Author's Notes:

Back at it again.

A little very early stage training of Jaune. Also yes, I would like to make it clear that Jaune doesn't have Crocea Mors, thank you.

We got some more interactions with the two sisters as well. In time, Jaune will develop with other members of the cast but right now Ruby - and by extention, Yang - will be focused on for now.

I would also like to thank all of the people who have kept up with this story. My other fic, `The Babysitter Arc` is sort of laying dormant because of the whole `completely original plot` thing that I lack the inert creativity to fully develop. The notes for what happens are actually on my desktop, but I just can't formulate it coherently into great detail - which is what caused me to develop the idea for this story.

It's not going anywhere any time soon, don't worry.

Once again, thank you for sticking around, and without further ado... enjoy.

If you had told a fifteen-year-old Jaune that one year from now, he'd be training to be a hero with an accomplished huntsman - he would have laughed in your face, called you a plebian and continued playing Grimm Girls 4. There was absolutely no way sixteen-year-old Jaune would do something like that.

And fifteen-year-old Jaune was right.

Accomplished huntsman, pfft. Vul was a complete douchebag, not to mention an actually dysfunctional alcoholic. Or was it functional…? Didn't make a difference really, he still drank an actual truck-ton of hardass whiskey every day. Jaune knew it was too, he had tasted the stuff and it was absolutely horrid. And where did he even get the stuff?

It also was definitely not worth finding out, since Vul was able to find out from the scent of his flask that someone else had been using it.

Yes, his trainer was that freaky.

"H-how can you call this `training`?! Aieeee!" Jaune yelled, currently being chased by an, admittedly, moderately-sized Beowolf across the Mistrali forage with his new teacher up in the branches of the trees, following wherever he ran off too and mostly either laughing, drinking and spouting bits of wisdom.

Normally in that order, too. Currently, he was on the 'wisdom spouting' segment of the cycle, if it could even be called that.

"We can't exactly practice combat with your weapon since, well, it's missing and kicking the shit out of teenagers isn't high on my list of priorities."

"You mean- eep!" Jaune narrowly ducked a white claw, successfully losing a strand or two of yellow locks instead of the back of his head entirely. "Y-you mean that's on your list in the first place?!"

The raven-haired huntsman ignored his concern, "Plus, it wouldn't do you that much good if your ass got handed to you every CQC session. Soooooo, I've decided to work on your conditioning. But I don't think that'll be a problem with those genes of yours…" Vul murmured something Jaune wasn't able to catch at the end, but trying to listen in almost got his ass a nice, new Beowolf jaw-shaped pattern.

The blond had been exerting himself fully for around a quarter of an hour, signs of fatigue slowly overcoming him as the adrenaline of having the very real threat of death looming over his hoodie's shoulders wore off. This is it. This is where he died.

Snarling, saliva flew through the air from the mouth of the approaching beast. Soon enough, Jaune would find peace in that very place so he decided to face the end like a man.

And by a man, Jaune meant he would trip over a small rock, turn around to see the pouncing monster and appropriately scream like a little girl.

Sharp steel shot through the open maw of the Beowolf, killing it instantly as it pierced the top of the head through to the dirt beneath. Pulling his blade, Vul gave a smug smirk to the quivering boy on the floor.

"Sorry, kid," he said. "Can't let you die just yet." Those words held a strange weight over Jaune's back. He forgot that Vul was a legitimate huntsman, and whether the blond liked it or not was a different story. The older man offered his hand to Jaune, brandishing that over-sized blade of his on a shoulder. Jaune took it gratefully.

Jaune let out a shaky breath he didn't even know he was holding, most of it coming out as a sob rather than a sigh. "…Thanks."

"But for real, a rock? You tripped over a rock. You're like the blonde chick from those all those crappy horror flicks, you know that? Halfway there, kid, grow a pair of tits and you'll the bill to a T." Vul blinked - noticing his own pun. "Heh, T."

Yeah, Jaune didn't put up a very convincing case otherwise, so he decided to stay silent and hang his head in shame. He couldn't even bring himself to call out his mentor's horrible taste in humor, let alone him laughing at his own jokes - no matter how pathetic it was.

"I said this was all for your conditioning," Vul chuckled, "but I can't say I was against hoping that you'd learn something else this exercise."

That interested Jaune. What else could have he learnt? Other than run away from the thing that hurts you, of course. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" The crimson-eyed huntsman started, turning sideways-on to Jaune but still facing forward passively, looking around for something. Perhaps everything. "Just because you don't have a weapon doesn't mean your defenseless. And I don't mean trying to box a damn Grimm," he lowered his voice, "I get enough of that at back at Tai's." Who even was that? Jaune attempted to interrupt, but the older man was quick to prevent it.

He continued, "You see, it's called a battlefield for a reason."

"Isn't it because it's just a field where a battle takes place? Ow!"

"Idiot," Vul gave Jaune's head a solid chop, prompting the blond to caress his head with both hands to soothe the pain. "That kinda close-mindedness is what's gonna get you killed. No, it's cause everything inside of one can help you fight." As if to emphasise, he came up to the stone that tripped Jaune over and picked it up and began to inspect its surface.

"What about those dueling pits and sparing mats?" He'd watched his father a few times with his sisters, training the village's guard in his spare time. Not that it really mattered since no Grimm ever came near them in the first place.

