Author's note:

Hey I wrote something.

Jaune Arc: Einherjar

Chapter 7: Putting The Pieces Back

"Never throughout history

has a man who lived a life of ease

left a name worth remembering."

~ Theodore Roosevelt

The Heiress tapped her foot in anticipation as she waited outside in the hallway.

They should have been here by now. She had received their call about an hour ago.

She hated waiting.

Patience was a virtue but even Weiss Schnee had her limits. Especially considering she had little to no sleep since she had agreed to help administer to her friends into the hospital.

Much like Ren and Nora, Weiss had been practically living in the hospital for the last few days, busy doing everything she could to provide order while the students of Beacon and the Huntsmen and Huntresses licked their wounds.

Once more her scroll rang.

Her eyes lit in slight excitement only to smulder to a small cinder upon seeing who was calling.

Her father.

Hmph.

She turned the call down as she put the tiny communication device back into her pocket.

If he had time to call her to be worried then it caused her little concern. If he wanted her home he'd had to come down in person.

Right now her friends and school needed her.

In the absence of the adults (some of whom were part of the injured parties, the rest of whom were still in the field rescuing and doing what they could for the city) leadership had come naturally to Weiss, which was something she would have loved and gloated about a year ago. Not now though. She found firsthand how tough it was for so many people to rely on her. What to do about the current state of the Huntsmen and students, what to do with the sick and injured, whereto set up a forward emergency base of operation, who they needed to keep in contact with, even what was the status with the Atlesian Military, etc.

She had answered so many questions standing was all she could barely do once the days had quieted down.

Luckily Miss Goodwitch had arrived sooner than expected and had relieved her of her temporary duty. The Vice Principal of Beacon had given her a smile and a hearty "Well Done. We will make an excellent Huntress out of you yet, Miss Schnee." This had been accompanied by a gentle pat on the back.

She was given sweet release from leadership and Weiss found herself more exhausted than she ever had been after a fight. All she wanted to do was crawl in a bed and sleep for twelve straight hours.

Except she had one more goal she needed to accomplish.

And it wasn't something that she could have done alone.

Fortunately she had help from an unlikely ally. The two of them had barely talked, barely thought of each other as friends yet in this goal they found common ground. And so the Heiress of the Schnee Fortune would place her trust in the young vagabond. With her resources and his street smarts It wasn't long until they had found what they were looking for, on a train trying to leave for Vacuo. It took him and his team a few days to track and bring their target back but they had eventually succeeded.

All that was left was to wait for their timely arrival... sometime today.

Her eyes strained from exhaustion as she pinched the bridge of her dainty nose, trying to calm and rest her thoughts. She must look horrid, she knew. After their fight with the dragon there was little time for her to freshen up. One cold shower and the same battle worn dress (something she prefered to over that horrid hospital gown they were offering) was not something she would have expected as their meager reward for slaying such a beast but such was the state they were in. The hospital was busy with the sick and injured and having one of the four major communications towers down definitely halted their ability to reach out to the outside world.

She was so busy in her thoughts that she almost missed a small tap on her shoulders. The act that caused her to flinch away in automatic response.

"Whoa! Relax, Snow Angel! It's just me."

His stupid smirked irritated her like always, but today it also brought relief and comfort. That face was the bringer of good news after all.

"Don't you ever call me that again, Wukong." She sneered, disguising the relieved sigh.

"What? Snow Angel. It suits you. 'sides Nep calls you that. So why can't I?"

"Neptune is a dear friend. You're… you're… a rapscallion."

"A what now?"

He can't be serious.

"A vagrant."

"Gesundheit."

That was Jaune's line!

"Grr… an insufferable dunce!" No man on Remnant could push her buttons like this man could - not even Jaune with his love sick puppy syndrome when it came to her.

"Now that I do get. But, hey! Uncalled for, Miss Schnee." He winked. "C'mon. That's not what you say to the knight who brought back our wayward princess." He gestured with a flourish, like a gentleman would welcome a lady at a Gala. "Tada."

