Hey guys! I'm here again! Aaaand... this is all I have to say. Oh, no, right! Last chapter I mentioned Jaune being a pranotherapist. It really fits his canon Semblance... but for the ones of you who don't know what a pranotherapist is, he is basically an energy healer. He transfers his energy to the "patient" and can re-balance his own energy to keep himself from hurting himself to heal others. I'm not the most knowledgeable, I've just been told this, okay?

And yes, it can erase menstrual pains. My brother is a natural pranotherapist. Usually my sister spends the first 1-2 days of her period balled up for the pain, almost screaming. If my brother helps, the pain fades to almost nothing. Handy, I know, but unfortunately I don't have that power, and my brother doesn't believe in magic so he doesn't want to use it. Talk about wastes... Anyway, onto the chapter!

It took them a good half an hour before Ruby finally stopped crying. One by one the Watchers detached themselves from the hug, and finally the small crimsonette was freed from everyone's embrace. She sniffled once more as she excused herself from the others and went into the bathroom. There, she looked at the mirror.

And promptly recoiled.

She looked terrible. Red eyes from crying, dried tear stains, some mucus from her nose, flushed skin… No, that wouldn't do. That couldn't do. She couldn't be seen by Jaune like that. Not that he would mind, of course, but… she didn't want to be considered weak. She knew it was stupid, he would never do something like that, but she couldn't help but worry about how she looked.

No makeup, that much was clear. She didn't want Jaune to think she was beautiful only because of stuff she was wearing. No, she had to be what Jaune focused on. She had to be what he couldn't take his eyes off. She had to be what he couldn't take his hands o… no wait, that one should've been locked in the back of her mind with the rest of the naughty thoughts. Anyway, long story short, she had to do all on her own, without makeup, to ensure he liked her and not some stuff of unknown origin squashed on her face.

She washed off the tear stains and did her best to prepare herself. She even arranged her hair in what she thought would be a 'cute' hairstyle, and she practised a little her super-bright smile. That would totally make him hers, she was sure. What Phoenix had said was not wrong per se, even her father had had two wives although not at the same time, but she kinda wanted Jaune to notice her a bit more than the others. Oh, the others probably thought that too, but she was Ruby freaking Rose. A prodigy in combat, and a newly self-proclaimed prodigy in getting Jaune's attention. She looked at herself one more time, deeming her preparations to be complete, and she exited the bathroom, ready to reclaim her rightful place on Jaune's lap.

Only… it was already taken.

Ruby sweat-dropped and glared daggers at Helios, who was peacefully sleeping on Jaune's lap, one of his hands petting the dog instead of being petting her… she was really jealous at the moment. She had liked Helios up until then but seeing him steal her place… no, she wouldn't allow such blasphemy to continue! She had to use her most powerful weapon!

"Jaaaaaune…" She sauntered toward him with a very purposeful swish of her hips, flashing him her brightest smile. On lesser beings without Aura, it would've probably been enough to kill them instantly. Fortunately Jaune wasn't a lesser being without Aura. She very purposefully licked her lips -she was still Yang's sister, after all- and leaned in on their couch, keeping up the smile effortlessly. Then, she went for the kill. Her head tilting on one side, her lips puckering slightly, and her eyes widening, she used her pout. "Can I sit here?"

As if on cue, Helios woke up and looked up at Jaune with his own -literal- puppy eyes. The boy was torn. He would obviously choose Ruby in less than a heartbeat, but maybe there was something he could do… he glanced at Phoenix, desperately asking for help.

Then Writer merely shrugged. "I'm a Writer, not a relationship counsellor. What do you want me to do?"

"Take back your dog, or at least help me out, you godlike ass!" Jaune hissed, heard by everyone but uncaring of that fact.

Phoenix looked at him blankly. "You have reached LordHellPhoenix, he is not present at the current moment. Please leave a message and he'll get back to you… eventually."

That earned a few laughs, but Jaune just scowled. "It seems you win this round, Phoenix. Ah… 100000 to 0 still, uh? We shall see who will win in the end." Ignoring the obnoxious laughs of Cardin and Neptune, he gently picked Helios up, set him aside, then picked Ruby up -much to her delight and embarrassment-, set her down on his lap, then picked the dog up again and placed him on Ruby's lap. "I think this should work…"

Helios barked and jumped off.

"What?!" exclaimed the boy. "But… what?!"

Phoenix laughed as Helios barked again, rubbed his head against Jaune's leg, and then trotted over to Sun. "He was just teasing," the Writer explained. "He's not just a dog, but he's very smart. Plus he just didn't want to overcrowd your lap."

Jaune huffed.

