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

16. Chapter XVI: The Point of No Return

Chapter XVI: The Point of No Return

The following day was a long one for the young Huntsmen-in-training. Not in the sense of having so much to do, but rather in having to wait. Jaune and Pyrrha were both very excited to finally be going on their long awaited date, but that would not be until four in the afternoon, which was when the film they were going to see would show. They were then left with many hours of free time to prepare, but mostly to overthink everything that they could. They were each in their respective rooms, surrounded by their friends, fussing over what they would in time realize was wasted energy, and laugh at.

Jaune stood before his full length mirror, wearing a tight fitting aqua blue polo, tucked into a pair of tan trousers, and leather plain toe bluchers that matched his belt. The confidence in his choice of attire when he purchased it at the shop the day before, was now waning as the final minutes ticked away. Should he have gone with a darker shade of blue? Were the shoes too much? Should he have gotten a haircut? None of these thoughts had ever crossed his mind when he arrogantly chased after Weiss, nor when he designed his new armour. That had all come as easy as breathing, but now, every little detail felt as major as a mountain. He was visibly anxious, to which his friends, Sun and Neptune who sat on his bed and Ren on his own, could no longer hold back their comments.

"Dude, breathe" Sun remarked.

"Yeah, you just showered and changed into those; don't ruin them with sweat before the date even starts" added Neptune.

"Yeah, save the sweating till after the date, if you catch my sand drift" the Faunus grinned.

"I know I know" replied Jaune, sighing wearily, though not hearing the second part of Sun's comment. "I look decent, right? We didn't make a mistake here with this combo?"

"I'm the one who picked it, so no" Neptune insisted, speaking from experience. "It's perfect for your mild summers, and classy enough for a date at the restaurant you picked."

The blond swordsman sighed again and adjusted his belt, returning his attention to his reflection.

"I just want to look good for her, y'know? I won't look out of place next to her, will I?"

"No more than you usually do" Ren assured.

This caused the Vacuans to burst into laughter, as Jaune turned to look at his friend in bewilderment. The expression on the blond swordsman's face spoke louder than words, saying both "Are you kidding me?" and "What in Remnant did I do to warrant such insult?".

"OK, tell me Ren, when's your date with Nora, huh?" he shot back. "Got an ETA on that? In the meantime, if you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing."

Ren looked back at his captain in amusement, not meaning to actually insult him, but merely tease to ease the tension.

"Think about it. She saw you in your long pyjamas and a dress, and she has only fallen for you more" he said more supportively. "You have nowhere to go but up."

"Exactly" said Sun snapping his fingers and pointed at the raven-haired young man appreciatively, before turning his attention back to Jaune. "That dress stunt was incredible, by the way."

"You may not think it, but you know what you're doing" added Neptune with a nod. "Just go and have fun. You and Pyrrha deserve it."

Jaune looked at his friends silently, before finally nodding in acceptance.

"Thanks, guys. I'm just nervous. I want everything to go right. I could never forgive myself if I mess things up again."

"Unless you blow her off or try to get frisky when she doesn't want you to, you're golden" Sun reassured. "Are you planning something after the movie, cuz it sounds like there's more than a dinner date?"

Jaune pulled up a chair and sat so he could face all of them, and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, actually" he admitted. "There's a lot of stuff she and I need to talk about before we start dating for real. She's my friend and my lieutenant, and we're going to be working together, not just for the next four years, but for many decades before we retire. If this goes as well as I think it will, then marriage is a very strong possibility. Either do it right or not at all. It's not sexy but I have to; to be fair to both her and myself."

The others watched him with both awe and respect. Jaune had shown an incredible amount of restraint with Pyrrha since the Beacon Dance. Their time alone together, where they could have easily had given into passion, something that Pyrrha undoubtedly had been made to wait to enjoy, they shockingly never did. Everyone expected for them to just be teenagers and have fun, but they instead took their relationship with the utmost seriousness. Jaune and Pyrrha respected one another greatly, and it showed, which only reinforced the final assessment their friends had come to: they were in love with one another, and they were made for each other.

"Like I said" Neptune repeated with a proud smirk, "you know exactly what you're doing."

The swordsman looked up at the blue-haired Huntsman-in-training, and smirked back thankfully.

"We'll see."

"That reminds me" announced Sun. "Where's your wallet, Arc?"

"On the dresser, why?"

Sun jumped off the bed and walked to the other side of the dorm room, picking up the wallet and fished out what clearly was a condom.

"Just gonna put this here..."

"H-Hey!" shouted Jaune, his cheeks flaring up as he rose to his feet. "What are you doing?"

"Just in case."

"It's the first date, and didn't you hear me say that we're gonna be talking about important stuff? Who knows when we'll do stuff like that" Jaune pointed out.

The others all looked at him incredulously, as they all expected that things were going to heat up between them when the less than sexy topics had been sorted.

"Just in case" Sun repeated, closing the wallet. "I can only fit one in here so make it count. The box will be here if you can get to it." He opened the top drawer of the dresser and dropped the condoms in it, closing it with a slap of his left hand.

"Pyrrha isn't the type to fool around on the first date, and neither am I" Jaune argued truthfully.

"Yes, but making her wait this long, can make her do the unexpected. Maybe you're right, and maybe nothing happens, but if it does, better be safe than sorry" argued Sun folding his arms. "And besides, you said it yourself that if things go well, you think there'll be a future with her by your side. If she feels the same, and we all know she does, then that's one Hell of a way to start the summer."

Jaune bit the inside of his cheek in annoyance, not able to think of a counter that wasn't just repetition. Saying nothing, he turned his attention back to his reflection, and tried to fix his hair. He then heard the others chuckle, and wasn't going to pay them any attention, when he realized that Ren was chuckling as well, and he looked at his friend wide-eyed.

"Dude..." he said slowly, entirely baffled, "you've got no leg to stand on here."

"Now THEY are gonna fuck on the first date; or as soon as he confesses to her" added Sun with Neptune nodding, a large smirk on his face.

"I would have more self-restraint" began Ren, his cheeks turning red.

"Yeah, but I doubt she will" Neptune pointed out, causing the other two to laugh, and deepen Ren's blush. "And speaking of not keeping a woman waiting, looks like it's show time."

Jaune looked up at the clock and noticed the time, realizing that Neptune was right.

"Shit, right. Where's my stuff?" he asked himself, looking around. Sun tossed him his wallet, and Ren unplugged his Scroll, handing it to him. "Damn. I don't have a watch."

"Why? You have a Scroll" pointed out Sun.

"Hey, a watch is more than a time piece; it's an accessory" cut in Neptune, as he reached for his wrist. "Here, take mine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, no worries. Thankfully it matches the outfit" the Vacuan lieutenant insisted, handing it to him. "Just bring it back in one piece, OK?"

Jaune nodded as he accepted the watch, and fixed it to his own wrist. He looked at himself in the mirror one last time, trying to spot anything that was amiss, but was brought out of his scanning by Neptune heavily placing his hand on his shoulder.

"You look fine, Jaune. Don't sweat it and get Misery's Kiss. Just go and sweep Pyrrha off her feet; which you already know how well enough" he assured with a kind smile. "And remember: whatever you say can't be wrong if it's the truth."

The blond held gazed back at Neptune for a moment, before chuckling once through his nose, and held out his hand to offer a shake.

"Thanks, man."

"Anytime" Neptune replied, accepting his hand, but took his forearm in the warrior's manner.

"Right then, I'll be off. I'll be seeing you all later. Cheers" Jaune saluted to the other boys, and turned for the door.

"Go and get that Nikos booty!" called Sun playfully.

Jaune shook his head half annoyed and half chortled, and could only give the Faunus a thumbs up without looking at him as he opened the door and closed it behind him.

λΛλ

During the time that Jaune was fussing over his outfit, the girls were busily helping Pyrrha. Yang and Weiss had a field day going over which of the outfits Pyrrha would go with for the date, leaving the Mistralese champion nearly at their mercy. They had begun much earlier preparing for the date so they had as much time as they needed to get things perfect. Of course there was never enough time for such things, but they did their best.

"Are you sure you want to just keep your hair in a Dutch braid?" asked Yang for the third time, standing behind and to the right of the Mistralese, who was sitting at her vanity desk.

"Yes, Yang, I am sure" replied Pyrrha politely.

The redhead had decided not to overdo things for the date, taking care to heed Jaune's claim that the restaurant was not a fancy one. She of course was never one to overly fixate on her appearance, but she was wrestling with the desire to look as beautiful for Jaune as possible. Thus she decided to only change her hairstyle slightly; removing her circlet, and keeping her hair up in a ponytail, but in a single Dutch braid.

"It does look nice, all things considered" added Weiss, standing on the other side. "Although, we could have gone to a salon."

"That's what I was saying" agreed the blonde. "And we could have gotten your nails done there too; two birds with one stone."

Pyrrha had resisted going to a hair salon, again stressing that she did not want to go overboard. She had done the same regarding her nails, but conceded to Weiss, allowing her to paint them in a simple dark red with a cream finish.

"I'm happy and grateful with what we decided to go with, thank you" Pyrrha assured.

"At least let me do some more makeup" insisted the Atlassian. "You've only let me do the bare minimum, and you refused any lipstick."

"Thank you, but it's only a simple date, Weiss. We're going to see a film, then eat at a little restaurant" Pyrrha said, politely standing firm. "And besides, I'm not overly fond of makeup. I wore very little at the Dance, and we have already exceeded that amount this afternoon."

"But you're a celebrity, aren't you?" Yang pointed out. "You're used to wearing lots of makeup."

"Well, yes I have worn makeup for interviews and photo shoots, however it was handled by the makeup artists of media companies that requested those interviews, whether they be news outlets or magazines; entertainment, fashion, sports, and the like" Pyrrha informed. "Personally, I don't take the time to invest in it. It doesn't seem all that important given our profession."

"Yes, but we all need down time; which is what you are doing right this moment" Weiss pointed out.

"I don't think Jaune cares" Nora chimed in, lying on her stomach upon her bed. "You've seen the way he looks at her. He already thinks she's the most beautiful girl in the world, so makeup isn't gonna make or break anything."

"Exactly. Thank you, Nora" Pyrrha said smiling.

"Fine fine. We'll drop the makeup" sighed the older Xiao Long sister. "Let's go over your clothes. Stand up and face the full length mirror."

Doing as she was told, Pyrrha rose from her chair and stood before her mirror. Taking bits and pieces of advice from the others, she had chosen a simple outfit for the date. She wore a cacao coloured long sleeved blouse, a matching short knife pleated skirt, and black pantyhose tucked into leather booties with one inch heels. It had been a bit of a debate between herself and her friends on what to wear. Pyrrha had always dressed more conservatively, especially in comparison to some of the other girls in her circle, who now tried to convince her to loosen up, given she was going on a date. She had been alright with wearing a mini-skirt, as she already did so in her combat attire, but her thigh-high boots and armour, had made it more proper. Pyrrha's blouse had been the same situation, showing no more cleavage than her normal Huntress armour allowed. Yang was taking exception to that. Furthermore, Yang and Weiss had suggested her wearing the skirt and booties to show off her legs, and Pyrrha only agreed to it if she could wear pantyhose. The booties had been another moment of contention during their shopping spree, as while Pyrrha truly loved them, was worried about the heel. She hadn't voiced her reservations about her height to anyone other than Nora, which thankfully worked in her favour, as the ginger had rightfully pointed out there was no point worrying about being tall and it turning Jaune off. They were going on a date after all, so if she liked them, and they accentuated her legs and butt, then she should buy them.

