WELL I'M BACK. Sorry that I've taken so long. AP season is coming around, and school hasn't been kind to me. I'm mid-spring break right now, and I'm seeing more people follow this story, and I can't become that one person who's fic hasn't updated in years, when people wanna read it! So thank you guys, and like always, my editor, "MeTheAlmightyChickenLord", he's been incredibly helpful and patient. WIthout further ado, a coke in hand as I type, Chapter 4.

It'd been only a few days since the kiss, and It had certainly left a lasting impression on both of them, and while in the moment, that kiss had been, well, everything Jaune (and Ruby, of course,) could've hoped for, and more, it wasn't that easy to recover from. They never tell you, in fairy tales, what exactly happens after the "Happily Ever After Kiss". Jaune certainly didn't know what to do that night either...

Jaune and Ruby pulled apart slowly. There was a slight pause as they each took in everything about each other, the smallest details. It was clarity, and then, realization. Ruby turned a shade of red brighter than her iconic cape, and tripped over herself as she shot out of the room at the breakneck speed only she could achieve. Jaune stood, ready to chase after her, but the moment he stepped out into the carpeted red hallways, did the other members of team RWBY reveal their presence to him, and harshly as well. Their expressions alone offerred the juxtaposition that was uncommon in most teams. Yang, the natural older sister, looked furious, and ready to throw Jaune out the window, which he knew she would... Out the window, into a car, which would then drive off of a cliff. Weiss had an expression that Jaune found rather amusing. She looked rather uninterested, but she also put on a face that was somewhat compassionate. She probably wasn't so close to Ruby yet that she knew whether to care. He might've chuckled, if Blake's face hadn't been so terrifying. They say a cornered animal is the most dangerous kind, but anyone who said that had never met blake. To anyone else, the hand on her blade might've looked melodramatic, but team RWBY really was just that crazy... It took a few hours, but Jaune managed to keep his face (and balls, from the way Yang looked at him).

Still, even after her entire team talked to her, Ruby still could not face Jaune. It was one of those time where her iredeemable stubborness shone through. To be perfectly honest, he didn't mind. It wasn't that he hated Ruby, and he really did want to try, with her, but he felt incredibly conflicted. He hadn't even seen Ruby in that light until he knew. He'd thought about it sure, but she, like evryone else, seemed out of his league. Who knows? Maybe he did feel something for her before. Maybe not. Regardless, he did now. Whenever Jaune saw Ruby, he was met with the opposite of what Ruby was sure to be feeling now. He always felt happy seeing her, and the time they spent together was fun, but now, she'd shut herself out, away from him. She hardly looked at him. It's not like he could tell what she was thinking, but... It felt so different, so different from the Ruby he already knew, and the one he... well, the one he knew. He didn't like it, he missed the old, boisterous Ruby, constantly cracking jokes and doodling during class. Jaune didn't even know how to feel at this point. He felt lonely, guilty, even. He felt like if he hadn't been such a snoop, Ruby wouldn't be like this. To not know how someone feels about you is hell, but to not know how you feel about yourself is a fate far worse. It didn't quite help that he was absolutely clueless about women. Jaune only had the advice his father had given him before he left, and good old dad certainly didn't cover this. He thought that he and Ruby were now involved Romantically, but maybe, at the same time, they weren't? Nobody knew, not even them.

Jaune woke up early the next morning, but not because he wanted to. Lately, his body just kept telling him that he neded to be awake, and it was relentless. At this point, he just incorporated it into his daily routine. He'd observe everything, in the orange-tinted light of dawn. Ren slept as gracefully as he did while awake. Nora tended to snor loudly, something that made everyone glad that the campus store sold earplugs. Pyrrha, on the other hand, slept with the sheets covering he from her shoulders down, her toes just barely peeking out from under the covers.. It was surprisingly adorable. Jaune himself just lay sprawled over his bed, some sheets covering him, some not. He liked it that way. Sometimes he just enjoyed lying awake and watch the clock on the wall tick on, and on...

The morning passed as quickly as it normally did, that is to say, very slowly. Everyone was in high spirits today, luckily. Nora was just finishing one of her stories when Jaune sat down with them for breakfast. "...And so I threw him off the bridge."

Ren sighed dutifully, "Nora, you can't just throw people off bridges!"

"Well of course not, silly!" Nora giggled cheerfully, "That's why I broke his legs first!"

Ren just put his head down.

"What's wrong Reeeen? Did you not sleep well?"

