Jaune did not know how long he had been on the ground but he knew it had been a long time. The snow under him had started to burn his skin, the cold air in his lungs had started to make them hurt and make his eyes sting in pain. Worse of all was the fact that he did not know where he was, all he could do was lie down on the cold while various different light illuminated everything around him.

"Wakie, wakie."

Jaune managed to summon enough strength to turn around, and the moment he saw who was the one, who had called for him, he extended his hand in an attempt to crush him.

"Oh come on Jaune, don't you remember the deal?" He asked before letting down a big sack on the ground, after hitting the ground the sack moved a little. "Because I did. Come check it out."

Hesitantly Jaune started to move towards the sack, in no moment looking away from the man. Blindly he started to remove the bag and once broken he turned to look at what he had given him, the moment his eyes connected with his he felt a sudden rush of disgust and bilis rush through his throat, he immediately looked away and started to struggle in trying to control his heaves.

"Sorry about the less of presentable state. He did not want to go without giving a fight, and a fight I gave him." He said letting out a malicious giggle as Jaune looked at him with disgust. "Well anyway have a good life Jaune, though I don't think if It is going to be a very long one."

As the man picked the sack back up on his shoulder Jaune realized where he was.

The dozen of lights that illuminated everything around him, the usually green trees that were now bare naked due to the cold of winter and that famous fountain where everything had started.

He was back in Beacon.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

As he advanced through the hallways, everything seemed to be familiar and not at the same time, the same portraits, the same walls and yet, there was something that made it different. Something akin to a small splatter of pain on portrait, or a funny smell in place that shouldn't have it.

It wasn't until someone greeted him in a friendly manner that he realized what was that thing.

"Hey, Jaune." "How are you doing Arc?" "Hey are you okay?" "Good night."

For every friendly greeting he was receiving, he was advancing faster and faster, attempting to escape the voices around him. He had been in this situation before and he knew that this bunch of attention would only serve to attract them, those filthy glory hounds that liked to prey in the business of everyone in an attempt to make themselves bigger.

After a few seconds of almost running, he had finally reached it, his dorm room. He started deep at it for a few seconds wondering with anger if any of them would be there, but his wait would have been his biggest mistake of the day.

"Jaune?" The moment the voice of Ruby Rose reached his ears his entire body froze in place. "I knew it was you! You could recognize that hoodie everywhere. Pyrrha said that you did not join them in the extra practice because of your foot or something, how are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"Awesome! I knocked on your door a bit earlier but you weren't there, where did you go?"

"To the kitchen."

"Oh… That sounds nice." Ruby said every moment Jaune had to listen to her voice was a moment in which he greeted his teeth together. "My team and me are going to have videogame tournament want to join? I don't that Weiss would take it as seriously and I wanted to make sure that we had an extra in c-"

"Good night."

Jaune quickly opened the door and entered the room leaving the young girl in the middle of her sentence.

After entering and closing the door, Jaune started to inspect the room. It was the same as his, the same mess on his and Nora's beds while the beds of Pyrrha and Ren were so clean you could have sworn that they had never used before.

Just when he was about to approach some of the portraits on the shelves he heard a knock on the door.

"Jaune. Did I do something?" Ruby asked with a saddened voice, if Jaune had to give his opinion, she was pretending to care about him, worrying about his current indifference. "We almost always speak outside of the room, you know. It is our secret leader reunions."

Jaune contemplated for a few seconds if he should not answer maybe then the girl would drop the pretend of her caring about him and go back to her room, but he decided to amuse her for a second even if that made his blood boil, after all he did not want to drop his façade just yet.

"I'm just tired Ruby." Jaune said with a fake voice of care. "We can talk again in the morning; we can even go to that dessert store. How does that sound?"

"…Okay." The girl said with hesitation. "Good night Jaune."

After Jaune heard the door on the opposite side of the hallway close, he looked at his hand. He had been clawing at the drawer besides him for so long that he had almost managed to destroy his nails. However he did not care about it one bit.

'They haven't showed his true colors yet.' Jaune thought while smile formed on his face. 'Good, I have some time then. This time it isn't going to me the one humiliated and hurt.'

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Now what do I do with you?" He said squatting besides the sack. "Not because I lack any idea, it is just that I have so many that it is difficult to think of one that is good enough."

Deep blue eyes sunken in a red ocean started at that single golden eye with terror. One that only grew once he started to laugh, his howls of amusement being lost into the darkness of the night.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

RENT A JAUNE: PROLOGUE.