Edit 8/21/15:

Added more depth to the story and more consistency. Should make for a better read now.

The perils of time travel

"You can't stop me, Arc." Cinder told him with a manic grin on her face, "Once I finish you, I'll consume this wretched world's core too."

Jaune glared back and raised Crocea Mors. "We'll just have to see about that, won't we?"

He charged at her, dodging bursts of flame and raising his shield when he couldn't dodge. Even now, even with all the blood, tears and sweat he'd shed to come this far, he knew that he wouldn't be able to match her.

"What do you hope to get out of this, Arc?" she asked even as she bombarded him with flames and arrows. She probably knew that as well. That he didn't really have a chance against her.

He'd come this far, but he hadn't been born with the skill or grace that some of his fallen friends and enemies had...

Cinder separted her bow into her twin blades and knocked him away with a double swipe from them.

"Gah!" Jaune hit a crumbling wall. He forced himself back to his feet.

...And Cinder had all the power of the grimm, all the power of darkness behind her.

All he had was his own light, his own soul to fight her with.

Jaune grit his teeth as a particularly powerful arrow of Aura smashed into his shield. 'Ignore her. Ignore her.'

"Nothing you do will bring them back." she jeered right before launcing a volley of arrows at him.

He raised his shield and clenched his teeth. His arm would go numb soon if he didn't end this quickly.

'To speak in battle is folly. Every breath used to form words is a waste.' He forced away the memories of his friends. If everything went as planned, then he'd be seeing them soon anyway.

"Nothing you do now can change anything!" she laughed, "Your friends, your family...they're not coming back!"

The memories he'd been desperately trying to force away broke through the dam. Memories flashed through his mind. Memories of a better time, of better people. all cut down before him.

He roared and slashed his blade at her, launching a wave of azure Aura at her.

Cinder smiled maniacally and easily dodged his attack before returning fire with another volley or arrows.

'This ends now,' he swore, 'One way or the other, this ends today.' He raised his shield before him and charged at her.

And so, in the ruins of a once great nation, surrounded by corpses, fire and the ghosts of the past, they fought. They fought to determine who would inherit this barren, desolate world.

Two madmen, fighting for the remains of better times.

Flashback

Jaune watched with horror as Emerald got the best of the heiress and shot her right through the chest.

Weiss fell to her knees, a look of shock on her face.

"Weiss!" He yelled. In spite of his weariness, in spite of his depleted Aura reserves, he mustered as much strength as he could and swung his blade at Cinder's final lieutenant.

"Too slow!" she taunted him as she ducked under it, "Don't worry too much about her; you'll be seeing her soon!"

Enraged, Jaune swung his blade at her over and over, blocking her counter attacks and dodging her attacks as best he could. Still, he was tired, and anger clouded his vision.

Emerald swept his feet from under him and quickly shot him before he could recover.

He fell on his back, gasping in pain.

"And so it ends." she smirked down at him, "This one's for Mercury."

She aimed her guns at him. Faced with failure, Jaune glared up at her. 'I'm so sorry, Weiss. I'm so sorry.'

"And this one's for Yang." an unexpected voice spoke up from behind his aggressor.

Startled, Emerald turned around. "What?!"

Weiss lunged, Myrtenaster held before her.

"H-how?" Emerald asked, eyes wide with shock as she stared at the blade lodged in her chest.

Weiss smirked even as blood dripped from her mouth. "Dust. I happen to be an expert at it."

"I..." Emerald's eyes closed and she fell over.

Weiss looked down at her fallen form with cold satisfaction before she coughed blood and she herself fell to her knees.

"Weiss!" Jaune dragged himself towards her, "Weiss! Can you stand?"

She gave him a mock glare. "Do I look like I can?"

He smiled. "It's alright. She's dead. We can go back to base for a well deserved break."

She shook her head.

"Weiss?" he asked, and the fear, the trepidation from when he saw her fall returned.

