Hey guys it's me again. I can't thank you guys enough for the support this story has received so far. I don't own RWBY now onward with the story.


A boy who looked no older than fourteen desperately stumbled through the forest in the middle of the night. He had been running for hours now with no respite. He couldn't afford to stop now. He had to get help or else the people in town were going to die.

They came out of nowhere just as they were all settling in for the night. The sound of the dying scream of the Watchman was the only warning they received before they came. The Grimm had caught them terribly off-guard by their sheer numbers. The boy himself had never seen so much of them at once before. Dozens upon dozens of the foul creatures that seemed to be the stuff of nightmares converged onto the place.

The men who were able to fight did so to the best of their ability while others ran. They held them off for as long as they could. Women and children tried their best to get away from the chaos but some of their efforts were futile. More creatures were lying in wait and then...

The boy tried not to think about what happened next.

He had managed to get lucky and found a path into the woods that was devoid of Grimm. He felt like a coward for running away. Even if he reasoned that he was escaping to get help from one of the neighboring towns, he could not shake away the guilt of leaving people behind. At the very least, he should have taken some of them with him.

He was so lost in his depressing thoughts that he didn't see a protruding tree root from the ground and tripped on it. He landed on the ground hard and groaned.

It would have been so easy to just give up right then and there. He was tired, alone, and scared. All he wanted to do was lay down there on the forest floor, close his eyes, and pretend this was all some sick dream. Who knows? He might just wake up in his bed tomorrow and find everything just as they were before.

However, the faint sound of a twig snapping somewhere farther behind him followed by a feral growl brought him back to reality.

It took a great deal of effort but he managed to push himself back up on his feet. He ignored his protesting muscles and continued to sprint deeper into the forest. He had no idea where he was going but he knew he had to put some distance between him and whatever the hell was behind him.

He heard a long and piercing howl but he didn't dare waste time by looking back.

The boy burst through the dense foliage and found himself in a small clearing where he skidded to a halt as he beheld a strange sight.

In the middle of the small area was a sword embedded in a huge chunk of obsidian like rock...


Jaune woke up to the sound of a very cheery girl exclaiming. "Wake up lazy butt!"

He turned to look at his side and found a very peppy looking girl with short orange hair and turquoise eyes standing over the magenta haired guy, Ren he remembered. The girl seemed too hyper in the morning, more than Jaune would have liked. Where did she find the energy to be this cheerful in the morning? The blonde groaned as he conceded that since he was already awake, he might as well get ready.

"It's morning, it's morning, it's morning!" The girl repeated enthusiastically as Jaune headed for the bathroom to freshen up.

He yawned and stretched his arms as the events of the dream he just had played in his mind. It was weird, even for him and for some reason he felt uneasy about it. He saw everything from the boy's perspective and somehow, it felt oddly real. Jaune felt his legs pounding through the forest floor, the small branches scratching him as he raced by, and the fear of whatever it was that was chasing him.

Jaune shook it off for now and chalked it up to messed up nightmares. He couldn't afford to get distracted today.

After brushing his teeth, splashing some water on his face and changing into his usual clothes, he set about to packing up the bedroll he used. A few students were already up and about. He spotted Ruby and Yang still fast asleep and decided to give them a wake up call.

"Hey, guys, time to get up." He said and nudged the both of them.

Ruby groaned and mumbled sleepily. "Five more minutes..."

Her sister just rolled over to face away from him.

Jaune sighed. "You're really going to make me do this."

"Guys, guys wake up! You just slept through the initiation and it's over!" Jaune frantically shook the both of them.

That got their attention and they both sat up bolt upright, exclaiming. "What?!"

The both of them turned to a laughing Jaune Arc and Yang punched him hard on the arm for it.

"Ouch! Hey, it was either that or I splash water on you guys." Jaune said, rubbing the spot where the girl had decked him.

The two girls then proceeded to the bathroom after promising to catch up with him at breakfast. Jaune then made his way down to the cafeteria. He was still amazed by the sheer size of it. Dozens of long tables and benches were neatly arranged in rows. The tall windows provided ample lighting and a great view of the grounds. Some vending machines were placed along the walls of the cafeteria. Jaune's stomach rumbled as soon as he caught a whiff of the food.

He stacked up on the essentials like pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast, and some orange juice and found a table near one of the windows. He was about to attack his pancakes when Jaune caught sight of Weiss who had just entered. He had thought of multiple ways on how to sincerely apologize for the "incident" that occurred on the airship. The blonde figured he might as well get this over with.

