It had been a week or so since Jaune, Yang and Ruby had awoken after their fight with the Draco. During that time, RWBY and JNPR went to class, as was the norm, while Jaune focused on his recovery. His aura had been weakened significantly from the exposure to the Draco's toxic essence. But that was probably by design, to weaken his aura enough for it to absorb it safely. It probably wouldn't have been as bad from his short exposure to it but with him using Void at the same time, more damage had been done to his body, making him no where close to being ready to teach Yang anything about controlling her new abilities.
Luckily, Yang couldn't use them without her having his aura and he'd have to consciously give her that. So there was no chance of her losing her cool and burning down anything unintentionally. Don't get him wrong, he knew that she had taken steps to control her temper but there still were the odd instances where she would lose it. Besides she needed time to completely heal from the battle as well, better for them both to be healed before trying to dive into those lessons.
Speaking of lessons, Olive did stop by two or three times throughout that week to get a few more lessons on how to us her weapon's short sword forms more efficiently. But with Jaune still being on the mend, he would have her run through her usual stances on a practice dummy. Jaune would observe her and make notes on what was still flawed in her execution. He would then stop her and go over to adjust her arms or legs before having her try them again. After that it was just her trying to get use to those minor changes. But overall, she was coming along well. She was no swordswoman but she was becoming more accustomed to that part of her weapon.
RWBY and JNPR would also stop by often after classes to see how Jaune was and to just spend time together. Most had the same worry as Jaune that he may have somehow reverted his Semblance to being trapped with Void again. Luckily all those fears amounted to nothing. He could still easily use the other five elements like before and he could still access Void. That made him feel a bit better and also let him now have the Ultimate Element as a fallback plan. But only if there was no other choice. He didn't want to push his luck. Not again.
During his down time on that Thursday, he was trying to figure out something very important. How in the hell was he going to teach Yang to control fire? He sighed as he sat down on one of the couches in his living room, the one facing away from the door. "No point in delaying it." He said to himself as he pulled out his scroll and began messaging both Ozpin and Goodwitch.
As he was doing that, he heard the distinct sound of his door being slammed open behind him and a familiar voice shouting, "Guess who's back!"
Jaune lowered his head and sighed, "Stop slamming my door, Yang. Unless you wanna pay for it when you break it." He bent his head back over the couch to see them upside-down, RWBY and JNPR in his entryway with Yang in the lead.
They were all taking off their shoes as Yang talked, "Please, I wouldn't need to pay. I could just fix it."
Jaune snorted as he looked back at his scroll, "You may be a good mechanic, Yang, but I've seen your carpentry skills. Let's just say, there is much to be desired."
"Hey! We replaced those bunkbeds nearly two years ago!" Yang argued.
"Yeah. After Weiss nearly became a literal Snow Angel." Jaune snarked back with a smirk. Her heard something flying through the air before it hit flesh but not his own. He looked over his shoulder to see that Neo was holding onto Yang's shoe, which was a foot or so from hitting his head. The girl in question was just giving Yang a look that just said, 'nice try'. Yang meanwhile was just pouting. Jaune's smirk grew, "Thank you, Neo." He said and Neo just flashed him a grin before she tossed her shoe back to its owner before she plopped down next to her brother. She then grabbed the remote to the television and started to look for something to watch.
As that was going on, Ruby went to the kitchen to grab a snack and instantly shouted, "When did you make these cookies!?"
Jaune smiled but didn't look up from his scroll, "This afternoon." He heard her cheer before the fridge opened, probably in search for some milk. That was when Weiss and Blake sat on the couch opposite of him, while Nora, Ren and Pyrrha sat on the one to his right. Pyrrha would've sat on Jaune's other side but Yang jumped over the couch to do so right before she could. Yang gave Pyrrha a victorious smirk while Pyrrha just looked at her in mild betrayal.
Not too long after that, Ruby walked in with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk before she sat down next to her teammates across from Jaune. She then dunked half a cookie into it before taking a huge bite from it. She then sighed in bliss which made Jaune grin. He was just finishing up his message to the two professors when he felt Yang poking his cheek repeatedly. She kept her finger against his cheek and he glanced over to her as she smirked, "Can I help you?"
