DAMNIT! HOW COULD HE JUST IGNORE ME?!

Jaune: "You're right. We're probably rushing things. Dinner and a movie first before we get to that point. You're a classy lady, I'd like to treat you right."

Yang: Even brighter red "... You... Um..."

Jaune: Heh. So she is a blushing good girl... That's great! Now maybe she'll back off and-

Yang: "...This Saturday good?"

Jaune: "Huh?"

Yang: "This Saturday. Dinner. Movie... And maybe..." She's suddenly very shy as she holds her hands in front of her towel clad body

Jaune: Shit that's even hotter...! "... S-Sure?"

Yang: "Great! S-See you then!" She flees back to her room and shuts it tight

Jaune: "... Wait, what?!"

Click to shrink...

Jaune ponders how to break the news to his team-

Nora: "JAUNE-JAUNE! You're going out with Yang?!"

Ah, right. He'd forgotten that he had to plan around Nora, not with her. As she announced this at the breakfast table. Weiss spat out her food in shock while Ruby gasped. Yang blushed. Pyrrha STARED. Blake blinked rapidly.

Jaune: "... Yes. We're going on a date. It's going to be fun and just us." He smiled at her. Yang smiled back.

Jaune's Brain: Good. I can't just say it's 'just a date' or it will hurt Yang's feelings. Like I'm not taking it seriously.

Jaune: "No reason to flip out, everyone."

Jaune's Brain: But I also need to not look too eager or I'll upset everyone-

Weiss: "I really don't know what you see in him! He's a brute, a ruffian!"

Yang: "You know, you saying that makes me want him more." winks at Jaune "I think I can take some roughness, how about you?"

Jaune: "I've seen you ride your motorcycle. I fear I may be in danger."

Yang: "HA! You wish I rode you like I did Bumblebee!"

Jaune: smiles and winks "Who knows? Maybe I'll find out."

Yang: bright red, but recovers with a giggle "Geez, you wax often, VB? That was a little too smooth."

Jaune: "Maybe not the best choice of words when it comes to riding a motorcycle. Good to know you're taking care of yourself though."

Yang is blushing so hard she might have steam coming out of her ears. She's covering Ruby's ears. Blake is very interested. Weiss is scandalized. Pyrrha looks very sad while Nora grins and Ren raises an eyebrow.

Jaune: "Gotcha." winks

Yang: "Geez!" snickers "Tone it down until after the kids are asleep, mister!"

Jaune: "Fair enough, Ma. Wouldn't want to scar them mentally."

Weiss: "YOU TWO ARE DISGUSTING!"

Ruby: "I don't know why you two are acting like this. I know all about sex."

Yang: "RUBY!"

Ruby: "What?"

After breakfast... Jaune meets with Pyrrha outside of the cafeteria.

Jaune: "You okay Pyr?"

Pyrrha: "Hm? I'm fine... Totally fine. You uh... You two seem very close."

Jaune's Brain: Oh shit... She loves Jaune still?! I am literally the opposite of a golden retriever! I'm like a grumpy terrier or something!

Jaune: "I mean... We're messing around. It's a date, yeah, but... We're not getting married. I do care about her, and uh... If we do get into a romantic relationship, then that will happen. If not? We'll stay friends."

Pyrrha: "O-Oh! I mean of course! I knew that."

Jaune nods.

Jaune: "Just in case you were... Concerned. About... Anything. I uh... I get the feeling you didn't have many friends. I-I mean, I could be wrong and I'm sorry if I'm presuming too much-"

Pyrrha: "You're... Not wrong."

Jaune: Bingo. "Well... I just want you to know that however things go, I do care for you Pyrrha. Very deeply."

Pyrrha blushes.

Jaune: "I mean... I care about everyone but uh... You're my partner." He takes her hands in his "I don't want to lose you."

Pyrrha: confused "You're not... H-Honestly? Um... I'm sometimes scared of losing you."

Jaune: "Me? Why?"

Pyrrha: "Well, uh... You talk a lot about... Um... Death. Like you nearly died. And you're so sad sometimes. I don't think you're suicidal or anything... Unless... Are you suicidal?"

Jaune: "I mean..." He sighs and rubs the back of his head, the memories from two people mixing and matching "... I thought about it once."

Pyrrha: eyes widen

Jaune: "It-It's okay. It's okay. It was a very dark time in my life. I just... I felt so helpless and useless and a burden on everyone. I wondered... I wondered if my family would be better off without me?"

Pyrrha: stares in shock

Jaune: "I'm much better now, Pyr. It's okay." smiles and hugs her to reassure her "All right? I won't give up my life unless there's literally no other way to... I dunno, save Vale. Or you."

Pyrrha: hugs him very tightly "I'll make sure that never happens."

Jaune: "Th-Thanks... Also... You can let go... Hard to breathe..."

Pyrrha: "O-Oh!" lets him go with a blush "S-Sorry!"

Yang: "Ahem."

Jaune: "Hey Yang." Wasn't doing anything wrong, don't act like you were! "Just talking with Pyrrha."

Yang: "Good... Let's go shopping!"

Jaune: "Huh?"

Yang: "Come on, would you rather go to a boring lecture on our light day or hang out with me?" wraps her arms around his and pulls him away significantly "Trying on clothes?"

Jaune: "When you put it that way, I'd have to be an idiot to turn you down."

Yang: "Yeah, and you're definitely not that!"

Yang and Pyrrha stare at eachother intensely. Jaune blinks.

Jaune's Brain: No way... Come on... They're not jealous of me. They're not. Come on...

Jaune: "See you tonight Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha: "Sure. Goodbye Jaune. Goodbye Yang."

Yang: "Later."

Yang drags Jaune off.

Jaune's Brain: Probably best to just tease her, clear the air

Jaune: "Didn't know you were the jealous type but it does fit."

Yang: "Wh-What?!" blushes bright red "No I'm not!"

Jaune: smiles "Didn't think so. But if you were jealous, we were just talking some personal stuff and we needed hugs. Hugs are pretty awesome, ya know?"

Yang: "Yeah. Totally."

Jaune's Brain: Okay so she might be a little jealous... Fuck.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune ponders how to break the news to his team-

Nora: "JAUNE-JAUNE! You're going out with Yang?!"

Ah, right. He'd forgotten that he had to plan around Nora, not with her. As she announced this at the breakfast table. Weiss spat out her food in shock while Ruby gasped. Yang blushed. Pyrrha STARED. Blake blinked rapidly.

Jaune: "... Yes. We're going on a date. It's going to be fun and just us." He smiled at her. Yang smiled back.

Jaune's Brain: Good. I can't just say it's 'just a date' or it will hurt Yang's feelings. Like I'm not taking it seriously.

Jaune: "No reason to flip out, everyone."

Jaune's Brain: But I also need to not look too eager or I'll upset everyone-

Weiss: "I really don't know what you see in him! He's a brute, a ruffian!"

Yang: "You know, you saying that makes me want him more." winks at Jaune "I think I can take some roughness, how about you?"

Jaune: "I've seen you ride your motorcycle. I fear I may be in danger."

Yang: "HA! You wish I rode you like I did Bumblebee!"

Jaune: smiles and winks "Who knows? Maybe I'll find out."

Yang: bright red, but recovers with a giggle "Geez, you wax often, VB? That was a little too smooth."

Jaune: "Maybe not the best choice of words when it comes to riding a motorcycle. Good to know you're taking care of yourself though."

Yang is blushing so hard she might have steam coming out of her ears. She's covering Ruby's ears. Blake is very interested. Weiss is scandalized. Pyrrha looks very sad while Nora grins and Ren raises an eyebrow.

Jaune: "Gotcha." winks

Yang: "Geez!" snickers "Tone it down until after the kids are asleep, mister!"

Jaune: "Fair enough, Ma. Wouldn't want to scar them mentally."

Weiss: "YOU TWO ARE DISGUSTING!"

Ruby: "I don't know why you two are acting like this. I know all about sex."

Yang: "RUBY!"

Ruby: "What?"

After breakfast... Jaune meets with Pyrrha outside of the cafeteria.

Jaune: "You okay Pyr?"

Pyrrha: "Hm? I'm fine... Totally fine. You uh... You two seem very close."

Jaune's Brain: Oh shit... She loves Jaune still?! I am literally the opposite of a golden retriever! I'm like a grumpy terrier or something!

Jaune: "I mean... We're messing around. It's a date, yeah, but... We're not getting married. I do care about her, and uh... If we do get into a romantic relationship, then that will happen. If not? We'll stay friends."

Pyrrha: "O-Oh! I mean of course! I knew that."

Jaune nods.

Jaune: "Just in case you were... Concerned. About... Anything. I uh... I get the feeling you didn't have many friends. I-I mean, I could be wrong and I'm sorry if I'm presuming too much-"

Pyrrha: "You're... Not wrong."

Jaune: Bingo. "Well... I just want you to know that however things go, I do care for you Pyrrha. Very deeply."

