Chapter 4

Jaune has changed. That was the forefront thought in Pyrrha's mind.

In the center of the training room, she and her two other teammates watched as their team leader mow down the practise droids with contemptible ease. The fact that he was not even using Crocea Mors to do the deed only amplified the strangeness of it all.

"Woohoo! Go, Fearless Leader!" Nora shouted from her left as she jumped up and down, fists pumping in the air.

Jaune paid her no heed, roaring as his fist smashed on another droid, making it fly, only to face another who was already launching its attack. A metallic fist impacted the young man's face, making Pyrrha wince, and the rest of the droids followed up on that. Swords came slashing, guns were shot, but if anything, their attacks only made him more incensed.

"Strange," Ren whispered from her right. She looked at him and saw him looking down at his scroll.

"What is?" Pyrrha asked.

"His Aura hasn't gone down," Ren explained. "Yang's Aura, even with her Semblance, takes dive with every hit. This… Rage, as Jaune calls it, seems to provide an additional protection over his Aura."

"Well, we can't expect his Semblance to be the same as Yang's, right?" Nora asked.

"That's the thing," Ren muttered, shaking his head. "I think Jaune was telling the truth. This isn't his Semblance. Or even Aura related at all."

Pyrrha frowned as she looked at her team leader once more.

Metal parts flew as robotic limbs as Jaune mowed through the thinning crowd, ending with one final droid downed on the ground. Before it could stand up, though, the blond mounted the machine and began pounding on it non-stop until Ren shouted, "Jaune, I thinks it's dead already!"

The blond blinked, eyes going to his teammates. Pyrrha noted that the sharpness of her leader's eyes lessened as he looked down on the broken, unmoving droid, breathing heavily before giving them a slow nod.

"Better," Red declared.

"Really?" Jaune asked as he walked towards them. "I still got hit."

"You beat off all the droids much faster this time," Ren countered. "However, it made me realize something."

"That is?"

"I think it's time to ask Yang to help you instead. My unarmed style doesn't suit you."

"What do you mean?" the blond asked as he finally reached them. Pyrrha handed him a bottle of water, which he drank from immediately. "Thanks."

"You're very welcome," she replied with a smile.

"You are far more direct in combat than I am," Ren continued. "I redirect attacks, dodge, but you tend to just blow through it, more comfortable in blocking or taking hits."

"Blocking?" Nora asked, confused. "What blocking?"

Jaune winced. "Maybe I should work on that."

"That is always a smart decision," Pyrrha offered.

His only reply was a smile.

Ren nodded. "Anyway, our styles are too different for me to teach."

"So… it's better if I ask Yang help on this?"

Ren nodded. "That is my recommendation."

Jaune frowned before nodding back. "I'll think about it."

Team JNPR made their way towards one of the benches in the room and after sitting down, Pyrrha began to distribute sandwiches that was still wrapped in plastic. Unwrapping his, Jaune took a few tentative bites, watching as the rest of his team ate theirs.

There was a moment of peace, the only sound being made was Nora who took to chewing hers quite enthusiastically as she mumbled a bunch of things before declaring she wanted pancakes.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha called.

"Hmm?" he mumbled, glancing at her as he chewed.

She took a breath. "You've… never really talked about this… Rage of yours. I guess I'm just a little confused. Why haven't you used it before?"

"Ooh!" Nora exclaimed. "I wanna know too!"

Jaune looked at both of them before glancing at Ren. The only other male member of their team shrugged, making the blond leader frown.

"You don't have to talk about it," Pyrrha declared hurriedly.

"No, it's okay, I guess," Jaune said. He looked back in front of him, at the arena where the scene of destruction was still evident. "Remember when I said I got sick before?"

All three nodded.

"That's because I… awakened?" Jaune frowned. "I guess that's a good word for it. That's because I awakened the Rage. It's silly, now that I think about it."

"What was?" she asked.

"How it started." Jaune took a sip of water before sighing. "My oldest sister was going to be a full-fledged Huntress at that time. Early, in fact. And my third oldest sister was also about to enter the Academy in Atlas for her first term. I… well, you could say I really looked up to them. I wanted to be like them and my parents. I wanted to be a Huntsman, to help people. So I went to my local combat school, and pretty much demanded them I enter a year early.

"Imagine a twelve year old me telling everyone that I was the best thing since Dust discovery. I attracted attention from a particularly hot-headed first year. Insults were thrown. Then fists shot out as well. I knocked him down pretty easily."

Jaune then suddenly laughed. "It may sound unbelievable, but I was faster and stronger compared to those of my age. And it probably helped that the older kid hadn't unlocked his Aura yet anyway. So, there he was, laying on the ground, crying, and I just… rubbed salt on the wound. Told him he was too weak to be a Huntsman and he should quit."

