Replies to my Reviews

Imperial-samaB: No, just Terra alone.

Chapter 04: Remedial Session with the Violent Teacher!

*BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-!*

*CRASH!*

Ruby Rose mumbled as she tossed about in her sleep, glad that she'd somehow managed to hit away that stupid alarm clock without having to unwrap her arms from her pillow. With a sleepy moan, she nuzzled into her pillow, which hugged and nuzzled her back.

...

...

...wait a minute.

"BLAKE?!" Ruby woke up properly to find herself with a surprising bedmate.

"Ruby..." Blake Belladonna yawned as she sat up, her usual dress replaced with a black sleeping kimono with white trim, and was so short that Ruby see the barest hint of black panties when she stretched out her arms. "You're gonna have to repair your clock..."

"No! You're the one repairing it!" Ruby grabbed Blake by the front of her kimono and tried to shake her awake. "You break it, you fix it! That's the law!"

"Why should I?" Blake sleepily drawled as she freed herself and fell back onto the bed. "I'm just a cat, remember?"

"For someone who's just a cat, you sure have no problem spending most of your time looking human!" Ruby went above Blake and started to tap her forehead. "Now at least get up and tell me how-"

*knock-knock*

"Ruby, the hot water's ready for-" Jaune Arc trailed off as he opened the door and looked inside. "...sorry for disturbing you."

Ruby froze as Jaune hastily closed the door, her mind instantly interpreting what he would've seen.

Blake submissively below her with much of her cleavage bared (after Ruby had pulled on her kimono) after Ruby had 'aggressively' pushed her down...

"I-IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE!"

Even hours later in class, Jaune was still looking away from her. "Jaune..."

"Yes, Ruby?" Jaune flipped a page in his notebook, a map spread out before him. During the free time that they were having without a teacher, Jaune was still searching for Grimm sightings, all for the sake of regaining their lost quota. "What is it?"

"Did you hear the new rumor going about?" Ruby teased, smiling wider when Jaune tilted his head in her direction. Even if he hadn't totally looked her way, he was paying attention which counted as something! "Some weirdo's been attacking Beacon students, always beating them to a pulp."

"Oh, I heard of that." Jaune actually turned to regard Ruby. "It's weird because the ones who got beat that bad were both Third Years known to be an A-Class pair. It's like the weaker they were, the better they got off from the culprit. The worst off was Professor Port when he went after them."

"Which really doesn't make sense." Ruby nodded. "You'd think something like that would go the other way about."

The door opened up, revealing Glynda Goodwitch as she strode into the classroom. "Be quiet. I'm starting the class."

Goodwitch walked towards the desk and placed her clipboard on it before regarding Ruby and Jaune. "Mr. Arc, Miss Rose, excellent work with that Grimm which had disguised itself as a priest. Ozpin is quite pleased that your blunder hasn't doused your enthusiasm."

"Ah, thanks, Aun- I mean, Professor Goodwitch." Jaune sheepishly rubbed his head while his aunt sighed at his mistake. By now, Ruby was sure that half the school knew that Jaune had a 'Aunt/Nephew' relationship with Goodwitch, even if she technically just babysat him in his younger years.

"Professor, are you going to be our new homeroom teacher from now on?" Ruby asked.

"It's only temporary." Goodwitch replied. "Just until they find a replacement for Peter. By the way, Mr. Arc, Miss Rose."

Goodwitch pointed at the door while she picked up the attendance sheet. "Ozpin wants to see you two. Don't worry about class and just get going."

On their way to the Styx Room, Jaune raised a brow as they ran into a familiar pair. "Yang? Pyrrha?"

"Oh? The Reaper wants to see you guys, too?" Yang Xiao Long hummed as all four of them continued on. "Did you two do something?"

"I don't think so?" Ruby shrugged as they entered into the Styx Room and beheld their Headmaster in his seat. "Guess we'll find out now. Good morning, sir."

"Yes, yes. Thank you for coming." Ozpin put away his paperwork to address them while gesturing to the four seats before his desk. "I have a little task for you four to deal with."

"Eh?" Yang raised a brow. "What is it?"

"A remedial session."

""""Remedial session?!"""" All four students recoiled as one.

