A month and a few weeks passed since his battle in the underpass against Banesaw and his Paladin.
Winter had fully arrived.
Thick snow covered the Beacon campus and the surrounding emerald forest in a white blanket. The crystal covering turned the old school into something right out of a winter fairytale. The snow gathered on the ribbed and textured towers of Beacons campus, adding to its gothic charm.
The green crowns that had taken the tops of Beacon's trees gave way to empty white-covered branches. A few leaves still clung onto their remaining trees, but strong winds fought wildly to steal them.
The beautifully trimmed bushes and hedges of Beacon turned from their usual greens into a uniform white. The snow did the flora a favor, considering the cold had taken away most of their beautiful greenery. A few purple and white winter flowers grew between the other snow covered flowers, creating blooms of color in the pastel landscape.
Grounds people wearing thick coats raked fallen leaves and salted the paths, allowing access throughout Beacon. They left most of the snow covering the natural parts of the campus untouched, shoveling away snow on the most heavily trafficked paths. They didn't let dirty snowbanks pile up, using fire dust blowers to instantly turn snow into warm steam.
The students and faculty of Beacon didn't seem to notice the snow. From tight and revealing huntsmen wear to the regular school uniform, it looked as if the residents of Beacon didn't even realize winter had come into full effect. There were a few students wearing the odd sweater or beanie, but there were a lot more who wore what they wore in fall.
Small sheens of aura covered the people who walked through the winterized Beacon campus. Dark and bright auras pulsed on the skins of Beacon residents making them pop out like paint strokes against the snow of the campus.
People wore their aura because aura, when applied in a light cover around the body, could stave off both the heat and cold. In this case, aura was used to fight off the cold. The wonders of soul energy.
But this blanket against the elements had a cost: aura drain.
The teachers of Beacon have used this cost as a learning experience for their students, citing the aura drainage as a way to increase aura management. A few students grumbled at the prospect, but most, like he and his team, gladly accepted the passive training. He would do anything to become a better huntsman.
Vale and Beacon cooled down, both literally and figuratively, after the battle of the highway. The headlines ran for several weeks, going over the attack in excruciating detail and the experiences of the police who battled the Fang. The news, even though it was so thorough, didn't mention a trio of black-clad huntsmen battling the Fang convoy.
The massive police funeral came and went without a hitch, turning the entire city somber for a moment and unifying its people. Many were honored both living and dead, earning cheers from the giant crowd that had shown up to the mass funeral.
Ozpin and Glynda attended with an array of huntsmen that helped with the highway clean-up. The old headmaster gave a rousing speech, making the blood of the city pump with fervor against the Fang and rousing support for both huntsmen and local law enforcement.
The council was pleased no doubt and had probably already signed off a bigger cut of the city's taxes towards Beacon.
Most if not all of the stolen dust were returned to their respective owners. Vale's local dust economy came back from the brink and now thrived like never before, pumping money and dust back into eager citizens and huntsmen. Dust prices would have soared to absurd levels, like those in the videos, if the Fang had been allowed to thrive in the city.
The store Dusk till Dawn opened up a branch store. Many local residents speculated the new branch opened not because of any profit gained from having stolen dust returned, but because the old man who ran the shop worked a thousand jobs.
Schnee Dust Company CEO, Jacques Schnee, as Vale's dust economy became better, had to retract comments he made about the state of Vale. He tried to make up for it with more dust shipped to the city, all discounted of course.
The grimier parts of the city breathed a collective sigh of relief after the terrorists were kicked out of their backyards. Even though they had an unsteady relationship with the police, many criminals secretly thanked them for things going back to normal.
Rumors about the gentleman thief Roman Torchwick and his apparent involvement with the Fang quieted down as the blankets of snow quieted the city. Eventually, talk of Roman and his mysterious bloody hand died out entirely. Thus he was just another thief whose luck ran dry on the streets of Vale.
The entire city still moved, even with the snow covering almost every inch of it. Although, winter always brings a slowness to everything, especially the news. Lisa Lavender reported on meaningless stories with the same objective voice she used for the Fang highway battle. No one seemed to mind the dry news, the people quickly pushing the Fang's excursion to the back of their minds.
Back at Beacon, students went about their day, whispering about the Fang attack to fill in awkward silences or to start more meaningful conversations. A large majority of the students had already moved on, going back into their already hectic lives of learning to fight against the Grimm.
The White Fang became nothing more than a bad memory, one best forgotten by the average Beacon student and the average person.
Jaune and his two partners decided to take a break for the next few weeks after the battle in the underpass. By break, they meant that they wouldn't actively pursue the Fang, letting the authorities hunt the Fang in mountain Glenn.
They didn't laze around in their mini-break. The trio took the day after the underpass battle to rest their muscles and regain their aura. After eating enough to scare a Beowolf and going out to a huntsmen massager in Vale to have their knots untangled, they went right back into the thick of things.
They trained and learned with the same amount of rigorous energy as before. To everyone else it seemed as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, the trio were putting in as much hard work as they had been doing before their Fang fight.
Jaune made sure to keep his ears and eyes open for any sudden shifts in the world that would drastically change their plans but from surfing the web and from the gossip of other Beacon students, he didn't find anything of note.
He, Pyrrha, and Blake acknowledged the Fang were going to do something different now that they didn't have enough dust to create bombs for the breach, but they weren't sure what. The Fang were going to go to mountain Glenn and even though the convoy Banesaw led didn't get there, there would still be Fang stationed there.
In their free time, the trio tried to come up with ideas on what the Fang would do and who would lead them now that both Roman and Banesaw were out of the picture. Blake said that Adam would most likely take back leadership and he agreed. Their ideas concerning the new Fang attack each seemed too far-fetched than the one before.
They agreed to stop wasting their time trying to predict the future. They switched their focus on improving their minds and bodies so they would be ready to adapt to any obstacle they faced.
His team and team RWBY were still at the top of the first years in terms of combat prowess and academics. His extreme training regime combined with both of their teams' general bonds pushed them further than any other first-year team. They all studied together, fought together, and even played together. Their trust was unbreakable and their team coordination was off the charts.
