A Flame in the Dark
It had been a few weeks since Jaune, Yang and Pyrrha had their match in Combat Class and things were still carrying on at a normal pace. Teams RWBY and JNPR were still continuing their bonding process and dealing with their assignments. And each member of the teams could easily call any of the other seven a friend. Maybe not the best but friends all the same.
Classes were going fine for all of them and the Xiao Long-Rose siblings turned out to be a godsend for the others when it came to Port and Oobleck's classes. Since they were friends with their dad, they learned how to cut through the static and get the important parts of their lessons written down in their notes. And even if she didn't admit it, Weiss was impressed by the notes they had taken.
It was from that first instance that both teams would meet up in the dorm's common room at least once a week to study and go over notes. They would get the assignments done quickly and they would spend the rest of their night just hanging out and getting to know each other better. They all looked forward to just getting together with snacks and warm beverages while enjoying each other's company.
The only other mishap, or rather annoyance, they had throughout the weeks was that Cardin had requested a match with Jaune. It was obvious to Jaune that this was him trying to get revenge for him denying his request to try and get him a date with his sister. But he had seen the mace user fight several times before and knew he has very little to worry about.
He was easily able to dodge and weave through Cardin's choreographed swings. He would deliver punches, kicks, and slashes in afterwards before slipping out of Winchester's guard. It was easily becoming a one sided fight and that was just enraging Cardin further. It came to a head when Cardin slammed The Executioner into the ground to send a series of explosion towards the swordsman. Jaune responded with a slash of his own and with a use of some Dust, sent a wave of ice towards it. The two polar opposite elements slammed into each other, sending ash and fractals of ice raining down.
With that distraction, Jaune raced towards Cardin and punched forward. Cardin used his mace to stop the impact but not the ice explosion. As it overcame him, Jaune stabbed Stalwart into the ground and released more Dust. He pulled his sword from the ground and took a few steps back and as the frigid air settled, everyone saw why he stopped fighting. Cardin's lower half was completely frozen in a large chunk of ice while his arms and chest were flash frozen from the Glacies Tempest's explosion. He had his teeth grit so they wouldn't chatter and was trying to move with no luck. With that, Jaune had won the fight.
That didn't help with Cardin's vendetta but Jaune really didn't care. Cardin could do very little to him, in and out of Combat Class, and if he tried anything with his sister, Yang would break him. And then he would break him again for good measure. So, Jaune opted to just putting it behind him and he wouldn't have to worry about it. He didn't know how mistaken he would be.
Currently, JNPR, RWBY and CRDL were all on a bullhead with Professor Goodwitch heading towards the forest of Forever Fall. They were all headed out there for a field trip for Professor Peach to collect sap from the trees there. Everyone from the two sister teams were excited to get out of the classrooms and get some fresh air for once. It varied on how much they showed it though. Weiss, Blake, and Ren were trying to appear neutral or indifferent. Meanwhile, Ruby and Nora were either vibrating or practically jumping in their seats. Leaving Jaune, Yang and Pyrrha to float somewhere in between the two reactions.
The blond swordsman was just enjoying the sight of his little sister and teammate looking like they were going to explode at any moment. That was until he got the feeling that someone was watching him. He looked to the corner of his eyes to see that it was Cardin glaring at him not too subtly. Not shocking by this point. Jaune just rolled his eyes, in full view of Winchester, before turning back to his friends. He could hear the sound of him growling but the sword wielder didn't pay it much attention.
They arrived twenty minutes or so after that. The twelve students and the Professor got off the bullhead and each student took a glass jar before following after their instructor. Everyone was taking in the sights of the forest that seemed to be in perpetual autumn. As they did, Goodwitch was reminding them that each had to have one jar of sap and had until four to return to the bullhead. She reminded them that Grimm did inhabit the forest and to be on guard. And to enjoy themselves as an afterthought.
With that said, the three teams went further into the forest. CRDL broke off not too long after getting out of the professor's sightline but no one on RWBY or JNPR were going to complain about that. They were all just enjoying the sights as they kept an eye out for any Grimm. Ruby and Nora were a few feet in front of the group, finally releasing their pent up excitement. "It's so pretty here!" Nora shouted as she threw her hands above her head.
Ruby nodded quickly, "Yeah. Kinda reminds me of Patch when fall would come around."
Weiss rolled her eyes at them. "You two are far too excited about this."
"Oh, come on, Weiss." Ruby turned back to her partner. "You can't say this isn't a nice change from Atlas."
She just stared at her team leader before she sighed, "You do have a point. It's nice to see examples of the other seasons besides just cold, snow and ice." She grinned slightly. "It is nice to say the least."
