Edan: Hello? Hello! Testing, testing, one two three! Can everybody hear me?!
Adam: For fuck's sake, Flaemis! Cease your babbling at once!
Edan: Ah, suck it, bovine. The author did ask us to do this, didn't he?
Ruby: Yeah! ...wait, why are we here again?
Rouge: You remember how in Act I, Demons Anarchy utterly skipped the "Jaunedice" segment of the RWBY storyline? Well, this story is the reason.
Edan: Ah-ah-ah! Side-story, boss. Side-story.
Rouge: Whatever. Is this even necessary? Its more or less covering events in canon while adding in one's own personal touches.
CC: That's pretty much every other Code Geass and RWBY crossover, though, when you think about it.
Edan: Sweet merciful crap! Where'd in Sam Hill did you come from?!
CC: Uh...the front door?
Yang: Hey, isn't she the chick who showed up post credits after Act I?
Rouge: Yes, she is...and the bane of my existence.
CC: Aw, how cruel of you~
Edan: Oh yeah...aren't you supposed to be like the RWBY-version of that Lelouch guy or his reincarnation or something? Actually, which is it? The ending was kinda vague.
CC: The author left it that way before he makes the reveal when we hit Act III.
Edan: Wait, what?! So two more volumes until we get some answers?! Gah, author! You ass!
Adam: *sigh* He was supposed to do the disclaimer and then start the chapter... Oh well. No use saving spoiled milk.
"I don't want help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I want to be the hero!" -Jaune Arc
Black Rebellion: Chess Pieces
Jaune Arc was a mystery to Rouge Rose, otherwise known as "Zero" in the Black Fang, and it was a mystery that both infuriated and confused him to his wits end.
He has shown to possess a sound, tactical mind befitting of a leader. This was evident back during the Initiation, where he led his would-be team to kill an Elder Death Stalker.
He survived and passed the Initiation of his own merit and collaborating with his team mates, becoming the leader of Team JNPR.
He got into Beacon through the submission of his transcripts, which possess quite impressive feats and information about his accomplishments.
So why...
Why was his combat skill practically non-existent?!
"They're clearly fake." he grumbled as he bit his lip, staring at the photograph of the blonde in question. "Hell, the mistakes are so glaringly obvious."
But that just didn't make any sense. Ozpin might be old, but surely he wasn't senile enough to not notice something like this? No matter how hard he tried to rationalize it, he found absolutely no reason for the Headmaster to even remotely accept the kid, and yet here he was. The heterochromatic teen gave a sigh as he scratched the back of his head, tossing his scroll to his desk and falling onto his bed, soon staring up at the ceiling.
He pondered over the information he had just obtained. Jaune Arc had snuck into Beacon using false transcripts. And strangely, Ozpin allowed him in, not even bringing them up. Not only that, he made him the leader of his own Team.
"Raven was right." Rouge groaned. "Understanding that man is the same as understanding what goes on inside a Grimm's head."
Classes had been rather boring. Especially Combat Class, which was a bit more dull than usual. So far, the matches had been rather lackluster. The first round was between someone from Team CRDL and another first-year team, AXUR if he remembered right. Sky Larke had won, though barely if the way he was wheezing was of any indication. Then came Pyrrha Nikos from JNPR against a second-year from CFVY named Yatsuhashi. This match was one that had Rouge's interest, if only because it involved a second-year.
He made it a point to memorize the abilities and strengths of every student that caught his interest. Naturally, this included his seniors. So far, there was Coco Adel, leader of Team CFVY and Velvet Scarlatina from the same group. The match was longer than the first, and quite tense. However, Pyrrha won by shooting the man point blank in the face with her weapon and knocking him out.
From there, he tuned everything out. Well, almost one of them. The last one of the day had some interest.
Not by much, though, as it reinforced his opinion of Jaune Arc's weak combat capabilities.
He was paired up against CRDL's leader, Cardin Winchester. From initial observations, he was a brute. He wielded a mace, a blunt weapon reliant on heavy swings to maximize its offensive capabilities. He was also muscular and clad in armor, giving him defense at the cost of speed.
That said, compared to Jaune, he knew how to use his weapon. More importantly, he knew how inexperienced and horrible the blonde knight was. Every swing was either dodged or countered so pitifully with ease that he may as well have been dancing around the kid. The fight had gone for about a minute or two before Glynda had called it off. Cardin's aggressive behavior had ended it with ease and without a single blow to him. He had even tried to go in for the kill.
Then again, Rouge was more than aware of his temperament. Like he, Ruby and Yang, Cardin was also from Signal. While he wasn't as strong as his older sister, he was capable of holding his own. In fact, he was the second best fighter in Signal.
And he was the stereotypical classroom bully. He pushed around and tormented those weaker than him. Disrespected others. made his dislike of Faunus well known.
What a charmer.
At any rate, once classes had come to an end, he had joined (read: grabbed by the collar of his jacket and dragged away) his sisters and their friends in the cafeteria.
"So there we were, in the middle of the night-!"
"-it was day."
"We were surrounded by Ursai-!"
"-they were Beowolves."
"DOZENS of them-!"
"-only two."
"But they were no match! In the end, Ren and I made a butt-load of lien selling off Ursai-skin rugs!"
Rouge stared at the ginger girl with half-lidded eyes. "...you know it's impossible to skin a Grimm and sell their pelts, right?"
"Believe me, I've tried." Ren face-palmed while holding a cup of tea in one hand. "She's been having this dream for nearly a month now!"
Rouge rolled his eyes. That sounded oddly familiar and he knew why. Ruby had a dream for a month straight, though admittedly it was nowhere near as outlandish as Nora's. If anything, it was simply her starting to realize that Summer just wasn't here anymore.
After all, no matter how hard they tried, no one could replicate Summer's knock-out cookie recipe.
It only served to remind them one thing: Summer Rose was gone. And she won't ever come back.
Rouge sighed as he closed his eyes, banishing any ill thoughts. Now was hardly the time to reminisce. When school ends, he needed to check his Scroll and see if there was any updates. He was beginning to grow rather antsy. Remind him again, why did he decide to come to Beacon? Why couldn't he have just stayed behind and continued his work as Zero instead of this damned double life? Surely, Ruby could have handled herself fine, right? Nope. He just had to come like the concerned brother he was.
Damn this sibling bond. Ah, oh well. It couldn't be worse than having to listen to Edan trying to swoon every lady he met off their feat.
"Jaune?" Pyrrha called out bringing Rouge out of his thoughts. Looking at the source of his irritation for the last few days, Jaune Arc was listless and tired if the rings under his eyes were any indication, idly toying around with the pea on his plate with his fork. "Is everything okay?"
"H-huh? Yeah, I'm fine! Totally fine!" The blonde reassured with a grin.
"It's just that you don't seem a little..." Ruby said with equal concern. "You know, not okay?"
"W-what?" Jaune laughed weakly. "I'm just fine. See?" As much as he tried to play it off, everyone knew he was lying. He was most certainly not okay.
