I'm not dead!
Seriously though, I haven't given up on this fic. I've just got a lotta stuff going on that's kinda forced this fic to take a backseat. For now, at least.
Oh, I'm also going through previous chapters and revising them a bit. Nothing major or plot changing, just a bit of grammar corrections, formatting, and choice of wording adjustments.
Enough of that though, let's get through the reviews and then go onto the chapter. Sorry for the wait:
Freddielebron: Those are all good points... but no harem :( That was never the angle I was going for
mizunojohnmarl: ^ Sorry to disappoint
Yuuji Akira: To be fair, it took me a much longer time to put this chapter out for similar reasons. I don't think that plan is too dark, but we'll see how it goes ;) . That being said, the next few chapters will definitely satisfy your curiosity (at least, I hope). And don't fret, I'm just thankful for the support!
Disclaimer: I don't own either IP. Would I get in trouble if I didn't say this?
"Hey Pyrrha! You got a minute?" Having caught up with the redhead after a quick run, the pit champ slowed his pace to a walk as he ambled within earshot.
Deep in her own thoughts, the girl jerked her head up at his voice, turning and looking at him in surprise. "Oh! Of course, Sett. Is there something I can help you with?"
"You could say that, yea. I just have a quick question," the boy said, running a hand through his hair. "You, uh, holding up ok?" He was pretty sure she wasn't, based on what he'd noticed over the last few days, but it didn't hurt to ask.
"Um… yes? Yes! I am." She slowly replied, feigning confusion as she tried to block out any thoughts about him. "Thank you for asking, but why wouldn't I be?" Sett raised an eyebrow in response.
If the Invincible Girl had one fault, it was that she was a bad liar.
'Ok, plan B it is.' "Well, it's just that over the last few days, you've been looking kinda down." If being indirect wouldn't work, maybe the opposite would. "Now that I mention it, you and Jaune have been looking pretty upset. Are you guys alright?" Judging by how she stiffened at the mention of her partner, his suspicions that something was amiss was right on the mark.
Pyrrha's eyes narrowed a sliver, her lips pursing into a thin line. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about my team's amazing leader. I'm sure he's doing just fine." The boy blinked, slightly startled by the not-to-subtle jab at his friend.
"Uh huh…" The pit champ crossed his arms, his concern building up at her unusual bitterness. "Y'know, I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've seen you pissed off at the guy. I'm assuming there's a good reason for that?" The brunette couldn't imagine Pyrrha being bothered by anything that wasn't serious. She was too easygoing for that.
"You assume right." The girl chewed her lip, hesitating to explain further. As miffed as Pyrrha was with Jaune, she didn't want to risk making things worse by publicizing their issues. But on the other hand, it was he who created the rift between them in the first place, and was making no attempts to mend it. 'And just when things were going well too…'
The tournament champion tiredly sighed. "Do you remember the day when the 'binoculars' incident occurred?" The other champion nodded, resisting the simultaneous urge to grin and send Cardin back to the infirmary. "That night I had a private conversation with him and… well, let's just say I was very disappointed with what he said to me." Knowing how vague that sounded, she expected the brunette to question her further. If she was lucky, he'd accept her answer and move on.
What she did not expect was a sympathetic look to cross his face, as Sett palmed the back of his head. "Ah, man, I'm sorry about that. I've been meaning to talk to him about his little obsession with Weiss. Don't worry, I'll get on with that, and then he's all yours."
"All m-mine? What are you talking about?" The baffled redhead felt her face begin to heat up, something the brawler seemed oblivious to.
"Y'know, you can ask him out or something. If you want, I can set you up when I talk to him-"
In the span of half a second, Pyrrha's heart rate tripled.
"W-WH-WHAT!? NO! DON'T DO THAT!" She stammered, flustered beyond belief as her face quickly matched the color of her hair.
"Oh, you want to do it yourself?" Sett scratched the back of his head. "My bad. I got a bit ahead of myself there." He nonchalantly muttered, misunderstanding his friend's sudden panic.
