Elderfire1

AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

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soooo… good stuff happening still?

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Yeah! How did you know?

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Just a guess *I thought I was supposed to be the crazy one? That's my whole thing!*

Elderfire1

Just a heads up, folks. A time skip will be happening next chapter… for reasons… you'll understand, I swear.

Also, a few people are questioning why Jaune had TWO ways to commit suicide, in response to the razor… well… he didn't? That… seriously, a razor in a bathroom, and I literally wrote that he froze upon opening the cabinet. Kind of gives the sense he had forgotten it was in there and freaked out a little. He was simply too mentally and physically tired to naturally freak out like he did in the morning.

He used it to shave like most 17 year olds have to do, he just prefers a straight razor in our story. Just thought I'd set that one to rest.

Our certain page has seen some changes that we think you will all enjoy the look of and we have lowered prices so it's fair for our American readers seeing as you're our main readers :)

Thanks to our four current members

Lyruil (sorry we got your name wrong last time!)

Lufftewaffle

Splash43

Enigma42

htt ps/ /ww w.pa tre on. co m/ElderfireAndJourney

The Song Of Her Heart

Chapter 32

Stay by my side as I do with you

He cried so hard into her shoulder… cried and cried while desperately clinging to her, begging for her forgiveness even though she and everyone else was adamant that she had nothing to forgive him for…

Why… why was this happening? Why was everyone wiling to so easily forgive him? He had hurt her so badly…

Jaune felt her grip on his back, felt her shoulders shake as she ever so slowly pressed herself into him, head joining his in resting on the others shoulder. This… this wasn't what he had been expecting… and yet, to be given the chance to apologize? It… it was everything he could hope for…

They stayed like that for the longest time… so long that he could barely stop himself from moving with her when she gently pulled back. Emerald eyes hit him with a shine to them, a whisper of a smile upon her lips, flaming red hair fully framing her face.

"I… Pyrrha, I…" a slight shake of her head silenced him as she took him into her arms once more.

"No… please don't… I have been informed to stop you from doing that"

"Too right!" Coco called from the back, Jaune smiling despite himself.

"Would… Would you like to talk? Outside? It… It may help clear the air" she whispered into his ear, her voice sounding oh so tender yet fragile. He nodded into her shoulder rubbing away furiously at his watering eyes.

"I… yeah… I'll be back soon, okay?" he whispered to Weiss, the girl nodding her head with the smallest of smiles.

He let her go with great effort, his partner taking his hand and leading him outside the door. The creak sounded oh so loud to him, the silence permeating the air as he followed her down the hall until he found himself against the far off wall, sliding down upon it until he laid himself down upon the floor.

Pyrrha joined him on the other side of the hallway, the silence that followed was… terrible… but what could he say?

In the end, it was actually Pyrrha who spoke up… oh, he hated that he was such a coward to not talk first…

"Jaune… I care deeply about you… you know that, right? As in, more than a friend… really should" she asked him, so much care in her voice… how? How, after the pain he had brought to her? He faintly heard Weiss' voice in his head, telling him off oh so quickly, a quiet huff of a laugh upon his lips. Heh… no… he had to do better for her… better for them all.

"I… I know… I hate it, but I just… just can't return your feelings…" he whispered, forcing himself to look her in the eyes, he refused to be a coward right now.

"I am aware… and even if it hurts… I won't hold it against you like I was foolishly trying to" his head snapped up and stared at her in open shock. He tried to object, tried to tell her that she had a right to be upset with him! But Pyrrha silenced him with one of those smiles he hated to see on her… it was one of hurt… but also understanding. "Jaune, I expected you to fall in love with me, purely because I confessed to you, that only happens in fairy tales. Jaune, you did your very best to calmly tell me that you couldn't return my feelings… and I reacted with anger and disgust to you. What kind of partner and friend can I dare to call myself for doing that to you?"

"Pyrrha!" he stood with anger, ready to tell her that she was wrong to treat herself like that! She had been his friend for so long, through everything he had been through! And yet he could find nothing, there was so much to say and yet when he saw the pleading look Pyrrha sent him… he just couldn't bring himself to say another word…

"Please, Jaune… just let me speak… You are such a caring person… you did your very best to make everyone you possibly could, happy… you trusted unconditionally, saw every person around you as a possible friend" Once again, those sad yet happy eyes looked up at him and Jaune felt his heart break just a little more. "I think… I think it was the reason I fell in love with you…"

Those words once more… the words and feelings she held for him… and yet he couldn't bring himself to return them… maybe, if he had known from the beginning, before all this happened with Weiss maybe he could have returned her feelings. Maybe he could have loved her the way she deserved.

But that was a lot of maybes, and there was no use living in the past when that path had closed long ago… he loved Weiss, even though he was doing his best not to for both their sakes and Pyrrha? He… he didn't feel anything romantic towards her… the thought had never crossed his mind, in all honesty.

