Disclaimer: I own nothing of RWBY which belongs to Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Owm.

Chapter 10: Where Ruby has a Minor Role

A week passed. A week passed since Cardin Winchester was hospitalised. A week passed since Jaune Arc was 'punished' with supplementary lessons on leadership and how to manage his team. A week passed since he found out that his team was involved in said incident.

A week passed since Cinder Fall apologised for her unsaid actions. A week passed since Cinder pretty much changed to the point that it almost seemed like she was getting along with the team. Jaune didn't mind it, he wasn't the type to hold grudges to begin with and Ruby accepted it as well being the same kind of person as her leader.

"Am I the only one to find it strange that Cinder is getting on too well with the team?" asked Pyrrha.

But there was one person that really hadn't accepted the woman all this time. Sure they shared a room, sparred against each other and even managed to work together but Pyrrha Nikos still held her dislike of Cinder.

Jaune grunted as he blocked another one of her blows before retreating back more and more so he wouldn't get his ass kicked as quickly as usual.

"Pretty much" he said. "I've been Cinder go over to Team RNBY's place to play some games with Ruby, Yang and Nora. I really pity Ren at those moments."

"She did?" Pyrrha paused in surprise and he took the opportunity to attack her. Sure he wasn't the best fighter around with unmatched power, speed or skill but he made sure he was a decent fight at least.

Of course, Pyrrha being as skilled as she is didn't slow down at all at blocking and counter-attacking his attacks with ease before disarming him just as easily. Not minding the end of the spar, Jaune continued to speak with his team-mate.

"Yeah I was invited a couple of times and my partner really mellowed out when it came to anything involving Ruby" he said before pondering in thought. "It looked like she was becoming be childish…or rather acting more like her age with her."

"I see, so Ruby has a good effect on her" Pyrrha smiled.

Jaune had a feeling that she was praising her partner in her head rather than anything else. Taking a moment into consideration he shrugged thinking that it wasn't his job to change the opinions of his team-mates.

"And in a way Cinder had been good for Ruby" he added. "She's a lot more focused on her studies and training for one. And I don't need to worry that she would charge into a horde of Grimm with her only plan being 'slice them all up' anymore."

The red-head blushed hearing that. It had been a previous training exercise to get him used to fighting Grimm that the team had encountered a large number of Grimm. Naturally, Ruby was the one who attacked first and ended up needing to be saved when more and more Grimm came out.

He never let the tiny girl forget that. And he made sure to tell Yang as well.

"That…" Pyrrha furrowed her face in trying to think of an excuse for Ruby but couldn't. "Well you make a good point. But thinking that Cinder had a good effect on her…"

"She wasn't exactly the best at friending people without outright manipulating them you mean?"

"Pretty much" she sighed. "At this point I don't think she even has any true friends-well those who would call her a friend no matter what aside from you and Ruby. And that may be due to your personalities than anything else."

"I'm not the kind of guy that holds a grudge for long. Sure Cardin was a mean bully but in the end he turned out alright, if a bit scared of me for some reason. I really needed a day for me to forgive Cinder in the end" Jaune smiled.

"You mean the fact that Cinder flashed you?" Pyrrha smiled back at him but it was strangely…frightening.

"Eh?"

Jaune was wondering how the hell she knew that. He knew for a fact that the red-head took a morning run and wasn't in the room with them when that all happened.

"Ruby told me" she answered the unasked question. "She was in the room and woke up after you screamed. A few moments later you came out looking quite pleased with yourself."

He could feel a groan coming. He was not a pervert...just a teenager which admittedly was the same thing as being a pervert.

"Strangely enough, your attitude towards her went from frosty to slightly warm" there was a strange glint in her eyes that made him rapidly back away. Jaune felt that if he was too close to her right now, he would be harmed in a bad way.

"There was no real reason for that!" he argued.

