And Nothing Bad Ever Happened To Them Ever Again
"Riveting! Thrilling! Absolutely fascinating!" Professor Oobleck took another sip from his neverending mug of coffee. "That's Doctor Oobleck!" Sorry… Dr. Oobleck took another sip from his neverending mug of coffee.
A handful of Beacon staff and students had assembled in an empty lecture hall to collect their thoughts on the previous night's failed attack on Beacon; Oobleck was joined by Glynda Goodwtich and Professor Port, while the members of Team RWBY and Team JNPR were also present.
While Ozpin's office lay in ruins, and the man himself was nowhere to be seen, the Grimm had been driven out of Vale with help from the Atlas Military. Numerous members of the White Fang had been arrested, but the true masterminds behind the attack were still at large, it seemed. The Fall Maiden's powers had transferred to Pyrrha, but that event seemed largely ignored.
Jaune's account stood front and center, as the de facto hero of the hour. At first, his story only elicited laughter and doubt from the staff, but with Pyrrha confirming every detail the conversation soon shifted.
"So Jaune's got super awesome powers now?" Ruby Rose bounced around Jaune, inspecting him as if she hadn't known him for nearly a whole semester.
"As if!" Weiss Schnee crossed her arms in disgust. "It's bad enough I have to deal with these two now, I refuse to believe Jaune Arc, of all people, turned into an amazing huntsman overnight."
"That's not fair, Weiss." Pyrrha stood firm. "Regardless how it happened, Jaune is the reason I'm standing here today."
"Yeah, you big party pooper!" Nora Valkyrie added.
"Well I'm so glad for you, but what about those who weren't so lucky?"
"I would have lent a hand," Yang Xiao Long said, "But I'm a bit short on those." She held up her stump, eliciting nervous laughter from some in the crowd.
"Babe, that's not funny. You're lucky you weren't hurt more." Blake Belladonna clung to Yang, squeezing her tightly.
"Hey, if it weren't for you, I'd probably be all depressed, watching TV with my Dad."
"That's so specific," Ruby mused.
"You better not," Blake said, "Or I'll find you, and I'll snuggle you until you feel better!" The two met in a loving kiss.
Weiss turned her back on the pair and pretended to vomit. "Do you see, Jaune? Do you see what I have to put up with now?"
"The most important matter," Glynda Goodwitch said loudly to catch everyone's attention, "is how Mister Arc acquired these powers and what use they may serve in the coming future."
"Isn't it obvious?" Jaune flexed, "I'm just awesome. Ain't that right Pyrrha? Pyrrha…"
Pyrrha awkwardly avoided eye contact.
"Jaune," Glynda came closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly Jaune felt as if the tone had shifted quite severely. "Ozpin knew about your records. He knew they were fake."
"What?" Jaune stepped back in surprise. "How? Pyrrha, did you tell him?"
"I…" Pyrrha fumbled at Jaune's accusatory stare, "I would never."
"Then it was Cardin," Jaune balled his hands into fists. He began to glow once more, flickering with light as the others stepped backwards.
"He always knew!" Glynda said firmly, causing Jaune to snap out of his trance. "Do you really think it was that easy to forge transcripts? Ozpin saw something in you, something that made him overlook everything else."
"Perhaps," the calm voice of James Ironwood stole everyone's attention. "Perhaps old Ozpin knew about Jaune's power even before the boy himself did."
"James!" Glynda shot daggers at him. "This is a meeting for Beacon staff only."
Ironwood glanced to Team RWBY and Team JNPR. "Quite a lot of student staff as well."
"General Ironwood, sir," Pyrrha spoke up to address the man. "A lot has happened, and we're just trying to piece it all together. Some of us nearly didn't make it."
"I understand," Ironwood nodded. "I only came to thank Mister Arc for his spectacular job with eliminating the Wyvern. In all my years I've never seen a Grimm as fearsome as that, but you took it down like a true huntsman."
"Pyrrha helped a bit too…" Jaune trailed off, his cheeks flushing.
"I just have to know," Ironwood leaned up against a row of desks in the hall. "Where did that spectacular ability come from? You didn't use it in your match against Team BRNZ, and you sat out the Doubles round. Surely you could have led your team to victory, or am I missing something?"
