Cover art: Seshirukun

Chapter 2 - Training and a Date

Jaune's sword cleaved his opponent in half with a perfect swipe. Victory was his, if his opponent was the air. His opponent was not the air.

Jaune was melting under his armour, his very heavy armour that felt like he was dragging himself around in his own metal coffin. Neo, however, was buzzing around the arena like a fly - a fly that knew a gazillion ways to kick his ass.

Not even Pyrrha had been as fast as Neo. Jaune had faced speedy opponents before; he had sparred with Ruby many times. But never had he fought someone with such… style. While he was stuck on a battlefield, she was having the time of her life on a dance floor, twirling and weaving through his attacks and looking fabulous while doing it. She had command of both the ground and the air. She was a spectacle, turning her movement into a beautiful performance.

And like all good performances, he couldn't tell what was coming next.

He sluggishly blocked whatever strikes came his way. He wasn't going to win. He never did against her. But there was no such thing as failure in training, and he had enough defence to make her work for her victory. He had even managed to land a few hits at the start when he was full of energy. She didn't have nearly as much aura as him. One solid strike would give him the advantage.

She smirked and lunged at him. He raised his shield. Big mistake. All he had done was give her a springboard. She somersaulted over it and wrapped her legs around his neck.

Oh crap.

And suddenly he felt himself get ten times heavier. Dizzy and spinning like a racecar wheel, Jaune wheezed as he felt his neck being crushed. Completely off-balance, he stumbled around like a drunk on a tightrope.

The fight was over. She had used this move before, and he still had no way of dealing with it. It was too quick, too confusing, and it ended the fight in seconds. He was gonna fall and be pinned down any second now.

But he still had some fight left in him. He grabbed her legs and steadied himself as best he could. He could feel Neo's surprise above him. She was losing her momentum. Unfortunately, her struggles translated through him too. He was on his last legs.

The plan? There wasn't a plan. If he was gonna fall, it would be on his terms.

Jaune fell forward and brought Neo down with him. He landed hard on his face, but he knew Neo didn't exactly have a cushy landing either. Her legs released him a few seconds later as she dragged herself away. Jaune inhaled that sweet air that he had denied for too long.

Yeah, that still wasn't a win for him. He was defenceless now. But revenge was its own reward.

Jaune slowly sat up to look at Neo. He winced and rubbed his neck. He could still feel that pressure squeezing down on him. "I hate that move, you know."

Neo smiled. "What's the matter? You don't like having my legs wrapped around you?"

"Not when it feels like they're gonna break my neck. I quite like being able to breathe properly."

"There are some guys out there that are into that sort of thing."

"I bet they've never actually experienced it before," he scoffed. "It happens so fast. You don't understand what's going on, and then you go crashing down. After that, you're too busy hurting everywhere to enjoy it. Headaches aren't sexy."

"Maybe you just need to broaden your mind."

"And maybe you could take it easy on me for a change."

"You're bigger and stronger than me, and your aura reserves are through the roof. If anything, you should be taking it easy on me."

"Please, like your some damsel in distress," Jaune chuckled.

Both their stomachs suddenly rumbled. Adrenaline and exhaustion had worn off. A new feeling was kicking in.

"Lunch?" Jaune said.

"Lunch."

[/]

The Red Petal was a great recommendation from Ren. Nice food, pleasant atmosphere, decent prices. Jaune had paid for both their meals. He was always cautious when Neo offered to pay, ever since Weiss had questioned why their last date had been paid with her credit card. How mysterious it was that it had ended up in Neo's possession...

It amused Jaune the way he was eating. Beautiful girls had a secret ability to make any guy with half a brain act on their best behaviour. Normally, he'd wolf his chicken ramen down, but now he was taking small and careful bites from it like he was checking for poison. Neo enjoyed her meal, unaware of the effect she was having on him.

A funny thought popped into his head as he watched her eat, causing him to smile. She looked at him and signed, "What?"

"I just realised something. You can technically talk with your mouth full, and it wouldn't be rude."

She smiled back and rolled her eyes playfully.

"You know, I've never seen anyone fight the way you do. It's a little similar to Weiss in how it both looks like you're dancing, but your styles are different. Hers is more ballerina, yours is… breakdance."

Neo nearly choked on her food. "Breakdance?"

"What I mean is Weiss is graceful when she moves, but her attacks are very strict and precise. Her appearance is important to her, so she tries to look prim and proper when she fights. You're just as amazing to look at, but it's clear you're having fun. It's wild and exciting, and I'm pretty sure you're making up some of these moves as you go along. So yeah… breakdance."

