RWBY: Tomorrow and Never Again

by PaulXion

The war has torn Remnant apart. The Hunters have failed and Grimms now lay siege to the city. Everyone we know and love are gone. But there was still a chance to set this right. A chance to change things... for better or for worse. And sadly, the only candidate left was the weakest among them. But perhaps... it was enough. Fan art by Keji Springfield!

6. A Blow to the Heart

Chapter 6: A Blow to the Heart

(Infirmary)

Team CVFY or Coffee as the Headmaster declared them, was in the infirmary that evening watching the Faunus member of their group pace around back and forth, a tick slightly visible on her forehead.

"This is bad… this is really bad." The shy rabbit turned to a shade of red as she felt partly responsible to what happened a few hours earlier in the library. Her rabbit ears curled downwards into her hair. It was all just a big misunderstanding of course but that didn't change the fact that the damage was done.

It was all just because of some stupid gesture she decided to pass.

Fox, the blind-eyed member of her team was in the library for some peace and quiet after school. It was a common thing for him as the hustle and bustle of the city was never really his style. He wanted to doze off in one of the dark corners of the library where cobwebs gathered in droves. He would've enjoyed that peaceful evening until he heard a familiar voice echoing in the entrance.

Out of curiosity, he went to meet up with Velvet hoping to get a friendly chat when he noted that she wasn't alone. Another man was there and like many incident before that, someone was again touching her bunny ears.

Obviously that did not sit well with the man as he knew how people often treat Faunus. Knowing much of their culture he understood that the animal parts of any Faunus were reserved for family and loved ones. It was one of the few ways they showed intimacy to one another and having a stranger, a human no less, abuse it for their own amusement only pissed him off.

Without even hearing the full story, Fox moved up to the supposed bully and dealt him a blow that he won't soon forget. It was a perfect example. A beaten bully would send a clear message through the entire school that no one should mess with a member of Team CVFY, especially not Velvet.

The white eyed warrior half expected Velvet to thank him like a white knight beating up the bandit and saving a damsel in distress in the process. To his surprise however, the rabbit simply lashed at him calling the whole incident. Since Jaune's aura was deactivated that time, it wasn't surprising that he would be knocked out with just one blow. Heck, if Fox hit him any harder, his head would've parted from his torso and some deep voiced narrator would be shouting out 'Fatality' with big red letters printed in mid-air.

Luckily for Fox and Velvet, the library was pretty empty that time of day and with some luck they were able to get Jaune to the infirmary without any of the faculty noticing.

"Easy there, V. You're starting to scare me." Coco, the fashionable Huntress and Team Leader of Team CVFY, quipped at the girl from her seat trying to get her to slow down less she burned the floor with her fast pace. It would've been more convincing to her animal feature if she started hopping around like a bunny.

"I can't go easy." Velvet muttered as she continued to pace around even faster. "Oh this is all my fault. I knew something like this would happen."

"You cannot blame yourself for something you have no control over, little rabbit." Yatsuhashi, the large green samurai gently moved in, blocking the girl's path.

"Yeah, it was Fox's fault for throwing the first punch." Coco added tilting her shades to the side to look at the culprit who simply shrug with little interest.

"The fault lies with neither." Yatsuhashi argued. "Fox was merely trying to protect you from those that he thought was doing you harm. You cannot blame him for his just heart."

"Try telling that to sleeping beauty over here." Coco gestured her thumb to Jaune who slept unconsciously on the one bed in the whole room. "Though I doubt he'll be in the mood for a talk with any of us when he wakes up. Still… knocking a guy with two pounds to the face? Not bad, Fox." The boy by the wall simply passed a smirk while the samurai grunted with disapproval.

"Coco…"

"What? I'm just telling Fox how good he is."

"The current situation requires… sincerity and modesty, not praise."

"Pfft… double standard."

Velvet moaned. "Ahh… this is all my fault."

"Alright, enough girl." Coco cooed her down. "Pacing back and forth isn't exactly making things any easier for you or us. Who knows, it might not be that bad. He'll probably just wake up and we'll tell the whole thing as a big misunderstanding. He cries, we laugh and we put it all behind us."

"You think so?"

"Trust me. Give it a few days and we'll be telling this story in the cafeteria."