"No! I-I mean…" The girl stopped, forcing herself to take a calming breath. "I'm afraid our conversation was more serious than that." Red eyes widened in comprehension, mouth slightly agape.
"Oh."
"Yea."
"..."
"How serious are we talking?" He held up his hands in a placating gesture before she could speak. "I'm not askin' you to tell me the whole story. Just whatever you're willing to share." Knowing he was touching a sensitive subject, the boy patiently waited for the invincible girl to make up her mind.
"Well… you know as well as I that he's been getting in a lot of trouble with Cardin." Sett nodded at that, his expression darkening a tad bit. "It's something I really want to help him out with… among other pressing things." Pyrrha lowered her gaze, despondently kicking at the floor. "I'm sure you'd want to help as well, given the chance, but he made it quite clear to me that this is something he needs to deal with by himself."
Sett scoffed at that. 'By himself, huh?'
"I think I get what you're saying." He said, meeting the red head's gaze as she looked back up. "And you're right: I'd love to lend a hand. Especially if it's got something to do with that scum." The boy was all too willing to teach 'lessons' to people like Winchester anytime, free of charge. It was very generous of him to do so.
As relief began to seep into the green eyed warrior, Sett abruptly straightened up. "Oh, and before I forget, I've been meaning to ask for a favor. Don't worry, I'll still help out if you say no." He assured her.
"What's the favor?" She asked, curious (and a little cautious) as to what he could want.
The brunette smirked. "I heard you're an undefeated tournament fighter, where you're from. I'm something of an undisputed champion myself, back home." He punched a fist into an open palm, cracking his knuckles. "So, me and you, one on one. At some point in the near future, preferably." Which would be anytime after he helped Pyrrha and Jaune get past their spat, when the girl was at her best, free of any distractions.
"A spar?" She murmured, eliciting a nod from the pit champ. Pyrrha smiled. "I'd be happy to take you up on that offer." It was an unexpected request for sure, but not an unwelcome one.
If she was lucky, he'd give her a challenge. Little did she know, Sett was thinking the same thing as he eagerly grinned.
"Great! But first, I'll make sure to talk some sense into Jaune." It was the least he could do for the two. "Trust me, I've got you guys covered." The girl dipped her head in gratitude, exhaling in relief.
"Thank you, Sett."
"Hey. What are friends for?"
Later…
Opening his locker with a sigh, Jaune wearily began putting his gear away. Having just finished combat class, the white knight had the rest of the day to himself in a rare instance of free time. Of course, it was only a matter of time before nearly all of Cardin's assignments, on top of his own workload, crushed him once more.
"Heeey, good to see ya Jaune! It's been a while."
Not that he didn't have it coming. It was his own fault that he was in this mess in the first place.
"Jaune? Pal?"
Seriously, how stupid was he to just blurt out his secret for the world to hear? Ok, the rooftop was a pretty private spot, but that's besides the point.
"There you are Sett, you wanna- Er, what's up with him?"
On balance, he didn't know what was worse: being constantly blackmailed by his bully, or pushing away his partner, both of which he had either directly or indirectly antagonized in some way.
"Beats me. He's been like this for a while now."
Actually, that wasn't even a question. She was willing to help him despite everything he'd told her, and he'd smacked her helping hand like an idiot. Some friend he was. Some team leader he was.
"Let me try… Hey vomit boy, Weiss was just looking for ya…! Wow. Still in a world of his own. Are we sure he's still alive?"
Maybe coming to Beacon was a bad idea…
BANG-BANG!
"JEEZ, WHA-"
The white knight almost had a heart attack, nearly jumping out of his skin as the noise brought his inner ruminations to a screeching halt.
" -Oh. Hey guys."
Now amongst the land of the living once more, the blonde realized that standing next to him was the male member of team RWBYS, leaning on his own locker with a fist pressed against it. Standing next to Sett was the sister pair in his team: all of which were staring at him with varying levels of concern.
"Heh, sorry. Didn't mean to space out like that." The white knight chuckled nervously, looking amongst the trio as they shared a glance during the ensuing silence. "Uhh, is something wrong? Or is today look-at-Jaune-until-he's-freaked-out day."