Pyrrha blushes.

Jaune: "I mean... I care about everyone but uh... You're my partner." He takes her hands in his "I don't want to lose you."

Pyrrha: confused "You're not... H-Honestly? Um... I'm sometimes scared of losing you."

Jaune: "Me? Why?"

Pyrrha: "Well, uh... You talk a lot about... Um... Death. Like you nearly died. And you're so sad sometimes. I don't think you're suicidal or anything... Unless... Are you suicidal?"

Jaune: "I mean..." He sighs and rubs the back of his head, the memories from two people mixing and matching "... I thought about it once."

Pyrrha: eyes widen

Jaune: "It-It's okay. It's okay. It was a very dark time in my life. I just... I felt so helpless and useless and a burden on everyone. I wondered... I wondered if my family would be better off without me?"

Pyrrha: stares in shock

Jaune: "I'm much better now, Pyr. It's okay." smiles and hugs her to reassure her "All right? I won't give up my life unless there's literally no other way to... I dunno, save Vale. Or you."

Pyrrha: hugs him very tightly "I'll make sure that never happens."

Jaune: "Th-Thanks... Also... You can let go... Hard to breathe..."

Pyrrha: "O-Oh!" lets him go with a blush "S-Sorry!"

Yang: "Ahem."

Jaune: "Hey Yang." Wasn't doing anything wrong, don't act like you were! "Just talking with Pyrrha."

Yang: "Good... Let's go shopping!"

Jaune: "Huh?"

Yang: "Come on, would you rather go to a boring lecture on our light day or hang out with me?" wraps her arms around his and pulls him away significantly "Trying on clothes?"

Jaune: "When you put it that way, I'd have to be an idiot to turn you down."

Yang: "Yeah, and you're definitely not that!"

Yang and Pyrrha stare at eachother intensely. Jaune blinks.

Jaune's Brain: No way... Come on... They're not jealous of me. They're not. Come on...

Jaune: "See you tonight Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha: "Sure. Goodbye Jaune. Goodbye Yang."

Yang: "Later."

Yang drags Jaune off.

Jaune's Brain: Probably best to just tease her, clear the air

Jaune: "Didn't know you were the jealous type but it does fit."

Yang: "Wh-What?!" blushes bright red "No I'm not!"

Jaune: smiles "Didn't think so. But if you were jealous, we were just talking some personal stuff and we needed hugs. Hugs are pretty awesome, ya know?"

Yang: "Yeah. Totally."

Jaune's Brain: Okay so she might be a little jealous... Fuck.

Click to shrink...

Jaune was meeting Ozpin in his office again, relating what he knew of the future.

Jaune: "... And Lionheart's been a traitor for a while. Not sure when he broke or if he was always a scumbag. He says he was just a coward but I was kind of emotional at the time."

Ozpin: grave look "Understandable. I would ask you to try and get your godfather to assist us in this matter. I don't want to move against Lionheart too soon and tip our hand: If he could give us intel on Salem's plans, we might be better able to deal with them."

Jaune: "My godfather...?"

His memories came to him. He blinked rapidly.

Ozpin: "Yes. King Arjun Sarkara of Pandu?"

Jaune: "Ah, right. Sorry, I think the visions are messing with my mind..."

Jaune's Brain: I only came up with like half of that worldbuilding! Why isn't my co-writer here instead of me?! Oh well... Good to know, I guess. Maybe I was getting a clearer transmission from Remnant than Monty. Not that I want to be presumptuous in thinking I was the better writer, cause I'm NOT.

Jaune: "Still... He's going to want Lionheart dead since he probably had a hand in the coup that made him an exile and orphan in the first place. Exile-orphan."

Ozpin: "True, but he can be patient and cunning. He can keep in control of himself. Or his wife will rein him in."

Jaune: "Speaking of... My parents and my godparents were a very powerful team, right?"

Ozpin: "Indeed. Expert heavy combatants and disaster relief specialists. I was very proud of them all."

Jaune: "So... Why didn't you make them your strike team instead of STRQ? Nothing against Ruby and Yang's parents and uncles... Well okay, a LOT against Raven."

Ozpin: "For a few reasons. Summer's Silver Eyes made her a natural counter to Grimm and Salem's agents. The others all had skills very useful as a covert strike team. Whereas your parents and godparents... Were not covert. At all."

Jaune: "But... My mom can shapeshift and Uncle Arjun is like a ninja archer-"

Ozpin: dryly "Yes, and your father is a wrecking ball in human form and your godmother fires death rays. Your mother can shatter buildings at full strength and your godfather is, shall we say, VERY liberal with Aura-powered explosive arrows. Approximately 80 percent of their missions in urban areas ended in property damage so extensive the insurance companies had strokes. And of course, they also overthrew a dictatorship-Granted, wIth the support of a multi-national alliance, but overthrowing a government is not something anyone can call inconspicuous. Your family are many things, Jaune Arc, but covert and subtle are not among them. It's not much of a victory if in defending Remnant, you reduce most of it to rubble."

Jaune: "I... Guess I can't argue with that."

Ozpin: "Indeed. As for the Ever After, do you recall what fruit you ate?"

Jaune: "Ummm... I think it was a mango? But again, it's all really fuzzy."

Ozpin: "At least it wasn't a peach then."

Jaune: "... Was... Was that a dad joke?"

Ozpin: "I think I'm entitled to make them."

Jaune: "Fair enough. Joke away."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Ruby sighed and looked at the box she was holding.Roughly the size of a box of Cracker Jacks it had a happy pattern of blue splotches decorated the box with the word dinner written in big friendly letters upon it. A sigh escaped her lips as a rare frown crossed her face.

Yang looked over at her and tossed a can opener too her. Ruby grumpily opened the box to see what she had managed to get. "Joy, tuna fish in juices."

Blake looked at her own. "I have...mystery meat patty, want to trade?"

Ruby tossed the small can to her and caught the one thrown at her. She looked up at Weiss. "All of the marvels of modern technology and the field rations have not changed since the Great War?"

Weiss sighed as she fixed a cup of coffee. "Be thankful we have this... some of the teams don't even get this luxury."

Jaune nodded and reached into the wooden crate for his box.

Jaune scowled hard at his meal of reprocessed meat and what looked like hardtack. Pyrrha was trying to smile supportively.

"It could be worse?" She suggested.

"Yeah, Renny and I know that for sure," Nora said, examining her own pack rations with a frown, "I think this might be human! What do you think, Renny?"

"I'll try not to think about it," Ren said.

Jaune growled. He got up and handed the box off to Pyrrha. He then stalked off into the woods, to the surprise of both teams.

"Jaune? Where are you going?!" Ruby cried in concern.

"Just sit tight! I'll be right back!" He shouted. "Nora? Ren?"

"With ya, boss!" Nora cried, getting up to follow him. Ren trailed behind. They vanished into the woods, leaving RWBY and Pyrrha to stare and mutter amongst themselves.

"Has he lost his mind?" Weiss demanded. "I mean, what little he had anyway-"

"The food's not THAT bad," Yang said flatly.

About half an hour later, Jaune, Nora, and Ren returned. Jaune carried some fish and rabbits he'd caught, while Ren and Nora both had bags of various greens and fruits.

"Pot and pan, please," Jaune asked Pyrrha, who dutifully retrieved them.

Another half hour followed as Jaune cleaned, dressed, and cooked the meat and greens. He added bits from the rations and spices from his own backpack. He then presented them with a hot, amazing smelling meal.

"Rabbit stew with field onions, potatoes and radishes, fried fish with breading made from the crackers and butter, and a mixed field green salad," Jaune presented with a smile, "Dig in!"

Weiss and Yang looked dubious. Blake sniffed it. Ruby, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren dug in first. Seeing them try it, the rest went ahead...

Weiss moaned in bliss.

"It's... Amazing!" She hungrily dug into the food. "How...?"

"My great-grandpa owns a restaurant and he taught my sisters and I how to cook," Jaune said. He nodded to Nora and Ren. "Nora and Ren helped me find the needed stuff."

"We foraged a lot in the past," Nora moaned, "But it never tasted sooo goood!"

"Indeed," Ren said, letting a rare smile grace his face.

"I think my tastebuds were shot and sent to heaven," Yang sighed.

Blake silently finished her bowl and held it out for seconds, which Jaune happily supplied.

"It's just... Wonderful, Jaune," Pyrrha beamed, "Thank you."

"No problem," Jaune grinned, "A happy team is a successful team, right?"

"So much!" Ruby moaned. "I think I'm having a foodgasm like in one of Blake's animes!"

"RUBY!" Yang hissed. Ruby scowled.

"Don't deny it!"

Yang blushed.

"Well... Um..." She winked at Jaune. "I guess I... I really can't. Thanks, VB."

"Again, no problem," Jaune said with a smile and wave. "Anyway, uh... Call of nature. I'll scream if there's Grimm."

