Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY

This chapter consists of three separate stories, or vignettes. These are separated by line breaks.

Chapter 13: Days at Beacon, Part 1

Xiao Long Morning

Morning came to the dorm of Team RWBY once more and normally the Huntresses-in-training within, excluding Weiss, would accept this universal fact, but today was different. While the everyday life at a Huntsmen Academy was exhausting by itself, having to fight for their lives against a violent gang of extremists was a whole other thing. Add to that the time it took for the police and Professor Goodwitch to interrogate and debrief them, and it was late by the time they returned to their dorms. Combined with the lingering excitement and adrenaline of such an intense fight and the result was that the Xiao Long Sisters had all gotten very little sleep.

The Deputy Headmistress had clarified that getting into massive brawls with notorious criminals was not a sufficient excuse to skip Monday classes, so they still had to get up on time. Sufficed to say, the four Xiao Long Sister were dead tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep in all day.

But the Sisters were nothing if not diligent, in their own unique ways, and with a shared groan, the four threw off their blankets and sat up in their beds. Weiss and Blake were the first to get up, standing up and letting out a loud yawn before shuffling to the side and letting Ruby and Yang jump down next to them.

The four looked ahead with bleary eyes, not completely focusing and wanting nothing more than to crawl back to bed. In unison, they led out another yawn and stretched before slowly shuffling towards the dressers to get ready for the day. They sluggishly removed their pajamas, letting them fall to the floor in a strung-out mess. By the time they reach their dressers the four were almost completely naked, which was not a problem at all for this close-knit Sisterhood.

There was one problem that could pop up when they were naked around one another, as Yang found out. She was fumbling with the top drawer and trying to pull out a top when a pair of hands around from behind her and grasped her bare breasts firmly.

Yang let out a shriek. "GAHHHH! Weiss, what are you doing?!" She did not need to look or ask to know exactly which of her sisters it was.

"Well, dear sister," The white Xiao Long replied, "it may be a lack of sleep is tricking my eyes, but it looks to me that your breasts have gotten a little bigger"

"I… ummm…."

"Well?" Weiss's tone was not brooking any lies from the normally confident brawler.

"I guess my tops have been feeling tighter lately and GAHHHHHH!"

Yang shrieked again as Weiss grasped and knead her breasts vigorously.

"You are the worst! You promised me you wouldn't grow any more until I had caught up with you."

"Weiss, come on!" Yang tried in vain to get away, but her sister was relentless. "It's not like I can just make my boobs not grow or something"

"Don't give me that crap" Weiss retorted. "It's all about mind over matter, so just put your mind to it and get your bust under control!"

Weiss's words were easier said than done, especially when said bust was being so thoroughly fondled. Yang's strength had left her, and she was helpless before her sister's unrelenting attack.

Blake looked over at this not uncommon scene and let out a little laugh. Her twin could get wrapped up in the oddest of things and still try and act like the rational and sophisticated one. Her current antics were not those of a 'refined' young woman that she was always going on about how they all had to be, but Blake was just glad that she wasn't the focus of this episode of Weiss's body examination.

A hand suddenly grabbing her butt made the cat-girl yelp in surprise and she realized that she had been too quick to assume that Weiss was fully occupied with just Yang.

"And what is this?" Weiss asked in an accusatory manner. "It seems like you 'rear bumpers' are a bit plumper since last I checked. Oh, woe is me, to be left so small and flat while my dear twin shamelessly stuffs more junk into her trunk!"

"Come on Weiss! There is no way my butt has gotten any bigger."

Weiss, who had been grabbing onto Blake's rear with one hand while keeping the other on Yang's chest, released her yellow-haired sister and focused squarely on her twin, grabbing her cheeks firmly with both hands.

"You can speak whatever falsehoods you wish, but these hips do not lie!"

With Weiss having turned her back to focus on Blake, Yang was free to launch her counterattack. She got behind Weiss and grabbed her breasts from behind, the shock of which caused the White Xiao Long to release her twin.

"How about you obsess over your own rack for a change?" Yang said as she did to Weiss what she had been doing to her just moments ago.

Blake also got revenge, swirling around, and pressing up against Weiss, sandwiching her between her and Yang while reaching around and grabbing her butt.

"Instead of going on about my 'thieving hands', maybe you should focus on your 'perverted hands?"

"W-what? I'm not a pervert!" Weiss protested as she tried to escape her sisters' retribution.

Ruby looked over this scene with a neutral expression. There was a whole lot of squeezing and squishing of soft flesh going on as the three young adult women aggressively but playfully groped each other. What would be every teenage boys' greatest fantasy was Ruby's everyday morning routine. The four sisters were very comfortable with one another's body and being naked around each other. It was just another aspect of their life that would probably be very strange to anyone else but was completely normal for them.

It was still annoying when Weiss started these 'examinations' suddenly but from what Ruby could tell, her assertions that her sisters had gotten bigger wasn't wrong. With her eyes she could tell that Yang's breasts were about half a centimeter larger now from when they started Beacon, while Blake had added about a third of a centimeter to her butt.

Weiss's moaning about being small and flat were false however, as both Yang and Blake were getting a full handful of Weiss's assets. Ruby figured that Weiss had grown about a quarter of a centimeter on both her bust and butt. Add to that the muscle tone she had gain from the relentless training regime she went through to prepare for Beacon, which had continued since entering the school, and Weiss's body was nothing to complain about. Weiss did complain about it, loudly, but that was because to her she was coming up short compared to her sisters.

Ruby could only shake her head; her sister could get hung up on the silliest of things. She at least was focusing on the main task of getting ready for the day. She grabbed a bra, pulled it around…and failed to clasp it. She struggled for a couple moment, trying, and failing to get the garment on but it just wouldn't fit all the way around.

"Ruby? What's wrong" Yang asked, letting go of Weiss and moving towards her little sister. Blake followed suit and, after a moment to collect herself, Weiss followed.

