A bit shorter than usual, but I promise the next chapter will be very long! Hope you enjoy this chapter! Beta done by the usual guys, UGX7, Jauneforever, and TheMischieviousPuppy. Also, I got another idea that popped up in my mind. Go check it out!

Jaune had been sparring against Wong and losing when he received a message from Professor Lionheart, saying he wished to see him. Jaune was currently alone, as Pyrrha was back home for a photoshoot for her sponsors as well as a weapons check and possibly an upgrade. Ren was forcing Nora to catch up with her project that she had been assigned but had been procrastinating on. Team SSSN was also finishing up the final touches of their own project, leaving Jaune the only one to be beate- trained by Wong.

"Wonder what Professor Lionheart wants?" mused Jaune as he tried to nurse the bruises he got from Wong's training.

Wong shrugged before dismissing, "Go ahead."

Just as Jaune was about to leave, he received a smack on the head.

"One more thing," said Wong, "After Professor Lionheart is done with you, come right back, I have something important."

Jaune nodded and stood there for a few more seconds before turning to leave. He ducked right as he turned, causing Wong to miss his slap on the head.

"Good, you're learning," grinned Wong, "One more thing; bring some tea leaves when you return."

Jaune nodded and ran, deciding it would be safer to do so.

"So, Mr. Ryu-Long, how are you enjoying Haven?" Lionheart inquired as Jaune took a seat on the couch in the Headmaster's office. Jaune looked around the office, admiring the grand collection of books around him.

Lionheart, sitting at his desk, noticed Jaune's looks. "You like? I tend to collect tomes from all over the world and add them to my collection. I have quite a few rare stories here. Would you like to check one out?"

"Maybe later," said Jaune, "May I ask why I've been summoned here?"

Lionheart slowly stood up, gazing out of the window in his office. His office, like Ozpin's, was at the CCT built in with Haven Academy.

"Jaune, do you enjoy staying here? I see you've made close friends with team SSSN and Mr. Wong." questioned Lionheart.

"It's fine," shrugged Jaune.

"Would you consider staying at Haven for the rest of your education?" probed Lionheart, "I can guarantee, with our system, you would go far. Not to mention that Miss Nikos's family lives here. I'm sure they would want her to stay nearby for a while, after what happened. The shock of almost losing their daughter, as well as the shock of almost dying... well it would be cruel to separate them in such a time of need."

Jaune narrowed his eyes at Lionheart's reasoning. He did not like it when people were trying to subtlety control him via friends and family. At least Ozpin had been straightforward.

"I don't like where he's going with this," growled Lung Wang.

"It's as if he wants to control us," said Ryo-Wo.

"And we hate being controlled!" shouted Fafnir.

"I know, you have friends at Beacon," continued Lionheart, "Team RWBY, for instance. I would be happy to allow them to transfer over here, too. Frankly, Mistral is quite safer than the other kingdoms at the moment."

Before Jaune could reply, there was a knock on the door. Lionheart, raised an eyebrow at this, knowing full well he had told his vice-headmaster that he was not to be disturbed.

"Sorry, but it's Dr. Watts," said the vice-headmaster.

Lionheart cursed, but before he could ask him to have Dr. Watts find another day, the man of the hour walked in.

"Good afternoon," greeted Watts, "Apologies for interrupting your meeting."

Lionheart twitched before greeting Watts with a fake smile and offered tea to both his guests.

"Why, is this the famous Jaune Ryu-Long, the hero of Vale?" gasped Watts in surprise before putting his hand forward for a handshake, "I am Doctor Arthur Watts."

Jaune nodded and shook his hand, although he was getting a funny feeling about this man, "Yeah, I'm Jaune Ryu-Long. Nice to meet you, Dr. Watts. May I ask what you received your doctorate in?"

"Software Development as well as Human Behavior."

"Wow, that's impressive."

"I had some time and was interested in it. You should consider it as a backup, in the case being a Huntsman doesn't work out. Always nice to have a fallback plan."

"Was there something you needed, Dr. Watts?" asked Lionheart, trying to keep his growl out of his tone.