He liked it best when both his team and team RWBY were shown side by side to one at the top of the combat leaderboards.
They had gotten so powerful Glynda almost exclusively paired them up for matches so fights could last for more than a few seconds and they could actually learn something. The rest of the first years watched them fight with a mix of awe and envy.
One day, a few weeks after the battle of the underpass, Glynda came up to him and team RWBY at the end of combat class. They all stopped packing up and turned to the serious witch. She held her typical cold hard stare.
He stood tall next to Pyrrha who looked confused at Glynda's sudden interruption. He shared a look with her and she shrugged.
Glynda said, looking at them, "All of you please stay behind and follow me to the middle of the room."
She didn't wait for a response, turning around and walking to the center of the arena. He shared a look with everyone else in his eight-person group. All of them looked just as confused as he was.
He shrugged and followed Glynda. Pyrrha and the rest of his team slid in behind him. Team RWBY walked on their side. They broke off into their own whispered conversations, but he kept his gaze directed on Glynda.
Nora resumed exclaiming the contents of a dream to Ren, who dutifully nodded along. Ruby and Weiss talked quickly in hushed whispers while Blake and Yang silently walked side by side. The blonde brawler's eyes were wide in fear and grew wider as the entire group approached Glynda. Blake looked forward with her usual passive face.
She glanced at him, her amber eyes meeting his blue. He gave her a quick nod and smile, earning the same from her. He turned back to their destination.
Approaching the center of the arena, Yang nervously asked, a far cry from her usual boisterous self, "Ummm, , are we all in trouble?
Glynda stopped and sighed. Her shoulders rose but they jutted back down a second later. He imagined a frown forming on her face.
The eight-person group stopped and looked at their combat instructor.
Glynda turned around and crossed her arms, idly resting her riding crop against her shoulder.
A frown etched her face. He was right.
She sighed, "No , none of you are in trouble. Unless one of you did something today, which I don't know about, that would warrant disciplinary action?"
She raised a brow and gently smacked her riding crop on the side of her arm, eyes boring into Yang.
Yang's face flushed and she looked away from the mature witch.
She squeaked, seemingly forgetting that Glynda had posed the question to everyone in the group, "No ."
He shot Yang a look. Would Glynda notice or even care about Yang's obvious tell? He didn't ponder long. Smiling, he stood confident that he didn't have a single stain on his disciplinary record, excluding his fake transcripts.
Nora vigorously shook her head side to side, deadly serious in the fact that she had not engaged in any tomfoolery today. The rest of them stood at attention, waiting for their teacher to say more.
The combat witches' emerald eyes met his and lingered. She gazed at him, making him nervous. He ran through his memories of the day and was certain he hadn't done anything that would result in punishment.
Her green eyes pierced him. Fear grew in his gut. Small beads of sweat formed on his forehead and he pulled at the collar of his uniform. When did it get so hot in here?
Glynda moved her gaze away from him and onto Blake. He sighed in relief and almost sagged in place.
Nora moved next to him, humming a tune.
He turned to the pink bombardier and asked, "Hey Nor, did it seem like Goodwitch was staring at me for a long time?"
Nora shook her head, "Nah, she didn't look at you for long. It seemed like the normal time for one of her death gazes."
He slowly nodded, unsure of whether or not to believe her.
After a few seconds of deliberation, he chose to believe her. He hadn't thought about the future videos in weeks, nor had he or his partners done anything remotely related to them. He had also already averted her suspicions before when she had questioned him for his odd behavior after he killed Neo.
He admonished himself for jumping to conclusions.
Nora jabbed him in the side, pulling him out of his thoughts, "So why are you so interested in how long Goodwitch looks at you? Seeing if she has the hots for you?"
He blushed and tried not to let Nora's comments get to him.
Reeling, he responded, "No Nora, it was nothing."
She shrugged, "Well I'm just saying Jaune. You already have two girls tripping over you. I think trying to add a third to your harem is just a bit too complicated."
He sighed, looking at his pink-haired teammate. He rolled his eyes and tried to look as passive as Blake, but he didn't have the willpower necessary to stop his cheeks from glowing red. Dam Nora and her uncanny ability to embrace him. Nora giggled.
Glynda cleared, turning his focus back on her, and said, "I have gathered you all here because I wanted to discuss your current standing in my class."
She motioned them closer. They moved forward and huddled around the blonde witch. He watched with keen interest.
She flicked out her riding crop. Small portable light dust projectors flew from one side of the room and stopped in the air above them. The silver-blue devices gently floated in circles, like steel feathers, covered in Glynda's telekinetic purple glow. She waved her riding crop and the devices settled around them.
The projectors turned on, emitting holo light screens. He and the rest of his eight-man team turned from her and looked at the floating screens. He inched closer to the nearest one and Pyrrha did the same. A flickering blue static took up the screen on the projector.
The flickering gave way to footage of their fights against one another or other first years during combat class. All of the other screens played similar footage.
The videos were highlights of the fights featuring mostly final moves or decisive chains of attacks. Most if not all of the highlights showed him or his team members devastating their opponents. The only time the highlights went on longer than a few seconds was when they depicted him or his team fighting amongst one another.
They put their all when sparring with one another, resulting in their fights being longer and needing their full attention. He needed to use the full potential of both his mind and body when he fought his friends.
As more of the highlights, he noted ways he could improve or ways his friends could improve. Pyrrha gently rubbed her chin while she watched. He turned to the rest of his eight-man group. They were huddled in pairs, watching the same highlights. Their eyes were thoroughly glued to the screen.
Ruby quietly gushed to Weiss, pointing to one of her fights against the white-haired ice queen, and gesticulating widely. Weiss nodded along and murmured under her breath. Ren and Blake watched highlights of their fight against one another. They whispered a word or two and simply nodded along at their fluid attacks.
Yang and Nora openly shouted at their dust light projector like they were watching a dramatic soap opera match. They only needed buckets of popcorn to complete their look. Near the end of a fight, they broke into cheers, trying to motivate their past self. Even though they already knew the outcome of the fight, they still cheered like opening day fans.
