Please read the end of the chapter for my author's note.
It had been just under two weeks since the break had begun, and a mere two days since the fall festival. Since then many students have returned, Pyrrha among them. The newly reunited JNPR had decided it would be a good time to head to an arcade. Nora was the first to suggest it- and the others were quick to agree. Yet despite all that- things felt...off. It wasn't noticeable unless actively sought out, but Nora noticed it, and it made her feel… uneasy.
Contrary to popular belief; she wasn't stupid. Many believed her to be airheaded, reckless, unfocused, or even tone deaf. She acted wild in random situations, but it was what she needed to do, what she grew up doing.
She grew up an orphan in the wilds, practically surrounded by potential Grimm. She learned to be happy or hopeful in even the most dire of situations, because getting depressed about things didn't just mean the mood sucked, it meant you were a beacon for Grimm.
She didn't just use it for survival, she used it to help others too. If she looked like an idiot when she helped a friend, or made them feel just a little bit better while making a fool out of herself… then she would live her life being an idiot with pride.
Of course, that also meant she was more perceptive than people gave her credit for. Jaune was acting...weird. It was subtle; when he smiled it looked like there were other thoughts on his mind, and whenever she talked to him he seemed surprised, like he had forgotten he was even there.
To make things worse, both she and Renny had seen how he came to their dorm two nights prior. He looked…like he had just been lit up. His eyes were practically sparkling, and the smile on his face was wide enough to outdo even her. The fact that he had just returned from a night with that Haven student made it easy to guess something had happened. That made it...hard for her, she knew it was wrong but she was in it for Pyrrha.
Then...the days passed.
His bright mood had gradually dwindled. She didn't miss how he constantly checked his phone- or the way he religiously went to the training grounds at a specific time. It made her worry- and whenever asked about it he just waved it off.
Ren seemed to notice too, though Pyrrha...didn't. She looked lost in her own little world, yet instead of Jaune, her world was right in front of her. Jaune could've been wearing a clown costume and Pyrrha wouldn't have noticed.
So as the team of young, fire blooded students sat together at a table within the arcade- Nora spared a glance to her still distracted team leader, a single thought in her mind.
Just what was he thinking about?
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He felt like he was melting.
Softness. Strong, soft lips were pressed against his own, claiming his mouth with gentleness he would have never expected. She felt warm against him, like a furnace. Her hands stroked along his forearms like feathers gently riding up his skin. He could taste the sweet flavour of strawberry from the cake he had bought her, he could smell her burning yet addictive aroma, and he could feel her, Gods...could he feel her.
She felt warm, warmth that made his body want to curl against her like a man desperate to survive harsh cold weather. Her warmth would override his senses like sunlight bathing his skin, and caressing his body in its gentle heat.
It seemed as though the mere heat was enough to melt his very ability to think. Yet while his mind was left without function- his body knew what to do, it acted when his mind was too lost in all of her.
He turned his body to face her, strong hands meeting voluminous hips, eyes like sapphire marble rolling shut as he parted his lips against her own. Their passionate lips moved as one, like a dance between lovers in the pale moonlight. He felt his heartbeat drum against his chest so powerfully that it was all he could hear, yet he did not need to hear to kiss her, he did not need to think in order to move with her.
A bite, a gasp, and a hand coiled around his body, her slender fingers clutching the back of his flaxen hair- pulling him desperately closer against her- wishing that he could be closer- impossibly close. He parted his lips further and traced the seam of her lips with his tongue, all the while her other hand fisted the collar of his shirt desperately. He felt the air she exhaled from her nose brush along his cheek, she was desperate to extend the duration of her unison, to prevent it from ending.
They cursed their inability to continue, and the fact that it would end.
Their lips would soon part away from one another with great reluctance. Yet their faces would remain close, their heated breaths would mingle together as one. Her grip remained tight against his hair, while her other hand still held firm the cloth of his shirt.
Slowly, his eyes would open. His gaze was dark, now midnight blue, darkened in desire and want, holding the gaze of her smouldering golden orbs, which gazed at him with intense heat.
The heat did not remain for long.