But it seemed his words didn't reach her as a sweeping blow knocked him off his feet. He grunted feeling his arm numbing where he had blocked with his shield. He had forgotten a bit, the fact that Pyrrha was strong in a physical sense along with being fast and skilful.

Eyes glaring down at him, the blonde felt a shiver that he might lose something important soon if he didn't do anything.

"Pyrrha wait! Have mercy on me!" he cried.

Pyrrha ignored him as she went for her weapon that transformed into its javelin form before a blur of red impaled it in between his legs. Jaune had a feeling that he had pee a bit seeing how closer she was to hitting that place.

Looking up, he had expected the face of a wrathful woman but-

"Pu…haahahahahaaaa!"

-Saw the sight of his team-mate's shoulders shaking while she laughed at him. Strangely enough, the sound of her laughter reduced all the bad feelings he started to have against her disappear in an instant.

More than that, a part of him sighed in relief that she wasn't his enemy.

He could deal with Ruby who he treated like a younger sister. He could even deal with Cinder by threatening her which was surprisingly effective (though her training becomes vicious when he does do that). But he never really had to deal with Pyrrha before.

She was so…selfless when it came to things other than Cinder. Jaune wasn't sure on how the red-head saw the interactions of their partners as but as the leader of the team he was pretty sure that Cinder brought out the worse in the champion. And that was a good thing.

In a way he was 'lucky' that he had a selfish partner compared to Ruby who had a 'selfless' one. The blonde knew that he could always count on Cinder to do whatever it took to make sure she got out on top even if it meant trampling over other people. Pyrrha was the opposite of that and he didn't envy Ruby when it ever came for Pyrrha to decide over herself or other people.

"Did you really think I would attack you like that?" she grinned.

He glared at her, "Of course I did. I didn't think you were the type to make pranks like that. Distasteful pranks as well."

"Is it bad for me to have a sense of humour?"

Jaune stared at her for a moment-actually, several moments before actually groaning this time, "Damnit, you've gained Cinder's sense of humour. I should've seen this coming."

"Wait, what?!" the red-head looked startled before grabbing him by the collar. "What do you mean I gained Cinder's sense of humour? I have not been influenced by her at all!"

"Then why do you like beating me down whenever I somehow make you mad?" he asked trying to push down the urge to vomit from all the shaking.

Pyrrha paused in her shaking before avoiding his gaze, "Well…when I think about you getting along with another wo-person I get this tingling feeling to hurt you for some reason? And the only person that I really know that actually does that to you is…"

For some reason the prospect of Pyrrha's…tingling feeling was much much more frightening than the fact that Cinder was a general sadist when it came to punishing people including him. For some reason he had a feeling that this red-head was much more dangerous than Cinder.

Unfortunately she still had him trapped in reach and he couldn't run away, or say something bad to her. Not to mention she seemed to have instinctively nested her knee into his stomach and was starting to grind him using said knee.

"Yep definitely Cinder's influence there. I bet that you would use your feet like her if you were standing over me instead of being so close" he grunted. It was painful but he was used to pain at this point.

Seeing the position they were in, Pyrrha's face turned red before leaping away in a hurry. Of course, she managed to accidentally kick him in the process. He let another grunt out due to that but didn't really mind.

…Was he becoming a masochist? Hopefully not, though not something that surprising considering Cinder…

Yeah he needed to work more on his authorities act around his partner. She seemed strangely cooperative whenever he temporary acted like.

"Moving the conversation back to something less awkward" he started to say while his team-mate was struggling to apologise to him as well, "How is Cinder with you? I mean I know she's getting along fine with Ruby but I want to know more about you."

"So-so" she managed to shrug after calming down a bit.

"Instead of friends, we more like…rivals I guess? Maybe sparring partners since Miss Goodwitch always seem to pair us together. Those times are always interesting since I rarely fight against Dust users on her level" she explained.

"Doesn't she usually make those swords or her bow when she spars with you? I don't see how that's part of her Dust abilities."

