Multiplayer

by NeoShadows

Life is a game. In an attempt to save a friend during the Breach, Jaune Arc died. Brought back to life with powers of a Gamer, he must now attempt to beat the game called life. He's not alone though. Every win or lose ends in a Reset, so how will he beat a game that never ends?

34. Lineage

And after surviving another lunch rush, sweating and smelling of coffee and pastries, the Great NeoShadows is once again back to update~!

Damn, am I tired. But as I've said, works been keeping me busy. That, and Monster Hunter World is addicting. Like coffee. Actually, I should probably be finishing my taxes instead of updating and writing. But I've been away for far too long!

Gotta say, I'm happy to see that the DLC Special received so much positive feedback. I was nervous to try something that new, but glad I did. And you all liked it. Makes me happy for what I have in stores for the next special. Because we ain't done with Fey. Been those are stories for another time. Let's get to the main course for now.

This chapter is the aftermath after Jaune's test. Something small to get things going before we really dive into things. But still important. I'm sure you'll still enjoy it. Plus I got something for you all at the end of the chapter.

Now, to Reviews!

Selias: Yup. I got Specials in the works for V2. V3. . .that's complicated. But I do plan on something for the break.

Ssjzohan: Aw, ya leaving? Well, be sure to come back. I'll have lots of chapters up by the time you return from wherever you travel. And hopefully KH3 will be out. We've been teased too long.

DracoArtemisLeopin: Funny you should say that. I have a DLC like that in mind with Ren in the center. To be released at a later point.

To Broach or To Put Up: I got something similar in the works, don't you worry. And knowing me, the Special will be just as long. It sure does help me develop both characters and the story as we move along.

Matvize: Happy that you liked how the Special came out. It was truly a labor of love. . .my own need to see more hi-jinks. I really did my damnest to make those characters that people thought of as one-offs as real characters with their own lives. Especially with Red who had the littlest of screen time here. And I gotta admit, Jaune's Dive to Eve's Core was my favorite scene to write. Very emotional and heartwarming. Now to V2! I promise to deliver.

Ultimate Pervy Sage: Yeah, I tend to aim for the feels. I show no mercy. The Knight did leave Jaune something, and you'll fine out soon.

Abyss Emperor: From small beginnings, great things may emerge. I swear, those Fairy Tale DLC's first started off as me wanting to try my hand at writing erotic scenes and for shits and giggles. Than I finished the first DLC with Red and my brain began a thinking. Plot was a forming and I got busy when working on the last three. With Bell's supposed two-shot turning into a Special with four chapters. And even now, the plot is still going under the scenes. Man, am I happy to have encrypted that original first part of the first chapter of the speci-And I'm shutting up now.

DragonManMax: That book is important. Too early for it to be put down now! And Chapter 8 is going to be fun~! Not all those stories are made up. A great war story lies in wait. As for Gaston, who knows? The story's length still surprises me. IT WAS SUPPOSE TO BE 100K FOR V1! How the hell did it reach 700K+? Note to self, add Epic in Length to the summary at some later point.

TalonIbnLaAhad: It's fine, mi hermano. I know I've had to stop playing once work got hectic. My brother sticks to my profile most of the time to watch hulu while I sit back and try and write. Though I find some time now and again to hop on and skin me some monsters. Can't wait till we fight alongside one day. Ah, Eve. I fucking love her to death, same as Annabelle. If only I could draw, I could show her off. And Red is also great too as the Lancaster in me shows. Though I mainly ship WhiteKnight since the beginning. Also Belle, because she a sexy freak. Oh, that spiteful orb is important. Though it will be some time before we ever see what it does. And I'm glad you loved the DLC Special. More to come, I can tell you that. Continue on, my spicy comrade who smells of fine booze! Survive whatever trails await you with an explosion behind your back as you stare ahead, because that's cool. For one day that naranja will be peeled and trashed, and we will rise again! As a wise man once said, I'm too drunk to taste this chicken. Irrelevant, but true.

Slenderbrine: Oh, he'll be back. As for quality time, I might have something in the works alongside a certain smut writer for that.

Reflective599: Question, what is a Reading Version?

WyattMoore: Happy to know you'll wait patiently. You are a true fan, my friend. To be compared to someone as great as Couer is flattering. I hope to be up to his standards one day and even get a review from the guy. And I did my best to keep Jaune's growing power in check while not making him OP or weak. The DLC Special really helped to work on what I have planned for V2 since some things weren't completely hashed out. For it to make you close to tears at the end is something I'm glad to hear. It means I got the emotions written out just right. I got plans for more DLCs, but do keep suggesting. Though I've never read Eragon or played Mass Effect, sadly. I hope to keep ruthlessly hitting you in the good old feels.

Azalmega: Reality Marble? Hmm, not entirely. We won't be seeing what it's truly capable of for some volumes now. But it does hold a connection with a certain someone. The DLC was fun to work on, so I'm glad it worked out and received love. Eve's character was by far my favorite to work on along with her design. Those nicks here and their may attribute to a good 18,000K+ being cut out of the original Special and reworked. You know, originally I had planned that Jaune woke up with both Eve and Belle in his arms, remembering all his little adventures with the girls and different goodbye. But I wanted some more impactful and meaningful, so that was scrapped. I think I did the right thing. Now we go back to V2, and a certain Jaune look alike makes his appearance. Oh, he'll be shown more in this volume, believe that. And I already got a Neo DLC in the works alongside the four Players with her. Look forward to that.

Trey of the Rebellion: Gotta sadly say, No. Your theory is nice for both Oz and Oswald, but their connection is actually much deeper. As for Monty, he's dead, but his words live on.

GhostAngel14: The Grimm Vanity and Grimm Wrath were fun to create. Especially the Vanity's big move, Nuke Gospel, the missile it was ready to fire before Oswald interrupted. God, I wish I could create games. I'd have so much fun on creating enemies and fights.

. . .And if that man's asking about me rhymes with Bris Manseen, I'm out. I'm far too drunk and knee deep in certain servicey anime to have my door kicked down by the FBI again.

And that's it for reviews. Keep 'em coming, I love responding back. PM if you want too, I'll do my best to respond as quickly as possible.

Now, let's scroll away!

---

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to RWBY, all rights belong to RoosterTeeth.

It's Friday, I have off tomorrow, and I got nothing planned for the next two days! Which means I got typing to do, drinking to do, and monsters to hunt! Plus add in some more new anime to watch in my spare time.

No, wait. I just forgot I'm a 23 year old adult and I got responsibilities. Fuck being an adult. I wish I was a eighteen year old hooligan again. At least then I was always surrounded by girls in highschool, even if they were friends.

Actually, scratch that. I was abused by those girls in ways only a protagonist would understand. Never again do I want to have my wrists, ankles, arms and legs tied together or my mouth duct tapped by a sadistic raven chick again.

I'm not a masochist, damn it.

---

Chapter 34: Lineage.

"Everything is going according to plan."

Breathing in the fine rich smoke, Roman didn't give the smug faced fire witch much attention as she went over their oh so progressive plans. Poor little Cinder, if only she knew that her brilliant machinations would end up in smoke half the time. Except for the whole Fall of Beacon, but that was preordained. Once that passed her plans would eventually fall by the hands of one courageous little red head who wanted to play hero. Sometimes. Honestly, things went topsy turvy depending on the actions of the Players. But the only one who really made an effort to change things around the Story was Adam.

Unless Roman himself felt like screwing around out of boredom. An immortal had to find ways to have fun after all.

Currently, Roman was resting against the many crates of Dust he had stolen from across Vale within the storage unit that acted as their base. The stupid law enforcement was none the wiser of their location, something he added up to The Game. Or they were just that incompetent. He liked to believe both. And after another night of playing suave Dust Thief, he was called in by his so called 'boss' to discuss the progression of their plans. Just when he was planning on kicking back with a few high price cigars he had snatched from some posh executive roaming the night. The smoking dark temptress sure had a way of turning him off sometimes.

To his side, his ever-faithful adorable little assistant, Neo, dipped her head in show of her boredom. She wasn't one for meetings. She was only ever attentive when it involved her next target. And frozen sweets.

At least he wasn't the only one bored with Cinder's meeting. To the far end of him, leaning back against another set of Schnee Dust crates, Adam was flicking his favorite red blade mindlessly from its sheath as his Lieutenant stood by him.

'What was his name again? I swear, I can never remember that man's name.' Roman mused, more out of boredom than anything else. He eyed the silent White Fang Lieutenant. Roman swore he never saw the chainsaw wielder ever take off his mask. Ever mysterious, 'Great, now this is going to bug the hell out of me all night.'

Why was it so hard to remember one simple NPC's name? God's sake, The Game even had the guy registered simply as White Fang Lieutenant!

"Are you paying attention, Roman?"

Making a noise of surprise, the smooth orange haired criminal glanced over to find Cinder sending him an irritated frown. Oh no, he was caught.

"Of course, Cinder! Why would I not be paying attention to your grand plans that don't currently involve myself?" Roman drawled with a tip of his cigar. The response got the usual glares from her favorite little lackeys.

"Remind me again why we keep him around?" Emerald uttered in annoyance as Roman gave her a wide grin.

"Why my filthy little jewel, it's because I am the only one who knows this city inside out! Who else other than myself could effortlessly rob this town blindly of its Dust without having to use such low tactics as mind tricks? You?" Roman grinned mirthfully at the mint green thief, earning a ticked off glare, "I'm a professional, sweetheart. Even our dear sweet Cinder recognizes that."

As loath as Cinder was to admit, he was right. As annoying as the self-proclaimed gentleman thief was, his skills were top notch. The amount of Dust he was capable of stealing in only the half year they had worked together went beyond her original plans. Though his skills sadly didn't make up for his showboating ways. It was almost like he wanted the entire world to know who had stolen from them.

"While your skills are a great boon to our cause, do not think yourself so important, Roman." Cinder glowered with burning amber eyes, "Is it not in a gentleman's ways to show respect to their superior?"

Roman scoffed to the side. Superior, what a joke! Until she attained the Fall Maiden's complete aura, she wasn't a serious threat. Then again, he'd been learning lately to be wary of even under leveled opponents. He didn't need another broken arm again, nor a gloating ice cream midget.