"Nothing appears out of place?" Pyrrha asked.

"You look great!" complimented Ruby with a smile, sitting cross-legged on the redhead's bed.

"Yes" added Blake with a small smile of her own. "It's a very nice outfit."

"Yeah, it's super cute!" Nora joined in, giving her teammate a double thumps up.

"It's respectable" nodded Weiss.

"Hmmm" hummed Yang, eyeing Pyrrha from head to toe. She then snaked her arms around the redhead's waist, and tugged on the blouse so that much more cleavage was on display. "There we go."

"Yang!" gasped Pyrrha, clutching her chest.

"What?"

"That's far too much! I chose this outfit in order to not be so revealing" argued the Mistralese champion, her cheeks flushed.

"But you're going on a date, Nikos. Don't you want him to check you out?" the blonde pointed out. "And besides, you should show them off tonight. That armour of yours hides how big they really are, so how about you surprise him?"

Pyrrha's face turned redder, looking back at the mirror once again and making sure that her blouse was positioned correctly, lessening the cleavage.

"I will not say it again" she answered sternly. "This is our first date. We are going to enjoy ourselves at the cinema, and then we are going to have a serious conversation about dating, as well as other topics that we need to go over. That is all."

Yang stared at her friend incredulously, not understanding why she was being so difficult. Her eyes then dropped to Pyrrha's lower back, and she lifted the end of her blouse.

"Well if you don't want to show off your boobs, then you should at least show off your ass. It's also bigger than you'd think thanks to your armour, hair, and shield, and this skirt shows it off well, along with your hips."

Pyrrha's hands flew to her behind, and looked again at the blonde in embarrassment and frustration.

"I don't get why you're so uptight about this" Yang remarked, cutting ahead of the redhead's protests. "This is supposed to be a date, and you're taking it more seriously than a funeral. Since this is your first date, let me tell you how it's supposed to work. You're supposed to enjoy yourself, relax, talk, check out your date, let him check you out, and see if there's a connection. You said so yourself that physical attraction is important for a healthy relationship, so what's wrong with showing off your body to Jaune to see if he's as attracted to you as you are to him?"

Once again, Yang's fiery behaviour turned into sound, good hearted advice, causing Pyrrha to feel guilty for reacting the way she had.

"I'm sorry, I'm just nervous" she apologized.

"Why?" asked Blake genuinely. "You and Jaune are effectively together, so why are you stressing over this?"

"Pyrrha thinks Jaune is the One" informed Nora with a smile. "And I think so too, so tonight is going to be all or nothing."

The others all looked at the nervous redhead in surprise. Every one of them knew that the couple had strong feelings for one another, and they felt that Jaune and Pyrrha had honestly dragged out the solidification of their relationship. However, to hear that Pyrrha felt that Jaune was the one she wanted to marry, and felt certain of that at only the age of seventeen, was shocking. The idea itself wasn't outrageous, as the others all expected in time that would be the case. It was hearing it aloud that gave it so much more weight.

"Are you certain?" asked Weiss, the only one other than Pyrrha that took marriage that seriously.

Pyrrha looked up at the white-haired swordswoman timidly.

"Yes..." she replied slowly, "I know that sounds strange, especially given our age, but after spending as much time as we have together, I've begun to see the true Jaune. Ever since he's taken his training seriously, his best qualities have shown through, and they've only made me fall deeper in love with him. His values are the same as mine, and his view on marriage is just as serious. He's everything I've been looking for."

The certainty in her voice took everyone safe Nora and Weiss aback. Nora had spoken enough with Pyrrha privately to know how earnest she was on the matter. She was also in the very same boat, as she knew that she would marry Ren, and had known for a long time. Weiss was obviously different, not having known Neptune for as long as Nora knew Ren, and she hadn't spent as much time with him as Pyrrha had with Jaune. However, she did share Pyrrha's mentality when it came to marriage, and how important it was to choose partners carefully. It was why she too had been taking her time, not rushing to cross any lines until she knew for certain that Neptune was the one she would invest her time and energy into. There were obviously more criteria and requirements to dating that she needed to adhere to that her friends did not, but that was her business for the time being.

"Then you have no reason to be afraid or to be anxious" the heiress said softly, smiling gently at her friend. "I've watched how you two behave, and everyone here can attest that you were both made for one another. Jaune has clearly articulated that he values you tremendously, along with how he has emphasized the importance of waiting for this date. You look wonderful, so stop fretting and go enjoy yourself. Understood?"

Pyrrha stared at Weiss for a moment, before smiling in gratitude, and hugged her graciously. There was something profound hearing Weiss of all people voice her support, as Pyrrha had unfortunately developed a small fire of bitterness towards the heiress when she had Jaune's attention. She had always felt guilty for that, and thankfully the jealousy had faded away with Jaune asking her properly to the Dance, and then to this very date. How quickly things had changed, and certainly for the better.

"Thank you, Weiss" she responded, truly appreciative to the Gods for having such dear friends.

"Think nothing of it" the Atlassian replied, hugging her back.

Yang watched the pair embrace one another, and folded her arms, bereft of speech. These were the moments that she really couldn't comment on, as she always found it hard to tease when things turned serious. As hard-headed as she was, she wasn't so dense as to not realize there were moments where her usual behaviour was inappropriate.

"Geez" she sighed, shaking her head. "Fine, we'll do it your way." She then paused for a moment, and tilted her head to the right. "What underwear are you wearing, by the way?"

Pyrrha let go of Weiss and looked at Yang in confusion.

"Regular. Why?"

"Define 'regular', as for you, that's strapless bralettes and those granny-panty boxer things" the blonde pointed out. "I get it, you're an athlete, it makes sense most of your underwear is that type, but you've got some sexy ones, right?"

"No, but I do have regular bras and underwear; which are what I am wearing now. Why?" Pyrrha replied cautiously, blushing at the question.

"If things get hot tonight, do you want to be wearing unsexy underwear?"

The redhead blushed deeper at the comment, and internally groaned as once again, Yang reverted back to her more perverted mindset.

"This is why we think you are a pervert, Yang" she said in a measured voice.

"Why? You said yourself that Jaune's the One, so why not start this summer off with a bang?" the blonde remarked, grinning at her pun. "Don't tell me you're the 'wait till marriage' type?"

"I am."

"In our profession?"

"That isn't enough to abandon my principles or my religious protocol!"

"You said he's the One, so why wait if you get the confirmation you're looking for tonight?" Yang rationalized. "Did you shave?"

"Well...yes" Pyrrha replied, though feeling as if the question had come out of nowhere. "I'm wearing pantyhose because I don't want to reveal a lot of skin, not to hide the fact I didn't shave my legs."

"No, I mean did you shave?"

"I'm not going to sleep with him on the first date!" the redhead cried. "Did you not pay attention to anything I said?"

"You never know."

"Yang!"

"You never know. Also, you don't have to bonk him, since they're other things you can do; your mouth for instance. It ain't just for kissing."

"Just ignore her" sighed Weiss, placing a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder.

"Hey, you can think that I'm a pervert all you want. But if I was that in love with a guy, and he made me wait this long, damn right I'd jump him" defended the brawler, before turning her attention to the ginger, who was grinning at all of this. "Isn't that right, Nora?"

The hammeress' grin quickly faded as her cheeks turned red from the comment.

"And this ladies, is exactly why I don't talk about this stuff with my sister" remarked Ruby with a sigh.

Her elder sister turned to look at her with a smug smirk on her face, and walked over to the bed she was sitting on. She crouched down so that she was level with Ruby, and looked her right in the eye.

"The day will come when you will meet a cute boy, and then you'll come crawling to get my advice" she said confidently.

Without hesitation or breaking eye contact, Ruby replied.

"Think you'll have a boyfriend by then?"

Yang's smugness instantly turned to wide-eyed annoyance as the room filled with laughter from their friends, and she lunged at her sister, fully intending to teach her a lesson. Ruby had expected this from years of sibling teasing, and used her Semblance to dash backwards, bounce off the wall, slip under the bed, and reform behind Weiss and Pyrrha. The blonde slid across the top of the bed trying to catch Ruby, and twisted around to lock onto her.

"Get back here!" she shouted.

The younger Xiao Long sister stuck her tongue out at her, prompting her sister to jump off the bed, and was about to lay down some big sister fury, when a knock on the door caused all the girls to freeze.

"Pyrrha? It's me" came Jaune's muffled voice from the other side of the door, causing the redhead in question's heart to skip a beat.

"Y-Yes! I'm ready!" she called turning one last time to her friends. "Is everything alright with my outfit?"

"You look perfect" Weiss insisted, handing the nervous Mistralese her purse. "Just breathe and enjoy yourself."

The others all joined in with their support, encouraging Pyrrha, making her smile, and allowing her to walk to the bedroom door to meet Jaune. She opened the door to reveal the slightly nervous blond, brandishing a new set of clothing that complemented him greatly. The shirt especially matched his eyes, hugging his form and showing off the physique he had worked hard on for the past year, as well as his muscular arms. It was certainly a sight that Pyrrha could get used to. Jaune too checked out his date, and couldn't suppress a smirk that he had been right that she looked amazing in anything.

"Hey" he said, maintaining his smirk.

"Hey" she replied, smiling warmly at him.

"You look ready...and amazing."

"Thank you, so do you."

"Stop dawdling and go before you miss the film" Weiss warned, pushing Pyrrha from behind to usher her out the door.

"And don't come back until you're officially boyfriend and girlfriend!" called Nora, grinning from ear to ear.

Before the couple could say anything back, Weiss shut the door, leaving them alone in the hallway. There was a momentary pause as they looked at one another with their cheeks dusted pink, before Jaune cleared his throat.

"So...shall we?" he asked, offering the crook of his right arm.

Pyrrha smiled at his gentlemanly behaviour, and accepted the gesture graciously.

"Yes, we shall" she replied, walking in tandem with her date towards the exit of the dormitory building, both feeling nervous and excited for their long awaited date.

λΛλ

It was now late in the afternoon as Jaune and Pyrrha emerged from the movie theatre arm in arm, walking away at a calm pace.

"Well that was pretty good" Jaune remarked.

"It was" Pyrrha agreed with a smile, which the blond breathed an internal sigh of relief, as he wasn't sure if an action film had been the best choice. It was a period piece, which he had hoped would catch her interest as much as it caught his, and he was glad that his assumption had been correct. "Though the fight choreography could have used more work."

"Yeah, I noticed that too" Jaune admitted. Thanks to both his upbringing and months of training with Pyrrha, the swordsman could now easily tell the difference between an attack aimed at an opponent, and an attack aimed at an opponent's weapon. Furthermore, he could tell when the swords were dull props, with their edges being rolled, and the points were rounded. It was all understandable of course, as real swords in the hands of actors would result in terrible injuries, but it nevertheless was detected by the couple, and was a point of criticism. "But those were the best fights I've seen in a while."