Now back in her rightful place, Ruby decided it was time to act mature once again. Jaune had comforted her earlier so she had to thank him… somehow. And she knew just the method. Still keeping a totally innocent smile on her face, she reached around his chest and briefly rubbed his 'sweet spot' between his wings. He stiffened for a second but managed to hold in a groan. Thankfully, Ruby's hand retreated soon…

Only for another, a larger one, to take her place.

Jaune Arced (AN: I'm a monster, I know) his back, much to Ruby's contentment as he pressed himself more against her, and he barely caught a glimpse of blonde before the owner of the hand moved closer. Still, it had been enough. "Yannnngggghhhh," he tried to say, not completely successful.

Then, much to his despair -and to be honest, pleasure-, a second hand joined in. He caught a flash of flaming red hair before his back arched more and he found himself basically staring up at the ceiling. 'Downstairs', another natural reaction of his body was making Ruby blush vermilion.

"Stop."

A purple glow surrounded the two hands -not that he could see that- that were pried off his back forcefully. Goodwitch flicked her crop before putting it away. "This is enough. In case you haven't noticed, what you just did could be accounted to as sexual molestation."

"But Ruby…"

"Ms Rose was in the wrong to act without permission from Mr Arc," she stated sternly. "For a Faunus, having their traits touched without permission is rarely well-accepted."

"And even without counting that I find that, despite all my jokes and pranks, Jaune here is at serious disadvantage," added Phoenix, standing up and strolling over to the eight students. "You see… you girls can just act hurt and pouting and he'll try to make you happy. Plus now you even know his sweet spot. And you're five on one. Not fair at all…"

"All is fair in war and love," snickered Cardin.

"You know what Birdie? For once that thick skull of yours said something right. So it's also fair if I 'help' Jaune a tiny bit, isn't it?" The girls paled, and Phoenix chuckled evilly. "But before I do… let's make sure only the seven of us can hear." Violet flames enveloped the Five Girls and Jaune. "Perfect. Now only you can hear me. So… since you know of Jaune's sweet spot, why shouldn't I tell him about yours?"

As the girls desperately shook their heads to try and stop him. Phoenix cackled like a villain. "Jaune, just so you know, petting Blake's cat ears really make her purr. And Weiss just becomes putty if you massage her shoulders. As for the others…" His grin couldn't widen any more. "Pyrrha's lower back seems to be extremely sensitive, Yang's neck just adores to be caressed, and Ruby loves to have her legs massaged. Isn't it true, girls?" The girls' blushes were enough. Everyone but Ruby had very quickly put some space between themselves and Jaune to avoid any attempt at getting back at them, especially Yang and Pyrrha. Ruby, instead, knew Jaune would've never been mean enough to-

"Nnnngggghhh…"

"How does it feel, Ruby?"

Phoenix snorted in amusement one last time before giving Jaune a folded piece of paper and sitting down on his couch. The flames went away, and Jaune stopped massaging Ruby's thighs to open and read the paper.

"That will probably keep them at bay for a while. But if you ever need a secret weapon… use this! Remember that every one of the girls is ticklish. Actually, every Watcher beside Idiotwood. Every one of them has a weak spot.
Ruby – on her sides, especially her ribcage. Weiss – her feet. Feather-light touches just make her go insane. Blake – her stomach, especially her belly button. Yang – her armpits and don't worry, she shaves. Pyrrha – her neck. Especially, try blowing a raspberry on her neck. Nora – the sides of her stomach.
Use this wisel… What am I saying? Use this in the most wicked way possible. Also, I suggest you to start figuring out your own feelings. No need to rush it, but it's better for you too to have a clear head about it. Take it from someone with experience.
Your most gracious host, LordHellPhoenix."

He grinned as the screen started up.

Blake woke up the next morning with a start. She didn't remember why she was in a hotel room until the memories of the day before came back to her. She was saddened when thinking about what happened. She looked around the room to look for Jaune but didn't see him. She assumed he left at some point and this hurt her. She understood why he'd leave but it hurt all the same. She'd thought after yesterday, that he'd at least tell her if he was leaving.

Immediately, his grin was lost, and Jaune glanced at Blake. "You know I'm better than that, Blake, I would never do that," he reminded her. She wilted a little and he sighed. "Come here, kitty cat, you did nothing wrong."

Hesitantly, Blake stood up and took a seat beside Jaune. After a second, he hugged her with just one arm. After another second, she relaxed and leaned her shoulder against his, taking slight comfort in his closeness. He was a good friend.

