Hello everyone, I'm posting this one just after finishing writing the next and I think you're going to love it. I've decided to split the narrative between both teams at least for the missions phase since it allows better development of characters and such. Let me know if you prefer this or would rather I focused solely on JSPR. Either way, here is the latest chapter, I hope you enjoy it.

Twigs snapped and leaves rustled as the four members of team JSPR, led by Professor port, made their way through the underbrush in the dense woodland surrounding Jaune's childhood home town. It had been the same thing everyday for the previous week. They would wake early in the morning and eat a hurried and hardly satisfying breakfast before heading out to hunt for the day. Yet it wasn't too bad, as far as first missions go, it was a fairly good one. The Grimm they had faced so far had been plentiful in number yet weak in themselves. In the week that they had been working to cull the numbers of Grimm, they had faced hundreds upon hundred of them. Killing them in droves, yet they hadn't faced anything more difficult that Beowolves and the odd Ursa. Something wasn't quite right but for Jaune, these easy Grimm were good Grimm.

The blonde's stomach growled to itself as hunger began to take it's icy hold on him back. They had taken a brief respite at around high noon to rest their legs and eat the various sandwiches that Mabelle had taken to making for them each and every day. Nothing complex or out of the ordinary, just simple cheese or jam sandwiches, but they were appreciated by the whole party as an excellent morale booster after a hard morning of hunting the various beasties lurking in the nearby landscape.

For Pyrrha in particular it proved to be a useful opportunity to watch Jaune fight and to note down the things that she might or would need to address when they returned to Beacon and their nightly training sessions again. Though she was proud of the knight and all that he had achieved after a relatively short time practising his swordplay with her, there was always room for improvement. She watched him closely, scrutinising his every step, swing, lunge and counter attack as he felled beast after beast with a growing sense of self confidence and power. It wouldn't be long now and he might be well set to compete in the upcoming Vytal festival's combat tournament against fighters from all over the globe. Though that was all a while away yet.

Ruby had enjoyed their mission so far, it had been just like everything that the story books had ever told her. Watching Jaune fight had even brought a few of her favourite stories to life. The tales of knights in shining armour fighting off the evil monsters to save the helpless town. Indeed, it sounded just like the plot to one of the many different tales that Yang had read to her way back when she was only a little girl. If anything, it served to bolster and strengthen her views of the knight being a handsome guy who fought for those weaker than himself, no matter the odds. She looked away from him and hid her face to try and conceal the blushed touching her cheeks. It wouldn't do for him to find out about her truest feelings now.

Before long, the sun was setting in the sky above them, and it was time to head back. With the Grimm only serving to gain power as the moon came out. After all, even the most experienced of huntsmen or huntresses might prove to be undone by the sheer numbers of Grimm. That most certainly wasn't what the four teenagers felt like doing with their evening, rather they were due back at Jaune's family home for a big meal with Mabelle and Marron.

The five hunters made their way out of the forest following the faint game trails that criss-crossed the landscape. While they wandered and meandered, these game trails were by far the fastest means of navigating their way out of the woodland and after a half hour of walking, they came into sight of the town's walls. Though perhaps the word 'wall' was being generous given the simplistic nature of the village and their desire to only use the local materials, it was more of a palisade, with a gate in each of the four main compass directions. It was enough to withstand a few minor Grimm incursions a year but lately, the Grimm had been getting bold. They had attacked in larger numbers and begun to chip away at the wall, putting it into a state of disrepair and with the town's relatively low population, they simply couldn't spare the men necessary to hold off the threat to allow the time for proper repairs.

