Dancing is a new beginning...

Chapter 3: This Will Be The Day

Blake Belladonna had finally gotten used to the insanity that revolved around her team, and their sister team JNPR. When everyday was a veritable whirlwind of chaos from the moment you woke up to the time you were cleaning food out of your hair before bed, you tend to adapt to things rather quickly.

That wasn't to say she didn't enjoy it though. It was honestly the most fun she was able to have since she was a child.

Before the rallies.

Before the fang…

Though it was fun, it was also disappointing. She did enjoy the days of peace she was able to afford at Beacon, but it also put into perspective how clueless everyone was. They were training to fight against hordes of grimm. But she knew that their enemies wouldn't always be mindless monsters. No, people, human and faunus alike, were capable of unspeakable evils. Part of her thought it was alright to enjoy the peace, because for a fact it wouldn't last very long.

It was why she went along with a lot of the shenanigans her team found themselves in.

The bunk beds were something she always wanted though.

Digressing, she found all of her friends somewhat childish and blind to the real world. But none more so than Weiss and Jaune.

Weiss was understandable, to a degree. Initially, she thought the Schnee heiress' worse day was probably breaking a nail or spilling wine on some dignitary or something. But she knew there was more to the girl if the scar over her eye was anything to go by.

Jaune, on the other hand, was as close to a civilian one could get in Beacon. Hell, she was sure there were some civilian that could beat up the poor boy.

Was her initial thoughts.

To be fair, Blake didn't really give two shits about the guy. He was tall and cute, but that was easily offset by his goofiness, unawareness, and general lack of skill when it came to being a huntsman. She felt bad for Pyrrha at first. How he became leader still eluded her, regardless of the praises his team had sung of his tactical skill.

It was with this mindset that Blake went about their first semester, the blonde dork far from her mind. They weren't friends, and barely associates. They hadn't spoken a single word to each other throughout the entire semester. But then Jaune went and killed an Ursa Major.

No, it wasn't anything super spectacular. But it may as well have been the end of the grimm for team JNPR. It showed Jaune had potential.

For her, it made her respect him a bit more, but that was about it. They still weren't friends and she still thought he was way out of his league at Beacon. If anything, him doing something remarkable for himself made him less remarkable in her own eyes. He was well on his way to good old mediocrity.

All of these things were on her mind at the moment because something was...off.

Usually team JNPR would be in the cafeteria for breakfast a bit before team RWBY. That was indeed still the case. But it was much quieter than normal.

Ren was always quiet, which was nothing new, but Jaune and especially Nora would be raising some kind of commotion. Pyrrha wasn't loud, but she enjoyed the conversations with her friends, and it was usually what team RWBY walked in on in the cafeteria.

She may have seemed anti-social to the passerby...okay, let's be real, she was definitely anti-social. But it was also because of this that she was able to silently observe people while reading sometimes. Her team had spent so much time with JNPR that she could tell when something was bothering them. Or at least when they weren't acting like their usual selves.

In this case, Ren sat silently eating his pancakes, Nora occasionally taking pieces of Ren's, much to the boys annoyance. Nora herself wasn't being loud or brash, only answering questions thrown at her by Yang. Yet she could tell the two were more solemn than normal, both sending minute glances to their team leader.

Pyrrha was sporting a rather prominent blush as her eyes stayed on her plate of food. The girl looked more meek than a shy Ruby, yet her gaze did stray to her team leader every once in a while. Then her eyes would dart right back to her food, her blush shining in renewed glory.

Then there was Jaune himself. The boy was eating his breakfast while looking through his scroll silently. While that in itself was different than usual, she was put off by catching his eyes meeting her own every now and then. He'd give a small smile and go back to his scroll browsing without a word. She'd smile back, but it was getting awkward after the third time.

She wondered if he was starting to get a crush on her.

She really hoped not…

As cute as he was, he was FAR from her type.

When the fourth eye gazing incident happened, she had enough. She closed her book and frowned.

"Can I help you Jaune?" She asked with a bit of a bite. The table went quiet at the two.

"Holy cow, Blakey actually spoke to fearless leader!" Nora jumped up and pointed a disbelieving finger at the girl.

The simple statement made Blake flinch a little. She had already acknowledged that she and Jaune didn't talk and weren't friends. The first words she spoke to him being somewhat accusing didn't completely sit right with her.

"Actually, yes. I wanted to talk to you, in private if you don't mind." He put his scroll away and began standing up, as if she would automatically accept.

"Why can't you just talk here?" She narrowed her eyes.

Jaune paused and looked at her. Looking at the others at the table, he saw they were all silently asking the same question.

"Well...I don't really want to let the CAT out of the bag so soon." His words were punctuated by the sharp look he placed on her bow.

Her eyes widened and her fist clenched. She stood immediately and began to leave the cafeteria, expecting Jaune to follow. He did without hesitation, only giving a wave to the others at the table. They all watched as the duo left the cafeteria.

"What...just happened?" Yang asked. She was curious about where the two were going, but she wasn't worried. Blake could handle herself, especially against Jaune.

"Do you think fearless leader and Blakey are secretly dating?" Nora grinned wickedly.

Pyrrha and Ruby looked aghast at her words while Weiss just rolled her eyes.

"Oh please. Blake has much better standards than that." The heiress called as a matter of fact. The scathing glare she received from Pyrrha made her pause.

"Oh, and what does that mean?" Her voice held an edge that many weren't used to hearing from her. "From my understanding of my own partner, he's nothing short of a gentleman. Or are you saying simply being weak in combat makes my partner a low value male?"

Weiss had the decency to blush. If anyone else had said what Pyrrha did, she would have ignored their words or agreed with them. However, having someone whom used to be her idol, slowly becoming her friend, speak to her like that made her think a bit.

"As bad as I think Jaune's combat ability is, that isn't why I think no one should date him. If you haven't noticed, he's been trying to court me since our first day here! With no tact and no grace, mind you!"

"But he's done so less and less. It seems like you hold a grudge for him simply showing you attention, Weiss." Pyrrha's words softened as she noticed Weiss begin to get flustered. She hadn't meant to call the girl out in such a way, but she could only hold her tongue for so long when people constantly bad mouthed her best friend and partner.

The white haired girl huffed and looked down. "Maybe he's finally starting to understand that I won't date him then."

"And why not though?" Nora asked. "I get it if you say he's just not your type, but you've said everything BUT that."

"Yeah, Weiss cream! Why not give tall, blonde, and scraggly a shot?" Yang teased.

Weiss' gaze became cold as she looked at everyone at the table. "Let me get something straight. Whom I date or not is no one's business but my own. But since our teams are so close, I expect you all to already know this. When people want to date me, what they really want is to date the Schnee dust company. I've grown used to the same song and dance, and Jaune's is the worst so far. I assume you understand better than everyone else here Pyrrha. Fame first, person second."

The red head flinched at the heiress's words.

Weiss continued. "It hurts to constantly be seen as the 'Schnee Heiress' or the 'Future of the SDC' and not just Weiss. I want to date someone who truly sees me for me."

The silence that fell over the table made everyone look down in shame.

Except Ruby.

The girl was unusually quiet as well, for the most part. She had been observing everything and everyone since they sat down. Jaune hadn't greeted anyone like he usually did and it immediately let her know something was up.

"But…" She started. "I haven't heard Jaune say a word about the Schnee dust company or you being the heiress, Weiss."

Her words made Weiss freeze. Pyrrha noticed and narrowed her eyes at Weiss.

"To be frank, I doubt Jaune even knew who you were before initiation." The myrmidon spat. "Just like he knew nothing about me."

The white haired heiress was silent ever more. She looked towards the door where her black haired teammate and the idiot blonde had gone.

"...My point...still stands." She answered with a lot less conviction. "He's not boyfriend material."

"But he's working on it." Yang chirped. "Give it some time and he'll Schneeal your heart!"

A random tomato hit Yang in the face, Nora's boo being heard among the groans of everyone at the table.

Blake continued to lead Jaune far from the cafeteria. Jaune was a bit confused as they walked outside and continued on towards the edge of the school. When they were in a secluded enough area, Blake rounded on the boy and grabbed him by the scruff of his school uniform, pinning him to a tree.

"What the hell do you want?"

Jaune's eyes widened at the action. Hostility from the girl was the last thing he expected. He wasn't afraid, but he was worried that he had already done something to offend the girl. It didn't take long for him to realize that not only should he have waited for a better time to talk to Blake, but what he did could also seem like blackmail.

"Wait, wait!" He threw his hands up. "I only wanted to talk, honest! Probably should've picked a better time!"

Blake tightened her grip, looking into his eyes for any hint of dishonesty. It wouldn't matter though. She could handle herself if push came to shove.

It wouldn't have been the first time she had to make someone disappear.

"The question still stands. What the hell do you want, Jaune?" She released him and took several steps back, never losing her defensive posture.

Jaune swallowed and rubbed his neck, mostly to straighten out his collar. "I'm sorry for calling you out like that. I'm still not the most tactful person…"

"Understatement." Blake shot with venom.

The boy rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Let me start over." He cleared his throat. "Blake, I do know that you're a faunus. I just wonder why you hide it? I have no ulterior motives or anything. I'm just concerned and a little curious."

Blake felt lead drop into her stomach. She had hoped that he didn't actually know. But if Jaune of all people could tell she was a faunus, then did the others know too?

"It's none of your business. And if the others don't know, keep it to yourself. How did you even find out?" She grit her teeth, still debating whether or not the boy needed to disappear.

Jaune leaned back against the tree and folded his arms.

"My team doesn't even know this…" He started. "But someone I care for deeply is a faunus."

That little bit of information got Blake's attention.

"I won't go into too many details, but whenever she was happy or excited, her ears would twitch cutely. It's really subtle sometimes when she's trying to control it. But I noticed your bow do the same when you get excited sometimes...I just put two and two together."

The cat faunus was stunned to have been caught so easily by someone she thought had the attention span of a toddler. However, hearing about him caring so much for a faunus also made her grow just a tad bit more respect for him.

With a sigh she leaned back against an opposite tree, her gaze on the ground. "That's very observant of you. I'm surprised."

He shrugged.

She shuffled on her feet. "Why...are you worried about me?"

The blonde smiled and chuckled. "I know we aren't exactly friends. This is the first conversation we've ever had. But I consider everyone from our teams friends out of principal."

"Even Weiss?"

Jaune winced at the mention of the Schnee heiress, ignoring Blake's sly smirk. "Yes, even Weiss. Gonna need to talk to her too and clear the air between us…"

Blake rose an eyebrow at the boys words and demeanor. "Okay, so what's your deal? You're acting a lot more mature than usual."

Another wince from the blonde.

"Call it an overnight epiphany, but I'm not blind to how I've been and how people view me. I decided to change, hopefully for the better."

She nodded, feeling like she could relate to those words. It hadn't been an overnight thing for her, but it was still her wish to change for the better by leaving the White Fang behind.

By leaving Adam behind…

"If you don't want to answer, Blake, I won't force you." Jaune caught her attention again. "I just want you to know that I want to be a better friend. And I promise I won't tell another soul your secret either. Just...if hiding it ever becomes too much, or you just want someone you can talk to about it, know that I'm here. That's all I really wanted to say."

His words made her heart skip a beat. It reminded her of the one thing she seemed to forget about Jaune. He had always been kind to everyone. Whether he was being goofy, acting confident, or being bullied. He wore his heart on his sleeve. It made her feel even worse for assuming he had nefarious motives regarding her secret.

"I...just...thank you Jaune." It was all she could think to say at the moment. Yet, it ate her up inside. She couldn't just leave it at that. "I suppose I could try to be a better friend too. If you need help studying sometimes, don't hesitate to ask. And maybe someday...I'll be confident enough to tell everyone more about myself..."

"I'll keep that in mind...oh, I almost forgot!" Jaune reached behind him and in a small flourish, produced a book. "Ta-da!"

The raven haired faunus rose an eyebrow before her eyes followed suit. Her jaw dropped and she took a tentative step forward.

"Jaune...where...how did you get that?" Her voice quivered in hesitation. Her throat seemed to go dry and she could even feel tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Jaune smiled triumphantly. "So...I may just so happen to know the author of this series."

Blake tackled Jaune to the ground, straddling his waist and gripping the front of his shirt again. She stared intensely into his eyes. "You know Namielle Izayoi? Since when?"

For the first time in a while, Jaune blushed brightly. "Uh...Blake…"

"HOW JAUNE?" She cut him off, her face getting closer and closer to his.

