Author's note: Someone asked if Lily is based on Guts. The answer is… to an extent. But her fighting style is vastly different from Guts, as is her personality. She's an interesting character, and her intentions aren't clear right from the outset.

Chapter 10: A Meeting Set

"What are we doing here again?"

"Oh, nothing. Enjoying a day in town. Seeing the sights. Specifically the sights that might be arriving from the other kingdoms."

Yang's voice trailed off, muttering something about "good looking guys".

"Sis!" Ruby protested. A part of her resented being dragged along on another one of Yang's sudden urges. But she ignored the feeling. After all, an occasional trip into town was fun. She needed to restock on snacks, and besides: a part of her was curious as to the visitors from the other kingdoms too. After all, she'd be facing them in the Vytal tournament. Might as well take a look and see what to expect.

And of course, this was a prime opportunity to check out their weapons!

Next to her, Blake was less optimistic about the whole thing. But like the others, she had certain things she needed to take care of in town. Tukson's bookshop might have finally obtained a copy of the book she'd asked for, in which case, a visit was in order. She shot a glance at the silver haired girl walking next to her.

Normally, she would have been fairly vocal about her thoughts on this little outing (not to mention eager to get any possible information on the competition). But today, she was rather subdued. Silent, lost in her thoughts, moving on autopilot, without really paying attention to what anyone else was saying. She'd been like this for the past week or so.

Since that incident.

Following the one-on-three beatdown in the Dining Hall, Jaune had become infamous at Beacon. Cardin's confession had revealed to everyone that the third years had been anti-Faunus criminals. Then there had been his admission of his own guilt, along with his blunt condemnation of how hypocritical people were for blaming the blond fighter for putting him in his place. The effect had been immediate. Most people had enough grace to be ashamed, and the rumours and bad-mouthing stopped overnight.

But that wasn't all.

A new legend was beginning.

The fact was, Jaune defeating Cardin, though impressive, had been within the bounds of possibility.

Him single-handedly destroying three third years on the brink of graduation from Beacon?

A feat only the teachers, or some other fully trained Hunter could do.

But doing so in less than ten seconds, completely unarmed?

There hadn't been an incident like that in the history of Beacon.

Videos had been made, and circulated online.

Jaune was no longer just a weird first year.

He was the weird first year. Questions abounded: what sort of power did he possess? To have enough strength and speed to destroy three Aura shields in just a few blows without seeming to even try. What sort of training had he done? Or was it instead natural ability he was born with? What sort of fighting style was that anyway? It looked similar to the unarmed forms some Hunters used, but so much more effective, and far more direct, lacking any visible tells that gave away the move about to come.

In trademark Jaune fashion, he had completely ignored all of the new hubbub. He continued as before. Training, going to class, studying, eating, sleeping.

But unlike before, the dynamic between him and RWBY had changed.

After his declaration that they were not friends, things had become incredibly awkward for the all-girl team. He was someone they saw and met everyday, and they just weren't used to someone like that outright telling them that they weren't that close. It broke the unwritten rule of maintaining the social status quo.

And none of them really knew how to deal with that.

They couldn't ignore him: there were plenty of assignments that required students to interact with each other and work together.

But they couldn't just talk to him like nothing was wrong. That was no longer a possibility.

So, a tense silence would pop up whenever he was around them. They'd instinctively avoid eye contact.

The exception, as before, was Weiss.

Her behaviour was the exact opposite.

Blake often saw her staring at the boy, though never succeeding in mustering up enough courage to go and speak to him. It was easy to see that she hated that. Hated that she wasn't able to find a way to close the gap between them.

And… the dynamic between Weiss and the rest of the team had changed too.

As arrogant, self-righteous and exacting as the heiress had been before, there had been some understanding between her and the other three. Some common ground to stand on. That had all changed.

Even though nothing was said aloud, everyone knew it. Weiss couldn't forget that she had turned her back on Jaune when she should have stayed by his side. And… she couldn't forget that the rest of RWBY had done the same thing, and remained uninvolved, doing nothing to help him until she had indirectly pressured them into doing so.

The trust between her and them now was fractured. Nothing was acknowledge. But under the surface, nothing was right.

