The Forever Fall forest. An abundant area on the northern coast of the Kingdom of Vale often famous for its beauty as well as its unique color pallet, consisting of a wide variety red themed vegetation, granting it a generally warm tone. Many artist throughout the Kingdoms sought it as a place of inspiration and many have given creation to various pieces of art harboring its essence.
Yet, as charming of a view as it provided for those with a careful eye, admiring the forest in all its splendor was the last thing on Jaune Arc's mind as he, once again, felt the hard force of a well-placed punch as it made contact with his face. The hit sent him to the ground, but before he could feel the numbing sensation course through his beaten body, he felt himself forcefully rise again and could only groan in his own misery. The next thing he saw was the bleary shape of his tormentor, Cardin Winchester.
"That wasn't a smart thing to do, now was it Jauney-boy?" The larger boy taunted his weakened opponent before tightening his fist and punching Jaune in the face, sending him to the ground once again.
Jaune felt the now familiar burst of pain through his entire body as he let out an involuntary groan. But with that pain another feeling came through to him, one that he experienced for most of his life and haunted him during his moments of weakness. Being the helpless one, having no ability to defend himself in the face of a threat. He hated that feeling, more than he'd ever admit. It was what drove him to act out of his comfort zone and seek out Beacon. He'd hoped that he could fix that part of himself and live up to his family tradition.
Cardin wasted no effort in picking Jaune up and administering what he believed was a dose of justified and well-deserved punishment. "I'm gonna make sure they send you back to mommy in teeny tiny pieces."
Despite Jaune's desires, his arrival at the prestigious Academy only served as a reminder of his ordeal. Being surrounded by students his age and even younger with skill levels that were out of his reach left him discouraged, at first. But he pushed through with stubbornness and tried to focus on improving himself and his abilities during classes. However, his efforts yielded little result. He was failing in combat class due to his lack of any previous training and his academics weren't faring much better.
This incident with Cardin was another example. The larger boy had him on a tight leash ever since he'd overheard Jaune spill his secret during his argument with Pyrrha on the rooftop. For the past week he had been reduced to nothing more than an errand boy, doing whatever Cardin wanted, the threat of exposure of his fake transcripts constantly held over him, a threat which would most likely result in his expulsion if discovered. There was nothing he could do, he was trapped because of his lack of strength. Or so he thought. Cardin's last request of throwing the sap jar at his partner had been too much for the young knight. He could take on the bullying. Perhaps he deserved it for cheating his way into the school, but his team had nothing to do with it. They had no reason to be dragged into his mess. In a burst of courage, Jaune refused to follow and instead retaliated by throwing the jar at Cardin instead.
His action resulted in his current predicament, him being at the non-existent mercy of Cardin, who carried on with his beating. Jaune's wounds stung, as did the words coming from the mouth of team CRDL's leader regarding the end of his days at Beacon.
"I don't care what you do to me." Jaune managed to get out as he looked at him, eyes transfixed into a glare. "But, you are not messing with my team." As much as he tried to sound convincing, he knew that in his current state his words carried little strength. Cardin's response proved as much.
"Oh, you think that just because you can talk like that you're suddenly tough guy?" Squeezing Jaune's front plate tighter, Cardin lifted him off the ground. "You think you're a big, strong man now?" He questioned with a hard voice.
Instead of answering, Jaune's response was a twist of his lips into a smile. A goofy, useless expression which he had no doubt would further ignite the ire of his assailant. His prediction came true as Cardin screamed in anger, no doubt preparing to continue with his beating. If only he wasn't so weak, if only he had the strength to defend himself he wouldn't have to suffer through such a treatment. Closing his eyes, he waited for inevitable pain to hit his body like a freight train.
Only that it didn't. When Cardin's fist came into contact with his face, he felt a jolt, almost electrical in nature, but much more heavy, throughout his entire body. Jaune was pushed back and fell on his seat, his expression doing little to hide his confusion. He noticed in surprise that Cardin himself seemed to be in pain as he was clenching his fist while letting out a hiss.
"Huh?" Was Jaune's ever-so-intelligent reaction at what had transpired. Then, as if by instinct, his gaze shifted towards his hands. Raising them lightly, he felt traces of the previous sensation pulse through them and watched in awe how they seemed to brighten up slightly in a white, golden tinted aura. What had happened to him?
His observation was cut short as one of Cardin's teammates, Sky, kicked him back to the ground. Suddenly reminded of his predicament, he narrowed his eyes as Cardin once again came into view, seemingly recovered from whatever pain he felt previously.
"Let's see how much of a man you really are then." The burly teenager declared, ready to continue with his beating and, by the looks of it, his team seemed eager to join him this time around.
Before either of them could move, a grave roar was heard from behind the group, attracting everyone's attention. They all turned towards the alarming sound just in time to see a large beast emerge from the bushes. Its shape, reminiscent of that of a bears, as well as the large body spikes and armor covering its back marked the creature as an Ursa Major, the larger variety of their kind.
Its appearance rendered everyone speechless and froze them in place, opting to forget about everything else and focus on the creature of darkness before them. The Ursa approached them slowly, marking each and every last one of them, seemingly searching for something. Raising itself on its hind paws, it began sniffing the air loudly, focusing on a particular smell. Not much later, it seemed to have identified what it was searching for and landed on all its limbs, attention now focused on team CRDL's leader, or more specifically, on the sap stains on his armor. The beast released another roar, perhaps in pleasure of its find.
That snapped almost everyone out of their funk. Quickly, team CRDL, sans their leader, turned around and made haste towards the opposite direction. "That's a big Ursa!" Russel yelled as he led the group, sparing no glance towards their leader who remained still.
Said man in question, Cardin, was pulled out of his state by a large paw crashing into his side, sending him flying towards the ground. Now, the young leader found himself facing their sworn enemy.
Jaune had remained silent for the past few moments, not knowing how to react to the appearance of their nemesis. He now found himself face to face with the Ursa as they seemed to look into each other's eyes. Frozen in place, the blond found himself at its mercy. He instinctively knew that if the beast attacked at that moment he had no way of stopping it from claiming his life. However, as he lay on the ground, he saw the beast regard him briefly before turning away. Confused, he allowed himself to relax and notice that the Ursa was now focusing on his previous tormentor.
As a Huntsman in training, Cardin regained a semblance of focus and hastily pulled out his Dust enhanced mace to fight back. The Ursa was faster than he expected however and before he knew it, it already knocked his weapon out of his grasp with another strike from its oversized appendage.