Before anyone could even try and tell him what was wrong, a chorus of laughs came from behind them. Rouge's eyes narrowed, finding Velvet Scarlatina trying to find a seat, only to stop when she passed by Team CRDL and jeering and mocking her. The brute in question was holding his hands over his ears, as if making a bunny rabbit gesture. Every's faces scrunched into disgust, shaking their heads. To Rouge, this sight was common back in Signal, though he never would have thought the guy would openly try and mock his upperclassman. 'One of these days, he's going to piss off the wrong person.' he thought, hoping that such a day would come.
Hm, perhaps he should introduce Cardin to Adam? Would certainly be a rather interesting meeting.
By now, though, everyone already figured out the source of Jaune's problems. "Jaune," Pyrrha frowned. "Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school."
"Who? Cardin Winchester?" Jaune smiled weakly. "He just likes to mess around, that's all!"
Ruby and Rouge said together in sync with flat faces: "He's a bully."
"Please." he waved it off. "Name one time he's bullied me."
Rouge gave him an even flatter stare. "I can name three times." he said, holding up his hand. He raised his index finger. "One, he shoved all of your books out of your hands in the hallway." Then his middle finger. "Two, he made your shield expand when you were heading into class and you got stuck in the doorway." Finally he raised his ring finger. "And three when Ms. Goodwitch was explaining the lockers, he shoved you into one of them and then send you flying."
"I uh...I didn't land THAT far from the school..." he tried to downplay what happened.
Didn't work.
"Jaune..." Pyrrha frowned heavily. "If you need any help, we are here for you."
"Ooh! I know!" Nora grinned wickedly. "We break his legs!"
Jaune looked at Nora weirdely, wondering where she could have gotten such an idea from. Then his hands clenched. While most would have missed it, Rouge saw that he was annoyed and irritated about people worrying about him. That caught his attention. Why was he so annoyed with their concern? "Guys, I'm fine." he insisted. "Seriously! A-and besides, it's not just me. Cardin's a jerk to everyone!"
"Ow! H-hey, that hurts!"
Once again their attention turned to CRDL. Cardin had his hands around Velvet's ears, tugging at them while the girl tried weakly to escape. "Atrocious." Pyrrha growled. "I can't stand people like him."
Blake nodded, glaring daggers at the man. "He's hardly the only one."
Rouge sighed, shaking his head as he stood up, grabbing his drink. "Rouge?" Ruby called. "Where are you going?"
"Don't worry. It won't take long."
Without explaining further, he moved around the side of the table and walked into a stride. Much to their surprise, he was heading straight towards CRDL.
The team of brutes noticed his approach and paused in what they were doing.
"Hey, shrimp." Sky glared. "What do you want?"
Rouge just stopped short of them. Cardin let go of Velvet's ears, who immediately backed away out of his reach and gently rubbed her ears. The heterochromatic teen gave them an impassive stare, looking at Cardin and then at his cup. Then he looked back at Cardin.
Without another word, he dumped the contents into his face.
The true sting of it? Rouge was drinking hot tea.
"AAH!" the armored teen backed up, clutching his face. "SON OF A BITCH!"
The rest of his Team got ready to assault the skinny teen for what he did to their leader. Rouge merely smirked.
"You little brat!" Dove roared as he threw a punch. Rouge dodged to the left, avoiding it while sticking out his leg and tripping him. He ended up crashing into Russel, causing them to tussle to the ground. From behind, Sky tried to deliver a kick to the head. The young teen simply ducked underneath it and performed a backflip, landing on a bench. The two on the ground untangled themselves and grouped together with Sky, each ready to beat Rouge to within an inch of his life. "You're gonna pay for hurting Cardin!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Rouge said, holding up his hands. "He just looked a bit thirsty is all, so I gave him my tea. Not my fault he can't handle it."
"Fuck that! We all saw you splash it on his face!"
"I tripped."
Their faces were set into disbelief. Then they contorted in rage. This little shit was screwing with them!
"You little...!"
"So if you are all done with this little skirmish, I suggest taking him to the nurse's office to avoid the burns."
They didn't heed his words. They were ready to rip him a new one. Before they could however, a sharp voice called out, "Will someone please explain what I am looking at?" Turning, they found Professor Port standing in clear view. The jovial smile the man often wore on his face was nowhere to be found. Instead, he had a glare on par with that of Ms. Goodwitch. "Because I am quite at a loss here."
All eyes were on the disappointed professor. And for some, the frown on his face was comparable to Goodwitch's glare.
Russel and Sky shifted uncomfortably. They were used to being under the scrutinizing glare of their blonde combat instructor, not the teacher who rambled on in class. "He started it!" Dove pointed an accusing finger at Rouge. 'He threw tea at Cardin's face!"
"I tripped." Rouge stated again. "Also, don't paint yourselves as being in the wrong. Especially when you were harassing Miss Scarlatina earlier."
"Is this true, Miss Scarlatina?" Ports gaze transferred to the girl.
The girl squeaked when she found eyes set on her. The three members of CRDL were practically daring her to say something. Rouge picked up on this and sighed, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to answer properly. Instead, he chose another way to settle this. "Mr. Port. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't security cameras installed here in the cafeteria?" The three bullies suddenly paled at this information. "Bullies typically force others to go along with their story in order to fudge the truth. Wouldn't it be much easier to simply check the recordings?" Rouge continued to give the portly man a fair smile. "It would also be much easier to ask everyone in the cafeteria for the truth as well, of course, but video evidence doesn't lie nearly as much."
"Why...that is an excellent idea, my boy." Port nodded at his suggestion.
He turned towards the three boys, who squirmed beneath his gaze. "Video evidence will determine the truth, you three." he said, voice low. "Now, please take Mr. Winchester to the Infirmary. Aura or no, hot tea to the face can be quite severe."
"Y-yes sir..." the trio replied before grabbing their leader. They gave Rouge the stink eye before walking out of the cafeteria.
The young teen gave a small scoff, though he knew he wasn't spared either. "As for you, Mr. Rose." Port frowned in disapproval. "While I do commend you for taking action in defending your fellow student, aggressive actions such as throwing hot tea in their face is not the appropriate way to handle the situation. Please see Ms. Goodwitch at the end of Lunch, if you don't mind."
"Of course, sir." He expected this to happen. Given what he did, no chance he would get away Scott free. Didn't make it any less satisfying, though. As Port walked away, he returned back to the table to find everyone staring at him oddly. "What?"
"Rouge, just what was that?!"
He cocked his head innocent. "What was what?"
"Are you kidding me?! You just busted Cardin and his team!" Jaune flailed his arms around, face set into disbelief. "And you practically manhandled them! How the hell?!"
"Oh, please." Rouge rolled his eyes. "I've dealt with worse bullies than Winchester. They're all bark and no bite. Not to mention all brawn and no brain."
"Ain't that the truth..." Yang agreed.
"You should've broken their legs!" Nora cried.
The boy deadpanned. "If I broke his legs, I would be getting a lot more than a scolding from Ms. Goodwitch."
"It'd be worth it though." She argued.