"I know that look… you're torturing yourself again… just like you have been for the longest time" she told him with a knowing smile, Jaune sighed into her hand that he pressed against his face… he had to ask.

"Pyrrha… how? I thought you would be furious with me… you sounded it…" it made no sense for her to be like this after she had yelled at him like she had.

"Oh, I was… I foolishly decided in my head that you were an idiot who was obsessed with being treated terribly by an evil little brat who would torture your heart and soul forever… and said brat was doing it all to win… win some sad little competition where I was the only one participating… I was going to leave Beacon and Vale altogether until Weiss found me and showed me, you could say, the error of my ways. Hah, I had actually convinced myself she had done it to spite me after I punched her" a tear trickled down her cheek, her head falling down into her knees as her shoulders shook just a little bit. The news that Pyrrha had hit Weiss was more than a little shocking to him, but he could guess when and where it had happened… the only real place that she and Weiss had met recently to his knowledge had bene when he was in the med ward. "Jaune… you talk about how we can possibly forgive you for what you see as heinous crimes… and yet here I am having actually done crimes like that and you treat me with nothing but kindness and the love of a teammate and friend… it makes no sense to me…"

He couldn't help it, the sympathy he felt for her, even knowing that had greatly upset her last time he had done it… but it didn't stop him when he shot forward and gripped her tightly, a great, wracking sigh leaving his lips… she froze in his grasp, a terrifying moment where he thought she would push him away… but then she gripped him once more, Jaune smiling ever so slightly.

His partner… his dear, poor partner… he wished he could do something to make her happy, but he knew that he couldn't.

"Pyrrha… I… I don't ever want to hear you say that. Ever again. You are my partner, my best friend and the person I trust more than life itself… please, please don't ever let yourself think otherwise… okay?"

It was a begging, pleading thing he did… terrified that if he didn't do something to show he felt nothing but familial love and care towards her, that she… she would end up like he had… like he still was.

"… Okay… I… will do it, for yo-"

"No." he growled, feeling her jolt as he flipped his head back and made her look at him, he narrowed his eyes into a glare that his partner clearly wasn't ready to deal with. "I don't want you to do it for me. Do it for yourself. And no one else. Pyrrha… you told me you have spent your entire life trying to do things to make others happy while sacrificing your own happiness"

"J-Jaune…" her voice warbled, but he wouldn't let her say anything until he had said his peace. He was the one getting interrupted a lot before he could fall into depression riddled rants, he was more than prepared to do the same for Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha. If you do only one thing for yourself… Do this. Don't do… what I did… You are such an incredible person, such a caring and kind person who deserves all the love and care in the world. I don't know, and will never pretend to know, what it was like being as lonely as you were. But you have people that care about you, here. Team RWBY, Ren, Nora and me. They will never leave you, never leave you to be all alone ever again. Me especially... you're my partner and best friend, never forget that" she stared at him for the longest time, a torn expression upon her face that he couldn't quite understand… until it clicked…. It had been a look she had sent to him the other night… a look he had seen many times before and yet he hadn't realised what it was until then… why had it taken him as long as it had now? After he had already seen this look and knowing what it meant. "… How long? How long have I done this to you?"

"Heh…" It was her turn to cling to him, Jaune moving to her side and wrapping an arm around her shoulders to keep her close and remind her that he was there for her. "I… honestly think I developed a small crush on you at initiation…"


Weiss smiled despite her worry as he left, the silence in the room going on until a hand was clapped to her shoulder. She turned with a start to find Coco smiling warmly at her… why did that worry her more than the scowls she had become used to?

"Heh, going a loooong way to make me not hate you anymore, Schnee" she commented pulling her away from the door with Weiss reluctantly allowing it. As she turned to properly face the crowd… Weiss was met the horrifying image of every single person smiling at her in a way that could be… oh dear gods, they looked so proud of her.

She needed to divert this, she was not going to stand being 'praised' and such for just doing the right thing.

"I shall have you know, the reason I did it was not in anyway a ploy for me to get your approval, I shall be frank when I say it means nothing to me" she quipped, bringing out the best imperious look she could muster. The last thing she needed was for everyone to think she was going soft… well… Jaune can… he… he can be allowed to see my softer side…

"Hah… oh, did you forget that my Semblance lets me see emotions? I know bullshit when I see it" The fashionista grinned as Weiss' face paled in horror, dammit, she had… in response, she growled and made to storm away to wait until Jaune arrived once more. She was only here to check up on him, not be teased! "Hey, hey, hey! Don't go all grumpy on me, I only tease people I like… you deserve it after you saved the idiot…" Weiss paused in her frowning and plans to leave… to find the girl before her was staring to the side with a tensed jaw that ground from left to right. She… she was not prepared for this… but she could admit she may have overreacted. "Heh, dammit, don't make me go all serious, okay?"