"This is the end of the line for me." she told him softly.

"C'mon, it's not that bad."

It was. He looked at the gaping wound in her chest and the logical part of him, the part that had been forged through countless battles, knew she was right.

But he wasn't willing to accept that.

"The dust I used only lets me ignore my body's limits for a few minutes. After that..." she coughed more blood, "...It puts a heavy strain on you..."

"Damn it, Weiss, why would you use something like that?!" he demanded, "You were already wounded!" He desperately reached into his satchel, searching for anything he could use to dress her wound and stem the flow of blood.

She smiled at him. A smile full of warmth, regret and sorrow. "To save you, Doofus."

His eyes widened and his hand stopped searching. "What?"

Feebly, slowly, she reached into her coat and drew a small, gray vial.

"Weiss? What is that?" he asked the white haired girl.

She held up a vial of dust. "It's...it's my last creation. I think...it should work...in theory..."

He glared at her. "What do you mean last? Weiss Schnee is NOT the type of person to give up like this!"

She smiled at him once more, that smile full of emotion. In spite of everything, he couldn't help but feel that even with the early stress lines in her face, even with the marks of battle marring her face, she was beautiful. She was the perfect, unnatianable Snow Angel.

"I'm not giving up. I'm hedging the chances in your favor." she told him with a confident smile, "I know you can do it."

"You have to live. You can't...you can't die here." Because he'd be alone if she didn't. Because he didn't fear death anymore, he only feared being left alone.

"When you face that bitch...use that. It should work..." she instructed him, "Just make sure you're away...when it goes off..."

He had no idea what she was talking about. He didn't care. He glared at her. "Don't say that. You can and you will go on." he said, ignoring her instructions on the vial of gray dust.

Her small smile widened. "If only you'd been like this back in Beacon..."

There. That admission right there. That's when even his emotional side realized what his logical side had come to understand some time ago.

"Weiss, please." he begged her, "Please don't."

"I'm sorry...I know you can do it. We'll be waiting for you..." her expression became stern, "But take your time. No hurry."

"Weiss..." Jaune whispered, tears pooling in her eyes.

She gave him one last smile. "Farewell, Vomit Boy." her eyes, her beautiful sky blue eyes dimmed.

"Weiss?" he swallowed, "Weiss?"

Her eyes closed.

"Weiss?!"

Jaune Arc, utterly alone against a foe he could not hope to match, faced with the realization that everyone he'd ever loved was dead, looked up to the sky. Remnant's night sky, no longer azure, but a dusty brown from all the weapons that had been deployed during the war.

He screamed. He screamed for his lost dreams, his lost hopes and for his lost friends.

Jaune concentrated his Aura inwards and let it burst in a small explosion of power.

"Oh?" Cinder looked at the boy who was glowing a dark azure color with some interest. "Fufu, you really are an interesting little boy, aren't you?"

Jaune used his Aura to quickly close the distance between her, moving far faster than he had before. He swung his blade at her.

"But you didn't think you were the only one, did you?" Cinder let loose a burst of dark energy like he had, and she herself began glow a dark scarlet.

The problem with Cinder wasn't only that she was skilled, and highly trained, but that after consuming all the grimm in the world, she had far more power than any mortal could hope to match.

It was a corrupt power, one that had most assuredly driven the already insane woman mad. It was a power completely unlike Aura. Unlike the power of the soul, hers was the power of anonymity, a power that no human should ever wield...

Cinder bocked his empowered attack as if it were nothing, even though he'd crushed Paladins completely with a single empowered strike before.

...and it made her so powerful he might have as well tried to slay the devil himself.

Jaune began a series of attacks that he'd forged with the help of his fallen partner. Seventeen attacks, all linking to each other, creating a powerful combo further empowered by his Aura.

And she dodged them nimbly, easily.

Jaune jumped back to put some distandce between them and leapt into the air with a war cry. His final strike. His eighteenth attack. The most powerful attack and the finisher to his combo.

