I'm back! Well, this story is. Finally, after over a year. (Damn, it's really been that long.) Sorry it took me so long. It really shouldn't have! I gotta say, I missed RWBY. Currently rewatching the whole series, and the nostalgia is real. More stories for the fandom are definitely on my agenda for the future.
Thanks to everyone who left reviews over the past year. Until this February, there wasn't a month without a review. Quite impressive.
You know, I kinda expected to cringe a bit at my over-one-year-old writing. But I didn't, not in the slightest. I was impressed. Hah! I didn't improve at all! (Help.) If anything, I degenerated. Well, hopefully, I'll manage to reclaim old heights and style.
Now let the show continue! ;)
(RWBY Song recommendation: I'm the One)
"What did you just call me?" Pyrrha asked.
"Babe? My love? The one and only? The girl of my dreams? The love of my life? My Invincible Girl?"
Pyrrha giggled, although looking still very confused.
Jaune flipped himself backward, but the flawless jump he'd envisioned in his mind didn't go as planned, and he crashed onto the ground. "Oww." He didn't let that stop him though and immediately righted himself, kneeling theatrically before Pyrrha and snatching one of her hands in his while rubbing his smarting tailbone with the other.
"Jaune? What's going on?" Pyrrha asked but had a smile on her face. She was still clad in her red nightgown, sitting on her bed. "Are you serious or is this some role play you didn't inform me of?"
"Roleplay she says." Jaune sighed dramatically, bowing his head, then looked up, smiling at his partner. "I'm afraid this is quite serious, or maybe it's not. Today it is, tomorrow it isn't. But tomorrow is today so it doesn't matter either way. Ha, that rhymed!"
Pyrrha only stared.
"Fear not, my fair maiden. I shall defeat the evil Cinder and then we'll have our happy ending, just like I know you want."
"Happy Ending?" Pyrrha asked, sounding intrigued.
"You, me, probably a dozen kids, each with all kinds of variations of red and blonde hair, blue and green eyes. Maybe both? Who knows?"
"That sounds...lovely. It sounds like— are you, are you proposing to me?" Even though there was a frown on her face, Jaune could tell that it was a somewhat honest question.
"I would, I will, but not today. Tomorrow, I promise!" He kissed the back of her hand, then got up and jumped onto his bed.
"Really?" Pyrrha asked, then cleared her throat. "I-I mean, we're not even dating or anything."
"Come on Pyr, we talked about this already. Or now that I think of it, we haven't. But I'm sure we will, maybe in a few more todays." He shrugged and picked up his scroll, checking the time.
Hmm, it'll be a while... No matter.
"Jaune? What are you talking about?"
He simply picked up his scroll and headed over toward the door.
"Where are you going?"
"Wish me luck, babe!" He winked and exited into the corridor, still clad in his pajamas. Not that he particularly cared.
On the way to the cafeteria, he kept checking the time on his scroll. Pyrrha caught up half-way there, clad in some hastily thrown-on clothes.
"Jaune? You know that you're still wearing your pajamas, right?"
"Yeah. So?"
Pyrrha was so surprised she stopped walking for a moment.
Jaune shrugged and entered the cafeteria. He got himself some Pumpkin Pete's Marschmellow flakes and took his place on the usual Teams RWBY and JNPR table, which surprisingly—or unsurprisingly surprisingly since he'd lived this day a few times already—was empty. Something was up with team RWBY, but he had no idea what. And Ren and Nora were who knew where. Pyrrha took her place beside him but didn't say anything, only looking at him worriedly.
Of course, she had a tray stacked with some healthy food before her. Well, since he was stuck in this loop, he didn't particularly care about his diet and indulged in his guilty pleasure that was Pumpkin Pete's Marshmellow flakes, munching happily, clad in the pajama of said brand. Some people were giving him weird looks, but it wasn't really anything out of the ordinary. He'd gotten worse for wearing less, after all...
"Jaune, can you tell me what's going on?"
He held up a hand to silence his partner, his eyes glued to the form that just entered the cafeteria with her two goons at her side. Cinder Fall, clad in her school uniform, walking in that deliberately slow gait, the usual faint smirk on her face, her eyes mocking everyone around her that she'd destroy or kill some time in the future. Behind her walked Emerald Sustrai, looking around suspiciously and checking for threats. By her side was Mercury Black, looking casual and bored.
"Who's that?" Pyrrha asked, and Jaune hated the defensive—jealous—tone in her voice. As if there was anything to be jealous about!
"Cinder Fall."
"Cinder Fall?" Pyrrha asked in confusion. "That was the name you were screaming earlier, wasn't it? Do you know her?"