"Hmmm, that's true. However, there were several moments across all the battles where both the heroes and the villains could have landed devastating blows, though they chose not to. Equally, there were moments that either should have continued to apply pressure when an opening was presented or created, and there was no follow through. And then there was the dropping of guards and never taking a proper stance, the failing to capitalize when getting into a bind, which every film with sword combat does..."

"Alright professor, if you have such a problem with the fight scenes, why don't you offer your services to the movie industry to teach actors how to fight?" Jaune ribbed playfully. "And didn't you get into several binds during the tournament and didn't take advantage of them?"

Pyrrha's cheeks turned pink, realizing that he was right.

"W-Well, I was going up against my mentors, and I had every right to speak to them" she defended, diverting from the secret reason as to why she had wanted to speak to Olivier and René.

Her response caused the blond to snicker, and squeeze her arm.

"You're so cute when you're embarrassed" he teased.

"Jerk" she pouted, slapping his arm lightly, which only made the blond snicker louder. "I've been offered movie roles before."

"I can believe that" he replied. "You never accepted them though."

"No. It was nice of them to consider me for their films, but I would much rather focus on my training" she explained. "I did star in a couple of commercials, but nothing more. I'm not much of an actress anyways."

"You're certainly beautiful enough to be one, though" Jaune complimented, earning him a thankful squeeze from the redhead. "Now that I think of it, having Huntsmen act in movies so they could have better fight scenes without having to use strings and stuntmen would be pretty cool. Do they ever hire active Huntsmen?"

"I'm sure they have tried, and no doubt the fights would significantly improve. However I have a feeling that the camera operators would have trouble keeping up with a pair of seasoned Huntsmen. Also, would the average moviegoer be able to keep up with a fight at that level?" she mused, not trying to sound rude.

"Probably not. I had plenty of trouble keeping up with you and Olivier during the Singles Round" Jaune admitted. "But now that I think about it, Huntsmen should focus on the Hunt rather than movies, like you said."

"I agree" Pyrrha nodded. "So are we going to dinner?"

"Yup. Right this way" he said with a smile, leading his date down the city streets.

It was only a short walk from the cinema to the restaurant, as was Jaune's plan, and it was a rather nice establishment. It was an older building nestled in between two other properties, with the front being made of dark clay coloured wood with double hung paned windows. The name of the restaurant, The Thundering White Horses Tavern, was painted in gold letters above the double doors, just beneath a large wooden carving of eight white horses in full gallop. Jaune opened one of the doors for Pyrrha, letting her in first to see the warm and bright interior of the establishment. The tavern was fitted with polished wood floors, walls, and ceiling, with a dozen shaded branched chandeliers scattered across the inside. The tables were round bar types with wooden chairs and stools, leather love seats against the windows, along with tall stools lining up the impressive bar, which appeared to carry every commercially available liquor in Remnant. It was relatively full of patrons, which showed Jaune had made a good call by reserving days in advance. As they stood at the entrance of the tavern, a hostess greeted them with a smile.

"Welcome to the Thundering White Horses Tavern!" she said warmly. "Do you have a reservation or are you just walking in?"

"Reservation; under Arc" Jaune replied.

The hostess opened her leather-bound reservation book, with the current day marked with a red ribbon with gold trim, and instantly found his name marked at the top.

"Here it is. Right this way" she said, leading the couple through the tavern.

As they walked, both could feel the eyes of the other patrons on them, which was to be expected. Jaune himself was quickly gaining fame, though it was entirely for being Pyrrha's boyfriend. Initially it had been due to them going to the Dance together, then their handholding being spotted during the tournament, and then their moment in the spotlight when the whole world saw them in each other's arms after Pyrrha had won against Sun. They did their best to ignore them, and Jaune especially was grateful that he had reserved a table with privacy. The hostess began to walk up the quarter-turn staircase in the centre of the tavern, and continued to lead them up several more floors till they reached the top of the restaurant. The entire top floor was empty, but the hostess brought them to the large glass doors that opened to a veranda that had its own set of tables. One table was set, obviously meant for Jaune and Pyrrha, and the hostess left them to seat themselves as she returned inside to grab their menus.

As natural as it was polite, Jaune pulled Pyrrha's chair back so she could sit before taking his own.

"This is a wonderful place you chose" she said smiling.

"Yeah it is" he agreed. "I went looking for places near the cinema so I wouldn't have to drag you all over the city, and lucky enough I stumbled across this place. I hope the food is as good as the reviews say."

"I'm sure it is. Though I have to ask, did you reserve the entire top floor?"

"No, just the veranda. The top floor was just refurbished, and not everyone is aware that it's been reopened. Just another bit of luck, I guess" the blond explained. "But if I had to reserve the whole floor to give us privacy, I would have."

"Jaune, that would have been awfully expensive..."

"For you, absolutely worth it" he replied without hesitation. "I saw how much it bothered you to have reporters digging into our personal life, so I wasn't going to let them bother us on our night. I want this to be the best first date possible, and I value that more than money."

Pyrrha's cheeks flushed deeply at this, and she slid her hand across the table to take his, squeezing it appreciatively.

"I think you're worth it too" she said, giving him a coquettish look. Jaune smiled back, her beauty taking his breath away once again.

The hostess returned with a pair of menus, and told them that a waiter would join them shortly, giving them several minutes of privacy to choose their meal. Pyrrha quickly discovered that the restaurant had an impressive variety of options, including an assortment of wild game. After choosing what they wanted to order, they waited for their waiter to make his appearance, who then quickly took their menus away, and headed to the kitchen to inform the chef.

"That was a pleasant surprise" she remarked. "I wasn't expecting such a place to have a menu so old fashioned."

"That's not a bad thing is it?" Jaune asked worriedly, though kicking himself for realizing she had just said that it was a pleasant surprise.

"No, of course not. It certainly does match the aesthetic of the restaurant, given its age. I quite like it."

Breathing a sigh of relief, the blond grinned, and reached for his glass of water.

"That's good. I wasn't sure if I should go for a Mistralese restaurant or not, to give you a taste of home, but then I figured that you'd probably want to try something more Valian. Then when I tried that Gyro thing and you said your mom made them better, I felt better that I picked a place that wouldn't leave a bad taste in your mouth; no pun intended."

"That's very thoughtful of you" she replied, smiling sweetly. "I'm sure the food will be delicious."

"I hope. The menu is more like what I grew up eating, and the photos online look pretty spot on, but I guess we'll learn soon enough."

The couple began to make small talk as they waited for their meal, though they both knew that it was just to kill time before they would get to the meat and potatoes of the date. Thankfully they didn't need to wait too long, as their waiter appeared with their meals, and laid them before the couple. Pyrrha had chosen a pheasant dish with mushrooms in a wine sauce, and Jaune had chosen wild boar sausages marinated in a house lager, with a side of roasted potatoes and carrots.

"This looks wonderful" complimented Pyrrha graciously. "I'm shocked it was made so quickly."

"Our head chef is a talented man, and will be delighted to hear your approval, Miss Nikos" the waiter said with a bow. "Please enjoy your meal."

As the waiter walked away, the pair tucked into their food. Pyrrha sampled some of her pheasant, and hummed happily.

"This is lovely! How's yours, Jaune?"

The blond sliced a piece of sausage, and chewed it slowly before swallowing.

"I'm bias because I grew up eating lots of boar, so I think that my homemade boar sausage is better" he expressed, before stabbing a slice of potatoes and carrot. "But it's pretty damn close."

Pyrrha smiled at him as she took another forkful.

"You make your own sausage?" she asked, curious to hear more of her date's childhood.

"Yeah. We have our own livestock, but hunting is pretty big in my family, and I grew up hunting and butchering game. Lots of boar and lots of boar sausage" he replied with a hint of nostalgia in his voice. He looked up at the beautiful redhead before him, and could tell by the look in her eye that she wanted to hear more. 'Looks like it's time to get to it, huh?' he thought, not looking forward to what may or may not occur. "I guess we should start by getting to brass tacks. The tournament is finally over, which means we've got nothing stopping us from taking this relationship seriously. So ladies first. I want to know you properly; more than I already do. Not as Pyrrha Nikos the Champion of Mistral, but as Pyrrha Nikos from Argus. I want to hear more about you, and not something I could read in a magazine interview."

Pyrrha gazed at him carefully. 'That look in his eye' she thought. 'It's very much like it was at the fairground...'

She knew that this was the moment that their date would become serious, which despite the sobering language he was using, was meant to be respectful.

"Alright. I was born in Argus, and lived there my whole life with my parents. My father was Peleas Nikos, and my mother is Anthemya Nikos. They met at Helike University, and they fell in love at first sight. They got married right after they graduated."

"Really? That fast?" Jaune asked, surprised.

"Yes" Pyrrha answered with a warm smile. "My parents said the moment they met that they knew they would spend the rest of their lives together. My father would say that my mother was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and how her smile was so bright and warm, that it would light up every room she entered. It was impossible not to fall in love."

"I can believe that" he remarked, unable to stop himself. "You've got a pretty breathtaking smile yourself."

The redhead cheeks flushed at his words, though she tried her best to keep herself steady.

"Thank you. My father was always a direct man. He always knew what he wanted, and when he set a goal for himself, he would work like a plough horse to achieve it. He earned a doctorate in history and religion, and quickly gained a teaching position as a professor at the very university he and my mother graduated from. He was a very studious man, but he also believed that one should be both a scholar and an athlete. While his first major passion was his faith, and his second was history, the third was combat."

"That's an odd jump, no offense" Jaune remarked, hoping he hadn't offended her.

Pyrrha giggled. "You are not the first to react that way. My mother did the same when they were dating, and mostly everyone else who first got to know my father. Mistral has a very active dueling culture, very much as Atlas does. We have proper dueling leagues, specifically designated for swordsmen, but we also have more leisured versions of the dueling leagues for historical re-enactments. It is here that people come together to train with historical weapons and armour, and compete against one another. My father was an active competitor, and he would even teach in his free time."

"Plough horse indeed" Jaune nodded respectfully, eating another piece of sausage.

"Speaking of which, he also took part in the jousting tournaments."

"He jousted?"

"Yes. He was rather good at it too. He loved every bit of HMMA, that's Historical Mistralese Martial Arts, and my parents would bring me to the tournaments he and his guild would participate in. From a very young age I was surrounded by Knights and warriors, weapons and armour, and it was something that I instantly felt a connection with. My mother then began to read fairytales to me, of princesses being rescued by Knights from monstrous dragons, warriors battling for their Kings and Queens, along with every other fairytale children grow up with. My mother is a linguist, and translates ancient texts at the university, so she would tell stories of the past that I'm sure most have never heard of. This fueled my love for HMMA, and at six years of age, I asked my father to begin training me."

"Really? That young?" Jaune asked in surprise. He had guessed she began training at a young age, certainly before going to Sanctum, but six was much sooner than he thought.

