Y'know, this story actually went through a lot of different versions before it was actually ever published. Hell, most of the original plan didn't even have any mention of Neo :P See, the original was supposed to be a simple, comical bromance story between Jaune and Cardin. When I finally decided I wanted Neo to play a part, it just got a whole lot more difficult XD The plot ideas went everywhere from road trips to medieval rebellions to a fucking Kingdom Hearts crossover (which I wouldn't mind writing someday... What do you think?).

So yeah, eventually I just decided to go through the really depressing route because... Why the hell not? And just based on all the reception this story has gotten, obviously that was the right move on my part :D Seriously, THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING THIS MY MOST VIEWED/FAVORITED/FOLLOWED STORY IN MY ENTIRE FANFICTION CAREER! I won't let you down ;-; I swear!

But that's enough of my rambling, enjoy the chapter, everyone! I tried putting some form of comedy in there to even out all the angst and shit that I've been throwing at you :'D But don't worry, angst and sadness is still gonna be present everywhere...

...

The trip back to Beacon was longer than she remembered. Or at least, that's what it felt like.

Nora Valkyrie wordlessly sat at the back of the bullhead flying back towards the elite hunter's school, her knees pulled up to her chin with her head buried in her arms. Her shoulders shook, and she thanked whatever deity was above that no one was around to witness her weeping like this. After all, she was Nora Valkyrie, the hyperactive and fun-loving member of Team JNPR. Everyone expected her to be nothing but pancakes and sunshine, to never have a single worry in the world.

But could she just be allowed to cry? At least this one time?

The past month and a half, Nora's usual cheerfulness became less real, it became more and more of a mask. She missed Jaune. He was the first person other than Ren to truly accept her for herself. He was her first friend outside the quiet oriental, and she couldn't thank him enough for giving her a chance. Jaune Arc was truly something special, something the whole team cherished. He was a brilliant leader who could call shots on the fly, and a caring friend who always put others before himself. He was the brother Ren never had, the love of Pyrrha's life, and the friend Nora always wanted.

Nora couldn't possibly describe the joy she felt when she saw Jaune walking down the streets of Vale right in front of her. After a month and a half without a single word from the guy, here he was in the city just below the academy. She should have been mad, she should have yelled and screamed at him for just disappearing and abandoning his friends. But she couldn't.

She could never do that. Not to Jaune.

But all that happiness that had returned after a month long absence shattered in an instant when she saw what the former knight had become. A mere shell of his former self, a man without a care for those who loved him, a man who just looked like he wanted to die. It was heartbreaking to witness, she couldn't believe that this was the same awkward boy she admired back at Beacon.

So she ran.

She hated herself for it, every cell in her body begging her to go back and find him again. Maybe if she talked to him some more, he would once again become the boy she knew.

But even Nora knew that was simply wishful thinking.

The Jaune Arc she knew was gone. He truly had disappeared the day he was expelled. This new Jaune... He was a stranger.

She broke out of her train of thought as the bullhead landed in front of Beacon, and Nora began the depressing walk back to Team JNPR-no... NPR's dorm. The viking girl bit her lip as she navigated herself through the school's various hallways, debating whether or not she should tell her team what had happened that night. They would be thrilled, right? Nora shook her head. No... They didn't deserve to see how low Jaune has become. No one should know that. Ren, Pyrrha, and Team RWBY would be much better off simply believing that Jaune had forgotten about them to live a simple and happy life.

Nora would take this to the grave. And if anyone else saw him, she'd deny everything. She never saw Jaune Arc down by Tukson's Book Trade. And hopefully no one else would too.

Eventually the hammer-wielding huntress reached her team's dorm, and was hesitant to open it. She gave herself a minute to put her mask back on, wiping away any stray tears and using her scroll as a mirror to practice her smile. She tried thinking about as many fun and innocent things as she could, hoping that her turquoise eyes would regain that similar spark of mischief they were known to have.

The spark never came.

Sighing in defeat, Nora let her act drop and dragged her feet into the room, no longer caring if someone saw her. To her pleasant surprise, however, the dorm appeared to be empty. She briefly wondered where Ren and Pyrrha had disappeared to, but she shrugged it off and slowly changed into her pajamas. After she slid on her 'Boop' shirt, the viking suddenly realized how tired she was. Letting out loud yawn, she crawled into her bed and yanked the covers over her head. Hopefully tomorrow would bring a brighter day. Hopefully...

As Nora finally allowed herself to drift off into slumber, her last thoughts were plagued by images and memories of that stranger she ran away from down in the streets of Vale.

...

When Jaune Arc awoke, it took him a minute to remember everything. Last night, everything shitty that could happen...happened. He was once again forced to eat out that horrid siren Melody, he nearly committed suicide with a pistol powerful enough to break through aura, he had his run in with Nora, and Neo...

Jaune bit his lip then sighed. Neo. He still had no idea what he should think of the mute girl, she was a mystery beyond his understanding. First she tried seducing him, and now she's trying to help him pick his life up once more. He glanced around Neo's apartment, taking in the sight. Well, one wasn't sure if it could be labeled as an 'apartment', as the residence was located inside what he assumed was an abandoned warehouse. But still, it had normal apartment things like bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room... Speaking of the living room, that was where he had fallen asleep. Neo only had one bedroom, and despite her offer of them sleeping together Jaune had decided he could simply crash on the couch.

He sighed at the memory, shaking his head a little. It seemed that even if Neo truly did want to help him, she was going to be wanting some stuff in return.

'Well, tough luck,' Jaune thought, having already decided he wouldn't succumb to whatever advances the short woman threw at him. He was here to get back on his feet, nothing more, nothing less.