"Wow," Nora said, looking at Jaune with big eyes. "You were Cardin when you were young?"

"Nora!" Pyrrha exclaimed.

"What?" the bubbly-girl asked, confused. "Sounds like Cardin!"

"Jaune said he didn't start the fight," Ren defended. "That already makes him different. Though I guess the arrogance isn't far off."

Jaune rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks, Ren." He sighed. "Anyway, the headmaster came out, complimented me a bit but told me they didn't accept early applicants. Nice guy, too, now that I think about it. He offered me to call my parents to pick me up. I just walked away, angry.

"So there I was, wandering around the town with a chip on my shoulder, when I was confronted by that boy again. This time, he brought help. An older brother, cousin, I'm not sure. And he didn't take me hurting the younger kid too well."

"You beat him up too?" Nora asked.

"Nope. Judging the way he tanked my hits, the older boy probably had his Aura unlocked." He shook his head. "Anyway, it was my turn to get the snot beaten out of me. And like I did earlier, the older kid began to insult me as well. I was already feeling angry, but when he mentioned how weak my family was since he did it so easily, even talking trash about my sisters, well… I lost it.

"My vision turned kinda orange-yellow. I felt the churling of my guts as well. I stood up, dashed at the older kid, and punched him as hard as I could. Broke his nose. Blood came out. It was… something new to me. The younger kid, when we fought, it was pretty much just bruises. Blood was… well, let's just say I wanted more. The two kids ran, scared. Most probably because I managed to punch through his Aura, maybe? I wanted to chase them, you know. But… that's when it hit me."

"What did?" Pyrrha asked.

"The sickness. My muscles suddenly felt weak. My bones felt cold. And I started coughing so violently that blood came out. I could barely stand, and I just tried to go home. I collapsed at some point, and when I woke up, I was back at home, at bed, surrounded by my worried family."

Jaune stood up and started pacing in front of his team. The rest of them looked at each other.

"You know, that day was supposed to be a party for my older sister that just graduated to being a Huntress. I completely ruined it with my selfishness. Instead of everyone being happy, everyone hovered over me like I was about keel over and die. My other sisters and mother were affected too as the sickness just got stuck with me. After a month of coughing blood and my body seizing up at times, I promised myself… never again."

Ren nodded in understanding. "That's what you meant a week ago, at the bathroom."

Jaune nodded. "I got better, thankfully. Just a few months before Beacon, in fact. I felt normal and I stopped coughing. But I was so afraid of getting that angry again. I would rather get hit, be hurt, then unleash that once more."

"But… you can use it now?" Nora asked.

"Mostly, yeah," the blond replied. "Father said it might because I'm older, or because I have my Aura unlocked. Apparently, it's something I inherited from his family."

"Ooh!" Nora declared standing up as well. "This is awesome! Jaune can finally beat anyone with that!" She paused before placing her index finger on her cheek. "Right? Well, maybe not Pyrrha, but…" Her eyes narrowed and looked at Jaune. "Hey, if we fight, who's gonna win?"

Jaune took a step back, raising his two hands defensively. "Whoa, there. I'm still not comfortable using it against people." He looked back at the practise arena "I think I still need more discipline and self control before using it on spars. Kinda lost it in the end there."

"Meditation might work," Ren suggested. "With the self control at least. That, I can help you with."

"Thanks, Ren," Jaune replied, smiling softly.

"So if you can control it, can we fight?" Nora asked, beaming.

"I—maybe?" Jaune replied, unsure. "I mean, it's not just control. I can't keep it up indefinitely. It tires me out for some reason."

Pyrrha nodded. "Understandable. I, too, used anger when I fought, especially during my earlier days in the Mistral Tournament." She looked at her leader. "I know that it's useful in combat, but it also comes with many drawbacks. I will make changes our training regiment, Jaune. I'll ensure that you can use this Rage effectively."

Jaune swallowed. "It's going to hurt, isn't it?"

"Yes," she replied with a beatific smile. "However, know that it only hurts because I care."

"Uh, well," Jaune muttered, scratching the nape of his neck, "maybe we should wait until Crocea Mors is done with its repairs? Right?"

Before Pyrrha could reply, Nora interjected, "Hey, isn't that due today?"

Jaune's eyes widened. "Wait, what time is it?" He scrambled towards his scroll, glancing at the holographic screen. "Crap! I'm late!" He looked at his team. "I'll meet you guys at class! See you all later!"

Watching him running towards the exit, the rest of team JNPR looked at each other, before they began smiling.

"There goes our leader," Ren said.

Pyrrha just looked at the back of Jaune. Yes, he has changed. He now was willing to accept help, not only from her but also from his team, and even opened up to them. Yet, he was still the same. She looked at the rest of her teammates, probably more united than before. She tipped the bottle water in her mouth, a small smile on her face. Things were going very well.

