Chapter One

In which Jaune Arc meets the last rose of summer, and destiny is slowly but surely steered in the right direction again. Or perhaps not?

I

"What do you think you're doing?" He heard a girl scream loudly. It was a pity she behaved like that, for her voice was clearly very beautiful; he would have paid any price to hear her sing. But well. She wouldn't be the first or the last person to waste her natural talents.

More out of curiosity than anything else, Jaune Arc followed the noise. At the very least that, whatever it was, would allow him to be distracted from the nervousness that had been devouring him from within since he boarded the aircraft to go to Beacon. Even if only for a few moments.

What he found was a girl dressed all in white - she even had white hair - yelling at another girl who was obviously younger than her. She was as beautiful as her voice suggested. He did not overlook the scar on her face, but it was difficult to notice, even more so because of her pale complexion, so it was an exotic detail that enhanced her beauty, not a flaw that damaged it.

He was aware of that, but it did not affect him in the least. He had no interest in girls. Not like that. Neither in boys, by the way.

Now that he was looking at her, there was something familiar about her victim. But from this distance he couldn't be sure of what it was.

A chill ran down his back. He told himself it was nothing, and he might even believe it if he kept on insisting. In spite of that, he did not turn around. He continued on his way.

The girl who looked so familiar to him rose to her feet. She seemed disoriented, as if she could fall again at any moment. Or vomit. He felt a twinge of sympathy for her. Not long ago he had been vomiting in the bathroom, trying to calm his stomach and desperate for that nightmare to end.

He had never been a friend of heights. Especially not after...

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted, as if it were something written on a scratched disc instead of a continuous process, and they jumped forward. As a defense mechanism it was not a major thing. But at least it delayed the inevitable.

He still couldn't see her face, but he did see that she was wearing a black dress with red trim and a red cape with a hood tied to her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," the girl apologized. For bumping into the other, it seemed. Snow White had gone around pushing a Dust cart, and now most of its contents lay scattered on the floor. At least none of the suitcases had opened in the fall. That would have been potentially disastrous.

Jaune paused.

That face, those eyes like liquid silver... She was Ruby Rose, no doubt. Though he had been avoiding meeting her, for now, only for now. She hid behind the first thing she saw, a tree, as fast as she could. As if a look of his could kill him. Anyone who saw him would think something like that, for he was trembling. Not very forcefully, but it was noticeable.

He bit his lower lip. He wanted to see her. He had to see her. But he didn't want it to be so fast, because... Because he was afraid. He could no longer try to deny or hide from that simple truth. He was unable to handle social interactions, and the idea of ending up chasing her away was so terrible that it threatened to make his heart stop.

Even though he had a mission to accomplish. And a promise to keep.

"Give me that," Snow White said, taking her suitcase from her hands, and opened it. That would probably end badly. "This is Dust, mined and purified, straight out of the Schnee quarry."

Ruby still seemed a little confused, disoriented. She didn't follow the little speech that Miss Snow White was giving her, and she didn't seem to have the slightest desire to do so either.

"Are you brain-dead?"

For long seconds Jaune forgot to breathe, plunged his fingers into the trunk of the tree with all his might, digging holes in the wood. How dare she speak to her like that? Who the fuck did she think she was? He didn't know, but suddenly he was burning with the desire to give her a good beating to teach her the lesson that she should respect Ruby.

His hand hovered just above the handle of the sword. Despite his desire, he was struggling to make the decision to act. Because he could not be expelled from Beacon, not after the blood, sweat and tears he had had spilled to get here. And especially not on his first day. But especially because Ruby was right there, and he didn't know how she would react to that.

That wretched bitch was moving a bottle of red Dust in front of her face, she didn't know why or when she had started doing such a thing. He had lost himself in his thoughts. Ruby seemed to be about to cough, and yet she wouldn't stop doing that, saying something that was going in one ear and out the other, without even registering its meaning.

He was not a fool who had given the reins to his unjust anger, so he knew it was going to end badly. That since Ruby would not be able to restrain herself, the Dust would explode.

He had to act. Right now.

Enough excuses, he told himself.

He took a deep breath.

Jaune ran. Without thinking, without giving himself time to think, because then he might have hesitated. He did not have time to reach her before she coughed, before she triggered the explosion, but he did have time to wrap his arms around her and protect her with his body.

A cloud of smoke enveloped them.

He felt the ground collapse beneath his feet. The formation of a crater quite deep, it seemed. He had his Aura to protect him from the worst of the explosion, but that did not prevent him from feeling the heat. His teeth churned. He squeezed Ruby harder.

When they stopped sinking, when the cloud of smoke dissipated, he released her. She stared at him strangely, perhaps even a little intrigued. Feelings that were quickly replaced by the purest shame. Her cheeks burned.

"Hey, thank you for giving me a hand" She murmured, unable to look into his eyes. To stand up he also had to give her a hand, only this time in a literal way.

They came out of the crater.

Snow White had been spared from the worst of her own mistake. As expected. At least now she was not so white. Her face was smeared with dust and soot, her precious white dress had also been sullied. And nothing else, of course. If she had received the explosion directly, not only would she have died, but her body would be flying in pieces over even the trees.

