So… Hey again. Sorry it's been so long since the last update, life just been crazy for me the past 2 years as I'm sure it's been for most everybody. Needless to say, it really shot all drive I normally had for any kind of writing in the foot. It's better now though and I'm going to be making a real effort to get back into the habit of writing in my downtime. Anyway, I'm going to be putting out this chapter and then getting to work on the next update.

Jaune let out a breath as he finally went through the final motions of the test the nurse was putting him through to see how well his shoulder was healing. Finally, the nurse allowed his arm to fall back down to his side, while fighting the initial instinct to scratch at the irritating bandages that had been replaced on his chest and arm. Blue eyes peered through blonde locks to regard the young nurse currently writing something on a clipboard.

"So, uh… How'd I do?" The knight questioned as a small ball of anxiety formed in his stomach, it would be just another hit if something was wrong with his arm on top of his aura.

"It's looking very good Mr. Arc. You'll still need to take it very easy for the next few days and avoid any strenuous activities." She gave him a smile as she started to collect everything she had brought in with her. "I'll go retrieve the doctor and she'll fill you in on when you'll need to come back in for any check-ups."

"Sounds good, thank you." Jaune nodded as he watched her back up and slip out of his door to retrieve the school doctor. His eyes fell onto his scroll which lay still on his bedside table, picking it up and sliding it open to see two messages resting on the notification screen. One from Ren who had been elected to collect him from the infirmary while the rest of his team and team RWBY prepared for his return. He was touched that they wanted to celebrate his recovery, but he'd be lying if it didn't hurt a bit to be in a situation where he'd be constantly thinking of what had happened.

The other was from an unknown number that had come in during his testing. Opening the message, he found it was from Weiss and felt a surge of nerves suddenly shoot through him. Giving the message a quick once over, Jaune noticed the entire list of subjects and assignments that she had planned out for him to work on that never seemed to end. He quickly saved the number as Weiss Schnee and sent a quick reply saying that he got it and would look it over once he got back to the dorms.

Before he could switch to read his teammates message to him, his doctor came in with a surprise guest, Professor Ozpin, who gave a small smile to the huntsman-in-training as the two adults stood in front of him. "How are you feeling today Mr. Arc?" The older man spoke before taking a sip of the coffee in his hand and Jaune could hear the message hidden in those words.

"I'm feeling a lot better. It has been a bit rough getting back into things, but I think I'll be better once I'm back with my team."

"I believe the same, I'd like you to be able to get back to your everyday life." Ozpin nodded as motioned for the doctor to take over.

The doctor smiled as she moved forward to give Jaune a quick look over as she grabbed a paper of her own clipboard and leaned forward to speak to him at his level as she handed the paper over to him. The warmth in her smile as she spoke, and the care shown in her warm brown eyes helped ease some of the worry still swarming inside of him. "This is a list of the future appointments for you, just to make sure you're healing as you should and that there's no further complications."

"Thank you very much, Dr. Violetta." He gave her a small smile in return as he looked over the schedule before folding it up and keeping a tight hold of it.

"Also, you'll need to change those bandages twice a day, once in the morning when you wake up and again before going to bed. By the next time you see me, you probably won't need them anymore but it's better to play it safe."

"I understand, I'll be sure to stay on top of it."

"Glad to hear, now you're free to go. Your friend is just outside of the Infirmary Wing to escort you back to the dormitories." Violetta gave a polite bow to both Jaune and the headmaster before moving out of the door and leaving the two men inside.

"I don't mean to make you feel rushed in your decision, but do you have an answer for me? If not then, that is completely fine, and I'll wait for you to come to me in the next few days to give me an answer." Ozpin spoke softly, his glasses lowering so that his eyes could look into Jaunes own without anything in the way.

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Jaune met the headmasters gaze as he answered. "I want to continue here. I'd like to keep training to be a huntsman."

"Are you sure of this? You can always change your mind at any point, but I want to be sure."

"I'm positive Professor."