Landing at his feet, Jaune took one look at the mace before resuming his attention to the situation in front of him. Cardin was down and cornered by the Ursa and with no weapon, he had no chance of retaliating in any way. Too add to the point, he was the only one there seeing as the rest of CRDL were quick to leave at the appearance of the Ursa. He could leave the other boy to suffer. He had caused Jaune pain over the last few days and a part of him was tempted to do just that in some twisted way of self justice he felt entitled to.
That part, however, was insignificant and was easily squashed by his dominant core. Yes, Cardin was a bully and had made Jaune's his life hard, but he didn't deserve to be mangled by a Grimm. Besides, he came to Beacon to become a Huntsman, a Hero like previous Arcs in his family. If he turned his back on someone that needed help just because he was a prick, then he wouldn't be able to go very far in this profession.
So, with as much conviction as he could muster, he grabbed the hilt of his family weapon and set off to carry out his duty. He just hoped that he wouldn't end up doing something stupid.
Feeling another heavy hit send him flying, Cardin landed once again on his back, his Aura having absorbed the hit, but the pain still continued to course through his body. "Crap!" He cursed this whole situation. Helplessly, he tried to crawl back to his feet, but all those hits by the Ursa were taking their toll on him. Animalistic growls filled his ears again, reminding him that he had been distracted by the Grimm. Turning to face it, he saw it raise its claw and launch it in his direction. Instincts took over and Cardin could only raise his hands to defend himself while closing his eyes, hoping that it would somehow eliminate the beast from existence.
The blow never came and that confused the young leader. Daring to open his eyes again, he was surprised by the sight before him. Jaune Arc, using his shield, blocked the attack that was meant for him and would have no doubt injured him given the state of his Aura.
From his position under the giant paw, Jaune was at a struggle with the large Grimm as he used every bit of strength his muscles could provide to push against the creature of darkness. It was heavy, unbelievably so for the young knight. He was surprised that his legs haven't sunk into the ground. Gritting his teeth, he mustered as much power as he could in his legs and released it all in a grunt. The move was just enough to push the appendage back and create an opportunity for him to strike, using his sword to slash at the beast.
The Ursa stumbled slightly from the change in its position, but it quickly adapted to this bipedal state and attacked again with its claws. Jaune dodged away from the strike going to his left and then from another strike by jumping into the air. The third strike, however, caught him straight in his chest, the piece of armor protecting him from the sharp, bony claws, but not from the blow which sent him tumbling to the ground.
Aware that he couldn't afford to remain still, he rolled back in an attempt to stabilize himself before finally coming to a halt. Wasting no time, he dashed towards his opponent again and jumped for a wild strike on it. Such an unplanned and reckless tactic ended in him getting another heavy hit from the Grimm. Finding himself on the ground again, Jaune could feel both the hits by the Ursa and his previous thrashing at Cardin's hands affecting his body.
With shaky hands, he managed to rise again, but his entire body felt heavy, much heavier than he had ever felt it. He really was battered. Even so, with pained grunts, he brought his weapon and shield to the closest thing he could call a stance and despite his heavy breathing, he eyed the Ursa approaching him with a careful eye.
Perhaps it was the wrong time for this, but Jaune couldn't help but notice the way the creature of darkness approached him. It had no fear, each step it made appeared to be surrounded by an air of twisted confidence. It was self-assured with its strength and it seemed aware that it was stronger than him.
Strength.
It always came down to that notion. That abstract concept which encompassed so many different forms and shapes. Those who possessed strength in one way or another would always succeed in the end. That was the rule of the world. Those who weren't good enough would always end up being helpless and have someone else save them. This idea only served to remind Jaune of his own predicament, of his own plight.
He had come to Beacon to train and break away from this cycle of always having to rely on someone. He had come to become stronger, to become a hero like his ancestors. So why couldn't he do it? Why was he so weak? Every thought came accompanied by a small dose of anger which was making him forget about the fear he felt towards the Grimm. He even forgot about the pain in his body, as the fury focused him on to taking down his opponent.
Tightening his grip on his sword, he dashed towards it once again with a surprising amount of speed. Arriving face to face with the Ursa, he raised his shield to block a strike from the Grimm, the collision of the two pushing both of them back slightly. Stumbling a few moments to regain his footing, Jaune jumped towards the Grimm again, aiming his sword at its neck before thrusting forward. However, the blade only managed to impale the Grimm's left shoulder. The strike had been too low.
The Ursa released a howl of pain from the wound and it began thrashing violently. The young knight managed to retract his sword and get back slightly. He tried to calm himself or at least lessen his anger to a degree where it wouldn't make him jump into action on impulse again. He had to keep his cool. It was only by luck that he managed to succeed in injuring the Grimm with that last attack. In fact, he could barely call it such considering he had jumped towards it impulsively due to his anger. There was no guarantee that a move like that could work again.
Jaune at least doubted it would, given how ferocious the Grimm had become after his stunt. But he could still do something. That last attack had dealt a wound to the Ursa. He could use that to his advantage. No, he had to. There was no way he could match it in strength, he had to use that as an opportunity to fight. Winning against it was still something he could not see himself doing. But damn it if he wasn't going to try. If he couldn't fight like a Huntsman then at the very least he could have the mindset of one or at least the mindset Jaune believed a Huntsman should have.
With a deep breath, he attacked once again. This time his dash was more careful and his attention was solely focused on the Grimm. Once in range with the beast, he felt a bit of intimidation creep up on his side as he was reminded of the size difference, but he pushed that thought back along with its roars and focused all his attention of the incoming appendage intent on taking his life. Jaune defended himself against it with his shield and used his sword to counterattack, but his blade only clashed with another pair of claws. He almost groaned in frustration, it seemed that the Grimm was aware of its injury and was not intent on letting him approach.
But what it wanted meant nothing to the blonde. His goal was clear and it stood right in front of him, the monstrous form of a creature of Grimm, an Ursa. He had to take it down, it was his duty as a Huntsman in training. Not just that, he wanted to take it down.
What followed was an exchange between man and beast, where each strike was either blocked or dodged by either a shield or a bony claw. Whenever Jaune would slash at its injured shoulder, the Grimm would block it or move slightly out of the way. Likewise, whenever the Ursa attacked, Jaune defended himself with the shield or would dive out of the way. To any onlooker it would appear that both of them were evenly matched. Jaune, however, was too busy fighting for his life to even notice that particular, yet crucial detail. His body, much to his ignorance, was keeping up with the Ursa, matching it in both strength and speed, something which in normal circumstances should have been impossible for the boy. Had his attention not been focused on the Grimm, he would have also noticed the electrifying feeling from before as well as the faintest speck of a glow shrouding his whole body, almost imperceptible to the naked eye.
