Alright, time for some more fluff, plot and payoffs long in the making.

Jaune stared at the weapon, which was taking shape now that he and Ruby had been working on it for a few weeks. Where once there was only the broken remains of Metal blaster and Enclave's Bane, there was an interesting-looking machine that seemed vaguely like the barrel of a gun. It was a mess of wires and tubes and batteries, arranged around a bare frame. It would still need the casing and the butt added, among other things, but they were only a few weeks away from maybe being able to test it.

And then what?

Jaune sat in the darkness of his cave, with only the dim light from a cheap lamp casting a hazy glow on himself and his equipment. He wouldn't be working under condition like this, but he didn't plan on making any adjustments right now, not without the proper tools and lighting.

Certainly not without Ruby.

They'd been working together on the project for a couple weeks now… it wouldn't be right to exclude her from the process. Maybe it would wind up being his weapon in the end, but she had just as much a hand in its creation as he did. In fact, she'd played an integral role in getting him this far, helping him train and working on his weapons.

She'd gotten him this far… such that he would shortly be able to leave Beacon behind. Leave her behind as well. That had been his plan since coming here, and that remained his plan.

He shifted into a new position on the floor. Then he shifted again. Then again. And again. No matter how much he fidgeted, he couldn't manage to find a spot where he could rest comfortably.

He sat, strangely agitated, and looked back down at the half-built rifle. That's what it would be: a lightning rifle. At least, that's what he and Ruby were aiming for. It'd be like the original Tesla Cannon in that it shot a high-powered, directed beam of electricity, but it'd travel in several arcs, like how Metal Blast shot several lasers. It'd run on electric dust, a much less efficient power source than miniature nuclear reactors, but at least they could be channeled directly into lighting, though it still wouldn't manage to pack the same kind of kick that Enclave's Bane had been able to.

Nevertheless, it'd be a formidable weapon, and he and Ruby could probably have it finished in time for the quarterly break. That was perfect timing, really. He could take it, leave and never come back. School would begin again, but he'd be absent, the first day and the second day and the third day, too. He'd be gone.

No one would ever even know what became of him… if he was even safe…

What would she think of that?

No.

No, it didn't matter what she thought, or what anyone else thought, for that matter. All that mattered, was returning once more to the life that he'd lived so long ago. He was the Lone Wanderer. That was his name. Yes, that was his real name.

Jaune sighed.

Not for the first time, he asked himself what Maxwell Noble would have done. Goodness, now that was a person, wasn't it? He'd been a hero. He'd stood up for people, the weary and the sick and the downtrodden. He looked into the face of evil and overcame his own fear, just to fight back, just to make the world a better place. He'd been revered by other wastelanders for his idiosyncratic kindliness, not to mention his endearing dorkiness and innocent humor. The way he insisted that he definitely did not have a crush on Sarah Lyons, or that he was cool, always got a rise. Appreciated by all, Maxwell Noble had been an excellent person.

What a way to live…

He shook his head. Max was dead, long dead. They'd buried him just outside the Citadel, his casket closed. And the Lone Wanderer hadn't even gone to the funeral, too ashamed to be anywhere near.

That was where honesty and kindness and innocence got you in the wasteland. You died. You died, or you adapted. That's what the Lone Wanderer had been: an adaptation. He was a vicious, mean, monstrous human being, designed to fight back against a vicious, mean, monstrous world.

It was there, which he belonged. He belonged in the wilds, with the thought of death ever-present, with the memories of everything that had happened left far behind him. It was only by living that life, a life of uncertainty and danger and violence, that he was able to feel well. If he ever slowed down, the memories would catch up with him…

Memories…

Actually, now that he thought about it, he wasn't half so bothered by the old memories as he had been when he first arrived at Beacon. He hadn't been able to go through a single night without reliving something, anything, everything. Every day, he'd been accosted by thoughts of the dead and the left behind, but that wasn't the case anymore.

No. No it wasn't.

He scowled. What had happened? He hadn't even noticed… but a sort of peace had descended upon him. Had he honestly not noticed? No… no he hadn't. He'd eased into it naturally… Things were… things were nice now, if that could even be said. He hadn't…

No, true peace of mind was only attainable to him when he was utterly distracted, when he was at war, when he was too concerned with the physical world to ever give the cognitive one a chance to catch up.

What had happened?

As he sat there and contemplated, he turned on the vaporizer, once more dispersing a scent of strawberry through the cave.

He loved that smell.

But what happened? He didn't know… he only knew that it wouldn't last. Of course, this couldn't be stable. This wasn't good, not good at all. This was just a lull. Certainly, no peace could ever last, not for him. Never for him. Eventually, he'd fall once more to the exhaustion and the nightmares.

He shook his head. He'd need to leave. Leave, and never come back.

He eyed the lightning rifle again.

But… if he and Ruby only managed to finish it just a little before he left, then he'd hardly have any time at Beacon to work with it, now would he? On his own, there was no way he'd manage to produce the resources necessary to fix it up or adjust it, should any problems occur. Well then, he'd just have to test it out a bit over the break, then return to Beacon should any problems arise.

