Howdy do!

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY

Chapter 5: A Beacon of Hope

"Beacon…"

Memories flashed by of his first arrival – stomach aches and throwing up. A perk he'd say from going back in time, he kept everything he gained through his travels. Memories and skills. Best of all, his lack of motion sickness. The man smirked to himself, Crocea Mors resting against his knees as the airship floated along towards the cliff that the magnificent academy stood.

The great tower stood at imposing heights, a beacon to any and all who looked to the huntsmen and huntresses training to protect Remnant. But a frown found its way to his face. When Beacon fell, it fell hard, throwing the four kingdoms into chaos. The once proud school was nothing but a shell of its former self – broken towers and shattered buildings stood as a menacing reminder of an academy containing dormitories and classrooms filled with innocent students and staff. At the summit of Beacon's tower, a sharp pain pierced his chest – Pyrrha's resting place since nothing but the tiara and broken pieces of Milo were what remained.

Jaune knew what he was getting himself into, now he was leagues ahead of what he was the first time around. A chuckle escaped his lips thinking of his old self and the beastly man he was now. First, he no longer looked like a scraggly teen; he looked dignified and powerful, well deserving of his place on the airship. His motion sickness was as good as gone, leaving him peace and quiet without having to worry about throwing up on someone or something. He had a clear plan of what to do rather than go through motions and trying to keep up.

A soft sigh escaped his lips – he thankfully didn't have to hide beneath his sweater anymore. Before arriving to the airship docks, he tossed the pieces of attire away, opting for an experimental form fitting body glove. It was breathable and with the right dust crystals powering the pack – temperature conditioned. Thankfully, the power pack was protected by his thick cuirass. Jaune thanked himself for keeping up with his money and income in greater detail than the first time. He managed to find himself with enough money to buy the body glove and even the necessary upgrades to make it far more useful. The best part of the new attire, he didn't feel so bulky and heavy. While he didn't know the exact specifics, he knew elastic material took up most of the body glove.

His armor was already strapped – Ursa Major faces for Pauldrons and Beringel faces for the poleyn covering his kneecaps. Because he wore a body glove, he also opted out on wearing his signature tattered jeans. While he did remove the jeans from his attire, there was absolutely no way he was going to remove the chuck boots. Flexible and durable, especially with aura infused into the material. On the Airship, he drew his sword out, pulling along a whetstone and began to refine the edges, bored out of his mind. Other first year students looked at him with surprise while others did their best to ignore him. To some, he looked like he was trying too hard to be cool.

His blue eyes scanned the people, teens and young adults, each one either preparing to spend four years of their lives at an academy to kill monsters, or returning to finish their tenure. Each one, initiates and seniors, wore weapons and armor, dressed to impress and maim. Something Jaune could get behind. A few familiar faces from his memories appeared amongst the sea of unimportant faces and people. But there was one that caught his eyes.

"Oh, look! Ren!" A loud voice sounded. "He looks lonely, let's go talk to him!"

His world stopped. Fingers clenched the whetstone, slowly turning it to powder. Nora's voice was the same, cheerful, loving and without a doubt, adorable. Her hyperactivity gave Jaune life and brought JNPR together when they still went to Beacon. His hand quivered, fingers wrapping tightly around the hilt of Crocea Mors. Nora was called by her best friend, Lie Ren, who chastised her for being too excited. That voice hit him like a ton of weight.

Jaune could feel his eyes stinging at the very thoughts of his two closest friends – brother and another sister. She died first, to Tyrian in Solitas and Ren died when Vytal was eradicated. The two loved each other and never even got to date or even managed to express how they loved with words to finalize it. Dropping the whetstone, it cracked it two, barely even a solid state. His hand rushed to his chest, trying to hold his racing heart.

"Are you okay?"

Her voice was so close, he could feel her breath brush against his face. Of course, it would smell like pancakes and maple syrup. He dared not look up to meet her eyes. Those innocent, endearing eyes. Hair hung loose, covering his misting orbs from sight. Muscles clenched and his heart felt like it was skewered like a fat Boarbatusk. He wanted to reach out and hug her but he knew that would be incredibly inappropriate at the moment of their relationship.

