V.C.: Hello everyone! Welcome back!
K.N.: It's time to enter Volume Two territory. Lots of things are going to be happening up ahead, but this chapter should be nice and easy.
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Chapter 13: The Ambrosian War
A pale skinned man with black hair, sideburns, and yellowish eyes named Tukson was seen running through a field. He seemed to be panicked by something, or rather someone. He then tripped on a random tree root, and came crashing to the ground.
Looking up, he felt fear grip his heart as two shadowy figures approached him. "Pl-please...don't! I won't tell anyone about what I saw! I quit for my own reasons!"
The first figure, who appeared to be male, shot forth a blast and struck Tukson in the chest. "AHH!" The other figure, who appeared to be female, connected another blast with his head. Darkness began to grip Tukson as the world began to slip away.
"N-no..." His eyes slowly closed as he collapsed in agony.
A dark chuckle filled the field, and the figure of Zs'skayr floated into view. "You two did well. This man will make a fine vessel for now." He drifted slowly over to the prone body of Tukson, and slipped inside of him. Tukson's eyes opened, but were noticeably different. Instead of a yellowish color, they were a deep purple surrounded by a rim of red.
Meanwhile:
In a small clearing on the island of Patch, there sat a lone grave. This grave belonged to a great Huntress and mother who had given her life while on a mission. A familiar red/black haired girl approached the grave, stopping a few feet from it to try and gather her thoughts.
"Hi mom." Ruby spoke, staring down at the headstone of her mother's grave with a nervous look on her face. "It's been awhile."
There was a slight pause as Ruby collected her thoughts. Finally, she spoke. "I'm in Beacon now. Me and Yang both. We're on the same team. Team RWBY! And I'm leader." She beamed proudly, fondly thinking of her friends. "Our other teammates are nice. Blake is a little shy, doesn't talk much to anyone but us. I recently found out she's a faunus, but I don't really mind."
A small rustle of wind blew, and Ruby smiled. As she saw it, Summer was letting her know she was listening. Her mother wanted her to know she was happy Ruby hadn't turned on her friend.
Her confidence building, the reaper continued. "Then there's Weiss. She, uh, well... Weiss can be a bit cold sometimes. She's confident in herself, maybe a little too confident. She also has a thing where she can be kind of mean sometimes. But that's just who she is. Besides, when her friends need her, she's there for all of us. Not just my team, but also the others."
Realizing what she said, Ruby twiddled her thumbs. She hadn't told her mother about Team JNPR yet, and the image of a certain blonde in particular came to mind. Blushing a bright red, the reaper spoke. "And I, uh, I've met a boy."
Ruby had no idea why she was telling her mother about Jaune specifically. But, at the same time, the reaper figured she could be open with her mother. "He's really nice, and kind of funny, and he always is thinking of everyone else. Sometimes I get these weird feelings around him where I'm all warm and tingly inside. It's weird, but nice at the same time. Don't tell the others thought, they've been teasing us about being a couple since Initiation, and I don't want them getting any ideas or thinking they're right about me liking him."
Another, slightly stronger rustling of wind encouraged the silver eyed girl. As if hearing her mother, Ruby rolled her eyes. "Of course I haven't told him. He has way too much to worry about."
Silence was all that was met with those word.
"He... he has this secret." Ruby quietly confided in her mother. "He has a watch that lets him turn into aliens. I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth. I'm helping him hide it. But the White Fang are after him now, and I'm worried for everyone. I don't know what the future has for us, and I'm not sure if we'll be ready for whatever does happen."
The wind blew through Ruby's hair, causing a few strands to cover her eyes. Brushing it out of her line of sight, Ruby smiled down at her mother's grave. "Thanks mom. You're right. I shouldn't worry so much. Especially when I have friends like Jaune and Yang by my side."
Blushing once more, Ruby smiled softly. "I guess sharing a secret sort of brought us together. We're great friends, and I'm pretty sure we'll be able to handle whatever's coming, even if it's scary. I know you'll be watching."
"Hey sis? It's time to go." Yang called from across the field, hesitant to pull her little sister away from Summer's grave.
