Disclaimer: The following is a nonprofit fanfiction of RWBY. RWBY belongs to Monty Oum(RIP) and Rooster Teeth. Any likeness to writings of others is not intentional. To help with improvements: Read and Review!
"Somehow this method isn't working." Pyrrha grumbled as she was wearing one of Jaune's hoodies while lying on her bed with a library book in hand. "Or maybe I'm not doing it correctly? I'm used to his scent, but it's still hard for me to try and confess to him."
After rummaging around the library for a reference book on old ad ancient myths she came across a title: Stand Out and Be True. Curious, she opened it to the index section to see hat she would be in for. There was joining in fun, building solid impressions, and speaking out loud. She was about to put it back on the shelf, but her eye caught the other chapter: Notice Me Senpai.
After spending time with Jaune and Nora, she knew what this meant: Notice me my love! Discretely checking the book out while saying it was for Ren, she kept it safe in her own side of the room. After seeing she was a few steps ahead of the book, noticed that the results weren't as the book described. Currently Jaune was noticing her as a friend, and they were comfortable in close proximities with one another, but whenever they would get into a grappling match she'd lose composure and accidentally hurt him in the process. So she's stuck on the current step: get used to the feel of his body and smell. But it wasn't working as she still lost control of her strength when in extreme close contact.
"I need to cool down." The redhead grumbled, tossing the book under her pillow and getting her other book out. "Back to the fantasy."
Chapter 3
Dreams & Bells
Unknown Area
Two figures watched as Jaune trained his body for combat. The one on the left held a smile on it's face as it saw it's plan coming into place. The ring was not the only blessing bestowed upon the blonde farmer. After the interaction with Pyrrha and Mercury, Jaune was given dreams. Each dream had him moving in a fighting style or running while blocking and dodging beasts. The blonde had consulted his older companions and was warned that his dreams were omens. Signs that were there to help him in his time of need.
And so, Jaune took to the dreams and followed them. With ring in hand he would go off into the nights to practice what he had done in the dreams. And each night, Pyrrha would see him once more disappear as if he was a ghost. This did not go unnoticed by the second being as it observed them both.
"You gave him the path, but I feel it will be a mistake." It told it's sibling.
"What would you do then?" The sibling asked, turning away from Jaune.
"I would test him." Not taking off the eyes off the blonde, the being watched as the blonde went through the motions of combat. "Not a test of combat. A test of soul. I feel that was our mistake with the two brothers."
"Very well." The other agreed, finding it sound. "And what would the test be?"
"I propose eight trials." It said calmly, never taking it's eyes off the farmer while projecting an image of Pyrrha sitting in her room. "Continue on with your training of the boy and I shall set up his trials."
"I look forward to it." And with that, the two planned once more.
If Jaune were to pass, then there was no need for worry. But if he were to fail, then another monster would be roaming the lands and another mistake had been made.
Market Square – Late Morning
Jaune
Peter and Bartholomew noticed something different in the way their young friend carried himself as he was walking in to set up shop. He seemed more tired than usual and didn't hold the same smile the two men grew fond of. He'd occasionally smile for customers, but it was more of a businessman smile than a true happy one. It was plainly obvious to the two what was wrong: their boy was stressed out.
"Thank you, come again." Jaune waved to an elderly woman after handing over some potatoes.
After selling the last of his goods as usual, he sat down with his hat on to take some needed rest. Unlike his past dreams that had him fighting, this one was different. He was aimlessly running along the streets in the afternoon without any idea of where he was going. All he could understand was that he could hear the chiming of bells and that his feet were running in the direction of the sound.
"You doing okay lad?" Peter called out to him, bringing him out of his thoughts. It was a shame too since he was close to falling asleep. "Don't seem quite yourself today."
"And don't say you're fine." Bart called out next, not giving Jaune a chance to brush them off. "We know you long enough to see when you're not fine."
"I'm just tired." The farmer sniffed, wiping a tear from a small yawn. "It wasn't a very relaxing sleep for me."
"Those dreams again?" The carpenter hummed, rubbing his chin. "The fates must be on your side if they keep blessing you so. If I didn't know any better…"
"Why not tell us what this dream was, my boy?" The butcher asked, walking out of his counter to kneel before his young friend. "You've hardly shared what your dreams were."
Jaune thought it over and couldn't find fault in telling them what his latest dream was about.