More Aura was forced into the blade.

Cinder grinned and more of her corrupt power burst around her.

He knew why.

He was attacking her with what some would call his most powerful blow. She saw that as a challenge and was prepared to face it head one, not only to crush his hopes, but to reinforce her superiority.

Jaune knew that his attack was going to fail. He simply didn't the power to match her head on. He felt cold satisfaction welling up inside him.

Cinder swung her twin blades upwards just as he swung his blade downwards. Crocea Mors was wrenched out of his hands and one of her blades met his attack and her other blade stabbed through his chest.

"Guh!" Jaune breathed out he winced as the crimson glowing blade was twisted inside him, sending waves of agony coursing through him.

"And so it ends." she smiled coldly.

He glared down at her and tried to grab the blade in his chest, to stop it from going any further.

Her cold smile widened and more of her power was forced into her blades.

Jaune screamed as pure agony coursed through him.

"Can you feel it, Arc? The power in me?" Cinder asked with a manic glint in her eyes, "I am a goddess!"

"Last time I checked..." Jaune forced out through grit teeth, "goddesses didn't have trouble squashing one little mortal!"

"Oh?" Cinder's head cocked to a side, "You think...you're giving me trouble?"

"Aren't I?" he asked with a cocky smile.

She looked at him incredulously and laughed. A melodious laughter, one full of malice and madness. More power burst from her, making him scream once more.

"Arrogant little fool," Cinder glared, "I've been toying with you."

"Haa...haaa." Jaune breathed out slowly, desperately trying to block of the intense agony.

Cinder stabbed her second blade through his stomach. "GAH!" Jaune screamed and coughed blood.

"And now you die." She smiled at him, a smile that seemed so merciful, so beautiful.

Jaune smiled right back. "Gotcha."

He grabbed her arms and pulled the blades even deeper into his flesh, sending more excruciating pain coursing through his already battered body.

"Wh-what?" She gasped, and for the first time since the fight began, she looked uncertain, "What are you-"

His grin widened. "It's over."

And he focused all the Aura in his body inward. All of it. Everything in his reserves, everything he had. A golden glow radiated off of him.

Cinder's eyes widened, more out of shock than actual fear. "You wouldn't."

"Nothing I do will change anything, right? So why not?" he asked cheerfully., in spite of the pain his body was being put through.

Cinder laughed. "You think your sacrifice will change anything?"

Jaune grit his teeth as more of his Aura was brought to bear.

"You will die and I will still live!" Cinder laughed uproariously.

"Let's see you match this, goddess!" Jaune challenged with a sneer.

"Very well then, Arc! I will show you the difference between us!" she replied with a manic grin. More of her dark, ravenous and corrupt power surged from her.

Anyone with any degree of Aura control would have been able to feel them from miles away.

The supernova that was his soul was blinding enough that Ren would have had trouble looking at him in his current state.

And it was still nothing compared to the massive void that was Cinder. As she pooled more and more of her power, growing at an alarming rate, his was slowing down, reaching the peak of what one human could do.

And throughout it all he grinned back at Cinder.

Had Cinder not been so sure of omnipotence, she might've found that strange and tried to stop him. This Cinder, however, was so sure of her abilities, of her powers, that she simply didn't care.

And that was going to be her downfall.

Flashback

Jaune slowly made his way back to their hideout. No.

At this point, it was his hideout, wasn't it? There was no one else here but him. And that bitch, but he hardly wanted her company except maybe to drive his blade through her chest.

He entered slowly, knowing that this time there was no one to talk with, no one to welcome him.

Tears pooled in his eyes again and he blinked them away.

Everything here reminded him of her. Vials of dust, a pictured frame of Team RWBY...

He looked away, looked at his own workshop, where he took care of his weapons. And it was there that he noticed it.

A small note, something that only Weiss could've left there.

He picked it up.

