The boy tried his best to stifle the cries of despair within him as he sifted through the rubble of what was once his village.

"Mommy…? Daddy…? Anybody…?" the boy cried out as he made his way through the charred streets of the village once known as Orleans. The smell of burning flesh was still fresh in the air. The same could be said for the sounds currently raging inside the boy's head, sounds of screaming villagers as they were being mauled by Grimm of every kind.

Eventually, the boy reached what was once his home. The place where he had spent idyllic days with his parents and four elder sisters. Much to the boy's dismay, the house was all but destroyed from the fires that raged through the village just the day before. Even though the boy had expected such a result, it did not stop the pain from appearing in his heart.

Pushing down the tears, the boy made his way into the charred remains of his home. Stepping inside, he found that everything had been burnt to ashes, from the dinner table he and his family always sat around for dinner to the living room where he and his sisters would spend most of their evenings. All had been burnt to a crisp. All except for their family's prized sword and shield, Crocea Mors, which was hung above the mantle.

Jaune didn't know much about Crocea Mors, only that it was wielded by his grandfather during a war many years prior. His mother used to tell him that both blade and shield carried with it history spanning hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years.

He had asked his father to train him how to use the blade but every time, his father would always refuse his request. When asked why, the man would say that Jaune wasn't of age yet. That he would train him when he was older. Now, however, the young Arc would never get that chance.

Pushing the nearby remains of a couch to the nearby wall, Jaune did his best to climb the charred furniture before retrieving the Arc ancestral blade and shield. As the boy finally pried the weapon off the wall, the boy underestimated how heavy it would be as the weight of the blade and shield combined was too much for the boy as it sent him tumbling to the floor below.

"Ow…" the boy whined as he rubbed his back to try and lessen the pain he just suffered. As the young boy started admiring the weapon in his hands, the sound of a window cracking from behind grabbed his attention. Immediately turning around to face the source of the sound, Jaune was met with the snarling face of a Beowolf.

Staring death in the face, it was all Jaune could do to lift the blade up as best as he could as the creature of Grimm leapt towards the boy. By a stroke of luck, that action was enough to save the young Arc's life as the Beowolf found itself impaled through the head, killing it instantly.

Jaune's breath became ragged as he stared at the disintegrating form of the creature of Grimm in front of him.

"That was an impressive stroke of luck, boy." A heavy voice said from behind Jaune. Unfortunately for the young Arc, he was unable to turn around to face the source of the voice as the dying form of the Beowolf fell upon him, cutting off his supply of air until he eventually fell unconscious.

[~]

The stone wall behind him audibly cracked as he was violently pushed against it by his fellow blonde.

"It's good to see you, too, Yang." Jaune said, a chuckle escaping the smug look on his face, "Love the new arm. Do you get to enjoy the discounts like all the other cripples?"

"My arm's just fine, thanks. As for the perks, I got one with your name on it." Yang said, glaring a hole through the boy she was currently pinning to the wall as she pulled back her mechanical arm.

"Yang, that's enough." Pyrrha said as she held the blonde brawler back.

"Oh, Yang, ever the tough one." Jaune replied, not the least bit fazed by Yang's threat, "So tough that it took Adam exactly one attack to put you down like the dog you are."

"Jaune, stop it!" Pyrrha shouted with a glare of her own. At the mention of the ex-White Fang leader, Yang's grip on the collar of Jaune's shirt loosened. Blake, meanwhile, flinched at the mention of Adam.

"Oh, relax. It's just some witty banter between friends. After all, it's been a few months since-" Jaune managed to say before Yang embedded her fist into the spot beside his head.

"We are not friends!" Yang shouted as the blonde seethed with anger.

"Ouch, you wound me, Yang." Jaune said with a small laugh and before the brawler could go any further, Pyrrha spoke up.

"Jaune, you asked for a fight, didn't you?"Pyrrha asked, Jaune's weapon, Crocea Mors, already in hand.

"Hard to fight when I'm pinned to a wall by a maniac, wouldn't you say?" Jaune said. After much convincing, Yang finally let the boy go as Pyrrha tossed him his weapon. The others tensed up as he caught it, fully expecting him to attack them.

"Sorry to disappoint but I know when the odds are against me." Jaune said as he clipped Crocea Mors to his side.