Another shared glance.
"I think that's something we should be asking you, Jaune. If something's wrong." Ruby said, worry clearly etched on her expression. "Cause you look sort of… miserable. N-Not in a mean way or anything!" She sputtered, not wanting the blonde to take it the wrong way. But it was true: the baggy eyes, tired demeanor, and deep frown were hard to miss.
Her sister nodded in agreement. "You look like you haven't slept in a week, lady killer. Been getting too much attention lately?" She teased, hoping to get some sort of reaction out of the blonde.
But when the boy gave a shaky laugh, her smirk faded away. "What are you guys talking about? Nothing's wrong, I'm fine!" Jaune assured, giving what he thought was his most convincing smile.
Though, it seemed that no one was fooled: especially Sett, who was giving him a flat stare. "Jaune. Pyrrha already talked about what happened between you two."
Oh.
.
.
.
.
.
"Sh-She did?" He quietly asked, feelings of resentment growing until he quickly squashed them down, admonishing himself for even considering that line of thought.
"Mhm."
The team leader sighed, letting his hidden despondency show for all to see. "Then you know why I'm pretty much screwed." He slouched, letting his head hang low. "If I keep this up, I'm gonna flunk by the end of the semester. And If I stop doing what Cardin says, he'll tell the headmaster how I faked my way into the academy." Jaune explained, waiting for the disappointment, or anger, or-
"What? Pyrrha didn't say anything about… that." Sett replied, his voice full of bewilderment.
…Huh?
Blue eyes darted around, uncomprehending of everyone's apparent confusion. "What do y- but you said..."
Then it hit him like a truck. If they didn't know about his fake files before-
"Ah crap."
-then they did now.
Yang glanced between the two boys, her brow raised. "I don't know about Ruby, but this is the first time I'm hearing about any of this, uh, stuff. What's this about faking your way into Beacon?" She casually asked, doing a poor job of masking her growing curiosity. Ruby was staring wide eyed, stunned by what she was hearing.
For a brief moment, Jaune considered brushing them off, then realized how futile that would be.
Even though they didn't know exactly what was going on, there was no way the white knight could work his way out of this one: his friends wouldn't just forget about this slip-up. 'No turning back now, I guess.'
With that in mind, Jaune tilted his head towards the ceiling before resignedly sighing once again. "It's… complicated. I'll just start from the beginning."
And so, he proceeded to do just that. From his dream of becoming a hero, to the night on the roof with his partner, the technically-illegitimate student made sure to leave nothing out in his long-winded explanation.
"-So, as you guys can tell by now, I shouldn't even be here at all." He finished, unable to meet the gazes of his friends, ashamed of the problems he had created. Of his inability to fend for himself.
To sum things up, he was-
"-an idiot."
Yea. That.
The pit brawler shook his head. "I mean, c'mon, do you really think you can get through all this," he gestured his hands around himself for emphasis, "by yourself? Why do you think they put us into teams, man?!"
That was… a good point, actually. "Well, when you say it like that…"
"Jaune, no one gets it all done on their own." The brunette jabbed a thumb at himself. "I learned a lot about fighting from the people back home. Don't think I'd be at Beacon otherwise." Well, that probably wasn't true, but he definitely wouldn't be the fighter he was without a handful of individuals.
The blonde brawler put an arm around her sister. "Yea! We had our uncle and our dad show us the ropes a while back." Yang said. And she'd been unstoppable ever since. "Where'd you think we learned to kick so much ass-"
"Language!" Ruby squealed, wiggling out of Yang's grip. "But, potty mouth aside, she's right. I wouldn't be half the scythe-user I am today without my uncle. And everyone here's been taught by instructors at combat schools too." She reached behind her back, patting Crescent Rose.
Jaune gave an embarrassed smile. "Except for me. I mean, that's what I get for waiting too long to commit to being a huntsman, right?" The boy conceded. Despite not having any teachers, he could see how important they were. After all, the skill gap between him and his peers was a clear testament to that. "I guess I really shouldn't have lied." He disheartenedly muttered.