Behind him stood a meek, humbled, and defeated looking Blake. Her bow was missing, and her cat ears drooped downwards, dejected. "H-hey Weiss."

Before she could respond Weiss found herself throwing her arms around her raven haired team mate, her grip strong yet shaking.

"Uh, W-Weiss?" Blake's face contorted in confusion.

"Shut up." Weiss whispered, trying to hold back the tears before pulling herself apart from her friend. "Don't you EVER run away from us again! EVER!"

"But-"

"We were worried sick! Do you know what that feels like?!"

"I-"

"Horrible! It feels horrible that's what. We're your friends and family. Why don't you get that?! Why would you just leave?!"

Before she could continue her rant she could see the watery beginnings of tears flowing down Blake's golden wavering eyes.

"Now, now." Sun came in between them. "Blake already feels bad enough as it is, Weiss. There's no need to hammer in the guilt. She has good reasons why she did what she did. Just trust me on that. Trust your friend." The golden haired youth of team SSSN looked at Blake fondly before returning his gaze back on Weiss. "I get it. You're mad. But let's not let that ruin the moment. Blake's here now. How about we start by making things right?"

Sometimes Weiss wondered of Sun Wukong played the fool just to annoy and irritate her. In the short amount of time she had come to know him, it had become clear there was a spark of intelligence and strange nobility to the free spirit of team SSSN. Not that she would ever admit it to anyone. But she'd be blind not to at least see it.

"Fine…" Weiss coughed as she collected her composure. "I want to talk to you directly after this, Blake. I mean it. I don't want a 'Blake' talk. I want a for real heart to heart conversation after you're done."

Blake could only nod in agreement. Weiss wasn't the only one who was tired it seems.

Weiss pointed to a hallway down to her left just beyond a few walking feet. "She's down there. Hasn't really said a word to anybody since… Well, you know. You were there." Weiss huffed a floating bang from her face. "We really need her to snap out of it. Maybe you can say something to her we couldn't. This is not like her, at all. We need our Yang back."

Blake rubbed her forearm nervously. "...I don't know what else to say to her… but I'm going to give it a try."

Weiss sniffled back her emotions as she delivered the best smile she could given their circumstance. "Yes… Please do."

"We'll be out here if you need anything," Sun added in his support.

With that Blake walked slowly towards Yang's hospital room and left the Heiress and the golden haired leader of SSSN standing vigil in the hallway again.

They could only smile solemnly as she opened and closed the door behind her. Weiss hoped that this worked. While she was glad to have finally tracked down her missing teammate, team RWBY was not complete without their firecracker, rambunctious bombshell. If anybody out there could snap Yang out of her state, it had to be the person who was there with her during her darkest hour. It was something both she and Sun agreed about, and since that was so rare it must be true.

"How'd you know?" She had to ask.

"Know what?" Sun smiled weakly as he placed her arms lazily on the back of his head, leaning against the hospital walls.

"That she'd take the train to Vacuo. None of my sources could confirm her whereabouts and you just happened to have spotted her at a train station."

"I didn't."

Lovely.

"What do you mean you didn't?"

"As in I didn't know. I just followed a feeling. Like an instinct, you know."

Weiss didn't know whether to attribute that to just dumb luck, Sun's Faunus heritage, or something else entirely - and frankly she didn't know if she could tell the difference anyway.

"You're something else with that feeling of yours, you know that?" She sighed as she finally couldn't take it anymore and sat at the nearest hospital couch she could find. "What, do you have like built in Blake sensors?"

"What, you jealous?" Sun smiled as he sat opposed her, sprawling out, limbs flailing across the hospital chair, tail included.

This idiot… She stopped her own thought when she noticed that tired look on his face. Disheveled, parched dry and crack lips, and baggy eyelids. The two of them made a matching pair.

I'll find her. Even if takes me weeks, months, or years. I will find her, don't you worry about that, Weiss.

