Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY, nor the idea for this.
Black and White. That's how Jaune Arc saw the world. Not in a figurative sense, with only good and evil. No, Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White. No colours, nothing but those two stark contrasts. His parents often talked about colours, how Jaune's eyes were a beautiful blue, how he and his sisters all shared the same hair colour, but it didn't mean anything to him. He didn't even know what "Black and White" meant. Nothing but meaningless words to him, concepts he couldn't understand.
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
Jaune's father was a hero. His grandfather was a hero. His great-grandfather was a hero. So on and so forth. Their blades defended the helpless. Their might upheld the weak, their words spoke only truth. Their wrath undid the wicked. But Jaune Arc was no hero. He didn't have their skill, didn't have their courage. He had no talent.
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
He desperately wanted to be a hero. He wanted to save people, fight off the horrors that were the Creatures of Grimm. So he did something that he knew was wrong. He forged his documents to attend the prestigious school known as Beacon. He knew it was wrong. Knew that was not what his father would do, knew that his grandfather, and great-grandfather would never do. But Jaune was desperate to be a hero.
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
He told his parents that he was going. They told him not to worry. They told him that it didn't matter if he made it or not. That hurt him. Hurt him deeply. Made him all that more determined to succeed. He took up the family sword and shield. He bid farewell to his parents, to his sisters. They didn't want him to go, but he didn't listen.
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
Beacon. The academy that all Huntsmen and Huntresses in training aspired to attend in all Vale. He had made it! Of course, the first thing he managed to do on the way there was throw up on a pretty girl's shoes. Ugh. He dashed towards the nearest trashbin and emptied his stomach. But he would not be deterred. He would be a hero!
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
Jaune had done it! He had helped someone! Of course, it was just helping them up off the ground, but he had actually been able to help someone, no matter how little it seemed! The girl introduced herself as Ruby Rose. She was...unique, to say the least, but he didn't mind. Strangers were just friends you hadn't met yet, as his mother used to say. And he didn't mind having a friend in this strange place, no matter how eccentric she was.
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
"-like tall, blond, and...scraggly over there?" That almost slipped by him. In fact, it would have, had the girl not pointed at him. He forgot that people referred to him as a blond. But what would he say? He didn't know what blond was! Well, play it cool. Confidence, Jaune, confidence! "I'm a natural blond, you know." The girl rolled her eyes and turned her back to him. His face fell slightly, but he perked up. Maybe she'd be more open tomorrow.
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
Her outfit had a snowflake on it. It took a while for him to notice, but he did nonetheless. And her face was beautiful. He'd never seen a girl like her before, even if he didn't know what colours were, or why people talked about them. She looked like an angel. Hmm...snowflakes mean snow, and she was a beautiful as an angel. Ah-ha! "Not in the slightest, Snow Angel." Perfect! Or not, as Jaune soon found out, impaled to a locker by his hoodie. Ruby and her sister, whom Jaune recognized as the girl whose shoes he threw up on, arrived, and Ruby helped him out.
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
Initiation! An exciting time for those training to become Huntsmen and Huntresses. However, Jaune was confused. What were they supposed to be doing? A cliff spread out before them, with no way down. And...did the headmaster just say something about landing strategies? Before he could inquire further, he was sent screaming through the sky, helpless and clueless.
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
Jaune watched with dejection as the Snow Angel left, taking Ruby with her. He was stuck to a tree, alone and without a way down. Suddenly, there, a voice below him! The girl from before, Pyrrha. She smiled up at him, and asked if he still had any spots left on his team. He grumbled at first, but relented with a smile in return. At last, he had a partner!
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
The branch hit him hard, knocking him over, scratching his face. Pyrrha apologized, and he laughed it off. She asked him about Aura. He was clueless, but afraid. What if he made a fool of himself by admitting it? What if she left him due to his lack of knowledge? Confidence Jaune, confidence! Bluff your way out, get her to give you the information you need! That would work!
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
They came to a cave, where Jaune was sure the relic would be hidden. What better place for a prestigious academy such as Beacon to hide something that would allow potential students to pass? Genius! He quickly made a torch, and despite his partner's misgivings, entered the cave. "Pyrrha, I made the torch. Could you at least humor me for, like, maybe five more feet?" And then he tripped, and the cave went dark.
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
Jaune Arc was flying. It was always man's dream to grace the skies, to be free from their world and the restrictions gravity placed upon them. Except Jaune wasn't flying under his own free will. He was careening through the air under the power of a Deathstalker, who had flung him off its tail in irritation. He screamed, flailing helplessly, until he crashed into Ruby Rose, who was falling from the sky. They both flew into a tree, where Jaune hung upside down, smiling sheepishly to the young girl.