"Whatcha doing?" she asked nonchalantly.
He gently took her hand and lowered it from his cheek, "If you're so curious, I'm just letting Ozpin and Glynda know that you will be busy tomorrow and won't be available throughout the day."
That confused everyone in the room, besides Jaune. Ruby swallowed the cookie she had been finishing, "You have plans tomorrow?"
Yang just raised her hands in surrender, "Not that I know of. I have all my Friday classes and I didn't plan on doing anything out of the ordinary afterwards."
"Well, I was letting them know that you wouldn't be going to class tomorrow since you'll be busy with me." That earned him another questioning look from Yang. Before he could answer, his phone dinged and he looked to see that Ozpin responded. He skimmed over it before he continued to speak, "And Ozpin has just approved. You just have to make up the notes from the classes you miss."
He then pocketed the device before he looked at Yang with a grin, "So, you ready to learn how to control fire tomorrow?"
Yang's eyes widened like a kid in a candy store. Her gave him a gigantic smile, "Hell yeah!"
Pyrrha of course brought up the important question, "Are you sure you are fit enough to do it now, Jaune?"
He nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. I mean, I'm not a hundred percent but I'm at like eighty or ninety. It should all be fine. It's not like I'm going to need to overexert myself, so everything should be fine."
Pyrrha nodded and Weiss crossed her arms, "How are you going to make up the work from you missed classes?"
"Well from you, Weissy. Who else would I get the notes from?" she said with a grin.
"Excuse me. You know you could ask me first instead of just assuming I would do that." The heiress replied with a raised eyebrow.
"That's what I'm doing now." Yang stated.
"First, you didn't ask. Second, I will not give you anything unless you ask like a mature adult." Weiss told her seriously.
Yang just looked at her before her eyes slowly looked over to Blake. The Faunus just shrugged her shoulder, "You heard her. I'm not getting involved." Her eyes then shifted over to her sister but she was too lost in the paradise of chocolate that was Jaune's cookies.
Yang then sighed, "Weiss." The heiress raised an eyebrow, "Can I please have your notes tomorrow?"
Weiss just stared at her a bit before a small smile came to her lips, "Of course you can. Honestly, I probably would've given them to you regardless."
"So why would you make me ask then?!" Yang said in annoyance.
Weiss shrugged, "I wanted to see if you'd do it."
Yang just stared at her, "I'm gonna get you for that, Ice Queen." Yang threatened lightly.
As Yang was about to jump over the coffee table to exact her 'revenge' on Weiss, she was quickly grabbed by her arm and pulled back onto the couch, "Not in my home. I'm not cleaning up after you." Jaune said sternly.
Yang crossed her arms and pouted, "You used to be more fun." That's when Jaune gained an evil smirk and jumped on top of her, pinning her arms above her head on the couch with his one. Yang just looked up at him in shock. He just raised his left a hand and wiggled his fingers before he started to tickle her armpit. The results were instant and the blonde brawler started to laugh like crazy. "Jaune, stop!" she tried to command him through her laughs.
Yang started to kick her legs, trying to dislodge Jaune from on top of her. Problem with that was that she nearly kicked Neo in the head. The smaller girl just fell back over the arm of the couch with a muted yelp before she could though. When she stood up, she had a mischievous look in her eyes with a smirk on her lips. She jumped on top of Yang's legs and wrapped her arms and legs around them to stop the kicking. She then proceeded to tickle her feet as well. Which caused Yang to laugh even louder.
The other occupants didn't try to help their friend, most thought it was too amusing to. And they didn't want to be the duo's next victims but that was beside the point. Eventually, Blake did speak up in defense of her partner, "Jaune, Neo, you should stop. Yang may pass out from lack of oxygen."
The two stopped to see Yang red-faced and panting like crazy. The two figured she had enough and got off her. They sat on the ground in front of the couch and leant their backs against it, giving Yang the whole couch to lay on to recuperate. Jaune held his fist to the left so Neo could bump it, "Thanks for the assist, Neo." Neo did just that and just smiled at Jaune.