"I was very eager and determined" Pyrrha said smiling. "My father was very happy to see me take such a strong interest in the sport, and we began to train together, both at his guild and at home. I was too young to join the junior leagues, but after showing that I possessed great skill for my age, the Guild Master, a Koala Faunus originally from Menagerie named Damascus Shadrach, allowed me to officially enter. Although, given that Master Shadrach and my father were good friends, I think father twisted his arm a little. I quickly began to rise in the ranks, and before long I won my first tournament at eight years old. I remember how happy I was, and how proud I hoped I made my parents. But what I remember most is the advice my father gave me after my first victory. He said 'Pyrrha, never brag, as it makes it impossible for your mother and I to brag for you'. I took that piece of advice to heart, and I've done my best to adhere to those words, even after all these years since..."

Her voice trailed as her eyes dropped to her plate. Jaune felt a pang of sorrow in his chest, as he saw the pain in her beautiful emerald eyes, and knew why it was there.

"When did he pass?" he asked slowly, as he took her hand in the same manner she had taken his. She squeezed it tightly, before finally taking a deep breath.

"Seven years ago. He was away on a holy retreat to the northwest side of the Corpus Sea, helping build a new Starseeker temple. During the night, there was a Grimm attack, and in one of the houses that members of the retreat were living in, caught fire." Pyrrha's hand tightened further as she spoke, her voice beginning to shake. "My father saw that they were trapped, Grimm keeping them from trying to escape through the windows, and without hesitation, he went back to get them out. He distracted the Grimm just enough so that he could get passed them, and broke through the front door. Digging his heels, he stood his ground against the Grimm to give the others enough time to get to safety. My father was an incredible swordsman, but he wasn't a Huntsman..." she continued, swallowing audibly. "They were all armed, but they weren't Huntsmen, and the Huntsmen that went with them were too few in number to handle a horde of that size. When they told us the news, I couldn't believe it. My father, who was so strong and tenacious, dying...I just couldn't. At his funeral, I swore that I would become a Huntress, so that no one else would be taken before their time. I swore to all nine Gods of Light, that as long as I drew breath, I would fight. So I took part in every combative sport I could while at Sanctum, so that I would be the best."

Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, and she reached to wipe them as they fell, when Jaune reached over with his right hand and gently did it for her. Pyrrha looked at him and saw his sad but understanding smile.

"I know how you feel. I lost my grandfather when I was a kid. He always seemed larger than life to me, so much so that I couldn't believe he suddenly became ill and passed away. I looked up to him greatly, and like you with your dad, I want to honour him. I obviously didn't know him, but from what you've said thus far, I think he would be proud of what you've achieved" Jaune said from the bottom of his heart. "And he'd be proud of the young woman you've become; I certainly am."

Though the tears had returned in full force, Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh, and she wiped away her tears quickly, a pained smile on her face.

"Thank you...I really hope so" she replied, gently rubbing her thumb against his. After a moment, she said, "He would have loved you."

Those words should have touched Jaune, humbling him greatly to think he could have gained her father's approval. However, part of him knew that the truth would be far less likely. He knew that now was the time to share the last secret he had been hiding from not only her, but everyone.

"I'm not so sure" he said at last, causing her to look up at him, confused. "Did your father value honesty as much as you do?"

"Of course" Pyrrha replied. "If you're referring to you forging your transcript to get into Beacon, I'm more than certain that after meeting you, he would understand just as I did."

"Except that I never did tell you why I lied to get into Beacon" the blond pointed out.

That point made Pyrrha pause, realizing that it was very much true. She fully knew and understood Ren and Nora's situation, but she wasn't even aware as to why Jaune wanted to be a Huntsman in the first place. Once again she looked at him with an expression that said she wanted to know more, leaving Jaune to take a deep breath of his own and speak the truth.

"I know what my Semblance is" he sighed.

The redhead blinked twice in surprise, as this wasn't what she had expected for him to say.

"I'm sorry, you know?"

"Yeah..." Jaune answered in a dejected voice. "It's called Majesty. I know what it is because it's a hereditary Semblance. It's nothing special; all it does is boost our physical strength and healing, which the latter I think you saw before. Because it's simple, we've been able to come up with practical and effective uses for it, which goes hand in hand with how my family is. We Arcs are very old fashioned; and when I say old fashioned, I mean really old fashioned. We wear armour like the Knights of old, and carry swords, shields, and other melee weapons, feeling that it's more honourable to fight Man, Faunus, and Grimm that way. We come from a long line of Knights, with my great-great-grandfather being a captain of the King's Guard, so we've maintained that tradition after all this time. So a Semblance like Majesty, that lets us fight with the strength of a hundred men, withstand attacks that would kill the average man ten times over, to heal and keep fighting, is perfect for us. What we've developed over time are massive Aura reserves, and practice Aura manipulation. This lets us use Aura to sharpen our weapons beyond the true sharpness of steel, and even fire Aura at our enemies from our very weapons. All of this requires a lot of control and..."

"...is everything you're having trouble with" Pyrrha finished, now understanding everything the blond had meant during their training sessions.

"Right...which then brings us as to why I faked my transcript to get into the academy" Jaune continued, taking a sip of water before speaking again. "I'm an army brat. I wasn't born on a base, but my entire family has taken up military service. Even though we Arcs have Semblances and can control it and Aura at a young age, we don't become Huntsmen. We help them for sure, as Huntsmen get deployed alongside the Valian military to protect the Kingdom from Grimm, but because of my ancestor's position in the King's Guard, we've always felt that the best way to serve the Kingdom of Vale, was to fight in her army."

Pyrrha nodded, feeling as if the remaining pieces were finally falling into place. Jaune had used very specific words in the past regarding his embarrassment for lying to get into the academy; "stolen valour" being one of them. That was a term specifically for people who lied about their service, and it was one of the greatest insults towards active soldiers that one could think of.

"That was supposed to be my future as well, until it became clear that I wasn't good at much. Everyone usually awakens Majesty before they become teenagers, just before they start their training. I obviously didn't. No matter how much I tried, no matter how much time my father and uncles put into my training, I could never awaken it. And you know just how bad my Aura control is, so I don't have to go into it. By the time I was seventeen, it was pretty much a given that I was a lost cause. Everyone knew that I had Majesty, but they couldn't understand why I wasn't able to awaken it. So my father decided that he had enough, and sent me for basic training at one of the bases in the north. My father is a Major, and to make sure that I wouldn't get an ounce of special treatment, he made a fake application and background for me, and made me dye my hair black. Obviously, I didn't make the cut. Out of shame for being unable to be an Arc, and not even able serve as a regular soldier, I couldn't face my father or my family disgraced like this. So I made the decision that if I couldn't serve Vale like an Arc, then maybe I could as a Huntsman. A school that teaches about Semblances and Aura seemed like my only shot at finally learning how to awaken Majesty, and regain my honour by coming home after graduating as a son they could be proud of. Affectively, I ran from my problems, so would your father really love me for being a coward?"

Pyrrha looked at Jaune with a steady gaze, trying to read him as well as she normally did. She could see that his shame was genuine, his eyes showing that clear as day. They had shown it many times before, ever since he had told her the truth about how he got into Beacon, and that it drove him to earn his place there.

She then squeezed his hand comfortingly, and smiled.

"You're not a coward, Jaune. You rose to the occasion exactly when you needed to, and over the course of the past year, you have grown so much. I couldn't be prouder of you for it, and that is why I know that my father would have loved you, because he would see how you've taken responsibility for your actions, and changed for the better."

"But I lied–"

"Yes, you did. But you have striven ever since then to do better and to be better. From the moment I met you, I saw something in you that I was attracted to; a spark that I hadn't seen in anyone before. I saw what you could become if given a hand and guided, which is why I wanted to train with you secretly. I wanted to see you become the best you that you could be, and I was willing to do anything to help you achieve that. I still am. So please, Jaune, please don't be so hard on yourself. Yes you've made mistakes in the past, but you have fully acknowledged those mistakes, and have dedicated yourself to amend and atone for them. I'm so proud of you for it, for it shows you've matured, and just as I know my mother will love you when you meet her, I know my father would have loved you after getting to know you as I have."

Jaune stared back at Pyrrha with his tongue completely tied. Praise like this was entirely foreign to the blond swordsman, and it brought forth a feeling in his chest that he had never felt before. However, what came screaming to the forefront of his mind, was what he had been told by Huntmaster Ozpin the day he had told him the truth about his application.

"I have always been present to the initiation trials, for I must judge the first-years with my own eyes. I saw you stumble, Mr. Arc, but I also saw you stand tall when you were needed. It was there I knew that you had every right to enroll in my academy. I saw something special in you, and I am glad to see that I was not wrong."

"A spark is a start, and if you feed it with the right fuel, a fire will burn. Though if you would like something a tad deeper philosophically, Huntmaster Tanngnjóstr, my predecessor, was fond of saying 'A person often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it'. It was clear from when I first met you, you were running from your past, trying to find something better. I now agree with my predecessor, seeing destiny being more literal than metaphorical. I believe you were meant to come here, Mr. Arc, and I am glad to help you on your way."

He squeezed her hand and sighed with a smirk.

"You're amazing, you know that?"

Pyrrha blushed as she smiled, squeezing back affectionately.

"Thank you, but so are you. And you should be proud of yourself too. You really have grown, and you can go back to your family for the summer holidays with your head held high, because you have made them proud."

Unfortunately, this caused Jaune's smirk to melt away.

"I'm not so sure about that."

"What do you mean? I was there when your Scroll was bombarded by messages from your family. They clearly are proud of you."

"Yeah. They all sent messages cheering me on...except my father." Jaune sighed, exhaling through his nose and frowning at the mention of the man he had previously describe as impossible to please. "My family is becoming proud of me, and that means a lot, but it's not good enough for my father. I've been nothing but a disappointment to him ever since I started having trouble with Majesty and Aura. I'm his only son, which means I have responsibilities to him and the family name. Instead of being the son he wanted me to be, I failed to meet any of his expectations, which is why after we beat Team BRNZ, he didn't say a word to me. He must know that I forged my transcript. He knew there was no way I was able to prove that I was good enough to enter Beacon without graduating from Signal, so when I told my parents that I made it in, they openly said that it would be fine if I failed out."

"Jaune..."

"That's how it's always been; lowering their expectations; especially my father. Bruce, my eldest sister Bridget's husband, is exactly the son my father wanted. He's a lieutenant in the army, top of his class, and he and my sister already have a son named Jacob. You know, when I first called my mother, she was shocked when I confirmed that we were together. And my father's even worse, that I bet when I bring you home, he'll tell me that if I was going to ask a friend to pretend to be my girlfriend, I should have asked one that at least seemed believable."

"Jaune!" gasped Pyrrha. "You cannot mean that."

"Knowing him..." he began, but felt the anger that had been building as he recounted his family troubles, slip through his fingers. "I'm sorry. I'm just...all over the place right now."

"Why?" she asked, concerned to see him this way.

The blond stared at his meal, which slowly was growing cold, before looking to the slowly setting sun.