"This stupid thing doesn't fit anymore. You think it shrunk in the wash or something?" Ruby held up the offending bra for her sisters to look at.

The elder Xiao Long sisters looked at the bra closely, before shifting their focus to Ruby. Despite the usual comfort she felt being around her sisters, having them focus on her like that made her feel a little uncomfortable.

"W-What?" she asked as her sisters remained silent, intense calculations swirling in their heads.

Big, bright smiles erupted from the trio's faces and Ruby knew exactly what was going to happen. Her Semblance gave her unmatched speed but here and now it was useless against her sisters and before she could fully react, Yang had grabbed her and shoved her head into her breasts. On either side, Blake and Weiss pressed their chests against the sides of their little's sister's head and Ruby was now trapped in the Patented Xiao Long Boob Hug.

"OHHH! You're growing up!" The three elder sisters shouted in glee as they held Ruby in what they considered a loving embrace, heedless of the younger girl's attempts to escape.

"Your Xiao Long genes have finally activated" Weiss exclaimed, swelling with joy at her sister's development.

"Oh, you're becoming a mature and beautiful woman now" Blake purred, kissing the top of Ruby's head.

"And you'll be absolutely turning heads in the halls" Yang added.

The comment caused the three elder sisters to pause and look at each other, their eyes hardening.

"But if any boy turns his head at her…" Blake growled.

"Then we'll have to grab his head and keep turning it…" Yang added, her eyes turning red.

"Until it comes right off!" Weiss finished; her teeth clenched as she imagined some perverted guy ogling her precious baby sister.

The Sisters looked at each other and nodded, vowing once again to protect Ruby from all threats before going back to hugging the life out of her.

Eventually, the three girls let Ruby go. The fearless leader of RWBY fell to the ground, her vision swimming as she gulped in air. She got back to her feet and saw her sisters searching one of the desks for something.

"What are you doing now?"

Her question was answered as the trio turned around and she saw that Yang had a roll of measuring tape in her hands.

"We need to get your new measurements"

"You are going to need some new clothes now"

"Which mean after school we're going shopping!"

The three proceeded to advance towards Ruby, eyes bright and smiles wide. The red reaper could only whine in defeat, knowing there was no escape from her sisters and their aggressive affections.

Such was her fate for being the little sister in this family.

Later that morning, a very upbeat Team RWBY entered Professor Port's Classroom, contrasting with the almost zombie-like JNPR. They too had gotten very little sleep last night but lacked the energy and pep that the Sisters had somehow found.

Ruby had a small grimace as she took her seat, rolling and rubbing her shoulders. Did her sisters have to be so enthusiastic about every little bit of her physical development? She had one of Weiss's old bras on, the White Xiao Long using her seamstress skills to make it fit better but it still wasn't all that comfortable. They were going shopping after school and she just knew that she would be forced to try on a bunch of different clothes despite her only needing new underwear.

They would probably try and make her chance her outfit to something other than red and black or something crazy, like an outfit without a Combat Skirt. It was all going to be pointless and annoying and frustrating…and she wouldn't trade it for the world.

For Ruby, spending any time with the three people she loved the most in the world was worth more than anything.

Her sisters…

Dance Lessons

Jaune led his team through the corridors of beacon, to an unfamiliar part of the campus. Classes were over for the day and usually JNPR would head for an unused training room to continue Jaune's personal training, but their blonde leader evidently had other plans, asking instead that they follow him to an unknown location.

"Okay Jaune, where exactly are we going? Ren finally asked. "Did you find a new space we can train in?"

"No. We're going to Beacon's Music Room"

Ren, Nora and Pyrrha all stopped in their tracks and looked at each other in confusion before looking back to Jaune.

"Beacon has a Music Room?" they asked collectively.

Jaune stopped and turned around to explain. "Yeah. They have a bunch of rooms for non-combat activities. There's an Arts Room as well, along with a load of others. They're supposed to help students relieve stress while pursing cultural arts but with everything geared so much to combat training, it's not very well advertised.

"Be great if they had a Games Room or something." Nora commented. Each floor of the dorms had a common room that doubled as a small kitchen and living room, but there was a limit to what they could do on campus.

"So, why do you want to go to the Music Room?" Pyrrha inquired.

"Well actually, I want to repay you guys for all that you've done for me so far."

Jaune's words again brought confused looks to his teammates faces and required him to elaborate.

"You three have done so much to help me improve, to help me really make a place for myself here. I want to give something back, and with the School Dance coming up in a couple of weeks, I figured I could give you guys a few lessons in dancing."

His teammates were taken back by the offer and the gratitude on display. They had helped Jaune because they wanted to, not because they expected a reward. They honestly found it fulfilling enough just to help him; watching him slowly reach his potential was strangely satisfying all on its own.

Still, it was an interesting proposal, and it would be wrong to just dismiss it out of hand.

"Dancing, huh? Guess it could be fun" Nora said before turning to Ren. "You're pretty good at dancing but I bet Jaune could teach you a thing or two"

"Maybe…" Ren replied with a hint of smugness. He may not have had much opportunity to show it off, but he was still quite confident in his skills. He turned to look over at Pyrrha to ask her what she thought when he noticed something was off.

The red-haired Champion had a neutral expression on her face, but Ren could tell there was more going on. The two had been spending a lot of time together in private, using his Semblance to help her handle her aversion to physical contact. It was slow going and he had almost been knocked out several times, but they had progressed far enough that he could hold her hand with his Semblance activated. The radiant smile she had given him that day had made it all worth it.

But dancing was a big step up and he imagined that she was very worried about be asked to dance with someone.

Ren had hit the nail on the head, and beneath the calm interior Pyrrha was near to total panic. She had watched couples dance during the many balls and banquets her parents had dragged her to but had been forbidden from taking part. Seeing those people dance and hold and twirl around each other had enthralled the young girl. It was much like fighting but the goal wasn't to cause the other pain or defeat but instead to make each other happy with rhythmic movement.