"Your confidence is assuring Ms. Adel." Yatsuhashi nodded back though his tone gave a different taste. "But I get the feeling your optimism may be misplaced on the situation."

"Oh relax Mr. Fancy pants." Coco waved her free hand out at him before noting the groaning of Fox's victim. "And will you look at that. Blondie's waking up."

"Jaune!" Velvet rushed to the boy's side seeing his eyes flutter open. "Are you alright? How many fingers am I holding?"

"That depends…" The boy muttered back lowly. "How many hands are you holding? Ow… what happened?"

"Hey there Sleeping Beauty." Coco called him. "Sleep well? Was the bed too hard, too soft or just right?"

"Coco…" The samurai groaned again which she waved off.

Jaune took a moment to sink in. Quickly he realized that he was in one of the many infirmaries around the school but how he got here seemed like a mystery.

"Does your head still hurt?"

"My head's fine." He answered. "It's my jaw that feels the ache. What happened to me?"

The Coffee team turned to their leader to let her explain it. With a slouch she answered. "It's… kind of a long story. But first let me introduce you to everyone. The name's Coco. Coco Adel, leader of team CVFY. You already met Velvet. The guy in armor over there is Yatsuhashi Daichi."

"An honor to meet you." The samurai followed, bowing with his hands put together in respect.

"And the guy on the wall over there is Fox Alistair. He doesn't really talk much. Oh and he's the one who socked you in the jaw." That statement was so plain you might as well add a fart noise just to spice it up. Jaune visibly thought that it was best to steer clear of the guy with pupil-less eyes and backed up a bit from his bed. "Oh but don't worry. He won't hit you, if you don't give him a reason to."

All the boy could do was sit there, giving out a small laugh hoping to pass it as joke while Velvet sighed for the fifth time since she came here.

A short silence came between them as all eyes quickly turned to the culprit. Fox eyed back at them wondering why they were all staring.

"Fox? Don't you have some to say to our friend here?" The boy just shrugged in reply leaving Yatsuhashi to pick up.

"I apologize in my nakama's behalf, Jaune-san." He began. "Please allow me to assure you that he did only what he thought at best at the moment. My friend is quick headed and somewhat inexperienced. His thoughts were merely to protect those that he cherishes. The sight of your actions at the time made him deliver unnecessary damage to your…"

"Fox thought you were bullying Velvet so he socked you in the chin and they brought you here." Coco gave the short version of the story much to Yatsuhashi's dismay. "Hope you don't hold it against him."

"Uh huh…"

"But if it makes you feel any better, he does regret his actions. Don't you Fox?" The older tanned skinned boy simply shrugged again with an uninterested expression. "Yeah. Like I said: He doesn't really say much."

(JNPR Dorm room)

Lie Ren was returned to his dorm room after Jaune's little practical exam was done. There aren't a lot of things that normally catches the boy's interest but today he was willing to make an exception.

In front of him stood his personnel worktable that he converted to an alchemy workstation of sort. Upon the discovery of Jaune's Black Dust, the boy's interest took a serious peek and after scraping through the first layer of the Dust, he thought that it might be fun to pick on the object some more.

Before the boy even knew it, he brought out every book he could get on the Dust subject and all the little equipment he brought from home. By the end of the day, he was already fusing the ash-like substance and doing small time experiments to see what it can do on a regular basis.

His next experiment involved putting a tiny, tiny spec of that Black Dust in a vial of water, hoping to dilute the substance, making it stable. But sadly the variables of that experiment was far too much even for his calculative brain and there were a lot of things that can go wrong.

At this moment, this phase of the experiment required absolute focus and unnerving concentration.

"Pst. Hey Ren… whatcha doin?"

"Gah! Nora! Please… don't ever do that when I'm…" The pink locked boy nearly screamed as both his hands went up forcing more of the Dust into the vial. And rightly enough with his calculations, the vial of water began to shake making him groan in response. "Oh no…"

The water in the vial evaporated in seconds backfiring onto the boy's face creating a puff of odorless smoke in the air.

"You know smoking is bad for you, Renny." Nora added poking her partner by the cheek which only made him groan even louder. "So whatcha doing? You've been cooped up here since Jaune's super awesome test and you haven't even had dinner which is weird because you normally watch over your health. Is it because you're going on a diet or maybe you already eaten without me noticing which is weirder because I normally see you at the cafeteria at this time?"

