AN
Sorry for late update. Next chapter tomorrow.
When Glynda woke up, she had been happy. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the sound of laughter filling the air…
Today was a beautiful day. Peace had truly decided to descend upon Remnant.
Slowly getting up out of her bed, Glynda begun her morning ritual: a shower, a look at her scroll, then a nice serene walk to her class.
Taking her shower, Glynda thought about her schedule for the day. She had her Dust theory class for 4 hours today and would be staying behind an extra hour in case anyone needed any more help with the curriculum. After that she had combat class with the 2nd years, and then a meeting with the other professors regarding the upcoming Vytal Festival.
A simple day for the woman. How nice.
Once finished drying herself and changing, Glynda looked for the scroll, the object nowhere to be found. She searched all throughout her room, until she found it under her pillow, a place she made a habit not to put it under.
Turning on her scroll, Glynda looked at her notifications. Mail about the Vytal Festival, Teacher reminders by Ozpin, her alarm on snooze for the past hour-
…Snooze? Past hour?
Checking the screen once more, she remembered having pressed 'snooze' to get a few more minutes of sleep, but an hour…
What time was it now?
Glancing at the clock on her wall, not trusting the electronic device, Glynda stared at the constantly moving hands. Her eyes widening at the revelation.
"8:45…"
…
Classes started in 15 minutes.
Preparations for her Dust Class took 30 minutes.
It took 10 minutes to walk there.
…She had excused her assistant for the class too, hadn't she?
…She was going to be late wasn't she…?
…Like hell she was.
Bolting out of her room with her scroll and riding crop, Glynda sprinted to her classroom, her serene walk thrown to the garbage. Forgoing all dignity, Glynda yelled at anyone who stood in her way. The lucky few jumping out of the way, while the more spatially challenged…
Her semblance had it's uses, what could she say.
'I can't believe this…' she thought, internally bashing her head in for such an amateur mistake.
Dust theory and application was a new class implemented into Beacon. Mandatory for 1st and 2nd year students, but optional for 3rd and 4th years. The council thought it to be appropriate to have such a thing. She never told the other professors it was her suggestion; her lips sealed, as they wondered where the idea had risen from.
And here she was late for the very class she had suggested.
How absurd.
Not to mention that the Dust class had to go through series of preparations in order for everything to run smoothly. Prepared dust crystals for demonstrations, printed course syllabuses, safety preparations in case a student caused an incident, in-class assignments…. The list just went on.
There were much to do in so little time. Even with her semblance. She would have to forego so many things she had planned out, barely scrape by until they reached the halfway point, and leave the class in order to print out the handouts for the class.
She couldn't help but let out a tired sigh, her day just beginning, yet already so troublesome.
Today was not a beautiful day.
Broken out of her thoughts at the sight of her lecture door, Glynda turned the corner, expecting students to be inside preparing for her class.
Only to find that only one person was inside, one she had not expected to see today.
"Mr. Amamiya…?"
What was he doing here? She had excused him from attending… She fully expected him to be sleeping through the morning, any other student would.
"Ah, you're finally here. I've already prepared everything for today." Ren said, handing her a few papers as he walked up to her. "I had woken up early despite everything that had happened yesterday and decided to come to class."
"I see… Did you just say you had everything prepared for today?" Glynda slowly questioned. Ren nodded at her, gesturing to the already prepared room.
Taking a glance at the lecture hall, Glynda could only stare in awe at the young man's work. The class syllabus along with today's assignment were placed on the student's desks, her class lecture about various dust and its effects written on the chalkboard in neat writing, even the safety equipment was tucked away in the corner.
Everything was ready. Not a single object missing for the day.
How?
"I ran into Ozpin earlier, so I asked him for what you needed for today. He gladly showed me where you placed your equipment for the class and gave me your plans for today, along with a syllabus. When I got here no one had showed up and nothing was ready for the day. I took it upon myself to prepare the class. Of course, I did have some help… right Morgana?" Ren explained, turning his head to the front of the room, calling out his pet's name. Glynda couldn't help but jump a bit when the feline jumped up from behind the teacher's desk, meowing back at his owner in response.
"Morgana helped you…?"
"He's capable of handling machinery, I had him go print out all the papers."
"Meow~."
"Oh, be quiet, you show off."
"MEOW?!"
Glynda watched the cat pounce on his owner's face, clawing at Ren while staying on him, only for Ren to toss him off. The two began bickering with each other. Ren sassily talking to Morgana, while Morgana howled at Ren.
It was an interesting scene, but class was about to begin. Stepping in between the two, Glynda was about to stop them.
Except her stomach decided to do it for her. The organ roaring in hunger.
Wide-eyed and blushing, Glynda put her hands to her belly, embarrassed by the noise it produced.
"I'll go grab you something to eat. The cafeteria should have something to snack on." Ren said.
