It's been a few days since the fall of Beacon, there was a worldwide communication blackout with the fall of Vale's CCT. Everyone who was present during the Vytal Festival were still at the safe zone that Professor Goodwitch had established in the kingdom.
"H-hey Jaune." Sun Wukong, a student from Haven Academy, carefully approached the moping Arc. "Food's being distributed." He offered as he put his right hand on the human's left shoulder.
"I'm not hungry." Jaune muttered his answer, but enough for Sun to hear.
"C'mon Jaune, you need to eat." Sun persisted. "It's been a few days since the invasion happened, we can't have another person bedridden here."
"I said I'm not hungry Sun! So leave me alone!" Jaune hissed as his hands balled into fists.
This time he heeded the Arc's request and left him alone.
"How's he?" Weiss asked as she approached Sun.
"Still out of it, I'm afraid." Sun answered. "Pyyrha's disappearance must have been too much for him." He continued.
"Makes sense, she was his partner and trainer." Weiss stated. "Don't tell anyone this but if anyone on my team were missing, I don't know what I'd do." She admitted. "I'm just lucky Yang only lost her arm and Blake and Ruby are unconscious." She finished.
"I think there's more to that though." Sun shared. "Something happened to him, to the both of them, I can feel it." He continued. "The question is what." He finished.
"I see." Weiss muttered. "Would make sense though." She continued.
"What? What do you know?" He asked, curious and worried.
"Sorry Sun but its just mere speculation and I may be wrong about this." She apologized. "Besides it isn't my story to tell." She explained.
"I see, do me a favor and give this to him." He said as he handed her a ration bar. "It won't do well for him to be starved to death. I'm sure Ren and Nora would still need their team leader once they wake up."
"Sure." She chose to deliver the favor. "But Sun, How're you holding up?" She asked.
"Honestly? I feel like shit." He admitted. "Scarlet and Sage are still unconscious after being thrown away by Atlas robots. Neptune's with them, he may be conscious but he's still recuperating." He explained.
"And you still found time to keep an eye on Team JNPR." Weiss stated.
"I won't bore you with the details but I understand what Jaune's feeling." He admitted. "Been there before. I think Jaune needs to eat now." He forced a smile at Weiss and left her all to herself.
He's probably going to check on his team's condition.
Weiss then approached the moping Arc. "Hey Jaune."
"I SAID I'M NOT HUNGRY!" Jaune yelled and faced the person bothering him, only to face the woman of his affections… Before. "Weiss." He muttered before slumping down once again and turned his back on her.
"Jaune, you need to eat." Weiss persisted as she revealed the ration bar that she was holding. "It won't be good if you'd get sick or die of starvation." She explained.
"Since when did you care Weiss?" The Arc hissed. "All I am to you is a nuisance right?"
"J-jaune no." The Schnee tried to deny his accusation. "I don't think you're a nuisance."
"Yeah, yeah. Just leave me alone will you." The blonde sighed, too tired to even say something in return.
"Just… just eat this when you get hungry alright?" Weiss said as she put the bar beside the boy and left.
Time passed and the ration bar that Weiss left to Jaune remained untouched as the Arc sat there, unmoving. He's still grieving about the events that led to Pyrrha's disappearance. He touched his lips, the part where she kissed him silence, this was the last thing he had shared with her.
"Well, well Arc. I see you have another ration bar." Sky Lark, a member of team CRDL, stated as he approached the really down blonde.
"What do you want Lark." Jaune stated lifelessly.
"Oh nothing really, I just want to remind you that no one is allowed more than two ration bars per meal." He reminded as he bent down and retrieved the lone ration bar by Jaune's side.
"No, that's my share Lark." He stated. "Weiss gave it to me."
"I don't know Arc, you don't exactly look like a trustworthy person now." Sky stated. "You were with Professor Ozpin and Nikos and somehow the headmaster and the four time Mistral Champion goes missing and you're here talking to me." He continued. "Considering your entrance to Beacon, I'd say you just bailed and ran away, leaving both Nikos and Professor Ozpin to fend for themselves." He finished.
"What did you say?" Jaune muttered darkly, his hands balled into fists.
"Are you deaf Arc? I said, you left both Nikos and Professor Ozpin to die." Sky repeated his point.
Without as much of a second thought, Jaune drew his sword and started flailing Crocea Mors towards the person jeering at him.
Unsurprisingly, the Lark was able to dodge the Arc's feeble attacks with ease.
"AAAARGH!" Jaune screamed as he continued his attacks on Sky.
"Jaune!" Weiss immediately used her glyphs and immediately stopped his sword.
"Get away Weiss." Jaune hissed. "It's time I teach this punk a lesson." He yelled.
"Wow Arc, you trying to fight? Now that you left your guardian angel to die?" Sky taunted. "Pathetic."
"Lark." Weiss hissed.
In anger, Jaune let go of his sword and dashed straight towards his bully. With his hands balled into fists, he immediately used his right fist and attempted to punch Sky's face all the while yelling.
Keyword being attempted.
Jaune's fist made contact with Sun's palm. He took the punch and defended Sky from the raging Arc. "Sky Lark, Professor Goodwitch is calling for you." He stated as he forced Jaune's enclosed fist down.
