[Underground]

{Justin/Achilles' perspective}

Ow… My everything is sore.

Not to mention I feel something heavy on my chest.

When I looked to see what it was, I saw Weiss was about the same picking her head up from my chest.

For a petite girl, she has a rather hard head.

Thankfully she landed off to the side of me.

She looked at me after she sat up "Are you ok Achilles?" She asked.

"For the most part" I replied sitting up. "Other than feeling like I was hit by a 2 ton." I then looked around "Alright who's not dead? Sound off" I said loudly.

I heard groans all around. They're alive, that's good.

Students! Are you ok?! Oobleck asked over the intercoms.

"We're fine… barely" I groaned. "We're underground so we may be going dark soon."

Oh that is most troubling, try to find a way out! He ordered

"Yeah yeah whatever you say professor." I said standing up

Doctor. Oobleck corrected

I stretched my arms, torso, then legs before continuing "Whatever. Guys get up, we need to get going."

Ruby used her Crescent Rose to help her up as the rest got up and dusted themselves off.

It was then I noticed one person was missing. "Hey has anyone seen Rose?"

Aaron and the others looked around "Not since that building fell." Aaron said

Yang crossed her arms "She was right next to me."

"Guys!" Keoth yelled "You might wanna look at this!"

We all rushed to his side and it was then I saw that Jocelyn was impaled by a piece of rebar, she was still breathing thank god, but she needs help soon. "HELP ME GET THAT OUT OF HER!" I yelled as I ran to her side "Rose you're going to be ok! I promise. Please just stay with me!" I pleaded kneeling next to her.

Yang and Nora held Jocelyn steady as Pyrrha used her semblance with the help of Jaune, and Ren pulled the rebar out of where her liver was, it was about the same spot that Weiss was stabbed in during volume 5.

Jaune then pressed her wound as Ren checked her pulse.

Ren looked at Jocelyn with a somber look "It isn't looking good." Ren noted.

I jerked my head around the group "Did anyone bring a first aid kit?" I asked.

Jaune sighed in disappointment as the rest looked away from me. "No one thought to bring a first aid kit?! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?" I yelled angrily.

"Hey don't yell!" Jaune snapped "None of us thought we'd be injured like this!"

I could barely hold my anger back as I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists "Uh huh, or were you too busy making out with your girlfriend?" I retorted.

"Hey don't blame me!" Jaune defended pointing at me "If anything you should have brought a first aid kit!"

I stood up and looked directly at him "Oh ho ho is that how we're playing this then?" I said "What about your position as 'strategist' huh? If you have half the brains Pyrrha claims you do, you would have thought of this!"

Jaune scoffed "Well at least I have someone to love right now!" he retorted with his arms crossed.

"Guys enough both of you!" Aaron intervened "We need to focus on healing Rose."

Jaune and I grunted. "Fine, after that though, I won't hesitate to shove you into the arms of an Ursa" I said coldly to Jaune.

"And don't be surprised if you don't have a shield to help you when a grimm attacks you from behind" Jaune mumbled as if I didn't hear him.

He then looked down at Rose's wound. He closed his eyes as if deep in thought. He looked as though he was thinking of some way to close the wound when his arms then started glowing.

Hold on, did we just unlock his semblance early?

"Jaune, you may want to look at your hands" I said abruptly.

Jaune then took notice and looked at his hands "What's happening?"

Pyrrha gasped, I looked back to see her with her hands crossing her chest forming a heart. "I believe that is your semblance," She said with a sweet smile as she joined Jaune's side.

Jaune looked down at his hands as if studying them "Is that what am I doing?" he asked mostly himself.

"Put your hands back where they were!" I yelled pointing at her wound.

I can't lose her. I won't lose her.

Jaune did as I told "Pyrrha?" Jaune asked as he concentrated on the wound.

Pyrrha knelt beside him "It's ok love," She started "Remember you have lots of aura to give." She then put her hand on his back.

Jaune looked back at Pyrrha "did you know?" He asked.

She smiled at him sweetly "You could say I had a hunch" She explained with a shrug "With how much aura you have, that would mean your semblance needed a lot of aura."