And then, of course, there was Jaune's own team. If the divide in RWBY was uncomfortable, that in JNPR was far worse.

Jaune lived in the same dorm as them, and to be sure, he functioned as a leader during team exercises, but that was about where their interactions began and ended. He spent his leisure time hanging out more with other random people, who were beginning to approach him more now, curious to learn about him. And of course, he hung out, of all people, with CRDL.

The irony was impossible to miss. Yet, it was strangely appropriate. The one shunned as a loner was now hanging out with the black sheep among the first years.

The feeling of her Scroll's vibration brought her out of her thoughts, and she drew it from her pocket to check the notification.

"Dust robbery?"

Next to her, Yang and Ruby were checking it out on their Scrolls too, having received the same notification from their news apps.

"Says here a large shipment's been taken. Lot of people got hurt."

Blake frowned. She knew of an organization that did exactly things like this.

"Sounds like typical White Fang to me," said Weiss quietly, quickly checking her Scroll before putting it away.

Blake glared at her. While Weiss wasn't wrong, it still irked her that she was so quick to assume that her former group was responsible.

"What makes you think they did it?"

Weiss gave her a tired look. Blake was expecting her to argue her point, but instead she sighed.

"You know what? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. It's just another setback the company has to deal with."

That's right. She's the heir to the Schnee Dust Company, isn't she? It isn't really surprising she hates the White Fang. No one likes it when the ones they've been oppressing rise up against them.

The Schnee Dust Company was known among Faunus as exploitative slave drivers who forced their people to work in the mines for their excellent night vision and physical traits that were useful for underground work and digging.

They were ruthless, cruel, and greedy.

Blake didn't regret stealing from them. She saw it as taking fair payment.

But… was Weiss like the rest of her family? Did she truly know what the company she might one day own did behind the scenes?

She shook her head. All pointless speculation for now.

Suddenly, she felt like she needed to be alone. Or at any rate, be away from Weiss for a while.

"Umm… you guys go ahead. I'm going to take a detour to Tukson's bookshop. Got something I need to pick up."

Yang's eyebrows shot up.

"Oh! Is it the latest volume of that smut novel you keep read-"

"GOTTAGOBYE!"

She zipped away before the statement could be finished, leaving a dust cloud in her wake.

The blonde elder sister grinned slightly. This gag never got old.

"Well, one person less. But we continue, right?"

Deeply unenthusiastic glares met her, and a drop of sweat rolled down her face. Deciding not to push her luck, she started walking, with the others following suit.

Before long, they found themselves at the docks.

Weiss looked around. Her heart wasn't in this little outing at all. She really just wanted to lie down and rest for a day. The past week had been difficult, and Yang's perpetual good cheer in particular was starting to get on her nerves.

Even with the Vytal Festival coming up, she found it hard to care. She knew that in the long run, winning a tournament wouldn't have much effect on her future as a Huntress. Whether you were champion, or someone who didn't even qualify, your job was to fight Grimm, and protect people.

And there was something else she'd much rather be doing than thinking about some stupid competition.

There was someone she wanted to talk to.

But she just hadn't been able to bring herself to do it.

Sighing, she tried not to think about it, only for her eyes to fall on exactly the reason for her mood.

Jaune… what's he doing here?

The young Shinken was indeed just a few yards in front of her. However, he hadn't noticed Weiss' presence. His attention was entirely focused on another girl.

Said girl was clad in full body armour, and carrying on her back the most massive sword Weiss had ever seen. The heiress found it hard to believe a weapon like that could even be used in battle: it looked like it weighed at least five times what Crescent Rose did.

More than that, what bothered Weiss was the fact that this girl, this… unknown nobody… had what she hadn't even been able to try to possess for the past week.

She had Jaune's complete and undivided attention.

Just seeing the way he stared at her, wide-eyed, unguarded, allowing his emotions to show on his face; the way none of the walls he constantly had up around him in school were raised at the moment; it enraged Weiss. For an instant, she felt a maddening urge to whip out Myrtenaster and fire a burst of Dust at her.

But she reined it in.

Losing control was pointless.