"Yes, but I'm afraid it's something that needs to be discussed in private," Watts answered before glancing at Jaune.

"I understand," said Jaune, standing up to leave.

"Ah, Mr. Ryu-Long," called out Lionheart, "Please do give some thought about my proposal."

Jaune nodded and left.

"What are you doing here?" growled Lionheart as soon as he was sure Jaune had left, "You told me you wouldn't show up unannounced!"

"Mmm, I never promised, did I?" laughed Watts playfully before becoming serious, "Do you know where the Winter Maiden has gone? That damn Ironwood has taken them to a secure area that even my information network can't reach. Most likely Ozpin is playing this off the grid."

"If Ironwood doesn't know, I wouldn't either," sneered Lionheart, "You showing up here won't help my case, either. It was risky to reveal yourself to Mr. Ryu-Long. What if he reports you in?"

"Oh be quiet," scoffed Watts, "I have a clean record. Nobody knows who I work with. But if you don't know, then fine. My other request is that you have no hunters near in Akai Churippu for the time being. We have private business there. If you don't want to lose any men, make sure nobody goes there."

"Fine," scowled Lionheart, "Now leave, and don't come unless I say so."

Watts merely laughed and left.

"You're back."

Wong had been sitting near a waterfall, meditating. Jaune brought over tea leaves, a kettle, whisk, and a cup, as requested.

"Brew some tea for me," Wong requested.

Jaune obeyed, going through the whole Mistral ceremony for making tea. He had to admit, he wasn't very good at it. Ren was the best at it, followed by Sage, then Pyrrha. As he quickly made a fire to heat the water, he went through the motions.

"Something has come up?" asked Wong, not even opening his eyes and yet knowing something was wrong.

"Professor Lionheart was asking me to stay for the rest of my school years," sighed Jaune, "I didn't like the way he went at it. He tried to use my girlfriend's family as a reason to stay as well as others. Before he could continue, a man named Dr. Watts interrupted the meeting."

"That man," added Aryz, "Be careful. He wears a mask well."

"Whatever he says, don't take it personally," advised Wong, "I have seen the man. He knows how to fight, but inside, he is quite cowardly."

"Master Wong?" gaped Jaune in surprise at him calling the Headmaster of a prestigious Huntsmen Academy a coward.

"He prefers to negotiate," continued Wong, "He calls it diplomacy. It's all good, but when there are times that he needs to fight, he advocates appeasement until fighting is the only way. Even so, when he negotiates, he makes sure that he or his city is the one that reaps the benefits while other settlements take the hit."

Jaune remained silent as he finished up making the tea. As he presented it to Wong, he took a sip before putting it back down.

"I see you have managed to remain calm even within turbulent times," praised Wong, "The tea you made reflects it."

Wong stood up and waved Jaune to follow him into a cave.

"Master Wong, what's this about?" asked Jaune as they walked deep into the cave.

"The next step of your training," said Wong, "You just need to live through this one. Hands out."

"Wait what?" asked Jaune as he stuck his hands out in confusion.

"I'm going prepare your body and Aura while training it at the same time," said Wong nonchalantly while he began chant under his breath.

His fingers began to glow bright yellow as he brought it around Jaune's wrists, drawing a loop around both wrists. They suddenly snapped his wrists tightly, clashing them together and drawing blood. As Jaune tried to separate his wrists, Wong had already made another for his ankles, binding them together.

"What... the... hell?" growled Jaune as he tried to separate his wrists and ankles using brute force. It wasn't working.

"Use your Aura in sync with your physical strength," sighed Wong, slapping Jaune's head.

Jaune obeyed, and with it, he managed to separate his wrists and ankle. But he could feel it draining his Aura.

"These are Aura Cuffs," instructed Wong, "You're to wear this at all times."

"Wouldn't this hinder me?" groaned Jaune, trying to get used to it.

"Indeed. You will be at full power at all times, acclimating your body to be able to use Aura all around your body. You want to piss, or even pick your nose, you must use Aura," said Wong.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Jaune.