'Jaune, think I found the solution. Come see me at my lab. -W'

The tears came again, and this time he made no attempt to stop them. He walked towards her lab and there, in the center of her desk, he found a set of notes.

The gray dust she'd created, a combination of the dark, blasphemous powers that Cinder wielded and natural dust infused with Aura.

A malleable substance, an adatable but highly volatile substance.

'I'm not giving up. I'm hedging the chances in your favor. I know you can do it.

The tears cascaded from his eyes.

"I'll do it. For you and for everyone that got caught between her and her mad quest for power. I swear it."

"It's over." Jaune grinned.

"Yes! Perish, Arc!" Cinder crowed.

The vial of dust, Weiss's final gift began to glow from inside his coat.

"What is that?" Cinder asked, obviously referring to the glow from his coat.

"A gift." Jaune answered as his grin widened.

"What?" Cinder asked.

"C'mon, goddess, is that all you got?" he asked mockingly, ignoring her question. He brought the last of his Aura, briefly managing to match Cinder in terms of power. He felt a sharp, stinging sensation. His body warning him that he wasn't going to last much longer.

'C'mon, just a bit longer...'

Her eyes narrowed and his power was dwarfed once more, becoming a single star in a galaxy of darkness.

The dust was highly reactive. The more power you poured into it, the more power it would expel.

And they were both using a lot of power.

"Here goes!" Jaune yelled as his strenuous control over his Aura began to dissipate.

"You can't match me!" Cinder yelled back.

The world around them vanished. First in a flash of light, then absolute darkness, followed by a deafening roar, the distant chime of shattering glass and a gray light that consumed everything.

"H-huh? There's someone here!" a voice.

A voice that sounded familiar...

"He's injured!" A different voice.

Wait. That voice...Weiss?

He tried to open his eyes and partially succeeded.

"I'll call for help. Make sure he doesn't bleed out." Who were these people?

"Yikes," another, different voice, "How's he not dead?"

He tried again, and his eyes finally opened, albeit just barely.

He could barely see. Everything was blurry.

"Hey, I think he's awake!" His eyes strained to see who was talking.

But that red cape...

"Hold on, we're here to help you!" the girl in the red cape told him.

...he'd recognize that red cape anywhere.

"Ru...by?" he managed to breath out.

"Huh? Do I...Do I know you?" Ruby, and he was sure she was Ruby, asked.

"I..." his vision began to dim, and in spite of his deperate attempts to drink in the visage of his first friend, he fell unconcious once more.

Cinder let her power loose just as the boy did.

None could stand up to her. He would perish like all those countless fools had. But just as their power clashed, just as hers was about to consume the boy's, she saw a gray light.

And in that instant, the survival insticts granted to her by all the grimm inside her screamed.

The gray light consumed both her power and the boy's Aura and began to...throw it back at them? Her eyes widened.

She looked at the smiling boy and realized that maybe, just maybe, she had underestimated him. Right before the gray light began to envelop her, burning her away.

'NO! I am a goddess! I can't...I won't...'

She gathered what was left of her power, all the darkness inside her. 'I don't want to die!'

And everything vanished.

The next time he woke up, the first thing he heard was the sound of machinery.

He tried to rub his eyes, only to realize he couldn't move at all.

Where was this? He bllinked repeatedly and the ceiling suddenly became clearer.

He looked to his sides.

He was in a hospital. Definitely a hospital. But there were no hispitals left anymore...Where was he? And why...why did this palce seem so familiar?

He recognized this place. This place was...

He thought about it, he tried to remember. He was definitely sure he'd been here before.

"Finally awake, huh?" he heard a voice. He looked up and saw a person in white clothes.

She seemed familiar.

"Who...are you? he asked.

"I'm the nurse here in Beacon," she paused, waiting for him to say something. Whe he didn't, she continued, "And if you'll excuse me, the headmaster asked to be informed the moment you woke up." she walked towards her desk to pick up her Scroll, leaving a shell shocked Jaune behind.