He would have to settle for this. Well... almost.

She rose to her feet, albeit with difficulty. Despite what had just happened, her rage had not subsided one bit. Quite the opposite.

"That's what I was talking about!

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," Ruby apologized. Again.

Jaune put his hand on the handle of his sword, and looked at her from the corner of his eyes.

"You don't have to. It wasn't your fault, and you know it. You don't have to go this far just to please her.

"What are you talking about...?" she demanded, indignant. And she suddenly got very quiet. Having the edge of a sword against the neck usually caused that reaction in people. Intriguing.

"What you heard," he said slowly and deliberately. Without blinking. "You insisted on shaking Dust's vial in front of her, even though she was about to cough and activate it. Even though anyone could have anticipated what would happen. So there are three options. First, you have no idea how to handle the Dust. Second, you did it knowingly for some kind of perverse pleasure. Third, you were so embarrassed by your mistake that you wanted to blame her and thereby appease your ego.

Of course it could also be that you got angry enough not to realize what was going on under your own noses," he continued. "In any case, my opinion of you is very poor right now."

"Take that away from me," she replied. Paler than usual, however difficult it may sound. "Don't you know who I am?"

"I don't care," Jaune said. " I do not care if you are the tooth fairy or the granddaughter of the Headmaster. Apologize. Right now. Or I swear to you..."

Ruby stood between them, placed her hand on top of the one holding the sword.

"Calm down," she said in a conciliatory tone. In hers gaze there was something he didn't like, something that made his heart drop: fear. And not of the other girl, but of him. What had he done wrong? "You don't have to start a fight here, do you?" As neither answered, she insisted, "Do you?"

The bitch refused to answer even then. She was looking at him defiantly, and refused to look away from his own, as if it was a challenge she had to overcome.

Jaune slowly lowered his arm, sheathed the sword. It dawned on him that he was still shaking. And more forcefully than before.

Ruby looked back at him. She seemed to want to say something else, but she dared not.

"You're like a Faunus," the girl in white said, slowly and after a little while, "so much so that I wouldn't be surprised if it was true. You are violent and..." She swallowed. "The director shouldn't have let you or your kind in here."

She turned around. Somehow Jaune resisted the temptation to trip her. Anyway, it didn't matter. At first she walked calmly, as if nothing had happened here, but then she gained speed. And in the blink of an eye she disappeared into the crowd.

She was afraid of him. It was more than clear.

Jaune smiled.

Good, he thought. She will think twice before assaulting Ruby again.

He turned to look at her, trying to work out what to say and do, what could make his first impression a little better. He opened his mouth and closed it just as quickly. Nothing came out of his lips. Not the slightest noise.

She consumed his vision. She was so beautiful. He thought he was ready to stand next to and speak with her because he had imagined so many times what she would look like, but her beauty was overwhelming. Her beautiful silver eyes. Her undoubtedly soft lips. Her love. Because that was what he was seeing in her eyes. Not the glitter of steel, but love for the world. Something he had lost a long time ago.

"Hey?" Ruby waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Are you still there?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. Last night I could hardly sleep out of nervousness. If I fail... I don't even want to think about it. I imagine you'll understand."

You idiot. She's not going to buy that cheap excuse.

She' s fifteen years old. Two less than me, not seven. And that's not all. She must have noticed that I wasn't falling asleep, far from it, that I was aware. And looking at her with all my attention. But maybe she assumes it was because I "realized" that she is younger than the rest of the students.

Hopefully.

"Not really. To be honest, I know I'm going to pass the test. Whatever it is. What makes me nervous is the idea of meeting new people."

"Well, you've got me, right? My name is Jaune Arc, by the way."

Ruby smiled, or forced herself to smile. And she stretched out a hand towards him.

"Hello, my name is Ruby Rose. Again, thank you for helping me."

Jaune stared at her hand for long seconds, so long that Ruby became restless, her smile became more fragile. He shook her hand.

"You don't have to thank me. What kind of hunter would refuse to help someone?"

Ruby laughed. It was a bit forced, even he could tell, and a bit out of place, as he had said was not funny. But it was a beautiful laugh. It calmed his shaking, almost stopped it altogether.

"Yes. Yes, of course." She was still unable to look him in the eye. He hoped that it was normal for her, that his aggressiveness had not affected her. Without much conviction. "My older sister dumped me, and... and, well, would you mind joining me?"

Wait. You have a sister?

And even worse, a sister who didn't take care of her as she should, as Ruby deserved. He had to investigate that. Thoroughly.

Jaune Arc smiled. For once, it was an entirely natural smile.

"Of course. I would love to."

Ruby left him as soon as they found the auditorium. He would be lying if he said it didn't hurt, but he concentrated on examining the person who had called her to her side. A tall, blonde woman with wild hair. Judging by how happy Ruby was, she must been her sister. Which only added to his confusion. No matter how he looked at her, they were nothing alike. And he didn't say it just because of the physical appearance. Her older sister was a little more... daring. You could tell by a just looking at her.

Was she adopted? From another mother?