"Hey, hold on," Nora declared, frowning. "If Jaune was so sick until a few months before Beacon, that means he couldn't have attended combat school, right?"

Pyrrha choked on her water.

Ren nodded, suddenly looking contemplative. "True, and I doubt there's a Huntsman or Huntress that would take on an apprentice for such a short period of time."

"So… how did Jaune get enough credits to get accepted into Beacon?" Nora finished.

Well, shit, Pyrrha thought uncharacteristically.


Jaune was different. That was the forefront of Ruby's mind. Not completely different, she amended silently, watching him argue with the weaponsmith as they began to haggle the price.

"Oh come on, it was only ten minutes!" he exclaimed, raising his hands.

"Ten minutes," the weaponsmith said, crossing her arms across her chest, "one hour, one minute, one second, late is late."

"One second?" Jaune shouted in disbelief. He shook his head and pointed an accusing finger at her. "This is criminal! Criminal, I say!"

Ruby couldn't help but giggle. Jaune was still a cheapskate that he wasn't even willing to shell a measly one-hundred lien for a late fee.

Still, her eyes roamed at his back. He wasn't wearing his uniform today, and neither his usual black hoodie nor his armor. It was a simple white shirt, moist with sweat. She also noted that his back was broader now, and the muscles of his arm carried tension that were absent before.

"Fine!" Jaune muttered as he dug through his pockets before handing over the money. "Here!"

"Thanks for doing business," the weaponsmith replied with a big smile. "Give me a moment, and I'll have your weapon back."

When she disappeared to a room behind the counter, Jaune muttered inaudibly. Ruby took that moment to walk up to behind him, only to hear the last part of his rant.

"—why is there even a late fee anyway?"

"That's because the Smithy in Beacon doesn't have enough space to store a lot of weapons," Ruby replied, a small smile forming when Jaune almost jumped from his place before turning around. "The late fees are so they won't get bogged down with weapons that lazy students forget to claim."

"Ruby?" Jaune asked, then his eyes widened before looking behind her.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, glancing out behind her.

"Nothing in particular," he replied with a shrug.

Ruby just stared at him for a moment before shrugging. "So," she began slowly, "been a while, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked, looking at her confused.

"I mean, we don't hang out anymore," Ruby said.

"We saw each other yesterday."

"In class!" she countered, poking at his shoulder before blinking. She poked it again, eyes widening.

"Ruby?" Jaune called, frowning.

"Wow," she muttered before shaking her head. "Anyway! You!" Her index finger opted to just poke towards his face instead. "You stopped hanging out with us! Our teams don't even study together anymore. I kept waiting and waiting! Even today you and your whole team weren't in the library! What, are you guys too busy for us now, Vomit Boy?"

"As a matter of fact, Crater Face, we are," Jaune replied with an easy grin. "Training up for the upcoming Tournament, you know?"

"That's not an excuse!" Ruby declared, cheeks puffed as she began to poke the young man on his sides.

"Hey, cut it out!" he laughed, going to a defensive position.

"Nope!" Her arms blurred red as she used two of her hands now to continue her pointed attacks. "Not until you apologize for being a jerky-jerk and promise to hang out with us again!"

"I'll check with my schedule—ah, stop it!" Jaune gave out one more last laugh before trapping her arms with his. "Okay, okay," he said ruefully, shaking his head with a smile. "I'm sorry for being a jerky-jerk, okay? And yes, I'll make more time."

Ruby smiled, pink tingeing her cheeks. "Promise?"

"Promise," Jaune replied easily, letting go of her arms, but still taking a defensive stance. "Besides, I gotta ask Yang out anyway." He blinked before his mouth opened for a second before closing. "Okay, that… came out wrong."

Ruby giggled. "Are we expecting a return of Jaune, the singing sensation?"

"Nothing like that!" Jaune protested, shaking his head. "I'm… I guess I want to try my hand out with unarmed combat. Ren said her style suits me better, so… yeah." Then, his eyes narrowed. "Don't tell Yang I accidentally said I was going to ask her out."

"Cookies."

He glared at her. "Really?" He sighed dramatically. "Fine."

"The good ones, okay?"

"Yes, yes, the really nice, warm, gooey ones that make your insides tingle," Jaune promised.

"Good." She looked at him for a moment and frowned. "I really thought you were angry at us, Jaune."

He gave her a small, sad smile. "I'm not angry with you, you know."

"Just me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Then, her eyes suddenly widened. "It's Weiss, isn't it?"

Jaune grunted. "I don't want to talk about it."

Ruby looked away. "I'm… sorry, Jaune."

"Not your fault, Ruby," he replied softly.

Ruby looked at Jaune once more, trying to think of something to say, only for the two of them to jump when something heavy hit the counter behind Jaune.