"Ever since I realized that I wasn't as good as my cousins, I started to feel like I was an outcast in my own family. I liked everything they liked, but because I couldn't awakened my Semblance, I couldn't control Aura correctly, and I couldn't fight nearly as well as the others, I felt as if I wasn't an Arc. It's why I pretended to not know anything about Aura when we first met, as I thought it was better to pretend to be ignorant than admit to be incompetent."

He shook his head in shame, and then turned to gaze at Pyrrha, who sat quietly, waiting to hear him speak his mind.

"The past few months with you have been the best of my life. Training with you has given me a chance to feel something that I've never felt before; to feel like an Arc. It's why I feel so conflicted. My mother was shocked when I told her about us, but then she said she thinks you're beautiful, and she looks forward to meeting you. She even said what you just said; that she's glad I'm becoming who she always thought I would be. I don't really know what my father thinks about all this, but I've recently been realizing that some of the things he used to tell me growing up were true. And what really rubs my fur the wrong way, is that I'm starting to wonder just how much of what he said was true, because that means I have to admit that my stubborn father was right."

Jaune couldn't help but feel dreadful for spouting all of this to Pyrrha on their first date. However, he was shocked to hear her giggle.

"You seem to be fairly stubborn yourself" she remark smiling understandingly. "I'm not mocking you, but I think I understand what you're feeling. You've had some strong disagreements with your father, which all sons do. My father talked about having arguments with his father, and only realized when I was born that grandfather was right about a great many things. Is there anything else to your relationship with him that's more negative?"

"No, but if I've made it sound like my father's cruel, then I need to be clear. He's never hit me outside of sparring, he's never even yelled at me. He instead speaks calmly, or not at all, and conveys his disappointment through his eyes...which almost feels worse. I just want to be a son that he can be proud of; and I want to earn it. That's his favourite word by the way; earn."

"I think our fathers would have gotten along quite well if that is the case. Mine constantly stressed the value of hard work, something that I've done my best to do as well" Pyrrha recalled, taking a forkful of pheasant. "You've made it sound as if you have a bad relationship with your entire family, but that cannot be the case, can it?"

Jaune shook his head.

"No, not at all. I get along with all of my sisters. I'm closest with my younger sister, Andrea, since we're only two years apart. Then there are my uncles who are all great, especially my Uncle Thomas. I get along with all my cousins as well, especially Uncle Thomas' son, Lawrence. He's always been like an older brother to me; getting into trouble together, training together, running around in the woods, and pretty much everything else. I've always looked up to him since he's better looking, popular with girls, a great fighter; all the things I wanted to be. He's pretty happy-go-lucky, and can appear to be undisciplined, but he gets away with it by being so talented and resourceful. I tried being like him when I first got here, which is why I acted the way I did when we first met during the trials, and when I was trying to get Weiss to like me. But after realizing how you felt about me, I started taking things seriously, and looking back, I wasn't really doing what Lawrence would do; just what it looked like to me as an insecure kid. And then there's...I don't even know how to explain my relationship with her, so I'm not gonna bother. But yeah, it's all good."

Pyrrha smiled warmly at the blond, feeling touched by him talking about his family.

"It sounds as if you have a wonderful family" she remarked.

"Yeah..." Jaune sighed, picking up his fork. "They really are. And what makes me feel like such an idiot is that I'm only realizing it now." He stabbed one of his sausages, and moved it slightly. "This is the first time that I've ever been away from home, and now I realize just how much I miss them. I'm such a kid."

The blond felt Pyrrha squeeze his hand once again. He looked up at her to see her ever radiant smile, with her eyes and hair shining from the darkening light of the setting sun.

"The fact that you realized your childishness, admitted to it, and devoted yourself to self-improvement, shows you've matured. You ventured out on your own, leaving everything you've ever known behind, and taken full control of your destiny. You are without a doubt a man in my eyes, and you'll be one in your family's eyes when you see them again this summer. I guarantee it."

Jaune blushed at her profound words, and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Thanks, Pyrrha. That means a lot" he said truthfully. While he was touched at her whole-hearted praise, it reawakened a question he had been suppressing since the beginning. He didn't want to ask, but he knew that he couldn't date her without knowing the answer. He shifted in his seat, and rolled his tongue over the top row of his teeth with his mouth closed, before looking up at her nervously. "Pyrrha, I need to ask you something, and I want you to be as honest as possible."

"Of course" she replied, becoming slightly tense from the tone in his voice.

The blond swallowed and exhaled through his nose.

"I asked myself this question after the Dance, and when I couldn't figure out the answer, I just told myself that it didn't matter" he explained slowly. "But now that we're here, it does matter. It matters a lot to me, and I need to know the truth. Why do you like me? Why me out of all the guys out there? I know you told me it's because I didn't treat you like a celebrity, but we both know that I did when it mattered most. And to be fair, I had to ask myself a similar question that I can't really answer either; why did I think I had a chance with Weiss and not you? You're a famous athlete, you're gorgeous, you're kind, you're humble, you're incredible, and a girl that any guy would fight for. Any guy would feel they wouldn't have a shot with you. And yet, with my dumb ass knowing all that, I then try for the heiress of the most famous family in the world; who's also incredibly talented, smart, beautiful, etc. I can't answer why I figured I had no chance with you but did with Weiss, but I can understand why I wouldn't have a chance with either of you. I'm a terrible swordsman and student, I was a gutless kid who acted like an arrogant ass instead of a man, I lied to get into Beacon, and I didn't take things as seriously as I should have. You said that I changed, and I've improved a lot since the Dance, but you said you liked me back before that night. So I have to ask why, because if I don't, my head's gonna be filled with bad questions like, 'Would she like any other guy that treated her like a woman?'. Those are really bad thoughts, so what I'm asking is, what makes me so special to you?"

Pyrrha gazed at her date, feeling the heaviness of his words, and saw the doubt in his eyes. Unbeknownst to the conflicted blond, she had expected him to ask this question sooner or later, and she had given it plenty of thought.

"You're right" she began. "When we first met, you weren't as confident and capable as you are now; a wonderful testament to your growth and maturing. And yes, you treating me like I was any other girl, did cause my feelings for you to develop. However, it wasn't that alone. My mentors, Olivier and the others, also treated me as if I was just an underclassman, but I never developed romantic feelings for them. It was not only your treatment of me, but your treatment of others. It was your humility to admit when you were wrong, how you valued my opinion of you, how you wanted to improve, and even when I tried to soften your flaws, you rightfully pointed to them and said they needed to be addressed. So many people expected me to fall for a warrior of equal or greater skill, a Huntsman or an athlete where our photos on magazines and newspapers would catch the eyes of readers across Remnant. However, I learned from my parents that what matters most is character and decency, and everything that you are, and what you strive to be with each passing day, is exactly what I've been looking for. Your kindness, your resolution, your determination, your morals, your values, your principles..." she paused before smiling more warm and bright than she ever had before "...how could I not fall in love with someone like you?"

Jaune stared at her in utter shock, his heart pounding like a war drum, and his mouth becoming drier than a desert. He had known for weeks now that Pyrrha had strong feelings for him, which had forced him to think very long and hard on what he felt for her. However, this was the first time she had told him directly that she loved him, and he could feel panic begin to build in his chest. It wasn't exactly panic brought forth by fear, however. He was overjoyed to hear her say it, and to say it with such passion, took his very breath away. The true nature of his panic, was of the realization of what it meant, and what he had been pondering on for the past few weeks, had come to fruition. It was the turn of the tide, and he knew he had to ride that ship to unventured shores, uncertainty and all.

"Well..." he laughed nervously, not able to find the right words as his face began to burn, "when you put it that way..."

Pyrrha giggled at his reaction, secretly easing his anxiety.

"Furthermore, you're very cute and handsome, so that helped greatly when we first met" she added, giving him a coquettish look.

"Thanks. You're a knock out, yourself" the blond complimented back, grinning sheepishly, his ego growing. "I still think that I'm punching above my weight here, but it worked out didn't it?"

"Yes it did, however, I don't mind you thinking I'm that special" she replied flirtatiously.

"I may have realized it later than I should have, but you are everything I've been looking for" he flirted back, his panic fading quickly. "You're more special to me than I can put into words."

Pyrrha blushed as she felt her heart flutter at his courting, and she squeezed his hand appreciatively.

"You too. Now eat before your meal gets cold."

Jaune picked up his utensils with exaggerated reluctance.

"Man, what a pushy girlfriend" he muttered.

The redhead gasped and laughed, kicking him playfully under the table.

"Jerk!" she cried.

"And abusive!" he shot back with mock shock, causing her to laugh louder, and kick him again, neither time actually hurting him.

That musical laughter brought back Jaune's appetite, and both ate their meals with gusto. With the heaviness in the air gone, they began to chat thoroughly about their home Kingdoms, what summer plans they had in mind, and what they wanted for the future.

λΛλ

It was late-evening when the couple returned to their dorms, hand in hand, and their feelings for one another deeper and stronger than ever before. However for Jaune, it was a more serious endeavour. He knew that today was more than just a first date. He knew how much was riding on saying the right things, and taking the proper steps towards insuring that there would be a future. During his rare time alone, he had been deep within his own thoughts, trying to compartmentalize his notions and feelings accordingly, so that when their date came, he would be ready and confident. The strange and frustrating situation regarding the tournament and Pyrrha's stress, which he would wait as long as necessary for her to tell him what it was about, had forced him to stop thinking about their relationship. This had led him to dive deep over the past few days, and he hadn't been able to hide his anxiety from his friends that morning. That anxiety grew during their dinner, and it became gargantuan when she said aloud that she loved him. However, hearing her explain why she loved him, and what she wanted, had brought him to the point that he knew he had to be a man. Now was the time to be as mature and honest as she had been with him, and set things right as he had the night of the Dance.

Jaune let go of Pyrrha's hand, which caused her to turn to him in confusion, and saw the serious expression on his face.

"Jaune?" she asked softly.

"Pyrrha..." the blond began, breathing deeply to steady himself, "there's something that I need to tell you, and I need you to stay quiet until I finish."

The tone in his voice caused the redhead's stomach to twist, and it wasn't a feeling that hinted towards positivity.

"Of course. What is it?"

Jaune swallowed, and forced himself to look her in the eye as he spoke.

"The past few months have been the best of my life. I've never felt happier, more confident, more determined, and more myself. I meant what I said that you've made me feel like an Arc, and I can say honestly that you've brought out the best in me. The debt I owe you for keeping my secrets, to giving up your time to help me train, to be so patient with someone who didn't deserve it, and to forgive me when I betrayed your affection, is something that I might never be able to repay. But I swear to you and the Gods that I will, no matter how long it takes."

Jaune swallowed again, feeling the dreaded lump wanting to form in his throat, and his nerves were so shaken that he felt nauseous, but he forced himself to keep speaking.

"That's why what I'm about to say, I want you to know how much I mean it. I meant everything I said before, and I mean it even more now. I was taught that relationships are important, and you have to take them seriously, even when you're young. I'm your captain, and you are my lieutenant, which means we're going to be teammates for four more years, and many more after we graduate. That means that us dating is going to put even more stress on our relationship as friends and teammates, which will affect how we perform as a team. And with you saying you love me, means we're at the point of no return."

