This was… a rather interesting turn of events.

She knew the boy felt he had a thing to prove. Knew that he wanted to become stronger, get better, accomplish his dreams. Yet she hadn't imagined that he would challenge the man who continuously defeated him in every other class.

Was he doing this for his team, himself, or maybe even her? The question was an amusing one, but to have someone who quite literally faked their way into Beacon, challenge Beacon students who had years of training was more than entertaining.

The question was, could he reap the benefits of his effort?

The thought caused a spike of irritation to clog at her core, he'd better not lose. One way or another she didn't care who won, but if he did lose then it would mean she wasn't a sufficient teacher, and to suggest such a thing lit a fire within her.

The match started, and immediately Cardin shot forward. The boy was decently fast for someone of his size, but he was slower than someone of Jaune's size, and significantly slower than her even when she wasn't paying any attention. Cardin had his Mace held low to the ground, and as soon as he reached Jaune, he swung the weapon with an angry overhead swing. Jaune raised his shield, and for a moment- it looked like he would have blocked, yet in the last second he rolled off to the side, allowing the mace to crash upon the ground beside him, shaking the floor of the arena with a roaring ripple.

While Jaune would have usually retreated, this time he instead quickly aimed an angry slash towards Cardins heel, the brown haired boy quickly raised his leg in time to let the blade pass just below him, quickly attempting to stomp down upon the blonde's face.

The strike was intercepted; however, Cinder smirked at his reminder to always keep his shield up, and with the brute's large foot pressed against the base of the shield, Jaune quickly attempted to instead slash at Cardin's leg. The blow landed, the brute hopping away with a surprised sound leaving him. From this distance she could not quite clearly make out their features, but his body language suggested an angry scowl present on his face.

The two men squared each other up, Jaune with his shield raised near his chin and his sword held behind it, and Cardin with his mace hefted up within his right hand, held vertically across his body. The two men sized each other up- and a moment later- both shot forwards.

Jaune charged in with his shield raised, and Cardin quickly aimed to swing at the smaller boy's side, hoping to bash him near the shoulder. Jaune managed to raise his shield up in time though, taking a page out of her book; he closed in the distance and stepped near the center of the mace, causing the handle portion to smash into the shield rather than the blunt area; minimizing the power. Making the most out of his situation; Jaune bashed the pommel of his sword into Cardin's nose, earning a sudden swear from the boy who fell back. Jaune went after him though, raising his blade and cleaving forwards with a number of slashes, and for the first time… Cardin retreated.

She felt a strange sensation within her, one that made her chest feel… oddly light. It was a pleasant emotion; that she was certain of. She quickly shook her head to dispel her thoughts, and instead focused back on the match.

By the end of Jaune's assault, he had landed a number of strikes, and Cardin was down to 82% Aura. While Jaune on the other hand was still at over 95%.

Cardin seemed to realize this, judging by the sudden rigid and aggressive posture he took after checking his Aura meter.

She knew he was going to get emotional, and her wisdom was proven right; for a moment later Cardin placed both hands upon the handle of his mace, hefting up the large weapon over his shoulder, and above his head.

She was a little confused for a moment, he couldn't hit Jaune from the distance they were in… and it's not like he could just throw the weapon at the boy.

That- was when she realized what was happening. Golden eyes widening, fingers gripping the surface of her wooden desk tightly, as the brunette hefted the large mace up into the air, the crimson ball at the center would glow a faint light… before he slammed the weapon down into the ground.

The resulting explosion shook the classroom.

/-/

His entire world was screaming.

He had actually been doing it, he was actually fighting and somehow beating Cardin at the start of the match. He could feel the excitement beginning to overwhelm him, but he managed to hold it back, managed to squeeze all the emotion at his core and prevent it from slipping out and costing him the chance of victory, the chance of finally proving that he did belong here.

Then his world shattered, figuratively and literally.

Cardin had hefted up his mace and rammed it into the ground, producing a massive chain of explosions that rattled his brain like he had been hit by a tornado. His body felt sore all over, and his legs were unsteady from the sheer impact of the blast. Even still, he managed to lift himself up; unwilling to go out easily.

Cardin stood a few meters away, the once worried and angered expression on his face twisted into a look of smug satisfaction. Rather than strike immediately; he watched Jaune pick himself back up, watching him steady his body.

-and then, he struck again. Jaune had not been steady enough to dodge, but he was ready to lower his shield and take the blunt of the attack. The subsequent force threw him back and rattled his arm, a silent scream escaping his lips from the pain that pierced his shoulder. He landed on his back and rammed his blade into the ground, preventing the momentum from carrying his body out of bounds. He was close though...so, so close, had he not been ready he would've been thrown out completely.