Instead, Jaune was more interested in the behavior of the Ursa. The fact that it was aware of its weakness and was defending that area was a sign of intelligence. Granted, it was still a mass of instinctual darkness, but this action hinted at something more, something Jaune had not seen or heard of before in Grimm.
As he parried another strike, he allowed the force to push him back a couple of feet away from the Grimm, using this opportunity to catch his breath. The exchange had been taxing on his already battered body. Still, he couldn't help but admit that he had also learned something useful from it. The Grimm was getting tired, another thing he wasn't aware Grimm were capable of, but he supposed that it was natural. Its moves were becoming sluggish, particularly when it came to its left side. The injured shoulder of the beast was slowing it down.
That didn't necessarily fill Jaune with confidence. The aching in his left arm told him that he was pretty much in the same boat as the Grimm. The brunt force he had to stop with the shield had affected his own defensive capability. Hell, he was pretty sure his left side was already half numb and it could only take so much before he became unable to defend himself anymore.
He grimaced at that thought. He had to end this fast. If he could only get one good hit at it then perhaps he might be able to get the upper hand. He had to move fast though. The Grimm was slower, but he had to push himself with the next attack to be fast enough to get into its guard. With that semblance of a plan made, Jaune prepared himself to engage the Grimm again. He also had a feeling that this would be their final bout for some reason. One of them would fall at the end of this.
"Like hell I'll go down here!" With that mental conviction, he dug his foot into the ground before pushing into it with all his might and dashed towards the Grimm. In response, the Ursa jumped towards him, ready to intercept the puny opponent. "Faster! Come on body, go faster!" Urging his body for an increase in momentum, he was face to face with the larger creature. Almost expectedly, the Ursa was using its right claw to stop him by aiming it at his head. He had to defend himself, but was finding it incredibly hard to raise the shield. "Come on! Don't let me down now!" The blond tried his hardest to move his left arm, but it remained unresponsive because of the previous strain it had to endure. Yet he still struggled to lift it.
Moments before impact, Jaune almost gave up on succeeding, but abruptly, his shield raised as if his arm came back to life and moved instinctively to defend. Instantly regaining his mind, he ignored the push on his left side and concentrated all his strength on his strike. With a scream, he slashed at the Ursa, the sharp blade piercing its skin and cleaving its head off clean. The body of the Grimm fell to the floor and began dissolving while the head did the same having landed a fair distance away.
Meanwhile, Jaune stood in shock as he looked at the situation and tried to make sense of it. He was breathing hard, his body ached more than he ever thought possible, clear signs that he had been in an intense battle. But the only thing on the ground was the body of a decapitated and decomposing Ursa which meant that he had won. Wait, he had won? The thought felt so surreal to him, almost novel. But that was the only conclusion he could draw from his surroundings. He, Jaune Arc, managed to single handedly beat a Grimm.
Had his body not been laced with pain, he would have probably jumped in joy, but instead he calmly collapsed his shield to its sheath form and put his sword away. Taking one last look at the dissipating corpse, he turned and walked towards the reason he got into this whole mess anyway, the leader of team CRDL who was still on the ground and harbored an expression that Jaune had not previously seen on the boy. He appeared almost apologetic. Regardless of that the blond offered him a hand, which the other boy took, and lifted Cardin to his feet.
"Holy crap, Jaune? That was…" Perhaps it was rude of him, but Jaune interrupted Cardin's words of praise, presumably, and instead focused on re-delivering his previous message.
"Don't ever mess with my team-my friends ever again." He warned in a grave tone as he glared at Cardin, this time making a much more convincing statement. "Got it?" He watched as Cardin shifted expressions again and answered in the end with a nod of his head. Having no further business to attend with him, Jaune turned around and headed back towards where he hoped his team would be.
As he walked towards the forest, a feeling of freedom coursed through him. A sensation not only pertaining to his release from Cardin's clutches, but attributed to his own achievement in combat. More specifically, his victory over the Grimm. He had done it, after so much time spent lamenting his weakness and hoping to change, he had finally accomplished something on his own. This only served to reaffirm to himself that he had the potential to attain his dream. It wouldn't be easy, the fight with the Grimm had shown him how hard his goal was, but his first victory could only help with his confidence.
Passing the location where Cardin had dropped off the rest of the jars with sap, he picked the one he collected for himself previously and carried on. Soon enough he met with the marching form of Beacon's scariest teacher, Glynda Goodwitch herself and taking note of her expression, it was safe to assume she was in her no nonsense mood.
"Mister Arc!" Came the familiar voice of the tall, blonde witch of Beacon. A voice that could instantly send chills down his spine. Stopping a few feet away from the boy, Glynda measured his figure, taking note of the bruise on his right cheek, just under his eye as well as the state of his dirty clothes. "What is going on here?" She questioned him.
Jaune was quick to respond. "N-nothing, ma'am! I was just returning with my sap." Using the jar in his hand, he showed it as evidence of his statement.
The professor looked at the object, unconvinced by his words before progressing with her interrogation. "Is that so? Then why have some of your teammates informed me that you were in danger? Mister Lie told me that you encountered an Ursa. Was that not true?"
Jaune blinked at that. Apparently his team had been aware of the danger he'd been in not that long ago, no doubt they saw the fleeing members of CRDL, informed their teacher and sent her to help him. Guilt started to form at the pit of his stomach. Even after he ignored them for the better part of the week, his team still looked out for him. The thought alone made him feel worse than everything Cardin did to him. Some leader he was.
But that could be handled later, he now had an expectant professor to deal with. "Yeah, it came out of nowhere and attacked. I did my best to fight it and... I did it. I managed to take it out." A small smile appeared on his face as he made that mention. It still felt surreal to him that he managed to best their arch nemesis in battle. Jaune didn't mention anything pertaining to Cardin's presence since it could lead to more questions as to why Jaune was not with his team.
"And you faced it alone?" She raised an eyebrow at his explanation. "Is that how you sustained those injuries on your body?" The surprise could be heard in her voice, her eyes widening that tiny bit more at his words. Given his track record in combat class, the thought of him facing a relatively high level Grimm and coming victorious was… unexpected.
"Yeah." Jaune managed to admit. "It was hard and it knocked me down a couple of times." The state of his body proved as much. The pain he felt was real. Of that he was sure.