But he didn't feel like going super villain this playthrough, maybe the next. So, he was just going to have to play along for a while.

'I can always ditch this little party when the attack on Beacon starts. Won't that be a fun escapade?'

"Yes, Cinder. I apologize, Cinder. Please forgive me, Cinder." Roman bowed with a bored tone in his voice.

Cinder furrowed her brows at the man but chose to ignore Roman's tone for now. She had much more important things to do than lash out at a thief.

"As I was saying, we're nearing the essential amount of Dust needed for Phase 2. Originally, I had planned for a two-metric ton of burnt Dust, ammunition, and energy powder for the plan. But after discussing with both you," Cinder pointed out to Roman with a glance before moving over to brooding form of Adam, "And Adam of the number, I've decided on another metric."

'This is going to be fun~!' Roman inwardly chuckled. So many fireworks were going to lite up the sky!

Adam smirked, his own mind going over his own plans for the extra Dust.

'We do have a new friend in the game, why not show him what he's in for?'

"Currently, we are at 70% of what we'll be needing. I'd say another month of attacking the SDC shipments to Vale will net us what we need. I've already had Mercury gather the next shipment schedule for this month." Nodding to the gray-haired assassin, Cinder watched as Mercury handed over the information to Roman with a tempting smile, "Please, make sure things don't go awry. We don't need another repeat of your late-night heist at the docks, do we?"

Roman snatched the slip of information from Mercury as the teen grinned mockingly. The shipment schedule immediately created a Mission notification and the usual rewards he'd receive for completing it.

'Robbing The Dusty Heavens: According to the shipment schedule given by Mercury, a large shipment of Wind and Lightning Dust will be arriving to Vale next Tuesday! Due to high number of robberies by train, ship, and truck, the shipment will be delivered by bullhead. The SDC has taken measures that it arrives intact with help from General Ironwood's machines. The heist must be completed before it touches land, so complete the mission before the time limit ends!

Rewards: 81,000 Lien. Sky Heel Ability. Chrono Gale.

Penalty: Unable to continue allegiance to Cinder. Loss of CC: Infinite Dust.

Mission Start: 3 Days.'

More than enough time to get ready for the mission. Mentally sending the notification away, Roman tilted his head lowly so that Neo could hear him, "Inform Perry to prep a ship with stealth mods. We're going for a joy ride Monday~!" he whispered mischievously.

Neo grinned at Roman, giddy for their latest heist. With a playful salute and wink, her form shattered like a mirror. She was nowhere to be seen a second later.

"Is that all?" Adam grunted, wandering why he was even here. He had been busying racking up EXP to finally reach the Level Cap for Act 1. Which would be impossible now, tonight marked the final day. Once the clock reached twelve, Act 1 would be over and Act 2 would begin, raising the level cap by ten. He never did like falling behind Roman in the strength department.

Cinder shook her head as she directed her attention to the bull horned faunus leader, "No, there is another matter that I'd like you to address." Snapping her finger, she signaled for Emerald to walk over to Adam. The dark-skinned thief then handed him what looked like a portfolio with an ID.

"Due to the events of the FoF, General Ironwood has become a bit paranoid. The illustrious headmaster and general has begun to up his production of Atlesian Knights along with preparing new machines to deal with certain threats. And with information from one of my sources, he's put one of his captain's in charge of protecting a cargo of new model prototypes."

Taking the portfolio with a simple nod, Adam began reading over the information.

'Captain of the 3rd Unit, Cull Berg. Master Marksman and Robotics Expert.' The information was dry cut, detailing blood type, age, profession, education, the works. All of which mattered little to Adam. None of it would matter in a fight, other than the helpful hint to his accuracy.

"And why does this human matter?" Adam said with disinterest. It wasn't as if he hadn't fought an Atlas military captain before. It was rare to find one that could put up a fight at his level right now.

"Well if we're going to proceed with Phase 2 soon, we'll need some new toys." Cinder smirked darkly, "My source has informed me that the cargo also holds new weapons that will help in our operations if reprogrammed. Besides, why not send the general a message? In all the commotion created from the FoF, it's almost like he forgot about your little group." she purred.

She was luring him, Adam knew that. And still, he couldn't help but grin. He'd be lying if he said he didn't love messing with the tin man. Plus, he could use a good old boss fight.

"I suppose I could wet my blade for a bit." he agreed and handed the papers to his lieutenant.

'Cold Gears: A cargo of Atlesian weapons in development are headed for one of General Ironwood's labs, guarded by one of his top men! Steal the cache of weapons and eliminate the target before they reach the lab.

Rewards: 70,000 Lien. Defense Boost. Genocide Skill Boost: Mech.

Penalty: White Fang Moral Decrease. Difficulty Spike and increase of Aggression with Atlas forces.'

At least he would have something to occupy his time until The Breach. He was already grinning at the thought of meeting a certain blond in the chaos.

'I wonder how strong you've gotten, Jaune. And-'

Wilt's red blade gleamed, wishing to carve a certain knight's flesh as he chuckled lowly.

'How much more hate I can sow?'

Ah, the things boredom had him doing for a good time.

Satisfied with Adam's compliance, Cinder clapped her hands with a pleasant smile. She herself had things to do as well. While Roman's forged impressive transcripts, she still had to have them run through Mistral's systems. She couldn't have Lionheart growing cold feet this early in the plans.

"I suppose that will be all for now. Remember your missions and do not fail. The fun hasn't even started yet after all." Cinder smirked alluringly.

Those gathered inside the hideout nodded wordlessly, moving to prepare for the coming days.

Adam paused as he pushed off the crates, narrowing his eyes behind his mask as his HUD beeped. Outside the doors of the storage compound the two blue dots representing two of his men on watch blinked and dyed red. The odd sight put him on edge as the two enemy dots slammed into another. A second later they faded away.

Did two of his men just kill the other?

Roman quirked a brow, noticing right away as Adam tensed up. Having trained the boy himself many lives ago, he was quick to read his body language. Unlike the other Players, Roman didn't have the ability to see NPC's or enemies with his HUD.

"Something the matter, Adam?" he asked suspiciously, bringing the attention of all those gathered to the revolutionary leader.

Adam signaled for his lieutenant to stand by as he silently moved for the storage door. Once his men were taken out, a pulsing dot moved in. But unlike the other markers it wasn't blue or red, it was black. It was color coded.

Just like Roman, Ren, Jaune and himself.

The wide hangar like metal door creaked, slowly rising up as everyone within brought out their weapons for whatever awaited. Mercury was the first to react, dropping his stance in confusion.

"One of your grunts?" Mercury scoffed in Adam's direction.

A simple White Fang grunt stood outside the rising door, wearing the standard uniform and mask. But something was off. The grunt grinned widely at all those assembled inside before a chuckle rose from his chest.

"My god! How have you not been found yet!? This has to be the worst hideout ever!" the grunt roared with laughter, gripping his sides as they all stared at him strangely. Controlling himself, he aimed a knowing grin to two certain people eyeing him warily. "Then again, when you have some kind of Will looking out for you, you can get away with anything."

The grunt's hand moved over his face, removing the common White Fang mask, pulling aside his hood with the same motion. Shaggy silver hair fell around his neck and red eyes greeted Cinder's party, but it was his face and tone of voice that took both Roman and Adam by surprise.

The face of one Jaune Arc, albeit swapped with an opposite color scheme.

"Sorry for not knocking, guess I got a little too excited. Name's Blanc, short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."

---

"Burp!

Jaune grimaced as the stench of one Nora Valkyrie's burp drifted over to him. How was a girl who had only eaten pancakes with numerous sweets and milk able to create a smell like that?! His face was turning green as he swallowed back a bit of breakfast.

"Maybe I should have Weiss teach you some manners. It definitely wouldn't hurt." Jaune mumbled with a groan.

Today was Saturday! The first day on their three week break from classes before the second semester began. And Jaune's first legitimate day as a true, honest to god Huntsman in training. He even had the authentic papers to prove it for once. The first day of his honest school days should have felt refreshing.

If you know, he wasn't living his life as if it was a game. And he wasn't still lying to his friends. Did things really change? Thinking about it gave him a headache, so he chose to forget about all that to enjoy an uneventful Saturday morning with his team.

Shortly after enjoying a nice breakfast with his team and team RWBY, they had decided to walk around the school for a bit to burn off some of the large breakfast. It was Pyrrha's idea and there really wasn't any reason to disagree. It had been some time since Jaune could simply stretch his legs without having to worry about anything. And after the week he had he could use a nice little stroll.

Or was it just a dream? Jaune couldn't really tell, the workings of Lost Fairy Tale were still a mystery to him. To the rest of the world in Remnant, he had been asleep for a good seven hours when he had really been stuck in a world with a cursed lung for a good week. At least he earned some rewards for his trouble.

The first was Bestial Grind. An Ability that cost 38MP and 20AP that allowed Jaune to create a beast like roar from his sword that lowered Attack and lowered Accuracy while dealing a small amount of damage. The second was a new Boost item, Talent Boost. It allowed him to level up any Talent by one, which he had already used up with his recent unlocked Talent, Firearms. At least he now had some experience, enough to not shoot himself at least. Then there was a new Perk, Knight's Soul. The perk would grant him a boost in Strength when his HP dropped half way and allowed the use of a new Ability, Helm Splitter and Rampart. And the last reward was another item, a Special Gift.

Stardew Fruit. A special item that he was actually unable to use on himself. It was an item to be given out, not used. And its ability was still an unknown. Jaune scratched his head as he looked over the item on his scroll, eyeing the odd fruit with interest.

'Stardew Fruit [Special Gift]: A fruit like no other! This special green-yellow fruit cannot be found in the world of Remnant, only existing in a world of fairy tales. Strangely enough, it possesses no benefits when eaten and lacks any flavor despite its exotic appearance. Though some believe that the fruit always bears a twin alongside it for a reason and might hint to how to properly eat it.'

The fruit was oddly shaped. The fruit was attached to a green hoop of vines and were constantly covered in beads of dew. They fruit came with a twin that stayed close to itself and was shaped like a smooth five-pointed star. It kinda reminded him of a star themed earring.

As an award, it was pretty lackluster. It didn't do anything and it wouldn't even taste good. It was basically taking up space in his Inventory, sitting without a purpose.