The sisters winced, reminded of that particular detail, while their teammate raised an eyebrow.
"You talking about your fake papers?" Jaune nodded in response, something Sett shrugged at. "Actually, I think that's no big deal really." Three heads swiveled in his direction.
The knight's jaw dropped. "What do you mean it's no big deal!? This isn't something I can just sweep under the rug! Fake transcripts pretty much means instant expulsion!" Jaune incredulously cried out, uncaring if there were any eavesdroppers now.
"I could care less about some fake papers." Sett muttered. Technically, his were forged as well, so it's not like he fairly earned his spot either. "You can still-"
"H-How!? Don't you get it!? It means I do not belong here-"
"But you do." Sett interrupted firmly, lest his friend start rambling and going on tangents. "Look, if you'd told me all of that before initiation, yea, I'd have thought you were out of your mind." The blonde visibly shrunk at that. "But that's not true. I've seen what you can do. We all have."
He crossed his arms. "When we were split up at the bridge during the exam, you were the first one to charge the Deathstalker: not Nora, not Ren, not me, not Pyrrha. It was you. And besides, first or not, it takes guts to do something that dangerous."
"And you were also the one calling the shots to bring it down, remember? You can't tell me that that kind of quick thinking isn't valuable in a fight. Matter of fact, I bet Ozpin was thinking the same thing when he chose you to lead." The boy paused, letting that sink in. "Sure, your acceptance is a sham, that's true. But that doesn't mean you don't have what it takes to be a good huntsman."
"Besides, there's plenty of people here who can teach you how to fight better." Recollection of an upset redhead crossed Sett's mind. If Jaune was lucky, she'd still be willing to tutor him after this was all said and done.
The white knight shook his head. "But what's the point? I've already screwed things up with my team, so why even bother?"
"It's because you let your team down that you should try." Ruby added in, hands on her hips as she stood tall with a straight look on her face. "Jaune, you may have made mistakes, but that's no excuse to just give up for good. As your team's leader, if you quit on yourself, you're quitting on your teammates too, and they don't deserve that. They deserve a good leader, one that puts the team's wellbeing before their own, as every leader should."
Caught off guard, Yang's mouth hung open slightly, shocked by her sister's wise words, before grinning proudly as the young leader continued.
"And I think that can be you, because like Sett said, you've proven that you have what it takes to take on that role." A wide smile replaced her serious facade. "If it helps, I've made my fair share of mistakes too, you know. It's never too late to learn from them."
The white knight lowered his head.
He still had doubts. How could his partner-his team-accept the fact that their leader was the least competent among them?
When he looked back up, he met a purple eyed gaze.
Yang jutted her chin at her teammates. "What they said. Anyways, you're being a bit hard on yourself, don't you think? You can still at least try to make up for being kind of a douche." A small part of her wondered if he had even considered that beforehand. "If you ask me, telling Pyrrha you're sorry would be a good place to start. Y'know, as her partner and her friend. I think she'd appreciate that." Sett hummed in agreement.
Jaune chewed his lip, worried. It's not that he didn't want to apologize to Pyrrha: she deserved that at the very least. Rather, he was afraid she wouldn't accept his apology.
Even so, for the most part, Jaune agreed with his friends. All three of them. Whether it was because they were making sense or still being supportive despite everything, he didn't know. 'Maybe a bit of both.'
There was still one glaring issue, however…
"What about Cardin? All he needs to do is blow the whistle on me and I'm booked for the next flight out of here." Those gathered paused, muling that over. It was true: nothing any of them could do could guarantee Cardin wouldn't do just that.
No amount of threats, bribery, or anything of that sort could guarantee Winchester's silence.
"..."
Alas, not every problem has a solution.
Actually, there was one way to be certain of Cardin's silence, but it was definitely looked down upon here. Besides, the pit champ wasn't that brutal. Usually.
