A/N: Hey everyone, this will be my very first creation and most likely series of Canons for this Universe. I do not lay claim to any creations belonging to RWBY or its franchise. Please critique and enjoy!
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Have to keep running, have to keep running, have to...
Where was he running to? Who or what was he running from? He couldn't tell. He just knew he had to keep running. Something desperate was calling for him and so he answered the only way he could. He ran. He could feel his muscles aching. Maybe this was real. Flames licking either side of what remained of his tattered sweatshirt. He unclasped his dented breastplate and his back armor plating followed suit.
"Jaune...where are you going Jaune?" Asked a sweet and familiar voice. Something about that voice brought tears to his eyes. He felt angry. He didn't know why. Why was he running? Where was he? Who was talking to him? And why was everything burning? To many questions, so he just kept running. But he was so tired. So desperately tired. He saw the night sky through a hole in the seemingly never ending hallway. He made a break for it. One last push. He just needed one. Last. Pu-
He made it! He barreled through the burning debris and rubble and finally escaped the raging inferno. Only to find himself in another precarious situation of a flightless sort. He was falling. Rapidly. Above him, as he tried to reach for any sort of holding to stop his fall but nothing so convenient was there. All he saw was Beacon. Burning. Beacon was burning.
"You're dying Jaune. I'm so sorry." Said the voice. He could hear the heartbreaking sadness in such a genuine voice.
"I know. And no...I'm sorry." He whispered, what was he sorry for? Why had he said these things? Who was he talking to? Why did she sound so famili-
He remembered now. He had failed her. He wasn't there, he couldn't make it. He failed. To protect HIS team.
Beacon was burning, everywhere, people were dying. He began to hear their desperate screams, people dying all around him, the Grimm over taking the guards, the soldiers, the police, the Huntsmen and Huntresses, they were all powerless to stop the flood of Grimm that had made it through the every widening breach. Wave after wave they kept coming, and by the scores, everyone around him, was dying. He, was dying. He. Was powerless. He was effectively and utterly useless. And as he fell, he closed his eyes, tears tearing away from his face as he fell, and he pictured the moon. The brokenness of the moon, of all the things to think about while falling to his inevitable demise, he wondered, what it must have looked like before it was broken.
And then...he smiled.
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"Jaune? Jaune? Jaaaunnnneeeeee?" whispered a voice in very close proximity to his ear. He could feel someone breathing very lightly on his ear, and it was annoying. Jaune decided to roll over in his bed and hide under his covers trying to escape the reality of waking up. Or. At least, the comfort of his bed. So soft, so warm, so...very...
To his unfortunate surprise, two very cold, gloved hands reached under his sheets and yanked him from his plush kingdom and straight into the opposing wall of his dorm room. The two on lookers had very different reactions to this rude awakening. Pyrrah, covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes widening not having missed a single moment of the rather unorthodox wake-up call. As soon as she had recovered from her initial shock, she lowered her hand back to her lap and couldn't help but smile as she slowly made her way to assist her fallen leader. Ren on the other hand, had barely noticed as he watched the body of his leader and teammate be flung across the room by none other than Nora Valkarie. He continued to brush his teeth in a nonchalant way as if nothing extraordinary happened.
Pyrrah helped the startled Jaune slowly up off the floor and into a sitting position. Jaune wondered if this was how he would die one day. Death by the Nora wake-up call service. Jaune blinked furiously trying to focus his sight on his savior. Or in this case. Saviors seeing double of Pyrrah. He threw a goofy smile at her as he tried to push himself off the floor and on to his feet, but try as he might, Pyrrah was there to help steady him. Nora, now singing what a glorious morning it was to meet the glorious leader paused as she took in what her "glorious leader" had chosen as sleepwear. A black onesie PJ with a white tracing of a rabbit on the torso. Nora gave a bit of a smirk as she moved to poke the rather inviting rabbit. Jaune recoiled in terror falling on his set of fresh uniforms he had prepared on the chair by the door.
Ren had finished his hygiene routine and smoothly redirected Nora's incoming poking finger to the direction of her belongings to make sure she had all her books for the day, which he knew she wouldn't read until very much later. But he decided Jaune had suffered enough already in the already short introduction to the morning. Jaune collapsed exhausted from the whole ordeal.