He snorted. "More than I'd like." He looked his partner in the eyes. "She's evil, plans to destroy the school and kill lots of people. But I'm going to stop her. I'm going to kill her. Right here, right now." He aimed his spoon at her. "Will you try to stop me? Or are you going to help me, Pyr?"
Pyrrha blinked. "You're not making any sense, Jaune. And if what you're saying is true, you should tell the headmaster immediately."
"Done that, tried this, didn't work. Are you with me, or are you against me?"
"I think you should think this over and not do anything you'll regret."
Jaune sighed. "If anyone would just believe me, this would be so much easier. Oh well." He stood up and made his way toward the exit, unlocking his scroll. Once outside, he entered the code to summon his rocket locker to his current location, committing the coordinates to memory as he did so. After a few seconds, the locker crashed into the ground next to him, and he took out Crocea Mors, then turned to reenter.
Pyrrha was standing in the doorway, looking at him worriedly. "I'm not letting you do anything that'll get you expelled."
Uh, well this is annoying. With Pyrrha on his back, he doubted he'd get anything done today. Well, there was always the next today. He wasn't really keen on another day of being held somewhere with no choice but to waste away, and with the worried look Pyrrha was giving him now, he was sure that he wouldn't be left alone for the rest of the day. So, seeing as he'd just confirmed his immortality, he did the only sensible thing.
He closed his eyes and focused on his Aura, lowering it. He drew Crocea Mors and drove it through his stomach... or, at least, tried to, were it not for the fact that his sword was suddenly enveloped by Pyrrha's Semblance, stopping just shy of piercing him.
"Really?" Jaune asked. "Won't even let me kill myself..."
"Jaune, what? Why?" There were tears of confusion in her eyes.
Even though he knew that it wouldn't matter tomorrow, it hurt to look at her like that, so he simply raised his Aura again, dropped his sword, and turned away, breaking into a sprint.
"Jaune!"
Of course, Pyrrha was immediately on his tail. Thankfully, he wasn't wearing his armor, so she couldn't stop him.
He ran into the building housing the dorms and up the stairs, shooting out on the roof where he'd trained with Pyrrha so often. He wondered if they were already training now. He hadn't really taken accurate track of time and his memory became more confused with every today...
"Jaune, wait! Talk to me!"
No matter how much he loved her, he was slowly growing tired of her constant concern. "See you tomorrow, babe." He winked and jumped off the building, head-first, lowering his Aura. As he watched the ground speed toward him, he remembered when Pyrrha had brought him to the roof and he'd thought she'd suggest for him to kill himself.
Jaune snorted, then there was a crack and he shot up in his bed again, rubbing his neck.
He smiled. "A new day. A new dawn." He turned toward Pyrrha, who, as always, was sitting on her bed, clad in her red nightgown. "Morning Pyr, I'll stay for a while longer. Meet up with you later?"
"Sure. I'll go for a run, then."
Jaune let himself fall back onto the bed and closed his eyes, counting seconds while he listened to Pyrrha getting ready for the day.
"See you later, Jaune." The door fell shut.
He counted some more and checked with his scroll that he was being on track. When he was confident that it was late enough, he got up. He didn't feel like dressing today either, so like yesterday, he made his way across campus in his Pumpkin Pete's pajamas. He entered the code and coordinates for his locker, which landed in the same spot before the cafeteria entrance.
Jaune took Crocea Mors out of the locker, and this time, there was no one to stop him. People were giving him weird looks as he made his way across the cafeteria, but apparently, someone clad in his pajamas and clutching a sword wasn't too out of the ordinary for Beacon Academy. Or, he assumed they were giving him weird looks; he wasn't paying attention. He'd long ago stopped caring about what others thought about him, and now, his eyes never left their target. Namely, Cinder Fall, her back facing him. Emerald sat next to her, talking, seemingly to herself. Mercury was sitting on the opposite side of the table, leaning on one hand, reading a comic, a bowl of cereals in front of him.
A smile on his face, Jaune unsheathed Crocea Mors, his eyes focused on Cinder's neck. Specifically, her choker that peeked out behind the collar of her Haven Academy uniform. He thought that it was a good target. He'd strike there and cut her head clean off. It was a satisfying thought.
Jaune took his sword in both hands and swung. Despite facing him with her back, she noticed and ducked easily, letting herself fall backward. She jumped out of her seat, flipping backward and landing easily on her feet.
Damn that bitch! How can she do that so effortlessly?! While Jaune was busy comparing the maneuver to his pathetic attempt at acrobatics yesterday, Cinder had taken a stop in front of him, looking at him curiously.
"Can I help you?" she asked with a smile, as if he hadn't just tried to kill her.
