Welcome to chapter 11!

Er… That's all I have to say. Moving on!

He could not look at her. He could not speak to her. He was not, as they said, 'worthy of her presence'. And yet, even though he accepted that, he still wanted to be with her. He wanted Weiss Schnee to look at him.

He remembered the night the White Fang attacked. Team RWBY was up looking at shooting stars, and Nora had suggested doing the same. He had, however, no interest in doing something like that, not when it was something that lovers tended to do.

He was just some other guy, and he was hopelessly normal. That may not have been such a bad thing, if not for the fact that he was attending a school for elite fighters.

Everyone here, no matter how unskilled they might be, was superior to him in some way. In a place like this, there was no way for someone like him to fit in. In a place like this, there was no way he could find someone akin to a friend. A lover. An equal.

And despite his mediocrity, that man had made him a leader. Despite his inability, his team followed him. Despite his lies and weaknesses, she did not give up on him.

When Jaune first met her, Pyrrha Nikos was just some other girl. He found it odd that she would be wearing armor, but this was a combat school after all. He had believed that she was normal – quirky, but commonplace – because he had not felt anything special from her. Unlike Weiss, whose vibe was one of sheer confidence and perfection, Pyrrha Nikos felt closer to Jaune as an individual.

But when he found out that she was someone skilled – someone worthy of mention – he understood. Who was he kidding, telling himself that he was possibly similar to someone here? There was nobody in this place who would lose to him; they were the legitimate fighters, and they were the real Hunters. Who was he to look down on anyone, or even look at them like he was their equal?

Even though he knew all that, he persevered. Even though he accepted how pathetic he was, he did not give up; such was the will of an Arc. That was when he started to question his own feelings.

Why was he attracted to Weiss? Was it simply because she was beautiful? Was it because she was rich? If it was, he would punch himself for being so stupid. No; he wanted to be with her because she was perfect. She was the splitting image of perfection, be it in studies or combat. She was everything that he wanted to become, and she had what he wanted right at her fingertips. He wanted to be like her, and he idolized that perfection. He aspired to be like Weiss, and that admirations had led him to believe he was in love. But those feelings, as swiftly as they had surfaced, faded away before he realized she could never reciprocate his feelings.

She was perfect, but that also meant he could never reach her level. He had admired her strength, but it was ultimately because it was something he could not have. She was perfect, but she was ultimately distant – a forever faraway goal that commoners like him could only see, but never reach no matter how hard they tried. She would never look down all the way and see him, nor notice his struggles. How could she possibly come to love a man like that?

Perhaps he realized it the moment he first met her. Perhaps he understood it in the first words they exchanged. Perhaps he had just tried to pretend that he was unaware, but Jaune Arc knew that he was a man whom Weiss Schnee could never love. Maybe it was because of this that he paid more attention to the woman known as Pyrrha Nikos.

Pyrrha was perfect, but she was not the same as Weiss; he had treated her like a normal girl because of her different vibe after all. Unlike the white-haired heiress, Pyrrha felt… normal. Regardless of results, regardless of actual ability, Pyrrha did not give off the impression of a celebrated figure of power. No matter how well she did, he could not once think of her as simply being talented, and that he could never catch up; he could only think that someday, he might just be able to do the same.

The more he looked at his partner – his teammate – the more Jaune began to realize why. Pyrrha may be as good as, if not more so, than Weiss, but she was ultimately a normal girl. She was not exceedingly talented, and she had no head start in life; all her results were proof of her unrelenting efforts. Unlike those hailed as geniuses and prodigies, Pyrrha was someone who carved her own way to the top with her own blood, sweat and tears. She climbed up with hard work, she overcame weakness with resilience and she emerged victorious through sheer will – she was living proof that even normal people could achieve great things if they tried hard enough. Even if she stood at the top, Jaune felt no sense of idolization towards her. Instead, beyond being proud of her, he was even hopeful.

She was once someone common, someone whom people paid no attention to. Even now, she might still be a regular person like Jaune was. Watching her did not make Jaune feel jealous, or berate himself for his own worthlessness; it gave him hope that he might someday do the same.

For the first time since he entered Beacon, Jaune Arc had found someone he could almost call his 'equal'. She was far ahead, but she was not someone he could never reach. She was far ahead, but she was not a goal; she was a runner as well. Even though she was so much better than he was, Jaune had the mysterious feeling that she was right next to him at the same time. She was just as incredible as Weiss Schnee was, but she was so much closer to where he – where the mediocre people – was.

For the first time ever, Jaune felt that he had found a friend in Pyrrha Nikos. At that time, however, he failed to realize how important he was to her precisely because of that.

"Ah, I'm pooped…" Jaune sighed, lying on the floor without concern for his clothes. Granted, they were plenty dirty as is, so he probably did not need to care. Looking up at the ceiling of the Lighthouse, he sighed again. "Why can't I win?"

"Good work today," Pyrrha praised, handing him a cup of water. "You did great, so don't worry; I'm really surprised how much you've improved."