Weiss glanced at the rest of the room and, yes, they were still smiling at her… yet they were a touch sadder now… hah, this was not something she wished for either.

"Alright, I apologize… and thank you. I promise you that I will be there for him at any moment he needs me, any moment that he requires my help… I shall be there" She got a grateful expression from the girl, a genuine one instead of the teasing thing from before…

Coco switched this to a rather evil looking grin as she dragged her forward and threw her to the wolves. That was what she did. Weiss swore it. She did not gently push her towards her friends who smiled all the more and offered her proud words.

"Heh, fair play for getting P-money to come back… from what you told us she was in a pretty bad way, Nora" Yang praised, turning to the ginger who nervously looked her way for a moment before nodding her head.

"Yeah, she… Pyrrha was kinda doing bad after Jauney did what he did, but I kinda get why he did it in the end… she was convinced she needed to leave and go back to Mistral, wouldn't listen to me or Renny, just so obsessed with the idea that, that was what she absolutely had to do. But thanks to Weiss she came back!" she said in a suddenly loud voice that had Weiss wincing, to her surprise the girl actually flinched and quieted down, an apologetic look on her face that caught her attention.

It took all of a moment for her to understand why… while last night had been a rather tumultuous affair, and they had actually been rather pleasant to her… she was well aware that Nora and Ren didn't really have all too many reasons to actually like her.

"Nora… I understand if you and Ren still find it difficult to be around me, I get it. I really do. I did some… reprehensible things that I will regret until the day I die… it would be foolish to expect you to instantly be on good terms with me" she smiled, both of them returning it. Nothing needed to be said to that, they both knew the truth for what it was… but apparently that didn't stop Ren.

"You did do some terrible things, Weiss. Things that… well, I am rather angry about still… but you were also the one who saved him. The one who stayed with him the entire night and kept him safe and happy as he possibly could be… You are the only one who can somehow get through to him and keep his head clear when the rest of us, even myself, get overwhelmed with emotions that would only make the situation worse. So, that is something I will always hold close to my heart whenever I think of you. While we are not what I would really call friends at the moment, I truly hope that we can in the future"

She was taken aback, she had most definitely not been expecting that, but it was a rather kind thing to hear. She would have taken that as it was, happily at that! And yet, she jolted when he pulled her into her hug. She… WHAT!?

Apparently it shocked everyone else, hearing a gasp from every direction, seeing Nora's eyes fly open and mouth fall open…

"I… thank you?" she muttered, Ren letting go, a rare show of embarrassment on his cheeks as he moved right on back to Nora and laid a kiss on her cheeks.

Before that could be dealt with, she was met with the giddy laughter of Ruby who snapped her into a bone crushing hug, Weiss squawking in anger as Ruby cheered that everyone was on good terms again!

Just… Just… oh dammit, she would just let it happen.

It continued from there, Weiss quietly talking with Yang and Blake, doing her best to remain calm as she possibly could. It helped that Yang made sure she was between them and was the main talker in their little conversation. The main thing of the entire conversation was, while littered with bad jokes by the blonde, them making thinly veiled questions about how she herself was doing. She… heh, she wouldn't deny that it was a little hard at times to answer their questions.

She was going to do what Miss Goodwitch asked of her, take care of herself and of her mind, as she would have been no good to anyone if her mind was a mess. But this also meant she was trying to admit to herself that she wasn't really all that okay but was doing her very best to simply hold herself together until she could talk with Jaune… much as she hated to admit it, knowing she didn't deserve it, the moment his Semblance hit her… she felt this great calm overcome her… a pleasant warmth settling in her chest… she still had doubts it was a healing semblance at all. In fact, Weiss was fairly certain that what Jaune had at his disposal was a Semblance that affected the aura.

Ruby was also someone she wished to talk to, her friend had proven to be a steadfast confidant and had a maturity to her that most would be shocked by. Weiss treasured it though, her dearest friend was someone that had stayed by her side throughout this whole horrid affair. She also knew her friend was hurting over what had happened, what memories had been drug up with the events of last night. So she would more than happily play the role of the listener as Ruby often did for her.

Things took a change, however, when Coco motioned for her to come over.

She apologised to Ruby who was in the middle of offering to share an idea she had for a new weapon for Jaune, and wandered over to the couple.

Velvet actually smiled at her, something she was still getting used to... Coco however?

"I thought you were trying to not be serious?" she asked the straight faced girl, a small smile twitching upon her lips before it returned to the neutral state from before. Before she could answer her, a piece of cake was provided to her. Velvet had apparently made multiple cakes as of recently, and the one provided to her was a lemon drizzle cake... which looked beyond delicious.

