Boom, you looking for this?

...

I said boom, you looking for- Why do I even talk to you guys. Everywhere else that story kills.

Cinder was here. She was here in Beacon. And she was several months earlier than originally. As a teacher!

Ruby had told him how she had run into her around the time students of the other kingdoms had arrived. That wasn't supposed to be until roughly the start of the next semester. So why was she here? Had she gotten her documents forged once more? What was it that she could have been after? Were the relics still here? Or the maidens?

She had arrived to class just in time to see him fight the Grimm. She had also mentioned coming from a meeting with Professor Goodwitch. She had also mentioned being a support teacher. That would mean her being involved with multiple professors in multiple classes. While keeping herself busy that role also provided a perfect opportunity to scout out the teachers and promising students. He wondered if she was already putting him under a spotlight.

There were questions racing across his mind about her. He knew he couldn't do much with too many risks but neither could she if she had something planned. She grew desperate the more she fought but there was a time that she was meticulous and carefully crafted her plans. One couldn't have had a plan to topple two kingdoms without some caution put into it.

Jaune sighed, scratching the back of his head. He would have to ask Salem. She claimed to be the better of her and Ozpin so that must have meant she would have a better grasp of what went on in the background. Whether she knew of Cinder or not, she would have to have some clue of her possible motives. As there was always some motive, usually power, that that woman seemed to always pine for. Such were the ways that women thought.

As soon as classes were over he would head straight to Salem's office and see what she knew.

He closed his eyes, clenching his fists a little tighter as he remembered. The memories of a burning, destroyed Beacon. The faces of the lives she took by her own hands and through the kingdoms she destroyed. The Battle of Haven when she almost took Weiss. The complete burial of Shade. And the sadistic, cruel grin she always seemed to give whenever they fought.

"Now, I know this is our first class together, however I would like to make a point that will be a staple in our lessons as we cover the history of Remnant." Oobleck zoomed back and forth through the classroom, making eye contact with many of the students. He still moved at speeds that left him a blur of green and white with papers scattering and flying all around him. Seems he and Port were relatively the same. "Now, can anyone tell me of The Great Cataclysm?"

No one raised their hand. Several made eye contact amongst one another but not a peep was heard. Unsurprisingly, Oobleck already had a target before he asked the question.

"Mister White!"

Jaune's head shot up, having been broken from his thoughts. "Yes, sir?" He asked on instinct.

"Would you care to answer the question about The Great Cataclysm? You know of it, do you not?"

The boy nodded and sat up a little straighter. "The Great Cataclysm was a moment in history that gifted every living female aura. Humans, animals, even plants. For humanity, it gave us the opportunity to fight the Grimm and drive them back long enough to create the four kingdoms of Remnant. It also created a shift in power that saw a flip in gender dynamics. Kings became queens, women were enlisted as soldiers over men to the point men no longer went off to war, and a matriarchy had slowly taken over the four nations."

"That is an excellent, well explained answer, Mister White! However, I shall explain a little deeper. It is also mentioned that the event also changed the very physiology of humankind. In other words-," he paused to take a sip. "Women had become the physically stronger and smarter gender, even without the gift of aura. Pregnancies used to take nine months before the cataclysm. Nine! Now it is only twelve weeks. There are muscle tears that take longer to recover. Men used to fight in wars and lead nations whilst women stayed at home and cared for the children, rarely joining the fight. After the event it was a complete change, women going off to war because they were stronger with the assistance of aura and men would stay home to care for the children. There was no challenge of either side as both fell into another's roles almost seamlessly. It is only within the past several decades that Vale has made such advancements in creating equality between the genders. Even now we continue to show and witness great changes by hosting potentially the biggest strike in Remnant history."

Jaune blinked. Huh, how had he missed that in the textbook he read? So it hadn't simply been aura but the genders as a whole down to a psychological level. That would explain why his parents were practically one another in each other's bodies. Though it did prove that they loved each other no matter who did what.

Wait, Oobleck was looking at him.

"Wait, you mean me, doctor?"

The professor shot forward at speeds that put Ruby's Semblance to shame. "Precisely, Mister White! You, good sir, are an anomaly among Remnant's entire history of civilization. Never has a male had aura throughout our entire history and yet here you sit before us with a pool greater than many veteran Huntsman!"

"Oh, well I knew-..."

"It is a once in a lifetime miracle and all of us here are experiencing history in the making!" Oobleck continued, moving away to address the classroom once more. Then he zoomed back to Jaune, slamming his hands on the desk. "In fact, I dare say that you are the most important figure because you could potentially change the course of history for years to come!"

