Haha, sorry for the late post guys and gals! I have been busy with Black Friday and Thanksgiving. Yeah, I had to make the ham while my parents did the turkey sooo that was fun. I also waited in the cold for a new phone only to have some schmuck take it from me. Tis a cruel world. Anyway, this chapter has some fluffy Arkos moments and is technically the end of the Funeral Arc. So without further adieu, let us begin!
I don't own RWBY. Rooster Teeth does.
Beacon Academy
Jaune, in his disguise, and Pyrrha walked through the halls of Beacon, avoiding the other students as they made their way to their old room. Maria had told Jaune to go spend as much time as he could with her as it would be a while before the two saw each other in person again. Well, a while as in several weeks since the festival was postponed due to his "death". Another thing was that Jaune still had yet to confront his parents and that itself was very… detrimental to his physical health. After a few minutes of walking and just generally enjoying each other's company, they arrived at the dorm room of Team PARN and walked inside. Pyrrha closed the door and locked it. Jaune looked around. He had missed this room. His bed. He spotted Crocea Mors leaning next to Milo and Akouo.
"Jaune," Pyrrha walked up to him and followed his gaze.
"Do you want Crocea Mors back?" Pyrrha asked.
"No, I had a weapon commissioned for me," Jaune said.
"Are you sure?" Pyrrha said.
"Yeah. That weapon isn't mine. It was never mine. It was my great grandfather's and it was meant for someone strong," Jaune said.
"Jaune…," Pyrrha placed a hand on his shoulder.
"...So, how have you been?" Jaune asked as he sat down on his former bed.
Pyrrha crossed her arms and gave him a blank stare.
"Oh, right," Jaune looked away from her intense gaze. Seeing the guilty look he had on his face, her eyes softened as she sat down next to him and leaned her head on his broad shoulder. The warmth she felt radiating off Jaune comforted her like a warm blanket and hot cocoa on a winter evening.
Jaune smiled when he felt her weight press on his shoulder. He took in her intoxicating scent and made sure to sear its memory into his brain.
Pomegranate, Jaune thought as he took a few locks of her hair and sniffed it.
"Pyrrha," Jaune said as the two sat there.
"Mmmm," she responded. Her eyes remained closed as she leaned on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry for not coming back sooner. It's just that I wa-"
"Recovering? It's alright Jaune. What matters is that you came back," Pyrrha said, lifting her head off his shoulder. She cupped his left cheek with her right hand and stared into his azure blue eyes.
"I'm just happy you came back," Pyrrha said.
Jaune smiled and leaned into her touch.
"Pyr, back there when you said that you loved me, did you mean it?" Jaune asked.
"Of course I did. And I'll say it again. I love you Jaune Arc. My heart and body belong to you and only you," Pyrrha said.
"You broke our rule of no chick flick moments," Jaune chuckled. Pyrrha narrowed her eyes and smacked him in the back of the head.
"Ow…," Jaune said, rubbing the spot where she smacked him. He looked at Pyrrha who was looking away from him with a small pout on his face. Jaune gained a sly smile on his face before wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in close. Pyrrha's face turned red at his actions as Jaune snuggled into her.
"J- Jaune?" Pyrrha stuttered. "W- What are you doing?"
"Snuggling with my girlfriend," Jaune said.
"Y- You s- still never told me h- how you f- felt!" Pyrrha said.
"Really? I thought kissing you was plenty but if you insist," Jaune said as he pulled away.
"Pyrrha Nikos, I think you're the most amazing and beautiful woman in the world. Will you be my girlfriend?" Jaune asked.
Pyrrha smiled and pecked him on the cheek before returning to their original position with Pyrrha cuddling into Jaune and Jaune having his arm wrapped around her slender waist.
"Hey, Pyr, guess what," Jaune said.
"What?" Pyrrha asked.
"I unlocked my semblance," he said.
"Really? That's wonderful! Can you show me?"
Jaune lifted his free arm and a violet aura enveloped his hand. Several spheres of violet and black energy manifested and began to swirl and condense into black balls with a soft violet glow. He willed the balls to morph into several shapes before merging them and forming an emblem that appeared as the combined version of both of their emblems. The spear on Pyrrha's emblem overlapped with the dual crescents of the Arc logo.
"When did you find out about it?" she asked as she watched Jaune play with the shimmering black orbs. They looked so fluid-like yet they were solid at the same time.
"About a week or two after I woke up and fully healed due to my aura. I also found out that I can control and understand Grimm," Jaune said.
"Control Grimm?" Pyrrha sat up and looked at him with a confused look in her eyes.