And what if there were no problems?

Uhh… he should still come back, just for a tune up.

And after the tune up?

Uhh… he'd probably come up with some ideas to improve it, after time using it in the field and some more testing at Beacon. That would require him to stay longer for the work.

But what if you don't think of anything?

Then maybe Ruby will.

If she doesn't?

Maybe Yang will.

If she doesn't?

I'll ask the teachers for suggestions.

And after all of that?

Jaune sat in his cave, thinking—cold, alone.

Well, after all of that, he'd leave. He'd leave Ruby behind, leave her and her smile. He'd leave Yang behind, who he'd only just gotten to know. He'd leave Blake behind, who's endearing silence and utter lack of attention to him had made him like her quite a bit; maybe, in some other universe, they actually could have had a conversation at some point, but not here. He'd have to leave Weiss behind, along with all the petty arguments the two of them had gotten into, arguments which had steadily become less venomous. He still didn't like Weiss all that much, but true malice had been stripped from their words, if only for the sake of their mutual friends. Perhaps, in some other universe, they could have even wound up reconciling after a while, maybe even become friends who could look back and laugh at their initial antagonism.

Then there was his team. The people he'd never managed to know. The people he'd been protecting… who'd be without him and his assistance after he left. He'd be abandoning them, failing them.

Again.

Jaune snarled. No. None of them mattered to him. They were nothing, they'd never been anything close to something. Not to him. They were tools he'd used to increase his odds of surviving in this world, little more.

Nothing more. Nothing at all.

He stowed away the lightning rifle and turned off his lamp and his vaporizer. It was nearing noon on a Saturday, and it wouldn't do for him to be cooped up in his cave all this time, brooding over all this nothing.

Beside, Ruby had mentioned showing him her comic collection, and he was excited to see it.

Uhh, excited to get it over with.

Yeah. That.

He stretched and popped his knuckles as he armed himself with Crocea Mors and the Mysterious Magnum. He popped some nicotine gum into his mouth, which would hopefully quell some of his jitters. He left the cave, squinting in the sunlight. After a moment spent adjusting his sight, he checked his scroll. Ruby was always awake by ten on weekends, since that's what Weiss had suggested an optimal schedule would be. Knowing her, she undoubtedly hated waking up so early when she didn't have to, but also knowing her, she undoubtedly was willing to do it if it meant helping her team be productive and healthy. She was like that.

He opened his scroll, but found no new messages. Odd. Ruby was always quick to text him about whatever plans they'd made. Odd, but not impossible that she'd lapsed this time. Perhaps she'd just forgotten? She could be a little slow to remember things, if only because she processed life so quickly in her rush to live it.

So he sent her a text of his own. Ruby always had her scroll on her, a habit born of dual necessity, she'd explained: her team could use it to contact her if they ever wanted her for something, and it also held a host of video games she may or maybe not have been just a little bit addicted to. Either which way, she always had her scroll, and she always replied to his texts in less than a minute.

He sent her the following:

J: When do you want to meet up?

He waited idly, staring at the screen in preparation for the reply which would only take another thirty seconds.

He got nothing.

Well, she was probably just in the bathroom or something. He'd trek back to Beacon, which would take almost an hour, and certainly have a reply by then.

He'd gotten to the school, but he'd gotten no reply.

She must have lost her scroll. That, or something comparably inhibiting.

He went Team RWBY's dorm and knocked, only to be greeted Blake, who immediately opened the door for him before hopping back up onto her bed. Weiss spared a glare and a groan, loathing his existence, but settled for turning over in her bed and pulling out her scroll. Yang sat up in her bed, reading through some magazines. She looked up at him and smiled, even spared a short wave.

This was odd. They were all still in their beds, hardly prepped for the day…

"Where's Ruby?" he asked.

Yang shrugged. "Haven't seen her. She texted us and said we had the day off though, said she'd be up on the roof if anyone needed her." Yang tapped a finger against her chin as she thought. "She probably still up there."

Jaune nodded and said his thanks, then left the room, shut the door and allowed them to enjoy their rest, noticing a curious look from Weiss before departed. That was… not exactly the answer he'd expected. He'd figured he'd find Ruby manically searching her room for her scroll, or going out into Vale to get a new one, or otherwise preoccupied with something that would keep her from answering…

His scroll buzzed.

A smiled split his face as he checked it, only to die a second later. He didn't recognize the number.

He opened the message and read through.

W: This is Weiss.

What the…?

W: If you're wondering, I got your number because Ruby gave it to me a while ago, though I've never bothered to text until now. That, however, doesn't matter.

W: I saw Ruby this morning, though the others didn't. She looked upset, but refused to speak on it. She told me she just wanted to be alone. She's had a few hours to calm down, so you may be able to talk to her now.

J: What's wrong?

W: I don't know, idiot. As I said, she refused to speak. My point is: she may tell you.

J: Why me?

W: Because you're special to her, fool. If you can't manage it, then I'll talk to the rest of the team and we'll approach her later.

J: I'll try

W: Please do.

W: If you make headway, I'll address her later, alone. I feel that it's best to keep this as private as possible, unless she wishes to tell the others as well.