Ruby nodded, looking up at Yang and smiling. "I'm coming!" She turned back to face the grave and placed a soft kiss atop it. "I love you, Mom. Thanks for the talk, I needed it." With that, she walked over to Yang and left with her for Beacon.
Later at Beacon:
Jaune was in the middle of a peaceful sleep when he felt someone shake him. He grunted in irritation, not wanting to be disturbed. "Go away Nora," He mumbled grumpily.
"Mr. Arc, I would advise that you wake up."
"Fine," Jaune grunted once more. "You're getting better at your Ozpin impersonation by the way. Now what did you…" He trailed off as his eyes opened to reveal the Headmaster of Beacon standing before him, sipping at his coffee.
"I suppose my 'impersonation' comes naturally," Ozpin replied dryly.
"Pr-Professor Ozpin!" Jaune leapt onto his feet and rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "What's going on? Why are you in my dorm? What did I do wrong this time?"
"In order of how you asked them," Ozpin started while placing his cup down on the edge of his desk. "I brought you here so we could talk. This is not your dorm, but is instead my office. As for what you did, I think you know fully well. Though if you require a hint, your recent trip to Vale a few weeks ago might hold the answer."
"…Oh." Jaune gulped, realizing he was in trouble.
"Yes, 'oh', indeed." Ozpin replied with a narrow gaze. "You went completely against my suggestions. I am aware that I did not make you promise to avoid the watch, but I did tell you not to use the Omnitrix for your own safety. Yet you used it anyways. Twice. In the middle of Vale, no less."
"It's not like people saw me." Jaune tried to justify.
"They may not have seen you transform," Ozpin started evenly. "But they did see one of the aliens you became. You charged through the streets of Vale as an Arburian Pelarota. As a result, people are now suspicious of a new species of Grimm. Some are even saying that it could have been an alien instead. Which, as you know, is a problem."
"Great." Jaune groaned. It was just his luck that he was spotted, and of course people were now talking about aliens. He was about to say something, but paused in thought. "Wait a second!"
"Yes, Mr. Arc?"
"How do you know that I used Cannonbolt? For all you know it might have been another of his species. Come to think of it, how did you know I went to Vale? I don't remember telling you any of this before I went on semester break."
"I met with James Ironwood a few days ago, and he informed me of the situation. Also, for the record, Arburian Pelarota are extinct." Ozpin answered simply.
"Really?" Jaune blinked. After a brief pause, he asked another question. "Ironwood? You mean Penny's father told you all this stuff?"
"The very same. He was informed by Ms. Polendina, who he was less than thrilled to know was present during this chaotic battle." Ozpin affirmed.
"You mean the guy who you told my secret to?" Jaune asked with narrowed eyes. "You know, the same secret you are lecturing me about risking right now."
"Yes." Ozpin nodded simply before sipping his coffee. "I believe Ms. Polendina already informed you of my reasoning for doing so, however. Would you rather I not tell any of my associates and risk you getting attacked by forces like James' troops?"
"...no." Jaune sighed. "I guess not."
"Good." Ozpin said, happy to have that conversation over with. He then narrowed his eyes once more. "Now that we have gotten that out of the way..."
"Yeah?"
Ozpin took another sip and sighed deeply. "I would like to return to my previous point. Do you have anything to say in defense of your actions before the end of last semester?"
Jaune was at a loss for words. He had used the watch to help his friends and possibly the entire city of Vale, but now Ozpin was scolding him?
The blonde knight clenched his fists as he felt rare rage boil within him. He gave his elder a hard stare. "I used the Omnitrix because I wanted to help stop those Grimm. They were so powerful, more powerful than anything even you've ever seen."
"Doubtful," Ozpin shook his head. "I have seen Salem herself in action, and I doubt there is much stronger than that."
"Maybe," Jaune relented before firing back. "But if you had seen them yourself, then you would understand why I had to use the Omnitrix. They were too strong for me. Heck, they were too strong for my whole team! For Team RWBY! We barely beat one of them with all eight of us working together. I only got lucky with that Boarbatusk/XLR8 thing. They were too strong!"