"Yeah, the person who found me, Maria Calavera. She said that there was a Beowolf that was protecting me," Jaune said.
"Jaune, that's not possible. Grimm are soulless creatures. There's no way it protected you other than the fact that it was just protecting its meal," Pyrrha said.
"Yeah, I thought so too until I saw her," Jaune said.
"Her?" Pyrrha asked.
"The Beowolf. I named her Nyx," he said.
"Jaune, Beowolves aren't dogs," Pyrrha said.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to introduce you two to each other," Jaune said with a cheeky grin on his face. Pyrrha looked at him apprehensively and yelped when he picked her up bridal style and went towards the door.
"Jaune, wait we have to go see your parents first and tell them that you're alive!" Pyrrha protested.
Jaune stopped in his tracks and Pyrrha noticed that his face was now deathly pale. His eyes had widened to immense proportions and she noticed that his blue eyes were filled with an emotion that she had never seen in him before. Sure she had seen him afraid but this, there were no words that could describe the expression that she saw on his face but she could try to find one that was close.
Terror. Pure unadulterated terror.
"Jaune…?" Pyrrha asked nervously as she looked at his face.
"We need to speak to mother immediately. If I am to continue my meaningful existence with you, my beloved, we need to speak with mother," Jaune said blankly.
"Jaune, you're scaring me a little," Pyrrha said as she got off.
"LET'S GO!" Jaune said as he slipped his hood on and ran out the door, still gripping Pyrrha's hand. The two ran quickly through the empty halls of Beacon as Pyrrha pulled her scroll out and began to dial Alice.
"Hello?"
"Um…, where are your parents?" Pyrrha asked as she ran in pace with her new boyfriend.
"They said that they were going to go with Mrs. Schnee back to the room that Ozpin provided for them on the third floor of the Academy. Why do you need to see them?"
"Not so much me but the twin brother who you have that's still alive and is currently fearing for said life," Pyrrha said over the phone.
"I'll meet you there in their room. Let me just tell Nora and Ren," Alice said. A few seconds of silence with the occasional whine and protest from Nora as Jaune and Pyrrha continued their sprint down Beacon's halls.
"Yeah, third floor. I'll meet you there," Alice said as she hung up.
"Jaune, she said that your family is on the third floor with Mrs. Schnee," Pyrrha told him. Jaune nodded as the two arrived at the elevator. Jaune began to mash the buttons until the doors opened revealing Team CRDL, who had just finished serving detention.
"Cardin move," Pyrrha said.
"Make us Nik-," Cardin didn't even have time to react as Jaune grabbed him and threw him into a wall. The other members of team CRDL were shell shocked at the turn of events before Jaune shoved them all out of the way and pulled Pyrrha into the elevator with him.
"Third floor right?" Jaune said as he mashed the third-floor button.
"Yes Jaune, now calm down," Pyrrha said as she placed a soothing hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah, there's nothing wrong with walking to my impending doom right? If I do die this time, at least I can say that I kissed a cute girl right?" Jaune said.
Pyrrha blushed and smiled at him.
"I have to thank Alice for looking after you when I see her," Jaune said.
"What? What do y- she knew didn't she?" Pyrrha asked.
"Yeah, we're twins. We share nearly the same aura signature so we can sense each other even across vast distances and know when the other is dead," Jaune said.
"Oh…," Pyrrha looked down. She didn't know that aspect of aura and twins.
"I also called her and told her that I would be the one to tell you myself," Jaune said.
"Hmmm, so you made me wait on purpose?" Pyrrha asked.
"Yeah, but, look on the bright side Pyr, I'm alive," Jaune said sheepishly.
"I thought you were dead you dick," Pyrrha said. The elevator door chimed and they arrived on the third floor of Beacon. Jaune took each step with trepidation as he and Pyrrha neared the room that his parents and his family were supposed to be in. He felt horrible for making them worry. Especially his mother and father. They were two of the nicest people that Jaune had ever met and he loved them dearly for it.
Taking in a deep breath, Jaune knocked on the door. Pyrrha stood next to him holding his hand for support. The door opened and the sound of an object clattering could be heard as Jeanne dropped her scroll.
"Hey Mom," Jaune said.
Jeanne shakily reached out to touch him. She tentatively placed her hand on his cheek. As soon as she felt the warm skin of her son, tears began to stream down her face.
"Jaune?" she asked.