Jaune stood up and approached her. She saw him and frowned a bit.

When he was close enough, he tried for a smile. "Uh, hello,"

She stopped in front of him and crossed her arms. "What do you want?"

He tried not to wince at the annoyed tone of her voice. "Uh listen, about the, you know, what happened yesterday, I am really sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you or throw up on your shoes. It's just that I get real airsick and—,"

"Okay look..." She said searchingly.

"Jaune,"

"Okay, look Jaune, I just want to forget the whole thing and I have a feeling you do too." Weiss said. "If you want to make it up to me, just stay away from me and prevent a repeat of what happened."

She then stalked off without giving him a chance to reply. He sighed as he slipped back into his seat. At least she was willing to overlook the incident. Thinking that things could've gone worse, he began to dig into his breakfast. The blonde was soon joined by Ruby and Yang after a few bites.

The younger girl was humming a happy tune and Jaune had to raise an eyebrow. "Someone's in a good mood today."

"Yep, no more awkward small talk. Today I get to let my sweetheart do the talking." She said cheerily.

Jaune looked to Yang. "She means her scythe."

"So what was that with you and the ice queen?" Yang asked as she took a seat across from him.

"I was just trying to make up for the airship thing." Jaune replied before taking a sip of his orange juice.

"How'd that work out for you?"

Jaune shrugged. "She doesn't hate me so it's a start I guess."

"At least she didn't give you a flyer when you tried to apologize." Ruby mumbled dejectedly. "I hope I don't end up on the same team as her."

Jaune had been hearing a lot of rumors about teams since last night. From what he knew, they should be grouped into a team of four. However, he didn't know how the teams would be formed. Some speculated that you get to choose your teammates and were already grouping themselves among their friends. Others say that it depended on you performance during initiation. This idea held a lot more credibility than the former since Jaune doubted that the school would allow them to form teams that were convenient for the students. Their job was to maximize each of their individual talents and create a group that is both efficient and balanced.

Still, these were only rumors. He couldn't fully rely on them due to the lack of evidence to the claim. All he could do now was to wait for the official version that would come from the staff.

The three of them finished breakfast and then headed for the locker rooms where their equipment was stored.


Pyrrha Nikos really hated her fame. From the moment she stepped on the airship, she had been swarmed by her avid admirers and fans. They showered her with praise for her skills and her good looks but that was about it. They never bothered to learn who she really was aside from the "Four Time Winner of the Mistral Regional Tournament".

Even when she was a student at Sanctum, her peers had given her a high status. She had always been at the top of her classes. While most of them admired her, she didn't fail to notice the looks of envy from some. People kept their distance from her because they felt that they could never measure up to her. This was one of the main reasons why she never made any true friends.

She had hoped that her time at Beacon would be different but unfortunately, it seems like her reputation followed her here.

As Pyrrha finished putting on her armor and her weapons, she heard a string of grumbling noises from a boy that was three lockers down from her. He was reaching for something on his back but couldn't quite grab hold of it. She saw that it was his armor strap. Seeing as it looked like he needed help, she decided to lend a hand.

"Here, let me." She told him and adjusted it for him.

"Thanks." He turned around and grinned at her.

It was the blonde boy who threw up on the ship. She didn't want to say this out loud because it might sound rude. Now that she was closer to him, Pyrrha could say that he was actually handsome. His messy blonde hair and his cocky half grin made him look roguish in some way. His dark blue eyes held an innocent quality in them.

"The name's Jaune by the way." He said and held up one hand.

She shook it. "I'm Pyrrha, Pyrrha Nikos."

He frowned a little thoughtfully when he heard the sound of her name. The redhead sincerely hoped that he wasn't like any of her fans. She took it as a good sign that Jaune didn't recognize her right away but she knew it was only a matter of time.

"Okay this might sound like a weird question but, aren't you the girl who's on the cover of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes?"

She knew it was too good to be true and mentally sighed. "Yeah, that's me."

"That's cool. They only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters." Jaune said. "My little sister will never believe the fact that I got to meet a real life cartoon character in person."

It took Pyrrha a moment to realize that he was joking. She had expected him to start asking for autographs or complimenting her looks. She knew he meant it as a joke because of the little grin he had. Plus the particular way he said it told her it wasn't meant as an insult.

"Well, she'll also never believe that her brother threw up on the ship before he even got here." She retorted, smiling a little to show she meant no foul.