J: Got it

Jaune stashed his scroll and picked up the pace.

It wasn't hard to find her. After all, she still wore that vibrant crimson hood, which made her stand out from everything around her. It suited her perfectly. It took him a little while to find the right place to get up to the roof, but he was hasty in the search. He didn't want to leave her alone for too long, if she wasn't feeling well.

He became certain that something was amiss as he approached her. Ruby was a huntress, with keen, well-trained sense that constantly checked her surroundings. Now, that wasn't to say that she was paranoid, at least not like him, but she should have at least turned her head as his footsteps neared.

Instead, she sat on the ledge, legs dangling over the side of the roof as she stared into the distance. The wind sent her cloak rippling slightly behind her, and it ruffled her short, feathery hair.

She only looked at him when he sat down beside her. Her eyes widened; legitimate shock. Her mouth curled into a small smile, though, which made him feel nice for a second, before he realized that it was a far less vibrant smile than she usually wore.

"Hey Jaune. How'd you find me?"

"I was walking around, then happened to look up," he lied, "figured I'd come say hi." He awkwardly waited for a moment, expecting here to say something, as her chipper personality demanded. She didn't. The pause remained, and he tried his best to break it. "So… hi."

Ruby giggled flatly.

"You didn't text me."

"Oh, sorry, must've forgotten. Why didn't you text me instead?"

"I did."

Ruby's eyes widened in horror and she gasped, an altogether extreme reaction that left Jaune a little confused. She rushed to yank her scroll out of her pocket, then looked at her messages, seeing, plain as day, the ignored text he'd sent her.

"I'm so sorry Jaune!" she said, turning to face him full on. Panic filled her eyes, which were shinier then he'd ever seen them before, shiny from the threat of tears they contained. Her voice even cracked a little. "I'm so sorry!"

"Hey it's okay—"

"No, no it's not!" Ruby said while shaking her head. "Friends should care about other friends, should talk to them and be with t hem..." She shook her head another time, before the energy quickly drained from her. That in of itself was a surprise, considering Ruby was generally boundless when it came to energy. She sighed, a single breath that was hollow and sad. "I'm sorry…"

"Hey, it's not a big deal—"

"It is!"

Welp, there's that energy again.

"It is a big deal…" she let her head fall into her hands, strength streaming out of her demeanor once more. Sheesh, it was like flipping a light switch on and off.

"Well… I forgive you Ruby, it's fine. Got that? It's fine."

She said nothing. She held her face in her hands, obscuring herself completely from his view. After a few seconds, she managed to pull herself up, armed with a weak smile.

"Thanks Jaune…"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah… I just didn't sleep well."

He wasn't the smartest person, nor the most sociable person, but he wasn't anywhere near inept enough to actually believe that. Still, if she didn't want to talk about it, then maybe pressuring her right off the bat wouldn't be the best thing to do. That's probably what Weiss had tried; she meant well, but sharp and straightforward wasn't always best.

"Yeah, I didn't have the best night of sleep either," he said, going along with the course of conversation that she'd set.

Ruby let out a breath, probably just relieved that he wasn't pushing the issue. Maybe she thought he'd bought? Well, if she thought he'd be leaving it alone, then she was dead wrong.

"Really?" she asked, "I thought you said it's been getting better?"

"Well yeah, it's a lot better, but I'm still working on it."

"Uh-huh."

Silence fell between them, but it wasn't the sort that he was used to. When it came to Ruby, he'd gotten accustomed to that kind of comfortable quiet that falls between people who are close enough, that they hold no need for small-talk or general cordiality. This just felt… tense, awkward, since they both had something to say.

Jaune waited it out. After maybe a minute, he started to idly tune a dial on his pip-boy, which was deactivated, as it had been for a while now. Pip-boy… the useless thing had just been gathering dust on his wrist for a while. Although…

"Here, wanna see something?"

Ruby glance down at the device. "Sure," she said, though it was devoid of her usual enthusiasm.

He pressed a button and booted up the little machine, which whirred and flashed to life. Jaune scrolled through the different screens as Ruby leaned over and watched.

"This is a map of where I come from," he said. It was surely harmless enough to show her the miniaturized version of the D.C. area, since it's not like she'd be combing through Remnant's geographical records to correlate his data. Hopefully, it'd be enough to jumpstart her.

"Wow… is that a ruined city?" He glanced at her, saw a shimmer of curiosity and interest in her eyes. Good.

"Yup. The city of Washington D.C. It used to be pretty big, but the Great War destroyed it, along with everything else around. This is where I grew up, a real wasteland." It was a true enough statement. She'd think he was talking about Remnant's Great War, the one that ended with the Vytal Treaty. He was talking about one that was unimaginably worse, but he didn't think she was ready to learn he was from a different universe.

Ruby was silent as she observed the map. She leaned closer and poked the screen, then furrowed her brow when she realized it wasn't touch based. She started fiddling with the dials on the side, however, and got used to navigating with those. She spent several minutes reviewing the grainy images and reading through all the labels he'd marked down. Some were simply names, others had notes like 'too radioactive' or 'common for bandits'.