"Psh," Vul made a scoffing noise, "those places are better-called arenas or something. It's all for show. But even dueling pits have sand in them."

"But if you're saying…" Jaune shook his head. He really wasn't suggesting- "You can't be serious. You're saying that I should throw sand at them?"

"Yep. Aim right for the eyes and it gets 'em the first time - don't expect it to work again in the same fight, though." Vul looked like he was reminiscing some past event, eyes drifting to the side before pausing and nodding, only to start again. "Works for Grimm too, trust me. Plus, you can throw a lot more than just sand, too…" He holstered his weapon and, with a grunt, he released the stone from his palm - the rock launched towards a tree in a violent rotation.

A steaming hole was freshly punctured through the thick wood. Jaune could only really flick back a look to his `trainer`, flat and disbelieving.

"Alright, I know I sounded hesitant about the sand but at least I could do that. You're just showing off."

"Can't say that I ain't," admitted Vul. "But you get my point." He turned back around, hands on his hips and giving his new apprentice a sharp glare as he walked towards the blond.

"Look at me, kid. You got one year until the start of Beacon-" One year? It was that soon?! "-and you're gonna either be competing with or against, people who have spent the better end of a decade training for it at least. The only way you're gonna be able to run with the big dogs is by being able to think fast," Vul was now in front of the teen and placed a finger on Jaune's temple, "and think smart." His finger turned into a hand that lightly slapped the side of his head - a gesture the blond didn't appreciate much.

Backing away, his gaze had melted into a more familiar and loose one. "So keep a cool head and think things through before you leap. Just make sure that when you do leap, it isn't too late." He unscrewed the lid on his flask and brought it up to his lips, only to pause. "Wonder where I can find an Ursa around here… eh, whatever." He took a hearty swig and started walking deeper into the forest.

Without prompt, Jaune stayed where he was; knowing Vul would be able to find his way back. And bring whatever beast he decided to `train` him with next. His eyes wandered to the rock shaped hole in the tree a dozen meters or so away.

Maybe he could do that.

The sad thing was that he had to stay to find out.

And so, the countdown began. Let's see… one year? That meant that there were…

12 Months to the Start of Beacon

Think smart he said. Think clever he said. Keep…a cool… head…

"Who's this, Rubes?" The very buxom young lady asked her kid sister and very pointedly expecting every single inch of the new arrival with an almost animalistic determination. And not in the way that Jaune would have preferred.

It was more like a mother bear over her cub.

Jaune didn't know whether to be red in fear or embarrassment, but he felt like a piece of meat - for better, or for worse.

Ruby didn't seem to pick up on that. "This is Jaune! I met him after you uh... we..." Ruby coughed nervously, avoiding the need to share an important detail. "Anyway, he helped me out and we even…" the look in her eyes vanished, as blood came to her cheeks. "H-H-He showed me his sword, is all…"

"His what?!"

"My sword!" Jaune practically yelled, using up all the air in his lungs and earning looks of discontent from those around them. He could care less; there were more pressing matters to attend to! Ripping Crocea Mors from her sheathe, steel sheened in the hall's light. "M-My sword, Crocea Mors."

The fiery blonde that supposedly went by the name `Yang` didn't drop her glare, instead moving between Jaune and Ruby and claiming it as her spot. She crossed her arms menacingly under her chest and Jaune couldn't help but notice those large, round…

Gauntlets on her wrists.

Yellow and red, the accessories were too large and hence impractical to be solely just. Perhaps they were mecha-shifting weapons of a sort. But what exactly - was the real question. His lingering gaze didn't go unnoticed by Yang, unfortunately.

"Hey, buster," she growled. "My eyes are up here." Her mouth was formed in a scowl, pointed teeth and all, and her bright lilac eyes could have killed a Goliath with a single look.

Jaune was no Goliath.

"Ew, what a creep…"

"What is a guy like that doing here?"

"Disgusting."

Nor was he immune to public opinion.

"Hold on," Jaune had to at least try his hand at damage control, lest he wished for his school career to be over before it even started. What would his parents say? Gods forbid what Vul would say. "I-It's not what it looks like! Yang, tell theeeeee-" his voice lowered in pitch and volume, hanging onto that last syllable like his life depended on it. "-eeeeeeeem…" His eyes widened and Jaune could swear his pupils trembled.

Yang was smirking like she was happy with a job well done.

With the last of his resolve, Jaune had to say something, "I-" he squeaked. Lilac orbs bore deep into the blond's soul. "…nevermind."

Yang scoffed.

Ruby gawked silently.

The white-haired girl from before stared with repulsion from behind her. "How… repugnant." When did she get here?

Swiftly turning around, the red-caped girl jumped back at the sight of her face. "It's you! The shouty girl!" Ruby covered her ears with her hands, "Are you here to shout at me again?"

"Shouty girl?!" She - quite aptly - shouted, before coughing into a fist and regaining her composure. "Please, as if someone of my position would do something so childish."

"But you shouted at me before when I made all of your dust go… kabloo-ey."

"You what?!" Yang's voice suddenly raised, Jaune appreciated the alleviation of her gaze - if only for a second or two.

"N-Nothing, Yang! It was nothing!"

Flicking her ponytail, the young woman averted her gaze from Ruby, "You're lucky that it became nothing thanks to your boyfriend - Mister tall, blonde and scraggly over there." Owch. He wasn't that bad.