"What of your Aura?" Glynda asked next. "Shouldn't it have healed you by now?" A valid question considering that recovery was one of its abilities.
"I ran out as I was fighting and it hasn't recovered yet." He responded simply as shuffled slightly in his spot, waiting for her reaction.
The bespectacled teacher only released a breath and nodded at Jaune. "I see. Since you appear to be safe and I've been informed that Mister Winchester was found by his team, I suppose the situation has been resolved. For the time being, we should return to the others. Given these developments we'll have to cut this excursion short as well and make our way to Beacon." She informed him as she turned around and started walking back to the meeting point. Jaune silently followed her.
"Another thing." She continued. "Since you're injured you'll be riding with me in the first Bullhead that arrives. Once we land you'll go straight to the infirmary and have your wounds treated. Am I clear, Mister Arc?" Facing him again, she gave him a gaze that could petrify any Grimm.
"Yes, ma'am!" He answered quickly, head nodding vigorously. Yep, she clearly deserved her title as Beacon's scariest teacher.
Having heard his confirmation, Glynda lead him through the forest until they reached their rendezvous point. Once there, she instructed him to head straight inside and await departure, he didn't even have time to search for his team.
Making his way through the other students in his quest of finding a seat that was close to a trash bin for when his motion sickness would inevitably kick in, his eyes caught a recognizable sight. One that was pleasing to his eyes in ways few sights were. The image of hic crush, Weiss Schnee, was mere feet away from him. His lips twisted unconsciously in a smile as he approached the girl.
"Hey there, Snow Angel." He greeted amiably.
At the mention of that name, Weiss turned her head sharply to who dared address her in such a manner. Once her eyes set on the form of the bumbling blonde, her expression narrowed ever so slightly. "Arc." She responded evenly. "What are you doing here? Your team is assigned to the other Bullhead." Her tone was cold even when asking a simple question. Perhaps his comment had rubbed her the wrong way?
Finding himself a bit nervous under her stare he managed to answer. "Uhm, well, Miss Goodwitch told me that I should board this Bullhead since I'm injured and the other one will arrive later. So, here I am." He finished awkwardly, finding himself on edge under her narrowed eyes.
"What?" A mass of red suddenly made her presence known from the seat next to the white themed girl revealing Ruby Rose. "You got hurt, Jaune? What happened?" She asked with such fervor that it almost made Weiss roll her eyes. Was this how she planned to deceive Jaune that she knew of his encounter with the Grimm? By appearing overly concerned and shocked? How dull. Then again, the boy in question was one of the few who would fall for such an obvious act.
Jaune could only smile as he saw the small girl examine his body with concerned eyes. "I'm fine, Ruby. Just a few scratches. Nothing that will keep me down." He told her sincerely.
"That's good to hear." Ruby nodded in relief.
"Yeah." Jaune confirmed. "I'm just looking for a place to sit right now."
Before he could say anything else, he was cut off by a familiar voice. "Sorry, Vomit Boy. All the seats are taken here." Came the quick reply of Yang who was seated next to her sister. The implication of her comment was obvious, not that he could blame her given their first meeting. At a quick observation, he also noticed Blake at the far end of the seats, next to the window reading a book, seemingly lost to the outside world.
"Yeah, don't worry Yang. I won't get anything on your shoes." He commented calmly, eager not to start anything with the girl. "Well, I'm off to find somewhere to sit. See you guys later." Waving briefly, he left their presence behind. He snickered slightly as he heard Weiss scold Ruby for abruptly invading ones private space so suddenly.
A bit further down the row, he managed to find an empty seat. Flopping onto it, he felt a jolt of pain trigger in his body from the action, before he finally settled. Releasing a breath, he could feel whatever tension he had in his muscles leave his body. Immediately, his body weight seemingly increased and Jaune was suddenly glad that he was seated. Perhaps he'd manage to fall asleep before his motion sickness would make its presence known and not deal with it for an hour or two. Of course, that was more of a hopeful thought on his part.
Xxx
Making good of his promise, Jaune went to the infirmary as soon as the Bullhead hit the ground of the Academy. Fortunately, his visit to the lasted less than he expected. He had managed to catch a bit of sleep during the trip before a jitter woke him up and allowed his stomach to take over. Still, that was enough for some of his Aura to recover and resume its job of dealing with his injuries. The doctor had been surprised at the speed which it had recovered, apparently it was pretty impressive. For the blonde though, it had always been like that ever since Pyrrha unlocked it. He'd normally be fine after a good night's rest even after a particularly demanding combat session during professor Goodwitch's class. With that notion all he was told was to not do anything too strenuous and rest for the next day or two.
As he traversed the corridor leading to his shared room with his team, thoughts from the forest began returning to him. There was no way around it, he wasn't a good leader for his team. That was the conclusion he had reached. Each and every one on his team was amazing. Ren, Nora and Pyrrha. Especially Pyrrha. Then there was her partner and leader, him. Perhaps the most unimpressive student to ever set foot at Beacon.
As he arrived at his dorm, he released a breath and entered his premises. Much to his slight surprise, the room was empty. It appeared that the rest of his team hadn't arrived yet. This did relieve Jaune a bit as he wasn't sure if he was ready to face them yet. Truth be told, his head was a bit of a mess with everything coursing through it. He needed some time to think and he preferred to do so on his own terms. So rather than risk running into his team before he could come to any conclusion, he decided to head out to get some fresh air, a walk might just be what he needed. Slipping out of his usual clothes and dressing in his school uniform, he left the room to wander the campus.
Several hours later found him on one of the many benches in the school's courtyard and in the same mental predicament. His team had no doubt returned by now, yet he still couldn't face them. He was at a loss on how he could make it up to them. He was too weak to lead them properly. Pyrrha tried to offer assistance with his problem, she offered to help him overcome it and what did he do: push her away and ignore her. That thought alone made him feel like such a fool. She didn't deserve this.
Eyes shut, he leaned on his back and let out a breath. What a conundrum he was in. Jaune allowed his mind to relax, hoping that the blankness would soothe his thoughts. Opening them up immediately, he saw the sun begin to set in the distance. The end of the day was approaching, which meant that he had to make his way to the dorm.
Lifting his body, he began heading back to the dorms. The walk would take him another 10 to 15 minutes, so maybe he could come up with something in that time. Though it seemed like an unlikely prospect, given that he had already failed think of anything in the past hour or two. As his mind wandered, his external focus was not at its best and that lead to him suddenly bumping into something relatively solid. Stumbling back slightly, he balanced himself and turned to look what had stopped his advance. The sight made his eyes widen like saucers.