"Can you just die?"
Her lips twitched in amusement.
"Back off, blondie!" Emerald snarled, trying to put herself in front of Cinder, who raised a hand to halt her.
"Now now, Emerald. Is that any way to greet our newest friend?"
"Friend?" Jaune and Emerald said at the same time.
"Why yes. After making such a strong introduction, how could he not be?" Her eye that wasn't hidden behind her hair flickered down to his sword, then the Pumpkin Pete logo on his pajamas. Somehow, she seemed more amused by his sword. "Why don't you sit with us?"
Jaune shook himself out of his stupor. He looked around the cafeteria, whose attention seemed to be mostly on him, then at Emerald, who kept glaring at him, looking as if she couldn't wait to jump him—and not the pleasant way—then Mercury, who was still seated, looking on with a half-bored, half-curious expression, then Cinder, who looked smug as always. He wouldn't manage to accomplish anything here, and he'd been restrained or carried off by Miss Goodwitch enough times to not fancy that fate. Not that it mattered. He had time.
"Maybe tomorrow," Jaune said, then broke out laughing abruptly and loudly. Somehow, he found it funny as hell. After all, she would be dead tomorrow. Or perhaps, he was just insane. Shrugging, he dropped his sword, letting it clatter to the checkerboard-tiled floor, and turned away from their confused expressions.
"And just when I thought something interesting would happen," Mercury complained, his voice drowning in the chattering of other students as Jaune made toward the exit. "Seriously, Em, did you have to scare him off like that?"
"Shut up, Mercury."
Time to take this more seriously. He'd gotten a little carried away there from the rush of having confirmed his immortality...
He took a walk in the gardens—or park, it was more of a park with those weird stone rings, he thought—contemplating what to do next. Then he lowered his Aura and jumped off the cliff near the airship docks.
Seriously, who ever thought that building a school here was a good idea? Not that he was complaining.
Jaune had seen Ozpin pull up the file of Cinder's team often enough to find her dorm room without difficulties. He'd told Pyrrha to head out without him, gotten dressed, collected his weapon, and leisurely made his way over toward the section of the exchange students, and still, he wasn't late. Had he pressed his head against the door, he would have been able to make out faint voices—but never any words.
They were probably plotting someone's murder. Multiple someone's murder. Mass murder, most definitely.
The clicking of Cinder's footsteps neared the door, and Jaune flattened himself against the wall, Crocea Mors in both hands. As soon as he saw her profile emerge from the doorway, he swung. Her arms shot up protectively in front of her, blocking his strike, and a faint exhale of pain was her only reaction. The next second, Jaune found himself pressed face-first into the wall and his arms bent at uncomfortable angles on his back.
Fuck she's strong. Jaune grunted. And so fast. And she smells kinda good. Like burning roses and a crisp, freshly-laundered uniform. Huh? Where had that random thought come from?
She tightened her grip, probably enjoying his squeak of pain. "And what," she said, faint breath ghosting across his ear, "do you think—"
"Just a prank!" he cried. "It was just a prank, I swear!" He let his sword drop. "I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!" He wasn't faking the tears of pain in his eyes. She really was inhumanly strong... Stupid half-Grimm...
Cinder made a faint snorting sound, released her grip, and tossed him away carelessly.
Jaune stumbled and landed on his ass. Way to make an impression.
Straightening out her dress, she eyed him with a look of pity, as if he was as much a threat to her as a fly on the wall. "Go annoy someone else." She turned and walked away.
Emerald and Mercury, who stood frozen in the doorway, finally recovered and hurried after her.
"Wow, that was awesome," Emerald gushed, nearly tripping over herself. "Where did you learn to fight like that, Cinder?"
Cinder ignored her, and even Jaune felt a moment of pity and vicarious embarrassment for the obvious and helpless crush the girl had on her part-Grimm team leader.
The next day, he attacked her at the corner just out of her dorm room, which earned him a kick to the balls, courtesy of Mercury. Then the staircase, which he was promptly thrown down. The exit of the dorm building, where he was squashed in the door. The gardens, where an imprint of his face now graced the dirt next to some roses.
In short: it didn't really improve his chances. He rarely even got a single hit in before he found himself disarmed, and more often than not, immobilized and crying in pain. He wasn't giving up that easily, though.
34, 35, 36, 37, 38, Jaune counted the seconds without even looking at his scroll, a habit he'd developed. Then he suddenly broke into a sprint...and jumped off the roof, his sword grasped with both hands.
Down below, three figures had just exited the dorm building. Wind whipped past his face, pulling at his hair. The morning sun cast his shadow onto the building to his back. They hadn't noticed him yet.