Ruby took a step back, bumping into her older sister, "B-boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?!" Yang took a step forward. Towards Jaune. Her fist was now on his hoodie collar. Why did the stars align so? Did the gods hate him? Some were the burning questions of Jaune Arc, and maybe he would get answers if it didn't feel like the cloth would burn first. "What did you do to my sister?!" `Nothing!` is what he would like to say, but lacked the will to say at this point.

Is this how Vul always felt? All of that bullshit just piling up onto him until he no longer gave a single fuck anymore? Probably.

Gods know crap like this happens to him all the time.

It also seems like the Gods know when there's too much of a good thing, as they sent down his saviour dressed in red and black. "Yang, Yang - look! It's starting!"

Dropping him, Yang turned to whatever was going on atop the stage where the lone microphone once stood. Jaune picked himself off, backed away slightly from his aggressor and focused on the new figures that appeared on the platform. There were two, far-away but nevertheless imposing.

One had fair blonde hair, tied in a bun and wavy. Holding a riding crop, of all things, her attire was questionable to Jaune, but he didn't think it wise to question it.

Not that he would complain, of course.

Arms crossed and eyebrows knotted into a tight-knit glare, her eyes roamed the people occupating the hall below her - as if giving each and every person a stern warning for something that they had no idea happened. Whatever she was doing, it was working.

The other was less intimidating however having evermore stage presence than the woman next to him. Hair silver, his eyes remained closed and waiting. In one hand was an antique-looking cane and in the other was a mug holding the symbol of Vale on the side of it. Jaune closed his own eyes and focused on the undeniable presence within the very air.

…

He stumbled backward, almost falling flat on his behind, but caught himself. He was receiving even more looks now - some from his little group - but that was of no immediate concern.

That man's Aura was absurd. Not in the way he had so much, rather how it was defined - shaped, even. What was even more disturbing was the fact he was able to sense it through the almost infinite mass of steel and flesh between them. Never before in had Jaune ever encountered anything like it. Hell, it didn't even have a sensation, only repulsion of his ability. If you held the teen to gunpoint, he would have to describe it as magnetic - both parts being the same pole.

Most people's Aura shaped around them in response to their personalities, it being a manifestation of the soul and what-not. Some felt warm, only to turn into a blazing inferno - like Yang who was next to him. And currently keeping one eye on him in a very intimidating fashion…? Lovely. Jaune could only ever really sense someone's Aura if he was an arms-length away and if he was intentionally looking for the feeling.

However, the words just seemed to die on his tongue when talking about that man's Aura.

The chorus of murmurs delved to whispers, all while the old-looking man at the microphone stared whimsically at gods knew what. Whispers calmed like a summer breeze under his gaze.

Then silence.

"I'll… keep this brief," The man spoke. Jaune thought he was going to drop dead right then and there; one sentence and he was already feeling the tension. "I can only assume many of you traveled far and wide here today in search of something. Whether or not you know what that something is matters not. What I will say matters is your intention. Do you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of those who cannot?"

Yes.

"Do you plan to fight back the forces of evil that lurk in Remnant's shadows and help good prevail?"

I do.

He paused for a second, taking the time to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Closing his eyes and taking a breath, he continued, "However, as I look upon you all, I can only see wandering souls - lost and without direction. So I must ask you again, what is it that you are looking for? Allow me to show you. But for me to do so…"

"…You must take the first step yourself." Opening his eyes and giving passing regards to his audience, he turned and walked off-stage without so much as a glance back.

Stepping up to the mic, the woman spoke with grandeur and purpose, "Everyone shall rest tonight in the Grand Hall for tomorrow's Initiation. You may roam the garden and use the various facilities but leaving the premisis is forbidden. I bid you goodnight. Dismissed." With the word, everyone scattered aimlessly to unpack, store equipment and generally set up for the night.

"Woah… Professor Ozpin sounds so wise, don't you think Jaune?" Ruby asked.

Professor Ozpin? "Yeah. But just who is he? Like, the headmaster or something?" It wouldn't make much sense otherwise.

Ruby looked aghast, "You didn't know?! That's the Professor Ozpin, Jaune!"

Holding both of his hands up in surrender, Jaune replied sheepishly, "That doesn't really answer my question, Ruby…"

"Oh. Well, yeah!" Ruby nodded, ignoring the person in between the two who was there for a very specific reason.

Yang took the hood of her sister's cloak and began to drag her across the hall, towards the exit. "C'mon, Ruby," she growled. "Let's get our stuff ready for tonight."

"Oh. Alright. I'll see you later, Jaune!" As if completely oblivious to the action, Ruby waved joyfully to her friend.

Jaune returned it with a smile. A second passed and his eyes met the last person with him, the girl in white. "So…"

"You didn't give her the brochure, did you?" She snapped.

It took Jaune off guard, "I- uh… no." It was still folded up in his trouser's back pocket.

She flicked her ponytail for what seemed like the fifth time in the last fifteen minutes. "Typical."

Jaune took the time to quickly have a look at the girl's own Aura shape.

…

Some Auras also exuded sense. Some of the smell, others of touch (if you managed to get close enough to) and others changed the very air around them. The air around this girl was very cold. And for some reason, it made Jaune sad.

