Shadowed Dance

Fantasy- Adventure

Team RWBY / Team JNPR

Jaune's mother always called him and his 7 sisters her "8 little devils". But he wanted more than the opportunities that being in a rural hamlet of Ansel offered. Taking a chance he found a less than truthful way to gain admission to the prestigious Beacon Academy. When his secret becomes public knowledge; he has to find a way to cope. With the support of two friends that wont give up on him, and a another with a "dark secret"; he works to push forward and achieve his dream.

/==/

"You should be using the door, Mr. Arc." Professor Goodwitch remarked as Jaune stepped out a shadowed corner near her office door. "It is rather disturbing that you do that. How am I to know you are not taking..."

"I have seven sisters, and I was taught better then to intrude on the privacy of others." Jaune responded, before adding, "Ruby and Nora are camped outside your door, plus Blake was trying to follow me. I don't feel like talking to any of them just yet."

"I see."

"I guess you want to speak to me about my performance today?"

"I do. Please have a seat." Glynda inclined her head to the two chairs before him. Jaune moved around them, and once he seemed to be settled she continued. "Your ability is very troublesome, and to be honest disturbing. Ms. Schnee and Ms. Xiao Long are two of my top students, and yet you..."

"subdued them without an issue." Jaune cut in. "I had to. They needed to know I wasn't as weak as they assumed. Everyone needed to see that I could defend myself. I didn't enjoy..."

"Really?"

"Well maybe I did get some satisfaction in humbling them, but I don't enjoy doing that. I'm immune to that place, others are not."

"And this place?"

"The Void." Jaune continued when he noticed Gylnda's raised eyebrow, "It's a place between places, a dimension of shadows, and mind breaking cold."

"That partially explains the results of the report I have received from the infirmary. Both Ms. Schnee and Ms. Xiao Long were in the first stages of acute hypothermia."

"I'm sorry. I tried to limit their exposure."

"You took your time with Ms. Xiao Long."

"She was going to hurt me. So I defended myself."

"I could have handled it. I am suppose to deal with such issues when they arise."

"You can't watch over me every minute of the day. She would have tried again at some other point, when there was no one around to interfere. I just showed her that attempting it wouldn't be as easy as she figures it should be."

"While I understand your reasoning, I do not condone your methods." Glynda folded her hands before her on her desk. "With that said, I am going to have to excuse you from Combat Class."

"Why?"

"Your sembl..."

"I don't have a semblance."

"Then what is..."

"It's something I've always been able to do since I was twelve. All my sisters can do similar things. In fact my twin Joan can nearly the same thing I do."

"Nearly?"

"I go to the Void. She ends up in the Nether."

"And the difference is?"

"The Void is cold. The Nether is hot."

"I see." Glynda sighed, "I will have to speak with the Headmaster and he'll have the final say, but I do feel that you attending Combat Class is a waste of your time."

"I still can't fight."

"Your performance today states otherwise."

"But..."

"Jaune... while you do not have formal combat training, and currently couldn't fight your way out of a wet paper bag; you proved you can defend yourself. Maybe not with weapons, but how do you explain someone like yourself besting two of the top ranked members of the class, without causing a hint of aura damage?"

"I..."

"You can't, because there is no need to. This ability of yours has applications beyond being able to beat a grimm to death, and it is because of this versatility; that I feel your time would be better spent exploring the limits of it. I am going to request that Headmaster Ozpin assign you to one on one sessions with Professor Peach."

"Professor Peach?"

"She is responsible for upper year dust and aura application classes, but she also has more archaic passions."

"And you feel she could help me expand on what I can currently do?"

"If such a thing is possible, I do." Glynda replied, her voice giving no hint of doubt. "That is all I had to speak to you about, so unless..."

"Are they okay?"

"Who? Ms. Schnee and Ms. Xiao Long?"

"Yes."

"Why would you ask? Didn't they..."

"Regardless of how they treated me, I don't want to hurt people. I never wanted to hurt anyone."

"Physically they are fine. However I do feel that they will be suffering some doubts and regrets in regards to their past and present actions towards you."

"Thank you."