His timing was perfect. And so was his positioning, directly in the middle of the triangle formation they usually traveled in, Emerald and Mercury flanking Cinder. He brought Crocea Mors down in a two-handed sweep and sliced the blade down the whole lengths of her Haven Uniform jacket.
"Argh!" Cinder cried in pain, cringing, and for a moment, her eyes were wide and panicked. Jaune grinned. He ducked beneath Mercury's kick and thrust, hitting Cinder in the waist before she fully recovered, drawing a hiss of pain from her. Then he found himself pressed into the concrete ground. Unkindly. Very, very unkindly. This was as far as he'd gotten. Even knowing exactly what their moves were, he couldn't evade or counter them. He was just too weak.
"I got his sword!" Emerald said in triumph.
Mercury released him with a kick in the side. "He's all yours, boss."
Cinder stared down at him with furious eyes. Gone was the playful and casual smugness. He'd caught her off-guard and actually hurt her. She was pissed, her body tense. Jaune smirked up at her, only stoking the fire in her eyes. She was practically fuming.
Cinder raised a foot as if to stomp on his crotch with her heels, but then her eyes flickered up again, and she retreated, schooling her features and smoothing out her uniform. Other students had noticed the altercation and were coming closer to help.
With a last disdainful look aimed at Jaune, Cinder turned and stalked away. "We don't have time for this nonsense. Emerald, explain the situation, and then join us in the cafeteria."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Having been here a few times, Jaune knew what to say so that he could walk away and commit suicide in peace without being dragged into the headmaster's office—or worse, Glynda's—and losing precious time and sanity, the little he had left.
Jaune shot up in bed. "Hey, Pyrrha?" he said, checking his scroll like always.
"Yes?"
"Got any plans for today?"
"No. Why are you asking?"
"Can we train? Sword fighting. I really need to get better if I want to ever stand a chance."
"Oh, well, sure." The disappointment was obvious in her voice. Had she thought he'd ask her on a date? It was Sunday.
Another time.
"I'm glad you finally asked," she said, and when he turned to her, he found her beaming at him. "There's nothing wrong in asking for help, you know. I'd be honored to teach you what has been taught to me."
"Thanks, Pyr, I appreciate it."
They skipped breakfast and went straight for their rooftop. She raised her eyebrows in surprise when he readied his weapons and immediately went into the correct position. "You already trained some on your own, I see."
Actually, that was all you. "I tried to copy you." He smiled, and the faint blush on her cheeks was very pretty. He shook off the thought of how he wanted to kiss her, and they got to training.
They trained until he was sweaty and panting.
"Let's take a break," she said, not out of breath in the slightest.
"No. I can still keep going."
"You can barely stand. You should—"
"Will the Grimm wait for me to catch my breath?" he snapped. "Sorry! Sorry, I hadn't meant to explode like that."
"It's fine. You're right. In this career, you can never let your guard down." She attacked without missing a beat, and Jaune just barely managed to deflect her hit.
"Your Aura is nearly empty. We have to stop now," she informed him after another hour.
"Yeah." Limbs shaking from overexertion, he sat down at the side of the building, letting his legs dangle in the air. Eyeing the three-story fall to the ground, he thought about jumping and resetting the day, but Pyrrha would catch him with her Semblance. And he was very much too lazy and exhausted to slip out of his armor.
She took a spot next to him. "You're making good progress, Jaune."
"Thanks."
"I'm serious. It's impressive."
He grunted. "Hey Pyrrha, can I have your weapon for a second?"
"Uhm, sure."
"How does it work? How do I make it shift?"
"Look, you need to apply pressure here and here and then..." she explained, maneuvering the weapon in his grasp, taking his fingers to perform the required actions. Electricity seemed to dance on his skin wherever she touched him. He got a little hard—perhaps not just a little—and when he leaned into her, it was only because he was very exhausted, and only that. Yeah, totally. "...and this is how you shift it into a rifle."
"Neat." Jaune aimed at some tree in the distant Emerald Forest and shot. It's loaded. Good. He put the barrel beneath his chin and lowered his Aura before blowing his brains out.
The bang of the shot echoed in his ears as he shot up in his bed. He went to practice with Pyrrha again. And again. After a few weeks of practice, he decided he'd gotten good enough to try and kill Cinder again.
"Argh!"
Smirking, Jaune ducked beneath Mercury's kick and thrust at Cinder. Meanwhile, he'd switched Crocea Mors into a one-handed grip and taken his shield in the other hand. Cinder hissed as his sword grazed the side of her hips, and Jaune threw himself sideways, tackling Emerald with his shield while he sliced his sword across Cinder's abdomen, eliciting another pleasing hiss of pain. He spun around and slashed at Cinder again, but she jumped back.