Jaune paused for a moment, which sent a wave of fear over Pyrrha, as his words implied he was going to say something she couldn't bear to hear. He then took a step forward, so that they were less than a foot apart, and looked deep into her emerald eyes.

"Which is why when I say that I love you, I mean that I can't ever go back to being just friends or teammates" he said at last, a small but soft smirk on his face. "After all, how could I not fall for someone like you?"

Pyrrha's lips parted as her eyes widened in astonishment. Her heart began to thunder as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, never in her life feeling more relieved.

"Ja–" she tried to say, but she was interrupted by Jaune leaning forward and pressing his lips onto hers. She froze in shock for a moment, but then shut her eyes and kissed him back. It only lasted a few seconds before the blond pulled away, his cheeks burning with a nervous expression on his face.

"S-Sorry if I was too forceful" he confessed. "I just didn't want to see you cry again, and it felt like kissing you would get the point across...and because I really wanted to for a while now..."

Pyrrha paused for a moment, before laughing as more tears began to fall down her cheeks. Jaune's face started to turn fearful, but what Pyrrha said next quashed that dread.

"No, you weren't. I've wanted to kiss you too, and for you to kiss me for a long time. You made me wait."

"I know, and I'm sorry" Jaune said honestly, and then rested his hands on her hips, pulling her closer. "I've got a lot to make up for. Are more kisses a good place to start?"

Pyrrha felt her heart flutter again, and she blushed as she brought her hands onto his chest, batting her eyelashes.

"Does this answer your question?" she replied, pressing her lips onto his, doing exactly what she had wanted to do hundreds of times during every moment they had spent together.

Jaune instantly began to kiss her back, causing them to melt into it, and press themselves closer together. It was their first kiss, but neither seemed to have any criticisms, and once again made a world of their own for themselves, with nothing or anyone to stop them.

Jaune opened his eyes ever so slightly, which caused him to notice something, and would have laughed if it didn't annoy him greatly.

"Enjoying the show, perverts?" he asked against Pyrrha's lips.

The redhead frowned slightly, her eyes still closed as she was captivated in her bliss. She then opened her eyes to see that her boyfriend was looking over her shoulder; clearly ruffled up about something. She reluctantly turned to see what he was referring to, and felt her entire face heat up. The door of Team RWBY's room was open, revealing Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Nora, sticking their heads out to watch them, all with varying levels of excitement on their faces.

"Don't mind us; keep going" encouraged Yang, ushering them with her hand, making a "shoo" hand gesture.

"Give him that wet one Coco was talking about" added Nora, ecstatic that her friends had finally gotten together.

"O-Oh! Y-You!" gasped Pyrrha, unable to form a sentence after being taken completely by surprise.

Thankfully, Jaune was feeling on top of the world, and remedied the situation by pulling her into him, one hand on her hip and the other at the base of her back, and kissed her passionately. The redhead's eyes widened by his actions, but she melted into the kiss once again, her arms wrapping around his neck, and moaned gently at all the new sensations she was experiencing. Her mouth was slightly open, giving Jaune's tongue room to slide in. It hadn't been on purpose, and neither had done this before, but neither were complaining, and they moaned as this new experience took them to new heights. Their spectators watched with growing awe; Yang and Nora had their mouths open with ear to ear smiles, Blake was smirking as it was a scene straight out of one of her romance novels, Weiss was blushing from such a scandalous public display of affection but was nevertheless very happy for the both of them, and Ruby was of course the most shy and uncomfortable.

Impressively, Jaune was the one who had his wits about him, and removed his left hand from Pyrrha's hip to reach for the door behind them. Yang gasped and laughed simultaneously as Jaune brought Pyrrha inside without interrupting their make out session, before closing the door. The girls began to look at one another in shock, and closed the door to their dorm, eager to discuss what had just occurred.

On the floor of Team RWBY's dorm was a low circular portable coffee table, set with tea, coffee, and pastries. Cushions were placed around it, which the girls now sat on, and all had one thing on their minds.

"Well, holy shit" exclaimed Yang, folding her arms and grinning excitedly. "Jaune grew a pair of balls, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did" agreed Blake.

"You think they're gonna do it?"

"That's none of our business for one, and a guarantee to not happen for two, given what we thoroughly discussed before their date" Weiss expressed, though internally, the part of her who loved gossip and flirted with rebellion, was entertained by the notion.

"Sure, but with how they were making out, I just hope that she really did shave in the end" the blonde added with a snicker.

"Don't worry" Nora reassured, grinning eagerly. "When I get her alone, I'll drag all the juicy details out from h–"

Her grin suddenly vanished as she bolted upright, her face now plastered with a mortified expression. The others looked at her with concern, unsure of what was wrong.

"What?" asked Yang.

The ginger turned to look at the blonde, and swallowed nervously.

"R-Ren is in there with them" she squeaked. "H-He was still napping the last time I checked on him, but..."

Everyone's eyes widened as Yang's mouth fell open.

"O-Oh...th-that's hilariously unfortunate" she laughed awkwardly, and unconsciously leaned towards the door, almost expecting to hear the screams of their friends from across the hall.

"Maybe they won't notice and he'll sleep through it?" offered Blake sheepishly.

"Th-They did seem rather...absorbed" Weiss added slowly.

"Yes they were" said a voice behind them, causing them all to jump in shock. It was none other than Ren, who sat next to Nora, and reached over to help himself to one of the pastries on the table.

"R-Ren?" gasped Nora, not hearing him approach.

"How did you get out of there?" demanded Yang. "Did they see you?"

"No, they did not" he replied. "Weiss was right, as they were a bit too preoccupied, so I managed to sneak out without them noticing me. Certainly took them long enough to get together, which explains how engaged they were."

"Yeah. Jaune making her wait for so long would make a girl want to enjoy herself" the elder Xiao Long remarked, looking over to Nora, who blushed as she understood what she was implying. "Hell, I'd totally fuck him if I was made to wait that long. I guess we'll learn all about it tomorrow."

"They wouldn't actually sleep together" argued Weiss once again. "Even if they are kissing in that manner, Pyrrha would not be so easily coerced into it."

"You did see how they were making out, right? And did you forget how she was saying she thinks Jaune's the guy she wants to marry? They are totally fucking right now."

"They have more self control than that, not to mention they would not be so irresponsible to do it without protection."

"Jaune has condoms" informed Ren, causing the entire group to look at him.

"He has what?" Yang asked.

"Jaune has a condom in his wallet and a box in the dresser" Ren explained, pouring himself a cup of tea.

"And why does he have condoms?" the heiress demanded, expecting Jaune to be better than that. Had she misjudged his level of maturity for him to think that he would have sex with Pyrrha after one date?

"Sun gave them to him."

Nora, Yang, and Weiss' heads all snapped to Blake, whose eyes widened as her face began to turn red. Before she could say anything, Yang reached over and grabbed the Faunus by the shirt.

"Explain, Belladonna! If you've been lying to me about how things have progressed with Sun..." she warned.

"N-N-N-No! W-We haven't done anything!" Blake stammered.

"I don't believe you."

"I swear!"

"They weren't Sun's, as in they were from his personal supply" defended Ren taking a bite of his cake. "I saw him buy them specifically for Jaune; 'Just in case' he said."

Yang pursed her lips, and she reluctantly let go of the embarrassed raven-haired Faunus.

"Fine. At least someone is getting laid."

"I don't think that they will" Ren commented. "Jaune wasn't fond of the idea of having sex on the first date when it came up, and believes Pyrrha thinks the same way. Neither of them want to rush their relationship, so it will be a while before they cross that line." Yang rolled her eyes incredulously as Ren took another bite of his cake, which caused him to look at it suspiciously. "Did someone bake this or was it store-bought?"

"Yes! I did!" answered Ruby proudly. "It's great, isn't it?"

"It's good, but there's far too much sugar in it" he critiqued fairly.

"There's never too much" the young captain retorted. "I had to double the amount in the recipe to get it to taste right."

"This type of cake requires less sugar. That is the entire point of pastries like these."

The younger Xiao Long sister squinted at Ren with pursed lips, unwilling to bend the knee.

"People who think pastries should have less or no sugar, are eeeeeevil."

Ren laughed through his nose at her antics, along with Nora who snorted as she raised her hand for a high five from the younger Huntress-in-training. Yang then clasped her sister's cheeks so that her face was squashed, and looked to the others with a disheartened expression.

"My sister, the eternal child" she sighed, causing said child to blow a raspberry at the blonde, which made the others laugh, as it was impressive that she managed to, despite having her face in a vice. Yang then put Ruby in a headlock, commencing their regularly scheduled sibling teasing.

After a few more hours of cake tasting, tea and coffee drinking, and many rounds of discussion, the Beaconites decided to call it a day, and began to put away the assorted china and coffee table. Afterwards, Ren and Nora wished Team RWBY goodnight, exited their dorm room, and aimed for their own respective dorms. However, as Nora opened her door, Ren looked at his with hesitation. It was just then that they realized that Ren couldn't go into his room, as Jaune and Pyrrha were probably still together; whether they were fooling around or not. Nora confirmed that their lieutenant was not in their room, which now left them in a conundrum; where was Ren supposed to spend the night?

'I guess I could sleep in Team RWBY's room, and Ren can have my bed' the ginger thought, which seemed like the best and simplest solution.

However, she hesitated to suggest it, as a more selfish thought came to mind. After the conversation she had with Pyrrha and the others the previous day, Nora had felt a bit more confident regarding herself as a woman, and her relationship with Ren. She decided to take a chance and see if she could lessen that distance between friends and lovers; if not with a proper flirt, then by simply trying to lessen any awkwardness, and lower her nervousness.

"You could...spend the night in my room..." she offered slowly, looking at him carefully, waiting to see his reaction.

Ren blushed at her suggestion, as memories of their previous night together came quickly to mind.

"Are you sure?" he asked, trying his best not to sound that he was neither disgusted nor enthused by the idea.

"Yeah. I'll sleep in Pyrrha's bed and you can sleep in mine. I doubt she'll mind" the ginger explained soundly. Ren only paused for a moment before nodding and thanking her, and followed her into her dorm. "I'll change into my PJs and I'll be right back" she said, taking her nightwear and entered the bathroom, leaving Ren to himself.

As soon as she closed the door, Nora buried her face into her pyjamas, realizing what she had just done.

'GAAAAH! What am I doing!? I can't wear these with him in the room! Why didn't I grab Pyrrha's? They wouldn't have fit properly and would be too hot, but...'

Nora cursed herself for not thinking this plan of hers through, feeling her anxiety building, when she then remembered what Jaune and Pyrrha told her previously. Ren was attracted to her, and her plan to get him to check her out by wearing a shorter skirt had worked, as they informed her he was glancing at her legs. Perhaps now was a chance to go further?

'You can do this' she told herself. 'If you like my legs, Ren, then you're about to get a good look.'

Outside the bathroom, Ren was pacing back and forth. He hadn't expected himself to be back in this situation so soon, and he wasn't sure how he was going to go about it. They weren't going to share a bed this time, and it was just for a night. He admittedly had become a bit too used to sharing a room with another boy, and he knew that he needed to get back into the motions of sharing a room with Nora again, as they would no doubt be doing so on Hunts.

