IWEYC, Cabbage Cabrera, fer gp, IndecentNoise609.

Thank you all for your continued support. And everyone should go check out IWEYC's story Heroes and Villains. It's an interesting concept, and is worth looking into.

I don't own anything.


Jaune's POV

In one of the books Blake gave me, the main hero in the story died in the very first chapter. I was less than thirty minutes into the book and he just suddenly dies. I didn't want to read anymore. What good is a story when it starts with the end? I asked Blake why they would kill the character so soon. She told me that I would have to keep reading to find out. So begrudgingly, I continued to read the book. After the protagonist died, the story flashed back to his birth. It went on to document his entire life. His journey from boy to hero, and all the great and valiant sacrifices he made to save the word. By the time I reached the end of the book, I had forgotten that he died.

Blake told me that was the point of the book. It showed you a man so heroic, that his deeds overshadowed his death. She said it was like immortality. To live a life so great, your death can be forgotten. That conversation keeps running through my head.

I can't stop thinking of Blake as that hero in the book. The hero died before you even got to know him. If Blake dies, it will be like she died in the first chapter of her story. And when I think about it, I hardly know anything about her. I don't know her story. If she dies, all I'll have is that first chapter. A small glimpse of what could've been. And that's not good enough for me. It isn't good enough for her.

"Jaune." I look up for the first time in….. I don't know. I'm sitting against the wall in the infirmary waiting room. Everyone else is gathered here too. Nora has her head resting on Ren's shoulder as the two sit quietly on a couch. Ruby is talking calmly to Yang as the blonde paces back and forth. And Pyrrha….. She's crouched down beside me. She must have been the one to say my name. "Jaune. Professor Ozpin is here. He wants to speak to you."

"About what?" I ask, then immediately realize what a stupid question that is.

"He just said he needs to speak with you. He's waiting in the hallway outside." She stands and then offers me her hand. I want to reject it. I don't want help from anyone. But I know if I do, it will only hurt her feelings. And I've hurt enough people today. I grab onto her hand and she helps me up. I keep my eyes glued to the floor as I walk out into the hallway. I look up when I hear people talking. Ozpin, Goodwitch, and Oobleck are there speaking in hushed voices. They go silent when they notice me.

"Jaune. I would ask if you were alright, but I already know what your answer would be." says Ozpin. I grind my teeth as I try to fight back a sob.

"You wanted to see me?" I manage to say.

"Yes. Dr. Oobleck has been filling me in on what happened. However, there is much he doesn't know." Ozpin says. "I know this is difficult, but we can't wait any longer. We need to know exactly what happened. And so do Blake's teammates."

"I….. I know." I whisper. The last thing I want to do is recount the events that just happened, but Ozpin is right. Everyone deserves to know.

"Before we begin, I think it would be best if you clean yourself up." Says Goodwitch. I frown. Why should it matter if I'm clean or not? I look down at my hands. They're caked in dried blood. So is my armor. I can feel the blood drying on my face as well. It's everywhere. I stumble back a few steps, as if I can run from the gore. How did I not realize I was covered in blood?

"I'm…I didn't." I stutter.

"It's fine. Why don't you give me your armor, and I'll send it to be cleaned." Says Goodwitch. I nod my head then I mechanically remove all my armor. I hand it over to Goodwitch. She takes it then hands me a clean shirt. "Go clean up in the restroom over there and meet us in the waiting room."

I go without a word, eager to get the blood off of me. I push open the restroom door and lock it behind me. Without thinking, I glance up in the mirror. My blood splattered face stares back at me. Weiss's blood, Blake's blood. All over me. I start gagging. I rush to the toilet, my knees crack against the tile floor as I hit the ground and hunch over. I empty my stomach into the bowl.

After a while, my stomach seems to settle. I sit there for a minute and try to catch my breath. I rake my fingers through my hair. I try to once again wrap my mind around what's happening. It just doesn't seem real. Or maybe it's too real. I don't know. Either way, I need to calm down. I need to be strong so I can go out there and tell everyone what happened. I can't cry. I don't want anyone's pity. And Blake deserves better than that.