"Don't worry, we'll be listening," Pyrrha said with a beam. Jaune waved and walked off. He did his business... And then heard a commotion. He ran back as quickly as he could, weapons drawn.

He came to a camp in disarray, where everyone had their weapons drawn and were glaring death at one another. Nora and Ren were on one side, just eating food as the five other women in the camp seemed like they'd just been in a scrap.

"Holy... What happened?!" Jaune cried, and everyone looked over at him. "Did a Grimm attack?!"

"Uh... Yessss," Pyrrha managed, "A few! No problem to deal with."

"Yes, they were ugly, jealous, devious, spiteful little harpies," Weiss hissed.

"You'd know best, Schnee," Blake growled.

"And backstabbing felines without any regard for friendship, too," Yang seethed.

"Oh, I don't think they'll be a problem," Ruby grined ferally, "Not after I deal with them."

"I wouldn't count on that," Pyrrha grinned back, though her smile was extremely terrifying.

Jaune, confused, looked over at Ren and Nora. Nora shrugged.

"Good luck, Fearless Leader!"

"You're going to need it," Ren deadpanned. "Can I have more stew?"

"Er... Sure?" Jaune muttered.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune was meeting Ozpin in his office again, relating what he knew of the future.

Jaune: "... And Lionheart's been a traitor for a while. Not sure when he broke or if he was always a scumbag. He says he was just a coward but I was kind of emotional at the time."

Ozpin: grave look "Understandable. I would ask you to try and get your godfather to assist us in this matter. I don't want to move against Lionheart too soon and tip our hand: If he could give us intel on Salem's plans, we might be better able to deal with them."

Jaune: "My godfather...?"

His memories came to him. He blinked rapidly.

Ozpin: "Yes. King Arjun Sarkara of Pandu?"

Jaune: "Ah, right. Sorry, I think the visions are messing with my mind..."

Jaune's Brain: I only came up with like half of that worldbuilding! Why isn't my co-writer here instead of me?! Oh well... Good to know, I guess. Maybe I was getting a clearer transmission from Remnant than Monty. Not that I want to be presumptuous in thinking I was the better writer, cause I'm NOT.

Jaune: "Still... He's going to want Lionheart dead since he probably had a hand in the coup that made him an exile and orphan in the first place. Exile-orphan."

Ozpin: "True, but he can be patient and cunning. He can keep in control of himself. Or his wife will rein him in."

Jaune: "Speaking of... My parents and my godparents were a very powerful team, right?"

Ozpin: "Indeed. Expert heavy combatants and disaster relief specialists. I was very proud of them all."

Jaune: "So... Why didn't you make them your strike team instead of STRQ? Nothing against Ruby and Yang's parents and uncles... Well okay, a LOT against Raven."

Ozpin: "For a few reasons. Summer's Silver Eyes made her a natural counter to Grimm and Salem's agents. The others all had skills very useful as a covert strike team. Whereas your parents and godparents... Were not covert. At all."

Jaune: "But... My mom can shapeshift and Uncle Arjun is like a ninja archer-"

Ozpin: dryly "Yes, and your father is a wrecking ball in human form and your godmother fires death rays. Your mother can shatter buildings at full strength and your godfather is, shall we say, VERY liberal with Aura-powered explosive arrows. Approximately 80 percent of their missions in urban areas ended in property damage so extensive the insurance companies had strokes. And of course, they also overthrew a dictatorship-Granted, wIth the support of a multi-national alliance, but overthrowing a government is not something anyone can call inconspicuous. Your family are many things, Jaune Arc, but covert and subtle are not among them. It's not much of a victory if in defending Remnant, you reduce most of it to rubble."

Jaune: "I... Guess I can't argue with that."

Ozpin: "Indeed. As for the Ever After, do you recall what fruit you ate?"

Jaune: "Ummm... I think it was a mango? But again, it's all really fuzzy."

Ozpin: "At least it wasn't a peach then."

Jaune: "... Was... Was that a dad joke?"

Ozpin: "I think I'm entitled to make them."

Jaune: "Fair enough. Joke away."

Click to shrink...

Jaune was in what Yang assured him was very fashionable: White shirt, khaki pants, black jacket with his hair cut to her specifications. He supposed simplicity was best.

He knocked at the RWBY dorm room door and waited.

Jaune's Brain: Shit... Should I have gotten flowers? Or chocolate? NO! No, this is just a friendly date. Ease up. Wait, the dating rules are different between worlds! What if she thinks I want to marry her?! I mean... That would make sense in a civilization fighting Grimm that ISN'T totally fucked up by gender politics and what not. Crap, crap, why didn't Jaune pay attention to any fucking thing but nerd shit and HUNTING HISTORY?! Yes it's cool that his great-grandparents took out an entire army but THAT DOESN'T HELP WITH DATING!

Yang emerged in a nice white dress with a stylish yellow jacket. She smiled at him.

Yang: "Hey."

Jaune: "... H-Hey."

Offers her his arm

Yang: smiles and takes it

Jaune: "Cool." He heads off, leading her to the Bullheads

Yang's Brain: Wow... He's so calm and confident... Not what I expected, to be honest. I kind of like it... Though I like when he's a spazz, too. Still, why isn't he trying to look down my dress? I wore it low cut for a reason, damnit!

Jaune's Brain: OH MY GOD HOTNESS I WANT TO BANG YOU-URK! No... Calm down... CALM... Boobs are incredible but we're not going to stare at them...!

They go to a local street carnival. They play games, laugh, eat, and have fun. Yang won him a prize from the strongman game (hitting it with the hammer so hard the bell flew off) and Jaune won her a prize back at a shooting gallery (He did have experience with guns as a farmboy, after all).

They ended the evening in a Ferris Wheel and just relaxed and watched the city lights.

Yang: "... I had a really great time tonight."

Jaune: "Yeah, me too."

Jaune's Brain: I've been so used to school, training, trying not to panic... It was nice to just relax for a while.

Yang: "You don't relax very easily, do you?"

Jaune: "I, well... I always feel like I'm behind. Like I need to work harder than everyone else, I guess. I don't want to let anyone down."

Yang: sad smile "I believe you... I dunno, I-I'm not used to the men in my life being reliable."

Jaune: "Oh... Ex-Boyfriend?"

Yang: "Nah... My dad and uncle. I... I mean, I've kissed a boy or two but I couldn't go any further. Not with Ruby to take care of."

Jaune: "Oh..."

Yang: "So, um... Thanks. Thanks for that. Being her friend."

Jaune: smiles "It's not an issue. She's like my little sister and I really care about her."

Yang: smiles back "Yeah..."

Silence.

Jaune's Brain: Okay... It's a nice moment... But I can't really read her. What's going on here?

Yang: "How about you?"

Jaune: "Hm?"

Yang: smiles "Since we're on the subject... You have any girlfriends?"

Jaune: "I mean... One. She was my neighbor, childhood friend. We were close, but... We decided we were better off as friends."

Yang: "Oh? Why?"

Jaune: "I wanted to be a Huntsman. She wanted to marry a rich doctor." shrugs "And well... Our parents were trying to push us together. My Nana finally had to step in and tell my mom off for trying to matchmake so hard."

Yang: "Big family?"

Jaune: "Huge. I've got seven sisters."

Yang: "Seriously?!"

Jaune shows her pictures on his Scroll. She laughs at many of the funnier ones.

Yang: "Geez... And yet I had to dress you for our date?"

Jaune: "Well, I wanted to match." smiles

Yang: "Yeah... Heh... Still..."

She looks wistful.

Yang: "It... Must be nice. Having a big family that looks out for you."

Jaune: "... Most of the time. There were bad times and good times. Fights and arguments and all that. But... I do love them. Even if we don't get along sometimes."

Yang: nods "Mm..."

Silence falls again. The ride ends and they get out. They head back towards the Bullheads. Jaune reaches out for her hand... And Yang takes his.

Jaune's Brain: Okay... Okay... Calm down... Just because she's quiet doesn't mean she's mad... But it might also mean she's into me which... Is also bad? It could be... Argh, I don't want Pyrrha to go kill herself just because she feels like she has no chance! I mean I don't want her to die period! Would she still make the same decision if I didn't know how she felt?! Does she still like me even though I have isekai knowledge?! Would she be okay with sharing?! I DON'T FUCKING KNOW! WHAT DO I DO?!"

Yang: "Hey, Jaune? You okay?"

Jaune: "Huh? Oh, uh... Just... Thinking. A lot."

Yang: chuckles "Maybe you should cut down on that a little. I mean, I'm starting to think that you don't like looking at me~." winks

Jaune: "No, no, I really like that... And the date... And the holding hands and uh... I liked it all. A lot."

Jaune's Brain: Smooooth...

Yang: "Me too. I dunno... I-I mean, I was the most popular girl in school back in Signal and I had all these guys after me. But the second I started putting Ruby ahead of them, they fell away. I was kind of like the single mom, ya know?"