Well it wasn't the first item Jaune had received with no purpose. There was still the odd little red marble like gem he found when he woke up this morning. At least Stardew had a description. The red marble simply read '?'. Another mystery to scratch his head over.

"Hmm? Are you still playing games on your scroll, Jaune?"

Jaune nearly jumped out of his shoes as Pyrrha spoke over his shoulder, her voice right by his ear. The spartan themed girl looked at him with furrowed brows, appearing annoyed with his eyes glued to his trusty device.

"And here I thought you finally got over your video game addiction. Is it really that much more fun to fiddle your thumbs with a game then talk to your partner?" Pyrrha said with a pout on her face.

"You're just saying that because a certain someone sucks when it comes to video games of all kinds." Nora snickered.

Pyrrha's pout stayed as she crossed her arms stubbornly. At first it was refreshing to lose at games, it was nice to know she wasn't as perfect as many believed. But eventually the joy passed and left behind sourness. She couldn't even beat a simple arcade game! When it came to games of skills, she was a natural, but even a puzzle game would have her beat. It was frustrating to say the least.

"It's not healthy to be staring at a small screen for so long, not to mention it messes with posture! I'm simply looking out for him as his beloved partner, that's all." Pyrrha huffed.

Nora nodded dryly, spying a pink dust on Pyrrha's cheeks. How their team leader was still oblivious to his own partner's affection, she would never know. Not even her precious Ren was that dense. Just lazy.

Slipping his scroll back into his pocket, Jaune apologized to Pyrrha with his trademark nervous smile.

"Sorry, Pyrrha. I was just reading over some rewards I was given for a mission I played last night."

One of the few good things Jaune could say about The Game was that it helped to hide away his powers like his scroll's game display. So, all that Pyrrha had seen when she was peering over his shoulders was some game. No need to worry about getting struck down by The Game for a slip up there.

Seeing the frown still on Pyrrha's face, Jaune coughed into his fist as he scratched the side of his neck, "So, what were we talking about again?" he asked nervously.

"We were talking about our plans for the day." Pyrrha answered, dropping her displeased frown with a sigh. He was lucky she was sweet on him, "Originally I had thought we would do something with team RWBY, but it looks like they have plans of their own in Vale later. So today will be a team JNPR outing instead." Pyrrha was actually happy with the lack of their sister team. As much as she loved to spend time with the girls of RWBY, she still couldn't help but feel some jealousy when they were around Jaune.

The only reason she didn't feel that way with Nora was because Nora was Nora. There was nothing to fear there other than her monstrous strength and shenanigans.

"I had suggested we all enjoy a nice little picnic in the park today." Pyrrha smiled at the idea. A nice day like today without any work to do just begged to be spent outside. And it would leave her an excuse to be by her partner's side as they ate under a shaded tree. The perfect romantic scenario!

"I said we should rehearse for our next big performance of RWE!" Nora grinned excitedly as she began rubbing her hands together with a chuckle that sent warning bells off in her team's head, "The next big showing is going to be a special event I like to call Hell in a Cell! And I've just written the perfect script for the show!"

"Don't you think people would be upset that it's all fake?" Jaune couldn't help but ask with a frown.

Nora waved off the concern with a scoff.

"Who am I to shatter their hopes and dreams? All I know is that I get a good 23% of all profits made along with future merchandising rights when I graduate. Sadly Ms. Goodwitch was very persistent in the terms of the contract Ozpin and I came up with. Said something about me going crazy with Lien at my age."

"Which I applaud her for." Ren added in flatly. The only one capable of reigning in his best friend was the headmistress. He could always leave it to Goodwitch to stop Nora in his place.

"I'm still upset with the headmaster for even allowing the RWE." Jaune grumbled. He was even more upset that he didn't even get a cut from the profits! Something about student athletes or some bull. Glancing back at Ren, he grew curious. "What about you? What did you suggest we do?"

Ren spared Jaune a glance before keeping his eyes forward, "I simply suggested we all just stay in our room and relax. Maybe watch some movies and eat snacks for the rest of the day." he shrugged.

"I could actually go for that. After yesterday, I don't really want to do anything." Jaune agreed as he rolled his shoulder in discomfort. While all the damage had healed from his fights, he was still sore here and there.

Both Pyrrha and Nora looked at another, passing along a message before sighing together in surrender. They both wanted to do their own things but knew that their two friends always did what they wanted. For once, they decided to let them decided. Even if one wanted romance and the other action.

"Well I suppose we could always go out some other day. We do have three weeks off after all." Pyrrha smiled as Nora nodded.

"Yeah, I can always reschedule practice. Not to mention I need team RWBY for practice too. That and any excuse to stuff my face with more sweets must be accepted!" Nora grinned.

Ren blinked, stunned that they were so willing to go along with his idea. That was kind of a first. His ideas were usually passed aside in favor of someone else, so he kept them to himself most of the time. He found himself taken back as Jaune sighed in relief beside him.

"Sounds great. A nice lazy day to start off our vacation. After the semester we all had, we could use a day of doing absolutely nothing." Jaune said with a growing lazy grin. Movies, snacks, Ren's cooking, and just laying back on the floor in their sleepwear with friends. Nothing sounded better than that.

But, before that, he did have some business to take care of today. He had to know for certain if a certain Rockstar was out of the dark end of the woods.

"First though, I got to step back and visit Helios." Jaune said with apology, scratching the back of his head nervously as Nora aimed a pout his way, "I got a message from Tsuki that he was being holed up in the nurse's office for the next few days as he recovers. The wounds he had suffered during his mission have finally healed, but his body is lacking the energy to move about coupled with our fight taking a toll on him. Not to mention they're running some... tests on him." Jaune said the last part with a grimace, already knowing what they would be looking into with the star obsessed huntsman.

Helios had been falling in front of the first and second years hunters, displaying signs of the negativity he was containing was ready to turn him into a beacon of negativity. And while Jaune had stopped him from Falling before any serious damage to his soul could be done, Helios could still be at risk of further episodes of negativity. That would put others at risk of Grimm attacks growing in intensity and volume. Professor Port had gone more into detail about the subject of Falling, expressing just how dangerous it could be.

If any huntsman showed signs of breaking out into Falling, they would have to be let go for the safety of others.

Hopefully what Jaune had done within Helios's Core would be enough to lead him away from that dark end. He did all he could, it was all up to Helios to rid himself of his source of negativity.

Ren nodded in understanding, already knowing of the situation involving Helios. Of course, Jaune would want to make sure one of his friends was alright.

"That's fine with me. Nora and I can work on getting things ready. I'm guessing I'll have to work on cooking for two teams?" Ren said flatly as he glanced back at Nora. The Valkyrie grinned, her face glued to her scroll as her fingers tapped away.

"Yup! I've already sent an invitation to team RWBY and any other friends who want to chill out and watch crappy movies. So, about maybe three teams worth?" she guessed, already bouncing on her feet in giddy anticipation.

Ren, while not too thrilled with having to slave away at the stove, didn't appear annoyed or bothered with the estimate. He scoffed at the numbers with a smirk on his face.

"Three teams worth? What, are you dieting again?" Child's play to a master cook such as himself. Being a Gamer simply added on to his skills at the culinary arts.

Seeing as Ren and Nora were already planning on handling setting up everything, Pyrrha decided to join Jaune, taking the chance to hang out with her leader.

"You don't mind if I tag along, do you?" Pyrrha asked Jaune with smile. As if he could say no to a face like that.

Jaune shook his head, not minding the company, "It's alright if you come along. I could use the company in case things get awkward between Helios and me. I'm still not sure where we stand after our fight. Things could get heated."

Hopefully there would be no need to pull Crocea and Ignis Mors out. Nurse Sprig would have him joining Helios if a fight broke out in her office.

Happy to be going along with Jaune, Pyrrha moved up beside him as they began to wave back at their teammates with plans to meet up later. They began to go their own ways, Jaune and Pyrrha heading to the infirmary, and Ren and Nora off to find what they needed for their movie day.

---

It didn't take long to reach Nurse Sprig's office. The quiet atmosphere around the room always settled Jaune's uneasy nerves after a strenuous day of training.

That was not the case today as Jaune and Pyrrha stood outside the room and watched the door shake and thump along with the sound of shouting from inside. It was almost as if the room was alive and bucking like a bull. Jaune was afraid to even reach for the handle. He heard something break in the normally peaceful nurse's office.

"Should we come by another time?" Pyrrha whispered nervously, her eyes glued to the thrashing door.

Jaune gulped dryly as he shook his head.

"We'll be too busy with the team once we go back, might as well pull off the bandage." he laughed uneasily as he reached for the door handle.

Within seconds of turning the knob and opening the door, Jaune found himself shouting in alarm, something smacking his face which knocked him on his back. He groaned weakly, his vision blinded by fluffy white.

Where pillows supposed to hit with the force of a bullet slug?

"Jaune! Oh, not your pretty boy face!" Pyrrha cried in alarm. She bent down to help her leader back on his feet, fretting over his slightly red face.

A puff of feathers escaped Jaune's lips as he rubbed his face.

"Who the hell still uses pillows stuffed with feathers?" he groaned with a glare aimed at whoever shot the fluffy ammunition at him.

Inside the room several pairs of eyes fell on the two freshman hunters in surprise. Jaune automatically recognized Hera, Rue, Tsuki, and Helios as said second year laid back in his bed with freshly applied bandages and gauze over his shirtless chest and face. But the four new colors stumped him before his face scrunched up. Four more students were inside with team HRTH, wearing their uniforms despite the start of their break and for some reason they looked familiar. The first one he noticed was the short chestnut-haired girl with a small cutesy ponytail on the side of her head standing over Helios's bedside with a red face, her blue eyes narrowed as she leered at the wounded boy. A tall lanky, pale skinned boy with green eyes stood to the side of the room, fixing his rectangle lens glasses with a lift of his finger as he sighed and scratched his unkempt raven bed hair. To his side, a dark-skinned woman with lavender hair as equally tall as him could be seen etching the entire scene with gusto with one gentle pink eye honed in on her etch book and friends.

The three familiar faces suddenly clicked inside Jaune's head, bringing a smile to his lips.