In the highlights, Yang sucker-punched Nora in the stomach. The pink bombardier flew through the air and slammed into the arena's light dust barrier. She fell to the floor, gasping for air. Shaking heavily, she tried to get up. She managed to move a few inches off the floor but fell back down in a huff. A beep went off, declaring Yang the winner.
Nora roared at the screen while Yang showboated to the other girl. Nora turned on Yang, eyes narrowed in either mock or real anger. With her, you couldn't tell. Her fingers twitched wildly, moving towards Yang's throat. Yang, whose eyes were closed as she continued to showboat, didn't notice Nora's approach.
Nora turned away at the last moment and stomped over to the floating dust projector. She grabbed it out of the air and craned her arm back, huffing. She swung her arm down.
Glynda's voice cut through the buzz of the highlights, "Ahem, Ms. Valkyrie what are you doing?"
Nora's face grew pale. She stopped her downward swing and let go of the projector, letting it float back in the air. She fussed over it like it had been hurt and turned to Glynda.
A large grin formed on her lips, but a slight tremble in her lip belied any confidence.
She croaked, "Oh nothing Ms.G."
Glynda raised a brow, eyes narrowed. She let the seconds tick on, staring Nora down. His teammate broke her gaze away from the professor. The orange-haired girl pulled her arms and shoulders in, making herself smaller.
The highlights stopped playing and the rest of his eight-man group turned back towards Glynda and her one-sided staredown of Nora. The younger girl looked on the verge of breaking down. He looked between Ren and Pyrrha and shared confused looks with them. They simply shrugged their shoulders.
Finally, Glynda nodded toward Nora. The younger girl sighed in relief and sagged in place, falling back into Yang's arms.
Glynda looked away from the spectacle and gazed at all of them, "Well it seems like all of you have seen enough of the videos. I wanted to show you these highlights to show you how truly powerful you've become. The other first-year students don't hold a candle to all of you; you're only challenged when you fight amongst yourselves. But don't let these praises go to your head. This sort of fighting is detrimental to your future learning at Beacon."
A wave of confusion radiated through him at her sharp words. But, a part of his tactical mind already knew that their combat instructor said the right thing.
He stepped forward, trying to alleviate his team's confusion, " can you explain what you mean by that?"
The blonde witch's eyes settled on him and she hummed in appreciation, "Thank you for the excellent question. I will have an answer. The other first-year students aren't learning when they get pummeled by all of you. The only thing they learn is how to hit their face harder against the arena mat or light dust barrier. You don't learn anything either. All of you only win, not gaining any valuable lessons. Out there, when all of you are fully fledged huntsmen, it's almost granted you will lose at least once in a fight. If you don't learn how to lose here, you won't be able to face it out there where it matters."
Murmurs of agreement swept through the group and he nodded along, seeing the wisdom in Glynda's words.
Pyrrha stepped forward and asked loudly, "So what are you proposing for us ?"
The telekinetic witch turned to her and flicked out her riding crop. All of the holo light projectors turned off and flew back to where they came from.
She responded, "As I mentioned before, I'm planning on moving your combat class to coincide with the second years so you face more challenges. I won't be stopping you from sparring against one another, rest assured. I will also give all eight of you personal combat instruction."
Ruby raised her hand, "Doesn't the last part seem a little unfair to the rest of the first years?"
Glynda cocked her head and slowly shook it, "Ms. Rose, I only offer this proposal to the very best of Beacon and we need extremely talented huntsmen out in the field. In this world, it's quality over quantity. If any of the other first-year teams were at your level, they would be in this very same room getting the same offer. But for now, the offer is on the table for all of you."
She stopped speaking and crossed her arms. She swept her gaze over them, waiting for an answer.
He motioned for all of them to huddle together. They closed in tightly a few feet from Glynda. He looked between his teammates. They didn't need to say anything, the deal was a no-brainer. Pyrrha and Blake both nodded toward him to give their choice.
He broke away from his friends and approached their combat instructor.
Looking into her emerald eyes, he spoke for both team RWBY and JNPR, "We accept your offer."
Glynda hummed and gazed over the rest of the group. They all murmured in agreement.
She looked back at him and said, "Then why don't I engage your aptitudes right now so I can get a head start on planning for our lessons?"
He shrugged, "That sounds fine."
She looked over his shoulder to the rest of his teammates.
He twisted around and asked, "Do all of you want to fight right now?"
They weren't tired at all from the combat class they had. He could go one for several more rounds if he wanted to.
They all nodded. He turned back to Glynda.
The blonde witch stepped back and motioned to the locker rooms on either side of the arena, "Please change into your combat gear, and then we'll begin this small assessment."
He and Ren broke away from their friends, heading towards the men's locker room. He hadn't thought about it before, but there were way more women in their group than men. He didn't mind.
Glynda took out her scroll pad and furiously typed into it.
He turned to Ren and asked, "Why do you think she's going to test us if she already has the footage of our fights? Shouldn't she already know everything about our combat styles?"
Ren shook his head, "Even though she may have all of that footage, I think she needs to personally fight us to truly get a true feel for how we are in battle. A video can only tell you so much."
Jaune made a sound of understanding, grateful to have a wise sage for a teammate.
The duo entered the combat room and quickly changed. Jaune donned his armor and unsheathed his sword. The silvery blade shone in the light, reflecting his image. He flicked out his shield and did some quick practice swings in the confined locker room.
After the battle with Banesaw, he had cleaned up his armor and shield, refilled his weapons dust supplies, and repaired any damage done to it. For the repairs, he had asked Ruby for help and the small girl happily obliged. She didn't question how his sword became so damaged in the first place.
The practice swings, combined with a bit of stretching and aura meditation, loosened his muscles. The familiar clarity, which sharpened his world right before a fight, filled his vision.
He and Ren left the locker room and walked back to Glynda. The witch still typed away on her scroll pad. Their other team members weren't there yet. A minute or so later, the girls of their teams left the female locker room and met them in the center of the arena.
Glynda stopped tapping at her scroll pad and put it away.
Weiss, with a shine in her eyes very similar to Ruby's whenever the red reaper became excited, stepped forward and excitedly asked, "Who will you be going against first Professor Goodwitch?"