Jaune: "Well, they were idiots. Because you'd be a great mom, Yang."

Yang: "I'll never be as good as Summer-"

Jaune: "So? You'd still be great. I mean that."

Yang blushes brightly.

Yang: "S-So... You think I'd be a great mom?"

Jaune's Brain: Shit, too sincere, too sincere...!

Jaune: "Yeah."

Yang: giggles "Geez... For someone who got in via fraud, you're way too blunt, ya know?"

Jaune: "Well... I mean... Forgery is very different from lying. It's a different kind of lying, uh... I mean..."

Yang: smiles, leans over to kiss his cheek "I get it."

Jaune: "Oh... Yeah." nods

Yang: "Just uh... Oh crap. I mean... Um... I don't have to marry you now, do I?" She looks worried

Jaune: "Eh?!"

Yang: "Blake and Weiss looked up your family tree... Royals tend to be picky about who they romance, right?"

Jaune: "Arcs haven't been royals for centuries. We don't-We don't need to get married... I mean if you wanted to, it's a bit fast! It-It's just been one date! Not that-I mean, if we go on more dates and we connect and-and stuff then absolutely but uh-I mean-!"

Yang: giggles "Okay... I thought I was nervous. You're like this stoic snarky badass in a fight and now you're stuttering like a preteen! It's hilarious!"

Jaune's Brain: Teasing me? Oh, I will not let that stand. Pride and hormones, unite!

Jaune leans in and kisses her lips. She's shocked, but she returns it... They make out for a bit... Before pulling apart, gasping for breath.

Jaune: "I... Haa... Um..."

Yang: "Oh... Oh... Wow... Uh..."

Jaune's Brain: ... SAY SOMETHING!

Jaune: "... Wanna go on another date?"

Yang: "... Yes."

Jaune: "Cool. Me too." He smiles "Night."

She nods and goes into the dormroom... He turns and walks into the JNPR dorm.

Pyrrha is up, and smiles nervously.

Pyrrha: "So... Um... How did it go?"

Nora's head pops up from under her covers.

Nora: "Did you suck face?"

Jaune: "Nora, you're grounded."

Nora: grins "That's not a no~!"

Jaune: "We're going on another date."

Pyrrha winces. Nora looks at her in concern.

Jaune: "B-But we're not getting married or anything. Just friends having fun."

Pyrrha: "R-Right... Right..."

Jaune's Brain: If she just SAID SOMETHING... ANYTHING... Goddamnit, how is she this fucking meek?! She could break me in half without trying! Her parents must be fucking horrible, there's no other explanation...

Jaune: "... Pyrrha? We're starting some special training tomorrow."

Pyrrha: "Oh? What kind?"

Jaune: "You'll see. But I expect you to do your best, understand?"

Pyrrha: "Absolutely!"

Jaune: "Good. I'm counting on you."

Pyrrha: "You always can, Jaune."

Jaune's Brain: Fuuuuuuck... I'm going to get her to be honest about her emotions if it fucking kills me!

 

[SharkCultist]

Yang Xaio-long was tired.

Tired of being seen as the dumb blonde.
The brute.
The walking pipebomb.

But right now Yang was mostly tired of this jackass roundhouse kicking her in the ribs.

Fucking mercury.

"What's wrong Blondie? Performance issues?"

She'd messed up earlier and popped her semblance earlier and somehow missed. So now she was stuck without that because she'd run out of aura before she would get a good charge.

Fuck can he please aim for somewhere other than the ribs?!

Yangs out of options and she knows it. She can't out maneuver him, she's not Ruby.

She's not going to pull some trick or technique out of nowhere, she's not Weiss with dust and tutors to fill up a bag of tricks.

She's not gonna be able to slip away in a seconds distraction like her flighty partner.

"Come on Blondie at least make this interesting!"

She's got nothing in the tank to burn, but she's tired of burning anyway.

She's the sun dragon damn it if she can't burn

"I'm gonna shine!"

And suddenly mercury was blasted back by a cheery yellow bullet of energy.

Yang Xaio-long had somehow managed to reach deep enough introspection for a semblance evolution through a mix of annoyance, a concussion, and anime style in-battle reflection.

And she just so happened to get the best possible evolution for her current situation.

As mercury began getting beat by what Nora would later claim to be "doom lemons!" Weiss was being very annoyed.

"What the HELL does photosynthesis have to do with light attacks?"

And for the first time Ruby proved she was Yangs biological sister.

"She's a SUN flower Weiss!"

Managing to barely hear that over Mercury's screams for mercy Yang came to one conclusion today was a good day to be Yang Xaio-long.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune was in what Yang assured him was very fashionable: White shirt, khaki pants, black jacket with his hair cut to her specifications. He supposed simplicity was best.

He knocked at the RWBY dorm room door and waited.

Jaune's Brain: Shit... Should I have gotten flowers? Or chocolate? NO! No, this is just a friendly date. Ease up. Wait, the dating rules are different between worlds! What if she thinks I want to marry her?! I mean... That would make sense in a civilization fighting Grimm that ISN'T totally fucked up by gender politics and what not. Crap, crap, why didn't Jaune pay attention to any fucking thing but nerd shit and HUNTING HISTORY?! Yes it's cool that his great-grandparents took out an entire army but THAT DOESN'T HELP WITH DATING!

Yang emerged in a nice white dress with a stylish yellow jacket. She smiled at him.

Yang: "Hey."

Jaune: "... H-Hey."

Offers her his arm

Yang: smiles and takes it

Jaune: "Cool." He heads off, leading her to the Bullheads

Yang's Brain: Wow... He's so calm and confident... Not what I expected, to be honest. I kind of like it... Though I like when he's a spazz, too. Still, why isn't he trying to look down my dress? I wore it low cut for a reason, damnit!

Jaune's Brain: OH MY GOD HOTNESS I WANT TO BANG YOU-URK! No... Calm down... CALM... Boobs are incredible but we're not going to stare at them...!

They go to a local street carnival. They play games, laugh, eat, and have fun. Yang won him a prize from the strongman game (hitting it with the hammer so hard the bell flew off) and Jaune won her a prize back at a shooting gallery (He did have experience with guns as a farmboy, after all).

They ended the evening in a Ferris Wheel and just relaxed and watched the city lights.

Yang: "... I had a really great time tonight."

Jaune: "Yeah, me too."

Jaune's Brain: I've been so used to school, training, trying not to panic... It was nice to just relax for a while.

Yang: "You don't relax very easily, do you?"

Jaune: "I, well... I always feel like I'm behind. Like I need to work harder than everyone else, I guess. I don't want to let anyone down."

Yang: sad smile "I believe you... I dunno, I-I'm not used to the men in my life being reliable."

Jaune: "Oh... Ex-Boyfriend?"

Yang: "Nah... My dad and uncle. I... I mean, I've kissed a boy or two but I couldn't go any further. Not with Ruby to take care of."

Jaune: "Oh..."

Yang: "So, um... Thanks. Thanks for that. Being her friend."

Jaune: smiles "It's not an issue. She's like my little sister and I really care about her."

Yang: smiles back "Yeah..."

Silence.

Jaune's Brain: Okay... It's a nice moment... But I can't really read her. What's going on here?

Yang: "How about you?"

Jaune: "Hm?"

Yang: smiles "Since we're on the subject... You have any girlfriends?"

Jaune: "I mean... One. She was my neighbor, childhood friend. We were close, but... We decided we were better off as friends."

Yang: "Oh? Why?"

Jaune: "I wanted to be a Huntsman. She wanted to marry a rich doctor." shrugs "And well... Our parents were trying to push us together. My Nana finally had to step in and tell my mom off for trying to matchmake so hard."

Yang: "Big family?"

Jaune: "Huge. I've got seven sisters."

Yang: "Seriously?!"

Jaune shows her pictures on his Scroll. She laughs at many of the funnier ones.

Yang: "Geez... And yet I had to dress you for our date?"

Jaune: "Well, I wanted to match." smiles

Yang: "Yeah... Heh... Still..."

She looks wistful.

Yang: "It... Must be nice. Having a big family that looks out for you."

Jaune: "... Most of the time. There were bad times and good times. Fights and arguments and all that. But... I do love them. Even if we don't get along sometimes."

Yang: nods "Mm..."

Silence falls again. The ride ends and they get out. They head back towards the Bullheads. Jaune reaches out for her hand... And Yang takes his.

Jaune's Brain: Okay... Okay... Calm down... Just because she's quiet doesn't mean she's mad... But it might also mean she's into me which... Is also bad? It could be... Argh, I don't want Pyrrha to go kill herself just because she feels like she has no chance! I mean I don't want her to die period! Would she still make the same decision if I didn't know how she felt?! Does she still like me even though I have isekai knowledge?! Would she be okay with sharing?! I DON'T FUCKING KNOW! WHAT DO I DO?!"

Yang: "Hey, Jaune? You okay?"

Jaune: "Huh? Oh, uh... Just... Thinking. A lot."