"Because your Aura reserve, and pretty much only yours, is large enough to do this training now," said Wong simply, "I will teach you how to do it to your teammates, but you must be able to judge whether or not they are able to. Think of these cuffs as strapping weights to your Aura. Longer you wear them, stronger you'll grow. For example, what is 100% of your current Aura could become a mere 20% in the future. The longer you wear these, the stronger your Aura will get. From your fighting style, I can tell you need a large amount of Aura. Of course, you won't be able to tell how much stronger until you release it."

Wong turned to leave the cave, saying, "Use the day to get used to the cuffs. Oh, and one more thing. I'm going to give you a safe word to remove these cuffs. But keep in mind. Once removed, you will no longer be able to use these cuffs as training tools. The body will only accept it once. I trust you'll know when to remove them. Of course, I suggest you get used to it right now. I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't at 100%. Maybe 30% until you get used to it."

Jaune nodded slowly as he focused his body to be able to move like he wanted to. It would take getting used to. As he slowly moved into his katas, Wong tossed him some wristbands, telling him to wear it, as it would cover the yellow shackles.

"Interesting technique," observed Andusk.

"Indeed. To be able to strap 'weights' on someone's Aura," mused Alaerth.

"Perfect for training, indeed," grinned Lung Wang.

"Now, first thing's first, Jaune," laughed Othim maniacally as he dragged Jaune into the mindscape. Jaune noticed his cuffs were still on him and restricting him and paled.

"DODGE!"

"Jaune? Are you alright? You seem to be slower these past few days and more easily tired," asked Pyrrha as she managed to block a sword strike from Jaune and slammed him with a shield bash, surprised that it went through.

"Yeah, did you catch a cold? Will you need Ren's nasty drink?" asked Nora

"Algae has a lot of key vitamins," lectured Ren, "But really, Are you alright? Everything seems to have slowed down about you. It's like you suddenly got..."

"Weaker?" said Nora bluntly.

"Nora!" scolded Pyrrha and Ren.

"No, she's right," grunted Jaune, "It's these damn Aura Cuffs."

"Aura Cuffs?" they all asked.

Jaune nodded and took off the wristbands on his wrist to reveal the yellow shackles, "Master Wong put them on me. Said it was time for the next step. Basically, I'm strapping weights to my Aura muscle and regular muscle."

"That sounds intense," said Ren, quite intrigued, "Will he be doing this to us, too?"

"I don't know," replied Jaune, "He taught me the technique and the removal key."

"Then why don't you just remove them now and then put them back on?" asked Nora.

"Because it's a one time deal," answered Jaune, "Even my dragons were impressed by this technique. Master Wong said the longer I wear these, the stronger my Aura becomes when I finally release it. And no Pyrrha, this won't hinder me too much. I can still become stronger, but it won't show as much as it did in the past until I release it."

"Did he mention anything else?" asked Pyrrha, quite interested in putting straps on her Aura reserve.

"Yeah. Right now, I'm basically moving by using my Aura all over my body to just move," sighed Jaune, "It's very tiring. Even if I want to twirl my pen around while thinking or even type something up, I'm using Aura."

"That sounds risky," said Ren.

"Yeah, but apparently the payoff is worth it. Plus, Master Wong thought my reserves were big enough for the risks."

"May I do it too?" asked Pyrrha, "My Aura reserves may not be as big as yours, but ever since the mark, they've increased quite a bit."

"Best not to try for now," grimaced Jaune, "It hurt a lot when he did it to me, and we can't afford another person being handicapped for now. Wait until I'm used to this before I decide to let a teammate try it."

"So what percent were you on?" asked Nora.

"Roughly, I'm about 35% right now. Still trying to get used to this."

"Wow, Pyrrha. That means you were beating up Jaune at below half his strength with all of yours," teased Nora.

"I'm sorry!"

It was already nearing the end of the semester for Haven. Jaune had managed to find some time to quickly fly over to the nesting grounds and grab some ancient coins and other relics that thankfully did nothing but look good to get Dr. Horton off his back. Jaune was slowly getting used to the Aura cuffs, regaining some of his own movements. He discovered while trying to get back into fighting shape, that his movements had improved drastically as he was forced to find better ways to fight. He was roughly around 50% in terms of Aura reserves, but 55% in fighting shape.

