Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum, not me. This is merely a fanwork meant for entertainment purposes only. Cover image courtesy of Jan Chrt (jeni-cek on deviantART). All rights reserved.
A tower rising from an expanse of forest. A raging beast, its slumber disturbed, destroying all in its wake. The green and pink tried to fight, but they were quickly overcome. Even the strong, dependable burgundy was swept away by the creature, left to rot in the black abyss.
Then, after all his protectors were gone, gold was left alone.
Terribly, horribly alone.
"BWAUGH!"
Jaune leapt from his bed, hands shaking uncontrollably as he desperately tried to pull himself together. Looking around, he found that he was still in the usual surroundings of his team room, with Nora apparently having migrated over to Ren's bedside at some point. Noting that the two were still sound asleep, Jaune glanced to the window, grimacing as he realised the racket he'd made at what was possibly still the wee hours of the morning. Hopefully Pyrrha hadn't-
"Jaune? Are you okay?"
Looking radiant even in her plain blue nightclothes, Pyrrha Nikos peered out from behind the gender-dividing curtain, her kindly green eyes tinged with worry. Jaune was half-tempted to lie and tell her to get some rest, but even as he considered such an action, the nightmare's spectre continued to haunt his mind.
"I...hm. Pyrrha, could I talk to you about something?"
Nodding, Pyrrha hovered over to the bed, giving Jaune a little space as she rested her hands in her lap.
"You had a nightmare?" she asked softly.
"Yeah, but...I don't know. It just seemed so real."
"I know what you mean. I don't tend to get them much anymore, but back when I was younger, I used to have terrible nightmares about the tournaments I entered. Sometimes I'd lose, sometimes I'd mess up and cause someone to get badly hurt...either way, it was little comfort for a little girl who just wanted to make her parents proud."
She paused for a moment, frowning as she noticed the dark bags under Jaune's eyes.
"It looks like yours were a lot worse, though. Could you tell me what happened?"
Jaune sighed, running an idle hand through his hair.
"It was about the beginning of the year, I think...back when we were fighting for our lives in the Emerald Forest. There was something there, some kind of Grimm...but for whatever reason, we couldn't beat it. Nora, Ren, even you...everyone fell to this creature, and no matter what I tried, I couldn't move in to help. All I could do was watch as you were tossed away into the inky blackness…"
"Is this the first time you've had this dream?"
"Yeah…"
"I thought so. Usually you sleep like a baby."
Jaune sent Pyrrha a curious eyebrow.
"Do I really?"
"By which I mean, uh…" Pyrrha stuttered out, blushing faintly, "I haven't heard you wake up like that before, so you must have slept well?"
Jaune grinned mischievously, which only seemed to make her blush further. Still, after a time, his expression became melancholy once more.
"What did you mean about it being the first time I dreamt this?"
"Well...maybe I've heard it wrong, but I think some people say that our dreams are reflections of our reality. When we have nightmares, it can often be because of something new and mysterious in our lives that has tipped things off the usual balance."
"So you think the dream was triggered by some new event?"
"I think so, though I can't imagine what it could be. Unless…"
Pyrrha turned to face Jaune, giving him a concerned look.
"Is there something you'd like to tell me, Jaune?"
He glanced back towards Nora and Ren, thankful that they both still seemed to be sound asleep.
"Promise not to tell anyone?"
"My lips are sealed."
Jaune took a deep breath, closing his eyes.
"You know how I went to Weiss' opening party last night?"
"Yes, you told me about it before you left. Seemed to me that you were a little nervous...did something go wrong?"
"Not in the way you're thinking. See, the ceremony went well, I think, and I even got named Vice President...but it was afterwards when things went bad. After Weiss and I went to the upper floor to sort things out, we found that an assassin had prepared to kill her, and it was only by a stroke of good luck that he was caught before any damage was done."
"An assassin? In Vale?"
"I couldn't believe it either, to be honest. Weiss made me put him in a shield bubble while she interrogated him, and though we found out some good info, the guy just seemed kinda...off. He kept talking about not having long left after being captured, and even when we reassured him that the shield would protect him, he just seemed to shrug it off."
Jaune's hands started shaking once again as Elliot's last moments flashed through his head.
"He was just a kid, Pyrrha...just a kid like me, and even as I tried to protect him, his life slipped away. It wasn't some kind of epic struggle against an evil force, nor did he die from a blade in the side...it was just a click of the fingers, a second on the clock. It just didn't seem right, you know? People, even criminals, deserve more than that…"
Pyrrha clasped Jaune's shaking hand in her own, motioning for him to continue.
"It was then that it hit me. I mean, it's not like I've never thought about dying, but it always seemed like some kind of glorious affair. My grandparents and their parents before them were always painted as near-invincible warriors, triumphing against impossible odds to save the day against the Grimm...and if they died, well, it was for the greater good, right? It was only when I saw the assassin's death that the fragility of my life became so apparent...of all our lives, even. Maybe that's what the nightmare meant."
"I'm...not sure what to say." Pyrrha admitted, "You're grappling with some fairly philosophical concepts here, and I'm not sure I'm the best person to help. Still...I suppose what you need to remember is that, in the end, we're all destined to pass away, one way or another. The trick is making the most of the time you have so that, when you do eventually die, you aren't left wondering about all the things that could or should have happened. From the sounds of it, no matter what you could have done, the assassin in your care would have died regardless...so wouldn't it be better to let it go?"