"Th-thank you" she shyly thanked her, shocked to find she had already taken a bite... and was using her entire bodies supply of willpower to not devour the rest. She instead focused on the girl who lowered her glasses and stared at her dead in the eyes with a furrowed brow.

"Heh... listen. I don't wanna bring down the mood, but I gotta be honest... while I like you a lot more than I used to, I'm still not 100 percent happy with you. The shit you pulled was messed up and… heh, dammit! Look. I'm going to be straight up and ask since I can't really get a guarantee of your emotions since they're fluxing a lot. I'll be honest when I say that if your answer will be what I think it is... well, I may need to do something about that" Weiss, for some reason, felt a great deal of apprehension come over her... this... what was about to happen?

"Coco..." Velvet seemingly attempted to warn, but went ignored... and then Coco spoke words that froze her already ice locked heart.

"Are you in love with Jaune?"

She stayed there for the longest time... the entire world fading away...

Ba-thump...

Crash went the song, smashing against the bone prison.

"Schnee?"

Ba-thump...

Screamed the cords as the question reverberated throughout her entire being.

"... I need an answer, Weiss"

Ba-thump...

Slammed the drums, a powerful note that hit her like a great thunderbolt.

"Coco! Leave her alone, she's nearly hyperventilating!" came the harsh whisper of Velvet which broke Weiss from her stupor to find the glare of Coco Adel bearing down upon her, no doubt because of her silence.

Was her breathing really getting that bad? Oh. Her chest did hurt. It hurt a lot in fact... was it really due to her increased pulse and breathing? Or... or was it something else? Was it to do with her question? Was it all down to a simple question of whether or not she... she...

Loved him?

Did... did she love him?

"Vel… he's in love with her… I need to know if she's finally decided she feels the same way back"

The answer, despite what most would think, came rather easy to her… if only because it was a painful one she had known for the longest time…

"I… no… no I don't… I'm not in love with him…" Heh… of course things could have been good only for a short time… well. She would take her beating, it was expected from this morning after all.

"Hah… oh thank the gods…" Coco whispered, Weiss' eyes snapping up, wide as can be and near falling back before the surprisingly strong hand of Velvet caught her… and yes, she too looked relieved as well.

"Wh-what?" she whispered, Coco leaning forward and gripping her shoulder tightly.

"Look. If you had told me that you were in love with him, I'd have more than likely lost my shit and called you a liar. You don't know what love is, clearly, so the idea of your suddenly falling in love with him just because he saved your ass and did a couple nice things doesn't create love. Care? Yeah. Friendship? You damn better for what he did… but love? Love takes time, love is caring deeply for someone and getting to know them inside and out. Every detail… seeing their flaws and knowing that they have more… but accepting them and loving the person all the same" she gently took the hand of the girl beside her, Velvet tenderly taking her hand and resting her head upon the taller girls' shoulder.

Coco leaned over and took her lips in a kiss that Weiss… couldn't help but smile tenderly at… what would it be like to have parents who loved each other like these two did? What would it have been like… to love someone as dearly as they did?

"So, yeah. Pretty glad you haven't fooled yourself into believing you love him. He's seen your flaws. Seen the bitch you can be, the girl who'll treat people like crap if she decides that they deserve it. Hell, he saw the girl who decided to tell him to off himself... and yet for reasons I can't understand, sorry to say but it's true... he loves you. Vel told me she swore she heard movement behind her the day she met him... so you know why he does…"

"Heh… it hurts him… but I cannot simply tell him that I do to make him happy… that would end badly for the both of us" she admitted, jumping a little as Coco's hand reached out and touched her shoulder once more. They relaxed just a little, a tension leaving her body as the two girls looked upon her kindly... hah... well, this was going to be a good day after all, it seemed.

"Hey... even if I don't get it..." she looked at her kindly, a relief flooding through Weiss. It seemed true that things... things truly were getting better... better for herself and Jaune, even if the one final pain of his partner was still being sorted out. Now though, she needed to find out what Coco wanted, there was clearly something she felt needed to be said. She wondered if it was to do with whether or not she intended to truly want to be Jaune's friend? "If you can fully prove to me that you've changed and actually care about the idiot enough to deserve it… fuck, never thought I'd say this to you… I won't stop you from growing that crush into something more with him"


"Coco!" Velvet yelped, her own face turning red as the girl in white before her shot a blush so deep she could have passed it off as her natural skin colour.

"What? Look, I'm not a fan either, but hell she saved his life so she deserves a chance to prove herself!" Her girlfriend countered, but that wasn't what Velvet meant! There was a time and a place!

thump*

They turned in shock to find Weiss was nearly passing out against the counter with a blood red face and looked as if steam was going to come shooting out of her ears. Velvet and Coco shared a glance, the others coming up with confused expressions… oh wait, the girl named Yang had a knowing smile on her face.

As the steaming Heiress was led away by Ruby, the blonde haired girl came up with a conspiratorial look about her as she looked left and right before leaning in just a little further.