"No, Nora, it wouldn't be." Ren sighed.
As everyone continued to chat away, no one noticed the tired yet jealous look that Jaune sent Rouge's way.
When Jaune first met Rouge Rose, his first thoughts had been strange. He was apparently Ruby's younger brother by only a few minutes, but he was far more mature. Very much so.
It was hard to believe he was only 15. He was so young, yet he already had ample combat experience. Of course, there was a lot more to Rouge. For one, he never actually carried himself as a kid. He really was mature. And collected and overall kind of broody.
And above all, he was a skilled fighter.
He was probably as strong as Ruby. Maybe even stronger. But he couldn't quite understand just how he could have reached it. That wasn't what Jaune envied him so much. What made him so envious was his willingness to stand against people like Cardin. People who got their way through force. Oh, the blonde knight would give anything to have the strength just to put a punch in that mug of his. But he couldn't. He knew he didn't have the strength, and it infuriated him to no end. He wasn't like his parents or his grandparents at all. He never had the combat abilities to prove himself. He was just...useless. No matter how hard he wished he could become the heroes his parents often recounted from personal history, he knew he would never reach such a level as he was.
And yet...Rouge was capable of doing all of that.
From what little he knew, Rouge was a slacker. He wouldn't do homework and barely attended physical activities. He attended the bare minimum just to keep himself in shape enough to fight and did enough work so that he wouldn't be held back. Yet beneath that laziness was an underlying genius. Very early on in the semester, Oobleck had given them a test. Jaune struggled and got a 67%. Not a bad score by any means, but he knew it was hardly passing.
Rouge, on the other hand, got a perfect score. 100%. Weiss, the girl he had a small crush on due to her comment until Rouge told him otherwise, had only scored a 96%.
It just wasn't...it just wasn't fair...geniuses can get by in life without putting any effort while the rest have to struggle just to succeed. It was petty of him to hate Rouge for that, but what else could he think? He was...just so much better than he was in almost every way.
He was smart, powerful, brave, the list went on.
Then there was him. Inexperienced. Scraggly. Stupid...a fraud. At this thought, Jaune's hands balled into fists, biting his lip out of frustration.
He had no other choice in the matter. It was the only option he had to achieve his dream!
Even if it was disgraceful. What would his parents think?
Moreover...what would happen if his friends found out?
After lunch had ended, Rouge had listened to Ms. Goodwitch's scolding for about twenty minutes or so. He had heard this speech before all the time back in Signal whenever he managed to trick a bully and get caught because he started the instigation that led to them being caught, but the experience was very much different compared to the scolding he was receiving now. Her glare remained focused on him, unblinking and heated as if she was trying to carve a dagger into him and brand him with some unknown symbol of distrust or something. It sort of creeped him out a bit.
What an uncomfortable experience, being subjected to this kind of torture.
Thankfully, he was allowed to return to class. By now, it was Oobleck's History lessons. They hardly interested him, since they were focusing on the Faunus Rights movement. He had instead chosen to look at the list of potential targets for their next operation that Edan had sent him. Each one was very tempting for various reasons.
The Black Fang had three criteria for targeting an individual or organization. The first, they must be guilty of a heinous crime. Drug distribution, arms dealers, slave moment, etc. The second, they would have to be notorious in some way to have an impact on society. Small time groups could be easily forgotten, but larger cells - the ones the police had trouble nailing and busting - could garner much more attention. That wasn't to say they ignored the smaller criminal groups. Everyone was fair game. Targeting the larger more well known groups could garner more attention and increase their standings. The third, and most important, was the person in charge. They had to have some kind of influence on the criminal underworld. The best prime example would be Roman Torchwick. In Vale, he was the undisputed Kingpin. The Moriarty of the Vale Underworld. Even small-time criminals would recognize his name and hold it with respect and admiration. Taking out scum who had a substantial say in the criminal underworld had a major impact...and send a hell of a message.
No one was safe.
Of course, dirty corporations were also fair targets. Thanks to info leaks, false information and tips, the Black Fang had revealed several dirty conspiracies and horrible secrets. The ones that police wouldn't be able to touch and could only offer a slap on the wrist were paid a personal visit by the Black Fang.
In a way, they had an impact. People had no choice but to listen to what they were speaking. Most of their influence was in Vale, but they had a substantial impact on the other kingdoms as well, particularly thanks to Goe's information gathering and cyber warefare. The Wolf Faunus was not to be underestimated when it came to electronics.
Plus, when you have someone with as fearsome a reputation as Edan Flaemis, the Blue Devil on your side, it certainly speaks volumes of how much power you had.
'Of course, the only thing that troubles me is this Cinder Adam mentioned.' Rouge thought with a frown. 'She has the cooperation of Roman Torchwick and the White Fang cell here in Vale. While I hate for Adam to work under her for the time being, its best to keep tabs on her while remaining faithful.' His eyes narrowed thoughtfully, tapping a finger against his chin. 'Still...who is she? And why would she need so much Dust?'
It was a confusing prospect. She's forcing Adam's cell of the White Fang to cooperate with Roman Torchwick, a human. They were to be his hired help and assist him in Dust heists.
Virtually every store and distributor in Vale was hit. The Dust stolen, yet the lien remained untouched.
Adam had told him to his face that he was the only human he actually liked. Roman Torchwick, to some extent, was tolerable. But he still hated humans. The fact that he was working for one would have scratched heads were they not aware of the circumstances. From what Adam told him, she had forced the Fang to cooperate. Initially, she tempted him with resources - Dust, information and the likes. Adam naturally refused. Then she came back and slaughtered his men.
After that, he didn't have much choice. Of course, sometime after that the two had reunited. In all honesty, Rouge would have thought it would take him much longer to convince him to join his side.
Then again, his heart leaped when Adam had remembered him, even with his intense hatred.
"Yes yes, I'm sure that this all must seem like ancient history to you all!" Oobleck's voice droned on. "But let me remind you the after effects of the Civil Rights Revolution, more commonly known as the Faunus Wars, can still be seen to this very day!"
He zipped over to the front of his desk as he drank his coffee. "Now then, who among you have suffered from discrimination, prejudice, or subjugation due to your Faunus heritage?"
Many students raised their hands, including the second year student Cardin bullied earlier. Velvet Scarlatina was meek in doing so and she kept her head down, eyes darting off to the side. Cardin sat in his deck, an ice pack against his face with a particularly sour look about him. Rouge smirked a bit, knowing that he was the source behind it.
"Dreadful! Simply, dreadful!" Oobleck shook his head in dismay.
"It is this sort of needless hate that breeds violence! Why-why, look at what's happened to the White Fang!" The professor stopped shortly before he added, "And as of lately the formation of the Black Fang!" Rouge's ears perked up, hearing his group being mentioned. "A pop quiz question for you all! What can you all tell me about the Black Fang?!" To the heterochromatic teen's surprised, it was Weiss who raised her hand. "Miss Schnee!"