Instead, she carefully looked at her. Having managed to control her anger a little, she now noticed that the girl looked extremely similar to Jaune. They had the same high cheekbones and strong jaws, the same sharp noses and large, blue eyes. The same golden hair. Even their physiques were somewhat similar, both of them being tall and possessing naturally athletic builds, which they had both improved through training.

It took only a few seconds for the answer to click in Weiss' brain.

She's his sister!

But… judging by how alike they looked, she wasn't just any sister. They appeared very similar in age.

His twin?

Weiss' eyes widened as she made the realization.

She watched on, unable to look away.

Jaune had never spoken of his family at all.

It occurred to Weiss that she knew almost nothing about him. He had never spoken about his past, and everything she did know about it she had discovered during the Archer Grimm's psychic attack. She remembered his thoughts about his Master, someone named Kenshiro. About his duty to protect people. About his attempt to save that village, which had most likely ended in failure.

From the little she knew, it seemed like he'd been travelling with his Master. Travelling in the wilds.

How long had it been since Jaune had seen his family?

Since he had seen his sister?

Why did he never speak of them?

Weiss wanted to know.

She heard a voice next to her.

"Hey, I might be seeing things, but isn't that Jaune over there? And he's talking to his female lookalike?"

Yang and Ruby were both staring at the scene in front of them in awe.

"She really does look like him," muttered the younger sister, mouth hanging open slightly.

Not paying them much mind, Weiss began to walk forward, approaching the twins. She didn't even know what she was going to say to them. But she went forward on instinct.

Noticing her presence, both of them turned to look at her, Jaune's face exhibiting surprise for a moment.

"Weiss?"

The girl regarded her curiously.

"Friend of yours?" she asked Jaune.

Weiss stiffened at the sound of that word.

Friend.

Jaune had categorically denied any such relationship existed between him and RWBY. And though he hadn't been looking at Weiss while saying it, she still feared that she was no different to him. That she too would be rejected. Her entire body went rigid, and she could almost feel herself about to start sweating.

"Yes," answered Jaune.

Weiss stared at him in surprise, unable to believe what he had just said. A sense of relief washed over her, so powerful that she actually felt herself loosen up. She felt lighter, almost as if she could float in the wind.

"This is Weiss Schnee," he said, seemingly unaware of her reaction. "She's my classmate. And… she's helped me out a couple times."

He turned to Weiss.

"This is Lily. She's my sister."

Weiss nodded politely to the girl, acknowledging her.

Lily's reaction was less subtle.

"EHHH? Really? You know a girl? I was kind of joking with that question, but you actually, really know a girl? And one this pretty?"

What even…

Before Weiss could react, Lily had zoomed right up to her. How she had managed to get there that fast while in full armour, Weiss had no idea. Upclose, she was struck by how much taller the blonde was than her. The unusual sharpness to her features accentuated them all. Weiss couldn't help but notice she was quite attractive, even as the knight examined her from every angle.

She immediately caught herself and protested at the rudeness.

"Hey…"

But by then, Lily was already done with her evaluation, and was giving Jaune a thumbs-up in approval.

"Bro. This is one legit beautiful girl. You've done well."

Weiss felt a furious blush cover her face. She found herself stammering, unable to vocalize a proper statement.

Fortunately for her, Jaune spared her the need to do so.

Sighing, his expression became the familiar look of annoyance that every person with a troublesome sibling knows.

"Cut it out, Lily. You're making her uncomfortable. Also, don't go saying whatever comes to mind."

The sister raised her hands to placate Jaune.

"All right, all right. I'll stop. I was just messing around, is all."

She turned to Weiss.

"Sorry, princess. Didn't mean to offend."

"It's okay, you didn't", Weiss found herself saying.

Lily's expression immediately changed to an evil grin that would put Yang to shame.

Okay, shit. Mistakes have been made. Repeat: mistakes have been made.

Weiss started to panic, but stopped when she felt a strong arm brush her own. Jaune was standing right next to her, almost in front of her, an arm extended slightly, as if to shield her from Lily. For the second time, Weiss found herself blushing. She had seen him in his leather jacket plenty of times, but from this close, she gained a newfound appreciation of how large his arms were. Each one was around the thickness of three of her own put together, and his back seemed wide enough to balance a car on. She had never thought about it specifically, but Jaune had a good body.