"What do we need that for?!" Jaune fretted. "Won't that kinda stuff go on our records?!"

"Plus, our grades haven't slipped at all!" Ruby added. "I know because as much as Jaune likes his comics, he takes his study time seriously and makes me join in!"

Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "Please remind me of the responsibility of a Meister and their Weapon?"

"Ah. To defend innocents from Grimm that are trying to evolve into Asura while devouring human souls." Pyrrha Nikos recited from textbook memory. "It is also to evolve a Weapon into a Deva Regalia as those are the only Weapons powerful enough to put down an Asura should they manifest."

"Exactly." Ozpin gave her an approving nod before taking another sip from his mug. "All four of you are B-Class Meisters and Weapons and were on the cusp of being promoted... but tell me, are the Grimm souls you have at the moment enough to save you from failing?"

It was like getting stabbed right in the chest as all four students wilted at the reminder. Last Jaune had heard, Yang and Pyrrha had been brought down to 27 Grimm souls. Meanwhile, Jaune and Ruby had scraped up to 12 Grimm souls since their failure.

The cutoff mark for a passable grade was 40.

"So about the remedial session, I'm sure you've all heard about the latest rumor in Beacon." Ozpin continued on, uncaring for the despair he'd just wrought. "About Professor Peter Port who's currently hospitalized? Well, his attacker has been attacking the students, creating a huge problem for everyone."

"So basically, we find them ourselves and beat the crap outta them!" Yang recovered first, her fist smacking into her palm. "Is that right, sir?!"

Jaune gave Yang an incredulous look. Surely, it couldn't be that straightforwa-

"Exactly!" Ozpin instantly proved Jaune wrong, giving them all a dash of hope. Of course, he then had to hammer at it. "Now don't take this as a threat, but if you fail even at this 'remedial session'... I'll have to pleasantly expel you all."

'E-E-EXPEL?!' Jaune couldn't get expelled!

What would Aunt Glynda think after all she'd done to recommend him here?!

"No problem!" Yang crossed her arms confidently. "Just leave it up to me and Pyr! Rubes and Jaune will be good support, I guess!"

Jaune wished that Yang's confidence was a tangible drug he could take. "Do we at least have a lead on their identity?"

"Indeed. I've also determined his whereabouts as well." Ozpin fished out a picture and dropped it before them. It showed a gray-haired man with a scruffy visage and dull red eyes. "Mr. Arc, you know of the Meister who forged Glynda into a Deva Regalia, I believe?"

"Ah? Um, no." Jaune sheepishly frowned as he remembered how annoyed Aunt Glynda would look whenever the subject of her Meister was brought up. "Professor Goodwitch never liked to talk about it."

"Well, if considering that she had Qrow Branwen for a Meister, she can't exactly be blamed."

Inside a stuffy room filled with a mix of beer bottles, Qrow Branwen burped a little after downing a glass of bourbon. "I just can't seem to clear my head."

Qrow sighed as he took another swig before slurring. "I wanna cave someone's face in..."

"Father, you sent them after a Meister who's forged a Weapon into a Deva Regalia?" Oscar Pine spoke up incredulously. Considering that he and his Weapons had been invited to observe this 'remedial session', he'd thought there was something significant to learn. But this... This was...

"You sent them to reap his soul, right?" Melanie Malachite observed. "I don't think that the Reaper would do so if they couldn't handle it."

"The S-Class rank members only include Weapons who have evolved into Deva Regalia and Meisters who forged them into that." Oscar revealed. "Father sending four B-Class rankers against a S-Class like Qrow Branwen is like sending them off to die."

"So this is where Branwen is..." Ruby observed as they all stood before the shabby building. Since they'd come here in the evening, she didn't seem eager to be so far away from the city lights. "Let's deal with this 'remedial session' quickly and go home. I feel like taking a bath just from looking at the building."

Pyrrha privately agreed, although unsettled for a different reason. "Are those craters... in the walls?"

The building's walls seemed to be have been built frim very durable materials, but it seemed to have meant little to whatever that had attacked it before. They were many in number, but similar enough in size that Pyrrha could tell that a single person had done all that.

"What kind of person is Professor Branwen anyway?" Jaune wondered nervously.

There was a smashing sound from within, sending them all into high alert.