Jaune's head fell low. The thrill of his power felt like a distant memory compared to the mocking comments of his current company. He felt a softness nearby; Pyrrha's hand took his and she smiled at him.
"I was scared," Jaune began, "Pyrrha was going to fight that crazy woman who stole the Fall Maiden's powers, and I just knew she… I knew she was going to lose." Pyrrha's grip tightened. "She kissed me… and I felt something change inside of me."
Yang snickered in the distance, "He had a rising sensation."
Blake elbowed her in the stomach, "Shut up, this is serious!"
"Suddenly I was glowing, and I could fly!" Jaune continued. "I went back to help Pyrrha and… I nearly lost, but I felt that power again and it helped me beat the Maiden!"
"Now you're up to speed," Glynda tossed Ironwood a quick glance.
"I see," Ironwood stood and began to pace. "This doesn't sound like a semblance, yet it clearly comes and goes. We just need to find the trigger."
"Isn't it obvious?" Nora spoke up. "It's Pyrrha! Jaune's got the hots for her, and when she's in danger he gets all glowy and murders things."
"It seems logical enough," Lie Ren agreed.
"Do you really think so?" Jaune asked, turning to Pyrrha and looking into her eyes.
"Only one way to find out," Pyrrha smirked, leaning in and planting her lips on his. A simple kiss would have likely done the trick, but Jaune felt Pyrrha's hands caress his head and shoulders. As she finished, Jaune opened his eyes to find that familiar shine once again emitted from his body.
The rest of the group stared in awe.
The sky was dark. No, there was no sky, just emptiness. The world seemed to stand still as Jaune took in the wasteland before him. Endless devastation in every direction: flames littered the world as plumes of black smoke rose upwards into the infinite.
"Don't you see now?" a man's voice called to Jaune from behind. He whipped around; he wanted to scream.
Pyrrha's body lay on the ground in a pool of blood, her right arm was missing, and a long crimson blade was buried into her chest. Her eyes and mouth were agape, a final moment of fear permanently etched into her face.
The blade belonged to the man who had called out to Jaune. He wore a long dark cape, covering almost his entire body, with a cowl stretched over his head. He was a shadow of a man, whose only visible appendage clung to the crimson blade lodged into Pyrrha.
"What have…" Jaune's breath returned, but adrenaline was shooting through his veins now. His heart was skipping beats as it raced to compensate. His vision was blurring.
"I have done what you could not," the man pulled his blade from Pyrrha's chest. A spray of blood shot up in its wake.
"You bastard!" Jaune shouted. He fumbled for Crocea Mors but it was nowhere to be found.
"You're pathetic," the man spat into the dirt.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Jaune shouted. He tried to move, to run at the man. He wanted to make him pay. He wanted to end his life the way he ended Pyrrha's.
"I'll… kill…"
"Wake up, Jaune!"
"I'll…"
"Wake up, Jaune!"
Jaune felt a rush of icy air as he returned to reality. He was staring up at the ceiling of the Team JNPR dormitory; Pyrrha was leaning over him while Nora and Ren stood nearby.
"You're...ok?" Jaune wasn't sure how to process what he was seeing.
"I'm fine," Pyrrha said, stroking his forehead. "But you were screaming in your sleep."
It was a nightmare, but the panic in Jaune's mind was still real. He was soaking with sweat and his chest was still rising and falling rapidly.
"It's been a stressful day," Ren said.
"Poor little guy," Nora cooed. "Even his dreams are stressing him out."
Jaune tried to laugh it off. "Sorry everyone." He went to pull the covers back up over him when he felt a nudge. Pyrrha was climbing into the bed next to him.
"You two don't mind if we snuggle a bit, do you?" Pyrrha asked as she made herself cozy in the small space Jaune had not taken up. He tried to move over for her, but there wasn't much room in the dorm's twin beds to begin with.
"No, yeah, it's okay," Nora replied, heading back to bed. "At least someone's getting cuddled in this bitch."
Jaune turned his head towards Pyrrha; she was so close to him. She wrapped a single arm over him and drew herself closer. Her body was so warm against his, and her pajamas did little to stop her curves from pressing into him.
His breathing was finally slowing. In Pyrrha's arms, he began to close his eyes once more, welcoming sleep.
As his vision faded, he could just barely make out someone's shadow coming through the window.