Something something soldiering...

Don't own RWBY and Star Wars.

Chapter 10: Getting Better

Beacon Arena, Beacon Academy

Steel clashed against steel as Jaune Arc tried to block Cardin Winchester's mace with his shield. Unfortunately as expected, his weak block stood no chance as the larger student bashed him away, disarming him from the Blonde's sword and shield. Feeling ever so confident, Cardin walked towards him slowly as Jaune struggled to get up. Smiling, the former taunted "Now this is the part where you lose Arc."

However, not wanting to go down easily, Jaune resorted to one last attack as he rushed for Cardin's leg, catching him by surprise as he fell down. Jaune then reached for his nearby shield as he hit Cardin again and again, but before he could hit him again, he felt himself flying as he was lifted off by Cardin who threw him off. Kicking Jaune in the stomach, taking his aura out.

The young Winchester did not hesitate to raise his mace to deal another blow, and just before he did, a gloved hand stopped him mid-swing. Azure gave him a death glare that told- no, ordered him to stand down. Cardin scoffed as he was let go. Glynda then got the student body's attention "Thank you, Mister Azure, now class as you can see, Mister Arc's aura has entered the red. In a tournament setting, this would declare him unfit for battle which in turn will allow the officials to call the match." The Deputy Headmistress then turned to Jaune who was being helped up by two Guardsmen of Toro Company "Mister Arc, it's been a few weeks now. Please try to observe your Aura levels more closely. From that, you can determine better when to attack or defend, is that understood?"

The Blonde Knight gave a nod as Miss Goodwitch dismissed the rest of the class for lunch. Azure gestured for his two men to bring Jaune to the infirmary who did so immediately. He crossed his arms as Glynda gave him a look "You seem to be more concerned about Mister Arc, Garreth." The Marshal couldn't help but reply with a nod "Indeed, you and I are both aware that Ozpin still admitted him to the Academy despite the obvious indications of some certain papers."

"Ozpin does work in mysterious ways," Glynda returned, "but even this is too strange for him."

Azure shook his head "That's not what I'm talking about. If you remember the Leadership and Tactics Class last week, he almost managed to ace the damn thing." He then pulled out a record of the test from his scroll "He would've gotten the perfect score had it not been for his solo combat answers. That means that Ozpin knows the boy has potential."

The Deputy Headmistress looked at the results "Very interesting... and you watched him personally when he took this yes?" She was put into further thinking when Azure nodded yes.

...

"Alright kid, we're almost there," Killdane said as he and Gus walked the huntsman-in-training named Jaune to the infirmary. This wasn't the first time they've done this for him either. They couldn't help but notice that the blonde kept getting hurt more than usual.

It wasn't long before they reached the infirmary where they were met by a clone medical officer much to the guard's confusion. The white-coated officer gestured for them to come in "Come on then, the nurse took a break so Captain Sixers sent me to replace her for a while."

The two clones nodded before placing Jaune on a chair that had been prepared for him. Gus then waved "Here you go kid, Killdane and I are of." His partner nodded "Yeah, we'll see you when we see you. Try not to get hurt again!" he called out as they left the infirmary.

The medical officer chuckled "Ah those guys... anyways, what seems to be the problem this time around Mister Arc?"

"Uh... well, I think I just need to put an ice pack for my head this time..." the blonde said as he rubbed his injuries, but was stopped by the medic who slapped his hand away. "Don't touch those, I'll have to clean them. There's an ice pack in the fridge, go and get it while I prep my cleaning kit." The blonde nodded as he did as he was told.

Jaune sat back down as the medic began to clean the various wounds on his body. He winced in pain as he felt the sting of the antiseptics seep into his wounds, but he endured it. "So," the medic began while he continued his work, "I'm curious as to how you get frequently hurt, especially when it comes to dueling others."

The blonde didn't respond, but the medic knew why. "I get it, you're afraid to admit that you're not up to snuff as the rest of them. Have you tried asking for help then?" He was met by a shake of a head much to his dismay. "Why not?"

"I don't think I'll need help. I'll sort it out on my own," the blonde admitted. He earned a scoff from the medic "Hardly, you're still a kid. You'll learn soon that no man's an island, and that you got a team to lead."

