I NO OWN RWBY OR ARCHER... I MEAN, FATE...

"That's no good, Arc." Archer half shouted, irritation lacing his tone as he lowered his extended leg. The kick he had swung at Jaune had launched him into the wall left of the former servant, who merely stood staring with with disappointment.

Jaune stumbled to get up, gasping for the air that was just knocked out of him. His legs were left feeling weak and shaky from the entire ordeal. An arm wrapped around his gut, he stood to charge Archer once more, adjusting his grip as he raised his sword to attack.

Without even pulling out his weapon, wherever that was, he dodged the overhead slash with ease and delivered another kick to Jaune's side, his steel toed boots digging in and causing him to fly into the same wall.

"This was the second time I've performed that attack. Unless your approach is to lose, you're doing terrible." Archer said. "It should be obvious that overhead slashes leave you open, but they seem to be your first choice of attack."

Jaune stood up, much like last time, but noticeably slower. He was about to charge Archer again when he was interrupted. Holding his hand out, Archer took a more relaxed stance. Despite not being much of a fighter, Jaune could tell what that gesture meant.

"Do you berate all of your students like that?" Jaune asked as he slumped to the floor.

Archer cracked open an eye to look at the blonde knight, his hands remaining on his hips in a relaxed stance. "No." He replied, closing his eye again as he let the statement sink in. After a few seconds of silence, he elaborated. "And if it were exclusive to my students, you wouldn't be on the receiving end of it."

Jaune quirked a brow. "What's that supposed to mean?" He questioned.

"It means that you aren't a student of this class."

Jaune shot up, ignoring the pain in his core and legs. "What are you saying?!" He shouted, his voice laced with concern.

"Tell me, Jaune Arc, what did you think this class was?"

Jaune thought for a while before replying, albeit a little more downcast. "It was a place to learn a more strategic approach to battle, to learn how to predict your opponent's next moves and carry out the battle in a way that places the outcome in your control."

Archer sighed. "It's more than that, but there's one requirement you have to fulfill before you can even think about attending this class."

Jaune looked down at the ground, his eyes scanning something beyond the floor as he stood in silent contemplation.

Saving him the trouble of burning out his brain, Archer simply gave him the answer. "You have to at least have basic skill in combat." Archer continued even through Jaune's surprise. "The only difference between fighting you and fighting an ordinary person is your sword."

"B-but you can't jus-"

"I can." Archer interrupted. "If you were to just attend my class as you are now, it would just be a one-sided beating. You would learn nothing, develop a unique styling of fighting riddled with bad habits and it would only go downhill from there."

Jaune's face contorted for a split second, the expression indiscernible before settling on one of defeat aimed at the floor. He didn't even bother looking up at hearing another sigh escape the young teacher.

"The most I can do is give you a training regimen and show you a few things to practice on your own. You can show up every now and then for me to correct your form, but that's it. I still have a class to run." The novice swordsman perked up at the thought, but Archer continued. "Don't go thinking that you'd be any better. You would still be the equivalent of a newborn in a fight."

Jaune stood still momentarily, thinking strongly about his next move. "Then what should I do after that?"

Archer shot Jaune another disappointed look. "Are you counting on me to make an important decision like that for you? If that's the case, then you're already failing." His words hit like a train, but he wasn't finished talking. "Honestly, it's a simple process. Just take a look into your most ideal future, then take all of the necessary steps to get there. I'll help you take the first, but after that, you're on your own."

Jaune was about to ask him to elaborate, but held back when he remembered Archer's initial reaction to his ignorance. He knew that Archer was right, but the way he acted had caused Jaune's opinion of him to lower a little. Not to say that he hated Archer, but the guy really needed to be more cool sometimes.

A timer sounded off, causing Jaune to snap out of his thoughts.

"Time's up. I'll send you instructions on your scroll later." Archer broke the brief silence, walking over to a bench nearby to take a seat. "Everything after that is your choice."

Jaune nodded, having his only hope torn from him set his gaze on the floor as he turned to leave.

He had woken up early to attend this class too...