Sun made good on that promised from the looks of his disheveled state. And like a hound that has fulfilled it's purpose Sun looked like he was ready for a long deep slumber.

"Here…" She tossed him her favored bottled water. "You look thirsty. You need to stay hydrated too."

Sun could only stare at her with an incredulous look on his face. What was so weird about it?! She could be generous whenever she wanted.

"...Thanks, Weiss." His lips creased into a grin as he gladly took the drink and began to suck out the water inside to the last drop.

She expected one more of his annoying quips and banter, not to be thanked. So now she sat there speechless as she quietly watched him.

"Where are the boys?" she finally asked.

"Well after we got right back here, Scarlet and Sage went to do a little light reconnaissance on their own. Ever since the tower went down we've kinda realized how much we relied on external communications. They figured they'd scour the area for any Grimm Horde or if we've got any other nasty surprises to look out for."

"And Neptune?"

"Nep's out helping out wherever he can with the supplies coming in to town. He'll be here in awhile. The guy is surprisingly reliable when it comes to this stuff."

You are too in some ways…

Weiss inner voice whispered softly in the back of her mind, before she drowned out the voices. She'd have died of embarrassment if Sun found out out a very teeny, tiny small portion of her admired something about the leader of SSSN.

"So, how about you? How's Jaune? Pyrrha? Ruby?" Sun's voice was soft and lacking the verbosity he had boasted during his arrival with Blake.

She smiled internally. The guy was practically falling to pieces and still thoughts of others came first. Sun was a dweeb… but a surprisingly sweet dweeb when it mattered. Maybe she was just a little bit harsh on the guy. "Don't worry about me. I can still keep going. As for Jaune... he's going to make a strong recovery. The guy's got a lot of built up Aura. That hand of his will heal in no time at all. And as for Pyrrha, the Doctors says she'll be wheelchair bound for the next couple of weeks or even months but she'll be just fine in the end. The arrow wound came in at a clear angle but it did make a tear in her ligaments. Muscle like that needs plenty of rest and time to recover, even with augmented Aura healing. And Ruby really wasn't hurt. Just fatigued, mentally and physically. " Weiss thought of Penny and how it must have hurt Ruby more than the rest of them. "Her uncle Qrow just insisted on having her checked out."

"...I'm sorry."

Was that an apology? From Sun Wukong?

"Huh? For what?"

She could see him clenching his fist. "I… I should have been there. Fighting with you guys."

"Sun, it's not like you were doing nothing. You were helping evacuate the students and the citizens."

"I know, I know. I did a good thing, Nep keeps telling me. But something in my gut told me I was needed elsewhere. I should have listened." He sighed furiously as he crumbled his face into his open palms, lamenting his frustration.

"Sun…"

"Sorry," He collected himself. "...sorry. It's been a hell of a week for everyone. And I'm just so exhausted."

Weiss knew she really shouldn't… it wasn't her place and she and Sun weren't even what she really called friends… But an amiable relationship had to start somewhere, right? It was only fitting considering the effort the two of them made to bring team RWBY back.

Well there goes my beauty sleep.

"...There's an empty patient room down the hallway the doctors have been letting me use. Privileges of being a Schnee. The bed isn't the greatest but it does the job. You look awful. Go take a power nap or whatever. I'll wake you when it's important." She phrased it as a suggestion, but spoke in a firm tone that clearly wasn't taking no for an answer.

"...You sure?" Sun looked at her quizzically, like what she had just offered was a trap.

How rude.

"Well, you could always sleep here if you want. I hear lumpy and uncomfortable is good for your posture and sleeping habits." She folded her arms across her chest in a haughty manner.

"No, no. I'll… I'll take you up on that offer. You have no idea how exhausted I am."

Oh I can relate.

"Alright, get out of here already, dopey face. You're making me sleepy."

"Fine, fine. I'm going. Thanks for the bed again, Snow Angel." He got up and waved his hand casually behind him as he made his way towards the direction Weiss had pointed out.