"Someone's coming." Ruby's words were followed by the sounds of heavy but unstable footsteps as the door slowly opened of it's own accord.

Qrow Branwen, a rather rugged and haggard looking man with shaggy black hair and dull red eyes, hiccupped as he stumbled into view, a half-empty beer bottle in his hand. "So... How can *hic* I help you?"

''''Our target's a drunkard...?'''' All four students thought as one.

"You're Branwen, right?" Ruby snapped out of her shock first.

"You're the one who attacked Port and the other students, right?" Jaune followed up.

"Ah, that's right..." Branwen slurred before downing his entire bottle and tossing it to shatter it against the wall. "You four are Beacon students, then?"

"Do you have a grudge against us or something?" Jaune hedged.

"Not really. My reason is actually pretty simple. " Branwen shrugged before hiccupping a bit. "Violence. Nothing more than that. I just saw someone strong and wanted to hit them. If they got from that, that meant that I could hit them again even harder. Whether I attack others or get attacked by others, it's just a way to kill time until I can get some more booze. The stronger, the better I suppose..."

Branwen trailed off as he kept his stare focused on Jaune and Ruby, until the former felt uncomfortable enough to lean towards his partner.

"Hey, Ruby. Aren't you getting a weird feeling from how he's staring?"

"Huh?" Ruby raised a confused eyebrow. "Should I be?"

"You two's Aura are slightly unstable with each other." Branwen suddenly spoke up, his voice surprisingly clear. "Both of you are earnest, but one's quite impulsive while the other matches in caution... A couple...? Or is there an interfering third party making things awkward...?"

Ruby stilled. "You can see through our Aura to such a degree? You're Aura-sensitive like Jaune?"

"No..." Jaune frowned. "He doesn't have any detail or context, but he read through our mindsets and even noticed the troubles we've been having with Blake... He's way beyond me."

"Well, that's enough of that!" Yang's voice screamed down from the top of the building, prompting them all to look up. When had Yang gotten up there?! "I dunno know about seeing through Aura, but I don't need that crap!"

Yang grinned wide as she beheld them all from above before leaping down onto Branwen who stumbled out of the way. "My own Aura outshines everybody else's!"

"Well, you're not quite wrong about that." Branwen chuckled as he looked at her. "I've never seen Aura as intense and self-centered as your's. Your soul could be mistaken for a miniature sun."

Branwen paused as he tilted his head in thought. "There aren't many partners that can handle you without burning themselves out, are there?"

"Damn right, there isn't!" Yang charged at Branwen and lashed out with a right into Branwen's raised arm, only for him to stagger from the blow... and twist around before elbowing her in the face.

"Yang!" Pyrrha exclaimed as her partner was sent flying into a wall. 'How did he do that? He's drunk, right?!'

"Oh?" Branwen finally turned to regard Pyrrha, and suddenly she was aware of why Jaune had felt uncomfortable under his stare. "You must be her partner. You've got a cooperative personality, and you're very willing to accept others. You basically harmonize your Aura with hers, then."

"So this is the guy who forged Aunt Glynda into a Deva Regalia..." Jaune grimaced.

"Okie... I think I gotten the gist of things..." Branwen slurred before cracking his neck.

"Damnit!" Glynda raged as she knocked back her drink before dropping her empty glass. "Why didn't Ozpin tell me that Qrow had come back to Vale?!"

"You sure can put them away." Blake, her new drinking buddy, observed from the side. Glynda must've been pretty drunk to be seeing her with cat ears, though.

But Qrow's ugly face popped up in her mind and Glynda knew she wasn't drunk enough yet. "Another shot, please."

"Now, now, Glyn." Blake gently took the bottle from her shaky hand and poured into a glass for her. More proof that Blake wasn't some evil Yaksha like she'd thought earlier. No Yaksha would've poured her a drink like this nice lady at her side. "So how was Jaune, today?"

Well, that was a good enough distraction.

"He keeps calling me Aunt!" Glynda sobbed. "I'm only 8 years older than him. Even if he respects me as a teacher, he still won't look at me more as a woman..."

"Ah." Blake nodded in drunken acceptance. "So you wanna get in his pants, but he's not seeing you as an option, huh?"