Jaune realized in time that it seemed like that had been Cardin's plan. It wasn't like Cardin to do that, usually he would've made the fight slow, carried it out until Jaune was thoroughly humiliated. It went to show that Cardin had actually been taking him seriously this time… yet if that was the case then why was Cardin allowing him the opportunity to get back up and steady himself? If Cardin was taking him seriously, then why…

He didn't have the time to ponder the thought, because Cardin chose that exact second to release another explosion towards him. Cursing, Jaune threw himself to the side, narrowly dodging the blast that would have surely knocked him fully out of bounds. He couldn't waste any more time, so he charged directly at Cardin, the larger boy angrily hefted up his Mace and swung towards Jaune's ribs. The blond successfully stopped his momentum and leaned back, before then moving his body around Cardin's, positioning himself to Cardin's left as he stabbed his sword into the boy's side.

It was funny now that he thought about it, all of these months and he was actively running at Cardin with the intent to finish him. It wasn't too long ago when he was the one running off while Cardin chased after him.

Cardin released a hiss of pain that reminded him of a rattlesnake, stepping back as he swung at Jaune's flank. Quickly raising his shield to block the blow, his arms cried out from the slam that it produced flat against his guard. Gripping the handle of his mace, Cardin roughly pushed Jaune back with a rough ram of his shoulder, causing the two to disengage.

Focused sapphire orbs stared into rough indigo, Cardin's angry eyes matching the snarl that played onto his pulled back lips. The two men circled around one another, Jaune with his body low and shield up, Cardin with his mace raised and hand pulled back. He was taken… seriously, seen as an actual threat by someone who had oh so thoroughly beaten him countless times prior. It was a comforting experience, and it was only enhanced by how comfortable he felt in battle. The rough leather handle of Crocea Mors felt natural in his hand, like an extension of himself, of his arm. The shield felt natural as well, the same as him raising an arm into a boxer's stance.

It was a surreal feeling, his unbalanced hold upon his blade being absent, the slight wobble to his frame every time he swung his blade no longer hindering him. He felt free, like he was no longer bound down.

His eyes watched Cardin's entire torso from above his shield. He couldn't focus on someone's entire body and face like Pyrrha or Cinder could, so he focused on Cardin's torso, his legs, and then finally his eyes. Switching between the two as he desired to play into counter attacking.

Cardin barrels forward, keeping his body low to the ground as he swung from a backhanded swing, Jaune quickly leaped back, a gust of air whispering against his skin from the force of the blow that would have surely been incredibly painful. He quickly swung at Cardin's cheek, rewarding him with a blow that snapped the boy's head to the side and produced a tight red line across his face even with the use of aura.

Yet, Cardin wasn't done yet.

He continued moving forward, his body colliding with Jaune's as their momentum sent them both staggering onto the floor. Cardin set himself over Jaune's hips, as he then raised both hands and rained down powerful blows that snapped Jaune's head back into the rough ground. The first hit caused his cheek to radiate in pain, the second caused his vision to blink out. Every strike caused pain to soar within his skull, like one thousand hammers pummeling him all at once, a brutal beating for the ages.

...and that was what he was getting, a damn beating.

He raised both arms above his head, pressing his hands against his forehead as Cardin's knuckles roughly rammed into his forearms. It was painful- really painful, yet it gave him a moment to think, a second to ponder…

He had always wanted to learn how to fight with just his fists, to learn what he could do in case he had ever lost his weapon. While he had wanted to learn something more in line with Yang's style of fighting- something cool, strong, and punishing. Pyrrha had expressed her interest in teaching him something else.

Raising his elbow just in time for Cardin's next strike, Jaune moved his arm along the blow, upper body being raised as his arm wrapped around the back of Cardin's. Bucking his hips to the side, Jaune shifted their bodies and rammed Cardin's head upon the ground, positioning himself behind the larger boy as his arms would wrap around Cardin's neck, pressing the boy down into a headlock.

This style of fighting wasn't something he was particularly good at. Yet Pyrrha said it would be good for him, something he could utilize if he ever lost his weapon and needed to resort to age-old tactics.

A very old Mistralian form of grappling included.

He could feel Cardin move his body and fight his hold aggressively, angrily ramming punishing elbows into his sides, yet he kept his hold strong, kept his hands tight. He could feel Cardin's body start to weaken, the lack of air being ushered to his brain had finally begun to take effect.

The boy reached forwards, both of their weapons discarded beside their fallen bodies. He no longer fought to get out of Jaune's hold, and instead fought to reach for his weapon. The blond allowed him; for even if he did manage to grab his weapon, he'd be too weak to pull the large weapon towards him, much less even strike.

Cardin gripped the end of the handle, and a moment later… a red light would emerge from its base.

Jaune only had time to widen his eyes.

BOOM.

An explosion would erupt from the mace a meter away from the two men, shaking the classroom and sending smoke in all directions. The ground below was positively destroyed from the force, and Jaune's bruised and battered form laid upon the ground with his head down.

His vision swam, his mind a dull aching pain that throbbed his very constitution. He groaned, grasping the base of his head as he weakly pushed himself onto his knees. Blinking the black spots away from his vision, he surveyed his immediate vicinity. Smoke covered large patches of the arena, large spots within the ground missing entirely. He could vaguely make out his weapons discarded a few meters away, and even farther ahead… was Cardin.

The boy was on his knees, unsteady breaths left his chest like a lapping dog. His face was beet red, a shade reminiscent of apples. It seemed that he really had gotten close to getting put to sleep, he had been close… so damn close.

With wide eyes, Jaune's gaze snapped towards his aura meter. Both he and Cardin were in the yellow, nearly the same.

Yet for the life of him, he was confused. Confused not just because his head felt like it had been put through a meat grinder- but because Cardin could have already won if he really wanted to.

If he just used the explosive properties of his mace every time he attacked, then he could've ended this. Yet he hadn't. In fact; there seemed to be intervals every time he used the dust inside his weapon.

The realization of why caused his gaze to widen.

The two men picked themselves up slowly, Jaune limping towards Crocea Mors as he raised both his shield onto his left arm and grasped the handle of his sword. Cardin pushed himself up a few moments later with the use of his mace, his legs still rather wobbly.

Jaune used that moment to charge.

Cardin was visibly surprised by the sudden aggressive maneuver, if the widening of his eyes was any indication. He backpedaled rapidly, while Jaune aggressively swung his sword in all directions towards the brunette brute. Eventually he had managed to score a wound at Cardin's bicep, earning an angry cry from Cardin's lips.

The match was close, oh so close… Yet Cardin was going to lose with how close the two were at the end of their meters. The boy realized this, as frustration gripped his features.

"Fuck off!" He roared as Jaune raised his sword, bringing it up to crash it down upon Cardin and end the match once and for all. Cardin seemed to have other ideas though; as he met the blond with a swing of his own, both their weapons meeting, as Cardin's mace would glow a vermillion light, and blew up.

KA-BOOM.

The explosion erupted in every direction once more. Two startled cries left the combatants as both aura meters dropped. The students watched the battle with eager interest, eyes glued on the war between students they had witnessed.

The sound of whirling steel was loud within the air, the sword of Crocea Mors flying out from within the thick smoke, landing with a thunderous clash upon the ground, just out of bounds from the arena itself.

...and as the seconds ticked by, the smoke would filter out, as the sight of what had happened was bestowed upon them.

Cardin laid flat on his back, arms laid on either side of his body powerlessly, knocked out unconscious. While Jaune stood above him, clutching his shield tightly in both hands, breathing heavily with a sweat stricken face.

For a moment, everything was silent.

"YES! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT, JAUNEY!"

...and then Nora happened.

/-/

The tight hold she had upon the surface of her desk would loosen, her narrowed eyes softening as she steadied her back.

...that fight had gone well…

He fought well, displayed a skill in a style of fighting she hadn't even known he had, and in the end displayed an intelligent idea.

Cardin's weapon had an interval with every explosion he made. Someone watching the fight from the stands would notice this if they paid attention, yet someone who was in the middle of battle, and without much experience such as Jaune, would have more difficulty picking up on it.

So he came up with a plan, he pressured Cardin extensively at the end to get him nervous, throwing all the energy he could into it. Baiting Cardin into attacking with his explosion, and when he did finally use his explosion; Jaune had it directed towards his sword, and loosened his grip on Crocea Mors upon the moment of impact, preventing his body from getting damaged in the process. He then evidently used his shield as a weapon, attacking Cardin with whatever he could to finish the fight.

It was a sound strategy, one even she could admire even if it was rather basic.

She watched him standing above his defeated opponent, bathed in the sweat of victory with his body still standing despite his wounds. From it, she felt an… unknown emotion well up inside her.

Was this… pride?

He would have never gotten this victory today without her aid. He had won because of her. Because he listened to her, because he was trained by her.

...and now, because of her training he could impose his will upon someone who had once imposed their will upon him. He could show his strength. Jaune had defeated Cardin in every facet of combat; in standard weapon combat, without the use of their weapons, in strategy, and finally by even getting around the boy's dust.

She did not know why she felt this pride or glee, or why she felt nervous when she thought he had lost. Yet, Jaune Arc had gradually become an amusement, an amusement she had helped craft.

And that amusement would not lose to the likes of Cardin Winchester, seeing him win the way he did…

It caused a slow, treacherous smile to form across her face.