Making their way through the southern arch, the five of them nodded politely to the gate man, Roran. Over their stay they had come to know him, often sharing brief jokes or conversations with him as they left in the mornings and as they returned in the evenings. He had become a staple part of their routine and to go a day without seeing him would have proved strange indeed. Today was no exception, surely enough as they approached, he came into view with his signature grin plastered across his face. To many it might have proven a little disconcerting, but Roran seemed to be smiling permanently. They had yet to catch him without his wide toothy grin. Roran was a tall and skinny man, there was hardly anything of him. He wore a simple armour of a chain mail backed jerkin and around his waist was hung a humble broadsword. Functionality over fashion seemed to be the mentality that he exuded, because his apparel certainly wasn't winning any points for its looks yet it was robust and allowed for a full range of movements while still providing a decent degree of protection to the areas that would need it most. His head was more or less square, with a series of laughter lines and crows feet etched into it stemming from years of bawdy jokes with the other guardsmen.

"Alright there Port, kids, Ice Queen? Get many today?" He asked with a slight chuckle. Weiss gave him an indignant look that only seemed to fuel his laughter and spur him on a little.

"Not really, just a couple Beowolves and one Ursa." Jaune replied with a sigh. Roran stepped out of the way and let them pass, choosing not to further question them for risk of bringing their mood down even further.

Jaune led the way for his team as they walked slowly up and through the town to the Arc residence. Not pausing to knock he simply kicked open the door and stepped in. The three girls and Port followed after him though Pyrrha noticed a shift in their leader, a change in his attitude and it was clear to her that something simply wasn't right whether he was willing to admit it or not. It troubled to see her leader agitated by a problem, bottling it up wouldn't help and she was determined to help him fix the issue.

She paused for a moment in the hallway, making a bit of a show out of adjusting the bindings of the bracer on her arm as the various members of their hunting party split off to their various locations. The moment that both Weiss and Ruby had made their way upstairs to their shared room, the champion stepped through into the spare room which Mabelle had been insisting Jaune sleep in, despite the fact that he had been bunking with all three of the girls since the start of the year.

To her surprise it was empty, Jaune had clearly been through given the fact his armour, hoodie and t-shirt were all strewn across his bed. Shortly after the sound of running water hit her and her eyes flew to the room's en-suite bathroom. The door was slightly ajar. She would ordinarily have left at this point, yet something urged her to stay. Walking around she sat on the bed and peered through the gap in the door.

She could see a mirror, half steamed up. It was in this mirror that she caught sight of her partner in the shower. Steam rolled out through the gap in the doors and billowed into the room. Her face flushed a bright shade of red, similar to that of her hair. It all seemed to be so wrong. Here she was, the champion of Mistral, spying on her training partner in the shower. She had to go, yet no matter how hard she tried to tear her eyes away and leave him until he was fully dressed, she simply couldn't take her eyes off of him. He was certainly attractive enough to her, that much was certain.

Not long after, Jaune shut off the steady stream of water flowing from the shower head and stepped out. He wrapped himself in his towel and left the bathroom followed by a thick cloud of steam. He was of course, surprised to see the red haired victor sat on his bed waiting for him, yet try as he might he simply couldn't bring a frown to his face. Rather a heavy blush darkened his cheeks as a warm and fuzzy feeling filled his heart, the likes of which he didn't understand nor know how to interpret.

"Hey Jaune." she began, her voice weighed down by a major dose of nerves. "I've noticed that you don't seem to be your usual self. I was hoping that we could talk about it, I mean we're partners so you can tell me anything you like and I'll do whatever I can to try and help you out." She smiled warmly in a way that melted his heart. He wanted to tell her, yet he wasn't entirely sure what the problem was. He had known that something was up given the growing sense of tension within him.

Seemingly in response to his thoughts, he felt her hands clasp hold of his shoulders in a gentle yet firm grip. Tugging slightly she pulled him down so that he was laying face-down on the bed. Before he quite knew what was happening, she ran her hands across his back in a brief run as she felt out the various knots and stresses that had formed within the muscles of his back and shoulders. The champion smiled as she picked them up, it seemed that she hadn't lost her magic touch in all of her years as the champion of Mistral.

Her hands worked their way across his back and shoulders, fingertips digging in firmly as she worked to remove the various knots that had formed over the previous months and days. Her efforts were rewarded by quiet gasps and moans as the blonde began to relax and become a putty under her fingers. As she worked her hands, she decided to press the issue that had brought her there in the first place.