"I would appreciate if you were to lift your gaze from me. It is quite uncomforting."

Caught in the act yet again. Jaune managed an apologetic tone despite wanting to really just explain. "Oh, sorry... you mind telling me your name? I'm Jaune." He smiled; strangers were just friends you haven't met yet. At its best, his expression was awkward but could have been interpreted as downright creepy with the wrong audience.

She was the wrongest of audiences.

"I would actually. I'll be taking my leave; I hope that we do not meet each other again." She turned tail and left, leaving a path of pompousness and isolation in her wake.

Things weren't looking up for Jaune and he didn't expect them to go much better from here on out.

/-/

…and to Elaine, tell her about the scope that I recommended to you! I'm sure it'll come in handy for her too. Tell Crimson I'm doing fine as well, I know I left all of a sudden and he'll probably be trashing the school trying to find me or something. Hopefully-

"Hmm…"

-it hasn't come to that yet. Oo, and before I forget, remind Rina to try send her batch of homemade cookies through Beacon's reception. I mean-

"…mmmmm…"

-it's not like I've asked yet, but I'm sure a bag of cookies wouldn't cause too much commotion... right? I've missed you all so much, I'm so sorry that-

"…mmmmmm-"

"Ughhh… Yaaang. Why can't you leave me alone for like ten minutes?! Why are you watching me like some hawk?" The sister in question was lying next to Ruby, looking intently at the parchment her sister was writing on. Her own sleeping bag was surprisingly neat and ready for use but had spent the previous five or so minutes not-quite-politely looking over her shoulder.

Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "I'm just wondering what you're doing, Ruby. There's no reason to get so worked up." Yang balanced herself on her elbows and forearms.

"It's just that- forget it…" she sighed lightly before giving in. "I'm just writing a letter to my friends back in Patch. Unlike you, I didn't get to bring my friends here."

"Hm," Yang pondered for a second, letting a few names come to mind. "Well, there's Ja- yeah, no, forget I said anything."

"What? What's wrong with Jaune…?" Ruby had sounded hesitant, to say the least, somewhat wary to know what her older sister thought of her brand-new, no-Yang-needed friend.

Oh, how badly Yang wanted to express her dislike on the guy. I mean, sure he was a growing guy but he could have at least afforded to be the tiniest bit subtler with his intentions. It was slightly offending that he thought she wouldn't notice him.

But how badly she failed to do so upon seeing her sister's puppy-dog eyes. Needless to say, she melted instantly.

It was a fifty-fifty chance most days, but being worn out in the morning with the whole `Welcome to Beacon Academy` fiasco had tuckered her out fully.

"Nothing. He's great." It hurt. So much.

Unaware of her sister's teeth, of which the bones were grinding off, Ruby threw her pen into the air and subsequently threw her arms around Yang. "Oh, I knew you'd like him! I knew it! Even though you still kind of threatened him… that was just a misunderstanding anyway! Thank you, Yang! Thank you, thank you!"

Maybe it was worth the lie after all.

Ruby caught the pen without a second thought and once she was done giving her sister the `huggie-wuggie's`, as Yang liked to call them, she couldn't help but have half a mind as to why she was writing a letter of all things. They had scrolls for a reason, after all.

Perhaps written words contained more meaning to them than she thought, which reminded her.

"Hey, Rubes, I got someone I want you to meet."

"…What?" Silver eyes regarded her sister with suspicion. "Who?"

"A friend. Hopefully, anyways. Come on!" The blonde dragged Ruby to her feet and lead her to a corner of the hall. They swerved through various people in various states of dress. Some hadn't even bothered changing out of their armour and instead opted to sleep in steel. Ruby didn't understand how they managed it.

Yang didn't seem to care, "Comin' through, make way! Adorable little sister comin' through and don't you dare look at her or I'll be on your ass!"

"Yang…"

"What? It's true, isn't it?" She replied unapologetically. "There she is… Helloohoo~! Hey there, Blakey!"

/-/

Blakey? What a strange name…

`Blakey` looked reluctant to talk to Yang. The youngest in the hall definitely understood that sentiment (especially with how overbearing she's been for the last couple of hours) but didn't think anyone else did. Normally people would jump at the chance to get to know her awesome older sister.

Whether they cared about herself or not.

She was dressed in a nice, fluffy nightgown and held a book in her hand, the other one crossed along her torso. Reluctantly, she folded the corner and addressed the blonde, even briefly meeting the eyes of Ruby. "…I thought that I told you my name was Blake, not `Blakey`." The now correctly identified `Blake` responded.

In her ever-present carefreeness, Yang laughed, "You did. I just didn't pay attention." Yeah, that sounded like her sister.

Blake rolled her eyes, "Why are you here, Yang? I see you've found your sister." Her amber eyes met the shining grey of Ruby's own. Again.

She looked to Yang for answers. "Well, after you ran off for undisclosed reasons," Ruby bristled slightly, "I had to find you somehow. I went around asking people about you. Red-tipped hair, puffy cloak, goth dress-"

"Short," Blake said.

"-short," Yang affirmed. "I mean, it's true." She justified under Ruby's cute pout. Just because it was true didn't mean she always had to point it out. Stupid Yang. "I eventually found good ol' Blake here saying she saw someone matching your description so she and I went to go look for you."