Sett frowned. "'Fraid I can't help you with that one. I mean, you could do whatever he wants, and he could still snitch on you." Before his friend could deflate, he put a steady hand on his shoulder. "So while you're still here, maybe take some time to sort out what-and who-matters to you most: get your priorities straight. 'Kay?" Not the best (or most subtle) advice he'd given, but it was the most solid thing he could think of right then and there.
Besides, it was true: the team leader had to decide what was more important-his partner, and by extension his team, or his tenure at the academy-and act.
Jaune glanced at a nearby clock. "Well, I've definitely got some time to think things over, so I'll be sure to figure that out soon." The boy put a hand on the back of his neck, rubbing it absentmindedly. "Anyways, thanks for the talk, guys. And for hearing me out, and all that. I needed that." He wholeheartedly said, hoping they recognized his thankfulness for what it was.
"Happy to help, Jaune!"
"Anytime, man."
"Yea, no problem, Vomit Boy."
With an amused chuckle, Jaune shook his head as he walked away. He barely took a dozen steps before his scroll began to buzz, something he investigated as he wandered out of the locker room.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Having listened to the message, a dejected sigh escaped Jaune's lips. It seemed his time off was now occupied with gathering rapier wasps, for whatever reason.
He just hoped he'd finish in time to get a good night's rest. There was a field trip to Forever Fall tomorrow, after all.
Unfortunately, he did not get the sleep he wanted. Catching dozens of tiny flying bugs tended to take quite a bit of time. It didn't help that he had to do it with a cardboard box, of all things.
Thus, thoroughly sleep deprived, Jaune had been simply going through the motions all day. From getting ready for the field trip, to gathering the jars of sap, the team leader felt that he would collapse from exhaustion at any moment.
But now?
Jaune wasn't tired anymore.
Not when his partner was being threatened by Cardin and his cronies.
It was one thing to push him around. He had more or less learned to deal with it. But his friends?
All traces of fatigue had been replaced by pent up frustration… and eager defiance.
"No."
Cardin blinked, before narrowing his eyes. "What did you say?"
"I said, NO!" With a furious glare, Jaune hurled his jar of tree sap at his blackmailer-
SMASH!
-covering his chest with the sweet syrup as the glass shattered into dozens of pieces.
With his blood still boiling, Jaune felt immense satisfaction from standing up to his bully, not to mention the look on Cardin's face.
Wait. Why was he smiling?
When his moment of anger had passed, the blonde realized Cardin was, in fact, giving him a smile that wasn't really a smile.
"Oh, you've done it now."
…He had no regrets.
Elsewhere…
"Hey, what about that time you met your best friend! Didn't you say the first thing you guys did was fight each other?"
"We did! And we put on a good show for a big crowd too."
Some distance away from the white knight was the rest of his team, as well as team RWBYS, lounging around as they collected sap. Or, in Nora's case, drinking sap, much to Ren's dismay.
"Nora, please. It takes almost half an hour to fill one of these jars."
"Oh wow, really? How'd that go down?" Ruby asked, who waited with bated breath for the pit brawler to tell the tale. She'd been waiting to hear about it since the night before initiation.
"But it's soooooo good! It tastes just like syrup!"
Sett checked his scroll. "Well, we've got some time to kill, so I'll give you the full thing. It all started when-"
RROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR!
Forgetting about the story, Ruby quickly stood up, looking off deeper into the forest. "What was that? It sounded like an-"
"Ursa! Ursa! Really big Ursa!" A boy cried out, nearly running past the gang before Sett grabbed his shirt and yanked him hard.
If his memory served him right, this was Russel from team CRDL. He snarled. "Can't take the heat, huh? Where is it?"
"B-Back there, that way! It's got Cardin!" Another boy fearfully cried out, who was being held by his collar by Yang.
Pyrrha stiffened, her eyes dilating as the implication skunk in. "Jaune!"
Realizing the direness of the situation, Ruby wasted no more time. "Yang! You and Blake go get Professor Goodwitch!" The red reaper pulled out Crescent Rose.
The Invincible Girl turned to her own teammates. "You two, go with them! There could be more!" Without a word, the four designated students raced off towards the teacher's general location, following the fleeing members of team CRDL.