"Sometimes I'm grateful that I'm mute. I don't have to worry about accidentally saying something crazy like that."

"Maybe if you just fought normally like the rest of us, I wouldn't have to sound crazy describing it."

"Who would even think to call it that? That's such a weird observation."

Jaune laughed. "What can I say, it's my hobby. Blake has her books. Nora has whatever holds her interest for five minutes. And I like to notice things. It's kept me alive so far."

Jaune watched a waitress from the other end of the restaurant collect a ten lien tip. She came by their table to check if they were alright. Neo's hand dangled by her side so casually it almost looked innocent. When the waitress left, she put it back on the table again.

Nice try. She wasn't as good as she thought she was.

"Where'd you learn to fight like that anyway?" he said. "Were there any fight clubs in Vale's underworld you could practice in?"

"Loads, but I didn't go to any of them. You ever smelt the inside of one of those places? Like a gym locker next to a dumpster on a hot day. No, I got my training from Roman's contacts. Spent a long time learning from some of the best kung-fu masters Remnant has to offer."

"Roman was friends with kung-fu masters?"

"'Friends' is a strong word. I said 'contacts'."

That sounded like code for...

"Hold on," Jaune said. "You're telling me Roman Torchwick was blackmailing kung-fu masters? How do you even do that?"

"Everyone's got something to hide. You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

Jaune scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Fair point."

"So yeah, they taught me everything they knew. But I wanted to spice things up by adding in some extra moves to make my fighting style my own. I may have gotten inspiration from a few movies I saw once."

Now he imagined Neo sitting in her pyjamas, marathoning old kung-fu movies with a notepad in one hand and a bowl of popcorn in her lap. That was something to consider for date night.

"Maybe I should watch those films then. I wanna do cartwheels and leg takedowns," he joked. "I'll show you what it feels like."

Neo scoffed. "Sure. Mr Motion Sickness is gonna fight by spinning around? How are you gonna do that without puking everywhere?"

"Well, Ruby always said I needed a ranged weapon."

"I will kill you. You know I'd kill you, right?"

"And I'd make sure the stains never wash out."

It was all in good fun, but Jaune knew he'd never be able to replicate Neo's style, or any fighting style with flair to it. He always dreamed of doing those awesome moves he saw on the TV, kicking ass and saving the world. It wasn't to be, unfortunately. He was never gonna be one of the cool fighters.

And yet the dream still lingered. He often wondered how useful he would be if he could do all that crazy stuff. He tried not to think about it for too long. He didn't want his imagination twisting his fantasies into feelings of jealousy again.

"Lemme ask you something," he said. "When you mastered everything you were taught, did you ever think of maybe becoming a huntress?"

She looked bemused. "Is that a joke?"

"Just wondering."

"Why would I wanna risk my life for a society that didn't care about mine? All those people I'd be saving were the same ones that couldn't even spare one lien for me growing up. They can handle their own damn problems like I did."

"I mean, you're kinda helping people now. You're with us after all."

"Only because of you. Do you really think I'd willingly follow Ruby around if you weren't here?" She shuddered. "Besides, I've got no hate for the Grimm."

That surprised Jaune. "Seriously? But I mean… with what happened to Torchwick-"

"It's what they do. They're monsters because they were born to be monsters. It's not personal. I kinda respect that about them. At least they don't pretend to be your friend before they kill you."

Well, at least she didn't hold grudges on everything that wronged her. Though having a relentless fighter hellbent on wiping out all Grimm would've been handy.

"So yeah, I had nothing to give back to the world because it had already taken everything from me. The way I saw it, it felt only fair that I take a little back."

It was hard for him not to be a little disappointed. Having those skills and using them to commit crime felt like a waste, even if he understood the circumstances.

"I understand," he sighed.

"Don't give me that look. We come from different worlds. What about you? You're from a good home, yet you still cheated to get what you wanted. What was that about?"

He was never gonna live down forging his transcripts, was he? "You got me there," he said.

"I'm not judging. We do what we have to to get what we want, right? At least it worked out for you."

"Yeah, I guess it did."

He leaned back into his chair, deep in thought. Had it really only been a year since Beacon's destruction? There were some mornings he woke up feeling like he was in his seventies. He could still remember his time there in clear detail; training with Pyrrha, studying with Ren, laughing with Nora. But it was getting harder to believe that was ever him back then. It all felt like make-believe, just another fantasy he never had the chance to enjoy.