"Can you tell me again… what it was like, growing up there."

"Hard," he answered immediately. He sighed and shook his head. "I was lucky enough to grow up in a little town that cut itself off from everything else. We had food and water and stuff, and were pretty safe, but it wasn't a nice place for a bunch of reasons. A couple years ago, I left."

He pointed out the exact area where Valut 101 was on the map.

"This is where I grew up, but I'd end up exploring this entire area over the next year-ish."

"Wow," Ruby said.

"Yeah, I had a lot of time on my hands. It was… tough. I had to fight most days, and there were a lot of days where I wound up sick, starving, thirsty, tired or hurt… or maybe all of those… but that's past me now."

"Yeah, now you're here," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm here," he said with smile.

Ruby stared at the map for a while longer, her eyes idly tracing the blurry lines that denoted all which was left of one of Earth's greatest cities. Ruby's eyes drifted to other parts of the screens, like the tabs at the top. One in particular caught her eye.

"What kind of music do you listen to?" she asked, pointing at a tab simply labeled 'music'.

"I'm not sure you'd like it… I doubt you've ever even heard of any of it before." If she had, then he'd be seriously freaked out, considering it shouldn't exist here.

"Well, I wanna hear it. Play me your favorite song."

He nodded and flipped through his pip-boy, immediately selecting the one song that he loved above all others, for a myriad of reasons. It was beautiful, and it was bitterly ironic, given the circumstances.

"I don't want to set the world on fire…"

The pip-boy paled in comparison to the sort of sound quality that scrolls were capable of, but it matched the inferior recording equipment they had back on earth. As such, the song had an almost rustic quality as it emanated from the machine.

"I just want to start a flame in your heart…"

The cruel irony of the tune always managed to set a small smile on his lips, but he also just enjoyed the sound of it, soft and pandering. He appreciated the original message, as well. It was a love song, and he'd always had a soft spot for that.

It was a nice song, really, and it was a nicer moment, between the two of them. Something about this… it felt right. This close, he could smell her, too. Strawberry, as always. It was the scent of her shampoo and her soap, as well as the kind of perfume that she liked to put on, though just a little spray, just enough for the smell.

Jaune looked away into the distance, enjoying the view of Beacon and the surrounding forest. He pointedly failed to notice how Ruby turned her head and stared up at him. She stared at the person who was here for her when she needed him, who had helped her so much since they first met, who had so much in common with her, who was so nice to her. A new feeling welled up within her, though it had been growing for a while, and really wasn't too new at all.

Ruby scooted close to him, such that their hips were touching.

"You see, way down deep inside of me, darling…"

Ruby leaned her side against his.

"I have only one desire…"

Ruby let her head rest on his shoulder.

"And that one desire is you…"

The song rounded off and came to an end. For a second… he didn't move. He didn't want to move, for moving would have disturbed the sense of peace that had fallen between the two of them. It was a nice feeling, in that moment. He felt… warm.

Wait, why had she nestled up close to him?

Ruby was probably just a physical sort of person, like him. Yeah. She just liked being close to someone while she was upset, to make her feel better. That was all that this was. Don't misinterpret anything. She'd do the same thing right now with Weiss or Yang or Blake, if they were here instead of you. This meant nothing. This means nothing. You're just here to comfort her… because you need her.

Because I need her to fix up my weapon for me. That. I need her for the time being, before I leave.

So don't do anything…

Just a little closer. He shifted himself so that he was pressed just a bit closer against her. Coincidentally, it also brushed his fingers against hers.

"H-h-haha, a-alright!" Ruby nervously choked out, suddenly scooting away. "I-I think—whoa!"

She'd been so hasty to put distance between the two of them, that she nearly fell off the ledge, tipping forward precariously, dangerously. If it weren't for Jaune grabbing her by the shoulder and wrenching her back, she may have fallen off altogether. Instead, she fell back on the roof, lying there, staring at the sky, staring away from him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah."

"Are you sure? Your face is really red."

"Oh, uh, I guess… I guess it's just pretty hot out, haha!"

Ruby hauled herself up from floor and away from the ledge.

Jaune got up and followed. As he stood, he was momentarily startled by how… light… he felt.

It was made him feel… strange, even as it made him feel nice. He didn't like it. Well, he liked it, but he didn't know what it was or what sway it had over him, so he shoved it aside. If anything, it was even a little scary. No, he just shook his head and tried to refocus on the matters at hand.

"So are you really okay?" he asked again.

"Totally, I'm just, uh… I'm afraid heights, like, really afraid, so I just got freaked out there for a sec, yeah."

"But haven't you been up here, on this ledge, for a while?"

"Er, uh, yeah, well…" She shook her head. "Whatever, doesn't matter! Umm… do you wanna hear my song? Yeah, let's listen to my favorite song!"

"Okay…" She was just trying to change the subject, wasn't she? Well, it wouldn't work. He knew exactly what was going on. Exactly. He was a perceptive person, after all. There was no way he was wrong on this.

Whatever had been bothering Ruby before, was still bothering her. Obviously.

What other explanation could there be?