His voice dropped into a conspiratorial whisper. "Hey, stop trying to ruin my rep. She's the only one of my siblings who thinks I'm super cool. Don't ruin it."

Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh at the silliness of it. Jaune smiled and laughed a little too. It had been so long since she had joked around with someone her age. It felt nice to just talk to someone who didn't see her as a celebrity. She definitely wanted to talk with this boy some more.

Unfortunately, the moment had to end.

The redhead saw the Schnee heiress approaching them and Pyrrha already knew where this was going. The girl had been following her around since yesterday. They had spoken a couple of times and she seemed nice enough so the redhead replied politely. However, she knew that Weiss was also an admirer of hers, given she was more formal and less forward than most.

"Good morning Pyrrha," Weiss greeted.

The redhead just smiled politely. "And to you as well, Weiss,"

"Are you ready for the initiation today?" Weiss asked. "Although I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle."

She just nodded along to what the girl said. Pyrrha has had a lot of practice in dealing with these situations. Sometimes it's best to just stay silent and listen to what the person wants to say about her. Although, she noticed that Weiss didn't bother to greet Jaune.

"Yeah don't mind me. I'm just the guy standing here like an idiot." Jaune mumbled, but Pyrrha heard him. She had to stifle a giggle at that.

"So Pyrrha, have you decided on whose team you would like to be on?" Weiss inquired.

I could think of some people. She thought, casting a quick glance at Jaune.

But out loud, she said. "I don't really know. I was planning to let the chips fall where they may."

"Well, I was thinking we could be on a team together." Weiss said trying to sound casual.

"That sounds grand." Pyrrha replied.

It was at that moment Jaune decided to let his presence be known. "Hi, remember me? The guy you've been ignoring for the past five minutes?"

Weiss crossed her arms. "Right, what do you want John?"

"First of, it's Jaune. Second, I just want to let you know that I don't think that's how the team placement will work."

"How do you know?" Weiss raised a skeptical eyebrow.

Jaune sighed. "Think about it. We're training to become Hunters, meaning we're going to have to undertake different kinds of missions and sometimes, you're going to have to work with different types of people. Sure, you might be able to pair up with persons you're comfortable with but it won't always be like that. During an emergency, you might be required to work with complete strangers to complete the mission. If that's the case, then you'll be expected to trust them with your life. Look, I'm not trying to pretend that I know how their team system works but I think it's better to be prepared for any situation."

Pyrrha was impressed by his insight. Clearly, he had given a lot of thought about this. She had to admit that he could be right about the formation of teams. He had even looked beyond that and used real scenarios that are very likely to happen. Jaune was evidently more intelligent than he looked.

Weiss was at a loss for words. She tried opening her mouth a couple of times for a reply but nothing came out.

Just then, the intercom blared out. "All first year students report to Beacon cliff for initiation. Again, all first year students report to Beacon cliff for initiation."

"Well, that's our cue." Jaune said. He gave Pyrrha a smile. "Nice meeting you. See you on the flipside I guess."

With that, he walked off and fell into step beside a tall blonde girl and a younger girl with a red cape and hood.

"He was nice." Pyrrha said absently as she watched the three of them walk out the locker rooms.

Weiss huffed. "He's annoying."

The redhead just smiled at the girl's impression of the blonde boy before following the other first years.


Jaune stood on a square metal platform facing the Emerald forest. He wasn't the only one. Each of the first years was standing on their own platforms lined up on top of the cliff. Ruby and Yang were on the spots next to him on the left. He also spotted Weiss and Pyrrha farther to the left.

He had to admit, he was glad that he got to have a short talk with the red haired girl before Weiss came along. If he were honest to himself, he thought that she would be a stuck up girl that was too engrossed in her fame to notice her peers. It looked quite the opposite in his opinion but he couldn't say for sure. Still, she was polite enough and pretty cool to talk to. Not to mention she was absolutely stunning with her long red hair and dazzling green eyes….

Okay, he was getting sidetracked there for a moment. He needed to focus right now. Luckily, he managed to get himself together just in time as Professor Ozpin spoke.

"Today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." The man announced.

"I'm sure many of you have heard the rumors about the assignment of teams." Glynda said. "Allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates…..today."

Jaune heard Ruby let out a small whine at that.

Professor Ozpin continued. "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone whom you can work well."