"The Black Fang are a vigilante force composed of both Humans and Faunus. They have been reported to target corrupt corporations and criminal organizations and use force to administer judgment." she spoke, giving the textbook answer. "They were formed, at the earliest, little under a year ago. Their leader, Zero, has never made any public appearance as far as the media or anyone else knows. Additionally, no one knows what they're ultimate goal is, either."
Rouge resisted the urge to smirk, lest someone notice.
"Correct!" Oobleck smiled. "In a way, the aftereffects of the Faunus Wars may have played a part in the formation of the Black Fang! Arguably, while many would argue about their morals and methods, one cannot deny that they've made a significant impact on the communities. Nonetheless!" He zipped over to his desk, taking a swig of his coffee. "Now, which of you young scholars can tell me what many historians believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war?"
This time, it was Rouge who answered. "Fort Castle." he said smoothly. "In the third year of the war, a general by the name of Lagune attempted to stage an attack on the Faunus while they were asleep."
"Correct, Mr. Rose! Now, who can tell me what led to General Lagune's defeat?!" At this point, the boy noticed that Jaune had been dozing off somewhat, casually leaning on his hand. Cardin also noticed this and smirked, finding a chance to torment the boy and flicked a wad at his head. This caused Jaune's head to slip and bang against the desk rudely, causing him to grimace. "Ah, Mr. Arc!" The blonde knight yelped, sitting up straighter when Oobleck darted in front of his desk. "Finally contributing to class! Most excellent! Tell me, what is the answer?!"
"A-ah, um..."
'Shit shit shit!' Jaune cursed. 'This is bad! Really bad! Of all the times to snap awake!'
He looked around the room, hoping to find an answer. He found no articles that showed any information as such, but some of which that did have info on the Faunus war was obscured by several students. He noticed Pyrrha mouthing the answer to him, but unfortunately, he was unable to read lip, or properly make out. "T-the answer is, uh..." His teammate was noticing his obvious lack of communication, and wrapped her fingers around her eyes, as if to make binoculars.
'They had binoculars?' he questioned. 'Seriously?'
Just before he could make that answer, he found Rouge, who was sitting behind Pyrrha, tapping his fingers against his eyelids.
"T-they're, uh..."
'Please be right, please be right!'
"E-e-eyes...?"
Oobleck stared at him for a moment before zipping over to the board. "Not quite the answer I was looking for, but correct nonetheless."
Cardin spluttered. "W-what?!"
"Can anyone elaborate on Mr. Arc's answer?"
"I can, sir." Pyrrha said. "It's Night Vision. Nearly all Faunus are capable of seeing in the dark. General Lagune was unaware of this when he attempted to attack them while they were asleep."
"That is correct, Ms. Nikos!"
Cardin scoffed, clearly not even remotely impressed. Rouge, by this point, tuned it all out and returned to his Scroll. However, he found himself glancing at Jaune, who shot him strange looks. Some looks radiated gratitude for the answer, but the rest seemed slightly hostile.
What had him so uptight? Curious. Well, he could find out later. For now...
'A new cartel?'
After class had come to an end, Jaune felt mentally exhausted. It was bad enough that he forced himself to stay awake, lest Oobleck call on him again and catch him off guard. God that was horrible. He didn't dare think what would happen if he got the answer wrong. He just wanted to lie down and go to bed right now, which sounded very nice. It was the end of school. At least for today.
Unfortunately, the Arc luck seemed to be particularly out for him. He found himself tripping over and his face became intimately acquainted with the tiled floor. His Aura flared, preventing his nose from suffering the most due to being the most tender part of his face, though it still hurt. Wincing, he pushed himself up on all fours and found Cardin walking away, steaming.
'Damn he's in a bad mood.' Jaune thought, standing up and glaring at his backside. 'I guess he wasn't too happy I didn't screw up.'
He wasn't an idiot. He knew it was Cardin who threw that wad. He was sitting right behind him, after all. "You know." He heard Pyrrha snarl, glaring daggers at his retreating form. The look on her face promised pain. "I will break his legs."
Jaune laughed awkwardly, scratching his cheek. As much as he'd like to see that, he didn't want Pyrrha to get into trouble. While he still wasn't sure about the whole Mistral Champion several times over thing, he knew she had something of a reputation going for her. He didn't want that to be ruined just because of his screw up.
"It's fine...don't worry about it."
His partner frowned in disapproval. He knew she wanted to get back at Cardin so badly, but...a guy like that just wasn't worth it. No matter how much he wanted to break that smug look of his. For now, they'd just have to settle for him having an ice pack to his face.
He must have a dopey look on his face or something because he caught Pyrrha staring at him in concern and wonder as if she were thinking about something. He a saw a metaphorical lightbulb light up over her head. "Come with me!" Without warning, the red-haired warrior grabbed him by the wrist and suddenly dragged him away, yelping from how strongly she was tugging.
"W-wait, Pyrrha! Wh-where are we going?"
His questions had no response as the girl continued to drag him along. They had run up the stairs, reaching to the third and fourth floor before reaching what looked like the entrance to the rooftop. It was dusk, the sky tinted dark orange. From afar, the City of Vale could be seen over a beautiful cliffside stretching over an ocean. "It's rather beautiful, isn't it?" Pyrrha asked as they stepped onto the roof. A wide, serene smile could be found across her face. "I found out about this place from an upperclassman."
"Y-yeah." Jaune nodded, confused as to why there were here. He peered over the edge slightly and paled, noting how far high up they were. Aura or not, if he fell, he'd end up being a bloody smear on the pavement. "Um, Pyrrha? I know it may seem like I'm depressed and all, but I don't quite think I'm at THAT point..."
Pyrrha didn't understand at first. When she did, her face was set into panic. "No!" On instinct, she shoved him away from the edge, sending him on his back.
"Ow..."
"Eek! I'm sorry!"
Jaune laughed weakly, waving a hand. "D-don't worry. I'm used to it."
"I'm sorry, I just-I just thought that..." She trailed off.
"No, no, it's fine. I shouldn't have said anything..." He stood back up to his feet, dusting himself off before addressing her. "So...why'd you bring me here?"
"Jaune, I know you're having a difficult time in class and that you're still not the strongest of fighters, so..." Pyrrha said, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "I want to help you!"
Jaune spluttered, unsure he heard correctly. "Wh-what?"
"We can train up here after class where no one can bother us!"
Pyrrha never noticed the defeated look on his face as his shoulders slumped. Even his own partner thought he was weak. He should hav expected it, especially since she was a combat prodigy, but...it hurt. It really hurt. "You...think I need help?"
The Mistral Champion flinched. "N-no! No, that's not what I meant."
"But you just said it."
Pyrrha looked like she wanted to say something. Something that could salvage this. She eventually chose another route to take. "Jaune, everybody needs a little push from time to time." she told him. "It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us. You made it to Beacon!" She smiled widely, face beaming. Even now, she wasn't noticing it. Jaune didn't know if that made the tightness in his chest hurt worse or not. "That speaks volumes of what you're capable of!"
"You're wrong. I-I don't belong here." The words fumbled out without meaning to, causing him to clam up. Anymore and-
"That's a terrible thing to say! Of course you do!"