"Jaune... You've been growing more and more tense these past few days. Ruby, Weiss and I are getting really concerned. It's clear to us that something has been bothering you, so what is it?" She asked, each word falling like a tonne of lead. He tensed up ever so slightly under her touch before relaxing again and sighing.

"I don't like it Pyrrha. The report said heavy Grimm activity... would you honestly say that in the time we've been here that the population of Grimm that we've faced has been heavy? Cause I wouldn't. Now that leaves two options; either the townsfolk that reported it are liars or we have missed something. Now I know these people, and they aren't liars. Now that means that we have missed something big and if that's the case they we need to hurry up and notice it as soon as is possible. Otherwise I fear for the safety of the town."

"I know these people are your friends Jaune and I know it must be frustrating for you but you have to stay calm. Getting would up wont help matters any, in fact, it only really serves to push your friends away from you. You have to let us in, we are your teammate, best friends and family away from home. So please share your troubles with us. It might even help?"

"I'm scared... Something is out there and we can't find it so I'm scared. I know you must think I'm crazy but something is out there and it's not friendly. If we don't work out what it is and stop it, then soon it might be too late."

Pyrrha finished her massage and allowed the knight to sit up before kissing him sweetly on the cheek. Her face turned a beet red as she did yet for once she didn't care. She held the contact for a few moments before drawing back again and whispering in his ear.

"Jaune, I know you worry but we will keep these people and their town safe. If anyone can, it's you so don't worry." She smiled. From the kitchen, Jaune's mother called out to them all for dinner and Pyrrha sauntered out of the room to let him change. Once she was gone, Jaune's hand slowly rose and caressed the part of his cheek that her lips had touched mere moments ago. A warm and fuzzy feeling welled up within her heart and swelled, the likes of which he had never before felt. It was alien and confusing and he hadn't the time to deal with it now. He pushed the thought away to the very back of his mind and turned his attention to the dilemma at hand. Just where were all the Grimm? He thought hard on it as he made his way through to the dining room and sat down with his parents and team. A fleeting image of Blake and team BRNY ran through his mind and he couldn't help but wonder if they were alright. After all, today was they day that they left for their mission.

"Hello children! Who's ready to fight for their lives?" That one sentence had made Blake's heart sink, much like those of her whole team. Of all the huntsmen in all of remnant that might have been accompanying them, why did it have to be Professor, no wait, Doctor Oobleck? It wasn't that Blake disliked him as such, it was just that she didn't see him proving to be of much use to them on their mission, it was true that he was a fully fledged huntsman, he just didn't seem the type to be of much use in a fight.

Of course she had kept her thoughts to herself, despite being mostly sure that both Ren and Yang shared them. Nora... well the faunus was pretty sure that Nora didn't really care which huntsman they had. The Valkyrie was simply looking forward to the thrill of battle and being allowed to unleash all hell with her gigantic hammer of war, Magnhild. Blake shuddered at the though of her grenade launcher/war hammer combo. She had seen it in action, the explosive rounds decimating whole hordes of Grimm and the Valkyrie mopping up and survivors with the hammer, a look of savage glee on her face and a joyous laughter on her lips.

As it was they all stood in their bullhead aircraft, holding tightly to the overhead straps for their brief flight out to Mountain Glen. Oobleck stood in the centre of the compartment explaining the history of Mountain Glen to them, despite the fact that they had read it over and over as a team in their mission dossier. Blake had made sure that they knew the brief and overall objectives both inside and backwards long before they had even been set to go on their mission, in truth the doctor's summary was mere revision for them.

"We shall be dropping into the very centre of the city. From there we shall branch out each day, exterminating any and all Grimm that we encounter. I don't need to remind you of why we are here, nor why the headmaster 'bent' the rules to allow first year students on a mission usually only available to the cream of the third year crop so to speak. We aren't just here to hunt and kill the Grimm, we are here to track them and hopefully find the hidden centre of operations for a certain group of freedom fighters. Stick by me at all times, trust in my judgement and I'm confident that all will be well." The Doctor spoke at what sounded like a million miles a minute. So much so that team BRNY struggled to keep up with him and absorb all that he said. Fortunately Blake had developed a method for picking out the key parts of Oobleck's speech. She heard the words 'stick by me' and that was all that she really needed to know.