"She's a friend, Blake. I can tell you more later, but please get off." He squeaked.

The girl froze as she suddenly realized the position they were in. She blushed just as red as him and slowly stood up, coughing and dusting her clothes off. Jaune stood but took a step back from the girl just in case she lost control again.

Her reaction, in her mind, was justified. Jaune was holding a book entitled 'Ninjas of Paradise'. A spinoff book to the Ninjas of Love series that was said to be releasing in a few months times. The fact that Jaune had one was nothing short of an Oum sent miracle.

She had so many more questions then too. How did he know the author, did that mean that he read the Ninjas of Love series, and how did he know she read the series?

"I know you've got questions Blake, but we should probably get back to our teams. Class is going to start soon. And this was a gift for you anyway."

His words made her bow twitch just like Izanami's ears and he had to hold back a chuckle. The girl looked from the book to his eyes and back.

"Can I...can I really?" She asked in trepidation.

Jaune just shook his head in amusement before opening the book to the first page and showing the signature of one 'Namielle Izayoi' with the words, 'For my best friends friend, Blake Belladonna! May your nights be long and filled with pleasure!'.

Her eyes lit up at the signature, however, she still took note of the words. "Best friend...wait...is Izayoi the faunus friend you spoke of?"

Jaune nodded.

That revelation changed a lot of things for Blake. For one, her favorite series was authored by a faunus. That in and of itself was enough to make her week. But also hearing that Jaune, someone she was starting to respect more and more, was best friends with said author made every hardship she had before deciding to come to Beacon worth it.

Without thinking, she moved forward and wrapped her arms around Jaune.

"Thank you so much Jaune!"

The taller teen was shocked by her actions but soon smiled and gently hugged her back. "Anytime, Blake. Now, we really should be getting back to the others."

Funnily enough, Jaune and Blake had expected their teams to follow after them. But they were surprised to find them all cleaning up their breakfast.

"So what was that about?" Yang was the first to speak up after noticing them. She was a bit confused at how close Blake seemed to be to Jaune all of sudden, the two almost walking shoulder to shoulder.

"Sorry but Jaune was right to pull me away. I'll tell you about it another time." Blake tried to dismiss. Jaune silently apologized again for picking a bad time. Both teens knew neither of their teams would let it go so easily, but neither teen could think of a decent enough lie.

Nora just grinned. "Ooooh, a secret just between you two! So you two really are secretly da-"

A pancake launched into Nora's mouth, the girl letting out a 'Mmn' and forgetting her train of thought.

"No, Nora." Ren simply stated, putting away a small case that Weiss barely saw had 'Emergency Nora Deterrent' written on it.

"Regardless, we should all be getting to class." Jaune tried to change the subject. "Kinda looking forward to combat class today…" He said as he began to walk away, drawing shocked expressions from everyone.

Yang was the first to recover, though even she was beginning to notice the changes in Jaune. "Wow...killing that Ursa Major must have really lit a fire in him. Maybe he'll finally pull off a Pyrrhic victory in class!"

The sound of Magnhild forming was punctuated by Ren holding back a fuming Nora.

"Another pun like that and I'm breaking your freaking legs Yang!"

Combat class.

Ruby Rose's favorite subject.

As much as she loved her friends, talking to them could be exhausting. But in Ms. Goodwitch's combat class, her skills could write poetry.

Being the socially awkward 15 year old in a school meant for essentially college aged people already put her in the position of a fish out of water. Even while only being 2 years younger than others, she felt much younger. Many treated her as so too. It made trying to interact with anyone outside of her own team and Team JNPR nearly impossible.

But there in combat class. There were no ages. There were no team leaders or uncomfortable conversations. Just the clashing of blades and wills! Just how she liked it!

All of that excitement drained from her face when she saw who her opponent was to be.

"Ruby Rose vs. Jaune Arc. Please retrieve your gear and report back to the arena in 5 minutes." Miss Goodwitch informed them, seeming to see nothing wrong with the match up.

To her surprise, Jaune smiled and stood, going to grab his gear without hesitation.

The red reaper did not.

Out of all the people she could've been matched against, Jaune was the only one she didn't want to fight. He was ironically the only person Ruby would rather actually have a conversation with! They were both a bit socially awkward, but that made them somehow not come across as awkward with each other!

In her mind, communicating with Jaune through combat would be nothing short of bullying him. She wasn't one to take it too easy on her friends, just as they never went to soft with her. She had fought and beaten several of her peers, including those on her own team. But she had never faced off against Jaune, and to her, that was perfectly fine.

Forget the fact that he was her best friend, secretly even more so than Weiss, but she didn't want to hurt the confidence the boy seemed to start building after the Forever Fall incident.

The naivety of her age showed in her thoughts. She had no idea how much she was underestimating him.

But it wasn't really underestimating him. She saw nothing wrong with Jaune being weaker than them all. He was working on it and hard work paid off! She cheered him on from the side, but she could never call him a good fighter. She did see the potential that Pyrrha saw in him, but she knew only the red head could draw it out from him.

As much as she wanted to get closer to Jaune and help him too, she had her own team to look out for.

"Miss Rose, if you will." Miss Goodwitch raised an eyebrow, clearly getting a bit impatient with the girl staring slack jawed into space.

The reaper blushed and quickly used her semblance to head out and grab her gear.

With her speed, the girl returned in her usual red cloak and black combat dress before Jaune did. She stood nervously on the left side of the arena, awaiting her opponent.

Only a few seconds later did Jaune appear. Her mind froze, as did most of their friends and those who knew of the Arc.

Instead of his usual blue jeans, pumpkin petes hoodie, and chest armor, Jaune wore a tight fitting black tank top and black shorts. Nora noted it was his gym workout gear from earlier. The orange haired girl smiled. She figured Jaune was about to show them all something different.

Ren also noticed the change and added it to the things to ask the boy about his impromptu leaving the night prior.

Pyrrha was the most shocked. Especially because Jaune looked tasty...tough! Tougher than usual. The rippling lean muscles that clearly showed on his arms and legs made her throat dry as all the liquid went to another place…

Many people were having similar reactions as Jaune drew Crocea Mors but held the scabbard reverse handed in his left hand.

Yang shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "Holy cow, when did vomit boy get a body like that?"

She looked to her partner just to see her staring at the boy with a small bit of drool on the corner of her mouth. The blonde was shocked but then smirked.

"Oh, maybe Nora had a point! Liking what you're boyfriends showing off Blake?" Yang teased.

Blake shook out of her stupor at the sound of her name. She turned to her partner and when what was said registered in her head, a small blush formed under the glare she shot the blonde brawler. "He's not my boyfriend. We've literally only ever spoken to each other today." Her words were weak as she tried to wipe the drool from her mouth discreetly.

"Love at first spoken word?"

Blake just rolled her eyes and focused back on the fight about to start. Her eyes lingered on Jaune for a tad longer than usual though. She had felt how fit he was when she hugged him earlier that day. It wouldn't do to let the others know he fit exactly how she daydreamed him to look…

Weiss was stunned at the boy, but quickly came to her senses. It was still just Arc. Nothing to get excited about.

Ruby didn't agree.

'Holy crap Jaune looks like one of those models in the magazines Yang keeps under her pillow!' Her own thoughts betrayed her as she flushed as red as her cape and couldn't meet the boys eyes.

Jaune began to bounce on his feet, going back and forth slightly. He placed Crocea Mors over his shoulder and held the scabbard at his side, closer to Ruby. Murmurs began to flood the room as many of his friends grew even more confused.

"What type of fighting stance is that?" Nora wondered in anticipation.

Pyrrha's face was marred with a frown. 'That's no style I've taught Jaune…'

Most people still thought it would be an easy win for the red reaper, but more observant students could tell how composed Jaune actually was.

A silence fell over the room as most people held their breaths…

Until Jaune stopped and looked to their teacher.

"Uh...Miss Goodwitch?" The blonde called out to the deputy head mistress, catching her eyes as they rose from a place that clearly wasn't his face.

The teacher shook her head and cleared her throat, doing her best to downplay the redness of her cheeks. She'd kill the person to ever accuse her of ogling one of her own students.

"Y-yes. Mr. Arc and Ms. Rose. You may begin when ready."

With her words, Jaune gave Ruby his attention again and began bouncing on his feet. The petite girl took a deep breath and tried to get her head in the game.

With a burst of speed, but without using her semblance, Ruby rushed towards Jaune. The smirk that was on the boys face fell at her straight forward approach for several reasons. The first was that he thought she had finally gotten out of the habit of rushing in haphazardly. The second was that she was clearly underestimating him with the pace she was going.

He wouldn't fault her for that second one though. She didn't know she was underestimating him.

With a slight bend forward, Jaune launched forward towards Ruby with just as much speed, a small gale of wind seeming to burst from his back foot.

Ruby's eyes widened as Jaune met her halfway, completely throwing off any type of spacial awareness she had. On instinct alone did she point Crescent Rose forward and pull the trigger, attempting to reverse her momentum on a dime. She hadn't intended to shoot at Jaune, but it was too quick for her to process what had just happened.

Jaune was prepared for the impromptu retreat and deftly kicked off of his left foot to twirl around the shot fired by the petite reaper. As soon as he landed he kicked forward again, the same subtle burst of wind leaving his back foot as he shot at Ruby almost akin to when she used her semblance.

By then the girl was completely dumbfounded as she found Jaune directly in front of her in the blink of an eye. He was slightly off the ground, Crocea Mors pulled back akin to Weiss' starting jab. Ruby expected the boy to thrust just like Weiss and tried to bring Crescent Rose up into a guard.

The blonde smiled at the action before extending his sword arm across his body and landing in front of the girl. With blinding speed, Jaune used the blunt side of Crocea Mors to sweep Ruby's legs from beneath her with enough force to twist the girls body sideways.

Using the momentum of his slash, Jaune spun on a his left foot, his right foot drawing up and tightening like a cobra preparing to strike. At the end of his spin, in the same fluid motion, he extended his leg into a back kick that caught Ruby right in the midsection as she was still sideways in the air. The force of the kick sent the small girl hurtling several yards before her body began to skip over the ground, only stopping as she slammed into the wall of the arena; her body leaving a small crater in the wall.

The room shook from the impact and jaws hit the ground.

Ruby had crumpled to the ground on impact, her aura already dropped into the yellow from the single attack.

"YOU BASTARD!" Yang's voice rang out as she shot up, her hair burning in her semblance and crimson eyes locked solely on Jaune.

Weiss and Blake were able to get over their shock in time to grab Yang as she prepared to launch towards her counterpart blonde. The rest of Jaune's team all stood, turning to face Yang and stop her if she attempted to attack their leader.

The boy in question didn't even acknowledge any of it. His eyes were glued to Ruby.

The girl groaned and began to struggle up to her feet. Her vision was blurry. She had never taken a hit so hard in her life.

When she was able to get her bearings, her eyes locked with Jaune's. The boy held a stoic expression, the smile from earlier nowhere to be seen. He held a serious expression, even as he bounced on his feet in his new fighting style.

Ruby wanted to cry. She had never expected any of her friends to attack her so viciously, let alone Jaune of all people. Her eyes found the ground for a moment as she leaned onto Crescent Rose, her knees almost growing weak.

"RUBY!" Jaune's voice snapped everyone's attention to him.

The girl looked up startled at the shout. The boy no longer bounced in his stance, instead opting to stand with Crocea Mors pointed at the girl, a deadly glare on his face.

The intense look on his face made her heart skip a beat.

It was a statement.

A statement that Ruby heard loud and clear.

The one action spoke a thousand words. The petite girl almost shed a tear for a different reason.

She had not only underestimated Jaune, but also patronized him. Looking at his blade pointed directly at her, she drunk in his fierce gaze as it slowly morphed into a knowing smile.

She smiled back. Jaune was truly speaking her language. His actions weren't of malice or spite. He was simply telling her that he was now an equal. Someone she didn't need to worry about.

Someone that was just like her. Treated differently due to their circumstances. Both able to overcome the unexpected by becoming leaders of their respective teams.

So she would respond to those feelings in the best way she knew how.

The tension in the air seemed to disappear into one of excitement between the two as Ruby stood tall and flourished Crescent Rose with the same confident smirk on her face that Jaune had.

Jaune returned to his fighting stance, bouncing on his feet, but the stance was wider than before.

They see you as small and helpless…

Ruby spun Crescent Rose once more, ejecting the cartridge and sliding in another in a single movement. She fired a round behind her, letting the burst send her flying upwards and forward.