"Facing such a challenge without the Omnitrix would build your own strength." Ozpin countered.
"Or it could have killed all of us." Jaune pointed out, earning a scowl from the headmaster. "Think about it though. If both of our teams barely took out one of them, then how are we supposed to take out two more who were even stronger than the last? Plus, we were in Vale. The people of the city were at stake. No matter what you say, I think I made the right choice."
Those words were met with silence.
Ozpin slowly placed his mug down again. He then began stepping closer until he was only a few inches away from Jaune in distance. The older man stared Jaune directly in the eyes, and the younger man stared right back at him without flinching.
After a moment, Ozpin pulled away and hummed. "I see. Then I will let what happened in Vale pass for now."
"Seriously?" Jaune blinked. "Just like that?"
"If you felt it was the right course of action, then I will not fault you." Ozpin turned around and walked over to his window. He stared out into the early morning sky, an unreadable look on his face. "However, I would still recommend that you refrain from future uses of the Omnitrix."
"But why?" Jaune asked, not seeing why Ozpin was so insistent that he avoid using the watch. "The White Fang already know I have it. Why shouldn't I use it?"
"Because it is for the best," Ozpin answered. "I am sure you are already aware that those Grimm were created by Salem and the White Fang. What you don't know is how."
"Then tell me." Jaune replied, wanting to know what had created those horrible creatures.
"They were all hybrid Grimm created through DNA samples that the White Fang have been collecting since your first day with the Omnitrix."
Jaune's eyes widened in horror. "That's why they had powers from my aliens?! Salem's been collecting pieces of me when I'm using the watch?!"
"Not quite," Ozpin shook his head while still staring out at the pre-morning sky. "When you use the Omnitrix, you sometimes leave behind a small sample of yourself. It can come from contact with the form, or energy from the attacks, or it could simply fall off of the alien. Whatever the case, it is free for the White Fang to collect once it is out there."
"Then that's why you keep saying I shouldn't use the Omnitrix unless I really need to." Jaune spoke with a sound of realization.
"Precisely."
"But what if I do need it? How am I supposed to make sure the White Fang don't get any DNA from the aliens?" Jaune frowned at the older man.
"That is for you to decide, Jaune. I cannot tell you when you will or won't need it. I also cannot tell you what to do if such an occasion arises or how you can conceal DNA. That is entirely up to you, as you are the wielder." Ozpin turned around and motioned Jaune to leave. "You may go now. I expect to see you here next Friday at six sharp."
Jaune blinked in surprise. He hadn't had to train with Ozpin in several weeks. It had been entirely him and Ruby with the occasional appearance from Pyrrha or Weiss to help train his swordsmanship. So, this news was unexpected to say the least.
Jaune hesitated. "Um, okay. Should I bring Ruby and Cardin with me, or-?"
"No. Come alone. In the meantime, continue your training with Ms. Rose, and Mr. Winchester if he is well enough to help you. Till then, good day Mr. Arc."
Jaune walked out of Ozpin's office, and then realized something. He had been asleep when Ozpin brought him to Beacon Tower. Looking down, Jaune felt his cheeks burn a bright red in embarrassment.
He saw his light blue rabbit onesie that his eldest sister had lovingly made for him. The onesie that he was now going to have to walk across Beacon while wearing. Face palming, Jaune let out a groan. "Aw man!"
Later at Breakfast:
All eight members of RWBY-JNPR sat around their usual table. They ate silently, not having much to talk about. Not even Nora was speaking much, which on any other occasion would have been odd.
Blake frowned as she glanced around her. She wondered if she was the reason why none of them wanted to speak. Were they nervous around her? Were things too awkward after what had happened in Vale?
Blake shook her head, remembering her team's forgiveness and the forgiveness of Team JNPR which had come swiftly afterward. The cat faunus told herself that these were her friends, and they wouldn't turn on her after that.
Still, Blake couldn't stand this uncomfortable silence. It was clear to her that something was wrong, and as their friend it was her job to be concerned.
Clearing her throat, the cat faunus went to speak. "Everyone? Is there a reason why you've all been so quiet lately?"