"I'm not very sure on much." He started. "But I remember running in the streets. These streets to be exact."
"I see." Bart nodded, leaning in closer very with his friend. "And?"
"And I'm chasing something." The blonde continued, waving his hands in the air. "The sounds of bells. I'm chasing bells."
CLAP! CLAP!
He was surprised as both men placed a hand on his shoulders and pulled him in with large grins on their faces. Pulling him up, the two then had him sandwiched in a tight embrace as they danced while laughing merrily.
"The fates are kind indeed!" Bart cheered loudly for all to hear. "Very kind indeed!"
"My boy, you lucky dog!" Peter shouted in glee as they continued to spin.
"What's wrong with you two?" The blonde asked with a red face, embarrassed to be in this situation.
"Don't you know?" The carpenter laughed, releasing him in the process. "The sounds of bells in dreams mean many joyous things! But mostly-"
"A WEDDING!" Peter laughed, not letting go of his friend. "My dear boy, you best follow that dream. Chances are the fates are bringing you to your soulmate."
"B-b-but I haven't even had a single girlfriend!" Jaune cried, trying to get out of Peter's grip. "How can I suddenly get a wife just from this?"
"Don't question the fates boy." The butcher said happily. "Why, I had a dream of bells once and I met the love of my life. …Sadly, I had someone else in my mind and ignored her. If I had kept to the omen, I would have been happily married."
"My condolences dear friend." Bart patted Peter on the back, before turning his attention back to Jaune. "Heed the warnings Jaune. And listen to the omens."
Not saying anything, all he did was nod and wander off to find the street that was in his dream. His heart was beating quickly in both excitement and nervousness, thinking of what the woman fate chose for him was like. Was she prettier than the baker's daughter? Would she be happy with him, a lowly farmer? If they were to be married quickly, how many kids would they have? All these questions gave him a spring in his steps as he opened his heart for whoever she may be and his ears to listen for her.
Downtown streets
Pyrrha
The redheaded spearwoman sighed as she walked the streets trying to follow a dream she had. In it, she was chasing Jaune while calling out to him. No matter how many times she would catch up to him, he would disappear like the wind only to appear once more. Just as she was about to reach him though, a bright light had consumed them both and she had woken up. She didn't know that this dream had meant, but if it was an omen, then she had to follow through with it.
As she turned a corner, she took note of a small shop that was selling beautiful accessories and ornaments. Walking towards it, she was instantly fascinated by a small silver bell that was tied to a red string. After paying for it, she thought of tying it to her hair but paused remembering the dream.
'If I chased Jaune through the streets, the bell would alert him of my presence.' She thought while pocketing the item. 'It's best that I not wear it now if I wish to succeed.'
Nodding at how smart she was, she walked off to find the farmer and see where this dream would take her.
After hours of searching for the man, she was fruitless in her endeavor to find him. It was nearing sunset and all the citizens were closing shop and heading home. Just as she was about to head on back to the temples, she heard the sounds of bells ringing and a few of her siblings shouting. Running to the sounds, she saw two of her brothers chasing after a black haired woman with bells tied in her hair.
It was Mercury and Sky. From the looks of the woman they were chasing, she was a mere civilian who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"Stop!" The gray haired man shouted with a smile on his face. It was obvious by now that the two were toying with the innocent woman.
Running up to the two, she caught up to them to see what was going on.
"Leave me alone!" The woman cried, turning a corner to try and lose them. The bells on her hair jingled, giving them a clue of where she was.
"Why are you two chasing that girl?" Pyrrha asked, seeing as they would not stop.
"Obviously, she's to be a worker at the temple." Sky answered as if it was a casual event. "We offered her a place as my wife, but she refused. She must be confused to say no to us."
"You two." Pyrrha narrowed her eyes, hating how the soldiers took advantage of their power.
"A lone female merchant." Mercury sighed, ignoring his sister's expression. "She must be smart to survive on her own. The first to catch her will claim her as his."
As the two raced off, Pyrrha did her best to catch the woman first. She would save the innocent civilian from her brothers. It was time that someone stood up to them. As she tried to catch up, barrels holding fruit had toppled onto Sky and stopped him in his tracks. Mercury laughed as he jumped over him to catch his prize.
Pyrrha was right on his tail as she tried to pull him back. But seemingly out of nowhere, sand had come up and hit the gray haired soldier in the face blinding him. As he continued to run, he fell backwards as if he had ran into something.