'It's Nora for goodness sake' he told himself. 'This isn't someone you don't know; she's the person you trust most. Suck it up and get your mind out of the gutter.'

On cue, the bathroom door opened revealing Nora wearing her pyjamas, which nearly caused Ren's heart to leap out of his chest. He had for some reason expected Nora to wear something more conservative, despite knowing that the girl much preferred colder weather, and would no doubt wear lighter clothing when she slept. He was very wrong of course, and was taken fully aback by her wearing a simple t-shirt with pink pyjamas shorts, fully exposing her legs, thighs, and the curvature of her hips. Those legs had already been a massive source of distraction for Ren, and now with nothing to obscure them, caused his mouth to dry and his eyes to look them up and down, even though a voice inside shouted for him not to.

Nora of course noticed this, and felt her heartbeat quicken as her fear began to slowly melt, and a coy pleasure to build from seeing her affect on him.

"That's my bed by the way" she managed to say, pretending not to notice. "Pyrrha's is over there."

"R-Right" Ren replied, though he already knew all of this, and quickly turned to the bed on the right side of the room.

He removed his Scroll from his pocket to place it on Nora's nightstand, as she turned to place her regular clothing on one of the chairs. She purposely bent over without bending her knees, and from the corner of her eye, saw Ren in the reflection of the full length mirror, halt and continue to check her out. She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from giggling, as she was now experiencing a type of happiness and excitement she had never felt before.

'This is gonna be fun' she thought, feeling her confidence grow by the second. Nora then stood and faced the boy, maintaining her pseudo ignorance, and smiled. "Is everything OK?" she asked.

"Y-Yes, of course" he replied, mentally kicking himself again for checking her out so blatantly. 'I didn't know her butt was that big'. "Thanks again for letting me spend the night."

"Don't worry about it. What was I going to do? Let you to sleep in the hall?" she asked playfully. "Goodnight, Ren."

"Goodnight, Nora."

The ginger walked to Pyrrha's bed and reached for the light switch, turning off the lights, and crawled into bed. Ren, still wearing his normal clothing, lay over the sheets on his back, and tried to calm down without resorting to his Semblance; a habit he wished to avoid developing. After a few minutes of silence, he then heard the soft sound of bare footsteps drawing closer, and he turned to see Nora standing over him.

"Uh, Nora?" he asked, desperately keeping his eyes trained on her face.

"Can we talk for a bit?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, sure" he replied, the tone in her voice suggesting something important was on her mind, and he instinctively became focused, moving over to give her room to sit next to him. Nora sat on the bed with her legs crossed, and looked at her crush with gentle eyes. "What's up?"

"I wanted to talk about what we're going to do when summer break starts" she began. "Like where we'll stay until school starts up again and stuff."

Ren blinked at her question, as it was less dire than he expected, but saw why she would be concerned and wanted to speak privately.

"We'll do what we did during the winter break; stay at the school."

"I thought that too, but Weiss said that the school won't let us."

This caused Ren to tense, as not only did it mean they would be without a place to stay for the summer, but that the others might know they had forged their transcripts.

"They know about us?" he asked cautiously

"Yes, I told them, but don't worry!" Nora assured. "They don't care about that, and they all promised they won't tell anyone. But if we try to ask Huntmaster Ozpin to let us stay, it could get us found out, and we can't go on Hunts to make money to stay at a hotel because students can't take Hunts. So we're kinda in a pickle."

"You've given this a lot of thought" Ren complimented, impressed by her initiative.

"Not really" she admitted with a sheepish smirk. "I didn't think about it until Weiss brought it up, and then everyone pointed out my ideas of what we'd do were bad. It's Pyrrha that gave us both a new option."

"Which is?"

"She'll let us stay with her and her mom in Argus until we graduate."

"What?" gasped Ren in shock. "That's incredibly generous of her. Would that be OK?"

"She said her mom would be more than happy to let us stay, and that she'll tell her after I get the OK from you. She also said that friends look out for each other, and she won't let us camp in the woods until school starts."

The tranquil boy chuckled at this with a relieved and humbled smile on his face.

"She's incredible. We'll be indebted to her for this; big time. Tomorrow we'll tell her yes and thank her properly. But we're going to pull our weight when we meet her mother, OK? We'll help with anything and everything we can, and when we start making money from hunting Grimm, we'll pay her back and begin paying rent, alright?"

"Yes, sir" Nora replied grinning, saluting with her right hand. "I'll do all the heavy lifting and cleaning, and you'll cook."

"Something like that, yes."

Nora smiled brightly at him, which, as it always did, brought out a smile from Ren, but he was curious, as this time her smile had such tenderness to it.

"What?" he asked.

"We did it, Ren" she replied, reaching for his hand and squeezing it. "We're finally going to become Huntsmen. We've made friends and we've found a place to belong. We're gonna be OK."

Ren looked at Nora, sensing the emotion behind every word. He saw those same emotions in her eyes, along with tears of joy forming, and he then became aware of his own emotions. Because of the White Fang, Torchwick, and the Vytal Festival, he had never been given a chance to take in how much they had achieved since being accepted into Beacon Academy. They were right on their way to becoming fully fledged Huntsmen, and given that they hadn't been discovered by Ozpin, they could finally enjoy being on that path without fear of returning to living on the streets. They had gained everything they could have hoped for, and more. Blessed, was an understatement.

"Yeah" he sighed with a smile, squeezing her hand. "We're better than OK. I couldn't have made it without you."

Nora felt her heart soar from his words, and she threw her arms around his neck, hugging tightly.

"You too" she laughed, tears falling down her cheeks. "Best good-luck charm ever."

Ren laughed as he returned the hug, feeling incredibly happy by her referring to him as such. That was something else he hadn't realized how much it meant to him when she said so after their first tournament victory. They continued to hug for a while longer, both reluctant to let go, as they secretly relished in the warm comfort the hug brought. Their pleasure did come to an end however, with Nora disguising the reason she pulled away was to wipe her tears.

"So what are we going to do after we graduate?" she asked, not wishing for things to become awkward. "Are we all gonna live together in between Hunts and missions, or are we gonna have our own places?"

Ren pondered for a moment, registering the validity of the question.

"I don't know" he admitted. "I guess we could all live together, though Jaune and Pyrrha are definitely going to get married after we graduate, so they'll live together."

"And have lots of kids" added Nora with a grin, lying down on her side. "We could totally help babysit them, but do you think we'll have room to live there?"

"Maybe" Ren chuckled, also lying down, propping himself up with his elbow. "We've got plenty of time to worry about that later. First we need to focus on graduating, and make sure we don't flunk out or get thrown out."

This comment caused Nora to purse her lips and squint at the boy she loved.

"You're talking about me, aren't you?"

"No, not at all" he replied, making no effort to mask his sarcasm. Nora then gave him a playful shove, resulting in them both laughing.

For the next while, the pair began to discuss what they would do during their summer break, wondering about what Mistral would be like, as it would be their first time leaving the Kingdom of Vale. While they spoke, both were secretly thinking the same thought: this was how they wanted their relationship to be. They wanted to continue being the close friends that they were, always being at each other's side, and walking forward into the future, keeping the oath they made so many years ago. And they knew that they wanted more. They wanted to cross that line, and while it wouldn't be today or tomorrow, the day that they would finally be together would come, and they would slowly, in their own ways, close that gap; crushing their enemies in the meantime.

λΛλ

Beneath the academy lay Cinder Fall, though she had no idea that was where she was located. Her eyes slowly opened, feeling not only how heavy her eyelids were, but her entire body. She felt numb and hollow, and as if she were made of lead. She nevertheless forced her eyes to open fully, and it took several slow blinks for them to focus. The lights above momentarily blinded her, before fading to reveal indistinguishable blobs, which took several more moments to draw themselves together to show their true identity. Those blobs were the members of the Order of the Maiden's Ring: Huntmasters Ozpin and Ironwood, Deputy-Huntmistress Goodwitch, Qrow, Major Schnee, and Penny. They stood watching her carefully, examining her, and not breaking their gaze.

"Good morning, Miss Fall" said Ozpin calmly. "Or rather, good evening."

"Where am I?" she hissed weakly, her eyes slowly scanning the room.

"Below my academy, but that information will not serve you in any way" Ozpin replied. "In fact, there is very little you should concern yourself with."

"What happened?" Cinder was desperately trying to comprehend what had occurred after she was confronted by the Order and the Mistralese senior students.

"You failed; titanically" Ironwood remarked. "Your men were captured, your allies forced to retreat, your hordes of Grimm eviscerated by the might of the Valian and Atlassian armies, and the capital, as well as the CCT, stand tall. I'm sorry to inform you, but your mission was a failure."

Rage began to build within her from hearing the news, and she tried to focus her Aura, but could not. Cinder looked down at herself to see she was lying on some type of modified operating table, and was tied down with metal restraints on her limbs and head. However, there were more than mere physical restraints keeping her from escaping. Cinder could see green glowing runes running around the edge of the table, which also crossed over the metal restraints. She could tell that this was some form of magic, but was it responsible for what was affecting her body?

"What have you done to me?" she demanded.

"Restrained you, obviously" Ozpin replied "However, if you are referring to the alien sensations you are experiencing, along with the inability to use your powers, then that is partially attributed to the dosage of poison provided by my colleague. The rest is my doing. You cannot escape from here, and I recommend not trying."

Cinder glared at the Order with hatred; a look that exemplified the phrase "if looks could kill".

"So you expect me to talk?" she growled.

"No, but it would be appreciated."

The false-Maiden replied with a slow hoarse laugh, her eyes and smile filled with malice.

"I won't tell you a fucking thing. I'm just going to lie here and wait for Her to free me so that I can finish what I started."

"She's not going to save you" Qrow informed. "Why would she waste her time with a failure like you?"

"What would you know of Lady–"

"A lot more than you do, bitch" the sombre Huntsman shot back. "We've been at this for far longer than you have, and we know just how cruel and vile the enemy is. Just like you gathered broken individuals to take advantage of them for your own means, She did the same with you. You are just a tool; a tool to use and throw away when it either breaks or is no longer useful. We know this whole plan to kill Amber and take down the CCT, along with Albion to throw the whole Kingdom into chaos, was Hers. It was up to you to assemble allies and to execute it. You gathered those kids off the street, you recruited Torchwick and Taurus, and everything fell apart. The blame falls on you. So tell me, you think She'll waste her time for you? You think She cares about you? If you really think that, then you have no idea what you're part of."

Cinder, unable to move or emote past her voice and facial expressions, made a face so pained and filled with rage, that it appeared as if she were going to explode. Hate was all she ever knew, and she had been promised by her mistress that she would be able to extract vengeance upon the people who had wronged her, as well as to bring fear to the Kingdoms of the world. She would be given power like she never dared dreamed, which she had now been given a taste of by taking half of the Fall Maiden's power. That alone had fueled her lust for power and death, making her even more devout to her mistress' cause. To fail was unthinkable, as was the thought that She would leave her behind.