"More like drag me against my will…"

"Hush, Blake, nobody likes a wet blanket." Ew.

"We eventually had to split up but I promised to meet up with her again."

"Much to my dismay…" Blake murmured.

Yang eyed her raven-haired acquaintance, unimpressed, "Are you always like this?"

"It's a gift, really."

Ruby sniggered. Yang's gaze softened, turning toward her kid sister. Blake brought her book cover up her face, hiding her mouth from view. The cover was of two swirling fire-like objects, each trying to follow each other and creating a ring of flames of sorts. It was interesting.

"What's your book about, Blake?" Blake gave the black-and-red-haired girl an unexpecting look, not anticipating someone would ask her about the literature she was interested in. Seeing this, Ruby tried to correct herself, "It's fine if you don't want to, I was just curious-"

"No." Blake closed the book. "It's fine."

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. "So what is it about?"

"It's about a man…" Was that it? Ruby was about to interject but Blake continued, "…a man who was a hero, saving people and defeating evil."

It was like the stories Summer and Yang used to read to her as a child. "That's-"

"And then he learnt the truth about what being a `hero` really was. The horrors and nightmarish sights that come with it." Or not… "Death, war, death, betrayal, bloodshed, death." The black-haired girl paused. "He struggles with his two inner personas - one who believes that what he fights for is good and the other who believes the endeavor for what is `good` is futile."

"I won't spoil anything," Blake reassured, "but the book isn't exactly gearing up towards a happy end."

Ruby struggled to find words. She was still standing but her legs felt weak, threatening to fail her for some reason. "That..."

"Ruby?" Yang asked, worried for her little sister. She definitely knew Ruby was a big girl now, but the story did go against everything their mother had essentially told her a hero was. There was no real telling how she would react. "Ruby, are you alright?"

"That…"

It was Blake's turn to realise something was amiss, "Is she alright?" she questioned Yang. "Did I say something wrong?"

"That… doesn't matter!" She yelled. Many faces turned to see what the sudden and high-pitched uproar was about, some conversations stopped entirely. "It doesn't matter if being a hero isn't all it's cracked up to be!" Ruby remembered sitting on the lap of her mother with Yang as she read them stories from books or her own adventures.

"It doesn't matter if he's been through hell and back!" She remembered Summer coming home covered in scrapes and bruises, joyfully announcing her return as she blasted the lodge door open. "It doesn't matter if- if he's struggling to figure out if it was all for nothing! As long as still alive, he's proving to the world and whatever evil that good can prevail and that he's strong enough to burden the weights of both good and evil."

Her mother's grave.

"And just because the book doesn't seem like it's going to end well… that doesn't mean that it won't! We won't ever see the ending of our stories until we live it through. And maybe… maybe she'll find a way to have a happy ending." Ruby took a breath, "For everyone."

…

"A-At least that's what I think."

…

The silence in the hall could have curb-stomped a mime after knocking it to the ground with a knee to the stomach. And while Ruby was suddenly heating up, she couldn't tell that everyone - even the some of the teachers who were supposed to be on-duty for the night - was looking at her either confused or in awe.

"That was… extremely profound, Ruby," Blake admitted.

"Indeed it was." A new figure in a long, sky-blue gown said. Her hair was let down and perfectly straight but the snow-white shade of hair was telling.

"S-Shouty-Girl?! When did you get here?" Ruby was redder than her cloak. How much she would give just to be able to smother her face into its hood right about now. She couldn't believe she said things like that in front of literally everyone... so embarrassing...

Shouty-Girl rolled her eyes, "Oh, I don't know maybe the fact that you were ranting for the last minute or two about the fundamentals and philosophy of being a hero. And it's Weiss." She turned her head to the side, nose in the air. "Don't call me by that stupid nickname, it's undignified." Weiss, then? Ruby was getting used to referring to her as Shouty-Girl in her own head.

"Uh, hey guys…" Appearing shyly, a new voice a person appeared between the mix-match of colors.

"You!" Weiss fumed.

"You…" Yang glared.

"Me?"

"Jaune!" Ruby cheered, happy for the distraction.

"Who?" Blake asked.

"…"

Jaune coughed meaningfully. "Yeah, I could hear you from all the way over on the other side of the hall…"

"…Oh." Yeah, Ruby was no longer happy for the distraction. In fact, it was distracting her in a way she very much did not appreciate. Please stop, Jaune.

"The teachers were making their way over to check out the commotion, but I let told them I knew you guys and could sort it out." He looked between the four, eyes lingering on the girls in black and white respectively. "Or at least, most of you." The one in white he had met, Ruby knew, but the girl with the bow was definitely a first appearance to him.

Shouty-Girl scoffed, rolling her head along with her eyes.

"But no worries, I got here as slowly as I could so Ruby could get everything out of her system." Jaune winked. That cheeky- "But I think it was about time we all hit the sack."

The blond teenager was dressed quite casually, in grey and yellow-striped basketball shorts and a black t-shirt with the cutest little bunny rabbit on it. It was a far cry from the assortment of the light leather pieces of armour and small bracers of metal over his arms from yesterday but everyone dressed differently when it was bedtime.

Ruby was no different, in her tank top and sweats after all.

"Yeah…" Yang looked at Jaune with unreasonable caution, "I think that would be for the best. Let's get going, Ruby."