Jaune attacked Mercury, who effortlessly defended. The three villains recovered and surrounded him, and Jaune lasted one more second before he was disarmed and on the ground, courtesy of Emerald this time.
Well, slow progress but progress nonetheless.
Jaune grinned, even as Mercury landed a last kick against him before they backed off.
"Hey Pyrrha, let's swap weapons."
"Swap weapons? Hmm, sure, why not."
"Hmm... Wrong locker," Jaune mumbled, still holding Pyrrha's weapons. He stepped behind her. "My combination is 4696."
"Oh, okay." Pyrrha opened his locker and stored Crocea Mors inside, then told him her own combination. She really was too trusting.
"Argh!" Cinder cried as Jaune sliced Milo—in sword form—across her back. Grinning, he ducked beneath Mercury's kick, grasped Akouo with the other hand, and tackled Emerald. He thrust at Cinder, hitting her near the waist and making her hiss, then spun and threw Akouo at Mercury, who blocked the golden shield with crossed arms but got halted in his advance.
Jaune switched Milo into spear form, grasped it with both hands, and rammed the butt end into the stomach of a charging Emerald, knocking the air out of her, then spun around to slice at Cinder. He anticipated her jump backward and followed with a lunge. She grunted as the spear-tip sliced across her thighs. Jaune kept going, twirling the spear and attacking Cinder with the blunt end. She blocked, though, and Jaune got thrown to the side by a brutal kick from Mercury, tumbling directly into Emerald.
Good enough.
Emerald tried to disarm him, but Jaune was quick enough to swap Milo into rifle form and blast his brains out.
A clank echoed across the rooftops when Crocea Mors clashed with Milo. Jaune retreated and raised his shield to block Pyrrha's expected spear-thrust. She was grinning widely, and so was she. No longer was he the only one being worked up. Her face was flushed, and she looked so happy and carefree, losing herself in the fight.
That's the face you're fighting for, he reminded himself. That's what awaits you when you finally kill Cinder.
They danced back and forth the rooftop in a, by now, familiar rhythm. Pyrrha had, for fairness's sake, agreed to not use her Semblance, and he'd often come very close to beating her, he liked to think. Perhaps she was still going easy on him though.
Now! Jaune ducked beneath her spear-swing and thrust forward. She was quick enough to bat his sword away with Akouo, but he'd expected that. He bashed her shield out of the way with his own, dropped his weapons, and tackled her. His shoulder crashed into her abdomen, and he kept the momentum going, surrounding her with his arms. She gave a surprised squeak when he lifted her up.
He ignored the back pain of her elbow hits and finally reached the wall. Pyrrha grunted loudly as he crashed her against it, amplifying the force of the attack with his whole body weight. He straightened, blocked her expected strike, gave her a headbutt, which made them both grunt, and grasped one of her arms around the wrist. He managed to also grasp her other hand and pinned them against the wall, trapping her with his whole body.
I did it! He grinned widely. They were both panting heavily.
Pyrrha returned his smile. He knew she could easily break the hold but chose not to do so, to allow him this small victory. The fight was far from over or won, and he'd cheated with knowing exactly what she'd do, but it was a start.
"Wow, Jaune. That was... grand."
"You think so?"
"Yeah..." The words were barely above a whisper, and Jaune was so close that he practically inhaled the air that left her mouth. Hmm... she smells so good. His gaze flickered toward her parted lips. Her tongue darted out to wet them, and he lost any remaining self-control.
He leaned in and claimed her lips. Pyrrha returned the kiss without missing a beat, humming. He released her hands and pulled her against him so that he could sling an arm around her waist and burrow a hand in her hair. He ran his tongue across her lips, tasting her, humming in delight. She fisted her hands in his hair, as if to prevent him from pulling away. She met his tongue with hers, brushing them together.
Fuck... His cock was unbelievably hard and throbbing, begging to touch her bare skin, to penetrate her, and he groaned as their bodies rubbed against each other. He shifted his hand lower and palmed her ass, and Pyrrha squealed into his mouth.
"Jaune, stop."
Jaune jerked away and let go of her, twisting out of her embrace. "Sorry," he said, panting, and grimaced. "I don't know what came over me. Sorry..."
She giggled. "Don't be."
He shot her a regretful look. "I shouldn't have done that." He walked to the edge of the rooftop and sat down, legs dangling in the air.
Pyrrha sat down next to him. "Everything alright? Did I... did I do something wrong?"
He hated how she sounded like it was her fault. "No, no. You were perfect as always."
She smiled. "So?"
"It's...complicated. There's something you don't know about me."
