A Nightmare in Passing

All the students who were and weren't from Beacon had heard about the success and failure of the mission the first years and CFVY had gone on with certified Huntsman and Huntresses. The question on every person's mind was the small details that involved a certain blonde and his friends when they had been alone at the mercy of this 'Scarab Overlord'. One person in particular wanted to know this privileged information and worked out a plan on how to get it from the blonde, personally, when she could catch him alone.

Cinder noted his absence over the few days that he was in the medical ward recovering. It was an unexplainable absence that slightly irked her as she sat moodily, moving her food around on her tray wishing she could just light the place up for some entertainment. She had kept watch of the coming and going of his allies or "friends" as people called each other and had noted that the Spartan girl had been absent as well as the blonde fighter of RWBY who only came into the cafeteria to get a large quantity of food before leaving with it.

It was fairly easy to come to the conclusion that Arc was the reason for the their absences, so she waited for almost a week before both Pyrrha and Yang arrived in the dining hall and sat down to eat their lunches. Jaune was still not among them and Cinder saw this as her opportunity to have him alone for a few minutes. She got up much to the surprise of Emerald and Mercury who got up as well only to sit down a second later as she waved them off.

She strolled out of the dining hall and quickly made her way over to the main building where the medical ward was located. It took her a few minutes to get there but once she did she noted the doors were closed and there was some noise coming from the other side. She looked around to make sure no one was around before she pressed her ear against the door to listen to what was being said.

"...ourse you will be fine my boy as I said, once you were in you could only go up. I believe in you as does your father. That's why we aren't taking you home, but we will have to call your mother and explain why you are staying or else I daresay she might make the trip herself." Jecht said, chuckling loudly.

"Now listen, when the time comes you may have to become the head of the house, son. Should I suddenly die or something drastic happen, you will need to step up and take my place. I'm sure you are aware that you only have four years left before you are to take someone's hand in marriage since you're a male Arc. I want you to have the freedom of choosing for yourself, I don't like the laws, but your mother will pick for you if you don't have someone in mind by then. If you don't decide in time we already know who will be chosen as your bride." Xavier spoke with a calm kindness that held that underlying authority.

Cinder's ears perked up with curiosity at this and a swell of spite filled her at the prospect of keeping Jaune as her pet just to break Pyrrha more when she heard him speak.

"Dad, Viridian is a dear friend but I can't marry her. Things always become chaotic when we're together and she gets very protective of me around other girls, besides my sisters, when they even try to talk to me or just say hi…." Jaune trailed off sadly as he reminisced about his childhood friend.

"True, but her jealousy has improved a little bit. I remember when she strung that girl up, Auburn if I recall, by her shoes for whispering to you during a field trip. Wasn't fun explaining that one to her father." Xavier mumbled, his eyes darting off to the side. "Nowadays though she talks a lot about you and has matured a lot from her youth. She should be able to get along with other women now…." Xavier trailed off hoping his words were convincing enough for his son to buy into.

"The daughters of Taiyang Xiao Long and Vance Nikos care about you deeply, it's clear as day to these old eyes. I remember when Xavier was as dense as you are now, but I suppose he only figured it out because of the walking damage he caused." Jecht said to Jaune as he sat there smiling.

"Grandfather..." Xavier said as he looked at his son with embarrassment, his youth and time at Beacon suddenly came back to him.

A young Xavier, back during his second year at Beacon, was walking down the hall towards Port's class an annoyed look on his face as he heard footfalls growing behind him. A moment later a girl with jet black hair, bright green eyes and wearing a blue dress was bent over breathing heavily as the girl beside her, wearing black shorts and black tee, smirked as she stood not even breaking a sweat.

"C'mon Lily, how are you supposed to keep up with us if you run out of breath racing me to Xavier." Heaven said as she looked at the man in question who averted his eyes, a redness forming on his cheeks.

"C'mon Heaven, Lily is a great fighter and if it wasn't for her we wouldn't have passed our end of year exams. Anyways, if I recall correctly you were really struggling to pass Professor Sprout's class."