She than heard the shower running in the bathroom and she realized that it had to be Jaune. She sighed in relief. She wasn't ready to talk about yesterday but it was nice to have someone. To not be alone. The shower stopped a few minutes later and Jaune came out topless drying his hair. Blake blushed seeing his toned body but then her eyes widened when she saw the huge scar running across his chest. When Jaune was done with his hair, he saw that Blake was up and staring at him. He followed her gaze and saw she was looking at his scar. He looked back up at her and she now had an apologetic look but Jaune just gave her a reassuring smile. He motioned to the bathroom with his head, "Bathroom's all yours, Blake." He said as he made his way over to the couch to put on his black shirt and hoodie. Blake nodded before she made her way to the shower.

The two of them spent the day just exploring Vale and enjoying the decent weather. Neither really said anything besides small talk. They had enough on their minds and were just glad to have someone close, just in case. The two made their way to a park in the middle of Vale, they sat down on a bench and just enjoyed the sunshine. Until Jaune's scroll went off, again. When the two left Beacon they shut off the GPS on their scrolls. Blake was getting messages and calls from Ruby and Yang nonstop, so eventually she decided to just shut it off. Jaune was getting just as many from Pyrrha, not from Nora and Ren but that wasn't surprising. They were either still hurt or knew Jaune needed space. Around the time Blake shut off her scroll, Ruby and Yang started messaging him as well. He eventually had enough and took out his scroll to send a message to all three.

"Is he…?"

"No, Blake, I doubt he would immediately tell us," sighed Yang. "Although I do hope you two don't do anything stupid like trying to take on Torchwick on your own. That could result in serious injuries… although I think you would still win. Somehow."

"Well, not hard to believe, given the semi-omnipotent guy she has with her," grumbled Neptune.

Jaune: Girls, I'm fine. Blake and I are just staying in Vale. We need some space to clear our heads. We'll be back soon so don't worry. We'll be fine.

Blake was watching Jaune type and was worried he was going to say where they were. She wanted to see her team and friends but she just wasn't ready. Not yet at least. Jaune saw her staring at him and he showed her the message he typed out. She looked at him when she was done and he raised an eyebrow, asking her a question. She nodded in response and he sent the message. The two spent the rest of the day in the park and when the sun went down they made their way back to the hotel. Jaune sat down on the couch to watch tv and Blake sat down next to him reading a book. They just sat there in a comfortable silence. Blake looked over to Jaune and she was still in disbelief. His presence just somehow calmed her. Even though she was worried and freaking out, Jaune just being near was enough to relax her. She smiled slightly before she went back to her book.

"Apparently, you just discovered the 'Jaune Light', as we call it," smiled Pyrrha. Ruby and Nora echoed that smile, and even Ren had a small one of his own. "You'll get addicted to that."

"The Jaune what?" asked the girl.

"The Jaune Light," repeated Pyrrha. "Whenever you are around him, you feel calmer and usually, just having his presence around leads to you turning to him for guidance whenever you need. That's why, during Initiation, our team obeyed to his orders so efficiently. While Ruby had to prove she was a good leader, Jaune was simply accepted as one. The Jaune Light is just one of the effects we noticed around us."

"Like?" asked Weiss. "Care to give an example?"

"Well, speaking of you, there's the Weiss Perfection. Whenever you're around people tend to be more respectful of the rules and tend to give their best… although we are not sure if it's really you, or just the fear you inspire in others like the Professor's Goodwitch Dread." The woman deadpanned at Yang. "Being around Nora instantly gives you a 'Nora Freedom' for her carefree attitude. While Ren has his 'Ren Trance'. Whenever he's around, people are calmer. Although Jaune usually make people accept their turmoil, while Ren lessens its impact on them. Plus Ren inspires wisdom."

"Are you serious?" Blake raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I am. Pyrrha has her 'Pyrrha Inspiration'. When she's around, people tend to do stuff better. And Ruby has her 'Ruby Charm', cheering people up like no other." Yang tossed her head to shake her hair. "And this bombshell beauty here has her 'Yang Genuineness'. Did you ever ask yourself how did I manage to drag you out of your shell, kitty cat?"

"Well… you do have a point…"

An hour later Jaune was brought out of his train of thought when he felt something lean against him. He looked to see Blake had fallen asleep and was now leaning against him. He looked at her sleeping face and smiled, she was adorable. He gently picked her up in a bridal carry and brought her over to the bed. He laid her down and covered her with the blankets, he gently rubbed her head and he heard a small purring like sound come from her. He smiled and chuckled slightly. "Good night, Blake." Was all he said before he went to shut off the lights and made his way over to the couch. He turned off the TV and laid down on the couch to fall asleep.