"Yes, please do."
Glynda watched the student leave the room, the two residents of the room now her and Morgana. Gently picking the feline up, she gave him a few belly rubs which made the cat purr.
"You two are full of surprises, aren't you?" Glynda asked, amused by the feline's behaviour.
Getting a pleased meow as a response, Glynda walked over to the front desk, dropping Morgana on it, and taking a seat for herself behind it. Before she could get herself situated, Morgana pulled a mug from… somewhere, using his tail to carry the handle, dropping the ceramic in front of her. Glynda couldn't help but read the note that was attached to it.
"For Glynda, from Ren Amamiya" she said aloud, surprised by how considerate her assistant was. Picking up the mug, and giving the drink a sip, she couldn't help but release a sigh.
That was some good coffee.
Turning on her scroll, she couldn't help but notice her class list. RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY were all in this class, there were others, but they weren't as… interesting as the former.
Ruby Rose, prodigy with a scythe, but the youngest student attending Beacon. She excelled in armed combat with her weapon, but from her grades in Signal Glynda could tell she was only slightly above average, her dust classes being the lowest score.
Yang Xiao Long was the same as her sister. The girl barely using any form of dust to fight, opting to use her shotgun gauntlets to battle. While it was not a problem, it would be wise to have a few tricks besides brawling it out with an opponent.
Blake Belladonna was not a problem, having shown an above average level of dust knowledge, something Glynda was happy about.
Weiss Schnee would excel in her class, having an expansive knowledge of dust due to her heritage, and the kingdom she lived in, Atlas.
Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, and Pyrrha Nikos were all aware of the uses of dust and its versatility. Glynda was quite surprised to figure out that Nora had the highest score in the Dust Exam, something Ms. Schnee failed to reach.
Nora probably took an interest in dust due to it exploding, but knowledge was knowledge. So long as she didn't cause an explosion within her class then she would gladly have Ms. Valkyrie in her class.
Jaune Arc… was going to fail this class. The boy had forged his way into Beacon, something she made sure to check. If the boy couldn't handle the first session, then he was going to suffer this whole year. The only way she could think he would pass is if his team were to help him, but even then, it would barely be enough.
He needed a miracle. A giant world changing miracle. Call her cynical, but she didn't think it would come.
Team CFVY were going to do fine, they were an exceptional team after all, each member having passed the first year with relative ease. She had high hopes for them, especially Ms. Scarlatina. That weapon she made was a masterpiece, something that could only be made with a understanding of the energy source.
Before she could continue the rant any longer, her stomach wailed, begging her to get something to eat. She would ignore it; Ren was getting her some food after all.
And that's when they came in.
Students entered the room, chatting with one another as they took their seats. RWBY, JNPR, and CFVY all took their seats, before they stopped talking.
Until she heard a small "What a cute cat" from one of her students. The feline in question now grooming its paws as it sat down like a human.
Standing up with a sigh, she looked around the room with a stern expression, and made her riding crop visible to the class. The students visibly shrinking a bit at the intimidating sight she had made.
"I am Glynda Goodwitch. I will be your instructor for Dust Theory and Application. Be warned that if you do not take this class seriously, you will fail." Emphasizing her point, she slapped her riding crop on her leg, making a cracking sound as it hit. Everyone flinched, jumping a bit from their chairs as their eyes widened in fear.
"Welcome to Dust Theory and Application. Do not disappoint me."
'You'll regret it if you do.'
Ruby Rose was not a happy student, at least not in this class. She didn't mean to sound rude or anything, but Glynda Goodwitch was-
*CRACK*
Professor Goodwitch scared the daylights out of her, and everyone else in the room. If an Ursa were to suddenly appear in the room, Goodwitch's presence alone would have made it run away.
She was just that scary.
Of course, the cat on Glynda's table wasn't. Ruby almost squealed at the sight of it, licking its little paws as it sat like a human would.
"Alright students, in front of you is an assignment that needs to be finished. I expect that it will be completed by the end of class." Glynda said. "If you are not finished the assignment, you will have to stay after class until you do. I also recommend that you ask your peers for help if you need any. Those that cannot answer these questions will be likely to fail this class."
Ruby couldn't help but gawk at that statement, worried that this class was much harder than she thought it was going to be. Her fellow whispering to each other, just as shocked as she was.
'At least I have Weiss… right?' Ruby thought in her head. Taking a look at the first few questions, Ruby answered them with ease. The next few were a little tougher, but she answered them. Soon enough she had reached the halfway point.
And that was when all hell broke loose. A theory filled hell with no signs of stopping whatsoever.
Turning her head to the heiress beside her, Ruby poked her shoulder. "Ummm… Weiss? A little help, please?"
"Not now, you dunce. I'm trying to concentrate." Weiss said, her eyes trained in on the questions before the paper.