'Nurse...in Beacon?'

Why everything seemed familiar suddenly clicked. He was in Beacon.

Beacon Academy.

But...but Beacon had been destroyed! Hell, his final fight against Cinder had been in Beacon's very ruins!

And how was he alive? That final burst of power should have killed him!

He tried to get up, but intense pain flared up in his abdomen, causing him to fall back down.

He hissed. He'd forgotten that he'd been stabbed by that bitch and burned from inside by her power.

"Good afternoon." he looked up and saw a person he'd never thought he'd see again.

"Headmaster." he breathed out.

His mind went into overdrive. What the hell was going on? Why was he here? What had happened?

"Some students of mine found you in the Emerald Forest during a routine patrol." Ozpin informed him.

What? But...but...

He did vaguely remember something like that...But...why? How?

"You were severely injured. It's a miracle you're alive." Ozpin went on, unaware of his ongoing panic attack.

He wasn't supposed to be! He'd caused all the Aura in his body to implode! That was enough to kill anyone, but that dust should've ensured his death entirely!

"But enough of that. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?" Ozpin asked.

Numb, he shook his head.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Jaune Arc." he answered, still failing to comprehend what was going on.

Ozpin's eyebrow rose. "Arc? Jaune Arc?"

Jaune nodded.

"Interesting. Perhaps a family member?" Ozpin muttered, "I do see a resemblance...But that blade..."

Jaune blinked. What?

"What were you doing out there?" Ozpin asked.

Jaune clamped up as memories of his fight with Cinder flash through his mind. The blades cutting through him. The intense pain flaring in him as it all went on...The burst of light, the darkness, how it all faded away into a bright gray...

"Headmaster? Is it true he's awake now?" A voice interrupted them. They both looked towards the door.

Jaune's eyes widened. "Ruby..."

He missed the headmaster's sideways glance at him when he whispered her name.

"You're awake!" Ruby cheered. She approached him. "Umm...are you okay?" she asked, noting his wide eyes.

"You're alive..." Jaune whispered.

"Huh? What kind of a greeting is that? Of course I am!" Ruby exclaimed indignantly.

He blinked and feebly tried to pinch himself. He looked up. Still in Beacon. Still surrounded by ghosts.

"What's going on?!" he asked the heavens.

"Interesting..." Cinder whispered as she looked at the newspaper.

More specifically, she was looking at the date. So this was why her powers were mostly gone. Why she could no longer feel the darkness inside her to the degree that she used to.

Time travel.

It wasn't supposed to be possible. Not even for her. Not even she, during the peak of her power, could've engineered this.

How had this happened?

Her mind flashed through various possibilities. Had it been caused by a combination of her powers and the boy's Aura? That strange gray light? Or maybe her last desperate attempt to save herself?

She still remembered pooling all that was left of her power and her desperate wish. 'I don't want to die!'

She shrugged. It was interesting and definitely worth looking into, but for now, she had other taks to accomplish. Powers to regain, people to manipulate, rebel groups that had to be brought under her heel, and worlds to consume.

But more importantly, she smirked, it meant that there was the possibility of another Cinder Fall running around. Unforunately for her doppelganger, there could only be one Queen, but that didn't mean she couldn't find uses for...her.

If she was back in the past, then that meant she could become even more powerful. After all, she was a shrewd and resourceful person in a world where she had knowledge of its future and the enemies she would face.

Her lips curled into a cold smile. Not that it mattered. The only enemy she'd ever faced that had managed to best her had perished in a dead world.

Even with her power reduced to a mere fraction of what it had been, she had no doubts she could do it. She'd done it all without this power before after all.

"Young man, please calm down." Ozpin urged.

Calm down? CALM DOWN?! How the hell was he supposed to do that?

He was hyperventilating. He was panicking. He wanted an out.

"Where am I?" he almost screamed.