Jaune saw Weiss giving him a triumphant smirk.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Ruby looked devastated and gave an indignant cry. "What?!"

The smirk fell off Weiss' face and Jaune gave her a smug look.

She glared at him and mouthed, shut up.

Professor Ozpin then began to outline the task for their initiation. Basically, after partnering up, they needed to find an abandoned temple, retrieve a relic, and bring it back here. It sounded simple enough. Oh wait, the man also mentioned meeting some opposition so Jaune could deduce that the forest was most likely infested with a bunch Grimm waiting to ambush them. As an added bonus, the instructors get to sit back and watch teens get mauled or killed by monsters without interfering with the task. Yippee.

Despite all that Jaune flexed his shoulders and grinned. He didn't spend the last seven years training just to wimp out now.

Hey, nobody said this was going to be easy. Besides, where would the fun be if it was?

"Now are there any questions?" Professor Ozpin asked.

He paused for a beat and continued. "Good. Take your positions."

They all got into a stance and Weiss was the first to be launched into the air. Jaune bent his knees a little and watched as another kid was propelled into the air. He took note of the brief intervals before each student was sent flying so that he could time his own platform and add some force to his jump. He needed to get this right so that he could maximize his jump and maybe try to clear more distance that way.

Pyrrha was launched next and after three seconds the next student was sent flying. When the short haired girl was launched, he heard a distinct clicking sound just before the platform activates. That sound would be his indicator of when he needed to jump.

Jaune shared a look with Ruby and Yang. "Last one to the temple has to buy everyone sodas?"

Ruby smirked. "You're on Vomit Boy."

Yang took out a pair of aviator shades and winked at them before putting it on. Not a second later, she was launched into the air. After a brief pause, Ruby followed.

One…Two…Three!

Jaune heard the clicking noise and just as the platform activated, he used his legs to kick off from it like a spring board and before he knew it, he was sailing through the air.

"Yeah!" Jaune shouted as he flew through the air.

It was exhilarating. He could feel the wind whipping through his hair and clothes. He felt like a bird soaring through the sky. He wished he could savor this moment a bit longer but unfortunately, the rational part of his brain told him that it won't be as much fun to plummet to his death if he didn't find a safe way to land soon. He was nearing the highest point of his flight and soon gravity will start affecting him again.

Jaune managed to glimpse the different landing strategies the others used.

Ruby was using the recoil of Crescent Rose to slow her descent.

Weiss had used strange glyphs as platforms.

Yang looked like she was having a blast. Instead of using the recoil from her gauntlets to slow her fall, she was using them to propel her forward. It was actually a pretty smart move and she could probably pull it off.

Pyrrha used her shield to smash through the thick branches that got in her way.

Now that he was falling rapidly, he needed to think of some way to avoid getting splattered all over the forest floor. The only way he could think of was to bounce off of different tree branches or trunks to gradually lessen his momentum. As luck would have it, he found the perfect spot for him to do it.

He managed to grab onto a thick tree branch with both of his hands and swung to the next one. He quickly kicked off from the next branch as soon as his feet made contact with the wood. He quickly tucked into a roll when he landed on the ground and came up in a crouched position.

Not bad, if he did say so himself.

Now he had to find that abandoned temple and retrieve that relic. But first, he needed a partner. Ozpin said that the first person they made eye contact with would immediately be his partner for the next four years. If so, all he needed to do was to avoid eye contact with anyone he did not want to be paired with. He quickly ran through the list of possible teammates as he began to hurriedly trudge north.

Ruby was definitely on the list. She might be two years younger but there was no denying her capabilities. Her skills with Crescent Rose were nothing to sneeze at. Plus she was already his friend so that just made things easier.

Yang was also a good choice. He may not know the extent of her skills with those gauntlets but judging from the way she carried herself, he knew that she was definitely a powerhouse. She was also fun to hang out with so that was a bonus.

Then there was Pyrrha. Jaune knew that she was definitely a force to be reckoned with. She didn't get famous for her looks alone. From what he remembered about his sister's gushing about her idol, she had won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row. That itself spoke volumes of her skill.

So now he had three candidates for partners. He just had to be careful and avoid running into anyone else. Jaune also had to stay on the lookout for any other threats. Speaking of which…

A growl came from his left and Jaune managed to jump out of the way as an Ursa burst through the trees and took a swipe at him. He drew Excalibur and activated his shield. The creature circled him for a moment before charging again.