"But-"
"Is there a problem Ms. Rose?" Glynda asked, causing Ruby to shrink back into her chair. The glare the teacher was giving her causing the her to tear up a bit.
"N-No…" Ruby answered. "Nothing at all."
Crying tears of despair, Ruby got back to her work, mindlessly writing in her answers. Watching Glynda from the corner of her eye, Ruby sneakily glanced around the room, hoping that she wasn't the only one having trouble. JNPR, CFVY, and all the other students in the class had stopped writing, their expressions ranging from confusion to defeat. Looking at her own team she noticed that Yang was biting her cheek and Blake furrowed her brow. Taking a good look at her partner, she noticed how Weiss's leg was shaking and how she tapped her pencil on the paper, her face scrunched up in concentration.
If Weiss couldn't figure it out, how was she going to do it?
'This is our first assignment?' Ruby thought, going back to her previous questions to double check if they were right or not. Confirming they were, Ruby went back to the question she was stuck on. One of the many that needed to be finished.
"This is insane…" She heard Yang say.
"How do you answer this…?" That was Pyrrha.
"I'm going to die." Poor Jaune.
*SNAP* That was Weiss's pencil snapping in half. Her partner's face clearly frustrated from her inability to answer the question. Ruby was sure Weiss's face would become permanently scrunched up if she didn't stop soon.
As if sensing the students defeat, Glynda Goodwitch took a step forward, releasing a disappointed sigh. "Do any of you need any help?" She asked, sounding so disappointed with her students. Ruby couldn't help but wince, like it was their fault that they couldn't answer those damned questions.
…Ok maybe it was, but that didn't mean Professor Goodwitch had be so mean about it.
Everyone raised their hands, causing the professor to sigh once. Watching Glynda walk closer to her team, Ruby cheered at the prospect of being helped, feeling glad that she and her team decided to sit in the front.
That was until Glynda passed them entirely.
Crying as her only hope had left her to die, Ruby put her head down on the table. Pouting at how unfair this was. She was about to just resign herself to just staying after class but was startled out of her thoughts. A black-haired, glasses wearing boy with a plate of sandwiches to blame.
"Would you like some help?"
"UAAAH?!"
Flailing her arms, Ruby fell of the chair, her body crashing to the ground. Looking up at the figure, she noticed it was none other than Ren Amamiya, the person who had passed initiation by himself. Quickly standing to her feet, she took her seat once more and blushed, embarrassed by falling down, and noticed that everyone's attention was on her.
Or the guy with he sandwiches. She wasn't so sure.
"Mr. Amamiya? When did you get…? Never mind. Thank you for bringing that, please put it on my table. Everyone, this is Ren Amamiya; a fellow student of Beacon, as well as this class's T.A." Glynda introduced. "Feel free to ask him for any help."
Putting the plate on Glynda's desk, Ren turned around and bowed his head. "It's nice to meet you. Would anyone like some help with the assignment?" He said, his glasses shining as he did so.
Ruby couldn't help but think the guy was smart. Really smart. If someone's glasses did that it usually meant it, at least from her comic books it was.
A second too late to ask for help, Jaune raised his hand before hers. His voice nervous and stuttering. "Umm….m-mind helping us?"
Turning her head to look at him, Ruby couldn't help but feel the same as his team. Nora, Lie Ren, and even Pyrrha had a pleading look on their faces. Their head and shoulders drooping down in shame as they looked down at the evil paper in front of them.
Poor JNPR… wait no, poor her. She needed help just as much as they did.
Cursing herself for being too slow, Ruby watched Ren walk up to the table Jaune's team was on. She couldn't help but notice how JNPR seemed to suddenly perk up when he came to them. She couldn't hear what Ren was saying to Jaune's team, but by their looks of understanding she could guess that he was doing a good job of helping them. By the time he was finished with them, team JNPR had their pencils on their papers, a series of cheers and sighs of relief escaping them when they were done.
"Anyone else need assistance?" Ren asked, standing up as JNPR completed their assignment. Ruby couldn't resist anymore and shot her hand up, shaking it wildly to get the guy's attention. Screaming and shaking her body to get his attention.
"US! PLEASE! US!" She didn't want to stay any longer in this forsaken classroom, especially if she had to get help from Glynda, the woman was too scary for her and she doubted she could learn something from the teacher without being too terrified to listen.
She couldn't help but squeal when he walked beside her and leaned to look at her paper, excitement coursing through her.
"What do you need help with?"
"WellIneedhelpwiththisthisthisthisandthat." She began in a frenzy, as she said what she did understand and what she didn't. "HowdidyouevenbecomeGoodwitch' 'sabsolutelyterrifying-mmmph?!"
And was cut off by Weiss.
'Thanks bestie.'