Glynda pushed up her glasses and smiled. Her smile sent shivers down his spine and caused his heart to thump faster. He had never seen her smile before. The closest she ever got to smiles were her neutral expressions whenever she gave out praise. The current tug of her lips made her look like an entirely different person.
He tightened his hold on his sword. The rest of his group had similar reactions, even the stoic Ren and Blake.
"Who I'll be going against first?" The blonde witch asked in a playful tone, her smile turning into a smirk, which made her look ten times younger and ten times deadlier.
Her eyes gained a glint to them and a mad expression rushed through her face. She flicked out her riding crop so fast that it blurred into a black wave, like the flap of a crow's wing. Her telekinesis grabbed onto Weiss and flung her into Yang.
He stood shocked as Weiss tumbled into Yang, bowling over the yellow-haired girl like a pin. They fell onto the floor in a pile of limbs and curses, most of the curses coming from Weiss.
His battle instincts kicked in and he turned away from the spectacle, feet orienting towards Glynda. He leaped at her, sword raised and aura pumping through his legs. He reached her right when she flicked out her crop again and started to lift up Ruby.
He swung down at her, breaking her concentration on Ruby. She flicked out her riding crop, deflecting his attack before it bit into her chest. His sword ground against the crop like it was made of old Valian steel.
The shock of her weapon's quality froze him, allowing the witch to bat him away with an aura-enhanced punch. He took the hit and allowed himself to be flung away
He landed on his feet, adrenaline pumping through him. Not rushing back in, he took note of his teammates.
The rest of his team rushed Glynda all at once but the deft witch dogged every blow, displaying a frighting agility not fitting her stature. She bent, twisted, and even flipped away from hungry steel.
She used her telekinesis on the blows she couldn't dodge, sending his teammates' attacks into one another. His teams and team RWBY's willingness to gang up on her worked against them. Instead of overpowering her, they only made it so she didn't have to aim her attacks.
The two teams, once the guns blazing attacks didn't work, stopped their assault and backed away. Glynda stood in her original spot. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her eyes were narrowed, judging all of them. A small smile curved her lips. Bits of frayed hair acted as the sole sign she had been in battle.
Her riding corp gently smacked against her arm in a ticking fashion. His teammates looked at one another and silently communicated their plans. He knew the looks well, implemented and used them a dozen times before.
Ren, Blake, and Yang broke off from the rest of the group and rushed Glynda. The witch flicked out her crop and began to battle the odd trio, dodging every attack and dealing out damage.
The trio didn't put their all into their attacks. They held back their punches, letting Glynda toss them around. They angled their bodies with certain strikes, pushing her out of her swinging form. The other members of his eight-person team used these sudden lapses in Glynda's guard to punish her with long-ranged attacks.
One of Weiss's glyphs spun in front of Ruby's sniper rifle, turning from its regular blue to match Ruby's red. Pyrrha squatted and held her shield up. Nora ran at her and jumped on the shield, a wild smirk plastered on her face.
Ruby fired off her sniper rifle and Nora jumped off of Pyrrha's shield towards Goodwitch. The sniper bullet broke through the red glyph, turning a hot orange. Pyrrha used her semblance on her shield and launched Nora through the air like a pink torpedo. The two projectiles headed towards an opening in Glynda's guard.
Glynda, still batting away and striking back at the odd trio, snapped her attention to the projectiles coming at her. She used her telekinesis and flung Blake, Yang, and Ren away. The trio flew through the air but Glynda's semblance froze them mid-air. Their unmoving bodies created a human shield around her.
Ruby's bullet cracked into Yang's aura, making the buxom brawler grasp out in pain as her aura crackled over her. Nora crashed into Blake, sending them into Ren. They flew further through the air. Glynda's semblance warped around all three of them, stopping the trio in a tangle of limbs right before they hit the ground.
Glynda turned towards the other members of his eight-person team and flicked out her crop. A purple glow covered their bodies and she flung them towards his other immobilized teammates.
He, putting her fighting style together, ran at the witch. She had all of her attention on his floating teammates, waving her crop around like the conductor of a frantic orchestra.
A foot from her, he, pushing aura to his legs and arms, leaped at her. He crossed the distance so fast she couldn't react in time. He crashed into her with his bulk, sending both of them back.
She flicked out her riding crop towards him. Right before her semblance took hold of him, he threw his sword at her like a spear. Her eyes widened in shock, but her entire body already moved to use her semblance.
A purple glow surrounded his body, bringing with it the feeling of being wrapped in the folds of a thousand strings. The purple glow broke apart an instant later when his sword collided with Glynda's shoulder.
The steel rang against her purple aura, flinging her back. She moved with the hit, turning away from him and his teammates.
Her hold on his teammates vanished and they fell to the floor in a bundle of confusion. He ignored them and headed straight towards her, ready to fully join the fight. He reached her dazed shaking form and swung. She shook her head and deflected his attack with her riding crop.
He swung over and over, trying to bite into her aura, but she held him back. She tried to use her semblance, but he was always one step ahead of her, slicing into her before she could use it. They traded blows as he pushed her further back into the arena. Even though she had him on experience he had her on aura.
Soon the rest of his teammates joined him and they fought Glynda as one unit. Slowly their hits broke through her guard and bit into her aura. Her hair flew wildly and her dauntless smile morphed into a hard line of concentration.
He swung down and broke through her crop guard, biting straight into her chest and subsequently her aura. The air left her lungs but she pushed him away with an aura-enhanced punch.
She backflipped out of his teammates' reaches and continued to do so until she was several feet away from them. He pushed aura into his legs, ready to jump towards her.
She held out her riding corp and the familiar sense of her semblance surrounded him. He took a deep breath, his ability to breath unimpeded, and didn't struggle against her hold. He tried to turn his neck, but the feeling of tight chords stopped him.
In the corners of his vision, purple glows surrounded his teammates. Some of them, namely Yang and Nora, struggled in vain against Glynda's telekinesis. Their efforts granted them a few muscle contractions.
Eventually, they stopped resisting. Glynda gently lowered her crop to the side. The invisible cords oriented him to the floor, dangling his feet above the ground. His friends experienced similar rotations. The chords loosened and the purple glow around him dissipated. He landed on the floor with a small thump. The rest of his teammates fell onto the floor as well.
