CHAPTER 1
The elevator gently came to a halt. The chrome door silently slid open. Dark sapphire eyes hurriedly scanned the spacious office.
"Ah, Mister Arc," a calm voice called from across the room, "so good of you to come on such short notice!"
Jaune Arc stepped out of the elevator, the doors shutting with a near inaudible click. The tension seemed unbearable, the only audible sound coming from the young man's dress shoes clicking along the floor as he made his way towards the desk at the far end of the room. "You wanted to speak with me, sir?"
"Yes, please take a seat," the headmaster gestured towards the wooden chair across from him. Jaune sat down, attempting not to slouch too much in order to avoid wrinkling his black suit. The headmaster noticed the boys rigidity and untied necktie and let out a small chuckle. "Hot date tonight?" Jaune laughed and scratched the back of his head, a habit the headmaster noted the boy always had when nervous.
"Ehh, not quite. Ruby decided she wanted us all to have one last outing before graduation," the blond boy rambled, "then Weiss decided we should all go somewhere fancy and then I had to spend half the money I had to buy this stupid suit, money I was going to use to buy a ring for Y-"
"How is Miss Xiao Long doing?" Headmaster Ozpin interrupted, knowing if he hadn't then the young man in front of him would have kept rambling.
Jaune's face lit up at the mention of the woman he loved, drawing a wide smile across his face. "She's doing amazing, sir. I think she is more excited about graduation than anyone else. She can't wait to finally be a licensed huntress."
"And how about yourself Mister Arc?" The headmaster leaned forward in his chair and steeped his fingers in front of his mouth, his face taking on as sudden air of mystery. "Have you put any thought on what you will be doing after graduation?"
Jaune's smile faltered slightly but remained. "Well, I'm probably just gonna take some odd hunting jobs close the city, maybe move closer to home."
"And what of your team or team RWBY? What about Yang?"
"Well I hope we all keep in touch and I really hope she says yes. Whatever happens after that happens."
"Your two teams have been some of the biggest pains I've had since I've worked at this academy. All of your crazy antics during these past few years, your insane pranks, THE FOOD FIGHTS!" Jaune's smile fell completely, his face contorting into a look of shock and disappointment at suddenly being under the intense scrutinizing eye of the headmaster. "However," Ozpin continued, "with the things you eight have done, the challenges you have overcome, the hardships you have all managed. From stopping the breach and the attempted attack on our great academy in your first year to all the accomplished missions and saved lives during every year after, you all have become some of the greatest students to ever walk these halls. You especially Mister Arc. I personally see you as one of my greatest accomplishments. From you bumbling teenager that could barely swing a sword properly to proud young huntsman that can lead a village of civilians and huntsman alike against a siege of Grimm. When I heard you lead that charge Mister Arc, I couldn't stop telling Professor Goodwitch how wrong she initially was about you." The headmaster could barely hide the small grin that crossed his face as the young Arc stuck his chest out and slightly raised his chin in pride. "That is why, Mister Arc, I am offering you this job opportunity now."
Jaune's eyes widened and his jaw fell slack. "Job opportunity?"
"Yes, there has been a large increase in Grimm activity in Vacuo in the last year or so, as well as a large number of White Fang attacks."
Jaune leaned forward, now more intrigued about what the headmaster was telling him than worried about wrinkling his suit. "White Fang, sir? Wouldn't that be the military or the police force's job to handle them?"
"Normally it would be, yes, however it is believed that the White Fang possesses a machine that can allow them to, not necessarily control Grimm but lead them to attacking wherever the White Fang wishes. It is believed that they used a prototype version during the Vytal Festival attack three years ago. If they have a working version now, this could spell disaster for the Kingdom's."
"What would my job be exactly, sir?"
