Chapter 32: Four Things

Yang sidestepped her father's fist and brought her own leg up, snapping a kick at his head. The old man grinned and ducked beneath the attack, spinning to sweep her legs out from beneath her. Yang tripped and threw her hand out, catching herself and using her incredible strength to flip over to her feet again. She brought both hands down and slammed them into her father's upraised arms. The man grunted, her superior strength causing his arms to buckle under the force. Her attack continued down to his shoulders and she grabbed him, leaning back to fall to the ground before planting her feet at the center of his chest and kicking, sending him flying through a tree and tumbling through the forest to come to an eventual stop.

"Okay!" he shouted, shakily coming to his feet. "I give. I give!" Tai sighed and limped over to his daughter, who crossed her arms and grinned at his injuries. He stopped in front of her, then began to tear up. "You know, every Huntsman father dreams of the day his little girl can beat him up... and I'm so proud!" He lunged forward and hugged his daughter before she could respond, and held on hard enough she couldn't get out of the hug. "You're such a big girl now!" He sobbed.

"Dad! Stop it!" Yang shouted, vainly struggling to push him away when her arms had no leverage to move. "Dad!"

A little while later, the two were sitting at the small, four person kitchen table in their cabin, eating some cookies that made Yang wish her dad had picked up any cooking skills from Summer. Still, better than nothing. "You know, you're better than your mother was at your age," Tai noted after a moment. "You might even be better than her at her best."

At the mention of her mother, Yang quieted down and frowned. "Dad, I'm sorry."

Tai raised an eyebrow. "No, you're Yang," he said, earning half a chuckle from his daughter. Concerned she hadn't cracked up, he put a hand on her shoulder. "Why?"

"I haven't been able to save her yet, Dad," she said simply. She dropped the cookie in her hand on the plate. "She just... sometimes, it's almost like she's already back to normal. Like she cares and is trying to find her way back on her own. And then she tries to stab me. And every time it goes that way, I haven't been able to beat her. I'm sorry, Dad."

Tai stared at her, then picked up a cookie and threw it at her head. "Ow!" she yelped, hand coming up to rub the spot where it had hit her. "What was that for!?"

"Your mom is a killer," Tai said simply. "It wasn't my favorite thing about her. Me and Summer weren't. Qrow, Oz... your mom. They believed in killing for the greater good. They got very good at it, eliminating people quickly and efficiently without any emotion connected to it. From what I've been told about that Pyrrha girl, what they did was right up their alley. They are very good at killing. The fact you've gotten out of fights with someone way more experienced than you without any real injuries is a testament to how strong you've become." He picked the cookie up again. "You just need to stop fighting her like she's your mother. That disconnect, I hate it, but when it's necessary you need to find a way to use it. You have to choose winning over even her."

Yang looked at the table. "We always talk about mom as this... super Huntress fighter," she said sadly. "We never talk about anything like... how did, I mean, how did you know? You know?"

Taiyang stared at his daughter. "What brought this on?" he asked earnestly.

Yang looked at her father. "I think I like Jaune," she said, not willing to tiptoe or deny like her sister did with Sora.

Tai chuckled. "You are very much your mother's daughter. She's the one that made the first move, and I wouldn't expect anything less from you," Tai said, shaking his head. "I thought he wasn't over that Pyrrha girl?"

Yang shrugged. "No, I don't think so," she replied. She brought her hand up and flexed the prosthetic. "I don't think he'll ever really be 'over' her. It's like phantom limb, you know? I still feel my arm, sometimes, even though it isn't there." She dropped her arm to the table. "And honestly, I'm just tired of putting it off. I know what I want to do, so why am I not doing it?"

"Then why asking about your mom and me?" Tai wondered. He leaned back in his chair. "I mean, if you've made up your mind..."

Yang chuckled at her father. "I've rushed into too many decisions. I thought I'd at least try to get advice from you before doing something."

Tai nodded. "That's definitely true," he agreed, earning an annoyed look from his daughter. "It's not like either of us knew at that moment that it was... anything. We were... well, we weren't exactly friends. But your mother, it was our second year. I'd just had a bad breakup and didn't want to even think about women. But she marched up, and," he laughed to himself at the memories, "and she said, 'I know four things. I like your stupid jokes. You're sad. We'll make each other feel better. And you're taking me out. Grab your jacket and come on.'"

"And that worked?" Yang asked with a surprised laugh.

Tai nodded. "Shouldn't have. But, uh, yeah. it did." He sighed happily and looked out the window, eyes glossing over slightly as he dove into his memories, "She just sounded so damn sure. And she could beat me up, easy. How was I going to say no to all that?"