Now it was just her as she continued to run. She'd find the girl and try to hide her away from the two. If so be it, she'd put her under her protection as her servant from the two.
Downtown – moments ago
Jaune
The farmer sighed as he continued to listen for any sounds of bells. Sadly, he was not having much luck.
"Maybe I missed my chance." He said to himself, thinking on heading back home. Just as he was about to turn back to head home, he heard the sounds of feet running and bells ringing.
"Leave me alone!" He heard a woman cry out.
Running to the sounds of bells and feet, he peeked out of a corner to see a beautiful black haired woman being chased by soldiers. The bells in her hair made the same jingling he heard in his dreams.
'My fated one?' He thought, watching her run by. That thought was quickly snuffed out after he heard the soldiers.
"The first to catch her will claim her as his." One of them exclaimed with a smirk.
Looking closely, he saw it was Mercury and Pyrrha with another soldier with them. Feeling anger boil within him, he decided to take action to save the girl from the three. Using the ring, he willed himself to be invisible to their eyes and ran ahead to thwart their chase.
Seeing one of them nearing a barrel of fruit, he had kicked it over and mentally cheered as the first offender fell over with the barrel hitting him. Sprinting ahead of the gray haired soldier, he knelt down and waited for the man to get closer. Seeing his chance, he scooped sand from the ground and swiftly flung it into the man's face. As he sputtered with eyes shut, Jaune was too slow to get out of the way as the Mercury had ran into him.
Landing on his rear, the redheaded soldier had sprinted past her brother and him as she was still chasing the woman. Quickly getting up, he took shortcuts to reach the woman first. If this was the fate's way of telling him he needed to chase after his love, then he would not fail. He continued to listen for the bells as he ran through alleys and jumped over crates. After going through another corner, he saw a shadow coming up with the sound of a bell chiming. If he could catch the woman before the redhead, then he could claim protection over her. Sprinting as fast as he could, he willed his invisibility away as he jumped to catch his fated one.
"Oof!"
Pyrrha
"Wait!" Pyrrha cried as she continued to chase after the woman. "I want to help!"
Her words fell on deaf ears as the bells around the woman's clothing rang louder than her voice. Unknown to both women, the bell in Pyrrha's pocket had came out from all the running and had started ringing without any of their knowledge.
As the female merchant had turned a corner, Pyrrha made to follow but found her way blocked as the one being chased had pulled crates down to block her path. All she could do was watch as the merchant continued to run away into the night.
Going over the crates, she decided to follow her just to make sure she made it home safe without her brothers chasing after her. As she saw the woman going into a home and slamming the door shut, she slowed down to a jog as she was happy the woman was safe. Turning around, she started running to find her brothers once more but was tackled to the ground with a heavy weight holding her.
"Oof!" She grunted as she and her attacker had hit the ground. Pushing her attacker off, she was surprised to see that it was Jaune who had ran into her. 'The fates must be kind indeed.'
"Hello." She greeted him, trying to remain calm despite her excitement. The minstrel in front of her got to his feet and just stared at her with an unreadable expression. "It is nice to meet you once more, minstrel. Do you remember me?"
Standing up, she looked upon him with her best smile and dusted off the sand that had stuck to her clothing while never keeping her eyes of the man in her dreams. Just as she was about to step towards him, he had sprinted back into the alleyways of where he had jumped. "Wait!"
It would seem that her dream had been true after all. She would be chasing Jaune through the streets – she just hoped he would not vanish on her as he did in her dreamscape.
Jaune
The farmer could not believe how badly he had messed up. Not only had he lost his chance at catching his fated one, he had bumped into one of the soldiers. And her of all people. The same woman who had nearly caught him the last time.
"Hello." She greeted him. He would not be fooled by that calm exterior. Peter had nearly lost his life the same way. For now, he would choose to remain silent.
"It is nice to meet you once more, minstrel. Do you remember me?" She asked, giving a smile that he felt held nothing but sadistic intentions. Seeing her foot move forward, he instantly ran back through the alley he came from in hopes of losing her at a corner.
"Wait!" She shouted after him. She may have seen his face, but he would be damned to be caught so easily.
Turning a corner, he willed himself to become unseen and ducked under a crate so she would pass him by. And with a stroke of luck, she had ran past him with a full sprint. Getting up from his hiding spot, he was about to run in the opposite direction of her but cringed as his shirt had gotten caught on a nail head on the crate. What followed was him tripping and falling to the ground with sand kicking up in the air.
"There you are." He heard her a few buildings over.
Looking up from the ground, he saw her slowly walking towards him with a smile on her face that was foreboding. Obvisously, she was to make his death as slow and intimidating as possible. Panicking, he struggled to get his shirt free from the nail but cursed the fates as he could not for the life of him free it. Was this his consequence for failing to capture his fated one?
'NO!' He thought angrily, not willing to die so easily. He still had a mother and two sisters to take care of. His time would not be here like this!
Pyrrha
The redhead walked towards the struggling blonde as he tried to untangle his shirt from a crate. Using her eyes, she zoomed in to see it could be easily removed despite how tightly he had it tightened. Not wanting to intimidate him by rushing towards him, she took slow steps to show she meant him no harm. Just as she was just a few feet away from him, he did something that surprised her.
He had untangled himself from his shirt and left it stuck to the crate while quickly backing away from her. For a minstrel, his body was well toned as if he had been working hard in manual labor. It was nothing like a soldier's, but the muscles were well chorded and looked toned.
Snapping herself out of gazing at him too long, she saw that he was turning to run away from her once more. Not wanting to prolong the night, she sprinted towards him but cursed as he was disappearing again. Using the eyes she was blessed with, she hoped to somehow find him now that they were closer.
She failed to see any sign of him. Just as she was about to turn away and look elsewhere, she saw something shift on the ground. Focusing on where she saw movement, she caught the sands shift a bit and left an indent before another was made in front of it.
"I found you." She smiled, pointing to where she thought he would be. And she was elated the sands kicked up once more in a trail running away from her.
Jaune
He just had to stay quiet. He was invisible now. She would not be able to see him. As she kept scanning the place, he did his best to hold his breath and stop his frantic heart form beating too loudly. Just as she was turning, he shifted his foot to get ready to sneak into the closest alley. But as if luck had turned against him, she had whipped her head back and was now staring at him directly.
Had he stopped being invisible? Was she playing him the whole time? No. He believed he was still unseen. Hoping to quietly sneak past her, he made to tip toe but froze as she said something that scared him immensely.
"I found you." She whispered to him with finger jabbed in his direction.
Now panicking, he did what came best. He ran faster, not caring that he had been found. He ducked into alleys, turned corners, and even tried hiding under stall tables still out in the open. She had stuck close to him with her eyes focused on him alone.
After minutes of being chased, he cursed the fates and luck as he was stuck in a dead end and extremely tired from running and hiding non-stop. He couldn't focus on staying invisible being out of breath, so he was now visible to the whole world. And to make matters worse, the soldier was blocking his only way out of the dead end.
"You are quite fast for a minstrel." She laughed as she looked down on him as he sat on the cold sands.
If he didn't know better, he would say she was taunting him. How cruel of a soldier to play with a man's efforts to live only to taunt them and treat them as a toy. And like any cruel spoilt child, if the toy were to lose it's amusement, then it would be broken for new amusement.
Pyrrha
"You are quite fast for a minstrel." She complimented him, recognizing his strength. She giggled at the feeling inside her. It had been so long since she had ran around like a child.
The fates may have given her the dream where she would not catch him, but she had succeeded in doing so. Walking towards him, she knelt in front of him and placed her spear down to look him in the eye. Finally that she was in front of him, she could finally talk to him.
"Where did you get the power to turn into the winds?" She asked, the question having been in her mind for a while. "Are you one of us? Are you one of the blessed children?"
He refused to answer as he slowly backed away from her once more until his back had hit the walls. She didn't want to seem pushy, but he was giving her no choice with how he was acting.
"Minstrel." She called to him. Seeing him not looking to meet her eye, she tried a different approach. "Jaune."
That had gotten a response. His head had snapped up and he was looking at her with eyes wide in surprise and shock.
"Are you a son of our father?" She asked. Seeing him shake his head slowly, she went for the next that came to mind. "So a son of thunder and rain?"
As he shook his head once more, she became befuddled.
"Then who are you?" She asked, inching closer towards him. Just as she was near his feet, her eyes stung as sand had been thrown into her face. "Ah!"
Throwing a hand out to grab him, she felt a sensation as she had hold of him just as he was about to disappear. Clearing the sand from her face, she noticed how light the world felt. And just as that feeling had came it was gone once she felt her grip on Jaune yanked away.