The medic was soon done as he threw away the used cotton balls into a bin. "There you go," he stated proudly, "Hope we don't meet like this again." Jaune nodded as he slowly went for the door before he asked "Uh hey... what's your name by the way?" The medic was surprised, but smiled as he replied "Name's Stoic, now go on. Lunch ain't gonna last forever, and remember, none of that macho guy stuff."

The Blonde Knight nodded "Thank you Stoic," and with that, he left for the cafeteria.

Stoic shook his head "Ah... kids..."

Beacon Cafeteria

The Cafeteria of Beacon was a bustling place as students from different years went about their day, coming for their meals, having a chat with friends, or in this case, telling suspenseful stories of their dreams. An example is Nora Valkyrie who continued her tale "We were there! Night ever so dark as the clock hung around midnight!"

"It was noon," Ren corrected.

"Ursai circling us with the intent to kill!"

"They were beowloves."

"Dozens surrounding us, we were completely outmatched!"

"It was just two of them..."

Ren couldn't help but palm his face "She's been having this dream for weeks now."

As they continued to talk about the story, Jaune couldn't help but fall back on what Stoic said. "No man's an island... he makes a point..." the Blonde thought, but they were interrupted by his partner. "Jaune, is everything alright?" Pyrrha asked.

"Uh... I guess? I'm still a bit hurt from that fight earlier, why'd you ask?" he replied.

Ruby answered "Well, it just doesn't seem that you're all good. Is it because of Cardin bullying you?" Jaune thought about it, and he had to admit, the attempts were tiring, but he had to-

"None of that macho guy stuff," the Medic's voice echoed.

Well, what friends are for he supposed. The Blonde Knight sighed "Yeah... it's been getting to me and I want it to stop y'know?"

"Well," Pyrrha started, "we can help if you want." Nora then slammed her fists on the table "Yeah! We'll break his legs!" This remark did not go unnoticed by the Guards who stared at her before shaking their heads.

Jaune shook his head, smiling as he felt the support of his friends "Thanks guys, and you're right, I could ask for help. It's just that I don't wanna be a burden to you by having you guys bail me out, and it'll make them try to get me when you're all not around."

The Blonde looked at the Bully who was pulling a Rabbit Faunus' ears "OW! Let me go!" she yelped. Cardin and his team laughed at her expense, and the topic then shifted "Atrocious..." Pyrrha said, "How could he do this to other people?"

"It doesn't help that he's not the only one..." Blake added.

"Must be hard being a Faunus," Yang agreed.

Unknown to the team, Jaune had stood up and approached the bully. He tapped Cardin on the shoulder "Hey Cardin, let her go man."

Cardin fortunately did, but only to face the Blonde Knight behind him "Well well well Jauney boy, some nerve you got to tell me what to do after I beat your ass."

Jaune did not step back "L-look, I'm just saying you shouldn't do that to other people-"

"People? HA!" Cardin scoffed "This guy thinks those animals are people!" His team laughed behind him, much to Jaune's dismay. "I knew you were a dork Arc, but you didn't tell me you're a comedian!" Wrapping his arm around the blonde, he continued his taunting "Listen Jauney, between you and me, I doubt that you'll be able to stop me. So drop the hero act and sulk next to your team before I d-"

"Before you'll what Winchester?" a stern voice asked as Cardin paused, and turned to see Professor Azure, arms crossed and eyes glaring into his skull.

Right behind him stood several members of the Beacon Security Forces, all standing tall and ready to move should anyone dare cause trouble. "You have some nerve boy," Azure spat as he took Cardin's arm off Jaune, "First you harass Miss Scarlatina by tugging her ears and now you threaten a fellow student."

Cardin tried to stutter an excuse but was cut off "And to think you haven't been beaten up into a pulp by Miss Scarlatina yet..." The Winchester looked in confusion, but before he could ask, the Marshal continued his tirade "She's a 2nd Year who got one of the highest scores in combat. She'll lay you out before you could even raise your mace, and that's WITHOUT her weapon."

The leader of CRDL gulped, beginning to feel more dread as the Marshal finally grabbed him by the collar "Be thankful that she can tolerate you, and be thankful that I'm not throwing you off the cliff yet." Azure then shoved him off as his men began to turn away and resume their posts "A week of detention with Miss Goodwitch starting today. Know the schedules and rules like the back of your hand, or you shall know the back of mine, understand?"

Cardin finally nodded as Azure walked away while the Guard's Captain stayed to keep watch. At this point, Jaune had already returned to his team, shocked by the sudden arrival of the professor too. Most of the students had returned to their meals, and Cardin sat back down as he tried to comprehend that he was in even more trouble now.