"Yeah, Ruby's a great teacher," Jaune replied. "Thanks to her, I've learned a few good tricks."

"I-is that so…" Pyrrha said halfheartedly, looking away with a dejected expression on her face. She was not jealous of Jaune getting along with Ruby; the two of them shared an uncanny chemistry, whether because of their shared social awkwardness or their responsibility as team leaders she did not know. However, Pyrrha herself had been Jaune's sparring partner and teacher back in Beacon, and while the natural blonde had been thankful for her help, he had never once said what he just said to her. "T-that's great, isn't it?"

"No kidding," Jaune replied, completely oblivious to Pyrrha's downcast mood. "I wouldn't want to be a burden to the team when we attack the base."

"Say, Jaune…" Pyrrha began nervously. "Y-you remember that night at Cardin's when I woke up?"

"Oh, y-yeah," Jaune nodded awkwardly, refusing to meet Pyrrha's eyes. When Pyrrha had pulled him into an overwhelming kiss back then, he had absolutely no idea what was going on. Even after escaping to safety, there was a few times where he thought it had been a dream – a delusion born from his lack of popularity with women. However, Pyrrha's one simple question brought him back to reality, as well as the fact that they had really kissed. "What about it?"

"I… I didn't know what I was doing at the time," Pyrrha said weakly. "I was just confused, and when I found out that we were safe I was just so glad I k-kiss… I kissed you because you were the only one around. I-it was an accident, so could we forget about it?"

Jaune said nothing, forcing Pyrrha to wait while enduring the heavy silence. She was secretly glad that Team RWBY was still outside, or she would probably die of embarrassment.

"So that's what it was," Jaune replied at last, managing a weak smile. "Man, you should have said so earlier, Pyrrha; you had me nervous for a while there."

Pyrrha bit her lower lip, not saying anything but also unable to hide the fact that her lips were quivering.

"It's okay, I understand," Jaune replied, offering her a slightly wider smile. "We'll let bygones be bygones. It never happened, okay?"

"R-right," Pyrrha managed, standing up and leaving the room. "I'm… going out for some fresh air. See you later, Jaune."

"Yeah, sure thing," Jaune replied lightly, waving her goodbye.

"Jaune," Nora spoke up suddenly, standing in front of Jaune while reaching for something behind her back.

"Hmm? What's up, Nora?" Jaune asked, completely oblivious to the dangerous aura emanating from his teammate.

"I'm going to break your legs, okay?" Nora asked, beaming widely as she unfolded her beloved Magnhild.

"Eh?" Jaune's eyes went wide as he processed that question. "W-wait a minute, Nora! W-why are you saying such dangerous things with a smile? W-what are you doing with that- WAAH!"

With a loud crashing sound, Nora created a dent in the ground right next to Jaune, catching a few strands of his blond hair in her swing. Folding up her hammer and giving Jaune an annoyed glare, Nora followed after Pyrrha.

"Nora, stop," Ren caught up to her somewhere in the middle of the passage, where only a faint flicker of light managed to creep into the space. He placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "Let them figure this out on their own."

"I can't just sit back and watch, Ren!" Nora exclaimed, turning to face her childhood friend. Her eyes were wet, but she did not bother hiding them from him.

"This is their relationship," Ren reminded her calmly. "We promised Pyrrha that we'd stay out of it; she wants to settle her feelings for Jaune by herself. She doesn't want to depend on anyone else for her own love, Nora."

"B-but I can't stay out of it!" Nora cried, burying her face in Ren's chest. She was still holding back her tears, but her voice was shaky. "I'm happiest when we're all together! Don't you feel the same way, Ren?! It's because we're all together that you're talking so much, and you're laughing so much now!"

Ren held his tongue, bringing up a hand to stroke Nora's hair. He did not know what to say to that; she was right after all.

"I don't want those happy memories to stay in the past!" Nora said. "I want us to laugh more, Ren… You, me, Jaune and Pyrrha… Together with Team RWBY. I don't want Pyrrha to be sad; even if she gets dumped, I want her to be able to laugh again because she knows she tried! I don't want her to keep it all bottled up inside her like that!"

"Calm down, Nora," Ren comforted. "I want you… I want us to be able to laugh again as well, provided you don't take pictures," he added, making Nora giggle. "But as friends, let's have faith in them, alright?"

"I guess…" Nora said reluctantly, pouting as she pulled away from Ren. "One condition: you smile for me!"

"As you wish," Ren replied, smiling gently at his Queen of the Castle. Planting a soft kiss on her forehead, he ruffled her hair as continued: "Don't be hasty, Nora. The day will come when we can all have fun together without any of this insanity in our lives."

"Can I break Jaune's legs then?" Nora asked hopefully. Ren chuckled.

"Of course you can."

… I don't know why, but I have the sudden urge to punch Jaune in the face right now.

Quite a bit of Jaune in this chapter. Thought I'd give a little bit more background to the Mr. Arc in this story, so this chapter happened. It almost makes you forget how messed up the world is in this story, huh? If it does, yay! If not, I'm sorry; I'll try harder next time.

Till next chapter!