Pyrrha just chuckled silently, remaining her graceful self. Jaune looked over to the table across from theirs. It looked like team RWBY had an early breakfast. Figured. They both knew that they'd have to face each other eventually, but Jaune wasn't too keen on it yet either. That morning, Jaune was able to eat breakfast happily with his teammates. As the days had gone by, he'd learned to cope with his emotions, and he was almost able to act normal again. Yet, he still felt frustrated- angry even. Still, Jaune knew better than to let this affect him. He couldn't let it bother him any more. Everyday, his team was counting on him as their leader, and strategist. He knwe that he wasn't the type to ever forgive himself if anything happened to them, and lately, Oobleck, Port, and Goodwitch kept having "Surprise Fieldtrips". Vigilance training, which Jaune would not let himeself fail.

Jaune had only attented his training sessions with Ozpin a few times before, only practicing basic sword play and shield work. Ozpin had constantly promised Jaune he'd grow stronger, and Jaune trusted Ozpin, after all, he had no reason not to. It was just that... He was growing impatient. Day after day passed, but things never changed. Cardin picked on him (Although more secretively since Pyrrha had gotten involved), he lost fights, and failed tests. He knew just what he was: A lovable idiot. He hated it. Jaune always thought to himself, "My father, grandfather, they were so cool... so strong..Can Professor Ozpin really teach me to be even halfway decent? DO I even have that in me? And what about him? I hardly even know what he can do." The little bit of Ozpin's fighting that he'd seen was so quick, he couldn't take it in. It'd been... Like the end of a curved dagger...

"Hey... Ren," Jaune whispered to his right.

"Yeah?" Ren Whispered back.

"Do think Professor Ozpin has a semblance?"

"Don't be stupid Jaune. All humans have Aura, and those who train can achieve semblance. Ozpin's very obviously trained."

"Yeah but... Man, he took down that beowolf like nothing!"

"That still? Sure, but that just means he's good, he's still human."

"You think so?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Maybe..."

"Jaune, you can't honestly expect me to believe that Ozpin isn't human."

"...But,"

"Jaune.:

"Look-"

"GENTLEMEN."

Professor Oobleck called them from the front of the room. Care to explain what's so incredibly important that you must hold such an extensive conversation over it in my class? He waited. Neither Jaune or Ren spoke, naturally. "Well if no one tells me in the next three seconds, the both of you can expect two weeks' detention!"

"Weeellll, Jaune and Ren were talking about how maybe the Headmaster isn't human! Maybe he's not, who knows, but that's what they were talkin' about, oooo maybe he's a snake- no- A lizard person! It explains everything! They're here!"

Professor Oobleck looked stunned. He had been out-hypered. Nora stood from behind the black-and-blonde duo and had been happy to pipe up what they'd been talking about in the least revealing way possible while also being completely ridiculous. Really something only she could do without ruining everything completely.

"R-Right, well, I can assure you the Headmaster is human. Silly children. Lizard people went extinct thousands of years ago."

Oobleck went on with his lesson.

Class ended and Jaune and Ren tussled with that argument a bit more before finally giving up and heading to their next class: Tactical Offense 101: Mission strategy and how to apply the chalkboard to the battlefield...

The sun was just setting when Jaune left his dorm. Everyone knew he was leaving, yet they all pretended not to notice. That's what Jaune like about his team. They were there for him when they knew he needed someone to be there for him, but when he had to do something alone. They let him. He'd have to pay them back one day. And he would, by leading them to be the best platoon there was. Better than RWBY, maybe they'd even surpass team CFVY

He kept that thought heavy in his heart as he walked up the steps to Ozpin's office. It was a long trek, but it'd gotten easier. Besides, each time he came up here, the craftsmanship on the doors, on the walls, astounded him. It was a beautiful combination of Ivory and Jade, with steel and tech incorporated to accent the traditional Jewels. It was simply amazing. There wasn't much else to say, although Jaune had a sneaking suspiscion he knew where the donations to the School's "Art" department went. (Since when does a school for training Hunstmen and Huntresses do arts and crafts?) Jaune tightly gripped the grey-tinted jade doorknob. It had always been nerve wrecking, because he never knew just what the Headmaster had going on in his crazy skull. Especially when it came to what he'd make Jaune do. But, his teaching stood, and one thing Jaune had learnedfrom Ozpin was to be a bit more reckless. Just say screw it, and barge right it. So that's exactly what he did.

Okay wow, I started this at midnight, now it's 4:30 am. Dang. Well, sorry it took so long for me to get back to this keyboard, and no doubt I'm rusty, so I hope everyone can bear with me till I get my bearings. The story progresses. I'll be honest, I hadn't intended this story to be anything more than a JaunexRuby ship thingy, but as I wrote I saw potential to give some depth to my favorite character, even if it's only a fic. Thanks again to my amazing editor MetheAlmightyChickenLord, for catching my constant typos, miscapitalizations, and misspellings. I hope you enjoy the story as well!