Yang: chuckles "Maybe you should cut down on that a little. I mean, I'm starting to think that you don't like looking at me~." winks

Jaune: "No, no, I really like that... And the date... And the holding hands and uh... I liked it all. A lot."

Jaune's Brain: Smooooth...

Yang: "Me too. I dunno... I-I mean, I was the most popular girl in school back in Signal and I had all these guys after me. But the second I started putting Ruby ahead of them, they fell away. I was kind of like the single mom, ya know?"

Jaune: "Well, they were idiots. Because you'd be a great mom, Yang."

Yang: "I'll never be as good as Summer-"

Jaune: "So? You'd still be great. I mean that."

Yang blushes brightly.

Yang: "S-So... You think I'd be a great mom?"

Jaune's Brain: Shit, too sincere, too sincere...!

Jaune: "Yeah."

Yang: giggles "Geez... For someone who got in via fraud, you're way too blunt, ya know?"

Jaune: "Well... I mean... Forgery is very different from lying. It's a different kind of lying, uh... I mean..."

Yang: smiles, leans over to kiss his cheek "I get it."

Jaune: "Oh... Yeah." nods

Yang: "Just uh... Oh crap. I mean... Um... I don't have to marry you now, do I?" She looks worried

Jaune: "Eh?!"

Yang: "Blake and Weiss looked up your family tree... Royals tend to be picky about who they romance, right?"

Jaune: "Arcs haven't been royals for centuries. We don't-We don't need to get married... I mean if you wanted to, it's a bit fast! It-It's just been one date! Not that-I mean, if we go on more dates and we connect and-and stuff then absolutely but uh-I mean-!"

Yang: giggles "Okay... I thought I was nervous. You're like this stoic snarky badass in a fight and now you're stuttering like a preteen! It's hilarious!"

Jaune's Brain: Teasing me? Oh, I will not let that stand. Pride and hormones, unite!

Jaune leans in and kisses her lips. She's shocked, but she returns it... They make out for a bit... Before pulling apart, gasping for breath.

Jaune: "I... Haa... Um..."

Yang: "Oh... Oh... Wow... Uh..."

Jaune's Brain: ... SAY SOMETHING!

Jaune: "... Wanna go on another date?"

Yang: "... Yes."

Jaune: "Cool. Me too." He smiles "Night."

She nods and goes into the dormroom... He turns and walks into the JNPR dorm.

Pyrrha is up, and smiles nervously.

Pyrrha: "So... Um... How did it go?"

Nora's head pops up from under her covers.

Nora: "Did you suck face?"

Jaune: "Nora, you're grounded."

Nora: grins "That's not a no~!"

Jaune: "We're going on another date."

Pyrrha winces. Nora looks at her in concern.

Jaune: "B-But we're not getting married or anything. Just friends having fun."

Pyrrha: "R-Right... Right..."

Jaune's Brain: If she just SAID SOMETHING... ANYTHING... Goddamnit, how is she this fucking meek?! She could break me in half without trying! Her parents must be fucking horrible, there's no other explanation...

Jaune: "... Pyrrha? We're starting some special training tomorrow."

Pyrrha: "Oh? What kind?"

Jaune: "You'll see. But I expect you to do your best, understand?"

Pyrrha: "Absolutely!"

Jaune: "Good. I'm counting on you."

Pyrrha: "You always can, Jaune."

Jaune's Brain: Fuuuuuuck... I'm going to get her to be honest about her emotions if it fucking kills me!

Click to shrink...

Nora tries to sneak into the kitchen in the common room after hours. She opens the fridge... Reaches for the frozen pancakes...

SNAP!

Nora: "OW!" She waves her hand, where a mousetrap is stuck on "Owowowow!"

Jaune: Glares at her "I told you, Nora. You're grounded... Also how does that even hurt? You have Aura."

Nora: "It was funnier?"

Jaune: "... I guess I can't argue with that."

Nora: "PLEASE JAUNE-JAUNE! GIVE ME PANCAKES!" Falls to her knees in front of him and sobs "I'LL BECOME YOUR SEX PET!"

Jaune: "I-I don't need one of those and I'm not gonna NTR Ren!"

Nora: "HE COULD WATCH!"

Jaune: "I... He's into that?!"

Nora: "He might be!"

Jaune: "WELL I'M NOT ASKING HIM!"

- - -

Cardin is grumbling to himself... When Jaune walks up to him.

Jaune: "Yo, Cardin."

Cardin: "What do you want, Arc?"

Jaune: "I have beer and guns. Wanna go do something stupid?"

Cardin: "... Sure thing!"

Later, at a campfire, Team CRDL, Ren, Jaune and Sun are chilling out with beer.

Sky: "I just... I think she's kind of neat, ya know?"

Jaune: "Then ask her out, dumbass."

Sky: "But she's with Team NDGO!"

Jaune: "Wait, that's who you're talking about? Fuck, no, do not stick in evil and crazy, bro."

Dove: "I have been telling him the same thing."

Russell: "Totally. I don't even know why Adel is hitting on me. She's supposed to be a lesbian!"

Sky: "Statistically speaking, she's more likely to be bi than lesbian given how few true blue lesbians there are. Or true blue gay dudes there are. It's like a spectrum or something."

Russell: "Yeah and you're a rainbow gaywad!"

Sky: "I AM NOT!"

Cardin: "So... Uh... Jauney... I wanna ask your help."

Jaune: "Me? With what?"

Cardin: "Well you went on a date with Xiao-Long... Can you help me with the girls?"

Sun: "Why aren't you asking me? I went on a date with Blake!"

Jaune: "That was more like you both being temporarily homeless."

Russell: "Plus, you want that chick? Really? Her?"

Sky: "Her booty is amazing though!"

Russell: "It's more that she's part of Arc's harem."

Jaune: "I don't have a harem! Fuck's sake, just because Great-Grandpa had three wives does not mean I have one! My dad only has my mom!"

Sun: "She-She totally isn't into Jaune anyway! She wore that collar for me!"

Dove: sips beer "I take back what I said, Sky. You're not a simp next to him."

Sun: "I'M NOT A SIMP!"

Cardin: "Anyway, come on Jaune! Help me with the girl!"

Jaune: "Who is it?"

Cardin: "Um..."

Ren: "If it's Nora, I will have to murder you."

Cardin: "NO IT'S NOT NORA!"

Jaune: "Though good on you, Ren! You made a move?"

Ren: "... Kind of?"

Russell: "OI! Come on, Pinkeye! Just tell her you wanna be together!"

Ren: "I don't want to ruin thirteen years of friendship."

Sky: "She's your childhood friend too?! Why do you guys get all the luck?!"

Jaune: "Who is it, Cardin?"

Cardin: "... Um... Well, uh, she's in the year ahead of us... Has a really neat Semblance and um..."

Jaune: "... You're shitting me. Velvet?! You pulled on her ears, dude!"

Cardin: "Well I got nervous and my family's got some history with the Faunus and-and I don't know what the fuck to do!"

Dove: "Ask her out."

Russell: "Ya damn pussy!"

Cardin: "Says the guy running from Adel!"

Russell: "She's terrifying! I'm not gonna be her dress up doll! Even if she hot as fuck and bisexual!"

Jaune: sighs "Cardin? Just go ask her out. Hand her flowers. Say you just wanted to get her attention but you went overboard. Maybe she'll give you a chance."

Cardin: "That worked for you with your harem?"

Jaune: "I DON'T HAVE A HAREM. I just asked Yang out on a date after flirting with her! It's no big deal! And I don't know why Blake is wearing a collar!"

Sun: "She's doing it for me! ME!"

Russell: "I really fucking doubt it, Abs-Boy."

Sun: "LEAST I HAVE ABS!"

Ren: sips his beer "... Why did we want to hang out with guys again?"

Jaune: "Because Ruby got into my childhood photos my sisters sent and I'm not crossdressing again... Unless it's to save the world or something."

Ren: "Or if your harem is into that."

Jaune: "Et tu, Ren?"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The day of the Vytal Tournament Finals



Jaipur, Pandu



- - -



Jaipur was widely regarded as the jewel of Pandu, and the Gateway to Anima. It had been the first Pandavan city that Iksander the Great had conquered after taking the rest of Mistral's holdings. It had the largest natural harbor of any city on the continent, and the Deva Pass that wound through the Atmans gave it access to Mistral, Temujin, and many other smaller kingdoms. Even at night, its light shined out into the darkness of the world. Within its vast city walls were casinos, banks, dance halls, amusement parks, bars, sports stadiums, CCTnet transceivers, and gigantic towers of business to guide its busy ports full of ships, both sea and air based.



But it had not always been this rich or prosperous.



Arjun Sarkara, King of Pandu, knew this all too well.