"Hey Mom, I'm home," he said, closing his eyes and savoring her comforting touch. Jeanne began to sob as she pulled her son and embraced him. Jaune returned the hug and gently rubbed his mother's back. He saw his father who had now spotted him walk over and join in on the hug. Jaune was now sandwiched between both his parents as his mother stroked his hair while his father smiled.
Pyrrha stood behind them as the two parents hugged the life out of the child that they thought was dead and was told that was dead. Jaune just stood there, taking in the love of his parents. After a few minutes, they pulled apart and Jeanne pulled on Jaune's ear, causing him to wince in pain.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN YOUNG MAN!?" Jeanne yelled.
"I WAS RECOVERING! I FELL OFF A CLIFF!" Jaune said.
"Are you alright? You're not hurt anywhere are you?" Jeanne said as she looked him up and down.
"Mom, I'm fine. My aura healed everything," Jaune said.
"What matters is that you're back," Sieg said as he placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Jaune!" Jaune turned and saw his younger sister Petra running up to him. He knelt and picked her up, twirling her in the air.
"Hey, Pet! You've been good right?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah, I'm a good girl!" she said, sending Jaune a grin. He noticed that she had a missing tooth and gasped.
"Pet, you lost your tooth! Does that mean that?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah, the tooth fairy will come to visit me and give my tooth to Israfil!" Petra said.
"That's wonderful! I bet you'll get a ton of lien for it," Jaune said.
"Jaune," he saw Saphron standing behind him. He gently lowered Petra and allowed his older sister to hug him. He felt his jacket start to get wet as Saphron's tears flowed down her face.
He saw his other sister, Vert, run up to the two and tackle both of them to the floor. Jaune was now pinned underneath his two crying older sisters. With what little movement he could use, Jaune moved both his arms and wrapped them around his sisters.
"I'm okay but I won't be if I don't get… air!" Jaune squeezed out.
"WHERE WERE YOU!?" Vert sobbed as she latched back onto Jaune after he stood up. Jaune comforted his crying older sister as she sobbed into his shoulder.
"I was recovering," he said.
"How about you sit down and tell us what happened from the very beginning?" Jaune turned and saw an extremely beautiful woman with snow-white hair. Her fringe covered a portion of her right eye which was icy blue and stared down at him. She looked very much like Weiss except she had a kinder, more motherly air around her.
"Um, hi," Jaune said.
"Hello, I am Willow. Willow Schnee," she said.
"Um, Jaune, Jaune Arc," he said, introducing himself.
"I know who you are," Willow said.
"Um, I bet it was through Weiss wasn't it? I'm sorry for bothering your daughter but I have moved on and found someone else. Someone better… no offense of course!" Jaune said.
Willow merely smiled and threw her head back in laughter.
"Oh… you're funny," Willow said, wiping a tear from her eye. "I'm glad you found someone else. Weiss could never see the diamond hidden among the gold anyway."
"Who are you to my parents anyway?" Jaune asked.
"Oh, Jaune, I see you don't remember her. Willow is your godmother," Sieg explained.
"Yes, like my daughters I ran from my name as a Schnee and… well kinda did what you did. I snuck into Beacon," Willow said as she pulled out her scroll. She opened a photo of a younger version of his mother standing to what looked like Weiss.
"Oh," Jaune said as Pyrrha squinted to get a closer look. This woman may have looked like Weiss but she was nothing like her. She… smiled. Pyrrha never thought she would ever see a Schnee genuinely smile before.
"Right so tell us what happened," Jeanne said. Jaune nodded and sat down. He began to relay everything that happened in the past few months. He started at initiation, explained the situation he was in with Cardin and the transcripts, and the bullying he endured after his transcripts were revealed. Jaune visibly gulped as he went over this part.
The cup his mother was holding had just spontaneously combusted right before his eyes.
When he got to the part where he and the rest of his team were fighting Beowolves and the incident with the Garm and Yeti as well as the part where he was left behind. He saw his parents shaking in visible rage when he went over this. Jaune then talked about how he was found by a kid and an old lady and how they nursed him. When he began to explain how he found out he could control the Grimm, he was stopped.
"Wait, did you just say that you could control the Grimm?" Saphron asked.
"Ummm, yeah," Jaune said.
"Is it part of your semblance?" his mother asked.
"No, as far as I know, my semblance involves controlling my aura to the point where I can do stuff like this," Jaune said as he created an aura blade.
"Just like your sister," Sieg said.
"Huh?" Jaune looked at his father intrigued.
At that moment, a knock was heard on the door and Jaune flipped on his hood to prevent his identity from being revealed. He still wanted to wait things out before revealing the fact that he was still alive to everyone else. Pyrrha went to open the door to reveal Alice standing behind it. Pyrrha sighed in relief and let her in. Alice spotted Jaune and walked over and slapped him.