"What she means to say is 'Can you help please?', and 'How did you become her T.A?' No seriously, how did you become her T.A?" Weiss asked, placing her hand over Ruby's mouth to stop her from saying anything unnecessary. "Some of these questions have me stumped. I find it hard to believe that you can help us with this."
The air leaving her body and her face paling, Ruby couldn't help but curse her partner, hoping she hadn't offended her only hope for this class.
'Don't run away, please ignore her, help us…!' Ruby begged within her head, praying to Monty that Weiss didn't discourage him into helping them. Fortunately, the guy in front of her only adjusted his glasses, his eyes amused by Weiss's comment, his mouth curling to a smirk.
Ruby couldn't help but think he kind of looked cool when he did that.
"Well, give me a chance to help you girls. Then you can decide whether or not to believe." Ren bit back. The smile on his face challenging the heiress. "Show me your questions Ruby, I'll help you as best as I can."
Trusting her only hope, Ruby slowly pointed at all the questions she needed help with. From "How the combination of water dust and wind dust created ice dust" to "How gravity dust can change the physical attributes of all other types of dust and enhance them". By the end of it all she had pointed to half the page.
And then he helped her with it. All of it. Teaching and explaining to her just enough to figure out the question, without giving her the answer. Her teammates caught on shortly after, asking Ren for help as well, which he gladly did. Even Weiss had a few answers corrected thanks to him.
He was that smart.
By the time Ruby was finished, Ms. Goodwitch was on her desk snacking on the sandwiches on her table. Ren moving to table to table to check on the other students if they needed anymore help. Quickly helping anyone in need.
Feeling as light as a feather when she finished the last question, an epic smile grew her face and her teammates. Glad that they had finished the paper suffering in front of them.
Without so much as a warning, all the student's assignments flew to Glynda, her semblance no doubt causing it. One by one the papers stacked until they were a neat pile.
Ruby couldn't help but sweat as she thought of one thing.
'…Did I write my name!?'
"I see that everyone has finished writing their answers. Since we will be doing a demonstration to end the class, I will check your work now. Please give me a moment." Glynda said, flipping through each of their papers with her semblance while eating a sandwich. Ruby couldn't help but twitch whenever her eyes narrowed, her body taken over by fear of the thought that it was her assignment Glynda was looking at.
'Please let me pass, please don't scold me, I don't want to stay after class. Pleasepleaseplea-'
"Well done." Glynda said, interrupting Ruby from her thoughts. "Everyone has finished all of the questions. I can see a few mistakes here and there but otherwise… Good job. Mr. Amamiya, since you were the one who prepared everything I trust that you know what we are going to be doing today?"
"Of course." Ren said, nodding his head in understanding at what the professor was implying.
"Today we'll be using wind dust and water dust to create ice dust." Ren began taking out a wind and water dust crystal from his pocket, expertly rolling the two across his fingers. "To make the secondary type of dust, wind dust is refined into powder, and is embedded into a water crystal." Tossing the crystals, they landed on his index finger, one balancing on top the other. "The elemental nature of wind dust will cause the water dust's composition to change; freezing it, you could say." He finished, flipping the crystals into the air, before catching it in his other hand. A smile gracing his face.
"Any questions?"
No one answered. Everyone too busy with his little display with the crystals. Ruby couldn't help but be entertained by the assistant; his way of talking much more fun to listen to than any other teacher. Before Ren could speak once more, Weiss decided to intervene, her Schnee attitude coming out for the world to see.
"You're holding a crystal of wind dust." Weiss pointed out. "How do you plan on using that if there are no machines to refine it? And I doubt you can do it by-"
"Like this." Ren interrupted, showing his palm which now held the wind crystal out for everyone to see. Without a warning, he crushed it, a blue flame flickering around his hand. The sound of the dust crystal cracking filled the air, making the students flinch.
Didn't dust explode if it was damaged?
"Wha-?!"
"Take cover!"
"Mr. Amamiya?!"
"Yay! Explosions~!"
"Nora! Duck!"
The sound of students crashing to the ground filled the room, their screams following shortly after. Glynda raising her riding crop to prepare a protective barrier. Dust was a volatile energy source; a single crack in it could cause a massive explosion. So, when Ren crushed it in his hand, everyone braced themselves for the explosion to come.
Except it didn't happen. Instead of a deadly explosion, only a light breeze passed through the room.
"You all are so dramatic, you know that?" Ren amusedly said. One by one they stood up, all of them with a bemused expression on their faces. It was only until everyone looked at his now open palm that they realized what he had done. Doing something that should have been impossible without the use of high-tech machinery.
What was once a crystal of dust was now refined powdered dust. A feat that could only be done by either specialized machinery, or hours of labour. Ren Amamiya had not done either, somehow only taking a moment to break down the crystal. No machinery, no processing, and no hours of work. Just his bare hand and a minute at best.
Ruby couldn't help but stare in wonder, finding what he had just done awesome.
