Jaune Age: 14
Location: Vacou's Dessert of Doom
Jaune was concentrating a small fire in his hands. It fluctuated in size and intensity as Jaune tried to shape it into a cube. Unfortunately for the young Master, he put too much power into the fire, and it.
*BOOM*
Jaune wasn't affected because of his immunity to fire, but it just pissed him off. "Damn it!" he says, stomping his foot.
"Jaune, it's only been a month. Like I already told you, it usually takes a year for non-True Potential Masters," Mystake said, drinking her tea.
"I know, but it's frustrating," Jaune said, still irritated, his eyes no longer glowing.
"That is something I could probably help with," Mystake said, standing up.
"What are you-" Jaune couldn't finish his question as he was hit in the gut by Mystake using a bo staff.
"You need to work out your frustrations to achieve a clear mind, and a simple spar will do the trick," Mystake said, spinning the staff in her hands.
"Couldn't have warned me first," Jaune groaned as he unsheathed Crocea Mors.
Jaune charged at Mystake and swung his blade downwards Mystake sidestepped and countered with her staff aiming for Jaune's head. Jaune dodged and attempted to throw a punch at Mystake, who blocked with her free hand as their weapons collided.
The two combatants jumped backward before charging at each other, "Ninja-Go!" Jaune and Mystake call out, activating their Spinjitzu. The two tornados clash! One is burning a bright red with fire, the other with dark, destructive energy.
The tornados grind at each other before backing up and charging again. However, the destruction tornado was far more powerful and quickly enveloped the fire tornado into itself. The destruction tornado swung side to side before it expelled Jaune, launching him at the ground at high speeds.
Jaune crashes and sees Mystake approach him. He gets up and ignites Crocea Mors, swinging it a Mystake, sending small waves of fire at her. Mystake canceled her Spinjitzu and used her staff to block and counter the fire waves.
Mystake closes in on Jaune, and their weapons collide. Each swing, slash, and stab got countered, dodged, or blocked. Jaune went for an upwards slash, but Mystake countered, but Jaune planned for this and went into a disarming movement, but then Mystake also used a disarming movement, causing both of their weapons to go flying.
The two stared at each other before Jaune ignited his fists and went for a punch. Mystake reacts accordingly, blocking and countering with a kick to Jaune's stomach.
Jaune used his other hand to counter the kick, "Ninja-Go!" Mystake uses Spinjitzu and crashes into Jaune, sending him flying. Jaune used his fire to stabilize himself mid-air and sent fireballs at Mystake. She absorbs the fireballs and sends them back at Jaune, making them explode, momentarily blinding Jaune.
"Ninja-Go!" Jaune heard Mystake yell before seeing her appear in front of him using Airjitzu and a chop kick sending him back down to the ground. Jaune was lying in a crater as Mystake descended, her fist ready to deliver a finishing blow.
Jaune lifts his hands and creates continuous streams of fire to block Mystake. Mystake uses her magic to propel herself through Jaune's attack. Strangely the fire of Jaune's attack stopped circling Mystake and went downwards, forming a shield.
'Crude, weak, and inefficient,' Mystake thought, seeing what Jaune was doing. 'But impressive that he's doing it subconsciously,' she thought, a proud smile forming seeing her student.
Mystake immediately canceled her attack and jumped to the side. "Alright, we're done for the day," she said.
*Pant* "Wh-what, but I'm just getting fired up," Jaune said, panting, tired from the fight. His fire was beginning to fade away.
"No, but I can tell you're going to do better now than when we first started, so try to shape your element again while I get dinner ready," Mystake said, walking towards their campsite.
"Huh," Jaune replied as he looked down at his hands, formed a fire, and tried shaping it. He closed his eyes and envisioned the Elemental Radiation as a dome similar to what he noticed he did in the fight.
He formed the dome, but it spread and dispelled as soon as he did. He realized he was doing wrong. Jaune had been shaping it poorly and trying to ignite it. If he wanted to create a shaped fire, he would need to shape the Elemental Radiation properly and learn to maintain its shape before igniting it.
"I know that look. Did you figure out what you were doing wrong?" Mystake asked, approaching Jaune.
"Yeah, I was rushing it. This ability needs proper time and concentration. I wasn't doing either, so the ability didn't work because of that," Jaune replied. During the conversion, he shaped Elemental Radiation and ignited it, creating a domed fire.
"Good, you're learning, but now is time for dinner," Mystake said, walking towards the campsite.
"Alright, so what did you make?" Jaune asked, dispelling the fire as he started walking next to Mystake.
"Just some Violet Berry Soup," Mystake replied. Jaune immediately shivered, knowing that Mystake's violet berry soup was terrible.
"You know what, how about I just have some of yesterday's leftovers," Jaune said weakly, smiling.
"Hahaha, I might be an Oni, but even I'm not that evil. I just made some good old-fashioned noodles," Mystake said, chuckling.
"Oh, thank the First Master," Jaune said, sighing in relief.
Jaune Arc Age: 17
Location: Beacon Ozpin's Office
Before going to Ozpin's Office, Jaune went to the Infirmary to let the nurses know where he was and to get a sling for his left arm. He wouldn't admit it, but when Nora hugged him, he was ninety percent sure she had broken his arm, and he needed that sling. Jaune exited the elevator and knocked on the door.
"Come in, Mister Arc," Jaune heard Ozpin call out. He entered the office and saw the Headmaster, Headmistress, and two other strangers.
"Hi," Jaune says, waving at the two strangers. One of the strangers nods, and the other waves while taking a drink from a flask.
"Mister Arc, please take a seat," Ozpin says, gesturing to a chair in front of the desk.
"So, what do you need me for?" Jaune asked, sitting in the chair.
"I need information on the two individuals that attacked you in Forever Fall," Ozpin said.
"Yeah, if I'm going to hunt down some crooks, then I need as much information as possible, kid," one of the two strangers said. Jaune got a good look at the man. He was tall, had green eyes, and had orange-red hair. He also wore a strange eyepatch over his right eye.
"Umm, who are you?" Jaune asked the man.
"Well, the name's Ronin, and I'm the guy who's going to help find the two who did this to you," Ronin said, gesturing toward Jaune's injuries.
"Wait, then, who's he?" Jaune said, using his thumb to point toward the other man.
"Don't mind me, kid, but just to put whatever nerves you have at rest, you can call me Qrow," Qrow said, taking another drink from his flask.
"Well, alright, but to be honest, I can't remember much from the fight," Jaune said, sighing. He didn't notice that his eyes turned dark purple for a split second.
"Ah, I will call you when you can provide some information. You may go now," Ozpin said, causing confusion among his colleagues.
"Um, alright, I'll see you later, Professor," Jaune said, getting up and exiting the room.
"Oz, why'd you let the kid go?" Qrow asked his flask prepared if the answer was stupid.
"Yeah, how am I supposed to hunt down those jerks if our only lead just walked away," Ronin added, frustrated since this meant he wouldn't get paid for a while.
"I figured out the type of spell used on Jaune," Ozpin replied. As soon as he said this, Qrow put his flask away, and Ronin furrowed his eyebrows. Both men recently had a run-in with magic, not the good kind.
"You sure, Oz?" Qrow asked, hoping whoever used the magic on Jaune would lead him to whoever attacked Amber.
"Yeah, 'cause I'm not being paid enough for this. I don't know if you know this, but a certain someone we all know recently came into possession of certain powers, which was not good. I barely made it out alive," Ronin said, a shiver going through his back, remembering the fight.
*Sigh* "I'm well aware of both of your experiences, and the person we are dealing with has the Book of Spells. Mystake could not detect the magic because of her dwindling power, but I am certain that the spell used was a memory charm," Ozpin said, holding his mug and taking a sip.
*Groan* "Great, another agent of the queen has access to ancient magical abilities that we can't do anything against," Qrow says frustratedly, taking a swing from his flask.
"Mind if I have some of that too?" Ronin asked, rubbing his temples as Qrow handed him the flask, and he took a big sip from it.
'Ugh, men,' Glynda thought as she saw her colleagues fall to their vices.
"Now that you're done with that, I can start with assignments," Ozpin said, finishing his drink. Qrow and Ronin straighten up, knowing what's to come.
"Ronin, I'm going to need you to keep a close eye on Mister Arc and his team," Ozpin ordered.
"Got it, and just to make sure?" Ronin trailed off, but everyone was aware of what he was implying.
"Yes, you will be compensated for your time," Ozpin responded, rolling his eyes.
"Much obliged," Ronin said, heading out.
"Ozpin, I still don't understand why we need his help," Glynda groaned, her dislike of the bounty hunter evident.
"Yeah, I'm with her, Ozzy. The guy might be my drinking buddy, but even I can admit he's a bit of an ass," Qrow added, taking another sip from his flask. How is that thing not empty yet? Nobody knows.
*Sigh* "No matter your feelings about Ronin, he is one of our most valuable agents. His skills can rival yours, Qrow, so his help is necessary," Ozpin answered.
*Sigh* "Fine," Qrow responds with a roll of his eyes. "So what's my assignment Oz?" he asked, despite knowing the answer.
"You are going back to recon and continue the search for Amber's attackers," Ozpin said, continuing to drink from his mug.
*Sigh* "Fine, tell Ruby and Yang I said hi," Qrow said, turning into his bird form and exiting through the window.
"Is there anything you need me to do, Ozpin?" Glynda asks.
"No, that will be all. I am going to contact Mystake for assistance on the memory spell affecting Mister Arc," Ozpin said, dismissing Glynda.
"Of course, sir," Glynda said, exiting the office.
*Sigh* "It's times like this. I miss the Alliance," Ozpin said to himself in his office.
Location: Beacon Academy Dorm Area
Jaune was returning to his dorm when he saw. Team RWBY, but he noticed they were missing B. "Hey, guys, what's up?" He asked cautiously.
They all looked up at him, their eyes widening in surprise. Ruby immediately jumped and hugged him crying. Jaune's instincts kicked in, and he tried to comfort her. Team NPR came into the hallway to see what had happened, and the sight was slightly expected but also strange.
"Um, what's going on here?" Pyrrha asked, confused, before looking around, "And where's Blake?" as she asked this, Ruby started to cry louder and hugged Jaune tighter.
"Ow! Ruby, my arm!" Jaune said, his left arm still in pain. After hearing that, Ruby backed up, letting go of Jaune.
"Sorry," Ruby replied, looking down, her eyes full of tears.
"Ruby, it's okay, but I need you to tell me what's wrong," Jaune said, putting his hand on Ruby's shoulder and comforting her.
"I'll tell you what happened! Blake was a member of the White Fang! She's a Faunus hiding beneath our noses!" Weiss shrieked, looking furious.
"Oh, you guys finally figured that out," Jaune responded casually. After he said that, everyone in the hallway looked at him in shock.
"WHAT!" Weiss shrieked, zooming towards Jaune, and grabbed his collar. "You knew this entire time and didn't say anything!" she yelled in his face.
"It was obvious if you saw the signs," Jaune said, disappearing and reappearing behind everyone. "Also, do that again, and I will burn you," he threatened, his eyes glowing.
"Jaune, what do you know about Blake?" Ruby asked, getting in between Weiss and Jaune, not wanting more of her friends to fight.
"I'll tell you, but I need you to meet me here. It's more private," Jaune responded, sending Ruby directions to his favorite Rooftop.
"Thank you," Ruby replied, looking up from her Scroll, seeing Jaune was gone.
"Ruby, do you mind if we go with we want to know more about what's happening?" Pyrrha asked, confused by the current situation.
"Um yeah, I guess," Ruby said.
"Well, come on, we can't waste any more time. If Blondie has any useful info on Blake, then we need it," Yang said, getting impatient.
"Right! Let's go," Ruby said, leading the group toward the Rooftop.
Location: Beacon Rooftop
"Ruby, you are the worst with directions," Yang said, opening the door to the Rooftop.
"It's not my fault the map is so bad," Ruby defended.
"I'm with Ruby on this one. The Beacon maps are terrible," Jaune said, waiting for them on the Rooftop.
"Well, Arc, you claim to have knowledge on Blake, so spill it," Weiss demanded impatiently.
"Weiss, please calm down," Ruby pleaded to her partner.
"Yeah, no threatening Fearless Leader unless you want broken legs," Nora said, pulling her hammer from nowhere.
"Nora, please calm down," Ren said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Fine," Nora replied, putting Magnhild on her back.
"Jaune, please, what do you know about Blake?" Yang asked, in a grave tone contrasting with the playful one she usually had.
"Well, from our conversation in the hallway, was anything to go by? I knew she was a Faunus before you," Jaune remarked sarcastically.
"We're serious, Arc. Now tell us what you know!" Weiss screeched.
"Blake is a cat Faunus the daughter of Ghira and Kali Belladonna, the founders of the White Fang, and she was more than likely a member of the White Fang," Jaune told them, shocking his friends.
"I knew she was a White Fang member!" Weiss said in a self-assured tone.
"Exactly, she was a member and considering her disguise. It's safe to say she is no longer a member of the White Fang," Jaune told her, ensuring she understood.
"But what was her disguise?" Ruby asked, tilting her head in confusion, causing the others to murmur in speculation.
"Wait, you didn't figure it out?" Jaune asked and deadpanned, seeing the confusion on their faces. "Here's a hint," he said, creating a fire bow on top of his head.
"Oh, my Oum, how did we not notice that," Yang said, seeing Jaune twitch his fire bow.
"It does seem kind of obvious now that I think about it," Ruby mumbled.
"Yup, but in all seriousness, Blake has probably been through a lot when she was a White Fang member. I think you guys should give her some time," Jaune told them, dispelling his fire bow.
"Why should we!? She's a criminal! We should report her!" Weiss said, stomping her foot.
"Look, who's talking," Jaune retorted, rolling his eyes.
"What was that Arc!" Weiss yelled.
"Guys, please don't fight," Ruby said, getting in between Jaune and Weiss.
Weiss grabbed Ruby's arm and moved her to the side. "No, Arc clearly has something to say! So spill it!" she yelled, walking up to Jaune's face.
Yang's eyes turned red as she approached Weiss, ready to give her a piece of her mind seeing how she treated Ruby. Until.
"You are a hypocrite of the highest order, Schnee," Jaune said with apparent malice. His eyes burned bright with fire, causing most to take a step back at Jaune's tone.
"I have seen what your company does to humans and Faunus. So stop pretending that the White Fang doesn't have a reason to hate because it does. That's not to say I support what they're doing, but you, Weiss Schnee, are not the only victim here," Jaune finished looking Weiss in the eyes before leaving.
"Jaune, where are you going?" Pyrrha asked her partner.
"I'm going to go take a nap. I'm tired," Jaune responded, the fire in his eyes gone as they returned to their dull appearance. Team NPR saw the reaction of their sister team and decided to leave them and follow after their Leader.
"Ho-how dare he say those things! Who those he thinks he is-" Weiss shrieked before being cut off.
"Weiss! Calm down! You asked Jaune to tell you what he thought, so don't go and complain just because he tells you something you don't like!" Ruby said, raising her voice against her partner.
"I-i! How can you say that!" Weiss rebutted.
"Jaune's right. Tell me, Weiss, how much do you know about Blake that isn't from your own prejudices!" Yang demanded, her eyes still burning red, her eyes locking on Weiss's.
"I-i well um she-" Weiss tried to answer but couldn't.
"Exactly, come on, Ruby, we might have better luck later," Yang said, turning and walking away.
Weiss was left alone with her thoughts, 'they don't know what I've had to go through, but I don't know what she's been through.'
Time Skip: Sunday Morning
Jaune was up. He'd been up for a few hours sitting on his bed, already dressed in one of his suits. He had chastised himself for allowing himself to slip up and explode like that.
"Jaune?" Jaune turned and saw his team. They looked worried.
"Yeah?" Jaune responded, raising an eyebrow.
"We wanted to talk about yesterday and what you said to Weiss," Pyrrha said, stepping closer to Jaune.
"Don't worry. We'll talk later. I have to go do something," Jaune said, approaching the door.
"Jaune, please talk to us," Pyrrha said.
"Yeah, Fearless Leader, we're a team. Talk to us," Nora said, her usual energy gone.
Ren said nothing, but his blank stare bore into Jaune. Like a hot knife through butter.
"I-i fin-" Before Jaune could finish, he created a flash of light using his fire. When the light died, Jaune was missing, and the door was open.
"Come on, we have to follow him," Pyrrha said, going to exit the room before Ren placed his hand on her shoulder.
"He clearly doesn't want to talk about it. Give him time," Ren said, looking Pyrrha in the eyes.
"I know, but we just got him back, and he's already drifting away," Pyrrha said, sighing.
"Don't worry, Pyrrha, he's our Fearless Leader. He has that title for a reason. He'll talk when he wants to," Nora said calmly, a confident smile on her face.
"I suppose I just can't bear to lose him," Pyrrha responds, downtrodden.
"I can understand, but we need to give him time and meet Jaune later," Ren said, his hand no longer on Pyrrha's shoulder.
"Very well then, let's go," Pyrrha says, leading the three out of the dorm room.
Jaune, hiding above them in one of the corners of the room, had silently begun to cry, knowing that even in his attempt to save them, he could only hurt them.
'Even my actions to help can only hurt them,' Jaune repeats the thought. "I am no hero; I am no Arc," he says before heading to Vale for the day.
Time Skip: Later that Night
Jaune returned to his dorm room at one am. He looked exhausted and felt exhausted. He looked around and saw that his team was already asleep. He could see the worried expressions on their faces. Even in their sleep, he instantly felt worse than he already did.
He just stood there in the doorway. He couldn't even force himself to go to his bed and join his teammates in the bliss that is sleep.
"Oh hey, Jaune, what are you doing up this late?" Jaune turned to see his fellow Leader in her pajamas out in the halls.
"Oh, um, hey Ruby, I'm just thinking, what are you doing out here?" Jaune asked, closing the door behind him.
"Hmm, oh, I was hoping to get a snack from the kitchen," Ruby responded nervously and chuckled.
"You're worried about Blake, aren't you?" Jaune asked, seeing the worry in Ruby's eyes.
"Is it that obvious?" Ruby asked, lowering her head.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll find her," Jaune said, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks, so what's bothering you?" Ruby asked, a knowing look on her face.
"Heh, you're more observant than I expected," Jaune said with a humorless chuckle.
"Jaune, I'm serious. What's wrong?" Ruby said in her 'Leader' voice.
"Ruby, what do you do when you try to help, and all it does is make things worse?" Jaune asks, his dull eyes showing his exhaustion.
"Are you sure what you're trying to solve is a problem?" Ruby asks with a curious look.
"What do you mean?" Jaune asks, raising his eyebrow.
"Jaune, a problem only exists as long as one person thinks it's a problem," Ruby tells him. "So is what you're dealing with a problem, or do you just think it's a problem?" she asked.
"If you want an honest answer, I don't know," Jaune answered, looking down.
"That's okay. You don't have to answer right now. Just think about it," Ruby said, opening her door. "Good night Jaune."
*Sigh* "Yeah, I'll think about it. Good night Ruby," Jaune said, opening his door as the two entered their dorms and slept.
Time Skip: Monday
It was a Monday morning, and Jaune woke up early so he wouldn't have to interact with his teammates. He received a message from Headmaster Ozpin that he was excused from his classes. He was surprised but didn't question it.
He decided to spend the day on the Rooftop and think about what he and Ruby had discussed earlier. 'Am I truly helping them, or is it better to tell them,' Jaune thought, looking back at his teammates before leaving.
Jaune lay on the roof, staring upward, his eyes blank. Eventually, they closed, and he decided to take a nap.
*Bzzt*
"Hmm," *Yawn* Jaune woke up as his Scroll vibrated. Checking it, he saw a message from the school nurse asking him to report to the Infirmary for a mandatory check-up.
Jaune headed to the Infirmary and saw his team approaching on the opposite side of the hall. He quickly hid on the roof.
"Are you sure you haven't seen them?" He heard Pyrrha ask with some worry.
"Yeah, they've been missing all day," Nora said, her usual energy still missing. It upset him to see her like that.
'Oh, they must be talking about team RWBY,' Jaune thought, realizing what his team was talking about.
"Don't worry, Pyrrha. I'm sure they're just out in Vale searching for Blake," Ren said
"I hope so," Pyrrha said. "Has anyone seen Jaune?" she asked, looking at her two teammates.
Nora looked down. Her downtrodden expression broke Jaune's heart, a tear threatening to escape from his eyes.
"No, our leader is still missing," Ren responded, a small amount of edge in his voice, but it was especially noticeable when he said 'leader' this hurt Jaune more than he could ever explain.
"Very well then, we shall see him later, I suppose," Pyrrha said.
Her expression caused Jaune so much emotional damage that he couldn't hold it anymore, and a tear fell from his eye, hitting Pyrrha. As she looked up, Jaune disappeared, but Pyrrha still got a glance at her team leader.
'Jaune,' Pyrrha thought, realizing what hit her and seeing her team leader flee.
'How could I have been so careless!' Jaune internally screamed as he was close to the Infirmary, and he punched the wall.
He shook his head and walked into the Infirmary, where the head nurse glared at him and shrieked about how he should've been here half an hour ago.
After a half-hour lecture, the nurses checked his injuries and removed his bandages. It had been two days since team RWY had told him and his team about Blake running away.
"Now, Mister Arc, just because we are removing your bandages doesn't mean you should do anything strenuous. Understood," the head nurse said.
"Yes, ma'am," Jaune replied, nodding.
"Good, now run along and stay safe. I better see you here again," The nurse said sternly.
"Hehehe, of course," Jaune said, exiting the Infirmary.
"Jaune, we need to talk," Pyrrha said, waiting outside the Infirmary for Jaune.
'Crap, I should've known she'd be here.' "Uh, r-right now, I was hoping to do some light cardio. You know, can't let these muscles waste away," Jaune said, holding up his newly non-bandaged arm and holding it up.
"Jaune, this is important. Those things you said to Weiss, what did you mean? Where did you train?" Pyrrha asked, worry in her eyes.
"I-i, you know, trained with my master," Jaune responded, taking a step back.
"Yes, but where did you master train you?" Pyrrha asked, taking a step forward.
"I-i, I'm sorry," Jaune said, quickly creating a bright flash of light using his fire.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha said, seeing that Jaune had disappeared. 'Jaune, what are you hiding?' she thought, walking towards her dorm room.
Jaune had seen her leave from outside the window. "Sorry, Pyrrha, but this is for your own good," He told himself.
Jaune avoided his team for the day, knowing he couldn't tell them he couldn't let them get close to him. Everyone who did just ended up getting hurt or worse in some cases. Jaune was standing outside his dorm room. He hesitated from opening the door.
"Hey, Jaune, can I talk to you?" Jaune heard and saw his fellow team leader.
"Oh, um, sure. What do you want to talk about," Jaune responded.
"Not here," Ruby said, grabbing Jaune and using her semblance to take him to the Rooftop.
"Ruby, please, for the love of the First Master, warn me before doing that," Jaune said as Ruby dragged him away.
The two team leaders arrive at the Rooftop. Jaune takes a deep breath to calm himself down.
"So what did you want to talk to me about," Jaune said, turning towards Ruby and seeing the entire team, including Blake.
"We wanted to thank you," Ruby said, smiling at Jaune.
"What, why?" Jaune asked, confused.
"Yeah, without you, Blondie, we wouldn't have remembered to check for any White Fang news," Yang said with a bright grin.
"Yes, and after your words and remembering a new shipment of Dust that would be coming in at the docks yesterday, we went there, and we found Blake after she had taken care of the White Fang attack there," Weiss said with a smile.
"Yep, thanks to you. Team RWBY is back together again!" Ruby said, raising her hand to the sky.
"You're welcome? So how was the reunion?" Jaune asked, still trying to understand why they had to thank him directly.
"Get ready, Blondie, this is a good one," Yang said with a smile.
"Yup, it all started like this," Ruby said as she began to tell the story.
FlashBack: Earlier
Ruby and Penny were walking together, searching for Blake. Until.
*Boom!*
In the distance, a large explosion and smoke appeared. The two girls look towards it and realize where the sound came from.
"Oh no," Ruby mutters before rushing toward the explosion, Penny following her.
They get to dock and climb a building to get a better vantage point. Ruby sees Roman Torchwick standing over the blonde Faunus from a few days ago. 'Come on, Ruby, say something cool,' "Hey!" This gets the attention of both Roman and the Faunus. 'Genius, Ruby genius.' she thinks to herself, unfolding Crescent Rose.
Roman looks over and sees Ruby, "Oh Well, hello, Red! Isn't it past your bedtime?" He sarcastically asks.
Penny, listening, walked up to Ruby, "Ruby, are these people your friends?" she asked, tilting her head.
"What, no, Penny get back," Ruby said, turning to her.
Roman sees this and grins wickedly. Raising his cane, he fires at Ruby. Ruby looks back in time to see the shot and raises Crescent Rose in a defensive stance closing her eyes.
"I see," Ruby opened her eyes and saw a giant ice wall in front of her guarding her. She turned to Penny. Penny's eyes began to glow a pale blue with snowflakes emanating from them.
"Worry not, friend Ruby. I shall take care of them," Penny said, stepping forward.
"Penny, wait!" Ruby tried to move but couldn't. She looked down and saw that the ice protecting her had frozen her feet and Crescent Rose. The ice kept her locked in place.
"Don't worry, Ruby. I'm combat-ready!" Penny said her backpack opened up, revealing a single sword that split into multiple. She then jumps down and begins to attack.
Penny flings the swords at the White Fang members. A few try to sneak up on her, but they get frozen before being bashed with the swords sending them flying. She combines the swords into a giant saw blade projectile and launches it at a group of White Fang members before freezing them to ensure they stay down.
The White Fang members continue to charge at Penny, but this doesn't bother her as she dodges all their attacks and retaliates by knocking them away or freezing them with ice.
*Whirr Whirr Whirr*
Looking over, Penny saw three Bullheads approaching before they began to open fire on her. She spins her swords rapidly to shield herself while deploying two swords, launching them backward, embedding them into a nearby wall, and using their strings to pull herself back.
Penny's swords then form a cylinder in front of her, rolling with a mix of green and light blue energy with shards of ice protruding and being absorbed back into the energy sphere. She cups her hands together and draws them back before pushing them forward.
The laser shoots forward with enough force to crack the pavement. The moment the laser hits two of the Bullheads, it freezes most of them, but it also cuts them in half forcing the White Fang members to jump out of it. The remains of the Bullheads crash into the water.
The third Bullhead tried to fly away with a Dust container, but Penny launched her swords at it. The moment the swords stabbed into the Bullhead, ice emanating from them started to coat it. She then walked backward, pulling the Bullhead with her.
"How is she doing that?" Ruby asks in awe, still struggling to get out of the ice.
Penny pulled the swords with all her strength, causing the Bullhead to crash and the ice to spread, coating the entire Bullhead. Roman, who saw the entire thing, went running away.
"Oh no, you don't!" someone yelled out as a net was launched at Roman.
Roman turns around, spins his cane, redirects the net, and sees the person who yelled at him; his eyes widen. "Oh great, not you!" he yells at the man.
"Roman long time no see, but as much as I want to catch up, I have a job to do," Ronin says, pushing a few buttons on his wrist and whistling.
"Oh great, and R.E.X too? Tonight is just not my night," Roman says sarcastically.
"Oh, don't start complaining. I'm sure you have Neo hiding somewhere around here," Ronin said as R.E.X appeared, its guns ready and aiming at Roman. "Now, I'm only going to say this once, so listen, if you surrender peacefully, then I might be able to get you a deal," He said, holding out his hand.
*Pfft* "HAHAHA oh my hahaha oh that's a good one," Roman said, holding his stomach and laughing before looking at Ronin with a fierce glare. "You and I know nobody can pull enough strings to make a deal I would take."
*Sigh* "Yeah, I should have seen that coming. Don't say I didn't warn you," Ronin said before whistling as R.E.X began firing at Roman.
Roman then shatters like glass as the Bullhead appears in the distance. "You were right! I did have Neo around!" Roman yells from the Bullhead.
*Sigh* "You should know by now, Roman, that you can run, but you can't hide. I'll get you later, Roman," Ronin said, seeing the authorities arrive. 'I should probably take my leave now; besides, this wasn't my job,' he thought, getting into R.E.X and leaving.
With Ruby and the rest
Ruby was sitting next to Blake, Sun, and Penny as the police arrested all the remaining White Fang members. Then Yang and Weiss arrive. Weiss immediately locks onto Blake and begins to walk towards her.
"Look, Weiss, it's not what you think. She explained the whole thing," Ruby said, walking up to Weiss.
Weiss ignored Ruby and looked Blake straight in the eyes. Blake, for her part, calmed down and looked back at Weiss.
"Weiss, I want you to know I'm no longer associated with the White Fang. Back when I was with the"
"Stop! Do you know how long we've been searching for you?" Weiss pauses her expression, changing to be unreadable. "Twelve hours. That means I've had twelve hours to think about this. And in those twelve hours, I've decided…" she trailed off as the rest looked on in worry at what would follow. "I don't care."
Everyone not named Weiss immediately gained a look of relief and surprise.
Blake's eyes widened, "You don't care?" she questioned in disbelief.
"You said you're not one of them anymore, right?" Weiss asked rhetorically.
"No, I-I haven't been since I was younger-" Blake tried to explain again.
"Ah-bahp-bahp-bahp! I don't want to hear it. I want to know that the next time something this big comes up... you'll come to your teammates," Weiss said, looking towards Yang and Ruby smiling. "And not some… Someone else," She said, looking towards Sun with a mild glare.
Blake looks at Weiss, then at a grinning Ruby and Yang before wiping a tear from her eye and nodding. "Of course."
The two have a profound moment. "Yeah! Team RWBY is back together!" Ruby yells, raising her fist to the sky, cutting the moment short but replacing it with a joyful atmosphere.
End of Flashback
"The rest doesn't matter, but all that matters is that team RWBY is back with some of your help," Ruby said, smiling.
"How did you know what Roman and Ronin said if you weren't there for that?" Jaune asked, holding a cup of tea in his hand. He got it during the flashback.
"Penny can read lips, and she told me what they said," Ruby answered.
"Makes sense, I guess, but still, I think you're giving me too much credit. All I did was tell Weiss my opinion. I wasn't there to help in the actual searching process or fight," Jaune said, scratching the back of his head.
"That isn't true. You knew it wouldn't be right if your team were to help. It wouldn't help the situation. It was also your words, as harsh as they were, that helped me realize that I didn't know the entire situation and that I should listen to the full story before judging others," Weiss said, looking down and shaming herself for her past actions.
"Anyone could've done that. It's nothing special," Jaune waves off the comment.
"Just because you think that doesn't mean we do, but there is someone here who wants to talk to you personally," Weiss said with a sigh as Yang and Ruby left, leaving Blake and Jaune alone on the Rooftop.
"So, Blake, what do you want to talk about?" Jaune asked.
"I just wanted to say thank you," Blake said, looking away.
"For what?" Jaune asked casually.
"For keeping my secret even if it ultimately hurts my team," Blake responded, her bow flattening in embarrassment.
"You're welcome, I guess, but it's really nothing. It wasn't my place to tell," Jaune said, shrugging.
"I still wish to thank you. Your words helped improve Weiss, so thank you," Blake repeated in gratitude.
"It's nothing but Blake. You should also know that I'm aware that you have your suspicions about me and my background," Jaune said, facing away from Blake.
"I had my suspicions, but I know your reasons were noble, which is why I no longer suspected you," Blake said, her back turned to Jaune's.
"You call them noble. I call them selfish," Jaune said, lowering his head.
"Those terms can be interchangeable depending on the person's belief," Blake responded.
"So, which term would you use?" Jaune asked.
"From what I've seen of your actions, I would use noble," Blake said.
"Then our beliefs differ," Jaune said.
"You should know Jaune. The truth hurts, yet it sets you free. Secrets are comforting, yet they forever trap you," Blake said.
"Hmm, I'll keep that in mind," Jaune said, turning to see that Blake had disappeared. 'Hehe, I deserve that,' he thought, alone atop the Rooftop.
Jaune stood on top of the roof with his thoughts and a repeating phrase. 'Is what I'm trying to solve really a problem?' he thought before flashes of his teammates and the emotions they've felt since he woke up from his fight.
"No, no, it isn't," Jaune says, a tear falling from his face realizing that all he's been doing was hurting his teammates. "I know what I have to do now," He mutters, taking out his Scroll and typing out a message.
*BZZT*
The three members of team JNPR all received messages on their Scrolls, and knowing this meant something important, they decided to check it and saw a message from their wayward Leader.