It was so similar to what she knew and yet so different, which made it something she desperately wished to try. Jaune's offer had sent a shiver of excitement through her body before she realized the obvious problem; to dance with someone, you had to touch them and that was still beyond her.

She just couldn't do it yet and if she refused to dance then they would naturally ask her why and… she just couldn't lie to her teammates. Not to them, the people who only after a short time had become so important and precious to her, the ones who cared about her and did their best make sure she was always included and comfortable. They all certainly had suspicions about her fear of physical contact, but she had never out right said anything about it.

If she did say something, finally put words to her Weakness, then it would become terrifyingly real. It would become a monster that she wasn't ready to face, wasn't strong enough to slay. She just…couldn't…

"Actually, I've already started teaching Pyrrha some dance moves"

The girl in question turned towards Ren, barely able to hide the surprise and confusion on her face. There was no worry about the others seeing, as they were also focused on the green ninja, surprised as well by his words.

"A little while ago, she mentioned that she wanted to learn to dance but didn't know, so I offered to give her a few lessons" Ren continued with his lie, maintaining a perfect poker face. "We've only done some of the basics in our spare time, but I'd think it be best if I were the one who taught Pyrrha; just to keep things from getting confusing for her. You can…."

It was this time moment that Ren paused, coughing into his hand before continuing.

"You can be the one to teach Nora how to dance"

Jaune thought for a few seconds before nodding. "That's sounds good. If the two of us work together to teach Nora and Pyrrha dancing, then everything should go a lot faster. We may even be able to come up with a routine to blow everyone away at the dance." The blonde knight flashed Ren a bright smile, "Great idea, this will make things even better".

Ren decided to chalk the fluttering feeling in his chest from Jaune's smile to just being happy with helping with his plan; nothing else at all.

Looking towards Pyrrha, the redhead was giving him a smile filled with utter gratitude. He had helped her avoid a very awkward situation and helped keep her haphephobia under wraps for now. As with her fears, she couldn't express her thanks in words right now, but it was enough for Ren that he had done something good for her.

At the same time, Ren was choosing to ignore how Nora was positively beaming at the notion of dancing with Jaune, of dancing with someone who wasn't Ren. The young ninja forced the disquiet he felt over that from his mind, though it took more effort than he wished.

The team continue along down the hallway, and it wasn't long before soft music began to fill the corridor. It got louder and louder until they were standing in front of a door that had the word 'MUSIC' written across it. The door was opened a crack and the melodious sound was coming from within. Jaune opened the door and he and his team looked inside.

It was a spacious area, bigger than the average classroom, with large windows letting in plenty of natural light. Numerous musical instruments were arranged in the far corner and back wall, with more equipment doubtlessly held in the storage room off to the side. A grand piano stood as the centerpiece of the musical instruments and sitting in front of it, creating the wonderful music, was Weiss Xiao Long.

There were no sheets of music in front of her and her eyes were closed, meaning she was performing this masterpiece composition entirely from memory. Her hands danced across the keys, filling the room with wonderful music.

She wasn't alone, for where there was one Xiao Long Sister, the others were usually not far away. The center of the room was clear of any instrument or seating, creating an effective space for dancing, which Weiss's sisters were taking to full effect.

Ruby, Blake, and Yang were dancing to Weiss's music, moving and twirling around and between one another in perfect coordination. Jaune and his team were stunned by the display; not only were they in harmony with the music and each other, but the three were fully dancing together. Most dancing showed in the media revolved around couples or large groups, so three-person routines were rare. The fact they were doing it so effortlessly made it even more amazing.

The music sped up as it reached the finale, Weiss's hands a blur and her Sisters a whirling storm of colors as the music number reached its end. With a last series of steps, the dancing Xiao Longs stopped in the center of the room, looking at one another intently with their hands intertwined as the last note echoed through the room. They were breathing heavily but the bright smiles they gave each other showed how much they had enjoyed themselves.

The four girls turned towards the doorway at the sudden sound of clapping and they belatedly realized they had an audience.

"Oh, hey Jaune! We've been waiting for you" Ruby said, waving energetically.

"We got a little bored and decided to make use of what this room has to offer" Yang added, rolling her shoulders.

"Been a good long while since we last danced like that together" Blake remarked while doing some leg stretches.

"Be better if these instruments were properly cared for. Did my best to tune it but there is only so much I can do." Weiss pressed one of the piano's keys as she finished speaking. The crystal-clear note only elicited a look of disgust on her face and JNPR had to chalk it up to Weiss just being her perpetually perfectionist self.

Jaune turned towards his in-awe teammates. "I forgot to mention that I asked Team RWBY to help with these lessons. They said they knew a little about dancing and music."

"More than a little I'd say" Nora remarked.

That was an understatement, as the display from the Xiao Long Sisters went above and beyond what most professional troupes could accomplish, especially given that this routine was almost certainly improvised on the spot by the four. Brilliant displays such as this was just common occurrences when around this family.

"Anyway, we're happy to help in any way possible. Nothing beats helping friends and having fun while doing it." Ruby raised on arm and snapped her fingers. "Alright Team, let's get to it!"

The Xiao Long Sisters immediately moved to their leader's command. Weiss reoriented herself on the piano, cracking her knuckles before placing her fingers above the keys. Yang moved to a set of drums, picking up and twirling a pair of sticks before sitting. Ruby herself pick up a bass guitar, strumming a few strings while Blake picked up, of all things, a black tambourine. After only a few moments to get ready, the four began to play their instruments.

They didn't exchange any words and there weren't any sheets of music in front of them, but the music they created was in perfect harmony with one another. The odd assortment of instruments were somehow made to work together and create music that had an easy rhythm to follow.