"Mr. Amamiya…" Glynda began, unsure of what had occurred in front of her. "Did you just refine the crystal by hand?"
"It is not completely refined; there are still larger sized bits of it. It will do for the demonstration however. I trust I can leave the rest to you?" Ren asked the professor, offering the two types of dust to her.
"Of course. Pay attention class." Glynda said, her aura glowing as she used her semblance to life it off Ren's hands.
Ruby watched the dust lift into the air, the wind dust surrounding the water crystal. She couldn't help but notice how the crystal seemed to glow whenever it touched the powder. Slowly, the two types of dust mixed together, making the original blue color of the crystal turn to a light blue, signifying that it was now an ice dust crystal.
Letting her powers subside, Glynda let the crystal fall. Before it could hit the ground however, the cat that was on her table jumped into the air, catching the crystal with its mouth. Before anyone could ask why it did that, a pillar of ice lifted the cat off the ground, the ice being as high as the ceiling.
Ruby couldn't help but think that the cat looked like it wanted to be worshipped. The feline sitting on the pillar, looking down on them all.
"Meow."
'Yep, that cat is definitely showing off.'
"As you can tell, the two dusts combined to create the secondary type of dust. And by the display Morgana had just made… it was a success." Glynda said. "Alright, class dismissed. You are all free to go. Please meet at the cliffside for your next class, you students will be experimenting with different types of dust with your weapons."
And with that everyone began walking out of the room. Ruby being the last person to leave. She was about to follow the rest of the students, but a thought struck through her head.
'If today's class was this hard… What about the rest?!'
Panicking at the likely odds of them getting an even harder assignment, Ruby's world began to warp. Her head spinning out of control from the thought of even harder questions, Ruby walked out of the classroom, only to bump into someone.
"Are you ok?" The voice asked, snapping her out of her hysterical thoughts. Was she ok? She didn't know at this point.
Looking at who she bumped into, she realized it was the person who had helped their team, Ren Amamiya. He was looking at her worry, a frown on his face as he looked at her.
He looked really kind at that moment. Not the creepy kind of kind, but just… kind.
'Maybe he could help with out my studies…' Ruby thought. 'WAIT, HE CAN HELP WITH MY STUDIES. HE'S SMARTER THAN WEISS!'
"CAN YOU TUTOR ME FOR OUR DUST CLASS?!" Ruby begged. Her eyes were pleading and her hands begging, she moved closer to the boy until she was invading his personal space, not caring for physical boundaries.
She was socially awkward, but when push come shove, she could throw that bit of her out the window for all she cared.
She just needed some help. She didn't want to fail that class and repeat it.
"Sure."
"YES!" Pumping her fist in the air, she celebrated to herself. She had just gotten a tutor, not just any tutor but a cool one, her class's T.A to be precise.
Was that allowed? She would ask Glynda later, right now she wanted to celebrate the thought of having a chance in that class.
"Oooh I know. Since you're going to tutor me, how about I pay you back by making you a weapon." Ruby proposed. Her body shaking at the thought of making a cool weapon for him. "Oh, what kind of weapon do you use? A long sword? A katana? A long sword that changes into a katana and a machine gun?!"
"That sounds like a good deal. I accept. Also, I just use a simple knife and a pistol. Maybe that could change if you were to help me. Is there anything else you need today, Ruby?"
"Wanna be friends?!" Ruby yelled, her socially-awkward tendencies disappearing entirely. Or maybe appearing, but she didn't care. This guy was smart, seemed pretty cool, AND nice.
She couldn't help but think that this guy was awesome.
"I don't see why not." He answered, making the smile on her face grow to epic proportions. "I'll give you my number, if that's okay?"
"YES!" Ruby shouted. Her voice probably could be heard across Beacon, but she didn't care. She made a friend, on her own, without exploding! Oh right, she shouted. "Sorry… I got excited."
"It's no problem"
The two exchanged numbers, before making their way to their respective dorms. "By the way, what's with the cat?" Ruby asked, gesturing to the cat inside the bag who had its head poking out of it. The cat seemed to notice and meow at her. The noise it produced making her squeal.
He was too cute! Not as cute as Zwei, but still cute.
"His name is Morgana. Morgana this is Ruby, be nice to her." Ren introduced, turning his head slightly to notify the feline, who nodded in understanding. "He's my pet, but he's smart enough that he can use aura and dust." Ren explained to her. "You saw him make that pillar earlier, after all."
"That's so cool! He can use aura and dust. Can he fight grimm, can he use a can opener?" She said, quickly going over a list that Zwei could do. If that cat could do that then she would befriend it and make it best buds with Zwei. The thought made her heart melt.
"All of those, and more." Ren replied, adding those bits in the end to give the cat the 'Wow' factor.
It was official. This guy was cool, and so was his cat. She made friends with a person this cool.
Best day ever!