He was the youngest child of five brothers, a spare for spares. He'd had aspirations of becoming a pilot despite his incredible skill in archery. His elder brothers were meant to have the throne, even though he went through the same lessons in statecraft, diplomacy, and war that they did. He thought he would have had very different responsibilities when he became a man. Responsibilities he would have shared with his foster brother, Karna: A "hostage" of the Kauravas, their family rivals.



Then came the coup. The Kauravas took over with the help of Mistralian gangsters and traitors. Arjun had been the only survivor of his family, with his maid, Saia. The man he thought was his brother in all but blood had betrayed them. They then proceeded to run Pandu into the ground, and even Jaipur had become poor despite it's massive wealth. The Kauravas had ruled out of spite, greed, and with short-sightedness.



For five agonizing years, Arjun had worked as hard as he could to reclaim his throne and restore freedom and justice to his land. He'd sworn to Saia he would do this for her. With the help of his friends in Vale... And a repentant Karna... They had succeeded.



The effort... Had not been in vain, as he could see. Jaipur glowed in the night, free and prosperous once more. And all of Pandu reaped the benefits.



That said, reclaiming the kingdom had only been the start. Running it? That was the real challenge.



He strode through the warmly furnished halls of the Central Plaza Building, a tall golden tower that shimmered even at night, with his wife Saia alongside... And Karna following close behind at a respectful distance.



"I can't believe it took us all day just to convince the Minister of the tax code changes," Arjun grumbled. His godson was competing in the Vytal Tournament! He'd been looking forward to watching Jaune and root for him.



"I can," Karna deadpanned, his dark blue hair tied into a ponytail behind him as he paced his King and foster brother in simple black clothing, "Minister Virata is as stubborn as he always was." He scowled, the act emphasizing the scar over his nose.



"He always milks the fact he sheltered us after the coup for all it's worth," Saia sighed, her long hair hair held in a few silver bands, wearing her usual white and red sari with cloak as she walked with her Dust Project Staff, "It's nothing we haven't seen before."



"It's always more infuriating," Arjun grumbled. Karna chuckled and patted his foster brother on the shoulder.



"Now now. You did well not to kill him. Save that for in private."



"No! No killing!" Saia said in exasperation. Arjun pouted at his wife.



"But Saia, I'm out of practice. How am I to know if I'm still formidable if I can't off a few fat, corrupt government officials from time to time?"



"He has a point," Karna chuckled, "You can just go blow things up, we have to have more involved training."



Saia rolled her eyes. The two brothers smirked at each other.



"You're absolutely impossible," Saia sighed. "I prefer it when you're with Nick. You're more manageable that way."



"They blew up a trolley car," Karna pointed out.



"That was an accident. No one can prove otherwise," Arjun stated quickly.



"That is easier to sort out than you driving me up the wall," Saia said, "And Isabel helps me scold you. Your wife is far too permissive, Karna!"



"Padmavati is very forgiving," Karna said with a wry grin.



"She'd have to be to marry you," Arjun huffed.



A bright flash outside the window drew all of their attention. A loud boom followed as flames and smoke rose into the night sky. Alarms began to go off as the three royals stared at a conflagration facing the great pass of Deva.



"An accident?" Saia immediately asked. Arjun's eyes lit up as he activated his Semblance. His keen eyes could see Aura, and anything ignited by Aura.



His eyes widened.



"Missiles!" He cried, as another blast erupted around the gateway. He tapped his earbud. "Drona! Report!"



His mentor and chief of staff immediately responded from his place on the royal airship Vikrant.



"Your Highness, a Mistralian air battleship just popped up on radar," he reported in his gruff tone, "Nanchang-class."



"How did we not get any warnings?" Arjun demanded.



"The CCTNet just went down worldwide," Drona growled, "A terrorist attack in Vale happened at the same time. We think it's the source of the CCT shutdown."



Arjun's eyes widened.



"How bad?"



"Unknown. We're getting scattered reports by radio of mass Grimm attacks, thousands of casualties-Your Highness we must look to the crisis at hand first."



Arjun nodded and calmed himself.



He couldn't help his friends in Vale right now. He could help his country though.



"How soon until we get reinforcements? Vikrant's not built to fight a battleship."



"Twenty minutes, the nearest base is having computer trouble," Drona growled. Arjun turned to his wife.



"Take charge of the defenses here. Karna and I will handle the battleship," he stated.



"Your Majesty?! Have you lost your mind?!" Drona cried.



"No, this is what I was trained to do," Arjun stated, "Coordinate with my wife, she'll provide anti-missile support."



Saia nodded, leaned in on tip-toes and kissed her husband on the lips.



"Fight bravely, my love."



Arjun smiled at her.



"It's the only way I know how. Karna!"



Karna nodded.



"My Tigertail should be ready to go."



"Then let's move!" Arjun ordered, as he and Karna ran for the airship pads and Saia ran for the top of the tower. She tapped her own earbud.



"This is the Queen. Bring me as many barrels of Dust as you can to the top of Central Plaza! That's an order!"



"Yes Your Majesty!"



- - -



This will be in two parts thanks to my job.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Mistralian Royal Battleship Longmen

Jaipur, Pandu

- - -

Ensign Jiang Zhu had had many misgivings since their captain, Sun Shanyuan, had returned from leave. She'd been irritable, secretive, and condescending. Far removed from the almost motherly presence that had helped the trainees grow as sailors she'd almost always been.

At first, he had just assumed it was due to the worsening political situation. There were three major factions in the Kingdom of Mistral: The Yellow Dragons, the Red Dragons, and the Green Dragons. The Yellow advocated a return to a rule under religious principles, though a large number of their contingent also counted the old Temujin Khans from the neighboring lands as truly righteous rulers-Despite the fact they conquered Mistral long ago and ruled as Emperors. The Red Dragons, influenced by Argus and the other Hellenic League lands to the west, wanted to become even more meritocratic and democratic-Though always under their auspices and control. The Green Dragons, the most conservative, wanted to return to the days when Mistral was ruled under its own original cultural identity and ideals: An Emperor with a massive court and bureaucratic system arranged with said Emperor the ultimate symbol of rule under divine right.

Civil unrest between the factions had been a way of life for Mistral for centuries, but their feuds had seldom reached the level of potential civil war. At least not until now. Yet this alone could not be the only explanation for Captain Sun's behavior.

Her orders had grown more confusing by the day. She'd ordered live ammunition loads into the missiles, and their tracking systems disabled. When her XO Xiong Fan had pressed her, even lightly, she'd dismissed him and made Jiang Zhu her acting XO.

They had launched secretly that afternoon, and while they had dispatched a flight plan, Zhu knew that they were nowhere near where they were supposed to be.

Any further protests had died when Sun had brought up some Imperial Marines in full body armor and face concealing helmets.

What is going on? Zhu thought to himself as he checked their course on the holoplot. The bridge of the Longmen was based heavily on Atlasian technology, with clean lines and simple architecture. The large almost panoramic bridge windows gave them a clear view of the prow of the vessel, and the distant lights of a city through the Deva Pass. Why are we near Jaipur?

A training mission in this old battleship might take them here, but why not inform the crew? They were a training vessel, a top secret mission wasn't something they would be sent on!

"Ensign, report," Captain Sun ordered as she sat in her chair near the plotting table. Zhu cleared his throat and tried to keep his nerves down.

"We have reached Checkpoint A, Ma'am. We appear to be near-"

"I am aware of where we are, Ensign," Sun stated firmly, her eyes like daggers. "Firing Control? Give me targets."

Zhu's eyes widened. The fire control officer Laohou was also new, and prowled along the consoles behind the nervous trainees like a tiger. He looked up with a scowl.

"Targets established," he stated.

The holoplot brought them up. Over a dozen red bullseyes on several buildings in Jaipur. Including the main gates. Zhu's jaw dropped.

"Mister Jiang," Sun stated, "Are we tracking the targets properly?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Prepare to fire missiles."

Zhu again cleared his throat.

"Captain... Captain, these are civilian targets-"

"I am aware of what kind of targets these are, Ensign," Sun said acidly, "Are we tracking properly?"

"Y-Yes Ma'am, but-But why-?"

"We have our orders, Ensign," Sun stated coldly, "Are you incapable of carrying them out?"

The ensign shook his head.

"N-No, but this is-"

"War is upon us, Ensign," Sun stated firmly, "War is upon all of Mistral. Our superiors ordered us to be here, and to launch an attack. We do not have the right to question them."

"Pandu is-is not at war with us, Captain," Zhu tried, "Not the last I heard! We're a training ship, why are we-?"

Two of the armored Marines moved up towards him. One held his rifle up in menace. Zhu gulped.

"I believe I gave you an order, Ensign," Sun said, cold and hard as Atlaesian steel, "Are you unable to carry it out?"

Zhu's heart pounded in his ears. He stared down at the plot. He had been in training to remain objective, to not give into emotion and to disconnect himself from the realities of his mission. A mission that would involve killing people, no matter how distantly.

He stared at the holographic outlines of the buildings. He knew they would be filled with people. Hordes of innocent people who had no idea what was coming.