'Welp, I could always nap through lunch period.' Jaune thought as he shut the door behind himself.

Archer stood in between the shelves. He had finished reading his third book and things already began to clear up. If he was going to be honest, a lot of the information contained within the textbooks were more or less being repeated. He knew that it was so that the less studious students would be able to understand as well, but the fact that the three books he had spent an hour on contained only half a book's worth of information still bothered him.

He needed the facts and information straight, anything else was just a waste of his time. Thankfully, he was a pretty decent speed reader and processed information fast due to his specialization. Skimming over the parts that repeated or offered useless information was easy enough.

Finishing the last page of the dust textbook, he closed it and slid it back into the shelf for the next person to use when the time came.

If he were his younger self, he would want to research dust more in-depth for future use. However, he didn't particularly care for the idea of it at the moment. It wasn't necessary at the moment and he only needed to know how to counter it in case if he ever fought anyone who used it extensively.

Though, he was probably going to give up fighting for a while. He would still fight injustice and save lives when he could, but at the moment, he could barely take care of himself financially. He'd have to establish a foothold in this world and a steady income for some of his operations lest he fall short of his goals like he usually did in his lifetime.

Archer sighed.

This was a golden opportunity. Alaya couldn't reach him, she couldn't force him to kill countless innocent people anymore. Instead of using Caladbolg II to nuke entire cities, he could approach things the way he saw fit, he could save people the way he wanted to, the way he had to.

And yet he still had many obstacles in his way. Even after the countless millennia he had suffered through, the road ahead was still a long and unpredictable one. Whatever awaited him at the end of it all was a mystery. For all he knew, he'd end up in Alaya's grasp again once he died... or the next time he went to sleep. This was all too good not to be a dream. Or was it?

To escape a bitter hell and end up teaching some kids how to prolong their deaths... One could say that the trade off was kind of a joke.

Closing his eyes, he placed a hand on his hip, running the other through his hair. He couldn't wait until he grew up again, he didn't look so great with swept back hair while this young. It also didn't work with red hair. Seeing Emiya Shirou dress and act like Archer didn't work all too well for those who have seen both before. Thankfully, no one on remnant knew either of them.

Well, it was only temporary. He wouldn't spend too much time worrying over his appearance like some kind of narcissist, especially when he had more pressing matters. Speaking of which...

"It looks like you've developed a rather troublesome hobby." Archer spoke, keeping quiet enough as to not bother anyone else in the library.

Around the corner, a certain rabbit faunus walked out from the bookshelf she had been using as cover. "T-that's not true!" Velvet retorted loudly. Fidgeting slightly when she realized just how loud her outburst was, and even more so when she saw the smirk on Archer's face. "You were so focused that I didn't know how to approach you without being a bother. So I waited..." She added, her face reddened from... from a number of things, perhaps. Velvet was just a socially awkward person, and it didn't help that she was talking to Archer of all people.

"You did." Archer agreed. "You skipped lunch, searched most of the school for me, and then stood there and watched."

Velvet's eyes widened further with every claim Archer made. She was not only impressed with how accurate they were, but embarrassed by them as well, causing her face to match Archer's cloak.

"Any normal person would have simply ate lunch before meeting me outside of my classroom."

Velvet's head lowered, her eyes almost looked a little terrified as she peered at him through the thick strands of her hair. Sensing this, Archer had mercy on the bunny.

"Don't worry about it." Archer waved off any concern with a single statement, continuing only when he noticed her calming down a bit. "So, what did you want?" He questioned.

Velvet almost seemed to revert back to her terrified state before she regained her composure. She stepped closer, causing Archer to quirk a brow, and in turn her heart rate raised at the sight. Her breathing was slightly faster than normal, but her eyes remained focused and determined.

"Thank you, Archer."

She stood, waiting as she tried to scan his expression, but Archer was oddly stoic in a way. She almost began to worry until she heard him speak up once more.

"What are you thanking me for?" He asked, his demeanor becoming more serious.

Velvet stumbled with her thoughts before deciding on what to say. "Y-you saved me in the cafeteria... You were fast, but I could see it... Thank you..."

Archer sighed. "In an academy that teaches children how to become heroes, inaction should be considered a disgrace." The faunus's expression had gone through various surprised changes, but Archer didn't wait to count them all. "I only did what I had to."

Velvet's mouth opened slightly before closing, staring at the floor, she pondered her next words. Shaking her head, she looked back up at Archer. "At the cafe as well, you saved me... and some cups." She chuckled quietly at the last part before continuing. "And... Here, look at this."

Reaching down into her pocket, she pulled out a scroll. A browser of some sort was loaded and a tab was opened to a video sharing sight. Currently playing was a video of a red clad man with twin swords, spin kicking a bandit before jumping over a horizontal slash from a flanker. His dodge was followed by the pommel of his sword impacting the bandit's head, sending him flying in the direction of the other bandit.

Luckily, the video quality wasn't good enough to capture Kanshou and Bakuya vanishing from his hands, especially since the sun exposure was too overwhelming, but they were noticeably missing later in the video.

"I found this yesterday." She said, her shyness seemed to vanish completely as her voice took on a cheerful tone. "There were a lot of people there and the grimm would have shown up if you didn't do anything." Lowering the scroll, she smiled brightly at Archer. "You're a hero!" She half shouted, almost forgetting where she was.

Archer's expression changed slightly. Something bothered him. A slight pang in his heart, pulsing and threatening to grow stronger should he let his guard down even for a single moment.

It wasn't the fact that she called him a hero. He was used to that. Being referred to as a 'Nameless Hero' or just a hero was common during the times he spent as a heroic spirit. The word itself in any of its uses meant nothing to him.

What bothered Archer was the girl herself. She did nothing wrong, but it was clear that she was trying to form a bond of some sort, something that didn't really sit well with Archer. Not only was making friends a little dangerous for him specifically, people close to him often got in the way and would usually attempt to talk him out of his line of work. He wasn't going to be here for long either, so there was another negative.

Velvet also seemed to be rather adamant to become his friend. It could be because of her Faunus heritage, making actual friends was incredibly difficult due to discrimination. However, something told Archer that the girl wasn't the type to socialize. It was possible that something or someone was motivating her to do so.

The whole thing was a hassle he wasn't looking to go through this time around. Plus, befriending teenagers wasn't really on the list of things Archer wanted to do.

"You're jumping to conclusions." Archer spoke seriously. "How do you know I didn't do any of that for my own benefit?"

The smile quickly faded from her face, her scroll lowering in her hands as her body stiffened. "What do you mean?"

There was a long pause. Archer's narrowed eyes closed in rest before he replied. "Forget it." Opening his eyes again, he analyzed Velvet's concerned expression before turning around. "Well then, I've got a class to run. Take care."

As he walked away, he could sense the rabbit faunus' eyes trained on his fleeting form.

"Then he tried to run, but I was all like, BAM! WOOSH! KABOOM! It was so awesome!"

"Are you allowed to be telling us this?" Blake questioned.

"Nope." The cloaked huntress-in-training replied.

"Cool." Yang commented nonchalantly.

At the back of the group, Weiss seemed to be the only one having trouble with Ruby sharing classified information. However, she chose to remain frustrated in silence.

Surprisingly, it was Blake who was more vocal about her concerns. "Something isn't right about this." She said, stopping in her tracks. As the rest of the group soon mirrored her actions, she elaborated. "Some mystery hero just provided some unseen backup, never showed their face and the Headmaster himself had questioned you over it?"

"I agree." Weiss added. "There's something peculiar about that event."

"I don't think it matters." Yang stated. Seeing the way Blake and Weiss reacted, she further defended her statement. "Hey, all I'm saying is that whoever it was that night doesn't matter cause we'll probably never see them again. And besides, what's important is that Rubes caught the bad guy."

Ruby began jamming her pointers together, it looked as if she had pitted her two index fingers against each other in a fight. Once Blake had stopped staring at Yang in disbelief, she noticed and changed her focus to the young leader.

Both Weiss and Yang had soon mimicked the action of their stoic teammate and turned to Ruby.

"What's wrong?" The blonde asked.

"I wouldn't exactly say that 'I' caught him..."

"What do you mean?" Weiss questioned, placing a hand on her hip and leaning to the side as she waited for an answer.

"He kind of looked like he was already beaten up a little before I even did anything." Ruby said quietly, looking off to the side.

Yang stepped in closer to her sister. "To be clear, we're talking about Ruban Porkwith, right?"

"Roman Torchwick." Blake corrected.

Seeing Ruby nod, the Schnee heiress moved in closer, pushing Yang out of the way as she began to interrogate her own leader. "To be clear, you told the headmaster about that part, right?"

"Uh, he never really asked?" The cookie loving student spoke meekly. In all honesty, it never really crossed her mind, and there was never even an opportunity to add such a detail anyway.

While Weiss chose to groan in frustration, Yang merely shrugged and wrapped an arm around her sister. "I still don't think it matters. She already told them that someone helped her, they probably assume that meant with Torchwick as well."

"I suppose." Weiss relented. "However, that information confirms how dangerous the person is."

Blake hummed in agreement. "Roman was a highly wanted and elusive criminal. If this person managed to weaken him enough for Ruby to take down without showing their face, we don't know what else they could be capable of."

"Exactly." Said Weiss. "The issue isn't necessarily the person themselves, but wherever their allegiance lies."

"If you say so." Yang shrugged. It was clear that her interest in the particular topic had died.

Suddenly, a strange ringing had sounded out.

Everyone had confused expressions until they recognized the sound as the reminder alert from a scroll. In this case, it was Ruby's scroll that had made the noise. The girl in question had reached into her pocket, pulling out the device before pressing the yellow triangle to expand the scroll.

"Ah, I have to go, guys. See you later!" She turned to walk away, but was stopped when she heard her sister's voice from behind.

"Wait, Rubes. Where are you going?" She asked.

"I have another class."

"With who? There's no more classes for the rest of the day." Yang further questioned.

"Don't tell me..." Weiss started.

"With Archer."

"You really went for it?" Yang asked. Her answer came in the form of a nod and a confused look, so she left it at that.

It was Weiss however, who voiced her opinion. "Honestly, I don't think we have anything to learn from that guy. He's far too young to know anything we don't, let alone be a decent teacher."

"I'm kinda with Weiss on this one." Said Yang. "Even if he could teach us anything, it's weird having someone your age in that kind of position."

Ruby stared at her friends in disbelief. Maybe it was something with the older kids? "Well, I'm younger than you guys, so I don't have that problem." Ruby boasted before turning around and speeding off to her new class.

WBY was left staring at the cape of their first letter, waving in the wind like a flag.

"Guess we ought to check it out as well." Yang broke the silence.

Weiss and Blake were both curious as well, both silently deciding to follow Yang in her pursuit of their leader.

None of them could predict the events that would unfold after this meeting.

A/N: This was the other half of the last chapter, it was almost finished, so I decided to work on it alongside other projects. It's kind of poorly written, but I was writing while dehydrated and it took a lot of energy. It's kind of weird as well and the logic is questionable at best, but I can't rewrite this story until this POOR e-EXCUSE Of an arc is over, that's the only moment I get free time.

There may be special cases where I rewrite things before I finish the arc, but that's only because they're so stupid that they basically asked to be changed. As for this story in particular, I didn't have the time to storyboard and brainstorm during my moment of technical difficulties, so it will only experience minor changes from the original script until I have time to fix it. Dal never did any of that which is why I'm working with a half-baked outline. That sS-SCUMBAG!

Welp... I guess this is the new chapter... It's not that good, but I never said it would be. I also hope that none of you had high expectations just yet. I also apologize for the last scene's BAd writing, I was incredibly parched and apparently a dehydrated person shows symptoms eerily similar to dementia. Basically, if you're an author, please drink a lot of water when you write or you'll forget how to write like I did. I also didn't proof-read it. Yes, SUFFER!