Dreams Do Come True

by DragonoftheEastblue

Do you believe in destiny? I certainly do, and so do two young Huntsmen-in-training who are about to have their lives changed forever. A retelling of events from the end of the Beacon Dance where Jaune realizes and accepts Pyrrha's feelings, and takes the first step on a journey he never knew was waiting for him. World-building/Canon-Restoration. Arkos, Boop, BlackSun, Iceberg, etc

3. Chapter III: To Stand By Your Side

Author's Notes I:

Hello everyone, hope you are all doing well. I wasn't expecting to include author's notes in this fic, but I feel there are a couple things I need to address.

1) While the entire fic is done, that doesn't mean my editors and I aren't still combing over it for errors. I always give one final pass before uploading, and unfortunately, I'm still finding misprints and less than stellar phrasing. While I do have two editors, they, as do I, have full-time jobs. Time is limited, so they do the best they can. And since I am the author, I have to make the final call on any and all edits, thus I have to go through everything before green-lighting it.

To mitigate any and all future misprints (as much as possible anyways), I will take as much time as it requires to revise the chapters before posting them. This may not seem to be an issue, but I had originally planned to release them weekly, on the same day of the week at the same time (Tuesdays at 4pm EST). With this change, they will only come out when I deem them ready. My standards are high, so even if the chapters are in their "final" state, I'll still have doubt in my heart, making me second guess everything.

Of course, saying this while releasing this chapter on time surely seems odd, but I genuinely thought that this one would come out late. I do expect that future chapters will take longer, so I feel better saying it now for the record. Also, if some of you manage to catch errors that I didn't, then I'll have to spend more time revising; as much as that hurts to say.

Technically speaking they can still come out weekly, just not every Tuesday, so that's something. My goal was to get this all done before the release of V8, but since that isn't possible, I must do what is reasonable.

2) I'd like to thank you for the positive reviews I've received thus far, for they have been quite kind. I hope they keep coming, and each new chapter pleases you all.

I would now like to take a moment to mention one reader: a WearyCurmudgeon. Thank you very much for your lengthy reviews, as they contain some interesting observations. However, Sir or Madam, since you're a guest reviewer, I can't answer your questions if you don't have an account, as some of my answers will spoil things.

Nonetheless, thank you for your input, as it has certainly helped.

That's all I've got for now, so please enjoy chapter III. This is where the fun begins.

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Chapter III: To Stand By Your Side

The past few weeks had been both incredibly eventful, and incredibly calm. Team RWBY's raid on Roman Torchwick's hideout had been more successful than originally expected. Ruby and her team had slowed down their enemies, as well as the Grimm, giving Teams JNPR, CFVY, SSSN, and the Atlassian military, enough time to ready themselves and launch a counter-attack. They pushed into the tunnels and continued to slay the Grimm, insuring that none could break through again. There were still members of the White Fang hiding below ground, most of who had not expected to be flanked or were left onboard the train, and chose to either die fighting or surrender.

The march was slow given the debris, but thanks to General Ironwood deploying a full company of his armour division, they were able to punch through and allow the Huntsmen and the soldiers to press on deeper. Their mission, though unknown to the Huntsmen-in-training, was to recover any and all intelligence that remained, in whatever condition they found it. Correspondences, notes, dossiers, hard drives, maps, manifests; anything that could provide the Huntmasters with information about their enemy's plans. Unfortunately there was not much intelligence to gather. Torchwick had not been a fool, and had either hidden vital information, or destroyed it. But what did remain would be utilized to its fullest, however useful it proved to be.

Despite his cleverness in covering his tracks, Torchwick had not been able to escape, and was currently being held prisoner by Ironwood. Attempts had been made to interrogate him, but so far he had not let slip any information that they did not already know. While speaking with Ozpin, the General had commented that he had expected the crime lord to crack given that his empire was falling to pieces, and wouldn't survive without him there to control his goons and manage his dealings. What he was surprised to discover was that Torchwick was still incredibly confident, and appeared to have not an ounce of concern for himself or his gang. Ironwood argued that this could be due to him being delusional, or him being aware of information that they did not possess. Ironwood's final comment was just as intriguing and disturbing as the second; that Torchwick's silence was on par with that of the most loyal of soldiers, more willing to die than to spill their guts. The immediate question that came to all their minds was why? Why would someone like Torchwick, who before this year had never garnered this level of power and ambition, align himself with the White Fang, have command of their fighters, and plan assaults? Furthermore, his gang's gathering of supplies in such great quantities was worrying, for it appeared to the Huntmaster-General as the gathering of war materiel. Continuing in that vein, why would a mere gang leader have this level of loyalty to his comrades? Thus far they had no explanation, but Ironwood was confident that they would get the answers they were looking for.

Unfortunately for the elder Huntsmen, there was one piece of information they were not provided; a piece held by Yang Xiao Long. Team RWBY had been asked to file reports about their assault on the train with Doctor Oobleck. Ruby's report was most appreciated as she had been captured by Torchwick, and Ozpin and Ironwood were hoping that she would have been privy to information that they had not yet discovered. However, they were looking in the wrong place, as Yang's report would have held information that would both illuminate and complicate the situation...if she had chosen to mention it. Yang had lied in her report that her opponent had fled after taking too much damage, leaving out that she had been saved by an unknown warrior. This warrior, clad head to toe in black with a strange helmet, and possibly wielding a sword, had scared off Yang's attacker, before leaving without a word by opening a portal. Without question the knowledge of this new player would be valued by Ozpin and his allies, as not only was someone with the power to create portals alarming, but attempting to discover the allegiance of said warrior, would be paramount.

Of course none present would have been able to identify this new warrior. No emblems or insignias, no Kingdom crests, no uniform, nothing at all to point to their origin. Yang hadn't even able to tell what gender they were, or if they were Human or Faunus. With nothing to work with, and given that she was barely conscious with blurred vision at the time of her rescue, Yang decided not to mention the warrior; as a way of thanking them, if nothing else. Since then, both the White Fang and Torchwick's goons had appeared to have gone underground, making no visible movements, signaling that they had gone dormant; at least for the time being. This then left Huntmaster-General Ironwood and Grand Huntmaster Ozpin to their own devices, combing over the intelligence they recovered, along with continuing to plan the Vytal Festival Tournament.

This had been what the others decided to focus on as well, as both Team RWBY and JNPR began to train for the upcoming event. Their recent battles had made it clear that they needed to sharpen their skills, as well as polish up their teamwork. Both captains were aware of this fact most of all, Ruby for being so easily defeated and captured, and Jaune for being himself. They realized that things needed to change and change quickly, not only for the upcoming tournament, but for all battles to come. If they were to be true Huntsmen, to take on not only the hordes of Grimm, but evil people, Human and Faunus alike, they would need to improve. Ruby began focusing on refining her tactics and team combinations, maximizing not only her effectiveness as a sniper, but the effectiveness of her teammates.

Jaune was even more dedicated to self-improvement, spurred on from his recent involvement with Pyrrha, and his private conversation with Ren. He began scheduling training sessions with his lieutenant whenever there was room for them. He no longer tried to avoid his training—not even regarding Aura. Instead, when Pyrrha would suggest they focus on that for the day, he would nod and not complain. On top of increasing his training with Pyrrha, he also began training with Ren. It was not only so that both of them could improve together, as well as spend more time discussing the women they loved, but to train specifically on hand-to-hand combat. With the blond swordsman's options in combat being so limited, he decided it would be best to build on any and all things at his disposal.

Pyrrha and Nora began doing the same; the two strongest members of Team JNPR, testing their might against one another. It also gave them more time to talk about Jaune and Ren, continuing the conversations they previously had. They were having more and more of these chats as of late, mirroring the boys, as neither of them had such an opportunity before coming to Beacon. Furthermore, they were both emboldened from the events of the Dance. Nora was especially encouraged, as she now no longer felt stranded in her attempts to convey her feelings for Ren to him. Without question Ren had been a good friend and brother to her for a long time, but after her feelings for him turned into romantic love, she felt trapped, unable to express herself honestly. Pyrrha had now become an outlet for her feelings, and in turn, Nora felt that she was becoming a sister to her.

These new training regiments were proving to aid Team JNPR greatly, building not only their strength as a team, but trust as friends. Pyrrha was especially enjoying the training, as it was mirroring what she had become accustom to while training at Sanctum. Of course she was enjoying herself for more selfish reasons, and she was now spending far more time with Jaune than she had previously. While they had agreed to wait until after the tournament to go on their date, the heart will do as it wishes, and they spent time during and post training in playful banter.

Today was no different. As per usual, the pair were on the roof of the dormitory, where they previously had most of their secret training sessions. Of course they had moved to other locations depending on what was planned for the day. However, as all of the training grounds were being occupied by other students, both foreign and Beaconite, their old stomping grounds would have to do. As Jaune was adjusting the straps of his armour, Pyrrha began to take a fighting stance.

"Are you ready" she asked.

"Nearly" he replied, buckling the last strap on his breastplate. "I've got a good feeling about our sparring session today."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

"Just got some new ideas I'd like to try."

"Well..." she said with a smile, performing a sword flourish with Miló in her right hand before raising it behind her head, tip pointed at her captain, and Akoúo held before her, a hybrid of Ox and High Guard, "I look forward to testing these new ideas. Don't get discouraged if they fail."

"No worries" returned Jaune, drawing Crocea Mors, keeping it low and pointed behind him in Tail Guard, shield raised. "If they fail, I'll just blame it on being distracted by your beauty."

Pyrrha blushed at his words, but smiled coquettishly at him. This was now a regular occurrence, as Jaune had become rather bold since the Dance, and would flirt with her often when they were alone. Of course she was enjoying every moment of it, as going from trying so hard to get his attention, to having him treat her as is she was the only woman in the world, was a change she could very easily become accustomed to. They held their gaze, waiting to see who would make the first move, before Jaune flicked his sword without warning, aiming for her left side.

Pyrrha parried the attack with Akoúo, and made an overhead thrust with Miló for the right side of the blond's now exposed breastplate. Jaune absorbed the blow, and forced his shield forward to knock her back, before returning to a fighting stance. This had all occurred in a blink of an eye, displaying how proficient the two had become, though it was more Jaune catching up to Pyrrha's level. The couple began to slowly circle each other clockwise, taking care of their footwork, and keeping their eyes locked, trying to anticipate each other's next move. The redhead twitched her sword as a feint, but the blond did not take the bait. She internally smiled at him for that, as she had made sure to beat it into him to avoid falling for obvious feints. Sword play was as much mental as it was physical, and Jaune had a sharper mind than he realized. She hoped that sharpening it would translate to whetting his blade, and so far her faith had not been misplaced.