Ren sighed knowing well that his partner's attention span is most likely revolved around him. "If you must know, Nora, I'm doing some experiments with the Black Dust that Jaune gave me earlier."

"Oooh, that powdery thingie?" She cooed next to the little pocket of Dust in front of her only to be held back by the boy.

"Watch it. Those are the only ones I have left and they're extremely volatile. You can't be playing around with those like your explosives."

"Aww… no fun." She whined before turning a complete 180 with a smile that was so wide you can draw the moon on them. "So what do they do? Are they like regular Dust? Do they go boom when you mix them with other chemicals? Can you use them for spice in your pancakes? Do they make black tea that makes your teeth as dirty as the good old days?"

"I highly doubt that." The boy answered, finally stowing the remaining Dust in a safe compartment. "I've spent the last few hours going through the books I brought from home but none of them ever even mentioned Black Dust before, which is… strange."

"Strange as in aliens in space strange or strange as in Pyrrha's underwear doesn't match her hair kind of strange?"

"What? How do you even… no. Never mind." Ren stopped himself from asking, knowing well that the answer would make him an accomplice to whatever Nora did to know such private information. "It's strange because something like this should've at least been mentioned in one of the discussion books, but there's hardly anything to go on. It's like… no one ever seen this before."

"So what do they do?"

"I ran a few tests on them and made some fascinating discoveries. For one thing… a single grain of Black Dust can rival the energy readings of a whole chunk of crystalized Dust."

"Why don't we pretend I don't have a clue what that means."

Ren smiled as he immediately got to explaining. "It means that a whole chunk of Black Dust has enough power to destroy half this building if it becomes unstable. If used correctly, I might be able to make this into a very potent healing reagent. With enough research, I might be able to make more of it and sell it off for a good price."

"Yes! And I'll go and hunt Grimms and sell their furs and together we'll make a whole ton of lien and we'll be able to buy that cute little house near the border of Atlas and open a shop there!" Nora grinned happily she popped a bubble in her head showing her and Ren opening a magic store selling all manners of assorted items. "And we'll name the shop: Noren's magic shop of skinned animals and medicine!"

"That sounds like a self-explanatory name for a shop." Ren humored her. "And also… the Black Dust seems to have an extremely unique property that doesn't exist on any other Dust. Here." He gently took a single grain from his pile of Black Dust and separated it. As he placed his semblance on the single grain, the larger pile suddenly became active and formed around his finger."

"Whoa! That is so cool!"

"Exactly." The boy agreed. "The Black Dust appears to have a unique frequency that attracts them to one another. They literally attract each other even in great distances. The magical properties alone are astounding and there is still so much I don't know about them. If used correctly… I might even be able to use them in both medicine and weapon design. The possibilities are all there waiting to be discovered. There's… just one problem."

"Oh and what's that?" Nora inquired offering her aid.

Ren turned to his small pile which has dwindled from a pinch to tiny… tiny black spot. "I don't have enough to continue my research. I asked the school Dust shop but it doesn't seem like anyone here knows anything about Black Dust either. I could ask Jaune for more but… I'm not sure he'll let me."

"Oh come on. Jaune's our friend." Nora pointed out like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm sure he'll give ya some of his precious powder if you just ask. No harm in trying."

The boy simply turned to his partner giving a hopeful smile. "You know Nora… I really like that optimism of yours." She grinned back in return.

"And if he doesn't then we'll break every bone in his body till he keels over!"

(Teacher's lounge)

The teacher's lounge.

It is a place of solitude for the faculties of Beacon to relax and enjoy a nice cup of coffee and congratulate one another for a good day's work. A place where all the diligent souls of Beacon gather to accumulate all their experience and lay them down on their scrolls and compile them to be reported afterwards to the Headmaster.

Glynda found this little room to be the most relaxing of all the places in Beacon. She admits that she does enjoy a little bit of solitude every now and then as the clamoring and both students and certain professors alike often gives her a migraine at the end of the day. God knows she deserves a little rest every now and then to ensure that her performance as a teacher doesn't deteriorate from the lack of sleep.

It seemed likely a routine for her these past few years. Though the lounge can be loud during lunch hour and after school, at later times, this place can become quite deserted since hardly anyone would want to spend their free time in the teacher's lounge of all places. This often gives her the time to grade the students properly, take a quick power nap and return to her room after a good meal and a nice warm bath. She would later spend the rest of the night enjoying a good book somewhere or watch some late night shows on the television. Some mild entertainment was always welcome even for someone of her stature.