They all then settled down to watch whatever Neo had put on and have light conversations. Eventually Yang gained enough strength to reach her right hand over to lay it on Jaune's head. She then gripped his hair, not tight enough to hurt him but to get his attention. "I'm gonna get you back for that, Jauney." Jaune just smirked but didn't say anything. Yang let her grip lessen on his head and she started to gently run her fingers through it, which Jaune didn't mind in the slightest.
The rest of the late afternoon to early evening was the nine of them just spending time together and just enjoying the time they had together. When it was time for them to get back, they all said their goodbyes with Jaune getting light kisses from Ruby, Pyrrha, Blake and Yang. He did get a hug from Weiss though, which was a welcome change. He then told Yang to meet him there first thing in the morning so they could begin her training. With that, Jaune decided it was probably time to make something for himself to eat before heading to bed. He just knew tomorrow was going to be eventful.
Yang yawned to herself as she slowly walked across Beacon's grounds to where Jaune was staying. It was around seven now and she didn't even get a chance to grab some coffee before she left. But Jaune did say first thing in the morning and she knew just how early he could get up in the morning. As she was walking, she couldn't help the excitement, anxiety and trepidation about what she was going to learn today. Although the last two were overshadowed by the first.
She eventually made it to the front door and quickly opened it with her scroll, greeted with the smell of a freshly cooked breakfast. Her stomach growled instantly and she shut the door behind her and started to take off her boots, "Jaune?" she called out.
"In the kitchen. I'm just finishing up our breakfast, come get it." Jaune answered. With that, Yang nearly ran to the kitchen. She walked in to see that Jaune had two plates filled with scrambled eggs, bacon and toast along with two mugs of fresh coffee. Meanwhile, Jaune was at the sink to wash the pans and utensils that he had used to cook. He didn't turn around but spoke up, "Feel free to grab yours and go to the living room to eat. I'll be there in a minute or two.
Yang just gave Jaune a loving smile before she walked up to him and hugged him from behind. Jaune froze as she kissed him on the cheek, "You're perfect." She said simply as she held him for a bit longer. She eventually pulled away from him grab her breakfast. She didn't notice the look on his face when she called him that. A look of disappointment in himself. He shook his head to clear the mood before he finished the dishes and joining Yang to eat.
The two took their time eating and enjoying their coffee. Once they were done, Jaune took the dirtied dishes and cleaned them before they left. As he was walking back to the living room, Yang just looked over to him, waiting to see what he would say next. "Alright, let's get going. But I would suggest leaving your fingerless gloves here."
Yang looked down at them in confusion, "Why?"
Jaune was putting on his boots as he answered, "Until you gain a good amount of control, you'll just burn them. So unless you wanna keep replacing them, leave them here." Yang nodded her head before removing them and setting them down on the coffee table. She then made her way over to Jaune to put her own boots on. When she was ready, the two left with Jaune leading them to where they would be training.
It didn't take them too long to reach the same clearing in the Emerald Forest that Jaune usually trained or practiced with his elements. Jaune walked into the middle of the clearing before turning to face Yang, "So, ready to get started?"
Yang just grinned with a raised eyebrow, "Of course I am. So, where do I begin with shooting fire from my hands?"
"That is a long ways away, Yang." He informed her. She deflated just a bit. "The first step is you learning how to create fire."
"But I already did that against the Draco." She pointed out.
"Let me rephrase that: You need to learn how to create fire calmly. Last time you used your anger to skip those steps but you need to learn them properly before you can proceed." He explained.
Yang sighed, "But if I already know how to create fire, why do I need to learn a new way of doing it?"
"Trust me. You don't want to rely on that method." He tried to dissuade her.
"Jaune, the Dracos and Drakes are still out there. I need to learn this as quickly as I can to help out. So let's just skip the baby steps." Yang argued.
Jaune brought a hand up to his forehead to massage it. He was hoping Yang's stubbornness would not make an appearance but it looked like that was too much to ask. Jaune sighed, "Fine, fine." He said annoyed as he took his hand away, "You know best, let's just jump on in."