She was still unable to see well, but she heard footsteps running away.
"Wait!" She cried out to him, wanting him to stay.
She wanted to feel it once more. That feeling of lightness. It was how she felt being free from her father and her siblings would feel like. And now, she was alone in the cold sands, kneeling in an alley where people feared her because of her blood.
Jaune
She knew his name. She knew his face. Those were the thoughts Jaune had as he held the redhead's spear in his hand, ready to skewer her where she knelt. He just had to thrust the pointed end into her chest. Just one quick thrust was all it took.
Sniff*Sob*
Hearing crying, he lowered the spear and slowly shifted around to look at the woman kneeling before him. True to his ears, she was crying with tears falling freely down her face. What was she to be sad for? She wasn't the one whose parents had been slaughtered. She didn't have to see loved ones taken into the temples and turned into slaves and breeding tools! She didn't have her friends killed on sight just for looking at the soldiers badly!
So why couldn't he just thrust her spear into her heart?
Because looking down at her, he didn't see a soldier. He saw a beautiful girl his age crying in a dead end alley alone. And what would he be to kill her in such a state? He'd be no better than them who killed the innocent who begged and cried for mercy.
This soldier- this girl- no. She has a name. And he knew what it was, just as she knew his.
"Pyrrha." He whispered, kneeling in front of her and placing her spear down.
Her voice hitched as she heard him whisper her name. Her eyes were still shut from the bits of sands still stuck inside. And it was his fault it was in there. Gently placing his hands on her face, he wiped the sands away and blew what he could until she could open her green orbs once more. But by the time she could see, he'd be far gone away from her.
He had walked the streets to find the one who would be his soulmate for life, but instead he had spared a life instead.
Pyrrha
After she could see well without the stinging in her eyes, Pyrrha had walked the alleys and the streets in hopes of finding Jaune once more. She did not know why, but she felt something from him.
Retracing her steps, she came across the area where he had been stuck. His shirt stayed stuck to the crate, easily mistaken for a rag. Chuckling at the memory of how he had ran off without it, she knelt down to disentangle it from the nail.
It was tattered and dirty with a few small holes in it's sides. It even held the smell of dirt and sweat. From what she could recall, it was even two sizes too big for him. For a minstrel, he seemed to dress poorly.
'Then again, he is no ordinary minstrel.' She thought, folding the clothing and tucking it under her arm.
She did not know why, but finding it and holding on to it gave her a bit of happiness. If she ever saw him again, maybe she could return it to him and talk without him running away like tonight.
"That always get's me every time." Pyrrha smiled as she closed the book on the finished chapter. "Well, if she can find comfort in her soon to be love's clothing, then so can I."
As she walked over to her chest to put the book away, she spotted something in Jaune's open closet that caught her attention. It was a rabbit. Not just any rabbit though. She knew that rabbit from her career being in that awful commercial and ad.
It was Pumpkin Pete. She remembered how no one would eat that cereal despite even her being on the cover. And the sale as so ludicrous you had to eat fifty boxes of the stuff just to get the hoodie.
'That's you? But they only do that for celebrities and cartoon characters.' She remembered her leader/crush's words the first time they met.
'Jaune ate the cereal.' She thought, her brain turning in motion. 'I was on the cereal. …Hmm.'
Taking off the normal hoodie, she went over to put on the Pumpkin Pete special hoodie. For some reason, it just felt right. Better than the other hoodies she would say.
END
AN: Hey all. So I'm on my Christmas break now. No classes until January or something.
If you guys didn't know, I posted a drawing I made of Arcwitch and Rosepin on deviant art. Took me a while to figure out how I wanted to draw them. At first I thought of making it a slow dance thing but then I went for Dance Dance Revelations.
SO!
Here's an ARKOS chapter. The two have met, kind of, and we see it isn't as quick paced love as canon made it. It's going to build up as they go dance through each other based on misunderstandings on viewpoints and intentions.
Maybe that's why I'm not a super heavy fan of Arkos as before. Most fics already have them falling for each other instantly on the first meeting with an obvious attraction or it just becomes something like a desperate choice because of Jaune not knowing Pyrrha and fanning over her. So for now, we have curiosity and conflicted hate and fear. How will it evolve into a synced platonic love? Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z. (Sorry, had to make this joke.)