He knew there were tensions between the factions in Mistral, who didn't? Yet this... How could anyone benefit from this?

"I..."

"Ensign," Sun growled, "Give the order."

Sun looked down at the plot. He looked over at the thuggish fire control officer. He looked at the Marines. His hands shook.

"I... I can't-!"

The butt of a marine's rifle met his face, and he went down. Sun shook her head.

"Very well. If you cannot carry out my orders? You're worthless to me." She walked up to the plot and turned to the fire control officer as the Marines beat Zhu with their rifle butts.

"Mister Laohou? Fire!"

"Fire!" Laohou growled. The other trainees looked as scared as Zhu... But complied. A volley of missiles burst from the old battleship's launchers, and streaked through the valley towards Jaipur. Zhu cried out, but was silenced by a boot to his mouth.

"Tie him up, keep him here," Sun ordered. Zhu felt binders placed on his wrists as Sun looked to Laohou. "Effect?"

Laohou studied the plot.

"We've hit 90 percent of them. They are activating air defense radar but don't have many. Their anti-air defenses have been destroyed along with the other key targets."

"Good. Prepare second wave."

It took about ten minutes to reload everything. During this time, Zhu was gagged and then dragged to a chair near the edge of the bridge. He was tied to it and gagged. He shook his head and whimpered in protest, but the other trainees just kept going along with it.

No! No, this is wrong! STOP THIS!"

"Second wave ready," Laohou reported.

Sun nodded.

"FIRE!"

Another volley of missiles streaked through the night. Zhu could only watch in horror as the missiles flew straight and true as arrows.

No, no... Please... Someone... Stop this... Please...!

Multiple bursts of white light filled the air, like fireworks. Laohou scowled as Sun looked confused.

"What? What happened? We lost the tracks!"

"The missiles were intercepted this time," a sensor operator reported, "We've got a source... An Aura beam of some kind..."

"Bring up the image!" Sun ordered and a holowindow appeared of a bright figure on top of a golden tower. "Magnify and enhance!"

A tanned Pandavan woman in white and red, with scarlet hair and golden eyes, stood before them with a determined look on her face. Her staff glowed with power. Sun smirked.

"I see. The Queen is here," she stated, "Good. Close to gunnery range. She can't intercept those."

"MMPH!" Zhu screamed through his gag. "MMPH! MMMNGH!"

"Closing," Louhao reported as he loomed over the nervous flight controller, "We should-"

A radar alert went off. A new icon appeared on the holoplot.

"New contact, closing fast!" The sensor operator cried. "Look like a Tigertail, military model-!"

The small but sleek airship buzzed the bridge, then climbed for altitude. Sun growled.

"How the hell did it get this close-No matter! Engage it!"

Automated gun batteries opened fire on the Tigertail, which deftly evaded the tracers like the dragonfly that was its namesake. It dove and looped around, flying in front of the Longmen and keeping it from launching more attacks. Zhu couldn't help but be awed by the courage and skill of the pilot.

Yet it wasn't going to last long. They just needed one hit and it would-

The lights went out and the bridge was plunged into darkness. Red Icons flashed on the holoplot. Louhao growled sounding like a feral cat.

"Intruder alert. Power's been cut to the bridge and primary controls."

"Switch to backups!" Sun ordered, slamming a holo data drive into the table, "We have to-!"

The doors to the bridge opened.

"OPEN FIRE!" Sun bellowed, pulling her sidearm. The Imperial Marines turned and opened fire, the machine gun blasts deafening. Four of the Marines fell instantly, and even in the darkness Zhu could make out arrows sticking out of their chest plates.

"FIRE! FIRE!" Sun shouted over the din. Smoke bombs went off, filling the bridge with dark clouds. Zhu coughed through his gag and just barely made out a dark figure dashing through the smoke, striking down enemies one by one. Laohou dashed out of the smoke, panicked, and reached for Zhu-

"URK!"

A pointed mace attached to a rope flew out like a lasso and wrapped around his ankles. The fire control officer fell flat on the desk, and yelped as he was yanked back into the melee.

The bridge lights went back on and the windows opened. The smoke was sucked out. Zhu saw the same dark figure walk towards him.

He was tall, and covered head to toe in dark blue and white body armor underneath a dark blue cloak and hood. His eyes blazed blue, his face was concealed by a balaclava. A bow with a quiver of arrows hung behind him, and a short curved sword and mace with rope hung from his belt.

"Stay calm," the man spoke quietly, quickly cutting him free with the short sword, "I need your help."

"Wha-But-" Zhu tried, but the man lifted him up and carried him to the holoplot. Sun and Laohou laid in a pile, as did most of the rest of the bridge crew. Others had hit the floor, their arms up behind their heads in surrender. What drew most of Zhu's attention though was the holoplot. His eyes widened.

"SELF DESTRUCT ENGAGED," it said, red warnings appearing everywhere. The engines of the old battleship were roaring, and the city of Jaipur was getting bigger, fast, in the bridge viewports.

"How do I stop it?" The masked man growled. Zhu shook his head.

"Stop-It shouldn't be engaged! Only the captain can-!"

Sun grinned up at them... Or rather, what had been Sun. Purple tentacles formed hair around her hair, twisting and squirming while changing patterns.

"Too late for you, King, too late!" 'Sun' wheezed. "You can't stop it now!"

She bit down on something in her teeth. The masked man grabbed Zhu and leaped away, just before a bomb went off. The windows of the bridge were blown out and the entire structure erupted into flames. Zhu stared in horror as he heard the cries of his crewmates in the inferno.

"No... No... Why...?!"

"We can't do anything for them right now," the man stated firmly, "Give me a way to turn this thing! Quickly! Or thousands will die!"

Zhu stared at the bright lights of the city of Jaipur. He stared at the man.

"Th-The main engines are locked into flank! You-You couldn't stop them unless you could-Could destroy half the engines and make it turn!" He cried.

The man nodded, and hefted Zhu up to his feet.

"Then that's what I'll do. Get anyone remaining evacuated. I'll handle this!"

"You?!" Zhu gasped. "Who are you?"

The man smirked behind his mask.

"Before I was King of Pandu... I was the king of Archers. Now go!"

- - -

The Mistralian man turned and ran, re-entering the ship through a hatch, as Arjun dashed aft. He leaped over the still firing anti-aircraft batteries, Karna still piloting the Tigertail to perfection to draw their automated fire.

He should have packed missiles on this trip for their aircraft. Ugh. That's what he got for forgetting boyhood lessons: Be prepared.

Well, he was prepared... Just not as well as he had hoped. Still, when it came to risking himself versus risking a city? Arjun knew which he would choose.

He made it to the aft deck overlooking the twin engine pods. He readied his bow and notched an arrow-A special arrow. One passed down through the ages of the Sarkaran family, along with their legendary bows. He focused as much Aura as he could into this weapon, and its warhead began to glow ominiously.

"Brahmastra," he said to the arrow, "You have always flown straight and true for my ancestors, and I have always recovered you. You saved our nation before... Do so again. Now... FLY!"

He released the arrow, and guided it with his Aura. It wobbled just a bit through the jetstream... But thanks to the particulars of air currents around large Dust-powered jet engines and Arjun's skill, it found an eye of calm to fly through...

Right into the main engine fuel pump. It exploded with a deafening noise, and the main engines on the port side sputtered. The impact knocked Arjun off the deck. He fell for the ground, and pulled the last of his arrows out. He targeted the still burning port engines, channeled his Aura... And let them loose.

The volley didn't hit as hard as the Brahmastra... But with the engines dying? They didn't need to. The Burn Dust ignited and spread fires all across the engine pod, causing secondary explosions. The whole bulk of the battleship began to turn, as lifeboats launched and people with parachutes leaped to safety. Arjun grit his teeth as he fell.

It would be a good death... Good enough... Saia... Friends... Abhimanyu... Maia... Karna-

Only to feel metal hull against his back as he landed hard. He got up and balanced on the top of the Tigertail. His earbud crackled.

"You need to stop falling out of airships so dramatically, brother."

"I knew you'd catch me," Arjun said as he stared anxiously at the battleship. It was still screaming towards Jaipur, but turning... Slowly... So slowly...

He could see it approaching the Golden Cental Plaza Tower. He prayed it would miss... Prayed that Saia had evacuated with everyone else... Prayed...

The burning wreck just barely grazed the tower... And flew off, more explosions tearing it apart. It lost altitude, before crashing into the bay with a massive splash and thunderous final explosion. Arjun let out the breath he was holding.

"Arjun? This is Saia, are you all right?" His wife called out over the radio.

Arjun nodded, even though she couldn't see it. He tapped his earbud.

"I'm all right. You?"

"I'm all right," she said, "I thought about taking more shots at it, but I didn't want to risk it blowing up over the city."

"Good call as always," Arjun sighed. "Right... Let's get the ministers on the line. Alert the Council. Have the security forces take the Mistralian crew into custody-Gently! And get me any intel on Vale! We need to know what the hell has been going on."