Jaune leaned back in his seat, the doctor coming closer as if trying to peer into his soul. "Is that so..?" He didn't like the way his professor was looking at him. Before, it was due to his negligence in class but now it was like he was studying the rarest of gems. Jaune couldn't tell which one he disliked more.

"That is so, Mister White! As we all know, every female with a soul has aura. That is how it has always been. And, unlike the past where it was more frequent for women to have aura capable of power, in our time within the walls away from most Grimm attacks, only a select few families possess enough aura to become a Huntress. Most of you come from a family that has had one or several Huntresses, have you not," Oobleck stepped back and took a long swig of coffee. The girls nodded, murmuring amongst themselves while Jaune looked confused at the point the doctor was trying to make. "However, with the new discovery of Mister White's ability to use aura, it has now become a possibility for males to gain aura."

The boy in question blinked twice. "Huh?"

"Come now, Mister White, you must understand what I am telling you." There was a glint in the doctor's eyes. He didn't understand. He didn't want to understand!

"No sir, I truly don't..."

Was that why Lil' Miss went after Rose to blackmail him? Was that why she had initially captured him before he awoke? Was that why she wanted him to "warm her bed"!?

The doctor could see the clarity on his face followed by fear. "Mister White, it is for the betterment of mankind! The betterment of all our future generations! We have an opportunity to change history! Beyond what anyone originally thought believable! I know it may seem scary but chances have to be taken if the results could lead to a stronger, better society!"

"What do you mean, professor?" Ruby asked with the innocence of a newborn. Ah, poor, sweet unaware Ruby.

"That's doctor! And what I am trying to explain is that Mister White has the potential for his male offspring to possess aura just like himself."

The class went extremely silent and yet it was still deafening in Jaune's ears. He could feel everyone's eyes fall on him, even Ruby's. He didn't like it, he didn't like it one bit. Regular popular attention, he grew to accept by simply being in the vicinity of Pyrrha. Now, it was twice as horrifying because it was focused on him and it was not the same type of attention as simple celebrity shock and awe.

"Doctor, are you saying that he could grant future generations of men the ability to use aura?" Weiss was the one to ask, hand raised.

"Precisely, Miss Schnee. Honestly, the fact none of you have thought of that is quite concerning."

"So what you're saying is that we've got ourselves a breeding bull," Lyone of Team SLVR spoke up.

"That is a poor explanation of it but yes. Mister White has a chance to help create future generations of aura producing males," Oobleck clarified, giving the faunus girl a disappointed look.

She shrugged. "Hey, I just like to keep it straight. So, gotta ask the man of the hour. You gotta girl?"

Jaune's eyes widened at the call out. He looked across the room at the girl who just called him out. She had long blonde hair, very similar to Yang's, with matching yellow eyes. However, on top of her head, two cat-like ears sat atop her head.

"Uh, I don't." He did not believe her bold enough to ask. Not even Yang would, right? "Why do you ask?"

"Hmm, I wonder why," she seemed to tease with a smirk. She leaned forward, resting her chin on top of her hands that were interlocked. "Maybe I already want to test that theory Doc was preachin'. For the betterment of humanity and all that."

"Hey, no fair!"

"Yeah, no stealing on the first day."

"Not stealing when he's not owned," she answered with a cheeky grin. A grin she turned to him with a matching predatory look in her eyes. "Though, I'm sure after one night..."

The rest need not be said.

"Ahem!" Oobleck did not cough. He literally said the word, very violently to snap the conversation. "At the end of the day, this is a place for scholastics, not fornication. Outside of school hours, you are all well within your rights to do as you wish, however, for now you shall sit and listen."

Jaune sighed and shook his head. There was now an even bigger target on his back. However, instead of Cardin bullying him for being weak, it now was because he was the only guy with aura. People were considering him the strongest simply because of the enhancement. Unless you counted Port because that man's manliness never seemed to waver. While not nearly as terrible as his bullied days, he had much more on his plate now with what seemed a forced task of "creating the next generation".

As the lesson came to an end, the bell rang and the other students began filing out. "Mister White, a word if you would?"

Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora turned to him with concern but he waved it off. "You guys head on to lunch. I'll be right behind you."

They nodded though Pyrrha did linger a tad longer. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, nodding silently. She slowly pulled away, their hands lingering, until distance finally separated them at the digits. He watched his team leave before turning back to the professor who was waiting patiently for him. Surprising for a man who was always go go go.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Indeed. I first want to apologize to you, Mister White."

Jaune was surprised. "Excuse me?"

"Not just yet. You were put on the spot and spoken to in such a way due to my lack of tact. Something I struggle with often." Jaune knew this. He knew it well. He had already been taught by Oobleck for a year and quickly figured out that when the man spoke of history he spoke with unfiltered passion. It wasn't that short to say that possible events that would go down in history would have that same effect.

