Distortion

It had been a few days now. Ozpin was sitting at his desk with his fingers intertwined. He had his forehead resting on them as he looked down at his desk. He was rewatching the fight between CRDL and Jaune on repeat. He wasn't even watching it at this point, just thinking. If he would've reconsidered that one fight, would things be different? Would CRDL still be able to become Huntsmen? Would RWBY and NPR be going through such severe pain? Would Glynda still be alive?

Those were the questions going through his head repeatedly. Ever since he saw Jaune execute Glynda and destroy her scroll. He was relieved that CFVY was relatively unharmed. Their injuries were bad but not career or life threatening. Fox had the worst of the injuries, his right shoulder and knee were dislocated while his left arm and leg we broken. Yatsuhashi was the next, he had a massive cut across his chest that needed many stitches and sutures to close but, surprisingly, the cut never touched any of his internal organs. Coco was next, her knee was clearly broken but aside from that, she was fine. Velvet was in the best shape, she had severe bruising on both her legs from Jaune's bullets and she needed crutches to help her get around, that was it. Their auras would fix the damage in time but right now, it was returning very slowly, like CRDL's. Ozpin concluded that that was a result from having their auras siphoned off by Jaune.

Ozpin sighed before he shut off the video. He removed his glasses and gently massaged his eyes with his right hand. For the first time in a long time, he had no idea on what he should do. Jaune was dangerous, but what should he do? Sending more Huntsmen after him could just make the situation worse and if he could really steal a person's Semblance, that would just give him the potential to become far worse. But leaving him to do what he wanted was just as hazardous, especially with Raven involved. The situation was more confusing because he no longer had Glynda by his side.

He removed his hand and looked up to the ceiling. "I'll have to wait for Qrow to return. He may have more information to go off on." He sighed, "For now, I'll have to tread carefully. And try to stop this from going any farther." As he said that, he looked out his window to see and Atlas flagship in the air docks. When Glynda's body was brought back to Beacon, Ozpin had informed the other's in the inner circle about her death. James responded with saying he was on his way. Ozpin knew that James would act more emotional than the others but he had to try to reason with him. Him running into this, guns blazing, could end disastrously.

With that, the elevator opened revealing three people who walked into his office. Ironwood was in the front, walking over with a purpose in his step. Winter was on his right, a step behind him with her usual neutral look on her face. The third person was on the left, mirroring Winter. The young man stood at around five feet eleven inches. He was wearing a dark purple variant of an Atlas soldier's armor with yellow accents. The helmet covering his head but you could tell he was lightly tanned from the small amount of his face that was not covered. He also had a spear across his back; it was as tall as him with a serrated blade. It was also dark purple with yellow accents, along with the edge of the blade being yellow. The three stopped a couple of feet from Ozpin's desk. "I'm here, Oz." Ironwood said.

Ozpin sighed tiredly. "I could tell, James." He turned to look at Winter, "Good to see you again, Winter." She nodded her head at the Headmaster as he turned his gaze to the last individual. "I'm sorry but I don't think we've met."

The young man turned to the General who nodded his head. The young man reached up and removed his helmet. As he did, his long blonde hair fell behind him and he looked at Ozpin with neutral expression as well. He looked to be twenty or so with light blue eyes and a light horizontal scar on his left cheek. He saluted, "Atlas Specialist Aaeron Calis, sir."

Ozpin recognized the name and nodded, "I remember James talking about you. You were practically raised at Atlas Academy. You quickly rose through the ranks at a young age and became a leader of a team."

Aaeron gave him a cold glare, "Wouldn't exactly call them a team. They hated the fact that someone so young was quickly climbing the ranks and during a mission, they left me for dead and for Grimm to find my body. Luckily, I'm tenacious and I was able to hold on until I was able to be saved." He looked away. "Still can't remember by who, but I owe them." He turned back to Ozpin. "Once I was healed, I came back to the Academy and had them court marshaled for insubordination. And eventually became General Ironwood's left-hand man."

Ozpin nodded, "Good to hear. Someone with your talent deserves that recognition."

"Where are we at with tracking down Glynda's assailant?" Ironwood asked, stopping the conversation.

Ozpin looked at him for a bit. "We don't know where he is, James, but we do know who he is and who he's aligned with." Ironwood just held Ozpin's gaze, waiting for the information. Ozpin sighed again, "His name is Jaune Arc. Or Jaune Branwen now."

Winter's mask broke, "Jaune Arc? Wasn't he the leader of Weiss' sister team? I thought he died a year ago?"