A small, almost unnoticeable smile came onto the grey-haired man's face as he nodded. "Very well Mr. Arc. If you ever need any help or someone to talk to then feel free to reach out to me."

Ozpin moved and made to leave the room before Jaunes voice stopped him from leaving. "I do have a question for you."

"Oh? And what would your question be?" Ozpin raised a brow as he turned to regard the young man in front of him.

"When my team and team RWBY came to see me yesterday, none of them mentioned what was wrong with my aura at all. Do they not know?"

"They are not aware of your current situation. Partially because I felt that you would want to be able to tell them on your own terms. The other reason was that your current… condition is not one that well known or easily understood, and I would like to avoid the possible outcome of it being spread as rumors and causing worry and panic among huntsman and students alike."

As far as reasons went, Jaune could understand what the headmaster was saying and could even agree with the points he made. After all, Grimm reacted to negativity, and it would only be worse if huntsman and huntresses were going out into the field with fear and anxiety raging inside them any more than they already did. A thought struck the knight, "So should I not tell them?"

Ozpin quickly shook his head. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that, and I want you to know that you have no reason to hide anything from your teammates and friends. If you wish to tell them, then do so. I do not want you to feel like you can't be honest and close with them about something so serious. I was merely trying to express the reason of why it is not being made a very publicly known fact, as well as why I desired to leave the choice to you."

"Right, sorry… I didn't intend to make that sound so accusing."

"It is quite alright Mr. Arc. Now, unless you have any more questions for me, I believe it's time for you to go be with your team." Ozpin gave Jaune a moment to stop him before he walked out of the door to his infirmary room. "Good day, Mr. Arc."

Jaune slowly pushed himself of off his bed and made to dress himself, slipping the sheet the doctor gave him into his pants pocket along with his scroll. His hand went to his waist where his family sword would usually hang before looking where it had been sitting in the room before Pyrrha had taken it with her earlier yesterday to store it in his locker for him. Finally ready, he made his way out of the room and began to head out of the infirmary. During his short walk, the J in JNPR was stuck thinking on what Ozpin had told him. It wasn't the first time the man's words had impacted him in such a way, his thoughts were cut off as he reached the entrance to the infirmary and saw Ren standing patiently in wait for him to arrive.

"Hey Ren," Jaune said happily, his mood already getting infinitely better at having a friend at his side again and knowing he was finally free of the infirmary.

"Hello Jaune, Ozpin told me you were having some final check-ups done and to wait for you here. I trust it all went well?" Ren asked moved forward and shared a quick hug with his team leader before moving back as they headed to team JNPR's dorm.

"Yep, everything's in the clear." As they maneuvered through the halls, Jaune couldn't help but notice the slight dark rings under Ren's pink eyes. "Everything okay with you? You look really worn out."

"Yes, everything is fine. Just a little tired helping to prepare everything for the party."

"I didn't realize it would be a full-on party."

"It's not that crazy, it was just a full-time job to keep Nora, Yang and Ruby from going too wild with all of their ideas." They both shared a short laugh at that and Jaune struggled to keep the wide grin off of his face at hearing it. It really did make him feel better knowing he had such great friends that wanted to go above and beyond for him.

"So am I allowed to know what I'm walking into or is it supposed to be a secret?"

"A secret, I'm afraid. I'm also supposed to blindfold you before you go into our room."

"Wow, really going the extra mile. I'm happy to play along then, just to make life easier for both of us." The two boys of team JNPR shared a knowing look and let out another chuckle as they continued the rest of their walk in silence until they made it to just outside of JNPR's room.

Letting Ren tie a loose bandana around his head to block out his vision, he heard the ninja deliver a few knocks onto the door before hearing it open and feeling a hand grab onto his own and pull him inside. Ren, he assumed moving into the room after him and closing the door behind them before closing the door. He could pick up the muffled sound of excited giggling and found himself fighting back the urge to smile as he felt a tug on the cloth covering his eyes and felt it slip off of his face.

"Welcome back Jaune!"