"You're not good enough to be a Maiden" Raven's voice echoed in her mind. "You lack the discipline needed to be a true General in her Lady's army. Maybe once you reclaim the lost half, thus allowing me to train you properly, will you begin to improve. But I won't hold my breath."

Cinder tightened her fists in rage, knowing just how much Raven looked down on her, and how she would revel in being proven right. Would her Queen truly throw her away for this? She refused to accept it.

"Fuck you..." she hissed through clenched teeth. "Fuck all of you. Just because we failed this time, doesn't mean you're safe. You'll never be able to stop us. The wheels of war are already in motion, and there is nothing you can do to stop them from crushing you. The horizons will glow crimson red from the fires that razed your cities, and the dawn will be blocked by the plumes of black smoke from their smoldering remains. The seas will be painted red with the blood of your children, as your pathetic armies that could have spared them, were slaughtered like cattle. Your Kingdoms will become nothing but ashes, cast into the winds of time to be forgotten from history. This is Her will and decree. There is no other fate but Remnant's destruction."

The subterranean hall became deathly quiet, the weight of Cinder's words resting on the shoulders of the Order's members. At last, Ozpin turned to look at Ironwood with an emotionless expression on his face.

"Tell me, James, should I interpret that as a declaration of war?" he asked.

"I would, yes" the General answered in a measured tone, his face revealing nothing.

"In that case, as head of the Order, I should give this messenger a proper and appropriate response" the Valian Huntmaster decided.

He looked at Cinder who was still trying to kill him with her eyes, pretending to ponder on what he would do, as he already decided before the assassin had regained consciousness. Without another moment of hesitation, Ozpin reached for the dagger on Qrow's belt, drew it, and plunged it into Cinder's thigh. She jolted in shock, not expecting him to attack her this way, and was about to scream at him, when she felt her lungs contract, and the words die in her throat. Her body began to shake as she went into cardiac arrest, and the only sounds she could make were small wet whimpers. Ozpin then placed his hands on either side of her and leaned forward so that he could look her right in the eyes, glaring back with cold animosity.

"While you are still alive, pay attention. We will defend the people of Remnant till our final breaths. We Huntsman have given our lives, our very souls, to the dedication of protecting the world from evil like you. My only regret is that I only have one life to give for the free folk of Remnant; Man and Faunus alike. I wish I could give my life a thousand times, ten thousand times, one hundred thousand times, to protect all of them; to protect them from the vile creatures that crawl from the darkest of pits like you. We will never stop, we will never relent, we will never surrender."

Then without warning, Ozpin's eyes began to shine a bright green, and spoke in a voice that was not his own.

"Tell that to thy mistress who resides in the Land of Darkness. You wish to burn us all; just as you tried all those years ago? Come; we shall be ready and waiting. If our fate is to be baptized in fire, we welcome it, for we shall rise from the ashes, as we always have, as we always will, for that is the indomitable power of the Human spirit. Farewell, Cinder Fall; false-Maiden and broken tool of Salem."

The voice that rose from Ozpin's throat was deep and commanding, though not in the manner that could be deemed natural. For lack of a better term, it was otherworldly, and it shook Cinder just as much as the poison did. Blood began to pour from the false-Maiden's eyes and nose as she stared powerlessly at her executioner, watching him remove himself from the table. He began to turn away from her, but halted, and returned his gaze.

"Oh, and Roman Torchwick sends his regards" he concluded, his eyes and voice returning to their natural state.

This caused her to spit blood through her clenched teeth, now realizing that her supposed pawn had sold her out. How was this possible? He couldn't conceivably have traded information, for he didn't have access to the inner workings of Salem's forces, or of any piece of important knowledge that the Order wanted; at least nothing more important than what she knew. Was he just manipulating them just so that he could get his revenge on her, were they using his daughter as leverage just as she had, or had he truly gathered secrets to trade? These and many similar thoughts raged through her slowly dying mind, which only grew in speed as her vision began to darken. At last, Cinder's head slumped back against the table she was tied to, uttering not a sound or moving ever again. Penny reacted immediately, rushing to her side and pressing her fingers against the prisoner's throat. After a few moments, she stepped away and nodded to her General.

The members of the Order looked upon the now dead woman with varying emotions. The more experienced members like Ironwood, Winter, and Qrow, felt nothing but contempt that she was finally gone, whereas Goodwitch was disturbed by the manner in which she was dispatched. Ozpin on the other hand, felt genuine pity. He had no idea what drove her to such unfathomable hatred of them and the world, wishing to bring death to millions of innocent men, women, and children. Whether she truly understood that she was helping to bring about an apocalypse that would turn Remnant into a permanent hellscape, he would never know. What he did know was that the enemy was just as relentless as he feared, and he knew that time was indeed running out. Nearly two decades had not been enough time to prepare, for their enemies had been meticulously planning throughout the entire time the Order and the Maidens had been absent from the world. Ozpin knew that pondering on whether or not Cinder could have been given a second chance or even a better life if the circumstances had been different, was a waste of both time and energy, and he closed the chapter of Cinder Fall in his mind; perhaps returning to it at a later date.

Suddenly, in the pod behind Cinder's body, came a loud gasp. The Order looked to see Amber lurch forward with her eyes wide, flames emitting from them, as she grasped the edges of her pod, trying to catch her breath. The others dashed to her side with Penny releasing the hatch, and allowing Ozpin to take her left arm and Qrow to take her right, both trying to steady her. The now conscious Maiden looked between her friends in confusion, breathing heavily and trying to make sense of everything around her.

"Easy, Amber" the Beacon Huntmaster reassured softly. "You're alright. Catch your breath and calm yourself."

Amber did so, but began to speak before recovering fully.

"I was attacked..."

"We know" Qrow said, making no attempt to hide the self-loathing in his face. "I managed to get to you before they killed you, but not fast enough to stop them hurting you. I'm sorry."

"A woman..." continued the scarred Huntress, "a woman and two teenagers attacked me on the road...there was a child but then..."

"Do you mean her?" Ironwood asked, gesturing to Cinder's corpse, which Amber looked at and nodded, but was visibly unsettled by the sight.

"Yes..." Amber confirmed, and looked between Qrow and Ozpin, lost and confused. "What happened? How long have I been here?"

"You were brought back to the academy by Qrow, and placed in an induced coma due to the damage you took from your assailants" Ozpin explained.

"The Maiden powers!" she gasped. "Have I lost them?"

"See for yourself."

Amber took a deep breath and activated her powers, causing fire to once again emit from her eyes, and she felt her weak body be filled with strength once more.

"It's here..." she smiled breathing a sigh of relief, "all of it..."

Ozpin smiled with alleviation, placing a hand on her shoulder as he chuckled.

"Welcome back, Amber. We have a lot to discuss. Shall I put the kettle on?"

---

Author's Note:

At long last, you all got what you came for; on Valentine's Day no less. I swear that wasn't planned, as I was actually hoping to release Project BICO today, and chapter XVI of DDCT earlier in the week. Unfortunately both I and my editors have little free time as of late, and we have to do what we can. Furthermore, BICO has spoilers for DDCT, so I was hoping to be far enough along that those spoilers would be out in the open. Alas, things don't always go according to plan, especially given that I wasn't expecting to be doing this much editing by this point.

As I've said before, I wasn't planning on dragging Jaune and Pyrrha getting together out for this long to blue-ball you guys. This was meant to be a rewrite of V3, therefore I need to cover a lot of ground, but always keep Arkos at the core. I think I did a decent job at that, as well as explain why Jaune and Pyrrha have such self-control. I've shown leading up to this chapter that Pyrrha's upbringing was responsible for her discipline; not just in romance, but in all things. I didn't want it to be entirely as it was in the show, where her being famous alone was why she couldn't get a boyfriend, but rather she learned from her parents what to look for in a partner; something I don't think many of us are taught these days. The same goes for Jaune, not only to show how well of a match he is for Pyrrha, but to show off his chivalrous nature; something I will be going into greater detail in chapters to come.

The reason I put so much emphasis on this is twofold. The first is that the average fan-fic is nothing more than fluff without substance, with very little thought put into the compatibility of characters. People will ship characters for no logical reason, as the characters involved will have no chemistry whatsoever in the canon. I have strong stances on shipping, which annoys the shit out of a friend of mine, but I will die on this hill. See the ships I support with this fic? What do they all have in common? The characters actively pursue one another. And the second reason is simply that this is what I believe is important in regards to relationships. Jaune, Pyrrha, and Weiss are the easiest for me to write, due to how relatable they are to me; so developing their characters with that world-view in mind came as naturally as breathing. It means a great deal to me, so I took as much care as I deemed necessary. Ultimately you folks will be the judge of that, and I hope how I handle the other couples in this manner will work as well.

In that same vein, we finally get some backstory for Jaune and Pyrrha. I of course hinted at both for many chapters, but here we get a good look at them. Surprising no one, I changed Jaune's Semblance. I've yet to come across a single person that likes what CRWBY gave him, with the consensus being that Magnetism was the obvious choice. Given that Pyrrha lives in this story, that Semblance doesn't work. Instead I came up with something else that complemented Jaune's style; simple but effective. I put a lot of thought into Jaune's family and history, for I wanted to give him the respect that CRWBY never did. Everything about current Jaune is sad beyond belief, and any attempt to deepen his character results in belittling him. I on the other hand wanted to properly explain where he came from, why he's done what he has, and what drives him. There is much more to come in regards to the Arc family, and I hope it meets your expectations, given a number of you have been asking questions since chapter IV.

I touched on Pyrrha's backstory fairly regularly throughout the story as well, but here I got to directly go at it. Once again, I do much more than CRWBY, for I actually gave her poor mother a name. Pyrrha's parents and upbringing also came as easy as could be, just like Jaune's, and I think it works quite well. I know there are many people that prefer Pyrrha's mother being an Amazonian, but I much preferred that Pyrrha got her height and warrior nature from her father, with her sweetness and beauty coming from her mum. Everyone has their preference, and I've got mine. But just as importantly, this finally gives an explanation to why she was as willing as she was to work with the Order, as well as how she reacted to the situation. I wanted her father's death to be key to her character, being the spark that drove her to be a Huntress, as well as wanting so desperately to protect Jaune and her friends. It goes without saying, but that is why she had that flash of her father's funeral, which caused her to reach out with Polarity and accidentally throw Jaune against the wall. Better than the show, I think.

Moving on, we have Ren and Nora. Same as always, I just want to give their relationship more clarity and strength. To Hel and back with what CRWBY think, so enjoy the fluff.

And finally, the death of Cinder Fall. So props to several of you who thought Qrow would be the one to kill her. I hope what I was getting at in PMs now makes sense, as while I agreed that he would totally do it if given the chance, he was only partially her executioner. I figured that Sam would be the one to do it given that he is head of the Order, as well as have it for the record that he can take charge. He's a bloody Huntmaster for Gods' sake. Of course the major question now is, what happens next? You'll have to wait to see. Oh, and one more thing, that wasn't Ozma ;)

Thank you all for reading, and see you next time :)

Oh, right, the latest episode of V8...Emerald is forgiven and is now part of the good guys, despite being key to Pyrrha's death...

What fresh Hel is this? And I'm out of ground tobacco for my pipe. Sigh...