Pausing for a moment, she thought about why they were headed to Mountain Glen, about why this abandoned ghost expansion had featured so highly on their bucket list of wastelands that they simply had to visit, and it all boiled down to a part of her past that she would have preferred to stay just there, in the past. The White Fang. Though it pained her to admit it, everything that had led up to this moment had been spurred on by them. The dust robberies in the shipyards the previous semester and the repeated hits on small dust shops to name just a couple. After a little information was provided by an old associate of Yang's they had deduced that their foes had settled in the South-East of Vale. It also seemed likely that the assailant whom had hospitalised Blake was somehow connected, though how exactly remained a mystery.

Peering out over the edge of the cabin, she watched the landscape zip by below. It was fairly bland since they had passed over the mountain ranges south of Vale. Their pilot had taken them low into the valleys winding their way up to the old site of Mountain Glen. She caught sight of small, dense patches of foliage below overshadowed by the mountains around that rose several thousand feet into the sky like the very earth's jagged grey teeth. Here and there around the small patches of hardy trees she could see brief flashes of black fur, red eyes and the occasional spine or claw. Her enhanced Faunus vision picking out the Grimm below. Perhaps everything was not as tranquil as it might have seemed on first glance.

These sightings grew more and more frequent as they flew further and further towards their destination. No longer did the Grimm cling to the micro forests below, now they travelled in columns, all together, a jumble of species. It didn't bode well, she could make out all manner of Grimm from the common Beowolf to the mighty Ursa Major and Death-Stalkers. They were flying into what was most likely going to be the biggest and most difficult fight of their young adult lives. It wasn't for naught that Mountain Glen was abandoned. There was said to be a huge population of Grimm there naturally, clinging to the air of negativity, sorrow and death that filled the city. Yet if the White Fang were truly there, it would tip the negativity off the scale. So much raw hatred and anger would attract every Grimm for a hundred miles around. That many concentrated all in one place? Blake knew that they were walking a knife edge. One wrong step and everything could end in disaster.

Before long they passed out of the valleys and over a gigantic plateau. It was naturally flat and ominously empty, still she could see the clusters of migrating Grimm, all headed in one direction, the same one that they were. Quite suddenly, the high pitched whine of the engine cut down as the pilot utilised a unique set of suppression devices. They clamped down over the exhausts of the two engines, restricting the flow of both sound and the waste gasses. Ozpin had ordered them fitted in preparation so as to give their small team the best chances of an uneventful landing.

Not long after, buildings began to pass by underneath them, well the emptied out and desolate husks of buildings began to. The whole city was simply one giant ruin the likes of which none of them had ever seen. The ones that still stood were empty shells, devoid of any and all life that might have once occupied them. It proved a strong image that struck deeply at the core of each and every one of them, bringing about an uncomfortable atmosphere of disquiet.

Their aircraft drew into a low hover and the pilot gave them a thumbs up with a nervous smile. Clearly their surroundings were getting to her just as much as the small band of hunters. One by one they all leapt from the aircraft and down to the street below until only Oobleck remained. Before he could move the pilot called out to him.

"Hey..." She spoke in a hushed voice that had the doctor stop dead in his tracks. Cocking an eyebrow the hyperactive historian turned to look at the pilot. He didn't say a word, instead he opted to simply wait for her to say her piece.

"Take care of those kids... Bring 'em back safe okay?" She offered with a small hint of a blush.

"You have my word. They will be alright with me." Oobleck replied and just like that he was gone. He stepped out of the aircraft and fell to the ground below.