"I understand, Doctor Oobleck. And I understand why you said it." Jaune thought for a moment, contemplating if he should continue before sighing. "It's just I wished to have blended into the background. After the shock died down, to have been left to have fun with my and my sister team. Now it feels hard. As if the spotlight won't ever fade away."

A hand fell onto his shoulder and the boy looked up. "Jaune, you are a phenomenon. A living, breathing oner. The moment you chose to come to this school was the moment you gave away the ability to hide in the background. If a person were to have a Semblance that could revive the dead, would you think the world would ignore it after hearing of it?"

"Well, no..."

"Exactly."

"But I can't bring the dead back."

"No but you could do far greater. You have the power to help future generations for the rest of humankind. You can potentially give aura to future men, an aura with the potential of grand proportions if your papers were anything to be believed. You're allowing the chance for men to be able to join the fight against Grimm in droves, protecting the people, protecting humanity. This is an opportunity to strengthen our numbers and create a better chance to expand and grow and understand more of our world."

"I..." Jaune paused. "I see what you mean..." He didn't really know what to say. A loss for words as this new world threw him another curveball that he hadn't thought of. And while he knew a few guys who would be thrilled to be in his situation, he didn't find himself in any way excited or thrilled.

It wasn't what he thought himself meant for anymore. He was damaged beyond repair. He wasn't meant to have kids or meant to really live an at home life anymore. All he could think of was fighting the Grimm. Protecting those that couldn't protect themselves. He wasn't meant to be a father. He couldn't be. Not with the amount of blood on his hands.

That wasn't the life he could live.

"Do not be so pessimistic. You still have a life to live and do as you please. I assure you, you will not be forced to do anything you do not wish. However, I would encourage you to try. Meet a girl, fall in love, just try. You are a man with a bright future. All I ask is to try."

If only he knew this was his second go around.

"Sir."

-XOXOX-

"I'm not kidding! Professor Oobleck totally said that!"

"Wouldn't that make him, like, the most important dude on Remnant?"

"It's only a matter of time before the Council hears of this."

"I've already spoken to my mother. She says to jump him now before it's too late."

"Pfft, good luck with that. He's got Pyrrha Nikos as a partner. He's as good as taken."

"There's no claim. Meaning he's still a prize."

Jaune couldn't believe what he was hearing. He should have known but he had been kinda tunnel visioned with his own goals and ignored the waves he'd be making in doing so.

It had been less than an hour and word had already spread like wildfire of Doctor Oobleck's claims. The school had entered another uproar of students talking about him and many of the things they were saying were quite vulgar or plain disrespectful. Many of his mentions had put him as no greater comparison than a tool or toy. Others were simply bad and disgusting.

The main thing that stuck out to him was the constant mentioning of the Council. They had been discussed lightly between him and Salem but never into full detail of how much power they held or how they would react to his reveal. If the talks were to be believed, they would catch wind and Salem would be hearing from them soon.

This wasn't something they could take lightly. If possible, the Council would attempt to claim him as some national treasure and try to turn him into a breeding bull as a way to bolster their numbers, in more ways than one. And, if Vale wanted to capitalize on a potential monopoly, try to sell his time or seed to the other kingdoms to garner money, favors, or any other upper hand against the other three.

Unfortunately for them, it was not his dream to become property of the kingdoms. There was too much for him to do and he wasn't about to be restricted because these people didn't want to risk losing the only male with aura. Cinder was at large and something, or someone, was behind her pulling the strings from the background.

Jaune Arc was still a Huntsman at the end of the day and not a thing could change that. Besides, he couldn't be a father, he wasn't deserving, he wasn't ready. He wasn't even meant to be loved. Nor fall in love.

Those bridges had burned long ago.

A hand touched his shoulder and he looked over to see Pyrrha. She looked at him with concern and had moved closer to the point their thighs were touching.

"Jaune, are you alright?"

He sighed. His friends seemed to be the only ones unaffected by this new wave of gossip. Nora and Yang chatted, Ruby ate her cookies, Blake read, and Ren and Weiss were eating peacefully. They were the only ones who weren't talking about him and hadn't shown any signs of trying to "claim" him.

"I'm fine, Pyrrha. Just a little thrown off with what Doctor Oobleck said," he replied, with a disarming smile. "Just a lot to take in, y'know?"

"I could figure that out," Pyrrha noted, looking around the mess hall. "I don't believe it right for him to throw something so jarring like this."

Jaune waved his hand back and forth dismissively. "That's not it, believe me I've dealt with bigger bombs."

"What!?"

Jaune chuckled awkwardly. "Nevermind. I'm just more concerned with how everyone's going to treat me from now on. Even now, this much attention feels a little sickening."