/-/

Jaune's feet slowly padded towards the training areas of Beacon. Nervous energy radiating like static across his whole body. Cinder had texted him an hour prior; informing him to meet her at their usual area at seven pm. He wasn't sure what to think about it, they hadn't gotten the chance to speak since his fight with Cardin…

The thought immediately replaced the nervous energy with excitement. He had for once- actually beaten the brute- something he didn't think he could have done in at least a year of training. The fight had been hard fought and brutal, but in the end he had won, and he managed to win in front of his team, team RWBY, Pyrrha, and…

Cinder.

Everyone else had been adamantly supportive. Nora hug-tackled him, Yang punched his arm, Ruby and Pyrrha had given him excited hugs, Weiss… a small nod, and Ren a hand on his shoulder.

Cinder? What would Cinder say?

She was much more… realistic, than the others. He didn't think she would have a reaction nearly in the same realm as Ruby or Pyrrha's. Would she scrutinize how he fought? Insult him for taking so long to realize why Cardin didn't just spam his explosions?

...or on the off hand, would she be supportive.

Cinder didn't seem like the type to act that way in regards to battle, but… she had been supportive when he told her about his transcripts.

His thoughts promptly shut off once he entered the main training area, and caught the sight of golden eyes and raven locks. She raised her head once he entered, pushing herself into a standing position, he eyed her up- and an easy smile formed across her lips. She stepped towards him with the sway to her hips that he's become so accustomed to seeing, yet not so much that he still didn't feel the shy energy that clutched at him whenever he saw it.

"Jaune." She greeted.

"C-Cinder…" He responded with some obvious nervousness, to her credit she didn't comment on it, instead she tilted her head his way, giving him a greater view of her pale neck.

"That was quite the show you displayed, color me impressed." She stated with a low tone, her words uttered with a gentle, seductive purr that sounded like honey on his ears. It only made his cheeks further redden, the blond raising a hand to rub at his neck anxiously.

"So you... really did like it?"

Her brow would raise, a hand reaching to find his cheek. The sensation of her seemingly gentle fingertips running along the surface of his skin sent goosebumps across his neck, the hairs standing along his skin as if commanded to, the feeling of warmth felt overpowering as it took hold of his body.

"Well of course, why wouldn't I?"

The question brought many conflicting emotions for the blond, emotions he wasn't sure how to accurately answer. Yet.. he pushed on, and with a stronger resolve, he focused his sapphire eyes on her coquettish gaze.

"I nearly lost, I nearly failed to beat him." He sighed, shaking his head. "I mean I won! And I'm super happy but, well I wasn't sure if I could've done better."

For a moment, she was silent. The soft touch on his hand stilling as her eyes would lose some of their mirth.

"You could have."

The statement immediately caused his shoulders to sag. Yet she continued, pulling her hand away from his cheek as the entire expression on her face shifted dramatically.

"Because I trained you. Yet you did well Jaune, very well. I enjoyed seeing you battle, I enjoyed seeing you defeat and utterly dominate your opponent. You imposed your will, you built strategy, and you beat him at his own game, Jaune."

The seductive movements were gone; and in its place was a genuine look that she displayed. The words were spoken to him in a way he had never heard her speak, her eyes; a color that reminded him of a brilliant gold- would shine in a way he had never seen them shine before. Finally; she would smile at him.

"I am proud of what you did."

A smile was one he had never seen on her before.

She turned and stepped away, hips no longer swaying, yet leaving his heart beating rapidly behind his chest for a different reason entirely. She looked over her shoulder, the smile still deeply woven on her lips.

"Shall we train more, Jaune?"

He couldn't agree with her faster.

Well there you have it folks, admittedly this chapter was incredibly hard for me to write and I'm still debating over the decisions here and there.

A list of new occurrences though; Jaune defeating Cardin in front of cinder, a month or two after getting pummelled by Cardin in front of her in chapter 2. Cinder feeling pride and a sense of sadistic glee in seeing Jaune humiliate Cardin, and finally; The aloof seductress mask slips~

Remember, both of them are unreliable narrators.

I'm trying hard to keep the pacing at a decent slow burn but not too slow. At a relatively normal pace while tackling things that push who the two are. I don't see the cinder we often see as the true cinder, but instead a mask she slips into that is supposed to emulate the madam and Salem. Jaunes' kindness builds a bridge to cinder, while all the other details (both similarities and differences) between the characters work to further push the two together.

I hope this was an enjoyable chapter, it was originally supposed to be one (chapter 5 ) but I figured having two big fights in one chapter is a bit much, so I cut it into two.

Oh yeah fun fact; Miles said Jaune would learn Judo from Pyrrha if they focused on less visually appealing things, decided to throw that in here. While he's not a judo (or a variation of it) master by any means, he knows how to do some things to someone with no experience in it.

Also glad some of you caught the reference last chapter lol, because of that I mayyyy throw in an interesting reference in chapter 7 or 8 when Jaune and cinder have a talk about huntsman. Now I must go, to shed the tears made for Jaune Ashari

Yes, another reference.

That's all folks!