Pyrrha decided to press on the attack, and thrust Miló at the same spot on Jaune's breastplate. Jaune instantly brought up Crocea Mors to counter the blow, but as soon as the blades made contact, Pyrrha countered clockwise and stuck his right spaulder. Jaune jerked back from the attack, but kept his footing. He brought his shield up in an attempt to obscure Pyrrha's view, and quickly swiped at her left leg with his sword. Pyrrha didn't try to block or parry the attack, but instead lifted her leg, allowing Crocea Mors to miss, and attacked with the edge of Akoúo. As fast as the young captain could, he brought up his shield to block the strike, however this time he was slightly caught off balance, and staggered backwards. Pyrrha took full advantage and pressed forward, pushing into Jaune's space, and transforming Miló into its javelin form. Knowing that he could not allow her to gain momentum, Jaune took the best stance he could muster, and thrust his sword directly at Pyrrha.

The Mistralese champion was also aware of the importance of maintaining pressure in combat, and brought Akoúo up as she dashed forward. Instead of blocking or parrying the attack, she cradled Jaune's sword in one of the scooped indentations of her dipylon-style shield, and sharply twisted to her left. This kept her momentum and only added to Jaune's less than desired footing, allowing Pyrrha a full lunge, and drove Miló into the blond's breastplate. The attack sent Jaune hurling backward, and it appeared as if he was going to fall. However, Pyrrha had underestimated her captain's ability to recover, and was slightly taken aback to see him regain his balance. Knowing that there was no time to waste, Jaune dashed forward to begin his retaliation, but took his lieutenant by surprise once more, by aiming a strong front kick at her chest. Surprised, but not stunned, the redhead managed to bring up her shield in time to absorb the blow. It was now her turn to be knocked back, and now appearing as if she was going to fall over, Jaune dashed forward to continue capitalizing on his punish.

Unfortunately for Jaune, Pyrrha was not a champion for nothing, and turning the tide of battle was something she was very well versed in. She had angled Akoúo slightly to her right to utilized Jaune's kick to give herself momentum, and spin clockwise, transforming Miló back into its xiphos form. She swung her sword at the advancing Arc, aiming for his head, where Jaune just managed to halt his charge to lean backwards and avoid the attack. He was genuinely shocked that she had aimed for his head, which was exactly what Pyrrha wanted. She of course was not trying to decapitate her boyfriend, but she knew she had to stop his advance, while setting him up for a follow up attack. This came in the form of a solid back spinning high kick that connected squarely with Jaune's right cheek. That undeniably had rung his bell, which Pyrrha was aware of, and took full advantage of him recoiling by sending a fast but powerful spinning side kick directly into the centre of his breastplate.

This kick knocked the blond swordsman right off his feet, and he would have certainly crashed to the ground if his shoulders had not collided with the stone wall behind him. Nevertheless, the wind was knocked out of him, allowing Pyrrha to perform a sword flourish with Miló to turn it into its javelin form, before charging forward. Jaune lifted his head just in time to see her charge, and knew he had to get away from the wall to avoid being cornered. He pushed himself to his feet and moved to his right, expecting another javelin thrust, and planned to flank her after she committed to the attack. Unfortunately Pyrrha had expected this, for when she dashed forward and Jaune changed position, she jumped and kicked off the wall, twisting in the air and striking at him from above. Jaune's eyes widened, being taken off guard, and quickly raised his shield, using his legs to absorb the blow as much as he could before backing off.

'OK...this is going south fast' he thought, tasting blood in his mouth. 'I need to take her by surprise or else she'll just topple me again. I can't let this drag out either; she wins the long game every time. Let's try to shake things up.'

Jaune readied himself, tightening the grip on his sword, and rushed Pyrrha. She was surprised that he was pressing an attack so quickly, but was glad to see him not submitting to the pressure. The captain began a thrust, but quickly changed trajectory to aim lower. Pyrrha could tell that Jaune had overcommitted to the attack, and quickly parried the strike, causing Jaune to crouch and drive a quarter of Crocea Mors' blade into the roof. Without hesitating, Pyrrha did a backhanded slash at Jaune's chest, to then open him up to a combo that should end the fight. However, this was exactly what the blond wanted. Acting as fast as possible, Jaune torqued his chest so that his breastplate took most of the blow, allowing him to get as close to Pyrrha as possible. He let go of his sword to grab her belt, and collapsed his shield so he could grab the top of her corset plackart. With all his might, he brought Pyrrha into a shoulder throw, and launched her several feet behind him.

This had genuinely taken the Mistral champion by surprise, not expecting him to begin utilizing grapples in combat. She was not helpless however, and instinctively tucked into a combat roll, making sure not to lose her grip of Miló and Akoúo. While she was in free fall, Jaune reopened his shield and pulled his sword out from the ground, before dashing in so not to give Pyrrha a moment to breathe. Quick as lightning, the redhead was facing her opponent once again, and saw Jaune preparing to strike down onto her. She quickly raised her sword and shield, planning to parry the attack and end the fight via disarmament. She rose with her plan, feeling certain of her predication of what Jaune was going to do.

To her surprise, Jaune had feinted his downward stroke, and instead flicked both sword and shield in an underhand motion, striking beneath Miló and Akoúo. It was a more powerful strike than Pyrrha had expected, but not enough to disarm her. Of course, that wasn't Jaune's plan, as he knew disarming Pyrrha was not only incredibly difficult, but wasted effort, as she could easily call her weapons back to her with Polarity. His actual plan was far more unconventional. As soon as Pyrrha's arms where high enough, so that her line of sight with him was obscured, the blond let go of Crocea Mors and collapsed his shield, and ducked below. Before the Huntress-in-training knew what he was doing, Jaune spun past her, got behind, wrapped his arms around her waist, and with all his might, grappled Pyrrha into a German suplex. His plan was that the suplex would knock the wind out of her, and give him enough time to get on top of her, and win the fight by pointing the tip of his sword at her throat, forcing her to yield.

Unfortunately for Jaune, it was not going to be so easy. The young swordsman had never done such a move before, and miscalculated the timing, the angle, and the amount of force required to perform the suplex correctly. As soon as the combined weight of Pyrrha and himself passed his shoulders, his heels slid out from under him, and both crashed to the ground. Jaune in the end was the one who took the brunt of the fall, causing him to wince, and lose his breath for a moment or two. When he opened his eyes, he was looking at the tip of Miló pointing right at the bridge of his nose, with Pyrrha kneeling above him. Her right hand gripped her sword in a reverse fashion with her left hand on the pommel, the blade hardly trembling.

"I will admit..." she said, breathing heavily but steadily, "...that took me off guard. I was not expecting you to use grappling techniques. That's not a bad idea, Jaune."

The blond blew a lock of his hair that was obscuring his view in a rather incredulous manner.

"Well, ideas being good or bad tend to rely on them succeeding or not" he said, slightly disappointed. Pyrrha attached Miló and Akoúo to her back before extending her hand and helping her captain to his feet.

"I don't think so. Plans rely greatly on their execution certainly, however, the plan itself can still be quite sound" she reasoned. "Tell me, what made you think of trying to grapple?"

"It's pretty obvious" Jaune began, dusting himself off before picking up his sword and shield. "I've only awakened my Aura last fall, and I've yet to awaken my Semblance. I fight with a straightforward style wielding a simple sword and shield. It doesn't transform and it doesn't turn into a gun. I figured I'd have to start getting creative with my fighting style to not only make it through the tournament, but be effective on actual Hunts."

Pyrrha nodded. "You're right. And not only did you successfully use grappling techniques to compliment you raw fighting power, but you utilized your armour correctly and effectively. You're using your best attribute to deal with combat, and you've come a long way. However, if you are going to use both grapples and armour, then we should work on strength training, and you should look into getting fully armoured."

"Thanks, Pyrrha, but for now, it's too late. I can't grow a pair of shoulders in a day, and I can't get a proper full suit of armour made in time for the tournament."

"Of course, I'm just thinking about the future. Have you consulted the academy's Master-at-Arms?"

"No, I figured it'd be pointless for now" Jaune admitted. "Getting fitted for a full suit would take more time than I have, on top of then having to get used to fighting in full armour. That's my biggest problem right now; I just don't have the time. My Aura control is bad and I don't have enough time to catch up to everyone else. If I were to unlock my Semblance now, it wouldn't help as it takes months if not years to master your Semblance. I just need to do what I can with what I've got."

Pyrrha was quiet for a moment. She was worried that he was being too hard on himself, but he had thought through his situation rationally, leaving her without much to point out. However, it did prompt a question that she had wanted to ask ever since they had met.

"That's very wise of you. I do have a question in regards to making use of what's at your disposal. Why is Crocea Mors your weapon of choice? As you said, it doesn't transform or have a secondary function as a firearm. Have you considered upgrading or replacing it?"

Jaune fitted and sheathed his sword to his belt before closing his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Crocea Mors is a family heirloom. It belonged to my great-great-grandfather who fought in the Great War. It's sorta how it is in my family. We've fought for generations with melee weapons, seeing it as the more honourable way to fight and serve. I've got nothing against firearms, far from it, but even when I was a kid, a sword had always been the weapon I wanted to use. Yeah, I'm pretty bad at it but...just holding one feels so...natural. I can't explain it any other way."

At that, Pyrrha smiled. "No, you've explained it perfectly" she said warmly, causing the blond to look at her curiously. "I grew up with my mother telling me every fairytale and legend under the sun. I fell in love with tales of warriors of old, charging into battle with sword and shield, ready to fight and die for their Gods and Kings. Glory, majesty, unity. I knew that one day I wanted to be a warrior, and my arms would be a sword and shield. It was just so natural for me as well. Tell me, is any modification out of the question?"

"Yes" he replied, resting his left hand on the pommel of his sword. "Because it's an heirloom, it has a special purpose of being a training tool. When I become proficient enough, then I can get my own sword forged and do what I want with it. It's been a tradition to pass Crocea Mors from father to son, and in time, if the Gods are willing, I'll pass it on to my son."