Ozpin nodded, "We all thought so. But he has revealed that he was saved by Raven Branwen." Both Ironwood and Winter's eyes widened, while Aaeron just looked completely stunned. "Apparently, she trained him and he joined her tribe of bandits. And with some extra information from Qrow, we believe he is leading it alongside her and is married to her."

Ironwood eventually shook himself from his stupor, "I'd like all information on him that you have, Oz."

Ozpin started to type away on his desk until Jaune's file came up. Ironwood walked around to stand next to him. "This is Jaune's file while he was here. It's not much and he is completely different now. His fighting style, weapons and even his aura has changed drastically. We've been trying to gather as much information on him as possible but the task is daunting. He showed very little of his real abilities while he was here and when he does show more of his capabilities he holds back enough to not reveal everything. He's learned quite well from Raven."

He typed on his desk a bit more and brought up the file of Jaune fighting and a few images they took from the video. "He appears to use a flamberge now, along with a revolver. His Semblance was not shown during this fight but it appears that now he has the unique ability to siphon another person's aura. And with his last encounter with Glynda, he said he could also steal someone's Semblance. Whether he can or not is all up to speculation."

Ironwood growled slightly in annoyance, "Is this all of it?"

Ozpin gave him an unamused look, "Currently? Yes. The only other people who would have any idea would be the team that went out with Glynda but they are in the infirmary and will not be questioned at this time." The tone of his voice left no room to argue.

"Fine. Where was the last location he was sighted? I'll have my soldiers search the area for clues." Ironwood suggested.

Ozpin just shook his head, "Raven used her Semblance. They could be anywhere now."

"So, what do you suggest?! Us just sit around and let Glynda's murderer get away!" Ironwood demanded.

Ozpin slammed his cane onto the ground to get his attention. He fixed him with a cold stare. "No, I'm saying we have little information on this situation and running in unprepared will only bring about more death. This is a time for patience, not force."

The two headmasters stared at each other until Ironwood nodded, "Alright, Oz. I'll listen to you for the time being. But I promise you, when he reveals himself next, I'll see to it he is dealt with."

Ozpin just gave him a look, "Be careful, James. Last time you ran in without thinking, you lost more than you wagered." His eyes roamed over to his right arm. "We've lost enough and you wanting revenge will only make things far worse. Tread carefully." He warned. Ironwood nodded to him stiffly and made his way to the elevator. Winter and Aaeron followed, with the latter putting his helmet back on. As the elevator opened, Ozpin spoke up again as his gaze softened, "Her funeral is tomorrow. You should be there." They stepped into the elevator and Ironwood gave him a tired nod before they closed. As It lowered, Ozpin sighed yet again. He knew this was far from over.

Velvet was sitting on a bench near Beacon's gardens. She had her crutches leaning next to her on the bench. Coco had pretty much ordered her to get some fresh air and stop worrying about them. Which brought her here. She inhaled the aroma of the nearby flowers to try to relax herself, it didn't work. Her and her team were fine. They were injured but would be back on their feet in no time. Yatsu would be released in a couple of weeks, they wanted to keep him in the infirmary to make sure no complications happened. Coco and Fox would be released in a month or month and a half. Once their auras returned the healing process would accelerate. She was by far the best out of all of them. She would be good by the end of the week.

But, she wasn't worried about her team. She was worried and confused about Jaune. He seemed so much like the Jaune she knew and possibly loved, but he also showed sides of himself she never thought possible. Also, there just wasn't something right about the whole fight. It was like he wasn't completely there or didn't want to be? Plus, there was what happened after the fight. She shook her head and sighed tiredly as her rabbit ears sagged.

"Velvet!" she heard someone yell her name and her ears perked up. She turned to see Ruby running over to her with her team and NPR.

She waved at them weakly, "Hey guys." She said just as weakly.

They stopped in front of her, "Are you okay?!" Ruby asked. "You and your team have been in the infirmary for days!"

Velvet nodded, "We're fine. Just got hurt during our mission. With everything happening, we wanted some privacy."

"The same mission Goodwitch went on?" Pyrrha accused. She did not seem happy.

Velvet looked down and her ears sagged again. She nodded slightly, "Yes. My team went with Professor Goodwitch to try and bring Jaune back."

They were all quiet. They all assumed that was the case but hearing her say it just made it all just set in stone. "Why would he do that?" Nora asked, both stunned and angry. "Professor Ozpin said our teams would be sent out to get back Jaune."

Velvet just barely looked up to make eye contact, "The Professor said that if it came down to a fight, you all wouldn't be able to bring yourselves to fight him seriously. And considering what happened…" she trailed off. They all looked away sadly. The loss of Goodwitch was hard enough but to know that it was because of Jaune, made the whole thing almost soul shattering. "I'm sorry for not telling you guys. Professor Ozpin told us it was need to know."