"Phew... that was close Jaune..." Ruby remarked, "If it hadn't been for Professor Azure arriving, Nora would've jumped them already."

Nora then cheered "And I still will!" She was stopped by Ren who held her in place before she got off. The Guards once again had to give her a look as she finally calmed down. One could hear a trooper whisper a silent thanks to a cosmic power.

"Yeah... I guess I got lucky this time around..." Jaune said, as he drank his water. It was then he realized that the Rabbit Faunus from earlier, was approaching.

"Thank you for getting him to stop," she said, "The name's Velvet by the way."

"Jaune, and don't mention it. Just doing the right thing," Jaune replied as Velvet waved goodbye to catch up with her team.

Pyrrha patted Jaune on the back "Good job Jaune, I hope that Cardin backs off from you after that."

The Blonde nodded "I hope so too..."

Bells soon rang, signaling that it was time for classes again. Teams RWBY and JNPR made sure to take the quick route this time around, much to Azure's delight.

History Lecture Hall, Beacon Academy

"Before the events of the Faunus Rights Revolution, or the Faunus Wars as it was more popularly known, humanity had been planning to centralize the Faunus population to Menagerie," Profess- ahem! Doctor Oobleck explained as he pointed to the aforementioned island, "While to some of you this may seem like ancient history, I can assure you class that these are very much recent events. Very recent that it still has effects that linger on to this very day."

The Doctor took a sip of coffee, quite quickly, Azure noted as he wrote down his own notes for future reviews, before he pointed towards the class with a question "Now, which of you young scholars have been shown discrimination for your Faunus heritage?"

Several students raised their hands, including Miss Scarlatina, although hesitantly. The Green-haired historian shook his head in disappointment "Dreadful, simply dreadful. This is precisely the kind of violence that breeds violence, wouldn't you agree Mister Azure?"

"To those who raised their hand, I want to see you all in my office for questioning," The Marshal stated, not taking his eyes off his papers as he continued to write before answering the question, "And yes Doctor, such acts are simply dreadful. Take the White Fang for example."

This prompted the Historian to nod "Exactly!" he exclaimed as he took another sip of coffee, "The White Fang was a voice of peace and equality for the Faunus, but now it has turned into a more violent organization! Now which one of you students can tell me what many theorize the turning point of the war?"

Weiss Schnee's hand shot up "The Battle of Fort Castle."

"Exactly, and who can tell me what advantage the Faunus had over General Langue's forces?"

At the back of the class, Cardin, thinking he was in the clear from Azure, decided to mess with Jaune once more by throwing a paper ball at him, eliciting a vocal response from the blonde. This did not go unnoticed by Doctor Oobleck who called the later out "Mister Arc, it seems you have something to say. Could it perhaps be the answer?"

The Blonde stumbled as he stood up, eyes going everywhere as he tried to think of an answer. Azure very much knew that Jaune did not know the answer, and wanted to help him out. Seeing an opportunity, when the Arc scion's eyes fell on him, the Marshal raised a hand towards his eyes before making a gesture of sleep. He saw some success when Jaune finally answered "They could... see in the dark?"

Oobleck nodded "Correct, the Faunus had a natural feature of being able to see in the dark and as such, were able to see General Langue's advance towards their stronghold." Feeling the need to add something to the discussion, Azure stood up and presented a hologram of the battlefield, with a blue square standing in for the Human Army, and a red triangle representing the Fort. "Besides failing his biology class," Azure said as he pointed to the blue square, "General Langue was dead last in his officer's course."

He then pressed another button, showing the advance of the army. "If you can see here, he sent his whole force towards the center and ignored his flanks," he continued, "This allowed the Faunus to surround the General and force the surrender of approximately 38000 men."

"Well I thought it was easier to train an animal than a soldier," Cardin scoffed but flinched when he saw the dark blue eyes of Azure glare at him.

"You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you Cardin?" Pyrrha asked, but before the brute could respond, Azure spoke up "That he is not Miss Nikos. I may have to use his own mace to put disciplinary lessons into his head."

Oobleck finally coughed, retaking his class "Thank you Mister Azure, and as for you Mister Winchester, please see me for additional readings. Now, where was I? Oh yes..."