Wong had called Teams JNPR and SSSN for an announcement, one that made they all shout "What?"

"You heard me," grunted Wong, "Your next mission, you two teams will be coming with me."

"But why?" asked Sun.

"Because I want to head down south, and I apparently need to bring someone with me," grunted Wong, "They won't let me otherwise. So I'm taking you guys. Got any problems?"

"... not really," mumbled Jaune, looking at his teammates. They also shook their heads at Wong, as did Team SSSN.

"Good. We leave next week," announced Wong.

As Wong left, team JNPR and SSSN looked at each other.

"Anyone feel like something is off?" asked Jaune.

"It's not just you," said Sun, "I feel the same thing."

"Where are we headed to anyways?" asked Neptune.

Ren pulled up the destination of the mission that Wong had sent them through their scrolls, explaining where they would be going.

"It's at Akai Churippu."

"So what did the headmaster want? Forgot to ask you," said Sun, chewing on his banana.

Team SSSN and JNPR were at the cafeteria, eating and preparing for their next mission.

"He wanted me to stay at Haven," replied Jaune, frowning at the memory, "The way he went at it... was unusual."

"Like what?" asked Scarlet.

"He tried to use Pyrrha as a means to stay," sighed Jaune, "Tried to convince me that Pyrrha staying here with her family was for the best."

"Whoa, not cool," frowned Sun, "That doesn't sound like him at all."

"I mean, he's right in a way," sighed Jaune, "If Pyrrha wants to stay here, then we could stay."

Pyrrha smiled and kissed him on the cheek for the thoughtfulness before replying, "I was happy to spend time with my parents, but I don't need to stay here. In fact, I'd prefer if we went back to Beacon. Too many people know me, especially after that arrow scene. I've been called in for so many photo shoots, and some of them are even a bit... risque. My sponsors are really milking this for all its worth, and they keep on trying to tell me to bring Jaune with me. Not to mention all those fanboys and other creepers keep trying to ask me out even though I'm clearly spoken for."

Jaune twitched in anger and crushed the cup as he saw fourth-year student waltz over and try to hit on Pyrrha. The man proved stubborn, trying to persuade Pyrrha even though she said no until Jaune finally had enough.

"Please leave my teammate alone," growled Jaune.

"Piss off, sophy," scoffed the senior, not even looking at Jaune, "I'm obviously a good match for Pyrrha, the Goddess. So, want to hang out with me? I got a nice room with a jacuzzi. Perhaps we can get to know each other a bit... better?"

"Umm, dude," whispered one of the senior's teammates, who were coming over. "You do realize that there's the rumor that she's dating Jaune Ryu-Long? You know, the hero of Vale? The guy who kicked the giant Grimm dragon's ass?"

"Pshh, please, don't tell me you believe that?" scoffed the future cadaver, "Special effects, man. They did that to give hope to people."

"Then what about that huge roar that sent you shaking and pissing your pants?"

"One, that never happened, and two, it was probably some freshman who had their movie on max volume."

"Umm, dude," pointed another senior classmate, "You think it's wise to diss the dude who's called the 'Hero of Vale'?"

"Pshh, it's not like he's..."

"He's right in front of you. You know, the dude you just said to piss off?"

The senior slowly turned his head to see a rather angry Dragon Contractor, ready to rip out his throat.

"Eheheh, sorry?"

"You're trying, very pathetically, to steal someone I love from me," growled Jaune, resisting from using the words mate or wife.

The senior gulped before blustering, trying to regain confidence, "Fine, then let's have a bet. You and me. One on one. I win, I get to take Pyrrha out on a date. You win, I apologize."

"That's not even remotely fair in terms," deadpanned Ren from the side.

"And I would never want to go on a date with you!" shouted Pyrrha.

"C'mon, I promise you'll change your mind," leered the senior before a pie hit him in the face.

"Whoops," grinned Nora, not even bothering to hide that she did it.

"You brat!" shouted the senior, "You and me! Arena! Right now!"

"Sure. I need to test out my weapon on some future corpse."

