A/N: Hey y'all, sorry for the lack of updates. I got swamped with midterms and papers, so I had to put this off for a while- I had about half of it written for at least a couple of weeks, but I really wanted to post this chapter in one go, which is why I refrained from posting it until now.

Let me know what you think! I've missed hearing from all of you :'(

Laws of Attraction

The students all settled down, standing hesitantly in a semi-circle in front of Professor Goodwitch. All the woman had to do was raise her riding crop, allowing the end to rest in her hand casually, for the students to get the hint and cease their chatter.

Pyrrha sighed, standing in the center of the crowd. Although she had tried to speak to him after entering the room, Jaune had simply evaded her, choosing to perch at the edge of the crowd where she couldn't reach him. Out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but watch the dejected expression upon his face linger as the other students teased him about what happened with her and Cardin in the hallway earlier.

What baffled her is how Jaune's smile was so far removed and so vacant from the story his eyes were telling. From the distance, she could see that the others who poked fun at Jaune did exactly that- poked fun. There was no ill-intent in their words. After all, how could one dislike him? He was sweet to everyone, and more than a bit goofy. Most of the students had accepted him lovingly as the funny-man to their serious professors, and many of them welcomed his presence, despite the fact that he was struggling academically.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem like Jaune himself noticed the warmth exuding from the others around him. Instead, his eyes were focussed dully upon Professor Goodwitch. With a sigh, Pyrrha turned her attention back to the professor, taking a moment to glance at Ren who stood at her side. The black-haired boy shrugged, nonplussed. Of course Ren would just go with it, she snorted silently. So, all she could do was focus on the lecture, although what she really wanted to do was to go apologize to Jaune.

For what, she still wasn't sure- but she would do anything to remove the tension that had quickly built up in their friendship. It was lonely, having him rejecting her help.

"At the beginning of intake, you were all assigned lockers, which you have been using to store excess tools and your maintenance equipment. These were your temporary lockers, as not all of you made it through the initiation." Beckoning them all down the hall towards where the upperclassmen stored their equipment, Professor Goodwitch took out her Scroll and hooked it up wirelessly to the screen on the wall. It displayed a list of their names and newly assigned lockers. These new storage units were located right beside the second year students, rather than where they had been before, amidst the guest Huntsman units.

"Wait, so we finally get one of these?" Yang asked.

Professor Goodwitch nodded. "Look at the official placements on the screen. Each of you will be assigned one rocket-propelled locker to store your weapons and extra armor." She raised her crop, tapping the nearest locker. "Additionally, your locker can be sent to a custom location based on a six-digit code. This location can even extend as far as downtown Vale, in the case of a Grimm attack. Leaving the city any farther than that requires you to take your weapons with you, so keep that in mind when planning trips."

Pyrrha shifted her weight and crossed her arms, eyes drifting back to Jaune distractedly while the professor continued explaining how to identify coordinate codes using one's Scroll. However, her eyes snapped open in alarm as she noticed the looming figure of Cardin creeping up behind Jaune. She glanced quickly back to the Professor, but the blonde noticed nothing of what was about to transpire.

She opened her mouth to warn her friend, but before she could get the words out, Cardin grabbed Jaune's shoulder. With a quick shove, he was able to force the confused boy into a nearby locker, which the professor had opened earlier for demonstration purposes. Slamming the door shut, he pressed random buttons upon the keypad with a wicked grin upon his thin lips.

Pyrrha's heart broke as Jaune's terrified voice from inside the locker begged, "What?! No, wait, wait! You've gotta get me out of here! Please! Don't! Don't! Don't do it!"

"Mr. Winchester, what in the world-" Professor Goodwitch exclaimed, finally cuing into the tragedy about to occur. Unfortunately, it was too late to stop him- the locker played a short jingle to acknowledge the request, and suddenly, the students were all coughing amidst the exhaust fumes. The locker was already up in the air, flying towards the ceiling, leaving behind a stunned crowd and a cackling Cardin.