"No, I don't!"
It came so quickly that it took them both off guard. Pyrrha took a step back, surprised by the intensity and anger in his voice. Jaune hadn't meant to snap out like that. His frustrations were weighing too heavily. He bit his lip, hands balling into fists.
...he couldn't keep doing this anymore. Unable to look her in the face, he turned away from her and looked at the orange sky ahead of him.
"I wasn't really accepted into Beacon..."
From behind him, Pyrrha grew disturbed. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"I mean I didn't go to combat school, I didn't pass any tests. I didn't earn my spot at this Academy!" Gritting his teeth, he turned around to face her. "I lied! I got my hands on some fake transcripts, and I lied!"
The red haired girl gasped. He did what? "But...but, why Jaune...?" She could only ask.
"'Cause this is always what I've wanted to be!" he shouted angrily and out of frustration. Part of him angry at his own uselessness. Part of him angry because he was a screwup. Part of him angry that he could never live up to his family's standing "My father, my grandfather, and his father before him were all warriors! They were all heroes! I wanted to be one, too. I was just never good enough."
Pyrrha's eyes softened. She stared at Jaune's back, unsure of what she could say. It hurt more than it should have, hearing Jaune say such things. She wasn't angry or disappointed or even disgusted with him for lying his way. Instead, she felt...sad. Sad that he was so frustrated and angry with himself. But why couldn't he see that he was much more than a screw up? She stepped closer, hoping to comfort him and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Then let me help you-"
"I don't want help!" Jaune snarled, brushing her hand away. Tears were swelling in his eyes, shoulders shaking. "I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I want to be the hero!"
"Jaune, I-"
"I'm tired of being the lovable idiot, stuck in the tree while his friends fight for their lives! Don't you understand?" He looked down, unable to look at her anymore. His bangs hid his blue eyes. His bit his lip. He refused to cry. Not in front of her. "If I can't do this on my own... then what good am I?" Pyrrha, maybe out of concern for him or out of pity, tried to touch him. His voice stopped her in her tracks. "Just...leave me alone. Okay?"
"If..." Pyrrha started, lowering her head. "If that's what you want."
Jaune didn't look up. He heard her footsteps further away before hearing the door shut behind her. Left all by himself, Jaune found himself sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall with his knees tucked at his chest. His nails were digging into the skins of his palms, threatening to break into them and draw blood. He knew he must have hurt her feelings. He knew she was just trying to help. He knew he was being selfish, but...
"For once..." he muttered. "For once, I just want to save someone."
Then an unexpected answer came. "And how to do you intend to do that? By sitting on your ass in self-pity?" Startled, Jaune looked up, finding silver and purple staring at him with a frown. "You know, I may not be an expert when it comes to women, but I think I know them well enough to know that you shouldn't hurt their feelings."
"R-Rouge." There was a slight panic in his voice. Did he hear everything? Of all people, why him? Why the guy that had everything? "What're y-you doing here?"
Rouge gave him a flat stare, folding his arms. "...I heard everything." he said, making his heart sink. "So, you cheated your way into Beacon, huh?"
"W-wait!" Fearfully Jaune rose up to his feet, pleading. "Y-you can't tell anyone!"
"Why?"
"I-I just-"
Rouge gave him a glare, shutting him up. "Are you some kind of idiot, Arc?" he asked, causing him to falter. "It's one thing to turn away help from your teammates, but it's another thing altogether when you do something half-assed."
"W-what?!"
"What did you expect it was going to be like, Arc? Sunday school? This isn't a civilian academy. It's where we train to become warriors. You should have known that when you signed up for this. You could have at least studied up on some form of weapons training and instead you ran in headfirst like a damned fool." Each accusation hit home. And they hit hard. It felt worse than a blow from the Deathstalker from Initiation. "Were you TRYING to get yourself killed?!"
"B-but I-"
"Shut. Up." Rouge hissed. "I'm talking!"
Jaune effectively shut his trap. Frankly, this new demeanor of Rouge frightened him. He never saw him quite like this before. At least, not when he was with Ruby. Perhaps this was a side of him that he only showed to others when his sister wasn't around?
Either way, it was still terrifying.
"Look." the heterochromatic teen continued. "I don't care if you lied your way to Beacon or that you want to become like your family. But for Dust's sake, at least think your actions through before you jump headfirst into the fire! What would you have done if Pyrrha hadn't nailed you to that tree in Initiation, much less unlock your Aura?"
The blonde flinched. "I..."
"Without Aura, that fall could have broken a few of your bones easily. And don't even get me started on what would have happened if you tried to take on a Deathstalker without Aura!"
The blonde gulped. He had no difficulty imagining that sort of scenario. He would've been skewered or smashed into paste. "O-okay, so maybe I screwed up." he stuttered, looking away in shame. "But even still, I-"
"And why did you turn away Pyrrha's help?" Rouge cut him off with a frown. "Because of some stupid idea of pride?"
At this, Jaune scowled and glared back. "That's so easy for you to say." he growled. "We can't all be geniuses like you, you know! And like I told Pyrrha, I-"
He was cut off when Rouge slammed his fist into his stomach. The blow promptly knocked the wind out of his sails, causing him to spit out saliva. Clutching his abdomen, he fell to his knees. "Pride is, and always will be, a person's greatest weakness." Rouge said coldly. He felt a cold shiver run down his spine, listening to Ruby's brother talk. "Pride is what makes you stupid. It's what pushes you away from your team and get them killed. Pride is what gets YOU killed." Jaune, finding the strength to breath again, slowly got back up to his feet and looked up to find Rouge walked away from him, hands in his pockets. "Someone like you, who can't even understand something so simple, can't hope to become a hero."
Jaune bit his lip. The words hit home closer than he would have liked. It hurt even worse than Pyrrha's pity. "Then what..." he got out. His voice was so quiet he doubted Rouge even heard him. "What am I supposed to do?"
To his surprise, Rouge did hear him. His hand was at the doorknob when he looked back at him. Strangely, the younger Rose sibling no longer had the chilling facade of a demon present on his mug. Instead, there was something else. Something strange that he couldn't quite understand.
"If a King doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?"
With that, he opened the door and took his leave, the door closing behind him. The blonde was left alone worth his thoughts. Rouge's words lingered and sunk into his head. King? Subordinates? What did he mean by that? Was it some sort of leadership philosophy? He didn't understand it...
He gave a low sigh as he fell back to the floor, palming his forehead. "I don't think I'll ever get that guy..."
The following weeks that had been leading up to Forever Fall Field Trip had been relatively tense for Team JNPR. There was an awkward atmosphere whenever Jaune and Pyrrha were together, the latter unsure of what she could do or say while the knight was clearly troubled by something.
Rouge was disinterested in whatever drama they had. He was more focused on his own dealings. Of course, there was a bit of interest in Jaune Arc now, however small.
"Seriously?" Edan said with a laugh on the other end of the Scroll. "The guy had the balls to cheat his way into Beacon? Gotta admit, he's a real piece of work."