"Vylla, En, Lavender, what are you guys doing here?" he asked curiously as the three third years turned back to him.

The three hunters in question were third years, Juniors and their upperclassmen. Jaune had actually met them back during his search to find a club to join, which ended disastrously. But through that ordeal, he had made a new friend in the tactful minded En Tensho. As it turned out, the three of them were all part of the same team, VLET. The only one of the team he hadn't met was the T. His blue eyes wandered the room, hoping to find the last of their team. He could have sworn he had just seen someone else inside the room with them.

"So, what do you say we get out of here and head back to my dorm? We could go a round or two and practice some grappling moves. I promise, I'll be gentle...ish."

Annoyance filled Jaune's being as he heard a soft, suave, sweet talking voice behind him and the sound of his partner stammer in embarrassment. Well, it looked like he found the missing member. Time to properly introduce himself to the deadman.

"Listen, buddy-!"

As Jaune spun around to tell the third-year boy to back off his partner, he found his words dying once he got a good look at the man in question.

And by man, he meant woman.

Pyrrha stood ram rod straight, her face blushing madly as the third-year woman hugged her from behind, her strong arms circling her waist and her pretty face pressed closely to her own as she giggled. The woman stood an inch taller than the spartan themed freshman, her skin a light shade of tan and eyes a dark grape purple. Her sandy blond hair was tied back in a knot with two distinctive bangs hanging by the side of her face and curled up like horns. Behind the girl, Jaune could make out what looked like a bushed tail wagging happily behind her as she grinned widely with a blush.

The bull faunus woman didn't pay Jaune any mind, entirely focused on her prey as she nuzzled her cheek against Pyrrha's affectionately.

"Come on~! A sweet thing like you shouldn't be spending her time in a nurse's office. Not unless you want to get kinky." she giggled with a lecherous smile.

"JAUNE~!" Pyrrha whined with plea, her face now matching her hair.

"I honest to god don't know what to do here." Jaune helpfully replied, his mind stumped at the alluring scene in front of him. He should help, he knew that. Yet his body refused to comply and get in the way.

"TERRA, HEEL!"

Terra, the faunus woman invading Pyrrha's personal space, pouted like a child denied their sweets. Slowly, her arms released Pyrrha from her loving hold and stepped away from the young girl.

"Aww, I was just teasing! I couldn't help it! Just look at her!" Terra whined loudly as she pointed her waving hand at the bundle of embarrassed nerves that was Pyrrha, "Those legs, those thighs, that CHEST! And she's so innocent! How could I ever resist!? HOW!?" she demanded frantically with drool escaping her quivering lips.

All those gathered in the room gave the faunus girl looks of disgust and sneers, feeling ashamed at her behavior towards woman. To which Terra didn't mind, skipping back to the side of Lavender with a cheery smile on her lips.

Giving Helios a smack on the back of the head, Vylla ignored the shout of anger and curses as she strolled over to Jaune who was busy comforting his partner. She couldn't help but giggle at Pyrrha bent over on her knees, breathing deeply with her blush still present. Poor girl, probably never had to deal with such intense flirting before.

"Apologies, Jaune. My partner can get... overly frisky around woman." Vylla weakly apologized.

"It's… alright, Vylla. I'm sure she didn't mean to frighten Pyrrha." Jaune laughed nervously while helping Pyrrha back up on shaky legs.

Pyrrha breathed deeply, calming her features as she coughed into her fist and straightened her back. Dear god. She had never gone up against such an intense attack before in all her time as a reigning champion. It wasn't the first time someone had ever flirted with her, it had happened back in her early days while in the tournament circuit and eventually died down once she became well renowned. But this was the first time someone, especially a girl, had ever rushed her like that.

If only a certain leader of hers could take note.

At least the encounter had caused Jaune to comfort her and worry over her. The blush came back, feeling his arms over her shoulders, rubbing over the bundle of muscles in comfort.

"Yes, it's all well! I was just taken by surprise is all!" Pyrrha smiled, her face still sweating as they stepped in and shut the door behind them.

Vylla gave Pyrrha a look of scrutiny, not believing her words as she leaned in and whispered.

"You sure? Just give me the word, and I'll get the rolled-up newspaper ready for a thwacking."

Jaune frowned, "Isn't she a bull faunus?" Her tail was an obvious give away.

"More like a horny mutt." Vylla muttered lowly.

"HEY! I don't like to be ignored, you assholes!"

Both Jaune and Vylla spun their heads around to see Helios glaring at them with hostility in his amber eyes. His bandaged fist was raised, shaking in threat of laying down some beats.

Vylla scoffed at the second year, "It's not all about you, you smug poser. Go back to sleep, it's all you're good for right now." she smirked with a leer.

"SAY THAT AGAIN, YOU HOLIER THAN THOU BITCH! I DARE YA, I TRIPLE DOG DARE YA!" Helios shouted angrily before grimacing deeply with a wince. He rolled around his bed, holding his chest and he let out a string over violent curses too foul for innocent ears.

Jaune winced at the sight, his hands carefully placed over Pyrrha's ears as his partner grew confused. He looked back to Hera, the small leader of team HRTH standing at the front of the bedside, hiding her face in shame.

"Has he been like this all day?"

Hera nodded with a low laugh, her eyes bagged with exhaustion.

"He hasn't shut up since he woke up. Which is good, I guess. He's definitely shown some improvement." she explained tiredly, fighting off a yawn, Helio's bed shaking next to her.

"AND WHAT THE HELL IS THE HERO DOING HERE!? BITCH, LEARN TO KNOCK BEFORE OPENING A DOOR!"

"Improvement? Where?" Jaune said flatly as he found Helios's seething yellow eyes glare straight at him.

Rue held his ribs, rolling on floor beside his partner as he laughed out loud while Helios let loose another string of curses. His eyes were tearing up, a loose tear fell from his tightly shut eyes as he struggled to breathe through his own laughter.

"I-I-I can't b-breathe!" Rue gasped in between laughs, kicking his legs in the air before he found himself roughly pulled to his feet. He snickered, finding his partner giving him a seething leer.

"What's so funny, bastard? Ya wanna die? HUH?! DO YA!?" Helios roared, the injured huntsman apparently still capable of shaking Rue around like a rag doll. He gasped soundlessly, feeling one of his wounds act up before he fell back in agony and an ocean of curses.

Tsuki rolled her eyes at her two male teammates behavior. She tilted her head up, her red eyes meeting puzzled blue that belonged to the strong arms around her waist.

"I apologize for the idiots. I'll be sure they're punished for making our prideful team look weak and foolish in your eyes."

Jaune opened his mouth, sputtering as he found Tsuki laid back against his chest and wrapping his own arms around her in a lover's embrace.

"How-When did you get here?!" Jaune shouted with question.

"Irrelevant. Prey never question a hunter's tactics when they are being ensnared. They only accept and surrender." Tsuki answered simply with no emotion. Her blood red eyes softened, alluring and captivating her prey as her lips parted, open for attack, "So, surrender."

Pyrrha's smile strained, creaking as she fought with outright glaring at the ebony temptress taking her beloved leader's attention away from her. Without even knowing it, her semblance reacted to her emotions, causing all the metal in the room to twitch and shudder.

Everyone in the room took a step back from the jealous redhead watching her partner deal with an emotionless flirt. Even Helios stopped complaining and eyed the younger classman warily.

All except Terra who appeared to have hearts in her eyes.

His heart skipped a beat and ran wild while sweat started to roll off of him like a broken facet. Jaune carefully pushed Tsuki off of him, a nervous laugh accompanying the action. Unaware of the tension in the air created by his partner or the warping metal.

"I-It's good to see you too, Tsuki! How you been doing?" he said lamely, still reeling from the bandit girl's tactic.

Tsuki furrowed her brows, grumbling under her breath as she turned away and buried her face inside a book on hand.

"It appears my ploy has failed. I was sure that would be enough to shred what remained of your resistance. I'll have to study more and work on my seduction. What page was that on again?" she said lowly in frustration as she walked back to the side of Helios's bedside.

Jaune sighed at the mysterious ebony girl's behavior. Nice talk. It seemed she was still hell bent on making him fall for her. He looked back to Pyrrha, finding her with a huffy glare on her face aimed at him.

"Eh? What's wrong? Did I do something?" Jaune asked in confusion while pointing at himself.

Pyrrha's brow furrowed deeper before she sighed in annoyance.

"No, nothing. Nothing at all." she muttered with a pout.

Sometimes she both cursed and thanked that dense head of his.

Now that things had settled down somewhat in the room, Jaune decided to continue where he had left off as he looked back to Vylla. The musical upperclassman was back on Helios's bedside to his left, arms crossed as she glared testily at the redhead.

"So, what are you and your team doing here, Vylla?"

Vylla quirked a brow at the question before glancing away with an annoyed sigh.

"While Helios may be an idiot showboating asshole, he's still a comrade of sorts. Not to mention we're both partners in charge of the Music Club. So, I just wanted to check up on my lowerclassman." she said with a smug smirk and a pat of Helios's undone red hair.

"Who ya calling lower class, cu-"

Whatever Helios was planning on saying was cut off with a chop to the back of his head.

Vylla smiled in thanks as Rue lowered his hand with a bright grin on his face.

"Thanks, Rue. At least I know that the dumbass has a gentleman by his side at all times."

"Nah, I just like smacking him at his weakest!" Rue answered honestly.

"Right." Vylla drawled, paying the odd boy little mind before returning her glare back at the wincing rocker too weak to put up any fight.

"I'm actually disappointed, Helios. For all the crap you pull and disrespect you show, I had always thought you were at least a good huntsman. But then I hear that not only were you banged up before taking a fight with a first year, but that your aura was out of whack. I keep hearing rumors that you were about to Fall! Seriously, that's the worst thing you could ever do!" she shouted with a smack to the back of her friend's head.

Helios didn't shout back or add in a curse this time, only rubbing his head with a scowl on his face. He gripped his bed sheets tightly, eyes turned downward with an open show of gritting teeth.

It was obvious he wasn't proud of what nearly went down during his fight with Jaune. All that hate, anger, jealousy, and envy had withered away. Now he was left to look back at his actions with a displeased scowl and sour taste in his mouth. No one had to tell him just how bad things had been. He was fully aware of his own negativity.