"Funny, considering you refused to surrender even when you were at a disadvantage back then." Weiss said, the girl ready to act in the case that things go wrong.

"Never said I was smart enough to act on it." Jaune said as he made his way to the nearby open field.

"I'd like to go on record to say that this is a terrible idea." Weiss said as Pyrrha took her place on the other side of the field.

"Preaching to the choir here, Weiss-cream." Yang said before turning her attention to Ruby, "Are you sure this is the best idea, Rubes?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Ruby said, surprising Yang with her honesty.

"Then, why-?"

"Because, like I said, he would have done the same for me if the roles were reversed." Ruby said with a nod, "And he's been there. He might know something that could help us beat Salem."

"Not according to what Ren told me. According to that jackass, Salem's immortal. Her head was literally smashed to pieces and she got back up like it was nothing." Yang said much to the surprise of Weiss and Blake.

"Well, now we have the relics. Hopefully, they'll be able to show us a way to stop Salem once and for all." Ruby said as the fight between Jaune and Pyrrha began.

[~]

Pyrrha dodged a swipe aimed at her head before hastily bringing up her shield to block the kick aimed at her head. Even with her quick response, Pyrrha was surprised at the force of Jaune's attack as the redhead was forced back a few inches.

Not letting the girl recover even the slightest, Jaune pressed on with his attack as his blade clashed with her own.

"He wasn't kidding. He really was holding back in Beacon." Pyrrha thought to herself as the two ex-partners continued exchanging blows. Jumping back from one of his attacks, Pyrrha shifted Milo into its javelin form as the girl hoped to take advantage of its longer reach. As soon as the weapon in her hand finished shifting, Pyrrha immediately went in for the attack with a stab directed at Jaune's chest.

The blonde, meanwhile, countered by deflecting the javelin to the side as he raised his blade up high. A moment later, Jaune brought it crashing down towards Pyrrha who had the presence of mind to block the attack with both her javelin and shield.

"His strikes are heavier than I remembered, too. Much heavier." Pyrrha thought to herself just as Jaune pulled back his sword. The blonde then followed up with a devastating kick towards the girl's stomach that sent her skidding back a few feet.

Jaune immediately followed up with a charge as he followed up with a flurry of strikes that has forced the Invincible Girl to be on the defensive.

Jumping back a fair distance, Pyrrha took what little time she had to recover her bearings as she shifted milo back into its xiphos form. Just in time, too as Jaune suddenly appeared in front of her, eyes focused and intent on defeating her.

"This doesn't seem to be working." Pyrrha thought to herself before she threw she shield to the ground as her hands glowed with her black aura. Just as the blades of the two ex-partners clashed once more, Pyrrha surprised Jaune by diverting his blade to the side as she broke through his guard before delivering an aura-enhanced strike to his stomach with her elbow. The blow was effective enough that it sent the blonde staggering back a few feet.

Pyrrha, however, chose to continue her assault as she delivered a devastating flurry of attacks. Jaune soon found himself unable to keep up with the girl's sudden shift, with the blonde only managing to parry the girl's attacks by the skin of his teeth.

Eventually, however, fatigue caught up with the blonde as Pyrrha managed to disarm him with a quick swipe of her sword before delivering a low kick that sent Jaune sprawling to the ground.

The blonde immediately made to sit up but was halted in his tracks as Pyrrha pointed the tip of her blade at the boy's throat.

"You lose, Jaune." Pyrrha said through uneven breaths.

"Tch, certainly seems that way." Jaune said as he wiped the spit from his mouth.

"So, now will you help us defeat Salem?" Pyrrha asked, her weapon still pointed at her former partner.

"I told you, this is a fool's errand. Salem can't be killed." Jaune said, an annoyed look on his face.

"Even so, we have to at least try." Pyrrha said as she withdrew her weapon before offering the blonde her hand.

"A deal's a deal, I guess." Jaune said, swatting the girl's hand away before he got up and collected his sword.

[~]

Pressing the button on the vending machine, Jaune waited as his drink slowly fell to the opening. Grabbing it, the blonde let out an audible sigh.

"Something you want to say, Ozpin?" Jaune asked as he turned to face the young boy beside him, "Or is it Oscar now?"