The brief fall to the ground was one Blake savoured, it was peaceful, the calm before the inevitable shit-storm of gnashing teeth and razor sharp claws. Not a good time for any involved. Yet when she landed, Gambol Shroud raise in a defensive pattern prepared for an incoming attack, nothing struck at her. Even as her team landed by her sides expecting a similar bloodbath nothing happened. Her golden eyes scanned the street around the suspiciously, though she could see neither hide nor hair of their enemy. The creatures of Grimm.

Taking the opportunity to survey their surroundings a little better, the faunus began to take in details. They had landed in what seemed to be a small high street, lined with quaint boutiques and grocery stores. Or so she believed, it was hard to tell given the extreme state of decay that the whole street was in. Windows were smashed, either by the Grimm or during the looting sprees of the last days of the city. Spray painted across the walls of some buildings were the slogans of the hopeless and doomed citizens. They read such things as 'We're all going to die!' and 'The end is here' to 'God, why hath you forsaken us?!'

Blake sighed as she realised that these were the signs of the gradual breakdown of society. Each message was written by someone, as hope faded and the final lights began to go out all across the city. This was a ghost town, a dead town and they were intruding. Across the street from the shops was a wide park, complete with a children's playground. The once brightly coloured paint had long since faded and flaked away leaving little more than rusted exoskeletons of the jungle gym and swings. It was harrowing to see such a place, once filled with the joyous laughter of children now long dead. Shivers ran down her spine as the faunus took it all in, her eyes welling up with silent tears for the lost. Her heart wept for them, knowing that many of the dead were the same age as both she and her friends. Her thoughts flew to Jaune and his team as Oobleck landed and began to lead them cautiously into the city's very heart with the care of a field mouse stealing food from under the nose of the farmer's cat.

Mist rolled between the thick trunks of mighty trees forming a thick blanket over the earth and giving it an entirely ethereal appearance. High above, hidden by the forest canopy the shattered moon glowed brightly and bathed the world in a pale luminescence. Alone among the titanic pillars, growing from the ground Jaune stood with both his sword and shield in hand.

Around him a chorus of blood chilling howls as pair after pair of burning red eyes lit up. Together their howls joined together into a single chilling harmony the likes of which struck at his very core and chilled him to his marrow. It felt as though the very warmth of his blood had been stolen away, leaving him a frozen and empty husk.

The eyes began to edge forward on him, surrounding him, entrapping him in their snare. Seeing no way out, the knight raised his shield, preparing to feel the cold embrace of death before long yet determined that if this was to be his place to die, he would take as many of them with him as he could muster before at last the death knell sounded and his life force was extinguished, taking him from the world and off to meet his maker.

The first of the beasts broke cover and charged at him. it was unlike anything he had ever seen before but it wasn't alone, they poured in from all directions and surrounded him in a circle of gaping maws and hateful eyes. They were Beowolves, much like the droves that he and his team had killed before yet they were all several times what they should have been. They towered high above him, each one the height of many men and snarling ferociously. Jaune took a breath and steeled himself, charging into the fray. The first of his opponents swung a paw at him, he raised his shield to defend himself and the hit collided with the force of what felt like a bus. Jaune was sent flying back and straight through one of the nearby trees.

His aura flared brightly and bathed the surrounding forest in a sea of bright golden light as he sailed straight through the tree trunk in a shower of razor sharp splinters. He plowed into the dirt on the other side, rolling uncomfortably until he stopped, slumped against a nearby tree with the wind knocked out of him. Looking forward with agonized eyes at the tree he had just sailed through he watched it fall, the wood creaking and cracking as it did.

Far off in the distance he heard a girl scream in what could only be describes as complete terror. It was a voice he knew all too well, it was Ruby. Climbing to his feet he coughed and called her name though to his dismay there was no answer. He set off at a sprint in the direction of the cry, the Grimm hot on his tail. Behind him he could hear the thunderous steps of the horrific monsters but he didn't care. He blocked them out and focussed on running.