"Nothing good, that's for sure," Karna deadpanned, as they flew back towards the city.

That's an understatement for the ages, Arjun thought.

- - -

 

[SharkCultist]

Cardin Winchester woke up this morning with a steel resolve and a heart full of purpose.

He had a Quest.

His team were left behind, this was for him and him alone.

The teachers were notified that he would be gone for the day and then his scroll muted.

Their protest would be ignored anyway and he couldn't afford distractions.

Deeper into the Forrest by the school he went. Well past the marked areas indicating low danger.

He would be attempting to craft something today, something he had practiced for over 365 days. But first he needed a ingredient guarded by a Grimm.

A Caerbannog is a odd Grimm because it's one of the few Grimm that doesn't migrate at all, in fact if one is attempting to kill you and you manage to make it outside of its territory, even by a foot, it will leave you alone.

Most don't make it out of its territory.

It's a deceptive beast, mostly white unlike many other Grimm with no visible bone plating.

A lie. The white fur covering its body is in actuality millions up on millions of small bone blades.

By the time most realize what it really is they're already dead.

But Cardin didn't stumble up on the mad beast. He searched for it.

And as he pulled out his mace he steeled his heart. It would all be worth it.

---

Teams RWBY, JNPR, and 3/4ths of CRDL were worried.

Cardin had been acting weird the past few days. Making secret orders from his scroll then wiping the history, running constant maintenance on his gear, and studying Grimm from the book "extremely unpleasant ways to die for idiots".

And now today he texts all the teachers "BRB holy quest, fuck off please." Then muted them.

Nobody has ever seen Goodwitch turn that shade of purple before.

As the teams were beginning to organize a search who should stumble into the school but Cardin Winchester.

Beat up to high hell, his armor looking less like something meant to protect him and looking more like someone covered him in badly crumpled aluminum foil.

He was also dragging a shining white carrot the size of a four year old.

What the hell?

"Mr.Winche-

"No. Fuck off. Busy."

And with that Cardin walked right past their dumbfounded professor (completely ignoring the semblance that was trying to to hold him in place).

Weiss couldn't help but wonder.

"What could possibly be that important?"

---

Velvet was having a pretty nice birthday. A small get together with her friends, nothing too loud or out there. Just relaxing with most of her favorite people. The only thing missing was


"Sorry I'm late!"

Her boyfriend Cardin. Who showed up carrying the best carrot cake Velvet had ever seen in her life. It was literally shining!

"Wow big guy, where'd you get that?"

"Cooked it myself coco."

Velvet was honestly touched, and now she knew why there wasn't cake earlier.

Velvet just hoped he didn't go through too much effort.

---

A year of savings.

All of his dust.

Countless hours baking and perfecting his recipe.

All his equipment.

A semester of detention.

A steep price to pay.

But as Cardin looked at his girlfriends happily smiling face bulging slightly with cake he had one thought.

Totally worth it.

Quest complete.

---

Yes. I did make a team killer class Grimm a Monty Python reference.

 

[Fusion Blaster]

Adding more to my previous post

I was livid and I hated it. How could she think that? Just because I.

I...

I really hate losing my temper. That loss of control of myself. When I was a small child in this life that is. I had problems with my temper whenever any of my friends teased me. Like Nora or Yi-Yin...

Mother always got this sad disappointed look when I got angry about dumb stuff and she taught me how to meditate to calm down. I've lost that honed control I relied on during the bad times. I rationalize it as separate but it's just me with more. My past life had issues with this as well. I can't afford to waste time starting from the beginning again. Well I have one advantage that I didn't before: My semblance. I head to the common room and look around: I'm alone.

Good. I sit and meditate then bring my semblance up. It's like everything bleeds away into a numbness. I push it past anything I have ever done before and suddenly… Everything is clear.

Fascinating. So this is what it's like to be without emotion..

The week seems to fly by. Its just so much easier without my emotions getting in the way of my school work. Though I do notice that jaune and Pyrrha are giving me odd looks.

Today Professor Goodwhich is in a particular mood. Thankfully one advantage of my mental state is I don't feel the drive to stare at her rear or her boobs i can actualy listen to her tips.

Ah she's offering up volunteers for extra credit to a match before she randomly picks on Jaune to embarrass him... again. She really does seem to pick on him. I've noticed she calls him up almost every other day.

Hex Skavender volunteers. He's staring at my team again: In particular at both Pyrrha and Nora.. I see the professor see where he is looking. She begins to open her mouth.

"I volunteer," I rise up, pick up Stormflower and march up to the battle stage.

Hex sneers at me and lears at Nora and Pyrrha. My team cheers me on. I hear Nora's cry of "GO FOR THE KNEES RENNY!"

"Okay Nora." I've never taken the suggestion before but it's a thought that has merit.

Hex stands across from me in his back and green jumpsuit and black leather jacket. He just starte wearing the coat mostly to protect his body from the flames he tends to leave behind. He even treated his Chakrams to turn the flames green when he uses the fire dust he favors. The dark helmet was a good choice in my opinion. Hides his facial expressions well.

He calls them Stolthet if I remember correctly.

If he had an element it would be fire. Well as one of my past life's hero's said: Time to be water.

He takes his stance and ignites his weapons. He's mixing it up a little this time. The one in his lefts got green lighting and the other is green fire.

The match begins and Hex launches himself towards me and overhead slash with his right spins to follow up with his left.

I see a minor trap in the follow up if I block it with Stormflower. It'd handle the fire just fine but the shock from the next strike would hurt. I flow around him closer than I'd prefer and get behind him. I use the momentum of my spin to bring a kick to his back but he leaps up and then uses his semblance to get him more height. Doing so is a mistake however. Getting up there that long gives me time to counter his inevitable downwards attack.

Then I noticed it. He's only got one Chakram in his hands.

I take two steps to the left, turn halfway and sure enough the circular blade would have hit me in the middle of the back if I hadn't dodge. Hex definitely knows how to best use his instant platforms as he creates one to bounce his chakram to him as he lands a little out of reach.

"Clever Skvader, but not quite enough."

"Yeah that probably would have taken out your loser leader!"

He sneered.

"And maybe your scatterbrained slut of a berserker."

Hex throws both his chakrams in different directions. I know he's using his semblance to bounce them around but before I can turn to see he charges forward. He has to be planning on having them hit while he keeps me occupied in melee. Well if that's his plan lets not do that then. The textbook counter to the kick he's making would be to block or grab his leg.

So I jump up and over landing a stomping kick to his proteteced head. If it does any damage to his aura I doubt it bu that's not its real purpose. I use the kick to propel myself higher and give more momentum. I quickly spin and see the electricly charged Chakrams heading to one of the green hexagons Hex can create.

Little known fact they can be destroyed. With a burst from Stormflower its eliminated before the chkram can bounce off it and flys out of bounds.

As I land I fire a burst of rounds at Hex's back. That for sure helped lower his aura but not enough to win yet.

Hex catches the second blade and charges forward swinging low.

I jump backwards so his strikes miss my legs.

He stabs straight this time and I hook the blade with the bayonet of Stormflower. We struggle for a moment as he tries to pull it back.

I quickly kick him in the dead center of his chest. At the same time I pull the trigger on my weapon to make him let go of his.

I holster my guns as I throw the chakram to the ground out of reach. I then beckon him to come at me with a hand gesture.

"You filthy gutter-trash. I don't need my weapons to beat you into the ground!" Hex snarled.

I smile with a cockiness I don't actually feel but he doesn't need to know that.

"Come on then."

He charges with a flying kick that I deflect and return with a kick of my own.

He ducked my strike though my follow up punch connects to his sternum pushing him back.

He returns with a rapid fire flurry of punches I deflect but allow one to clip my shoulder and use that to strike to reposition myself.

Now my trap springs just as Hex steps back into range. I draw out Stormflower and unload point blank.

"What?!" Hex crossed his arms to shield himself "You were never this good before!"

"So you thought." Then I stepped in and delivered a devastating uppercut. I feel his aura break and he's laid out on his back. Then I remembered my promise to Nora before the match began.

"Now you learn better and now you will never forget it," I brought my left foot up, then with all the force I could muster I stomped down on his knee.

Hex screamed and Professor Goodwitch screamed something I don't feel the need to pay attention to. I find myself unexpectedly empty. I thought I would feel satisfaction with how I dominated the match and played the arrogant rabbit for a fool but..

I find I shouldn't have. Satisfaction is an emotion after all.

*Sigh*

Spoiler: A bit more overt

Daisy

Daisy is Doomguy's pet rabbit. In the classic Doom, the rabbit's head is shown in the end picture of Episode 3: Inferno, first in a docile setting, resting in a sunny field, then in an instant turnaround, decapitated and its head impaled on a pike as evidence that the hellspawn have come to...

doom.fandom.com

Click to shrink...

i was just going with...


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