"Hey! You three will be late in 30 seconds if you all keep standing around like that instead of entering the classroom." A Faunus with horns and ash colored skin who had a booming voice stepped around the corner, where the classroom was, and smiled. Their teammate Ifrit Shade then disappeared back around the corner.

"Crap!" Xavier mumbled as he bolted around the corner followed by the two girls who both eyed each other and giggled.

"Next time I'll beat you to him, Heaven." Lily said as they stepped into the classroom.

"Huntsman, Huntresses," Professor Ports spoke brightly as his class began. He droned on about inconsequential things that made everyone sleepy. Halfway through the class however things lightened up.

"Psst! Ifrit, can you ignite Port's moustache?" Xavier whispered as he looked out of the corner of his eye at his best friend.

"Mmm, I'd have to sneeze to reach him. I think I can make it look like an accident. Psst! Lily, can you, uh, blow some ice this way? I'm really warm..." Ifrit muttered as he angled his nose towards Port.

Lily looked at him bewildered as she missed the first part and just nodded twitching a finger as an icy mist drifted in Ifrit's direction. The effect was instantaneous as a gout of flame shot out of Ifrit's nostrils and went right where Port was standing. The professor's eyes widened as he tried to move out of the way.

"No! Not the moustache again!" Port cried as he slapped his face repeatedly twisting left and right while the students exited the class post haste. This wasn't the first time Xavier and his posse played a practical joke on Professor Port and it certainly wouldn't be the last. A minute later, Port looked up at the empty room and then, with a tear forming in his eye over his lost moustache, he picked up his battle axe and marched up the stairs to the exit and made his way out to the combat arena.

As he arrived he could see the class sitting on the outside of the ring, save for Team Helix who had their weapons ready. He tapped his scroll as he stepped into the ring causing it to turn orange signaling combat was about to start.

"Alright today is the day, guys! We will win this duel and then we can skip class until next semester!" Xavier exclaimed as they all got ready for the beating they were sure to receive.

"You all know that you will be spending another semester with me doing extra courseworks until my moustache grows back when you lose!" Professor Port exclaimed as he readied the battle axe.

A moment later a bell chimed and everyone moved in sync as Port suddenly lept into the air above them and slashed downwards causing them to scatter. Xavier and Lily dove to the right while Heaven jumped to the left. Ifrit jumped back, avoiding the axe that shaved a few hairs off his head.

"Hahaah! Now I have taken a few of your hairs my young, proud huntsman." Professor Port exclaimed as he swung his axe again and again forcing Ifrit to stay on the defensive.

Xavier and Heaven jumped behind Port and took swings at him with their weapons when Lily jumped in on his other side, They all attacked from different spots but Port seemed to swing his axe blocking them all with ease leaving them in awe. He fired off a shot from the blunderbuss portion of his weapon as Xavier jumped back while Heaven launched herself up into the air. Lily on the other hand was caught off guard and set up a barrier of ice in front of her to protect herself. She expected the shot to hit her aura but she was surprised when she was picked up and moved by Xavier. The shot burst through the barrier of ice and would have hit her had Xavier not swooped in.

"Thaaa...anks" her voice was shaky as he set her down and got his sword ready. Heaven was annoyed as she landed next to them and sneered at Lily, who tried to ignore her constant pestering, as Ifrit got pinned and tagged out. There was a large crop of hair lying on the ground beside him in the shape of a moustache.

Port, smiling, turned and looked at the other three and started walking forward, his right arm in the air triumphantly, as the remaining trio looked for an escape route.

Xavier threw up a hand calling for surrender as Port jumped forward stopping mid-swing. He nodded, content with the retribution paid. The arena resounded with applause as Ozpin stepped into the area, sipping from his mug. He nodded at both Port and Xavier.

"I think that should be all for today, everyone go enjoy lunch." Ozpin said as he approached Port and handed him a letter with a moustache seal. Port chuckled as he attempted to rub his moustache only to remember it was no longer there. A moment of sadness washed over him as he dejectedly walked away from the arena with Ozpin and the class filing behind him.