"I told you I'm-"

Oh who cares about it at this point. She was too tired to even fight.

So she'd let it go this one time.

Now she just needed to track and find that coffee machine.

Rehabilitation wasn't the hardest part. It was the constant need for Jaune to be with Pyrrha that always got his attention.

It was something he was pondering about as he walked towards his usual destination of the hospital.

He really didn't want to seem like the overprotective boyfriend… Ha, boyfriend… He still couldn't believe it.

Jaune shook the thoughts aside, he had an uncanny knack for going off on tangents. Back to the matter at hand. He didn't want to seem like the overprotective boyfriend, but as soon as he was discharged from the hospital days ago, hand healed up, he was constantly hovering near Pyrrha, ready to wheel her wherever she was needed, for lunch or dinner, for her own rehabilitation process, and generally just being within earshot in case she needed anything.

It was a fact that Nora found greatly amusing, if her constant teasing was any indication. Pyrrha didn't seem to mind as she just smiled and laughed it off. Although on occasion she'd give him this stern look that said "Jaune, I'm fine. I can do it myself."

...Even mildly irritated he found her insufferably cute. Was this what was like to really like someone?

Other than the members of team JNPR no one seemed to be in the know of his budding romantic relationship with the red haired warrior maiden. Although he had occasional sightings of Ruby, she never brought it up. Weiss and Blake were too busy helping Yang recover. Team RWBY had their own wounded to take care off.

Jaune wanted to pity Yang. He couldn't imagine losing a arm, especially if his weapons literally were his fists... But he knew better. She didn't want that. Yang was just in a small rut, one she'd pull herself out of it sooner or later. She had her sister, her family, and good friends (himself included), and another arm of course. Her fire would return, eventually... in time.

When she gets better. I'll tell them then.

When team RWBY and JNPR were back to their full strength, they'd have to celebrate. He knew it was selfish of him to think so but he needed... no, they needed an occasion to be happy. Especially after everything they'd gone through.

While lost in thought, he was stopped and greeted by a familiar face in the lobby of the grand hospital. "Hey, Jaune." Cool magenta eyes gazed at him.

"Ren. Buddy. Good to see you." The two teammates shook hands (not with Jaune's recovering hand off course) firmly as they shared a greeting.

"On your way to see Pyrrha?" his stoic friend inquired.

"You know it."

"I was just there myself. She's doing better every day, which is good news."

"The best news, Ren. Pretty soon team JNPR will be back, stronger than ever." Jaune grinned, he meant every word.

"I look forward to it too, Jaune." Ren returned the grin. "But a moment if I may…"

That had his attention. "What's up?"

"I know you're eager to meet with Pyrrha but I feel I have to tell you that her parents are here."

"Here? Right now?"

"Yes, with her."

Jaune knew he shouldn't be so surprised. As soon as communications got re-established, Glynda and the remaining staff of Beacon had begun to call the families of the students (his included) to let them know they were doing okay, despite the attack on Beacon. When word had reached the Nikos', they were quick to hop on the first train to where their daughter was being treated. He just hadn't realized they would get here so quickly.

"Well I should go up and gree-"

"Maybe you should let them have their moment. Alone," Ren slowly emphasized the last word. "...After all they nearly lost their daughter. You understand."

"Oh… oh!" Jaune could see where Ren was going with this. "Gotcha. Yeah, I guess you're right, Ren."

They probably had a lot to talk about. Jaune didn't want to impose. Perhaps it was best for him to drop by another time.

"Hey, I haven't really asked but where are you and Nora, staying? Makes me feel like a bad team leader when I don't even know where my team is currently staying."

Ren only smirked. "That's alright, Jaune. It sounds like you."

"Wait, the 'bad team leader' part?"

Ren just shrugged at him.

As far as Jaune knew, Glynda Goodwitch has gotten the cooperation of the local Inns and hotels nearby to help with the temporary housing of the displaced Hunters and students until they could set up a forward base with the remainder of Ironwood's Atlesian Air fleet. He had a solo room to himself not far from the hospital but he hadn't stop to inquire where his teammates were residing currently.