"So how did it become from challenging me to challenging Nora again?" asked Jaune as they were all sitting in the arena stands.

"Silly Jaune. It's because the author thought that I needed some more screen time and that I haven't had my solo fight yet!" shouted Nora.

"What?" gaped Pyrrha.

"Nora," sighed Ren, "Stop trying to break the fourth wall again. She likes to do this from time to time. It gets worst if she somehow gets a cup of coffee and piles it with sugar."

Soon, one of the combat instructors stood up, signaling Nora and the senior to step forth.

"This is just a practical spar," announced the judge, "You will stop fighting when your Aura level hits 25%. Do not contest this. We are in need of Huntsmen and Huntresses more than ever now."

The two nodded in agreement and took their positions across from each other. Nora readied her hammer while the senior across from her took out his weapon. He was wielding a giant sword about 6 feet tall. It was similar to Yatsuhashi's sword, except his could obviously shift into another weapon.

"Faramond Gorman vs Nora Valkyrie begin!"

Faramond charged forward with his sword and swung down at Nora while she swung her hammer upwards. The result was a huge shockwave when the weapons clashed, and the ground shattering.

"Not too shabby," grinned Faramond, "But you think it's wise for you to do that? Especially with my sharp sword and Semblance?"

Before Nora could say anything, blue lighting sprouted from Faramond, traveling from his body to his sword, up into Nora's weapon and into Nora herself. Faramond grinned before frowning, noticing that Nora wasn't screaming in pain like his usual opponents.

"Faramond, you idiot!" shouted his teammate, "Her semblance is similar to a lightning rod! She can use it to boost her own power or fire it back at you! Learn to watch some matches, it was on the Vytal Festival Tournament last year!"

Faramond's eyes widened as Nora laughed maniacally and swung her hammer up, breaking them out of gridlock. Faramond landed and dodged a lightning bolt fired by Nora, who then rushed in. She started to twirl her hammer around her body, letting the handle spin around her waist to gain momentum. Faramond winced as he saw the twirling tornado coming close to him. With a deep breath, he quickly fired a blade beam right at Nora's feet, stopping her for a bit.

"Gotta make her waste that energy," muttered Faramond before swapping his weapon into a machine gun and firing at her. Nora ran to dodge the bullets, but Faramond predicted where she was going and quickly readjusted his aim, hitting Nora several times before Nora smashed her hammer into the ground, causing the ground to upheave towards him. Faramond dodge rolled away before dashing at Nora once more. He used his lighting to boost himself forward, wrapping his sword with Aura before launching an upward swing at Nora. Nora blocked it with her hammer staff, but she was sent flying upwards to the air.

"Dam, that hammers not normal," grunted Faramond, observing the war hammer and was surprised to see no real damage to it. His sword, on the other hand, would need a whetstone. "Gotta finish this now."

Faramond jumped into the air, confident that the girl wouldn't be able to defend herself easily.

"Time to test out my new function," grinned Nora as she quickly positioned herself so she was facing Faramond, her hammerhead placed under her feet.

It was only then did Faramond notice that on the staff, there were multiple buttons. Nora clicked one, and fire spewed off from the back of her hammer as she suddenly flew towards Faramond. He was shocked, but he managed to block the upward strike, though now he was sent up in the air helpless. Nora fired a bolt of lightning, to which Faramond easily redirected it with a slash of his sword, infusing his sword with an electric current.

"You think that would work against me!?" snarled Faramond.

"Course not," smirked Nora, "Just needed you in a bad position while I adjust myself to the perfect place."

Faramond paled at that statement as Nora repositioned herself once more and clicked the button once more, flame spewing from the back of her hammer, sending her flying towards Farmond. She slammed Magnhild into Faranmond's stomach, causing him to wheeze in pain.

"But wait, there's more!" cheered Nora as she pressed the last button.

Instantly, the dragon designed head opened up and shot forward before clamping down on Faramond's waist. He was trapped. Faramond struggled, trying to free himself before shifting his weapon back to a machine gun and fired at Nora. She winced as she felt the bullets slam into her Aura, but she stood firm and fired a grenade from the hammer, slamming an explosion at Faramond at point blank range.