Xavier walked over to Ifrit who was running his finger through his red hair feeling the missing chunk that was oddly shaped like a moustache. He accepted the hand up that Xavier extended to him and they both shared a laugh as they heard arguing behind them after the class chatter faded.

"If you were more skilled Xavier wouldn't have to save you all the time." Heaven spat as she glared at Lily who was clenching her fist and shaking violently. "This is why I don't think you should be considered a true Huntress. If you can't even defend yourself in a duel how are you supposed to fight Grimm by yourself or is Xavier going to hold your hand the entire way?" Heaven continued her voice growing louder as she was practically on the verge of shouting.

Xavier and Ifrit felt the chill in the air right away as Heaven continued on and both reacted quickly as a large pillar of ice formed over Heaven and sped down right at the unaware girl. Xavier tackled her out of the way while Ifrit ran to Lily to try and calm her down. Ice started covering the exterior and interior of the arena. Sharp spikes of ice began to sprout out of the ground like trees surrounding everyone. A wall of ice separated Ifrit from Lily and he began melting everything around him trying to get through to her.

Xavier scooped Heaven up and moved outside of the arena setting her down. He teleported back to Lily's side, pulling her forward into a hug. The embrace startled her and the production of ice stopped. He smiled as they appeared outside the arena next to Heaven who was looking at all the ice that was now starting to break and melt, steaming the summer air. Lily's eyes began to water as she turned away from everyone to hide her face.

Xavier looked at Heaven, who had an ashamed look on her face as she refused to meet his gaze. A loud sneeze was heard and a gout of flame melted a hole that led outside. Ifrit walked towards clearly angry. He stopped in front of Heaven.

"You need to start using that brain of yours or you will seriously get us all killed! Her Semblance is still manifesting and getting stronger. If she loses control every time you decide to make her mad Xavier might not be there to save you or calm her down or I won't be around to stop the ice or... gah! If you two can't sort out your feelings then we can't function as a team, got it?" Ifrit said as he stormed off back towards the academy.

Xavier just sighed, shaking his head as both girls looked at him sadly before they got up and silently walked back to the school following behind Ifrit, both in their own thoughts. Xavier watched them go deciding that he should keep his distance until things cooled off.

"Seems you have the same issues I did in my youth, boy." Jecht said as he walked out of the stands unnoticed by Xavier who jumped as his grandfather's unexpected appearance. They sized each other up for a moment before Xavier extended a hand out to Jecht who accepted it and then pulled him into a hug.

"It's good to see you again Xavier, it's been awhile..." Jecht said as he pulled his grandson into a headlock.

"Same to you, grandfather." Xavier said as he wriggled free and smiled.

"So who are the two pretty girls that are battling back and forth?" Jecht asked as he watched the girls in question walk into the dining hall and disappear from sight.

"Lily Ink and Heaven Blood, they are my teammates with Ifrit Shade who is my partner. We're all part of Team Helix." Xavier said as he sat down on the grass and looked up at the sky letting the breeze that was blowing carry his worries away.

Jecht sat down as well and joined his grandson in a silent moment letting the world brighten their day.

"How's Grandma Nami doing? It's surprising to see you here and not out in the garden with her growing everything under the sun." Xavier joked trying to determine what prompted this surprise visit.

"She's doing well, your grandmother. Plenty of strength in that body to carry on for the years to come, however on that note your father's condition hasn't improved and your mother is too busy to run everything while she tends to and heals him. Your grandmother is assisting to the best of her abilities to lessen the burden, but she spoke to me last night about you becoming the head of the Arc clan which means you have to pick a wife soon or she will pick one for you…" Jecht finished as his face finally broke into a sad smile at their dilemma.

"How long do I have….?" Xavier asked as he looked straight into his grandfather's eyes.