"Me and Nora are staying at this quaint Inn four blocks from here. You?"

"Uh, yeah, same. I'm about two blocks closer."

"You know I thought for sure, that people were not going to give us a chance. You know, after Cinder's broadcast and everything…" Ren surmised grimly. "I was really surprised they helped us, and took us in."

Jaune could only answer with a solemn and somber look. "And yet here we are. This whole town is helping us. Cinder has it all wrong. Humans aren't that weak. Sure she might have crippled us a tiny bit, but I believe people… good people aren't easily broken."

"I wish I had your optimism, Jaune." Jaune's heart fell a bit when he heard the bitterness in Ren's voice. " I don't believe much in the kindness of others, but I do believe in my friends and in my school. So I'll let you dream and believe for the both of us." JNPR's man of a few words looked at him firmly.

Jaune meant what he said when he called Ren a brother he never had. It filled him with determination to see his friend and teammate place an enormous amount of trust in him.

"...Oh and don't tell Nora I said that." Ren's eyes twitched as he squinted them slightly. "She hates it when I… when I talk like this. She calls it 'Ren Talk'." He pinched the bridge of his noise. "There's just… only so much positivity I can take though, you know?"

Jaune could barely contain his chuckle. "I hear you, Ren. Mum's the word."

"I appreciate that."

The two teammates bid each other farewell and it wasn't long until Jaune figured to go along with Ren's suggestion and just leave Pyrrha with family for now. He pulled out his scroll and texted her his excuse for the day and wished her and her family well as he exited the building.

"Jaune."

"Ah?!"

Startled he almost dropped his scroll on the ground. A moment later he eyed the source of the voice. The ghostly apparition of a blonde, blue eyed Valkyrie maiden..

He thought it was too good to be true. The Valkyrie and her Einherjar had been strangely out of his life for days now and he was beginning to wonder if he had dreamt it all. If only he had been that fortunate.

"Oh man! You scared me, Sigrun."

"Ahem, Manners, boy. What did I just tell you?" Gandry and Isara materialized alongside her.

"Hey Jaune! Long time no see!" Isara's face beamed a friendly smile.

"Gandry… Isara…" The sight of his fellow Einherjar brought him a slight comfort. There was something inspiring and noble about the Einherjar Jaune just could not place his finger on.

"Oh good! He didn't forget us."

"Where'd you guys go? You guys just suddenly disappeared without a trace."

"We never left, lad," Gandry pointed out casually. "But you needed time to heal naturally without our interference. And so we gave it to you."

"But now your time of mending is over," Sigrun coolly added. "It is time for you to resume your training."

"I'm sorry. I must have water in my ears or something, I could have sworn she said training."

"It is no joke, lad. Remember the words we exchange before? We were quite serious when we said you needed to get stronger."

Stronger.

There was a word Jaune had been searching for all of his life.

Often sick and tired of being compared to his sisters and the heroic deeds of his ancestors, Jaune had cheated his way to Beacon for a chance to even remotely hold a sliver of his clan's ancestral strength.

And here it was, the opportunity was being given to him.

But at what cost he wondered?

"... Being stronger will allow me to protect Pyrrha and the people closest to me." He stated to no one in particular, like he was convincing himself. "I'm sorry if I was being rude before, I didn't mean it… Lady Sigrun." Jaune bowed his head in humility. " I guess I should say… when do we start?"

Sigrun's cool eyes glinted with amusement. "Your journey starts now."

Jaune's muscles were on fire as he continued to run through the hills of the townside. He could see the hospital on the horizon.

"To put it into context, Jaune Arc, your muscles are your defining trait. You do not possess the natural skills nor the inherent talent to wield and fight with a weapon tactfully." Sigrun continued to assess him as she hovered above the ground, keeping up with the sweating boy.