"Wow. The Ice Queen actually thawed there." Yang said with a smirk with her arms behind her head.
Weiss turned to her with narrowed eyes, "Quiet you."
Jaune chuckled, "Alright, alright." He started to say with his hands raised in a placating manner. "Let's just collect our sap and then we'll have the next couple of hours to relax and enjoy ourselves. Okay?"
Pyrrha nodded with her usual smile, "That sounds like a lovely idea, Jaune."
Yang gave him a two-fingered salute. "Aye, aye, Bro."
Shortly after that, the eight broke apart. Each going with their partner to separate trees to harvest their sap. Jaune had just managed to get his tree tap in when he looked over everyone. He saw Ren getting frustrated from Nora drinking their jars every time he handed her one. That made him chuckle before he turned over to his sisters. He had a content grin as he saw them joking and talking to their partners. That put him at ease, knowing that he wasn't the only one watching their backs anymore.
He turned back to the tap with the grin still on his face. He watched as the sap started to slowly pour into the jar. It would probably take a bit for the jar to fill. He used that opportunity to scan their surroundings to make sure no Grimm were getting close to them before turning back, seeing that the jar was a third full now.
He took a deep breath but something was off. It was beginning to get harder for him to breathe through his nose as the sweet scent of the sap flooded his sense of smell. He was getting congested and he was starting to get a headache now. He raised his hand to gently massage the bridge of his nose to try to relieve it but with little luck. He stood up with a mild groan but as soon as he did, he got lightheaded and had to support himself with the tree in front of him.
"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked from behind him as her hand settled onto his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
He shook his head faintly before turning to look at her. She was giving him a concerned look, "I don't know. I just suddenly got a headache and then lightheaded."
She just looked him over, "Has this ever happened before?"
"No. Never."
Pyrrha leant forward a bit to check on his complexion and pupils, seeing if anything else was off about him. Although that placed her very much in his personal bubble. That actually made him blush, it'd been some time since someone other than his sisters were this close to him. And he had to be braindead to not know just how gorgeous his partner was. And even though he was similar to his sisters in the way of not really looking for any sort of relationship, his hormonal, teenage mind was not doing him any favors right now.
"Hey. What are you two doing?" said a very familiar voice with a slight edge to it. The two quickly turned to the side to see that Yang was standing not too far away with her arms crossed under her chest. She had a sickly sweet smile on her lips but a very cold look in her eyes that just bore into them. It was a look he had seen her give to a number of questionable girls that took an interest in him at Signal. And now she was giving it to Pyrrha. He had to do something before it escalated.
Pyrrha however didn't pick up on that and told her, "Jaune isn't feeling well and I was checking on him."
That made Jaune groan internally. He knew what was going to happen next. Yang's eyes lost their frigid look before filling with a look of concern. She quickly walked forward and took Jaune's cheeks in her hands before pulling him to her level. He then felt her gently place his forehead against her own. This was how she would check his and Ruby's temperature when they were younger and their dad wasn't around. And even after all these years, just the possibility of him or Ruby being unwell would bring out her maternal side.
Jaune just sighed to himself as he stared into her eyes. Or he would if they weren't currently closed since she was focusing on his temperature. He saw that her eyebrows and forehead were just barely furrowed as she was focusing on her task. He just grinned. As much as she liked to play the strong and untouchable role, he knew how much of a softie she really was. One of the many reasons he loved his sister. So, he just sat there until she was done and enjoyed the subtle scent of lilacs that always seemed to follow her.
It wasn't long until she pulled away and looked back at him, "You don't have a fever. So, what's wrong?"
He shrugged, "Congested, headache and lightheaded."
"Could he be allergic to something?" The third person that was there asked. The two turned to see that Pyrrha was still there and watching the two siblings.
And that made Yang realize she was still holding his cheeks. She quickly pulled her hands away like she was burned as a healthy pink came to her cheeks. "Allergies, right. That would make sense. Thanks, Pyrrha." She quickly rattled off as she gave a weak laugh.
Jaune just raised an eyebrow, "I've never had any sort of reaction before now though."
Pyrrha hummed as she started to think. Her eyes eventually went down to the half-filled jar in his one hand. "Could it be the sap?"
Jaune looked down at it, "That might be it. I did start feeling funny after I tapped the tree."
Before he knew it, Pyrrha had reached over and taken the jar from him. He just looked at her in confusion, "Let me get the rest for you. Why don't you just relax a bit away from us until we're done collecting our sap?"
He wanted to argue with her but the headache was really taking the winds from those sails. So he just sighed, "I guess I don't have a choice." He gave her a small grin, "Thanks, Pyrrha."