Squealing in delight, she talked with the Ren for who knows how long. They took their time walking, and when she finally was at her room it was night time. Opening her door, Ruby was greeted with the sight of her teammates, all staring at her with curiosity.
"Well someone looks happy. What's up?" Yang grinned, a glint in her eyes that made Ruby suspicious. It was the Yang look. A look that she was given only by her sister or her dad whenever a certain topic was brought up.
Boys.
"Don't ruin it." Ruby said, climbing to her bed to get some rest, changing into her PJ's with her semblance. Ignoring Yang's question as she begun closing her eyes.
'Blissful sleep here I come.' In three seconds she would be asleep, in two she would-
"Hey~, don't be like that. Don't leave me Yang-ing."
She hated her sister sometimes. This was one of those times.
"Blake, help me~!" Ruby cried, throwing her pillow at Yang to silence the offender.
"Nope." Blake replied, flipping the page in her book. It apparently got to the good part, since she put her hand to her a mouth, a scandalize look on her face.
'Thank you, Blake. Glad to know I'm less important than that book.'
What are you so happy about anyways, Ruby?" Weiss asked.
Time to boast her accomplishments.
"Well~, I made a new friend AND he's going to tutor me. And he's nice, unlike you. And cool, unlike Jaune. And I didn't explode!" Ruby haughtily said, standing on her bed as she looked down on the peons.
Until her pillow was thrown back at her, courtesy of her wonderful sister.
"You mean Ren Amamiya, right? He really helped us out back there… Blake said, referring to Glynda's class. "I wonder what he's like. He's the only person in school without a team."
"He seems quiet, but he's pretty intense. Trust me, I know." Weiss added.
Yang put her hand on her heart, mock mortified by Weiss' description "Oh, did Ice queen and T.A get into a fight? Weiss~, I didn't think you had it in you."
"No, you dunce, it's nothing like that. I… He sort of set me straight after Professor Port's class."
"Wait, he set you straight? That guy?"
Ruby watched Weiss's face turn red, the heiress stomping her feet in annoyance at Yang. "I've had enough of your poking, I'm going to bed." The heiress said. As if pulling trigger, all of them started turning over for the day, preparing for the next.
Ruby, being the last to fall asleep, laid on her back, thoughts of the day rushing back to her. Her new friend on her mind.
'I wonder if we could hang out sometimes…'
Returning to his room, Ren quickly changed into his workout clothes; a simple black sweat jacket and matching sweat pants. Summoning his knife and inspecting it, Ren checked to make sure no nicks or scratches stained the blade. Satisfied, he put it back into his inventory, before opening the door to leave.
"Are you going to train tonight?" Morgana asked, exiting the bathroom, the sound of the toilet flushing from it.
"Yeah. I'm going to get a better handle on using some of the persona's attacks without them. Some of the techniques are a little too strong to be used on people; I'm going to change that."
"Well, good luck with that. I'm going to go to bed, make sure you don't stay up too late, you hear?"
"Yes, Mom."
With their exchange done, Ren walked out his room. Heading to the emerald forest, he was about to pass team JNPR's and RWBY's room but stopped when he saw JNPR's door open. A team leader walking out of the room.
"Jaune?"
"Ren? I mean, Renren?
"What are you doing up so late?" Ren questioned, ignoring the nickname as he did. JNPR's leader was wearing his armor, which meant he was going out to do something. Training, if he had to guess.
"Oh… y-y'know just… out to get a midnight snack…?"
"In your armor?" Ren deadpanned, not believing the guy could lie so badly. "You're going out to train, aren't you? I planned on doing the same. Want to join me?"
Blinking in surprise, Jaune froze, his hands going up in front of him. "I-uh, well you see…umm-"
"Just come with me." Ren sighed, getting straight to the point with the leader. Walking to the locker room, Ren glanced to the nervous looking leader. "What do you plan on working on?"
Not answering his question, Jaune looked down, following Ren as he did so. After a while, the blond finally spoke, his voice cracking as he told Ren.
"…Everything…"
Pausing to process the information, Ren looked at the guy to get a better read on him. Meek, nervous, unconfident, awkward body movements…
The guy reminded him of Mishima, except Mishima had some confidence in himself.
Picking his words wisely, Ren looked at the leader, who was now twiddling fingers. His conscious screaming at him, Ren opened his mouth and spoke to Jaune, his next few words commanding, yet gentle.
"Then I suppose we better get started. Grab your equipment and meet me at the cliffside, I'll be waiting there."
"Got it."
Ren watched the guy move to the locker room, chuckling a bit when he saw him crashed into the corner. Making his way to the cliffside, Ren wondered how experienced the guy was with his weapons; a sword and a shield if he remembers correctly.
Now waiting at the cliffside, Ren saw Jaune running towards him. Observing his movements, Ren noticed how clumsily he ran, how every movement he made was inefficient, awkward.