/=/

Nora and Ruby sat on the floor flanking the door to Professor Goodwitch's office. The stern authoritarian had instructed Jaune to meet her after classes, so the pair knew where to wait, for a chance to see him, to talk with him, to apologize to him. Half an hour into their wait, they were joined by Blake. She slid down the wall across from them to also end up sitting on the floor.

"I lost him." she muttered flatly. "He walked into a storage closet, and when I opened the door he was gone."

"Just like the bathroom trick." Nora smirked as she remembered the shock of him not being inside the bathroom after locking the door behind him.

"So do you think that stuff he can do is his semblance?" Ruby asked while looking at her hands clasped in her lap. "I mean to be honest, it looks pretty cool."

"I don't think it is a semblance." Blake commented, from her own spot on the floor, "Semblances use aura. After what he did, his aura was still full. It shouldn't have been."

"If it's not a semblance then how?"

"Fearless Leader is just that awesome." Nora tried to giggle, but the warmth just wasn't there. "He's hiding more from us."

"I know." agreed Blake, "But can we blame him?"

"We should have stood up for him. We shouldn't have let them push him away."

"What else could we do Ruby?" asked Blake, "Everyone, even Pyrrha was so angry with him. What could we have done?"

"We could have shown him, that some of us still care."

"I don't know if I do though?"

"What do you mean Blake? You're here waiting with us. Why would you do that if you didn't care?" asked Nora.

"I'm scared."

"Scared?"

"Yes Ruby. Scared." Blake fidgeted, and reached up towards her bow, before pulling her hand back down, "He's not the only one with secrets."

/=/

"What do you want Blake?" Jaune asked, his voice dripping with annoyance, as he currently stared directly into a set of wide amber eyes. He stood there his arms crossed over his Beacon uniform. He had decided to confront the little sneak, a couple days after his meeting with Professor Goodwitch.

Blake wanted to respond. She really did. She wanted to ask him advice. She wanted to let him know about Nora and Ruby's search for him. But she couldn't, at least not that second. It wasn't the fact that Jaune's deep blue eyes were staring into her own amber ones. No it was the fact he was doing so upside down while apparently standing on the ceiling. She let her eyes wander up, and could make out that every part of him was visible, except for his feet. In fact she couldn't see past his ankles, as everything else vanished into the shadows between the overhead lights of the library.

"I have things I want to do. Like study, so..." Jaune's eyes narrowed, "WHY have you been trying to follow me around these last few days? Didn't get enough of kicking me when I was down, so you want to try for a second round?"

"No... I..." she stammered, while trying to get her mind not to focus on how weird it was to be talking to Jaune Arc, the former leader of JNPR, as he hung from the ceiling.

"I know Ruby and Nora want to see me. So if they are the ones hedging you on to corner me, tell them I'll talk to them when I'm ready."

"No... it's... I..." man this was off putting she thought to herself.

"It's what?"

"Weiss is having nightmares!" she blurted out, unsure of what else to say in order to keep his attention.

"So? Good for her. IS that it?" Jaune rolled his eyes, "Because to be honest, I really don't care. She can be pissing herself every night, makes no difference to me."

"That's... a little harsh for you." Blake was finally able to get her brain to function, though not completely.

"She did worse." Jaune snorted, "I might have been annoying, and intruding on her boundaries; but now that I've had time to think about it, everything I thought I saw in her was a lie. She's nothing but a shallow, pretentious, prejudiced brat."

"Could you..."

"Could I what? Not speak my mind? Sorry, no can do. I've had awhile to think about things, a lot of things; and came to a conclusion. You want to know what that conclusion was?"

"Ah... okay?"

"I like to care for people. I like to see the best in people, and as long as they treat me CIVILLY, I will do whatever I can to help out. But I'm done being a doormat. If someone can't be bothered to treat me like a person then I have no reason to bother or care for them. So whatever Weiss has going on, it is her problem."

"This... this is weird. Could you?"

"Get down?" Blake nodded, "No. Deal with it, or leave. Now what do you want?"

"I... I want to talk." Blake started to wring her hands, "I... I... need advice?"