"Ah, come ooon...!" Jaune screamed helplessly from inside the projectile locker.

"Uh-oh," Pyrrha heard Ruby say quietly as the glass ceiling pane above the locker swung open, allowing the blue flame to propel the locker far above the school towards its destination.

Professor Goodwitch stormed up to Cardin. "Mr. Winchester. My office. Now." Small hairs were escaping from her bun, the ends of her cloak curling upwards slightly as the woman's anger grew. "We need to have a conversation about etiquette and common sense, it seems."

Even the air began to crackle, the other lockers in the room trembling as bits of the blonde's normally contained Semblance began to move them slightly. A small bit of satisfaction bloomed in Pyrrha's heart as Cardin's raucous laughter immediately died down, leaving a fairly ashen-faced figure in its wake.

The blonde glared at the rest of the students. "Class dismissed. We'll do this next week- clearly, there's no hurry. You are all nothing but imbecilic children, it seems." Immediately, the other students shrunk back from her seething anger, quietly filing out of the room under her menacing stare.

A light touch on her arm drew her attention. Pyrrha turned, facing a worried Ren and a mildly bemused Nora. "Well. Our leader just went blasting off into the sunset, huh?" Nora chuckled weakly, her furrowed brow betraying her concern.

"Yeah," the redhead sighed, biting down the frustration welling up in her chest. I should've done something to stop it, she thought.

Almost as if reading her mind, Ren reached out a hand, placing it upon Pyrrha's shoulder. In a matter of seconds, Pyrrha felt that frustration leak out of her, leaving behind nothing but weary resolve. Ren smiled, letting go of her without a word.

"You wanna go have that talk you two needed?" Nora offered. "We can go beat up Cardin while you're at it."

Ren lightly smacked her in the stomach. "Nora, we're not allowed to kill him."

"Breaking bones aren't off limits!"

"Yes it is," Ren insisted, nudging the redhead towards Professor Goodwitch. "Go, Pyrrha."

With their blessing, Pyrrha nodded, straightened her back and approached the professor, who was busy pulling up the tracking signal on the locker upon her Scroll. "Professor? I can go get Jaune."

Professor Goodwitch's acid-green eyes snapped up to look at Pyrrha. After a moment of studying the redhead's face, she let out a heavy sigh, quickly glancing at the now-empty locker room. "Alright, Miss Nikos," she muttered, tapping a few buttons upon her Scroll. "I've sent you instructions on how to send the locker back here for refueling. It seems that, luckily, Mr. Winchester accidentally sent your comrade to the Great War memorial upon Main Avenue." With a kinder expression, she added, "See to it that Mr. Arc is alright."

Resolutely, Pyrrha nodded, casting a fierce glare towards Cardin while she was at it. The tall boy didn't respond, too focussed on his impending doom from Professor Goodwitch.

With a quick check to ensure that the instructions had loaded up properly upon her own Scroll, she set forth at a brisk pace towards the amphitheatre entrance, where the statue- and hopefully, Jaune- would be waiting.

She was glad for the run. It gave her time to stop imagining all the ways she could corner Cardin later and destroy him. I cannot believe they would allow him into this Academy. He is a disgrace.

She could hear Jaune's cries for help and his fists banging against the inside of the locker long before she reached the statue. Gritting her teeth, she sped up and turned the corner, bolting towards the source of the noise. The light of the setting sun shone over the tops of the campus buildings and into her eyes, causing her to squint- but she didn't need to look very hard to find Jaune. After all, the locker was visible for all to see, wedged into the dirt off Main Avenue at a slant. The grass in the area would have to be manicured again- thankfully, Professor Goodwitch could probably piece it back together using her Semblance.

Pyrrha pushed those random thoughts out of her mind and jogged over to the leaning locker. "Jaune, I'm here!" she called, pulling out her Scroll and opening the instructions she had been given with one hand. With the other, she grabbed the handle and yanked it open.