Yang followed her father's gaze. "Yeah. How would you?"

The both of them were quiet for a while, staring at the trees outside the window. "Am I going to have to kill him?" Tai asked simply.

Yang looked over at her dad. "You wouldn't get close, Old Man."

"No, I guess I wouldn't," he laughed, turning to her. "Have you at least fixed his sense of humor?"

"He's almost as funny as me, now," Yang said with a grin. "Took a lot of time, some work, but it was worth it. He laughs at my jokes."

"Good job, Firecracker," Tai said, slapping her shoulder. "I did that with your mom, too."

"If only Rubes hat one, too," Yang sighed as she picked up another cookie. "But she already has a Keyblade. Wouldn't be fair if she had everything."

R W B Y

Jaune grinned and held his sleeping nephew's hand, the tiny fingers wrapping around his thumb tight. "He is... adorable," he told Journe. "I love the little guy. He's so big and strong!"

"Who else would I name him after?" the woman asked, leaning over and nudging her brother's shoulder.

"I bet it was a hard sell with the husband, huh?" Jaune asked, his voice catching.

Journe wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him softly to lean on her shoulder. "He got over it when I told him to trust me," she told him. "You know we all forgive you, right? For whatever it is that happened?"

"I know," he said quietly, gazing at the kid in his hands.

Their mother and father walked in, trailed by their youngest daughters. They stopped and turned on the living room Scroll, the large screen blinking on and revealing the rest of their daughters. "Jauney!" Aube shouted from the screen, waving at her brother.

He grinned nervously and glanced at his father. "This one's on you, Kiddo," he said.

Jaune sighed and carefully passed his nephew back to Journe. "Jaune, what is going on?" Marz asked quietly. "Your father said this is about this 'Other Jaune.' What happened?"

"I didn't want to talk about this before," Jaune explained from the center of the room. "It is... it hurts. Now, about OJ, I can't tell you everything about it. About what I did, about what he's done, or what he's trying to do. I can tell you that I didn't want to tell you about him because..."

Jaune shook his head. "For the longest time, I didn't want to talk about it because I didn't want to see it."

"See what?" his mother asked, fighting the urge to rush to her son.

Jaune took a slow breath. "I didn't want to see what your faces were like back whenf you heard I'd been put in prison," he explained. He laughed sardonically. "I mean... I didn't want to see what that looked like. I didn't want to see you that disappointed in someone who I thought was basically me. My face, my memories. I didn't want you to be disappointed in me like that. I didn't want to see that."

"You're an idiot," Journe said simply. Jaune turned to the mother holding her child tight. "Jaune, we know you. Maybe he grew up with the same life and memories, the same happiness and sadness. But you aren't just a product of what you grew up with. You make the decisions that make you into who you are. A name like Jaune or Journe, Ruby or Sora... they don't determine who you are. You're a good person and you made the decisions that mean you'd never be like him."

Argent picked up from there. "We're disappointed in him, Son. You're right in one way: for all intents and purposes, he is our kid, but he isn't you. The universe isn't big enough for two Jaune Arcs. That much personality and charm would overload the ladies!"

Jaune laughed at that. "Sure, because I get all the ladies," Jaune noted dryly.

The room went silent. "What?" Jaune asked, looking around. "I... what?"

"Where'd that old Arc confidence go?" Aube asked from the screen. "You've got to know better than that, right?"

"Uh, apparently not?" Jaune supplied jokingly. He smiled. "Thanks. And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you all sooner."

Marz walked forward and hugged her son, holding him tight until he hugged her back. "Oh, Sunshine." She patted his hair down. "Don't worry. We'll sort him out when we find him."

Jaune pushed her away. "No. You can't."

Marz chuckled. "It's our job. He's our son, after all."

Jaune shook his head. "No. You don't get it," he said forcefully. "OJ is dangerous. He's almost as strong as Sora, and he's insane. He doesn't believe this version of Remnant is even real. To him if Pyrrha isn't here, then everything else is just extra. Especially anything that, to him, keeps me here. And you are my family. He'll try to kill you to get to me, because he thinks we're the same if you guys are gone." He looked around the room. "If it's not me, run. Please."

Marz looked her son in the eyes. He had never been this... scared before. Even when he had been a little kid, nervous and scared, it had never been like this. "Okay," she said soothingly. "Okay, Sunshine."