Somehow, they were managing to make music that was well suited for first-time dancers and it was all done spontaneously. Team JNPR really should be getting use to the Sisters being able to pull amazing feats out of nowhere but they weren't.

After a few moments to process all this, Jaune turned to his team. "Okay…let's get started. Ren, I think we should just focus on the basics for today. We'll go over the more advance stuff later."

Jaune held out his hand to Nora, who readily took it and followed him to the centre of the room. He then placed his other hand on her waist while she put hers on his shoulder. With that, the two began to dance, Jaune leading while giving instruction to inexperience but very eager partner.

A flash of rage flowed through Ren at the sight of Nora being held by another man. It took a moment, and a great deal of willpower, for him to suppress the thought and turn back to what was important at this moment. Pyrrha had a very sheepish and uncertain look on her face, but there was an eagerness in her eyes.

Ren extended both hands towards her, keeping his back to the others so they couldn't see his Semblance take effect. Very gently, he took Pyrrha's hands into his own, still keeping as much distance as possible. This was already far beyond what they had accomplished before and Pyrrha was shaking slightly but the determined look on her face made it clear she wanted to continue.

Slowly, Ren began to move back and forth and side to side, moving Pyrrha along with him.

"Dancing's not that hard or complicated. All you have to do is move your body in rhythm with music" A simplification to be sure but Ren's words did contain a lot of truth and helped put Pyrrha's mind at ease.

As they played, Team RWBY took in the sight of their friends dancing. The two pairs couldn't have been more different. Nora was taking to dancing quickly and had even convinced Jaune to lift her up and spin her around, her joy filled laughter blending well with the music. Ren and Pyrrha, on the other hand, were almost literally taking baby steps, shuffling to the side slowly.

The smiles on all four of their face were the same, however, and let the Sisters know that everything was going well.

Over the next hour, the Sisters ran through several songs, some well known and others they made up on the spot, all well suited for dance lessons. They finally stopped to take a break, with Blake handing out bottles of water to everyone.

The dancing members of JNPR were grateful for the pause and eagerly accepted the water. They were all winded, even Ren and Pyrrha who done relatively little dancing. For Ren, keeping up his Semblance for so long was a drain and for Pyrrha, the whole experience was so new and exciting that she had trouble keeping her heart from racing.

"Well, I think we did pretty well for our first time" Jaune said, wiping sweat from his forehead. They had done less instruction and more dancing for fun, but the blonde leader believed that it was important to ease his teammates into dancing first; besides, this whole thing was meant to be fun anyway.

"Yes…it was most…exhilarating" Pyrrha's face was very flushed, the fact she had actually dance with somehow making her emotions run wild. Her mood dampened a little as she realized she had done little more then shuffle back and forth and that was probably not as fun for Ren as it was for her.

"I'm sorry I wasn't the best partner, Ren. You would probably prefer someone more…confident in their dancing."

Pyrrha's words made Ren turn to her with a frown.

"Pyrrha…" he replied, somewhat exasperated. "You don't need to worry about things like that. I'm then happy to help you in whatever why you need."

Pyrrha nodded, looking down but smiling a little at his words.

Team RWBY gave Pyrrha a sidelong glance before returning to their drinks. They weren't blind, they knew that Pyrrha had some issues she was dealing with; keeping a distance from everyone, avoiding touching people, wearing her gloves everywhere. It was concerning, as they had come to see Pyrrha as a dear friend, but they didn't want to make her uncomfortable by being direct. For now, they would just watch and wait, ready to help if needed.

Jaune finished his water and placed the empty bottle on the ground before facing his teammates.

"If we keep up this pace, we should be more then ready for the school dance."

"Good enough not to step on each others' feet at least." Nora replied with a chuckle. Compared to the phenomenal display of dancing from RWBY, becoming good enough to not make fools of themselves seemed like the best they could do.

"Nonsense" Jaune gentle admonished. "You and Pyrrha are doing great. If you put even a small amount of the same energy and determination you put into you training, you'll be doing amazing things…like this."

Jaune nodded with a smile towards RWBY, who returned it and begun to play a slow beat on their instruments. All except for Weiss, who got up from the piano and walked over to one corner of the room that had several instruments on display.

Ren, Pyrrha and Nora could only watch with confusion and curiosity as Weiss picked up a saxophone and quickly took a seat next to her sisters. The music slowed to a crawl as Weiss situated herself and took a deep breathe.

The sudden blast of fast-paced and energetic jazz music hit JNPR and took their collective breathe away. The Sisters were once again in perfect beat and harmony with one another and Weiss was showing that she could play the sax just as well as the piano. They began to wonder how many instruments she could play when Jaune enacted the second part of his plan.

The blonde leader had gone over this with RWBY when he brought up these dance lessons, about a little extra demonstration. While momentarily stunned by yet another amazing display from the Xiao Long Sisters, he quickly recovered and move towards his seated teammates.

Jaune's team weren't accustomed to quick and sudden actions for their often-clumsy leader, so they were caught off guard as Jaune grabbed Ren by the hand, hauled him to his feet and spun him towards the centre of the room.

While Ren's mind was surprised and confused, his body reacted on instinct, moving in rhythm with both Jaune and the music. The look of surprise and confusion on his face was first replaced by intense concentration as he tried to keep pace with Jaune and then slowly, a bright smile formed on the normally stoic ninja's face.

Ren loved dancing, ever since he was little, but had only been able to practice by himself for the longest time, for a whole host of reasons. Being able to finally let loose and dance for all he was worth was…joyous beyond words.

Pyrrha and Nora were speechless at the sight before them. Nora had watched Ren while they practiced solo but that paled in comparison to what she was seeing now. While Pyrrha was slightly saddened at the physical proof that she wasn't a great dance partner for him but the sight before her filled her with wonder more then anything else. Both girls shared the same thought, that Ren, smiling and dancing, was absolutely beautiful to behold.