Concern welled up within him, but he suppressed it for the time being, just as he'd suppressed the nonsensical feelings from before. He'd let her go through these movements, if they comforted her. But he'd need to address it soon, rather than later.

"Alright, let me see…" Ruby fiddled with her scroll, hands seeming a bit shakier than they normally were. Nevertheless, she expertly navigated to her favorite song. "It's Plan G, by the Achieve Men." She pressed play, and the song began.

It was… horrible.

That was the only way he could describe it—it sounded like a bunch of boys bereft of any talent had been handed microphones and some conceited lyrics about nondescript girls they thought were cute, then told to sing, and the resultant mediocrity was shoved through a computer, mixed around and thrown out as a random explosion of noises, creating what was the single most offensive piece of 'music' that had ever accosted his ears.

"Pretty good," he said once it ended.

Ruby smiled. "Yeah, they're great, aren't they? Here, let me play their other hit—"

"No! Uh-no, you don't need to do that. Everything's fine, that was good enough."

Ruby tilted her head and gave him a confused look, before shrugging and putting her scroll away. "So watcha wanna do now?" she asked.

Alright, this is it. You've given her enough time already to pull herself together. Time to get to the bottom of things. He steeled himself with a few breaths, readying for whatever might come.

Breathe deep. Hold. Release.

"We need to talk about something, Ruby."

"Wha-" she choked up and was unable to finish her sentence. She gulped and continued. "What do you mean?"

"I think you know."

"I…I…" her cheeks were darkening into a deeper shade of red. Odd, he wouldn't have really expected that. It seemed like a more animated reaction that she'd previously displayed towards her problems.

"What's wrong, Ruby?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you come up here? You ignored your team, ignored me. I'm not stupid; it was pretty obvious that you were really bummed out when I got here."

"Oh, that!" Ruby perked up for a second, as if she was somehow relieved, but the smile which graced her face proved transitory, as the memory of what had depressed her came back in full force. She wilted. Her posture fell, as did her smile. She looked down at the floor.

The sight of it… the sight of all her incredible vitality suddenly dying…

Jaune was unhappy.

"Come on, what's wrong?" he asked.

Her head hung low, such that he wasn't able to see her face at all. She spoke softly.
"You made me forget about it…"

"What?"

"Just then… you made me forget about it… you do that, y'know. You make me forget about things… 'cause I'm too busy thinking of you."

"Uhh, what are you talking about?" She really wasn't making any sense to him. What was she even talking about? "Ruby, just tell me what's wrong."

She crossed her arms in front of her, folding them across her chest and holding them close. "My friends…"

"Your team?"

"No… not them. My old friends… the gang back from Signal."

"Yeah, what about them?"

"They're not my friends. They never were."

Jaune furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"I grew up with them… in every grade, all through school. I went and hung out with them, and I played video games with them… they were my best friends. Other than Yang, they were everything to me." Ruby aimlessly kicked the ground. "So I tried to stay in contact with them. I wrote them a letter… because none of them gave me their scroll numbers.

"I… I sent the letter to dad, and he told me he got it, and that he'd given it to them. Then I wrote them a second, and I wrote them a third. My dad told me that he got all of them, and he'd given them all.

"I wondered what was taking them so long… it's been two months at this point, they should've gotten back. Just last night… my dad finally told me… that he'd seen them throw my letters in the trash as soon as they thought he was out of sight."

Jaune didn't know what to say. So he said nothing.

"I'm not stupid… I know what's going on… I think I've known for a while, but I was just lying to myself. Do you ever do that? Do you lie to yourself, Jaune?"

He averted his gaze, not even able to look at her.

"Well, I hardly slept last night, because I spent all that time thinking back. They were never my friends. They'd never reached out to talk to me. They'd never invited me anywhere, or shared anything with me. All those years… nothing. Looking back… it's so obvious now. I'd just tagged along, and they'd just… just… put up with me… but they don't have to anymore." Her shoulders shuddered. "I cared for them all so much… so much… but they couldn't have ever cared less about me…"

Again, Jaune could say only nothing.

"I think some of them only hung out with me for Yang… or maybe they did it because they pitied me, but didn't actually like me…

"I've always talked about games, comics, weapons and being a huntress. It's everything to me… but I guess that they all just liked different things. Looking back on it, I don't think I really had anything in common with any of them. I just… tagged along.

"But they were the only people I knew, so I always just tried to follow them… they were my only friends…"

Ruby brought her hands up to shield her face. The was she shook and the sounds she made could never hide the fact that she'd started crying.

"I try… I really do try, to be good at talking and being social. I'm nice, aren't I? But… there was something wrong with me, that made them not want to be around me… am I not funny enough? Interesting enough? Cool enough? What's wrong with me?

"My best friends… "

She shook her head and turned away from him.

"I'm an idiot."

Jaune snapped.

Ruby squeaked as he grabbed her hood and pulled her back. He wrenched her around and, for just a moment, the girl felt a spark of fear lash through her as he roughly drew her in close. If it was someone else, she may have activated her semblance and gotten away.

But it wasn't someone else. It was Jaune, so she allowed herself to be pulled in.

