Chapter 5
"That was amazing guys! We were like the heroes of the fairy tales, eight against millions of monsters of the Grimm!" Nora said excitedly while walking back to their bullhead
"I don't really think there was milli-"Ren was interrupted by Ruby
"I KNOW! Two teams of huntsmen and against all the odds, coming out victorious against the forces of darkness!" Ren and Weiss only sighed at their very easy excitable partners "they're going to talk about this for weeks" both of them thought
Jaune couldn't help but chuckle "so this is what feels to have a team huh, damn I really wish things were different for me" he thought, a little sad that it was a one-time thing. A hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his little depression
"Are you okay Jaune? You seem a little down" Green concerned eyes looked at him. He shook his head and nodded at her
"Yeah Pyrrha don't worry about it, is just I've always wanted to feel what it is to have a team so I'm just thinking a little about it" he smiled at her, and she smiled sadly at him while humming a little
"That makes me think Jaune, why is that you didn't go to a Huntsman academy?" he thought about it for a second and was about to answer when another voice entered the conversation
"Yeah Jaune, I think now is a good moment to have our catch up, why you left signal so suddenly? You didn't tell anybody about it, we just know that your parents went to the headmaster and told her that you wouldn't be going back, no explanation, no anything" Yang asked walking faster to catch Jaune and Pyrrha "Maya was devastated when she found out"
"Wait you left Signal Academy?" Asked Pyrrha and that took the attention of everybody, putting Jaune in a spotlight he didn't liked
"Yeah, well things happened and I had to leave with my grandpa" Jaune said cryptically, Yang was about to ask more about it but Ren stopped her
"You don't have to talk about your reasons to leave Jaune, we all have our secrets, but I'm glad you did it because if you didn't, maybe we all wouldn't be here" That statement silenced everyone that wanted to ask Jaune about that topic.
"Thanks Ren I don't like to talk about the specific reasons, but what I could tell you is that even if I miss the school and what it means being a student, I don't regret it. I've been helping a lot out here you know a lot of settlements have problems with Grimm" He said smiling
"Well, I understand that, but you should have at least told Maya about it she was really depressed for a while" Jaune sighed but smiled at her
"My first years out here were the more… complicated, so I couldn't reach them, but actually I contacted her and the Gang two years ago, she was pretty mad with me but he forgave me eventually, I mean you should know that by now isn't it?" Now that she thought about it, it was time for Yang to feel bad, since the beginning of Beacon she haven't been in touch with the old gang, not after all of them went to different Academies
"Yeah… I understand, being at Beacon make really hard to keep in touch with old friends, I should call Maya as soon as possible" Yang said dropping her head in shame
"Don't worry about it, she is way too busy at shade too, she'll forgive you" Yang smiled when Jaune put his hand on her shoulder "On the bright side you managed to get amazing new friends" he then turned at the black-dressed girl "I hope Yang haven't get you any hard times with her puns Miss-"
That sparked something in Ruby that rushed in front of Jaune, took him by the shoulders and started shaking him while in the background you could hear Yang mumble "My puns are amazing"
"Oh my god you're right! I need to introduce you to my team! Well you already know Yang but you need to meet the rest officially!" she disappeared in a burst of rose petals and appeared in the middle of her monochromatic teammates "This is my good friend Blake Belladona our resident ninja and my back up bestie!" that made Jaune irk an eyebrow but Blake didn't seem very affected by Ruby's words so it must be something common between them
"And this frosty little Princess" a flabbergasted Weiss looked about to retort but Ruby didn't let her "Is Weiss Schnee our dust fairy and my super bestie better than the restie!" Again Jaune looked at her teammates and they didn't react at Ruby's declaration so he just shrugged it as well.