Ren's heart was beating fast, both from the physical exertion and the sheer joy he was feeling. All his problems and concerns just melted away as he danced away with his teammate; his very handsome teammate, as he was forced to notice again. With his blonde locks coated in sweat, blue eyes sparkling and a bright smile that was absolutely dazzlingly, the normally stoic young man found himself just letting go.

Ren felt a heat begin to build up within him, a foreign but not unpleasant sensation that made he-

"Boys are easier to deal with then girls"

Those words hit Ren's mind like a whip and he immediately tried to back away. Unfortunately, he was still holding onto Jaune, so his sudden jerk backwards resulted in him falling down and bringing Jaune down on top of him.

The music stopped and everyone stood up with a gasp, Nora and Pyrrha already taking a half-step forward to check if their teammates were alright. It didn't appear at first that they were hurt, but it was so sudden that they weren't sure what had happened.

It took Ren a moment to understand what had happened, that he was on the ground, on his back, and that Jaune was on top of him. One hand was on his chest while the other was next to his head, his face only a few inches from Ren's.

"Oh my god! Ren, are you okay?!" Jaune's voice and face were filled with concern, thinking that this was somehow his fault.

Ren could feel Jaune's hot breath on his lips, the weight of his hand on his chest and the sheer proximity made all those feelings return a thousand-fold.

For Jaune, all he knew was that one moment Ren was just staring back at him, the next his face suddenly turned bright red and then he was shoved back with Ren sprinting out the Music room so fast that even Nora and Pyrrha thought for a moment he had a speed Semblance.

The room was completely silent for several moments before Jaune scrambled to his feet.

"Damn it! I must have done something…ughh, why does this always happen?!"

He stomped his foot in frustration. This whole plan was meant to give something back to his teammates and he specifically wanted to dance seriously with Ren. He had learned that Ren enjoyed dancing and figured that this little surprise would be both fun and a way to get closer to his normally stoic and guarded teammate.

It had been going great for a moment there, but like so many times before, he had ruined somehow. Jaune had made more then one of his male friends feel uncomfortable in the past with his actions. He had never meant anything by it, but he couldn't help but be a naturally affectionate person and sometimes that was too much for people.

It always hurt when it happened but with Ren, it was worse. Not only was he someone Jaune respected and admired, but he was his teammate, and it was Jaune's responsibility as leader to make him feel secure and comfortable as part of Team JNPR.

He had apparently screwed up royally in that regard, so it fell to him to make things right.

"Sorry guys… looks like I messed things up" Jaune apologized to the others. "We should probably call it for today. I'll go and make sure Ren is okay"

Team RWBY nodded sadly; this had been a lot of fun it was a bummer that it had to end so soon. Pyrrha was dejected but understanding, as she was worried about Ren too.

Nora, on the other had, felt like a dagger of ice had been driven into her chest. This short period had been one of the happiest and joy filled she could remember for a long time. Dancing with Jaune had been absolutely wonderful and all her fears and worries just vanished when she was moving hand in hand with him. For a brief time, she could honestly forget that she was an abhorrent monster, and that made this precious beyond measure.

Now this happy time and place was ending. Her happiness was being ruined…by Ren…again.

Nora took a moment to force those thoughts and half-truths about Ren to the side and just focused on the main issue, keeping this happy time and happy place from ending too soon.

"You don't need to worry about Ren, everything is fine!"

The others all turned to look at Nora, surprised by her sudden outburst. The pink Valkyrie shrunk back a bit but resolved to push forward.

"It's not a big deal or anything. Ren just…Ren just get flustered pretty easily sometimes and needs to go away for a little bit. Nothing to really worry about or anything; just give it a couple of minutes and Ren will be back like nothing happened. So…we can keep dancing…for just a little be longer…"

"I, ummmm…well, if you sure…and if it's okay with everyone else?" Jaune asked, hesitant to just leave Ren by himself but also wanting to keep dancing.

The sentiment was shared by the others, all worried about Ren but not wanting the fun to end just yet. This whole activity was proving more fun then any of them realized and was providing a much-needed relief from the stress of classes. It felt wrong to just leave Ren alone when it seemed that something wasn't right, but Nora knew him best and if she said things would work out on their own, they really couldn't argue with her.

"Well, I guess we could keep going for a little while, if that's okay with everyone." The round of nods he received let him know that everyone was on board. "Nora…can you speak with Ren afterwards? Make sure that he's okay and if there's anything I can do to make things better."

"Yes, of course! Now, let's get back to it! Come on , Fearless Leader, there this move I saw in a movie once and I want to see if we can do it" Nora practically dragged Jaune back to the centre of the room, her sheer exuberance making everyone smile and forget for the moment what had happened with Ren. RWBY went back to their instruments and soon the room was filled with wonderful music again.

Nora knew that what she was doing wasn't fully right, that she should have gone to make sure her partner and friend was okay, but she wanted desperately wanted to joyous moment in time going for as long as possible. Even if it was wrong, she wanted to be just a little bit selfish for once.

Pyrrha, lacking a partner now, sat down against the opposite wall and just watch her teammates dance. While she would have preferred to continued dancing, without Ren that just wasn't possible. Still, watching Jaune and Nora dance was both entertaining and educational; her mind was able to process and deconstruct their moves into something she could understand. All the years of having to master fighting techniques were helping up in a way she never expected, and she was honestly learning more by watching then dancing, though the latter was much more enjoyable.

Watching the two dance, Pyrrha was overcome with strange desire. On one hand she wanted to take Nora's place, to be the one dancing hand in hand with Jaune, being led around like the princess in the story. But on the other she wanted to replace Jaune and be the one dancing with Nora, be the one swinging her around and make her laugh and smile. She couldn't figure out what it meant except that she wanted to do both.

Maybe she could talk with Ren about this later.

Speaking of the missing member of JNPR, Ren was currently in the washroom on the upper level of the building, having dash quite a way in his panic. Luckily, this part of school was practically deserted except for RWBY and JNPR, so there was no one to see his hurried flight. He spent several minutes just catching his breath before splashing cold water onto his face.