Already breaking out into a run, Ruby called back behind her. "Weiss, Sett, Pyrrha, let's move!" No one needed to be told twice.
—
With the sounds of a struggle growing louder and louder, it wasn't long before the students reached a clearing within the woods, where they caught sight of an oversized bear-like Grimm…that was currently in a deadlock with Jaune.
As he struggled to hold his ground, those of team RWBYS that were present were moments away from springing into action, when Pyrrha held out an open palm.
"Wait!"
Halting in his tracks, the pit champ looked at her as if she'd grown another head. "For what? We gotta get in there!"
The Invincible Girl shook her head. "Not just yet. Look." She said, pointing ahead of them.
—
As he tumbled against the ground, Jaune questioned his mental stability. After all, what sane person would put their life at risk for someone who treated them like dirt? The guy was literally beating him just a minute ago, and was planning on harming the others as well. Maybe if he'd left Cardin, he wouldn't have to worry about being expelled-
The knight reprimanded himself. This wasn't the time for grudges: right now, lives were at risk, and he'd be damned if he failed when it mattered most.
Scrambling to his feet, the team leader glanced at his shield, noting his dangerously low aura levels. He'd only been smacked a couple times, but any more hits and he'd get more than just a few bruises and a headache.
With the sound of heavy footfalls growing louder, the boy looked up to the sight of the Ursa coming to a stop several feet away from him. The beast's eyes were locked on his own, its gaping maw of a mouth growling out a challenge.
Gritting his teeth, he let out a shout of his own, racing forward as the Grimm did the same. If he could just get close enough without being smacked, he might score a lucky hit.
And if he didn't? He'd just have to try again, and again, until he came out on top.
Set on that idea, the boy leaned back and began a piercing motion with his sword.
The Ursa swung a massive paw in a heavy overhead strike.
Alas, the knight was so focused on killing the monster that he forgot everything he knew about self preservation, completely missing the sharp claws aimed at his head-
SCREEEEEEEK!
-which were blocked by a shield. His shield.
For an instant, he was startled, trying to remember when he lifted his shield arm. Did he do it subconsciously?
'Not important right now.' How he managed to block that swipe, he wasn't sure, but there was no point in looking a gift horse in its mouth.
Bracing his feet, Jaune willed as much force as he could muster into his limbs, pushing off the black extremity and jumping into the air as he swung with all his strength, cleaving the Ursa's neck in a clean decapitation.
The headless Grimm remained standing for a moment, before collapsing to the ground as its severed head did the same with a meaty thud.
For a minute, Jaune stood where he was, recovering his breath and reveling in his victory.
He did it.
He'd killed the Ursa Major, saving himself and…
…Cardin.
Sheathing his weapon, he began walking over to the other team leader, who was still laying on the ground.
Winchester stared at the approaching blonde, his face a mix of awe and (actual) respect as he reached out and took the blonde's helping hand. "Holy crap, Jaune…I-"
But the knight didn't care for his words, glaring at Cardin as he stood up. "Don't you ever-ever-mess with my team or my friends ever again. Got it?" There was plenty more he wanted to say, but that was the main thing he wanted to make clear to the bully.
And judging by the shamed look he saw, it seemed Winchester understood perfectly.
Without waiting for a verbal response, Jaune turned around…and nearly jumped out of his skin when he came face to face with Sett.
"HOLY Sh-where'd you even-can you please stop sneaking up on me, for the love of-"
"Hey, the first time, there was no sneaking involved whatsoever." The pit champ said with a grin.
"That doesn't change the fact that you-!"
The heiress looked at her partner. "First time?" Weiss asked, ever so slightly curious as to what caused the blonde to flare up like that.
"If I recall, you were the one daydreaming-"
"It's…a long story." Ruby slowly replied, looking anywhere but her direction, eliciting a raised eyebrow from the ice queen. When it became clear that Ruby wasn't going to explain further, Weiss simply rolled her eyes. Whatever happened probably wasn't a big deal anyway.