"She can purr like an animal," Cardin scoffed offensively, crossing his arms on his chest. "I bet she's also as easy as a cat in heat…"

Before anyone could say or do anything, Phoenix decided to start making it up to Jaune and the girls by bolting across the room and delivering a sharp uppercut to Cardin's chin, strong enough to lift him off his couch. Then he hopped and spinning-kicked the bully three feet into a wall.

Without saying a word, the Writer huffed in exasperation and walked back to his seat, settling down and glaring at the screen, not really in the mood to talk.

The next morning went pretty much the same way as the day before. The two made their way to a café, Blake got tea and Jaune got coffee. She noticed he drank it every opportunity he could.

"You really are a coffee hound, aren't you?" she said with a small smile.

Jaune chuckled, "One of many things I got from my teacher." He replied with a sad smile. There was silence between the two until Jaune sighed. "Alright, where should we start?"

Blake didn't need him to explain to her what he meant but she had a question she had to ask first, "Why'd you take the couch, Jaune? You could've taken the bed or we could've shared it."

Jaune thought for a second, "I wouldn't've minded us sharing the bed, but we are both dealing with a lot emotionally." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I didn't wanna risk us doing something we may regret later. I don't wanna ruin our friendship by doing something like that." He took a sip from his coffee before looking back at her. "Besides, I couldn't make you take the couch. Both of my mothers raised me better than that." He smiled.

"Stress relief? That was a good call, although I doubt they would've really done something like that," commented Goodwitch. Everyone looked at her. "What? I am not some unknowledgeable child who is too embarrassed by sex to talk about it. Plus I unfortunately had to give the Talk to more than a student because moronic parents hadn't."

Qrow whistled innocently while glancing at a certain Rose. After all, it totally wasn't his fault. Just Tai's and Yang's.

Everyone else just winced at the thought of Goodwitch giving anyone the Talk. The poor students must've been traumatized for the rest of their miserable lives. They were pretty sure they hadn't had children. Unbeknownst to them, Goodwitch had actually given the Talk to Jaune's parents as well as Taiyang himself, although she was just an upperclasswoman at the time. Summer too had been taught, but she had exited the room with a mighty blush, as opposite to the Taiyang's, John's and Jude's wide grins.

Blake was taken back by his genuine care for her and this new fact he just revealed to her. "Both?" she asked stunned.

"Long story. But we have time though." He looked up at the sky before he looked back at her. "It all starts with my scar. You see, I was always treated special in my family. Being the only son of eight does that. My younger sisters always looked up to me and wanted to always be with me. While my elder sisters always babied me. My parents were also a bit overprotective but they let me have space." He sighed. "That was until I turned six."

He took another sip of his coffee. "We all went camping for my birthday. My younger sisters and I were playing when an Alpha Beowolf came out of the nearby forest and went to attack them. The only thing I remember after that is me jumping in front of my sisters to protect them. My father had to unlock my aura to save my life but that's when everything changed for me." He looked out over the street and subconsciously touched his scar through his clothing, "My parents and sisters became so overprotective after that. It was suffocating. All I ever wanted was to be a hero, a huntsman. Now I had my aura and a lot of it. But my family refused to allow me to train. I could barely leave my home without being escorted."

"Jaune… I was thinking… did your family become like that after… you know?" Weiss hesitantly asked.

Jaune shook his head. "Nope. My father tried to teach me but the Arc tradition has to be followed. The tradition forbids to unlock the trainee's Aura until they can kill… I think an Ursa on their own, without Aura." He shrugged at the others' faces. "My father died before he could unlock it, and it took me more than a year to get over the loss of my wings." He unfolded one of the appendages and expanded it over his chest, caressing the white feathers. "After I was done being depressed, I basically had to start all over again, and no one in the family really had the time to train me. Nor did they felt skilled enough to. My sisters can all more or less fight, but they're not Huntresses and they didn't want to mess up my training."

"So you just gave up?" sneered Cardin, forcing himself out of the hole he had been kicked into. "Pathetic."

Yang smirked as she 'summoned' a rock, and chucked it at him. "Cardin, I miss throwing rocks at you, do you want me to start all over again?"

He was quiet for a bit but Blake let him take his time. "Eventually, I had enough. So, at the ripe old age of nine, I ran away from home. A few days after that, I was attacked by a pack of Grimm. Luckily, I was saved by my soon to be teacher." He smiled slightly. "She wanted to take me back to my home but I refused. I told her that because I had this power, it was my responsibility to help people. She saw my determination and decided she would train me. We sent a letter to my family to tell them that and we left. Must have been funny to see, a human boy and a Faunus traveling together."

Blake was shocked, "Your teacher was a Faunus? So, the person that you said made you want to help Faunus was your teacher?"

