Chapter 15

Weeks later

Under the spotlight of the arena, Jaune in his battle gear hunched over in exhaustion. Meanwhile on the other side, a man who was taller than the boy, more muscled and had brown buzz cut hair, wearing nearly full plated armor with the symbol of a bird emblazoned on his chest piece, was standing there casually looking down at him while his customized two-handed mace rested on his shoulder.

"Come on…," Jaune muttered in exasperation while he heard him laughing at his pathetic attempts. Determined to keep going he charged with a war cry, ready to strike him with his sword raised up, but the armored man casually dodged out of the way. Jaune turned around in shock, but was too slow to raise his shield up when he got bashed away by the underhanded swing of his opponent's mace. Jaune's shield flew out of his hands and he tumbled along the floor. With only his sword now gripped in both of his hands as he quickly got back up, he charged at him again with the same warcry as he swung his sword overhead, but it was blocked by the haft of the opponent's mace.

In the deadlock, his opponent, with his muscles overpowering Jaune's, leaned into his face.

"This is the part where you lose."

"Over my dead-eugh!" His retort was cut short when a plated knee dug into his stomach. A follow-up backhand sprawled him on the ground. Still gripping his sword close to himself, Jaune could do nothing but watch as the man lifted his mace up to deliver the blow-

"Cardin, that's enough," Glynda ordered after the buzzer went off. The main lights focusing on the arena were turned off and the rest of the lights were turned back on, revealing all the viewing students attending class.

Glynda walked up passed the two fighters and addressed the other students watching. Ella meanwhile was being every bit the face of stoicism, while on the inside she was trying not to cringe at Jaune's repeated defeat.

'He's been doing the same pathetic tactic over and over, why is he not learning?!' She was mentally grinding her teeth, scolding the blonde boy's inability to learn from his mistakes.

"Students," said Glynda, "as you can see Mr. Arc's aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament style duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle and that the official may call the match." Then she addressed Jaune himself, as he sat on the ground in defeat: "Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now, please try to refer to your Scroll during combat. Gauging your aura will help you decide when it is appropriate to attack or when it is better to move on to a more… defensive strategy."

He sighed when looking at his Scroll, showing his aura flashing red, and while listening to her advice… again.

"We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a beowolf, now would we?" Glynda added jokingly — trying to take the sting off her previous words, it seemed to him. But the attempt only succeeded on twisting the knife in the wound.

Cardin, for his part, looked down on him unamused, knowing the blonde idiot would never learn. "Speak for yourself..." He swung the mace from the floor to rest on his shoulders as he then walked to the locker room to store his weapon.

Glynda turned to address the crowd of students again. "Remember everyone! The Vytal festival is only a few months away. It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale."

"Yes mistress!" came the enthusiastic reply. The students were getting excited at the prospect of facing other Hunters-in-training from across the world.

Then the bell rang, signalling the end of class and the beginning of lunch hour. The students got up from their seats and started leaving, except for Jaune. He still sat motionless on the cold, hard arena floor, head bent over his chest, eyes staring blankly ahead, a voice in his head whining again, asking why he had even come here in the first place. He sighed again, not realizing somebody walking up to him from behind.

"Hey," Ella announced to him calmly as she walked around him. He looked up in slight surprise to see the assistant professor standing over him. "I'm sure you'll get your chance next time." She said this as she extended her hand out to him.

"Y-Yeah, thanks." He accepted the assistance and was pulled up onto his feet.

"Just be sure to use your combat instincts and your brain instead of valor and all brawn." She lectured him with the same stoicism as before, although she had told him this once before.

Much to her irritation.

She turned and walked from the stage, leaving the boy to his thoughts. She soon went out the door alongside Glynda as they head to the cafeteria's kitchen. Once out of sight from the students, Ella's face turned to irritation and sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"There's something on your mind, isn't there." Glynda noticed.

"Let's just get to the break room." She grumbled.

Ella set her paper cup of tea on the table as she tried to calm her mind off of this morning. Her own gathered meal had been half eaten by now, and across from her, Glynda ate quietly and patiently for her to explain whatever was on her mind, although she may already know what (or perhaps who) she was thinking about.

"It's that Jaune fellow, isn't it," she asked.

Ella sighed, indicating it was the right answer. "It's been weeks, Glynda, weeks which he could have improved. Has there ever been any Hunter-in-training who had this kind of problem?"

"Well…," she contemplated back to her years of teaching, coming up with remembering more than a few students who she believed were like him one time or another. "I do remember some students who were like him in some ways, but I would mostly just chalk it up to stubbornness. Eventually they did get better in the long run."

"Has there been anyone who dropped out?"

"Very few I think. I would assume it was because of the stress, but there were those who were expelled due to bad behavior."

"Speaking of bad behavior, did you know team CRDL has been bullying everyone since day one? I even caught them harassing the Faunus whenever I ran into them by chance."

"I've noticed this, too, though I'm not surprised. I caught Cardin launching one of the rocket propelled lockers with Jaune inside of one."

"Really, how far did he crash from the school?"

"Not far fortunately. I had to reprimand Cardin though for misusing the lockers."

She then raised an eyebrow. "I get the feeling he's not going to listen."

Glynda sighed, knowing she was right about that. "Perhaps so."

"Maybe we should have him and his team expelled? It could spare the trouble." She suggested.

"Sadly we cannot. They would have to do something very stupid or very dangerous to the students and the school itself in order to be expelled, otherwise we cannot do so."

She huffed at the answer as she looked back down at her half eaten food, but then a thought came to her from a flashback to the orphanage, to when she punched the teeth out of that bully named Rodric. Perhaps, in her mind, that some discipline should be in order. She looked up to Glynda again, seeing her going back to eating her meal when she finally broke the silence again. "I was wondering, do you think we can—?"

"Ahem, excuse me for interrupting ladies," said a voice with a rapid fire tone, "but I could not help but overhear your conversation about Jaune and Cardin." As he spoke they both looked in his direction to see a tall, skinny man with messy green hair and brown eyes hidden behind his opaque round glasses. His attire was described as, for lack of better words, disheveled and disorganized, with his white shirt partly tucked in around his dark green pants, and wearing mismatched brown and black shoes. He wore a slack, yellow tie which stood out like a sore thumb with his shirt collar standing straight somewhat. He also had a black band around his right arm which Ella found puzzling.

The speed talking, extremely hyperactive, coffee loving man was none other than Beacon's expert historian, Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck.

"Yes we were, Bart." Glynda responded. "I take it you have problems with them, too?"

"As a matter-of-fact I do." He said firmly as he takes a quick sip of his thermos before continuing. "Throughout the weeks, I've been catching Jaune failing to contribute half the time during my lectures. And as for Cardin… I have seen him to be a bit disruptive to his fellow classmates."

"I think a 'bit' would be an understatement, Doctor." Ella retorted. Still, she could not help but be quietly appalled that Jaune would be acting so average, in history class of all places. Ella herself tried to be very attentive in his class, soaking in as much knowledge from his lectures as much as she could. The way he glides about the room at super speeds she was able to keep track of him, but his rapid speech going at what sounded like fifty miles per hour had given her somewhat of a hard time keeping up with. It took enough time during the weeks that she was able to keep up with his wording.

Oobleck was about to argue on that subject when he was suddenly interrupted. "I, too, have caught them both sleeping during my lectures one time or another." Said the portly professor sitting across from them. "But I'm certain they were attentive enough in my class."

The expert in Grimm studies and survival class was none other than Peter Port, the man with the most majestic mustache anyone would ever encounter.

'One time or another,' Ella mentally asked idly with a hint of annoyance. The times she took his classes were nearly boring. She once tried to take every word in his teaching seriously, but his dragging-on with stories of his youth took up more time than actually teaching her more about Grimm that he pushed her to the point of nearly falling asleep. It was only then did she finally spot the hidden meanings and morals behind his stories that she paid more attention. Not that she had to enjoy them, mind you, and it did get a bit annoying when he exaggerated on them. Unbeknownst to her (or perhaps she had a feeling), the professor and doctor were thinking the same thing.

"Okay. I'll bite. So what would you do if they did not? Give them a verbal warning?" Ella asked.

"To me, I would give them a good lecture and punish them with a written ten page assignment. Works every time." Oobleck answered, then he took another sip from his thermos.

"Ha," Port scoffed. "If I had my way, I would take them out to the emerald forest for some disciplinary team building exercises. Show them how to be their better selves." He answered with boastful pride as he placed his fist upon his chest.

"Wait, that doesn't sound like punishment but more like improving the team." Ella replied quizzically. "What kind of disciplinary exercises do you have in place?"

Port had made ready to explain, but professor Goodwitch had beaten him to it. "It's mostly survival training on a more difficult level, and dangerously so depending his choice of rules to punish them." She then huffed and shook her head in disapproval as she continued. "I still do not understand why Ozpin would allow such a thing to be instated."

"That's because, my dear Goodwitch, that it is better to show them the error in their ways through action rather than words." He explained his logic with confidence.

"I still do not agree no matter how you say it." She refused.

"Then what would your kind of punishment be like, Professor?" Ella asked, curious to know since she never brought it up. While spending three months under their wing, Glynda had taught her both sternly and patiently. Whenever she did something wrong, she would only get lectured. But never in her months here had the professor or any of them ever told her about school punishment.

"Well. mine would be cleaning the floors," she answered. That had her looking at the professor with a questioning look until she added. "Of the entire amphitheater."

Now that made her feel a little concerned. "Don't you think that's a little… extreme?"

"That only depends on the circumstances and on how much trouble they cause," she explained.

"Hm, that would be considered above normal school punishment in my opinion." Oobleck scoffed as he to another quick sip of his coffee. Then a thought occurred to him as he turned his attention on Ella. "Speaking of performances, I overheard that you struggled against a third year student on your first day. Care to explain to me how and why?"

The other professors focused their attention on the assistant professor, with Peter wondering how on Remnant that Ella, an assistant professor and apprentice to Eileen, and a highly skilled Huntress who was nearly the equal to that of the elite, would struggle against a mere third year student.

Meanwhile Ella was silent, collecting her thoughts before giving her answer. "The boy claimed to want to learn through fighting me, so I gave him what he wanted," she answered neutrally. "Defeating him in an instant would have taught him nothing, so that's why I held myself back to almost his level. Does that answer your question?"

"So this was the reason you only used Quickening instead of using your Heat Absorption Semblance?" Glynda asked.

The Good Hunter nodded. "Yes, though I merely used my Semblance out of precaution. One would never know who you might go up against."

"I see," Peter mused. "Although you did not know that Roy tends to be tenacious and stubborn. I, too was challenged by him in the same way. Though in the end his ego had gotten the better of him."

"His team leader did say he had been fighting his superiors since combat school." She mused as she tilted her head a bit to the side in thought. "I can understand the logic behind it, but I still think it's rather foolish of him to continue doing so."

"Well that's just Roy for you," Glynda concluded neutrally. "I do have a feeling he might challenge you again to learn something new, but we will have to wait and see."

She nodded before sticking her fork into her food. "As much as I would like to continue this conversation, I think I should get back to finishing my meal, if you don't mind."

The rest agreed and went back to finishing their own. After a while she finished her plate and went out of the room to return them. She told Glynda she would be waiting at the amphitheater before leaving. Just when she was out the door, she came across Jaune already walking out of the cafeteria having a distracted look on him.

"Is everything alright, Jaune?" She asked in civil concern.

He looked up a little surprised and replied. "Yeah, everything's fine. Was just lost in thought is all."

He tried to brush it off with an obviously fake smile and a thumbs up before going past her. She kept watching him go until she sighed, knowing there obviously was something wrong about him. The thought returned to her again on the boy's attendance to this school. It simply made her wonder; just why is he here? Again she set it aside as she went back to the amphitheater.

Classes were a while since done. Dusk had soon come and Ella was walking back to her apartment after a good gym workout. first, though, she took a path through the student dorms to spend time on one of several balconies overlooking Beacon, just to be lost in thought about today's experience. But then, from down the hall a good distance away, she spied Jaune being dragged by Pyrrha to a doorway to what she knew was the balcony. Curious, though going against her better judgment on their privacy, she decided to investigate what they were doing at this hour. She power walked but remained silent until she reached the door. She left a crack open for her escape just in case, she walked up the stairs to the edge of the door, and leaned in just a bit to take a peek and to listen to their conversation.

"I can always be a farmer or something…," he suggested as he peered down from the edge of the roof, though Ella could not grasp the understanding of why. But perhaps in hindsight, maybe he should.

Suddenly Pyrrha's eyes widened at his suggestion and freaked out. "N-No!" She redirected his position and shoved him away from the edge.

"That's not why I brought you up here!" She reasoned as she looked out at Beacon. "Jaune, I know you're having a difficult time in class… and you're still not the strongest of fighters, so… I wanna help you." She offered sincerely as she turned to him with an assuring smile on her lips. Hearing her offer to help him made Ella give off a soft smile, grateful that his partner was willing to move out of her way to help him get better.

"W-What?" He asked out in confusion, not seeming to understand where she was getting at for some reason.

"We can train up here after class where no one can bother us!" She explained further with conviction.

"You think I need help?" He asked as he placed his hand behind his head, not really getting what she was after.

"N-No! No, that's not what I meant." She reached out somewhat to help him understand.

"But you just said it."

"Jaune, everybody needs a little push from time to time. It doesn't make you any different from the rest of us. You made it to Beacon, that speaks volumes of what you're capable of!" Ella metaphorically had her fingers crossed, hoping that the blonde boy can finally see reason that he had been given the opportunity of a lifetime to learn from the best. But suddenly, he turned his back to her in a still depressed state.

"You're wrong..." He replied as he sighed. "I-I don't belong here." Now the Good Hunter was starting to grow frustrated at him.

"That's a terrible thing to say, of course you do!" She scoffed in somewhat gentle manner.

Feeling that she was not getting the point, he frustratingly turned around. "No, I don't!"

Pyrrha was taken aback with confliction as to why he snapped at her as he sighed again. He realized what he did and looked away as he explained what he meant. "I wasn't really accepted into Beacon." He answered almost cryptically as he turned his back to her again.

His cryptic answer had gotten both Pyrrha and Ella in a mix of both confusion and curiosity.

"W-What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked with narrowed eyes.

"I mean, I didn't go to combat school! I didn't pass any tests! I didn't earn my spot at this academy!" He explained as his anger in tone slowly grew until he somewhat calmed down and turned around to face her again. "I lied!"

Meanwhile, Ella's eyes grew wide with rising realization with each sentence she heard. 'Could it be… that he…'

"I got my hands on some fake transcripts and I lied." There it was, in plain sight for her and Pyrrha's ears to hear. He snuck himself into Beacon. This would have been the part where the Good Hunter would sneak away and report this straight to Ozpin, but she did not move an inch. She wanted to understand why.

"What?" Pyrrha asked, thinking the exact same thing as Ella. "But, why?"

"'Cause, this is what I've always wanted to be!" He replied with his rise in tone again as he turned around once more while looking up at the night sky. "My Father, My Grandfather, and his father before him were all warriors! They were all heroes!" Then he looked about in a sullen tone. "I wanted to be one too. I was just never good enough."

"Then let me help you–!" She reached out to place her hand on his shoulder, but she was repulsed back when he turned back around and snapped at her again.

"I don't want help! I don't want to be the damsel in distress! I want to be the hero!"

"Jaune, I—"

"I am tired of being the lovable idiot, stuck in the tree while his friends fight for their lives! Don't you understand!? If I can't do this on my own… then what good am I?"

She reached out to him, wanting to fix this mess and explain to him that this was what she meant, that she wanted to train him to become the hero he wanted to be, but he backed away with his left hand holding his right arm. She slowly backed away, a look of hurt written on her face at his declaration and refusal to let her teach him.

"Just, leave me alone." He said in finality as he then looked away from her solemnly. "Okay?"

Things went quiet between the two of them for just a moment until she decided to kindly but sadly give up on him. "If that's what you think is best."

And with that, she turned around with little reluctance and left for the door. That became Ella's cue to leave quickly without getting caught, so she activated her Quickening, dashed down the stairs and out into the hallway before the Huntress-in-training opened the cracked door and walked down the stairs without so much as hearing anything out of the ordinary. Ella casually walked away, pretending like nothing had ever happened until the door opened to reveal Pyrrha as she closed the door and walked passed her with haste in the direction of her team's dorm. The Good Hunter looked at her retreating form with remorse. The thought of turning down an offer like that simply out of defeated pride or some defeated emotion was unspeakable.

'What was he thinking?' She thought irritably, but then came the information on his fake transcripts to get here. This was something she was never taught about, but she could easily put two-and-two together to know that using fake transcripts was one surefire way of getting himself thrown out of Beacon. Of course, it had to go through the Headmaster himself, and he was a smart man to know real from fake, would he not? But what if he did notice and simply overlooked it on purpose? And if he did, what would that even accomplish? It would not even be right for him to do this to an average teenage boy like Jaune, and the thought of it flustered her. So what was he thinking?

Since day one in this academy, Jaune had been nothing but a burden and an embarrassment to the school. His grades were horrible, his aptitude for combat was sorely lacking and barely made less to no improvement on it whatsoever, and he even refused to accept any help from his team as far as she could guess now. Sure, he did have a natural talent for leadership perhaps, but she could tell that it could only get him so far. Just what could the Headmaster possibly see in this boy in which she could not?

She turned back and looked towards the door leading to the rooftops. 'My job should be to report this to Ozpin,' she thought, 'and hopefully get some answers out of him but… What would become of his team? Without him they'll…' With a frustrated sigh she made her decision. She had to succeed where Pyrrha could not.

To beat some verbal sense into that boy.

With her thought made up, she marched back towards the door with newfound purpose.

Meanwhile, just right after Ella and Pyrrha left, Jaune moped about, slowly pacing back and forth until he heard a snide laugh coming from the edge of the roof. And that voice sounded sinisterly familiar.

"Oh, Jaune…," said Cardin as he climbed up onto the roof from his dorm window.

He turned around in surprise and fear. "Cardin!?"

"I couldn't help but overhear you two from my dorm room." He said as he smirked, then he folded his arms. "So, you snuck into Beacon, huh?" Jaune's face paled over what he said as he continued. "I gotta say Jaune, I've never expected you to be such a rebel."

"Please! Cardin, please, don't tell anyone!" He pleaded, but the bully had something else elaborate in mind.

"Jaune! come on! I'd never rat out a friend like that!" He responded, but that caught Jaune off guard.

"Uh, a friend?" He asked in confusion, not knowing yet betting where this was going.

"Of course!" He confirmed sinisterly as he wrapped his arm around his neck and brought him down in a chokehold. "We're friends now, Jauney boy! And the way I see it, as long as you're there for me when I need you, we'll be friends for a long time." He then lets him go as Jaune was on the ground gasping for air. "That being said.. I really don't have the time to do those extra readings Dr. Oobleck gave us today." Then he lowered himself into somewhat of a crouch and rubbed his hair. "Think you can take care of that for me, buddy?" When there was no response of protest from him, he smiled. "That's what I thought." Then he went back to the edge of the roof and climbed back halfway down to his dorm window, but not without saying something that would cement the deal. "Don't worry Jaune, you're secret's safe with me."

After he left for his dorm, Jaune was still on the floor in fear and regret. He had said the truth out loud to Pyrrha, and without realizing it Cardin had heard everything, and now he had been blackmailed by the worst bully in the academy to do his bidding in order to keep his secret safe. This had turned out to be the biggest mistake he had ever made, and the worst fate to be trapped in right now.

"Jaune." Suddenly, he heard the stern voice of someone coming from the door to the roof. He frantically turned his head…

He recognized the woman standing in front of the doorway right away. Ella looked down at him with a stern, no nonsense expression, and it made him feel uneasy.

"Y-Yes?"

"Come with me," she demanded sternly as she narrowed her eyes at him, then turned back to the door.

"Uh…" he did not know what to think of this, there were questions running through his mind but with no answers to them. Was he being punished for something? Did she hear everything he said, too, and is taking him to the Headmaster?

She glance back at him with impatience rising in her voice. "Now, Jaune!" She said with finality.

"R-Right! Coming!" Not wanting to make her more angry, he frantically got up and followed her through the door. Soon they were walking down the hallway, all the while Jaune was getting nervous as to what was going on.

"Um, where are we going," he asked nervously.

"Quiet." She shut him down. He did just that, timidly not wanting to question her on such things as they went to who knows where.

Ella led Jaune out into the inner courtyard, hands held together behind her back as she kept on walking. The shattered moon was beginning to show, and all the while the two never said a word since. The apprehension was building in him with all the mystery of her intentions. He thought that she was going to take him to see Ozpin, to report on what he had done and be kicked out the next day, but instead he was being lead into the courtyard. Just where was she taking him to he wondered.

"Um, I know you told me to be quiet but… why are we in the courtyard?"

"It's so you and I can talk in peace, Jaune," she answered flatly.

'Talk about what,' he wondered. Eventually they reached around to the front of a monument of a Huntsman and Huntress standing proudly and triumphantly over the Grimm, and then she stopped. For a while she kept silent about it, her back still facing him as she stood facing the statues until she turned around with the stern look she still had on herself.

"You know, I am very disappointed in you Jaune." She started as she folds her arms. "Not only are you slacking in classes, but you also refuse any help from your teammates. But then I learned something new about you, Jaune." Jaune was getting more hurt from her comments, but when she mentioned refusing help, something began to dreadfully click. "You fooled me for a while but I was suspicious… now I know why. You lied your way into Beacon using fake transcripts, which perfectly explains why you were failing so much."

'Crap! Her too?!' Jaune thought with barely contained terror. "You mean… you…?"

"Yes, Jaune, I heard everything you said back on that rooftop. The argument, the revelation of how you faked your way to get here…" Jaune shrunk. This is it, he thought, this had become the worst night of his life, and now he was going to be kicked out the next day. "Yet there's something I don't seem to understand."

With something that unexpected, he perked up at her.

She squinted her eyes a bit as she gathered her thoughts on the argument. "You said your father, grandfather and so on were all great warriors and heroes. You became so fascinated with them that you wanted to be a hero too, but then you skipped all the formal training and tests and used fake transcripts to get into the academy. To me that doesn't seem to add up. If your father was a great warrior, shouldn't he have trained you?"

He was quite surprised that she caught on to a missing piece he skipped over. He got over his reaction and answered in earnest, believing that perhaps telling her about his reason would help him stay. "No, he didn't."

She blinked, then raised an eyebrow curiously. "Did you ask him?"

"I did but… he would always say to wait a while longer, and this was back when I was eight years old. I would sometimes ask him again and again as time went on, but he still would keep saying the same thing." Then he sighed as he then continued. "Eventually I found out when I overheard mom and dad talking. He said he wanted to end the Arc Huntsman career with him, and let us live our lives as normal people.

"On that night my heart broke, I-I felt betrayed," he explained his reaction as he clenches his fist against his chest for emphasis. "I had always followed the family motto saying that 'an Arc never backs down on his word', but for once I hear him turning his back on our family career! I didn't want that!"

"Hmmm," she hummed in thought which got his attention from going further. "Perhaps he thought it would be best?"

"I-I don't know, maybe," he shrugged at the suggestion with a little confliction, "but I did not want a normal life; I wanted to be like my forefathers and protect those who I care for! So I promised myself that I'd carry on the tradition no matter what it takes! And… well you know how I got here." After he said his backstory, he waited with bated breath on her response.

Ella went silent for a bit, meditating on his backstory. His intentions for keeping the legacy alive were noble enough, but faking his way into the academy would be considered dishonest and ignoble. In addition to why he lacked in training because he waited until the ripe age of seventeen, she would conclude that he was unfit to be here, but the thought of his team being kicked out because of his expelling would end rather badly for all of them. So she concluded that he needed to set aside his family pride in order to get the assistance he would need to fulfill his dream.

"You know, Jaune, your intentions and reasons are good and all… but faking your way and lying to yourself and your team will get you nowhere in becoming a hero." Jaune faltered in hearing her response, but she was not done yet. "The only way for you to get there is to set aside the prideful attitude you have going on and look to your team." Then jaune looked away with a bit of embarrassment, trying to not admit it was sort of true for him, but Ella continued when she saw the look he was giving. "I know you do not like hearing this, but you need to have your team help you. Warriors do not train on their own. They were guided by those who were stronger than them each generation. You know this, right?"

"Well, kind of… I-I don't know," he answered with more uncertainty as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"It is true, Jaune, and Pyrrha offered you the greatest opportunity to learn from the best. From your partner," she said as she leaned in a bit with her hands on her hips. "But instead, in your vulnerable state you snapped at her and pushed her away."

"L-look, I'm sorry!" He abruptly apologized as he raised his hands halfway. "I know that what I did was wrong, and I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologize to me, Mr. Arc, apologize to her!" She pointed her finger in the direction of the front entrance door.

"...You're right…I'm...," Jaune corrected himself as he looked away again with his hand holding his other arm, but suddenly he shook his head remembering what happened next back on the roof. "I can't," he declared.

"What do you mean you can't?!" She asked as she furrowed her brows at him. "It's simple—"

"That's not what I meant!" He argued back. "It's about Cardin. He knows my secret."

"How?"

"She and I never realized we were standing over his team dorm. So after I blurted out the truth and she left…," he sighed. "He overheard everything and made a deal with me to keep my secret safe."

"So he blackmailed you to be his lap dog," she asked though she put together the obvious.

"Yeah, well more like a fake friendship." He looked away in shame. In an instant his expression grew to that of worry. "I don't know what to do. I never thought I'd be stuck like this, especially when being bossed around by my worst enemy, when my worst enemy has the dirt on me." Then he looked back at her with bleak hope in his eyes when a thought had come to him. "Do you… do you think you can help me out of this?"

She hummed in thought as she crossed her arms. It did not take long to understand the predicament before giving her thought out bluntly. "I would… but if I were to talk to Ozpin about this, I'm afraid he will go against my word but to send you out along with your team. If I were to tell Glynda about this, you and I both know she'll go straight to the Headmaster."

Jaune's expression faltered to being hopeless as she continued. "And If I were to threaten Cardin, or if I tell you to stay away from him, he'll send what he knows to Ozpin. Same scenario, he sends you and your team packing."

He quietly groaned at her explanation, but she did have a point however. His team would be taken out of Beacon academy if that were to happen, and he was sure that they would not forgive him for a long time because of it. "What should I do?"

"Well what you can do is learn to stand up for yourself." She advised. "Think of this as a lesson in humility. And if you can't work up the courage to face the challenges, then would you really consider yourself a team leader to your friends?"

Jaune paused as he pondered on the advice. She knew he was not going to like it, but there simply was no other way. Either he changes himself and grow out of his prideful shell, or be stuck in the neverending torment of his enemies. She looked up at the night sky, seeing the shattered moon being higher than before.

"I believe it's getting late, you should head back and think on what to do. Goodnight, mr. Arc."

"Thanks… I guess." He soon went around the statue towards the front doors to the school.

She watched his retreating form for a short while until she decided to turn around to have a brisk walk, only to halt herself from doing so when she heard her mentor behind her.

"An interesting lecture, I must say," Eileen began. "And I'm amazed you did not show him out the door once you learned the truth."

"You're telling me you were spying on them on the rooftops? Or you perhaps knew this whole time?" She asked as she turned around narrowed her eyes at her mentor.

"Ozpin and I already knew about his facade the whole time, though it took me sooner to realize it. Surprised it took you this long to find out."

"I merely saw him as a student, although I had my suspicions." She tried to shrug it off, but the little embarrassment still lingered. But then she sighed because of what she told him. "So I could've went to Ozpin since he knew the truth, and he would've helped him out?"

The Night Huntress shook her head. "I would not think so. If anything, the students would look down on the boy for being special. Best to let him solve his problem on his own."

She huffed, and after a moment of pause she changed the subject to get away from it. "I assume you're heading out on your nightly hunts soon?"

"Soon," she replied, "just need to make one more round before I leave.. and so far I've only caught a few snooping around. And what about you?"

"Well...," she pondered with a smug look as she glanced to the side, moved her hip to the side and crossed her arms. "I was going to spend a bit of time looking up at the stars, but that all got ruined when I caught those two." She then looked at her master as she shrugged. "So I'll be turning myself in for the night."

She nodded. "I hope you sleep well then, you have another whole day ahead of you."

"That I do. Good hunting then." She turned around to leave for her apartment.

"Before you go…," Eileen stopped her. "There's something I would like to have clarified." The Good Hunter turned back around to face her and listened. "You explained to me that you purposely held back during your fight, and you revealed yourself to the class that you're the Huntress from the video and my partner after using your Quickening… but why didn't you use your Semblance? You could've used it and still held yourself back."

She dwelt on the question for a few instants before giving her answer. "It is true that I could've used it and still hold myself back with it, but my Heat Absorption Semblance still would have ended the fight more quickly. Besides, what better to keep them thinking that Quickening is my Semblance when I can keep my cards close to my chest." She smirked. All the media had ever covered was her Huntress identity and her Quickening, and luckily no one was ever around to record what else she had otherwise, thanks to hunting at night.

"Hiding it from the students is not what I would do, but I suppose there can be some merit to this. The choice is simply up to you, of course." Then she turned the other way. "I should be getting back to work. Have a good night, Ella."

"Have a good hunting, master." They went their separate ways, Eileen changing into her shadow crow form as she flew away while Ella walked back inside the building, feeling content with tonight's little episode.

Beacon Tower

Ozpin was still up at this hour, going through the now small stack of paperwork he had been given to finish. Consisting of replenishing disposable items and equipment and the bills to pay for any damages, tonight had been normal to his standards. He still had not forgotten the investigation into Ella's family, and though he had the power and resources to get the answers he wanted, the job of being a Headmaster was distracting and often hectic for his age. So instead of finding the answers himself, he would let one of his trusted agents to do the job of gathering intel. He was still a man of his word after all.

He was just about ready to sign the next bill when his Scroll vibrated on his glass desk. Curious to know who would be calling at this hour, he set down his pen and brought his Scroll to the front. Expanding it revealed a short message upon the display:

[Still no sign yet]

[Have intel on the Fall]

Underneath the message was a folder with the designation "Fall". He tapped the folder to reveal multiple folder files pertaining to what he realized was the family itself. He was relieved that his agent had found what he needed, but he did not expect to see this much. Not wanting to take the time to sift through them on his Scroll, he tapped a few commands and closed the device. Clearing the paper and pen aside from his desk he laid the Scroll onto the glass surface, and by tapping the diamond on the Scroll, it lit up into a holographic display of files hovering in front of him.

"Now let's see what he's gathered," he thought out loud as he started to sift through the folders, revealing multiple or single files. He learned of their backgrounds and their current status which was disheartening to him. He would honestly say he was not sure what she would do with this information given to her. He soon glanced at the one folder file which reads "newspaper". Curiosity taking over, he tapped the files back to their designated folders and tapped the newspaper folder to show up a number of news articles linking the family.

"1…," Ella counted down with her eyes closed while facing the wall in the dining area. "2…3…4…5...6…7…8…9…10, ready or not here I come!" She and her sister were playing hide and seek, one of their favorite games to play while their parents were away grocery shopping. Ella was being the seeker now after being found for the second time, and unfortunately for her, her twin was the best when it came to hiding, and she was only found once during their game.

Ella looked everywhere for her sister. She looked through the pantries in the kitchen, she looked through the bedrooms upstairs, checked every nook and cranny down in the basement, and she looked through the hiding spots in the living room. Only the backyard remained, and she absolutely had no idea where her sister could possibly be.

She was looking through the kitchen again, hoping that maybe her sister went in here while she wasn't looking when she heard the slider door leading to the backyard open and close. Not wanting to lose the opportunity to catch her, she ran out of the kitchen, through the living room and opened the slider door to the backyard. She hoped she would catch her running to someplace, but alas, as she stood on the porch overlooking the backyard, her sister just disappeared like a ghost yet again.

"Ugh, Cindy, where are you!" She was getting frustrated, because knowing her it would take almost half an hour to find her, and at some point she would just give up searching for her and wait until she finally came out of hiding. She walked down the steps to the cleanly trimmed backyard. She went looking out a little further when she heard footsteps coming from behind her. She turned too late when her sister ran right past her.

"Can't catch me!" She taunted as she ran around back to the house.

"Hey, no fair!" She ran after her, and this time she wasn't going to let her hide.
The twins ran through the opened slider door, through the living area and to the kitchen. The girls were soon on opposite sides of the dinner table, daring one another after running around the table, and Cindy attempting to escape, only to get back to her position after her sister was going the same direction. She suddenly had a mischievous smile on her lips, giving Ella a clue that she was up to something. Cindy then went to the left side while Ella followed her movement and made a beeline for her, only to realize too late when she spun on her heels and ran the opposite direction.

"Get back here!" She yelled while her twin sister was laughing at the idea being done well. They then ran back outside into the backyard, still chasing her by only a foot behind as they then ran to the tree and went around twice. On the third round, Cindy suddenly stopped, and she took the advantage without a thought as she slapped her hand on her back.

"Tag! You're it!" She said cheerfully in victory, but there was no response, and neither did she move. Confused, but in the periphery of her vision, she looked to where her sister was staring at to see a disturbing sight in front of them. It was a sickly looking man wearing black, tattered robes. He was tall, taller than even their daddy. Clutched in his large, boney left hand and slung over his shoulder what appeared to be a rucksack. Under the hood, he looked down at them with his pale white eyes, his expression being completely blank, but the feeling of dread grew inside her and her sister.

"Run!" Cindy yelled as she took her twin sister by the hand and ran towards the slider door, but the monstrous man was soon right on top of them. Ella saw this, too and knew it would try to take her sister away, so she pushed her out of the way and the monster grabbed her in one hand and lifted her up.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Ella screamed as she struggled and fought to make him let go, but his grip was firm as he slung the rucksack around and undid the rope closing the top. She could hear strange moaning noises coming from the giant sac, and she could hear the screams of her sister calling out to her. She screamed, too when she was shoved into the inky darkness of the rucksack.

She jolted herself awake with an audible gasp and a cold sweat. Her eyes were widened with fear, her heart racing for miles as she breathed to calm herself.

'What was that,' she thought shakened, 'was that a memory?!'

It took her awhile to calm herself as she tried to process what she just experienced. She was playing around with her sister now known as "Cindy" inside and outside their house. It was a game of hide and seek, something the two of them enjoyed most. She was not sure if that was her true name, but saying it in her mind felt familiar to her.

Of course, it was then the moment of fun shattered when that thing showed up. She could not believe it, but she recognized that monster as a Kidnapper. She had tangled with those creatures from the Chapel district, and to the forgotten village. What bothered her more was how it got there. Did a Great One send it there? Did it have some kind of power she did not know? Flora said the existence of Remnant was unknown to them until recently.

She looked at the clock to read that it was 6:59 AM, and when it struck seven, she shut it off. Still troubled and feeling vulnerable for the moment, she then pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin against her knees to try and make herself feel secure. Yet there would have to be another time to deal with it, and the smell of breakfast reached her nostrils, making her almost forget about what happened. So she got up out of her bed and got ready with her usual routine.

A/N: and we're done with this chapter. I hope I've written Jaune and Pyrrha's emotions right, it's simply because that's my little downside to my writing. Plus I hope I got Jaune's character right when I wrote the conversation between him and Ella. I know what you guys are thinking, that I bashed Jaune around and maybe he didn't deserve it, but believe me when I say that Jaune wasn't really being honest and noble about it when he first came to Beacon, that's what I have to remember when I watched the scenes over and over.

Anyways, I've set up the poll on my profile page to see which story catches your interest, and to help you guys know what each one is about, I've written summaries of the three stories right here for you to look at.

A Lost Bloom in the Snow: Summer Rose, a highly skilled destroyer of monsters and baker of cookies, was just finishing up her assignment when she suddenly gets dropped into a portal to a whole new world of magic, warriors and dragons. Having forced to adjust to her new situation and her newfound weakness, and while travelling alongside the Dragonborn of prophecy, can she survive long enough to find a way to get back home to her family, or will she die in the breathtaking yet harsh province of Skyrim?

Agents of Light; Book One of the Void Chronicles: The Guardians, three close friends who thought they have seen the most challenging the Darkness could throw at them, soon discover an unknown technology they believe can turn the tide in humanity's favor, but the tech malfunctions on it test flight and sends one Guardian to the origin of its creation; a world similar to Earth with its own golden age of technology. In a world where agents of good and evil clash for the fate of the world, this agent of the Traveler will have to quickly adjust to a new kind of fight, and hopefully find a way back. Destiny x Overwatch

Rosario + Vampire: Cold Fury: Hisashi, an adopted boy who never knew who his real parents were, is invited to join Yokai academy in his search to find answers, and to hopefully find a normal life. Along the way, however, he runs into his fair share of adventures while opening up and making new friends along the way. Starting with an average human named Tsukune Aono. He has to be wary though, for there are forces working behind the scenes in this school and beyond who would care nothing more than to destroy him and all he cares for. R+V x Mortal Kombat (alt)

Remember, the story title with the highest vote gets to be the second story. The poll will remain until a month later to give more fair results.

This is Kyro2009, signing off.