But today was a bit different. Her mind couldn't focus on her scroll.

As she tried to plow her way through her work on grading the students that participated in her class, she always seemed to stop every now and then because of an annoying subconscious that's been eating her mind.

It was all because of that boy she picked on earlier. Jaune Arc, if the name on her scroll spoke true.

Her guilty conscious has been eating away at her ever since her little 'test' came to a close. She was slightly bothered by the look in the boy's eyes and the words of her compatriots who gave their insight on the exam.

"I've seen those eyes before… from long ago… from Ironwood."

What Bart stated back then could've been a premonition of some kind. If he didn't act so serious back then she could've easily taken it as another one of his caffeine induced banters. And unfortunately it has been echoing repeatedly in her head like a broken recorder. Could it be that she went too far with that exercise using experimental tools to test the abilities of a Hunter in training?

Ironwood. A name she both cherished and loathed at a certain degree. In the past she probably would've smiled simply hearing it, but now… that memory seemed so distant and blurry. The memories of a simpler life… a simpler time when things weren't so bitter between them.

As Glynda took a short walk on memory lane, she gently took out her scroll, opening a personal folder hidden amongst her work. Inside that folder was a photo of a younger version of her, with her hair unkempt unlike today, a wide eyed smile on her face and arm in arms with a man whose jawlines were comparable to a chisel.

A genuine smile came as she gently traced her hand on her picture trying to recreate that smile she had on the photo. But the memories blocked them, followed by horrors that she'd rather not relive.

"Working late again I see." A familiar smug voice alerted her to a new presence, which she quickly responded closing her scroll in a heartbeat. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Ozpin." She muttered lowly, eyeing the Headmaster as he entered with his trademark cane in hand. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"I saw the lights open in the teacher's lounge and I got suspicious. To my surprise, I find you here." He added, closing the gap between them. "Normally you'd be in your room by now, reading a good book or watching some annoying opera on television."

"Am I really that obvious?"

"I've known you for a very long time." He countered earning a grunt from the woman before she shoved a holo-folder up his chest. "What's this?"

"It's Mr. Arc's transcript." She answered bitterly with the name. "I finished compiling all the forms."

A smirk can be seen forming around Ozpin's face as he accepted it, getting a brief look at the neatly ordered files. "You work fast seeing as how he just finished your test a few hours ago."

"He's now a student of Beacon. It's only right that I treat him as such." She says that, but somehow Ozpin can tell there was something more behind her words.

"Working up on lost time?"

"Don't misunderstand." She warned. "I still find his credentials and abilities to be under suspicion at least. However… he has proven to be able to hold his own in battle and just for that I will allow him to attend classes. I'm already working on getting the contact details of the teacher in Atlas who gave him that formal recommendation."

Ozpin rolled his eyes under his glasses knowing well that it wouldn't be easy to get that woman to submit. She was stubborn that way.

"Still not satisfied with what you've seen? Surely he's proven himself to be a genuine Hunter at least."

"I don't doubt his abilities any more than you." She returned, finally raising herself from her worktable, directing her gaze out the window. "I'm just being cautious whether he means to be a student or a threat."

"You really think that a single boy could be a threat?"

"Even if the odds are just 1%, I can't ignore it."

The smile on Ozpin's face dropped. "You know… you're beginning to sound a lot like James."

"Oh don't give me that." She brushed that statement off. "You know as well as I do that I'm doing this for the students and nothing else."

"James had good intentions when he became a General." Ozpin reasoned only to be met with another stern gaze from his companion. "And look what happened at Mountain Glenn."

"That was years ago. Besides… it was thanks to him that Vale was saved."

"At the cost of many innocent lives." The Headmaster finished adjusting his glasses.

"We all had to make decisions. James made his… as well as yours. And don't forget that he's the reason why you're still the Headmaster of Beacon. He vouched for you to the council just as I did."

"I suppose so." The man leaned back to the table, finding a comfortable position to lie on. "Speaking of the council, I had the displeasure of speaking with them earlier."