He was beyond angry with himself; he had reacted so stupidly to something so simple. He had made a fool of himself in front of everyone and had probably worried and offended Jaune, who had done nothing wrong.

Everything would have got great if it weren't for these useless feelings he had. It didn't matter that they were normal and expected for teenagers, they weren't helping in being a Huntsmen at all. It just distract him from his duty to become stronger, to be a hero that can save everyone. Having his mind noticing how thick and strong Pyrrha's thighs were when she was jogging, or realizing more then ever Nora's jiggling chest when she jumped up and down or gazing at Jaune as the sweat traveled down his bare chest as he practiced his sword swings.

These feelings were new and strange and wonderful and completely useless!

Ren placed a hand on his chest, where Jaune's had been just a few minutes ago. He could almost feel the warmth lingering from that brief moment they had been close together. He shook his head and reach around his back and under his shirt, feeling for the bandages wrapped around his chest. He tightened them, taking a moment to focus his breathing. It was a good thing he was so good at controlling his breathing or else it would be impossible to any intense physical activities being a Huntsmen required.

It was getting more difficult though, but like with everything else, Ren was going to push it aside and focus on what he felt was important.

He finished up and made his way out of the washroom. He would need to explain to the others what happened, come up with some kind of believable excuse. Probably along the lines that he can get easily flustered and needed a minute away; that wasn't far from the truth.

He still need to apologize to Jaune but right now he couldn't trust his feelings. He would have to ask Nora to make sure everything was alright and convey just how sorry he was.

A thought came to Ren as he exited into the hallway.

"Where is Nora?" he looked left and right but didn't see or hear anyone. She…she should have run after him, to make sure he was okay and to stay close to him, right?

Thinking for moment, he concluded that she had stayed behind to make sure the others didn't worry and not make an even bigger scene. It wasn't just the two of them anymore, so there was a lot more to consider when one of them had an…episode.

Ren decided to head outside, figuring a quick jog around the building would help clear his head before he faced his team and friends again. Clear his head of all this strange and…useless feelings and get back to what was important.

That was all he could do for now.

True Grades

The door to the classroom of Professor Peach flew open as the bell rang and a torrent of relieved students poured out. It had been another exhaustive lecture, topped off with them receiving the marks from the test last week. That test had been particularly brutal and few of the departing students were pleased with their results. One of them was being especially vocal with her displeasure.

"WAAAHHH! It's all over! My academic future is done for!"

Several students paused to see what the fuss was about but one look at the stark white hair let them know this was just another quirky moment from Team RWBY and the Xiao Long Sisters.

"Come on Weiss, it not that bad" Ruby said, trying to calm her sister down.

"It is that bad! I'm a complete failure!" the white Xiao Long wailed, covering her head as she huddled in the corner of the hallway, as if to hide from her shame.

"Seriously Sis, one mark on one test is not the end of the world"

Yang's attempt to sooth her didn't work as Weiss leapt to her feet and whirled around to face her sisters.

"It is the end! How can I possibly hope to uphold the honour and dignity of the Xiao Long Family with his horrendous black mark on my record!" Weiss held up a sheet of paper, her marked test, and pointed to the number in the top right corner. The Sisters looked at the mark and saw the problem.

The mark was a 95…out of a 100. A near perfect mark and absolutely fantastic given how difficult the test was, but almost perfect was rarely good enough for Weiss.

Blake, Yang and Ruby started at the mark, which was both higher than any of theirs and certainly the best in the class, for a long moment before letting out a big sigh. Weiss was just being Weiss.

Team JNPR was standing off to the side and looking at their friends with both concern and amusement.

'Really Weiss, your effort are beyond exemplary and praiseworthy give the difficult circumstances." Pyrrha's gentle words were filled with the truth, as even she could only get a 90 in spite of all her best efforts; it was truly a brutal test.

"At the very least, you did better then me" Jaune held up his test; while Blake and Ren had managed to get into the low 80's and Ruby and Yang had got 70's, he had barely passed with a 55.

Weiss gave Jaune a hard look. "Doing better then you is hardly an achievement"

While the words were harsh, there was no malice behind them, so Jaune just shrugged them off. He looked over to his teammates and realized that Nora's mark was the only one he didn't know. She never told them what she got on tests and assignments and he was now beginning to worry. Using his greater height, he discreetly looked over the shoulder of his short teammate and looked at the test she was holding close.

He winched at what he saw. "Only 10…that's terrible. Oh Nora, I'm sorry"

RWBY and JNPR had been spending much of their time helping Jaune train and study. It was great for him but what if it was coming at the expense of someone else? He knew Nora was far from being dumb but that didn't mean she didn't need help; Beacon was a pretty advance curriculum after all.

Jaune was improving steadily but if it was indirectly hurting his friend and teammate, then he couldn't forgive himself. Nora hadn't said anything about this situation but that wasn't too surprising, as despite her cheerful and outgoing personality she was remarkably evasive and obstinate when it came to personal issues.

He had just begun to plan on bringing this up with Ren and the others when Weiss started wailing again.

"It's all over! I'm not worthy to walk these illustrious halls. I'm lower than a worm, lower than dirt!" With that, Weiss began to lower herself back into a little ball on the floor.

Yang was having none of that, grabbing her sister and hoisting her over her shoulder. The blonde Xiao Long turned towards JNPR.

"We're going to get some ice-cream in Weiss-cream here; that should help calm her down. You guys want to come?"

'We have a couple of things to do first, but we're free later this evening" Jaune spoke for his team, the four having discussed their plans that morning.

"Sounds good. We'll try and save some for you guys. See you then". With that, Yang turned down the hall, Weiss still hanging over her shoulder. The white-haired girl finally lifted her head, eyes wide.