"Don't expect anything new out of me and Rubes," Yang stated before chomping down on her burger. "We got way more important things to deal with than all that sappy future generation stuff. I got the whole world to see and a whole bunch of faces that'll need punching."

Jaune couldn't help but chuckle again, this time out of amusement. "Out with a Yang, right?"

"..Eh?" As the knight decided to return to his own food, he failed to notice the blonde bombshell freeze, eyes wide at him. Her mouth fell open but no words came out.

"What Yang said. I don't see you any differently, Jaune," Ruby said with a smile. "You'll always be the super cool guy who also happened to splatter a Vulpine in one blow!"

"Oh yeah!" Nora perked up from her own conversation. "Jaune-Jaune, that was freakin' awesome how you destroyed that Grimm! It was like confetti but with Grimm bits!"

Jaune smiled at the two energetic girls. Their positive energy practically filled the table as the focus switched off him and the two teams started to talk amongst each other in the animated ways they once had when they all had been students at Beacon before. It was true that no one saw him any different or made any sort of comments that would suggest otherwise. They just went on about their day as if it was any other Monday.

A hand fell over his and he looked over to see Pyrrha. She gave a beautiful smile that also stood to remind him of how lucky he was to have her in his life again.

"Don't worry about those other girls. You have us here."

He smiled a little wider, remembering something similar from a time ago. Then his smile turned playful. "I hope you'll protect me from all the big bad girls."

"Of course. I already promised you I would."

"But I gotta say," Yang spoke up, bringing everyone's attention back. "Seeing you destroy that Grimm. That was pretty badass," Yang complimented.

"Language."

"Language!"

Jaune and Ruby looked at each other, having simultaneously spoken. The former couldn't help but chuckle as the latter blushed and focused her eyes back to the table, lightly giggling to herself. Even the others joined in, aside from Weiss and Blake, but it was as normal as it had once been and Jaune found comfort in that.

"I'd say you've set a pretty high bar for the rest of us, Jaune," Ren praised, giving him a small smile.

"Heck yeah! I expected no less from our Fearless Leader!" Nora exclaimed. "Next time it's my turn, though! I'll break its legs!"

"Nora, please, then the Grimm really won't stand a chance," Jaune joked with a smile.

It was as the fun conversation continued that the young man felt a dainty foot slide up the side of his leg and immediately pulled his attention to the person sitting across from him.

It was Weiss who he, surprisingly, paid little attention to at the table. She didn't say anything but her eyes flicked to the cafeteria doors and she stood, grabbing her tray, keeping her eyes on him as she walked away. Curiosity getting the better of him, he too stood and the pair slipped away unnoticed by either of their teammates. Nora was doing something wacky and Yang was laughing at said wacky thing. They would be fine until they got back.

-XOXOX-

When the duo stepped out into the hallway, Jaune looked around to see no one else within them. And once the door closed, all that was left were the muffle jumbles of chatter from inside.

"So, what is it that you wanted, Weiss?" The redhead asked.

"It's quite simple," she replied as she turned to him. "You."

He blinked twice. "Wha..?"

"You. I want you."

"You... Huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "Gods, you're lucky you're handsome. Fine then, how much?"

Jaune's eyes narrowed in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"You're forgiven this time. How much to buy you?"

A chill ran through his body. "Wait, what?"

"Is every answer to my question just going to be another question? How much," Weiss repeated as she produced a checkbook from her pocket. One with the Schnee Dust Company logo on its cover. "To buy you?"

A pen was pulled from the spine of the book, and after a single click she began scribbling something down on the check. A few seconds later she ripped the note from the book and forced it into Jaune's hands.

He looked at it and ice ran through his veins. "You... You're serious..."

"I'm dead serious. I want you to be my wife."

Okay, so, hear me out.

Nah, just kidding. Welp, Weiss has officially switched the dynamic. Now she is the one pining for Jaune and, unfortunately, it is not for the same reason.

The Oobleck thing was a bit of a last second add but I wanted to try and open up about the Great Cataclysm more and what it actually did for women and men. It wasn't just granting aura but changing the actual physicality and mind of the two genders. Basically flopping them. Jaune is unaffected by this because anime logic for body but because his mind and soul is that of his previous self. So, yeah, hopefully it's a little better?

Alright, pairing polls.

Ruby - 3

Yang - 1

Pyrrha - 19

Harem - 45

Weiss - 4

Glynda - 3

Cinder - 2

Salem - 7

Port - 1

Oobleck - 1

Blake - 1

It's crazy for how Blake is tied with Port and Oobleck. Yeesh. Harem still dominates but, who knows, polls may turn. I'm thinking of leaving it up 3 more chapters so anyone who hasn't voted, go for it.

Laters gators.