"You may call me whatever you wish, Mr Arc. Either name is fine with me." the boy said, the tone of his voice not quite matching his young appearance.

"Then I guess you wouldn't mind it if I called you Ozma, would you?" Jaune asked, his blue eyes locking with Oscar's hazel-colored ones. If he was bothered by it, Oscar showed not outward reaction.

"It seems Salem's told you at least that much. Which brings me to one of the reasons as to why I'm speaking to you now: What else has she told you about our shared history?" Oscar asked.

"Are you sure you want to have this discussion now? Wouldn't it be best to talk about this with the rest?" Jaune said as the blonde started making his way towards the rest of the group, "In fact, why don't we-"

Almost immediately, Jaune's path was blocked as Oscar held his cane against the boy's body.

"I feel that would be a… poor decision." the boy said as his eyes glowed a threatening green.

"And there it is." Jaune said as he leaned against the vending machine beside him, "You know, she told us how fond you were of keeping secrets. Especially from those you call allies."

"I only do so because doing the opposite would bring no real benefit. There is no need to burden them with knowledge they can do nothing about." Oscar said as he lowered his cane. Jaune barked out a mocking laugh at the boy's statement.

"She also told us how you like to assume what's best for everyone. How manipulative you can be, especially if you think it would bring you closer to your goals." Jaune said, taking a sip from the bottle in his hand before continuing, "Well, that and the fact that you would stoop so low as to kill your own children."

That particular statement received a reaction from Oscar as the boy looked away in shame.

"...It's nothing, Oscar." the boy said, "Salem lied to him, as she always does with those who serve her."

"Well, it is your word against hers, after all. Who's to say which of you is the liar, right?" Jaune said, a chuckle escaping his lips, "The monster or the immortal. A tough choice, don't you think?"

"And yet, you chose to follow Salem all this time." Oscar said, "Why is that?"

"I'm not loyal to Salem, old man." Jaune said, a small frown on his face.

"No, of course not. You were loyal to the Fall Maiden, were you not?" Oscar said, earning a low growl from the blonde, "What was her name, again? There have been so many that she's become the latest in the line of fools to die for Salem."

"You should watch your words, Ozpin. You might have been a threat when you were the headmaster of Beacon but as you are now, you're nothing more than deadweight." Jaune said, the boy's breathing unknowingly becoming heavy.

"And you should remember your place, Mr Arc. Unlike the young Ms Rose, I am not so naive as to place any sort of trust in you nor do I believe your involvement to be necessary whatsoever." Oscar said, the two boys glaring at one another, "One step out of line and you'll find yourself reunited with that Fall Maiden you were hopelessly following around."

Any further words between the two boys was halted by the announcement that their train to Argus was ready for departure.

"Let's hope for your sake, Ozpin, that your secrets aren't the reason for our downfall." Jaune said as he made his way towards the rest of the group with Oscar trailing after the blonde soon after.

[~]

"So, Jaune… You want the top bunk or the bottom bunk?" Nora asked as the four teens were settling into their room in the train.

"I'm fine with whatever." the blonde said as he crawled into one of the bottom bunks.

"Oh… Okay…" Nora said, a weak smile on her face. Shaking her head, the ginger tried to another attempt at starting a conversation with her former team leader, "So, I was thinking, since it's been a while, maybe this would be a good time for a good ol' fashioned bonding session?"

"That sounds like-"

"The dumbest thing you could have said today." Jaune said as he laid on his bed with his feet propped up, "We're on a train heading to Argus with a chance of being attacked by Grimm. Which of those things make you think your suggestion of a 'bonding session' is in any way a good idea?"

"Oh, well… I just… thought…" Nora said, the ginger unable to find the words to finish her sentence. Scowling at how his childhood friend was just treated, Ren turned towards the blonde.

"Jaune, she was just trying to-" the boy's words were cut off as explosions were heard coming from on top of the train.

"What was that?" Pyrrha asked as the train shook from side to side.

"Obviously, we're being attacked by Grimm." Jaune said, the boy not moving from his current position. Almost immediately, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora sprung into action as they took out their weapons and were about to head out into battle before they stopped at the doorway leading to their room.