"I-I'm fine." He responded, voice as steady as stone.

"Well that's good." She responded, standing straight. "Nora Valkyrie, at your service!"

"Jaune Arc, a pleasure." He smiled. Time to mess with her. "Who's your boyfriend?"

Immediately, her face burned hot with a searing blush. "W-We aren't together! I mean, together-together…not that being together-together is bad or anything it's just –"

"Nora." Ren sighed. "Too much information."

She quickly downcast, steam flowing from her ears. "Sorry. This is Lie Ren, my bestest friend in the entire world!" Throwing a hand back, she grabbed the boy by his shoulders and gave him a customary boop on the nose.

"A pleasure to meet you as well." Jaune rose from his seat.

Ren froze for a moment, pink eyes examining the blond. "Do…do I know you from somewhere? You seem awfully familiar."

The Arc shrugged. "I'm the son of a Valean councilman, probably saw me at one of his rallies or something."

"Oh, that can't be it." Nora added, waving off the idea. "We're not from Vale, actually. We hail from Anima – been on the move and all that jazz. Say, Jaune, can I ask you something important? Like really, really important?

"Sure, by all means."

"Do you like pancakes?!" Jaune went silent at the question, adopting a thinking pose.

"Fluffy and made with heaven's blessings?" He gave her a knowing look. "Drip some –"

"Syrup to make the angels sing!" Nora finished, barely able to contain her excitement. Jumping up and down, she grabbed the green wearing ninja. "OH MY – REN! JAUNE KNOWS THE SONG! JAUNE KNOWS IT TOO! HOW?!"

Her appearance was drawn with a face-splitting smile, reaching ear to ear with sparkles glowing and glimmering in those eyes of hers. For a moment, he really wanted to hug her and Ren, the memories of their time as JNR in Anima and Solitas flooding his thoughts. Ren and Nora never changed – sure there were rough spots along the tumultuous journey, Ren and Nora never fully gave themselves to temptation and rage. They always held the other back when their emotions got the better of them.

That was what made Jaune so strong. It was the bond the two had that gave him the life and love he needed after Pyrrha…

"Hello!" A soft voice joined the group. "Do you mind if I sit down here? All the other seats have been taken."

Pyrrha…

His heart did a backflip, dropping to his stomach and jumping back up. Her voice was calm and soothing, almost like there was a mild uncertainty in her tone. She was nervous – such beauty unmatched. Red hair flowing in crimson cascades, matching the vermilion sash around her waist. Her tiara chains dangled, jingling against her temples. Bronze and leather merged together in a beautiful color scheme that only seemed to accentuate her piercing emerald green eyes.

"Oh?" Nora's explosive personality arose. "And who might you be?"

"I-I'm Pyrrha Nikos." She smiled softly. "I'm surprised you don't know me…"

Jaune and Ren shared a look before shrugging. "Not entirely familiar – are you famous?"

"It's nothing to be concerned about!" Pyrrha said almost too happily. "Who are you three? You seem to be well acquainted."

"Oh, don't worry about Jaune-Jaune, Renny and I just met him." Nora quickly answered. "As for me, I'm queen of the castle, Nora Valkyrie!"

"Nice to meet you, Jaune-Jaune, Renny, Nora."

A soft snicker shook through the blond's body as he slowly burst into laughter. Ren followed suit as did Nora, catching Pyrrha off guard. Her green eyes lowered in embarrassment but a soft, reassuring hand landed on her shoulder. Looking up, she locked eyes with those of Jaune. Almost as if someone had taken the air from her lungs, she was captivated by how blue his irides were. They bubbled with all kinds of emotions, almost hard to tell but there was one she could see almost as clear as day.

Pain.

"Jaune-Jaune, are you alright?" She asked, slowly rising from the seat she had plopped into. "You seem perturbed."

This only caused the Arc to continue laughing. The ridiculous nickname may work when it comes from Nora's mouth – not so much Pyrrha's – but it sure as hell made the entire interaction far more hilarious. "Pyrrha, you can just call me, Jaune." He smiled, sheathing Crocea Mors. "It's just some motion sickness resurfacing." The lie came naturally, surprising the Arc.