Glynda immediately had a sour look knowing well that the relation between the council of Vale and the Headmaster was strained at best. It was only through influence and reputation that Ozpin has been able to maintain his office till now. "That couldn't have been pretty."

"It hard is."

"So what do our esteem leaders want from you this time? I can't imagine they just called to say hi."

The Headmaster titled his head in agreement. "As a matter of fact… they've agreed to let me be the host of this year's Vytal Festival."

Glynda paused at the order. "That… doesn't sound so bad. You've always wanted to host the festival in Vale."

"Under a condition that we also allow the Atlas Fleet to join."

The world soon returned to normal. "Ah… let me guess. Another military demonstration. These Atleasians do like to flex their muscles in everybody's faces."

"It's worse. They're sending James as the representative of His Majesty. They'll be arriving in a week."

Glynda's eyes widened. "Then… it's exactly as Qrow said…"

"Nothing's confirmed yet." Ozpin warned. "I'd rather this all just pass as nothing more but a coincidence."

"Ozpin. You know as well as anyone that there are no such things as coincidence in our line of work."

(The next morning) (Tukson's Book Trade)

"Haa…" A sigh escaped Velvet's lips as she skimmed down the block of her favorite bookshop that morning with a tired expression on her face. It was plain to see that she didn't have a goodnight sleep last night and it was beginning to show. The store owner himself seems to notice it as well.

"What's the matter little lady?" The bear Faunus store clerk asked. "You're usually brimming with energy whenever you come down my shop. Did you have a late night or something?"

The rabbit girl shook her head in reply. "Not really. It's just that… I'm a little troubled."

"Trouble in school?"

"No… well… a little bit. But that's not why I'm so tired." Her mind literally raced back to yesterday's event which involved the socking of her new friend by one of her teammates. Though it was certainly all just a misunderstanding and Jaune quickly understood that Fox was just trying to protect her, that didn't change how guilty she felt. Sure it was her teammate that delivered the punch and she was the one who allowed the boy to feel her rabbit ears once more she couldn't help but feel that she was partly to blame.

"Oh? Boy trouble then?" The store owner inquired like a loving uncle teasing his niece.

"Don't start with that again Tukson." Velvet glared back only to follow up with a tired sigh. "It's nothing like that. It's just that… I made a new friend and somehow it got a little out of hand."

"Ah so it is boy trouble." The bear man replied his grin widening even more much to the Huntress's annoyance. "Alright girl, I think I can help you with that. I might not look it but a lot of people your age actually come to me looking for advice about relationships. I'm pretty much a relationship guru. You can call me master."

"Oh… so you know everything there is to deal with boys?"

"Absolutely!" He proudly answered before realizing the question. "No… wait… I mean… is that a trick question?" The girl gave out a troublesome groan. "Come on now. Give me a chance. What do you got to lose?"

How about dignity and pride?

"You really think you can help me with my problem?"

"Of course! Lay it on me. The Master is in." The bear man gladly set aside the books on his table and turned his full attention to his favored customer.

With another troublesome sigh, Velvet decided to answer. "Well you see… there's this boy. He's not my boyfriend or anything that you're thinking of." She corrected rather quickly but Tukson didn't seem to care. He just kept that goofy grin on which annoyed her to no end.

The next hour, Velvet explained yesterday's incident and how guilty she felt about being partly responsible for sending Jaune to the infirmary. Every word she made humored the bear man causing him to giggle every time she stuttered at the mention of the boy. If Tukson was a girl he'd say that he'd be creating a gossip circle of his own.

"So you're feeling bad for your friend knocking the lights out of this guy because you let him play with your ears?"

"That's the short version, yes." Tukson simply laughed at her childish dilemma. It made him think that youth was such an exciting time for her. "I knew this was a stupid idea."

"Wait wait. Slow down Velvet. I'm sorry aheh. It's just that… your guy problem is a little over the top. But I think I get the general idea of what you're going through." The Faunus bear chuckled lowly just enough for the rabbit to give him the death glare. "You feel bad for this guy after he's been all nice to you. You thought maybe you could get a new friend when your teammate screwed that up for you."

"Do you have a solution?"

The man again laughed. "What do I look like? A doctor? I don't hand out prescription like they do in pharmacies. But I might have something that will help you feel less worrisome. Hold on for a minute." He quickly ducked onto the counter to pull out a comic from his private stash. "Here. This will cheer you up just fine. It's the limited addition, collector's version of the first ever X-ray and Vav. Unopened since it was published two years ago."