Jaune heard a chorus of voices yell out as his eyes slowly adjusted back and he saw all of his team and team RWBY standing before, each person looking in some way excited or relieved for the fact he was finally back. Looking above all the other teens in the room, Jaunes eyes landed on the crudely made banner that was hung up on the wall that read "WELCOME BACK FEARLESS LEADER!". A smile of pure joy spread across his face as tears unwillingly started to well up in his eyes. He couldn't help it though, all the care and love they were showing for him meant so much.

"Thanks guys… I'm back." Holding back sniffles and more tears Jaune felt his team move to wrap him in a warm hug, one which Ruby and Yang quickly joined in on. Blake and Weiss being the last to join the group hug as their respective partners dragged them into it.

He would tell them, Jaune cemented that thought into his mind, but for now all he wanted to do was enjoy his time together with them.

It was nearing the end of their little party that things finally started to calm down and Jaune took a small break from trying to keep up with crazy stories Nora had to catch him up on. He moved over to grab a drink from the collection of sodas and snacks that he assumed Yang had stockpiled for the party. While he was gathering a drink for himself, he noticed Weiss moving over to him. He offered her a smile as he grabbed another can of soda and held it in the air.

"Hey Weiss, want a drink?"

"No thank you, I was hoping to speak to you for a moment if you don't mind." She gave a polite shake of her head as she spoke, her eyes seeming to struggle to stay on his own as well. He supposed she probably still felt awkward around him, it was pretty obvious from the talk they had a day ago that she wasn't sure how to act around him.

To be fair to her, he wasn't sure how to act either. His feelings for Weiss were still there but the last thing he had given any thought to since waking up in the infirmary was romance. Before he could get caught up on his own thoughts, Jaune decided to focus solely on the now instead of anything else.

"Sure Weiss, what did you want to talk about?"

"I wished to follow up on the schedule I sent you earlier."

"Oh right, that." Jaune froze as her icy gaze moved back onto him and he let out a nervous chuckle as he scratched at the back of his head. He really hoped she would continue but it looked like she was going to leave it to him. "Uh what were you hoping to go over about it?"

"I was hoping to get your opinion on it and see what changes you'd like to make if any to it." Weiss let her eyes leave his to go back over to the rest of the room and watching the chaos that was their two teams. "Have you looked over it at all?"

"Not much, to be honest. I skimmed through it before I replied to your message though, so I have a rough idea of the whole thing."

"I see." Was all the heiress said, her tone neutral and making it difficult for him to pick up on what she was thinking at the moment. Another wave of awkwardness decided to settle in as silence took hold of their conversation, and Jaune wished the feeling of discomfort they seemed to have around one another would end.

He understood why things were this way though, he had been trying to get her attention for a good majority of their time here at Beacon and now that he had it, even if it wasn't to the degree he had initially wanted, he had no clue on how to move forward. Jaune narrowed his brow as he tried to think of some way to ease the tension between them, and after a few moments more of silence something finally came to him as he turned back to Weiss.

"So this is a little weird, huh?" He turned away from her as he spoke, keeping his eyes on his team. Mostly because he felt that without looking at each other, the awkward air might be a little less oppressive.

Jaune heard the girl next to him let out a breath, whether in exhaustion, relief, or annoyance he had no idea. Though he got his answer as he saw the tiniest hint of a smile form on her lips out of the corner of one eye. "Yes. Very much so. I never imagined I'd be in this situation, especially not with…"

Her words stopped, most likely because she realized how the slightly pointed words sounded as she spoke. He let out a short laugh, trying to keep the flow of the conversation moving. "I get what you mean, this isn't exactly something I wanted either."

At his words, his saw Weiss' expression turn pensive as she thought on what he said. She seemed to be struggling to find the right words to say next.

"So, whaddya say we just try and start over? As just… friends?" He couldn't help but waiver in as he spoke the words. Partially because of how he feared the girl rejecting the idea, the rest just because he wasn't sure how easy that task would be.

For either of them.

Another moment passed by without Weiss saying anything. This time though, Jaune kept himself quiet, wanting to give her as much time as she needed to think his words through before giving him any kind of answer.