R W B Y

OJ stared out of the cabin's windows, a slight smirk on his face as he thought over the past few days. They had certainly managed to bait the trap well by failing to collect the Hogyoku, and now Jaune and Sora would be underestimating the strength that the Black Materia could grant Morrigan, ensuring that when the time came to collect they would not fail. "I don't know if I like this plan. I could have been rid of my weakness if I had attacked with full strength from the start," Morrigan growled from her corner of the cabin, casting glares at the back of the Keyblade wielder's head. She turned towards the third figure standing emotionless and still in the other corner. "Or if you had sent your drone to assist me. Surely my weakness' demise would have driven Jaune further into Darkness."

"Maybe, but he would have fought me every step of the way after that," OJ explained, turning his chair around. "And I would prefer he helped me. I want him to be happy and helpful when he moves on with us, after all."

"Are you still married to that idea?" Morrigan asked, taking a step forward. "There's no guarantee that he will ever agree to join you."

OJ laughed dryly at the idea. "Oh, come on," he said, shaking his head. He tossed his arms out so his palms were up on either side of his head. "Look, I know him better than anyone else. We're both 100% certified Jaune Arc. Believe me, he already sees things my way. He just won't admit it right now. When we have some time for a Heart to Heart, it will all be worth it."

"I hope you aren't endangering our mission for your own personal issues." Morrigan crossed her arms and glared at him.

OJ scoffed. "The mission is my own personal issues," he retorted. He pointed at Morrigan. "And I'm being gracious enough to help you with yours. Besides, you know the plan. We need them both."

Morrigan growled, but nodded her agreement. "I understand," she snarled. She turned to the drone who hadn't moved at all. "What's the plan with this one?"

"The distraction, of course," he explained. He stood up and walked over to Emerald's body, moving around it as she listed things off. "Take her, an army of monsters, and an attack on their stupid tournament, and we'll be able to walk in and take whatever we want! Between Mercury's devotion to her, everyone else's desire to save everyone they meet, and the chaos of Heartless and Grimm attacking innocents, they'll be too busy to notice us and we'll get away without any major problems. Believe me, Sora is an amazing fighter, but he's inexperienced as a leader and planner. And Ozpin doubts himself after screwing up for a thousand years with his girlfriend." OJ grinned and his words came slow, one at a time. "We. Will. Be. Fine."

Morrigan frowned, still unconvinced, leading OJ to sigh in disappointment. He ran a hand through his ever longer, shaggy hair and explained, "You keep saying that you have a clear mind, without emotional connections. Then think it through, logically. You'll see my plan is... well, as close to foolproof as it can get."

Morrigan nodded. "It will work," she agreed, a sigh of defeat and relief escaping her lips. Then, as if reassuring herself, repeated, "It will work."

"Exactly!" OJ shouted happily. "We're this close to putting this all behind us. An entire universe, Morrigan. Trust me, and we'll both get what we want."

OJ clapped his hands, cutting off any argument. "Now I just have one more thing that I need to do," he said, grinning. "Jaune needs a... pep talk before we run into him. He's been doing too well lately, and that could be an actual issue."

R W B Y

Jaune felt cold as he plummeted from the storming sky and towards the inky waters below. Despite the fall, he never got any further from the storm. The lightning always came down from right above, arcing down all around him. Even when he hit the ocean and his fall began to slow, the water buoying him, the lightning didn't stop. Even when he finally touched down on the stained glass pillar, adorned with what he knew was Pyrrha's sleeping visage hidden by a haze of shadows, the bolts of energy continued to crash into it through the water and sky above. With nothing else to do, Jaune could only turn his gaze around the pillar. The haze was bad, barely even letting Pyrrha's face pierce through it.

When a cold feeling rushed across Jaune's neck, he turned and raised the Kingdom Key, the weapon colliding with the No Name Keyblade in the hands of his yellow eyed clone. Jaune glared at his inner Darkness and shoved hard, sending him flying back and separating them when a bolt of lightning crashed into the ground between them. "It's been a while," Jaune said, glaring his opponent down. "What are we doing on your side of the Heart?"

"Well, we need to talk. I don't like where you've been driving us," his inner Darkness said angrily. He raised the No Name above his head and caught one of the lightning blasts from the storm, absorbing and redirecting the energy to fly towards Jaune. His eyes widened and he threw himself to the side, rolling and letting the blast fly over his head, barely coming to his feet in time to raise his Keyblade to block the incoming sword attack. He pushed hard against it and snarled, holding them at a standstill.

"Really? You helped me save Yang before! You seemed happy enough!" Jaune protested. He dismissed the Kingdom Key and twisted, letting No Name hit the ground beside him before he summoned the weapon back and stabbed at his opponent's chest. The Inner Darkness flipped backwards before he could be hit and twirled his weapon, summoning a trail of black flames along its edge. Jaune stood up straight and readied himself, summoning a Blizzard spell to his own weapon. The two rushed each other, weapons colliding and sending flames and frost exploding out from them, the spires of twisted energy drawing in the bolts of power from the sky. Jaune and his opponent slid apart from one another as the warped ice and scorch marks vanished from around them from the water and lightning. "What changed?"