Jaune nodded, "Yup. It was the least I could do after everything Gin did for me."

Blake's jaw dropped, "Wait a minute, Gin? As in Gin Inari? The Legendary Faunus Huntress, the Silver Kitsune was your teacher?!"

"Gin who?" asked Blake. If she was really so famous, then why didn't she knew of that?

"That is another universe," Phoenix explained. "People you might know in this might not even exist in that one, and vice versa. Let's just say she was a very famous Huntress who was also a Faunus. I'm not too sure if there is a similar person in your universe because I'm not the one who is documenting it, so I can't give you examples."

Jaune smiled before he reached into his pocket. "The very same." He pulled out his scroll and started looking through it. "See for yourself." He handed her his scroll. On it was a picture of Jaune wearing his normal gear with Raikiri resting on his right shoulder. Ren was on his right with Stormflower at the ready. Nora was between the two with an arm around each of them and Magnhild in its hammer form on the ground with Nora balancing on it. They all had huge smiles on their faces and to Jaune's left was a young woman in her early thirties. She had a slim figure with a generous bust, probably the same size as Yang's. She wore a skin tight grey body suit with black armor on her shoulders, forearms, thighs, shins and chest. Two katanas were side by side attached to her right hip; one was black and the other was white. She had long silver hair that was tied back in a low ponytail and ran down to the middle of her back. She had golden colored eyes that held so much warmth in them and her smile was just as warm. She had her right arm behind Jaune's back and her head was leaning on Jaune's left shoulder. The most shocking thing about the picture though was that she had silver fox ears and a silver fox tail.

"Wait, Faunus are only supposed to have a single animal characteristic. But she has two?" Blake said as she looked up at Jaune and handed the scroll back to him.

"A Faunus that's even more animal?" sneered Cardin. He tried to say more, but this time it was Sun who lost his temper. He deployed his Bo staff and knocked the bully off his couch with a single backward swing.

"Will you just cut it off!?" he exclaimed, pissed off. "She's a person!"

"As much as I agree with Mr Wukong," stated Ironwood. "Such mutation is unheard of. If a Faunus with twice the amount of animal genes in their DNA. Maybe even fifty percent each. If only Atlas could have her… maybe we would be able to compare their DNA codes and see what exactly make Faunus so. It would be a great mystery uncovered."

Phoenix tensely tattooed his fingers on the couch's armrest. "Idiotwood, you are exactly like in many other universes. And let me tell you how it ends in those universes. You mess up bit time. Your 'future' sins outweigh everyone else's in this room. By far. Because of your mistrust in Ozpin and arrogance, because of your false belief that an army can solve anything, you offer the enemy the perfect way for their plan to work and you 'help' cause one of the biggest disasters to happen across your corner of the Multiverse." Phoenix cracked his knuckles. "Add to that the fact that you would probably put your 'scientists' experiments' over the wellbeing of people, and that you believe that 'for the greater good' is an excuse for everything even when you're the only one to believe in said greater good, and you'll get that I'm not exactly thrilled by having you in this room. So, I suggest you to shut up before you push me to do something you will regret. I can assure you, despite my usual calm, I am able to get angry and when I do, it usually isn't pretty."

Ironwood scowled at that, but stayed silent.

Jaune shrugged, "She was born like that. Apparently it was mutation and it was mostly because of that, that she was treated so harshly." He said with an edge in his voice. "Apparently, people thought she was more animalistic, even compared to other Faunus." He sighed, "Anyways, not even a year after she started my training we ran into Nora and Ren. And with that we had our family." He smiled.

Blake smile at that, "You loved her, didn't you."

Jaune nodded, "At first I just saw her as my teacher. But the more time we spent together I started seeing her as my friend." He chuckled a little. "I even had a small crush on her for a while." He sighed and looked up into the sky. "Eventually that crush progressed and I started to love her like an older sister. And eventually, like another mother." He looked down for a second. "Although I barely ever told her so. I was kinda worried she'd get as overprotective as my birth mother."

"So, what happened?" she asked, knowing it wasn't going to be a happy ending.

Jaune took another sip of his coffee to calm himself. "It happened almost a year ago."

The sounds of people screaming, roars of the Grimm and the sound of battle was all that could be heard. The small village was being torn apart, along with the soldiers trying to protect them. Until explosions and bullets could be heard. Ren and Nora burst onto the scene laying down suppressive fire. Jaune started ripping through Grimm using Fukiri and Suikiri. And Gin was further up fighting with her white katana, cleaving through any and all Grimm in her way. She soon got surrounded and she sheathed her white katana and drew her black one. As soon as she did, a blinding light was released that blinded the Grimm. They looked like they could win, until more Grimm started coming and the soldiers started retreating.