"Hey, um, look, I know I haven't been the best Leader or friend in the last few days, so I would understand if you wouldn't want to meet, but I realized something, and I need to talk to all of you. This might be the most important thing we'll ever discuss, so if you want to meet me here," The message came with an attached location, and all of them quickly rushed to the location.
The three teammates arrived and saw their Leader. He looked exhausted, as if he had been awake for hours.
"Jaune, what do you want to talk about?" Pyrrha asked her partner.
"Tell me, what do you guys know about me?" Jaune asked, not meeting his team's eyes.
"What do you mean?" Ren asks, his eyebrow raised.
"It's exactly how I said. What do you know about me?" Jaune repeated. This confused the three teammates, but they knew little about their Leader when they reflected on it.
"Exactly, look, my past isn't something I wanted to talk about, but I realized that the longer I keep my secrets buried, the more they'll hurt when they get revealed, so I decided that I will tell you on my terms," Jaune told them looking them in the eyes.
"Jaune-" Pyrrha was about to ask something, but Jaune cut her off.
"Pyrrha, this is my choice, so please, I'd like to get this out," Jaune said. His teammates saw the commitment in his eyes and knew there was nothing they could do to stop him.
"Very well then," Pyrrha says.
"If this is what you want," Ren says, understanding Jaune's resolve.
"Don't worry, Fearless Leader. I can tell this means a lot to you. I can keep quiet just for you," Nora says, a smile that tells Jaune not to worry.
"Thanks, all of you. You're the best team I could've ever asked for. Now, I'd like to tell my story and get ready. It's a long one," Jaune said, seeing his teammates had no more questions.
"Well, then it all started back when I was ten years old," he started his story when he first discovered the books and scrolls about his ancestors and their adventures.
"I eventually made a deal with my dad to let me train for a year, and if I met his expectations, he would train me," Jaune continued telling them of his training and how his sisters eventually joined him.
"I became overzealous, and one day I went out to the woods near my home village to challenge the Grimm, but I didn't know that my sisters followed," he said, almost breaking down but continued explaining what happened the day of his greatest mistake. Then he told them about what happened when Mystake officially made him her student and how his training started.
"We went to Mistral for the first part of my training, and there I met Emerald. After a while, we became friends, but one day, she followed me to my training site," Jaune said, unable to entirely hold back and tearing up, explaining what happened to one of his few friends.
He told them everything after that. His training, his travels across all of Remnant, and his encounters with bandits, criminals, and civilians wherever he went. Vacuo, Atlas, Mantel, Mistral, and Vale he has seen it all.
"That is my story. That is my burden, do you understand?" Jaune asked, finished with his story, and revealed everything he knew to his team.
"T-that's a lot to take in, Jaune," Pyrrha responds, her mind overwhelmed with the knowledge she's gained about the world and her team leader. 'T-that is w-why he n-never liked me. I remind him o-of his failure,' she thought, holding back her tears.
"I am not sure I know what to say," Ren said in a state of shock, learning what Jaune had gone through. 'He has been through so much, but it is clear that he has not fully learned to control his emotions and fears,' he thought, understanding Jaune's fears and actions in the past few days.
"Fearless Leader, have you ever had to kill?" Nora asked, afraid of what the answer could be. 'Please say no, please say no, please say no,' she repeated, not wanting her image of the closest thing to a family to shatter from her Leader's actions.
"No, I have never killed in all my time and travels. I have never needed to take a life," Jaune answers looking down.
'Thank you,' Nora thought, a smile forming as she could see that Jaune truly regrets his actions and has grown from whom he used to be.
There was a strange silence that enveloped the Rooftop. Jaune eventually decided to break the silence.
"Look, if you want a different leader, I would understand now that you know all of this," Jaune said, seeing Pyrrha's strange reaction to his story.
"No, Jaune, it's just. Can you give me some time?" Pyrrha asked, unsure what to do and almost shaking, trying not to cry.
"Yeah, I understand. How long do you need?" Jaune asked, nodding, trying to understand what Pyrrha wanted.
"I'm not sure. Just give me some time to think," Pyrrha responded, beginning to look away as the more she looked at Jaune, the more she wanted to cry.
"Yeah, all right, just call me when you need to talk," Jaune said, trying to look her in the eyes but couldn't after she turned around.
Pyrrha went to leave and ran off to her dorm, tears in her eyes. Jaune saw her, and a tear ran from his eye, knowing there wasn't anything he could do now and that she needed time and space to understand her feelings.
"Do you guys think I did the right thing?" Jaune asked his two remaining teammates.
"You did what you thought was right," Ren said, looking at his Leader.
*Sigh* "I guess. So why did you both stay?" Jaune asked with a bittersweet smile.
Ren went to say something, but before he could, Nora spoke up.
"Why did you leave them?" Nora asked her question vaguely, but Jaune knew precisely what she meant.
*Sigh* "I hurt them, Nora, and I couldn't bear the guilt, and in a way, to keep their dreams alive, I left to become a hero and achieve our dreams," Jaune replied, looking towards the edge of the roof.
"What were they like?" Nora asks, walking next to Jaune. Ren decided to stay back and let them have their moment.
"My mother was a kind but vengeful woman. If anyone messed with her family, then she would bring down the full force of her fury upon them," Jaune said, a small smile on his face as he pulled out the only photo he had left of them.
"What were sisters like?" Nora asked, looking at the photo. It had a bit of burn damage and was very old, judging by the fact that Jaune looked like he was six in the photo.
"Ha, where do I even begin? You know I have seven sisters, right," Jaune says, his smile widening.
"Wow," Nora said wide-eyed before turning to Jaune. "Do your parents not have a hobby or something?" she asked hysterically.