He flexed his muscles from head to toe, delighted in having control of his body once more. Pyrrha approached his side, twisting her wrists. He gave her a nod and turned to the rest of their friends. All of them shook their bodies warily, unused to their combat instructor using her full telekinetic abilities on them.
Blake walked up next to Pyrrha and looked both him and his partner over. A light bruise, in the shape of Yang's gauntlet, slowly bloomed on her cheek. He gave her a small nod and she did the same.
Turning away from her, he stepped towards Glynda. The blonde witch stood rigid, her crop resting back on her arm. A sheen of sweat covered her forehead and her glasses sat slightly crooked. She redid her frayed hair, bobbing it back into her usual hairstyle. Her chest rose slowly, making her look as if she hadn't been in intense combat a minute before.
A small smile lined her lips and energy danced in her eyes. She motioned him and the rest of his group over. They walked over and stopped in front of her. She regarded them with one of her gazes, this one slightly less cutting than her usual stares.
He stood tall and met her eyes with confidence. They had done a good job against her and, although they could have done better, they had earned the right to learn from her.
She murmured faintly, "It's been so long since I fought that hard."
He asked her, curious, "What is it, Professor?"
She turned to him and shook her head, "Just some old memories of my younger days resurfacing. I loved fighting and all of you have shown me that I still do. Fighting is the reason why I became a combat instructor in the first place."
Her smile grew and she seemed to look through him, towards moments long gone by. His eyes widened at how powerful Glynda must have been in her prime. Taking it all in, he decided that he would not want to go against her younger self.
He turned to Pyrrha and whispered his thoughts about a Glynda at her prime. She agreed with him fervently. She went on to list out some of Glydna's feats and his respect for the blonde witch soared. Who knew how much of a powerful huntress their combat instructor had been?
Glynda coughed, pulling them out of their conversation. Her eyes narrowed and her smile vanished, replaced with her signature hard-line lips. A slight curve ended her lips, adding new life to her.
Her emerald eyes glowed over them and she said, "Now, that was an exceptional battle although there were quite a few mistakes that could be fixed. But I feel as if all of you have earned my tutelage. I will be going over this fight and my previous assessments for you. In a few days, you will get your new combat class and you will be training under me. Good luck, all of you are now dismissed."
She turned away and walked out of the combat room. He stood there with the rest of his eight-man group, dumbstruck. He looked at each of their faces, his own slowly transforming from one of shock to excitement. Suddenly Yang whooped and they all broke out into loud cheers.
They all started to talk at once about the new opportunity to grow even stronger than ever before. Ruby, Nora, and Yang bounced around in excitement, talking about all of the things they hoped to learn from Glynda.
Ruby gushed about Glynda's huntsmen experience and spun around the group like an energetic puppy in her semblance form. He joined in the conversation, brainstorming ideas for new training regimes now that Glynda would be teaching them.
He made eye contact with Blake and Pyrrha, knowing that the three of them shared similar yet very different reasons with their eight-man team for being trained by Glynda. They now had the chance to reach second-year or maybe even third-year levels in combat prowess, allowing them the chance to fight huntsmen-level enemies on a higher footing.
He held their gazes for a moment before turning away to talk with Weiss. The right man group stood in the center of the arena, going from excitement about Glynda's proposition to going over the battle itself.
They went over what they did right and what they could have done better. They all brainstormed ideas about alternative paths or actions, bouncing the ideas onto one another.
They finished in a few minutes. He was thoroughly satisfied with what they had been able to accomplish in the short battle analysis session.
He and Ren reentered the men's locker room and quickly changed back into their school uniforms. They left the locker room and met up with the girls.
All of them left the combat arena and went back to their dorms, another school day coming to an end. They did their homework and chilled out for the rest of the day, wondering what their new schedules would be like.
Glynda kept her promise and a few days later they were placed into a second-year combat class. She held private tutoring sessions relating to combat.
They faced real challenges in the second-year classes. They proved their worth, resulting in the second years happily accepting. They weren't instantly winning fights anymore and they grew stronger, slowly reaching the combat levels of the second years.
Team CFVY, who happened to be in the second-year combat class they were placed into, were quite happy with their inclusion. They began to personally train with the older team who didn't hold back punches. The training between the teams grew so regularly you could always expect team CFVY to be training with his eight-man team.
Jaune managed to convince Coco to adopt the relentless brutal training regime he came up with. Soon his team, team RWBY, and team CFVY grew stronger than ever before. Team JNPR and team RWBY slowly inched up the second-year leaderboards, aiming to meet the top position held by team CFVY.
Glynda also tutored team CFVY privately as well. Once she saw his eight-man team and team CFVY's shared connection she began to tutor them together, pushing all twelve of them to their limit. All of their bonds grew deep in their shared pursuit of growing stronger.
Coco took a special liking to him, teasing him relentlessly and overall making him blush up a storm. He knew full well the game she played but even so some of her comments almost made him explode from embarrassment.
Even with the teasing, he liked the dark-haired brown-eyed girl and happily took her companionship. Coco's sudden interest in him had been one of the main reasons why team CFVY became so buddy-buddy with his eight-man group. He didn't mind their reason one bit. As long as they all got stronger in the end.
In a training session with Team CFVY, one that didn't involve Glynda, Coco came up to him and his team after training ended.
She wore her fashionable battle armor, minus her beret. It must have flown off during their intense battling. She took deep steady breaths, the sign of a good fight. Sweat covered her usually flawless skin and the highlighted end of her dark brown hair stuck to her forehead.
She wiped the hair and sweat away. Taking off her dark aviators, she hooked them onto one of her many belts. He didn't quite get the fashion appeal of wearing so many belts, but she somehow made it work.
Her dark, almost chocolate-like, eyes met his blue orbs. In the beginning, he had found her bare stare strange, but after she kept on taking off her glasses around him, the sight became normal.
He grinned and she grinned back. The intense after-battle high rolled off of both of them, pushing their smiles to the edges of their mouths in a ridiculous fashion.