She blinked. Once, twice, and a third time. The once glazed over irises of Cinder Fall would soon wash over with conflicted emotions. He could see mostly great surprise, desire, anger, and even a hint of…
Regret.
Her grip would loosen, she leaned away from him with her lips still raw, dark brows pinched together as she looked away from him.
He wanted to speak, to formulate words, to talk- yet his mind was still reeling, and he couldn't even process what was going on. He stared at her- all the while her face became a battlefield of emotions. She soon stood up wordlessly, eyes flashing towards him for a brief moment.
And then...she ran.
He wasn't sure if she ran, or if his mind was still so out of it that he processed it as one. Yet one moment she was by his side, and the other she had her back turned- leaving while he called out to her.
A bell rang up from a tall tower, interrupting his voice, ringing powerfully against the night sky, like a thunderclap that ravaged the air.
It was now midnight.
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It had been just a few days since that night. His initial excitement had not left him, he had convinced himself that maybe, just maybe everything was okay. He coped with what happened by acting like the night ended well. Yet the following day- which followed with several unanswered messages...well it began to dawn on him that things were probably not okay.
He ran by the events of that night in his head repeatedly. Hour after hour...it was like it had been placed on a loop. Had he done something wrong? She looked happier than he's ever seen her in the past, it was jarring to say the least. Yet… when he thought back to that kiss.
She looked surprised it had happened, even more surprised than he was.
It had caught him off guard when it happened, and by the end of it he was still on cloud nine and reeling from shock. Yet when he thought back to it he remembered her expression; one filled with shock, almost bafflement. He didn't understand why? Sure, maybe he wasn't the biggest catch in Beacon, but he certainly wasn't terrible or anything. She seemed to like him enough to that point, maybe she was so shocked because she saw him exclusively in a platonic manner.
Just like how he saw her.
...right?
It was a kiss. Just a kiss, it's not like he was super into her.
She's an exchange student, and she probably didn't see him that way...so why would he even think that?
Sure, her hair was the shade of the night sky and her skin felt like smooth silk. Sure, her eyes were like the sun dashed with an orange sunset, it didn't matter to him that her face was the most beautiful he's ever seen- or that he'd been constantly licking his lips in a last ditch effort to remember her lips…
She was like a burning fire- so filled with passion and strength. Yet warmth...warmth she didn't even know she had.
Dammit.
He was a goner.
The sudden pressure that struck his shoulder was something he had actually been thankful for- he needed to be distracted. Sapphire eyes snapped to gleaming emerald, just as his partner fixated him with a smile. He recognized that smile- it was when she was worried, but didn't want to make a fuss out of it, to not make him feel like he had to fess up. She was always steady like that, a rock he could always count on.
"Something on your mind? You seem rather distracted." Pyrrha asked casually.
"Ah...well, not really?" He spoke, and she seemed to take the hint that it wasn't something he really wished to speak about.
"Well...if you're sure, Jaune. But you know that the team is always there for you, right?"
"Yeah! I know Pyr, I'm also just...well, a little worried about the Vytal Festival."
Not exactly untrue. It wasn't the thing that was on his mind right now but it was a worry that occasionally slipped into his mind from time to time. Granted; he was sure every student in Beacon was thinking about that, even if there was a bit of time left before it.
"The Vytal festival? I'm sure we're all nervous Jaune… but think of it this way; we're first years. Even if we do fail we'll have another three chances from then on. Besides; I'm confident in our team's ability."
He was too.
He just wasn't very confident in his ability.
The Vytal festival was something that truly tested the skills of all students involved. For someone like Yang it would be an opportunity to show off her strength, but for him...well it was a sign of impending doom.
A very embarrassing doom.
Ren was skilled in hand to hand martial arts, Aura control, and in both short ranged bladed weapons and firearms. Nora was a one woman wrecking crew- being arguably the most physically strong first year with only Yang to contend with her, on top of her skilled usage of her gigantic hammer and long ranged explosives which really were kind of unfair.
Then there was Pyrrha.
Was there really anything he needed to say?