He glanced at her when he said that last part before looking away, blushing slightly. Pyrrha caught his glaze and blushed as well, for the implication of having children with her caused butterflies to flutter in her stomach. Such things were far too soon of course, but there was something reassuring that Jaune was treating marriage and children as an important priority. Hunting was a dangerous profession, and Huntsmen growing old was less likely than not. This left many students to utter the eternal phrase "You don't want to die a virgin, do you?", as a way to reason to have carefree sex. That of course bothered Pyrrha greatly, so hearing him suggest that he took relationships seriously was comforting, and made her love him more.

"Well..." she began, placing her left hand on her captain's shoulder, "I will do everything that I can to help you master the sword, and respect your family's traditions."

Jaune looked at her and quickly succumbed to her infectious smile.

"Thanks, Pyrrha, though mastery is gonna take a while" he pointed out.

"All great journeys begin with a single step, as they say" she replied reassuringly. "You've been making wonderful progress with your swordsmanship. Even with Aura you've been far more dedicated, and developing a better grasp on controlling it. I can sense that your Semblance will awaken much sooner than you think if we continue on this training regimen. As for the tournament, I would still recommend getting small changes to your armour. You're correct about a full suit. Thusly, I would suggest replacing your spaulders with proper pauldrons."

She tapped the armour attached to his arm.

"They'll offer better protection, and will pair better with Crocea Mors. Furthermore, I would also replace these," she continued, taking his hand, indicating his gloves, "with gauntlets and vambraces. What you have now offers no protection, and if you decide to wield a longsword or a warsword, with gauntlets, you can make use of half-sword techniques. Plus," she tapped the armour on her forearms together, "vambraces can serve as a shield in a pinch. The same goes for your legs, where you should get greaves and cuisses, as I do."

Pyrrha raised her right leg to show the armour attached to her leather flat-heeled thigh-high boots, the base of the greaves resting comfortably on the instep of the boot.

"You were smart to go for my legs, however, I wouldn't have needed to dodge the attack, as I could have kicked your sword away. And lastly" she said, placing her hand on his chest, "your torso armour. This breastplate is too small, and does very little to protect your vitals. You should consider either adding a plackart to cover the lower half, or a proper full cuirass. Those would help you on such short notice."

Jaune raised an eyebrow at the beautiful champion and gave her a playful smirk.

"Is there anything else, professor?" he asked teasingly. "Because it sounds like you pretty much listed off a full suit of armour."

Pyrrha tried to keep a straight face, but ended up making a humorous pout, causing Jaune's smirk to grow at how cute she looked.

"Well, I'm sorry for trying to help!" she shot back in mock offense, giving her captain a playful shove. Jaune laughed and looked back at Pyrrha, seeing her pout had turned into a dazzling smile, and her cheeks slightly flushed.

'Gods, she gets more beautiful every time I look at her' he thought. 'Why didn't I ask her out sooner?'

"I know you are, and thanks. It means the world" Jaune said genuinely, getting a deeper blush from the swordswoman. "I'll swing by the school forge to see what can be done, though it's not the end of the world right now. I don't expect to get too far into the tournament."

This caused the redhead to frown. "Jaune, you need to be more confident in your abilities" she said dejectedly.

"It's not about confidence, it's about tactics" he replied, giving her an earnest glance. "I've gone over this year's tournament format, and I think I've come up with the best method to get us to the final round and win the whole shebang. The first round will be full teams against one another, so we're fine there. The second round will be doubles, so Ren and I will step out, leaving you and Nora to take on the competition. You two are the strongest on the team so that's a no-brainer. And then there's the final round which will be singles, which we'll leave to you. I've watched your old tournament fights in Mistral, and have trained enough with you to know that you excel at one-on-one combat. It'll be a breeze for you, cuz let's be honest, who could beat you? See? I'm positively bursting with confidence."

Pyrrha looked at the blond smirking at her with his hands held out as if he were shrugging, and could not suppress a proud smile from spreading across her face.

"Jaune, that's absolutely outstanding" she beamed. "Hang on. Is that the reason why you suggested that I start training with Nora?"

"Hey, like you said, gotta use my best attribute" he grinned, tapping his forehead. "Now, where did we put our water bottles? I gotta get the taste of blood out of my mouth."

The redhead blinked in confusion at him, but now that she was aware, could see that the corner of Jaune's bottom lip had been split; exactly where she had kicked him.

"Oh, Jaune, I'm sorry!" she apologized, touching his right cheek with her left hand.

"Hey, it's fine! It's already mostly healed anyways" he replied reassuringly. "Even if my Aura control is crap, I can at least unconsciously heal quickly. Plus I've got countless bruises from all the training we do together, so what's a little split lip?"

"I–"

"Pyrrha" cut in Jaune, seeing the concern growing on her face. "I know you care about me. You're worried about my wellbeing, and that means more to me than I can ever put into words, but I need you to train me seriously. I'm the weakest member of this team, even though I'm the captain. I need to get stronger. No matter how much blood, sweat, and tears it takes to get stronger, I have to grit my teeth and keep going. So don't hold back when we train together. Unless, I'm finally catching up and you need to start fighting seriously for the sake of your pride" he added teasingly, leaning forward to come across as smug as possible. He meant none of it of course, but he knew what was in his control, and what was beyond it. He truly did need Pyrrha to avoid giving him any special treatment, and put aside her feelings for him in order to train him properly.

Regrettably, he may have overreached slightly, as the worried look the young woman had, melted quickly into one of smug contempt. Without speaking, Pyrrha raised her right hand and activated Polarity, causing both her hand and Jaune's armour to glow red. Before the blond realized what was happening, he was thrown across the roof and crashed into the stone wall, though with enough care by Pyrrha to not hurt him. Jaune tried to move but immediately realized that he was completely immobile. He looked down at his armour, then to Pyrrha, and then off to the horizon, sucking on his teeth.

"Right, let me rethink that last statement" he stated. This washed away the redhead's facade, and she began to laugh.

"I'm so sorry! I just..." she tried to say, but her words were lost in laughter.

Jaune watched her with admiration. Without question, her laughter had become the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, and he made a small oath to make her laugh whenever possible. He may have teased her a bit too much this time round, but the results were still what he wanted.

"So it finally comes out. The true Pyrrha Nikos" he began, preparing to rile her up once more. "Beautiful on the outside, but secretly cruel on the inside."

"Hold on just a moment, Jaune Arc" she retorted, her eyes flashing mischievously. She reversed the polarity and brought the young Huntsman-in-training back to her, but kept her hold on him, leaving him suspended several inches off the ground. "I'm secretly cruel? If I were as you described, I could have simply thrown you from the roof with my Semblance, could I have not?"

Maintaining composure, Jaune fired back playfully.

"Perhaps. No doubt it was my handsome good looks that held back your full might" he stated matter-of-factly.

Pyrrha kept a smirk on her face, understanding the game he was playing, and continued to use the philosophy of speaking calmly and carrying a big stick. In this case, her Semblance represented the stick, and with a flick of the wrist, flipped Jaune around so that he was hanging before her at eye level, feet to the sky.

"Do you wish to rethink that last statement?" she asked sweetly.

Jaune paused for moment, more due to how close they were than for effect.

"Alright, I was the one distracted by your beauty...and you were kind and merciful...because you're a wonderful teacher; a gift from the Gods, crafted in their image..."

"Alright, now you are layering it on a tad thick" Pyrrha admitted, though she would be lying if she claimed that his words weren't making her heart flutter.

Jaune shrugged. "Hey, I'm honest if nothing else" he said sheepishly, earning a warm giggle.

The pair gazed at one another tenderly, becoming lost in each other's eyes. Their playful flirting had changed the air, first filled with the tension of battle, and now filled with the enticing aura of romance. Several times during their teasing, Pyrrha's urge to kiss Jaune had steadily risen, and now, being so close to him, was reaching a fever pitch. This was the perfect moment was it not? They had not yet gone on the date they had promised, but spending so many hours alone together training, had still strengthened their relationship. There had been many moments like these, growing in intensity, and leaving her to ask herself the same question again and again: was there anything truly wrong with taking things further?

Similar thoughts were racing through Jaune's mind. Over the course of the past few weeks, the time he had spent with Pyrrha had done more than sharpen his prowess with the sword. He began to see Pyrrha evermore as a woman, and was becoming infatuated with her. Every moment with her had been something that he wanted to treasure. It did not matter if they were training or talking, it just felt right to be with her, and it made him happy. He had never felt happiness like this before; not that he had any prior dating experience, but this felt as if were straight out of a fairytale. And what was happening right now, felt exactly like that. Should he kiss her? He wanted to. It felt like the right moment; alone, together, joking and teasing, their faces so close. His heart was beginning to pound, and he was wrestling with the emotions that were growing inside. Was he starting to have feelings for her, or was it merely teenage hormones? He wanted to be sure of before doing something he would regret; something that would hurt the first person who had ever believed in him. He stared into her vivid green eyes, more beautiful than emeralds, and felt every part of him want her to be in his arms. Was waiting till the end of the tournament so important, or was it just prolonging the inevitable?

Jaune's head began to move slowly, leaning in, and Pyrrha made no attempt to stop him, her own heart pounding like a drum in her ears.

Suddenly, the young Huntress-in-training's Scroll began to ring loudly, scaring both of them, and caused Pyrrha to lose control of her Semblance, allowing Jaune to crash onto the floor.

"Jaune! I'm so sorry!" she gasped, kneeling down to help him.

"I'm fine!" the blond groaned, rolling over and accepting her hand, getting to his feet. "The ground broke my fall. You should...probably answer that" he added sheepishly, his cheeks flushed.

Pyrrha nodded, her own cheeks painted red, and using her Semblance once more, summoned her Scroll from the opposite side of the roof top, and hastily slid her finger across the screen.

"Yes, Nora?" she said as collected as she could be.

"Hey! How's it going?" the ginger said energetically.

"I'm alright, and yourself?"

"I'm good! Ren and I are about to start our training for today. What about you?"

"Jaune and I have already begun our sparring session. We're just taking a little break."

"Huh...is that what you two are calling it, or are you actually training?"

"Nora!" Pyrrha hissed, quickly turning away from her captain to avoid him hearing.

"What?"

The champion of Mistral wanted to scold her friend, who had been taking a great deal of enjoyment out of teasing her, but decided it would be best to leave that for another time.

"Did you call me just to ask questions that you already know the answers to, or was there something more pressing at hand?" she asked steadily.

"Just wanted to make sure that we'll be meeting up with the others for lunch at the fairgrounds."

"Yes, we are."

"Good! Let's meet at our rooms to wash up before we go. Have fun!"