"Yeah. Unfortunately, he failed to think ahead of what to do when he actually got in." Rouge added. "Although...something about it interests me."
"Hah. Found something to exploit?"
"Perhaps. Anyway, about what I asked you to look into."
Edan chuckled. "Well, as it turns out, your troublesome blond knight comes from quite the family. Apparently, the Arc Family, back before the Great War if you believe the documents that were still left behind, were the distant relatives to the Vale Royal Family. Close enough to be considered nobility. The men of the household were named as knights and whatnot. When Mistral and Mantle pissed people off, the Arcs were among the first to answer the call. And if you believe the records, the females are pretty much Amazons. Jeanne Arc, the blondie's great grandmother, was loved by her men and feared by her enemies. A goddamn terror on par with a Silver-Eyed warrior."
Rouge's eyes widened minsiculy before a small smirk fell on his face. "Interesting. A shame he's a bad seed."
"Maybe not. Most of the males turn out to be late bloomers. 'Course, it doesn't justify the brat being a dumbass. Anyway, about the other thing you were asking me and PIECE to look into. There's not much info on this new drug cartel. Only thing we have so far is that the drug they're distributing is something pretty hardcore and that they first showed up in Atlas."
"Atlas?" Rouge repeated, mildly impressed. Out of the four Kingdoms, Atlas had the least amount of criminal activity. Namely because of James Ironwood's advancements and the increase of law enforcement policies. It was just a tad shy away from being Martial Law, however mild, but it was effective. Only fools would dare try anything under his watch. "I'm almost impressed. And what's the drug they're distributing?"
A sigh came on the other end. "We don't know yet. All we know is that it's cheap and supposedly makes the rest of the drugs on the market look like piss."
"I see..." Rouge hummed in thought. If a drug like that was inexpensive and as big as Edan claimed, one could only imagine what it could do. "Keep me posted of any new developments."
"Aye-aye!"
The call came to a quick and short end. The young teen slipped his Scroll into his pocket and removed himself from the corner of the stairwell. He was just about to reach the hallway when he heard two voices.
"...ust don't think I'm cut out for this." That was Jaune's voice. Granted, his teammate's room was a just doors down. He peeked his head around the corner and found the blonde talking with Ruby, who was in her night clothes. "I did something stupid and Pyrrha and I are...well, it's mostly my fault. She was just trying to help and I guess I took it the wrong way. Now I don't know what to do." He groaned as he palmed his face, lowering his head. "I'm not leader material. I'm a failure."
Ruby was silent for a while as she sat next to Jaune before she cracked a smile. "Nope."
"Wh-huh?" Jaune blinked, looking at her. "Nope?"
"Nope!" she repeated. "You're a leader, whether you like it or not, Jaune. You're not allowed to be a failure."
"What? But what if your wrong? What if I'm not cut out for this?"
"Nope!"
Jaune stared at her for a moment before he laughed. "You know, you're not the easiest person to talk to about this kind of stuff."
"Nope!" she giggled into her palm. "Jaune, maybe you were a failure when you were a kid..."
The blonde groaned as he sinked into the floor.
"... and you might've even been a failure the first day we met!"
Lower still.
"But, you can't be one now. You know why?"
"Uhhh, because...?"
"Because it's not just about you anymore. You've got a team now, Jaune. We both do! And if we fail, then we'll just be bringing them down with us." She stood up and put her hands on her hips, grinning. She tried to look mature, but to Rouge, it just made her look adorable. "We have to put our teammates first, and ourselves second. Your team deserves a great leader, Jaune. And I think that can be you."
Jaune stared at her, starry-eyed before he smiled a bit. "Maybe." he said, shrugging as he stood up. "Thanks for the pep talk, Ruby."
"My pleasure~"
"By the way..."
"Hm? What's up?"
Jaune scratched the back of his head. "Well, I kinda sorta asked Rouge for advice..." The teen's eyes widened a bit, but then shrugged. So, he was fibbing the truth of it? Well, he suppose he did give some kind of advice. Just not the kind he wanted to hear. "He told me, if a King doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow? Any idea what that means?"
The girl scrunched up her face and fuddled her brow in thought. A moment passed. "...Nope! No clue!"
Jaune sighed. "I thought as much."
Smiling to himself, Rouge decided it would be best to leave the two to themselves. At the very least, the idiot was taking his words to consideration.
The following day, the first year students of Beacon Academy had gathered on a Bulkhead and left the school. The trip was mostly peaceful, what with everyone making small talk. Once they arrived, their breaths were completely and utterly stolen away.
For thousands of miles, the foliage and grass of the bloody forest painted the landscape a dusty red. As the leaves fluttered from their branches, one could mistake them for crimson snowflakes. The morbid yet beautiful sight lasts continuously all year round.
Hence the name, Forever Fall.
"Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful." Glynda said as she walked ahead of the group while they trailed behind her. Eventually, she turned to face them, expression stern and cold, practically daring any troublemaker to start something. "But we are not here to sight-see. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so." She produced a small glass jar from her person. Inside was opaque, cherry red liquid that sloshed around inside.
Those closest to the teacher caught a whiff of the scent the sap gave off and salivated. Especially a certain pancake-obsessed hammer girl. "Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here by 4 o'clock."
The smile she gave them was anything but pleasant. "Have fun."
Due to the warning, she gave them all previously...they took those words with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, the students groups up and split off to nearby trees to fill their jars. Rouge broke off from the other students and went to a secluded area of the woods to fill his own jar. Ruby had initially asked him if he wanted to collect sap with them, but he politely turned her down. As much as he'd like to, he had other things to deal with.
Things that involved a certain blonde idiot.
He swiveled his head to the side, noting how Team CRDL had dragged Jaune along with them to another part of the forest with a box in hand.
Team CRDL had been unusually quiet as of late. Frankly, it was disconcerting. Cardin was not one to shy away from violence when need be and he most definitely knew how to hold a grudge and who to single out. When he discovered Cardin on the Bulkhead, he was eerily quiet. Something that didn't quite sit well. What did he have in mind? When he saw him with Jaune, he had a pretty good idea. There was little doubt that Cardin had something in mind. What, he didn't know.
Quietly, he followed the group, hiding among the bushes. He found CRDL harassing Jaune in a clearing. "Ow!" Jaune cried as he was rudely thrown to the ground on his posterior. He looked up at Cardin. Much to the disappointment of both teenagers, he was no longer wearing an icepack. "O-okay, what's this about, Cardin?" he asked, standing up and bracing himself for an inevitable fight.
The armored brute chuckled, holding up a hand of mock casual intentions. "Oh, take it easy, Jauney Boy." he said with a smirk. "We just want to have a little chat is all. And maybe bury the hatchet, get to know each other."
Jaune eyed him suspiciously, looking for a way out. Unfortunately, Cardin's teammates surrounded him on all sides, hands on their weapons. Chances were, he wasn't going to be getting out of this without a fight. And several bruises. "...what do you want to talk about?"