A once in a generation prodigy with insane skill and ability. She was undefeated in their year all without even using her semblance to a great extent.
Him? He barely managed to beat Cardin. While yes; Cardin was a decently skilled opponent, the guy was only around the middle of the class in terms of ranking. While everyone from team JNPR was at least in the top ten.
Add in the fact that team RWBY was there...and a bunch of upperclassmen...well, he was dead weight.
He could picture it now, first one out… all in front of his team, his family which may be watching, and in front of Cinder.
He cursed himself for letting his thoughts trail back to her, that seemed to happen more and more these days...
A sudden punch to his shoulder sent his thoughts scrabbling away, he groaned, shooting a betrayed look to Pyrrha.
"You were doing it again." She smiled simply. "Nora's just about done with her game, and she wants to buy more pancakes"
He chuckled and simply nodded his head, though as the two walked together, he received a sudden ring on his phone.
Cinder Fall
Meet me in front of Emerald Forest in three hours. Bring your weapons.
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Fading emerald green grass crunched under her footsteps like a muted chorus. The gentle sway of the trees cast by the wind's breeze produced a slight swishing sound like a calm breath, as if the forest itself was breathing. She could feel the fall air against her- not too hot, nor too cold- despite the cool feeling of the air against her fair skinned flesh. The air would occasionally increase in speed, smacking her raven locks against the nape of her neck while further obscuring her vision if she didn't push it out of the way. The forest itself remained largely green despite the incoming fall season. Ebony trees still stood firm with proud leaves of green weaved into their branches, and the grasslands spanned forwards like waves of multi coloured emeralds.
It would be… a suitable spot.
She needed a place to train him, and this would do. She'd much prefer if she could simply stop it altogether...but doing so could lead to further issues. She could not ignore him or act as though he no longer existed. Their training sessions had formerly been something that was held once a week, and in her foolishness, wish to stretch her limbs, and desire to escape Emerald and Mercury- the number steadily increased. She couldn't simply cut it off entirely or this would simply fester into something more. He had already messaged her a dozen times since that night, ignoring him and cutting him off entirely could lead to things becoming more public, and that was attention she did not want being cast her way. So she picked something less...direct. She wouldn't need to fight him head on and thus constantly speak to him. With this new form of training… things should develop without as much fuss.
It was tedious, but a necessity.
It had been her fault for letting this build up, and her fault for even spending the entire festival with him at all.
This didn't help her current situation any more either. Adam had once again called her, she had grown increasingly tired of his words, and of him. It was simply to report that Emerald and Mercury would be returning to her tomorrow, and that he had attained more dust. She did not bother complimenting him; for they both knew her words would be given without a hint of sincerity.
He was more of a headache than he was worth, really.
She hadn't been feeling her best since taking half of the maiden powers. A constant hunger burned inside of her, like a gnawing drill that constantly chipped away at her, a flame that begged to be fueled...that pushed her forward. It was a flame she couldn't extinguish, and it pushed her to attain what was now rightfully hers. It was only in brief instances that the hunger subsided as her mind was instead swayed with other thoughts.
Now however, she felt worse than ever before.
While Adam and Roman were at least temporarily tolerable, memories and dreams haunted her sleep like wolves stalking sheep. Dreams of what she once was; a pathetic creature with only hunger at her core, dreams of what she was now, and...now dreams of her future.
Foolish dreams, impossible dreams, dreams that needed to be discarded.
She still did not know why she had kissed him that night. She was attempting to be someone else, to portray someone else entirely. To enter the role of another woman… Yet part of her knew there was more to the story.
Did she wish to see what it felt like to be someone else? Did she desire to experience it? Act like fiction was a reality before midnight struck and ripped it away?
The panderings and thoughts of a foolish child.
The thoughts of a foolish girl who wanted everything after having nothing.
The night itself… was admittedly a relief. For once Roman did not fester in the back of her mind, Adam did not speak to her like an obsessive fanatic pretending to be something else, and Beacon became something else...something she didn't need to worry about.
All of that, because of one boy. Because of a carnival, a dance, a cake, and a boy.
She was… certain she did not have romantic feelings for him. Yet she could no longer say that she wasn't even remotely compromised. That night she had said many things, and her words to Jaune under the moonlight were… true. She once hated him, and now she no longer did. He had become an amusement, and then something different. Now? Now she no longer knew what he was.
Yet, the kiss they shared...was...enjoyable.
She grit her teeth. Thinking about such things like a schoolgirl… she wouldn't stoop so low. Even kissing him by sheer foolishness was more tolerable than that.
Even still. This revelation wasn't a welcome one. Emerald and Mercury had not once thought to question her over this, because the mere thought of her developing feelings from what was a faux friendship was ridiculous. She had trusted them to form false bonds with the Beacon students, and she was certain nothing had developed between them. How could she, their leader, grow to care about a weak fool in just a few short months?
He was nothing.
His base intelligence was average at best, he was clumsy, naive, and believed that people could be good in this world. He tried his hardest despite having been so utterly weak, he knew how she felt at times just from reading her expressions, he knew how to rile her up despite not knowing the truth about her, he was kind when she cast anger his way, he revealed his secrets with trust, he looked at her without judgment, without wanting anything in return, he never asked for anything to be given…
He was pathetic, and she hated him.
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Sapphire eyes maneuvered across thick trees, darting along the forest in search for Cinder. The walk to the emerald forest was done with angst. He wasn't sure how to feel, or why exactly Cinder chose that as her message to send him. She had completely ignored what had gone on with them, and instead chose something else to focus on- training. Or at least he thought it was training…
He hoped she wasn't about to challenge him to a fight to the death or something…
Even still, was ignoring the situation her way of telling him she didn't feel anything for him? Or was it something else? The thought caused anxiety to grip his gut like an iron glove. He hoped that wasn't the case but… it wouldn't be the first time.
No… this wasn't like Weiss. That was just a crush because of her grace and beauty. Granted he didn't want to use her or see her for her riches like a lot of her suitors- but even still it wasn't like he knew a lot about her by that point.
This… was something else. He's known her for months and been close with her, he's shared secrets with her, trained with her. It wasn't like her looks just immediately swooned him…
Okay they kind of did, but it wasn't like that reason made him fall for her or something.
Had he fallen for her…? No, that was a bit of a stretch, right? He wasn't sure what he felt, but he knew he definitely liked her.
And that falling for her would be easy. So...so easy.
Finally his eyes would fall upon a lone figure standing in between two tall trees. Her burning amber eyes met his, and despite her relatively calm expression- her eyes always looked so fierce, so beautiful.
Dammit! Other thoughts!
"Hey Cinder." He greeted her with an awkward wave. He hadn't felt this awkward around her since their first week or two of training together. Then again, he felt like he couldn't be entirely blamed for that, she did kiss him after all.
"Jaune." She greeted him.
He was...not used to that, a mirthful tone coined with a sadistic grin, irritation burning behind sharp eyes, heck even a genuine smile when he told her something she thought was amusing… he was used to all that.
This...was different. She wasn't outright cold, just...different.
"So...why did you want me to come down here with my weapons?"
Rather than answer outright, she simply turned away from him and stalked off into the forest. Being forced to follow- he quickly sped up to walk just a few paces behind her.
"I have trained you to fight Huntsman, how to utilize more of your capabilities such as your shield and different areas of your sword, how to gauge distance when battling your opponent and the best actions with that distance, and coming up with strategies to beat an opponent significantly stronger than you are."
Most of that was true, except the last one. She just kept beating him up until he managed to come up with a way to get the upper hand...for a few seconds…
"-Yet we have yet to come up with something for the less intelligent bunch; Grimm. Or even petty criminals, murders, or terrorists who won't hesitate to take drastic action because they know they don't stand a chance against Huntsman."
He blinked at that, tilting his head at her.
"What do you mean? Why would I need to worry about those guys?" He asked, a clear tone of confusion in his words. "You said it yourself, they can't stand against Huntsman."
Cinder sighed, pushing a lock of raven hair away from her face. "Because they are unpredictable and drastic. A Huntsman will risk fighting another Huntsman because they know they have a chance of winning, they can stand against them. But a simple crook? They can't. Maybe to even the odds they'll take a hostage, or they'll use explosives." She stated, keeping her eyes directed forwards. "Roman Torchwick is a good example. He may have aura and some training, which means he can fight lower leveled or even middle leveled Huntsman. Yet let's say someone much more powerful arrives...then he'll simply do whatever he can to survive. In order to beat someone like that, you must understand what they want."
That...sounded basic enough, and even made a lot of sense. The fact that he had Aura was enough to make him stronger than nearly all civilians. Combine that with his training, and the only thing that could take him down were either Grimm or another Huntsman, the fact that he was so weak compared to most only made it more crazy.
"I guess that makes sense… but what do you mean by knowing what they want?"
"Despite being unpredictable, their desires are obvious. Torchwick wants to survive, the White Fang wants power, and the Grimm want to kill as much as possible."
That...made sense. Except for the first two, Roman was a thief, and the White Fang-for what he knew of them- wanted equality for the Faunus.
He accepted it though, he still understood what she meant.
"Huh...I guess that all makes sense. So we're here to train against Grimm then, got it."
Or at least he hoped he got it…
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Her plan had gone...smoothly thus far. She didn't have to directly speak to Jaune about what had happened the previous night, and she didn't need to speak to him all the time during the training session. Instead, the two could simply fight off a few Grimm, then she could simply claim that she was tired and cut off the training session earlier than normal. That on top of the Vytal Festival emerging in two or so months meant that she could simply claim to no longer have the time to train him. She did need to supposedly train with her team and hone her own skills didn't she? Training with him occasionally for another month or so before then using the excuse should serve to be sufficient.
Besides, despite this form of training being an excuse, it could serve its own purpose. It could help him survive the fall of Beacon when it inevitably occurred.
She bit her tongue, curling her fingers into the palm of her hand with enough force that her aura had to prevent her nails from digging into skin.
What kind of foolish thought was this? She did not care if Jaune lived or died.
She would not save him when the Grimm emerged and screams of pain roared through all of Beacon. She would not stop him from running into his death, from being torn apart by the Grimm.
She could picture it now, his screams, his blood soaked hands beating away at the Grimm as they descended upon him.
Her heart ached within her chest.
No… it was the only way. Beacon needed to fall in order for her to attain what she's longed for all these years. They still hunted her, and even if she refused to go along with it, Salem would kill her. It wasn't personal, she wasn't going out of her way to slaughter others, she simply needed to go past them in order to take what was hers.
Jaune was a huntsman, and so he would die.
It's not like there was anything she could do. He was a heroic fool who would charge into battle if it meant helping others.
Caring for him was her mistake, wishing for him to live past the festival was another one, but she would not care so much that she'd stop the attack for one boy.
The Vytal Festival would be attacked, and Jaune would fall.
There was nothing she could do.
There was nothing she could do…
Maybe...she could simply ask Emerald and Mercury to not kill him should they run into him.
The sudden rustling of a bush caused her eyes to snap to the side. She cursed herself- she had spent all of this time within her own head that she hadn't paid any attention as to where she was going. The area around them was surrounded by thick, tall, ebony trees. The grasslands they stood on were nearly flat. While the trees themselves cast deep shadows across them.
"Uhm...Cinder?"
"What?"
"I Uhm… I think we got trouble."
Bright vermillion eyes that bled hate would stare back at them, along with another pair, and another…
All around them, piercing eyes watched with eager interest.
She had walked into a Grimm invested forest while feeling immense amounts of negative emotions… She did not think she could ever be so stupid.
Twin daggers would be pulled from the sheath at her back, all the while Jaune slid his sword and unclasped his shield from its sheath form. They stood together- as deep growls would begin to rumble past the trees. She could hear their blade like paws tear and dig through the dirt just out of sight, she could hear their snorts, their panting breaths, their eager hunger steadily growing…
The sounds stopped.
She moved.
