It had been an idle thought really, just something that had popped into his mind as he was fixing his tie in the mirror.
Even more so, it wasn't like he hadn't been having a lot of those in the past week ever since he saved Cardin from that Ursa at Forever Fall. Ever since that had happened, so much seemed to happen. Pyrrha had been training and helping him hone his skills on the rooftops. The bonds between him and his team had grown much stronger. Cardin and his team seemed to be quiet on the bullying front, and considering just how quiet and less obnoxious he had gotten in class, it seemed to be a change that would last for quite a while.
In short, life seemed good, and was looking up. He was finally taking steps to being that hero that he always dreamed of being.
Yet, over the past week, even with all these improvements to his life, he couldn't help but feel like something was missing. It was like he was staring a near competed puzzle, and there was just one piece left to place to complete the image, and yet he just couldn't find it. He tried to ignore that feeling, and yet it just didn't seem to leave him alone.
Pyrrha, Ruby, and everyone else seemed to catch on to his increasing unsettledness. They tried asking if he was alright, and all he could do is smile ruefully, rub the back of his head and assure them that he was alright. Sure, it wasn't the best answer, but it was the only one he could give.
After all, how could they help when he didn't know himself what was wrong with himself?
However, it was weird that the answer would come to him, not in a thunderstorm, or anything suitably dramatic. He was just making sure that his uniform tie looked straight. It was at this moment, as he stared into his reflection when a singular thought into his head.
'Ever thought of what kind of hero you would like to be?'
Jaune blinked for a moment as he considered the question. Everything in the world practically shrunk until he was alone, just staring into the mirror, the question radiated in his own eyes.
"What kind of hero?"
Maybe it was the suddenness, maybe it was the sheer randomness, or maybe it had the flash of utter realization that in all his years of yearning for such a dream, he never once considered a question.
Whatever the reason, it had struck him dumb and muted to the world. It felt like he had been disconnected from his body and his mind was free to ponder this question for as long as it needed. It was only until Jaune was roused from his introspection.
"Jaune!"
Jaune blinked as he forced himself from his reverie, only to shake his head as he realized that he was sitting in Professor Oobleck's class. Only that the professor in question was zooming around his desk, checking papers, while the students were slowly walking out of the classroom. Looking up, he saw the rest of his team looking a bit concerned for him.
"Uhh...sorry, guys! Must have drifted off there! Totally fine, don't worry about me!" Jaune laughed nervously as he gathered all his materials, before leaving with the rest of them. Only as the group left the classroom did Jaune take a quick look at his teammates' reactions. They looked utterly unconvinced...
Jaune knew he should have paid more attention in all those drama classes his mother insisted he go.
"Jaune..." Pyrrha began, clearly thinking about the best way to express her feelings. Jaune felt that it was only right that he turn around and give her his full attention. She at least deserved that much.
"It's just that...these past few days, you've been really quiet. And just this morning, you looked...out of it. Are you sure?" Pyrrha asked, lightly biting her lower lip.
Jaune could only hold back his grimace. Had he really been like that? Then again, the end of class snuck up on him pretty easily...
He blinked as he realized that the rest of his team was staring at him, waiting for him to answer. Jaune chuckled nervously as he thought to himself just how to explain his behavior.
'Just tell them as much as you know yourself.'
"Well...lately, I've been thinking about stuff. Really, I am. I just don't exactly know how to describe it. It's just..."
Just then, Nora, having been uncharacteristically quiet, blurted out.
"It's Cardin! It's Cardin, isn't it? He's been messing around with you in private, hasn't he?! Don't worry, Jaune! Just say the word and Cardin's gonna need crutches!"
"Huh? What, no!" Jaune replied, being slightly caught off guard by Nora's outburst. "It has nothing to do with Cardin!"
Okay, that had been a bit of a stretch.
"Look...Um...I'm not exactly sure what to think about this. It's just...I need some time, alright? Just don't worry about me, I just need some time." Jaune sighed, really hoping that his team would drop the subject.
Pyrrha looked like she wanted to say something, before Ren spoke up. "Come on, Pyrrha. Let him have his space. I'm sure he'll be fine."
She gave Jaune one last look, before walking away. Ren nodded at him before following. Nora roughly patted him on the back.
"Remember, if he bothers you, just say the word, and SNAP!" Nora grinned as she snapped her fingers. "He won't bothering you anymore!"
With that, Nora skipped off after the other members of his team, leaving Jaune to frown. He knew Nora meant to cheer him up, but unbeknownst to her, she had been unwittingly callous. He wasn't sure just how much of his fight they managed to catch, but he knew that they missed the most important part. The truth of the matter was that Jaune had planned to follow the rest of CRDL. After all, Cardin, as much of a bully he was, was strong, and tough, everything that he wasn't. Surely, he could take care of himself.
All that stopped as he looked back and saw Cardin's face. He didn't see Cardin, the bully just about to get rightfully punished. The pain and misery that Cardin had given him over the past few weeks just seemed to fall by the way side as he drew his sword and extended his shield.
What he saw was a plaintive cry for help, mixed with despair. After all, his team had ran out on him, leaving him alone to face his doom. As far as he knew, he was about to leave this world forsaken, with no one coming to save him. At that moment, like a reflex that Jaune never knew or believed he had, he jumped in to intervene. And perhaps that was the reason that he had been thinking so much during these past couple of days. Like a piece of a puzzle, it was one more piece to solving that question that was currently plaguing him.
'What kind of hero do you want to be?'