As he did, images of his team popped into his head. The serene beauty of Weiss, the innocence of Ruby and the unparalleled grace of Pyrrha. All three girls he had come to see as family and to hear Ruby scream in such terror as he had made his heart sink. His mind became inundated with thought after thought of his team's innocent rose at the mercy of those monsters and it drove him mad. He couldn't take it and pushed himself to the limits of his physical ability. She would be okay, she had to be okay.

Not long afterwards he burst into another clearing, yet there was no Ruby. He frantically searched around for any sign of her and that was when he saw it. Her cloak lay in a small heap in the middle of the clearing, a stark contrast to the pure fog around it. He ran forwards, no longer caring for his pursuers. Lifting the cloak in his hands, he found it had several large tears in it in the pattern of gigantic claws. Yet perhaps what was worst was that it was damp and dripping. Laying it back on the ground he found his hands stained crimson with blood. Ruby's blood.

Tears gripped him as he looked around for any sign of the others and found Akoúo̱, Pyrrha's shield close by. It had a gigantic hole punched through the centre, the edges of which were razor sharp and bent inwards, slick with blood. All hope began to fade as the truth of his partner's demise settled in on him. Tears fell thick and fast as he acknowledged that he would never again see her smile nor hear her voice, just as he wouldn't be able to enjoy cookie eating contests with Ruby. Inside him, a tiny sliver of hope remained but that too was soon dashed when his eyes landed on Myrtenaster. The rapier was stabbed into the ground not too far from him, its blade coated in a thick coat of black blood. Seemingly the heiress had taken a few of the Grimm with her or had at least gone down fighting. Beside her sword, sat the remains of Weiss' tiara. It was twisted and broken, the tiny gems lay littered about around it.

With his last hope having been cruelly plucked out from underneath him he collapsed to his knees, openly weeping for the loss of his closest friends. It didn't seem fair that they should fall and that he should remain. It was only in this moment that the true depths of his affections for the members of his team had become abundantly clear. They weren't simply his friends, they were like family. The family that fate had chosen.

From behind him a low growl brought him back from the depths of his grieving. Wheeling around he came face to face with one of the monstrous Grimm that he had been running from, seemingly the same one. He locked eyes with it, anger burning within his own. Rain began to fall in a torrential downpour as a thunderclap boomed and a bolt of lightning split the sky. The blonde's grip tightened on his weapons as his mind became overrun with pure rage. The Grimm seemed to detect this and made a sound that Jaune had never before heard it was a low grumbling sound that vibrated within his chest. In an instant he knew what it was. This beast was laughing at him, at his loss. That was the final straw.

With his anger broiling uncontrollably inside him, Jaune charged. He no longer cared for his own safety, only revenge. For without his team, life hardly seemed worth living. Kicking off from the ground he launched himself at the monster, tears still streaming down his face, and brought Crocea Mors down in a strong and decisive slash. The monster let out a roar of pain as another bolt of lightning struck the earth, lighting a patch of the forest not too far from him ablaze.

The monster's pain didn't hold it off for long however and despite the deep gash in its chest which was bleeding profusely, it darted forward and swatted him up before he could so much as blink. Time slowed itself to a halt as a second paw began to swipe down and smash him into the ground. He saw it all with perfect clarity, the claws swinging for him and slicing through several drops of rain even as they fell. He accepted his fate with open arms, watching as the claws approached to seal his doom. In his head he sighed deeply for not having been able to avenge his friends before the end. The claw approached and he braced himself for contact as time sped back up again. The claw collided.

Jaune bolted awake with a sharp cry. He was in a cold sweat with tears streaming down his face. Flinging the covers off he bolted out of his room and up the stairs to the room his team were in. He quietly opened the door and found his teammates all safely asleep in bed. He heaved a sigh of relief. Just then, as he was about to close the door again, Ruby stirred and saw him in the doorway. Confusion crossed her face for a moment.

"Jaune... What are you...?" She whispered, climbing out of bed and making her way over to him. Jaune internally cursed his own stupidity for having woken her. He should have been more careful.

"N-nothing... I uh I was just on my way to get some water." He explained hurriedly.