They see you as just a child…

In midair, not even a second after launching, she switched the weapon to its rifle mode and fired a shot at Jaune as she came down towards him. As soon as the bullet left the chamber, the girl burst into rose petals circling behind Jaune even before the projectile reached him.

Surprise When they find out that a warrior will soon run wild…

The blonde spun, swinging both weapon and sheath. The sword caught and deflected the bullet as the sheath intercepted a slash from Crescent Rose.

Prepare for your greatest moments...

Not wasting a moment, Ruby reversed her slash, spinning the weapon back around her shoulders and going low with the blunt side of the weapon. The move was fast enough to catch Jaune in the legs, just as he did her earlier. The boy lost his balance, being flipped the same way he did Ruby.

Prepare for your finest hour...

With both hands gripping the shaft, Ruby spun her whole body and slammed the blunt end of Crescent Rose into Jaune as he was still midair, throwing him right towards the same crater she had made. She burst into her semblance to follow him immediately.

The dream that you've always dreamed is suddenly about to flower…

Jaune only took a split second to regain control of his flying body, flipping and letting his fingers slide across the ground to slow his movement before landing back on his feet. His eyes widened as Ruby was already right above him, Crescent Rose poised to strike.

We are lightning…

Time seemed to slow as their eyes met, fire and lightning clashing between them.

Straying from the thunder, Miracles of ancient Wonder!

As fast as lightning, Jaune deployed his shield and stopped Crescent Rose by the point. As soon as the weapon connected, Jaune removed his arm and spun into an inverted flash kick, hitting the shield and throwing Ruby into an uncontrolled back flip.

This will be the day we've waited for!

The girl landed on her feet in a crouch just to see Jaune in the air upside down, his shield flailing in front of him. The boy kicked the shield down at her like a rocket.

This will be the day we open up the door!

Ruby did the unthinkable. She grit her teeth, spun again, and launched Crescent Rose like a buzzsaw up towards the still airborne Jaune. The weapon slammed into the shield and sent it careening off somewhere in the arena as it continued its path up towards the blonde. She once again burst into her semblance to follow up her attack.

I don't wanna hear your absolution,

Jaune's eyes widened and he brought Crocea Mors in front of him to block the spinning weapon. Somehow the scythe ground into his guard, its momentum not stopping until Ruby appeared and gripped the shaft. She immediately pulled the trigger, slamming a round directly into Jaune's chest and sending him hurtling towards the ceiling while pushing herself away. She quickly switched back to rifle mode and began to fire rapid shots up at Jaune's soaring body as she fell.

Hope you're ready for a revolution!

Jaune's aura ate the hit and he recovered in time to flip upside down and land on the ceiling with his feet. With the momentum pushing down on him, kicked off the roof, shattering a part of it in the process and launched himself down at Ruby. His arm seemed to blur as he slashed and deflected the rounds that flew at him, sending some of them back at the girl and grazing her aura.

Welcome to a world of new solutions!

As Jaune came down on Ruby, the two slashed, their weapons sending sparks into the air as they deflected each other. Just like that, the two began to deliver rapid strikes and parries, sparks flying with every hit and small cuts peppering their auras.

Welcome to a world of bloody evolution!

Ruby stood her ground as she spun Crescent Rose in arcing slashes faster than she ever had before, spinning her body and even flipping in impossibly tight ways just to not lose ground. Jaune kept pace, Crocea Mors being used in both hands and backwards as he spun and seemingly danced through Ruby's strikes, his hands barely touching his own blade for more than a split second as the two continued to strike.

In time…

A hard parry from Ruby knocked Jaune back several feet, his sword arm going into the air, seeming to throw him off balance.

Your heart will open minds,

Ruby's eyes set hard as she gripped Crescent Rose in both hands again, spinning and preparing to dash forward to deliver the decisive blow!

A story will be told...

Jaune smirked, watching almost in slow motion as Ruby flashed forward with her semblance and a gunshot. He used a small bit of wind to draw his sword back into his hand and used a strong burst of wind to spin his body and launch himself back at the girl. The two flashed past each other, creating a burst of wind and rose petals as their slashes clearly finished with their weapons outstretched. They stood with their backs facing each other, neither moving another inch...

Victory is in a Simple Soul!