I pick myself up off the floor and walk to the sink. I don't look in the mirror this time. I quickly and methodically scrub the blood off my body. I have the water so hot, it burns. But it's still not hot enough. I wash until the water swirling down the drain becomes clear instead of pink. I want to keep washing, but I can't put off going out there any longer. I put on the shirt Goodwitch gave me and leave the restroom before I can change my mind.

I enter the waiting room, but nobody notices me. Their attention is focused on a doctor that's speaking solemnly to the group. My heart starts pounding furiously as I hurry forward to the doctor. Please, please let it be good news.

"What's going on?" I asks desperately. Pyrrha puts a calming hand on my shoulder.

"She was just about to tell us." She says. Ozpin nods for the doctor to continue.

"As I was saying, I just finished treating Weiss. The injury on her leg was severe, there was a lot of muscle damage." She says.

"Will she be okay?" asks Ruby, the tremble in her voice barely audible.

"Her aura has already begun to heal the wound. She should make a full recovery, but she'll need to stay off her leg for a few days." Says the doctor. "We're going to keep her overnight just to be safe."

"What about Blake?" Yang asks.

"I'm sorry, I'm not her doctor so I don't know much about her condition." She says.

"Well what do you know?" I asks, hoping for some information.

"She's still in surgery, but she's alive." she says. "I'm sorry, but that's all I can tell you."

"What about Weiss? Can we see her?" asks Ruby. The doctor sighs.

"Normally I wouldn't allow visitors right now, but she is rather insistent on speaking to one of you." The doctor says.

"Who? Is it me?" asks Ruby.

"No. She's asking for Jaune Arc." She says. Everyone turns to me.

"What? Why me?" I ask. I would think she would want to talk to one of her teammates, not me.

"You'll have to ask her." says the doctor. "If you would follow me, I'll take you to her." The doctor starts moving and I automatically start following her. But someone grabs my arm, stopping me. I look down at Ruby, her silver eyes shining with tears.

"Tell her we're all here for her." says Ruby.

"I… I will." Ruby lets me go.

The doctor leads me into the infirmary. We walk past several empty beds before we reach Weiss. She's sitting up in the bed fidgeting with the crisp white bandages that cover her leg. She's no longer wearing her standard dress, instead she's wrapped in a loose hospital gown that's about three sizes too big for her. She looks up at me when I reach the end of the bed.

"You can only stay for a few minutes." Says the doctor. "I have other patients I need to check on, but I'll be back soon." Weiss watches the doctor until she's out of sight, then turns her attention back to me.

"Have you told the others anything yet?" she asks.

"No not…."

"Good. I wanted to talk to you before you did." Says Weiss.

"Do…. did you want me to tell you first?" I ask. Weiss sighs and shakes her head.

"I can pretty much guess what happened. I'll have to learn about the details later. We need to discuss something more important right know, and we don't have much time before that doctor comes back." She says.

"What is it?" I ask.

"You need to keep some aspects of what happened secret." Says Weiss. My eyes widen.

"Why? What are you talking about?" I ask.

"You can't tell Ozpin that the man who attacked us was Blake's old partner." She says.

"Why not?"

"Because that would link her to the White Fang. Who knows what would happen if everyone found out that Blake once worked for a group of terrorists." Says Weiss.

"I…. I didn't think about that." I say.

"I thought not." Weiss says.

"But….. I'm not sure about lying to Ozpin." I say.

"You don't need to lie, just leave that part out." Says Weiss. "You need to do it for Blake. To keep her safe." Weiss is right. I failed to protect Blake once, I won't fail again.

"What about Ruby and Yang?" I ask.

"You can tell them later." She says. She pauses for a second. I can tell she wants to say something else, so I wait for her to form the words. "Jaune…. Do you know what they were talking about?"

"Who?" I ask. Weiss looks down at her lap.

"Blake and…..and that man." She's whispering now, and I have to lean in to hear her. "He said the Schnee's did something to Blake, and that he was going to do the same to me. Do you know what they were talking about?"

"No. I have no idea."

"Neither do I." she says while continuing to stare at her hands.

"Maybe Blake will tell us later." I say. Weiss finally looks up at me. She's crying.

"I hope so." She says.

"Okay Mr. Arc, that's all the time I can give you." I jump at the sound of the doctor's voice.

"Okay." I say. I turn back to Weiss, she's hastily wiping her tears away. "Ruby. She wanted me to tell you that everyone is here for you. You're not alone."