"Alright, see you, Jaune!"

"Goodnight, Ruby. Bye, Yang." Yang ignored him. Owch. Jaune winced as he waved back. "And…?"

"Blake." He nodded stiffly.

Under normal circumstances, he'd also try to get the angry girl's name, but that didn't seem the case right now. Maybe it was to avoid another outburst of hidden emotions?

"Right. Goodnight you two." Jaune skittered past the murmuring crowds of lying teenagers that were, no doubt, talking about the fiasco that unfolded not five minutes prior. Giving one last side-eye look to Blake, he continued forward to where his quarters were in the massive hall.

Weiss huffed and nodded to Blake, who nodded back - albeit after half a second - and made her way back to her own sleeping bag. The bow that decorated the top of Blake's head twitched. `We won't ever see the endings of our stories until we live it through` What if she had lived it through instead of run away?

Foolish thoughts, Blake thought. The candle next to her flickered whimsically.

Just a few more pages, then.

/-/

That entire situation was quite relevant, it seemed. Whispers didn't stop as Jaune excused himself from the large mass of people in various states of dress. On another note, Ruby's outburst was quite unexpected; he never thought such a petite girl could create such a large, passionate outburst of pure emotion. The tone of her voice, not to mention the change in her Aura, just leaked of something Jaune could only describe as… sincerity? Experience…? No…

"Hey, watch it!"

"Wha-" Jaune didn't even get to finish what he was saying before he was toppled onto the floor, taken down by his own lack of attention. He had tripped over something, something peachy in tone, soft but firm. Legs.

He had tripped over a pair of fair, smooth legs.

Trailing up the offending limbs, the teen admired the curvature and tone of flesh - which came up to a pair of short pajama shorts, black and taut against skin. A bright, yellow tank top - exposing a scandalous amount of cleavage - was highlighted by a flowing mane of gold, which only drew attention to a pair of piercing, red-eyes and the exposition of pearly white teeth that were pulled into a scowl.

The floored blond, still on his side, was once again caught in the act. At least there was some truth behind the accusation this time, he'd admit. Who could blame him?

Nobody. Well, at least the people who claimed they could were smart enough not to get caught looking at the bombshell in the room. Jaune never was the smoothest of operators.

Yang Xiao-Long's teeth remained grit as she spoke, "Like what you see?" Each and every word was laced with deadly poison, tempting Jaune to say something that he shouldn't have.

"I… uh," The boy prayed to the Gods that his mouth wouldn't fail him. "Uhhhh..."

Come on, Jaune, you got this. You've talked to girls before!

…

Okay, maybe you the number of girls you've talked to aren't proportionate to this situation - but just think about what Vul would do!

…

Maybe not do that, Jaune.

Sea blue eyes trailed downwards from the crimson of Yang's own.

Shit.

The scowl on the girl's face took a hellish edge and the poor man could feel the inferno raging from the Aura of the girl in front of him. "Got you." She came forward and grabbed him by the shirt - rearing a fist as she stood up, bringing the other with her. Within his very soul, Jaune knew that what was coming would probably stick with him for a day or two. Probably a week.

Where were the teachers, damn it?!

Jaune shut his eyelids tightly and grit his teeth, waiting for the impending pain. It took him a second to realise it would never come. Using the willpower that remained in his system, the teen opened an eye warily, only to find that Yang's gaze had left him and instead bore onto Ruby - who was cuddling her pillow as she stared a particular spec on the floor of the hall.

His own blonde set of hair turned as he looked confusedly at the other's sister. Yang glared at Jaune fiercely, before dropping him onto the ground and making her way over to her own sleeping bag - not too far from Ruby's, but far enough to stop her from hearing him speak at a reasonable volume. She dragged a leg up to her chest and draped her arm over, in turn resting her chin within the crook.

Red-eyes stay fixated on Jaune. He was all up for pretty girls having their eyes on him, but this was something that the teen simply couldn't appreciate. If anything, she looked expectant. He turned to Ruby, back to Yang, to Ruby again.

And while he didn't understand everything, Jaune knew he had to do something. His internal moral compass clashed with self-preservation, but it eventually one out - prompting him to walk carefully over to the sullen girl a meter or two away.

Sitting down a comfortable distance away, Jaune crossed his legs and awkwardly linked his hands. Time to get this over with.

"Hey, Ru-"

"Oh, hey, Jau-

Ruby's head was half-turned, an open mouth in the middle of forming a smile. Her bright, silver eyes were just as wide, no doubt unexpecting that Jaune would initiate the conversation. The pillow in her hands would have facepalmed, but it lacked the appropriate appendages.

Jaune was no better, his mouth mirrored the form of Ruby's and his entire body just froze.

Silence filled the gap between them. At least until the two burst out into a childish fit of laughter and giggles. The red-tipped girl stuffed her face into her pillow once more, this time to stifle her building giddiness while Jaune attempted to keep himself upright and not fall over onto his side. Because Gods knew how much they hurt right now.

He had been the first one of the duo to recover, breathing out a deep and satisfied sigh before speaking, "So, you doing alright, Ruby?" The girl in question was still trying to hold herself back but was slowly regaining control once more.

Letting out the last giggle from her system, Ruby released her grasp on the pillow. It was shaped like the face of a cute, little dog - Jaune noted. Fumbling around the ground behind her, the youngest girl in the room found a pen atop a folded piece of paper. and began to throw it up into the air, catching it on the way down.