"Well is a pleasure to be formally introduced I'm Jaune Arc, and I'm happy to meet you" he said smiling and offering a hand, Weiss took it smiling a little
"Likewise Jaune Arc, I hope we could have a relationship that is convenient for both sides" Weiss said taking his hand, "What is she talking about? Is she trying to make me sign a contract?" He just nodded his head and turned to their other teammate Blake Belladona dubbed Backup Bestie
When she took his hand he felt her stiff for a second but she recovered quickly "Yeah the Puns are something difficult to handle but she isn't as bad as she used to be" she tried to hide it but Jaune had experience and recognized when people get nervous around him "Ah she must be a Faunus, I don't see any trait on her she must have it somewhere not visible…. WAIT no bad thoughts…. Aw man that run with that cow Faunus has affected me more than it should" he retracted his hand and scratched the back of his head with light dust on his cheeks
"Yeah she is really handful, but thank you for put up with her" he couldn't help but chuckle when Yang whined on the back "Oh come on"
"So Jaune what is your next step, where are you going to go?" Ruby asked changing the topic
"Well there should be another settlement about two and a half days west, I guess I'll head there to check if they need something, is being a few months since I went there" a sudden weight that was becoming familiar really quickly appeared on his back making him stumble "Nora why…"
"What are you talking about Jaune-Jaune? Don't you remember? Ozpin asked you if you could meet him he wanted to have a chat with you!" Nora said while being removed from Jaune by Ren
"Ah… yeah I forgot about that, I don't think I should go Nora, I mean people need me out here"
"But Jaune-Jaune what if Ozpin has a super-secret mission for you?" That sparked Jaune curiosity, a mission, and from the headmaster of Beacon himself? He shook his head from those thoughts he was needed here
"I think you could spare a day or two Jaune, I know that what Nora said sounds impossible but, remember that he watched you kill that Deathstalker after my scroll activated when I got hit" The spark Jaune put off returned again "That's right! He saw me fight… with that creepy function of the scroll, and he knows that I've been out here for a while… again creepy vibes intensifies…" He shook his head "I should at least hear what he want to say, maybe is a mission to help another settlement"
"Maybe you're right, I think I can handle being on Vale for a day or two if it just to hear what the headmaster wants" Pyrrha decided to put her two cents
"Yeah Jaune and you can sleep beside me" everybody stopped on their tracks and turned their heads to the redhead that seemed paralyzed by what she just said
"NO! I meant in the bed beside mine! Is the bed Nora mentioned earlier, the one you could use if you ever visit Beacon, I didn't mean anything other than that!" she was sputtering and her face turned as red as her hair
"Oh my god, Pyrrha I didn't know you were that bold!" Nora said with a devilish grin
"NOOOO I didn't mean it like that" Pyrrha covered her face with her hands, Jaune was as red as her but he kept his cool
"I understand Pyrrha I would be happy and really thankful to be your team roommate for a couple of days"
"I guess we didn't saw the Arc this conversation took huh?" a collective groan was all she received, except Jaune who didn't make a sound, he wouldn't admit it but he missed her awful puns, but if he said something like that she would never stop
"WAIT A SECOND!" shouted Ruby "What are you talking about Ren getting hurt and Jaune killing a Deathstalker?" Nora was at her side in a second
"Well little cinnamon roll let me tell you a history, about a Team, a Traveler and a bottle of syrup"
Jaune started laughing along with everyone at the exaggerations and inventions on Nora's tale, but in the back of his mind one thought persisted "I shouldn't go, even if I have the curse on a leash I hate to think about the possibility of it getting out of control" then his own mind rebutted the last thought "But I can't be afraid of it all the time, I've haven't lost control in 4 years, I'm just overthinking, it'll be fine"
"I regret every decision I've made that took me to this moment" Jaune said with his head between his legs, after all these years on the road, he forgot about his most powerful and apparently invincible enemy, motion sickness.
"We're almost there Jaune just two more minutes" Pyrrha said while chuckling a little, a sad whine was all she received, she decided to try and distract Jaune "So Jaune supposing you'll be in beacon for a couple of days, do you think we could spar sometime?"
"Wait not fair Pyrrha! I wanted to ask Jaune to spar with me" Ruby said while pouting, even if she was eighteen now one of her most powerful weapons was her mighty puppy eyes
"I mean we know that Jaune has more aura than any of us, I guess he could spar for a few rounds, so he could spar against both of you without a problem" Weiss said and Jaune eyes widened "few rounds I don't think I could handle more than one with one of them!"