"Apparently really skilled Dust users can specialise in certain dust usage. Cinder seemed to have went towards the path to use dust to temporary create weapons" she suggested.

"It's probably a semblance thing but Cinder has a lot of control of fire. Think of Yang with her semblance letting her go up in flames and think about what someone with the ability to control fire to a high degree can do. Well, that's my theory on how she can create those weapons. They feel like glass when I hit them" she added.

"…Somehow I'm not surprise that Cinder was using glass weapons to fight you."

"That seems the norm to someone as strange as your partner. She went from being a mysterious powerful possible threat to someone I could honestly befriend only because she is somehow worse than me in making friends."

"You mean that she become normal to you?"

"No…not normal" she shook her head. "She's a bit like me in the end and I don't really like the comparison."

Jaune raised an eyebrow before saying, "So you're worried that people see you as strange? Don't worry too much about that, both of you are normal as far as I'm concern."

Seeing the red-head look at him he continued, "Both of you have things you like, things you dislike and can be nice or evil when you both feel like it. That's pretty much normal to me in the end."

"You think I'm normal?" she whispered. The strange glint came back to her eyes and Jaune instinctively felt that that was the wrong thing to say. Seeing her grip her weapon more lovingly by the moment he decided to bolt.

"Anyway, I think I have a report to write up for tomorrow. Nice sparring with you Pyrrha!"

He ran away.

If he stayed and looked for a few moments more he would've been the red flushed face of Pyrrha who was strangely turned on by the proclaiment of his. It was too bad he didn't. If he did, his life would've been a lot simpler and filled with less danger than if he didn't.

-o-

Cinder had a sense that something had happened. Of course, with her mind she could tell that whatever happened had reinforced the little crush the red-head towards her partner. Pitiful as she could tell that Jaune was quite dense when it came to matters of romance like all boys his age.

Well most, she preferred to not think of Mercury when it came to teenage romance. Sometimes it looked as if her subordinates' rants to each other were flirting. At those times, she took a long sleep as delusions were bad for the mind.

"So what did my idiot partner say to you?" she asked before seeing her face. "You look happy."

Pyrrha touched her cheek and noted, "Yes, yes I am. Jaune told me something that I had been hoping for-no he simply reconfirmed why I wanted him to be my partner to begin with."

"You do realise that Jaune is my partner right?" Cinder's eyebrow arched.

If she was irritated, the red-head didn't show it, "Yes I know. Back then I thought you were a thieving bitch but at the same time was a bit glad that Ruby didn't fall under your hands."

"And now?" she was a bit curious on her opinion on her.

"You're a lying bitch with an agenda but I guess I can leave the safety of Ruby in your hands once in a while."

"You're…a lot more blunt with your words when no one else is with us" Cinder muttered. The fact that someone so famous could even say those words was surprising as media attention practically moulded them to be at least, polite to everyone by instinct.

"I can be more like what I actually think when it comes to the team" Pyrrha shrugged, "It's just that I don't like you and I can show you how I feel about you like this. I'm perfectly polite when it comes to Jaune and Ruby though."

"Nice for me to have this…pleasure" she replied.

Perhaps she was wrong about the champion. When she saw her the first time, the first thing that popped up in her mind was that she was surprisingly easy to manipulate due to the sheer fact she was the stable 'hero' personality where they are completely selfless and therefore easily used by others.

Now? While Pyrrha was still that frustrating level of selflessness that simply irritated her from time to time, it was mixed with a spice known as selfishness. For some reason, this made her happy.

At least she would be more interesting to rile up, she thought.

"Anyway" she moved to a different topic. If she didn't they would be talking about Jaune for far longer than she would've liked. She was already thinking too much of him. "Have you heard about the dance?"

"Wasn't an older team dealing with the preparations?"

"Not currently. Apparently that team just got a new mission so Ruby and Yang suggested that they would deal with the preparations for them" she replied. "Which means Team JCNR and Team RNBY will be together in dealing with this."

"Huh…" Pyrrha elegantly answered.