She gave him one of her own in return, "Think nothing of it, Jaune. Just relax and hopefully you'll feel better once we are done with all of our jars."
"And I'll keep an eye on him until then." Yang announced with her smile in place. "It's the least I can do for my favorite brother."
He just rolled his eyes, "I'm your only brother. But if someone is going to watch me, can it be Nora?" he asked.
Yang and Pyrrha both looked at him in confusion. The former having a bit of betrayal in her eyes, "Why Nora?" she asked.
Jaune pointed past them, "Because Ren is at his wit's end." The two women turned around to see that Ren was now trying to hide the most recently filled jar of sap behind his back and Nora kept trying to get behind him to get it.
Yang sighed, "Good point." She still wasn't completely happy with her being passed over for Nora but at least she understood why he was doing it. Although that didn't make that jealous part of her settle down in the slightest. She gently punched his arm, "Relax and feel better, Jaune. Otherwise, I'll have to get Nurse Ruby." That made his eyes go wide and his face go pale. That made her laugh as she turned to go meet up with her team.
Pyrrha looked from Yang to Jaune then over to Ruby. As she turned back to her partner, "What's so bad about Nurse-"
"We don't talk about it!" Jaune said instantly. A bit of fear and panic mixed into it.
"Okay…" Pyrrha said nervously as she just looked at him. "I'll let Nora and Ren know what's happening. Just relax, Jaune." she ended with another of her award winning smiles.
With that done, Jaune turned around and walked several trees down to hopefully get some much needed space between himself and the others. He found a comfortable spot underneath one of the many trees around. He leant his back against it as he pulled Stalwart off his belt and placed it right beside him. He took another calm breath before he sighed in relaxation.
He turned to see that Nora was skipping over to him, "How you feeling , Fearless Leader?"
He grinned up to her, "My head is killing me but I'm fine. Thanks for keeping me company though."
"Don't mention it!" she said happily as she plopped down next to him. "It was so convenient too. Ren looked like he was getting into a bad mood and I didn't want to be a part of that. Grumpy Ren is no fun at all."
Jaune just deadpanned at her, "That's because you ate like five jars of sap, Nora."
"There is no proof of that!" she said defiantly as she crossed her arms over her chest.
He just pointed to her cheek, "It's still all over your face."
"What?" she cried as she tried to wipe it away but just ended up smearing it more. Watching her struggle caused him to chuckle and she just pouted at that. He eventually pulled a tissue from his pocket and leant over to her. "Hold still." He said simply with a smile. He then gently started to wipe the sap from her cheek.
He leant back against the tree when he was done. Nora then turned to him, "Thanks, Jaune."
"Any time." He replied. "I used to do it all the time for my sisters. Mostly Ruby though."
Nora nodded before she just kept looking at him, "So… the entire time you've been with them, you've never felt like anything less than family?"
He nodded, "Pretty much. Why do you ask?"
She shrugged in a lackluster manner, "Was curious is all." She looked down and started to mess with the grass in front of her. "I'm honestly kind of jealous…"
That made him look at her on concern, "Jealous of what?"
Nora sighed as she looked up and over to Ren. She looked at him for a bit before she comes to a decision and turns back to him. "The truth is… Me and Ren are orphans." That garnered a very shocked look from him. "We have been for a number of years now. Ever since our village was destroyed." She looked down again and spoke very quietly but he was still able to make it out, " I was an orphan before that but still…"
He was just speechless, "Nora… I'm so sorry…" he said lamely.
She shrugged, "Nothing you did, Jaune. I don't think anyone could have done anything about it."
There was a silence between them. Neither were sure on what to say for the time being. Eventually, he did find his voice, "Why didn't you tell us this sooner?"
She looked at him before giving him a small but melancholy smile, "Because it's in the past." She sighed, "Yes it happened and it was terrible but it helped push us forward. If not for that, then maybe I never would've met Ren. Maybe we wouldn't have come to Beacon and there wouldn't be a team JNPR. And we wouldn't have another chance at having a family."
Jaune just stared at her for a bit before his arm went around her shoulders and he pulled her in for a hug. She froze for a second before she wrapped her own arms around him for a gentle hug. They both just settled into it as Jaune gently rubbed her back, "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm always here, Nora. And I'm proud of how far you've come since then."
He felt Nora shake in his arms and a faint sniffle. She nodded and hugged him just a bit tighter, "Thank you, Jaune. I'm glad you're my leader."
That made a light chuckle escape his lips, "Good to have you on the team." They pulled away from each other and Jaune saw the remains of tears on her cheeks and around her eyes. He pulled out another tissue and handed it to her.