"I would like to take a round with you too Jaune, but honestly you have your hands full with those two" Yang smirked at him, Jaune couldn't help but sigh but smiled nonetheless
"Thanks for your mercy Yang and I'll be happy to have a round against you guys, I don't have a lot of opportunities to train against huntsmen in training out there" a sudden movement made Jaune put his head between his legs again, oh how he hated this metal abomination
"We just landed Jaune-"Ren said to… no one, Jaune wasn't on his seat anymore, all of them turned to look at the mighty protector of the outer villages he was… hugging the ground
"Oh dear solid ground why I have to suffer to appreciate you, I would never leave you again" giggles, chuckles and a facepalm were the reactions of his travel companions, he was still on the ground when a clearing of throat made him look up, a beautiful stern-looking blonde woman with glasses was looking at him with a raised eyebrow he stood up quickly
"Oh I'm sorry that you had to see that, I really dislike air travel! I have motion sickness you see is a problem that is more common than people tend to think about it, I have it under control but… I'm just going to shut up now sorry" Jaune looked down with red dusting his cheeks "Why I turn a blabbering mess around mature, bossy looking women! Wait is this a fetish? Huh who would have thought, I always considered myself a leg man since is what … wait she is talking to me FOCUS Jaune!"
"I'm really sorry miss, I was lost in my thoughts could you repeat what you were saying?" she shoot him a glare that meant she didn't appreciate his lack of attention "That is one sexy look- no BAD Jaune BAD!"
"As I was saying Mr. Arc, my name is Glynda Goodwitch deputy headmistress of Beacon Academy and I was sent to retrieve you by Headmaster Ozpin, he would like to talk with you, if you may" she said while turning and starting to walk back to Beacon
"Hey guys I have to go to the headmaster now, I'll catch up with you after that, I'll ask Miss Goodwitch how to find you" with that said Jaune went to catch up with the Teacher, while walking to reach her he couldn't help but admire the amazing view that beacon had
"Man this sight is beautiful, if things were different maybe I would be here after all Beacon was my first choice" his internal musing was interrupted again by the headmistress
"I wish you to know that you have my thank you Mr. Arc" seeing his questioning face she decided to elaborate "We all saw the footage in Mr. Ren scroll, we saw what you did and how you saved them"
"Ah yeah I'm just thankful that I was around when things went south"
"As thankful as we are Mr. Arc, we expected the worse when we saw Miss Nikos froze" she narrowed her eyes "They have enough field experience to don't experience that kind of situation"
"Don't be so mad at them anybody could froze from shock after seeing your teammates down in a moment" Jaune said trying to defend his new friends
"I'm not mad at them Mr. Arc, I'm just frustrated that we can't do more to avoid this kind of situations that you only get from experiences out there, we have team drills that try to reassemble that kind of situations, but both team RWBY and PNR are the best on their year and even the upperclassmen have really hard time against them, individually all of them are some of the best huntsman in training I've trained so they rarely are in a situation like that" he saw her sigh in frustration
"So overall her strict and stern appearance she really cares deeply about her students" He couldn't help but smile a little at the stern teacher
"The hardest lessons we learn are normally the more useful but at the same time are the ones that have severe consequences in our life, I'm really glad that I was there to help them before it became something irreversible, they seem to learn from their mistakes so we could only hope this experience made them better in the future" He saw a small smile in the headmistress face, and the rest of the travel to Ozpin's office was made in silence
Upon entering the tower Jaune felt anxious he didn't know why after all the headmaster just wanted to talk with him, but inside him, the small fear that the headmaster knew about the curse was putting him on edge
"You need to relax Mr. Arc the headmaster only want to talk to you and thank you for your assistance" her words calmed him a little
"Thanks Miss Goodwitch, it's just that I've never expected to come here and meet the headmaster of Beacon, there was a time when I wanted to attend here you know"
"I see if it's not too personal, why didn't you apply to study here? With your skill set, you should have passed the test with flying colors" Jaune just smiled sadly
"Well life happened Miss Goodwitch and for safety reasons I couldn't" She just nodded and they entered the elevator
Reaching Ozpin's office Jaune couldn't help but admire the strange decoration, everything was covered in gears that were rotating, big windows gave a beautiful view at all beacon, a small set of chairs and a table with a chess on it, and in the far end of the room there he was, the man himself Headmaster Ozpin behind a desk that seemed made of glass
"Mr. Arc is a pleasure to finally meet you please come sit" Jaune nodded and turned to see Miss Goodwitch entering back to the elevator he mouthed a Thank you at her, and his heart skipped a bit when he smiled at him "Freaking fetish leave this pure body of mine!"