"Time to go for a sppiinnnn!" shouted Nora as she activated the boosters. The two of them spun towards the ground at high speeds, becoming a pink whirlwind.

"NORA SMASH!" bellowed Nora as she smashed Faramond into the ground.

With the combined momentum of the spin and gravity, Faramond's Aura went down like Nora guzzling down pancakes. The referee quickly called the match to the end and had the medics quickly make sure Faramond was alright.

"Nice one," complemented Jaune as Nora returned to them. The fight hadn't been easy, as Faramond underestimated her. Still, with his experience, he brought her down to 50% before Nora finished it off.

"Now I won't have that creep chasing after me," smiled Pyrrha.

"I'll make some pancakes for dinner," said Ren, patting Nora on the head, "With your favorite syrup."

"Dude! You totally owned a senior!" exclaimed Sun, "Faramond is actually one of the stronger Huntsmen here!"

"Like, I think Faramond didn't know what to do. His semblance is what gets him out of a pinch, but against Nora, it was useless," said Scarlet.

"He'll be investing in time trying to improve his swordsmanship," laughed Sage.

"Anyways, we're heading to Mistral to shop for some supplies and restock on whatever we need. Wanna come with us?" asked Neptune, "We can use this time to celebrate another successful semester... if Sun doesn't fail his classes."

"Dude! I'm actually doing better now!" exclaimed Sun.

"Uh huh. And what's your grade across all your academic studies, besides fighting?"

"B and Cs, with an A in one of them!" boasted Sun.

"Huh. That's an improvement," admitted Neptune, clearly impressed.

"Sun's old grades were C's and D's," whispered Sage, "Really, it was a miracle that he managed to pass last year."

"Hey! Having a girlfriend helps," hissed Sun.

"It bet it does," moaned Neptune, depressed, "I want a girl, too."

"Sounds good to me," said Jaune, looking at his team.

"That sounds grand," smiled Pyrrha.

"I could use this time to purchase some more ingredients," sighed Ren.

"Yea! Team JNPR and SSSN, going out on a trip!" cheered Nora.

It would one of the last time in Haven they would have a good time.

A young boy was running out into the woods, trying to get to the nearest settlement. He cried tears as he ran through branches that cut his tan skin. The Grimm had attacked his family farm. He constantly asked himself why such a thing happened? They had been living there so peacefully! They had done nothing wrong! There had been no negative emotions skyrocketing in the house that would've attracted them! As he ran through the forest, the tree leaves getting tangled in his already messy brown hair, his golden eyes misted as he remembered.

"Oscar, run!"

"Save yourself! Get to the nearest settlement! GO!"

An evil feminine laughter with sea green hair from someone he couldn't see clearly.

As his already ripped shirt was torn more, he kept running, hoping to find help. But soon, exhaustion overtook him as he found a cave to rest. As Oscar laid there in exhaustion, he could only look to the sky, remembering where he needed to go.

To Akai Churippu

Yep. I included Oscar Pine into the story! All right quick note, though I've been watching season 5, I will still be going my own way, even if the lore is incorrect from this point on. It's a fanfic, and I've already plotted my own timeline and stuff. I may borrow a little from it, but that's about it.

Another note, if you guys noticed, in the span of roughly 1 year, I've uploaded 53 chapters. That's basically 1 chapter a week! But as the new year comes, I'll have to slow myself down or burn out fast. Sorry, but hope you understand.

Thirdly, the new story I've made is called Mending the Knots. It's a RWBY story where Jaune didn't make it into Beacon, but instead, opens up a massage parlor (Literally a place to massage people, aka kinda like a spa). Yes, this idea came from the original Massages story, and it combines Coul's, Service with a Smile, but I've already pmed both authors about the idea as a heads up. Still, I'm going to take it in my own way. Jaune doesn't give up being a Huntsman, and tries to find a way while managing the shop. Hope you guys will take a look at and enjoy it!

Lastly, this will be the last chapter for this year. I promise I will upload the next chapter on January 17th, 2018, and it's going to be epic!