"See, here's the thing. I happened to overhear you and your girlfriend, Nikos or whatever, getting into an argument. And I just happened to hear something special." Rouge's eyes narrowed, seeing how Jaune's face began to lose color rapidly. "You know, I gotta say, I'm pretty impressed. Out of everyone in Beacon, I didn't think you were a rebel~"
Jaune's expression blanched. He knew...the bully knew. "I imagine it would be pretty bad if Ms. Goodwitch or any of the teachers found out, huh?" Cardin said, stepping closer to Jaune. Fearfully he took a step back. It only served to increase his grin. "Aw, don't be like that, buddy. I ain't gonna tell nobody, scouts honor!"
He paused.
"...so long as you do me a favor."
Jaune furrowed his brow. "W-what...kind of favor?" he asked, gulping down his fears. This completely sucked balls. He didn't want to be anywhere near this guy. But he didn't want anyone finding out about his fake transcripts, either. Even if he didn't deserve to be here, he WANTED to be here. If only for selfish reasons, but isn't everyone entitled to being selfish?
Cardin smirked. "You see that ledge over there?" he said, jabbing his thumb at the spot. "Peek over there and tell me what you see."
"So you can kick me over the edge?"
"Oh no, nothing like that."
The snickers didn't convince him. Reluctantly, Jaune obeyed. He walked over and knelt down, looking over the ledge. A lump formed in his throat, finding his team and Ruby's mixed together, collecting sap. To his small amusement, Nora was gulping down an entire jar's worth of the stuff while Ren filled one. When he turned and found the one in her hand empty with red smudge at her face, he looked quite annoyed. Pyrrha, however, still looked troubled and saddened, no doubt because he had been avoiding her for the last few days.
"So, what do you see?"
"I see my team and Ruby's." he answered hesitantly. "I don't see Rouge anywhere, though."
Cardin clicked his tongue. "Oh well." he shrugged his shoulders and tossed a jar of sap in his hand. Jaune looked at him, wondering what he intended to do. Knowing the Arc luck, he was going to dump the stuff all over him. Then he took notice the box in Russel's hands, which quivered and shook. Noticing his look, Cardin chuckled. "Curious what's inside, Jauney Boy?"
"N-no."
"Rapier Wasps." His eyes turned into dinner plates. "They're attracted to sweet stuffs, just like the saps from the trees around here."
Wasps. Sap. His friends. Suddenly the dots became clear. A pit formed in his stomach, uneasiness creeping up and wrapping its hands around his neck. Jaune found it difficult to breath properly. "Y-you're going to throw it at them and sic the wasps on them?"
"Not me." Cardn thrusted the jar into his hands. The guy carried it like it was nothing. In Jaune's hands, it felt like he was carrying a boulder. "You." He looked up, wanting to protest. The sinister glare in Cardin's eyes shut him up instantly. "All it takes is a single throw, Jauney Boy. Do this, and I promise, I won't say a peep about your transcripts." Around him, the rest of his team laughed cruelly.
Rouge's eyes narrowed dangerously. Teeth threatened to crack under the pressure. Slowly, he withdrew Wilting Requiem from his holster, aiming it at Jaune. If he even showed the slightest movement of throwing the jar at Ruby or anyone, he was going to shoot the jar and let the stuff fall all over him. He didn't care if his friends hated him for it. He was not about to let Jaune hurt Ruby.
Especially not since she was allergic to Rapier Wasps. His heart clenched, remembering when she had been stung that one time a few years back. A high fever, vomiting and dizziness every time she even so much as got up to walk. It was horrible and neither he nor Yang wanted her to experience it again.
He was just hoping Jaune was going to make the right choice here.
If he didn't, well...he's the one that is going to have to suffer. And while he was at it, maybe even use team CRDL as target practice. It wasn't as if anyone other than their parents would miss them.
Jaune looked at the jar, then at his friends. Slowly, he raised his arm over his head.
Pyrrha turned around, talking with Ruby. A smile touched their faces as they made idle chatter. Jaune's hand was shaking, tensing as he gritted his teeth.
'I want to help you.'
Her words from the other night echoed in the back of his mind. He was so frustrated with himself that he wanted to cry. He couldn't do anything right. The only thing that had ever gone right was Initiation where he and his team killed the Death Stalker. Him running into Pyrrha where she unlocked his Aura. Him being made into a leader, however disagreeable that decision was.
All of that had to do with Pyrrha. The one girl who he had openly confessed the truth to. The girl who still offered to help him when he said he didn't want it.
She was his partner, wasn't that right? And weren't partners supposed to look after each other?
'If a King doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?'
It was at that moment, Jaune understood the meaning behind Rouge's words.
The King was the leader. And if he failed to set a proper example, then how could his subjects and subordinates follow? A King that takes no action is not one the people would desire for a leader. They desired someone who was willing to work to get results.
Someone that lets others do the work for them has no right to call themselves a leader.
"...no."
Cardin's eyes widened, as if surprised before they narrowed dangerously, hand going to the handle of his mace. "What was that?"
"I sad NO!" At close range, the jar smashed straight into Cardin's face. The sap exploded all over him, smearing into his eyes and dripping into his mouth. Were it not for his Aura, the shards of glass would have sliced through his eyeballs.
Didn't mean it hurt any less.
The brute staggered back in pain, holding his face and biting back a scream. Stunned by what happened, CRDL looked at Jaune and promptly took a step back out of fear.
Jaune's face was not anywhere close to that of a weakling. His teeth were bared, sharpened like a wolf and his bright blue eyes burned with ferocity. His expression was similar to the expression regarding the cornered wolf.
"I don't care if you blab about my transcripts." he snarled. "I don't care if you hate me. But never...EVER...do ANYTHING to MY team, Cardin!"
From his position, Rouge smiled in approval. The blonde made the right choice after all.
"Y-you!" Cardin snarled, grabbing his mace. "You little shit! You're dead!"
Before he even had a chance to swing, Rouge sprung into action and fired off a round. In mid-swing, the trajectory of the mace was put off-course by the bullet, causing him to completely miss Jaune's face. The blonde, to his credit, remained defiant and even planned on taking it to the face, if only to get a punch in afterwards. Thankfully, he didn't have to. His hand curled into a ball and reared back his fist, pouring in all of his strength into one punch.
Then he threw a left hook and slammed it straight into Cardin's jaw.
A bright light flashed from the point of impact. The force of the blow was enough to throw Cardin back several feet. Jaune stumbled from the recoil of the strike, surprised by what he just did. He stared at his hand in time to see a pure white glow fade away. He remembered seeing that glow before, but the sensation was different. It felt stronger. More refined somehow.
Unfortunately, his moment of awe was short lived as Cardin's teammates snapped out of their stupor and rushed at him.
"You're gonna pay for that!"
Jaune cursed, reaching out for his Crocea Mars before a black and purple blur sped into sight, striking all three of the bullies at once and knocking them away. Russel spun around in the air before landing in a bush, face-first. Sky found himself landing between the legs on a log. Aura be damned, there was nothing to protect his nether regions and soon found himself letting out a high-pitched squeak and falling over, frozen. Dove was the least worrisome. His pants leg was caught in a tree branch, causing him to hang upside down.