"It's okay, Velvet." Ren told her calmly. "You were just doing what you thought was right."

They were quiet for a bit until Yang brought up a question. "So, how strong is he now?"

Velvet looked at her shocked by the question but answered, "Well, uh, he was able to fight my entire team by himself." That shocked them all. CFVY was the top fourth year team at Beacon and for Jaune to be able to take them all on was just scary. Velvet nodded, "Yeah, he was stronger than we expected. But… something was off during our fight."

"What do you mean?' Weiss asked confused.

Velvet was twiddling her fingers as she spoke. "He just didn't seem like he was all there." That just confused them all. "We were shown CRDL's fight with him and we could tell, he wasn't serious about showing all his skills but he really wanted to fight CRDL. With us, he was fighting seriously but he seemed distant. Like he really didn't want to be there. And as the fight kept going, I just felt like that feeling was increasing."

"Maybe he just didn't want to fight such a skilled team?" Blake hazarded a guess.

Velvet nodded slightly, "Maybe. But then, why didn't he just injure us more or do something worse? I mean, we all saw how ruthless he can be now. So, why did he just make it so we couldn't fight? Especially, with me. My injuries are very minor, all things considered and he had the option to go farther."

"What?" Pyrrha asked confused.

She took a deep breath, "He shot my legs and I couldn't stand anymore. Next thing I know, he had his sword to my throat. I looked into his eyes under his mask and he looked…. conflicted. Like he was going to kill me but couldn't, maybe?" She shook her head in confusion. "Eventually, he just sheathed his sword and siphoned off the rest of my aura. Then told me to call a bullhead for my team."

There was another brief silence before Ruby jumped up with a squeal of joy, "See I told you all. There's still part of the Jaune we know in him."

They all us looked at her before they all laughed weakly. "Yeah. Looks like you were right, sis." Yang was the first one to speak. "Now we just need to find him and try to talk to him. Or kick his ass and drag him back to keep him out of trouble." She smirked and gently punched her fists together.

Velvet just looked at them all shocked. "You guys actually want to bring Jaune back? Not just stop him?"

They all looked between each other before Ruby spoke up, "It's our fault that he is like this. It's our responsibility to right our mistakes and bring him back here. To his home. And to help make up for the mistakes he's made because of what happened." They all nodded with her.

Velvet looked at them and gently bit her bottom lip, "Then I might be able to help you." She took out her scroll. And started going through it. "Right before he left, Jaune sent me this message." She showed it to them.

?- Velvet, it's Jaune. This message will allow you to message or call me but only once. Do what you want with it.

They were all stunned, again, so Velvet spoke up, "I haven't told anyone about this. If you want, I can send him a message to meet somewhere and you can meet him there instead."

Next thing she knew, she was being hugged tightly by the resident reaper, "Velvet, you're awesome! Thank you!" Velvet got over the shock and giggled before returning the hug, but much more gently. They all failed to see the Atlas soldiers observing them.

Meanwhile, Jaune, Raven and Onyx were on the island of Vytal. They found it poetic that the island that brought peace, would also bring revolution, very soon. Atlas had set up an outpost there but it was taken over by the White Fang. Their informant gave them its location and altered its file in Atlas. It was classified as a failure and all resources that could, were salvaged. At least, that's what the files said. Once Jaune and Raven had rid it of the White Fang, they made it into their Headquarters. It was heavily fortified, with generators and state of the art technology. Plus, large deposit of Dust, from both Atlas and the White Fang. Crystals, powder, rounds, the works. It also had enough space for a battalion to live comfortably in. The outpost was the most secure place for them, more so than even the old base camp before the tribe was destroyed.

Which is why Jaune and Raven were still in bed, even though it was almost noon. The two had been up for a couple of hours now but just refused to leave their bed. For the first time in months, they were completely safe and could relax. The sleep they got the night before was proof of that but it could've also been from their 'activities' as well. Jaune was currently laying on his back while Raven was on his right, cuddled up to him as much as she physically could. He had his right arm around her and was gently running his hand up and down her back. Raven had her head laying on the right side of his chest while her right hand gently caressed the scars on his chest. Her right thigh was also laying across his lap. The only thing hiding their decency was the sheet over them, but that only covered from their waists down.

"So, are we gonna do anything besides lay here all day?" Jaune asked his wife.

She stopped rubbing his chest, "Hmmmm, I have a few things planned." She looked up to him with a familiar gleam in her eyes, that he knew too well. "But we won't be leaving this bed."