"Well, yeah? Why wouldn't I be?" The pen landed perfectly in her palm before it went back into the air.

"I dunno," Jaune said, rolling his eyes slowly across the ceiling of the hall. "Maybe after that epic speech from earlier, you'd be feeling something."

"Erk-" Ruby struggled to keep her smile in a quite cute display of self-control as the pen she threw bounced off of the top of her head with a plastic click.

Ruby dove forward to smother her face into the pillow from earlier. She began to yell at a respectable volume as to not bother those around the two. Maybe she should have thought of that earlier.

"I can't believe I said all of that! It was so embarrassing to lose myself in front of the entirety of the school!" Ruby's legs kicked behind her, reminiscent of how Amber would throw a tantrum back home. How much Jaune missed her, even when she was one of the most clingy of his sisters. Seeing someone else like this opened a small pit in his gut in something reminiscent of nostalgia.

"Ruby-" Jaune reached out a hand, only to flinch backward when his friend's rant wasn't yet over. Hold on, friend?-

"Beacon hasn't even started yet, but I'm going to forever be known as that girl who did that one thing that one time! Ugh…"

"Ruby, I-" He made a friend! It took a while to realise it, but he finally did! Hah, take that Vul! Take that, Mom and Dad! Take that, Sapphire! All that eldest-sisterly worrying was for nothing! Nothing!

Unknowing of the blond's internal plight, Ruby continued, "I can't even talk to Yang about it because she might make it worse by beating up anyone who even looks at me wrong! I don't want to be that girl with that sister, I got enough of that at Signal!"

"Ruby!"

She stopped her rant midway, turning her face to reveal almost teary eyes. "What…?"

Uh-oh. Those were real tears. Tears weren't good, not when you've experienced them a thousand times over with half a dozen sisters that sometimes wailed over the most menial of things. However, Jaune didn't think this situation to be trivial at all.

What did he say now? The blond was so busy revelling in the delight of making the imaginary versions of his doubters eat their very real words that he hadn't noticed he had just interrupted Ruby's rambling. In spite of this, the blond took a page out of Vul's book and said the first thing that came to mind - for better or for worse.

"I found it inspirational."

"E-eh?" Ruby stammered. The blond rotated his body so that he was facing Ruby head-on as he explained himself because the gods knew that he didn't really understand what he said himself.

"And I'm sure that loads of other people here did too." His eyes roamed across the many people who chattered away within Beacon's Grand Hall. Ruby followed his look, scanning the entire population of what was essentially a massive slumber party. "I bet that some people here had doubt in themselves - in the world that awaits them."

Ruby's voice was under a whisper, almost in awe, "How do you know?"

Jaune contemplated how much he should say. Would what he reveal ruin his potential friendship with this girl? Would it change her perception of him as a person? Ultimately, he didn't think it really mattered right now; with a breath, he spelt out, "Because I doubt it all too."

Just as the girl turned and opened her mouth to retort, Jaune didn't allow her. He moved in closer, shifting his body closer to the sleeping bag, "But what you said, the words you spoke, I can guarantee that it wiped all of that doubt away." His hand swept outwards, stretched an encompassing the mass of bodies surrounding them. "These people won't think twice about doing the right thing because of you, Ruby. They'll live out their stories for the better." Or for the worse.

"What about you?" She looked hesitant to say anything, eyes darting around but found their resolve within the pits of blue within Jaune's.

The seemingly innocent question took him off-guard. "What do you mean?"

It was Ruby's turn to move closer, shifting her legs to the edge of her sleeping bag - moving her dog pillow out of the way. "You said that you doubted it all too, so… did what I say get rid of it?" Like a word in the wind, the message flowed between them.

No. "Yes, of course, it did, Ruby," Jaune lied, smiling softly. He tilted his head ever so slightly, a few stray locks of gold coming over his eyes.

Slowly, the girl backed away once again, grasping at her puppy pillow. Her face was buried as her words were stifled, "…Mrrrfbll."

"Sorry, what?"

The words were quiet, whispers invisible and unheard to anyone but the two of them, "…Thank you."

It made Jaune pause. After a while, Jaune stood himself up and gave Ruby's lying form a final look before carefully making his way back to his own sleeping bag; he didn't want to trip over any other legs, after all.

He could definitely tell, even without the help of his Aura sense, that Ruby was left in a better mood than when he first arrived but as he walked, the scene kept replaying in his head.

`…Thank you.`

Those were the words he lived to hear. They told him he was doing his job and doing it well, but Ruby did not have any idea how adorable it was to hear her say those words like that. Jaune's limited experience with the opposite gender definitely didn't help, too. No amount of training would have prepared him for that kind of feeling.

Red rushed to his face, blood beginning to heat up. Hopefully, nobody was to look at him as he made his way to safety for the night, features struggling to remain passive while being tinted obviously with pink.

Tomorrow would be less complicated, he told himself. This was Beacon Academy, after all - the place he trained in hell for a year to get to.

All he had to do was take the first step.

/-/

Yang watched the two finish their conversation. There was many a time when she was extremely close to intervening but halted herself for Ruby's sake. She wouldn't tell her what was up, even if she could guess what it was, anyway.