The disgruntled blond was not prepared to be freed. "Pyrrha, I – ah!" he cried, falling haplessly to the grass. Pyrrha immediately slammed the door shut, punched in the code, and turned to help Jaune. "I'm here, Jaune," she murmured, unable to hide her concern. Behind her, the locker played its little confirmation jingle and took off into the sky once more towards the building housing the locker room. She paid it no mind, immediately dropping to her knees and placing a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "It's alright."

The blond was hyperventilating slightly, and Pyrrha could see that his complexion was extremely pale. There was a small bruise developing on his cheek, and a cut trickling blood from one eyebrow. As she felt his shoulder trembling in her grip, she realized just how terrifying the experience had been, the anxiety and fear rolling off Jaune so evident that even she could feel it by extension.

He breathed in slowly, calming himself down. With a furrowed brow, he leaned down on all fours, resting his forehead against his arm tiredly as he tried to collect himself. Finally, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "Thanks for getting me out of there."

She reached down, gently brushing his shaggy bangs out of his eyes. "That's what I'm here for," she replied, soft and unsure. "Are you hurt?"

Slowly, the blond raised his head and collapsed onto his butt, resting his elbows on upright knees. "Yeah… I'm a bit sore."

Pyrrha instinctively reached inside herself and pulled her Aura upwards and into her fingertips, allowing the red energy to course through her veins and into Jaune. "Here you go," she murmured. "Use this to kickstart your Aura."

A flush covered his cheeks and he looked down. "Thanks," he mumbled, but he didn't protest. He still wasn't very good at activating his Aura- they both knew he needed that help, although he didn't want it.

After a few moments of intense concentration, she felt his Aura suddenly push back towards her, just like it had back when she first activated his powers in the Emerald Forest. She snapped her hand away before his Aura could enter her system and watched as his wounds healed, the only trace of the injuries ever having existed being the blood which still trickled down his cheek from the now-sealed wound.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. Wordlessly, she handed it to him- he took it with a slight nod and wiped off his face, leaving behind nothing but embarrassment and frustration. "I'll… I'll wash this and return it."

"Oh, Jaune, I'm so sorry this happened," Pyrrha said sadly, seeing his hunched figure. Letting out a great sigh, she stood, brushed off her knees, and held out a hand. "I... I saw him coming up behind you. I should've stopped him."

He grabbed her hand, allowing her to haul him up to his feet. "No, Pyrrha," he sighed, running his hand through sweat-streaked hair, "it's my fault. I…" He looked at his feet, kicking a small patch of loose grass. "I only hid on that side to avoid you. I was a jerk- I deserved it."

"No, you didn't!" she protested, crossing her arms. "Look, Jaune, Cardin is getting in trouble. Professor Goodwitch nabbed him, and she did not look happy about it." After a moment, she added, "And… she wanted to apologize, too, for not reacting fast enough."

At that, a weak grin emerged upon Jaune's face. He stretched his arms high above his head, squinting as the sunlight blinded him. Finally, he commented wryly, "Being called out by Professor Goodwitch? That would be terrifying. Cardin must be wishing he was the one in the locker now."

All of Pyrrha's anxieties melted as he spoke. The redhead was unable to contain the giggle which bubbled up in her throat, the last bits of anger towards Cardin fading away at last as the colour returned to Jaune's face. "I think even the Grimm would be scared of how Professor Goodwitch looked. She was not impressed."

Jaune joined in on the laughter. "Ooh, she'd probably take down that Death Stalker we fought by scolding it for being late."

"Even Professor Ozpin?"

He shrugged. "Meh. She'd probably knock his coffee cup out of his hand with her crop and start screaming- I don't think even Professor Ozpin would be safe."

Pyrrha laughed aloud at that comment, and soon the two of them were doubled over, continuously building a light story of how Professor Goodwitch could intimidate anyone into submission with those piercing green eyes.