A moment later, she was constricted in a tight, inescapable hug.

"You're. Not. Stupid," he stated, each syllable carefully crafted with an uncompromising firmness.

"But I —"

"Nope."

"They—"

"Nope."

"I—"

"Nope."

"We—"

"Nope."

After so many nopes, Ruby finally got the message. She was stiff against him, silent. A slight fear trickled through him, fear that perhaps he wasn't doing the right thing. Ruby had always been keen to give hugs, but was that what she wanted right now? He was afraid, that maybe this was the wrong thing. Maybe Ruby didn't want to be touched or hugged or—

She struggled within his grip, and he loosened, giving her that ability to get out.

She took the chance readjust herself and wrap her arms round his waist and pull herself even closer than she'd been before, burying her face into his chest.

He embraced her back, cradling her in his arms and keeping her close. Again, he could smell her strawberry scent. Light and sweet.

A few minutes passed by, not that he much noticed. Time always seemed to pick up the pace whenever he was with Ruby Rose. She shuddered slightly against him, her sobs muffled against his shirt. She clung to him desperately, and he found that he need to prop her up a bit, as her legs didn't seem to possess the strength to keep her standing.

Once more, he didn't know what to say. That wasn't uncommon for him, being unable to conjure up the right words at the right time. So instead, he acted, just as he had here. He acted, by keeping Ruby close, by letting his chin rest on her head as he enveloped her. Physicality, this was his domain. This was how he got things done… whether that mean comfort or cruelty.

Ruby took her time, letting out the final vestiges of her sorrow against his chest. He didn't blame her for being so upset… he could understand what it feels like, to have your closest friends turn on you.

Get out of my sight! You monster! I hate you!

He closed his eyes and sighed, trying desperate to push the despised memory away. He'd… he'd only been trying his best. He'd just done what he thought was right… and Amata would never forgive him for that.

At least here, now, he knew he was doing the right things. Ruby became still against him, the bulk of it having passed. Who knew how much she'd already let out, but she certainly didn't seem to have anything more to spare. She felt weak, brittle in is arms, a sensation that certainly made him uncomfortable. Weak and brittle. That wasn't the Ruby he knew.

"What… what's wrong with me?" she asked.

He looked down. Ruby had shifted her head so that her face was no longer pressed directly him; instead, her face was to the side, such that she was looking out and away from him. Her eyes were red, cheeks wet.

"What's wrong with me… that I never had any friends? Am I not cute enough? Funny? Nice? I don't..."

"Shut up."

"What?"

"Shut it," Jaune repeated, pulling her even tighter against him. "There's nothing wrong with you, Ruby. You're one of the best people I've ever met… and I'm not going to put up with anyone badmouthing you, not for a second. Not even if that person is you." Jaune pushed her back, far enough that he could look directly down, into her eyes.

Those pretty silver eyes, now stained red, criminally pained. He hated, with a great passion, everyone who had played a role in forcing this state upon her.

He looked into her eyes, desperately trying to convey the message he had for her. She was wanted. She was lovely. She was nice and incredible and no one on all of Remnant could ever put her down.

She smiled. It was small and watery, but it was there. It was beautiful.

"There you go," he said, patting her on the shoulder. "You're fantastic Ruby, everyone here knows that. I do, your team does. You don't need any of those idiots back at Signal, you've got Yang, Weiss and Blake."

Ruby's smiled widened. "Yeah I've them... they're the best. I've got you too, right?"

He nodded. "And you've got me."

"Thanks Jaune… those guys… they all abandoned me…" Her smile broke wide, showing teeth and reaching up to her eyes, which sparkled happily, the way they always should. "I know you'll never do that to me."

Jaune forced a crate down onto its pallet with much more force than was altogether necessary. In fact, no force at all was necessary. He only had to place it, or maybe just drop it. As it was, he thrusted the large container down, forcing it and the entire trolley to rattle ominously.

If any of the dockworkers around him objected to his rough handling, they knew better than to get in his way. They all knew by now that he wasn't a person who liked to spare his attention to anything other than his work, which he did efficiently. He was 'a weirdo from Beeacon' as he'd once overheard. Not like he cared about what other called him.

"Hey Jaune, be more careful, will ya?" his gruff supervisor yelled.

Great, apparently his mood was bleeding into is work, and that was being noticed.

Breathe deep. Hold. Release.

Alright, that's better…

I know you'll never do that to me.

Jaune grit his teeth. Why did she have to say that? He'd… he'd just been trying to do something nice for her, try to cheer her up a bit. She was a nice girl, and she deserved to be happy, so he'd help her along there. But then she just had to go and say that.

He was going to abandon her. That was the plan. It had been the plan ever since he first got there, and it was the plan that persisted. It was just what he had to do. There was no way around it.

So if it where really that simple, then why had it been bothering him all day? He'd left Ruby with a smile and a goodbye just after she'd said that, then promptly avoided her for the rest of the day, and he'd hardly slept that night, and he'd avoided her all day today, too.

Thankfully, she hadn't tried to contact him.