"One year after you graduate unless your father passes before then but we can hope he will recover soon so that you don't have to take on this responsibility." Jecht replied as he looked away into the sky. "A word of advice though if you decide to ask one of your teammates, whom I'm sure you've grown close to, secrets cause problems and women... well… they figure them out fast and read into them far more than they should sometimes so it's always best to be up front and honest about things so they know what they're getting into and don't resent you later." Jecht said standing up and offering a hand to his grandson.

"Let's head back. I need to inform Ozpin about this as well as the current situation…." Jecht said leading the way back, Xavier only nodding as he followed him back to the academy….

"Jaune I know it's hard to have to think about that right now especially since you're only just turning 18 in a month but with everything happening in Remnant... better safe than sorry, right?"

"Yeah I guess… What happened between you and Lily, Dad?"

"I made a decision and kept a secret. She never forgave me to this day and it's been 24 years now. Secrets cause problems and women... well… they figure them out fast and read into them far more than they should sometimes so it's always best to be up front and honest about things so they know what they're getting into and don't resent you later, like Lily and me…." Xavier passed on his grandfather's advice to his son. "I'll tell you the full story when you're 18… if she doesn't first. Be mindful though an Arc never goes back on his word, ever. Speaking of which, Jaune, I need to go contact your mother. It's been a few days since I talked to her and well… haven't mentioned your condition or anything to her…..so yeah…. might not make it back from this call….." Xavier said as he stood up and put a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "Just take it a day at a time son, things will work out… I know they will. Jecht, this is partially your fault, by the way, so you're coming too." Xavier said as he walked past his grandfather who shrugged and got up as well.

"Take care, Jaune. Use that head and heart of yours and always improve your combat skills. If you do that then nothing will be able to topple your Arc lineage." Jecht said he stepped through the door after Xavier, the door closing behind the two men.

"Do you really think he will work up the courage to ask one or both of them to give up their futures as huntresses and spend their days as a ruler over a kingdom? It's a lot to ask of someone: their dreams, aspirations and ideas all get put on hold and then they are expected to put everyone else first." Xavier said as the door shut behind Jecht. Silence filled the area between them while Jecht gave it some thought.

"Maybe things will be different and the old ways will change or improve so we don't have so much sorrow disrupting what should be happy times." Jecht said as they began walking down the corridor.

"So are you some sort of royalty? Never would've guessed that from you Jaune Arc, what else are you hiding?" Cinder thought as she watched from a shadowy corner. As the men disappeared around the corner, Cinder stepped out of the shadow and slipped into the ward pulling the double doors closed behind her as she looked at the blonde boy still in his bed who was looking out the far window away from her.

"What is it now, Dad? Did you forget to include more details?" Jaune asked as he turned and then froze in surprise as Cinder approached him with a sexy yet intimidating smile on her face.

"Hello Jaune, hope you remember me from the time you knocked me over in the hall." She said as she slinked towards his bed. He seemed unable to form words as she looked at him like a wolf would a deer. He stuttered for a moment trying to regain his composure feeling completely defenseless without his armor or sword.

"Um yeah, I remember. Sorry again about that." He sputtered as he started to get his breathing under control. "Is there something I can help you with?" Jaune asked attempting to be polite as she stood next to him, her fingertips running along the edge of his bed.

"No, I just wanted to make sure your recovery was going well." Cinder said as she sat down in the chair Yang usually sat in and placed a hand on his arm. She got a weird feeling for a moment as the room seemed to brighten up a little like someone had pulled back a closed curtain letting a sliver of light slip through. She gazed at Jaune who was red in the face, the confusion and fear that she assumed was from her touching him was evident in his eyes as he felt his arm heat up for a moment before she removed her hand and everything returned to normal. Jaune looked away for a moment, the embarrassment making his face burn.

"So…. did you kill the Scarab Overlord?" Cinder asked deciding to take the direct route insteading of beating around the bush. Jaune looked at her and then shook his head and shifted his gaze downwards.

"No, it's still out there running around waiting to strike again." Jaune said. The shame filled look on his face slowly transformed into one of determination. "But it hurt my friends so it won't running around much longer once I find it." He finished his voice rising as he tried to get up and out of the bed.