She adjusted one of the belts around her hips, drawing his attention to it. He looked until she finished propping her belt. He looked back up to meet her eyes.
Her grin had changed into a mischievous smirk and her eyes gained a gleam to them. He, now well accustomed to her teasing, sighed playfully.
He didn't know where her sudden interest in him came from. He had talked to her only once when team CFVY stumbled onto his team and team RWBY'S sparring and had joined in. After that, they spoke a few times here and there, but it was a casual polite conversation from one team leader to another. Granted, now that his team fought in the second year combat class with her team and Glynda privately tutored both of their teams, he had gotten to know the fashionista more and vice versa.
But, had he told her enough for her to gain a sudden interest in him?
He didn't know and a part of him told him to go along and accept her advances. But, he begrudgingly knew, he couldn't focus on a relationship when he had the future to worry about. Maybe after he and his partners prevented the fall, he could start relaxing more and exploring life, but for now, he had to keep his mind focused on the big picture.
She took his almost non-reaction as a challenge and began to shake her hips in wide arcs. His eyes instantly shot towards the sudden motion. He stared at her swaying hips for a second too soon and she chuckled. Shooting his gaze away, he chided himself for the blush creeping up his cheeks and his inability to control himself.
She barked out a laugh and said, "That was one hell of a match."
He nodded, eager to take a chance to escape the embarrassment, "It really was. I think. I think I'm going to be sore until tomorrow."
Looking over Coco's head he surveyed the arena where the three-team fight took place. Black dust marks charred the arena's surface combined with a few smoking craters. A slew of small cleaning bots buzzed along the arena floor, trying to clean up the damage. They had a long day in store for them.
Team CVFY and team RWBY cooled down on a few benches behind Coco, talking with one another. Team JNPR stretched behind him. He and Coco stood in the middle of the room, a few feet away from the exit doors.
Coco giggled and closed the distance towards him. She leaned in close, so close in fact that her chest landed on his. She was practically on top of him. He didn't push her away, fully aware of what the spectacle implied.
A small voice in the back of his head urged him to move away from the dark brown-haired girl, but a louder more emotional part of him made him stay rooted in place.
He shuddered and his blush thickened. Her eyes gleamed with something he couldn't quite place and wolf-like hunger filled her face.
She husky said, making her voice drip like honey "I could always give you a massage Jaune, get rid of those sores for you. Or maybe I could give you a few more?"
He squeaked and quickly coughed to deepen his voice and regain some of his pride. His cheeks blossomed red as Ruby's cloak.
Did she mean what she had said? He didn't get to ponder the question as she grasped his under armor shirt with both hands and pulled him close.
His nose brushed against hers. He met her dark eyes and began to swim in them for a moment. Her soft breaths tickled his lips and made him shiver.
He tried to form a coherent response but only jumbled words came out of his mouth.
She laughed deeply and snorted. The gleam left her eyes and a playful smile filled her lips.
She gently let go of his shirt but didn't back away. His blush still burned brightly on his cheeks.
Leaning in close, she whispered into his ear, "Jaune, if you ever want to have some solo training sessions with me all you have to do is text me, you have my scroll number afterall- she sighed- I better stop fussing over you before champion redhead blows a fuse."
She looked over his shoulder and rolled her eyes.
She moved her arm around him and slithered her hand down his back. She squeezed his butt. He yelped in shock but chuckled a moment later. She winked and blew him a kiss.
Walking over to her team, her hips slowly swayed. He took a quick glance at her behind but steeled himself a moment later. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and turned back to his teammates.
Pyrrha's face was flush in red hot anger. She stared daggers at Coco's back and then her deadly gaze landed on him. Nora stood behind the Amazonian woman, arms locked around Pyrrha.
His redhead partner struggled against Nora's hold, her muscles rippling against Nora's. Ren stood next to the pair, knees slightly bent for action, moving his eyes between Pyrrha and the retreating form of Coco.
Jaune walked over to his team, the embarrassment caused by Coco draining out of him. He stopped in front of his team and met Pyrrha's eyes. He raised a brow in question at her reaction.
Her emerald orbs widened and she went slack in Nora's hold.
Nora breathed a sigh of relief and gently let go of Pyrrha, plopping the taller girl onto the floor. She narrowed her eyes and shook her head from side to side, disapprovingly. She pointed between him and Pyrrha and mouthed the words "fix this".
She took Ren by the arms and the duo walked out of earshot.
An embarrassed flush replaced Pyrrha's anger. She tried to look away from his gaze but thought better of it. She rubbed the side of her arm, one of her nervous ticks. He opened his mouth to speak. She stopped moving and took a deep breath. He closed his mouth and waited for her to speak.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. The flush escaped from her cheeks and her emerald eyes met him once more.
He paused, letting a quiet air build around them.
A beat passed and he asked, "Pyr you okay."
She gently nodded and softly smiled, "I'm perfectly fine Jaune."
"But… back there you looked like you wanted to kill Coco and then you looked like you wanted to kill me-"
"Oh that…I don't know what came over me there."
She genuinely laughed, relieving some of his tension. He smiled along with her
She stopped and said, "Well that was another day of hard training. We have another one of Glynda's lessons tomorrow so let's head back to the dorm and get as much rest as we can."
"That sounds like a great idea." He mused.
They walked over to Ren and Nora and packed up their things. They left the combat arena with the other two teams and went back to their dorms to study and relax.
Inside one of the many common rooms in the Beacon dorms, Jaune Arc sat on a sofa squished between Pyrrha and Yang.
His team and team RWBY milled around in the cozy heated common room, enjoying a weekend day, aka a rest day from their relentless push to become powerful huntsmen.
A day ago, the two streams had a brutal training session with team CFVY under the tutelage of Glynda. They had put their all into it and had turned the combat arena into a warzone.
The training left them all battered and bruised, but their skills as huntsmen grew exponentially. He could barely get out of bed the morning after. So, he and Ruby decided to give their teams a little treat in the form of a nice lazy snow day. It would also be a prime time to strengthen their bonds even further if their bonds could become any stronger in the first place.