"I….. well, they don't need to be worried about me." says Weiss. She almost seems surprised, like she never had people worry about her before.

"I'll tell them you said hi." I say. I walk back through the infirmary and through the doors that lead to the waiting room. Everyone jumps up when I enter.

"How's Weiss?" asks Yang.

"She's okay. She said not to worry about her." I say.

"Why did she want to talk to you?" asks Ruby.

"She… I'll tell you later." I say. Ruby and Yang don't seem satisfied with that answer, but Ozpin steps in before they can question me further.

"Now that you're back, would you be so kind as to give you're report on what happened?" Ozpin demands, more than asks.

"Okay." I say. Everyone seems to crowd around me, their unwavering eyes burn my skin. I feel like I can't breathe. I struggle to stay calm. I clear my throat. "After we….after we split up. I'm not sure how long it was, but Weiss, Blake, and I came to an open field. Blake….Blake heard something, I think. She yelled, told us to head back for the tree line. But before we could move, Blake got hit. She jump in front of Weiss, taking a bullet.

We couldn't see anyone, anywhere. I…. I tried to help Blake while Weiss kept watch. But… he just showed up out of nowhere. Adam….." I remember what Weiss said. I can't say anything that might link Blake to the White Fang. "He called himself Adam, he said he was with the White Fang."

"Adam? Are you sure?" Asks Ozpin.

"Y…yes." I get nervous, thinking that maybe I said something that gave away Blake. "Why do you ask?"

"It could just be a coincidence." Says Goodwitch.

"What could?" I ask.

"This isn't really a well-known fact, but the leader of the White Fang is named Adam." Says Ozpin.

"Wh…What?" I stutter. Was Blake's ex-partner the leader of the White Fang?

"A man named Adam Taurus began leading the White Fang a couple years ago. The White Fang had already become radical, but there crimes were usually not that violent. But after Adam Taurus took over, extreme violence became the new normal for the White Fang." Says Ozpin.

"Do you think that that's the same man that attacked us?" I ask.

"I don't know, I'll have to look into It." says Ozpin. "For now, you should continue with what happened."

"Yeah…. well. It…. it was all a trap. That's what he said anyway. He said that there was never a crashed transport ship. He claimed to have sent false information to get us out there." Ozpin looks genuinely shocked at this.

"That isn't possible. Is it?" asks Goodwitch.

"Glynda, go contact the Schnee Dust company directly. See if they're missing any ships." Says Ozpin.

"And if they're not?" she asks.

"Then contact General Ironwood. If what Jaune says is true, then we have a serious security breach." Says Ozpin.

"Why would the White Fang want to trick us to come out there?" asks Ruby.

"He wanted Weiss." I say. "He wanted to take her. I… I don't know why. We tried to fight him off, but he was so fast and powerful. Our auras weren't strong enough to protect us. He took down Weiss. She couldn't fight back once her leg was wounded. Blake….. she protected Weiss. And then she told me to get Weiss somewhere safe. I didn't…. I didn't want to. I shouldn't have left, but…. I picked up Weiss and ran.

After…. After a while, I stopped. I put Weiss down and I went back for Blake. I thou…. I thought I could help her. When I got back to the clearing….. He stabbed her…..I saw him. He stabbed her through the chest." I gasp.

"Do you need to take a break?" asks Ozpin.

"No! I have to finish this." I say. "He stabbed her. And she just fell to the ground. I tried to help, but I only made it worse. He beat me so easily. I was weak. I…. he had the gun pointed at my face. The bullet was meant for me. I didn't see Blake until it was too late. Neither did He.

She jumped in front of me and hit him with the sword right when the gun went off. The bullet… it hit her and…She… she just stopped moving. And Adam he….. he tried to…. But the blade was in his neck. He couldn't breathe. He died…. Right in front of me. I didn't…. I thought Blake was dead too. I…. it was my fault. I'm sorry. She… she got hurt because of me."

Tears run down my face, I can no longer hold them back. I did it. I told them. Now they know who to blame.

"It's not your fault." Says Ruby. "You helped save Weiss, and you went back for Blake. You did everything you could."

"But it wasn't enough. I didn't last minute against him." I say.

