Disclaimer: I feel as though it goes without saying, but I don't own RWBY.

The full title to this story is: A Spoonful of Ice Cream Makes The Medicine Go Down.

This story came up from the profile of Coeur Al'Aran. I reached out about a two years ago to ask if I could write this story. He gave me permission (Obviously), and it has taken me this long to actually begin writing the story.

This story is a Slight AU. This chapter takes place about 3 years before the beginning of the first Volume.

In all likelihood, there will be some time between story updates. I am a 19-year old college student and this is only a slight hobby of mine. Don't worry, I won't abandon this story, but you probably don't care about any of this. So, onto the story.

Journal Entry:

From the Personal Diary of R.R.

May 26, 20XX

I feel like I should preface this entry with some witty statement. To do otherwise would probably be a detriment to the nature of this story and of the individuals that it concerns. I know that they would want me to say something clever. Unfortunately, I don't quite think that I am up to that task right now. This particular story is still too fresh in my mind for me to be comfortable making any joke in particular. I suppose that all of this doesn't quite matter in the end. I...keep pausing as I write these words down. I don't truly feel at ease with my ability to tell this story, but I need to do it for them. I have managed to compile this story from a variety of personal journal entries I found, reports about the individuals in question, interviews of people who knew them, and through my own experiences.

This tale doesn't really include people that could be considered Heroes in a traditional sense. Our heroes aren't people that can make clones of themselves, control metal, or do anything that is considered normal for the average Huntsman and Huntresses. They never had any formal combat training and both of them tended to look out for themselves as opposed to anyone else. That's not to say that they were bad people necessarily, they were just determined to survive even in the worst of situations. One was willing to break the law to achieve his goal and the other was willing to

I think that that is what makes me admire them so much. The two of them managed to not only survive, but even thrive. That is what makes this story so important to me. All too often, we hear of the amazing hero that goes into a mountain to slay the eldritch monstrosity that is threatening a nearby frontier village. Tales are told of that hero, but we never hear of the people struggling to survive. We never hear of the bartender that tells the hero of the monster. That is what makes this story so essential. We hear of the hero, but not of the people that made it possible for that hero to succeed.

I am Ruby Rose and this is the story of Neopolitan and Jaune Arc.

Jaune

As I exited the Bullhead on shaky legs, I felt my lunch begin to rise in my throat. I managed to swallow it back down as I took in Beacon. I was awestruck at the school and I already knew that a wide smile was beginning to creep onto my face. I slowly began to walk towards the school, my head on swivel to let me take in all that was around me. I saw the long path that led into the main entrance of the school with a statue of my great-great-grandfather standing proud. He was what made me want to be a hero. I had promised long ago that I would uphold my dream of being a hero, now I could finally achieve that dream.

I stood in front of the statue as I saw the figure of a woman approach me out of the corner of my eye. I turned to get a better look at her. She was a blonde woman, wearing a pair of thin, oval-shaped glasses in front of bright green eyes. She was wearing a white, pleated top with a black and purple cape hanging from her shoulders. In her right hand, she was holding a whip; her face was stern and I couldn't help the nervous feeling that rose up like a tidal wave in my stomach.

She tilted her head towards me and said, "Hello, Mr. Arc. If you would be so kind as to follow me? There is a slight issue regarding the transcripts that you had sent in."

She turned sharply on her heel and began to march away. I stood paralyzed for a brief moment, but I shook it off quickly and jogged to keep up with the woman.

"Excuse me," I heard myself say, "But who exactly are you?"

She looked slightly surprised for an instant, but I blinked and the look had disappeared, a composed mask replacing it.

"I am Professor Glynda Goodwitch and I am the Combat Instructor as well as the Deputy Headmistress of Beacon."

"Oh," She didn't spare me a glance as I let out an eloquent response.

I winced as my voice cracked in front of a potential teacher; of course, I never would be lucky enough to have my voice crack when I was alone. I thought I saw the corners of her mouth turn up slightly, but I blinked and it was gone just like before.

As we headed deeper into the school, I began to feel the walls of the school press down on me. We eventually came to a long hallway full of closed wooden doors. As we began to pass the doors, I noticed that on each of the doors, there was a golden plaque with a name on each of them. One of them said Port, another one said Oobleck, and we came to a stop in front of one that said Goodwitch. The Professor held the the door open for me and I stepped inside, the stern woman following behind me.

The office was sparsely decorated, with the only objects of any note being a bookshelf and a rather simple wooden desk. The desk had only a large stack of paperwork and the stereotypical cup filled with pens. The Professor walked around the desk to sit in a leather chair. She sat straight, her hands folded in front of her on the desk. She looked at me with a rather peculiar expression. It seemed as though she was somewhat angry for whatever she seemed to be preparing herself to say.

She let out a long sigh and her shoulders appeared to dip slightly, "I apologize Mr. Arc, but we were unable to fully verify the nature of the transcripts that you had submitted to Beacon."

I felt myself freeze and I leaned against the hard back of the wooden chair as my heart plunged further into my chest. I couldn't control the shaking of my hands, so I gripped the armrests hard enough to turn my knuckles white. I felt my mouth grow dry as I fully took in the words that she had said to me.