"Hey", said Jaune, his voice completely serious now. "Quit messing around with her."

This was the same serious side Jaune had shown when teaching Cardin a lesson; the same side he'd shown when knocking the third years down a peg. Weiss had found this unsmiling, cold persona scary every time she'd seen it.

But something about having that same Jaune stand in front of her protectively made her feel incredibly safe. She couldn't help unconsciously drawing closer to him, lowering her head slightly and hoping he hadn't noticed how red her face was.

Lily blinked a few times.

"... You really have changed, brother. You were always feisty… but there's something different about you now. Makes me feel you can actually back up the words you speak."

Weiss could feel the growing tension in the air.

All of a sudden, this seemingly joyous reunion had taken an unexpected turn. She could almost physically feel the disgust pouring out of Jaune.

So they don't exactly get along, do they?

The twins were far from a pair that was in agreement about everything.

Indeed, it felt more to Weiss like they were the kind of pair that fought over the smallest things.

She wondered for a moment if she should warn the girl to stop pushing him.

Weiss could tell that Lily was powerful, but then powerful was an understatement when talking about Jaune. Also, Serious Jaune had zero qualms about uncompromisingly wrecking whatever opponent was put in front of him, and judging from the vibe he was giving at the moment, Weiss doubted his own sister was going to be any exception.

The silver haired girl knew what it was like to have a sibling she disliked.

And… she didn't want these two to fight.

"Jaune…" she whispered slightly, hoping he'd hear, and understand.

The powerful aura persisted for a second, before relaxing.

Jaune spoke in a tired voice.

"Four years since we last met. It's been less than ten minutes, and you're already a pain in the ass."

Lily laughed.

"I've missed you too, brother. And how curious… you've done some growing up since then. Leaving the family home was the best decision you ever made. I know this… because it's the best decision I ever made too."

Jaune narrowed his eyes.

"You left as well?"

"Indeed, brother. My, my, the Arc name is running out of people to inherit it, huh? Ah well. There are still six more of us. I'm sure someone will accept it."

Weiss stared up at Jaune in shock. She felt like a lightning bolt had just struck.

Jaune… is an Arc?

The famous bloodline of legendary Hunters, famed for their incredibly powerful Auras.

He clenched his teeth, glaring at his sister.

"The silent treatment, huh? Well, no matter. I wasn't expecting to run into you here, but it's rather fun that I have. I look forward to getting to know you all bet-"

"Stay away from me, and the people around me."

"... Excuse me?"

"Stay away, Lily. I'd rather not deal with your bullshit."

The sister frowned, showing signs of anger for the first time, but quickly switched to a smirk.

"You'll have to make me. You were always the runt of the litter, Jaune. Maybe I should remind you of your place."

"Jaune, stay calm…" Weiss whispered.

The blond warrior said nothing for a while.

Then…

"Hah… haha… hahahahahaha…"

He laughed softly.

Lily had to fight hard to stop herself from taking a step back.

That laughter had been more unnerving than his fierce face.

Jaune smiled slightly.

"Careful what you wish for, sister."

Lily stood her ground.

This new, changed version of her brother was intimidating. But she had trained to face difficult opponents head on.

"All right, then. At the Vytal Festival. A fight with the whole world watching. How does that sound?"

"I'll fight you at the Vytal Festival."

For a moment, they were all silent, until Lily pressed one of her gauntlets slightly, causing a holographic display to pop up. It seemed, contrary to what their medieval design suggested, her armour did have modern tech involved.

She looked at the screen for a while before turning it off.

"Well, gotta go, brother. We'll meet again soon."

When she was gone, Weiss finally allowed herself to relax a little.

She felt Jaune return to his normal self as well. Turning to her, he spoke.

"You all right?"

She nodded.

"Jaune… is it true? Are you really an Arc?"

The boy looked into her eyes, and Weiss didn't look away.

Finally, he spoke.

"Well, I suppose we have a lot to discuss. Giving you the answer without proper context will only be detrimental. And… I have things I want to ask you as well."

And so it was, that the two finally began to communicate in earnest.