Shaking her head lightly, Weiss turned so that she was now facing him. Her eyes now locked onto his for the first time since their conversation started. He mirrored her, even though it left him uneasy to meet her gaze head on like this. His fears slowly vanished as he saw that tiny hint of a smile come back onto her lips. Whether for show or because she actually meant it, he didn't know. But he could certainly hope it was the latter.

"Very well. Starting over seems like the best option for both of us." A small pale hand reached out towards him.

His larger hand reached back and grasped hers, giving it a small shake. Only for a yelp to escape him as the heiress' grip tightened suddenly.

"But, that means no more serenading or attempts at courtship. Understood?"

The grip on his hand, the bite in her voice, and the icy glare in her eyes almost made shiver. He could agree to those things, but there was nothing wrong with a little teasing as well, right? At least to pay her back for how much she was actually scaring him.

"S-Sure thing Weiss. Ahem… But, you have to swear not to fall for me then." He said it with the goofiest smile he felt he could make in the current situation. A desperate attempt at keep things light and in a good mood. Luckily, it seemed to have worked as Weiss' hand released his as a snort left the girl.

"That will hardly be an issue," Well, he'd count that up to a victory for him. Only if just because she seemed a little more at ease with him around now. Her eyes suddenly widened as she glanced to the side, a vicious smile seeming to form on her lips.

He didn't understand why until he felt two strong sets of hands grab a hold of him and pull him back into the crowd. Yang and Nora both chanting for the 'gallant hero' to make a speech on his return.

He couldn't help but laugh even as a can was forced into his hand and the spotlight was on him. Looking over the crowded room, at all of his friends, he took a moment to think of what to say. His eyes locking onto Weiss' one final time that night. The relieved and carefree smile that formed on his face afterward, the most genuine it's been since he first woke up.

"Well. There's only a few things I can say."

Night had fallen faster than Jaune had expected, with team RWBY clearing out to prepare for bed and classes come the next morning. A groan almost left the blonde's throat at the thought of going back to class so soon, but he really couldn't stay in bed much longer.

Even if going straight to Port's on his first day back felt like torture.

His head turned left and right, checking to see if his other teammates had already fallen to the monster known as sleep. Sure enough, all three of them were out like a light and one normally energetic ginger snoring loudly away.

The familiar sight itself almost made him laugh and cry, a small part of him still feeling as if, any second, he'll be back in that hospital bed.

Slowly, Jaune allowed his eyes to close. A heavy breath falling from his lips as his shoulders relaxed. He hadn't realized just how tense his body still was. Hopefully, a night of rest back with his team would rid him of that.

His eyes suddenly snapped open as he forced himself to sit up. His body wet and soaked in mud and water in what appeared to be a small river that wasn't even deep enough to submerge his body. Looking straight up into the air, he saw a seemingly endless cliff face on both sides that shot up into the sky.

A small moan of pain sounded next to him; his eyes wide as he turned to see Weiss. She was on her back, eyes clenched shut in pain. The reason obvious from the gash on her forehead that was now spilling blood onto her face and hair.

Forcing his aching body up, Jaune half crawled, half dragged his body to her.

"Weiss! Wake up! Please, Weiss can you hear me?!"

No sign of waking. His heart pounded in sheer panic, what should he do?!

His decision was made for him as he heard a loud thud in the distance. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he could see a large black figure slowly making its way to where he and Weiss were. He didn't feel any comfort from it, had no thought in his mind that it might be help.

Because no person had glowing red eyes like that.

Eyes that luckily had not spotted him yet. But it was only a matter of time now, his panic would alert the Grimm to him sooner or later.

"Think Jaune, think!" He quietly yelled to himself. What did he do? The words of his partner ringing in his head and cutting through his frantic thoughts.

'Think rationally, analyze your surroundings. Don't let the fear get to you.'

His cobalt eyes quickly spread across the entire area, looking for any possible option. As if the heavens themselves were listening to his prayers, he saw one.