Jaune held his ground at the last moment. He raised his shield to block a swipe from the bear like creature and rolled to the side. He quickly got into a ready position and gripped his sword tighter. As soon as the Ursa turned to face him, it was over.

The blonde swung Excalibur in a deadly overhead cut and cleanly decapitated the creature.

Jaune stared at the disintegrating body of the Grimm and sheathed his sword. He was once again reminded of the fact that this wasn't a game. He needed to remain vigilant. More creatures were lurking somewhere in this forest and he had no intention of running into them all.

A rustling bush caught his attention and he was immediately on alert.


Weiss cursed as her dress got snagged on another bush. She had no time for this, she had to find Pyrrha or at least someone that won't slow her down and get that stupid relic. She only hoped that the girl hasn't found another partner yet. Her plan of becoming the best Huntress Beacon has ever known could only be done if she had the proper teammates.

Weiss prayed that she never ended up on a team with that Ruby girl or Jaune.

Her first day had been a disaster from the moment that stumbling idiot bumped into her. To top it off, he even barfed on her shoes, the nerve of that guy. After that, this girl dressed in a red hood and cape decided to knock over her stuff and caused a dust explosion. What a wonderful way to start at Beacon.

Suddenly, she heard the sounds of a battle nearby. Weiss drew her rapier, Myrtenaster, and cautiously made her way to the source. After a few moments, the sounds stopped and she only heard the sound of her footsteps. She scanned the vicinity but she couldn't see anyone nearby.

"Hello?" She called out. Weiss held her weapon at the ready.

She heard a twig snap somewhere and she whipped back around, prepared to skewer any Grimm that jumped out. She waited for a moment but nothing came out. She resumed her previous course when she heard a rustle in the bushes. Now she was starting to feel a bit nervous.

She took another look behind her and still found nothing.

It was then she was suddenly attacked from behind and someone covered her mouth. She was about to shout and stab whoever dared to jump her when she heard him speak.

"Wait! It's only me!" She knew that voice. "Don't scream and please don't kill me when I let go, okay?"

Her mouth was released and she turned around to find Jaune standing behind her with his eyes closed.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Weiss demanded. "Don't startle me like that! I could have killed you."

"Sorry, but I had to act first. Otherwise you would've killed me anyways." Jaune replied. He still had his eyes shut for some reason.

"What do you mean by that? And why are your eyes closed?"

"Well, you see…" Jaune started to say but a terrible realization just dawned on Weiss.

"No, no, no! This can't be happening to me." Weiss complained. "Of all people, I get stuck with you as my teammate."

Jaune frowned. "Gee thanks. Look, I know I'm probably the last person you want to be partnered with so when I saw you approaching I had to think fast."

"You're not making any sense."

"That's because you keep interrupting me." Jaune said, slightly annoyed. "Remember what professor Ozpin said back at the cliff? He said that the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner. So all I have to do is avoid eye contact with you."

He then pointed to his closed eyes. "I saw your dress through the bushes. You don't exactly blend in."

"So technically…" Weiss said, piecing things together. "We're not teammates?"

"No. Only if you want to be but I don't think that I was the one you had in mind." Jaune said, unknowingly talking to a tree.

The way he said it sounded a bit depressed to Weiss. He hid it well but she could tell that he was used to being rejected a lot which made her feel bad. He had been trying to apologize to her about the incident on the airship since this morning and now here he was going an extra mile for her because he knew that she didn't like him.

What had she done in return? She had been rude and stuck up around him. Now she felt even worse because when she actually thought about it, he wasn't really a bad guy. Clumsy sure, but she had seen him cracking jokes at breakfast with Ruby and her sister that got the three of them laughing.

"So if we're not going to be partners, then I'll be on my way." Jaune said, before walking straight into a tree.

For the first time in a long while, Weiss let a genuine smile show on her face. He was definitely accident prone. Strangely enough, he actually looked kind of cute with his face all scrunched up like that.

"Thanks Jaune. You can open your eyes now." Weiss said and turned around to avoid eye contact. "And apology accepted."

Without waiting for his reply, she began to walk off in the other direction.


And that's done! And just to let you guys know I'm going to be sticking to the cannon teams. I've thought about rearranging the teams but I just couldn't think how and who to put where and it just didn't feel right. The story will somewhat follow cannon with a lot of differences and it will definitely diverge from cannon at some points that will affect the story. Also, what do you guys think about this last scene? Pyrrha better watch out mwahaha.

Anyways remember to leave a review!