Gin looked at her students, "You three need to pull back! I can handle this!"

"No way! Even you can't handle all of this!" Jaune shouted.

"Jaune, trust me!" she pleaded.

Their eyes connected and he nodded. He got to Nora and Ren and the three retreated. When they were a good distance away, they turned to see Gin use her Semblance, Tenko, her golden eyes started to glow and her hair, ears and tails shifted to the same golden color. Her senses went off the charts, along with her strength and speed. She started to tear through the Grimm. They all thought she could do it. Until they heard the gunshot. Tenko did increase her strength and speed but it used practically all her aura. The bullet tore through her aura along with her shoulder and her Semblance started to fade.

"WHAT?!" Nora exclaimed.

"That must've been a soldier, Grimm don't have guns!" shouted Yang.

"But why should they shoot on a friendly Huntress?" asked Pyrrha. "She was killing the Grimm easily…"

The three turned to see the captain of the soldiers holding a rifle. They all snapped and ran at him. He tried to fire at them as well but Ren started firing at him, causing him to backpedal. As he was doing that, Jaune used Fukiri to pull him towards them. Jaune then knocked the rifle out of his hands with a water blast from Suikiri and Nora broke his legs with Magnhild. The man fell to the ground while crying out in pain. Jaune sheathed Suikiri and picked the man up by the front of his shirt.

"What the fuck!? Why'd you do that!?" he shouted.

The man just chuckled, "Why wouldn't I? Why sacrifice my men's lives when I could just sacrifice an animal? Let those monsters have her as we get away. Everybody wins." Jaune punched the man and he hit the ground hard. He spat out blood. "What? Are you sad that your pet got killed?" He started laughing manically but stopped with a gasp of pain. He looks to see Jaune standing above him with anger in his eyes and his aura burning bright, with Fukiri through his chest. The man died right after that. The second person Jaune ever killed was now laying on the ground in front of him.

"Second?"

"You'll see it later," explained Phoenix.

"B-But… but why?" asked Ruby, teary-eyed. "I mean… they could've won with no casualties! Why kill her? It… it wasn't a win-win! W-Why… why…"

"As much as it pains me to say this, the world is a heartless place, kiddo," said Qrow, frowning at the screen. "There are the jerks who would do anything for their own gain… and then there are the assholes who hurt others just out of pleasure, habit or mere careless neglect."

"As you have seen, the world is no fairytale, Ms Rose," Ozpin explained. "Remnant is an unforgiving world, and its inhabitants have learned to be just as harsh to survive. The time we are living in is incredibly peaceful, and yet events such as this still happen. You must know this, if you plan on making it better."

"Burn in hell." Was all he said as he pulled his sword free from his chest. He wiped off the blood and sheathed it. He turned to see Nora and Ren staring at him with shock but also agreeance. They all heard a scream and turned to see Gin heavily wounded and surrounded. Without even thinking Jaune drew Raikiri with his right and Kakiri with his left. His eyes shifted to the respective colors before he shouted, "GET AWAY FROM HER!" he shot off in a burst of lightning and started tearing through the Grimm with his swords. The fire and lightning also killing their fair share. After a few minutes the Grimm were all dead. He was out of breath and dust. He sheathed both his swords and ran to Gin who was now laying on the ground. Her swords were missing and she had serious wounds across her body. Her shoulder had a hole from the bullet, she had deep slashes across her arms and stomach, and she had a huge chunk bitten out of her upper arm. She was breathing weakly. Jaune knelt down and gently lifted her into a sitting position. "Gin?"

She slowly opened her eyes. "Jaune? What happened to the people? Are they safe?"

He bit his lip slightly, "Yes. They're fine. You will be too. Just hold on."

She slowly shook her head, "I've lost too much blood, Jaune. I don't have long." She looked into his eyes, "Jaune, take care of Nora and Ren. Please."

"You don't even need to ask." He was trying to hold back his tears.

She nodded, "I'm so proud of you three. More than just students. I always wanted kids but never had the chance to have my own. But you three showed me what it is like to have them. Thank you." She said with a small smile.

Jaune shook his head as tears started to fall, "We should be thanking you, Mother."

Her eyes grew wide before she started crying, "If you think I'm worthy of that title then I have no problem calling you my son. I love you, Jaune." As she finished that sentence she died in his arms with that same small smile.

Jaune pulled her close to him and started crying more. "I love you too, Mother." He lost it completely and started sobbing uncontrollably. Nora and Ren was with them soon and also started crying. For the death of their teacher and mother.