"You too. See you then."

"Bye! And don't get distracted!~"

Pyrrha was about to make a retort, but the line went dead before she got the chance. She looked down at her Scroll and saw Nora's icon, a photo of her flashing a peace sign while giving the camera a cheeky wink, blink several times before fading into darkness. She wasn't annoyed with Nora exactly, as she was able to see the humour in her playful teasing, but she was nevertheless miffed. In this case, it was because she was starting to agree with her teammate about wanting more. The time she and Jaune were spending together was deepening her love for him, and the desire to kiss him was now at a near constant. Pyrrha supposed that this was how Nora felt, being with Ren for so long, wanting to be more than a friend to him; wanting to embrace him, but never being able to. She hadn't needed to wait for as long as Nora had, so feeling such impatience was rather childish of her. However, the heart wants what it wants, as they say.

"Is everything OK?" asked Jaune.

Pyrrha was shaken out from her thoughts, and quickly replied as calmly as she could.

"Yes! It was just Nora wanting to know if we were still meeting with Team RWBY for lunch after our training."

She briskly walked to the other side of the roof and placed her Scroll next to her sack where they kept their water bottles. She took one of them that she knew belonged to Jaune and tossed it to him, taking her time so that her flushed cheeks could pale once more. She returned to the centre of their makeshift dueling arena as Jaune brought the bottle to his lips.

"Then we should get back at it" he said, taking a swig.

"Of course. Are you ready?"

Jaune gargled the water before swallowing it in one gulp, and tossed the bottle to their packs.

"Ready" he replied drawing Crocea Mors and took his fighting stance. "Round two, my lady?"

Pyrrha couldn't hold back a smile, and felt her cheeks reignite.

'Well, patience is a virtue after all' she thought, taking her fighting stance of her own. 'But I have to disagree that it is its own reward.'

With that in mind, she struck the flat edge of Miló twice against Akoúo and dashed forward.

λΛλ

Team JNPR stood before the fairgrounds with both awe and hunger in their eyes. The Beacon campus had been turned into a bustling fair, full of booths neatly organized in rows, selling everything from food, to clothing, to weapons and armour. People from all four Kingdoms were strolling through the makeshift streets, indulging themselves on all that Vale had to offer. The scents from the food stalls were wafting above the crowds, reaching the young students' noses with ease; Nora especially.

"I'm starving!" she chimed salivating, her eyes scanning for a suitable eatery.

"Same" added Jaune, grinning at his teammate's eagerness. "Where are the others?"

"I believe they are at a noodle shop" answered Pyrrha, shielding her eyes with her hand in order to spot it.

"There they are" pointed Ren, seeing their friends seated on stools before a booth. The party then made their way to the pop-up restaurant, and when they were close enough, began to overhear them apparently arguing with the owner.

"What?! How can my card be declined? I was barely into my monthly allowance!" reasoned Weiss, confused to why her credit card was rejected, though she was starting to put two and two together as to whom the culprit was.

"Maybe I could help?" offered Pyrrha with a smile, getting the attention of Team RWBY.

"Pyrrha!" cheered Ruby, throwing her arms in the air with delight.

"Aw, you don't have too..." said Yang.

"What are friends for? Think nothing of it" the redhead reassured.

"Mind if we join you?" asked Jaune.

"Please!" said Team RWBY in unison.

Team JNPR graciously sat on the stools adjacent to Team RWBY, and began to make their orders. Pyrrha paid for the meal in advance to assure the owner they would not dine and dash, along with Team RWBY's tab, which he accepted graciously.

"So how's your training been?" asked Jaune after taking a forkful of his noodles.

"Great! We've been working really hard on our combinations, getting our teamwork in tip-top shape! We've come a long way since our initiation" said Ruby smiling, a proud look of accomplishment on her face.

"Indeed. The wrinkles in our battle tactics have been ironed out, our resolve has only sharpened in the process, and we have gone as far as planned a course of action to take us all the way to the final rounds" added Weiss, equally proud of herself.

"And that's just getting these two to stop bickering" quipped Blake as she added a healthy amount of chopped chilli peppers from a jar to her noodles, causing Yang to snort in her glass.

"Is something the matter?" asked Pyrrha with concern.

"No, they're just like they always are; getting on each other's nerves and arguing over ballistics, Dust calibrations, ammo, impingement systems, yada yada yada" explained Yang, twirling her left hand in annoyance as she slurped a mouthful of noodles.

"You should have seen the last one about modifying bullets" followed Blake.

"Well..." began Ruby and Weiss together, causing Blake and Yang to immediately lean over and physically silence them.

"Don't start! We're eating" groaned the Faunus. The elder Xiao Long agreed with several loud but muffled noises that hardly resembled words; her eyes wide, and cheeks puffed, full of noodle.

Team JNPR laughed at their friend's antics, earning a look of amusement from Yang.

"So" she said after swallowing, "what about you guys?"

"We're ready to rock!" replied Nora, punching her fists together, grinning from ear to ear. "Jaune's got us on an intense training schedule. We get barely any free time, which sucks, BUT now we're so much stronger than we were before. Our weapons are cleaned, oiled, locked, and loaded, plus we have a great plan to win the whole tournament. I've lost count at how many drills we've done, AND Jaune's come up with lots of really smart strategies. We can't lose!"

Ren nodded. "Jaune has taken the reins rather impressively."

"Absolutely" agreed Pyrrha with a warm smile.

The captain could not help cracking a smile of his own while scratching his cheek bashfully. He hadn't expected such glowing praise from his teammates, and was rather embarrassed by it. However, he was not feeling self-conscious, but rather, deep gratefulness. He had never been praised in such a way before, and knowing how genuine it all was, made his spirits rise to the heavens.

"Thanks, guys" he said softly, expressing his gratitude.

"So how about your fighting ability?" inquired the shorter blonde, eyeing Jaune doubtfully.

"Jaune's been improving tremendously" defended Pyrrha, slightly perturbed by the look Yang was giving her crush.

"...Y-Yeah!" blurted out Nora, though with some hesitation.

Ren eyed Team RWBY and saw the dubious looks on their faces, before glancing at his teammates.

"Are you going to take that?" he asked with a small smirk of amusement.

Jaune sighed. "Well, they're not wrong; none of them. Pyrrha and Nora aren't wrong that I've gotten better at my swordsmanship, and Yang isn't wrong to question if it's enough. I have gotten better as a swordsman, and I can now handle my own against many good civilian sword practitioners. But I'm not a civilian. I'm training to be a Huntsman, and as I am now, going up against other Huntsmen, who have better grasps on their Auras and Semblances, and have more versatile weapons, leaves me pretty outmatched. I'm the weakest one here, so I have to do what I can with what I've got."

"Jaune..." frowned Pyrrha, again not liking him being down on himself. Quickly but smoothly, Jaune pressed a finger against her lips to silence her.

"Pyrrha, we talked about this" he countered firmly but gently, a content smirk on his face. "I'm not complaining, just stating facts. We all came here to train and to grow. Losing is part of the learning process, and I know, just like everyone else here, that the road to being a true Huntsman is long and hard. And hey, better to fail here than out in the wilds, right?"

The others watched and listened intently as Jaune spoke, giving him a gaze of silent approval when he finished. The remaining members of Team JNPR had of course seen Jaune's growth over the course of the past few weeks, and were even more proud of him. Team RWBY on the other hand had been far too preoccupied with their own training to spend time with their friends to notice, so it was a rather captivating experience to see the underdog captain display such maturity. Weiss was especially fascinated, as she harboured the most doubt that Jaune would accomplish anything. And yet here he was, dating the most distinguished Huntress-in-training of their generation, and articulating sage words of advice. What an incredible transformation he had undergone, and the way he looked at Pyrrha, which all present noticed and were entertained by, for it showed he was beginning to fall for her, pointed to the origin of that growth.

"Very well said, Jaune" expressed Weiss genuinely, a small smile of respect on her face.

The blond nodded in thanks, and glanced over at Yang who was smirking. Before he could say anything, the shorter blonde began to laugh quietly to herself.

"Long and hard" she giggled childishly.

Jaune sighed again. "I was going to say 'thank you' for not ruining the moment, but never mind..." he bemoaned, though he had a frivolous grin on his face.

Nora burst out laughing as Ren shook his head slowly, smirking in equal amusement as his captain. Blake couldn't suppress a laugh, through she managed to pass most of it through her nose, whilst Ruby was embarrassed as she usually was by her sister's sexual jokes. Weiss on the other hand was not shy about showing her displeasure with Yang's sense of humour, as her eyes nearly rolled out of her skull. Pyrrha was blushing, though not directly due to Yang's joke, but Jaune's commanding certainty, and him touching her lips. The secret desire for him to press his lips instead of his finger onto hers reared itself to tease her heart yet again, and she did her best to suppress it.

Suddenly, the sound of a ringtone began to play over their laughter, turning their attention to the Schnee heiress who was fishing out her Scroll. She gave her phone a glance, and with an annoyed sneer, instantly killed the call.

"Crank call?" asked Nora.

"Worse..." huffed the Atlassian heiress.

"Her father has been calling her since the article of her and Neptune was printed" explained Yang.

"He probably blocked your card because you won't talk to him" mused Blake, a tad sympathetic given her own radio silence with her family.

"Why aren't you speaking to him?" asked Pyrrha, unsure as to why Weiss would be so reluctant to speak to her family, as she had openly spoken to her mother after her own article was published.

"Because...because..." Weiss began, struggling with how to properly express her frustration that had been building for years.

"He's controlling, demanding, believes he's always right, puts the family legacy over the wishes of his children, never satisfied with what you accomplish..." listed Jaune with a sombre face, causing the others to turn their heads to him.

Weiss looked up at him with intense eyes; a face mixed with restrained surprise and fierce curiosity. A pensive frown formed on her brow as she eyed the young man with fascination for the second time that day.

"That was suspiciously close to the mark..." she said at last, examining him in a new light.

Jaune lifted up his glass to eye level as if he were proposing a toast.

"Here's to overbearing fathers" he sighed with tired sarcasm, before taking a swig.

The group looked at him with concerned curiosity. Jaune had never spoken about his past or his family, publicly or privately with them before, other than what he had told Pyrrha regarding the tradition of Crocea Mors. They all noticed the look in his eyes containing some hurt he had never revealed prior to now, which in retrospect, explained some of his previous actions.

"Did you have to deal with something similar as of late?" asked Weiss slowly.