"Okay, Jaune." Pyrrha smiled softly. After a soft collection of laughter, the four fell comfortable. Taking seats together, Jaune crossed a leg over the other, leaning back. Pyrrha sighed in relief, feeling comfortable for once. A few people, walked by, gawking at Pyrrha, staring and even asked for autographs – hilariously enough, Nora was the one to bellow out to make them leave her be. The spartan could only sigh in relief. Turning to face her new acquaintances, the smile she bore no longer looked fake and only grew. "Thank you, Nora. Are you guys excited to start studying in Beacon?"

Nora of course, exploded into action, describing an incredibly in-depth plan of what she intends to do for the next four years. Aside from breaking Grimm legs, she was adamant that she and Ren would be partners. But all of a sudden, like lightning itself and sugar high upon sugar high, she pointed out to random people, declaring that she would be friends with them and become the literal queen of the castle. Somewhere along the way, Jaune stopped listening after a while, she leaned into Pyrrha trying to explain to her the difference between waffles and pancakes.

"You've certainly done your…research…" The Nikos smiled nervously, quite unsure of how to respond.

"Don't worry about her – she's…well…Nora." Ren sighed in defeat, a hand rested on the back of his head and the other fell to his lap. "I'm sure all of you will get used to her eventually."

"Well I have seven sisters." Jaune piped. "Can't be worse than that."

"Seven?!" All three teens exclaimed.

"What can I say, my dad really wanted a son." He laughed awkwardly.

"Jaune?" A feminine voice echoed across the airship. "I-Is that you?"

His blue eyes snapped from Pyrrha in almost an instant. Turning his head, he watched a woman with lilac eyes and long curling golden blonde hair was walking towards him with a little silver eyed girl in tow. "Yang, right?"

"So, the lady-killer remembers names." She smirked. "Looking good without the sweater."

"I like to try."

Pyrrha looked at the two with a calculating eye, as did the silver eyed girl. "Yang…do you…know him?"

"I ran into him one night."

"Heh. More like gave me an admiring gaze." Jaune cheekily responded.

Her eyes widened, almost bashful. "Now, now, don't get too ahead of yourself. Ruby, I swear, nothing happened."

"Oh! How could I forget!" Yang reached back, pulling on the girl's red hood and cape. "This is my little sister, Ruby Rose!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ruby." Jaune's smile was calming as he shook hands with the girl.

Within, his stomach was writhing, twisting with agony. The feel of her lithe hands never changed, even ten years later in Vacuo when Tyrian killed her. Jaune closed his eyes for a moment, leaning back into his seat. Cardin did everything he could to protect Ruby while she recovered from the scorpion's ravishing attacks but the Winchester was ultimately defeated and trampled by incoming Grimm. Tyrian skewered her with Crescent Rose without remorse.

Jaune shivered, remembering Cardin's howling sorrow at his failure. With that, all of Team RWBY had died terrible deaths, and he was the last hope for the team. It scarred him beyond the physical. He suffered until the very end in the final battle against Salem. He showed his true colors and strength that day, giving every last ounce of his ability and even gave Jaune his semblance – something the Arc still needed to test.

"Jaune?" Ruby's soft voice echoed in his ears. "You zoned out."

"Oh…sorry! I was just…thinking of home."

"Got anyone waiting for you, lady-killer?" Yang winked.

Pyrrha glared inwardly, something Jaune was going to make sure to take notice of. "Yeah…seven sisters and all."

"SEVEN?!" The two sisters yelled in surprise.

"That's what we said!" Nora cheered. "Seven sisters? Might explain some things."

"Nora." Ren chided. "Don't be mean."

"What~?" She trailed nervously. "I mean…look at how clean and well…proper he is!"

"Are you saying something about me?"

"Oh, Renny, you're Ren! That's different!"

All Jaune could do was sigh. A laugh grew in his chest and slowly made its way into the air around them, contagious and infecting the six teens. I can get used to this…

"Seriously, having seven sisters is not that bad." Jaune continued.

"Well what are their names?" Pyrrha asked, walking alongside him. "You seem dodgy."