A warm amber glow filled the common room to fit in with the winter aesthetic prevailing throughout the campus, a stark contrast to the usual white lights of Beacon. The local window showed a darkened Beacon campus, blanketed by snow. The lights of other buildings and lampposts strewn across campus acted as anchors in the inky winter darkness.
Thick snow fell heavily from the darkness and onto the ground. Wind-blown snow tapped against the window, creating a steady rhythm. He shivered at the harshness outside, thanking the brothers for being in the well-heated inside.
In the corner of the room, a fire dust heater attached to the wall buzzed, emitting thick waves of heat. The gentle warmth wrapped around the room and its occupants. He let it soothe aches both physical and intangible. Ten mugs sat empty on a small coffee stand, in front of the sofa. Bits of leftover hot chocolate gleamed like dark bronze inside of the cups.
Ruby and Nora had drunk two of their own.
The two teams sat close to one another. Pyrrha lay next to his side, her hips nuzzling into his. Her eyes watched the sole holoprojector of the room, which played a live tournament match at a low buzz
Pyrrha muttered curses or hummed praises at the combatants dancing wildly on the screen. She occasionally leaned over and whispered how a fighter could have done better or gushed about one of her favorite fighters' techniques, gesturing at the screen wildly.
He gave her his full attention, drinking in everything she said. It was rare to see his partner so passionate about something and he was eager to experience this side of her.
Even though she hated the fame and posturing that came with the tournaments, so much so that she left the scene altogether, she still loved the sport at heart. He smiled at how giddy she became as she gave her own commentary of the fight.
On his other side, Yang lay draped over his shoulder, loudly snoring. She had been full of energy when they had first entered the common room but after hours of fun and the sweet hot chocolate, she had reached the end of her rope.
He let her tightly hold onto him like a teddy bear, well used to his sisters doing the same to him when he had been younger. His body instinctively moved, giving her the most comfortable position while leaving him cramped. The pain didn't register in his mind.
She whispered something and dug her chin deeper into the soft fabric of his ugly sweater. The homemade wear depicted a winter wonderland where Pumpkin Pete and other favorite mascots from his youth skated on ice, having fun. Saphron had made it herself and had sent it to him as a gift for the winter.
He smiled, looking at the sweater. It still seemed as if some of his old family still loved him.
Everyone else wore similar ugly sweaters of their own except for Weiss. The white-haired heiress opted to wear a sleek form-fitting sweater, which would have made him faint if he looked at the price tag. She did wear an ugly red scarf hand-made by Ruby.
Ren and Blake sat on a double seater near the sofa, talking in hushed voices. Nora and Ruby sat on the ground, playing a two-player video game on Ruby's scroll. Food from a Vale outing a few hours ago and the hot chocolate filled his stomach to the brim.
His eyelids drooped heavily and some parts of Pyrrha's whispers went right through his other ear. He bellowed a deep yawn like one of a giant. The sound halted all conversation in the room, leaving only the heater to hiss.
Everyone turned their attention toward him. He covered his mouth with his hand and looked around the room wide-eyed. He dropped his hand and chuckled lightly. A second of silence passed before everyone broke out into raucous laughter.
He shook his head befuddled and a moment later joined them, laughing until his stomach hurt. One by one the yawn spread until Pyrrha yawned deeply, rumbling the sofa they sat on. Yang didn't stir from her sleep but her mouth seemed to move in the imitation of a yawn.
The sudden excitement injected a bit of energy into him. The talking picked up once more, albeit a bit louder. Nora let out a yelp of disappointment from her place sitting next to Ruby. She shot up and walked over to the nearby window, her arms crossed under her chest.
Ruby jumped from her seat and danced with her controller, showboating an apparent win at Nora. The pink bombardier ignored the red-cloaked reaper and sulked at the window. Her lips, set in a hard line, reflected on the window.
She stared out the window for several minutes. A smile soon replaced her frown and a glimmer shone in her eyes. She stroked her chin in thought and her eyes lit up like suns in the window's reflection.
She twirled around and shouted, "Let's have a snowball fight!"
All motion in the room stopped and everyone looked at her confused. He met her turquoise eyes. They shone with honest mirth.
He looked past her shoulder to the thick snow covering Beacon and the falling snow adding to that thickness. Nora looked around the room, hands on her hips waiting for their response.
He cleared his throat and tried to inject some reason into his coffee-addicted teammate, "Umm Nora, it's way too cold and way too dark."
Nora shook her head as if his logic sounded unreasonable, "Oh come on, don't be like that. We have aura. Also, I feel so lazy right now, I could do with some movement.
He opened his mouth to retort but Yang stirred from his shoulder. She shook her mane of golden hair, smacking him in the face with it.
She stretched her arms, not noticing him batting away her hair, and asked in a yawn, eyes still half-closed, "What's going on?"
Nora answered, "Well I'm saying we should have a snowball fight but Jaune-Jaune here is complaining."
Yang perked up, a bolt of energy seemingly going through her. She plopped off the couch and walked over to Nora. Turning to face the rest of the group, she mirrored Nora's stance.
She smiled, "Oh, come on lover boy, we've been sitting doing nothing. It was fun for the first few hours but I'm so used to training for so long, I'm bored out of my mind. Also, you look like you're going to fall asleep where I fell asleep."
Everyone's eyes swept onto him, curiosity etching their features.
He sighed, she was right. Heis bones and muscles yearned for energy. Boredom also slowly crept into his head. A nice fun snow fight could lift his spirits.
Slowly, he got up and cracked his joints. They popped satisfyingly, accompanying a pleased groan.
He looked at the two women near the window and shrugged, "Eh, why not, it sounds fun."
Yang whooped and Nora beamed brightly like the moon. She turned around and pulled up the window, allowing a draft of cold air into the room.
His aura flared to life all around him, blocking out the cold. Everyone else's aura reacted the same. They all stood up and faced the open window.
Nora laughed and crawled out, squeezing her large bust through the window with a bit of aura. She flopped onto the snow. She jumped onto her and turned around, performing a mock bow. Ruby and Yang both laughed and clapped at the sight.
Yang quickly followed the orange-haired girl, just as excited. She stepped onto the snow next to Nora. The duo waved to them and delved deeper into the dark campus, clawing and clumping snow from the ground.