"What th-" he stopped when Alice embraced him tightly.
"You dummy! Don't ever die ever again!" Alice screamed into his sweater.
"Ally-cat," Jaune said as he softly stroked her hair.
"I'm so happy you're alive big brother!" Alice said.
Jaune smiled and leaned down to kiss her hair. The others smiled at the sight of the two reunited siblings.
"So what happened to you Jaune?" Alice asked. Pyrrha walked over and filled her in on the past few minutes. Alice gave her twin brother a look before speaking.
"Is that the reason why I saw an old lady and a fox faunus following me?" Alice asked.
"Following you?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah, they're right outside the door waiting," Alice said. Jaune immediately walked over and opened the door to reveal Maria, Mae, and Nyx waiting for him. Nyx barked and jumped out of Mae's hands and into Jaune's arms.
"Hey, did you miss me, girl?" Jaune asked as he held Nyx up. Nyx barked happily and began to lick his face.
"Is that the Grimm?" Vert asked.
"Oh right, Nyx, this is my mother, Jeanne," Jaune said, holding the Beowolf cub out for her to hold. Nyx tilted her head as her blood-red eyes stared at the Arc Sister. She smiled a doggy smile, causing Vert's heart to melt due to the sheer cuteness. Nyx found herself being swiped out of Jaune's arms and crushed into Vert's rather large chest.
"Awww, she's so cute!" Vert said as she hugged the grimm. Jaune walked over and grabbed Nyx from her, allowing the grimm to breathe. Pyrrha and Alice walked over and tentatively placed a hand on the cub's fur. The Grimm let out a happy whine as she leaned into both their touches.
"Don't spoil her," Jaune said.
"Are you going to introduce us to your other friends Jaune?" his father asked.
"Oh right, Mom, Dad, everyone, this is Maria Calavera otherwise known as the-"
"Grimm Reaper," Willow said.
"No way," Sieg said.
"I see my reputation precedes me," Maria said.
"You have no idea the generation of wannabees and hunters you inspired," Jeanne said as she remembered a certain alcoholic bird-themed hunter.
"Really? I see. Well, I can tell you this. I never thought that the son of the Dragon Knight and the Crimson Saint would show up on my doorstep battered," Maria said. "But, he's been good company and I'm glad to have met him. Even took him on as a student."
"What? You took Jaune on as your student?" Sieg asked.
"Yup. Gotta pass on my legacy somehow," Maria said.
"And who is this young lady?" Willow said, kneeling and smiling at Mae.
Mae squeaked and hid behind Jaune's leg. She had heard of the reputation that the Schnees had when it came to Faunus from the others in the village.
Willow frowned and stood back up. Jaune nudged her out from her spot.
"Mae, that's not very nice. You should introduce yourself," Jaune chided.
"H- Hello, my name is Mae and I'm seven years old," she said, bowing slightly before them.
The others smiled. Jeanne kneeled before her and patted her head.
"Hello Mae, I'm Jeanne Arc," she said.
"I'm Sieg Arc," Sieg said, standing before her.
Willow looked down at the girl and sent her a reassuring smile before softly petting her.
"I'm Willow Schnee. I know that you're scared of me because of my last name but I can assure you, I'm nothing like my husband," Willow said. She noticed that the girl's tail was slightly stiff and frizzy. "I like your tail. It's very beautiful."
Mae's eyes lit up as she looked at the woman.
"Really?"
"Of course. You know back when I was a huntress, we had a faunus on our team. He was a panther faunus," Willow said.
"Wow, can you tell me more?" Mae asked.
Jaune smiled and looked at his parents.
"Well, tell us more about what happened," Sieg said.
"Well, there was this one time that…"
RWBY Dorm
No one spoke the entire time they walked back to their dorms. Jaune's funeral forced them to face what they had done. They being the operating term. Blake was the only one who had sided with Jaune through this whole mess and now with the revelation of how Jaune acquired those transcripts in the first place as well as what he did before coming to this school, well, RWBY's spirits were on the down-low.
Weiss, despite the front she had presented of being indifferent to the whole thing, was now… depressed and feeling guilty. When she had met the Arcs, she had expected them to be just regular people but to learn that his parents were famous hunters from Professor Goodwitch, well, that put a major dent in her. She learned that Jaune was like her in that aspect. They both came from well-known families and wanted to escape their family names and carve their own path. The only difference between them was that Jaune's parents cared for him while hers… well, her mother cared about her but her father didn't.