Jocelyn's wound closed up in next to no time and I started to hear her struggle to breath "That's it darling, I'm here" I pleaded "Don't go to the light. I'm here, I need you."

{Third person}

RWBY looked at one another as did the rest of JNPR. Aaron and Keoth looked right at Justin in concern on their faces. Justin's face streamed with tears as he thought he was losing the love of his life "Come on Rose, I know you." He pleaded. "You never give up without a fight. So please fight the temptation."

Jocelyn then coughed as her aura returned healing the rest of her injuries. Her eyes slowly opened and looked around to see her ex fiance holding her hand with a relieved smile.

"What happened?" She asked.

Justin sighed as he dropped his head slightly "You were impaled, Jaune helped me rescue you from death's embrace" He explained while wiping the tears from his eyes.

Jocelyn first looked at Justin, then Jaune, then the rest who were around her. "That's… annoying." She stated weakly.

Aaron sighed with relief alongside Keoth. RWBY shared the same emotions.

Ruby then clapped her hands "We need to find a place to rest, we can't go on with Rose injured like that." She said walking up to the right side of Justin. She then put he fingers to her com to report to Oobleck "Oobleck, we're going to have to rest for a minute, Rose is stable but she needs rest for her aura to heal the rest of her injuries if she has any."

Understood Ruby, there should be a place that is fortified enough to hunker down in somewhere close by. There will be rain tonight so you might want to move as soon as possible. Oobleck reported. Will you be needing a first aid kit?

Ruby chuckled nervously "About that Oobleck, um… Jaune already took care of it."

Oobleck seemed confused as he asked How so?

Ruby looked back at Jaune "We believe his semblance can heal wounds."

Oobleck seemed to be thinking as he just replied with Hm… how interesting. I'll have to pick his brain apart later, for now seek the shelter I told you about.

Justin and Jaune grabbed each of Jocelyn's arms and carried her. "Will do Professor" Ruby said as they dragged Jocelyn with them to an abandoned house that was dug into the earth itself.

{Justin/Achilles' perspective}

"Well this oughta do" I said as Jaune and I placed Rose on a bed that was in one of the upper level rooms of the structure.

Jaune looked down at the ground holding his chin deep in thought after we set her down.

I tapped his shoulder "Hey, penny for your thoughts?" I asked.

Jaune looked back at me confused "What does Penny have to do with my thoughts?" He asked.

I sighed and face palmed, I forget there are no pennies in Remnant, I think… "What I mean to say is: What's on your mind?"

Jaune sighed and looked outside for a moment before answering "I've been thinking about my semblance, and what Ruby said, on the way here. It seems to amplify aura and amplify the healing factor. Because Aura heals our bodies right?" He asked. "So I can't be solely healing a wound, especially one as bad as Rose's."

I chuckled and smiled "You're right, hell I think you can also amplify semblances too" I said with a shrug.

He looked back at me "So I'm like a battery then." Jaune noted "Good to know where I stand."

"Jaune." I started "If I may, you're one of the most important people in both your team and the team we're currently in, Rose can also amplify aura but not to the same extent you can. She can heal major scratches. But you can help repair fatal wounds." I then leant against a wall "Besides that, in almost any online game, the healer is the most important role. Their responsibility is to make sure that the tanks and the dps are still able to fight and protect their teammates."

Jaune seemed to like that, I saw a small grin tug from his lips "Thanks man, I appreciate your words of encouragement."

I shrugged "Hey anytime my dude. Now go join the others, I need to speak with Rose privately." I said, patting his shoulder.

Jaune nodded and headed for the door "We'll save you some of the food that we managed to bring with us."

I nodded at him "Sounds good, I'm alright with just one can."

As soon as he was out of earshot I walked up to sit next to Jocelyn.

I smiled down at her "How are you feeling?" I asked.

She did not look amused "Better thanks to Vomit Boy over there." She said coldly.

I sighed agitatedly. I then looked behind me to see if anyone was in earshot. They weren't, but just to make sure I better talk quieter. "Joce, what is going on? You can tell me if anything is wrong."

She scoffed at me "Like you care" She said flatly "You only want to 'fix me'. Or 'help me see the light'."