"I was surprised as well when Yang told me that Ruby set up the arrangement" she shrugged. "However, both our teams are now responsible for the dance event which doesn't actually do us or rather Jaune much favours. We may need to step down our training for him to act 'leader-like' with Ren."

"I highly doubt Jaune and Ren are the types of…people to know how to decorate for a dance" said Pyrrha cautiously.

Cinder laughed to that, "Of course, they are men after all. The most they would have to do to prepare for the dance is to buy and wear a close enough fitting tuxedo that would at most take them minutes. We have to arrange to order our dresses."

"Dresses" Pyrrha mumbled before asking, "How long do we have until this dance exactly?"

"Around a month. That should be enough time to get dresses for everyone and maybe a spare or two if…accidents happen."

"Are you implying something?"

"No no, not at all" she waved her hands. "Why would you think that I-oh, of course. My apologises again. I did not mean to imply that Pyrrha. It's just that I prefer to have a back-up or two just in case something does happen so we don't need to rush to get a new dress or replace one."

"That makes sense. And I'm thinking that we get our dresses the same time as Ruby and the others? I doubt that Yang wouldn't let the opportunity to dress up her sister pass" Pyrrha chuckled.

"Well it would be interesting to see Ruby's jealous gaze" Cinder mused. "We are after all more developed than her on contrary to the difference in our ages. Although I doubt that even two years later she would be that developed."

Cinder looked in amusement as Pyrrha blushed to her words and remembered that despite her fame and skill in dealing with crowds with an exceptionally well-crafted fake smile, she was as innocent as Ruby when it came to certain matters.

And surprisingly enough love and dating.

The black-haired woman could tell that Jaune was digging his presence in their team-mates hearts. The fact that Jaune managed to do this unconsciously made her snicker as it was align to some of the 'plot' of Blake's books.

"A-Anyway" Pyrrha stuttered, "Have you told Jaune about this yet?"

"Not yet. I just got out of the conversation with Yang who told me about this. That and I was about to count on you to relay the message to Jaune until you mentioned something about Jaune forgiving me and all" she replied.

"Ah, I guess we can tell him together?" the red-head said hopefully.

"Sure" she agreed easily enough. One of the best things that happened due to the incident with Cardin and dealing with him was that Pyrrha remarkably was opening up more towards her.

And for her plans…whether they would change or not, being on good terms with someone so skilled and known to the world was only a good thing. Heck, she might as well do a favour for the red-head when it came to her romance prospects.

"Pyrrha…how would you like to seduce Jaune?" she whispered the sweet offer in the other girl's ear.

-o-

"Our dresses are ordered and fitted to perfection, the dance preparation are more or less complete, what are we missing?" Cinder asked the rhetorical question to the rest of her female team-mates.

"Free cookies are the dance-"

"A date" she stated over Ruby's voice. Looking over to Pyrrha she asked, "Has anyone asked you out?"

"No and I think I know the reason why" Pyrrha sighed. Cinder didn't have much pity for the girl. Her fame, reputation and attitude were getting into the way of someone asking her out. The same could be said for her…and for Ruby as well.

Not to mention that the only person Pyrrha would ask or want to be asked out by is Jaune and Cinder had mixed feelings about that. Jaune was hers for good reason. Months of work have been made into moulding him from a blubbering fool to someone she can actually take seriously.

"Yang scares all the boys away" Ruby on the other hand whined about her inability to get a date. That was more understandable, if people weren't scared of Yang then they were scared of dating someone so apparently younger in appearance, age and mentality.

Of course, she didn't have a date either but she might have one soon and so would the rest of her team.

"In that case we have no dates and will be forced to go to the dance with Jaune as a team. Quite boring don't you think?" a smirk came on her face at that exact moment.

The pair of partners knowing her as much as they did, they gave her questioning looks before they were turned into looks of shock and awe to her plan.

Jaune wouldn't know what hit him.