She could still remember the conversation she and her mother had hours before the funeral started.
Weiss walked the halls of Beacon determined to find one person. Her mother, Willow Schnee. When her mother had arrived, she had berated her in front of her entire team on her actions towards Jaune and she wasn't having any of it.
That lying filthy cheat snuck into the school. If that wasn't bad, she just knew that Jaune was playing the ignorant fool when it came to her name. His parents, despite the fact that they were formerly famous hunters as she learned from Professor Goodwitch, were mere tavern owners earning whatever paltry wage they could from whatever residents lived in the backwater town that Jaune had hailed from. And now, an opportunity to elevate his monetary findings presented itself to him and Weiss wasn't going to have any of that.
She found her mother walking with the Arc Matriarch. The two were talking and laughing as if they were old friends. Ignoring whatever consequence that this might inflict upon her relationship with her mother, Weiss marched right up to the two older women.
"Mother, I need a moment to speak with you," Weiss demanded.
Willow stopped her conversation with Jeanne and turned her icy blue eyes and fixed them on her daughter.
"Yes, Weiss, is something the matter?" Willow asked.
"Yes, there is. We need to talk about why you're so defensive when it comes to Arc," Weiss said.
"Hmm, I believe that we do," Willow said.
"Umm, I'll go if you need me to go," Jeanne said as she eyed the mother-daughter pair.
"Huh? Oh, right, I'll see you later Pyro. Don't set anything on fire," Willow said, smirking.
"Huh, I haven't done that in years Ice Bitch," Jeanne said, walking off.
Weiss was appalled. How dare this woman disrespect her mother like that! As she was about to reprimand her, Willow placed a hand on her shoulder and motioned for her to follow.
"Now, let's continue our conversation from earlier," Willow said. "You say that you hate Jaune for sneaking into the school and supposedly trying to get into your pants to steal the family fortune is that right?"
"Yes, it is, mother! Why can you not see that? Other than the fact that you so blatantly ignored that he spat in the faces of every student who worked hard to get into this school, including mine, he has the gall to think that I'm stupid enough to not see through his false kindness," Weiss said.
"Oh Weiss," Willow said.
"Mother, you have to understand this. The Arcs are playing me. Playing you! Can't you see that they're trying to take our money by establishing a relationship! Father always said that your enemies always try to sneak their way into your hearts only to stab you in the back at the very end," Weiss said.
"Hmph, you would know a thing or two about that wouldn't you Jacques?" Willow muttered. She looked at her daughter.
"Very wise words from your father Weiss," Willow said. Weiss smiled, thinking her mother had finally understood.
"If you want to live a life of loneliness."
Weiss's smile dropped as she looked at her mother, confused at what she meant.
"Tell me, Weiss, do you use this sort of mentality when assessing your team as well?" Willow asked.
"...," Weiss went silent.
"I don't," she finally answered.
"Then why was it different for him?" Willow asked.
"Because… Because…," Weiss couldn't come up with a reason beyond he snuck in.
"This is all just misguided hatred towards him is it not? I know that it hurts to have all your effort spat upon by someone who took the easy way to get on the same platform as you. Believe me, I know but remember this. If I hadn't allowed you to go to Beacon, you would have ended up coming in the same manner as he did," Willow said.
"What are you saying, mother?"
"That you and Jaune are more alike than you think," Willow said.
"Explain," Weiss said.
"Jaune's parents. By now, I'm sure you are aware of who they are," Willow said.
"Of course, that's Sieg Arc, the Dragon Knight, and Jeanne Arc, the Crimson Saint," Weiss said.
"Yes, two of the most powerful hunters of their generation as well as two of my closest friends," Willow said.
"I still don't get where this is going," Weiss said.
"Having two powerful people as your parents, it's only natural that you want to be like them right?" Willow asked.
"Of course. Part of the reason I want to become a huntress was because of you and Winter," Weiss said.
"Well, Jaune wanted to be a hunter because of who his parents were but also, carve his own name. So that people would view him as Jaune Arc the person, not Jaune, son of Sieg and Jeanne. Much like how you want to be Weiss Schnee the person, not Weiss of the Schnees or that Mistral Champion wants to be Pyrrha Nikos the Girl, not Pyrrha Nikos, the Champion," Willow explained.
"How do you know all of this?" Weiss asked.
"I'm pretty sure that you know from that old bastard Ozpin that I am his godmother right?" Willow said.
Weiss nodded but then a thought came to her mind.
"Why did I never know about Jaune or the Arcs?" she asked.
"Because of your father," Willow said.