Jaune's inner Darkness sneered. "As if you don't know," he growled angrily. He dashed forward, slashing under Jaune's guard and catching him in the chest, sending him flying backwards. Jaune cried out in pain and rolled across the hazy pillar, coming to a stop on his back and clutching at his chest. "Look around you! It's all falling apart!"

Jaune hissed in pain and pushed himself to his feet, summoning his Keyblade back to his hand. "What are you talking about?"

"This isn't my side of the Heart, Jaune," the figure laughed cruelly. He gestured at the face of Pyrrha. "It's ours." He shook his head, annoyed. "You don't know even know what you've done. You idiot."

Jaune clenched his jaw. "I... I don't..." He took a deep breath to steady himself and shut up, charging ahead with his Keyblade at the other figure. The No Name and Kingdom Key sparked and exploded with power, drawing more of the lightning in as they generated energy in their fight. "Shut up!" Jaune twirled and slashed at his counterpart's throat, narrowly missing when he jumped backwards. The two dashed at each other again, slashing and dodging one another. Jaune jumped over a leg sweep and slashed down as he fell, his own blow deflected to the side. He was forced to lean to the side, slapping a grab at his throat away. Jaune stabbed at his opponent's throat and his Keyblade hit the ground in front of him, his inner Darkness having vanished.

Jaune breathed heavily and sat up in his bed, eyes looking around wildly as he realized where he was. "I..." he shook his head and put his face in his hands, trying to calm down. "What was all that about?" He laid back down and stared up at the ceiling, mind racing at what it could have been. Everything he imagined was worse than what came before, but he couldn't figure it out. "Wh... what did I do?"

He shook his head and grabbed his Scroll, groaning. "What time is it?" he wondered, turning on the screen. He groaned again and dropped the Scroll beside him. He had to be up soon for a favor to Sora and Qrow. Not enough time for more sleep, and that... Dive had exhausted him. He pushed himself to his feet and rubbed his eyes. "I need to find some coffee." He slid his feet into his Pumpkin Pete slippers and began to walk towards the kitchen. "God, I'm tired..."

R W B Y

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Yang asked as the two of them walked through the Keyblade Academy. She grabbed Jaune by the shoulder. "You look terrible."

Jaune yawned and turned towards her. "Wow, you really know how to make a guy feel good about himself," he said sardonically.

"Yeah, well the dark circles around your eyes make you look dead, so do you need more coffee?" Yang wondered. She grimaced when he yawned again and swayed on his feet. "You are okay?"

"I will be," he told her. "I just had a... I don't know." The two walked on in silence for a bit. "But... you said you wanted to ask me something when we were on Soul Kingdom. What is it? I mean, it's been a couple days and..." He shrugged. "You need some help with something?"

Yang laughed and shrugged. "I, uh... well, I was planning on asking you about it tonight," she replied with a chuckle. She gestured at him. "We've been busy so far. And I wanted to ask my dad about something first, and – hey, how was your family?"

Jaune raised an eyebrow at her. "Fine, I guess. I don't know if my mom and sisters are going to listen and avoid OJ, but they at least know he's dangerous. So that's a start."

Yang nodded. "Well, I guess that means you got your stubborn denial of safety from them," she said, nudging his shoulder. "Why were they surprised you faked your transcripts?"

"Ha ha," Jaune muttered through another yawn. He sighed at the floor. "I wish they'd just listen. I worry."

"Now you know how I feel, Jauney," Yang told him. "Worrying about Arcs is... terrifying."

"Yeah..." Jaune muttered, too tired to notice exactly what she'd said. They stopped in front of the door to the combat arena. "Terrifying."

He pulled the door open and they walked in to find Qrow standing in front of the three Keyblade apprentices. The younger two were about eight, a brown haired boy by the name of Gaius and a blue haired girl named Neptunia with the glimmering scales of a reptilian Faunus under her eyes. The older was a blonde kid of maybe twelve, Herus, who was trying to keep the two kids quiet and calm. "There you guys are!" Qrow shouted, relieved. He turned to the kids sitting on the floor in front of the arena, designed after the one from Beacon. The old Huntsman sighed in relief. "I know you guys have been bored since Sora and left for Soul Kingdom. I'm not a Keyblade Master, and I've never traveled to another world. And you really only care about that. It's what you're training for, after all. Which is why I brought these two in. They've recently gotten back from traveling the worlds, fighting Heartless, and more. They're going to tell you what that's like."