Even someone with such limited social skills as himself recognized that asking directly would be indecorous, and he couldn't think of a more discreet way to find out the truth. He would have to resist until he deepened his relationship with Ruby. If he was capable of that, after the last fiasco. Perhaps that was going to be the first and last conversation he would have with her.

He put his hands on his head and squeezed.

Don't think about it, he said to himself. Think of... nothing.

Yes, it was better that way. To a certain extent he could not avoid an extreme reaction to anything to do with Ruby, as the last decade of his life had revolved around her. But it wouldn't do him any good. That was unquestionable. He put his hands in his pockets, tried to regain control of himself.

He should come a little closer. So he could hear the conversation she was having with her sister. Maybe it wouldn't be the best thing for him, but if she told her what had happened, maybe that would be his only chance to hear what she really thought about him. Someone like her probably wouldn't say it to his face, openly and without hesitation.

He made his way through the crowd.

"Are you being sarcastic?" his sister asked.

"Oh, I wish." She pouted. "I thought I had given so much consideration to what might happen, simulated so many scenarios, that I was prepared for the worse. But no. No! I was wrong. It's horrible, the worst first day I could have had. I literally can't think of a way to make it worse."

"Okay. I understand that your encounter with the Schnee made you feel bad, but..."

He felt ashamed. He should have realized that sooner. In his defense, it is not as if he would have changed his course of action. Not a bit.

"The Schnee?"

"Sister, please. What seventeen-year-old girl would have natural white hair but a Schnee?"

"Well, I don't know." She shrugged. "Stranger things have happened... Okay, okay. I should have known. I admit it. But that's not what's important here. Not really."

"I was saying, I know that must not have been nice. But you're exaggerating. The day has just begun. It could get much, much worse."

Ruby glared at her.

"And I thought you were here to make me feel better."

She laughed. "Not always, little one. Not always. Now, seriously. You're really exaggerating, you haven't been in Beacon for an hour. There is plenty of time for you to meet people who know how to appreciate you as you are. Unless... something else happened? Is that it? Something you don't want to tell me?"

"Well..."

"Ruby. You know you can tell me anything, right? I promise I won't be angry with that... Weiss. I'll just inform the teachers of whatever she has said or done to. I know I can be..." She stopped for a while, looking for the right word. "Difficult. But I would never break a promise to you. "

"Yang, it's not what you think. Really.

There was also a boy there," she continued after a long pause. "He protected me from the explosion with his body. Not that he needed to, I wasn't in danger or anything like that, really. But at least he tried. And he intervened in my defense. He scared me a little," she confessed. "Like you when you get angry."

"I still don't see where the problem is. From the looks of it, you've made a friend." But it was a rhetorical question. She already knew that the answer wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"He put the sword against her throat. He demanded that she apologize. And I think... I think he was prepared to do her really hurt. I don't know, maybe it was just my imagination. Worst of all, I don't know him, I've never seen him in my life, not even in passing. And yet, he got so angry about what she had done to me, as if he were family. Or something." She shook her head slightly. Her eyes were wide open and vulnerable. "I don't understand."

Yang stayed serious, quiet.

"Although I haven't seen that, I don't think he wanted to hurt her. And most likely, little sister, that boy fell in love with you as soon as he saw you. Love at first sight."

"Huh?" Ruby got almost as red as his cape. Almost. "Wh-what are you...? What are you saying?"

"He was probably just trying to impress you. You know," she winked at her "win your heart. Boys usually do stupid things for the girls they're in love with. It's nothing to worry about excessively."

Ruby pursed her lips, bowed her head.

"Do you really think so?"

Yang put a hand on her shoulder, squeezed.

"I'd bet on it. So tell me everything you know about the boy who might become part of the family. Is he cute? What's his name?

"I suppose he was," she muttered after a while. In such a low voice that it was difficult for him to decipher what she was saying at that distance. "I don't know. I've never thought much about that sort of thing." Her face lit up slightly. To him, that simple change was as beautiful and significant as the sunset. "But he told me his name. Jaune Arc."

"Humm, it doesn't ring a bell. Cheer up, that probably means he's not another smug asshole."

Ruby nodded. She looked better now, but didn't seem entirely convinced about him. Despite Yang's efforts to reassure and encourage her. He could not blame her for that, however. He had screwed up. And there was no one who could help him get get out of that hole. As always.

As always since...

Since never. He didn't have to remember that now.

Not now, not ever.

Looking around, with a heavy heart in his chest, he saw Weiss in the crowd. She was looking at Ruby and Yang. But especially Ruby. It seemed that she had not learned the lesson, that he would have to be more clear with it. He was not going to let her bother Ruby again. Especially not now that he had discovered that her older sister wasn't really that bad and they were having a nice time together.

Fortunately for Weiss Schnee, she didn't move an inch. She didn't make the biggest mistake of her life. He could relax. Try not to think about what he didn't have to think about and wait patiently for Headmaster Ozpin's arrival to deliver the welcoming speech.

All while he felt impatient, almost in agony, as if his skin was red-hot.

He had to make things right with her. No matter the costs.

Author's Note

This is just a translation. The original version is already complete and in Spanish. If anyone is interested in being a beta reader for this little project, sent me a private message. I would appreciate the help.