"Shh, try not to make too much noise, Jaaauune…" she spoke drawing out his name in a way that sent a chill up his spine. Cinder put a hand on his chest pushing him back down and raised a finger to his lips as she stood up and grabbed a glass and the pitcher of water. She sashayed back to him handing him the water, sitting back down and looking at him.

"How did you survive this Scarab though? From what I hear you held it off all by yourself. Word is they found you shielding the great Pyrrha Nikos and a renowned Huntress called Lily the Unyielding." Cinder said exaggerating the story a bit to boost the young man's ego as she again placed a hand on his arm and lightly moved a finger tracing a small circle. That strange sensation came back to her once more as she looked at him feeling calm and at ease. It bothered her that she wasn't tense or reflexively coiled to escape if someone were to enter the room.

Jaune on the other hand felt a conflict of emotions. This woman, Cinder, whoever she was, had hurt Pyrrha in his nightmare. He didn't know why or for that matter how everything fell apart to reach that end. He also felt a strange presence about her when she touched him, like there was her and then there was something else that was evil, dark and tainted. It was the same feeling he got from the Scarab Overlord. Here she was right next to him talking to him unaware that that future was creeping closer to them…..

"I don't know honestly, I have no idea at all and it's frustrating because whatever I did what if it doesn't work next time we're in serious trouble…" Jaune said not paying attention to the changing demeanor of the girl next to him. "Honestly the rumors are probably mixed up. I bet it was Pyrrha shielding me and I was just cowering, completely useless."

Cinder leaned forward placing her hand under his chin tilting his head up towards her. A shiver ran up his spine as the evil presence felt stronger and more grimm like as she looked him dead in the eye.

"I know there's more to it than that Jaune, you're special and have a power far stronger than everyone else." Cinder said forcefully as her eyes seemed to glow a bit.

They both felt a chill in the air as a bluish white hand appeared on Cinder's arm and pulled it away from Jaune who looked up to see Lily standing there with icy eyes. Cinder's eyes flared and simmered like they were about to ignite into flames as she and Lily looked at each other. Some steam rose up from where they were connected before Lily released her grip and Cinder smirked triumphantly.

She stood up abruptly looking at him slyly as she headed towards the door swaying her hips seductively as she looked back at him with a foxy smile. She winked flipping her hair around as she slipped through the door and disappeared. The click of her heels fading quickly into the distance. Lily stood glaring at the departing woman as she watched Cinder retreat from the room.

Jaune released a breath he wasn't aware he was even holding as his body felt cold and clammy. He sat there unsure of what to do as many thoughts swirled in his mind. "She's going to hurt Pyrrha but I don't even know why and how. What can I do that can fix this so no one gets hurt or worse?" He sat there quietly unsure of what to do as he felt another hand on his arm that was really, really cold. He looked at Lily who was staring at him and thanked her for her sudden appearance.

She looked surprised by his thanks and looked away with a tinge of red on her face. She removed removing her hand from his arm and then quietly took a seat and began to idly stare out the window. Jaune was at a complete loss as to what to say so he stayed silent as well, letting his thoughts stray.

"You really don't remember me, do you?" Lily stated as she continued looking out the window.

"I'm sorry I don't Ms. Ink….." Jaune started before getting cut off by Lily.

"Lily, just call me Lily, Jaune."

"Lily then…. um thanks, and yeah, did you, um, grow up with my father or something because they seem to know you. Even my great-grandfather who I never knew to travel or leave home…." Jaune said as he looked at her.

She smiled sadly as she glanced at him leaning forward. She looked him in the eyes and he felt a different chill run through his body. There was a look of hurt and pain in her eyes unlike anything he had seen before in anyone. She got up and started walking away.