"Can…Can I have triple-scoop vanilla with chocolate syrup and rainbow sprinkles?" Her voice was surprisingly soft and child-like.

Blake, walking behind Yang, simply patted her twin on the head. "Of course, you can."

With RWBY's departure, JNPR went their separate ways. They had no illusion of there being any ice-cream left on the entire campus after their gluttonous friends had their share but that didn't bother them at all. Simply hanging out with them was rewarding enough.

Jaune was part way down the hallway when he remembered the issue of Nora's grades. Spinning on his heels, he couldn't see Ren or Pyrrha anywhere but did spy Nora turning a corner down the hallway. While he had wanted to discuss this issue with Ren and Pyrrha first, those two were busy with their private dance lessons and he didn't want to wait any longer on what seemed to be a serious problem. Things were still a bit awkward with Ren right now, since their shared dancing practice a few days ago and suddenly going to him with this problem might make things more complicated.

He would have to talk with him later about it, but Nora was the priority right now. He ran down the hall, calling for her to wait up for him.

She heard him and turned back down the adjacent hall to meet with him. Unfortunately, they both reached the corner of the hall at the same time and Jaune ended up running right into Nora, knocking both of them to the ground and causing Nora's binder to fall from her grasp and scatter paper all over the floor.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Jaune scrambled to his feet, all but shouting his apology. His panicking mind made the decision to start picking up the fallen papers over the more reasonable and courteous one of helping his fallen teammate, who was still dazed and surprised by what had happened.

"Crap! I wanted to help her and look at what I do. Why do I have to be such a stupid klutz when it matters the most?" Jaune shook his head, angry with himself. "How can help with her grades when…"

Jaune's train of thought was derailed as he looked closer at one of the papers he had picked up. It was the test from Professor Peach they had just gotten back. Looking at it fully, Jaune realized he had made a big mistake. He had missed the second zero in Nora's mark; she hadn't gotten a 10…she got a perfect 100.

Shifting through the stack of papers in his hand, he saw the same thing repeated; 10 out of 10, A+, perfect score after perfect score for every test and assignment they had so far, with comments from the teachers praising her work.

A strangled cry brought Jaune back to the present as the papers were snatched from his hands. Looking up, he saw Nora clenching the papers tightly to her chest, as if desperately trying to hide a shameful secret. Her eyes were wide with fear and panic, her breathing frantic.

"I…um…that's…I…" The normally straightforward girl was at complete loss at what to say or how to explain.

Jaune, however, knew exactly what was up.

"Nora…you're a genius."

"N-no, I'm…not…" Her protests was weak against the evidence on display.

"You got a better score then Weiss, and that girl isn't shy about proclaiming herself to be a genius. You doing better on a test that difficult means, at the very least, you are very intelligent." Jaune stood up, a smile on his face at knowing that Nora was completely fine in regard to her grades.

That smile died as he saw just how terrified Nora was, trembling and refusing to look him in the eye.

"It's…nothing. I'm just good at remembering things…and figuring out problems…like their puzzles. It's nothing special at all"

A memory came to Jaune, of how a couple of weeks ago he had met his team at the library and saw Nora leafing through a large book. He had assumed she was flipping through the pages idly for fun and not actually reading. Looking back now, he remembered that her eyes had an intense look of concentration before she closed the book at Jaune's approach.

Nora must have an eidetic memory and she had been fully reading the book, scanning the pages, and committing them to memory in seconds.

But a good memory could only be part of it, and you would need a terrific amount of comprehension and analysis to ace a test that gave the likes of Weiss and Pyrrha trouble.

A genius in other words. Why was that so scary for Nora?

"Nora, what's wrong? Why are you scared of people knowing how smart you are? No one is asking you to loudly boast all over the school, but it wouldn't hurt to be a bit more open or-"

"NO!"

While not loud, the force behind Nora's cry stopped Jaune and left him staring at his teammate.

"If I'm open about who I am, then people will look at me, they'll see me and then know me, the real me." The papers were being crushed against her chest as her arms hugged herself tightly, her eyes darting back and forth as words spilled from her lips.

"No one can know me, it's not safe. I need to be the loud, cheerful, happy-go-lucky idiot. When I'm that, then people think they know all there is about me and don't pry further. That's better for everyone; the real me is…not good."

Jaune could only shake his head slowly at all this. There was no way that the happy and wonderful Nora Valkyrie was all a fake. A lot of it was real, he knew, but now he could see there was a lot of pain and sadness hidden behind her smile.

It tore at him that she had been concealing such a deep pain from him. He needed to help her; what kind of teammate, leader, friend, or person would he be if he did nothing? But this was a deeply personal issue, and he had no idea what exactly Nora was afraid of people knowing about her; He just didn't know enough about her.

A though came to Jaune, about how to get someone to open up, you had to be open first.

"You know how I have seven sisters, right?"

The sudden and random question succeeded in pulling Nora out of her near-panic attack, causing her to finally look at Jaune with an expression of complete confusion.

"Well, you can imagine it could be tough at times, being the only boy in a house filled with girls." Jaune continued on, not waiting for Nora to reply. "One real annoying thing was that they all decided that I was going to be their model for when they wanted to try out new dress combinations. For hours, I had to put on dress after dress, having make-up put on me and try every combination of hats, shoes, and jewelry. It was really humiliating at first, but you know what happened after a while?"

Jaune leaned in close and spoke just loud enough for Nora to hear.

"I started to like it. Sure, I prefer my jeans and sweater, but I don't mind wearing 'feminine' clothes at all. I'd totally be fine wearing a skirt and I'm actually proud to say that I can rock a dress better then a lot of girls."

Jaune took a small step back, giving the still stupefied Nora a bright smile.

"That's just one little thing about me. I'm not ashamed of it, but I still prefer to keep it to myself. It's a part of me, the real me, I suppose. Do you think you could tell me a bit about yourself?"

That question finally jolted Nora out of her confused but enraptured stupor and left her stammering and stuttering.