"No..." Glynda growled. "Not if he's got that cute girl he's sharing that apartment with. He may not have noticed somehow, but I can tell she's rightfully attracted to my Jaune! They even got a pet cat together, now! It's a miracle Jaune's still a virgin with how much Ruby takes after my own homeroom teacher... She may be innocent now, but Summer Rose's devious genes still run strong in that girl! Sooner or later, that cute thing's suddenly going become really hunter-like for my Jaune!"

Pausing from how she'd raised her clenched fist high, Glynda wilted and took another swig. "This sucks... Ever since I partnered up with Qrow, it's like misfortune's been snapping at my heels..."

Jaune roared as he charged before swing Ruby(spear) at Branwen, who kept dodging in incredibly unbelievable manners.

"Polearm Meister Arc..." Branwen mused as he kept staggering out of the spear thrusts, even knocking his own forehead at one point. "Arc..."

Kicking off Ruby(spear)'s shaft, Brawnen twisted over Pyrrha(chakram) and backhanded Yang. "Arc... Arc... I've heard that name somewhere... Ah!"

Branwen dropped his fist into his palm realization. "You're Saphron's brother, aren't you?"

"The days I spent with him... were hell." Glynda looked down at her filled glass with haunted eyes. "No... Hell at least doesn't allow innocent people into it's grasp. Ozpin assured me of that."

"So?" Jaune asked as he got up with Ruby(spear) at the ready. "What's that to you?"

"Ah, I can remember them now..." Branwen mused with a happy expression. "Your sister had quite the powerful punches... "

"There wasn't a single day that didn't pass by without him wanting to fight somebody." Glynda sniffed before downing her glass. "If it wasn't a Grimm, it was a fellow classmate. If it wasn't a fellow classmate, it was a random beast in the woods. Qrow would fight anybody and everybody if he could, including his own partner... My only refuge was that he at least had the restraint to not attack me in my sleep..."

"Uh-huh, I see." Branwen fished out a flask from his clothes and drank from it. "So you are her little brother. The brother of the woman who tricked me into a bet that had me leaving Beacon the moment I achieved my S-Class rank..."

Branwen's drunken smirk grew very ugly. "I've got the urge to really brutalize you."

"But he's still the guy who forged you into a Deva Regalia, right?" Blake wondered. "From what Jau- what I heard from someone, you can't go that far without your Aura being very compatible with each other."

Just as Glynda was about to take another swig, she paused before slamming the glass down. "Qrow... was what you'd call a fighting maniac. As long as it would help him out in a fight and satisfy his thirst for violence, something like making the wavelength of his Aura match others' would barely count as a hindrance to him."

The glass cracked in Glynda's grip. "He's a prodigy who's got a madness for violence."

Branwen charged forward with a clenched palm, his intent clear.

"It's just a palm heel strike!" Ruby(spear) warned. "Guard against it!"

"Right!" Jaune did that, just as Brawnen made contact, only to recoil at the crashing flash of dark red against white. "Gah!"

"Urgh!" Ruby groaned from within the spear, just as affected.

Jaune heaved as he struggled to get up. "Wh-What the hell...?"

Qrow's still outstretched hand crackled with his Aura.

"I don't believe it..." Oscar blinked in shock at what he just saw. "Meisters do have Aura as an option to attack with, but it's better used to amplify their Weapons to attack. But Branwen just..."

"...offensively modified his own Aura into a way that completely bypassed Mr. Arc's defenses." Ozpin finished. "When two separate Auras clash, the weaker one will always fail. That's all to it. But that isn't what Branwen just did. He didn't just overpower Mr. Arc's Aura, he made it useless to defend against him. I suppose you could compare it to melting an ice cube with a blowtorch. After all, Aura has always been used as either a healing or support implement, with no directly offensive use... until Qrow Branwen."

"If he can do that all on his own..." Oscar grimaced. "How dangerous would he be with a Weapon?"

"Now then, where should I start?" Branwen huffed as he glared at Jaune. "Should I crush your throat? Should I spill your guts? Should I rip out your eyes? Should I shatter your ribs? So many options, so little time..."

Jaune found himself trembling as Branwen's utterly casual threats caressed his ears.