"Wait!..." Jaune called to her. She turned and looked right at him. He felt his mouth go dry as she waited for him to speak. The silence between them grew and made the situation only more awkward with every passing second. He tried to speak but could not find the words and finally she turned away and kept walking until she disappeared out the doors. They swung shut behind her. Jaune hung his head as he berated himself on being useless. He sat there as the time ticked past, thinking to himself unsure of what he should do now. "Maybe I should just go home? I could take Pyrrha with me and keep her safe. Although she would hate me for running away but that seems to be all I'm good for anyways." Jaune thought. He felt his eyes grow heavy and exhaustion started to roll over him again. A moment later his head hit the pillow and sleep claimed him once more.

Elsewhere, Roman was standing over a table as his cigar lit up the dark room. The door behind him opened and a girl with pink and brown hair walked in humming. She looked at Roman and then fluttered around to his side. She lightly tapped him on the shoulder as she peeked at the map that he was currently leaning over.

"Hmm..." He grumbled as he glanced at her and then let a rare, genuine smile grace his face as she extended an ice cream cone to him. He looked at her again, this time taking in the features of the girl's face, while she was devouring the ice cream. He was reminded of the fortunate or unfortunate circumstances (depending on how you view it) that he had led to his meeting with Neo and how she subsequently came to be in his employment. It was another rare thing for him to show concern for the well being of others besides himself.

He had taken her with him when she was very young. The fall out between himself and his old friends had left its scar and because of it Neo had ended up in his care. Her presence made sure that old wound never closed. He sometimes wished he had gone back and fixed things instead of using his talents for crime or, more specifically, to avoid the current pyromaniac he was stuck working with for the time being. Despite his desire to amend the situation he knew deep down that his pride would never have let him be able to resolve stuff.

"Neo, why do you stick around with me these days? You're smart and know that every step we take brings us down a road that we can't escape from freely." Roman sighed, taking a puff off his cigar letting the smoke roll away from him up into the air. Neo looked at him inquisitively before putting a fist on top of his head and lightly tapping him. She blinked twice and smiled mouthing (Because you took care of me) he sighed again, shaking his head at her simple answer, before looking back at the map in front of him. It had a circle around every dust shop within the kingdom, a slash through every police station and an X marking all staging areas for future operations that he would eventually have to spend time coordinating between thugs and the White Fang group that he was put in charge of.

"I wonder what I have to do to get out of this side gig….." he thought as Neo picked up her umbrella and spun it around, smiling. Roman felt a tap on his shoulder and looked at Neo smiling and holding out her hand. He just looked at her as she gestured for him to take her hand again. He shrugged and took it and then found himself outside of an ice cream shop. "You know you could have just asked for more money…" Roman said as he looked at Neo.

She just shrugged and then smiled in a not so kind way before walking into the store with her umbrella pointed at the shop owner. Roman sighed again following her as they proceeded to acquire more ice cream via stealing it.

Ozpin, Jecht and Xavier sat quietly as they waited for their guest to show up. They sipped on their respective drinks as the Ding of the elevator signaled the arrival of someone. The door opened to reveal Qrow, Gunny and a man wearing a black tweed suit and sporting a monocle.

"Hello everyone and welcome. Please have a seat so we can begin this meeting." Ozpin said as he greeted the newcomers with a warm handshake and then sat down at his desk, a smile on his face.

"As you all know, the Vytal Festival is starting in a few months and a lot of students are arriving to reside here in Vale and prepare for it. Our job obviously with the unexpected arrival of James Ironwood is to ensure the safety of each and every person in Vale while the festival is underway. Prior to that however is the Swords Festival in a few weeks." Ozpin stated as everyone else sat down in chairs and paying close attention to the current Beacon Headmaster.

"The contenders for Masters of the Sword are converging in Vale for the Tournament in two months and then we follow up with the Vytal Festival a few months after that." Ozpin said as he pushed a button on his desk and a image of a stadium appeared with a gladiator looking pit in the center at the bottom. As he zoomed out they all saw that the stadium was in the air.

Jecht was the first to speak up as he looked at the image and saw only the Vytal Coliseum was in the air. "So where is the Sword Festival taking place? You know we don't use the Vytal Coliseum for anything else, as that would be against the peace treaty the kingdoms agreed upon."