Jaune twirled some noodles and brought it to his mouth.

"I haven't called home yet" he confessed, knowing what she had meant, before taking a bite.

"Jaune" sighed Pyrrha, "you said you would as soon as possible. The reporters have certainly been working like mad to dig into your past, as well as your family's."

The swordsman shut his eyes, not wanting to look at his lieutenant, as he knew he'd become washed with guilt.

"I got so swamped with the training and the planning for the tournament that it slipped my mind" he lied, feeling his appetite turning to queasiness.

"Jaune" the redhead said again, this time with the gentle but firm demeanor that she used when trying to advise him, placing her right hand on his left cheek so that he would look her in the eye. "The tournament will begin in a few days. There is no longer any time to train, our plans are set, and we are currently in our cool down. You have enough time before the games begin to call them and let them know. Please, for me?"

Jaune felt the guilt hit him like a sledgehammer as he saw the concern in her eyes. He hated lying to her. He hated making her worry. He knew that even if he explained the situation to her, she would still insist that he call them out of courtesy and respect. In the end, he knew she was right, and nodded.

"Alright" he conceded. "I'll call them tomorrow, after I take care of a few things so there'll be no distractions."

"Thank you" she said with a small smile, the worry in her face melting into warm gladness, knowing he was speaking truthfully. As always, Jaune returned the smile, and gazed back at her, allowing himself to be absorbed by her beautiful, emerald eyes.

Once again, the others watched the couple forget where they were, and waited with amused delight for them to realize the change in atmosphere. Yang in particular was observing them with both amusement and even a tinge of jealously, as she rested her chin in the palm of her right hand, elbow on the table. An incredibly smug smirk was on her face, and she was no longer able to stay silent.

"Gods, you two have it bad for each other" she said at last, shaking her head in disbelief.

The oblivious couple quickly snapped back to reality and looked at the blonde Huntress-in-training, before realizing that all of their friends were looking at them with amusement. Their faces began to glow red from embarrassment, the knowledge setting in that they had repeated what had occurred at breakfast the day after the Dance.

"I know, right?" added Nora, before Jaune and Pyrrha could defend themselves. "They do this a lot now. Can you imagine what else they do when they're alone training?"

"Nora!" gasped Pyrrha, her face now matching her hair.

"Oooo. Got any juicy details to share?" asked Yang grinning.

"I'm doing my best to get her to spill the beans, but sadly, nothing" sighed the thunderess, shrugging.

Ren nudged her yet again. "Be nice" he said as he usually did, though he was starting to also find pleasure in the new sport of teasing their captain and lieutenant. Of course he hardly had a leg to stand on, but for now, he would enjoy himself; with moderation.

Jaune and Pyrrha stared at their half eaten bowls of noodles, cheeks burning and shame mounting. They had no reason to feel so self-conscious of course, as there was nothing wrong with them feeling so strongly about one another. While they were still well over a week away from their first official date, the pair had behaved no differently than any other couple their age; minus the passionate kissing and lovemaking. While sex was still too soon, the desire to kiss was starting to become unbearable for the both of them. To further fuel that desire, was the teasing from their friends. The teasing didn't hurt them, it didn't offend them, but it did birth a thought that both shared without admitting it one another. What if they just threw caution and patience to the wind? Forget waiting till the end of the tournament, forget trying to go on a date and avoid noisy fans and journalists, and simply find quiet places on campus, and kiss between training sessions till the cows come home. That way, what was there to be embarrassed about?

Their young bodies certainly agreed with that idea, and every moment alone they would be reminded of it, but there was something holding them back. For Jaune, it was still the sense of feeling undeserving of Pyrrha's love. He had been brutally honest about his abilities to remind himself of how much more he needed to grow. He could not deny that every time he was with her, he wanted so desperately for her to be in his arms; to hold and kiss her. Over the past few weeks, Jaune had begun to develop feelings for Pyrrha. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to be by her side, and for her to be beside his. He knew that the only way he could have that, was to continue to self-improve, and be the best man and captain he could be.

Pyrrha felt all the same desires he did; to kiss, to cuddle, and to finally be together. His flirtatious quips would make her heart skip a beat, and she genuinely loved every time he made them. She loved feeling desired, she loved the way he looked at her, and she loved who he truly was when not pretending to be something else. Pyrrha loved everything about him, which was why she was hesitant to take things further. She loved him so dearly, that she was fearful of making a mistake, and ruining what they had and what they could have. She wanted her relationship with Jaune to work, as she truly felt that he was her one true love. Her mother had told her when she was young, that the moment she had met her father, she knew they were going to get married. Pyrrha had not understood how her mother had been so sure then, but now after meeting Jaune, she finally did. Now however, she wished she had asked more questions so she could know how to approach this relationship with more confidence.

"Let them date at their own pace" defended Weiss, causing the others to look at her in surprise, and it was now Jaune's turn to look at the Schnee heiress with fascination. "We will know soon enough how their relationship is progressing."

"Fine" sighed Yang, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Then an idea struck her, and she turned to face the right side of the stall, a smug smile plastered on her face. "And how are things progressing with Neptune?"

Weiss' cheeks tinted pink at the mention of the Vacuan Huntsman-in-training.

"Things are going well" she replied guardedly.

"Nothing to share after all this time? It's been a while since the Dance."

"As I said the last time you asked, Team SSSN has been just as busy as the rest of us, getting ready for the tournament. Where do you think Neptune and I had the time to spend together?"

"Hello?" asked Yang, gently shaking her Scroll in her left hand. "The Horn messaging app exists for a reason. You can at least text him and keep up with him."

"I have—which you are fully aware—and we have had many pleasant conversations" Weiss shot back, while remaining measured.

"Pleasant or flirty?"

The white-haired heiress squinted at her.

"I will let you know how things develop in due course" she affirmed slowly.

Yang rolled her eyes as she sighed, annoyed by how little information her friends were sharing. She then shifted her attention the Blake, who knew she would be the next target placed in the fiery blonde's crosshairs, and braced herself.

"So what's new, pussycat? Been monekying around with Sun?" she asked without hesitation.

Blake immediately began to cough in shock, not expecting to be hit with the double whammy.

"Well, that was direct" grinned Nora.

"Better than beating around the banana tree" Yang punned.

Blake quickly recovered, and looked at the elder Xiao Long sister, wide-eyed and cheeks flushed.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"Don't play dumb" shot back Yang, leaning in and looking into the Faunus girl's eyes. "We all know how proactive Sun is. And I know you like that about him more than you let on, so what's been going on since the Dance?"

Blake swallowed at her friend's interrogation, still not used to having such conversations with people. She slowly pointed to her right at Weiss with her left hand while maintaining eye contact.

"What she said" the raven-haired Huntress-in-training said.

"Oh c'mon!" Yang cried incredulously. "You've gotta give me something to work with!"

"Why are you so fixated on knowing about what we do in our personal lives?" asked Blake, reluctant to reveal anything more.

"Because I like to talk to my friends about fun things like boys, as it breaks up the monotony of the more boring parts of school life" explained the blonde matter-of-factly. "Also, being single sucks, so offering advice lets me help my less experienced friends while I'm still looking."

"But you don't have any experience" noted Ruby, essentially throwing her sister under the bus.

"And I'm blaming dad for that" she shot back. "He would always watch over us like an eagle, never letting any boys get close to us. I figured that going to Beacon and getting away from his ever piercing eyes, I could finally date in peace. So far, not a damn one."

"He's just being a dad" defended Jaune, "though he should count himself lucky to have just two daughters. I have seven sisters, so my dad has his work cut out for him. Still does, since I have sisters younger than me."

Yang simply mumbled as she continued to eat her noodles, not wanting to concede to the other blond.

"Well, if there is one thing that the Vytal Festival is not short of, it would be new young people" added Pyrrha looking at the crowds. "I am sure if you look around you will find someone that catches your eye."

"That is what I'm hoping for" said Yang, polishing off her bowl. "Right. I think I'm gonna head out and check out the fair grounds."

"Let us finish eating and we will join you" said Weiss.

"Well, hurry up!"

"I think we will do the same" added Pyrrha pushing her bowl forward and allowing the owner to whisk it away. "Transferring to Beacon was my first time in Vale, and I would like to know more of it. Would you mind showing me around?" she asked Jaune with a smile.

"Not at all" replied Jaune, smiling back and rising to his feet.

"Oooo, can we get dessert?" Nora asked Ren, jumping up excitedly, eyes sparkling.

"I am sure we'll find something" reassured the quiet young man.

Yang glared at them enviously. "And of course, Team Couples decides to rub it in my face right before leaving" she jeered, her eyes drifted from Jaune and Pyrrha to Ren and Nora. The former couple looked at the brawler apologetically, not meaning to offend. However, the latter couple was blushing, not expecting to also be referred to as such.

"U-Uh, we're not together-together" corrected the ginger awkwardly, repeating the now infamous phrase that was beginning to sting every time she said it.

"Whatever you say" Yang retorted, not believing a word of it. "Go on ahead. I'm sure we'll run into each other eventually."

"And thanks again for paying for lunch. We owe you" added Blake with a small but sincere smile.

"Oh, it's fine" the redhead reassured with a smile, though it was now turning slightly smug. "Think of it as a consolation from the winning team."

Immediately, fire sparked in the eyes of Team RWBY. Jaune looked at his lieutenant with confusion for a moment, before realizing what she was doing. Pyrrha was a veteran of Mistral's gladiatorial combat culture. She had participated in countless tournaments, starting from a young age. Thus, this was just her furthering that experience into the Vytal Festival Tournament. She had not meant to offend their friends, but instead to playfully taunt them as a form of encouragement. Of course they were all friends, but while that was true, they were still competitors in this tournament, and would undoubtedly face once another in the later rounds.

"See you in Top 8, Nikos" stated Yang, grinning eagerly, her eyes turning red. The remaining members of Team RWBY each displayed a variation of Yang's eagerness, proving that Pyrrha's comment had done exactly what she wanted it to.

Team JNPR walked away from the stall grinning back at their friends, with Nora taking it one step further by signalling to them with her middle and index finger pointing at her eyes, saying that she was going to keep an eye on them. Ruby stuck her tongue out at them, but felt the same way as her sister, and was very much looking forward to the tournament.