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
He picked up the relic, the real one this time, and the eight ran, the Grimm behind them. The Nevermore flew past them, and landed on the other side of the bridge, challenging them with a screech. Jaune and Pyrrha hid behind a pillar together, and the Deathstalker came up behind them. "Oh man, run!" he yelled, and they ran. The Deathstalker charged, and his partner urged him forward, staying behind to open fire on the beast with two others. As the group crossed the bridge, the Nevermore smashed through it, separating everyone. Jaune looked back to the three fighting the Deathstalker, and rallied the energetic girl to help them.
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
They fought the beast together, Jaune, his partner, the other boy, and his friend. During the battle, the Deathstalker's stinger came loose, and Jaune pointed it out to Pyrrha, whose shield severed it. He then had the girl, Nora, smash it into its head, sending them flying over it, destroying the bridge in the process. He then turned and watched in awe as Ruby dispatched the Nevermore, taking its head completely off. One day, he'd be able to do that!
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
Jaune lined up along with the other three as Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon, called out their names. "The four of you retrieved the White Rook pieces. From this day forward, you shall work together as Team JNPR, led by...Jaune Arc!" He was surprised by this. Him? Team leader? Anxiety, pride, fear, and joy flashed through him. And then Pyrrha gave him a friendly punch to the shoulder, knocking him over, her face apologetic. Him, Jaune Arc, leader of Team JNPR. He was one step closer to becoming a hero!
For Jaune Arc saw the world in Black and White.
Team JNPR. Second strongest team among the first years. They had been through a lot during their time at Beacon. They had gotten closer as a team, and went through some hardships together. Jaune confided his worst insecurities and fears to Pyrrha, who didn't judge him, and continued to believe in him, staying by his side not as the Pyrrha Nikos, but his partner and friend. She gave him the courage and support his family hadn't. It was no exaggeration that she was the very first person to believe him in, and encourage him to follow his dreams.
And for the first time in his life, Jaune Arc beheld the world in colour.
The sky was blue. The grass was green. His hair was blond. His eyes were blue. Ruby's hair was black with red tints. Yang was blond. Weiss' hair was white. Blake's hair was black. Ren had a pink streak in his hair. Nora's hair was orange. Pyrrha had red hair and green eyes. He adored her hair colour, adored her eyes. She was beautiful in every regard.
"Pyrrha, look!"
"I-it's an apple, Jaune."
"I know! And it's red! Just like your hair! And this one! It's green! A green apple! Just like your eyes!"
He knew she didn't understand just why he was so excited, rushing to and fro, but she laughed anyway, even as he did. She thought he was just being silly, trying to make her laugh. No, his joy was genuine, even if her laughter was the most beautiful thing he ever heard. That was a bonus.
Red! Blue! Green! Black! Yellow! Pink! Colours! Words that had no meaning to him for seventeen years were now so vivid! He could understand their meanings! What they were, what they meant! And it was all because of her. Pyrrha Nikos.
He couldn't explain just how he knew it was because of her. He just knew. She had brought colour to his life, quite literally. But it brought him joy to no end. How he wished he could describe it to her! But he was hesitant to. Would she believe him? How could he even prove it? Should he?
He wasn't sure, and in the end, he decided not to tell her.
Jaune began training with Pyrrha nightly to better improve himself, and to spend more time with her. She was leagues better than him, but she never boasted or held it over him, and he was improving, bit by bit.
They talked a lot on that rooftop. She told him about her life, how she grew up in Mistral. She talked about her family, the stories her mother told her. She talked bitterly about how she was a champion, undefeated, and how difficult it was to make friends. To find someone her saw her for herself.
Jaune talked about his own family. He told her about his seven sisters, his mother, and his father. He told her stories that his grandfather and great-grandfather had told him. Tales of heroics, battles that were, quite literally, talked about as legends in history books.
They both shared their secrets, their insecurities, their hopes. And on that night, before the Vytal Festival was to began, Jaune decided to share with Pyrrha his biggest secret.
"Pyrrha, have you ever wondered why I love colours so much?"
"A few times, yes. It's almost the one thing you're the most passionate about, almost more so than becoming a Huntsman."
"Would you like to know why?"
"Eh?"
"Do you want to hear about why I love colours so much, why I take it upon myself to compliment you each day on the colour of your hair, and eyes?"
"...Yes, I do."