It was sort of like watching Ryuji at the beginning of their adventure, except Ryuji knew how to move properly, just couldn't. Jaune though… Jaune looked like he was fresh out the oven, no experience with his armor or how to hold a weapon properly.
It was like watching a civilian.
Narrowing his eyes, Ren could already deduce that Jaune was a civilian, a recently turned hunter-in-training. It didn't take much to tell, when you were as good as himself, it was quite easy to differentiate someone who knew how to fight, and one who didn't.
Jaune didn't know how to fight. Not properly that is.
Ren would have to change that.
His goal for the night changing, Ren wondered what he would have to improve with the boy. Footwork was a must; you can't trip during a fight, how to handle a blade was also important…
There was a lot of things they would have to cover.
Rubbing the back of his head, Ren thought long and hard on what they would need to work on, the list expanding as time went on. Turning his body to fully face Jaune, Ren steeled his eyes and opened his mouth.
"Show me what you're capable of."
Jaune swung his sword down with both hands. The slash capable of decapitating a beowolf in half.
Only for Ren to side step it, completely avoiding the finishing move.
"You're too obvious and slow." Ren scolded. "Don't go for a strong blow like that, it makes you vulnerable. Again, but this time keep your sword in front of you. Keep attacking with light slashes."
Listening to the what his impromptu teacher said, Jaune tightened the grip of his sword, holding it with his right hand. Not too tight, yet not too loose; he was lectured earlier about that.
Going at it again, Jaune slashed at Ren, this time light slashes instead of heavy ones. Ren avoided his strikes, but the small smile on Ren's face told Jaune all he needed to know.
He was learning.
"Focus!"
"Huh?"
And then Jaune tripped, having been too distracted with that single thought that he fell forward.
Progress.
"Focus on your opponent. Don't just swing your sword at me. Plan your attack."
"Y-yeah."
Ren offered his hand to the downed Jaune, which he gratefully accepted. Getting pulled up, Jaune looked at the guy who was training with him.
Training him. To be more precise.
They've been going at it for an hour now. Jaune swinging his sword, then Ren giving him advice when he saw something bad. Every single time they stopped, Ren would tell him what he would need to do next, what he wanted him to improve on.
He was gentle, yet stern. Not letting Jaune relax a single moment but not pushing him too hard.
Ren was setting a pace for him, giving him time to breath.
Jaune was really grateful for it.
Pulling a bottle of water out of nowhere, Ren threw it at Jaune. Clumsily catching the drink, Jaune opened it and downed it in one go. "Oh, that hits the spot." Jaune said, sighing in pleasure as the cold drink made its way through his body.
He was thirsty as hell. Training was hard, especially with this guy. The dude had an infinite amount of stamina, not even fazed after dodging like a mad man.
It was like Ren could see through his every move, that his mind worked on a whole other level when battling.
The guy was so cool.
"Ready to go again?" Ren asked as he stood. "This time I'll block your attacks. Remember everything I told you, you'll be using it all." A knife going down his sleeve for him to grab, Jaune couldn't help but think that Ren hid his weapon like his teammate Lie Ren.
"Alright." Jaune stood, his sword ready. "You sure about this?"
"Come at me and you'll see."
Taking the challenge given, Jaune ran towards Ren with his blade. Jaune swung, and Ren blocked. The two repeating the actions over and over.
Not once had Jaune been able to push him back from his position. It was Jaune being pushed back a few meters back, every single time.
It was kind of frustrating how far apart their skills were.
"Your attacks are good, but your stance isn't. Have you ever done any footwork before? Dancing, rollerblading, anything that made you move?"
"Ummm…Well I-" Jaune began, hesitating to answer Ren's question. "I sort of learned how to dance thanks to my sisters."
"Then use that as reference. Feet apart, not too close, but not too far apart. Keep balance. You don't need to do any fancy moves that everyone else can do. Right now, just swing your sword. We'll work on more complicated movement another day."
Taking his advice to heart, Jaune took his stance. Feet apart, balanced, and not over extending too far, just like a dance. Running towards Ren once more, his strike was blocked, but this time he was not pushed back. The blades of the two going into a deadlock, just at the base.
Jaune couldn't help but smile at what he had done, surprised that his dance lessons could be used to fight. Who knew that simple things such as that could make such a difference. Jaune didn't
"Good. Keep at it. Don't hesitate with your strikes, if you do, you'll give your opponent an opening."
"Okay."
And with that they continued, Jaune going into the offensive, while Ren blocked his strikes. Soon enough, Jaune became comfortable with his strikes, never once slowing down, but not needlessly speeding up.
Jaune felt like he was actually getting better.
However, stamina was something Jaune needed to work on in the future. 20 minutes into their exercise and he was out of breath, taking huge intakes of air in order to compensate his body. Soon enough, Jaune stopped swinging his sword, he hands now on his knees to support himself.