"One sword with a transforming sheathe," the weaponsmith declared. She gave them both a sly look. "Not disturbing anything, am I?"

"Nope," both of them said, with Jaune's hands going towards his weapon. Ruby noted the blond's face as he held Crocea Mors, and blinked when she saw him smile, eyes closed, and head lifted high. For some reason, she got the impression that Jaune went somewhere far away.

"Ah, yes," Jaune said. He turned to the weaponsmith and nodded. "It's fixed. Thanks."

"Fixed?" Ruby asked.

Before Jaune could reply, the weaponsmith spoke, "Glad you liked it. Now get out of here."

Once the two stepped out of the shop, Ruby looked at Crocea Mors once more. "So… was it damaged when you fought your father last week?"

"Fought?" Jaune asked, looking away suspiciously. "Don't know what you're talking about."

"Really?" she asked with a knowing smile. "You come back to Beacon with low Aura and had to be brought to Medical. Plus Pyrrha mentioned she found you in a place that looked like a bomb went off. Come on, Jaune. I'm not an idiot, you know."

"Psh, of course not," he replied, rubbing Ruby's head a little too roughly that she had to shout.

"Hey!"

He laughed and moved away when she began to threaten him with her pokes once more. Once they finally settled down and began walking again, he continued. "Crocea Mors was incomplete."

"Whatcha mean?"

"There was actually another transformation it had, but the mechanism was broken." Jaune raised his sheathed sword and Ruby looked at it, confusion still in her eyes. Then, with simple motion, the sheath suddenly expanded, not to a full heater shield, but just enough to increase the width of the blade before they jerked upwards.

"Whoa!" Ruby declared, realizing the weapon was now broader and wider.

Jaune said nothing, just nodding at his weapon with a big smile.

Ruby stared at the her fellow team leader. Jaune was definitely different. However, she smiled, realizing that it was the good kind of different.


Everything was turning strange, Jaune thought as he and his team rushed towards Goodwitch's class.

The talk with Ruby, while good, also cut whatever free time Jaune had short. He had made a mad dash to his team's room after that, barely unlocking the door before he pushed it away roughly and went straight to the closet for a fresh uniform. For some reason, his teammates had been silent, maybe hesitant. Pyrrha had a solemn look on her face while Ren and Nora had stared at him strangely.

Still no one had said anything, which he was thankful for. They were already running late as it is.

When they arrived, their usual seats were occupied, but Ruby seemed to have taken the opportunity to make him keep his promise by waving at them, pointing at the four free seats next to her team.

"Finally! Front seats!" Nora declared as she climbed down the stairs. Jaune expected Ren to make a remark, but he only found him staring at him.

"What?" Jaune asked.

Ren opened his mouth, only to shake his head and follow his partner.

Jaune blinked, looking at Pyrrha, who was also shaking her head.

"Come on, Jaune," she had said.

As the two approached Team RWBY, he noted that Blake was reading a book, Yang giving him a friendly wave, while Ruby stood up and pointed at the other two free seats. He noted it was the farthest from the rest of them, farthest from Weiss and Neptune.

When he walked in front of the duo, his chest burned. He frowned for a moment, standing stiff for so long that Weiss finally deemed to face him, eyes narrowed.

"What do you want, Arc?" she asked, annoyed.

That fire burned even hotter, but he kept it from spreading with a deep breath. "Nothing, Schnee. Hey, Neptune."

Jaune moved once more, ignoring the surprised look he got from Yang, Blake, Weiss, and Neptune. He saw Ruby wince, but still gave him a small smile which he returned.

"Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked as they took their seat.

"Yes," Jaune replied neutrally, earning a worried look from her.

He stayed quiet, letting his team do the interacting with Ruby's, staring at the arena. His hand went to Crocea Mors and he found himself breathing easier as its song rang through his mind.

Forgive or ignore her, his father had said. Seeing her once more, feeling the fire being stoked deep inside his heart, he realized the former was easier said than done. That was fine. He could always try the latter. After all, he had more things to worry about than just one person.

Goodwitch walked up to the center of the arena, her eyes going towards him at once. "Mister Arc."

He looked up from the arena and at her. Her expression was stoic. "Yes, Professor Goodwitch?"

"I heard that the repairs on your weapon is done," she continued. "Are you able to participate in duels once more?"

Jaune found himself grinning. It was strange how Beacon felt different and changed. Before last week, he would always feel nervous when he was called to the arena, how his stomach would dive into a deep pit when he had to step forward.

Now, those were gone, replaced with a song on his head and fire at his heart. His reply came out so confident and so sure that it made a few people, more so those around him, blink.

"I'm ready to go whenever you want, Professor."

Yes, it was strange, but… he could work with that.