"H-have you been crying? What's wrong?" She asked softly and drew him into a hug. To Jaune, nothing felt better at that moment than to hold her in his arms. The smell of roses clung about her. Casting a quick look back at her teammates, she closed the door and led Jaune down the stairs and into the kitchen. It was a sizeable room with a breakfast bar and three tall swivel chairs at one end. She led Jaune to one and sat him down. In a whirl of motion and with a little direction from Jaune she soon whipped up two mugs of hot cocoa and sat next to him.

"Yang always used to make cocoa whenever I felt sad. Now, what happened Jaune, why were you crying?" She asked with worry in her eyes and sipped her cocoa. Jaune launched into a full description of his dream, leaving no detail spared. His voice got choked up as he reached the part in which he had found her cloak, Pyrrha's shield and Weiss' tiara. Fresh tears coated his cheeks as he spoke.

"...A-and that's when I woke up, Im sorry I woke you Ruby I-I just had to make sure you were all okay, see it with my own eyes y'know? I mean I couldn't bear to lose you or the others..."

Ruby listened intently as Jaune told his story and could hear the emotion in his voice. When he described finding them dead she could feel each word fall like a hammer blow, weighed down by the depths of his sorrow. To know that he valued them so highly, that he valued her so highly set her heart aflutter. Before she had properly thought it through she edged forwards, the fresh tears on his cheek glistened under the room's lighting.

Jaune saw her move in closer and rather than backing away he found himself mimicking her. He leant in and quite before he knew what he was doing, their lips met. Time itself seemed to stop as they kissed. It was a magical event so rich with affection that the stars above cried out in envy of them. Jaune smiled, her lips tasted of cocoa and whether she had intended or not, it kept him in place. A warm and indescribable feeling bloomed in his heart unlike anything he had ever felt before. It confused and yet entranced him, leaving him desiring more.

Ruby's heart pounded as she saw him move closer and closer until they kissed. Her heart felt as though it might just burst straight out of her chest. It hammered on at a million miles per minute to keep oxygen flowing to her brain. Butterflies erupted in her stomach and fluttered around in a great swarm the likes of which she had never experienced.

When at last they pulled apart for breath they remained close to one another and blushing feverishly, neither one of them quite knowing what to say to the other in the wake of such an event. It was the first kiss that either of them had ever experienced. In the end it was Ruby that broke the silence.

"So... That was a thing..." She observed awkwardly.

"Y-yeah... it was... b-but what does it mean? For us I mean." He replied.

"W-well I guess it means that I like you Jaune... I like you a lot. D-do you... like me?"

"I-I think so... I mean that was amazing..."

"Yeah s-so..."

"So where do we go from here?" He asked cutting to the heart of the problem.

"W-well, when we get back to Beacon... we could uh... h-hang out sometime, maybe?"

"Yeah. I'd like that." He smiled and pecked her on the lips again. Hugging her tightly. The two remained in their own little world, completely unaware of the troubles and stresses of the world around them. They were entirely focussed on one another, enjoying every last second of their intimate moment.

It was then that the Grimm attack sirens sounded.

Ok so how many of you saw the fic taking this direction in terms of shipping eh? I hope I surprised at least a couple of you with it. It was quite an odd experience to be writing a RoseArc segment for once, I often do through my Tumblr (URL is the same as my pen name for those of you that want to check that out, updates on the fic are posted there) but to actuallyt write something specifically for you was a novel experience but I digress.

I truly hope that you all enjoyed the chapter, be sure to drop me a review and let me know what you think. I read all the reviews and they do truly help shape the story. As always, please do favourite and follow. Just a heads up to everyone. I am about to head into the most important exams of my life so far so chapters might be few and far between for a while I do try and keep at least a week in advance so hopefully it wont be too bad but please bear that in mind if the updates stop for a while. Who knows it might build some suspense? But I understand that long hiatuses do break up a story and ruin its flow for those that actually follow them. I promise I will do my best but for now I shall leave you with this chapter. Thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.