"That's enough for today. No good will come if you push yourself too hard." Ren said, his blade now disappearing from his hand. Jaune was sure he was going delusional from that sight.
'I really pushed myself that hard, huh.'
Grabbing his shield, his arms feeling like jelly from the weight of it. Jaune collapsed it and sheathed his sword, putting it on his belt to hang, his body burning from the simple actions.
'I really am out of shape…aren't I?'
"Not really, you're just training really hard." Ren answered, answering Jaune's thought as he walked towards the tired knight. Throwing another water bottle at Jaune, he watched the knight chug it down.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
"No really, Thanks." Jaune earnestly said. "I don't think I would've gotten anywhere without your help."
"Why not ask your teammates?"
"Umm… well that's because-"
"You don't want to waste their time training your clumsy butt. Or is it because you don't want to seem like a damsel in distress?" Ren said, his glasses hiding his eyes behind their shine.
"…Yeah." Jaune weakly replied, not believing the guy had read him so easily. Looking anywhere but at Ren, Jaune focused in on his sword, the object reminding him of what he wanted to be, who he wanted to be.
'I'm still not good enough.'
"And you won't ever be if you keep that shitty way of thinking." Ren said, making Jaune flinch at his language. "You do realize a team is there to help and support you right? I doubt Pyrrha would appreciate it if you said that to her."
Unsure of what to say to the guy, Jaune just kept silent, avoiding Ren's burning gaze. The guy read him like a book, it was actually starting to creep him out.
"Every Wednesday and Thursday evening come out here. I'll help you train. Keep it a secret from your teammate if you wish." Ren proposed. Walking up to Jaune, he put his hand on his reassuringly. "Your teammates are there to help you. Don't let some silly pride stop you from getting better."
Jaune looked down at the ground, his fists clenched. Thinking of how he wanted to do this on his own but knowing that he couldn't do such a thing without a miracle, he questioned himself on what to do.
'I guess I'll always need some help. In the end I really am just a failure.'
"Then stop being a failure."
"Huh?!"
"Are you just going to stand around being a nobody all day, or are you going to change that. You're here at Beacon to be a hunter, so start acting like it." Ren said, walking away as his words shook Jaune. "If you're tired of being a failure, then change it. Only you can do that."
Turning his body to look at Ren, Jaune looked at his retreating figure. Confident, strong, determined… He was everything Jaune wanted to be. Someone capable of becoming a hunter; a hero.
Jaune watched him leave, already halfway to the locker rooms.
But was determined to catch up to him.
Sprinting to catch up to Ren, he slowed down to walk beside him, his breaths heavy and long. "Please help me train!"
"It won't be easy." Ren said, not missing a beat, his eyes cold yet a fire behind them. "You think you can keep up?"
Jaune's eyes hardened, his gaze never wavering. "Yeah. Whatever it takes. I'm done with being a loser."
A smirk now appearing on Ren's face, a glint in his eyes that Jaune couldn't identify.
"Wednesday and Thursday evenings. It's up to you to fill the time between them. I won't go easy on you." With that said, Ren raised his hand for, which Jaune eagerly took.
The two shaked on it. An agreement made between the two. With that done, they made their way to their rooms. Jaune asking Ren for what he needed to improve on, and mentally taking notes to write down for future reference along the way.
After reaching his room, Jaune opened the door to the sight of Lie Ren and Nora sleeping. Ren sleeping silently, while Nora was punching the air. The only one not asleep was his partner, Pyrrha, sitting on her bed with a scowl on her face.
"Jaune. Where have you been? It's already 1." Pyrrha scolded, her eyes narrowing at her teammate. Standing up, she was about to reprimand him that they had classes later in the day, but was interrupted when Jaune took her hands, placing them between his owns. His body close to hers that she could feel the warmth he radiated.
Jaune couldn't help but her body going rigid at the contact, her eye shadowed as she looked down. A small red blush on her face.
Did he smell?
"Pyrrha." Jaune said, gaining her full attention. When she looked straight at his eyes he opened his mouth once more, asking her the question he wanted to ask her since initiation.
"Will you help me get better? Please?"
"I would love to, Jaune." Pyrrha smiled, giving him an adoring look as she answered him. "Where were you anyways?"
"Just training with a friend. I'll explain everything tomorrow." Jaune told her, letting go of her hands and getting ready for bed. Never once turning back to look at Pyrrha.
A shame he didn't get to see his partner lick her lips, a predatory smile on her face. Her eyes never leaving his form.
'I'll become a hunter. I promise.' Jaune thought, changing into shorts and a t-shirt, too hot to wear his onesie.
Taking a glance at his partner, unaware of her own stare at him. Jaune thought of one more thing, something small yet so very important.
'Was Pyrrha always that cute...?'