"What's wrong, Jaune?" Ruby asked within his grip. "Pull yourself together! Your breathing and Aura are so unstable!"

Ruby was right... He'd have to attack before Branwen could react! "YAAAAAAAAAH!"

"W-Wait, Jaune!"

Jaune couldn't wait! Hadn't Ruby just heard this man bluntly state his desire to torture him?! If he just managed to stab him through-

*KRRSH!*

Jaune choked as Ruby was repelled out of his grip while Branwen caught him by his throat.

"J-Jaune!" Ruby(spear) called out in a panic, her voice staticky from her disturbed Aura as she transformed back.

"Looks like I'm starting with your throat, Arc." Branwen hummed before Jaune felt the grip on his neck grow oh so painfully tight. "I wonder how pissed I can get both Glynda and Saphron to be when I present your corpse to them."

Choking out, Jaune tried to punch his cheek with an Aura-enhanced fist but that barely did anything.

"A fine attempt even in your situation, but my skill far surpasses yours."

"Hands off my fellow blond, scruffy head!" Yang roared as she charged him. "You've got guts to be ignoring me!"

"It's useless." Branwen drawled.

"You think you and Jaune are the only ones who can kick ass with pure Aura attacks?!" Eyes burning crimson, Yang shifted into position behind Branwen, her words surprising the man. "Think again! [Blazing Dragon Fist]!"

Golden flames smashed into Branwen's back along with Yang's gauntleted fist, the explosion freeing Jaune from his grasp.

"Amazing..." Ruby gasped.

"What?!" Miltiades Malachite's eyes widened. "Can all the Meisters there use their Aura directly?"

"Indeed." Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "Both Mr. Arc and Miss Xiao Long possess extraordinarily large Aura reserves to begin with, so they'd mostly learned how to manipulate it out of necessity. Unfortunately..."

"...their opponent has experience and superior skill on his side."

Yang stumbled back in shock, her attack having done nothing to Branwen. Not even his beer-smelling clothes had been singed. What the fuck?! "H-He cancelled it out?"

"Well, isn't this a surprise?" Branwen murmured. "Looks like I was able to match our Aura wavelengths just in time. If the Aura wavelengths are exactly the same, any attack from either of us against the other will always be rendered null without backlash. Normally even I wouldn't have been able to match us so fast, but hey..."

Branwen's dull red eyes glowed with the pupils turning slit to match Yang's as he glared at her. "The half of you that comes from my sister must have recognized me, I guess."

Half of...

So it wasn't just a coincidence he had that name?!

"WHERE DID SHE GO?!" Yang roared as she charged Branwen. "TELL ME!"

Branwen matched her fist with his, golden flames smashing uselessly against vermilllion lightning. When she disengaged, Branwen suddenly entered into her guard and grabbed her head with both hands.

"Don't bite your tongue."

That was the only warning she got before Branwen's Aura started to electrocute her.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUGH!"

She didn't hear Pyrrha's worried calls from her gauntlets.

She didn't hear Ruby's pleas to make Branwen stop.

She didn't notice Jaune leaping forward with Aura-enhanced fists to make Branwen focus on him.

Yang didn't even notice when blood burst out of her orifices when she fell to the ground.

"""YANG!"""

Oscar got off his chair instantly. "I told you they'd die against him, didn't I?! It's not cool to keep sitting and watching at this point! Melanie, Miltia, let's go!"

"Uh, right." Melanie shook herself free of her trance. It'd been haunting to see someone get electrocuted right in the soul...

"Hold on, Oscar." Ozpin called out. "This is their 'remedial session', not yours. Besides, you're a Reaper, not a Beacon student."

"In that case, we'll enroll into Beacon." Oscar's answer was immediate. "Please add my Weapons and I to the school register. Melanie, Mitia!"

"Oh, dear..." Ozpin sighed as he watched them leave. "Don't interfere, you hear me! I have a plan for them!"

"Yang..." Pyrrha whispered as she cradled Yang's unresponsive body in her arms.

"Branwen, you..." Ruby growled as tears fell down her cheeks. "You won't get away with this! Jaune, let's go!"

...go? Against that?

"No way..." Jaune whispered, his eyes wide with terror as he slowly sank to his knees in disbelief.