Ozpin leaned back in his chair. "Your job would be to assist a seasoned huntsman gather information on and disrupt the White Fang's operations as well as doing your duty as a huntsman and protecting the people of Vacuo from the creatures of Grimm. I will not lie to you, Mister Arc. This will be a long, lonely assignment. You will be forced to keep whatever you find out a secret from everyone but your contact. You will be far from home, you will not have any contact with your loved ones and you may not survive. No one can know where you are, what you are doing or who you are doing anything with. One breach in security can be catastrophic to the mission or could lead the White Fang to your loved ones. They are terrorists Mister Arc, they are not above kidnapping and murder."
Jaune's head fell forward, eyes peering down to the floor between his shoes, shaggy blond hair draping his face in shadow. "Why would it have to be me?"
"The White Fang are well aware of Team RWBY. After they helped nearly eradicate the Vale branch of their organization, I'm sure every Fang operative has their faces committed to memory with a kill on sight order directly underneath. As for your team, Mister Ren and Miss Valkyrie are nearly inseparable and Miss Nikos is still learning how to hone her newly acquired….abilities."
A quiet sigh escaped the blonde's lips as he raised his head up finally looking the headmaster in the eyes again. "Why me though? Why not some actual hunter," his voice gradually got louder before turning into a loud angry yell. "Why not Team CFVY? Why can't I bring someone with me?! Why do I have to do this by myself?!" His breathing became ragged and heavy, his chest heaving in anger.
"Team CFVY is currently split across the entire continent of Anima on the same job you are being offered. They haven't had contact with one another since the night after they graduated. You once told me you became a huntsman so you could become a hero. This is your chance."
Jaune's head fell down again and remained there for several seconds. He then quietly raised his head and stood. "Can I have some time to think about it?"
Ozpin kept a calm façade as his hands dropped from his face to his to the side of his chair and grabbed his cane. Using the desk to support himself, he stood and hobbled around the desk toward the elevator across the office, gesturing for Jaune to follow. "Of course you can have time Mister Arc, but I will need to know by tomorrow night." He pressed the button on the wall and waited for the elevator to rise. "People will keep dying Mister Arc….Jaune. Regardless if they have that machine or not, the White Fang kills indiscriminately. They used to kill under the guise of faunus equality now they do not care if your Faunus or human. If you do not agree with them that faunus are superior, they will murder you. The kingdom's do not agree with them so they will try everything in their power to tear down the governments and replace them. We got lucky during the breach. Very few people died. We won't be so lucky the next time." As the headmaster finished speaking, the elevator arrived with a light ding. The chrome door slid open revealing a dark haired man sipping from a silver flask. Noticing the eyes watching him, he lowered the flask and walked into the office. Reaching out to shake Jaune's hand, Ozpin sent him on his way with a reminder to tell no one what had been discussed. The dark haired man patted the blond on the shoulder as he walked by and muttered a quick greeting. The elevator door shut again and all was quiet in the office once more. For a matter of seconds, anyway. The dark haired man let out a loud cough.
"You're sending Jaune with me?"
Ozpin let out a quiet sigh and hobbled to the coffee pot behind his desk. "Yes Qrow, if he agrees, he will be going to Vacuo with you."
"Poor kid," Qrow said before taking a seat at the desk, leaning back and propping his boots on the corner.
Ozpin returned to his seat with a mug of fresh coffee, blowing on it lightly to cool it. "Mister Arc is stronger than he believes. I've seen him do things I haven't seen some of the most experienced hunters do. His team was always one of the best at reconnaissance missions. He'll be more than valuable to you in the field."
Taking a long sip from his flask, Qrow chuckled and exclaimed, "I ain't talkin' about him, I'm talking about Yang! They've been together for nearly 3 years now and she won't shut up about the big 'M' word! She's gonna be devastated!"
Ozpin stared blankly into the dark brown liquid in his mug and sighed. "Young love."
x
Well, this is my first fic. I can't say I'm the best writer in the world and I can't say this is the most original story (I actually got the idea from multiple fics I've read in the past and kinda wanted to throw my own touch onto). If you read it and think it's pretty decent, leave a review and I'll keep writing it. If not, thats cool too, I'll probably just write it for myself.