"Hey, I heard what you were talking about… listen, she is real confused about how she feels about VB right now, mind laying off?" the words were said kindly, but there was a flicker of red in her eyes that Velvet could take a guess that the anger was boiling just below the surface.

"Hey, I'm not trying to upset her, she saved my friend" Coco retorted with a mildly annoyed looked of her own. "But, you know why I gotta check. The shit they've been through, a lot of it is her fault and you know that"

That hair glowed for a moment, a challenge that Coco responded to with a removal of her glasses and a hard stare that Velvet had seen make stronger and scarier back up… and it did with the blonde too.

"Heh.. dammit, I know. She… when he was hurt and in the medical bed, me and her had a talk" a hand was run through those long locks. "She says she feels… something for him, but isn't sure if it's just gratitude or not and isn't gonna make a move until she's certain. Hell, I don't think that she will even then, she blames herself for shit almost as much as Jaune"

Velvet sighed in relief, having fully expected a brawl to break out for a moment.

The blonde gently rested herself against the counter, a weary look about her.

"I'm sorry… things have been kinda rough as you can guess recently and I just don't want shit going bad again" she muttered.

"I get that, really do. You won't get any trouble off of us, well, Vel here is sweet as can be anyway. She's happy as long as Jaune is" Coco replied, Velvet blushing just a little but did walk up to the girl, spotting that Weiss was calming down a little, even if she did shoot Coco an evil look every now and then.

"I'm sorry if we're a little hostile, we care about Jaune a lot is all, but I promise that we'll give Weiss no trouble. She's earned the benefit of the doubt from us" She placated the girl, doing her absolute best to stop her nerves from shining through.

"Thanks" was all the reply she got, but Velvet knew that her smile was genuine. She soon backed up and was on her way over to her friend who was looking much better now.

"So…" Coco said quietly, so quiet that only Velvet with her hearing that was good even for a Faunus could hear… "How long until she slips up?"

"I don't think she will… and I think you believe that too" she replied just as quietly right into her ear as she brought her slightly shaking girlfriend into a hug. "I know… I know you were scared, so was I… but he's safe now… alright?"

She didn't reply, instead shaking against her ever so slowly as Velvet soothingly brushed her hair with loving caresses of her fingers. She took her one hand and placed it against her cheek, giving her a knowing look and felt that Semblance of hers kick in… letting her love flow into her as she always did when even Coco couldn't keep her confident display up.

A knock at the door caught her attention, it opening to find someone they had both been excited to see and Jaune would hopefully come to see as a dear friend.


"-and… well, after a while… I knew I was in love with you…I was just too cowardly to admit it to you…" she whispered against his shoulder, Jaune gripping her close as he did his absolute best to not let the tears flow… oh, Pyrrha…

"I… I don't know what to say…" really, he didn't, why would he? This was not something he had ever expected to go through.

"It's alright, it's not your fault. You never led me on, never treated me any different from anyone else… which, I guess, is the problem" a humourless laugh followed her words, a broken thing but at least… at least she wasn't crying anymore. "Hah… will we be alright? Can you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, Pyr… you were hurting, I know how that feels funnily enough, heh"

Another laugh from her, though this one was a little more real. That made him smile just a little.

"Why did you have to be such a good person, Jaune?" she asked him, nuzzling her head into his neck one last time before pulling back enough that he could see that her makeup was running. He carefully wiped it away with his thumb, both giggling at the situation they had found themselves in.

"Hey, you helped me become as good as I am, so I could say the same about you…" she laughed all the more now, oh he loved that laugh… a laugh he wished he would be able to hear again. "Are we still friends, Pyr?" it was a painful question to ask that he really wished he hadn't needed to… but he did, if only so that he could put his aching soul to rest.

"Yes, Jaune… it will hurt… a lot, but I will never leave you as I know you'll never leave me. I know that I can't make you love me and that you'll never feel the same about me… But I would like to at least be your friend"

That was all he wanted to hear… and it filled him with joy and relief both.

They stood, sniffles abound as he pulled her close into another hug that they both clung to like it was their lifeline.

"Hah… are you okay to go back? We can wait here for a little while if you want?"

"No… no, I'd like to go back and see the others, I'd hope they will forgive me for what I nearly did"

"Of course they will! They'd never hate you… well, maybe Coco will pretend to be angry at you, but she'll actually just be really happy to know that you're okay" he assured her, he… hah, he hated that he'd said that. Why couldn't he have believed that himself? Why… an elbow was pressed into his stomach, Jaune's eyes darting over to where Pyrrha hit him with a serious expression.

"My bad…"

"Remember, Jaune… you can't be the only person helping, you have to let others help you, alright?"

Heh… he was lucky to have people like Pyrrha in his life. He really was. With a nod, he opened team CFVY's dorm… to find it erupting in laughter.