Jaune held up a hand, stopping her. "It's okay. You've already told me, in a way, that you're really smart but you're afraid of people finding out. Maybe you can tell me why tomorrow, or maybe the next day? In exchange, I'll tell you something about me. That way, we can learn about each other in a slow, comfortable way."

Jaune placed a hand on Nora's shoulder and looked deep into her eyes, smile never wavering.

"I want to know more about you, the real you. I think she's a wonderful person, if given the chance. I want to you to be comfortable being you while part of this team. You don't have to explain it all at once, but I want you to know that I'm here for you in whatever way you need me to be."

Nora looked into the deep blue eyes of her team's leader and saw nothing less then the absolute desire to help her, to accommodate her in whatever way she needed. With her loud and exuberant persona, most people didn't have a lot of patients for her, which was partly the goal, but she now realized how much she needed some to see her, see the real Nora.

Nora didn't know how much of her intelligence came from her accursed powers. While her limiters were off, her mind raced a mile a minute as the power coursed through her body, her muscles and brain alike. Even when they were on, the same trickle of power that gave her the 'normal' superhuman strength could be faintly felt when she concentrated hard enough on something.

That wasn't all of it, she knew. She did study hard for every test and assignment, reading and re-reading all the material and preparing as best she could before hand. She made sure to always to so discreetly, so no one, not even Ren, had any clue as to her full intelligence. The teacher knew, of course, but for reasons she could only guess at, they never spoke to her directly about it.

She could have just deliberately gotten the answers wrong, but she just could never bring herself to do it. With it sometimes feeling that her whole life was all a lie, and that she was faking everything, she wanted one thing that she could be truthful with, and that ended up being the questions on school tests. For a short time, all she had to focus on was what the answers could be, to figure out the puzzle and put it back together.

Those were problems she could figure out…unlike the others in her life…

Now someone had seen this part of her, the true Nora. It was a tiny piece of her, and not a bad thing in of itself, but it led back to her power, her nature and her past, all things she wanted no one to know about. Part of her wanted to just run away or buried this whole thing and go back simple, safe Nora.

But she couldn't and the reason was Jaune. That it was him who learned of this changed everything. Not only was he being his usual kind and gentle self, but he was going out of his way to make her feel comfortable, taking the first step to really connect and understand her. She couldn't just reject that, not to him…not when she needed to connect with someone…

Nora slowly nodded, accepting Jaune's proposal and making the blonde knight smile.

"Great. We can go over how you want to do this later, maybe tomorrow after classes? We should probably finish up with work before meeting up with the others later. Don't worry, I promise not to tell anyone about this. I won't say a word until you're ready to tell them yourself."

One look at Jaune was all Nora needed to know that he would keep that promise. Her secret, this part of it at least, was safe for now.

"Okay. I…thanks…" That was all her could say, her emotions having gone through a roller coaster in the last few minutes. "I have…a lot to think about but I do want to talk more later."

Nora turned, about to walk away but froze for a moment before turning back and quickly tapping Jaune on the nose with her finger.

"Boop"

With that, Nora took off down the hallways, turned the corner and was out of Jaune's sight. The young man smiled before heading down the other way. This had certainly been an unexpected turn of events, but he was happy that he could help in even a small way. He knew that Nora's issue ran deep and there couldn't be a quick fix but at least he could help her take the first steps to face this problem.

Little did Jaune know that Nora was having trouble taking any steps, having only gotten a short way down the hall before her legs started shaking and he had to lean against the wall. Her eyes were closed as she held a hand to her chest, a smile gracing her face.

She was feeling the same sense of joy and happiness that she had during the dance lessons from a few days ago, the same feeling that everything was alright, and she could just be herself. But that was from dancing, physically moving with Jaune who was also doing it for his own pleasure. He didn't need to open up to her, didn't need to tell her such private things with nothing in return. He was reaching out to her, trying to make her feel safe and welcome, because he simply wanted to.

Her chest was filled with a warm feeling as her heartbeat faster then normal. She was feeling better and more happy, freer, then any other time in her life…and it was all thanks to Jaune.

"This isn't good…" Nora murmured to herself. "At this rate, I'll…I'll really start to fall for him…"

She really shouldn't get close to anyone, but right now, she wasn't worried about anything. Her strength returned and she started skipping down the hall, looking forward both to this evening, when she would join with her Team and RWBY, and for tomorrow, when it would just be her and Jaune.

For the first time in a long time, she was looking forward to the future.

That's all for this chapter of short vignettes. I'm sorry it took so long to get it out but 2020 has been tough on pretty much everyone. I had originally planned to have a fourth story in this chapter but decided to save it for later so as to get this one out faster. These stories are written as they come to me with only a basic outline, so there may be some inconsistencies and not much of a common theme between them.

Let me know if the formatting and layout of this chapter is okay or if I need to add something more to separate the vignettes from each other.

One major elements of these stories is to quickly develop JNPR relationship with each other, as I want it to be at a certain level by the time we get fully into Volume 2. RWBY's relationship is mainly set already, with it being mostly how the main events of the story will affect them, so JNPR needs a bit of a boost get to that same level. This method I feel is easier for me to write, as I don't have to weave this JNPR moments into the main story so much.

I originally intended to have 2 chapters with 4 vignettes each, but it looking more like 3 with 3 now; I don't want to go much more then that and put off the main story too much. I hope to have mix of funny, introspective, and romantic moments throughout these vignettes and while JNPR will be a focus, RWBY will still have plenty of moments. Upcoming stories will include: Explosive experiments with Weiss and Nora, a Nora x Pyrrha moment while sparring and what Ruby thinks of other people dating her sisters.

Once again, I apologize for any and all spelling and grammar mistakes. I can't even begin to estimate when the next chapter will be out, but I'll try my best. Please leave a Review or PM to tell me how the story is going, and I'll see you next time.