"Mr. Arc, do you like some coffee or tea?" Jaune was again brought back from his inner mind by someone, who could blame him about being lost in his mind after all most of his days in three years were passed on solitude in the forest "Mr. Arc?" "Goddamnit"
"Coffee is alright Professor" Ozpin nodded and smiled while Jaune reached for the chair in front of Ozpin's desk, a few moments later a cup of coffee was put in front of him
"Well Mr. Arc I know you must be annoyed to hear it but as a Headmaster of Beacon I should Thank you for helping my students in dire moments" in all honesty Jaune wasn't annoyed by it he feel good receiving praise and thanks, he never asked for it but he appreciated it when people gave them to him
"I'm just happy that I was close to help Headmaster, and as I said to Miss Goodwitch earlier they would learn from this" Jaune said smiling
"We can only hope that is the case Mr. Arc" He took a sip of his coffee before talking again "Now I have a few questions if you don't mind answering" Jaune just nodded right to business he liked that
"Let's start with a report of what happened" with that both went on talking about the missions, both the one with only NPR and the one Ozpin requested help for, the Deathstalker, the Beringel and the battle against the massive pack of Grimm, Jaune's semblance was something that took Ozpin attention
"So your semblance can replenish the properties of your aura and can replenish the aura of your companions" Jaune wouldn't say it out loud but he didn't like the way Ozpin was looking at him
"Yeah that's one of my semblance properties, it depends in how I use it for example with Ren I applied my semblance in a wound that his aura was already trying to heal, my semblance enhance the speed and power of that healing" Ozpin stood up and stared out the window he didn't say anything for a couple of minutes, he looked like he was making his mind
"Mr. Arc, thank you for taking the time to give me your report and again for the help you have provided our students, but I must ask you again for help" Jaune felt really excited, all the hesitation and cautions he had were lifted when Ozpin talked to him like he was an Official Huntsman "But I need to make some arrangements before, that would require that you stay here in Beacon for a few days" That made Jaune hesitate a little
"I'm just planning to stay here two days at most Headmaster, after all, people in the outer settlements need help regularly after all Grimm never stop"
"You're right Mr. Arc but the reason I'm asking your help with, I believe that it would help the world to be a better place, so I'm just asking you to stay here in Beacon for five days no more" Jaune irked an eyebrow Ozpin sounded really sure about this "mission" that could help the world
"Five days then. After that I'm returning to the wilds again" Ozpin smiled a little and nodded
"In the meantime I'll ask Glynda to prepare a room for you"
"Ah don't worry about it I'll be bunking with PNR I don't know Nora for more than a day, but I don't think she would ever let me stay in another room" Ozpin jus chuckled
"You made friends of very particular individuals Mr. Arc, well then. You are free Beacon Grounds, and made use of the installations as you please or go to Vale that's your decision, when the arrangements are done I'll ask Glynda to get you back" Jaune just nodded then he started walking to the elevator
"One more question before you leave Mr. Arc" Turning around Jaune saw the seriousness in Ozpin's eyes "Why do you decide to be a Huntsman" That was a weird question, Jaune looked at the ground before answering
"At first I just wanted to help people, to be a light in the darkness for people that couldn't protect themselves, you know to be a hero. A childish and maybe egocentric dream but I was just a kid" Jaune looked up gazing directly at Ozpin's eyes "Now I just want people to know that no matter your situation, no matter your past… that no matter what you are, you can do good in this world"
Jaune left moments later happy with his answer and decision to stay for a few more days than planned. When he reached the first floor and the elevator doors opened he was received by his new friends that wanted to show him Beacon, meanwhile in the top of the Tower Ozpin was looking at them going into Beacon from his window, thinking that maybe Jaune could help with the maiden problems his group had, but at the same time thinking about the last thing Jaune said "… that no matter what you are, you can do good in this world".
A/N
Huh another chapter, another nightmare, this one is more filler than I want to admit. But yeah sometimes those are needed I guess
Sorry for my bad grammar and weird structured sentences honestly this started because I wanted to improve my English writing, now I'm just having fun.