"Not really," Pyrrha answered. The red haired spartan gave a worried look. "Why? Is there a problem? Did we do something wrong to upset you?"
"No," Blake let out a heavy sigh. "I just am worried. Usually, any meal held between us would involve at least some level of conversation. If nothing else, Jaune or Yang would have made some terrible joke by now."
"Hey! My jokes aren't terrible!" Jaune and Yang exclaimed at the same time. They looked at each other for a second before bursting into laughter at how funny they thought it was to speak in perfect sync like that.
A small smile formed on Blake's face. 'That is more like it. I hope things will ease up between us all soon.' Her smile turned to a frown as she looked toward Jaune's direction. 'But I still have much to figure out about him and his connection to the White Fang. What are they planning, and how does he relate to it?'
"We're just not talkative today." Weiss snapped Blake out of her thoughts with a shrug before taking a sip of her tea. "There isn't much to discuss. Besides, we're all tired from recent events and an avalanche of assignments. We did only just get back from break, so it makes sense we would be out of sorts."
"Yeah, she's right." Nora agreed while waving around her opened milk. "None of us have had much energy right now, ya know?" She moved in a quick flicking motion that unintentionally sent her milk flying.
The white liquid flew forward, splashing against Yang's face. She reached up and wiped her hand across her face, an unusually serious look on her face as she stared down the hammer wielder.
"Uh-oh," Nora gulped. "Yang, I'm so sorry. I didn't-." Her words were cut off by Yang's apple juice being doused all over her. The orange haired girl started coughing as she glared back at the blonde. "Oh, it's on."
"Come at me sister," Yang made a motion to fight, clearly not backing down.
"C'mon girls, we don't have to do this. Do we?" Jaune asked, hoping to be the voice of reason and avoid what he knew would be chaotic.
"Maybe you're right Jaune," Yang agreed before picking up a piece of pie and slamming it into his face. "Or maybe you're not! Food fight, Team RWBY versus Team JNPR. Right now!"
Jaune wiped his face clean in time to duck another piece of pie. He swiped up his iced coffee and flung it at Yang, but accidentally hit Weiss.
"You dolt!" Weiss glared as she hit him over the head with a plate, earning Jaune a nice headache in addition to the egg now in his hair.
From there, the rest of Beacon Academy joined in. Teams were battling away with whatever food they could find. Plates became saucers, bowls became hand-grenades, food itself became weaponry and ammunition. The hunters and huntresses of Beacon became completely entranced in the battle.
Jaune found himself cornered between Ruby, Weiss, and Yang. He looked around and offered an innocent smile. "Heh, heh…Hi girls. I don't suppose you'd take pity on a poor weakling like myself, would you?"
"I'm not opposed to taking pity on someone weak, but you're not weak, Arc," Yang stated firmly while brandishing a long loaf of bread. "You're just behind us. Now, get ready for a butt whooping."
Luckily for Jaune, Pyrrha noticed his situation and was ready to defend her friend/partner. She flung two sugar cookies as if they were shuriken. The cookies broke upon impacting with Weiss' forehead. Grabbing two more cookies, Pyrrha threw them with great accuracy and hit both Yang and Ruby in one motion.
"Hey! No fair! No one uses cookies against me!" Ruby complained before grabbing a bowl of oatmeal and splattering it across the floor. The resulting mess made it difficult for Jaune or Pyrrha to move. They slipped over and fell on their butts. Nora, meanwhile, was busy fighting off Velvet and the rest of the rabbit faunus' team by herself.
Wanting to stay out of the action, Blake and Ren tried to find cover by hiding under the table. It worked for a while, until they noticed each other's presence. They stared at each other for a second before Ren smashed a random muffin in the faunus' face.
"You bastard! What was that for?" Blake hissed. She went to hit him over the head with her book, but he narrowly dodged and smashed another muffin in her face as a distraction. He then darted out onto the battlefield.
Over his shoulder, the recluse called out. "I believe we are on opposing sides, so please forgive me."
"Grr." Blake got out from under the table and met with the rest of her team while Ren grouped with the rest of JNPR.
"Glad to see you out here, Blakey." Yang smirked. "Now we got ourselves an unstoppable force to whoop some ass."
"What's the plan?"
"Working on it," Ruby replied while trying to compile more supplies.
However, before Ruby could get things perfectly into position, a sudden flurry of snowballs made out of ice cream came shooting forward and forced the girls to take cover.
"Where the heck did that come from?" Ruby asked in shock while shivering from the icy treat.
"That would be my doing," Cardin grinned as he revealed himself by landing from a jumping summersault from behind a nearby table that had been overturned. He brought out two extremely large candy canes and held them like a dual bladed sword. Smirking confidently, he let out a battle cry and charged toward his enemy.
"Fire at will!" Ruby shouted as she started throwing lollipops at the half-alien. However, Cardin used the festive candies to slash straight through the lollipops like a hot knife through butter. With the reaper's efforts foiled, Cardin continued forward.
Weiss was next to attack. She threw biscuits at Cardin, but he used the cones to deflect or slash through each and every projectile.
Yang and Blake found themselves being the last hope of defense. They both pulled out two large bottles of soda they had gotten from a nearby vending machine. Shaking them up as best they could, the two girls pointed them at the brunette and cracked opened the sodas. The fizzy blast sent Cardin flying back, slamming into a table and landing in front of the stationed JNPR.
"You okay Winchester?" Nora asked while helping to get him into a sitting position.
"I'm good," Cardin nodded, grunting softly in pain. He then glanced at the quartet with a frown "How we gonna do this? They're good. Real good."
"So are we." Pyrrha replied as she stared their competition down. "Ren, if you'd please."
"Certainly." Ren presented Cardin with what appeared to be a giant papier-mâché chocolate chip cookie. "This, my friend, is our key to victory."
"It looks like a cookie. How is that supposed to help us?" Cardin raised a skeptical brow.
"Because it looks like a cookie." Ren replied simply.
"Okay...?" Cardin tried to figure out what Ren meant, but quickly failed. "I don't get it."
"You wouldn't."
Cardin scowled at that remark, and would have retorted if Pyrrha didn't decide to break up the argument.
"Jaune is hiding within the cookie. Ruby loves cookies, so he'll be hiding in what we've called the trojan cookie."
"I get it now," Jaune said from within the trap. "It's a Ruby-trap, not a booby-trap." He started chortling with laughter, only stopping when he got hit by everyone surrounding him.
With that taken care of, Pyrrha continued explaining. "To make sure that she isn't suspicious, there are several cookies hiding with Jaune inside to mask the smell." The spartan explained quietly and quickly.
"I still say I should be the one in there." Nora crossed her arms over her chest.
"No," Pyrrha shook her head. "You still smell like apple cider. Ruby has a deep seeded hatred of apple fritters. In her own words; 'it's an apple pretending to be a cookie'."
"A deep seeded hatred, you say?" Jaune's voice asked playfully from within the trap. He clearly hadn't learnt from his last pun, otherwise he would have expected each of his friends whacking him. He let out several noises of pain and agony, but was mostly ignored afterward.
"Fine." Nora huffed once they were done with his punishment, unable to fight Pyrrha's argument.
"Besides," Pyrrha smirked playfully. "Jaune is Ruby's boyfriend. She'll be the least mad at him when this is all over."
"I'm not her boyfriend!" A muffled voice shouted in between munching noises. Jaune had decided to start eating their bait as payback for his punishments.
"Stop eating the cookies!" Nora kicked the part of the trojan cookie closest to Jaune. His moans of pain were enough satisfaction for Nora. She could tell he had stopped, and would avoid the cookies if he wanted to avoid any more pain.
"Alright," Ren looked around. "I think we're ready." Cupping his hands over his mouth, the reclusive teen called out to the reaper while his team made the papier-mâché trap visible. "RUBY! WE'VE GOT A COOKIE FOR YOU!"
"A cookie? For me?" Ruby's eyes widened in excitement.
Yang immediately could tell what was going to happen. She grabbed her sister by the back of her hood and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Oh no you don't! You're staying right here!"
"Must...have...cookie!" Ruby thrashed about in the tight grasp of her sister. The reaper smashed her knee against Yang's gut, knocking the wind out of her. Taking advantage of this, Ruby broke free from the blonde's grip and darted for the trojan cookie. "Give me the cookie or I'll tear off your legs and feed them to you!"
"Hey, that's my thing..." Nora pouted at the reaper, who ignored her for the moment.
"It's all yours," Pyrrha smiled innocently.
Ruby went to eat the cookie, but was surprised when Jaune popped out from inside. "What the heck?!"
"Here's Jauney!" He shouted with a grin as he attacked with a spray can of extremely sticky string cheese. The cheese went all over Ruby, and slowed her greatly. However, the red/black haired girl began to glow a bright red in fury, and the cheese burst to free her.
"Uh-oh, we're in for it now..." Cardin gulped, fearing for his friend and his life.
"I knew this stupid fake cookie idea wouldn't work." Jaune muttered, his grin vanishing and being replaced with a look of terror.
"Jaune?" Ruby grabbed Jaune by the collar, pulling him so close that their faces were inches apart, and stared him dead in the eyes.
"Y-yes?"
"I'm. Going. To. Kill. You!" Ruby growled in a deadly voice before flinging him into a nearby wall and lunged to finish him as Jaune shouted for mercy.
Ren, being the closest, tried to defend his leader. This resulted in Ruby slamming a pie tin in his face and dizzying him. Cardin threw a few of his snowballs made of ice cream, but Ruby easily dodged. Pyrrha and Nora were too busy fighting Yang, Weiss, and Blake to avoid them getting to their team leader, and neither could really afford to come help Jaune.
With seemingly no one to stop her on her warpath, Ruby grabbed Jaune by his hoodie and roughly pinned him to the table. She would have maimed him, but was interrupted by someone's voice.
"Ms. Rose, I would advise letting go of Mr. Arc right now." Professor Goodwitch's voice surprised everyone in the cafeteria. They looked to see her standing there with the remains of one of Cardin's ice cream snowball on her unamused face.
"M-Ms. Goodwitch..."
With a wave of her hand, all of the food scattered around the cafeteria except for that on the students themselves became airborne and collected into a massive swirling pile over their heads. The professor narrowed her eyes as she scanned the students. "Who started all this?"
No one said a word. They all looked amongst each other, wondering if they should say anything or risk facing the combat professor's wrath.
When no one spoke, Goodwitch sighed as she let the mass fall once more. "If no one will tell me, then I want all of you to help clean this mess. You can then go clean yourselves and explain to your professors why you were late to their class."
Without a word, everyone did as they were told. As they ran around the cafeteria, Ruby whispered two little words into Jaune's ear. "I win."
Goodwitch heard this and frowned. She would have reprimanded the young girl, if not for the voice of Ozpin interrupting her. "Leave them be, Glynda. They already have to clean up, and besides, I think a little harmless fun is warranted."
The white haired man sighed as he looked over the cafeteria and took in the smiling, happy faces of everyone. "Besides that, this is a memory they should savor. After all, they won't always be able to act their age."
Later that Night:
Ruby heard a noise coming from outside her dormitory. Her first thought was to ignore it, but memories of the incident where Jaune was stuck as Grey Matter made her think twice.
The reaper stifled a yawn as she looked around to see if anyone else was awake. Seeing that she was indeed the only one awake, the young reaper decided to investigate. Getting out of bed, she quietly tiptoed over to the door and creaked it open.
Jaune was sitting outside of his dorm with his head in his hands. He wasn't wearing his hoodie, meaning that the Omnitrix was on full display for anyone to see.
"Jaune?"
"Gah!" The blonde knight's head snapped up in surprise. He unintentionally banged his head against the wall and snapped his eyes open to see Ruby staring at him in concern. "Ru-Ruby! What are you doing out at this time?"
"I could ask you the same thing." Ruby replied as she walked over and sat next to him. "What's on your mind, Jaune? Is something bothering you?"