He turned to gauge the reactions of the rest of his teammates. Ruby stood behind the window, eager to jump through behind her sister. Weiss droned, complaining about the childishness of it all but she stood right behind Ruby.
Ren and Blake stood behind the pair, small glimmers of amusement lighting their eyes.
Pyrrha stood by him, looking at him.
Ruby bolted through the window, taking Weiss with her in a fury of rose petals. Ren and Blake followed after them, hopping through the window like slick eels.
He turned to Pyrrha and asked, "You wanna have a snow fight?"
She shrugged, "Up to you."
He nodded and went over to the window. He crawled through it and Pyrrha followed right behind. They dropped onto the thick snow.
His aura flared brighter to fight against a stronger cold. His friends shone like beacons, their auras creating a mini light show.
They stood on one of the many gardens of Beacon. The snow sat undistributed, glimmering and soft. He squatted and scooped up a handful of the white powder.
Clamping his hands together, he made a thick, almost perfectly round, snowball.
He presented it to Pyrrha. The red-haired girl praised it. He motioned to the ground and helped her make her own snowball. She made a large one that she had to hold with both of her hands. He admired her craftsmanship, giving her his own praises.
He and Pyrrha walked over to the rest of their friends. All of them made a strange sight, their bright auras pulsating on their skin. They looked like walking pillars of light. He gently tossed his snowball back and forth between his palms.
His teammates all had snowballs of their own. Yang, Nora, and Ruby carried handfuls of snow pellets between their arms while the rest of them idly played with one or two puffs of snow.
He met Blake's amber eyes. She nodded, snow slowly layering the top of her cat ears, and bounced her snowball into the air.
Nora shouted, her voice filled with excitement, "Let's do team vs team first! First to yield loses!"
He and the rest of the group murmured in agreement. They broke off into their respective teams and situated themselves across from one another in the snowy garden.
He stretched out his arm, ready to throw his snowball hard and fast. Across the field, Ruby and Yang lay their piles of ammunition behind them. Nora did the same on their side.
She looked between them, exasperated, and asked, "Did you guys not prepare?"
He shook his head and so did his other two teammates. Nora groaned, swinging her head back as if in real agony. She shook her head a moment later and steeled herself.
Standing up, she looked toward team RWBY like a woman going to war. To her, this may as well have been a full and true war.
Yang shouted across the field, her hair flapping wildly from the wind, "Are you guys ready?"
"We're gonna make you eat snow Yang!" Nora exclaimed.
"I'm going to take that as a yes. We'll start on one!" Yang shouted back.
He smiled and spread out his legs in a ready stance. He chose Blake as his first target. She did the same, her amber eyes locking onto his.
He grinned, issuing a challenge. She bent low on the ground ready to leap.
Yang, Ruby, and Nora counted down, "Three."
"Two."
"One!"
He broke off into a dead sprint as the first snowball shot through the air. He dodged a flurry shot by Ruby, keeping his eyes locked on Blake.
He crossed the distance to the other team and threw his snowball at the feline faunus.
Blake deftly dodged the projectile. He rolled forward right as she threw her own snowball. The snow sailed over his head, brushing against his blonde locks. Rolling, he dug his fingers into the snow and clutched hard.
He rolled in front of Blake and flung the hastily made snowball, more a clump of snow than a ball. She couldn't dodge the projectile so close to her.
The snow exploded on her chest, contrasting brightly against her black ugly sweater. She laughed and fell back. Falling on her behind, she picked up more snow and leaped at him.
He smiled and rose to meet her. She threw the snowball and hit him, but he didn't back away. She crashed into him and they both went tumbling down in a pile of limbs and laughter.
He clutched her and howled in laughter. They lay in the snow for a moment, snowballs whizzing in the air above them. He enjoyed both the warmth of her on top of him and the coolness of the snow below him.
She slowly slid out of his grasp and resumed their snowball fight.
They continued for what might have been hours or minutes. The notion of team vs team gave way quickly and the fight turned into a snowy free for all. He hit everyone he could and got pelted back.
By the time they finished, clumps of snow littered the ground and the once unbroken snowy garden was a mess. The thick falling snow had already begun to fill the broken snow. He lay on the ground, like the rest of his eight-man team, making a snow angel.
Pyrrha and Blake lay close by doing the same. A red flush of warmth and energy filled his cheeks. A dopey grin lined his lips. The fight had been pure fun and his bonds with his teammates had grown stronger.
Energy coursed through his veins even though it was well past his usual sleeping times. The adrenaline from the fight slowly leaked out of him. He sighed in peace, the after-battle high sweeping through him. This was his rightful place in the world with his newfound family.
He enjoyed the serenity of the snow. The soft breaths of his teammates puffed steam into the air. His aura still glowed just as brightly as it did when he had started, keeping him wrapped in a warm blanket.
He let out a deep yawn that resonated deep within him, but this yawn didn't feel as lazy as before. This yawn made him truly feel content with what he had accomplished for the day.
He stopped moving and sunk into the snow, eyes drooping. He could lay here and sleep if he wanted to. Brothers knew he had the aura reserves to last the entire night on the snow.
But his teammates didn't and he didn't want to wake up in a pile of disgusting slush when the sun rose and brought its heat
He slowly got up. He helped his teammates up and soon the entire eight-person team stood on the snow, all of them looking like they had a great time.
He led the group to the common room window they had entered through. Ruby stopped him right before he went through.
She spoke in a yawn, "We're covered in snow. We can't go in there yet. Let me get rid of it."
He looked at himself. Snow clung to his aura like a fine thin armor. His teammates were all in a similar condition.
Ruby used her semblance to spin around them, creating a mini red wind vortex. She ripped the snow off of their aura, making them look pristine once more.
They entered the common room and sat back in their original positions. Nora closed the window, putting them back into a cozy heat. He sat back on the sofa next to Pyrrha and Blake.
The heat of the room relieved any and all tension. He sunk into the sofa's cushions and, before he knew it, he fell asleep.
AN: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this nice relaxing chapter. Winter is also here, neat! I'm sure that doesn't bode anything at all for Jaune and friends.