"I don't know, and frankly, I don't want to know," Jaune responded, shivering at the thought of his parents doing it.
"Hehe, well, come on, tell me, what are your sisters like?" Nora asked, her usual energy back as she grabbed Jaune's arm.
"All right, all right," Jaune said, shaking his head. "Let's start from the top and work our way down. First is Bordeaux," he said, pointing at her in the photo.
"She is your quintessential older sister, nice, warm, responsible, a great cook, and smart, but don't let that fool you. She is still an Arc. If you get on her bad side, then you'll have to deal with dark Bordeaux," Jaune explained dramatically before noticing Nora giggling at him.
"w-what's with that look," Jaune said, smiling.
"Dark Bordeaux was the best you could come up with," Nora said, laughing and pointing at Jaune.
"Shut up, it was intimidating back then," Jaune said, smiling and looking toward Ren as he walked up to him.
"I stayed to tell you that I will help you with your emotions," Ren said, walking up to Jaune.
"Thanks, Ren, but my master already taught me how to control my emotions," Jaune said.
"Jaune, after seeing your actions for the past few days, I severely doubt that," Ren responded.
Jaune raised his finger, opening his mouth to refute but couldn't. "Fair enough, I guess, as long as we don't have to drink those weird shakes you make when training," he said, lowering his hand.
*Sigh* "How many times do I have to tell you they are good for you," Ren said with a dull glare as Jaune gags thinking about the shakes.
"Whatever you say, but id rather just drink tea," Jaune responded before looking around, seeing it was late. "We should probably head back, and I can tell you another time, okay," he told his teammates.
"All right, let's go, Fearless Leader," Nora said. Ren nodded in agreement as he and Jaune walked up to her as the three went to the door before Nora stopped walking. Jaune looked back at her as Ren walked ahead, looking at the two.
"Fearless Leader, will you ever leave us?" Nora asked, looking down solemnly.
Jaune looked down. "I hope I never have to, but always remember Nora, you'll always be like a sister to me," he said, facing up at her with a warm smile.
Nora said nothing but just smiled back and nodded, walking up to him as Ren smiled at the two.
The three went to their dorm room, seeing that Pyrrha was already asleep. Jaune saw her expression and knew he would have to talk privately with her later.
Location: Unknown
"Ugh, Clouse, how long was I out for?" Chen asks, rubbing his head.
"Only for a few days, master," Clouse responded, handing Chen a cup of tea.
"Did we get him?" Chen asks, still disoriented.
"No, his training with Her was too great, and it proved to match your power," Clouse responded, shaking his head.
"Damn it, even with all this power. I'm still too weak!" Chen yelled, getting up.
"Don't worry. The boy was heavily injured. We shall get him next time," Clouse tried to reassure but was struck with a bolt of lightning from Chen, who had retrieved his staff.
"Don't try to give me pity! You understand why I need this power, but above that, you know what will happen if we fail. She will not be pleased," Chen said with a sneer.
"M-my apologies, m-master," Clouse said as he got up, but before the two men could say anything, they felt a strange chill go down their backs, seeing the Seer Grimm appear in their base.
Clouse acted quickly and used his magic to dress and clean up his Master while standing next to him, prepared to meet with Her.
The Seer Grimm displayed the image of a strange being. The being's eyes had black sclera, red irises, and purple pupils. They were covered in shadows, with only their eyes visible.
"Have you located the next Elemental Master?" Salem asked. Her voice alone held an indescribable and ancient power to it.
"Yes, my master," Chen said, bowing, knowing that Clouse was too intimidated to say anything.
"Good good have been able to acquire their power?" Salem asked, her eyes bearing into Chen's very soul.
"Unfortunately, no, the Oni has trained them too well, and their skill proved to match my own," Chen responded with a scowl.
"I see. Tell me, Chen, do you understand how I feel about failure," Salem said, glaring at the staff user.
"Do not fret, Master. We heavily injured the Master, and that was when they caught me off guard. I'm sure that if we were to fight again, then I would surely be able to acquire their power," Chen said, standing up and looking Salem in the eyes.
Salem looked back at Chen, her gaze never faltering before she went to speak again. "Very well then, I grant you another chance but be warned, Chen, there are much worse fates than death if you fail me," she said, her glare and tone embedding archaic fear into the man.
"O-of course, my m-master," Chen said, going to bow. "I thank you for this mercy," he said 'damn it! If only I were strong enough to have protected you, then none of this would've happened,' Chen thought, knowing full well what Salem was trying to insinuate.
"Good now, do not fail me, or the consequences will be severe, to say the least," Salem said as her image and the Seer Grimm disappeared.
"GRAH!" Chen yelled, using his staff, and the Element of Lightning blasted a large boulder in rage. "That B*tch, if I ever get all the Elements, I will use them to destroy her finally!" he said, panting before he felt a shooting pain in his chest and fell to one of his knees.
"Master!" Clouse runs up to his Master, reaching for him, but his hand is slapped away.
"I'm fine, just a minor pain, nothing to worry about," Chen says, standing up.
"Very well, Master," Clouse said, stepping back, "shall I keep an eye out for the boy in case of a new opening?" he asked, opening his book.
"Yes, keep an eye on him. I'm going to rest now," Chen said, going into a separate room in their base.
*Sigh* "Worry not, my Master. We shall save her someday," Clouse said, opening his book and prepping the vision spell.
Authors Note:
I forgot to proofread the chapter before posting, and a particular part of the chapter I did not like so I just changed it. Luckily I wasn't anything too significant, so don't worry about it. Also, we're one chapter away from the end of Vol. 1.