No one spoke. Despite his racism, Cardin was not a monster, and even he stayed silent, mourning the death of the Huntress. Ozpin sighed, but he had to admit to himself that while making the students watch it was painful for them, a lesson about mortality would've been useful. Too many Hunters died because they perceived themselves invincible and immortal.

With a bit of luck, they could learn from it.

Blake was probably hit the hardest. Seeing her fears come true, seeing Faunus being discriminated to the point of careless murder, reminded her of just how much her race was hated. She had been on the verge of taking off her bow at the start of the viewing, since everyone knew she had been in the White Fang and thus knew she was a Faunus. Plus the screen had made it clear. But after seeing that… how much hatred would she get for it?

"We're here for you, don't ever forget it." Jaune's voice was the only warning she received before she was enveloped in an embrace, Ruby having climbed down from the boy's lap to allow him more freedom of movement. She didn't fight back, and she soon found herself in a warm hug.

Neptune, noticing, rolled his eyes. "Of course he goes and hugs the pretty sad girl," he scoffed.

"Neptune, Jaune does not see girls only as 'cool' or 'pretty' dolls to play with and abandon after you got bored of them like you do," Phoenix scolded him, and Helios breathed out a little flame to emphasis the point. "He sees them as people, and right now he's just comforting a friend."

"We buried her in a small forest clearing not far from the village. And that's what happened." Jaune was looking down and a tear slid down his face into the remainder of his coffee. Blake just stared at Jaune. She could see just how much pain he was going through by bringing up those memories. Without even thinking, she got up and walked around the table to hug him. Jaune was taken off guard when his head was pulled against her stomach and her arms wrapped around his neck. "Blake?"

"Shhh." Was all she said. Jaune didn't say word after that and just buried his face into her stomach as he returned the hug by wrapping his arms around her lower back. After a few minutes they separated and Blake brought her chair over to sit next to Jaune. "So, how does this connect with the other night?"

"After you left, Weiss was in shock and said something. I took it the wrong way and overreacted, big time. I pretty much told, no shouted, to everyone a summarized version of what I told you. And it hurt Ren and Nora." He looked at her. "I'm supposed to be their friend, their brother. And I reopened those wounds so callously. That's why I ran. I have no right to be around them." Blake wanted to say something but couldn't think of a thing. "Although, one good thing did come out of all this." She looked at him in confusion. He had a small smile on his face, "I got to see you without your bow and I was right, you are more beautiful without it." Then in a whisper, he said, "Your ears are adorable."

"May I?" asked Jaune, grabbing the bow and raising an eyebrow at Blake.

"I… not right now, please," she pleaded quietly. "Maybe later… at the moment, I don't feel okay with it."

The boy nodded and released her ribbon. Cardin noticed, though, and a cruel smirk forming on his face as he thought of a plan. That would teach the animal her place. Although… he would need to do it when Phoenix wasn't around, or he'd be toast. Quite literally.

Blake blushed at both compliments before she regained her composure. "Why are you still with me?" Jaune just raised an eyebrow. "I know you don't care that I'm a Faunus. But I was a member of the White Fang, you should hate or fear me. Like most people would."

Jaune just sighed, "Blake, you just explained why I don't see you differently. You're no longer a member of the White Fang. Your past doesn't define you, just gives you a starting point. What you choose to do nowis what matters and you chose to leave to do good, to be a Huntress. Besides, Gin was also an ex-Fang member and she was the kindest person I ever knew. Same with you. I can see it in your eyes. You don't want blood and destruction. You want equality, same as me. So, why should I see you differently? You're still the same Blake, just with less secrets." He gave her his usual smile.

Blake just stared at him in shock before she smiled just as big as his. She took his hand in hers before saying, "Thank you, Jaune." 'For being the best person I ever met.' she added in her mind.

"Anytime, Blake."

Everyone sighed in relief as the viewing ended. That had been even heavier than the last one, and that was saying everything.

"Well, at least it's over," sighed Jaune, comfortingly rubbing Blake's back. "Let's hope for a lighter one next time. We really don't need three heavy viewing one after the other."

Cardin scoffed. "If you pussies can't handle something like that, then even watching a card game is too much for you," he sneered.

"Cardin, you're not even amusing any more," sighed Weiss. "Your insults got old quite a few viewings ago."

"To tell the truth, everything here, except for the viewings, is quite a bit boring," noted Jaune. "I mean, we've been closed in this room for maybe even hours, it's… kinda starting to feel claustrophobic."

"I will talk to the houseowner to see if we can house the viewings in other rooms or places as well," replied Phoenix. "We originally planned for you to always remain in this room, since you've been teleported into another dimension, but I guess it is getting old quickly. Although I'll have to ask Khor, the houseowner, for permission as this is his fortress, not mine."