Jaune smirked down at her, "Yes, my Beloved." He captured her lips and took her right hand from his chest with his left. He then positioned himself over her with him intertwining his fingers with her's and placing their entwined hands besides her head. He deepened the kiss as he moved his right hand from her back to her side and slowly moved it down to her thigh to gently rub it. Raven moaned into the kiss as she brought her left arm around his neck to pull him closer. Things were about to escalate when Jaune sensed an aura nearby. He broke the kiss and sighed, "Yes, Onyx, what do you want?" he asked the closed door, annoyed.

There was a brief silence until they heard his voice from behind the door., "Sorry, Jaune. Didn't mean to, uh, interrupt anything. But you wanted me to let you know when the files were uploaded to the computer."

Jaune just groaned, "Thank you, Onyx. We'll be out in a few minutes." He didn't reply but they heard his footsteps recede down the hall. Jaune looked back down to his annoyed but hot and bothered wife. He gave her a half grin, "Looks like we'll have to reschedule." Before she could reply, he gave the top of her left breast a brief kiss before biting down on it. She gave a strange mix of a groan and moan which devolved into moaning as he began to suck on the same spot. He eventually pulled away, leaving a love bite in his wake. He smirked at her, "Something to remember me."

"You're gonna get it." She threatened as she pulled him down to give him another searing kiss.

The two made their way to the main living area of the outpost a few minutes later. They found Onyx sitting on one of the couches and was on his new black scroll. Like Raven and Jaune's, it was quite unique. They were a new model developed by Atlas, before they liberated them and erased the blueprints for them. Only about a dozen and a half of them existed and they were now in the hands of Kinghtingale. The scrolls were impossible to track and more so, could only receive messages and calls from numbers programed into them. They could also send a message or call a scroll and it would be able to call or message it back, but only once. Jaune's and Raven's had the numbers of their informants and a fair few important contacts, like Senior.

"Enjoying your new toy?" Jaune asked with a grin.

Onyx looked up to him with his own grin, "Hell yeah. This thing is quicker than my old one and we aren't even in a Kingdom. Atlas knows what they're doing."

Jaune chuckled, "Or they used to. Can't really make anymore." He sat down on the opposite couch and pulled out his own scroll as Raven went to get some coffee. Jaune connected his scroll wirelessly to the computer systems in the outpost and started to go through the files Onyx liberated. It was safer to leave them on the computer than his scroll, in case it broke. Nothing struck his interest as he went through the files on the most wanted and high-risk targets for Mistral. He was about to check the student rosters, when he received a message. He opened it to find that it was a reply to the message he sent Velvet a few days back. It was asking him to meet her in the Emerald Forest as soon as possible. Jaune raised an eyebrow, "Interesting."

"What is it?" Raven asked him as she took the seat next to him.

Jaune just handed her his scroll, "Velvet apparently wants to meet in the Emerald Forest."

Raven read through the message, "She's the one you said could be helpful, right?" She turned to him as he nodded. "This is a trap." She said simply.

Jaune nodded, "Oh, definitely. Velvet isn't in any shape to go out there. But the better question is, who is waiting for me out there?" He smirked, "Kinda wanna find out."

Raven just sighed at his antics. "You are impossible." She replied but didn't bother to argue with him.

Jaune stood up and stretched. "Onyx, I'd like it if you backed me up."

Onyx nodded and pocketed his scroll, "Absolutely. Just let me get my gear." He walked out of the main living area to head to a small locker room down the hall.

Jaune looked down at his wife, she was giving him a look. "I'll be fine." He told her reassuringly.

She nodded, "I know." She stood up and hugged him, "Still not used to this."

He gently returned the hug. "Neither one of us have fallen in love like this before, of course you're worried. But you trained me, me losing is never an option."

She pulled away and gave him a smile, "Damn right." She then kissed him and transferred some of her aura into him. Enough for him to create two portals. They pulled apart. "I love you."

Jaune smirked, "You're very loving today." He teased. "I love you too." He broke away from her arms. He left to go to the locker room as well. He grabbed his sword and revolvers and then walked over to Onyx. He was leaning against a wall with his daggers on his belt and his quiver on his back. "Ready?"

Onyx stepped away and put his mask on, "You know it."

Jaune smirked before he put his own mask on. "Good." Was all he said before he opened a black portal. The two walked through to find what awaited them in the Emerald Forest.

A/N- Shorter chapter than normal but it was mostly for set up. Next chapter should be interesting. Thanks again to Jauneforever for being my Betareader! Also, I closed the poll on my page. The winner is DVYL May Cry! That one is gonna be fun to write, hehe. I plan on writing the others as well. I'll put up the poll again once I'm done with it. I should hopefully have the first chapter up next week. Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see ya in the next update!