So Jaune told her. He told her about the agony of seventeen years living without colour. He talked about how confused he was whenever someone talked about the colour of various objects. He was bitter when he told her about how hard it was to hide this secret from his family, afraid of how they'd react, scared of what would happen.
"And then, that night you encouraged me, that night you told me you believed in me. That was the very first time I ever saw colours, Pyrrha. I mean it, very literally, when I say that you brought colour into my life."
"I..."
"So I mean it, deeply, when I say this; Thank you, Pyrrha. Thank you."
The boy embraced the girl, and after a few minutes of shocked silence from her, she slowly returned the embrace, a warm smile on her face.
The Vytal Festival was probably the most important event Jaune ever attended, and it was all because he was dazzled by all the colours around him. He was as giddy as a child, as excited as Nora herself. The others, sans Pyrrha, didn't understand it, but chalked it up to him never having attended a festival before. Only Pyrrha knew better, and she laughed at his eagerness.
He ran about with Nora, both of them playing a game. Whoever could name the most colours on the tents and flags won, and would have to pay for lunch. Nora won, of course, and Jaune, though slightly disappointed, was pleased to have learned the names of colours he didn't recognize.
"What colour is that?" He asked Pyrrha, pointing to a flag. It was a slight shade of red, but one he didn't recognize.
"That's called Alizarin crimson." His partner replied with a smile.
"And that one?" He asked, pointing to the object in question.
"Wenge." She said.
"That one."
"Xanadu."
This continued for some time as the two strolled through the fairgrounds, admiring the colours. Pyrrha never realized just how much she took them for granted until she talked with Jaune, and asked him about it.
"So, you saw the world in nothing but shades of black and white?" She had asked him.
"It's nothing that simple. Before, I didn't even know what those words were, let alone what they meant. I didn't know if everyone saw the same as me, or if there was something wrong with me. Everything looked the same. My sisters and I all looked alike, even as they pointed to our hair and said 'blond'."
But now, he could see in colour. He adored them, and he was akin to a child when he learned a new colour and its name. No colour or shade was ugly to him. He loved them all.
"What is that?" He gasped, stopping and pointing, mouth open. Pyrrha turned, and cringed, wincing at the harsh colour that stabbed at her eyes.
"That," she said with a wince, "Is called Neon Pink."
Jaune stared at it in awe, and Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh. Even with his quirks, such as this one, Pyrrha still cared for him, deeply.
The Vytal Festival was well underway, and with so many foreigners around, Jaune was able to see new colours and commit them and their names to memory. The next time he and Nora faced off, he would win!
Even food seemed to taste better now that he could make out their colours. Jaune was truly happy, for the first time in his life. Nothing could be better.
Then, everything went wrong.
He watched in horror as Yang turned and punched her downed opponent without provocation. Pyrrha began to act strangely, her smile gone, her eyes sad. She used her Semblance on him, smashing him into a pillar, before running away in tears, leaving him confused.
Then tragedy struck. Pyrrha killed another student, who was really a robot. Then the Grimm came in swarms, attacking and destroying the city. He fought valiantly with his comrades, grateful for his training with Pyrrha. He began to believe they could win.
Then he followed Pyrrha and Ozpin under the school. And everything changed. Something happened. There was a machine with a girl in it, comatose. Pyrrha got into a pod, and he was ordered to stand guard. And he did, he really did.
But then Pyrrha screamed in pain, and he turned around for just a few seconds, horrified and worried. And then an arrow flew, right into the comatose girl's chest, killing her. There, behind them, was a woman in red.
That moment was the first time Jaune hated a colour. And that colour was red.
Pyrrha's and his kiss lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity to him. Then, she shoved him into a locker, as he begged for her not to go, and sent him to safety, while she went to fight that monster in red alone.
When he landed, he instantly called Weiss Schnee. He begged her to save Pyrrha, she was all that mattered. He screamed and threw his scroll down, weeping, begging for Pyrrha to be safe. Begging whatever deity was listening to save Pyrrha, to allow Weiss to get there in time.
Then, suddenly, the world went back to black and white.
And the colours never returned.
Author's Notes: This was based off a conversation I saw from Tumblr (Yes, you might as well get that gasp of horror done and over with), and I felt inspired to write a oneshot based off it.
It was about if everyone saw the world in black and white until they met their soulmate, than they saw the world in colour, and if your soulmate died, everything went back to black and white. I liked the concept, so here it is! I actually had a MUCH different approach in mind, but wound up with this format after I started writing.
I hope you enjoy this, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.