"Beacon Academy!" The girl in red, the girl who looked so much like his friend answered nervously.

"Who are you? WHERE AM I?" he demanded.

"Huh? But you knew who I was! And I already told you!" Ruby's doppelganger answered.

"That's impossible! Beacon Academy was burnt down! And you...you died defending it!" Jaune screamed back.

"He's confused, nurse sedate him!" he heard Ozpin's voice.

"No!" Jaune screamed, "You can't...you won't!"

But even though he struggled so deperately, he was incapable of fighting with his injuries, the depletion of his Aura, and physical exhaustion.

The last thing he saw was Ruby's worried face as his eyes closed.

Every now and then he'd blink awake before passing out. And everytime he heard snippets of people talking.

"...He said his name is Jaune Arc."

"...The first year...dent?""

"There certainly is...blance..."

His consciousness faded.

He groggily woke up, but even in his drug addled state he knew it would not last.

"...sure?"

"Tests don't lie."

"But how?"

He lost consciousness once more.

"...sword...shield..."

"Arc...amily...heirlooms..."

"Impossible."

When he finally woke up properly, he realized that he felt a lot better now. His body still ached and his Aura was still mostly depleted, but he was definitely feeling better.

At least until he tried to move and realized he couldn't.

His arms and legs were chained to the bed he was lying in.

All at once, memories of where he was and what had happened came flooding back in.

Where was he? This couldn't be Beacon. It just couldn't be.

His eyes fell on a newspaper article on the dresser beside his bed. His eyes widened when he saw the date.

This had to be some kind of joke. Some sort of twisted fantasy.

"I see you're awake."

Jaune looked up and saw the headmaster. "How..." he croaked.

The headmaster held a cup of water to his mouth, which he drank greedily, noticng just now how thirsty he was.

"You've been out for one week." the headmaster informed him, "I trust you're not going to attack anyone this time?"

Jaune shook his head numbly.

"Good," Ozpin nodded, "Now, I ahve a few questions for you."

Jaune said nothing.

"You are Jaune Arc." a statement, not a question. He nodded.

"And yet, there is already a Jaune Arc here. A first year student."

Jaune looked up, confused. "What?"

"Tell me, how old are you?" Ozpin asked him.

"26." Jaune replied, still too confused.

"Interesting. How did you manage this feat?" Ozpin asked.

"What?"

Ozpin's eyes narrowed. "I'll rephrase that: How did you tavel back in time?"

Time...Travel...

"I...what?" Jaune asked, "But that...that's impossible..."

"Normally, I'd agree with you," Ozpin nodded, "But given the circumstances..."

"I must be dead." Jaune told himself, "I must be dead and this must be my punishment."

"Punishment? For what?" Ozpin asked sharply.

"For watching everyone die. For letting everyone die. If I'd been stronger...If I'd acted faster..." Jaune whispered to himself.

Ozpin sat down. "Why don't you tell me just exactly why you deserve this punishment? Tell me everything that's happened to you."

Jaune swallowed and began his tale.

"So that's why you said Beacon had burnt down." Ozpin commented.

"Not just Beacon. Everything." Jaune muttered hoarsely.

Ozpin nodded. "I see. Well, Arc, I have a proposition."

"What?" Jaune asked.

"You see, a few of my colleagues and I had already sensed an incoming storm, but we had never in our wildest dreams thought it would end like that." Ozpin began, "And so, I'd like your help."

"Help?" Jaune asked.

"Indeed. With your knowledge we can stop this storm." Ozpin offered.

Jaune looked at offered hand then back at himself. "This can't be real. This can't be real." Jaune muttered to himself. But he bore the injuries from his altercation with Cinder.

"This can't be real." But Ruby was still alive.

"This can't be real." But Beacon still stood.

"Maybe not. But this is your chance to make ammends, you chance to save your friends, your chance to prevent countless tragedies." Ozpin told him.

"I..."