Black shapes burst from the trees rapidly, falling upon them with great haste. She had leaped from her position, daggers moving across the air like flashes of light. She cut through several at once with no effort whatsoever- just the simple feeling of metal meeting armour, flesh and bone. She halted her momentum by steadying herself from the leap by using a tree- pausing to gaze down at her blood soaked arms.
How she hated having to use short weapons. They were so much more...messy. Her standard weapons were refined, they didn't force her to get so close that she could feel the warmth of her opposition's blood coat her wrists.
How annoying.
She leaped back into the fight, allowing her eyes to fall upon Jaune for a moment.
He stood off against three Grimm. Using his shield to fend off their attacks before counter attacking with quick stabs or slashes of his sword. Admittedly he felt a little too...immobile. Rather than going at his enemies, he instead let them come to him, it made him predict his opponents better, but it wasn't necessary when fighting creatures as pathetic as the Grimm. Perhaps it was the mere amount of Grimm there were, for he didn't mind running into the fray when he faced Cardin.
"Use your movement more." She decided to advise, sidestepping the paw of a Beowolf before cutting through its jugular. Burning golden eyes briefly met sapphire blue, and she noticed the subtlest or nods from him behind his shield.
Good, she didn't like repeating herself.
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The hiss of claws clashing against steel roared past his ears. The force was enough to push him back a step with his jaw clenched. Blue eyes would narrow, a sword wielding hand would raise, before Jaune would then allow the clawed paw to roll along his shield, his blade quickly cutting downwards like a thunderbolt, severing the arm of the Grimm from the elbow and below. A roar of pure hatred and pain would bellow from the pained beast, one which Jaune silenced by thrusting his blade through its jaw and up its head seamlessly.
He didn't know if he'd ever get used to that… the sensation of muscle and bone parting along his sword, the sight of abyssal blood pooling through the beast's jaw like that...
He hoped he'd never, ever have to do the same to a human person.
He shot his eyes to Cinder, who was quite literally dancing around at least five Grimm at once without so much as a frown. She made sweat and blood look graceful. It was annoying just how incredibly powerful she was.
In comparison he's barely been able to fight off two or three beowolves at once. Most of them were just gunning for her while he handled the scraps.
It caused him to remember Pyrrha in a way. He wondered what a fight between those two would look like… now that would be a sight to see.
His thoughts would leave him seamlessly as a roar caused his head to shoot towards the side, the appearance of yet another Beowolf made his gaze narrow in agitation. Why were there so many? They had to have fought at least twenty or so by now, and he hadn't recalled fighting this many prior last time he was here. Gripping his sword steadily, he allowed his eyes to gauge the beast as it ran forwards, it's muscled arms contorting and clenching with every forward movement it gave towards his way. It was larger than the others- but it still behaved the same way.
It leaped towards him, and he read the movement rather well. Maybe this is what Cinder said about experience? He was beginning to remember certain patterns in their behaviour, and beowolves almost always leaped when charging rather than barreling into their enemy. He rolled out of the way, quickly raising his shield in time to catch a sudden swipe from the beast's claw. The force caused him to grunt, his body being lifted off of the ground as he was thrown hard into a tree, a sudden sound of pain leaving his lips on impact. He collapsed onto the ground, the edge of his blade stabbing hard into the dirt just in front of him. That… was weird, Beowolves weren't normally that powerful. He blinked the black spots away from his vision, focusing instead on the Grimm that headed his way.
It looked like it was laughing at him. The ugly sneer it wore on it's fierce jaws now instead looked like a sadistic smile, like it enjoyed every ounce of pain it could force or squeeze out of him. It stalked towards him with a slow gate, snorts and snarls leaving the creature like a mocking laugh. He grit his teeth, crawling forwards as his hands gripped the pommel of his sword desperately, as he pushed himself up.
It leaped once again.
A dagger dug into the creature's neck, while a foot would meet its skull and press it into the ground with such ferocity that even he was surprised by it. His sapphire gaze blinked away the hazy sensation, the familiar figure of Cinder coming into view. She stood in front of him- bathed in both blood and sweat, a single hand propped on her hip.
"I can't leave you alone for a mere five minutes, can I?"
His reaction was to instead laugh, one filled with both relief and amusement. His reaction seemed to surprise the woman that stood in front of him, yet the surprise would soon turn instead into a slight smile that formed ever so gently along her lips.
That laugh would soon die out.
Blood red eyes- much bigger than he had ever seen- would watch them with hate bleeding from its vermillion gaze. This creature was… big. Not the size of an Ursa but at least two times the size of an average Beowolf.
An alpha.
This entire time they had been fighting a pack, and they hadn't noticed the big one the entire time.
He tried to tell Cinder but his ribs still burned from the collision against the tree. There was no time.
The Grimm would begin to crouch.
Summoning strength he didn't know he had inside of him, his hands and feet slammed against the ground as he pushed himself forward, and leaped towards Cinder.
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She had fought countless battles by now, and all gave her at least some sense of enjoyment. When she was a mere child the feeling of battle felt like freedom. Training, feeling the thick bead of sweat at her brow, her hair damp, gripping a bladed weapon and fawning over the way it gleamed within the light…
It was freeing.
Sparring with Jaune, training with him should have been lacklustre, it should have been boring in how weak he was compared to her. Yet it wasn't. Seeing the way he fought, how his brow would wrinkle in determination, or how he laughed off his failures and simply got back up- refusing to roll over and die no matter how hard she hit him, it was enjoyable. When she fought him, the burning feeling that called out to the maiden powers would subside, the pain, the ache...it would feel muted.
Then again. The same sensations had begun to occur whenever she was near him as of late.
Fighting the Grimm had been enjoyable. She rarely experienced much pleasure since entering Beacon… and getting wine snuck in would have been a hassle she would rather not risk.
A tiny voice in her heart, one oh so small, uttered that she had been enjoying herself more as of late.
Yet all things must come to an end, and killing the Beowolf who attacked Jaune put a temporary end to their attack even if it hadn't been the final one. She sent a remark his way, and he took it in stride, as he always did.
Yet...that expression of his did not last long.
She knew there was an Alpha. After the first attack it became clear that it was a pack, and while killing the tenth or so Beowolf she noticed the Alpha biding its time, watching them. Alpha's tended to be older Beowolves, those of which had survived for some time and even managed to develop minimal intelligence.
It hadn't even been registered as a threat.
She knew it stood behind her, she knew it would soon leap her way. Yet...it could never hurt, much less kill her. She could fight an entire pack of only Alpha's and never experience a single tinge of fear that it would be her last battle.
Jaune...clearly felt differently.
She moved with him, just as the Beowolf jumped she would allow her body to turn to the side, yet Jaune had jumped forwards- passing her as the alpha Beowolf came charging in.
He had jumped in an attempt to push her out of the way.
She turned her head his way, a feeling of worry she never knew she had would crash by her for a fraction of a second as her eyes would widen at their impending crash.
Before bright, golden light would erupt all throughout the forest.
I want to start off by saying this as a message to my readers: I cannot access/receive DMs/PMs from you all. I have received around three DMs recently within my emails, however I am unable to properly read them fully or even respond to them due to the fact that this site can be a little...difficult at times. I previously said this in an earlier chapter (chapter 2 I believe) but I don't think many people got that.
Regardless I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, this was more of an "in betweener" chapter to build up emotional tension for both characters while setting a few things up. As well as a little more training for Jaune of course.
I was surprised that a few people didn't catch Cinder's reasoning for the kiss, I tried to explain it as best I could to make it concise for everyone. I hope this chapter helped clear some things up. Cinder's true self is the "rags". While the person she was pretending to be was the "gown."
As always please review as I always love receiving feedback. And thank you very much to all of the people that have liked and followed the story, over 400 favourites and 600 follows! Thank you all very much!
I should warn you all however, In His Kindness (the main story) won't be getting any updates for December. This is because I'll be doing a Christmas omake for the story which won't be canon, as well as a Lancaster fic which has been brewing in the back of my mind for quite some time now. Both Fics should release around mid December if I do things properly, let's hope!
Thank you for reading.