A small crevice in the cliff side, seemingly just big enough to fit Weiss and possibly himself into. But definitely too big for the Grimm to get in.

Ignoring the screaming in his back and arm, Jaune forced himself to lift Weiss up. Moving slowly while chanting in his mind that everything would be okay. That Weiss would be okay. That the Grimm wouldn't notice him.

It didn't, thankfully, as he carefully slid Weiss' body into the small hole. He wouldn't be able to fit inside, but at the very least, he could make sure the heiress was safe from harm. His eyes glanced at her wound once more, narrowing as he took off his shoulder guard and tore off the sleeve of his hoodie. Using the fabric, he tied it around her forehead to help stop the bleeding.

Just after that, was when his luck both peaked, and ran out.

His sword that had gotten stuck in the cliff side slid free and fell with a loud metal 'thunk' as it stabbed into the mud only a few feet away from him. The noise alerted him and had him snap his head toward the sound.

The Grimm hidden in shadows also locked onto the object, before it's gaze fell on him.

No amount of telling himself to stay calm helped as panic and horror gripped his heart.

Get the sword!

His mind screamed at him, and he didn't take a second to listen to is as he turned and charged toward the weapon. His sudden dash prompting the shadowy figure to charge him.

He heard the roar, felt the hot gush of air hit his body from the beast's breath just seconds after his hand had latched onto his weapon.

Pain erupted in his side as the monster slammed into his body and sent him tumbling across the ground.

He could barely register the sound of the Grimm's paws slamming into the ground as it made to attack him again. He didn't have time to think, he could only hope a desperate attack worked as he turned his body around and used the force to swing his sword with any extra strength it would give to the attack.

His timing was just good enough to slice off one of the large Beowolf's arm that had been raised to claw his throat out.

The loss of one limb caused the Beowulf to topple over, falling on top of his body. He only had enough time to point his blade up so that it would impale the beast as it landed, directly onto him.

Blue eyes snapped open, Jaune's body practically vibrating in his bed at the nerves, adrenaline and fear that was now pumping violently through his veins. His breath was coming out in puffs of air, feeling almost as if he couldn't get any air in even when he tried his hardest to breathe. Forcing himself to sit up in his bed, the knight ran his good hand through his hair. The amount of sweat he could feel coating his forehead and hair not helping him calm down at all.

"It's okay, Jaune."

A quiet voice muttered in the darkness of his dorm room, as a gentle hand fell on his shoulder.

Turning to the right, Jaune caught the pink eyes of his teammate and brother in arms. Only a second later, a surge of calm hit him. The panic, fear, and anxiety all being washed away and replaced with a sense of serenity.

Jaune couldn't help but be confused until he glanced down at his body, seeing himself now greyed out, as if all of the color was drained from him. Looking back to Ren, he found out why without asking.

"My semblance. It's very useful for times like these."

He heard the message in those words, that told him Ren had once had nights like these and his semblance was what helped him come down from it.

Taking one last steadying breath to even himself out, the knight slowly relaxed. The pressure in his body leaving. "Thanks Ren, that… that really helped."

"I'm glad to hear that." A small pause. "Do you wish to talk about it?"

Jaune shook his head, trying to force the images of his dream, or memory rather, out of his head. "Nah, thanks though. Maybe tomorrow after classes if it's still bugging me."

Wordlessly, Ren nodded and removed his hand from Jaune's shoulder. The color quickly coming back to life on his form as he watched his teammate climb back into bed. Letting his body fall back onto the warm mattress with a thud, Jaune stared up at the ceiling of the dark room.

Until, at some point in the night, the weariness in his body forced him back to sleep.

So hopefully this chapter makes up for the long lack of updates in this story, which I'll be making a point to update at a more regular pace now that I finally feel the want to write again.

I can't promise when the next update will be, but I'll try my best not to make it more than a month or two at the very most.

Also as a small PS. The events that happened to Jaune at the bottom of the cliff will be coming out in bits in pieces, hopefully the overall picture of it won't be confusing with me choosing to have it be disjointed like that instead of having it all dumped at once.