In an instant, I had been caught. I was going to go to jail and I would never be able to become a hero. I was never going to be able to see my family again and it was all because I had decided to bluff my way into Beacon. I should have known that those transcripts that I had miraculously managed to find were fake. It had seemed like such a simple and good idea at the time.

I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder, "-rc? Mr. Arc, are you alright? I know that this is a...difficult situation to take in. I apologize, but due to the circumstances, Beacon is unable to let you in at this time. It is not unheard of for those that recommended a student to an academy to renounce that approval later."

I tried to smile, but I couldn't muster the usual confidence that I tried to show to people. The Professor gave me a gentle and sympathetic smile in return.

"If you would like, I could arrange for housing until this matter is cleared?"

"No, I don't think that that would be best."

She stared at me for a long while, her lips pursed together.

"Very well then, Mr. Arc, if you do not believe that to be the best course of action, I will leave the matter in your hands. I believe that is all we needed to discuss."

I nodded, somewhat shakily, and got up to leave. As I turned my back, I heard a voice call put from behind me, "Mr. Arc, I do wish you the best of luck in your upcoming ventures. Do you require any assistance in navigating back to the Bullhead?"

I clenched my hands tightly, feeling the nails bite into the palms on my hands. I breathed out, trembling, "Thank you, Professor, but I can find my way back on my own."

Upon reaching the door, I pulled it open and exited into the hallway. I walked the long way, trapped in my own thoughts. Unfortunately, I didn't notice the man in front of me until I collided with him. Snapping back to reality in an instant, I noticed that the man had dropped a mug of coffee on the ground, some of it splashing onto his pant legs.

"Oh, I am so sorry sir," I cried out, "I should have paid more attention to where I was going."

The man seemed in total shock for a moment, his gaze constantly switching between me and the coffee that was flowing between the lines in the tiled pathway. The man cleared his throat rather loudly, and his eyes appeared to glisten slightly.

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking...are you alright?"

The man shook his head, as if to snap himself into reality, "Yes, Mr. Arc. I am quite alright. I was wishing to apologize on behalf of Beacon for the circumstances regarding your transcripts."

I lowered my gaze to the ground, taking in the shattered pieces of the mug. I absently noted that on a few of the pieces, it looked as though the seal of Beacon was printed on them.

The man spoke once more to say, "Mr. Arc, I know that this may seem sudden, especially given the fact that term would begin in a few days. If there is anything that Beacon can do for you in the days to come, please don't hesitate to ask."

I nodded mutely, thanked him for his generosity, and continued my trek to the Bullhead that would take me back to Vale.

What would I do now?

Ozpin

I stared at Mr. Arc's retreating back, hearing the footsteps of Glynda behind me. She paused behind me, the both of us standing in silence as we watched the young man walk away.

"Why did you bring him here just to send him away?"

I kept my gaze on Mr. Arc as I marshalled my thoughts together, "Mr. Arc's ultimate place is not here. I will not let another innocent life be brought into this game, particularly given the fact that he has had very little training. At least this way, he will be dissuaded from taking this path."

"You allowed his dreams to be shattered just so you could save his life?"

"That is not my entire justification for why I did what I did."

"What do you mean?"

I let my breath whistle through my lips as I carefully measured my responses.

"Even should Mr. Arc attend Beacon, I could not guarantee his safety. Particularly given the fact that it is doubtful his aura has been unlocked. Should Mr. Arc make it through Initiation, I am unsure of the strength and talents of this year's applicants. The inclusion of Mr. Arc on a team could potentially result in the deaths of him and his teammates. That above all things, is something that I am not willing to consider as a viable option. I will not have any deaths that could have been prevented on my hand."

Glynda said nothing as she took in my response. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her open her mouth as if to say something. She paused and finally noticed the spilt coffee that had seeped through the cracks and lines in the pathway. She gave a slight smile that would be near imperceptible to those that didn't know her.

"It's not funny," I said, my voice coming out a bit harsher than I had originally intended.

"I never said it was," Her smile still on her face, "But, perhaps you'll be able to help me with all the paperwork that I seem to be acquiring nowadays."

I gave a slight huff.

"Speaking of paperwork, I have some that needs to be done as usual."

As Glynda walked away, I looked down at my shattered cup.

"And that was my favorite mug too...," I murmured.

By this time, the young man had long since departed from the Academy. I could only hope that I had made the right decision. I scoffed to myself. It seemed like all I could do these days was hope. I would only hope that I could do what was best for the people of Remnant. Even if that decision made those I cared for condemn me.

And that's it for now. We have heard from Jaune and Ozpin so far. Jaune has just had his hopes and dreams shattered and Ozpin has given some clarification on why exactly Jaune was excluded from Beacon. As for how Ozpin found out about Jaune's search for transcripts...well...just wait and see. All will be revealed in time. Now, I believe that this is all for now.

Expect the next part up in a few days. Please leave a review telling me what you think, it would really help with the development of this story! See ya.