λΛλ

Team JNPR wandered through the makeshift lanes of the fairgrounds with wide eyes. The booths were stacked shoulder to shoulder, with the attendees similarly assembled, as they shuffled from one vendor to another. Ren and Nora had never been to a festival before, and were soaking up all the sights and sounds. Well, that was not entirely true. The pair had snuck into smaller fairs before to steal food when they were younger, so having the ability to experience the festivities had been impossible. Thankfully those days were long behind them, and now they could enjoy themselves as proper fairgoers.

Jaune had been to a number of festivals and fairs growing up. Coming from a larger family, such events were the perfect place to bring children and have a good time on summer evenings. Pyrrha had done the same as a child, her parents taking her to local festivals, which were common in Mistral. However, in Mistral, many if not most festivals had small combat tournaments, where non-Huntsmen could take part in classical fighting. The larger festivals had separated brackets divided by age, gender, and expertise, with the higher skilled brackets making use of steel swords instead of padded wooden ones used by less experienced combatants. It was here, alongside the many fairytales told to her by her mother, which had birthed the young champion's love of battle and swordsmanship. She would marvel at the competitors clashing swords and spears against shields, fighting for cash prizes and for glory. Her favourites were the Ancient Warrior brackets; separate groupings for fighters who would go so far as to armour themselves in full suits, as warriors once did in the elder days. They would drape themselves in the colours of their houses, though many were designed for the sake of the tournaments, as very few people came from prestigious families these days. To Pyrrha, the combination of chrome steel and colourful banners, was more beautiful than any painting.

Her upbringing would surprise no one after learning of it, for it explained why Pyrrha had chosen the life and style she had. She never forgot those desires from her childhood, however, and planned to take up the sport as a hobby after establishing herself as a professional Huntress. And with Jaune as a boyfriend, it would certainly be something they could do together. Only they could consider a hard day of combat as a romantic date.

While Jaune and Pyrrha were eyeing the booths, reminiscing of their childhoods, Nora was on the hunt for something sweet.

"Ooo Ren, look! They've got ice cream and stuff over there!" the ginger pointed excitedly. Before the stoic Huntsman-in-training could say anything, Nora grabbed him by the arm and dragged him towards the vender.

Jaune and Pyrrha could not help but laugh at their friends, though the suggestion of ice cream did sound rather appetizing.

"Should we get some?" asked the blond.

"Why not?" Pyrrha replied with a smile.

"Anything in particular? My treat."

"Well..." she thought for a moment before smiling, "surprise me."

"Alright. My first test—which I am sure will go terribly. I'll be right back" Jaune said curtly before walking briskly in the direction his teammates had flown to.

Pyrrha giggled as she watched him disappear into the crowd. While she very much enjoyed his flirtatiousness when they were alone, it was his cuteness that had initially charmed her. He was completely unaware of it of course, which only made Pyrrha enjoy it more, as it was so genuine and tender. She kept her smile as she began to browse the stalls behind her as she waited for Jaune's return, when she heard her name being called.

"You're Pyrrha Nikos!"

The young champion looked up to see it was a boy, a few years younger than herself, with several other people around him.

"Yes, I am" she replied politely, standing straight.

"I'm a huge fan! Could I get an autograph, please?" he asked with a large smile, a pen and promotional photo from her Sanctum days in his hands.

Pyrrha smiled back and extended a hand to accept the photo, and began to repeat a routine she had grown accustomed to over the past few years.

It was not as if she disliked this aspect of being a celebrity, far from it; she would go as far to say that it was one of her favourite parts of gaining international fame. Having fans that cheered her on was an incredibly humbling experience for her, especially when there were young boys and girls that looked up to her. She had taken many photos with children who said they were inspired to become Huntsmen because of her, and were practising every day to become strong. She could not put into words how touched she was to hear such things from people, especially children. Instead, she put those feelings into actions. It drove her to fight harder and continue to improve, as if she owed them that dedication as a thank you for their support. It also strengthen her belief in the Huntsman cause, for if she was being considered an ambassador by inspiring more young people to take up arms and defend their Kingdoms, then she was doing near holy work.

What she truly hated about her status, was of course, the disconnect. Pyrrha was the epitome of a "people-person", as she loved being with people and interacting with them. She loved going to tournaments, meeting new people, combatants and attendees alike, and talking to them. At first she loved the opportunities she was granted from winning tournaments, as she was free to enter more challenging competitions, and thus meet the best fighters of her generation. It was soon after, however, that she began to notice the distance between herself and the other students when she attended Sanctum Academy. Making friends was not possible, for they thought she was beyond them, as if she were in a class they had not earned the right to entre. This left dating an even more impossible venture. Jaune hadn't been the first boy she had crushed on, but he had certainly been the first to treat her like a woman. The boys she had tried to get close to would not return her advances, nearly recoiling, as if they were too close to fire. They, like others, treated her as if she was royalty, and none were worthy to be with her. Pyrrha had encountered some other Huntresses that had similar experiences, but had gone in entirely different directions. They had decided to avoid dating all together, throwing away any attempt to be feminine and dedicate themselves to training for the Hunt.

The red-haired champion could not accept that ultimatum. Many Huntsmen dated and married other Huntresses, so why was that not possible for her? She wanted to dedicate herself to the cause, but still wanted to find someone to love and build a life together. And where better to find such a person than the schools where likeminded young people gathered? Sanctum had been such a place, but Pyrrha had quickly learned that her reputation preceded her, making relationships of any kind impossible. The stronger she grew, the higher atop the pedestal she was placed, and the more alone she felt. It was then that she made the decision to attend Beacon instead of going the expected route to Haven. It was a school on a continent different than her own, and she hoped that with that great distance would come fewer people to keep her on that pedestal. Her mother was a little hesitant to have her only child travel to the other side of the world to be educated as a Huntress. However, she was the only person who truly understood what Pyrrha felt, and eventually agreed. At first, Pyrrha thought she had succeeded, but she quickly began to meet more and more people who recognized her, treating her as she had been in Mistral.

And then Jaune made his appearance.

Not the most graceful of entrances, but an entrance nonetheless. The moment Pyrrha had laid eyes on him, she had become interested. His handsome but cute features, his golden locks, and his deep blue eyes, that had a hint of mischievousness behind them. She knew other women would not have found him all that appealing, his boyishness uncertainty making him appear more boy than man, but she thought he was rather attractive, something she thought more so with every interaction she had with him. He treated her as if she were any other person, and judged her on her qualities instead of her titles. It was more liberating than she could ever put into words, and she had yet to tell him it was the reason she was now in love with him. What she had told him at the Dance was only a fraction of what she truly felt, and things had only grown since then. However, as she signed yet another portrait, posed for more photos, and noticed that the crowd had only grown, she felt in her chest that her chances of sharing that with him today would be impossible. She had hoped to spend the rest of the day with him alone and enjoy each other's company, and yet, she could not help but feel a mixture of guilt and exasperation. She felt guilty because she wanted to abandon her kind fans, and she felt exasperated because she wanted time alone with Jaune. Seeing no way to rescue herself from her predicament, she maintained her smile and continued to indulge her adoring public.

From beyond the crowd stood the aforementioned blond with two ice cream bowls, one in each hand, watching his lieutenant being swarmed. He had taken his time choosing the right flavour of ice cream for Pyrrha, but now realized he should have chosen faster to avoid Pyrrha being recognized. His eyes rested on her and saw that she was, thankfully, smiling, though he noticed it was not as genuine as he had become accustomed to. After spending so much time alone with Pyrrha, he had begun to notice and recognize her subtle facial expressions and body language. She had never been a good liar to begin with, however, as a more experienced warrior, the Mistralese champion knew how to make herself unreadable in combat. Despite that, this was not combat, and after hearing the young woman express her frustrations, he knew she wanted to, at least for a while, step away from Pyrrha Nikos the champion of Mistral, and simply be Pyrrha Nikos the student.

Jaune knew he had to get her away from the crowd, but how he was to achieve that was not so obvious. He could not just walk in and tell them to buzz off, as he knew how terrible it would look, but he also knew Pyrrha didn't have it in her to push them away. Could he call her and just say that he was giving her an out? She could say that her team needed her and no one could her fault her for it.

'No, that won't work" he thought. 'She can't lie to her fans, and making her to would be wrong. What if I just go up to her so they know that was she busy before they came up to her? She'd say she just needs to finish up and she'll be ready to join me, which will give them a clue to buzz o..."

The idea died then and there, as he looked down at himself and winced. He was painfully reminded of how he looked, with his old subpar armour and casual clothes he used as his combat attire. He knew just how amateurish he appeared, but next to Pyrrha, it was downright comical. There was no way he could walk up to her fans looking as he did, especially after the piece that was written about him. He had previously stated that he did not care what others thought of him, and he did indeed mean that, but after their conversation of getting new armour, he began to think of his appearance in terms of looks as well as functionality. Now that he was potentially in the line of sight of her fans, he was forced to admit how bad he looked; especially beside the Mistralese Champion. He could hear people's commentary in his mind clear as day: "Is he even taking his Huntsman training seriously?". He certainly was, but they did not know that, and despite what they were all taught as children, people did judge books by their covers.

He then began to hear words of the past making their way to the present; of how a man was to present and carry himself. The blond could not help himself from gritting his teeth, as he recognized the person who was speaking. His stubborn nature began to fight back, not willing to give credence to the speaker, even if his words were proving to be true. He still had his pride, after all.

As Jaune mulled over the situation he now found himself in, he noticed that the crowd was beginning to disperse, and he tried to see what was causing them to leave. They were waving goodbye to Pyrrha, who had not moved from where she stood, and since they were all leaving together, Jaune wondered if an event was now taking priority over her. When the crowd was finally gone, Pyrrha looked about her to see where he was, and quickly made her way to him when she did.

"I'm sorry for making you wait, Jaune" she said with an apologetic smile. "I was noticed by a few of them, and that began to attract the rest. This happens quite often back home in Mistral, and I should have expected to be recognized with all these people attending the festival. Have you been waiting long?"

"No, not at all. I should've guessed that something like this would happen too, but since it hadn't till today, it never crossed my mind" he replied honestly. "So don't apologize. It's not your fault you're so popular, other than being as amazing as you are."

His words caused Pyrrha's cheeks to flush, which eased her guilt for getting in the way of their time together.

"Thank you, Jaune."

"You're welcome. So uh...here's your ice cream" said Jaune, offering one of the bowls to Pyrrha.

The red-haired young woman accepted the bowl graciously, and saw that it contained Neapolitan ice cream.

"Is it OK?"

"Yes, thank you, Jaune" she replied smiling.