She waited patiently. Always so patient and perfect...
"I'm stuck in a time loop. And yeah, I know that you won't believe me. It's just..." He let his gaze swipe across the Beacon grounds. "Tomorrow you won't remember this ever happened, and it makes me feel so bad. Guilty even. Like it's not real, you know? The only thing that will remain is my memory of this moment. Every time we kiss or touch..." He ran a hand through his hair. "It won't mean anything. Only selfish indulgence."
"I'm afraid I don't follow."
"That's fine. What I'm trying to say—and yes, I know that it won't matter because you'll never recall this conversation—is that I'm sorry. I already abused this time loop way too much. I never should have kissed you. I feel it taints our relationship each time, and I don't like it." He took her hand, and she gave him a squeeze. "Tomorrow," he said, looking into her lovely green eyes. "Tomorrow, I'll take you on a date, do this properly. Would you like that, Pyrrha?"
"I'd love to."
Jaune nodded. Good. This would be the last time he was so weak and gave in. If he somehow took her virginity without breaking the loop, he'd never forgive himself.
He stripped out of his armor. "See you tomorrow, babe." With a wink, he jumped.
Akouo beneath his feet, Jaune fell. He crashed with the shield on Emerald's head and simultaneously buried Milo's spear tip into Cinder's body at the base of her neck.
"Fuck!"
"Argh!"
Grinning, Jaune gave Mercury—his eyebrows high with surprise—a kick in-between the eyes. He shifted Milo into sword-form and slashed at Cinder as he landed. Emerald and Mercury momentarily taken care of, he kept advancing toward Cinder, who tried to ward off his rapid swipes with her arms, raised in self-defense, stumbling backward. She finally recovered and made to grab Milo on his next slash, but he halted mid-strike and shifted into spear mode.
Jaune thrust to the side without looking, catching Emerald off-guard, knocking the air out of her. He spun, attacking Cinder while evading Mercury's next attack. He lasted a few more seconds until he received the first hit, then a few more seconds until he got taken down.
New record. He grinned through the pain of Mercury's kicks.
"Quit it! He's already down!" a voice he didn't know snapped. It was some older red-headed student in casual clothes. It had been him who'd broken the fight apart and taken out Jaune in the end. How annoying. Almost like I'm the bad guy here...
The commotion was bigger this time, voices talking loudly above the other, trying to figure out what was happening and who'd attacked who. Jaune was finally released and got to his feet, but someone took him in a hold from behind, immobilizing him. A mocking laugh followed.
"That desperate to be expelled, Jauney Boy?"
Cardin. Jaune could only roll his eyes at the bully. How had he ever been scared of that guy? In comparison to Cinder, he was a joke. Jaune ignored Cardin's taunts and waited patiently for the commotion to be resolved.
"What is going on here?"
Oh no.
Miss Goodwitch's voice cut through the voices like a knife, leaving behind apprehensive silence, and people shifted from foot to foot. Things were sorted out quickly after that, and Jaune had no chance to dive for Milo and reset the day before he got enveloped by her Semblance and dragged away, floating through the air.
"Continue students. Enjoy your day off while I deal with Mr. Arc."
Jaune had ended in her office more than a few times now, and it was the worst. There was no escaping her and her Semblance. No chance to kill himself and quickly reset the day. With a sigh, he readied himself for endless lectures.
How can I ever hope to kill her if I'm surrounded by other students who're all too eager to interfere? Even if Cinder was actually the enemy, everyone else would always assume that he was the offender. She was too smart to actively attack and only defended herself. Even if he managed to overpower her and Emerald and Mercury, he had no hope of actually ending her before someone broke up the fight. How ironic, that she would be protected by the very students she intended to kill.
Glynda dumped him in the chair in front of her desk, then began stalking around her office, lecturing him as predicted, her riding crop in her hand. He didn't pay much attention until she practically shoved a tablet in his face, displaying the fight from a third-person perspective.
Damn, I really improved quite a bit. Hmm... My footing was off there. Could have dodged that.
"I don't remember you being this good, Mr. Arc." She regarded him with a raised eyebrow, arms crossed. "And why did you steal Miss Nikos's weapons?"
He grinned. "Thanks for the feedback, Glynda."
She glowered at him.
The clip played again before she replaced the tablet on her desk. They'd even gotten his little jump from the roof. Just where the fuck are those cameras? It occurred to him that, if he succeeded and killed Cinder—against all odds—his crime would be well-documented and he'd be off to prison without much questions asked. It would be worth it, though, if it means saving Pyrrha and everyone else. Perhaps he'd get out early once they realized who Cinder actually was, and Ozpin might just pull some strings to keep him out of prison altogether. The headmaster was sneaky and influential like that, Jaune had learned.