"Hey! It's not my fault! It was a freaking legitimate question!" Yang yelled with an embarrassed flush on her face.

"Oh no! You're right, I mean, who wouldn't wonder if I have a mechashifting cane? It makes so much sense!" came a masculine voice he'd never heard before, his eyes landing on a dark skinned guy with rust-red hair who was grinning wide as can be right at the blushing brawler.

"Pfft! Hah! Oh, Yang you walked right in on that one!" Ruby cackled, Weiss hiding a giggle behind her hand.

"Hey! He's blind, what was I supposed to think!? What kinda weapon would a blind guy use anyway!?" she tried to defend herself, only it got more laughs as the guy who he now noticed had pure white eyes raised his arms alongside his eyebrow.

"Well, I mean it could be the bladed tonfas on my arms…? I'm not the one who usually asks this, but are you blind?" more cackling laughter that peaked as Yang tried in vane to yell out something, anything, that could help her case… but came up with nothing and instead let out a high pitched yell of indignation and buried her head into her hands and yelled some more into them. "Hrmm? Oh, ADA says that we have some visit-… holy crap, what the hell kind of aura size is that?"

All eyes turned to them, Jaune shrinking under their gaze with Pyrrha hiding behind him, both of them never really had been all that good with attention being on them, Pyrrha was just naturally better at hiding it.

Coco walked up to him with a big smile, slapping a hand to his shoulder while shooting Pyrrha a happy wink.

"Fox? This is Twiggy, otherwise known as Jaune, you wanted to meet him and here he is!" that hand pulled him forward Jaune powerless to resist it as she gave him a look that told him everything was going to be okay.

"Oh, you're the guy? Damn… Coco said your aura was big, but never thought it could even get close to that size with someone our age!" he mentioned, walking up and Jaune was surprised with how easily he moved… and was then ashamed he thought it. "Meh, guessing you're wondering about the whole blind thing? Don't you worry, only takes bumping into a few things to get used to a place before I can walk it as easy as you do"

Jaune blushed as 'Fox' grinned at him, apparently not even bothered by his blindness as Jaune found himself being sat down next to Weiss who smiled sweetly at him… why… did she look kind of worried?

He did his best to stop it, smiling meaningfully at her… only for Weiss to blush a little and look away? What was that about?

"So…" he whispered, turning his attention back the Fox who apparently wanted to talk to him, noticing Yatsuhashi was stood next to Velvet eating a piece of carrot cake, giving Jaune a welcoming nod. "What… did you want to talk about?"

"Oh… that's kind of simple, really. I wanna know what your Semblance is, I'm pretty good with aura you see" Fox spoke… without moving his lips… what? "Hah! Sorry, I love using that one on people I meet for the first time!" he laughed, receiving a slap on the arm from Coco who rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"Dumbass heres' Semblance is Telepathy, loves to use it to freak people out even though he knows this is serious" Coco stated with a hint in her voice that had the guy sighing.

"Okay, okay… So. Simple explanation is that, because I have to use my aura to help balance myself and stuff, I have pretty good control of it and also understand it pretty well. I can't see but I can sense aura to a degree where I can see links… between… oh~" He stopped, looking at him weirdly, he looked ready to say something but was hit in the side by Coco who coughed meaningfully. That stopped whatever he was going to say as he whispered about her ruining his fun. "Heh, anyway, it means I should be able to tell exactly what your Semblance is with a few guesses and… well, call it curiosity. We all have a general guess but I want a definite answer. So, hit me up!"

He spread his hands wide with a grin that showed off the scar on his lips, even as Jaune jolted back in shock, not prepared for such a… open request for him to use his Semblace.

"It's alright, Jaune" Weiss whispered to him, noticing Pyrrha had moved over and looked like she was being told off with love by Coco and Velvet alongside Ruby who was hugging her side with a positively beaming smile. "Fox… is unique, but he wants to help you understand it better… okay? I'll be right here" she whispered, Jaune grateful as can be, even if he was still confused why she blushed when he took her hand and squeezed down on it… she seemed to have this way of making him feel relaxed lately, maybe it was because she had been there to calm him down as much as she could last night… had been there and made him smile like he never thought he ever would again… hah… dammit, he really needed to get better at not thinking like this… he had made a promise to himself to stop loving Weiss, she didn't love him back and he just… his love was the reason for all of this… all their pain…

That hand clenched down onto his and he snapped his head up to find the arctic glare of Weiss who clasped her other hand around the hand she held.

"Jaune. Look at me. Focus on me and breath. Alright?" she whispered, he only now realising he had a cold sweat on his brow. He did as she asked, shaky breaths leaving his lips as he forced himself to calm down just enough that he could smile at her the way he knew she wanted.