That normally would have alerted him, but he was happy for it now. Maybe something had happened last night to draw her attention away from him today? If that was the case, then he was a lucky man. He didn't want to see her, for the very act of thinking about her and those words she'd given him…

It made him feel all sorts of awful.

"I'm clocking out!" he said, setting down one last crate. They'd need to have someone with a forklift come by to pick it up later, since he was the only one around strong enough to do it by hand.

"What? Already? Don't you want any extra hours?" his supervisor asked. The man checked his watch, undoubtedly noting how it wasn't even a minute past ten, the end of his shift.

"I would normally, but not tonight," Jaune said, shaking his head. "Not in the mood." Without another word, he left. He strode alongside the edge of the water at the docks, making his way past the machinery and a few other workers, trying to get everything in to place while the facility was up and running, soon to close. The stench of expended dust and saltwater was everywhere, though Jaune had gotten used to it by now.

He skirted by a few crates and entered the main building, pushing through the doors to the open mess area. Some heads turned to look at him, and those that that did, quickly turned away. Everyone knew better than to invite something from him, anything.

The room was nearly empty, just as the rest of the facility was. It was a holiday today, marking the day that the ceasefire began for the Great War, almost a century ago. IN a few months, the Vytal Festival would take place, marking the signing of the treat which ended the war officially.

As it was, only a skeleton crew had arrived today, comprised of people as socially ambiguous as Jaune was. They were just taking care of a special shipment from the SDC. The docks were otherwise barren.

He took a seat at a table nestled into a corner of the room, where he would be most nondescript. The atmosphere was cramped and dark, though the smell of grease permeated the air, a pungent odor that was still preferable to the industrial stink that awaited him outside.

He sat down and let his head fall into his hands.

What the hell was going on with him?

He felt like trash… like there was a fifty-pound weight sitting in his stomach, and he wanted to do nothing more than take a knife and carve it all out, just so he could feel normal again. It… it was a kind of discomfort he hadn't experienced in a while…

His scroll buzzed. He checked it. It was Ruby. For a moment, he considered ignoring the message and leaving her unanswered. He didn't want to hear her voice. A scowl arose on his face, and he remembered why it was, that he hated so much.

She… she made him feel things, things that he didn't really want to feel… so maybe he should just cut her out? No…

I can't do that.

"Yeah?" he asked, bringing the scroll up to his ear.

"I need your help, Jaune!" Ruby's voice was higher-pitched than normal, panicked. Immediately, he sat straight up straight and alerted himself, ready to take in every detail.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"It's Blake! Something happened last night, and we tried looking for her… all day! We looked all day, but we couldn't find her and…" Ruby's trailed off, sounding like she didn't quite know what to say. "I… I just need some help Jaune. Do you think you could come out to Vale with us and look around?"

"Look around?" Jaune shook his head and rose from his seat, ready to bolt out and get to his locker. "Listen Ruby, I want to help, but you need to tell me what's happened."

"Yeah… yeah…" He heard Ruby go quiet on the other end of the scroll. He heard her take several breaths… in a rhythm not entirely dissimilar from the one that V.A.T.S. had taught him.

"Alright," she said after a moment, "Blake and Weiss got in a fight, and then Blake ran away… we're all really worried about her, and I just wanted to see if you'd be willing to come help us? Maybe see if your team wants to help, too?"

"My team won't come, but I will," Jaune made his way towards the door of the mess hall. "Don't worry Ruby, we'll—"

The wall on the other side of the room exploded.

The Lone Wanderer instantly ducked to the floor and reached for his waist, only to snarl when he realized that he'd left his weapons in his work locker. His supervisor had forbidden him from carrying them around, told him that he wouldn't need them. Wouldn't need them!

He took in his surroundings, which was a room thrown into chaos. Blasted brick and cement had been sprayed everywhere, and many of the civilians, all bereft of aura, were left clutching their wounds or covering their ears, damaged from the great roar which his own aura had buffeted and protected his ear drums from.

"Jaune! Jaune! What was that!?" Ruby yelled at him through his scroll, but he wasn't given any chance to reply.

"Alright everyone, put your hands in the air, like you just don't care," Roman Torchwick said as he sauntered in to the room, twirling his cane in a way that would make Chaplin proud. "Though you really should care, since I'm gonna hurt you if you don't."

The most wanted man in Vale. The Wanderer knew all about him from his hours on the news, and he knew about the people he was with, too. On either side of Torchwick, men and women wearing white masks, like that of the Grimm, filed out and into the room, brandishing their weapons and shouting warnings not to resist.

A commotion filtered in from outside, indicating that much the same sort of thing was happening outside, to the rest of the meager crew that had showed up tonight. Tonight, on a holiday, when everyone else around was closed and there would be hardly anyone here to stop an attack…

"Jaune, what's happening?" Ruby asked.

He pressed the 'end call' button and held his hands in the air. He was without his weapons, and he was no Yang. His experience with unarmed fighting was limited to getting enough room to draw his sword or pistol, so he had no option but to let the various White Fang grunts advance. One even pointed his gun at him and ordered him to get to his knees. He complied. Aura was great and all, but he didn't want to get shot down by White Fang and risk a confrontation with Roman Torchwick himself.