"...irresponsible— Mr. Arc, are you listening?"
He blinked...and realized that, somehow, his gaze was directly on her breasts. Well, what could he say? He'd always had a refined appreciation for the female anatomy. Especially the parts that were round and soft. He'd promised himself to not ruin his relationship with Pyrrha, but everyone else was fair game. That's how it worked, right? Riiiiight... Well, Glynda was probably used to being ogled by every male student to have ever attended this academy. Or...was she?
"Well?"
"I was..." he said, "not listening. I'm sorry, Glynda, I was simply mesmerized by your wonderful breasts." Which he was still kinda super-obviously staring at. He licked his lips for emphasis.
"Mr. Arc!" she snapped, then took a deep breath. "I'll give you one more chance and pretend that I misheard what you just said. Explain yourself."
"Well." Jaune looked her up and down. "Perhaps it was your lovely face and that sexy stern look that took my thoughts elsewhere. Or those legs, not to mention the fit ass, which gets emphasized greatly by your skirt, by the way." Things were becoming a little tight in his trousers. "And did I mention the stockings?" He shivered. "It should be illegal for a teacher to wear those. How can you expect to ever learn something when a goddess is teaching the class?"
Glynda was glaring at him with thin lips and the most outraged expression he'd ever seen on her face. Yet, her cheeks were faintly red. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, as if speechless. How odd. You'd think she would be used to it. Then again, she did have a bit of a reputation. Perhaps no one had ever dared to look or say any of the things he just did.
"Last warning, Mr. Arc," she said, her voice oddly calm. "And I'll be expecting an apology. Now."
Jaune gulped. Had it always been this hot in her office? "I'll tell you whatever you want, Glynda"—he smirked and shot her a wink—"if you spank me with your riding crop."
It took her a second to comprehend his words. Then, as expected, he got enveloped with her Semblance, lifted off the chair, and thrown backward. He'd not expected her to scream—shriek, really—quite so loudly, though. The door just barely opened before he crashed against it, and he got dumped unkindly on the floor outside, the door banging shut in his face.
"You're expelled!" her enraged voice sounded from inside. "I don't care what Ozpin thinks or why he allowed you entry despite your forged transcripts, but this crosses the line! You have until dinner to pack your things and say goodbye to your friends. Be glad that I won't involve the authorities!"
Well, that was rather efficient. He'd never gotten out of her office quite so fast. Jaune got to his feet and searched for a nearby window. Her office was near Ozpin's and also quite high. He lowered his Aura, charged, and jumped, turning to burst with his back through the pane...and bounced right off, crashing to the floor.
"Fucking...dumb...bulletproof glass," he cursed, rubbing his smarting backside. It hurt like a bitch. "Stupid combat school." He looked back at the door of Glynda's office. "So glad I'm expelled," he yelled, then burst out giggling, then cringed and coughed as sharp pain pierced his back. Shouldn't have deactivated my Aura quite so early... Fuck, I think I broke something—and it wasn't the stupid window.
Slowly, he got to his feet and looked for a handle to open the window. Luckily, it wasn't locked, and he got rewarded by a nice, long, head-first jump to the ground. On some days, this was the part he was looking forward to the most. The feeling of weightlessness, wind rushing past him, sun on his face. He liked to close his eyes and relish the brief moment of peace, trying to fight the panic that naturally coursed through his body.
Jaune shot up in his bed. "Hey, Pyrrha?" he asked while checking his scroll.
"Yes?"
"Do you— never mind." No training today. Today, he was going to stalk Cinder Fall so that he could kill her...where no one could interfere. He didn't even know what she did after breakfast. How sloppy of him. Know your enemy, and all that...
"Oh, okay."
He told her to go ahead, readied himself, and went to the cafeteria for some Pumpkin Pete's marshmallow flakes.
Three, two, one.
Cinder and her goons entered. Jaune kept his gaze on his cereals. He'd sat down on the table directly next to theirs and listened attentively for anything useful. It was mostly Emerald talking, though, and she seemed to be reading from some tour guide to Vale. Cinder only hummed here and there, probably not even listening. Mercury inserted the odd comment, and he and Emerald occasionally snapped back and forth. They were playing their part as exchange students perfectly.
Jaune was very glad when they finally left. Counting seconds, he followed them at a discreet pace toward the airfield, then boarded the waiting airship among them and a dozen other students, most of them upper-years and equipped with their weapons. Attacking in here was out of the question. He'd be disarmed and immobilized in a second.