"Hey, I said to use it on me, not your girlfriend dude" the sudden and sarcastic remark had Jaune and Weiss separate like lightning as he noticed the glow that had been surrounding both of their hands.

"Sh-she's not my girlfriend!" he shouted in panic, a whack! Resounding through the air as… Yatsuhashi? Delivered a smack to the head of the grinning Fox.

"Fox, now is not the time to toy, would you please help them instead of trying to ploy?" he… rhymed, Jaune actually laughing at casual way he did it, even as he noticed Weiss was doing her absolute best to disappear into the floor.

"Hey! Coulda fooled me!... heh, anyway, c'mon man… not fooling anymore, I promise" reluctantly, Jaune did his very best to keep himself calm down and place his hand in Fox's… and thought on how Weiss made him feel whenever he activated it… thought on the way he felt whenever she showed her care for him… and let it flow…

"… Holy shit… like, fuck. This shit is amazing… Hey, can everyone hear me?" apparently they could as all the people in the room jolted in surprise. "This is incredible… You boosted my Semblance but… I can also feel my aura itself getting stronger!" he laughed, an incredulous laugh!

"What do you mean, Fox?" Ruby asked, a curious expression that was mirrored by everyone in the room… and Jaune himself. It… he guessed he could feel a small drain on his aura, but was that what it was doing?

"I mean, we were right! This shit is boosting every aspect that my aura gives to me! Everything is boosted! He has a boosting Semblance!" he shouted, jumping up and spinning around with an apocalyptically happy grin on his face!


Weiss smiled in joy as everyone revelled in the news of Jaune's Semblance being finally revealed, she had been right.

Ruby had been thinking alongside Yang that it was a Semblance that acted almost as a 'in time of greatest need' sort of thing. Jaune needed great healing in a moment where he would have died and that was his aura. Weiss was the same… except it was quickly washed away when she, Coco and Velvet revealed that their Semblances were boosted.

And now, with Fox's confirmation, they knew what it was.

Aura Amplification.

A simple sounding Semblance but one that provided oh so many opportunities it would seem to make both himself and others more powerful…

Yang had begged him to try it on her but had been told off by Blake who had made it clear that she needed to let Jaune decided whether or not he wanted to use it. She had been rather adamant that he not be treated like some kind of property. It had gone a long way to make Weiss feel more comfortable to be around the cat Faunus.

Coco had been going on and on about how cool it felt, teasing the red haired young man beside her that clearly didn't care about it… not at all as he continued to laugh and 'look' about. Shouting happily in glee in peoples heads in a way that reminded her of a child that even Pyrrha giggled, Weiss and her sharing a look that brought tender smiles to their faces.

"What… what was that?" came the quiet whisper of Fox, everyone pausing in their praising of the blushing Jaune to find him staring at… Pyrrha?

"Umm… is everything alright?" she asked, a confused expression upon her face that made the usually joking boy jolt.

"Your… your aura… your voice…" he 'stared' for the longest while, before Coco coughed a little, confusion written across her own face as well which proved this was more than a little odd for him. "I-I mean, hahah! Ignore me! Just some stupid thing, ignore me, hah-whoa!" he yelped, falling over himself in an attempt to back up, all of them laughing a little in shock but Pyrrha's own belated one that she immediately clamped a hand to her lips was apparently a trigger.

The boy shot up at the sound of it, his face burning red and leaving the rest of his team cackling.

"What… what just happened?" Pyrrha squeaked, Yang patting her shoulder and telling her it was best she didn't know. She felt Jaune move beside her, Weiss turning to find him… smiling? Smiling in a mix of relief and happiness she had not expected to see in him… but knew the reason and it brought an even greater smile to her.

Sooner than she had expected or wanted, it was time for everyone to leave, Jaune waving farewell to them even as Ruby near begged him to come back to classes with them… but Jaune? He decided he wanted to spend the day with Coco and Velvet. She understood why, how couldn't she? He was tired… tired and needed a day where he could simply enjoy life with his friends, be treated normally and without worry that someone was going to make him go through the memory of what happened last night.

Others would already know through the grapevine about what happened… more than likely a few students had seen she and Jaune atop the high tower in Beacon. She had already been verbally assaulted by those that had near demanded that they tell her what the hell had happened last night.

They had been quickly been forced to leave via her threatening to have them sent to detention and Yang actually beating them senseless when some refused to leave her alone. Some had claimed they would go and find Jaune themselves and get an answer out of him… yes, those had quickly been put to rest when Miss Goodwitch had shown up with a face like thunder and had threatened to expel them all if they dared to do such a thing.

The woman showed a tender and caring side to her that Weiss was so incredibly proud to know that the school would have their backs, especially Miss Goodwitch… she had asked how he was doing and Weiss had stated that he had been doing better. He was clearly not fine but was trying his best.