"No matter how much training or experience you have, there will always be an opponent that is stronger, and more skilled then you." Says Ozpin. "Ruby is right. You did everything you could. And Blake did the same thing you would have done if your roles were reversed. Huntsmen and Huntresses are trained to protect others no matter what the cost. And from what I heard, you both acted as you were trained to. What happened is in no way your fault."

I don't respond to Ozpin's claim. I don't care what he says, I'm still to blame for what happened. I couldn't fight that monster, because I don't really belong here. Blake is hurt because I lied. I lied to get into Beacon. I pretended to be something I'm not. And that lie might cost Blake her life. Why was I so selfish? I just wanted to become a huntsmen so much, that I didn't care about anyone else.

I dry the tears from my face, and keep my gaze on the ground. I hear the others offer a few words of comfort, but I ignore them. After a while, Ozpin is called back to his office, and my teammates, Yang, and Ruby go back to their places in the waiting room. The only one who doesn't leave my side is Pyrrha. She stands silently beside me. Hours pass. The sun sets. Nurses and teachers encourage us to go get some rest, but all of us stay. We can't leave, not until we get some news about Blake. Maybe not even after that.

When my body starts screaming for me to sit, a doctor finally appears.

"I assume you're all here for Blake Belladonna." He says as we gather around him.

"Is she okay?" asks Yang, he body shaking in anticipation. The doctor takes a deep breath.

"First, I need to ask if Blake has any family members. It's important that we contact them." He says.

"The only family she has is us." Says Yang. The doctor frowns.

"I see. Well, it was touch and go for a while, but she made it through surgery."

"She's alive?!" I say

"Yes. But she's still in critical condition." Says the doctor.

"What does that mean?" asks Ruby.

"It means that she's not out of the woods yet. Her injuries were very severe. She has many cuts and bruises all over her body. She has a few broken ribs, and her left arm is broken in three places. The wound on her chest damaged her left lung and shoulder. Because of that, she's unable to breathe on her own right now, so we have her on a ventilator. And as bad as all that is, it's her head wound that we're really worried about."

"How… how bad is it?" I ask.

"We believe that the bullet she was hit with was an explosive dust round. She has burns on the right side of her face. Her right eye took a lot of damage, and that damage might be permanent. Her skull was fractured from the blast, causing her brain to swell." Says the doctor. "We've done everything we can for her, all we can do now is wait and see if her condition improves."

"So she…. You're saying she could still die." Says Yang.

"Yes. I'm sorry, but that's a possibility." He says.

"And you're just going to sit there and see what happens?" Yang says with red eyes.

"We will do everything we can for her, Miss Xiao Long. I promise." He says.

"Can we see her?" I ask.

"I'm afraid that's not possible. The next twenty four hours are critical. It's important that she isn't disturbed."

"Are you saying that we can't see her for twenty four hours?" asks Yang.

"I'm sorry, but if you want what is best for your teammate, you'll just have to wait." He says. "I wish I could stay and answer more of your questions, but I need to get back to work."

We all stand in silence after the doctor leaves. We don't move. We don't speak. We don't do anything. What can we do, what can we say that would make this better? I feel helpless.

"She's going to be fine." Says Yang, finally breaking the silence. I look up at her.

"How do you now that?" I ask.

"Because Blake is my partner. She's our teammate, our friend. We know her, and she knows us. She's too strong to die like this. And I know we're too strong to let her die." Yang stomps over to a chair and sits down. "So for the next day, I'm staying right here. This way, I can yell at her for making me worry the second she wakes up." Ruby follows Yang's lead and sits in the chair next to her.

"Well if you're going to yell at her, then someone needs to be here to give her a hug afterwards." Says Ruby.

"Ren can dance for her and I'll get her pancakes!" says Nora as she drags Ren back to their spot on the couch.

"Jaune and I can offer her our support when she awakens." Says Pyrrha. "Right Jaune?"

"Right. As soon as she wakes up." I smile, allowing myself to be overcome by a fragile sense of hope.


What did you guys think? I know everything is depressing right now, but I promise things get better. And some of you wanted to know about any other pairings I might add in the story. I really haven't put much thought into it yet, so I'm open to any and all suggestions. Please leave a review. Until next time.

-Echo Artemis