"Huh?" Ruby, who couldn't see anything, was surprised at Jaune's behavior. "What's wrong?!"

"I can... see it... It's..."

Jaune couldn't see Qrow Branwen anymore.

Instead, there was this bloody image of a gargantuan beast in the drunkard's place, stealing the breath from Jaune's lungs as it imposed itself into the World, claws crackling with vermillion ether to rip and tear through everything in it's path without a moment's remorse.

"What a bad time for your Aura-sensitive skill to peak." Branwen spoke, his image suddenly replacing that of the Crimson Beast. "Tell me, what did my soul look like when you saw through my Aura?"

That... THAT WAS HIS SOUL?!

"It can't be..." Jaune's body wouldn't stop shaking. "Our levels are too different..."

"Hey, what's with you, Jaune?!" Ruby called out. "What are you looking at?!"

Jaune bent over in defeat. "No... We can't win..."

"What?!" Ruby knelt down to shake Jaune's shoulder. "Jaune, snap out of it!"

"Shut up!" Jaune slapped Ruby's hand away. "You didn't see what I saw! His soul is terrifying! And he's not even a Grimm! He's a human being!"

Silence filled the air at Jaune's rant, Ruby now quiet as she stared down at her partner. Jaune himself shuddered in place, unwilling to move. Any moment, the Vermillion Beast would pounce and-

"So what?" Ruby's voice sounded out. "It's not like his soul equals our defeat! If we didn't give up against Blake back then, what business do we have giving up here?!"

Jaune flinched, but he still looked up to regard his partner, which she saw and took her chance.

"Didn't you want to impress Goodwitch by forging me into a Deva Regalia?! You can't do that from your knees!"

Jaune shook as Ruby's words and then looked-

Oh.

Was this Ruby's soul?

There was a lone scarlet rose in a field of thorns violently shaking and threatening to wilt from the turmoil Jaune could now see clearly.

Ruby Rose... was so terrified.

"Pathetic."

Both Ruby and Branwen recoiled when Jaune's own fist smashed hard into his cheek.

"I'm so pathetic." Jaune growled as he got to his feet. "To think that I'd be trembling here of all places... Ruby!""

"Y-Yes?" Ruby snapped to attention, her eyes wide with hope.

"{Aura Resonance}, right now!" Jaune held out his hand. "Let's beat this urban legend back into the nonexistence he came from!"

"Yeah!" Ruby took his hand, her body smoothly transforming into his Weapon. "Let's go!"

""[Aura Resonance]!""

The union of their Auras had never shone as brightly as it did now, the white and red of their souls mixing together and surging to new heights as Ruby(spear) transformed.

"Resonate to the limit!" Ruby(spear) roared.

"Right!"

"It seems you two want to end this with one final strike, huh." Branwen readied himself. "COME! SHOW ME YOUR SOULS!"

Ruby(spear) screamed with power as she was thrusted forward.

"[Gáe... BOLG]!"

At Jaune's roar, Ruby(spear) flew forward, her shaft twisting wildly as her powerful spearhead slammed between Branwen's palms.

The resultant shockwave was immense as their Auras fought for dominance, debris being blown away while Pyrrha gasped at the spectacle. Branwen gritted his teeth as he was sent back a few meters, his hands burning from the contact despite his Aura's protection.

"Hey!"

Jaune stepped forward, which in turn shoved Branwen back a step.

"You have!"

Another step forward, another step back.

"No business!"

Another step forward, another step back.

"Blocking our way!"

Another step forward, another step back.

"So just FALL!"

Ruby(spear)'s spearhead throbbed with power before suddenly blooming into three others that struck him in both his legs and head, the pain causing him to loosen his grip and be stabbed in the chest by the initial spearhead.

Being sent flying, Branwen tumbled to a slow roll.

"That was..." Jaune panted as {Aura Resonace} dropped. "That was..."

"So awesome!" Ruby(spear) cheered. "I got a new ability! I can separate into multiple heads?! So cool!"

Chancing another look at Ruby's soul, Jaune smiled at what he saw. Now, the briar field was filled to the brim with thriving roses that were blooming with Ruby's elation.

"You're beautiful."

Jaune's words cut off Ruby's mini celebration as she transformed back.