"Father?" Weiss asked.
"Before you were born, I used to visit Domremy on the island of Arcadia. I brought Winter there a lot and she and the second Arc Daughter became best friends," Willow said. "When you were born, I was going to go there and show you to them but Jacques had already gotten his filthy claws on you," Willow said. "He threatened your life as well as Winter's so I stayed to keep you safe. Granted, I could have killed him in a direct confrontation, I would have lost in the legal battlefield as Dad signed away my rights to the company to that bastard when he chose him as the heir.
"And now look at you. I never raised you to be this cruel Weiss. It would be understandable to be upset but to abandon him during a mission and leaving him to die? That… I don't even know where you got that from," Willow said.
Weiss looked down.
"He just wanted to help people Weiss," Willow said. "To be his own person and to carve out his own path just like…"
"Me," Weiss said. Willow stopped.
"You finally understand what you did? You were responsible for the death of another human," Willow said.
Weiss looked down as the weight of what she did hit her. Jaune never did anything wrong to her. And she had to admit, as far as reactions went, she went overboard in how she reacted to his transcripts. Her mother was correct. It was normal to feel angry but to be this cruel, it was abhorrent. She was a monster for all the mental abuse she put him through. She, along with the rest of the student body except for a select few, was horrible to him. And now, because of her rampant animosity towards him, he was dead. Dead because she and the others abandoned him.
Willow watched as her daughter came to terms with what she had just done and decided to leave.
Weiss drew her knees up to her chest and silently apologized in her heart to Jaune, no matter how much she didn't deserve it. She vowed to break free from her father's grip and carve her own name out separate from that of her family. For both of them.
Yang was depressed. She had just been called the very thing she despised by Jaune's twin sister. A monster. And she was right. She was one of the sole perpetrators of Jaune's misery in Beacon. The boy had done nothing but sneak into a school. And why did he sneak in? To help others. Meanwhile, she was a blonde nutcase with abandonment issues who wrecked a bar just for not having information on her mother. In a way, Yang felt that Jaune deserved to be in Beacon way more than she did.
Yes, she was mad that Jaune snuck in. Everyone was. Even Pyrrha herself admitted that she was angry and in disbelief for a short time but still, Pyrrha stuck with him. She wished that she could turn back the clock and slap herself. To tell her that, "Hey, I know what he did was kinda dick move, but aren't you taking this a bit too far?"
Her sister wasn't faring any better. Ruby had been depressed for days now. Almost as much as Pyrrha. Jaune was her best friend. Her so-called "Super Bestie Better Than The Restie" as she so eloquently put it. And she abandoned him to the wolves. Left him to be mentally torn apart by the students of Beacon and to be subject to large amounts of physical abuse.
Ruby felt horrible and sick with herself. She left him. She knew that if the situation was reversed, Jaune would be there, taking the blows for her. So why didn't she? Why didn't she defend him? Why did a false slip of paper change their relationship so drastically? Why did she let that define their friendship and their relationship? And now her chance was gone. What chance was that? Well, Ruby harbored feelings for the blonde knight. Deep within her heart, she had feelings for Jaune. And why wouldn't she? The two got along. They were best friends and did everything together. That is until his transcripts were revealed. The only reason she didn't actively pursue him was out of respect for Pyrrha.
Over the past few days, Ruby had found herself talking and apologizing to a picture of Jaune on her scroll and now… she couldn't look at it without feeling depression and an immense amount of guilt. Guilt for the abuse she had abandoned him to.
Blake sat on her bed. She felt guilty as well as sad. Sadness at the fact that Remnant lost one of its best people. In the time she had known Jaune, he was the kindest person she had ever met. He stood up for the others, whereas others who claim to support the Faunus just stood by and watched. Blake could remember how much the others admonished Cardin for his treatment of Velvet yet Jaune was the only one who stood up to him. And guilt for not being able to do more for Jaune. To help him more when he needed her the most. She remembered when Jaune found out that she was a Faunus. It was more of an accident really. It was on their second week of school.
Blake walked silently through the halls of Beacon, looking for somewhere to read. Yang and Weiss had gotten into an argument about who used Yang's hair products and Ruby stayed behind in an attempt to defuse the entire situation. Deciding that the roof was a good place to read, she made her way there and sat down. Pulling out an all too familiar book, she turned to the chapter she had marked and began to read.
"Huh Blake, I didn't know you were here," a voice called out.
Blake jumped and berated herself. She turned and saw Jaune walking up to her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I come up here to stargaze. It's something me and my sister did back in our hometown," Jaune answered.