After all, Jaune Arc liked to believe he wasn't a complete idiot. When you lived in the slums, when you were always fighting for survival, you couldn't afford to be an idiot.

Jaune slowly sat up, stretching as sunlight from the warehouse window basked over him. Jaune couldn't help but smile, surprising himself. 'Almost forgot how good the sun feels,' he thought. Having hid in the shadows of alleys and bars for a month and a half, the sun truly did feel wonderful this morning.

The moment was quickly ruined when he felt something between his legs stand up in attention, making the boy groan in annoyance. Great...morning wood. A man's first problem of the day. Throwing the blanket off of him, he was prepared to deal with the problem until...

"Neo what the hell are you doing?!" Jaune practically screeched when he saw Neo between his legs, her teasing smirk towards him as her hands grasped his erection.

Neo didn't answer, instead she held up some measuring tape, pointing at it, then back at his dick, the smirk on her face growing larger. When Jaune finally understood what she was referring to, he blushed heavily and began stuttering in protest, grabbing his blanket and using it to cover himself up. He glared daggers at Neo, who bore an innocent look on her face as she typed something into her scroll. She looked over it with a satisfied hum, before showing it to the embarrassed former knight.

Six inches. Definitely not the biggest I've seen, but nothing to be ashamed of in the slightest ;)

Jaune narrowed his eyes but said nothing, instead pulling up his boxers and jeans before walking towards the kitchen, leaving the mute girl behind.

Neo winced at his wordless departure, suddenly remembering the act she had to put up. She sighed and silently scolded herself for acting stupid, before leaning back and wondering how to make up for this. She scowled and smacked her palm against her forehead.

Playing the emotional role was already proving to be difficult, and it had only been less than a day! Neo wondered if she could find some tips online, because TV shows could only get a girl so far before she had to find advice elsewhere. Neo thought about the night before, wondering if there was anything from then that she could maybe use to start up something.

Hmm... Neo grinned her cat-like grin. Maybe that would work. Typing a quick message into her scroll, she took a minute to put on the expression of a curious, innocent girl like the ones from her shows. Making her way towards the kitchen, she tapped Jaune's shoulder as he made himself a bowl of Pumpkin Pete's. The blonde turned around, the look on his face making it clear that he wasn't in the mood for her right now. Neo winced again, whether it was real or acting she wasn't sure, before holding up the scroll for him to read.

What was Beacon like?

A sensitive subject, and possibly a risky one for Neo to bring up. But the mute knew that if this plan was ever going to work, she'd have to touch upon it sooner or later. Jaune had to be led to believe she cared for him in... That way, after all.

She was relieved when the hardened gaze of Jaune softened, and he briefly looked away, as if debating whether or not he should actually tell her. Neo took this chance to sit down next to him, giving a gentle smile in hope that he would take it as a sign of trust and comfort. Jaune took a glance at her, his cheeks turning a faint pink as he saw her smile. 'Perfect,' Neo mentally cackled.

"It was...nice." Jaune finally muttered, scratching his cheek awkwardly.

Neo blinked, then waved her hand in a motion that asked him to continue.

Jaune sighed and glanced up towards the ceiling. "Neo..." he began, biting his lip. "It's not something I want to talk about, not after what happened with Nora last night." He hesitated before continuing. "That, and...well... I don't really know you that well, so I don't think I can give you any personal information until I'm more comfortable around you. No offense."

Neo pouted, but nodded in understanding. It made sense, and was actually a smart move on his part. Neo sighed and folded her arms across her chest, realizing that this act would have to go on much longer than she originally anticipated.

I understand. She typed into her scroll. Let's have it go like this. As time goes on we both start telling each other more about ourselves. A 'secret' for a 'secret'.

Neo wasn't exactly looking forward to her part of the deal, but she was going to have to just put up with it if she wanted Jaune for herself.

The former knight was silent for a few moments, before he shrugged in reply. "Maybe." he murmured.

Neo was about to type another message into her scroll, before she heard someone storm into her living quarters, and a familiar voice rang through the air.

"Neo!" the voice barked. "I'm still very pissed at you for bailing on me last night, so you better have a damn good excuse!"

'Shit...' Neo cursed as Roman Torchwick entered the kitchen, his dangerous eyes scanning over the scene before they settled onto Jaune, narrowing as his face contorted into a snarl.

'Double shit!' cursed Jaune and Neo at the same time.

...

As this happened, Nora had just woken up, a smile on her face. It felt strange for her, as it was the first real smile in a long time. She glanced over at her teammates, who were still asleep, having come back exhausted last night from a brutal spar. Nora bit her lips, then nodded slowly. When they woke up, she'd gather Team RWBY, and she'd tell everyone what happened last night.

This decision came to her due to the dream she had.

"Wow, giving up on me that easily?" Jaune laughed as he booped Nora's nose. "C'mon, Nora, that's not like you!"

"But-" Nora tried protesting, but Jaune cut her off.

"Listen, that guy you met is still me, even if he seems like a stranger." he explained. He smiled gently, pulling the girl into a warm and tender hug. "After all..."

Nora grinned and stood up, opening the room's window and inhaling the morning air.

"...a stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet."

...

I wanted to AT LEAST ONCE end a chapter on a happy note instead of the usual depressing cliffhangers XD Yeah, this chapter was shorter and more lighthearted than usual, but it's just my way of reminding you that there's a rainbow around every corner. Or however that stupid saying goes... Anyway! This chapter also kicks off a new "arc" in the story, one that will give a bigger spotlight to RWBY and JNPR, as well as continued development for Jaune and Neo's "relationship". This arc is gonna have what I hope to be a more balanced mix of emotions, from happy and comical to feels and heartbreak. Hope you guys are ready for THAT roller coaster!

Don't forget to review! And remember, stay wykkyd!