Jaune mechanically entered the cafeteria, intent on grabbing a bite to eat and telling his friends that he wouldn't be available for the rest of the day. Hopefully, he could find some quiet place to reflect on his question some more. Or least that was the plan.
Strange how life never quite fits your plans in the grand scheme of things.
"OW, please let go of my ears!"
"He, what are you going to do about it?"
Snapping out of his mental planning, his eyes searched the cafeteria, looking for that cry. Briefly, he registered his team and team RWBY looking over. Then he saw it.
Velvet, the brown haired rabbit faunus, was having her ears pulled by some particularly nasty looking third-year while his friend was standing behind him, his arms crossed with an evil smile on his face.
Once, he would have been able to sit down and let someone else handle it. Surely, someone else could handle it. Everyone else was clearly more qualified, more qualified than him at any rate. Yet, as Jaune took another look around, no one was standing up. No one was going over to stop what was happening. Even his own team and team RWBY seemed content to just sit back. And perhaps it was this, that Velvet looked like she was trying to bear the pain silently. Yet Jaune could see the expression on her face.
It was the same as Cardin. While the situations were different, the fact was that both felt alone in the world. Both had given into despair, yet continued to plea for help, if only in a foolish hope.
And in both times, in the past and in the present, it was this silent plea that Jaune felt the need to answer.
Forgetting about food, Jaune's face became stoic as he began to cross the cafeteria in powerful strides. Nearly everything seemed to tunnel as he focused on the scene before him. On some level, he heard some whispers as people began to notice him.
Jaune reached out, grabbing the bully's wrist, tightening his grip, before he heard a grunt. He released the wrist just as the bully yanked it out of his grasp. Walking in front of Velvet, he managed to catch a glimpse of her expression, which reflected her surprise that someone is actually defending her. Jaune felt himself frown at the idea that someone would actually be surprised at a rescue. He forced himself out of his thoughts and faced the bully, who had just shook the feeling from his wrist and was now staring incredulously at him.
If Jaune had been in another state of mind, he would have felt a little grieved that his reputation as a wimp had reached even farther than he realized.
"What the hell do you want?" The bully asked, trying to use his height to intimidate Jaune. Jaune only briefly acknowledged that the bully had half a foot on him.
"I want you to leave her alone. Your friend too. You got a problem with that, you talk to him." Jaune said quietly and calmly, flicking a thumb at himself.
There was silence as Jaune made his proclamation. Ruby's words barely skimmed the surface of his consciousness. The bully only chuckled as he pointed at him while turning to his friend. Then he turned back, an evil grin fitting his mouth.
"Yeah, and what are you going to do about it?"
Jaune frowned.
"I don't want to make anything out of it, but if you insist..." Jaune left the threat unspoken. At this, the bully practically roared with laughter, his friend bursting into a similar hysteria. Wiping a tear from his eye, he gave Jaune one last grin.
Jaune's sense screamed at him, just before something smashed into his cheek. Pain blossomed on his face as he took a step back, his face turned to the side. He barely registered Pyrrha and his other friends shout for him. He also barely heard the bully taunt him.
He only looked up to Velvet, who looked worried for him. He clenched his fist and raised it slightly, an question in his eyes. Meeting his eyes, Velvet looked between him and the bully, before nodding.
A silent go ahead.
Jaune looked back, the bully leaning over and sneering as he taunted him. He paid no attention say for the position his body was in. He had one shot to do this right. Mentally, he began to recall all the things that Pyrrha taught him about hand to hand combat.
Feet shoulder length apart.
Foot a step back on the side you want to punch hardest with.
Tuck your thumb on the outside.
Rotate your waist as you punch.
Keep as little distance between your body and your punch.
Tilt your fist slightly and punch with your index and middle knuckles.
Combine all of these together and...
Jaune exploded, lashing out in a right hook that smashed right into the bully's cheek. He felt something explode under his fist, before he brought it back. The bully spun, colliding against a table before falling to the ground. Silence reigned over the cafeteria as the students tried to process the image of Jaune punching someone to the ground. Then a scream shattered the silence as the bully held his face, blood escaping from the fingers. Jaune blinked before looking at his fist.
There was a spot of blood on it.
As the bully's friend grabbed him and they both rushed off to the nurse's office, Jaune awaited some kind of emotion. Gladness, vindictiveness, satisfication? Yet as the moments passed, Jaune felt absolutely nothing. He didn't want to, but since they insisted...
The immediate threat over, Jaune ignored the stinging in his cheek and turned to Velvet. "Hey, you alright?"
The bunny faunus was looking down at the ground, looking a little red in the face. "Yeah...yes, I am."
With that, she looked up at the blonde knight, before smiling.
"Thank you."
It was small, just a gentle curve of her lips. Yet, with the aura of gratefulness and thankfulness that she radiated, it shone brighter than a sun. And Jaune couldn't help but smile back.
"You're welcome."
The smile still on her face, she walked away, unknowing of the swirling clarity that was erupting in Jaune's head.
Like the final piece of the puzzle, Jaune finally had his answer. And the sheer realization of it made him numb to everything, from the stinging of his cheek, to the fretting of his friends, to even the teasing of Yang, out loud wondering if Jaune was planning to call Velvet back.
'I want to be a hero that protects people. I want to be that hero that saves the day, not by sacrificing lives for the greater good or by trickery and deceit. In the end, that's not me. I want to be someone that gives people hope and gives them strength and tells them that everything is going to be alright.'
'That's the kind of hero I want to be.'