"Oh," Blake said.
"I'll leave you to it," Jaune said when she saw that she had a book in hand. Jaune just sat down and looked at the stars. He pulled a notebook from his pocket and began to scribble down some star formations. The two sat in comfortable silence before a strong wind blew past.
Blake's ribbon, which wasn't secured as tightly as she had hoped, was blown away by the wind.
"My ribbon!" she said.
Jaune, upon hearing, immediately stood and saw her ribbon flying and was about to go off the edge of the roof. He ran after it and caught it in time, nearly falling over the edge himself.
"I got your ri...bbon? Um, Blake, are you a Faunus?" Jaune asked.
Blake blinked and realized that he could now see her ears because her ribbon was removed.
"Ummmm," Blake began to walk slowly towards him, fully intending on performing a full cognitive redaction but stopped at his next words.
"Um, you can have it back. Just so we're clear, I don't really care if you're a Faunus. Faunus or Human, people are still people and no one should be treated that way," Jaune said as he handed her the ribbon. He smiled and the moonlight made him look ethereal. Blake's heart skipped a beat as she took her ribbon from his hand and looked away. Blood rushed to her cheeks as she struggled to control her heart rate. It was just like that scene in Ninjas of Love where Takashi stated that he didn't care whether or not Haruka was the daughter of the enemy Daimyo.
"T-Thanks," Blake said.
"You're welcome," Jaune said as he went back to stargazing. Blake looked at him for a few more minutes before deciding to sit next to him. Jaune blinked when he felt Blake lean into him,
"Um, what are you…?"
"It's cold," she said. "And you're warm."
"Oh."
Blake smiled at the memory before her sadness returned. Jaune was a good friend and if Pyrrha didn't like him, she would have taken Jaune for herself. Now, she'll never get to spend time with him nor see him ever again and to Blake, that was one of the worst things she could ever think of other than losing her family and her team.
JNPR Dorm
Ren entered the dorm room with a depressed Nora. Alice had left them earlier, saying that she had to go and comfort her mother. Ren and Nora understood and made their way back to their dorm room after a short walk to clear their heads.
Pyrrha must have been here, Ren thought as he saw the small dip in her bed. He turned to Nora. All the light had officially left her eyes. She looked so dead after the funeral. And he wasn't faring so well either. He wanted to beat himself up for distancing himself from Jaune. He knew that there was something more involving the whole transcripts debacle but he let his pride get the better of him and now… Jaune was dead. Gone forever. And he was to blame even though Pyrrha had told them that it wasn't their fault since Jaune told them to take her to the ship. Still, Ren felt responsible for what happened. If only he had stayed with Jaune during the mission. If only he had taken the time to hear him out. If only he had defended him. If only… these were the only things Ren had left now of his leader. Regrets. Tons and tons of regrets. Regrets at being a horrible teammate. Regrets at being a horrible friend.
As Ren wallowed in his regrets, Nora was slowly cracking on the inside. In the time that the team was together in Beacon, Jaune had become family to her. The older brother that she never had. He cared for each and every one of them and what did they do to him. Left him. Left him to be torn apart emotionally and mentally by the student body. Her gaze traveled to Crocea Mors, the blade of her former leader. She walked over to it and picked it up.
Ren noticed that Nora had moved and was now holding Jaune's sword. Without warning, she drew Crocea Mors from its sheath and ran the blade across her palm.
"NORA!" Ren ran over to her and prepared to take the sword when she held it out to him.
"Renny, I'm making a promise with my blood to make sure nothing ever happens to Alice. Nothing like what happened to Jaune. I'm promising never to abandon my friends like that ever again!" Nora said with clear resolve in her eyes.
"Nora…," Ren said. He took the blade and winced as he slowly ran its edge across his palm.
"I will as well. Alice is all we have left of Jaune now other than the sword and Pyrrha and I'm pretty sure that Pyrrha will start using it now," Ren said.
"Yeah," Nora said. "Why did he have to die Ren? Why did we have to abandon him? Jaune deserved none of that. Sure, he snuck in but what happened to him was beyond cruel. And he snuck in for reasons nearly everyone in the school doesn't have. To help people. Pyrrha was right when she said that this school has too many villains. Everyone here has their heads stuck up their asses."
"Even us," Ren said. Nora stayed silent.
"Yeah, even us," Nora said finally.
"The best we can do to make it up to Jaune now is to make sure that the same thing never happens to anyone else," Ren said. Nora nodded.