"You sure? You said to surprise you so I wasn't sure which to go with. Then I thought that maybe you would have preferred frozen yogurt, since you'd probably want something healthier. I didn't want to make you wait too long, so I just went with Neapolitan. I figured with three flavours my chances were better than going with one."

"It's fine, Jaune. I like Neapolitan. There's no need to fuss over it."

The blond breathed a small sigh of relief, feeling a tad silly that he had stressed over something as trivial as ice cream. Pyrrha noticed this, and a slightly mischievous thought crossed her mind.

"Strawberry frozen yogurt is my favourite, though" she added. Jaune quickly looked at her with a regretful expression on his face, causing Pyrrha to snicker. "Oh, don't make that face!" she chimed, nudging him with her elbow playfully. "Now you know for next time. So what flavour did you get for yourself?"

Jaune held up his bowl and revealed it to be chocolate chip, with cookie pieces added on top. However, when Pyrrha took a closer look, she realized that they were not cookie pieces at all.

"Are those clumps of Pumpkin Pete's?" she asked.

Jaune cleared his throat while rubbing the back of his head.

"I know they aren't great for you, but, I still like them" he admitted sheepishly.

Pyrrha began to giggle at him, his adorable demeanor getting to her once again. She then reacted over and plucked one of the bunches out of the bowl, and popped it into her mouth.

"Me too" she confessed, knowing it was certainly a guilty pleasure. "But I think given how much training we've accomplished over the past few weeks, a treat is in order."

The captain looked down at the smiling redhead, and returned it.

"Shall we?" he asked, extending a hand down the fairground lane, indicating they go for a walk.

"Yes, let's" replied Pyrrha.

"We should probably find a more secluded place to eat though—to avoid another crowd of your fans recognizing you."

"True" she sighed. "Have you an idea of where we could go?"

Jaune paused for a moment. "How about the Forest of Forever Fall? It's far enough that no random festivalgoer or tournament competitor would wander in and see us."

Pyrrha nodded, though felt a slight pang of woe in her heart. She knew that the further they continued their relationship, the more care they would have to take to avoid the prying eyes of onlookers. It was a constant reminder that things would not be so easygoing between them thanks to her celebrity status. However, before she could dwell on that displeasing thought, Jaune placed a finger under her chin to look her in the eye; a soft but stern look on his face.

"If some small inconveniences like these are all I have to put up with, then I've got no right to complain. So don't let it get to you, OK?" he reassured her softly, a tender smirk spreading.

Pyrrha's cheeks began to turn pink at his forwardness, but she could not help returning the smile, knowing he was right.

"Alright. Thank you, Jaune" she said.

"No need. Now eat your ice cream" he replied with a tone of mock authority.

The Mistralese champion laughed. "Yes, sir" she answered with a salute before bringing the bowl below her chin to eat a spoonful. "Such a bossy captain."

Jaune eyed her in amusement, and without warning, bumped the bottom of her ice cream bowl so that the lower half of her face pressed into it. Pyrrha jolted in surprise, making sure to not drop the bowl, and revealed that her nose, lips, and chin, now had a light coating of ice cream.

"Jaune!" she gasped, looking up to see the cheeky grin plastered on his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you!" he exclaimed with mock theatrics.

Pyrrha slapped the blond's shoulder, cutely fuming at his antics.

"You're such a child!" she laughed, licking her lips. "Now give me napkin, please."

Jaune's grin dropped from sudden realization.

"Oh crap, I rushed to get back and forgot to grab some" he confessed. He began to look around for another food stall to ask for some, feeling rather embarrassed for the oversight.

"It's alright, I see a bathroom" said the redhead, and handed him her bowl. "I'll be right back. Don't get into trouble."

"Yes, mom" he replied with an exaggerated tone, rolling his eyes. He smiled as he heard her laugh, and watched her lovingly as she made her way to the bathroom and entered it.

He breathed in deeply as he contemplated—something he often did these days—on his relationship with Pyrrha. What an incredible young woman she was. He was hilariously out of his league, and yet, here they were, flirting and spending time together. His thoughts drifted to their sparing session only two hours prior, and how he unconsciously began to try and kiss her. No, not unconsciously; he wanted to kiss her. He thought back to when their faces were mere inches from one another, and how badly he wanted to kiss her; to hold her in his arms and never let go. He had those thoughts coming into his mind more times than he could count, which did not help that there had been a number of moments that appeared to be the moment. Today had been the first where he had actually made a move to turn those thoughts into reality. Pyrrha had not tried to stop him, though to be perfectly honest, why would she stop him? She was the one who had been crushing on him since the beginning of their attendance at Beacon, and the ball was in his court. It wasn't shocking that she accepted to go on a date with him, but she was clearly further down the line than having a mere crush. If he was being entirely honest, he was too, and the realization that they were going to be alone and secluded for potentially the rest of the afternoon, placed a new thought to the forefront of his mind.

Why not make a move?

Everything seemed right. Their training was done, their relationship had only strengthened since Pyrrha's confession, and their near kiss had made it clear things were becoming serious, even if they had not spoken more deeply on the topic of relationships.

'Well, there was that comment about having a son...' he thought, unable to stop his mind from conjuring an image of a smiling Pyrrha holding a baby with matching red hair, swaddled, and bearing his likeness. 'Stop that' he told himself. 'You know what thoughts like that mean. You haven't even called home yet...'

He tried to shake the image from his thoughts, which he was having more trouble doing than he expected, as it was a rather beautiful image indeed. What did succeed in bringing him back to reality, was something entirely different.

"You Jaune Arc?" asked a voice.

The blond looked up to see a group of four young men about his age, each looking at him with clear disdain on their faces. He noticed they were all armed with melee weapons, and each had the Mistral Kingdom and Haven Academy crests, the latter being a castle keep with a central doorway and two flanking towers with machicolations, corbels, crenellations, and merlons, sown proudly on their clothes. Jaune knew instantly what was going on and sighed, realizing it was now his turn to be on the chopping block of celebrity. Of course, these people clearly were not his adoring fans.

"That's me. How can I help you?" he replied, deciding to remain civil for the time being.

One of the Haven students stepped forward, presumably the one who had asked the question, and stood only a foot away from Jaune. He was about his height, with short black hair, black eyes, and a scar running up his jaw on the left side of his face. He eyed Jaune before making a quick snicker through his nose, and smirked, unimpressed.

"The photos in the papers don't do you justice. You're far more pathetic in person" he jeered, getting laughs from his teammates.

Jaune stared back at him with an equal lack of admiration.

'And here we go' he thought. He turned and placed the two bowls of ice cream on top of the trash bin to his left, before looking back at the foreign student, straightening his back and resting his hands on his sword belt. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint. Was that all you want to say to me?"

"Now that I know what you really look like, no" replied the Havenite, as he began to circle Jaune. "Cheap armour, possibly second hand..." he commented, "old sword, definitely second hand...garbage fighting attire...how in the Hell did you make it this far?" he finished, standing before him, shaking his head.

Jaune's jaw tightened, but he said nothing. This was nothing new to him. He had been bullied since he entered Beacon, though that had finally stopped after standing up to Cardin and his team. He could let this all slide, so long as this jackass had his sights only on him, and not Pyrrha and the others.

"I guess the papers were right; Pyrrha Nikos must have just felt pity for him that one night, cuz there is no way they're actually dating."

That caused Jaune to tighten his grip on his belt, his patience running out faster than he had planned.

"I tell you what boys..." continued the Havenite, looking over his shoulder, "if Nikos is into boys like this, then she must be pretty desperate since coming to this plac–"

Without warning, the foreign student's insult was cut short by a shockingly hard hitting punch that knocked him to the ground. He coughed in shocked, with one hand clutched his bleeding nose, which he instantly knew was broken. He looked up in anger and confusion, trying to figure out what hit him, and only saw Jaune standing before him. His right hand hung taunt to his side, with his left hand, still gripping his sword belt tightly, glaring at him with eyes that could freeze lava.

"You can say whatever the fuck you want about me..." Jaune said steadily, though with more harshness in his voice than he had ever displayed before. "However..." he continued, his left hand gripping the hilt of Crocea Mors, "...insulting Pyrrha like that..." he forcibly drew the first two inches of his sword, "is unforgivable."

The bleeding Havenite stared back at the blond with mute shock. He could see the rage burning in his eyes, and felt what he could only presume was the seemingly pathetic boy's killing intent. It was as if a mouse had suddenly turned into a lion without warning. Was this all a ruse? Or was this who he truly was, and the dopey fool he presented himself as, was the ruse? Knowing how tense this situation had just become, he decided that he did not want to find out.

While these thoughts were running through his mind, his teammates had all reached for their weapons the moment Jaune had partially drawn his sword.

"Stop!" growled the injured student, getting to his feet. "Let's not get disqualified before the damn tournament starts". He looked back at Jaune who had not relaxed, and kept his glare trained on him, looking as if he would cut his head off in an instant. "We'll deal with him in the arena. You better watch yourself, Arc" he added, turning his back to the blond, and left with his teammates tailing behind.

When they were finally out of sight, Jaune finally relaxed and sheathed Crocea Mors, breathing a sigh of relief. He had never gotten that angry in his life, but it was perfectly understandable why he had. He was ready and willing to fight for Pyrrha's honour, but he was still glad he was able to end the altercation without resorting to violence. Well, without too much violence.

"Jaune..." came a soft voice from his eight o'clock.

The blond turned to see Pyrrha emerge from the entrance of the bathroom, with a very concerned expression on her face. Jaune froze, knowing that she had witnessed everything, or at least him punching the Mistralese student.

"How much of that did you see?" he asked finally.

"From when he began to mock your sword till the end" she replied, walking forward while maintaining her distressed gaze. "Jaune, I'm so sorry that happened. I should have stepped in, but I saw how you were handling the situation, and I thought it would end peacefully."

"So did I, but as soon as he..." Jaune began before stopping himself and looked at Pyrrha in confusion. "Wait...why are you apologizing?"

"Because they were belittling you for being with me. Why else?"

"Belittling me?" the swordsman echoed in disbelief, "It's what they were saying about you that pissed me off. I don't care what people say about me."

"Jaune, they were from Mistral, and they sought you out because of that article."

"And then they insulted you!"