"Heh. You don't give yourself enough credit, Pyrrha...are you sure you didn't study philosophy?"
"That's more of my grandmother's trade, unfortunately. Still, if my little bits and pieces of life experience have helped you along, then I'm glad I said them. It's...unpleasant when I have to see you in pain, especially from situations that are so difficult to overcome."
"Is that why you were trying to help me with Cardin before?"
"Partly. As hard as it might be to believe, I know how it feels to be bullied, Jaune, and there's no one I would wish such a misfortune on."
"...I'm sorry I didn't listen to you back then."
Pyrrha chuckled.
"I said to let things go, didn't I? That didn't just apply to events in the recent past, you know, especially considering how much you've grown since then."
"You mean how I've stopped being a total tool?"
"Well I wouldn't go that far, but...you certainly did have some foolish ideas floating around."
"What, like dating Weiss?"
Pyrrha's heart stopped.
"E-er, I don't see what's so foolish about that. She seems like a very warm individual, once you get to know her."
"Maybe, but after what happened with Cardin, I sort of realised that I wasn't really giving enough attention to those around me. If I had back then, I'd have realised that Weiss wasn't really into me from the start. I guess we're just not really compatible."
"That's...a shame." Pyrrha said slowly, though it was all she could do to stop herself from celebrating, "So does that mean the one and only Jaune Arc is on the lookout for a different lucky lady?"
"You could say that." Jaune replied mysteriously, "I think she might be a little out of my league, though."
"...really?"
Jaune swallowed hard, looking bashfully to the side.
"I mean, what's your average guy to do when he falls for a girl famous enough to appear on Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes?"
Silence consumed the room as Jaune's confession seemed to settle like a blanket, even drowning out Nora's raucous snoring in its intensity. Finally, after Pyrrha remained silent, Jaune started to walk towards the bathroom, blushing furiously.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it, I'm sure you-"
However, before he could make it very far at all, Pyrrha pulled on his hand, standing up herself so that she was practically toe to toe with him. With eyes as bright as moonlight, Pyrrha spoke with a cool, confident voice.
"I think, Jaune." she said deliberately, gripping his hand tighter, "I think that the girl on the cereal box might appreciate a guy who treats her with the same kind idealism that he treats everyone else with."
"...and she doesn't mind that the guy's a big dork?"
Pyrrha smiled warmly.
"Not at all. In fact, she thinks that's part of his charm."
Okay Jaune, think; what do we do in this situation?
Run away!
No, other than that!
Fight?
Where's the brave Jaune in here?
Oh, that's me.
So what do you think we should do, brave Jaune?
Well-
Unfortunately, before brave Jaune could comment, the chain of thought that had led up to him was tragically cut off as Jaune Prime found himself heavily distracted by a sensational kiss on the lips.
It wasn't the greatest of kisses. Pyrrha had never dated anyone before, and Jaune definitely hadn't, so there was a lot of improvising going on. After a good few seconds, the kiss was broken off, leaving the two looking rather breathless.
"Well, that was, er…" Jaune began, suddenly finding it rather hard to concentrate for some reason.
"Good?"
"Oh, er, good, yes. Definitely good."
The two paused briefly, their gazes locked.
"Want to try again?" Pyrrha suggested brightly.
Meanwhile, over on the other side of the room, a slightly sleepy Nora sneakily watched, trying her best to suppress a giggle. Instead, she simply decided to ruffle Ren's hair, which didn't seem to disturb his sleep in the slightest.
I wonder how many desserts Yang'll give me for gossip this juicy? Then again, it'd be kinda hard to sell, since a good half of the school seems to pair up Weiss and Jaune instead. Ah well, not my job!
As Nora settled back down to sleep, a certain other Beacon individual was rudely awakened. With sloth still evident in her expression, Weiss stumbled her way through the team room, just about managing to make it over to Zinnia's glowing form. As she clumsily tried to shut off the light, an odd thought came to her.
I should make Cardin my bodyguard. That way, he'd keep me safe, and along with that, I'd get to spend more time with him.
A minute passed as Weiss simply stood there holding her weapon, and the longer she did so, the less it seemed like an odd idea and the more it seemed like a logical and intelligent idea that she had come up with all on her own. If anyone had been awake in the room to hear it, they would have noticed the faint tinkling of laughter as Weiss set the weapon back down, crawling back into her bunk and settling into a feverish sleep.
Good girl, Weiss...good girl.
Hiya readers, Soulwithlife here!
First of all, I'd like to apologise for my absence. I've been going through some personal issues for a little while now, and it's only recently that I've managed to come out on top. Still, come out on top I did, so now None Of Your Business updates can continue, woop woop! To make up for how late this is, the update schedule is changing from weekly to twice-weekly, which will be on Thursdays and Sundays. The only reason this chapter is being posted on Tuesday is because Thursday is Christmas Day, and I'm afraid I'll be rather busy. : P
Happy Holidays, everyone, and if you have any comments, don't be afraid to post in the reviews section! Toodles!
Edit: To 'A Friend' in the reviews, I'd like to say that, since I'm from the UK, we tend to use 'biweekly' as 'twice a week' and 'fortnightly' as 'once every two weeks' ( wiki/biweekly). Still, I changed it to twice-weekly to avoid any further confusion : P .