Jaune blinked, looking at the source of this apparent comical site. His promptly became friends with the ground. "R-Rouge?!"
"Hey there, Jaune." The teen blandly greeted. "What's up?"
The knight stared at him, dumbstruck. He looked around him, finding all of Team CRDL incapacitated in some form or another. He slowly then looked back at Rouge. "...were you watching all this time?"
"Will you hit me if I say yes?"
"No. I'd actually call you an ass for not helping sooner, but considering what happened the other night, I don't think the point is moot."
"Good, because that was exactly the point. I wanted to see if you were capable of making the right choices." Wilted Requiem folded in on itself, returning to rifle form and was placed in its holster. Meanwhile, Rouge smiled thinly. "Seems like you understand what I mean now. About time."
"Oh, back off." Jaune snapped before he became quiet. He looked back at Cardin, who remained unmoving from the ground. Then to the rest of Team CRDL. He then looked at the overview of the ledge. Pyrrha was back with the rest of JNPR. She looked a bit disheartened, but she otherwise had a perfect smile. One that sent his heart fluttering. "...I always wanted to be a hero. I never stopped thinking about it and I didn't care if I ended up getting myself killed. I just...wanted to be SOMETHING. Anything, really."
He ran a hand through his locks, closing his eyes.
"I...really don't belong here. Ozpin made a mistake."
"I don't think so." Rouge cut in.
"And how do you figure?"
The boy smiled mysteriously. "Jaune. Think for a moment. Who is the Headmaster of Beacon Academy?"
"Professor Ozpin, of course." Jaune answered with a confused frown. "He's the youngest Huntsman in history to become a Headmaster. Everyone knows that. Why?"
"Do you honestly think he didn't know about your transcripts?"
As soon as his mind processed this, the blade nde's eyes widened. Ozpin...knew about his transcripts, and still kept him around?
"B-but why?"
"What do you think? Because he saw potential in you." A small smile touched his face as he turned away, heading back into the forest. "And I think I do too."
"What does that mean?" Jaune asked in confusion. Rouge didn't give him an answer and instead continued to leave. At least, that was the plan until a low growl caught their attention. They turned their heads to find a black shape emerging from the bushes. It was large and furry, ivory spikes jutting out from its back with a bone mask over its face. Red eyes peered at them with malice, sharp teeth ready to sink into their flesh. "Oh, come on! Seriously?!"
"It must be the sap you smashed on Cardin." Rouge said with annoyance, bringing out his scythe once again into the fold. "Let's deal with this quickly."
"R-right!" Jaune cried as he quickly brought out Crocea Mors. Even if he was inexperienced in combat...he doubted now the time to be a coward.
Then the two charged, the Ursa Major roaring in anger and charging at them.
[Jaune Arc. At first glance, he seems to be a mere regular person like everyone else at Beacon, minus the lies. However, underneath that is...potential. According to the information, male members of the Arc Family, distant relatives to the new extinct royal family of Vale, are late bloomers. As he is now, he's only on par with a trainee at Signal. But, if he were given time to develop...
No, that isn't the reason I'm writing this report. There's a hidden potential somewhere inside that exterior of his. Something that intrigues me. I don't know his values or his beliefs. What I can say for certainty is that he understands how important the role of Leader is now.
Following the incident at Forever Fall, Jaune Arc had asked for a meeting with Professor Ozpin. No doubt it was to verify the idea of him allowing to stay at Beacon, despite knowing that his transcripts for forged. Not long afterwards, the tension that surrounded Team JNPR has all but faded. I've also noticed how he and Pyrrha Nikos have steadily grown more closer. Not to an intimate level, but of solid friendship and comradeship.
Perhaps its me being biased, but...Jaune's potential has piqued my curiosity. For now, I will continue to observe him and seek out potential members of the Black Fang here at Beacon Academy. Who knows? Perhaps he might be more interesting than I believe.
For the time being, however...Edan's reports have me concerned. Recently, a new drug has started to hit the market. We don't know exactly what this drug is or who's distributing it. Once we learn more, I intend to shut down operations.
This is the end of my log, I suppose. Truth be told, I have no idea why I write these. Half the time, it's simply to write down the strange dreams I keep having. Speaking of which...I had another one the other night. It was about a boy, piloting a giant white machine. At first, I thought it was the newly developed Paladin's, but it was different. More powerful and agile. Somehow, I knew the name of the machine and the boy who piloted it.
The 7th Generation Knightmare Frame: Lancelot. Suzaku Kururugi.
I don't know why I keep having these dreams or why I seemingly know these people. Perhaps its simply stress.
After all...changing the order of the world is never an easy task.]
Report: CONCLUDED
"Humans are nothing more than bigoted egotistical creatures who never learn from the mistakes of the past! We have! You humans should be the ones to understand what it feels like to be crushed beneath someone's boot!"
"Presume your revolution succeeds...what then? Do you intend to have the humans suffer what you have and retaliate in the same manner, if not more violently?"
"Y-you...?!"
"My name is Rouge. What's yours?"
Next Stage: Bloody Rook
At last, she is done! Muwahahahahah!
Welcome, everyone, to Black Rebellion: Chess Pieces! A collection of side-stories that connects to RWBY: Black Rebellion and focuses on events that are relevant, in some way, shape or form to the story and universe itself. What better way to start it off than with Jaunedice?
Jaune is probably one of my favorite characters of all time. RoosterTeeth has been building him up to be a warrior, and I'm hoping that they do not disappoint when they unveil his Semblance. Volume 5 is rapidly approaching its end, but I will enjoy it either way. I just hope Volume 5's finale will be spectacular and reunite our leading ladies together!
Speaking of Volume 5...anyone else surprised by this week's episode? For those who haven't seen it yet, I won't spoil it, but it's...certainly surprising. If Monty had this scripted in, my respect for the bastard has gone up quite a lot.
Rest in peace, Monty. Rest in piece.
Also, fun little fact when I was perusing youtube. Came across a video that detailed small little trivial info on RWBY. 107 facts. Provided this information is accurate, Monty and his crew had up to seven to ten volumes worth of content. I don't remember when that vid was posted, but if the content is still the same, I can't wait to see what RT has in store. Especially since the inclusion of the Maidens was done before Volume 3 if my memory is correct.
Enough geeking, though. I have good news: the planning stages of Act II are almost done! Soon, Black Rebellion will continue in glorious fashion! As such, leading up to it, I am doing two more side-stories: each characters vital to Rouge's character. One of them, as you can clearly see, is Adam. Who the third is, well, I'll keep that as a surprise~
I will say this much: do not expect Act II to be published this year. RWBY: Black Rebellion - Act II will be published sometime next year...much like everything else.
*sigh* my wallet is crying for all the games coming out next year.
Well, that's it, everyone. Let me know what you guys all thought about this, and I'll see you in the next chapter!
P.S: to the guys asking me about updating Taken King, BE PATIENT. Christ, I'm a human being. Not a robot.