Sett's grin morphed into an approving look. "Jokes aside though, that was pretty decent work, man. Seriously, nicely done." For someone without any kind of training, holding his own against a major Grimm was no small feat.
Jaune rapidly blinked at that, before smiling proudly. "Heh. You really think so? Thanks." He continued to smile, until something clicked in his tired mind. "Wait. How much of that did you see?"
"About everything from a few minutes before you sliced its head off." Sett nonchalantly replied, earning himself another withering glare from team JNPR's leader.
"WHAT?! You've been here that long?!" Jaune huffed in exasperation. "A little help would've been nice, you know."
"Well, to be fair, I was gonna join the fun, but someone believed you had it under control." The half-breed said, a glimmer in his eyes that the blonde didn't quite understand.
So it was no shock that the sword and shield user remained skeptical. "Uh huh. And who would that be?..." He trailed off, finally taking note of the people a few paces behind the brunette.
It wasn't Ruby that caught his attention. For once, it wasn't even Weiss.
With mixed feelings running rampant in his mind, Jaune managed to utter out a few choice words.
"Oh. Hey, Pyrrha."
As amused as she was by the change in demeanor, the Invincible Girl managed to stave off a small smile, maintaining her neutral expression. "Hello, Jaune."
"..."
The two partners internally cringed, chastising themselves for not knowing what they wanted to say.
Eventually, Pyrrha was the one to break the silence, coughing pointedly into the back of her hand. "We should get going. The others might think there's still trouble-" She started to turn away, prompting a pair of blue eyes to widen.
"Wait!" Jaune nearly yelled, reaching a hand out, startling those present. With all eyes on him, he abashedly pulled back the appendage. "Can I, um, talk to you for a sec?" The boy glanced around at everyone else. "In private?"
The slightly surprised redhead took a moment to gather herself, before nodding in response. With a tilt of his head, the two members of team JNPR began to stroll into the treeline and away from prying eyes, exiting the clearing and entering the forest.
With the partners out of earshot, Sett turned his gaze to his teammates. "You two mind heading on back? 'Cause Pyrrha was right about people being panicky and stuff." Quickly understanding his unspoken intent, Weiss simply nodded.
Her partner, however, didn't quite get the message. "Are you not coming with us?" She asked, to which the pit brawler shook his head.
"Nah. I'll catch up after a little…chat with my buddy Cardin." The red reaper sweatdropped, debating whether she should try to convince Sett to be merciful, when Weiss began to pull her away.
"Come on. I'm sure he won't do anything drastic. Most likely." The ice queen paused, before hollering over her shoulder at the brunette. "Don't do anything stupid." Looking back, she saw Sett put a hand over his heart, bowing deeply with his head down.
"Of course, your highness!" He smirked when she huffed in annoyance, accelerating her walk as Ruby-who was still being dragged-giggled as she waved farewell.
And then, there were two.
"So…" Slowly turning back around, Sett moved directly in front of Cardin. "You've been blackmailing Jaune, is that right?" He drawled out, hoping his grin would unsettle the boy.
"...Yes."
"Don't play games with- wait, did you say yes?" The pit champ blinked, a blank look on his face as Winchester nodded in affirmation. "Huh. Thought I'd have to beat that out of you. I'm Kinda bummed out now." When Cardin responded with silence, the beast boy bastard bristled. "Nothing to say, huh? What, you feeling sorry for all the shit you did?"
To Sett's further surprise, there were no attempts at denial, nor heated words: just pure resignation. "How can I not be? Jaune had every reason to leave me behind, and yet he chose to save my life." He sighed, lowering his downcast gaze. "Why would he do that? If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't have even tried to save me."
This show of regret was not something he expected to see. Nevertheless, the pit champ was a tad bit pleased by it. "Well, that's Jaune for ya. At the end of the day, he'll always try to do what he thinks is right." Sett remarked, pleased that his friend had not only taken a stand, but also left this kind of impact on someone like Cardin.
The team leader swallowed hard. "He's more of a man than I am. I mean, all I've done since I got here is mess with pretty much everyone." Even if Cardin wanted to, there was no denying it: he'd messed up. Badly. While his peers were improving their skills, he'd been only bringing them down, never trying to improve himself. He saw that now.