"A lot is bothering me." Jaune admitted with a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "I've been thinking about everything since getting here...since getting the Omnitrix. And sometimes, I wish I didn't have this stupid watch. My life wouldn't be such a problem if I didn't."
Ruby thought back to the conversation she had with her mother's grave. She thought about how worried she was of everything. She completely understood being afraid. Especially in Jaune's case since he was the one who the White Fang had a keen interest in.
Ruby thought of the reassurance she had felt from that conversation, and knew that she now needed to pass that kind of comfort on to her friend.
Trying to think of the best way to help him, Ruby cleared her throat. "I don't think the Omnitrix is that bad. If anything, I like it. I mean, c'mon, who else can say they have the super cool power of turning into different aliens whenever they want?"
"At the cost of a chaotic life filled with a terrorist organization, a crushing secret, and having to lie to his friends at every chance he gets." Jaune sighed deeply. "I'm worried about what the White Fang might be up to. I'm also worried about all of you getting hurt because of me."
"Why?" Ruby raised a brow. "We're all hunters-in-training, remember? We all can take care of ourselves."
"Normally, yeah." Jaune agreed with a frown. "But none of us can handle the White Fang. We're not ready for that. But the problem is that we might have no choice thanks to me. No, actually. It's thanks to this thing on my wrist."
Ruby considered this for a second before shrugging. "I guess that's fair. But to be honest, I think that our lives would be crazy with or without the watch in it. Besides, I still think the Omnitrix is a gift. One that you should really think about and reconsider. You may have to lie a bit, but it's for the best. Besides, weren't you the one who told me it was too risky to tell the truth? Now you're complaining about lying?"
"Yeah, but that was back when it was just us." Jaune shook his head. "When the only worries I had was how they'd feel if they figured out about the watch and what might happen to us. Now we have something way bigger to deal with; The White Fang."
"If they knew, then the White Fang would be after them." Ruby pointed out, gaining Jaune's attention. The reaper smiled. "Don't worry about us. We're all capable of handling ourselves, White Fang or not. And like I told you before, I'm by your side every step of the way."
"You're right," Jaune blushed at the reaper's words. He then looked down in guilt. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't bother you like this."
"We're friends," Ruby reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm always here for you Jaune. It's never a bother. I agreed to help you when we first got here, and I'm sticking with it."
For a brief second, Jaune felt a warm, fuzzy sensation throughout his body. He blushed a light crimson as he stared into her eyes. Then, as though a switch had been flicked, the blonde turned his head to the ground.
Ruby could tell that something else was bothering him. She went to ask, but he spoke up before she could. In a tone barely above a whisper, he revealed one of the many thoughts plaguing him.
"Maybe I shouldn't have even come to Beacon. My stupid dream is turning into one hell of a nightmare for everybody around me." Jaune felt tears begin to well in his eyes.
"Nope." Ruby shook her head.
He stared at her in shock. "B-but..."
"Nope," Ruby reaffirmed, smiling brighter at him. "Your dream is turning out pretty good. You have friends, decent fighting skills that keep getting better, grades that aren't terrible, and an awesome power that no one knows about. You have some stuff to worry about, but everyone does at some point or another. Besides, part of being a hunter is fighting people like the White Fang."
"I guess..."
Ruby nodded. "See? You've got nothing to worry about. You were picked as a leader, and I think there's a reason for that. Keep following your dreams, Jaune. I believe in you."
Jaune looked at her in surprise. "You do?"
"Of course," Ruby smiled, reaching out and taking his hand in hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I have since day one." She patted his back. "Go get some sleep Vomit Boy, you need it."
With that, Ruby got up and went back to her dorm room. Jaune watched as she left, thinking over her words. He glanced down at his left wrist and thought over everything that had been said. The warm, fuzzy feeling from before returned as he smiled softly.
"Maybe you're right Ruby. Maybe I should try to be more positive about things." He slowly got up, his smile widening as he thought more about the red/black haired girl. "Thanks for cheering me up. You always know how to make me feel better." He turned around and went back into his room, ready for some sleep.
To Be Continued…