This couldn't be real. But he wanted it to be. He desperately wanted this to be real.

"Alright." He shook the headmaster's hand.

"This is Luna." Ozpin introduced him to the rest of the teachers.

Jaune nodded at the teachers. "Hello."

The only ones who'd been informed of his identity were the headmaster and Goodwitch.

"He will be working as an assistant to the faculty, but will occasionally have to attend on missions while here." Ozpin informed them.

"An assistant, huh? Interesting! Grading papers might become less of an annoyance now!" Obleck cheered.

"Are you saaying you're pass your duties on to someone else?" Goodwitch asked icily.

"Err...merely a joke, of course!" Obleck laughed nerovusly.

Jaune nodded gratefully at the professor.

"Ah, it pleases my heart to see young, brave hunters willing to take time off to impart their knowledge on the future generation!" Port slapped his back.

He winced and barely managed to avoid falling over.

"Port, Luna here was recently injured in an assignment, so I'll ask that you refrain from doing that." Ozpin admonished.

"Oh, my apoplogies! I had not noticed your injuries!" Port apologized.

'Even when apologizing this guy's so ham.'

"It's alright, Professor." Jaune replied.

"Please, call me Peter!" Peter smiled.

"W-well, if you insist." He'd been calling him that on habit, actually.

"Now that this has been established, please attend to your classes." Ozpin informed them.

"This is Professor Luna. He'll be working as an assistant to various teachers here so I expect him to receive the same amount of respect that a teacher is due." Goodwtich announced.

"You!" He heard Ruby exclaim.

He forced himself to smile and waved at her.

"Good afternoon." He forced himself to remain smiling. To smile at people he'd seen die before him. His smile quivered when he saw his former team mates and outright vanished when he saw Weiss.

His genius friend. His last friend. The final pillar in his life.

And then he felt someone looknig at him intently and saw a familiar pair of blue eyes looking at him.

A pair of blue eyes he saw whenever he looked into a mirror.

Jaune Arc.

He felt a wave of nausea rise inside him. Jaune Arc.

He looked back at those innocent blue eyes and wondered, briefly, if the universe would implode.

"Are you alright?" He looked to a side and saw Goodwitch looking at him with concern.

"I...ah...yes," he shook his head to clear his mind, "I...I'm fine."

And now that he wasn't drowning in the novelty of seeing his own self staring at him, he realized that his initial assesment was wrong.

His own eyes were bitter and guarded. The boy's eyes were still full of light and hope. And right now, curiosity.

Irrational as it was, he felt a small surge of anger and jealousy. This boy still had his hopes, his dreams, family and friends whereas he had lost all of it. He squashed down those irrational emotions mercilessly.

They weren't the same person. Not anymore.

Not after everything he'd gone through. If experiences were what made a person who they were then he wasn't Jaune Arc anymore.

He absent mindedly heard Goodwtich lecturing the class as he studied the boy, who was furtively trying to study him as well.

They weren't the same person. They just weren't. And if he had his way, they never would be.

Jaune Arc wasn't going to lose everyone this time.

'Just...just keep training. I'll make sure that you can be a hero this time.'

All of them. This time he'd make sure that Cinder and her followers wouldn't cut their lives short. This time they would all graduate and go on to become hunters. This he swore.

A.N:

To be honest, I didn't like how this chapter ended up and had already started remaking it alongside Minor Changes part 2. I feel like it's better now, but I can't help but feel that I've been messing around in time travel fics a little too much.

Ah well, this is only supposed to be a repository for random ideas so I guess it's fine.

Props to anyone that gets the Final Fantasy reference. FFVII REMAKE HYPE!

As for the story itself, story where the antagonist travels back in time too. Interesting. Also, manipulative bastard Ozpin ftw. I know I said before that this would most likely go the Glynda x Jaune, but I'm not too sure now. Probably no pairing, or pairing reduced to subplot hapening in the background as the story goes on.