"Jaune–"

"Pyrrha!" the blond said sternly, cutting her off, which took the redhead by surprise. "I'm used to people looking down on me. It's been that way since I was a kid, and it's continued here. I meant what I said when we read that article the morning after the Dance. I don't care what people say about me, but I will not stand for people going after my team or you—especially you. I know this is going to sound macho but it's what I honestly believe: if I allow people to insult your honour, then I'm not a man. You chose to stand by me when I lied about getting into Beacon, you forgave me for not treating you like a woman when you wanted me to, and accepted to go out with me. If I can't stand up for you when it matters, then how can I stand by you?"

Pyrrha felt her breath become caught in her throat. Where had this come from? The tone in Jaune's voice was serious and commanding, and the look in his eyes was resolute and unwavering. Even his body posture made him look taller than he truly was. She had never seen him like this, and it was as if the boy had faded away to reveal the man that lay beneath. Was this who Jaune always was, but was just too nervous to show? This was not the bravado-like confidence he had shown when they first met and used to court Weiss. This was as genuine as the cuteness he unconsciously displayed. Was she the cause of all this? She must be, given that he had said that he would defend her honour and to stand by her side. Pyrrha felt her heart begin to beat strongly when she realized the core of what he was truly saying.

No one had ever done something like this for her before. Of course, she had never dated, but nonetheless, never had a man professed that he would defend her honour, other than her father. Being a champion of Mistral, no one dared to insult her openly, and so many boys her age certainly felt emasculated by her strength. Jaune was obviously nowhere near her level of might, but here he was, standing firm that he would defend her, regardless of the personal cost. He hadn't known she was there, and without hesitation struck down the boy who had besmirched her name. It was in that moment of realization that Pyrrha recalled something that her father said many years ago.

"Moral behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching, Pyrrha. If you only do the right thing when people are looking at you, then you fail to understand the difference between right and wrong. The same goes for one's principles. There are many hypocrites in the world, and those who do not uphold their principles are pathetic in this world and the next."

Pyrrha felt her cheeks warm, finally understanding what Jaune was talking about. He truly meant that when it came to people insulting him. The composure he showed when that Haven student insulted him, neither cowering nor exploding with anger, proved that he had risen above who he had been when Cardin had taken advantage of him. The moment that she was the target of their offense, was when he put his foot down. In that moment, Jaune transformed from a passive boy into a proud Knight right before her eyes. Countless bedtime stories of Knights and princesses began to flood her mind, and childhood dreams of meeting her prince charming, washed over her like a tidal wave. Her mother's advice then came to the forefront of her thoughts.

"Make sure that when you choose the man you want to be with, that he will treat you with love and respect in order to earn yours in return. You are a beautiful young woman, my dear, and I know you will have many boys chasing after you before long—to your father's horror. However, I know that you will make him proud by choosing the One who loves you truly. I knew it the moment I met him, and I know you will too. To give him some peace, keep in mind to not be fooled by boys that are only being nice to you. See how they act when your honour is being insulted, for righteous anger is better than being merely 'nice', because it stems from love."

Pyrrha knew why those words were ringing with such truth. It wasn't that Jaune was taking her from one pedestal and placing her atop another. It was that he cared for her so deeply, that he valued her more than himself because of who she was, not what she was. There was a world of difference between the playful flirting Jaune had done for weeks, and what he had just done now. It spoke louder than words ever could, but bolstered by his words of passion, brought his actions to even greater heights.

'Mother knows best' the redhead thought, taking a deep breath. "You're absolutely right. Thank you, Jaune" she said, smiling warmly, and kissed him on the cheek.

Instantly, as it always did, Jaune had his breath taken away by her smile, and his stern expression melted into a more bashful one with deep gratitude. The kiss of course caused his cheeks to burn, not at all expecting it, and he could not help but sheepishly rub the back of his head. Pyrrha was blushing as well, and giggled at his shyness, loving that his cuteness always took precedence.

"Shall we go to the forest?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah, of course" Jaune replied, picking up both their bowls of ice cream, and handed the red-haired girl hers.

Pyrrha took it graciously, as Jaune left his right arm up for a little while longer than necessary, allowing Pyrrha to take the crook of it. Jaune had not exactly offered his arm in an attempt to be suave, but rather a natural reaction to them leaving together. Likewise, Pyrrha had taken his arm in the same vein, something that was becoming more and more natural every time they were together. This of course drew the eyes of all who recognized them as they walked to the edge of the fairgrounds, though after what they had just gone through, they hardly cared. Pyrrha was in love with him, and Jaune was falling for her.

No matter the critics, the trails, the tribulations, the stress, and the pain, they would stand by one another.

---

Author's Note II:

There are some small yet major things I want to explain in greater detail, some of which I have not heard from anyone else. They may seem like nitpicks, but since nitpicks are small yet valid criticisms, I think they deserve to be discussed.

Pyrrha the True Champion

Since the beginning, Pyrrha has been presented as this great champion from Mistral. She has played the game and she knows how to win. Unfortunately, as time has gone on, I have noticed some things about her that do not add up, and these are entirely due to Monty's original design. I mention this because these mistakes run counter to Pyrrha as a character. Allow me to explain.

Let us begin with her boots, or rather, the lack thereof. Canonically, Pyrrha wears high heels. This is confusing on two levels. The first is that she is a champion athlete, the only woman who wears armour, meaning she takes things very seriously. So why would she not wear practical boots for running and fighting? To make matters worse, these are awful heels (for combat), as they look as if it would take only one good kick for them to fly off her feet, given how wide the shaft is; no laces or buckles either. The second issue is Pyrrha's height. Pyrrha is self-conscious about her height, and thinks that is why Jaune does not see her as a woman; despite the fact that he is taller than her. She is six foot in heels, so if she puts on boots, boom, problem solved. I decided instead to have my cake and eat it too by making her naturally six foot and wear proper boots.

But we are not done with her heels. Not yet. Her heels draw the eye to her leg armour, where you see a very stupid problem. Her greaves, the armour that goes onto the shin, go behind the shaft of her heels. The reason that this is an issue is that greaves are made of metal, and are fitted to your shin and calf. In the Middle Ages, they went over tight woollen hosen, just as Pyrrha's do. In the Renaissance Era, you would wear tight boots so that everything hugs together without moving too much, with the bottom of the greaves going around your ankle, with the bottom section in line with your foot at the instep. This allows a place for the greaves to rest if they move, not to mention to connect with sabatons. Pyrrha's on the other hand, are behind the shaft, which do not even reach her knees, by the way. I hope they are padded, for if they aren't, those heels are full of blood.

If none of this crossed your mind, I do not blame you. My editors were quite cross with me when I pointed this out, as it seemed so obvious to them when I did. It is also why I had Pyrrha show off her legs; not to perv, but rather to show the readers how things are meant to be done, since she of all people would know good armour and how to wear it.

That being said, I do take issue with her armour as a whole. Her cuisses hang on without waist support, with the gap and the short skirt, meant to show off thigh, are both short-sighted and out of character. The same goes for the cleavage and midriff thanks to her plackart corset. Some have noticed this as well, and explained it away in fan-fiction that her "manager" made her do it to boost her popularity, something that I obviously have not done. Her single vambrace is odd as well, for not only is there only one, it is on her shield arm, not her sword arm. The design of the vambrace is also underwhelming, open and held on by ropes rather than encasing her forearms and secured with buckles. The gorget armour she wears around her neck is dangerous without padding, and the circlet, while pretty, is also hazardous in battle.

I love Pyrrha to death, but there are flaws with her design I cannot ignore, especially when they run counter to her character. Thus, I made the appropriate changes. Small, but crucial.

Pyrrha the Celebrity

Here is another small but important change, and one that I have mentioned before. One of the core elements of Pyrrha's character is that she is a celebrity, and because of that, she has been unable to make friends, let alone date. So why has she never been treated as a celebrity? It takes Weiss, another celebrity, to inform the rest of the cast (and us) of that status. And that is the end of it. Teachers, other classmates, and civilians have no reaction to Pyrrha's record, treating her no different than anyone else. Even Weiss gets more recognition. Obviously, this needed to change, and given that this is the Vytal Festival, where thousands of people from all corners of the world gather, there is no way Pyrrha could go about the grounds without being noticed.

I have seen people try to point to the lack of this celebrity treatment as proof that she was never a champion to begin with. This is, of course, absurd. The true reason is that Monty and the rest of CRWBY, either did not think of it, or did not have the budget for such scenes; keep in mind that background characters were nothing more than black figures at this time, with them only reusing assets and simply changing their hair colour in V3 onward.

It is obvious to why I made this change, but I also made it to force Jaune to think upon the matter, though he has been doing so since chapter II.

Like a Man

Now this is a big one. Ever since the Jaundice arc, I have been concerned with Jaune's development. The lesson that I took away from the arc was that Jaune was wrong to try and protect his friends, that he acted "macho".

This is dumb for several reasons. One, the term macho is broken. It comes from the Spanish word "Machismo", which is basically how a man is meant to conduct himself; effectively the Spanish version of chivalry. America, sadly, butchered the term to mean "pseudo-masculinity", which is what Monty used it to mean in that arc. Two, why would such a term exist in Remnant? Three, it is condemning Jaune for acting like a man and dealing with his problems without dragging others into it. And four, that is what Jaune did anyways by pushing Cardin back. So what exactly was the message here?

It was confusing, but I understood it that his actions were to be condemned, and that has never sat well with me. A man should stand up for himself, especially to bullies, and the idea that such behaviour is wrong and selfish, is beyond cowardly and self-defeating. This sadly has been the fate of Jaune since, and as this new scene I created shows, I will not tolerate it. As the theme made it clear, if Jaune cannot stand up for Pyrrha, as she has for him, he doesn't deserve her. You have to earn your partner's love every day, and Jaune has a lot of catching up to do due to all that goodwill deposited in Pyrrha's bank. He is also a Knight, so he needs to start acting like one. Plain and simple.

Lastly, what I will add on this topic is the issue of Cardin. He could easily get Jaune thrown out. So why was it dropped? A solution is that instead of having Jaune merely shove Cardin and talk back, he challenges him to a duel in secret. If he wins, Cardin has to keep his mouth shut, if he loses, he continues to be his servant. Of course, Jaune wins, using everything he has learned, with a strong hint at his Semblance thrown in. And when Cardin reneges on the deal, as one would expect him to, Pyrrha would emerge from the bushes, revealing she was filming everything on her Scroll, and would be willing to use it to counter-blackmail Cardin. But that is my idea in hindsight, not what actually happens in this story. And since this story is based off of the canon of V1 and 2, what is up with Cardin? We shall see.