Being so far away from the two meant that she could only catch a word or two, not that those words helped her understand the overall atmosphere of the interaction. Ruby had gone on something of a mini-rant, an action Yang wouldn't have really expected from her little sister away from home, before returning to how it all started. With Jaune taking his leave, Yang knew it was her cue to step in.

Walking to her kid sister's sleeping bag, she sat closer than Jaune - on top of the bag itself and directly next to the lying Ruby. "Heya, Rubes, you feeling alright?"

Ruby tightly held her pillow for a second, easing the grasp just as quickly as she increased it. "…Yeah."

A second passed before Yang pulled her sister up and dragged her into a warm one-handed embrace. Just because she didn't want to speak to her about what was wrong didn't mean the blonde would give up on helping her younger sister out whenever she could.

"You know I'm here for you, sis. You can talk to me about anything."

Ruby kept her face in between her pillow, voice muffled by the cloth of the soft, dog-like object. "I know, Yang. Thank you." Her hair body rocked lightly from Yang's affectionate shake.

"Get some rest, Rubes. We got a big day tomorrow," Yang gently comforted.

It was something that Yang herself never thought she would have to do, but following the disappearance of Summer - it was a role that had to be filled in. With their father drowning in sorrow, Yang just so happened to be the only one who could fit mold their mother had left behind. Sure, there was Qrow too but he was always out on the field and was shaken up in his own way about the loss of his teammate.

She placed a small kiss on the side of Ruby's head and stood herself up, giving her sister some space - all the while debating how hard she should beat up Jaune tomorrow. It was twice he was caught ogling at her, earning him a solid negative score on her relationship spectrum but then again, he had helped her sister feel better when even she herself couldn't do so.

Yang didn't know whether to feel thankful or offended. She pondered the question as she walked to get her own rest for the night. A girl needs her beauty rest, you know.

Once she was, for the most part, out of range - Ruby fell over once more onto her sleeping bag and hugged her doggy pillow tightly. Peeking over the top of it, her silver eyes glistened under the fading light of the hall.

The only reason she didn't want to show her face to Yang at that moment was to hide the undeniable and burning blush that decorated her cheeks. She was grateful to her sister, who always sought the best for her - even if she sometimes did so in questionable ways but if Yang saw her like this?

She would get all the wrong ideas.

Or maybe all the right ideas. Gah! Why did Jaune have to say all of those nice things? And why did it have to make her chest feel all funny?!

Ruby hoped that by tomorrow, everything would blow over. She was at Beacon, after all - a whole two years early! Yeah, by tomorrow she would be feeling fine, she knew it.

All she had to do was take the first step.

7 Months to the Start of Beacon

Corpses decorated the ground; soil fertile with the blood of the limp bodies.

Some were fresh, others were not, he couldn't tell. But the man he was with could. He surveyed the wreckage of yet another town, some embers remaining from whenever it was razed by Grimm.

Or bandits. That was now a possibility too, he had learnt.

How could humans be so evil? How could they not see that there was so much more to work against together, instead of each other?

Pillage, kill, burn, loot, repeat. They were like Grimm, but in many ways worse. At least those beasts never had humanity to retain. These people had seemingly abandoned it. For what? Lien? Pride, soaked in the blood of man?

It was disgusting. It made him feel sick.

He threw up in the wreckage of a house, the wood and stone engulfing his bile like a vortex of brown and grey. Wiping away the remnants of runny, green liquid from his mouth he made his way over to his mentor - who was inspecting a body for injuries that could prove the cause of this hellscape.

The wind was strong.

He had hoped not to see something like this again after that day.

But it had only come back tenfold each and every time.

More bodies. More blood. More death.

Sometimes they wore regular clothing, others they were in uniforms of white with red markings. Other times they were dressed in light armour as differing weapons were by their side. It depended, it really did.

Coming up behind the older man, cape fluttering in the harsh winds, his question was asked silently.

"White Fang." He answered. The body was littered with bullet wounds but what was probably more revealing was the cracked fragments of porcelain that scattered the dirt beneath their feet.

He hated that he was able to recognise that.

There was no one left to save here; if so, Vul would have told him what to do. Instead, he just stood from his squat position and began to lead Jaune onwards to where the offending party went.

The rudimentary steel sword and shield on his back almost unstrapped itself from his backpack in the roaring of the winds. They had served their purposes well in the time they had been together, however, the edge on the blade remained sharp despite the rough texture and the surface of the shield remained strong despite the dents.

With what hope he had left, Jaune hoped he could see his heirloom weapon again soon.

"Come on, kid. We've got some work to do." Jaune nodded, following Vul further into the ruins.

He hadn't led him wrong thus far, why stop now?

Winds howled.

Jaune took yet another step.

Ending Notes:

That got... deep?

I found out that in canon, Blake's book hinted to Ozpin's ability to reincarnate quite a while back. I thought I would use the same device but to hint at something else, this time.

Furthermore, Ruby's relationship with her mother is largely unknown so I sprinkled my own two cents in. With her little outburst, I wanted to state what she thought her views on becoming a huntress were - something that could be compared to a certain other character.

Almost at Initiation, whoop!

Please feel free to leave detailed criticisms of the chapter in reviews or my inbox, I don't mind. Improving this story is a two-way street, all you gotta do is hit that send button.

Thanks for reading this chapter!