"Great intro, Uncle Qrow," Yang said as she came up to his side, patting his back. "Just... wow." She looked over at the kids, who did look more excited now. "So... Jaune, what's a Keyblade Wielder's job?"

Jaune froze mid yawn as the kids' eyes turned to him. "Uh... Right!" he snapped to attention and laughed nervously. These kids looked excited for all this. They looked at him like he was a hero. He wanted to tell them the truth, but... well, he wasn't going to scare eight year olds with his own issues. "Um... Being a Keyblade Wielder is a big responsibility, but it's easy to do. Look at each other." The kids glanced around more than looking, but, hey, it was a start. "To be a Keyblade Wielder, all you have to do is treat everyone like they're the people you looked at. You just have to be a friend. You know, just help wherever you can."

"Like a superhero," Yang cut in with a grin, getting the kids excited.

Jaune laughed. He was grateful she'd gotten them riled up. "Yeah. Like a superhero," Jaune agreed. "Do any of you know what Keyblade Wielders used to do?"

"Not get involved?" Neptunia supplied quietly, her hand rising.

Jaune nodded. "Yeah, that's close," he said, causing the girl to light up with pride. "Keyblade Wielders used to think they shouldn't help out with the problems that a world had. But Sora, and me, and Yang, and... all of us. We think that it's our job to help. We have the power to help, so it's our job even when it hurts. And maybe it's different for you." He thought of OJ and he frowned. "But sometimes, people do need to solve their own problems. They deserve to at least try, and then it's your job to help as much as you can."

The kids looked a little confused. "Sometimes people have to fight by themselves," Jaune said. "And all you can do is give them support. And sometimes that's enough. It was for me."

The kids kept staring at him blankly.

"Tell them about some worlds, Yang," Qrow growled, elbowing her in the side. Under his breath: "I cannot handle another boredom tantrum!"

"Any of you like animals" Yang shouted, getting an excited gasp out of the kids.

Jaune palled and he suddenly felt significantly less tired. "N-No! Yang, Yang, no!"

"We went to a world where everyone was an animal. And I don't mean they were human with tails like the Faunus. Actually animals!" Yang explained, holding her hand out and grabbing Jaune's head when he ran in to tackle her into silence. "And on worlds like that where people don't look like us, human or faunus, the magic will change you to fit in. On this world, I became a, um..." she mumbled the last part.

"What?" Gaius asked without raising a hand.

Yang sighed. "I said... Jaune became a puppy dog!" she shouted to deflect from her own embarrassment.

Jaune stopped pushing against her hand. "Hey! I mean... She was a bunny rabbit! Like a tiny, golden Pumpkin Pete!"

Yang whirled on him. "Jaune!"

He scoffed. "Turnabout's fair play!" he pointed out.

She hissed at him for a moment. Then: "Point..."

Qrow watched the entire thing with a growing worry on his face. The little kids were getting bored, and that was never a good thing! The older one tried to keep an eye on the other two, but he usually ended up joining in on whatever pranks they began to pull. Since they'd gotten here, Qrow had had to deal with everything from magical stink bombs going off, to being locked in a room where the door unlocked until his hand was on it, and even the three kids even running away. Going through his memories of Ruby's... excitable nature as a child, he knew he had one good chance, so he decided to cut off the two arguing blondes. "Crazy, huh? You could turn into a dog! Or maybe a mermaid," he supplied. The girl's eyes grew incredibly excited when he brought up the last one. "Of course, there's more to being a Keyblade wielder than the places you'll go. There's also my personal favorite part of being a hero: fighting. Firecracker, Blondie? I am a combat instructor, and I think it's high time these kids saw what real combat is like."

Yang and Jaune glanced at each other. "I'll win," Yang mocked with a smirk.

"... Probably," Jaune agreed as he fought off another yawn.

Still, the two set up inside the shielded arena, standing on opposite ends while the three kids excitedly waited for the show to begin. "I was joking," Yang said.

"Huh?" Jaune asked, confused.

Yang shrugged. "I might not win. You're not bad at this," she pointed out supportively.

Jaune yawned. "But I am exhausted," he retorted.

Yang smiled. "Point."

"Ready?" Qrow asked. The two warriors nodded at one another. "Then let's see what you two got!"

Jaune and Yang charged each other, weapons at the ready. Jaune slashed up at her, but her hand slapped the attack away and she brought her fist down, knuckles crashing into his cheek. Jaune yelped and tumbled backwards, face throbbing from the force. He rolled across the arena for a moment before slamming his Keyblade into the ground to stop himself. He took a breath and swirled the Keyblade once more before stabbing it forward, unleashing an explosion of Blizzard magic that Yang annihilated with her own flames, creating a cloud of steam that filled the arena for a moment, hiding him from view until Yang summoned a tornado-like Aerora around her that cleared the mist away. She glanced around for him, finding nothing, then looked up and threw up a Reflega. Jaune's attack collided with the wall and the force exploded back at him. Jaune growled in pain and slid backwards, holding himself defensively, now.

Yang was good with this change. She was more of the attacking type, after all. She charged him again, throwing out her fists one after another at Jaune's head. He brought his Keyblade around to deflect the testing blows, his face contorted with concentration. Yang grinned and feinted in her next attack, throwing a fake blow at his left temple then crouching and sweeping his legs out from beneath him. Jaune toppled over and landed on his back, and Yang was on top of him a moment later, raining down blows. He tossed his head to either side quickly, avoiding her fists that aimed for his head. After the second he glanced over and saw cracked stone. "Wha – Yang, are you trying to kill me!?" he snapped, turning back to her.

She raised both hands together over her head, clenched together. "I knew you'd dodge," she supplied with an animal grin. Jaune yelped when her fists came down, and he resummoned his Keyblade in her gut, the sudden appearance sending shoving her off of him and interrupting her attack. Luckily for Jaune, this threw her off balance enough for him to shove her off and come to his feet, spinning away and launching a Thundaga bolt at her. The tracking magic slammed into Yang and she snarled in pain as the energy slammed into her, burning away a chunk of her aura.

Yang snarled in pain, but let the energy stockpile in her Semblance. "Not bad," she growled when she came to her feet, rolling away from Jaune's leaping, overhead attack that cracked the ground where she'd been. "Wha – Jaune, are you trying to kill me!?" She flashed him a mocking grin.

Jaune rolled his eyes and fought off a yawn, eyes drifting shut. But by the time his eyes had opened again, she'd gotten to him and wrapped her fingers in his hair, bringing his face down into her knee. Jaune felt stars explode behind his eyes and in his stunned state barely felt her grip his jacket and belt, then turned and threw him over her, right into the shield forming the wall around the arena. He groaned and slid down, catching himself and rolling to his feet on the ground. "Ow..." he groaned. He looked up and his eyes widened in surprise. He backflipped, putting his feet on the wall and leaping over the incoming Yang, horrified by the shield wavering and blinking at the force of her blow. "Yang!"

She turned, hair beginning to spark in excitement. She launched a Firaga from each hand at him while he was in the air. Jaune slapped the first away and twisted around the second, tossing the Keyblade at Yang. She raised her right arm and slapped the glowing weapon away, then charged Jaune, slamming her fist into his guard the moment he landed. The Keyblade's reflect wall came up and he was forced backwards, sliding across the ground when her attack overloaded its ability to ignore physics. She rushed forward before he even stopped and snapped a roundhouse kick at his head, forcing him to duck beneath. He slashed upward at her, but she used her kick's momentum to spin past the attack, planting it and lashing out with her right hand again, the attack crashing into Jaune's gut before his sluggish body could react. He flew a foot into the air, where her back kick slammed into his chest and sent him into the wall at the other end of the arena.

She grabbed hold of the Keyblade and began to wrestle with him, trying to wrench the weapon from his hands. "Are you going to get serious?" Yang asked, pulling in close. "I know you're a better fighter than this, Sunshine!"

"I'm exhausted!" he protested.

Yang chuckled. "And did that matter on Gaia, or when the train crashed into Vale, or any other time you've been in a fight?" she asked as she twisted the Keyblade and fought against his grip, getting in his face. "Jauney... You fought Aizen. I think you can take me."

He swallowed nervously, eyes locked on her lips that were so close to his. "You, uh... you're right." He let go of the Keyblade and stepped simply to the side, letting her slam face first into the wall before he summoned the Keyblade back to his hand. Okay, she was right. Tired or not, he was a Keyblade wielder, which meant he just had to believe he could win to win. Maybe. Keyblade logic still confused him.

Yang rubbed her nose and turned to him, clenching her fists. "Finally. I deserve your best, Jauney."

"You're crazy," Jaune breathed.

Yang grinned. "You love it." She threw a fist at his head and he slapped it away, directing her past him and getting distance between them. Yang could handle herself at a distance, but her strength was up close and personal. It was best to take that away from her.

Jaune threw a blast of Blizzard magic at Yang, following it up with an Aerora that sent the ice tumbling out in every direction as snow that began to drift lazily throughout the arena. "Pretty, but what's the deal?" Yang asked, rushing him after a moment. He dodged and dove away from her, aiming his Keyblade at her as he tumbled away, another Blizzard spell crashing into her body and leaving a thin layer of ice all over her body. Yang turned, slowed down by the film of cold all over her body and launched a Firaga too late to hit him, the attack soaring over him and melting a chunk of the snow near the wall where it exploded.

Jaune slid through his snow and came to a three point stop, hoping his plan would work out. He just had to annoy her, after all. He charged her and dodged her slowed haymaker, ducking beneath the punch that would have turned him into mush. He brought both hands together on the Keyblade's handle and swung like a baseball player, the attack slamming directly into Yang's gut with as much force as he could muster. Yang grunted and stumbled backwards, swinging at Jaune's head. He raised his Keyblade and his knees buckled from the impact. She swung at his head before he could respond, and her fist collided with his head. He rolled through the snow, leaving a trail through the powder. Yang grimaced and flexed, the ice on her skin shattering. "Better, but come on!" Yang shouted at her partner. She raised her arms out to either side. "Jauney... you can do better than this!"

Jaune nodded. "Well, why don't we keep trying, then?" he asked, fist clenched tight on the Kingdom Key. He raised his left hand towards her and gestured with his fingers. "Come and get me."

She grinned. "Happy to help." She charged forward, fist lashing out at his head. He grimaced and leaned away to dodge it, knowing if he got hit by her again he wouldn't stay conscious. Jaune lashed out at her again, the attack narrowly missing her head when she slapped it away. She punched with her other fist and he angled the Keyblade, deflecting the attack with the basket of the weapon before slamming his elbow into her face. Yang yelped and stumbled back, dazed, and swung her fists blindly, managing to block one of Jaune's attacks before it could hit her, but the fire spell on it exploded anyways and she was sent flying, smoke trailing in the air behind her.

Jaune stepped back from the puddle on the ground and raised his Keyblade. "If I'm giving my all, Yang," he began when she pushed herself up in the snow, "how is it fair you aren't?"

Yang scoffed and stumbled a half step to the side, catching herself and grinning. "Oh, if you want, Sunshine." Her eyes flashed red and her hair ignited, sending waves of heat everywhere. The snow slowly melted around the arena as she charged Jaune, the flames searing when they got close. He yelped and raised a Reflega wall, shrieking high pitched when her blow cracked the light wall in front of him. It didn't give out, though, and Yang was pushed back.

"I think only Kirito could shriek higher pitched than that," Yang said, hair still flaming. She flexed her left hand, still feeling the rebound from the Reflega wall. She turned her glare from her hand towards Jaune to mock him more, only to blink in surprise that he was right next to her, swinging his Keyblade at her face. The weapon slammed into her face and she rolled backwards, hair igniting further from her Semblance absorbing the force. Water began to turn to steam around her, and both hers and Jaune's feet were getting soaked.

"Now for the sucky part," Jaune muttered when Yang came his way. He dodged her first attack and stabbed at her, letting her knock it away. She brought her fist around to his kidney, but he dropped his left arm. "Sol!" The buckler took the blow and he spun around her. "Aurora!" He slammed the shield into the water and the world went white for both of them.

Jaune blinked slowly and groaned. "Ow..." he muttered as he sat up.

"I can't tell if that was smart or stupid," Qrow muttered. Jaune blinked and the world cleared up again, revealing the man standing above him, arms crossed. Jaune looked to the side and took a relieved breath when he saw Yang starting to wake up, too. The kids were on her other side, watching them both with wide eyes. "You did remember you were putting on a show for kids, right?"

"Did I win?" Yang wondered drowzily.

Qrow laughed and shook his head. "I'll go with crazy and leave it at that. You stayed conscious a half second longer than Firecracker, after all," he explained with a shrug. He looked over at the excited kids. "And you got them to sit still for ten minutes. Nice change of pace."

"Hungry," Yang grunted, not really listening to her uncle. She stumbled to her feet and grabbed hold of Jaune's hood, dragging him behind her. "Food, now."

Jaune shrugged. "Yeah, me too." He grinned at the kids. "Uh... sorry. I wasn't at a hundred percent. Couldn't sleep."

The kids' eyes widened. "He could do better?" the girl asked the oldest one. "We're going to be so cool one day!"

Qrow nodded. "Yeah, if you start training like they did," he said. He pointed at them. "Now summon those toy shaped swords and practice, or you'll never be able to fight like that." They started to move, summoning their weapons and getting in ready stances. "Oh, and whoever does the best gets extra ice cream." That made them focus even better. Qrow sighed and shook his head. "Kids." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had to tone it down with Winter before they ended up with their own.