Sett crossed his arms. "You gonna keep that up?"
For the first time since they'd been left alone, Cardin looked up. "No."
The pit champ stared at the smaller boy with piercing glare, waiting for any signs of deceit.
After what felt like an eternity, Sett grunted. "Good. I'll make sure of it. And just in case you get any ideas." He paused, grabbing the boy by his collar and leaning in so that his scowling visage was inches from Winchester's paling face.
"If you get Jaune expelled, I'll be expelled too. Pretty sure Beacon doesn't like it when a student beats another within an inch of his life."
The team leader gulped.
For a while, neither of the two said a word, as they sat on a log somewhere within the forest.
Pyrrha didn't mind, patiently waiting for her partner to collect his thoughts. She was, however, growing worried as she carefully watched him fidget with the tree bark, his brow scrunched.
"Jaune-"
"I'm sorry!" He blurted out, silencing the girl. "For being a jerk, and a bad partner, and a bad friend-" He paused, breathing deeply as he struggled to stop himself from rambling. "You were only trying to help, a-and what I did was completely uncalled for, it was just this stupid mindset I had-"
"Jaune." Pyrrha said, her calm demeanor causing the boy to clam up instantly. "It's ok."
The blonde whipped his head to the side, staring at her partner in disbelief. "...Just like that?" Was she really forgiving him that easily?
"Just like that." She echoed, letting a genuine smile she'd been suppressing flourish.
The team leader slouched, letting out a relieved breath he'd been holding. "Well…that's a bit anticlimactic." Which was perfectly ok in his book.
The redhead chuckled, before a more contemplative look adorned her face. "I'll admit, I was hurt when you said those things to me that night." The knight flinched at that. "And until today, I was still having some doubts and misgivings. But after hearing your warning to Cardin, I know for certain that you really do care about us."
'About me.'
She felt her face flush ever so slightly at the thought, shifting her gaze away until she cooled down. "Because of that, your apology means a lot more to me than you think." The boy's eyes widened, shifting to the ground in mild embarrassment. Jaune knew his friends had seen that, but he never considered that they actually heard him too.
That being said, Jaune was glad they did. He lifted his head, his expression filled with new-found confidence and resolve. "Well, from now on, I promise I'll do all I can to be the best leader I can be for you guys." That's what good leaders were supposed to do, right?
His partner tilted her head inquisitively. "Does that include taking private combat lessons?" She asked, her tone serious yet playful at the same time.
The knight used one hand to hold an elbow, cupping his chin with the other, as if he was in deep thought. "Hmmm. Only if you're offering." Jaune said, feeling like he already knew the answer to that.
Pyrrha smiled, standing up. "Meet me on the rooftop tonight. We'll start with the basics and go from there."
Grinning, the knight rose to his feet as well. For the first time since coming to Beacon, Jaune was excited to learn.
Weeks ago…
.
.
.
.
She couldn't sleep.
She barely ate.
She hadn't felt this hopeless in a very, very long time.
Days of searching had yielded nothing. Absolutely nothing. No answers, no clues, not even the slightest hint as to where her baby could be-or who had taken him.
Sinking into a chair, the woman felt fatigue begin to overwhelm her as she drifted off into a deep slumber-
KNOCK-KNOCK
Snapping her eyes open, the woman rapidly blinked. Glancing out a window, she irritably sighed. Normally, she'd love to greet the few people who chose to swing by every now and then.
But this was most certainly not one of those times. She wasn't in any condition (or mood) to welcome guests into her house. She swiftly got to her feet, fully intent on shooing away whoever had chosen to visit.
When she reached the front door, she unlatched the locks, nearly yanking it open. "My apologies, but I'm afraid that I-"
When it registered exactly who was waiting outside, her words died in her throat.
"Ms. Lahni… I have heard about what happened. I'm sorry."
"Oh, yea. It's all coming together now."
Nothing to say, so thanks for tuning in y'all! See y'all next chapter