She took it and started to clean her face before blowing her nose. "Thanks again. For everything. But I don't think you'll have much to worry about. I get the occasional nightmare but aside from that, I'm fine."
He nodded, "If you're sure. But I guess the nightmares make sense. Grimm attacking your village must've been very traumatic."
"Oh, the Grimm didn't destroy our village," she said simply. "They showed up afterwards from all the negativity but they didn't really do much. Our village had a fire. A massive one."
"A fire?" Jaune asked.
She nodded, "Yeah! It was really weird. We're still not even sure what happened. The fire almost came out of nowhere and it spread so quickly. It was so intense that even the Grimm stopped trying to get close since most that did got caught up in it."
"Really?" Jaune asked. "Mind if I ask what your village was called?"
"Kuroyuri." She said evenly.
As soon as Jaune heard the name, a spike of pain shot through his head. His hand came up and grabbed his head as he gave a muted cry of pain. His vision blurred and he started to hear muffled screams and roars of Grimm. He could feel a heat surrounding him as fear and pain started to swell more and more in his chest. Then he heard a muffled female voice just calling his name over and over. He had never heard it before in all his life but for some reason, it brought up this feeling that he somehow knew it.
"Jaune!" came a much more clear and definitely known voice. He was pulled from whatever he had been in to see Nora looking at him in concern. Her hands were on her shoulders and she was gripping them tightly. "Are you okay?"
He swallowed before he took a shaky breath, "Yeah, I'm okay." He said weakly. He could now feel the slight tremor going through his body and some beads of sweat rolling down the back of his neck. 'What in the hell was that?' he mentally asked himself.
"Are you sure?" Nora asked, still holding onto his shoulders. "You weren't looking too good there. It was like you were about to have a panic attack or something."
"Trust me, I'm okay now. Not entirely sure what came over me but I'm good." He said trying to reassure her.
Before they could continue that conversation, Jaune saw something fly from the corner of his eye. He pushed Nora back from whatever was coming at them while he jumped backwards. His hand wrapped around the hilt of Stalwart as he did. The sword extended to its full length and he swung towards where this projectile came from, sending a wave of ice in that direction. He heard several voices scream as it hit and froze whatever it was. That was when he heard something shatter and he looked at the tree he was leaning against to see broken shards of glass and sap sticking to the bark where his head just was.
He looked back over to Nora, still sprawled out on the ground. She was still juts looking at him in shock. He offered his fee hand to her to help her up, "Sorry about that. You okay?"
She took his hand and he helped her to her feet, "I'm fine but what was that?"
"Guys!" shouted Ruby. They looked to see their six friends running towards them. "What happened? We only saw you release an ice wave, Jaune."
He pointed to the tree with his thumb, "My guess is that someone tried to hit me or Nora with a jar of sap. And I have a good idea on just who did it." He said with a slight edge as she started to walk over to whoever he had hit with his ice attack. They all had a good idea on what he meant and followed him, none of them looking happy.
When they got to another row of trees, they followed the wave of ice through them before they found all of CRDL frozen to the ground. Sky and Dove were in the back and were only frozen from the waist down. Cardin and Russel were in the front so the ice went all the way up to about their middle of their chests. Russel also had a large cardboard box partially frozen to his chest.
Jaune just narrowed his eyes at the four and crossed his arms over his chest, "Well, what do we have here? A bunch of frozen dumbasses."
Cardin just grit his teeth, "Shut it, Xiao Long! And get us out of this!"
He shook his head, "Sorry. My specialty is freezing, not melting." He then gained a malicious grin, "Although, we could break you out." He turned to Nora and Yang, "What do you two think?"
Yang started to crack her knuckles, "Absolutely."
Nora pulled out Magnhild and rested it on her shoulder, "Hopefully we don't break more than just the ice."
That made the four pale and most of them panic to get out of the ice. As the other seven were keeping an eye on them and for Grimm, Jaune stepped to the side to call Miss Goodwitch. After explaining the scenario to her, she made her way to them. With a skillful use of her Semblance, she freed CRDL before laying into them with a lecture. They were all issued detention for the rest of the semester once she found out there were Rapier Wasps in the box and extra assignments to go with it.
Because of that, their field trip was called short and all of them found themselves on the bullhead back to Beacon. RWBY and JNPR were glaring at CRDL for ending the trip early. While they glared back for all the extra work they now had to do.
But Jaune didn't pay that any mind. He was still focused on whatever had happened to him in that forest. 'What really was that? And what does that mean for me going forward?' He asked himself but found no answers. And he was wondering if he ever would.