"P-professor Ozpin?" Jaune exclaimed in surprise as he saw who he had crashed into. Standing in front of him was the person who held the highest authority in the Academy.
"Yes. I do believe that is my name." The tall headmaster confirmed his presence while offering a small smile. "Greetings, Mister Arc. A bit spaced out for this hour or perhaps you are tired from your latest excursion?" He asked calmly, clearly unbothered by their small accident. Rather he appeared quite relaxed as he held a coffee mug in his right hand with the Vale Kingdom inscription on it. His other hand rested on his cane.
"I'm really sorry, sir." Jaune jumped a few feet back and began spluttering apologies. "I was lost in thought and I didn't see you. I didn't mean to run into you. Honest!" Unconsciously, his hands raised in an apologetic manner to further prove his sincerity.
Ozpin regarded him the same as before with the same loose calm. "It's quite alright. Now, you said something about having a lot on your mind. If it's not too much to ask, I'd like to know what is it that took so much of your attention that you ran into me." The professor offered.
That made Jaune pause and slump visibly, his previous uneasiness settling back in. "It's nothing important, sir. I wouldn't want to waste your time." He refused weakly.
"I assure you that is not be the case, Mister Arc. If there is something I can assist my students with, then I would happily do so." The words were encouraging, spoken in a tone reminiscent of a blanket, a cup of coco, and a patient smile.
Their effect was immediate on the blond teenager. "It's just..." Jaune paused as he struggled to get the words out. "I just don't think I'm cut out to be a leader." Or a Huntsman for that matter, but that was something he now knew he could improve on given time. The former was a more complicated ordeal. Even with Ruby's advice there was no certainty he could succeed. He wanted the best for his team and he was not sure he could live up to expectations.
The professor said nothing for a moment while he took a sip from the mug. "Are you saying that I have made a mistake in appointing you as one for your team? Are you having issues with them?" He inquired curiously.
"No!" He nearly shouted the response. Aware of his outburst, he composed himself and added on in a much quieter voice. "No. It's not them. My team is great, but I'm just a nobody in comparison. They're all incredible while I'm weak. They deserve someone who could lead them better and not, well, me."
"And what made you reach such a conclusion?" Ozpin asked.
Jaune was unsure how to reveal what happened without revealing too much. If this talk escalated in an unfavorable way, it could end up with him spilling up about his fake transcripts as well as his lack of training to the one who had the authority to kick him out at a moment's notice. That was something the blonde had no desire of seeing come true, even if he wouldn't hold it against the headmaster if it should come to it. For now he would focus on telling him his problem without talking about it. In a sense.
"These past couple of days I got into some trouble, I guess." He took a moment to observe the headmaster's reaction and once Jaune made sure that he wasn't going inquire about the details, he carried on being as vague as possible. "And I ended up ignoring, no, abandoning my team. All because I was too weak to solve my own problems. How can I hope to lead them when I can't get anything done myself?" He ended lamely, his eyes dropping until his vision reached the tips of his black and white sneakers.
Ozpin watched the blonde's expression carefully as if it was an open book. "Mister Arc. It's pretty clear that you do not wish to reveal the details on what made you think this way. As such I shall respect that wish and not pry into it. Though that will limit how much I can help you with your problem." Taking a momentary pause, the man indulged in his beverage while he came up with a response for the boy. "You said you feel unfit to lead your team? This might come as a surprise, but often young leaders such as yourself find themselves in this position, questioning their own abilities, fighting with their own doubts and fears of the future. Make no mistake, the role of a leader is not an easy one and it can place additional weight on a person's shoulders. You carry not only yourself in battle, but your team as well. Your actions and decisions will be instrumental in the successful completion of a mission as well as the survival of your team." Another pause stretched out between the two men, the bleak tone so heavy that Jaune wouldn't have been able to make a comment even if he wanted to.
Fortunately, Ozpin shattered the excruciating silence. "But you are still a student at this moment. There will be plenty of time for you to learn how to deal with such problems and many more that will appear in the future. Being a leader requires a specific set of skills to be learned and cultivated. Amongst all of them, you're already showing an important one, the ability to care for the wellbeing of your team. While I can see that the burden you bear at this moment is affecting you, it is not something that can be fixed overnight, nor is it something that you have to go through on your own. A team is composed of 4 members and for a team to function properly every member must be willing fulfil their role. These things can take time, but you'll find that in most cases, at the end, it is time well spent. Each passed trial will help a team grow stronger and closer." The small lecture ended on that note and the headmaster sounded certain of his belief. A passing glance from Jaune proved that point.
His words, they came from experience. Even Jaune could tell that much. "But, how can I be sure things will get better? How can I be sure we'll be a good team in the future?" He eyed the professor, hoping he'll have an answer for him.
"That is often a hard question to answer." Ozpin commented. "All I can tell you is to trust and believe in them. Your team is the one you'll spend 4 years of your life growing close to and forming bonds, experiencing hardships as well as many happy moments. In many cases they may become your most trusted comrades." At the mention of those words, Jaune saw the professor's shoulders slump that slight bit and expression sour minutely.
Immediately, his calm gaze resurfaced and was on the blond again. "Regarding your other issue: I cannot tell you much more than to continue your training. Perhaps you can ask your team for assistance. I'm sure they wouldn't mind offering you a hand."
Jaune nodded slowly. He knew that his team would be willing to help, but his entire idea was based on the principle that he would-should not ask for help. The headmaster's previous statement was making him question his previous conviction though.
"I know. I want to get strong, but I can't rely on them for that. If I can't do even that on my own then what good am I?" A tiny bit of anger escaped in his tone. "How can I ever lead them when I can't even do anything for myself?"
"Mister Arc. I can assure you that there are plenty of strong Huntsmen who had aid in becoming strong. Asking for help is not a sin, nor is it a luxury, you can see it instead as an opportunity to further progress your own growth, both mentally and physically." The tall professor paused as he took another sip from his ever present mug. "You are here at my school to learn, in other words the staff here helps students improve. Each of you can ask us for help should you find yourself facing a problem. That is our purpose as teachers, to offer our assistance to all of you. If you were perfect, you would not need to be here."
Ozpin noticed his unsure gaze and decided to add one last thing to his impromptu lesson. "There is a reason I picked you for this position. During Initiation your team members followed your orders despite not having any reason to do so at that time. Yet they have done so because you took the initiative and convinced them to follow you, so to speak. Your words carried inspiration and influence, when you spoke they moved in accordance to your words. Those traits are what influenced my decision. I saw potential in you that day, Mister Arc. And I hope that I can one day see it come to fruition and that my faith was not misplaced." He finished on a hopeful note.
"I… I will do my best, sir." Jaune promised quietly. He didn't know what else to say. The amount of trust the headmaster had put into him was far more than he expected. He honestly felt undeserving of such a chance given how he gained entrance.
"I'm sure you will." The headmaster nodded with a smile. "I suggest you return to your dorm and think over what you have to do, Mister Arc. I'm sure that coming to a conclusion won't be easy, but please remember that it is not something you have to decide immediately and that your are not alone. Have a good night, Mister Arc." Finishing his speech, the headmaster walked away, an occasional tap of his cane reverberating as itt made contact with the concrete.
"Good night, Professor Ozpin." Jaune let that comment fly as he watched Ozpin's retreating form. The headmaster has given him much to think about. He would still need to return to the dorms given the late hour, but he still needed some time to think before facing his team. That only left one place he could go to and it was, ironically, the exact same place where his problems started.
Xxx
Standing close to the edge of the rooftop, Jaune observed the view before him. He had to admit, even at night, Beacon was an impressive sight. In a different way however. The stillness and quietness of the scene coupled with the darkness of the night seemed to give it an almost Halloween-ish vibe. Creepy, but in a comical way.
That quietness and general lack of distractions helped him focus on the headmaster's advice and reflect on them. Was he wrong in believing that he should grow stronger by himself? His ancestors were venerated and reputable warriors with strength few could match and compassionate to a fault. Stories from both his father and grandfather claimed as such and even they made a name for themselves as Huntsmen and warriors in the present day. That was the belief he grew up with, always looking up to fulfilling his duty in joining them among those ranks.
Now, though, he had a question he wished he could have asked them. How had they gotten there? Was it through talent and innate skill, countless hours of feverous training and discipline but most importantly: had they done it alone? That had been his original impression, that they all developed their abilities by themselves. But with a clear and objective head now, Jaune could deduce that such a notion would imply that all his predecessors had been natural geniuses, which in turn would mean that for someone like him, who had never been exceptional at anything pertaining to combat, his dream was virtually unattainable.
Jaune clenched his teeth at that thought. Had he been chasing false hope this entire time? Would this dream of his lead him only to disappointment? All those ideas were jumbled inside his brain as they danced around in his skull and they were giving him a migraine. He never had to think so much before. But as he recalled Ozpin's words, his body relaxed in response. The headmaster had told him that all the Huntsmen who were strong and made a name for themselves had gotten help in getting there. And given that Ozpin was a Huntsman with far more years of combat than Jaune's entire life made the blond inclined to believe his words. Plus it was clear that Ozpin reached the top of what this profession could offer. Now Jaune was no expert, but he could guess that becoming the headmaster of the most prestigious Huntsman Academy in the Kingdom of Vale was no small accomplishment.
As such, with the additional information Jaune was now pondering with the idea that perhaps his ancestors have been aided in their success. It was more logical to assume so, but there was still a question that needed to be raised. Where did that leave the leader of team JNPR? His belief had been the same for years and to question it now felt like he was betraying his own trust in his family. A pressing conclusion to be reached for sure, one that had Jaune once again expressing a form of discomfort in the form of a scowl.
His family, his father more specifically, had told him much about the pinnacles their family had reached during various eras in past generations. But only now did he notice that anything in relation to their harder, tougher moments had not been mentioned once. His shoulders slumped at that. Jaune couldn't blame them for that though. What person would enjoy talking about their weakest moments, moments where they were not at their best? The blonde could relate; he'd want others to hear about what he had accomplished if he were to ever climb up to the top of the ladder. Knowing that he couldn't blame them for not delving into these subjects and rather it was more of his own fault for taking everything said at face value.
But that was digressing from his main issue. Jaune would deal with the details regarding his family's background when the time called for it. His main concern at this point was how he should carry out his own life at Beacon with the recent developments. Fact of the matter was that he needed to get stronger and improve. His goal remained the same regardless of the new doubts he harbored in account of his family's background. Ozpin had suggested asking for help, more specifically, he encouraged him to ask for his team's assistance on this problem of his.
That, of course, brought up the second issue he had on the table. The situation with his team or more specifically, how he feels in regards to his behavior the past few days with them. Painful as it was to admit, he had abandoned them in a sense, unwillingly or not. And the words he had yelled to Pyrrha, his bitter confession on his own weakness and deception. Could she really just ignore all that and find it in herself to forgive him? It was a pressing matter for Jaune and his stomach dropped in shame when he relived the memory of that scene.
However, before falling in a pit of despair, he snapped out of those thoughts and grabbed his hair while yelling. "Gah, stupid head, don't think like that! What did Ozpin say? You have to trust them, right?" But could something like that be easily done? His fingers dug into his scalp, deep enough it almost felt they could reach his brain. He had to calm himself, otherwise his mind would jump to the worst outcome automatically. He blamed his lack of self-esteem for that, an unfortunate byproduct of his past.
It took a minute or two of deep breaths, but his nervousness was once again cleansed for the time being. He was left with the following dilemma, how to make team JNPR function as a real team? How could he earn their trust as a leader and friend? Truth be told, Jaune liked the members of his team. Pyrrha was incredibly nice and polite, Nora was always positive and energetic and Ren, while he was quiet, was comfortable to be around as he always appeared to have a welcoming aura to him. Jaune would easily be compelled to change for the better if it meant improving himself and forming better ties with the members of team JNPR, but before any of that he needed to somehow explain his actions he had made these past few days.
And as much as he thought of ways of accomplishing that feat, he hadn't managed to come up with anything viable. But as he was mulling over his ideas, a stray thought re-emerged from the depth of his mind, a piece of advice his mother had told him at some point. "As long as you're honest with others your words will be able to reach them and they will listen." So perhaps he should just come out with the truth to the rest of his team and confess his plight and dream. Maybe then he could bring himself to face them. His fist tightened with determination as he pondered that course of action and what it could lead to.
"No Cardin tonight?" A familiar voice caught his attention and distracted him from his mental planning. Jaune could hear the soft footsteps of an approaching person. "I thought you two were best buds?" Just her voice was enough to reignite the guilt in his gut, but he pushed it all down and turned to face his partner. He had something to tell her after all.
"Pyrrha, I'm sorry." He struggled with the words and he knew it. "I was a jerk. You were only trying to help and be nice and I-… I had all this stupid macho stuff in my head and…" Seeing him get more and more worked up with this issue, his partner intervened and put an end to his ramble.
"Jaune." Pyrrha interrupted him quietly, making him stop immediately. "It's okay." She assured him in the same tone, her voice full of compassion. Their eyes met for the first time in days and all Jaune could discern from her green, lively orbs was a sense of understanding that nearly left him speechless.
"Your team really misses their leader, you know." She continued, adding a small, encouraging smile which prompted him to display one in return. The sight reassured Pyrrha more than anything he could have said." You should come down." She announced loudly as she began walking back to the rooftop entrance, no doubt to return to their room. "Ren made pancakes. No syrup, though, you can thank Nora for that." Those last words were what the young leader needed to hear as they only served to reinstate the sense of normalcy between him and his partner.
Jaune almost followed her back, but reminded himself of his previous musings. "Wait!" He called to her and watched as she reacted by turning around and waiting to hear what he had to add to their discussion. Well, this was the moment of truth for the blonde, he supposed. "I know that I don't deserve it after everything that happened, but would you still be willing to help me?" As he spoke, he gained a bit more courage and decided to clarify what his intention was. "To help me become a better fighter."
His partner remained silent at his plea and Jaune couldn't make out her expression at all. Confusion was all he felt when Pyrrha turned around for the briefest of seconds, before she faced him again, except this time with a much wider smile plastered on her beautiful visage. That, in turn, gave Jaune hope for a favorable answer as well as distract him sufficiently from paying too much attention at Pyrrha's form. He saw her approach him and didn't think much of her action, yet his lack of awareness left him unprepared for the rather hard shove on his chest which sent him on his butt for the second time that day.
"Hey!" Jaune protested as he found himself on the ground. He looked in surprise at his partner, hoping for an explanation for this sudden action.
"You're stance is all wrong." Pyrrha said simply, both hands on her hips in an imposing manner. "You need to be wider and lower to the ground. And also not fall so easily when someone taps you." She informed him immediately, her voice serious as if she slipped into some instructor mode Jaune was not aware she possessed. Offering him a hand, the girl easily lifted him up with surprising ease, the blond noted. Well, she wasn't a champion for nothing. Their hands remained connected as she uttered the next words. "We'll work on all that." She promised.
Jaune didn't know how to feel. He was happy at the amount of acceptance his partner was willing to share with him. He felt undeserving, but if she was willing to put up with him and keep his secret at the same time then he would gladly accept her help this time No more prideful excuses. However, once all of this made its way through his head, he realized that Pyrrha was only half the problem, the other part being his other two teammates, Nora and Ren. Just moments before Pyrrha broke him from his musings he was contemplating on telling them about his transcripts. Whatever would come out of his confession he had no idea, but Pyrrha had accepted him, so perhaps they could as well. Perhaps this was one of the trials Ozpin spoke about.
"Jaune, is there something still wrong?" He heard Pyrrha ask him suddenly. Taking in her now worried look, he assumed that his expression must have changed visibly for the worse for her to suddenly look at him like that. Given recent events he was sure that she would be willing to hear him out and her expression was softly inquiring that of him and not wanting to repeat the same mistake, Jaune decided to tell her about this situation.
"Well, not really wrong." He paused briefly as he took a step back and separated himself from his partner. His eyes left her frame as if ashamed of confessing his thoughts. "It's just, this past couple of days I feel that I've really let you… our team down. I haven't acted much like a leader should, I'm already lacking when it comes to my combat abilities and I guess… What I want to say is that I realized I haven't been taking this thing too seriously. But, I want to change that." At that he locked his cobalt eyes with her emerald ones hoping to project his conviction. "And that's why I don't want to have anything to hide that could endanger our team. So that's why… I want to tell Ren and Nora about my transcripts." That was the best decision Jaune reached, but he decided that consulting with his partner for her opinion on his idea could help with his decision.
Pyrrha was at a loss of words at his declaration. The boy in front of her was still Jaune, her partner, yet she never expected such words from him. It was a pleasant surprise. "That… sounds great, Jaune." He was willing to improve and accept her help. The girl had no idea what caused this change in the blonde, but she did not care. He was calling out for her and she would rise to his call. She pursed her lips at her next words though. "I understand why you wish to tell them and I'll support you, but I can't make any promises on what their answer will be." Given the time they had been together as a team, she had nothing but good things to say about her team, but their bonds weren't as strong so to as she'll be able to predict how they'll react to something like this. As much as she wished she could have told him that things would go well, she couldn't. Jaune needed to hear that.
"I know." The boy nodded, his expression unchanging. "But I have to tell them though, it's something that they deserve to know."
Seeing that he was standing by with his decision, Pyrrha smiled at his courage. "Okay. Let's go then. I'm sure you want to get this over with as soon as possible." With that, she prompted him to follow her back to their shared room.
It took only a few minutes before the two partners stood in front of their dorm, the door being the only thing separating the two teenagers from their teammates. Jaune wanted to believe that things would go well and he was pretty confident when he set off from the rooftop, but with every step he felt a bit of that confidence drop and remain on the floor. And now he was mere feet away from fulfilling his mission, but was finding it hard to make the next step. In fact, he was so nervous he didn't even notice his hand hovering over the door handle.
His partner had, however. Pyrrha could only guess how hard this was for the boy. Seeing him stop dead like that and hesitate with such a distressed expression was hard to watch. Firmly and softly, she grasped his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. When his head turned in her direction she gave him a nod.
Nodding himself, Jaune took a deep breath before finally pushing the handle and stepped inside, as ready as he could be.
"Look who's back! Ren, look, they're back!" Those were the first words Jaune heard as he stepped in. Instinctively, his vision landed on the small girl who had more energy than the rest of them combined. Nora Valkyrie greeted them with a huge smile as she jumped from her bed, a pair of white headphones falling from her head because of her abrupt motion.
"Welcome back, you two." The dark haired boy greeted them with a small smile. The arrival of the duo made him close the book he was reading and sit up from the desk. His tone and demeanor were a complete opposite from that of the girl's, yet offered the same amount of emotion at their arrival. "I take it things went well?" He asked as he regarded the two.
"Of course!" Nora cheered, landing next to her partner and giving him a proud look. "We sent Pyrrha to get him, didn't we? If she couldn't do it then who can?" Nora asked as a matter of fact with both hands on her hips. It had been her suggestion after all.
They were so lively, Jaune noted. He had grown used to these kinds of displays after weeks of living together. The mood was reassuring and familiar, not unlike how he sometimes felt in the presence of his family, more so in the presence of his sisters. They were happy with him being there. That thought alone brightened his entire face.
Pyrrha mirrored his look. "Well, I guess you could say that. We talked and sorted some things between us." She informed them. "But there is something our leader wants to share with us." With those words, the champion signaled the boy in question to take over.
Two pair of eyes were immediately on him, waiting to hear what he had to say. Jaune steeled himself as he prepared to share his secret. "Yeah. Guys, there is something I need to tell you…" And so with those words he revealed everything to the pair. From his ambition, dreams and how he entered the Academy with forged transcripts to his recent mess with Cardin and the events that occurred in the Forever Fall forest.
This confession of his allowed a general silence to settle itself in the JNPR dorm. With his tale done, Jaune sat on his bed with both hands resting on his knees and waited. Pyrrha sat right next to him at a close proximity, ready to offer whatever support her partner required. He didn't even dare to look at them yet and no matter how much he was trying to convince himself that things would go well, put in the center of attention he was unable to form such thoughts.
After what seemed like an eternity, someone spoke. "So you didn't go to Combat School and only got into Beacon because you used forged transcripts, right?" Nora asked from her spot in front of him as she sat on Pyrrha's bed, legs slowly dangling in the air.
"Yes." Jaune responded.
"Which is why you totally suck at fighting?"
'Ouch.' "Yes." Jaune confirmed despite the sting he felt at her bluntness.
"And it also explains why you were Cardin's errand boy these past days?"
"…Yes." Another sting.
"Hmm." The small bomber then began rubbing her chin and adopt a thoughtful look. It was pretty clear that she was going through everything he said in that head of hers and was quick to reach a decision. Immediately, as if a machine just finished processing some data, she jumped and landed immediately back on the mattress without disturbing the other occupant. "I got it!" Was her loud declaration before she looked Jaune in the eyes. "Don't worry, fearless leader. Your secret is safe with us!" She assured him with a small pat on the shoulder after crossing the distance between them for the few moments it took to offer her support.
"Huh?" Jaune exclaimed as comprehension of her words began to dawn on him. Immediately, he jumped to his feet. "Wait? What? You're going to accept this? Just like that?" Was the girl serious? Did she really just shrug off everything he said?
"Yep!" She confirmed enthusiastically as she flashed him a grin.
The blonde's first reaction was to protest. "But… I don't deserve to be here at Beacon. I cheated my way in!" He tried to argue against himself. It was weird, but he felt that he deserved some scolding, some semblance of distrust and perhaps anger.
"That you did." Jaune's eyes went to Ren as he spoke for the first time since this reveal. The magenta eyed boy looked up until their eyes met. "What you did is indeed something that deserves punishment if you're found out. But that is not what you wish to happen, correct?" His question confused the blond. Did Ren really not have anything to comment about his fraudulence?
"…Yeah?" Jaune's answer came after a few moments of hesitation.
The other boy nodded in confirmation. "As such, it would be best if things would remain that way without anyone finding out about your forged transcripts. Like I said, if they do, it could end in your expulsion." What Ren said made sense and yet, Jaune couldn't help but stare at him incredulously. Taking note of his confusion, Ren changed his tactic and decided to explain his decision since his leader appeared surprised by his acceptance. "Jaune." He called out to the other boy and looked him in the eyes. "Why did you chose to reveal your secret to us? And please, be honest."
The blond was indeed befuddled by the entire situation, but was still able to answer. "I told you, I haven't been a good leader to you guys and I want to make things right. I had to, after how I've treated you these past days." He didn't understand where Ren was trying to go with this. It made clear sense to him where he had made a mistake and what he had to do to atone for it.
"Exactly, you chose to trust us with a secret of yours. You could have just as easily let things continue now that the situation with Cardin has been resolved, but felt that you had a need to explain yourself to us. On top of that when it came to it you chose to protect the team in the end by standing up to Cardin." That was everything the boy had to share.
"And there you have it! Renny has given you our reason." Nora declared happily from her spot next to her childhood friend.
Jaune merely stared at them before his body slowly descended on his bed. "Just because of that?" He whispered to himself softly, his words loud enough for everyone to hear. "Just because of that you're willing to trust me? Why?" He kept his gaze firm on the pair, eyes carefully examining their expressions, Nora's in particular as it shifted into a soft, warm visage.
"That's easy." Nora answered in her own soft voice, something the young leader did not believed the bomber was capable of displaying. "Because you trusted us first." Her response was full of compassion, her eyes shining with a contented compassion. Ren nodded in agreement.
That was it, Jaune realized. That was their answer. "Guys. I don't know what to…" He felt his mouth tremble, a sudden rush of emotions coursing through his entire body. Their response was… too much. He had never expected to ever reveal his secret, let alone be accepted in such a heartfelt manner. Their support was overwhelming him with emotion. Not even his parents had shown him this much faith. He was pretty sure he was close to shedding tears, but he didn't care if they saw him like that.
"I know! Team hug!" Nora beamed joyously as she grabbed her partner's shoulder with one hand and the other latched on the redhead's hand before diving towards the blond. Totally unprepared for the assault, Jaune let out a strangled cry as he suddenly found himself squeezed between various bodies. He could feel limbs snaking their way around his torso and back. Regaining his bearings, the blond took in everyone's state. The hug was pretty much a mess, heck, only Nora was actually hugging him as she had managed to bury her head in his chest. Pyrrha and Ren held onto him awkwardly, trying their best to be part of this impromptu bear hug. That didn't matter to him however, he accepted it by wrapping his long arms around the red and green members of the team and brought them as close as he could, their heads nearly touching.
"Thank you." Was his final response. A quiet, happy remark full of his honesty.
Ren smiled and said nothing.
Pyrrha couldn't help but release a few stifled laughs. While she may have not been part of such displays before, this was one she most definitely enjoyed. "You have your answer now, Jaune. Was it what you expected?" She asked softly as she allowed herself to be smothered by the wave of emotions.
It was the answer he hoped for and much more.
Xxx
Chapter End
AN: Right. So this thing was supposed to be the first chapter of a much larger story I had planned. Whether I'll get to write it or not, I don't know. As it is, this one shot is meant to give a bit more insight into Jaune's thoughts during the events of Jaunedice, him deciding to take things seriously and some JNPR boding.
Thank you for reading.