Velvet eyed the strangely colored comics with the same oddly featured characters on the front page. Her eye twitched on the man before returning it. "Thanks Tukson but I'm not really into comics. You know I always prefer the heavy reading novels."

"It's not for you, pea brain. It's for the guy." He corrected. "There isn't a kid in Vale who wouldn't like a mint copy of the first ever volume of X-ray and Vav. I hear they're even making an animated show about it. Pretty cool, huh?"

"I… never really thought of it." Velvet answered still not really understanding why anyone would like such a comic where two men have to touch their genitals just to transform.

"Trust me. Give that to anyone and they'll be your friends for life. I know I would."

"This looks pretty expensive." She noted seeing how the seal was still tight on. "I don't think I can afford this."

But Tukson simply waved her worries off. "Take it as my going away gift. It's the least I can do for my number one customer."

"Going away gift? What do you mean?"

The bear quickly realized his mistake and cursed himself mentally for letting such information slip. "Ah well you… I'm closing down my store here."

"What!? You're closing? But you can't close! You're the only good bookstore near Beacon. How am I supposed to buy all the books I need?"

"I'm flattered Velvet but as you can see my store isn't exactly doing so well." The man gestured to his seemingly empty shop which could easily be passed on as a ghost town. "Not a lot of people come to stores own by Faunus and my slogan an't exactly pretty. Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade. Home to every book under the sun. It was a mistake."

"And where do you plan to go?"

"Vacuo." He answered cheerfully trying to get the girl to smile for his departure. "I got some friends back there who'll help me start up again. It's hotter than Vale but at least I'll manage." Velvet's bunny ears went down expressing her disappointed look. "Hey now. Don't give me that. I'll still be around for the Vytal Festival so chin up."

"Still… it'll be hard for me to find another bookstore like yours."

An idea popped on his head. "Well… if you're looking for a good one, I can point you to one of my friend who owns another book store not far from here. It's this old man who helped me out when I was still new around the city. He doesn't say much but he's a nice guy. Now that I think about it his Dust shop got robbed a few weeks back. He owns a noodle shop just outside of Beacon and I think a truck company? Now that I mention it… he has a lot of business here in Vale. But he's a nice guy I'm sure he'll have everything you need once I'm gone."

"It won't be the same without you."

"I know sweetie. But hey… we still got the Vytal Festival so… if you're not busy maybe you can help me clean out my shop later?"

After awhile, she smiled. "You bet."

(Forever Fall)

Forever Fall Forest. A strange name fitting for such a strange place.

Forever Fall was a woodland area not far from Beacon with its unique red leafed trees acting as its natural flora. Today, the freshmen students of Beacon have been gathered on its borders performing some form of field trip

Again presiding over this class was Glynda Goodwitch who happily instructed them that they were all here to aid Professor Peach's research by collecting a jar of sap. Though some wondered why gathering sap was instrumental to becoming a Hunter, few ignored it and became strangely awed by the sight of the red color that literally littered the whole area.

"Alioop!" Jaune let out a cheer as he cut through one of the tree barks hoping that his attack was deep enough to reach the vein inside the wood. Pyrrha was beside him, a jar in hand ready to catch the sap which seemed to arrive no sooner after the cut was made. "Alright."

"Excellent." The Amazonian cheered along with the boy. "A clean cut Jaune."

"Hehehe… 20th times the charm." The boy muttered tiringly as he removed his sword from the bark. To say the least, this was the first jar of sap they've been able to gather. "These things are a lot harder than they look."

"Red Forest trees are known for their sturdiness." Ren explained appearing from behind with a full basket of sap jars. "A lot of people in Mistral grow them around their houses because of their warm climates. Not only do they provide excellent wood for construction, their sap is also a healthy source of food."

"History… lame." Nora commented, sneaking her hand onto one of the jars in the basket before taking a good sip.

Pyrrha on the other hand understood what he meant. "I know. Back when Mistral was just a fledgling colony thousands of years ago, the people grow these trees in their backyard because of acclimates to warm weather and it helped feed the citizens during the winter. The people dug the roots from Vale and transferred them to their kingdom and even till today, the people grow them in orchards to sell worldwide."

"Wow… I didn't know about that." Jaune said, amazed by his team's knowledge.

"Not surprising considering how cold Atlas is." Ren added as he pulled out a jar. "It's the reason why Red Leaf tree saps are exported daily to other countries at a high price. You can make a fortune if you have the patience to grow them."

"We have a few them back in my house in Mistral." Pyrrha proudly stated. "My mother loves to make jam out of them and pack it for my lunch almost every day. I was hoping to ask Professor Goodwitch if we could take some of them with us."

"Yes!" Nora cheered. "And then we'll have a jam-tastic fiesta! Hmm emmm…" She licked her fingers savoring every drop of the sap under her nails. "Oh yeah… now that's good stuff."

"We'll ask her once we got enough." Jaune offered which she returned with a smile. "Now… let's see. How many chops do I have to make the next one?"

"That tree by the pond looks inviting." Pyrrha recommended gesturing to the lone large one near a small pond which was covered in red leaves.

Jaune observed and compared it to the first one he was able to bleed. It certainly wasn't getting any easier cutting through these trees. "Meh… I guess one tree is no different from the other."

"Why don't you take mine?" Ren suddenly offered to the duo trying to butter some favors on them. "Nora and I got more than enough to finish."

"Aw… gee Ren… we'd love to but…" Jaune looked at the basket only to find two jars full while the others were drained of its contents. "… they're empty."

"What!?" The green garbed warrior looked down only to discover all the lids were popped out, the sap, drained from within. Quickly enough he turned to the culprit who was still happily slurping the contents of her last jar. "Nora!"

"Oops." The Asgardian, realizing she had been caught literally red handed, decided to bolt off in the opposite direction hoping that her partner won't catch her.

With an irritated groan, Ren sighed in defeat. "Well… I guess I'd better start gathering again."

"Wanna work together?" Jaune offered. "It'll go a lot faster."

Ren smiled and accepted with a heartbeat. Pulling his weapon from his hidden sleeve pockets, he gave the large tree a clean cut, hitting the veins of the sap, letting it spill to the jars below.

"Hey Jaune. That reminds me. I wanted to ask you something." The boy got his attention quickly enough. "Do you still have more of that Black Dust earlier?"

"You mean that stuff I brought? I still have the vial. Why?"

"I was hoping if I could have more of it." He shyly admitted. "I've been running a few tests on the Black Dust and the results alone are phenomenal. The powers stored in them are unlike anything I've seen."

"Whoa wait." Jaune stopped him midway sounding slightly alarmed. "You ran experiments? Isn't that a little dangerous? I mean… you did say that this thing can destroy a whole building."

"It's all contained, you have my word." Ren reassured him. "This stuff can be revolutionary. The small patch I had earlier trumps all the Dust I've seen so far. If I can unlock its secrets… I can probably make healing reagents so powerful that it can mend any injury on the battlefield in an instant. And that's only going through the medical path. I've tested it on my weapon and it increases the firepower ten folds. Who knows what else this thing can do if put in the right hands."

"You're starting to sound like a mad scientist."

"Call it a researcher's ambition." The green garbed warrior corrected. "All I need is just another pinch. That'll be enough to get my research moving for a few days. Who knows what I can discover with the right tools and equipment."

"Alright, you don't have to convince me." Jaune quickly grabbed his friend to calm him down. "Look. You can have half of it. But if you ever make a profit… I get 40% finder's fee."

"30%"

"Deal!" They shook hands on it.

On the side, Pyrrha seemed rather amused to see two male specimens bond in such a matter. Though it sounded more like a business trade, she couldn't help but smile as the two shook on their honor. "If you boys are done with your little agreement, perhaps you'd like to help me replace these jars?"

"Right, sorry Pyrrha." Jaune obeyed handing Ren his share. "Here you go. And try to lock the lid this time."

"I will." Ren agreed. "I should probably go find Nora before she eats someone else's collection. See you back at the clearing."

As the pink locked man bolted off with a nearly hopping gesture, Pyrrha turned to her leader with a proud smile on her face. "That was a nice thing you did there, Jaune."

"Huh? What is?"

"Helping Ren like that. You were going to give him that Dust even if he didn't make a profit."

The boy rubbed his head shyly in return. "Ah well. I thought that something so dangerous might as well be better off in his hands rather than mine. Besides, it's not like I can use them for anything. It'd be safer with him."

"Like I said… it's a nice thing you did."

"Meh. You probably would've done the same if you woke up with a vial of Black Dust in your pocket one morning."

That statement made the redhead laughed. "I wouldn't know about that. Come on. This tree should have more than enough sap for two more jars."

But just as the two were waiting for their last batch of sap to be filled, Jaune suddenly noted a strange feeling coming from his gut. A familiar feeling. An attack.

Seeing a glint of light coming from the bushes, the boy leaped upward pushing his partner down. A jar of sap came from the bush and smashed right on his head spilling all across his body in a red, wet and sticky sensation.

"Jaune!"

The boy licked the top of his lips and tasted the fruity delicacy. For once he might actually agree with Nora… this thing was delicious. "Hmm… now that's addictively tasty."

"Who did that!?" Pyrrha demanded turning towards the location of the catapult drawing her weapon out in defense, only to pull up short when she saw Team CRDL on the other side of those bushes. They were passing high-fives and snickering at the duo. "Cardin Winchester. That snake of a man…"

Team CRDL or Cardinal as it was pronounced. They were a freshmen group just like Jaune and Pyrrha but with a more infamous reputation. The whole team consisted of folks who lived on a higher classed society. From their infamous leader down to the 'cronies' that he worked with, they were all high bred warriors with prominent family names that they can easily live up to. They are considered untouchable not only because of their status but also because of the strength they can easily back up to match their aggressive behavior.

Pyrrha would've liked nothing better but to put those boys in their places but she was quickly stopped by Jaune. "Let it go Pyrrha. They're not worth it."

"But Jaune…"

"Starting a fight here isn't going to make things any better." He added, holding onto the girl's shield. With a confirmed nod, the redhead sheathed her weapons and allowed the bullies to walk away satisfied with their prank. "Come on. The jars are full." The boy followed, putting the lid on the other two jars as the sap finally dried up.

Pyrrha felt partly at fault of the boy's messy state. Because of the calm talk that Jaune and Ren had earlier she dropped her guard for a moment allowing Cardin to get a drop on her. If that sap jar had hit her, it'll take weeks just to get that sticky feeling off her chest.

"Here… why don't we clean you up?" She offered, grabbing one of the empty jars and filled it with water from the pond. "We can't have you returning to the school looking like the insides of a jam sandwich."

"Well I would look good on buns." Pyrrha laughed at his optimistic attitude and slowly began washing his face with a piece of cloth she got from her pocket. She gently removed the sticky red sap on his chin only to notice a cut below his neck.

"Hmm? Jaune? Do you have a scar?"

The boy unconsciously moved his hand to his chest only to discover a strange lump going inward. "Huh… I must've gotten it back during the initiation. Never noticed that before."

"Perhaps we should go see the professor and have you checked."

"No, that's not really necessary." The boy waved if off. "It's probably just something I had when I was a kid. I'm more worried about getting this smell off me."

"That might take a little laundry doing." Pyrrha deduced. "Perhaps you'd better put on something that will deal with the smell. You really do smell like tree sap."

"Heh… my mom did always say I was a sweet guy." Jaune added before slipping another finger-full of the tasty sap unknowing that some of the jelly got stuck on his teeth showing like a bucked toothed beaver. Pyrrha stifled a laugh before pouring the water on him. "Wah! That's cold!"

"Hold still Jaune." The redhead told him. "I can't wash the sap out if you keep moving. Ahh!" She quickly retreated when the boy armed himself with one of the empty jars and filling it with the contents from the pond. "Jaune! What are you doing!?"

"Hey it's no fair if I'm the only one who gets wet." The boy countered throwing another bucket full before reloading it in the pond.

"Jaune! Hey! Jaune ah! Stop that! That's cold! Ah!"

"Aha! So you admit it's cold! Bet you can't handle this next one. Come on. Take that!"

"Hey! Jaune! Ah! That's… this isn't funny bwah!"

"Oh yes it is!"

"Jaune ah! Don't make me use this!" Their gathering of sap soon became a water battle that ended in both sides dripping to the brim of their clothes.

For the rest of the day, the forest of Forever Fall would be treated by the soothing laughter of two kids with the future still ahead of them.

On the other side of the forest, Glynda flicked her glasses upward, wondering what could be taking those kids so long.