"Of course we will not be hosting the event in the Vytal Coliseum. We will be hosting it on the ground stadium below the Vytal Coliseum. All the security will be there already. We will just be taking advantage of our unexpected guests on the ground to maintain Grimm activity and to assist in any unexpected developments." Ozpin said with a smile as he pushed another button and the image zoomed down to ground level showing a stadium and landing platform directly below the Coliseum current position.

There was a large trench that encircled the entire area and a secondary trench filled with water. The stadium itself was fairly large and could fit 60% of what the coliseum above could hold.

"I expect that most participants and challengers will be present as well as the family members of each swordsman, which reminds me, the Obsidian Sword I heard has a lot of active challengers this year. Will that be a problem?" Ozpin asked as he sat back in his chair and turned the projection off.

"Shouldn't be. Just means Heidi has her work cut out for her this year. She is a very promising swordmaiden and I'm sure she is going to try to climb up the ranks and challenge Bronzewing this year." Xavier said as he got up and headed toward the elevator. "Gentlemen as always, it's a pleasure to meet with you all but I wish to check on my son and make sure he hasn't injured himself anymore while in bed. Have a great afternoon." He pushed the button, heard the Ding of elevator and stepped in only to have the door halt abruptly as a cane stopped the door from closing.

"Excuse me, my Lord, before you go I have to deliver your clothing and sword as per the Matriarch's request." The man with the monocle spoke gravely as he waited for Xavier to step out of the elevator. Xavier sighed as he stepped back out and waited. The man opened up his suitcase and pulled out a Gold Longsword as well as armor similar to Jaune's. The Arc crest was emblazoned on the chestplate and seemed to emit a golden light as it glowed in the sunlight.

"Thank you Marcus, I guess I kinda need these things….." Xavier said as he started donning his gear.

"Of course sire, There is also a letter from your wife, a change of clothes, curry and a gift for your son from his mother as well. She requested you read the letter upon delivery so please take a moment to read it so you don't bring her wrath down upon us."

In the infirmary, Jaune sighed as he woke up from his sleep. He was feeling drained and troubled by everything that had happened earlier. As his eyes focused on the room he saw his father sitting in his armor next to his bedside table. Qrow and Ozpin were off to the side whispering quietly about something he couldn't quite hear. He looked to the other side and saw Gunny the pilot with his great-grandfather talking about Vale life. Marcus was coming over with a glass of water and some food…. "Wait, Marcus is here?" Jaune thought as he slowly sat up to see the family caretaker set the tray down and look at him with a smile on his face.

"How are you feeling, Jaune? It's been a little while since I last saw you." Marcus said as he sat gently on the side of the bed and looked at Jaune.

"I've been well." Jaune said sheepishly as he felt a twinge of guilt run through him at not saying bye to his friend when he ran away from home to join Beacon.

"I'm sorry I left without any words, Marcus. It must've been dull without me around." Jaune said half jokingly as he thought back to his sisters and how much trouble and excitement they caused on a daily basis.

"It's all forgiven. I'm just glad you're well and following your dream." Marcus said as he got up and grabbed a small box with gold and white wrapping paper on it.

"Your mother has sent a gift to you, Mr. Arc. She hopes you will make good use of it in the coming years and will have a bright future." Marcus finished as he set it down on the stand next to the bed. Jaune went to reach for it when a cough to his right drew his attention to his father who was holding a letter in his hand. He had a serious expression on his face as they made eye contact and Jaune got a sense of whatever this gift contained was important.

"Jaune, don't open that box until your birthday, understand?" Xavier spoke in a commanding voice as he closed the letter and re-sealed it with the Arc crest that Marcus provided. His face softening, Xavier stood up and set the letter down on the stand next to the box and patted his son's shoulder. "Now tell me, how has school been since you arrived?" Xavier said as he shot a look at Ozpin, who seemed to be intently staring in another direction from them. Jaune smiled as he turned to his dad and started to recount his time at Beacon.