I crossed my arms "Jocelyn you know I care about you. This is unlike you." I said "You always put me first, you go out of your way to apologize if you do something wrong, and you are my fiance. You said yes when I proposed to you on that bridge in the park on the bridge on that day of January 13th, our anniversary."

She chuckled "Oh honey, that was our past life. This is our new life, and now that I have power" She stated before sitting up "I don't want to waste it being a goody-two shoes. No, I feel like my gift can be better used for… different means."

I pulled at my necklace that I made and showed it to her, on the chain was Jocelyn's engagement ring. I had turned it into a necklace to keep it safe. And holding onto hope that I could get her back to me "What about us?" I asked.

She scoffed once again "What about us?" She repeated. "There was never an 'us'. I only pitied you."

Never in my life would I ever think this would happen. The love of my life betrays me and breaks up with me. "You… pitied me?" I asked somberly

She smiled in a twisted way "Yes, I pitied you. I pitied that you were unable to get anyone. I pitied that you were a loner. And I pitied that you can't control your anger" She said with her arms crossed "I'm just surprised that you didn't shoot up our school all those years ago."

I clenched my fist as my aura glowed around it, probably to heal the wound I was creating for myself. But I had to get out of that room.

And that is what I did, I stuffed my necklace into my shirt and walked out the door while Jocelyn yelled "Yeah that's right! Cry! Cry like a little bitch like you always do!"

Before I came to the main room. I wiped my eyes from the tears before walking around the corner.

Jaune noticed I had walked in "Oh hey Achilles! I managed to save you a can." He said handing me a can of… I wanna say beans? I couldn't really tell

"Thanks but I lost my appetite." I said as I sat down.

Yang looked at me confused "But you're always hungry. Did something happen?"

I silently shook my head as I stared into the fire.

I've always had a respect for fire, with how it can burn almost anything if it's hot enough.

Sometimes I wish I could control it. Thanks to Remnant's dust I am able to a certain extent."

Out of my peripheral vision I saw that Weiss was staring at me. "What is it? If something is on your mind spit it out." I said not looking away from the flames.

Weiss sighed and it was then I felt her wrapping her arms around me.

Aaron and Yang seemed to be having a blast with this because I heard them snickering.

"Weiss what are you doing?" I asked her.

Weiss' embrace tightened "You looked like you could use this." She stated.

I sighed with my eyes closed "Weiss, thank you but that's not necessary." I said as I tried to get up.

Much to my surprise she was keeping me in place.

"Not until you feel better." She said.

That made me break my attention from the flames to look at her.

She was smiling at me, even I'll admit, it was adorable.

I smiled back at her "Thank you Weiss, I guess I needed this."

She released her embrace "Don't mention it. And if you need to talk, we're all here for you." She said with another smile.

I looked at the rest of my team.

So many faces that were smiling at me, assuring me that I wasn't alone.

This made my chest feel warm. Something I haven't felt in a while.

Pyrrha stood up and dusted the back of her skirt off "Achilles and I can take the first watch, night will fall soon. But first you need to eat something." She said picking up the food I put down handing it back to me "Because you and I will be training."

Wait Pyrrha is going to train me? Was I doing something that caught her eye? I'll have to see while we train. Well, you know what they say: if someone tells you to eat you eat. And so I did, I finished my meal and then joined Pyrrha.

She was standing to the right of the door as I exited. "Hello Achilles." She said with Miló and Akoúo̱ drawn. "Let's start with a few practice swings."

I chuckled "What no chit-chat or monologue? Just getting right to the point huh?" I then drew my sword and pointed the tip at her.

She knocked it out of the way with her shield Akoúo̱. "Let's go over there." She said pointing to a little courtyard "We'll have more room to train."

I shrugged "If you say sensei" I replied as I followed her to the courtyard, we were just far enough that we could still defend our friends if anything happened.

I pointed my sword again at her. She sighed and walked up to me and pushed me to the ground "Your stance is all wrong." She said with her head slightly tilted to one side "You need to be wider and closer to the ground."

"Yeah yeah I know" I said getting up. I then did what she suggested

She smiled "good, now then." She then put away Akoúo̱ in favor of using Miló. "Let me give you a few pointers. I noticed a few things wrong with your stance while you were fighting grimm."