"A change would be nice," agreed Pyrrha. "When do you think you'll be able to speak with the houseowner?"

"Eh, that depends on how lazy I'm feeling, how lazy he is feelings, and the how much it takes him to set up viewing spots near the fortress," shrugged the Writer. "But it's still a big maybe. You might not be allowed outside for your own sanity, or stuff like that. And don't look at me like that, I've never been outside this fortress into his grounds before, so I have no idea."

"Well, that's reassuring," sighed Weiss, pinching her nose. "At least it's a chance…"

Phoenix, if you're reading this, yes I might think of moving them around a bit. The Watching Hall is a cliché, but I want to have a little more variety since it's getting a little dull to just have them locked in there. (poor them)

Okay, so... What do you think? Did I do good? Yes? That's good to hear. No? Eh, better luck next time.

Again, there's an Omake here. This time the inspiration came from Void Death's Harbinger... you still remember last Omake, don't you? Yes, it's still my friend Apex of Failure, who changed his name just recently. Mind me, this Omake is short.

FEELING THE SHADOWS OF A BRIGHT LIGHT

Phoenix was gone again, and this time no one was relaxed. They all knew what had happened last time Phoenix hadn't been there. The shadow-wraith-spectre thing who had come to warn them. No one of them was really keen on repeating the experience. Unfortunately for them, that was not how it was going to go. Their willpower wasn't enough to change reality.

The door opened, and again the shadow, Harbinger, appeared on the threshold. "Greetings, Children of Life. I, Harbinger, have come once again, as it has become clear not everyone of you learned from our last meeting." Its red and ethereal eyes wandered over them. "Some of you have not found the answer within themselves, instead choosing to blind themselves to everything they wanted not to see."

The shadow slithered forwards, ignoring the Eight Students as it stopped before a certain bully. "Black Bishop of Winchester. Your malevolence toward the Knight of Arc is matched only by your ignorance. You deem yourself worthy of judging who you cannot even understand." The shadow floated closer to the boy, who tried to lean back into his couch. "You know nothing of the pain the Knight of Arc has gone through. Malevolence born from ignorance shall be punished with burden born from understanding. You shall understand, or you shall die trying."

A single ethereal hand, black and surrounded by smoke, appeared from underneath Harbinger's cloak and reached out to touch Cardin's forehead. His eyes grew wider and wider as the shadow appendage closed in, but everyone else was just paralysed. A single finger touched the skin, and a bolt went through the boy.

Pain. Searing agony starting from his wings and extending onto his whole back, the flames burning hotter than anything else he'd felt before. White and black flashes before his eyes before everything just disappeared into a pulsing grey.

Cardin gasped as he felt pain to a level he had never thought possible. He tried to scream, but not a sound came forth.

Desperation. Loss. Defeat. No more would he fly high in the skies. No more would he be comforted by his father every time he did something wrong during training. They were gone. His father was gone. His wings were gone. Forever... What meaning did Life had, if everything could be stripped from him so quickly?

The pain suddenly stopped, but what came next was almost worse. A sense of defeat, of abandon, of betrayal... burning bright yet dulled by sorrow. He saw flashes of worried faces and he felt the dull beating of his heart.

Forever... Such a long time, one no mortal could grasp the concept of. His wings were gone, his father was gone, and he was but a shell of who he once was. Stumps, scars and memories were all he had left, and even those had begun to fade... the feeling of defeat settled in, every day becoming burrowing deeper and deeper into his heart...

"M-Make it stop..." Cardin whispered, pressing his forehead against the cold floor, his eyes wide open. "Please, m-make it stop..."

It should've been a new life, an escape from his old pains, but Beacon turned out to be far less shiny than he had expected. Friends aside, the protectors of humanity seemed awfully quick to make fun of a talentless boy like him. Bullism, ridicule, obnoxiousness, arrogance... he was thrown everything at. Hadn't his friends been there for him, he would've just dropped out... he was a failure... a nobody... everyone would've probably been better off without him...

"S-STOP! PLEASE STOP!" screamed Cardin, tears running down his cheeks. "I UNDERSTAND, PLEASE JUST MAKE IT STOP!"

His head jerked up, face tear stained and eyes wide in fright, searching for Harbinger, Herald of Death, the one who -or that- had inflicted upon him such terrible punishment. He pushed himself off the floor and looked around frenetically, but...

Of Harbinger, there was no sign left.

Whoa, that was nice. I hope you liked Cardin's punishment because soon, the plan he mentioned will become true and it will make you all hate him even more. And more. And more.

Until next time,

Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh