Author's Note: I've gotten a bunch of comments, and many interesting suggestions. Ultimately, I decided to go with the character I thought would be cool to explore. If your ship wasn't chosen, I'm sorry, but I don't want this to be a polyamorous fic. The whole idea is to show that even if Jaune were to gain a massive power boost, he'd still be a loveable dork, not an asshole.

It's been noted the Ozpin should know about Hokuto Shinken. While I'll spoil nothing, I'll leave these questions here for readers to theorize about:

Has Ozpin met Kenshiro, and if he has, did he try to enlist his aid as an ally?

Is it possible Ozpin is hiding a lot of things from Goodwitch?

Was Kenshiro aware of Salem's existence? If so, why did he choose to not fight her?

Does Jaune have an infinite supply of leather jackets?

Just some fun things to speculate about.

But that's enough of that. Let's get this show on the road!


Chapter 3: Of Masks and Substance

"... the four of them shall form team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose!"

Applause broke out, and the young girl's eyes widened in wonder and joy. She had been more than happy just to be on the same team as her sister. Being made the leader of that team was completely unexpected. On the one hand, she was overjoyed. On the other, a part of her realized the responsibility that entailed. Both Blake and Yang congratulated her, but everyone was happy about the choice.

Weiss' eyes had widened as well, but not in joy. She glared at Ruby for a second, but looked away immediately, ashamed of her thoughts. Weiss Schnee was many things, but dishonourable was not one of them. As far as she was concerned, Ruby was an unsuitable candidate for leadership. But even so, she had won it fair and square, as judged by the faculty. It wasn't Ruby she was angry with. It was herself, for failing to have done well enough to win that position.

With almost all the new students sorted into teams, only four were left, and Ozpin addressed them as well.

"And finally, :Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, and Jaune Souther. The four of them shall form team JNPR, led by Jaune Souther."

As he said those words, he looked at Jaune, his gaze sharp, almost to the point where he seemed like he was trying to burrow into him with his eyes. The young warrior met the stare with his own, unbothered by it. Both scrutinized each other, questions passing through their minds. Ozpin was curious about the Godfist's techniques and powers, how he had gained them. What he planned to do with them. Why he was at Beacon when he clearly had no interest in becoming a Huntsman. Jaune was curious about the knowledge the Headmaster might possess. The secrets of the Grimm. Where they came from and how they came to exist. Why even now, hundreds of Hunters went out to battle the Grimm, but none were sent to understand them, and end their threat once and for all.

Both of them looked away. While a conversation was in order, now was not the time for it.

"I expect you are all exhausted. Tomorrow will be an off day. You will be assigned dormitories by the end of the day, so once you are settled in, take the rest of the time to recuperate and prepare mentally and physically for your classes. That is all for now. You may go."

He turned and walked off the platform, leaving the students to talk amongst themselves as they began to make their way out of the area. Most people headed to the showers, intending to get cleaned up and change out of their battle garments, while others headed to Dining Hall to catch a meal, and a few simply decided to roam around campus for a while, enjoying the cool evening breeze and the beautiful surroundings.

Jaune turned to his new team. The truth was, he hadn't been thinking about being made leader, or anything of the sort. In fact, the tasks he would have to undertake in that role would probably get in the way of his true objectives. Thus, he was still struggling to come to terms with it. When he looked at his three companions, he wasn't really sure what they were thinking. Would they even acknowledge and accept him as a leader?

"Well, I suppose congratulations are in order," said Ren, surprising Jaune. He had not expected the normally silent boy to be the first to speak.

His expression was calm, as always, giving nothing away, until he held out a hand, the slightest hint of a smile on his face. It put Jaune at ease, breaking the tension he was feeling, and he accepted the hand, shaking it.

"Thanks," he replied, allowing a smile to show itself on his own face.

"Woohoo! We have our fearless leader!" exclaimed Nora, clapping him on the back a few times. Jaune noted that she was quite strong, much more than her frame suggested.

"Now if only I can keep my spine in one piece, I'll be okay," he muttered jokingly, drawing a dry chuckle and commiserating look from Ren, and loud laughter from Nora.

And that left… Pyrrha. The red-haired Spartan had remained silent thus far, and now Jaune locked eyes with her.

Out of all the people he had met at Beacon, she had initially been the most sceptical of him, doubting his ability at every turn, until he had completed the necessary task.

Yet, Jaune sensed neither rigidness nor malice from her. Each time, she had accepted that he was able to do things she did not expect, and had been graceful in admitting that she was wrong.

She's an exceptional warrior, he noted. And a pretty cool person.

She was rational.

She believed in what she knew worked, and was aware of her own abilities, her strengths and weaknesses. She was also familiar with what a Hunter might expect in their field of work, and knew how to deal with it. But at the same time, was open to adapting to what was new to her.

In so many ways, she had the ideal attitude and bearing for one who fought to protect others. And Jaune was sure… if he didn't have her acceptance, this team would fall apart before it could even set foot on the road together.

His worries were put to rest when she offered a hand, smiling much more warmly than she had during the Initiation. It was as if the trials they had undergone together had knocked down many barriers, many layers of inhibition, allowing her to finally loosen up. Her posture was more relaxed and her grip felt friendly to Jaune.

"Well, I can't say I wasn't expecting it," she said. "I was almost certain you'd make leader."

Jaune blinked a few times.

"Really?"

"Pretty much. You were the one who kept your cool and reminded us to get our heads in the game. It was a crucial moment, and you reminded us to stay calm and keep working. If that isn't leadership, I don't know what is."

Nora nodded, not joking for once.

"She's right. Anyone good with words can put out an 'inspiring' speech. Battles aren't all fun and games though. You're only as good as you're dependable."

Ren agreed as well.

"And you were able to come up with the strategy for defeating the Deathstalker too."

It was a new thing for Jaune. He had come to Beacon expecting to find dogmatic, almost robotic students. Instead, he found real people.

Once more, he was humbled.

He had underestimated Hunters. Not just as fighters, but as human beings.

So, just for a moment, he allowed himself to say more than he normally would.

"You're all cool. I'm glad this is the team I'm on."

In response, he got broad smiles.

"It might be a good idea to go check if we've all been assigned dorms", suggested Pyrrha.

There were murmurs of assent, and they all began to make their way to the main hall. Once they reached, they found several people standing with clipboards. Approaching one such lady, who checked her papers, they were informed that they had been assigned a dorm.

One dorm.

That they would all be sharing.

Well, this might get awkward later.

But Jaune decided to roll with it. Picking up their luggage, they went to the hostel building and ascended to the third floor, where they found the door marked with the number they were looking for, and used their key to open it.

The place had four beds arranged next to each other with some space between each of them. Besides that, there were also two desks, two cabinets, and a door that led to a clean bathroom and shower.

For Jaune, who had spent the past four years mostly living in the wild, this was the equivalent of a five star residence.

"Dibs!" shouted Nora, rushing over to one of the beds on the end of the row, and putting her bag next to it as she promptly jumped onto it, bouncing slightly. Almost immediately, she shot right up to her feet and zipped over, grabbing Ren's bag and placing it near the bed right next to hers.

"Dibs on that too", she said.

Are these two in a relationship? Jaune wondered. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't accidentally walk in on something.

Making his way over to the other end of the row, he put his bag down on the bed.

"I'll take this one then."

Pyrrha shrugged and took the remaining bed.

The four took turns to shower, after which they proceeded to unpack. None of them were carrying an unnecessary amount of baggage, so their belongings fit comfortably, with them quickly dividing up the available cabinet space among themselves for clothes. In addition, Pyrrha and Ren were both carrying books, which they arranged on the two available desks. There were no fixed coursebooks. Instead, Beacon had a large library, with students using it to research or study whatever they needed or wanted to. It had a fiction section too, but many preferred to bring their own private collections.

Aside from this, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora had some items of personal value to them. Pyrrha hung up a piece of red cloth on the wall behind her bed. Jaune also noticed that she carried a photograph of herself with a woman who looked very much like her and a man with short brown hair. He realized they must be her parents. Ren briefly took out a knife which he looked at intensely for a while before storing it in his locked drawer in the cabinet. Nora had a wooden hammer that she stored similarly.

Jaune realized that these were items from their lives, from their past. Items that were significant to them because of the memories associated with them. Boys and girls trained, and left home even before they were of age, to become Hunters. Leaving home and loved ones behind for an uncertain future.

Unlike the others, Jaune carried no memento of his family. His bag had contained clothes, which he had already stored in his part of the cabinet. He was also carrying some ingredients and materials he could use to concoct medicine in case of injuries, but that was all.

He didn't have any photos of the Arc family or the town he was from. Nothing to remind him of the life he had left behind.

If you were to ask him, he would say Kenshiro was in his heart. In his soul. In every fibre of the body and mind he had helped him forge. Jaune was the living legacy of his Master, and that was more than enough for him.

Even so, for a moment, he couldn't help but be reminded of the family he hadn't seen in so long. He wondered if they were doing all right.

Do they think of me sometimes too, like this?

He shook his head. Delving into the past was not a good idea. Instead, he decided to go outside and finally explore the campus.

"I'm going outside for a bit. I'll probably see you guys at dinner."

They nodded, and he closed the door behind him. While Jaune had previously owned nothing other than his travelling clothes, he had had the foresight to buy some casual wear, since he realized he would have prolonged shelter at Beacon, something he did not in the wild.

As such, he was currently dressed in a pair of shorts and a plain white t shirt. It was nice and comfortable, and he was amazed how good it felt to be out of leather. The cotton felt great against his skin, and he was far more exposed to the air, leaving him feeling cool and refreshed.

This is what luxury feels like.

He walked down the stairs and emerged on the grounds. There was a paved pathway, and beyond it, grass. A cool wind blew, and Jaune closed his eyes for a moment, relishing the feel of it. Up above in the night sky, he could see seven stars shining over him.

The Big Dipper, the constellation of Hokuto Shinken, and the stars to which his own fate were connected.

They shined bright and strong over Jaune wherever he went, a reminder of what he was. His high spirits were sobered. Even here at Beacon. This peace… this happiness… it was temporary. He would only stay long enough to find the answers he was searching for.

The Godfist's duty was to protect the innocent, and destroy evil. Wherever it went, tragedy followed. He couldn't stay here for long.

His attention was drawn to a figure sitting alone on a bench a little way ahead.

Jaune recognized the one known as Weiss Schnee, and was about to turn and walk in the other direction, when he noticed that she seemed uncharacteristically… down.

While the girl was more than a little full of herself, and tended to be overbearing and rude at times, she was always full of energy, always purposeful. And seeing her like this… didn't feel right at all. Her trademark strength and spirit were dampened.

She was… sad.

He decided to approach.

Slightly awkwardly, he raised a hand in greeting.

"Er… hi…"

She turned to look at him, surprised to see who it was.

"Jaune… what are you doing here?"

"I was just out for a walk."

"I see."

Silence followed for a moment.

Unlike his earlier conversations with her, Weiss didn't continue. It was a stark contrast to how eager she was to speak with him before.

"You mind if I take a seat?"

"Go ahead," she said.

Jaune sat down on the bench next to her, making sure to leave some space between them. Silence returned again. Whatever was bothering her, she wasn't going to bring it up herself.

"You… uh." He took a deep breath. What was he even doing?

Either help or leave her alone.

Determined, he looked at her.

"You look a little down. Is everything okay?"

She turned at his words, surprised that he would just come out and ask that. It wasn't entirely unexpected. As much as she had avoided people wasting her time before, she was not unfamiliar with typical teenage behaviour. It was extremely common for people to try to make a move on others when they were emotionally weak or troubled. Weiss was far too smart and strong to allow a cheap strategy like that to work on her.

As a matter of fact, it would make her put her guard up even more around whoever tried it.

But on the other hand, Jaune was different from anyone else she had met.

She had noticed this from their very first meeting.

The little trick he had pulled, making it seem like he was agreeing with her to make her stop lashing out at Ruby. Of course, she had seen through his rather poor act. But she had played along with it because of why he had done it.