Beacon Docks
Jaune, Maria, and Mae all stood at the docks with the Arc Family, Willow, and Pyrrha. It was time. Time for them to go. Jaune looked back at his mother who was crying slightly at the thought of her son leaving her again. Jaune sighed and sent his mother a reassuring smile.
"Mom, I'll be back for the festival," Jaune said.
"You better. Maria, take care of my baby boy or so help me, no God will be able to protect you from me," Jeanne said, her violet eyes flickering to yellow.
"Of course. Someone has to," Maria said.
Jaune deadpanned as his gaze traveled between his mother and his new teacher.
"Wait, Jaune before you go, someone wants to see you. I may have told them," Alice said.
"Who?" Jaune asked.
"Her," Alice said as she pointed to a running Professor Goodwitch. She ran up to Jaune and hugged him tightly.
"Big Sis Glyn," Jaune said as he hugged her back.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered.
"It's okay. It wasn't your fault," Jaune said.
"But still-"
"It wasn't your fault. I just… thought I could put my trust in them to put aside our grievances during a mission," Jaune said.
"Are you going to come back for the festival?" Glynda asked as she pulled away.
"Of course. I made a promise to someone," Jaune said.
"Be careful Jaune-Jaune," Alice said.
"You too Ally-Cat. And kick some ass for me," Jaune said.
"Language," Jeanne said. Sieg walked up to his son and handed him something.
"A new scroll. Since they brought in your old one broken," Sieg said.
"Thanks, Dad," Jaune said.
"Like your mother said, don't stay away for too long," Sieg said.
"Yeah, I won't," Jaune replied.
Vert and Saphron gave him nods while Petra glomped his leg.
"I'll miss you Big Brother!" Petra said.
"I'll miss you too Pet but I'm coming back for the festival," Jaune said.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Pinky promise?" Petra asked, holding her pinky out.
Jaune smiled and locked his pinky with hers.
"Pinky promise," Jaune said. Petra smiled and returned to her older sister's side.
Pyrrha walked up to Jaune and faced him.
"Pyr, I'm sorry I can't stay bu-" Jaune's eyes widened when Pyrrha kissed him deeply. Jaune closed his eyes and leaned in, wrapping his arms around her slender waist.
After a few minutes, the two pulled apart, their noses still touching and looked deep into each other's eyes.
"That was for luck," Pyrrha said.
"I feel like I can fight the entire Atlesian Army now," Jaune said.
"Ahem," the two turned and saw Alice covering Petra's eyes. Vert was giggling madly while scribbling in her notepad. Saphron smiled and made kissy faces. Willow and Sieg looked at the two approvingly while Jeanne kept mouthing "Ring" to Jaune.
"Let's go, kid," Maria said.
"I have to go," Jaune said.
"I'll be waiting," Pyrrha said.
Jaune smiled and boarded the airbus. He looked out the window and waved to them.
"WAIT!" the bus driver stopped and opened the door. Pyrrha ran in and shoved a bottle of pills into Jaune's chest.
"You forgot these," Pyrrha said.
"What would I do without you?" Jaune asked.
"Crash and burn," Pyrrha said.
"Yeah, I probably would," he replied.
"Okay, you two, we have other passengers on this bus," the driver said.
"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha said, bowing profusely. She made her way to the door and sent Jaune a loving smile before stepping off.
"Hold on to her," Maria said as Jaune sat down next to her.
"Huh?" Jaune turned to her curiously.
"Someone like her only comes around once in a lifetime," Maria said.
"You sound like you speak from experience," Jaune said.
"I do," she replied cryptically. Jaune nodded and sat down. He looked out the window as the bus took off. His mind was currently set to tomorrow and whatever new horizons awaited him and his friends.
Okay, so that's the end of that. I admit the ending of this chapter was a bit lackluster in my opinion. Oh well. Anyway, I hope you guys are ready for the next Arc. Jaune will get his weapons, continue traveling and training with Maria, Nyx, and Mae and finally go to the festival with his girl! Woooooo! A lot of you suggested that I look at Masseffect-TxS for some inspiration on how to make Pyrrha's new armor so Cinder doesn't you know shoot her heart. Also, don't leave reviews that go like:
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
It messes up the format of the reviews page and it's annoying for me to have to scroll through when reading.
Also, to some of you who pointed out that Alice's name doesn't fall in line with the color naming rule. I found my in. Alice Blue. It's a shade of blue that you see in ice. Just look it up. Teddy Roosevelt's daughter Alice loved that shade hence why it was called Alice Blue.
Anyway, leave a review. Follow/Fav, you guys know the drill. Cheers though if you stuck around til the end. Have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours.