Chapter 2 Great minds sleep alike

Visible frustration began to crack through the facade of collected calm and dignity as she walked at a brisk pace through the streets of Beacon. Her boots pounded on the cobblestone as they echoed down the side streets, she took to try to reach the harbor on time. Constantly checking her scroll as the minutes ticked down closer and closer to 6:30, breathless swearing escaped her gritted teeth.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid…of all the days, how can I be late?"

As she stepped out of the alley into the open street, something began clawing at the back of her mind. A feeling that she had ignored since she started at Beacon. No other soul on the continent was able to pierce the carefully sculpted vale that she had created. Her Invincible Girl persona, the untouchable mythical figure that the masses created based on her abilities as a fighter, for her beauty, and for her status that made others want something from her.

"He didn't know anything about me or who I was. I was only a picture on a box of cereal to him. Then a teammate, a sparring partner, and finally my best friend."

Friend. That single word made her slow to a halt. Down the street was Leon's, the quaint Mistrallian cafe on the boardwalk, the place she took him after he stood up to Cardin Winchester. "He stood up for me, for the team. That's what friends do, right?" She knew that the rest of her friends would do anything for her, but she always preferred him. Why? The training sessions? The late night studying to make sure he passed his classes? No, it wasn't that. She always wanted to be around him, listening to his one liner, and learning about the Huntsman comic he loved to read. A smile spread across her lips as she remembered the dance.

"He showed up to the dance in the dress just like he said and swept me off my feet. A man of his word. An honorable man. My white knight."

Her face went flush as waves of embarrassment cascaded crashed through her body.

"I want him to be my knight…."

Gradually he began to stir, stretching aching muscles, and lazily smacking his lips. Through bleary eyes, he checked the clock on his scroll.

"It's 6:45…. Oh No! I fell asleep!"

Standing up in a flurry of limbs, panicked movements, and a yelp of alarm, his eyes searched relentlessly for any sign of her.

"No..no..no...no... Where is she?" An icy wave flowed through his veins…. She had seen him sleeping and left…...or worse, she hadn't come at all. Doubt began to flow through him. He had blown it. The reflection in his phone mocked him.

"Another failure hero. Well done you royally fucked this one up." The sneering inner voice of self-doubt echoed in his mind. "You were a fool for thinking you had a chance. Oh look, you even tried to polish up for her. Polish shit and it's still shit, moron."

He looked down at his square toed leather cowboy boots. They cost him a month's work for Beacon Academy as a janitor after classes. "I couldn't afford anything else…." A defeated sigh escaped his lips and he buried his head in his hands dropping back down on to the bench.

A hand gently touched his shoulder causing him to lurch in fright and land in a heap on the ground. "I'm sorry Jaune for being late…." A sheepish voice said from behind him. Dusting himself off and standing up from the ground, he laughed "Late Pyrrha? Never you're right on time!"

As his eyes looked up from dusting his arm, his jaw went slack and his eyes widened as he processed exactly what he saw. There she was. Standing there in all her glory and beauty. On her head was a jet-black Stetson cowboy hat, covering her fiery crimson hair pulled tight back into a tight braid that reached her waist. A white button-down shirt accentuated her curves down to the belt she wore around her waist. On her buckle was the symbol he had grown accustomed to seeing, the spear crossing the shield. The belt needed no help to hold up the blue jeans she wore that defined her powerful legs. Finally, he saw a familiar pair of leather squared toed boots, looking suspiciously like the ones on his own feat. After an initial inspection, he returned to looking at her face. Her cheeks were as ruby red as her lips were. "Lipstick?! She never wears that." Their eyes met. Jaune could lose himself in those beautiful eyes. The sunset lit them so they shone like twin emerald fires. She shuffled uncomfortably under his shocked gaze. "I hope you aren't upset with me Jaune." Her eyes cast down to inspect a suddenly interesting spot on her boot. "Gods you are beautiful…." The words escaped his lips and his heart fell as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.

Her hands shot to her lips as she squeaked in embarrassment. The box she had been carrying tumbled down to the ground, spilling its contents into the dirt. "Did he just say that?!" Her heart began to race and beat out of her chest as she watched his shoulders sag and his cheeks burn fiery red. "Sorry Pyrrha, I didn't mean that…. wait wait wait you are beautiful, but like not for me beautiful. Not in my league…." His voice trailed off as he picked up the white Stetson off the ground. Dusting it off the best he could, he began to place it back into the box. "That's for you, Jaune…." She said barely audible through her hands. "Put it on please…." With a puzzled look on his face he placed the hat on his head, standing to his full height. "What do you think Pyrrha?"

She looked into his sky-blue eyes as the white hat settled into place. "He's scared of me…." Guilt welled up in her throat as she fought through her confusion. "I need to answer him…" As she began to open her mouth to speak, her scroll buzzed in her pocket. Slowly she reached into her pocket to silence it when she saw it was Professor Ozpin. "Oh Gods, not now…."

As she turned around to answer the scroll, a voice deep within Jaune began its assault. "Excellent work fuck head, you really blow it now. I thought sleeping was tops, but holy fuck you continue to impress me more and more." His teeth ground hard as he stood feeling like a fool in the hat. "Of course, sir I can come to your office...I will be there shortly…." Pyrrha turned around and quietly spoke. "I have to go Jaune...I'm sorry… Good night…" She turned and quickly began to walk off towards Beacon Academy. Minutes passed as Jaune stood motionless, wrestling with his demon. As burning tears of rage and shame fell down his cheeks, a chime came from his pocket. With a slow and shaking hand, Jaune removed the scroll and examined the message on the screen.

"To Team RWBY, JNPR, CRDN, SSSN, CRDL, CVFY, SCHL, and MUNN

Please report to my office at your nearest convenience.

Professor Ozpin."