He was kind. And that kindness had led him to try and stop her from berating Ruby. Weiss was aware she had a temper problem. Aware she tended to stress. A lot. And her firm facade cracked easily when she was tested, making her lash out at others. It wasn't as if she enjoyed it. More often than not, she detested herself for the way she ended up behaving. And so, she had been secretly thankful that Jaune had come at that moment.

Somehow, his bumbling attempt at being smooth had melted her anger, allowing her true self to win over it.

A boy naive enough to think something like that would work wasn't the sort of scumbag who would try to make a move on someone when they were troubled.

In addition, she had seen how uncomfortable he was with her earlier. It was one of the reasons she had decided to stay with him for a while. It was fun seeing him struggle to find a way to slip away without being rude. It took her less than five minutes to figure out that he was extremely shy around women.

For him to force himself to approach her now, he was genuinely concerned about her.

Something about that genuine desire to help won her over, and she decided to answer honestly, knowing she was talking to one of the very few people in the world who wouldn't use what she was about to say against her.

"Well, it bothers me. It bothers me that someone who doesn't know the first thing about working in a team, or even standard procedure on the field, was chosen to be leader instead of me. And… it bothers me that I wasn't even good enough to be chosen over someone like that."

She watched Jaune, waiting for his reaction, and deep inside, fearing that the honest, simple boy would be disgusted by how petty her reason was.

His eyes widened, and he blinked. Once. Twice.

"Really? That's what you're worried about? That's all?"

Irked by how he was making it sound like nothing, she was about to respond angrily, when he continued.

"You're a formidable warrior, though. I've seen you fight. Do not be plagued by doubt. Believe in yourself, and move forward."

The response was so unexpected, she found herself speaking before she could stop herself.

"But I wasn't chosen! That means-"

"It simply means you would do far more good in a different role. Weiss, the best leader in the world is nothing without those she leads. No amount of strategy is of any use without strong arms to implement it. You are those arms, Weiss. That's why you're here, at Beacon."

Weiss stared at him, mouth open slightly, unable to say a word.

Jaune went on, looking away, at his own hand.

"There were once three brothers. Each was the bearer of a powerful legacy. But… that legacy could only accept one successor. Only one of them would be chosen. And only one was chosen. But… both the other two went on to do great things. They were… instrumental in the course the world took. Neither of them could have done those things if they had allowed themselves to be consumed by what might have been. Instead, they forged their own paths."

He looked at her.

"Don't waste a moment of your life trying to be someone else. Instead, be you. Do the things only you can."

Weiss looked at Jaune. He was indeed simple. But he wasn't stupid. And… he was mature in ways the elite prep school students she had grown up with were not. In a way different from most people she was seeing at Beacon too.

And, he had a point.

It was like he had an ability to help her see past her ego, her anger and her insecurity. Calmer now, she was able to ask herself what it would be like to simply accept that Ruby was the team leader, and she was not.

The moment she did, she felt better. It was like a weight had been lifted off her, freeing her to do what she wanted.

She was here to be a Huntress. And she could, and would, do so. Ruby had her own strengths: what she lacked in finesse and conventional knowledge, she made up for with innovation and spontaneity. If they were to be an effective team, then it would be up to Weiss to form that backbone, the reliable structure that would support her unorthodox teammates.

She smiled slightly at Jaune, an expression different from what he had seen before. It lasted only a moment, but he was completely blown away by it. Everything about her that had pushed him away at first: her arrogance, her rudeness, her anger, it was all gone, revealing the real person they had hidden earlier.

"Thank you", she said. "That helps a lot, Jaune."

He felt his cheeks burning.

Shit. Shit. Shit. I wasn't prepared for an attack of this level.

Springing to his feet, he looked resolutely away from her, unable to meet her eyes.

"I-it's no big deal. You- uh… you t-take care, Weiss. Gottago, seeya, bye!"

With that, he all but ran for it.

Weiss watched him retreat with a smile.

He had gotten infinitely more interesting since their first meeting.

Naive in some ways, mature in others. And, she had seen his mysterious powers and skills.

Who exactly was Jaune Souther?

She looked forward to finding out.