As the last of the sun's rays faded over the horizon and the streetlamps lining the avenue flickered on, Pyrrha let out a contented sigh. "Let's head back?" she asked.

Jaune smiled, much more relaxed than when she had first found him. "Yeah." So, the two of them began walking towards the dorms, leaving the grass and walking back onto the main pathway.

The redhead felt her eyes wander towards the Great War memorial, the fearsome statue of the warriors bravely facing down the Grimm. Even in the gentle glow from the streetlights, the Huntsmen depicted still looked as stoic and resolute as the day she had first seen them, standing solemnly in front of the enemy. The Beowolf had long, dark shadows masking its face, making its teeth seem even more jagged, its claws even more real, in the twilight.

"We'll be like them one day, huh," she murmured lightly, breaking the amicable silence. Immediately, she felt Jaune stiffen by her side. Turning to look at him, she asked, "What's wrong, Jaune?"

The blond let out a stuttered laugh. "You're already like them, Pyrrha," he replied quietly. "But I dunno about me… I just don't see it."

She stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "Hey, don't say that, Jaune! It's our first year- we've got so much time," she insisted, dismayed by his mood's sudden fall. Facing the statue, she looked up at the first figure, valiantly looking off into the distance. "Trust me, we'll be-"

And then, her eyes were drawn to the sword hanging off of the stone Huntsman's hip. Despite the fairly low lighting, she could still make out the design, noticing familiar etchings throughout the grip and up into the blade.

In her mind, those etchings were golden and blue.

She chose her words carefully, eyes tracing the patterns slowly, over and over again. "Jaune… Crocea Mors. It belonged to your great-great grandfather, right?"

Jaune sighed glumly, kicking a stone at his feet off the path. "Yup."

"He fought in the Great War, right?"

The blond raised his face, tired- resigned. "You got it, huh?"

She staggered back, leaning against the statue. "That man- was this statue based on your great-great grandfather?!"

He chuckled weakly. "Cat's outta the bag, I guess." Straightening up, he reached for the blade at his hip, unsheathing it awkwardly. "That guy was based off of good ol' Grandpa Arc."

The redhead felt her jaw drop. "But-"

But looking at Jaune's face, she immediately shut down what she wanted to ask. A thousand questions were burning at the tip of her tongue- what was his real name? Who was he? What did he do? No one really knew who the figures depicted in that statue were, as they had long been regarded as simply blank slates for prospective Huntsmen to project themselves onto. There had always been mystery surrounding the unsung heroes of the Great War – that terrifying battle from long ago between the newfound forces of darkness and the warriors of light, the mighty Dust-wielding Huntsmen – and that mystery had continued for generations. As a child, she had always wanted to be just as powerful, and just as unseen, as those hidden heroes. To think that Jaune was actually a part of one of the lineages that had inspired her to hunt!

Unfortunately, that same momentarily elation she felt was not echoed in Jaune. It was almost frightening, how familiar his sagging shoulders, his beaten posture, was becoming to her. Every time he felt that he wasn't keeping up, he had that same face.

It hurt.

"Yup." The blond shrugged, ignoring her torrent of emotion as he walked past the statue. Waving airily behind him, he called, "I'm a descendent of greatness, Pyrrha!" Kicking the same stone from earlier farther down the cobbled avenue before him, he repeated, more to himself than anything, "I'm a descendent of greatness. Guess that means I could maybe be pretty great too." The last few words were spoken with such sarcasm dripping off his tongue that she could perfectly envision his crestfallen expression as he walked farther away from her and the statue.

But you are great, Jaune. As she watched him wander down the path towards the dorms, his tall, broad shoulders stooped over, she felt a rush of emotion, something inexplicable- not anxiety, not fear, but something else. Something warm, and something that, while looking at his retreating figure in the evening glow, was so, so lonely.

"You're greater than you know, Jaune," she whispered, forcing her feet to follow after her closest friend, her leader. "At least… you are to me." And she meant it.