Nebula and Dew continued walking to their dorm in complete silence. For Nebula it was a painful, awkward silence. The kind where no matter what you say it will just make it more awkward. At the same time, staying silent would also make it worse. It was a lose-lose situation either way, so she stayed silent, thinking it was the better of the two.

Dew meanwhile found the silence thrilling. The kind of silence where you don't know what will happen next, but you know it will be entertaining when something does. It was the silence that made you jittery with anticipation. She had a smile on her face and kept peaking glances at her partner.

As they reached halfway to their dorm, Dew turned to Nebula, the same cheeky smile on her face. She just about opened her mouth when Nebula pointed her finger at Dew.

"Don't!" she threatened. "Not one word."

"Aw come on," Dew pouted. "I didn't mean to ruin the moment for you two! Honestly I expected the two of you to make out after that." Nebula flushed red and glared at her friend.

"Will you shut up?!" Dew took a couple steps at the sudden volume in her voice. Nebula covered her mouth with her hand at her volume as well. She sighed. "I-I'm sorry…" Her leader was never snappy when it came to Dew's teasing. Heck she would often tease her back. It was just normal friend things. So seeing her friend like this worried Dew.

"Don't be." She gently placed her hand on her partners arm. "Are you okay Neb?" Nebula slowly nodded her head and rubbed her arm.

"I'm fine… I just… that entire moment with him was awkward, that's all."

"I'm sorry. I honestly didn't-"

"It wasn't you." Nebula shook her head. "It's just… he held my hand a lot longer than I thought he would and we both realized that at the same time."

"Well, isn't that what you wanted?" It was. Throughout the past three weeks Nebula had grown closer with Jaune. Sure, he was growing closer with a lot of people at Shade. Heck, Brawnz was practically a brother to him what with their hand-to-hand training, and lunch breaks! The thing was, Nebula felt like they were growing even closer than that. So much so, that the others noticed it as well. "In fact, you were going to ask him out tonight right?" The purple haired leader nodded her head.

"I was… but something came up." Dew quirked an eyebrow at this. She supported Nebula dating the blonde dork. Especially when her date with the guy about two weeks ago didn't produce any sparks. She could still remember the dirty look Nebula gave her as she went out with the guy. She did feel a little bad about it, but hey you snooze you lose.

Still, there wasn't a lot of talking between the two blondes that day, and no real connection aside from the one they've had prior. A couple of days later the two agreed that dating between the two of them wasn't going to happen, but there were no hard feelings about it either. When Dew told her partner about that, she could see Nebula's face light up with hope. That was when she realized Neb liked the blonde boy.

When Jaune asked the leader to help him with his swordsmanship, she took it in a heartbeat. It was a day after the party in Jaune's dorm. It was the same day he asked Brawnz for his hand-to-hand, but still Nebula was happy to help her friend. Dew had no idea if that was when the crush started or what, but no one couldn't say she didn't call it! Granted she was off by two weeks, but details don't matter!

After studying together, eating lunch with the group, and the training sessions, Nebula finally got the courage to ask Jaune out tonight. So, to hear her deflated voice telling her that she couldn't made Dew angry. Not at her obviously, unless she chickened out, but at whatever stopped it.

"What came up?" Dew asked. She had to know what stopped her friend. If it was someone else, she was either going to beat them or the blonde himself depending on the situation. If it was some kind of event then she would be their personal therapist to help her get through it.

"His sisters are here," Her partner answered.

Just like that, any anger or aggressiveness was replaced with shock, confusion, and a little bit of understanding. Dew subconsciously unclutched her fist and untensed.

"Oh…" As the shock disappeared, she looked at her leader and saw her rubbing her arm and avoiding eye contact. She knew that it took a lot of convincing to get Nebula to even get the courage to ask him out. Of course, the minute she finally gets enough courage something gets in her way.

"What made it even worst was his little sisters even asked if I was his girlfriend!" Nebula covered her face with her hands as she felt herself turn red. The purple haired leader heard a tiny giggle that was trying, and failing, to be stifled. She looked through her fingers to see Dew holding in laughter. Nebula glared at her friend. "Dew!"

"I'm sorry!" She giggled. "It's just… it's too good!" Dew tried to gather herself as Nebula tried to shake the blush off her face. "Even so, they're actually here?" Nebula nodded her head. "All of them?"

"No, only three," Nebula said as she shook her head. "Still, I can't… you know… When his sisters are here." Dew hummed in confusion a bit before she spoke.

"Why not?"

"What do you mean why not?!" Dew took a step back from the explosion. "I mean, from how he's been acting about them before today, I can't add any more emotional stress on him…"

"You really think you'll add 'emotional stress' on him?" She used air quotes to emphasize her point. "Trust me, I guarantee you he would be more than happy to get away from them three days from now."

"How can you be so sure?" Dew pointed at herself.

"I have two younger brothers, remember?" Nebula still looked unconvinced. Dew sighed and softened her voice. "Look, I guarantee you if you ask him on Friday that he'll say yes." The two looked at each other's eyes and Nebula gulped.

"I don't know…"

"Nebula," Dew's voice was stern but still held softness in it. "Don't worry about it, okay?" Nebula rubbed her arm but after Dew's pep talk she buckled.

"All right…" Dew smiled and slapped her friend's back.

"Thatta girl!"

"Just… don't tell Gwen or Octavia, please?" Dew wanted to make a quip but her better judgment overpowered it.

"My lips are sealed." When Nebula smiled Dew pointed at her. "There's my leader!"

As the two of them giggled they reached their dorm room. As they opened it, they saw an unusual and awkward situation.

Gwen was sitting on her bed crying into her hands with Octavia consoling her. When the red head heard the door open, she looked up at the two other girls. She mouthed something that caused the others to groan internally.

"Fight with Brandon," the red head mouthed

The two of them haven't been on the best terms lately. They've been fighting a lot more and Gwen's been growing even more reserved than usual. The two of them walked over to try and see if they could help their friend through the episode. Still, something told them this wouldn't be the last time.

Jaune clutched his head as he continued down the hall. He really went overboard today. He nearly passed out from training with Nebula, couldn't focus in class, and his sisters were here. At this point he just wanted to collapse on his bed and take a nice light coma. Only for like a week.

He entered his dorm and greeted his sisters groggily. As they saw him, fatigued and pale, Jade and Calista stopped what they were doing and rushed over to him.

"Jaune are you okay?" Jade asked. "You look like shi…" she looked at her younger sister. "Crap. You look like crap."

"You're not hurt are you?" Calista also asked. Jaune swatted them away.

"I'm fine!" he yelled. This caused everyone to flinch. He saw this and sighed. He didn't mean to yell at them. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired. I'm gonna take a shower and head to bed."

"Are you sure you don't need some painkillers or anything bro?" Jade suggested. Her twin just shook his head.

"I'm fine. Just need to rest." Joli heard the commotion, ran over, and clutched her brothers leg.

"You're not dying, are you?" She fretted. Jaune patted his younger sisters head.

"I'm not baby sis." Jaune tried, and failed, to stifle a yawn. "I'm just tired."

"In that case," Calista started. She walked over to the couch and pocketed her scroll. "We'll see you tomorrow." Joli pouted and turned toward her older sibling.

"Do we have to leave?" she cried. Jade patted the youngest siblings head.

"We'll be back tomorrow Joli," She said. "Once Jaune's done with his classes I'm sure he'll want us back."

"Wait leaving?" Jaune asked he looked At them as if they were crazy. "What do you mean leaving?"

"We have a hotel booked bro. All of our stuff's there." Jaune facepalmed internally. Of course they booked a hotel. It's not like they'd just show up for the day and head back home. They need a place to spend the night.

Jaune would say they should just spend the night here. The thing was, he was too tired to help them move their stuff. Sure they could probably move it themselves, but what kind of brother would he be if he didn't help them out? Ironic since he wasn't letting them stay the night tonight, it wasn't lost on him. However, he also knew that they most likely paid for the hotel room already. Finally, he didn't have enough time to set up another bed for them sleep in, at least not tonight.

He rubbed his face and looked at his twin. "Hey," he said as he tugged on her sleeve. "I don't have a lot of classes tomorrow. In fact I only have one thing at eleven. So either before or after, I'll help you move your stuff here, and set up a bed or something all right." Jade felt her lips tug upwards into a smile. Not even three hours ago he nearly bashed her head in, and tomorrow he was going to help them move in with him for a couple of days. That just sealed any doubt in her mind and heart.

He still loves them.

Either that or he's too forgiving. Maybe it's both, but honestly that's just who he is. She nodded her head, the smile never leaving her face.

"Thanks Jaune." The blonde boy felt something tap his shoulder and he turned to see Calista giving him a light blue card.

"Here, take this," she said. "It's to our hotel. Come in whenever you're ready." The blonde took it and put it in his wallet.

"Got it, thanks Cal." He smiled at the brunette who smiled back. He knelt down and got eye level with Joli. "Make sure you take care of your sisters okay?"

"Okay!"

"Especially Jade."

"Hey!" The twin yelled. Jaune stuck his tongue out at her, which she returned. As the two twins began to mess with each other, again, Calista placed her hand on Joli's tiny shoulder.

"Come on Joli, let's clean up." The youngest arc puffed her cheeks and pouted.

"Do we have to?"

"Hey, none of that," Calista scolded. "We don't want to make Jaune's room messy. Well, messier than it already is." A grin spread across her face as she saw Jaune stare up from his fight to glare at her.

"All right," Joli moaned. As she began to pick up the things she played with or read, Calista did the same. Eventually the twins stopped their fighting. Jaune helped clean up while Joli picked up any of her messes. After five minutes everything was back in place and the three female Arcs were at Jaune's door.

"I'll talk to you three tomorrow all right?" He asked them. The three nodded their heads.

"See you tomorrow Jaune," Calista said. She was fiddling with her hands and moving her arms a little bit. Jaune understood and opened his arms up. Calista smiled, glad that she didn't have to initiate the hug. The shade student hugged his older sister and rested his head on top of hers, having to lean over to do so due to the height difference. She wrapped her arms around her brother's torso, her head resting a bit on his shoulder.

"Me next, me next!" Joli said, literally hopping with excitement. The two older siblings broke apart and Jaune leaned over and picked up his youngest sister and gave her a big hug. Joli practically smooshed her face into Jaune's chest.

Finally was his twin. Jaune put down Joli and walked over to Jade who walked over to him. The two hugged without hesitating. They both tightened their hug a little bit one after the other, until it was practically a tug of war. Well, more like hug of war. Jaune decided to be cheeky and use some aura, causing him to lift his sister off the ground.

"All right you win!" Jade choked out. Jaune let go as she placed a hand on her back. "Cheater."

"It's not cheating, its strategic planning." The two laugh and hug for real this time. They broke apart and Jaune took a step back to address all three of them.

"I love you guys, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Love you too," Calista and Jade said.

"Love you Jauney!" Joli said over them. With a last goodbye the three sister left this room. Jaune's smile never left his face as they left the dorm. For once, thinking about his sisters actually made him happy. It's been a while since he's felt like that.

He grabbed his towel from the drying rack. He began to strip as he slowly moved toward his bathroom. He appreciated the luxury that Shade had bathrooms in the individual dorm rooms. It meant he didn't have to share anything with anyone or wait in line. Of course, now that his sisters are starting to come over, that luxury isn't going to last.

Neither was hiding his scar.

He walked into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes drifted down to his abdomen. While the burn was no longer bright pink, it was still a dark red handprint. His flesh was still coarse and rough. It doesn't hurt physically, but it was still a reminder that he needed to get stronger. Next time, he might not walk away with a scar. He might not walk away at all.

He shook his head. He can't focus on that. He turned on his shower and let the water run a bit to warm up. When he found it pleasant enough, he began to wash away the grime and sweat from the day.

However, the question still haunted his mind. How was he supposed to hide his scar from his sisters? He doesn't want them to worry and/or baby him because of it. Scars are normal when it comes to huntsmen. Still, he knows they'll freak out about. He'll find a way to keep it hidden.

When the young man was done washing up, he put on some boxers and a white T-shirt, and practically fell into bed. As he was about to close his eyes and let the blissful peace of sleep take him, he realized he forgot to write in his journal today. With a heavy sigh, he turned on his lamp, and opened the drawer where he hid his journal.

When he did, the journal laid untouched, and unopened. Nothing was out of the ordinary, so he opened up to a blank page, grabbed a pen from the drawer, and began to write down today's events. After five minutes of writing, he tossed the journal and pen back into the drawer, turned off the lamp, and let the sweet embrace of sleep take him as his head hit the pillow

Joli sat on Jade's shoulders as they left the pyramid shaped school. Calista was glued to her scroll making sure that they were heading in the right direction to the hotel. The two blondes were humming songs as Calista stayed silent. After walking down the many steps from the academy, they walked into the streets of Shade.

Shade, while still a big city, was nothing like the sisters many trips to Vale. Vale had Skyscrapers, clean streets, smiling people, and color. Shade however, was essentially just a clump of villages turned into one giant one. There weren't a lot of buildings over three stories, and some of the streets had the street lights broken. The roads were only big enough to hold one vehicle, making most of them one ways.

Still, the place looked beautiful, in a weird almost survival-esque kind of way. Most people's homes had their own little designs on them, from little metal statues, to graffiti, and even some handmade defense to keep unwanted visitors out. Every place looked as if it had a story, something that interested Jade.

As they continued to walk down the street, Joli let out a big yawn, which Jade soon followed after. The older blonde grabbed the little one's arms and played with them a bit.

"Not too far now sweetie," She said to her younger sibling.

"Okay," the little one answered. Joli had this uneasy feeling that's been stirring in her after Jaune said goodbye. Her curiosity got the better of her and asked her sisters the question on her mind. "Jauney isn't still mad at us is he?" This surprised the older two. Jade played with Joli's hands while she answered the younger blonde.

"What makes you say that kiddo?"

"He made us leave pretty fast after he was back from his thingy with his purpled haired friend." A little chortle was heard from Calista, who looked up to her younger sister.

"He was just tired, don't worry, he isn't mad at us." Jade was gonna add more but knew better than to do that. They didn't want to make it seem like Jaune was mad at Joli and make her worry before bed time. Besides, Jaune wasn't really angry at Joli to begin with, from what they saw. Joli was too young to understand what happened between the family, so they told her that Jaune was still away for school.

"Are you sure?" the little girl asked. Calista walked over, stood on her toes and poked her little sister in the cheek.

"Of course, Jaune was just tired after today. He's not mad." Satisfied with the answer, the little girl giggled at the poke and the three continued their conversation, blissfully unaware that someone had been following them for a bit.

The figure turned a corner as they continued to walk straight. The figure took out a scroll, punched in a number and brought it up to his ear. A couple of rings were heard before the person on the other end finally picked up.

"You better have information if you're calling me pissant."

"Trust me Eric, you're going to love what I just found out about the cocksucker who burned our home," the feminine voice relayed.

To be continued

Beta: TheShadowOfZama