Vylla sighed tiredly, letting her hand fall back on Helios's head. Despite how upset she was, she gave a small smile and ruffled up the rocker's loose red locks.

"Seriously, you should thank Jaune for snapping you out of that funk you were drowning in. If it wasn't for him, who knows what could have happened." she said softly.

Helios stopped gritting his teeth, his fingers letting go of his sheets as he let his head fall back against his pillow. He grew silent, not showing any emotion as he stared up at the plain white ceiling. Looks of worry fell on him before he finally spoke.

"Hey, could you all give me and the hero the room? I'd... like to speak to him alone. If I can."

Hesitation grew on Hera's face at Helios's request. She was afraid of leaving her teammate alone, especially with the guy who had been at the center of his falling state. It was still too early to be sure. He had only just recovered use of his aura and been cleared of Falling. She didn't want to risk her teammate falling back into old habits.

A reassuring hand fell on the small leader's shoulder, catching her off guard as she looked up to meet matching blue eyes.

"It's alright, Hera. I promise, there's nothing to be worried about." Jaune assured her with an easy grin. He saw the hesitation and understood it. But this was something he wanted to be sure of too. "Trust me, Helios will be fine."

Hera bit her bottom lip, still not keen on leaving them both alone. But she had to trust both Helios and Jaune. After all, the knight had been the one to save her friend from his own negativity. She sighed in acceptance and nodded. She moved to ask the others to leave, only to stumble as she found the room already empty. She blinked, taken back before her eyes strayed to the open door out of the infirmary where she could see Rue standing in wait.

Rue smiled coyly at his leader, pointing his thumb to follow.

"Come on, fearless leader! Got to give the boys some time to hash things out. And, we could use some help keeping Terra's molesting hands to herself. She's stronger than she looks." he added weakly as some commotion could be heard outside the room.

"COME ON! HOW ABOUT A MASSAGE!? I PROMISE, I'LL GO EASY ON YOU! I'LL EASE YOU INTO IT! I JUST BOUGHT THE MOST SENSUAL OIL!"

"KEEP AWAY! DON'T MAKE ME HAVE TO USE FORCE!"

Rue winced, catching the distinct sound of a certain semblance being activated and a pleased shout of glee echo as they were flung to the end of the hall. It seemed Pyrrha was done playing nice.

Hera grumbled under her breath as she followed Rue out, only to glance back at Jaune with worry. He smiled reassuringly, waving her away before the door shut behind her.

"You got a real caring leader, Helios. I can see why Headmaster Ozpin made her leader." Jaune chuckled warmly before turning back to said rocker.

Helios scoffed at the comment as he sat up, tossing his long hair back as he stared at Jaune with mixed emotions.

"That shrimp? Tch." Helios clicked his tongue in annoyance, "She doesn't even want to be leader, let alone a huntress."

Jaune scowled, not sure whether Helios was telling the truth or being his usual jerk self. Helios shook his head, not wanting to get into that headache of an issue as he crossed his arms over his bandages chest.

"That aside, why are you here, Hero?" Helios asked seriously.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked as if it was obvious. He stood at the foot of the medical bed, his hands in his pockets while his eyes scanned Helios's damaged body.

Several bandages wrapped around his chest, his face, and arms. He could smell what could only be ointment underneath the wraps, most likely to treat the burns he had suffered at his own hands. An IV was connected to his wrist and Jaune could make out the heavy wrappings around the rocker's fingers. All that, and Helios's aura was up and healing him. Just how heavily wounded had he been? Did he take their fight too seriously?

Helios clicked his tongue again, spying the worry and regret in Jaune's eyes.

"Wipe that sorry look off your face, Hero. I can still make a fist and beat ya down if I wanted to." Helios growled.

Jaune threw up his hands in a sign of peace with a nervous grin, "Sorry about that. I can't help myself most of the time. I get worried when one of my friends is wrapped head to toe in bandages. I'm only used to seeing myself like that." he said with a weary laugh.

Helios scowled, "Friend? The hell are you talking about? When did I ever say we were friends?" he scoffed.

Jaune wasn't sure what to say to that. He had actually been hoping to become friends with the rocker after all that had happened between them. It was time to bury the hatchet, though he still wasn't sure what he had done to deserve so much hate to begin with. All he knew was that it had to do with all the recent attention he had been garnering since the fall of the FoF. Something about being a hero and hogging up the spotlight.

It was why Jaune was here. He wanted to understand Helios better, which was what he should have done when they had first met. Instead he had brushed the rocker off as just another arrogant huntsman like Cardin had been. For all Jaune knew, Helios could have been brought into his life as a bully to replace Cardin now that said huntsman was walking down a brighter path. Just another unfortunate soul created by this game.

There was a chance for a bond to be created between them, Jaune knew that. He had caught snippets of Helios's reasons for wanting to be a hero to the point of obsession. All he needed was a way for the stubborn redhead to open up to him.

Helios for a lack of a better term was the same.

Left alone with the guy who had been the reason for his already sour state turning toxic, Helios had wanted to speak to Jaune about what had went down between them. When all was said and done, he found that he couldn't hate the blond idiot any more than he could hate others like him. All that hate had trickled away, leaving behind the ugly mass of guilt for his actions. He remembered how hard he had come after Jaune, fighting him with every intent to break him in front of the other students, or worse. All so they could see him as their better, their hero. What a twisted sense of logic he had.

Now Helios wanted to apologize for everything he had done and said. To start anew in a sense. But he was still the same old stubborn idiot who had started the tension in the first place. His own pride refused to acknowledge his own faults. It seemed even after he had lost his negativity, he was no different than before. Like nothing had changed.

The two huntsmen in training remained silent within the modest nurse's office. Both unsure as to how to approach the other. It wasn't until a familiar growl erupted from Helios's stomach that one of them finally said something.

"Where the hell is that bubblegum haired nurse? I thought she'd be back with my breakfast by now." Helios growled along with his stomach as he scratched the back of his head in annoyance. Nurse Spriggan had said she would stop by with his food at some point before she left. That was almost an hour ago! "Damn lazy nurse." he muttered spitefully.

"You're hungry?" Jaune asked with a light frown, getting another click of annoyance from the rocker. "Actually, I might have something. It's not much, but it'll do until Nurse Sprig comes back." Reaching into his Inventory, Jaune brought the only Food Item he had on his person that wasn't a fuzzy grape flavored beverage. Helios watched Jaune curiously as the blond brought out some weird fruit with a small shower of white pixels. The so called famous semblance around campus, Summoning.

"You use your semblance to store food? Typical, only an idiot like you would do something so wasteful to a semblance." Helios sneered, receiving a dry stare from said huntsman in training.

"So, you don't want any?"

Helios visibly cringed, the tremors in his stomach kicking him for the poor response.

"I mean, you already have it out to share. Why be a dick and turn down free food?" he chuckled weakly as he looked anywhere other than Jaune.

"Oh, now you're worried about being a dick?" Jaune sighed tiredly at Helios's reaction but chose to be the bigger man. Walking to the rocker's side, he took a seat and began to snap off one of the star shaped fruits to hand over to his... rival? Frenemie? He wasn't really sure what to call him since Helios didn't recognize him as a friend.

"I warn you though, they're not exactly tasty. I've heard they're bland and-You're not even listening to me, are you?"

Helios didn't respond to Jaune's dull question, instead more than happy to feverishly tear into the odd fruit with gusto. The second his teeth bit into the green star's flesh, he froze as the juices entered his mouth and washed over his taste buds. It was an odd sweet, not too powerful, not too mild, just right. Like tasting water in a desert. The refreshing taste was hard to describe, like no other fruit he had ever tasted.

Jaune had decided to follow along Helios's example and bit into the fruit warily. Like Helios, he froze at the exotic foreign sweetness that seemed to clear away any drowsiness he had been feeling. It really was out of this world. Why did The Game text say it was bland then? It was one of the sweetest things he had ever tasted! He was sure even someone who hated sweets would adore this one with one bite.

Stardew's affect is now in effect!

'Wait, what?'

As Helios was caught off guard by the flavor of the star shaped fruit, an old memory resurfaced. The memory of a little red-haired boy, wearing rags and covered in dirt, lying in bed with a fever. The room he stayed in was rundown, torn and dirtied. By his bedside was a woman with creamy pink hair, her smile loving and enough to light up the dim room while she hummed to herself, peeling an apple. The woman brought the simple treat to his lips and he bit down with a small smile.

He remembered, the sweetness of that simple apple slice. A flavor like no other.

Helios's gaze grew forlorn at the memory. One that could no longer be replicated. Yet the taste could. Why?

"You're just like her. Too caring and optimistic for your own good."

Jaune was caught by surprise as Helios finally spoke up, his voice soft and heavy with melancholy. He frowned at the normally arrogant and loud rocker, seeing only a boy left vulnerable by the world.

Helios didn't wait for Jaune to comment, his gaze pointed up to the ceiling, "My mother was the same, wanting nothing more than to befriend those around her. To bring them out of whatever despair fell onto them. Just like a hero would. I can see where I got my obsession from at least." he chuckled with no real joy behind his words, "She told me she would go out in the streets of Mantle, finding whoever was in need of help and did whatever she could to help them. It was actually her dream to be a Huntress, to go into Atlas Academy and make her love for helping others a career. It's just too bad fate had other plans."

"Other plans? What do you mean? So, your mother didn't become a huntress?" Jaune asked, wanting to learn more to the woman he knew of as Selena Lyre. He still remembered the helpful character from his dive into Helios's Core. Without her, he would have lost thanks to the Will's cheating interference.

Helios shook his head, his face twisting into bitterness and engraved hate.

"No, unfortunately for her, some asshole took interest in her. Bought her with sweet words and false promises to a better life where she could help others with his money. That asshole, who I despise with every fiber of my being, is my father, Horace Hyperion. Otherwise known as the head of the Hyperion Investment."

"Hyperion-what?" Jaune asked dumbly, getting an annoyed glare and twitching brow from Helios.

"You really are dumb, aren't ya? Though, I can't say it's no surprise you of all people don't recognize the name." Helios sighed wearily, "Hyperion Investment is a corporation that deals with investments in high end technology, supporting military advancements in weapons and Dust, and profits from conflict. It's a name that's only really known to people who deal with that sort of shit, especially if you're from Atlas. Though it's not as famous as the Schnee name by any means, that asshat of a father has been working on making it well known. By any means necessary." he spat venomously.

From the sounds of it, Helios's father was not the best father. Jaune scowled at the revelation and the look of hatred on Helios's face. So, that was the source of all the negativity.

"My father," Helios's face turned to disgust at the very word, "Is a pompous, overweight, greedy, self-centered, vain, pig of a man. He knows how to play his role, manipulating others and stealing from them with underhanded tricks. He's got a talent for playing a corrupt businessman, I'll give him that. Even my own mother was unaware of what he was doing to her. Even as she passed. Not me though, I saw through all the bullshit, as did Apollo."

"Apollo?" Jaune had heard that name in Helios's Core.

Helios nodded, looking conflicted and bitter, "My older brother, Apollo Hyperion Lyre, the true heir to the Hyperion Investment lineage. But he gave all that up to join the military, leaving me to deal with our sack of shit of a father." Helios laughed bitterly, playing with his hair as he thought back to his brother, "Lucky bastard. He got most of my Ma's genes. Not me though, some of that man's old business partners say I look exactly like he did."

Taking all that information in, Jaune began to try to piece together it all together. Helios was an heir to a rich company, just like Weiss. Which meant he could have whatever he wanted. There was no need to leave all that behind to become a Huntsman. It wasn't exactly a high paying job and it was high in fatality rate. From riches to scars and bloodshed.

"So, you're the rich heir to an investment company? Then why are you here?" Jaune asked, wanting to get down to the reason Helios had left his home and the source of all the negativity that still lingered in his heart.

"Because I'm not my father's son!" Helios shouted angrily, shaking the bedpost with his outburst as his long red hair flew up. Narrowing his eyes, he forced himself to calm down or else risk his wounds reopening. "I've seen the things he's done. The people he's used. The lies he's said and false hope he's created. If I had stayed back in Atlas, I would have become just like him. A fat bastard who believes name is more important than hard work. Who's only gotten by with the money left to him by his family and the gift passed down the Hyperion bloodline. So, I left with the clothes on my back and the Lien I've been hoarding to Beacon. I'm not my father's son." he said softly, his eyes growing distant as he looked down.

"I'm my mother's son. I'm a Lyre, not a Hyperion."

"You ran away then. All the way from Atlas to Vale. I got to say, that's impressive." Jaune admitted as he thought of the distance between the two.

Helios shrugged, taking another bite of the Stardew fruit, "I had about 600,000 in Lien stowed away in a secret account inaccessible to anyone other than myself. Got to say, I did learn a thing or two under that bastard's teachings. Smuggling money was one." he said in distaste.

"SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND LIEN?" Jaune blanched at the large number. The way Helios had said it was like it wasn't that big of a deal, "Why would you need all that money for? I could get saving a few thousand, but nearly a million?"

"I had a reason. How else was I going to be accepted into Beacon?" Helios frowned as he thought back to his plans of long ago. He slouched in his bed, combing some of his long bangs back as he spoke, "I had no experience as a fighter. I was a complete greenhorn obsessed with becoming a hero like my mother wanted. The only way to be accepted into such a prestigious combat school was to buy my way in. Which didn't exactly work out as I planned.

Jaune's face grew a dry stare, thinking to what would cause what would normally be a sure-fire way to get into whatever school to fail.

"Ozpin?"

Helios chuckled with a wry grin, "Headmaster Ozpin is no greedy bastard, I'll tell you that. Not to mention Headmistress Glynda was there to smack him if he so much as thought as buying in. Let's just say it took a lot of begging and forking over almost all of my Lien for the guy to allow me a chance to at least take Initiation. He said if I wanted to prove my worth, then show him. Which I did, only thanks to Hera, Tsuki, and Rue." he smiled at the old memory, of an odd bunch of hunter's in training grouping up together to fight off the Grimm.

It was only because of his friends that he found himself as a huntsman in training. Funny how he only just realized that now that he could see clearly.

"I'm not like you. I didn't get accepted into Beacon because of my outstanding skills or accomplishments. I bought my way in for a chance and only got accepted because of the help of what would become my team. A guy as pitiful as me doesn't deserve to call himself a huntsman if he couldn't get in by himself." Helios said bitterly with a forlorn smile. He sighed deeply, leaning back into his bed as his eyes grew somber.

"I'm just an arrogant idiot who got stuck in a tree while his friends fought for their lives."

'I'm tired of being the lovable idiot, stuck in a tree while his friends fight for their lives!'

In that moment, Jaune swore he saw himself in Helios. For all their looks and clashing personalities, they were more alike than he realized. Both left behind their families to become heroes, with no experience whatsoever, and had to rely on the support of the people around them to stay where they were. Just two idiots with a dream to become heroes. Jaune couldn't help but smile in sympathy.

"Well, you're not alone in that. I can't say that I'm any better than you there." Jaune chuckled lowly, getting a look of confusion from Helios. Jaune grinned, pointing at himself, "I'm not really a qualified huntsman in training. At least, I wasn't when I first got here. I faked my way in with some fake transcripts I got my hands on. I'm just a normal guy who hails from a family of warriors, nothing else. I never trained to get here and only just started to learn to fight too."

"I'm no different than you."

The news stunned Helios. Wide eyes stared at the object of his recent obsession. Jaune faked his way in? How?! That shouldn't have been possible. Beacon was the elite of the elite! Even they should have been able to see through some phony transcripts. Why would Ozpin let some greenhorn slide through?!

No, wait. It was exactly like Ozpin to let a greenhorn slip into his school. Helios sighed, knowing first hand of the aloof headmaster's strange ways. Still, it was hard to believe Jaune was just like him. He didn't remember being as strong as the blond his first year. It was only thanks to Tsuki and Rue's training that he came to be as strong as he was now. But Jaune had somehow leaped several bounds over to his level in a span of four months.

Hearing that, Helios found something crawling up his throat. His lips quivered until he found himself chuckling. That chuckling soon erupted into laughter, almost howling at what he had learned from the Rookie Hero.

Leave it to Ozpin to allow two wannabees with no experience into his school. It was funny to think that they of all people were alike. While their backgrounds were different, their beliefs and foundations were just about the same. Just two idiots willing to do whatever it took to make their dreams come true.

Controlling his laughter, Helios patted down his aching chest with a grin as Jaune stared at him nervously.

"You're not lying, are you?"

Jaune shook his head, still surprised at what he had seen from the normally rude rocker, "It's the truth. Ozpin knew the whole time and decided to give me a chance, just like you. He wanted me to prove to him that I had what it takes, that it would be a waste to leave my potential wasted. That's actually why we fought." Jaune said awkwardly while scratching his neck, "I had to beat you to stay in Beacon. It was all a test to prove my strength. I'm sorry by the way for beating you up so badly."

Helios dismissed the apology with a scoff, "Of course that coffee loving old man would pit us against each other. And don't apologize. I had that ass kicking coming a mile away. I pretty much deserved it for treating you like shit these last few months." Helios scowled sourly.

It was an ass kicking long overdue in Helios's opinion.

Jaune disagreed however and shook his head with an equal scowl.

"It didn't have to come down to that. If I had been brave enough to talk to you about what was happening, then we could have resolved this. Fighting is not always the answer, not when you have the ability to speak to one another." he said with a smile.

Helios stared at Jaune strangely, making the blond uneasy. After a few moments, Helios smirked and crossed his arms over his bandaged chest.

"You really do remind me of Genos, the hero said the same thing in the old stories my mother read to me." he said fondly as Jaune grew a confused frown.

"Genos? Why does that name sound so familiar?" Jaune thought out loud as he scratched his head.

"You don't know? Genos, Genos Arc, the Wandering Knight of the After Years? The hero of several small villages? The guy has your last name for fuck's sake!" Helios fought the shout on his lips as he stared incredulously at the still confused blond, "Do you even know of your own ancestry? You have literal heroes in your bloodline! How do you not know that!?"

Jaune snapped his fingers in realization, the name finally clicking.

"You mean Genos Arc from the old book Remnants of The After Years!" Jaune smiled as he thought back to old weathered book back at home. Remnants of The After Years was a book that contained hundreds of stories from the after years of The Great War, detailing stories of small heroes and great deeds following the end of the war between all the continents of Remnant. It also contained a few fairy tales and a collection of stories from the war. It had been a long time since Jaune thought back to his favorite childhood story book.

The book was old, very old. To the point there were many rewrites of the book due to the original works being lost to time. Only a few of the original copies remained. One still held in the Arc family's library, carefully tucked away from time. Within it held some of Jaune's ancestors, the heroes that inspired him to become a warrior too. Genos Arc was one of those heroes, being the first Arc to be born just as the war ended. He had trained to fight and participate in the war, only for it to end as he readied himself to join the fray. With his purpose lost, he had left home to wander the world for a new purpose in life.

The Wandering Knight, Savior of The Forgotten, The Radiant Spear, The Root of the Arc Lineage. Genos had wandered from village to village, caught up in their struggles as the fallout of the war took a toll on their resources and land, helping however he could while he searched for a new meaning to his life. Little did he know, he had done more good than he would have as a soldier. There were tales of a knight with no purpose saving people from Grimm, bandits, and themselves. He was just a knight passing through, gaining names without ever meaning to.

The newer additions of Remnants of The After Years had lost a good portion of the original stories, like the Arc lineage and their heroics. Replaced like many others with made up stories to inspire the younger generation with grander tales. So, for someone else to know of Genos Arc and the Arc family in general, was surprising.

Helios nodded, his smile growing fonder at the mention of the old book. His mother had held an original copy that he had kept with him to this day. It was the origin of his dream.

"''Fighting is not always the answer, not when you have the ability to speak to another'. It's one of the last quotes Genos made when his journey came to an end. My Ma always adored that story. I can't count how many times she read me the story of the Wandering Knight. To the point I even grew to love it." he said softly, reminded of those golden days spent with his mother before she was taken away. And here one stood in front of him, an actual Arc, a descendant of his childhood hero.

A future hero stood in front of him, one who had walked down a similar path as him with the same dream. Helios found himself smirking. Jaune had no idea to his family's bloodline, to how special it was. To him, it was just a bloodline of warriors, no different than others. That didn't mean he was special or was gifted, it just meant he had a lot to prove himself to. To him, bloodlines didn't matter.

It was the history you made in your name that mattered, not the name of those behind you.

"You still have a long way to go to deserve the name of Arc in my opinion. You're still a third-rate huntsman in my eyes." Helios smirked smugly as Jaune glared.

"Didn't I beat you in our fight? You lost to said third-rate you know?" Jaune said flatly, only to get a challenging grin from Helios.

"Exactly! Beat down by a poor excuse of a knight, it just boils my blood! As the next Genos of the Lyre name, I have to train myself even harder if I hope to kick your ass without anything getting in the way! So, don't count your stars lucky yet! Currently we are at Arc-1, Lyre-0! And I aim to turn that around!" Helios said eagerly with a clench of his fist.

Jaune sweated nervously at the sudden 180 of emotions. Before, Lyre looked at him with hate and envy. Now? He was looking towards him with eyes of challenge and determination. It was a little too intense in his opinion. Cardin was the same to some extent, but what he was seeing from Helios was a little excessive. Was he hearing chuckling?

Helios was indeed chuckling to himself, imagining his future victories to come. He would make the blond knight fall to his knees and admit defeat! Then he would be the one looking at him with envy and respect!

Sitting up straight, Helios pointed his bandaged finger at Jaune with a wide grin as he declared his intentions to the world.

"Listen up, Hero! Enjoy the damn spotlight while you can! Keep it warm and bright for me because I aim to knock you out and stand proudly as the hero! Consider this a declaration of war between Arc and Lyre! Because from now on, you're my rival! And I aim to show everyone who the better hero is!"

'Congratulations! Helios Lyre Hyperion's Friendship has been Unlocked! A new Ability has been Unlocked! Flurry Beat, Unlocked!'

Jaune stared dumbfounded at the new Friendship unlocked to him and the new bond forged between Helios and himself. A smile made itself to his face in the face of a new friend.

"If you think you can beat me, then keep dreaming!" Jaune grinned back with equal energy. He felt some confidence build now as he found another rival. The old scrawny Jaune would have never found himself at the attention of others who saw him as their equal to surpass. If they wanted a rival, then he would give it to them with everything he had, "I'll take you on whenever you want! And I'll take you down with all the strength that the name Jaune Arc's gathered!"

Helios liked the sound of that, his eyes full to the brim with excitement. If only he wasn't still wounded, he would have leaped out of bed and started round two!

"And I'll take you down with all the power the name Helios Lyre has gathered!"

A new bond had been created, forged through conflict and understanding. Another bond that should have not existed in this ever-repeating world. One to be cherished like all others.

---

After staying a bit longer to talk with Helios, Jaune finally said his good-bye and promised to visit sometime as he shut the door behind him. Jaune was more than happy with how the visit had turned out. Another friend had been added to the list. Another enemy turned friend. That was how it should be.

Now that he was out in the hall, Jaune grew curious as he found both team HRTH and team VLET along with Pyrrha gone. A quick check of his scroll and he found a message from Pyrrha. Apparently, the others left to give them some space and she had gone back to the dorm to get ready for their little slumber party. Even said that she met up with team RWBY. It looked like they would be joining them. Which he had no problem with, the more the merrier.

"You know, it is rude to ignore someone's presence, Mr. Arc." A strict feminine voice spoke out to him, causing Jaune's head to swing up and find a certain platinum blond huntress standing beside him.

Glynda Goodwitch stared passively at the suddenly nervous blond outside the nurse's office. She quirked a brow at the young man as he gulped and smiled weakly.

"Hey, Ms. Goodwitch! What are you doing here?"

The Deputy Headmistress tapped her infamous riding crop against her crossed arm as she addressed Jaune with a stoic gaze.

"I'm simply here to check on the condition of Mr. Lyre. There are still a few more tests we'd like to run before he is free to be released sometime this week. It's important that we make sure he is perfectly healthy after his little... hiccup." she said sternly with her eyes narrowing towards the door.

Jaune nodded in understanding while glancing away somberly. Helios was still considered a danger to others after his near Fall. They would need to make sure he was eligible to continue on as a huntsman in their academy. It wouldn't be safe to allow a huntsman seeping in negativity to continue.

But Jaune knew for a fact that Helios was fine. Even better than before if he was honest. His friend was no threat to any of them.

Resting his hands in his pockets, Jaune gave Glynda a confident smile as he turned away to continue on with his own business.

"Then I shouldn't keep you waiting. The sooner you all go through the tests, the sooner he passes. Because I know for a fact that my friend is fine. Something like this won't get in his way of becoming a proud huntsman of Beacon Academy. Not after fighting his own darkness."

Watching as Jaune left back to his own devices, Glynda waited until he was completely gone before turning back to her tablet. Her usually stern eyes grew soft as she read the message she had personally typed up.

'Due to proving to be a danger to those in the Huntsman community and displaying signs of an excessive amount of negativity during combat against others and disregarding orders, Helios Lyre is to be considered a danger to Beacon Academy and its teachings. As of today, he will be banned from attending Beacon, expelled from its grounds, and blacklisted from other Combat Academies.'

The fate of Helios Lyre's attendance in Beacon would be decided by herself, as per Ozpin's instructions. And as a Huntress, she would not go easy on the young man. Not when he displayed such negativity. It would be foolish to allow him to continue attending classes when he could Fall and bring onto them a stampede of Grimm. It was the correct course of action.

Yet, once she reached the door to the soon to be expelled student, Glynda found herself standing outside and listening to the conversation between the two boys. She had taken out her riding crop, readying herself in case Helios fell further into himself as he talked with the source of his peaking negativity. But in the end, there was no need for hostilities. Helios's aura had remained docile, showing no signs of going berserk again.

Glynda had heard it all. A bond of rivalry between two boys. To better themselves to prove to the other they deserved each other's respect. There was no negativity in either one's words. Only promise.

With a sigh, Glynda tapped away on her scroll, deleting her statement to the Headmaster until further notice. She still wasn't sure about allowing Helios to continue his stay in Beacon, but for once she would just have to have some faith. Faith in the trust of a promising huntsman had for one who had fallen to their own despair.

"I suppose I can see some inkling as to why Ozpin allowed you into our academy." Glynda said to herself with growing signs of a smile on her face. Shutting off her scroll, Glynda gave a few knocks to the door and waited entrance to her student's room.

There was still work to be done. Better to finish it quickly so she could return back to the office. It was never a wise idea to leave Ozpin by himself with a mountain of paperwork.

---

Bond. A connection born from understanding and promise. Such is the power of ones heart to create a better future for one another. A power unlike any other.

But where there is a Will, there is a way. A way to turn even bonds into something. . .unknown.

A new tomorrow comes again. And where the sun rises, shadows peak. Strength covets challenge, so what powers lurk at the signs of a powerful Heart?

Tell me, dO YoU KNoW THe wAY?

FoGD.

And it begins! V2 of Multiplayer is officially rolling out with this chapter! We begin with a small Arc coming soon, inspired by a certain RoosterTeeth cartoon I've come to love. I remember coming up with it during the very early stages of Multiplayer's writing, so I'm excited. Especially at the new threat to come. Gotta love cults. Makes me wants to sing a certain song by the campfire.

OH~! There's a certain placed tucked far away, a place where you and I can stay~!

Moving along though. Apologies for the very late chapter. As I've said before, my work schedule has become very heavy with me moving over to a new location to help out. I'm usually too tired to open up my laptop as of late. But, I'll try my damnest to finish writing my chapters and updating when I can. So, expect my updating schedule to be hectic. But a man has got to work to get that rent check.

Sadly, I was planning on adding a DLC I was working on along with this chapter. But it's not finished yet. Gonna have to wait until next time. Oh well, whatever will I do to lift your spirits and reward you all for your patience?

. . . . .Oh. OH. OOOOHHHHHH!

I think I got something. Or two somethings.

---

Project X-Over #1: FE.

A world of Ruin. And a Princess turned warrior.

This time could no longer be saved, the woman had grudgingly accepted that. Yet that didn't mean she couldn't save another time from the same fate. Their was still a future worth fighting for within the reach of her fingers.

The slit of light suddenly opened wide. Crystal like lashes formed along with the aqua blue eye of a being staring straight at her. Its size dwarfed the young woman in both height and width with star constellations and zodiac symbols circling around it. The very presence of the odd portal promised the young woman a chance she had thought been lost to her.

The hope for a better future to all those lost to the monsters rule met her gaze.

"FOOOOOOLISH CHILD!"

A World of Bloody Evolution. And a Blond Noodle, Aspiring to be a Knight.

The first thought to enter Jaune's head as he flew across the treetops of the Emerald Forest?

'I'm going to die, aren't I?'

Depressed at the recent events that had transpired, Jaune sighed as his body continued to fly high across the air. The sheer speed he was flying at caused the wind to sting his face and flinch. How long had he been flying for? It felt like hours!

When Jaune had thought he found the Relic within a cave alongside Pyrrha, he had really thought he had proven his father wrong. He was still alive and he was just one step closer to becoming a huntsman just like the rest of them. Despite his lack of training he was going to pass initiation and be welcomed to one of the best combat schools of the land along with his new friends. But the moment he latched onto the Relic, he had seen his bright future stripped away by the menacing red-yellow eyes of the glowering scorpion themed Grimm. And than he was sent flying off into the sky like a daytime star.

What a way to kickstart his official day as a huntsman in training.

An irregularity. And a course veered slightly off.

Jaune's blue eyes flew open wide at the sight of a creepy eye like portal open up above his soaring form. Jaune had seen some interesting and weird things since stepping out of his quaint little village into the world of huntsman and huntresses, but what he was seeing unfold before his eyes took the cake. He couldn't even form a gasp when a figure seemed to slip out slowly from its eye and fall into his direction.

"What th-!"

An incredible amount of pain hit Jaune as the figure fell down onto his like an anvil weight. His eyes flew open in pain, losing the air in his lungs. His flight was finally cut off due to the weight of the figure sending him crashing down back into the forest grounds. Before time resumed to its normal pace, Jaune swallowed the pain down and got a good look at the figure against his chest.

He saw blue hair tied back in a bun, a masked face made of some kind of metal and designed after a butterfly, and gritting teeth. A single thought ran through his mind above all else.

'They're going to get hurt too. I can't let that happen!'

The hero in Jaune spoke for his body as his arms linked around the slender figure's waist line. Once the flow of the world returned, he gripped onto the stranger as tight as he could and brought them closer. The wind rushed past both their forms plummeting to the unforgiving earth below. And all Jaune could do was gnash his teeth together and brace himself for the impact.

'I guess it's time to see if my aura can withstand an impact from this height!'

A meeting never to be set.

"Name's Jaune, Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue! Ladies love it." he said smoothly with the best winning grin he could show.

The woman stared dryly at Jaune, finding herself reminded of a certain noble archer.

"Does it?" She couldn't help but ask. Jaune immediately slumped, defeated. It looked like that little line wasn't a winner. He should have known better than to trust anything his father said to him.

"So far, no."

A small chuckle left the blue haired woman's lips, finding the blond knight amusing. At least she was assured he wasn't anything like Virion. That would have been worrying. Seeing as he introduced himself, it was only right that she returned the favor. She opened her mouth to speak only to shut them swiftly. She wasn't from this world it appeared, but she would have to get use to be addressed by her alias while she was here however short it would be.

"My name is Marth. It's a pleasure to meet you, Jaune." Marth said introduced herself with a small smile.

And a New History written by accident.

The many growls behind him caused Jaune to look back to the many, many Grimm eyeing him and the slowly vanishing gate. He gulped anxiously. There was no way he would be able to take on all those Grimm, especially with his aura gone. He wouldn't survive another minute. And sadly, he had nowhere to run without being mauled to death.

Well, there was one way out of this.

Jaune had no idea what the gate thing lead to. He was still finding it hard to believe that he was fighting beside someone that came out of nowhere and was possibly from another world. But he did know wherever it lead to would take him away from the Grimm.

Sheathing Crocea Mors, Jaune turned his back to the Grimm horde and ran straight for the closing gate. An other worldly energy swallowed him whole, devouring him into a tear of space and time before the eye blinked. With the blink, the dragon's gate shut itself and vanished from the world it didn't belong in. The loss of the alluring mass of foreign energy stunned the mass of Grimm still, almost as if they weren't sure what to do with themselves now.

Unknown to those participating in Initiation, two sets of eyes had been watching the students closely through hidden cameras placed around every inch of the Emerald Forest and had seen everthing. A certain gray haired headmaster with hazel eyes full of wisdom had one thing to say to the events that had just transpired as his platinum blond headmistress gaped at the screen.

"Well, shit."

And when you Awaken again, your history will be written. For you've already lived your life in this world. And you've failed.

Well, let's hope that second times the real charm. Time travel, dimension hopping, it's all confusing stuff.

AFT: A Huntsman's Awakening.

"So, zombies exist? And dragons? There's no way that girl's a thousand years old! And how the hell can one girl have that many twin sisters?!"

To be released, December.

---

Project X-Over #2: MNS.

A fate repeated once again.

The Griffon's head was lobbed cleanly off by the heavy blade. With its death, its body began turning into smoking ash.

Jaune spared the withering body a small glance before setting his eyes to the sky above. He made out several circling Grimm, waiting to dive in on the feast of negativity created by the fighting. In the distance, he could make out the growls and howls of other Grimm drawing close.

Again, it was repeating again. The fall of a school, the end of peace. Another school for aspiring Huntsman would fall tonight. Just as it had a year ago.

Jaune gripped his hilt tightly, his knuckles popping as he held his face.

"Not again, never again!" Jaune whispered harshly, his blue eyes peeking out through his fingers with something unlike him.

His feet had already moved before he knew it. He was running through the fighting, passing by the battling faunus from Menagerie and the White Fang, ignoring everything else but what he could see overhead the night of Haven Academy.

An unlikely meeting. Of Knight and Bandit.

"You!"

Raven chuckled softly at the blond knight, waving her hand carelessly at him.

"You? Is that all you have to say? I would have thought an ally of my daughter would have something more scathing to say." Raven said amusingly before her face twisted. Her hand pressed itself harder on her wound as blood leaked out. From what he could see, it looked like something had dug its finger deep into her.

Jaune flinched, the sight hitting an old part of himself that worried for others. His father had once said to always help a woman in need. But that was quickly squashed after all that he had endured from people like Raven.

"You have no right to call Yang your daughter. Not after all that you've done." Jaune spat, remembering how broken Yang had once been.

"What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to kill me?"

Jaune grit his teeth as Raven's eyes glanced at him from the corner of her eye. She wondered if he even realized that he had already formed his claymore blade for a decapitating swing.

But in the midst of the chaos, a change of fate is created.

Firing off the spot with a boost of both her sheaths recoil and lightning, Raven appeared in front of Cinder's eyes with her odachi ready to cut her down. Cinder grew frantic, knowing she wouldn't be able to block or evade. The attack would most likely tear away her aura and leave her vulnerable for the next fatal attack. But then she watched as Raven passed by her, her sword still sheathed as she became a blur of azure sparks.

Cinder was even more confused at the sound of the odachi cutting through the air and feeling nothing. Why would she-

Cold metal snaked around Cinder's throat suddenly as she felt someone drop behind her, popping out of literal nowhere as they held her in a choke-hold. She grew furious, practically burning up as she recognized the white greaves and the blond hair she caught at the corner of her sights as she tried looking back.

Ruby gasped, stunned as she watched Jaune of all people step out of the portal drawn by Raven behind Cinder. The knight didn't waste any time in holding the Fall Maiden back, capturing her in a hold as he held her closely to his chest. What was he doing here with Raven of all people?

"RAVEN, NOW!" Jaune shouted urgently as he felt Cinder struggle to escape his grip. He winced deeply as he felt the fire growing on her body try to eat away at his dwindling aura.

A last ditch effort. To protect those dear

Raven appeared right behind Jaune and Cinder, sword drawn as a portal opened below their feet, growing wider and bigger in size compared to her normal portals. But something was odd about the portal, it looked unstable, dragging in the loose debris close by like a blackhole. She even saw what looked like ribbons of black and red energy drawn into the gate.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Cinder screeched in agony, feeling as if she was being torn apart by a strong pull of gravity. Even without her aura, she could still use her magic, allowing her to burn away at the annoying knight keeping her still.

Despite the pain as his aura weakened and the long sword cut through his lower organs, Jaune grinned through his grimace with bloody lips.

"T-Taking you out of the picture! Permanently!" Jaune answered hoarsely, flinching as the portal began to devour his feet. It was like they were coming apart, piece by piece. Pulling him away to wherever the other end of the portal lead them.

With a twirl of her odachi, Raven stabbed the pure black gravity infused Dust blade into the portal, driving it deep into the swirling energy gate as she felt her body sink in. She began to sweat, focusing all her attention and focus on her semblance as it went haywire.

Time to Say Good-Bye.

"JAUNE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Ruby shouted at the top of her lungs before running towards the three caught in the portal. She grunted as a powerful gust of wind was released from the gate, sending her flying back forcefully into the arms of her partner. There was no getting close.

Glancing back towards the four girls, Jaune gave them a somber smile as he began to lose the strength in his arms.

"Please, be the heroes I couldn't be. And never lose the smiles on your faces. That's all I ask."

And if you survive, say hello.

"Kamo, you shouldn't run off in the rain! You'll catch your death out here!" Negi scolded as he waggled his finger at his friend.

"My death? What about that guy!? I don't think a little rain will make it any worse."

Negi blinked, puzzled at Kamo's words. What was he talking about? Following the small animal's line of sight, Negi gasped.

Caught in a bear trap's jaw clamped down on his ankle was a man. A blond man in what looked like a black hoodie and jeans with red scarf tied to his waist. What was odd about the man was the pieces of armor on him and what appeared to be a sword on his belt. The man laid faced down in the muddy grass, littering with wounds, burns, and a gaping hole on his back. Negi grew even more alarmed as he noticed blood seeping into the rain water.

"This is bad, bro! Who knows how long this guy's been out in the rain like this. If he doesn't die from his wounds, he'll die of sickness for sure."

Negi didn't need to be told something that obvious. The alarming amount of blood he could see should have been enough to kill a normal person, let alone the hole piercing right through organs. But despite all that, when he checked the blond's pulse, it was still there. Faint, but there. Which meant he was still alive and in need of help. Someone needed to save him.

"Bro, don't push yourself! I'm pretty sure there's nothing you can even do with a doctor's help! You're just carrying around dead weight!" Kamo explained to deaf ears.

"If there's a chance in saving him, I'm not going to let it go! A hero never turns his back on those who need saving!" Negi declared passionately, his determination stronger than that of any seven year old.

Unknown to the two, one of the blond stranger's eyes had briefly opened partially. The blue eye saw nothing but blurs in his haze, unaware of the small flame growing in his eye before falling into unconsciousness.

For a fascinating new world awaits. Where the impossible is possible, where demons walk, vampires breath, and magic flows through the air. And lessons old will once again be taught. The student turned warrior becomes. . .the aide?

AFT: The Teacher's Aide.

"There's something wrong here. The orange haired girl with bell's in her hair is stripped at least once a day by luck! That girl is a robot! That girl talks as if she's a thousand years old, and I'm pretty sure she swore to suck my blood! That miko girl carries a gun around for some weird reason, and don't even get me started on the lolis! Not to mention I swear I feel a chill go down my spine every once in a while in class. Oh, and lets not forget all the molestation. If another group of girls chases me around campus naked again, I'm suing this place."

Date of Release, TBD.

---

Well. . .THAT was a thing. Brownie points to those who can guess what crossover's are mentioned. Just somethings I've been working on in my little spare time after writing my main stories. To be released in the coming year after finishing what I need. First I just got to get my main two stories updated more though. But at least you got something to look forward to if it interests you. Might even update Arc Works with three more chapters dedicated to the crossovers. That's right, I still got one more in the wait.

But for now, remember to Read and Review. It's common courtesy after all.

NeoShadows fading in and out.