Huh. Didn't get sick at all, he realized as the airship landed in Vale. He followed his targets out into the city and trailed them. It was early but already busy. There were pedestrians everywhere, not to mention the many students. Attacking here would be futile as well. Come on, come on. Go somewhere deserted.
His prayers got answered. Kind of. Now where are you going? The three of them had just entered some side-alley—a very suspicious side-alley. Jaune peaked around the corner and saw...nothing. They were gone. The alley was empty. Huh?! He didn't see where they could have gone so quickly. Well, I'll find out tomorrow.
After another two days where he memorized the route, he waited at the exact spot where he'd lost them the last time. They entered the alley, took a few more steps...and vanished. Just like that. Jaune blinked. What the...? The next day, he chose a different spot, with much the same effect. He camped on rooftops, waited at the end of the alley, and even hid in a trash can or two. They just disappeared without a trace.
He tried attacking them a few times—in the streets, at the entrance of the alley, right before they vanished—but it was all a futile effort. The most recent attempt, he'd even been stabbed by an attacker he hadn't even seen! Things had been supposed to get easier, not harder!
"This is bullshit!" he exclaimed, sitting up and rubbing the skin atop his heart where he still felt the phantom pain of the stab, earning him a confused look from Pyrrha.
"Everything alright, Jaune?"
"No! Nothing is alright! I can't fucking do it! I can't kill her on Beacon, I can't kill her on the airship, and I can't fucking kill her in Vale either. And then they just disappear! How can I fucking kill her without people interfering?!"
Pyrrha blinked at him. "Nightmare?"
"Yes. Yes, just a nightmare... Sorry." He really shouldn't take his frustration out on her...
"Want to talk about it?"
"No, I'm fine." He let himself fall back into bed and closed his eyes. It all felt so pointless. Even if he could get the three of them alone, he still stood no chance. No chance at all. He could train with Pyrrha until he was grey and old—figuratively speaking—and still, he would stand no chance.
"Okay. I'll go for a run. See you later."
Jaune stared at the ceiling, not feeling any motivation to move. Giving up again? a voice whispered in his head. And yes, he was fucking giving up again. He just couldn't do it... What he could do, though...
"Argh!"
"Argh!"
"Argh!"
"Argh!"
"Argh!"
Jaune awoke with a grin. Hearing Cinder's startled cry of pain was just always such a joy... Sometimes, the only thing he changed from one day to another was the angle and force with which he struck her, altering her sounds of pain ever so slightly. He'd yet to make her scream, but he'd get there eventually, almost smiling at the thought.
And since he'd started using Pyrrha's weapons, it was all too easy to shift Milo into rifle form and quickly reset the day before he got beaten up too much...
After Pyrrha went off for her usual morning run, Jaune got dressed and exited the room. He knew his partner wouldn't leave him alone if he kept sulking in bed the whole day, and he wanted to sulk in peace, thank you very much. He aimlessly walked the Beacon grounds—garden, park, whatever—looking for some inspiration about what to do next. Finding none. He did find himself a nice secluded place behind some bushes, though, and flopped down.
A tree was spending shadow. Jaune just lay there, grass tickling his neck, and stared up at the cloudless sky. He stared and stared, listening to the voices of students passing by, never noticing him. He stared until the sun peeked around the tree, then set, and it got cold.
Now, jump off the cliff or sword? He was too lazy for the former, so he got out his scroll and summoned his locker. There was an odd crack, making him start and whirl around, and he realized that it was the locker, having landed in the tree near him.
"Fucking unbelievable," he mumbled. "No way I'm climbing up there." Begrudgingly, he pushed himself off the ground and approached the cliff.
The next day, Jaune did very much the same thing. It took him a moment to find his hiding spot, then he flopped onto the grass and let time pass, feeling like shit, with eyes closed this time. Time passed. He didn't feel any better.
"Jaune? Is that you?"
Great, now I'm hallucinating.
"Jaune?" There was a giggle. "What are you doing?"
With a frown, he blinked his eyes open...and stared up at the upside-down face of Ruby, who was leaning across a bush he was hiding behind, blinking at him with big Silver Eyes.
"Ruby?"
"Yep."
"Are you real?"
"Yep."
"You sure?"
"Yep."
He snorted, being reminded of that one conversation they'd had outside their dorm rooms. "What are you doing here?" He had no idea where she usually was at this time, but yesterday, she obviously hadn't been here. Was he lying a little differently, which had allowed her to spot him? Had his timing been different, and someone had seen him coming here and told her? Or was she— He froze.
"I, well, you see—"
"Ruby!" Jaune sat up with a start, his heart hammering in his chest. "Are you stuck in the time loop too?!"
I'm really sorry for the cliffhanger (not). No worries, I won't take a year to write the next chapter. ;)