R W B Y

"Oh, God, I love these noodles," Yang sighed before inhaling her bowl. "Jeez, you really did pretty good in that fight, Jaune. Worked up an appetite."

"You're being creepy with those noodles," Jaune said before biting into his own. He leaned back in his seat and nodded at Yang. "Thanks. I barely won as is. I, uh, wanted to jump away but couldn't get the strength. Too tired."

"So fainting helped with that, huh?" Yang supplied with a laugh.

Jaune chuckled with her. "Well, I don't exactly feel refreshed," he said jokingly. "But... yeah. Nearly getting killed by you definitely woke me up."

Yang nodded. "Good. I mean, I don't want to repeat my question, after all."

"Oh, right! Your question!" Jaune said, turning away from his bowl. He pushed it to the side and and leaned forward. "What, uh... what's up?"

Yang bit her cheek for a moment. "Okay, okay. Okay!"

Jaune raised an eyebrow as she kept psyching herself up. "You, uh –"

Yang surged to her feet and pointed at Jaune. "I know four things. I like your stupid jokes. You're sad. We'll make each other feel better. And you're taking me out!" she shouted, getting closer and closer until he curled up in his chair.

"W-what?" Jaune whispered. He swallowed nervously and stared up at her with wide eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, then stopped and shut it. He opened his mouth again and shut it again. Did she just..?

Yang surged straight up again. "Hm... I guess that's a no," she said, voice completely even. "I mean, no answer probably means no." She chuckled. "Okay. Uh, just forget it. I mean, you're not over Pyrrha. And why would you be? She was, well, you know -"

Jaune nodded. "Okay." He stood up and laughed nervously.

Yang blinked. "What?"

"Yeah. Okay," he whispered again. He nodded. "Yeah! That sounds great!" His voice cracked and he bit his cheek. "I mean, you know, if, uh, if you want to, I mean. Yeah! Let's, um, we go... Date?"

Yang laughed in relief. "We go... date," she agreed. She laughed again. "I know a great bar in Vale. I've wanted to see you dance in anything other than a dress, and I'm looking forward to it."

"Anything?" Jaune asked, grinning wide.

Yang grinned and wiggled her eyebrows, and Jaune turned bright red. "Of course you'd turn that around on me," he said sheepishly. But the giddy grin wasn't gone. A date with Yang? Him, on a date with Yang? The idea was kind of absurd when he thought about it. Vomit Boy on a date with Beacon's Bombshell... no one he went to school with would believe it. He felt lighter, somehow. Giddy with anticipation. After a second he realized why: his promise to Pyrrha. "This is going to be great. I can't wait."

"Good. Grab some coffee and get changed. We're going the second I get changed," Yang said, her usual confidence back.

Jaune swallowed nervously. This was exciting, but... what did he just get himself into?

AN:

Yes, it's that time. We're switching to the end of the chapter for the last quarter of the story. That way I can answer questions without possibly spoiling anything that happens in the chapter. Doesn't matter as much early on where I can be so vague that I basically don't answer anything, but now it actually matters.

Good news in my life. Took a year, but I finally got a job in my field! So that's looking up. Goes to show you that, as long as you're working at it something will eventually look up. And given family issues, maybe things take time for a reason, too.

Okay. Then I guess it's time for responses.

To Gamelover41592: If that means what I think it does, thanks. I liked Bleach, but I just never felt like there was enough of an emotional response or struggle for Ichigo when he gave up his ability to see Rukia at all! He just went and did it, not nearly enough agonizing about it.

To Chretner: Things are looking up, thanks for asking. I'm glad you're back. Hope everything is okay with you, but I also get things just getting away from you and piling up. On to the rest. So, Jaune. Thanks. I mean, if the Keyblade isn't at its strongest when literally in someone's Heart, I don't know where it would be. For the Firaza, well... Had to be Yang, you're right. It's fire. But, I didn't want it to be too easy to access. I mean, -Za magic is strong in the games, but I think I made Firaza... too strong. A volcano on demand would be a bit 'meta breaking,' right? This chapter was a bit of a bridge chapter, but I hope that the parts with Yang and Jaune managed to make you smile!

Well, see you all soon! If you have a request for any characters from the four action franchises I included in this story making an appearance in the tournament parts, just let me know. Beforehand, though, Kenpachi will be one of them that definitely fights, and the main characters of the worlds will at least be present, and at least a few will show up in fights. So Cloud, Tifa probably, Fairy Kirito – which Yang will love –, Ichigo, Rukia.