"Agh, fine, since all of you won't concede." The boy ran a hand through his blond hair. "The eldest is Rosemary, dark hair and has been a hunter for the last eight years. Then are the twins, Violette and Rosé. Violette is currently working in a book shop in Vale and Rosé is working on a business degree at a business school in Vale."

The group gave 'ooh's' and 'aah's'. "Then are the triplets."

"Triplets?!" Yang asked, face turning purple at the thought.

"Why yes, firecracker." Jaune smirked. "It's my favorite group among my siblings. Okay, the eldest of the three is Doré, a blonde with short cropped hair and sapphire eyes; then it's me, I'm the middle of course; then is Clair, long, thick blonde hair wrapped into a warrior's braid. Both Clair and Doré are on a team together in their second year at Shade Academy. Team CNDR I believe."

"Second years?" Ruby looked at him with awe. "H-How?!"

"It wasn't until recently that I unlocked my semblance." He sighed bashfully. "Clair and Doré were prodigies with the Arc family semblance and the two excelled in ways unseen in Vacuo and were eventually whisked away to Shade to start a year early. Doré uses dual sabre style and Clair uses a bastard sword – if you were wondering."

"You have two more to go." Nora cheered. "I'm excited!"

"I know you are, Nora." Jaune smiled. "These two are my favorite sisters. They're twins as well but they're little toddlers. Margaux is the eldest and Aurore is the younger one. Both have golden tufts of hair but their eyes are what differentiate them. Margaux has a pale pearly white color while Aurore's eyes look like a painter's palette of paint. Oh, and they're Faunus. Margaux has wolf ears and Aurore has a small bushy wolf tail. It's really adorable."

"You have Faunus half-siblings?" Pyrrha smiled. "How lovely!"

"Yeah, well my mother died when my sisters and I were born so it was only a matter of time before my father would move on." He smiled wistfully. "Marie, the mother of Margaux and Aurore, is the only mother I ever knew so…it is lovely. Thanks, Pyr."

"So where exactly are we headed to, Mr. Worldwide?" Yang asked, catching his attention.

"Honestly, I was just following everyone else." He shrugged. "I'm decently certain the auditorium is this way?"

"Watch where you're going!" A cry was heard. "Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?!"

Weiss. Jaune's heart clenched once more. Oh, my gods…you're still beautiful.

"Oh, Rubes…" Yang shook her head. "Of all the people to bump into someone, it's you. Hey, snow princess, sorry about that, my sis can be a klutz sometimes."

"Heiress, actually." A steady voice joined the fray of teenagers. "Weiss Schnee of the SDC in Atlas."

"I'm glad to get some recognition." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"A company known for shoddy practices and questionable business partners." The bow wearing woman added with a tinge of heat.

Blake.

Jaune's heart stopped for a moment. When the war extended throughout Anima, Blake arrived with an army of Faunus from Menagerie and Sun Wukong at her back. The RWBY reunion was a beautiful thing to see but it was short lived. The army of Free-Faunus were defeated in the first few skirmishes against gheist Grimm and the seemingly never-ending horde of Beringel and Nuckelavee. Of course, Beowolves and Ursa flooded the fields of battle.

Blake did her best; almost succumbing to her fears of Adam Taurus. But Jaune stepped in just in time and struck him down, saving both her and Yang from an untimely demise. Blake did everything for them, helping him defend Haven Academy and Mistral but in the end, it still meant nothing Anima was destroyed when Salem arrived to fight the war herself, impatient and losing her mind at how slow progress was being made. Blake and Sun managed to blind and maim her strong-arm lieutenant, Hazel.

It was in that fight that claimed the lives of both of them.

"H-How dare you?!" Weiss exclaimed.

Ruby and Yang giggled to themselves, surprised to hear Nora bellowing her guffaw. "Come along, Ice Princess, we're all going to the same place after all."

"P-Pyrrha Nikos?!" Weiss all but squealed. "This is…incredible!"

With a soft sigh, Jaune walked along, leading his group of new friends.

This time… He smiled sagely. I won't take any of this for granted.

So what did you think?

Please, please, please drop a review, that shit is my bread and butter!

Ja ne!

gottahavekyuubi