Pyrrha and Yang could hear talking as they neared the room, excitement was evident on their faces as they glanced at each other and then looked away both blushing embarrassingly at the giddy schoolgirl-like mood they were both in. They stopped at the door and waited a moment as the laughter from those on the other side of the door filled the hallway. They pushed the door open and walked in seeing Jaune surrounded by some familiar and unfamiliar faces. He turned and flashed a brilliant smile at them as they neared, causing them to both giggle again.

The adults in the room glanced at each other then took a quick look at Jaune before nodding.

"Hey Qrow, you up for a spar in the courtyard for old times?" Xavier asked as he brushed his hand over the sword's handle feeling the energy run through him like back in the day. Qrow nodded as the two got up and headed out the door. Xavier turned and waved. "We'll talk later, ok, son?" Xavier said as he disappeared around the corner. Jaune just nodded.

Ozpin spoke to the other gentlemen, offering them refreshments once they returned to the tower for the afternoon. Jecht and Gunny both agreed immediately while the old man smiled and nodded. They exited, leaving the room to Jaune, Pyrrha and Yang, who both approached and hugged him before sitting down on either side of the bed.

"Hey Jaune! Yang and I were talking about the upcoming dance that Weiss and Yang are planning. It sounds like so much fun." Pyrrha said as she sat down on the bed next to him and snuggled up against him. He smiled as he put an arm around her and pulled her closer to himself as he settled back into the bed.

"Yeah that sounds fun." Jaune said as he remembered something and looked at Yang who shared a similar look. It clicked in her head that they had signed up to be dance partners next weekend at the Tournament at Raptorz. She felt an excited, gleeful feeling rise up in her as she began to plan what to wear before a second thought entered her head, "Will Jaune still go with me?" She thought as she looked at him again.

"So how are you feeling anyways, Vomit-boy? You gave us quite a scare with your little stunt in the forest a few days ago. Everyone's been talking about it." Yang said as she pulled out her scroll and showed the inbox with over a hundred emails asking about what happened. Pyrrha nodded as well, sharing her scroll with him as well and he saw almost a thousand similar questioning emails. He didn't even want to check his scroll as he laid back sighed. Pyrrha looked at him again and smiled before she got up and stretched her legs.

"I'll be back in a sec, Jaune, okay? Don't disappear." Pyrrha said as she headed out to go get their book bags to collect all the work he had missed. Jaune watched her walk out of the room, his eyes tracing her every step as she stepped out. Yang just laughed as she waved goodbye and then started flipping through her scroll deleting the questioning emails.

"So Vomit-boy, we still on for Raptorz next weekend?" She asked trying to be nonchalant about it as she glanced sideways to see his reaction. He just smiled at her and nodded as he sat up a little bit and grabbed a cup of water sipping on it.

"An Arc never goes back on his word. I'll be there for sure." Jaune said as he settled back in. The rest of the evening went by as they chatted about random things. He then got sucked into homework when Pyrrha returned with his backpack full of missed reports and assignments. Yang dashed out at that point to avoid having to suffer having to look at homework when she didn't have to, leaving the two alone.

"Don't worry Jaune, I'll always help you to be the best you can be!" Pyrrha said cheerfully as she kissed him every time he got an answer correct. "Let's make this a year to remember." She pulled out another book and they started on the dreaded Port's paperwork.


~~Author Note~~

Hey All! so first and foremost I want to apologize for the heavy unexpected delay that hit this chapter. Summer I thought I would be simply free of all my duties but it turned out I got booked twice which luckily worked out as the places I work for were in the same building this year. With that however I was basicly bogged down in work. So Sorry, My expected timetable to get a chapter up will be about a week-2 weeks. But I promise to not make you all wait that long again!~

Secondly I would like to shout out thanks to my awesome Beta Reader and editor ~Naru-Teen Titan~ for making sure i didnt leave anything behind and also got it done finally! Love you all and see you in CH 7!

Bonus Round!~ I had a fun thought yesterday while watching Pokemon from the start: Who do you think would be the first RWBY character to catch a Legendary Pokemon?

~~~MG~~~