"Therefore we will mold you into a weapon." She smiled as they both passed Gandry's form as the armored giant casually waved from his tree stump seat. The marker of five miles. "Talent and skill of weaponry take time to master. Time you do not have. It takes years to have the grace of a master swordsman and the keen eye of an accomplished archer."

"Not me, I was born with that talent." Isara proudly remarked, watching from high above a tree branch, easily surveying Jaune's running path.

"Haha… Do… do tell…" Jaune could barely huff out a response.

The blonde knight had hoped that his recovery on the hospital hadn't taken a toll on his body but the way he was sweating and the light headed ness he was feeling definitely made it seem like he had atrophied a little.

"But the body can be molded. It can be turned to something sturdier in a matter of months. Your body will not betray you when you need it, Jaune. Not when you have reliably turned it to be your ally."

"How...how much more running do I have to do?!"

"This is just the warm up." Sigrun smiled mischievously.

"W-warm up?!" Jaune's voice cracked as he yelled out the revelation.

Oh, it was going to be a long day.

Hours had passed by as he managed to complete his final rotation around town. His body was drenched in sweat. His combat boots covered in the splotches of dirt and grass stains. His entire being was on fire, he needed to pull off his sweater. The sweet release of wind and air caressed his skin despite the dampness of his plain white shirt. He knew he needed to cool down so he slowly paced himself as he made his way to his next destination.

"Return once more to the hillside we started. Your next teacher will be waiting for you."

"Wait, you're not coming?" Jaune asked.

"I will be close by to observe and watch you Jaune but I find that too many teachers distract an eager student. "

"Is it Gandry?"

"As much as I would like to, lad we found you an even better instructor than I. Someone of your world, who is familiar with your combat techniques. It is precisely because you are a poor technician that we needed someone who can be of an asset to you in this particular field." The armored titan agreed with the Valkyrie.

A new Einherjar? Someone from Remnant?

So Jaune had spent the rest of the run trying to figure out who his next combat tutor would be.

Spotting a figure on top of the hillside he wondered no more.

She was petite, smaller than most school girls, despite appearing to be full grown. Her white cloak contrasted in a lovely way against the crimson attire she dress herself in. Even underneath all that she held a womanly figure. A mature beauty. Yet something about her was oddly familiar...

Her hair was cut short in the loveliest shade of black, her tips highlighted in red. But it was her strong, friendly, silver eyes that held his attention the longest.

She was drop dead gorgeous.

"Hello, Jaune." She said his name sweetly.

"..." He stood there sheepishly and silently.

"Are… Are you okay? Gandry and Sigrun didn't run you ragged, did they? I told them to go easy on you on your first day. You just got out of the hospital, for goodness sake."

"No, no," His senses had finally returned. "I'm, I'm fine. I was just... Just admiring the view."

The lovely woman in front of him gave him a smile that would melt any man's heart. "It is a wonderful view up here, isn't it? You can see the whole town."

"...Yes… yes it is." He agreed, not fully engage in her response. "Oh! I'm Jaune! Jaune Arc!" He extended out his hand awkwardly. "...But you already know that since you said my name! Stupid!" He chastised himself.

She must have found it funny because she gave a cute little laughter. "Sigrun did say you were quite interesting." She extended her hand in kind. "I'm Summer Rose, fellow Einherjar and your new combat instructor."

The name hit Jaune like a brick wall. "...Rose!? ...Did you say Summer Rose?"

It couldn't be... could it?

"Yes. Is that a problem?" Summer looked at him with a faintly puzzled expression.

After a moment, she must have caught on to what Jaune was implying because the look on her face was easily replaced by a sad and melancholic smile.

"I uh… I don't know how to put it. But…"

"Jaune. I know who you are. I know your friends and teammates as well. I've been watching from a distance."

"Then you know that… but… you're-"

"Yes…" She affirmed with a nod. "...I'm Ruby Rose's and Yang Xiao Long's mother."

The wind bellowed around him as the afternoon rays of the sun continued to bask him in her rays. Somehow the world seemed suddenly smaller.