"And yes, that is Jaune's share, Weiss gave it to him." Sun grabbed the ration bar from the Lark's hand. "And No, Jaune hasn't even eaten since the safe zone was established."
"Sky, dude! Professor Goodwitch's looking for you!" Russel shouted as he approached his teammate.
Sky just clicked his tongue and walked away from the scene.
This left Russel confused at the action. "What just happened?"
"Nothing to worry about Thrush." The Schnee replied as she dispelled her glyph. "Don't you have other things to do?" She let out a rhetorical question.
"Oh right!" Russel realized then he dashed away to where his presence was needed.
"Why the fuck did you stop me!" Jaune hissed. "They needed to be taught a lesson!" The blonde continued.
"On what grounds Jaune?" Weiss retorted. "For disrespecting Pyrrha?" She continued.
She can't bear to watch her goofy, albeit sometimes insufferable, friend. She had seen how the Arc grew from the bumbling fool that he was during initiation to the man he was at the tournament. To see him regress to this state was something she can't tolerate.
"For hurting your feelings?" She continued her harsh tirade. "Let's not forget how you completely disregarded my feelings when I already said no to you. You didn't see me trying to gut you." She finished.
"YOU DON'T FUCKING UNDERSTAND?!"
"THEN HELP US UNDERSTAND!" Sun shouted in reply, frankly getting frustrated at how his friend was acting
"SHE FUCKING SHOVED ME IN THE LOCKER AND SENT ME AWAY!" Jaune shouted his answer. "SHE DID THAT AFTER SHE FUCKING KISSED ME!"
Weiss gasped at the Arc's words.
"She fucking kissed me!" It was this time that Jaune broke down. He cried and wailed in grief.
Jaune's hands found their way towards the Schnee's shoulders as he slumped on the ground, crying his heart out.
"She kissed me." He continued to speak in the middle of his hiccups. "I tried to stop her. I tried to stop Pyrrha from fighting Cinder but she just kissed me."
He knows for sure that both Ozpin and Pyrrha are as good as dead. He saw how powerful that woman was. He knows this because the woman against her bout against Beacon's headmaster. He knows that she got even more powerful.
"She's dead Weiss!" The Arc wailed. "Because I failed that she's dead."
"Jaune…" No words would come out of Weiss's mouth after hearing all that she heard. She knew of Pyrrha's affection towards the Arc.
"Jaune, she made her choice." Sun began. "She could've ran with you, she could've squeezed herself inside of the locker with you." Sun continued his spiel. "But she chose you save your life, in a way she entrusted you with this life." The blonde faunus kneeled in front of the leader of Team JNPR and put a comforting hand on the Arc's shoulders. "Don't waste it." He finished.
With that, Sun promptly left Weiss to comfort the guilt-ridden Arc.
Jaune continued to sob on Weiss's shoulders, as she comforted him like a good friend would.
"Things will be fine Jaune, it'll be fine." Weiss muttered. "It may not go back to the way it used to, but it'll be fine." She comforted.
Moments later, Jaune fell asleep on the Schnee's shoulders, fatigue finally caught up with him.
Weiss was about to board a bullhead headed for Atlas. Her father came to retrieve her and she can't do a thing about it.
Seeing her off was Jaune Arc. The person she was infuriated since the initiation. The person who couldn't take a hint. The only person who came to see her off as her teammates were either unconscious or incapable of doing so.
"Hey Weiss." Jaune smiled sadly at her. "I guess this is goodbye huh."
"Yeah, for now." She responded.
"Sorry." He apologized.
"For what?" She asked.
"Sorry about Blake." He stated.
"Don't worry about it." Weiss started. "Yang might take an issue about it, but she'll realize that she can't do this on her own." She continued. "And if you meet her do let her know that Team RWBY won't hesitate to help her." She finished. "I'm sure that's what Ruby would want."
"And for everything." He looked at the ground, as if he was ashamed of something. "For constantly hounding you with love proposals and the like."
"That's okay Jaune." Weiss replied as she smiled. "Do know that you aren't a bad friend." She continued. "And not a bad team leader."
"Yeah." He smiled sadly. "If it's any compromise, I promise not to get in your way when you and Rwby meet." He promised. "But for the meantime, the rest of the team will be looking out for her." He finished.
"I'm counting on you for that."
"Yeah."
And with that Weiss boarded the bullhead and soon after the vessel floated with Atlas as its destination.
Jaune turned around and saw Blake revealed herself.
"Are you sure about this Blake?" He asked the girl.
"It's because of me that Yang's hand was cut off." Blake reasoned out. "Its best if I stay away from the team." She concluded.
"You heard what Weiss said." Jaune began. "If you need help, they'll come running to you."
"I'm sure Yang will be disappointed so I doubt that." Blake rebutted. "But the words were comforting nonetheless." She stated.
She turned her back at the Arc
"This is goodbye Jaune." She said as she ran.
"You sure you aren't going to stop her Sun?" Jaune stated as Sun appeared beside him with the rest of Team SSSN appearing behind the two of them.
"It's her choice." Sun stated. "But if she does need help, like Team RWBY, we'll come running."
And with that Sun and Jaune separated ways.