He took a sip from his drink. "You know, it's funny," he said. "I used to think I deserved to be a hunter. I was a good person who wanted to save lives and make the world a better place. Well, that's what I told myself to justify cheating my way in. It was for the greater good, you know?

"But the truth was I was just an angry, jealous brat who thought life was unfair to him. I didn't want to help people just because it was the right thing to do - I'm no Ruby. I was insecure and I wanted everyone to tell me I was cool. Being a hunter seemed like the quickest way to do it. It was always about me - how strong I could be, how many girls would wanna date me. At least you're honest about what you do. I was a manchild pretending to be something greater."

"I dunno," Neo grinned. "When you've met as many scumbags as I have, you start to know who the real villains are. I'd classify the old you as 'annoying mook' at worst."

"I'm flattered," Jaune scoffed. "It got worse when I went to Beacon. I was surrounded by people who deserved to be there, knowing that I was a fraud. I hated not only myself, but sometimes my friends because of how better they were at everything than me. If I didn't have such a supportive partner and team, I would've died a long time ago."

"Wouldn't worry about it now. You got what you wanted. How's it feel being a real hunter now? Is it everything you dreamed of?"

People screaming. Vicious Snarls. Heart beating so fast, it could explode. And that was just Wednesday. The strongest armour in the world couldn't protect from the scars Beacon's destruction left on him.

His fingers drummed a soft beat on the table. "Kinda. I'm doing it for the right reasons now, and helping people feels good. But lately I've been... I dunno. Tired."

Neo frowned. "Tired?"

"Yeah. I never expected that. Sure, getting bitten by an angry Beowolf sucks, and there are some days where you don't know if it'll be your last. But this tired feeling I get is probably the worst."

"I don't get it."

"That's alright. I don't get it either, really." He paused as he tried to think of the right words to use. "I used to read a lot of superhero comics as a kid. They'd show the hero beating up the bad guys, then doing it the next day still as happy as ever. And that's how it'd be for the whole series. Wake up, stop evil, go home feeling proud of themselves. Sure, sometimes the hero would be sad about something, but then they'd just bounce back like nothing was wrong. Because that's what heroes do.

"But that's always where it ended. Those feelings never come back. They never doubt themselves, they never wonder about all the things they could've done better. They just get on with it. I'm… not like that. I can't just move past everything I've seen. I believe in what I do, but sometimes I wonder if I'm completely in over my head. Have I improved after all this, or am I still the fraud playing at being a hero? But I can't afford to think like that. I tell myself I have a duty to my friends, my team, and Pyrrha - I am responsible for seeing this through. I bounce back and forth almost every day, and it just leaves me so… tired."

He wondered if Ruby ever felt the same way. If she did, then she was a better liar than he could ever be. They were both leaders, both with heavy burdens on their shoulders. Yet he had never known her to be anything but optimistic. Of all the things to be jealous of, that was his number one desire.

Neo patted him on the arm gently and signed, "You know what Roman used to call hunters? Professional suckers. They'd go through so much pain and heartache, all because the world convinced them it's all about honour and glory. They suffer so that others can live the dream at their expense."

Jaune chuckled. "I guess he wasn't wrong. It sure had me hooked."

"Yeah. I've always known you to be an easy mark since the day I met you." She smiled softly. "But that's the nice thing about easy marks. They're dependable, you can always count on them, and your life would be harder without them."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Helps when they're cute too."

Attention like that was always a good reason to keep going. "Fine. I don't mind being an idiot as long I'm your idiot," he said, earning him a wink. "Do you... do you think I'm doing the right thing?"

"The right thing? I think you're asking the wrong person about that."

"You know what I mean. Do you think what I'm doing has any meaning to it? That's it's something worthwhile."

The look she gave him was more warm and comforting than hot chocolate in the winter. "I think the world is a better place with you in it if that's what you wanna know."

Jaune smiled. He could live with that.

They finished their meal and the waitress he saw from before collected the bill. Jaune made her a happy girl when he tipped her thirty lien, something that didn't go unnoticed by Neo. Jealousy bells were ringing behind her eyes when they walked out.

"That was a pretty big tip you gave her," she signed with a pout. "Got something you wanna tell me?"

"You saw that, did you?" he said. "I thought it was only fair, given how you stole her previous tip."

Her eyes widened. Neo didn't blush or get embarrassed often. It sucked that he never had a camera to capture those rare moments.

He smirked. "Tell you what. Stop pickpocketing people, and I won't have to pay attention to anyone else." He leaned down and kissed her head. "Told you I notice things."