"Jaune, we shouldn't be late to class again so please hurry and get changed." Pyrrah reminded him gently, leaving him to his belongings. Jaune let out a heavy sigh, "Do we have to? I mean. It's Port's class. How importa-". Pyrrah stopped mid-stride through the door, and threw Jaune a I-won't-be-asking-twice look. Which worked, rather effectively. Nora followed quickly out the door with a helpless Ren in tow on their way to the mess hall for a "Quick snack". Knowing Nora's dietary needs, consisted of something starchy and high in fiber. Something along the lines of Pancakes and Waffles and Waffle Pancakes. Maybe a grotesque amount of bacon.
With the door closed and the room to himself, Jaune heaved another heavy sigh but this time out of relief. He leaned at the foot of his bed, now devoid of any sense of comfort but no less inviting, and stared blankly at his clothes and armor. Jaune quickly undid his Pajamas which his sisters had sent him and hopped in the shower quickly. He felt the warmth of the water as it enticed him to stay even longer than he knew was necessary. He had to fight the urge to simply sleep standing upright as he knew Pyrrah was still outside the door. He hopped out having completed his own routine in a quick-like manner brushed and swished his teeth in the same manner and dressed himself as quick as he could.
He stepped out of his dorm in a hurry with his bag slung over his right shoulder but he was still struggling to fix his tie. Out of his rush he incidently ran straight into Pyrrah who he knew was waiting just out side. After a hasty and awkward trade of apologies he continued to fumble around with his tie. He had done this hundreds of times and still now would be the one time...
Pyrrah took hold of his hands, he froze in motion. She then took hold of his tie and calmly went to work. Jaune continued to stare down trying to watch the magic of her hands at work. He dared not breath in the case he may have not brushed as carefully as he thought, he dared not move in fear of messing up the entire process. Once she had completed the last and final step to the knot, she paused. She looked up from her work, looked up to Jaune, and tightened the noose. Now their faces were mere inches apart. The heat rising up to his cheeks in embarrassment. He winced as he felt a pinching around his neck from his...tie?
"Uh...P-Pyrrah." Jaune managed to stutter out "Pyrrah! T-The tie!"
Pyrrah smirked once more, but this time it wasn't as comforting as the first few from earlier. As she leaned in and whispered to Jaune in the sweetest way possible, "We're going to be late...again."
She gave the tie another final tug ensuring he had received the message then shoved him back towards their dorm room door, watching in amusement as Jaune fell back...through the door. Pyrrah hadn't planned for the door to still be open as she watched him fall through and crash on to the floor. She reacted quickly and threw another "I'm sorry!" as she stood hesitantly in the doorway. One moment she was calm, in control, and commanding and the next she had fallen back to the timid, worried, overprotective school girl.
Jaune shook his head as got back up on his own and said, "Y'know, you're kinda throwing me mixed signals here. I don't whether to thank you or be scared of you." He closed the dorm room door behind him firmly as he waved away worrying hands from Pyrrah.
"How about both?" said a voice quietly from across the hallway. Pyrrah and Jaune blinked at one another for a moment both trying to confirm that a third party had joined the conversation. They turned their heads to their neighbor and saw four curious heads peeking from their own doorway. Apparently they had watched with invested interest in the chemistry between the two.
"Ummm. What was that?" Jaune asked for clarification. His simple mind was still trying to process the events that just took place and try to put them in some semblance of order that made any sense.
Ruby Rose stepped from behind the door frame and with one bounce on her toes she said boldly, "Why not both!"
Still behind the door frame was, from bottom to top, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. Ruby who had now broken the chain stepped forward with a convincingly innocent smile as her teammates crumpled to the ground behind her. Jaune took her words into consideration as Pyrrah stepped away in embarrassment trying to come up with some reason why she's not to be feared. But failing the words, Jaune stepped in.
"Y'know what. You're right." Jaune then turned to the still flustered Pyrrah and said as he adjusted his tie and took a deep breath in, "Thank you?" In a way that voiced appreciation with new found concern.
Pyrrah only nodded and refused to look up to Jaune to meet his eyes. "Well, I'd say for you to get a room but...it looks like you already have one! Ammiright guys?"
And with that, Blake, taking hold of one of Yang's arms, Weiss on the other side, groaning in protest, and Ruby securing the legs, rushed off down the hallway. "Aw c'mon guys! That was a good one! That was so good!" Yang protested as she threw a wink at the two still standing dumbfounded in the hallway.
Jaune, looked at Yang, then looked back a Pyrrah, and at a loss for words, hung his head low, drooped his shoulders and with a defeated tone said, "C'mon...let's just go before we're really late for Port's class. Again."
To his delightful surprise, Pyrrah held onto his arm, leaned her head on his left shoulder and lead him to class.
Just another day at Beacon.
Right?
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