That had made the woman happy, walking with Weiss back to class and asking how she was doing. Weiss had been open about the fact she was more than relieved that she was being given a chance by the others involved in Jaune's life to prove she had been wrong and was going to help him as best she could.

Day progressed to night and Weiss met up with everyone once more, a nervousness about her that she hated… but could not stop.

Not when he was in the next room over, not when he had looked so… tired… not physically but emotionally. Today had been a day of fun and firsts for him, at least she hoped so, as everyone had done their absolute best to make sure he wasn't put under pressure and simply treated as he normally would be. But this would also be draining to someone in Jaune's state. A side effect of depression was often just that.

In any case, this meant that Jaune's mind had slipped a little more often than she would have liked into dark areas but Nora had sworn that she would keep an eye on him. The entire night, if need be. Ren and Pyrrha had also sworn the same.

That had calmed her down enough that she had been willing to let him go, but not b-before she had hugged him, that golden glow seemingly only for her coming out for just a moment.

Of course, Coco Adel had to come around the corner at that moment… she hadn't said anything, and that was the terrible part. Instead, she had hugged him gently and told him that she was only a call away. He had smiled and told her that he understood, but that wasn't what worried Weiss the most.

Oh no, what had her wishing she was anywhere else, was the way those eyes had focused on her… and knowingly winked at her in a way that showed she was still convinced Weiss had a c-crush on him-which she did not!

Hah… now she found herself in bed, not quite able to fall asleep as her mind kept wondering if he was okay, if he… if he was getting any dark thoughts that he was keeping to himself for worry that he would cause pain to the others…

She tried to put it away, put away that terrible thought and try to do her absolute best to simply fall asleep…

… she… she would see him in the morning, she just had to have faith…

"Ah!"

Weiss was up in an instant, the others not far behind as she got to the door of team JNPR… to find Pyrrha already at the door, a fearful expression on her face.

"He's… I think he's having a nightmare, I don't know what to do, should we wake him up?" she asked, Blake moving forward with a serious expression upon her face.

"No, forcefully waking up someone from a nightmare can end up causing more harm than good the same as with sleepwalking… especially as that sounds more like a night terror than a nightmare" she admitted, the rest of Jaune's team joining them and all asking what to do… but Weiss knew. Much as it embarrassed her to admit it… she knew.

"I… I did something last night, something that seemed to calm him down. Give me a moment" it was a terribly embarrassing thing to do, but she couldn't allow herself to fall to embarrassment now. Jaune needed her…

She entered the room to find him fitfully shaking against the sheets and covers like he had done the last time, feeling the eyes of the others piercing into her back.

With a purpose, she tenderly and quietly laid herself down next to him… and… dammit, why must you all look?

She laid his head on her lap and began to hum the same lullaby from last night… and smiled gently as she noticed her actions take affect…

He still shuddered and quietly cried out every now and then… but he did return to calm sleep once more. Her hand stroked his hair as she told the mirror she would see what was behind it, a small smile upon her face and another on his own.

"… I… wow…" Yang whispered, Weiss forcing herself not to jolt as they all looked at her in awe.

"Do not try and make a joke of this, Yang" she warned, a glare in her eyes, daring her to try it. Yang though, held up her hands with a small smile.

"Nah… this… this is just impressive. Need us to leave? Guessing you're stuck there?"

"… Yes… I am, but I don't mind… I learned how to make this rather comfortable last night" she admitted, a blush coming to her cheeks that increased as Pyrrha walked over to her. A serious expression on her face… and rested her forehead against Weiss' own. Weiss blinked, she had the feeling this was a deeply personal thing that Pyrrha was doing… and so remained quiet.

"For the longest time... I hated you. I tried to pretend that I didn't, but I did. You hurt him. Terribly... But you have suffered as he has. Felt pain as he has. I believe you have seen the pain you caused... and now strive to fix it" The words were powerful, powerful and heartfelt. So much so, that Weiss was stunned to silence. "I entrust his happiness to you, Weiss Schnee. Care for him, as he does you. Treat him kindly, as he does you… Love him... as he does you"


Pyrrha stood, not looking back as she calmly grabbed the rest of her teams bedding and called for another sleepover at Team RWBY's dorm to which they happily agreed. She entered and Pyrrha… oh… oh she thought she would be able to keep her emotions in check for longer…

Six sets of arms engulfed her in love as tears trickled down her cheeks and yet she smiled… she supposed it could have been worse… she could not have friends as dear as the ones around her right at this moment.


Weiss internally screamed in horror at how another person assumed she had romantic intentions for Jaune! Even if she did, now was most certainly not the time! Now was for healing! Not stupid little romances!

"Heh" she glared down at the sleeping boy for as long as she possibly could… which was not as long as she would have liked as she ever so slowly shuffled forward and grabbed a pillow to rest against and got herself comfortable. "You had better not make a habit of this, dolt"