Azure sat back down, deactivating his holoprojector as he continued to take down notes. As he wrote them down, he had a feeling that he would like to talk to Mister Arc. Since he started in Beacon, the Marshal kept a close eye on the Blonde as he struggled, yet held his ground when he tackled the many activities that he needed to do in this school. However, despite his efforts, the best he could pull was barely passing with the notable exception of his Leadership and Tactics course.

He did not have to wait long as the bell rang. As Doctor Oobleck gave out the next readings for his class, Azure approached Jaune, "Mister Arc, would you come with me to my office? I wish to speak to you about a few things." The Blonde Knight couldn't help but gulp as he nodded while following the Chief of Security.

"Oh, crap... I knew it... it was too good to be true..." Jaune thought as he began to sweat bullets.

Azure's Office, Beacon Academy

The door opened as Azure walked in with a frightened Jaune tagging along behind him. Taking a seat on his desk, Azure motioned for the Blonde to sit down. "Well Jaune," he began as he began pulling out a folder, "do you have the slightest idea why I called you in here?"

"W-well... I can't tell sir," Jaune stuttered as his eyes darted around the room. He locked eyes with Azure and found his unconvinced expression. Knowing that he may as well come in clean than dig a deeper hole, Jaune sighed, "It's because of my transcripts isn't it sir?"

Azure placed a folder down on the table for Jaune to see "This work of forgery would've fooled no one. Ozpin and the rest of the teaching staff knew that these were fake." The Marshal looked at the Blonde Knight look at him in surprise.

"B-but if they knew that they were fake, why did he let me in any way?!" Jaune asked loudly, "Why did he pick me to be a team leader?!"

Azure couldn't help but chuckle at the Knight's panic "That certainly is the big question isn't it?" He then placed down a second paper, Jaune's Leadership and Tactic's test. Looking at the papers before him, JNPR's leader began to go into a frenzy of questions. However, Azure silenced him before speaking "Mister Arc, while fake your papers are, your potential is not. One of the many things Ozpin looks for is potential. Your capabilities are something to behold if you think about it."

The Marshal then showed footage of JNPR's fight against the Deathstalker. "You managed to lead your team effectively while under pressure," he said, "Such skills are rare in Huntsmen teams."

Jaune blinked as Azure continued "However one thing that concerns me is your performance in class. If you are to remain as JNPR's leader, then you must work harder to catch up on what you are falling behind on." He then turned his chair around to face his window where the full view of Remnant's shattered moon stared back at him. Jaune then spoke "I understand sir, I'll do my best to catch up on my own-"

"You shall not do it on your own Jaune," the Chief interjected, "You have a team if you haven't realized it yet. I believe Medical Officer Stoic said something along the lines of no more lone wolfing. I agree with his sentiment, if you need help, don't be afraid to ask your team, understand?"

"Y-yes, sir!"

"Good, I'll be doing some extra work to fix your transcript problems. If forgery of this kind was ever discovered, you would be kicked out and blacklisted and we cannot have that now can we?" Azure quipped as he turned back to the Blonde before him. The latter nodded nervously in agreement.

Azure soon gestured for the door "Go on now, back to your team. I have work to do." Jaune promptly nodded before walking out as fast as he could. The Marshal shook his head as he used a remote to lock his door.

...

"I knew it... I just knew those papers were no good..." Jaune muttered as he walked back to his dorm. He felt all kinds of stupid to think that the transcripts would've held and now he's paying for it.

"Then again, it's a chance to get better," he quietly thought, but his thoughts were interrupted as he heard a chilling voice "No good papers? What ever could you mean by that Jauney boy?"

The Arc turned around to see Cardin, a smirk ever so visible on his face as he approached him. "I'm no genius Jauney, but something tells me you have a dirty little secret, didn't know you were such a rogue." The tall student then grabbed Jaune by the shoulders "I think you and I are about to be good friends, and don't worry, your little secret's safe with me."

It then did Jaune finally realize how much trouble he was now in. As he was being led away by Cardin, both of the teens failed to notice Azure exit his office, a drinking glass in his hand. The Marshal was not happy in the slightest as he watched the Blonde getting led away.

"Damn it," he muttered as he entered his office once again.

Things certainly got more complicated than they should be.

Ending's a bit meh when I read it, but I hope it's not too bad. You all know what happens next people. I have nothing else to add in other than my outro. Where is it?

Right here, now stay frosty people because that's soldiering!