-o-

The month towards the dance that seemed to be on everyone's lips seemed to pass by in a blur. Preparations for the dance were made and combined with all the things Jaune usually did, there wasn't much room for any kind of entertainment (he sometimes manages to slip away to read a couple comics now and then).

Of course the usual problems of getting stronger as soon as possible and making sure to keep his ruse that he entered Beacon with legitimate means secrets continued to push him forward far more than his distance dreams of being a Hero, a Huntsman.

"Damn damn damn. Why is there even a choice for people going to the dance together" he mumbled.

He was pacing, that was never a good sign. Ren was currently being dragged around my Nora so he couldn't come to the other boy for advice and he didn't dare speak to one of the girls for advice.

He needed a date.

No no no, having a date isn't a requirement for the dance but for Jaune…team-mate of three females, yeah chances are, people are going to misinterpret a team-outing as a group date. Something he really doesn't want to happen. It's not like his team-mates weren't pretty, in fact it's the opposite but rather because he did not need another rumour lumped on him.

Considering the current one are that he is parasiting off his team, a useless person and being the cause of Cardin being hospitalised that one time, having 'dating his team' wouldn't be a good thing. And that wasn't adding on what Yang would do to him if she found out he was 'dating' her sister.

The other blonde had a violent streak beyond a mile and frankly only her sister and her hair triggered it.

That is exactly why he was going to ask his team to go to the dance as a team. Between having another rumour to his name or having Yang hunt after him, it was obvious which one he would prefer.

"Hey Cinder-" he started to say seeing his partner.

"Jaune" Cinder seemed to make the expression 'taste the word' real before demanding, "You will be my dance partner tomorrow. Make sure to look good."

His mind froze. Cinder asked him what?!

"Huh? Wait-" he stuttered out before Cinder gave him a peck to the cheek before leaving.

Face red, Jaune touched where he was kissed before muttering, "What was that about…"

The next moment the door opened and Pyrrha passed by before he called out, "Hey Pyrrha!"

"Yes Jaune?" she asked. There was this…off feeling about her but he ignored that for now. There was more important things to do like making sure his team went to the dance as a team.

"So for the dance, you wanna go with me-"

"Sure!" the red-head excitedly and quickly replied before racing off giggling.

"-and the rest of the…team."

That was two people thinking they're doing on a date with him to the dance and not as team-mates…

Consequentially he encountered Ruby when he was heading to the library to borrow some reference texts. For some reason she was looking down and depressed. Gulping, he went to immediately help her because Yang.

"Ruby what's wrong?" he asked, half-concern over her and half-scared about her sister being around to see such a Ruby in his presences.

"Oh hey Jaune" she muttered without the usual enthusiasm. "Just wondering what to do at the dance."

"Aren't you going there with us, your sister and her team?"

"Yeah but…" she let out another sigh, "I kind of want to go there to have something special. At this rate it might as well be the usual and the usual is not exactly what I want for the school dance."

He hummed in agreement yet not getting what she was getting to. Girls were confusing sometimes even if you knew them well.

"Well I was proposing that the team went together for the dance. You know for fun but…" he looked conflicted this might be just the 'usual' that Ruby mentioned and he didn't want her sad.

"How about a team date?" her eyes seemed to light up. "You, me, Pyrrha and Cinder all dancing together!"

"Yeah…sure" Jaune agreed easily enough. That wasn't that different from what he was proposing in the end.

Ruby cheered before hugging him and running off. Looking around, there were some strange looks directed to him but he shrugged it off. No point thinking about it now, he might ask Cinder later what all of this meant.

She was surprisingly good at telling the intentions of people around them.

Of course the difficulty was asking her without revealing that her 'date' was a 'team date' and everything that meant with Pyrrha also thinking it's a 'date'.

A/N: This chapter tormented me, for the sole fact that I actually rewrote the whole thing to make it less serious. For that, I turned the serious talks Pyrrha had with both team-mates into something that takes itself less seriously.