"Eh?" Ruby's cheeks reddened. "Wh-Wh-What are you t-talking about?"

"I think I can see your soul now, and well..." Jaune clariefied sheepishly. "You're beautiful in the most soulful way ever."

Ruby blinked before nearly tilting over, her brain crashing as her entire face matched both of her names in color. Even if Jaune hadn't saved her from kissing the floor, she probably wouldn't have responded.

"Of all times to flirt, you'd choose now?"

Branwen's voice was like an unwelcome screech in an orchestra, prompting them all to regard him. Even though he was bleeding from his head, chest and legs, the fact that he was walking just fine towards Jaune and Ruby did not do wonders for their morale.

"You look like you're about to keel over." Branwen observed as he got closer. "While your {Aura Resonance} did get stronger back there and grant you a new ability, you splitting into four didn't increase your power at all. One power splitting into four just means one-fourth power in each one."

Panting heavily, Jaune took a step forward only to suddenly fall to his knees with Ruby still in his grasp.

"Aren't you going to get up from there?"

Jaune winced as his legs refused to obey him. He couldn't be exhausted. Not here and now of all scenarios. He-

"Fine, then. Have it your way."

Jaune stilled as he felt Branwen gently pat his hand on his head.

"You both pass. Good job, Jaune, Ruby."

What.

"What?"

That was enough to even wake up Ruby with an incredulous "Eh?"

"Remedial session complete!" Branwen declared as he stood up.

"Wait, please." Ruby sat up, her body twisting about in Jaune's arms so that she could look at Branwen. "What?"

"You see, the Reaper asked a favor of me." Branwen started to explain to the stunned students. "He wanted me to help you out with your 'remedial sessions'."

"But you killed Yang, didn't you?!" Jaune turned to point at Yang... who sat up to glare at them without leaving Pyrrha's arms.

"I ain't dead!" Yang snapped. "I'm too awesome to die, you hear me?!"

"You're alive?" Ruby gasped. "Then this was all a trick?!"

"Then what about Professor Port?!" Jaune shouted. "Is he in on this?!"

"Oh, no, I totally hospitalized Peter for reals." Branwen confirmed with a smile. "Along with all those other students, I really did beat them up."

"What is wrong with you?!" Ruby wailed in distress. "You say you faked it, but still did all that?!"

"No way..." Jaune wilted before suddenly realizing something. "Wait, that means Ozpin was in on this, too! That bastard! You shits!"

Ozpin chuckled at their reactions. "But you've all grown from this experience, haven't you?"

"Hmm... Well, I guess I am pretty shitty..." Branwen smirked. "'cause it sure was fun knocking you Meister brats around. One's Saphron's little brother, the other's my niece from my shitty sister. How could I not enjoy every minute of tonight~?"

''H-He's a total sadist, too?!'' Jaune and Ruby thought in dumbfounded unison.

Branwen sauntered over to his still open door and turned around to welcome them. "So, everybody! You all must be tired, right?! Please, stay over tonight and celebrate with me in a beer party! I won't take no for an answer!"

"How about a 'fuck you'!" Jaune didn't know how he found the energy to flip Ruby over his shoulder and hightail it, but he didn't question it, especially as Pyrrha did the same for Yang and kept pace at his side.

The next morning, all four of them were still tired from the previous evening even as they sat down in the classroom. Jaune had even gotten nightmares about being attacked in his bed.

"Oh, yeah..." Pyrrha turned to ask Ruby. "Who is our new homeroom teacher? Professor Port hasn't recovered yet, has he?"

"Goodwitch stood in as a substitute yesterday, so maybe it's her?" Ruby's words got disproved when a familiar drunkard entered the lectureroom.

"All right, let's start class." Qrow Branwen declared after placing down a bottle of wine. "Today, we'll be discussing the fundamental differences that set wine away from all other alchoholic beverages."

Yang's jaw dropped.

Ruby gawked.

Pyrrha wilted.

Jaune, after taking a deep breath, jumped out of his seat and threw himself out the window.

When Aunt Glynda found him there fifteen minutes later, it really said a lot that she just nodded in understanding instead of punishing him after he told her of his new homeroom teacher.

KingVessel: Yeah! I'm done! Please leave a review!