The Lone Wandered narrowed his eyes and stared at the attackers. Roman Torchwick and the White Fang? That was a match made in hell, if he'd ever seen one. Well, maybe now he'd be able to swap Torchwick stories with Ruby…

"Roman, the area is secure," said another man. The voice was muffled and inhuman, obviously obstructed by something. It came from outside of the building, thought its owner walked through the hole that Torchwick had made, into the mess hall. He wore a black outfit that covered every inch of his body, which was stocky and well-set. Broad shoulders strained against the tight suit, which looked to be made of kevlar, military-grade material. His face was covered in a black helmet—a gas mask, actually.

The Lone Wanderer hadn't seen one of those since the wasteland.

"Roman, I trust that…"

The figure stopped talking. For a moment, the Wanderer wondered what had caused the silence… before he noticed the man was staring… right at him.

He couldn't make out anything through the black lenses of his gas mask, but those flat, dead eyes stared straight at him, and the Wanderer didn't think he was imagining the intensity being imbued into the glare.

The man reached behind him and pulled his weapon off his back. It was a huge warhammer, though it looked nothing like Nora's Magnhild… actually, the design of it reminded the Wanderer very much of the supersledges that he'd seen back on Earth.

The man started walking towards him, and the Wanderer's nerves growled and seethed, but he forced himself to stay still. The man hefted his supersledge in both hands, and now he could see that his left hand was covered in a gauntlet-esque apparatus… one that reminded him very much of the power fists of Earth.

The man continued to march towards him.

Breathe deep. Hold. Release.

Marshal your aura, prepare for the worst.

Breathe deep. Hold. Release.

Don't do anything stupid.

Stay calm. This guy had probably just noticed that he was dangerous-looking. Maybe he sensed his aura, since the Wanderer was able to sense his. He had a strength about him which was unmistakable, a power that reverberated through the air. The same sort of thing emanated from Torchwick, a feeling that he'd gotten used to in his time at beacon.

Undoubtedly, this guy was strong.

Breathe deep. Hold. Release.

The Wanderer looked down at the floor. Machismo may demand he look up and stare down his opponent, but that may just provoke an attack. After all, he still didn't know if-

The man lashed out with his left fist. The piston set on it clacked and shot out, driving even greater force behind the punch, which landed on his temple.

The world darkened for a moment, but the Wanderer quickly adopted the strike's momentum and rolled out of the way, thanking the strong aura he'd fortified. He propped himself up into a crouch.

Just in time to catch the end of the man's hammer with his forehead.

He was sent cartwheeling up into the air, before ingloriously collapsing onto a table, sending food and drinks flying. The civilians shouted in surprise, but the White Fang around them were quick to suppress any unwanted movements.

Great, he'd been caught out by a strong opponent in a bad position, where they had all the advantages. The Wanderer hauled himself up and tried to get away from his foe, who was advancing slowly towards him.

Something cracked against the back of his head, sending him forward, an opportunity taken by the man with the gas mask, who rushed in and drove his power fist into his gut. He was double over from the strike, which had stolen all his breath. The man with the gas mask pushed him back, where he was against struck in the back, driven to his knees.

"Sheesh Art, if you're going to start knocking people around like they're hacky sacks, at least warn me first," Torchwick said from behind. The Lone Wanderer couldn't see him, but he could hear the snobby criminal behind him. Undoubtedly, the overly-suave prick was twirling his cane and chomping on cigar.

Idiot… you let you one of them get behind you.

The Wanderer gulped and shakily pushed himself up to his knees. He was outclassed here, completely. Two enemies, either of whom could probably match him in strength, now had him right where they wanted him. He looked up at the man in the gas mask, just in time to see him raise his hammer high above his head. He could only watch as it hurtled back down.

Everything became dark.

Oh boy, Jaune once more finds himself in a situation where he ruthlessly gets his ass kicked, which hasn't happened for a bit.

Well, I'm happy to finally set off some of the things that I've been building up for a while. Like, having Jaune get a job at the docks wasn't just a throwaway to explain his income. For the sake of an interesting fic, I've slapped him smack in the middle of Blake's disappearance arc, which he normally isn't involved with. This is an overhaul fic, so I'll be jamming him in about as much stuff as I can, since he's the primary protagonist and all.

Also, we see the truth behind Ruby and her 'friends' from Signal, a problem that Yang has been alluding to as far back as chapter 5. In canon, we see Ruby writing to them in the beginning of the show, never to mention them again. We know that Ruby isn't the best at socializing, so I just decided to dramatize the situation. If I hadn't… well, we wouldn't have gotten that nice scene between those two, now would we?

Fun fact, them sharing their favorite songs was always supposed to be fluffy, but it turned out much more intimate than I originally thought it would. That's the cool thing about writing: no matter your plans, things will still surprise you from time to time.

You know, I went back and reread the parts of chapter 5 where Jaune first meets Ruby and his subsequent thoughts about her. Compare that to this… man, night and day. He's certainly come far from then, when all the PM's and reviews were people rooting for Bishop to beat him up more, lol.