I tilted my head in question "You watched me?" I asked

She sighed and looked directly into my eyes "Well, you want to enter the tournament right?" she asked me

I nodded "Of course I do, I feel like I can enter."

Pyrrha put one hand on her hip "Well… your stances may work against grimm, but against other huntsmen or huntresses? That's entirely different. They'll be able to take advantage of the way you're fighting." She explained "for example, that stabbing attack you did, you claim your arm hurt afterwards."

I nodded with my eyes looking up in thought "Well I am 21 years old." I said with a shrug.

She shook her head "Age has nothing to do with it. The reason your arm hurt was because you weren't holding your sword properly. You held it with the wrist pointing down instead of a hand-shake motion."

I looked at my blade and mimicked what Pyrrha told me I will admit it doesn't feel too comfortable, and it also feels like it'll slip out of my hands. So I moved one finger around the guard and tried to stab like that. It's comfortable and I still have control, I'll do this more often then if that is the case.

"Hm…" Pyrrha mused "That's an interesting way to hold it." She noted.

I shrugged "Well it gives me more control so..."

Pyrrha then got into a ready stance with Miló "Now then, let's work on your basic slashes." She said with a smirk.

I couldn't help but chuckle "Alright, but don't cry to your boyfriend if I wipe that smirk off your face." I then pointed my blade at her.

{Jaune's perspective}

Well, I can't really say I know what happened earlier.

But I think I did hear Achilles and Rose arguing earlier. I don't really know what got them to be the way they are.

I might as well ask the woman herself. When I entered the room Achilles and I put her in, she was watching Achilles and Pyrrha out the window.

I cleared my throat and she turned around "Hey Rose, mind if I ask something?"

She crossed her arms "Didn't you just?" She replied

I rolled my eyes "Yeah yeah like I haven't heard that one over a thousand times. But I'm serious."

She chuckled "You? Serious? What alternate universe have I entered?"

I crossed my arms "no need to be rude you know."

She laughed "Oh but it's so much more fun to be."

Ok I've had enough of this "Rose, let's get back on subject. What happened between you and Achilles that made you break off your engagement? You seemed inseparable before the Emerald Forest."

It was then her sinister smile went into a look of complete anger. "You wanna know why I broke it off with him? Why don't I want to be engaged to that four eyed dork anymore? Why don't I feel like sticking around a guy who will just hold me back?" She said taking a step towards me with every question. "I'll tell you a story." She started "Yes a story of a girl who had a terrible life, a mother who only cared about herself rather than her kids. And a fiance who is fixated on the betterment of humanity." She laughed after that last statement "A foolish goal in my opinion. Why redeem humans when all they will do is spit at you when you show any form of weakness. Or judge you for the littlest things like your clothes, your skin, who you are, and where you came from?"

I stood there with my mouth on the floor. I've never heard anyone who talked like this about their family. "Rose I don't think your mother was only thinking of herself. And Achilles does have a point here. Humanity is worth protecting."

She laughed again "Now you sound like him, no wonder he considers you as a friend." She then made a stern face "Now as for my mother, you don't know her like I do. She was never there for me when I needed her the most. She chose some asshole who was abusing her mentaly over her own. Fucking. Kids." She said making sure to enunciate every word to get her point across "Hell they drove drunk once with my little brother in the car! So you tell me Jaune Arc. Do you know what it's like living with a parent who you thought was supposed to have your back, but ended up being a selfish little bitch who only cares about money,womanly power and trying to regain her lost youth instead of her own goddamn kids?"

I didn't answer her. I grew up with seven sisters with parents who loved us all dearly, so I can't really relate to it. I didn't really meet her eyes.

She gave a small chuckle "That's what I thought. Now leave me"

I turned to leave. Before I did I stopped at the door just to say "You know, most people spend their entire lives looking for what you had." I then left her there.

I thought I heard her say "I know." Before I left.


Author's note

Well this chapter went dark. Can't always be light hearted fun and hijinks. After all, a good story has to have some drama in it as well. Just ask Jocelyn, she watches a lot of drama shows. Also I'm trying something different with how I'm writing after some valid criticism I received recently so let me know what you think. As always, thank you for reading.