His eyes shifted to brown before he stomped his right foot and raised his right hand up. On his right, on the edge of clearing, a massive boulder erupted from the ground. His eyes shifted back to their usual blue before he flicked his hand at it. "Go ahead. Do what you did before. Go on." He said in a very annoyed tone.
Yang was just dumbfounded by his attitude, "What?"
Jaune rolled his eyes and that just annoyed her more, "Shoot fire at the rock." His eyes shifted to red before his left gained the red flames. As that happened, Yang felt energy swell in her once again, her eyes shifted to red and her right eye gained the same flames. "Come on, hothead. Show me what you can do."
Yang had just about enough of his attitude at this point. She didn't know what his problem was but she was going to put an end to this now. She used her frustration and annoyance to help fuel the energy inside of her. She pulled her fists back and they ignited in flames. With a shout, she threw them forward and the flames shot forward in a huge stream that slammed into the boulder. She then spun around to look at Jaune, "Happy now? I did it."
Jaune just looked at her with a neutral look and in a clam voice spoke, "Yes. You did." He nodded towards where she had released her flames and Yang spun back around to look at it, still annoyed. Her annoyance quickly disappeared as she saw the trees behind the boulder were now burning from the flames surging past the rock. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was agape.
Jaune then spoke up again in the same calm voice, "What now? How would you stop something like this from spreading? And just imagine if it was in a village or Kingdom. And what if you're on mission with your team? How would you stop them from being caught up in it?"
He then stepped forward and raised his right hand. He took a deep breath before he started to pull his hand towards himself. The flames started to get pulled from the wood, leaving them charred. As the flames rushed to him, he started to move his two hands in a circular motion to form the flames into a massive fireball. He then brought his hands together slowly, like her was crushing something between them. The fireball started to grow smaller until it was completely smothered.
He sighed before turning back to Yang with a small smile, "That's why you need to learn to create them calmly. Fire is the most dangerous element to lose control over and creating fire from anger makes the chances of losing control higher." He then gave her an apologetic look, "Sorry for pushing you, Sun Fire. But I needed to get that point across."
Yang just lowered her head and sighed, "No, you're right. Sorry, guess I was a little to gung-ho."
Jaune chuckled slightly, "Trust me, I know. I was just as excited when I was first learning my Semblance. I'm just trying to stop you from making my mistakes."
Yang looked up at him with a tiny smile, "Thanks."
"No problem. Now, ready to do this?" Yang gave him a resolute nod. "Okay. First, close your eyes." Yang did so instantly. "Alright, now I want you to take a few deep breathes, just to calm yourself down some." Yang did just that. She took several deep breaths before Jaune spoke up again. "Now, I want you to imagine a fire. It can be a campfire, fireplace, bonfire, it just needs to be a fire you can think of clearly."
Yang though for a few seconds and the fire that came to mind was from a fireplace but the one from the dream she had before she woke up after the Draco fight. She gained a small smile with that thought. "You have one in mind?" Jaune asked and she just nodded, "Good. Now imagine the heat rolling over you. The warmth, focus on that." She did and she actually felt warmer, whether that was mental or real was anyone's guess.
"Now, the heat gets more intense. Like you are stepping too close to the flame." At those words, the warmth around her was getting more intense. She was getting uncomfortable and it felt like she was sweating. "Raise your hand." She did so, like she was holding something in front of her. "Focus the heat into your hand, as if you're holding the flame in your hand." She focused and all that heat started to travel across her body until it focused into her palm, making it feel like it would be burned at any second.
"Take a few more deep breaths. Every time you inhale, the flame grows. With every exhale, the flame diminishes. Can you see it?" he asked. She nodded her head but did not speak as she was focused on the mental image of the fire. "Here's the important part. Fire needs fuel, heat and oxygen to form. You have the heat and the oxygen; all you need is the fuel. Your aura is the fuel. Channel some of your aura into the same palm and just imagine a spark."
Yang did just that, sending her aura into the same palm and imagining a spark. As soon as she did, she could've sworn the was a literal spark and she felt a more intense heat in her hand. Curiosity got the better of her and when she opened her eyes, she gasped. In her hand was a fireball just about the size of her palm. She then turned to Jaune with a smile full of shock and happiness. Jaune meanwhile just smiled at her, "Congratulations. You did it."