"Are you going to join us?" Ren asked, a small frown on his face.

"Nah. You guys have it handled, right?" Jaune said, not even bothering to face his former team, "After all, nothing can go wrong with the Invincible Girl by your side."

"Jaune, you-" Ren started to say before Pyrrha held the boy back.

"Forget it, let's go. They need all the help they can get up there." Pyrrha said as she and Ren immediately went to join the fray. Nora, meanwhile, chose to stay back as a sad smile was plastered on her face.

"Well, see you later, Jaune." Nora said. When she received no response, the girl went to join the rest of her team, a dejected look on her face.

"See you later, Nora." the blonde finally replied. Unknown to him, the girl's smile became just a little less sad.

[~]

"Alright, alright. Calm down, ya big baby." Jaune grumbled as he used his semblance to heal the huntsman's broken arm, "How a bunch of kids - unlicensed kids, by the way - managed to escape the battle unscathed while a fully trained huntsman wasn't, I'll never know."

"That's a pretty… smart mouth on you, kid." the man said as he groaned in pain.

"You're welcome." Jaune said as the boy finished healing the man's arm before joining the rest of the group. Noticing the heavy air around them, the blonde spoke up, "What's up with you guys?"

"We were planning on using Ren's Semblance to mask everyone on this train but…" Nora trailed off, a troubled look on his face.

"He might not be able to cover such a wide area." Pyrrha said, finishing the girl's sentence.

"No problem there. I can help with that." Jaune said.

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked

"My Semblance. It can amplify the Semblance of others." Jaune said, much to the surprise of everyone present, "Shouldn't be too hard to amplify Ren's Semblance."

"What? Why didn't you tell us before?" Weiss asked.

"Nobody ever asked me." Jaune said with a shrug.

"But back in Beacon, you told us it was a healing Semblance." Pyrrha said.

"What part of undercover spy don't you get?" Jaune asked with a raised eyebrow as he stared at the redhead.

"Thank you, Jaune!" Nora shouted as the girl gave the blonde a tight hug.

"Get off." the blonde said, pushing the ginger girl away.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news but we have another problem to worry about." Oscar said, as the boy approached the group, "The relic is… the one attracting the Grimm towards us at the moment."

"What? Is this true?" Weiss asked as Oscar responded with a nod.

"You didn't think to tell us this before? Why?!" Yang asked, anger in her voice evident.

"Ozpin keeping important secrets from his allies? By the Gods, who would have thought such a thing possible?" Jaune said with a laugh, "Anything else you would like to share with us before we proceed, Ozma?"

"Ozma? Who's Ozma?" Weiss asked as she looked between Jaune and Oscar, "Jaune, who's-"

"Weiss, that's not important right now." Ruby said, inadvertently coming to the aid of the young boy, "What is important is getting everyone on this train safely to Argus. Can we do that?"

Understanding the dire situation at hand, the rest of Team RWBY each responded with a nod of agreement, albeit begrudgingly.

"Good. Ren, you guys evacuate the passengers to the front of the car. Once you're in position, use your Semblance to mask everyone's emotions and get them safely to Argus." Ruby said, "We'll cut off the back of the train and deal with the Grimm. Understood?"

With a nod, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora then went to the front of the train to complete the task at hand.

"Hey." Jaune said, as he went in to whisper in Ruby's ear, "Watch yourself with the old man. His secrets make mine seem tame in comparison."

"Jaune…? What do you mean by that?" Ruby asked only for the blonde to ignore her.

"See you in Argus, ladies. Try not to lose any more body parts, Yang." Jaune said with a laugh as he went to join his former teammates.

[Chapter END]

A/N: Phew, this was a very fun chapter for me to write. From the flashback to the fight between Jaune and Pyrrha to the conversation between Jaune and Ozpin. Especially the conversation between Jaune and Ozpin. With this chapter done, that makes it three chapters within a week. This is a personal accomplishment for me and I couldn't be happier. I really hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I have a great time writing it.

Also, I would like to point out that, it may seem like I'm bashing Nora but I'm not. I just thought that's the best way to write this chapter. Nora is in my Top 5 favorite characters in RWBY, after all.

As always, fave, follows, and reviews are always welcome.

Praise be to Cinder Fall