"Yeah I did!" she said excitedly. She looked down at the fire in her palm with a sense of pride. She just looked at it for a bit before she turned back to him, "Is this what you have to do every time?"
He shrugged, "Used to. I've done it so much I have it down to reflex." He raised his hand and it instantly ignited into fire. "You should be able to do the same with enough practice. And now you're going to hate me for the next part." He extinguished the fire around his hand and lowered it. "You need to put it out now."
Yang looked at him in horror, "But I just made it." She said heartbrokenly.
Guilt washed over him but he quickly got it under control, "I know. But it's important for you to get used creating and extinguishing fire. It wouldn't be smart to always rely on me to snuff them out."
Yang looked back down at her hand. She took a solemn breath before she closed her hand while cutting off her aura, extinguishing it instantly. She wasn't completely sure that would work but luckily, she was right about that. "There."
Jaune nodded, "Good. Now… Create a new one."
Yang just gave him a look that said she was not happy. Both now knew that they were in for a long day.
The blonde couple spent the rest of the day running through the same routine of Yang creating fire before having to snuff it out. It was Jaune's hope that she would become more accustomed to the feelings of both to help build a good foundation for the rest of her training. That didn't last all day though, he knew Yang would get bored and frustrated with that kind of training. So, he decided to mix in some more exciting training.
He started to create his own flames before he would start teaching her the basics of manipulating existing fire. It took a couple of hours of Yang staring at the flames the size of a normal campfire and failing to control them in any way. That lead to her stomping her foot in frustration and the fire erupted upwards in a tower of flame. That caused her to trip backwards and fall onto her rear as she stared in shock. It died down almost instantly but she still stared.
Jaune eventually started to laugh at her shocked look, "Well, you inadvertently learned how to amplify flames. So there's that." He continued to chuckle and Yang soon joined him in that affair. They then used the rest of the day to have her train her ability to amplify and lower the intensity of the flames more safely. She also enjoyed this way more because she could feel the progress more than she was trying to manipulate the fire.
It eventually became late afternoon and the two of them made their way back to the building he was staying at. They unlocked the door and stepped into the empty building. They both took off their boots and Yang went the extra step of taking off her orange socks. She wiggled her toes at the new freedom and sighed, "That is so much better." She then walked over and collapsed onto one of the couches.
Jaune just chuckled and walked to his room to throw his own socks he had taken off into a hamper by the doorway. Yang had convinced him to do so after her relief of doing the same. He then walked back into the room, "You did very well for a first day, Sun Fire. I'm impressed you did as well for a first attempt."
"Well, I am awesome." She said slightly tired. "But I have the benefit of having someone that knows what their doing giving me a hand. You had to learn everything from scratch." She then started to take off her jacket to get more comfortable before draping it over the back of the couch, leaving her in in just her orange crop top.
Jaune nodded, "True. Although, I'm shocked that none of our merry band came to see what we were doing after class." He pulled out his scroll and saw he had two messages he missed when he was focused on teaching Yang. They were from Ren and Nora, both saying that they took the others into Vale. They were all curious about what Yang's training would entail but Ren and Nora knew that outside distractions could be dangerous for those who were controlling fire.
Jaune smiled, "Looks like Ren and Nora took them all down to Vale. They didn't want us to have any distractions."
"Great. I didn't need to set anymore of the forest on fire." She joked before her stomach growled. She didn't look at all embarrassed but look at Jaune sheepishly, "Do you have any food?"
Jaune nodded with a smile, "I actually made a stew last night and have a lot left. I'll reheat it and we can have a late lunch. Or an early dinner I guess." He then walked through the living room to the kitchen to start heating up the pot of stew that was in his fridge.
Yang just sighed in joy as he stretched out more on the couch, "Love you."
"Love you too." He replied. He then went reheating the stew on the stove while making some biscuits in the oven. As he was waiting for that, he looked into the living room to see that Yang was resting peacefully. He just grinned, knowing he was much the same when he started learning to control his Semblance. He let her rest and within thirty minutes or so, their meal was done. He filled two bowls and grabbed some biscuits before walking in and placing them on the coffee table. He then gently shook her, "Yang, food's ready."
Her eyes slowly opened and she saw Jaune smiling at her. Her eyes then went to the coffee table and she groaned, "Why didn't you wake me up? I was going to help you."
"Because I know how tired you are. Now come on and eat." Jaune told her sincerely. The two then fell back into a silence as they ate their meal, Yang feeling spoiled since this was the second meal today that Jaune had cooked for her. They eventually finished but before he could think of it, Yang had grabbed the dishes to do them. She told him he had done enough today.
Jaune didn't argue with her and he just turned something random on the tv to fill the silence. She came back a few minutes later and was munching on another of the biscuits. She took another bite but a big chunk of the flaky biscuit fell off and onto the floor. Jaune watched her as she reached down to pick it up. That's when he noticed her right arm, his eyes grew wide and he let out a gasp without realizing it.
Yang looked at him as she stood up. She saw the shocked look on his face and was instantly concerned, "Jaune? What's wrong?" She followed his eyes to her arm and her heart stopped for a second. Since she was no longer wearing her jacket, it wasn't hidden anymore. The scar that ran around her arm just above her right elbow. The scar from where she almost lost her arm.
She looked up and saw that Jaune was slowly walking over to her, still looking at her scar. When he was right in front of her, his left hand slowly rose up to it. Yang would usually take offense to this but not with Jaune. Never Jaune. His fingertips gently touched her scar, feather light and he slowly ran his finger on it. Yang shuddered slightly at the action. He stopped almost as soon as he started before his fingertips slowly slid down her arm at the same feather light touch. He stopped when his fingers reached her hand and he gently took it, like he was afraid she would shatter. "I'm sorry." Was all he said.
Yang looked back up to his eyes but he was just looking at her hand, "For what?"
He finally looked up into her eyes and they just looked so broken, "For failing you."
She was just shocked by what he said but he kept going before she could say anything. "I -I told you if you ever needed me, that I would be there for you. And the time you needed me the most, I wasn't there. You and Blake were almost killed. If it wasn't for my parent's…" he stopped to sniffle.
Yang raised her left hand to cup his cheek and she gripped his hand that was holding her own, "Jaune, you were fighting Cinder. You were trying to stop everything from getting worse. You aren't to blame for that. It was my fault for rushing in and Adam for doing it. You are not."
He just shook his head slightly, "Maybe. But I still left. I lied to you. All of you. And now, because of that, you are at odds with your dad. You and Ruby. You told me I was perfect but I'm not. I just… I'm not worth it. I'm not worth the pain. And I don't deserve any of you."
Not able to take it anymore, Yang moved her hand to the back of his head and pulled him down into the most intense kiss she could muster. Jaune's eyes widened and he wanted to push her away. But he didn't. He wrapped his other arm around her back and kissed her back. The two kissed intensely and soon their tongues started to wrestle with each other, like all their repressed emotions for each other were finally coming to the surface. The two separated to breathe but did not let the other go.
Yang just looked into his eye with nothing but love and determination. "I love you. More than I ever could've imagined. And now, I have a literal piece of you in me and that allows me to feel your aura and soul. So, I'm going to make this very, very clear to you: I am never letting you go. Do you understand?"
Jaune just looked at her. He wanted to argue this fact. That's why he tried to create this space between them. Why he wasn't trying to get Weiss back. He didn't want them to be close, he didn't want them to be hurt anymore.
But this other part of him did want them back, wanted her back. Because it was too painful to be away from them. And he just didn't want to endure it anymore. A tear slid down his cheek as he finally, finally stopped resisting. "I love you." He said honestly and earnestly.
Yang just smiled and wiped the tear from his cheek. "You can show me." She said just above a whisper. She then took his hand and pulled him to his room. Shutting the door behind them.
A/N- And I'm going to leave it there. Sorry but I don't want to take the chance of having TVS flagged. Although, if enough people wanna see that bit of the chapter, leave a review and if I get enough, I'll post it in a new story. The story will be Void of the Night if I do post it. If not, I'll just leave it to your imagination. With that i hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next update!
Beat Reader was the amazing Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh, go check him out if you haven't already.