"So go ask one of your teammates."

"Please, I know we didn't really talk, but you've always seemed like the kind of person someone could open up to."

"And what could you possible want to open up to me about? I mean you really didn't have anything to say when my little transgression was brought to everyone's attention."

"I'm scared."

"Aren't we all."

"I'm scared, because I have secrets, that I want to share, but seeing how they... we treated yours; I'm not sure I can bring myself to do it."

"So what? You want to tell me as the odd one out, so you can get it off your chest, without the chance of the rest of our 'friends' turning on you; like they did me?"

"Maybe?"

"Fuck off."

Blake took a step back, hearing Jaune utter those words. Even over the few weeks she had been around, she had never heard him speak like that. She had never heard any of her friends even mention Jaune using such a tone or words. Her amber eyes grew wide, as he started to melt into the shadows above, slowly shrinking away from her.

"Wait! Please?" Blake pleaded.

Jaune stopped and just regarded Blake with narrowed eyes.

"I know we've never been close, but my secret is worse than yours..."

"Worse?"

"You've basically done nothing. No one got hurt, only you were really at risk from your choice."

"Even though, I'm untrained, and most likely took the spot of someone more deserving? That I placed everyone on JNPR and RWBY at risk? You've done worse than that? I find that hard to believe seeing as how everyone reacted like Remnant was ending because of my choice to attempt to be a huntsman."

"I was part of the White Fang!" Blake snapped. Her eyes opened wide at the realization of what she had just openly blurted out. Her head turned quickly back and forth, checking to see if anyone heard her little outburst of frustration. It was at that moment she noticed Jaune was gone. Her ribbon covered ears pressed flat against her head, and her shoulders slumped. She figure it would be too much to expect for him to stay and hear her whole story. Why should he give her something they didn't give him.

"Blake, over here!"

She turned and saw Jaune's scruffy blonde head poking out of what she was sure had been a locked storage closet. He waved at her a couple times, and after she took a quick look around she scurried over and through the held open door. Once inside she reached for the light switch.

"Don't or someone might notice." Jaune commented as he closed the door. Blake's sensitive hearing catching the tell-tale click of a lock engaging.

"I can barely see in here, and you..."

"I can see just fine."

"What?"

"I said I can see just fine. Everything is in black and white, but I see you just fine."

"Really?" Blake made a motion with her hands.

"Your left hand is holding three fingers up, and your right is just being rude."

"How is that possible?"

"Don't know. Always been able to see perfectly fine in the dark. All my sisters can as well. Mind you if I want to read something, like a book, I need a light source. But other than that, I have no problem in complete darkness."

"So you can move through shadows, and see in complete darkness, what else can you..."

"Blake, I brought us in here to give you some privacy to tell me what it is you feel I should hear. I did not do this so you could ask me a bunch of questions."

"Sorry, it's just so interesting. Ruby and Nora would say cool, with what you seem to be able to do. Why didn't you show us this..."

"You are former White Fang, which I assume means you are a former terrorist."

"I am."

"So here's your chance. Let me hear what it is you want to say."

/=/

Pyrrha didn't know what was truly going on. Her pride still stung at Jaune's admission of his fraudulent acceptance. Then to find out that the Headmaster had corrected the issue, by acting like the forgeries were nothing but a clerical error, irked her even more. Then there was the shock of what Jaune was capable of doing. How without any effort he had totally subdued not only Weiss, but Yang as well. She couldn't understand, why he hadn't shown his team his true skills.

Then of course there was the schism happening throughout the student body. It had made the rounds on the Beacon rumour mill. Pretty much all the first years echoed what she, Ren, Weiss, and Yang felt. She knew Nora, and Ruby didn't and each day she saw them drifting further and further away from them. Even now the hyperactive pair was seated at a separate table, surrounded by team CFVY. It would seem that even though most of the first years took exception to Jaune's attendance; quite a few of the second year teams in fact had a different view on the matter. With RWBY and PRN taking the brunt of their glares and side comments.

To further complicate things, there was Blake. Pyrrha couldn't say they were more than just acquaintances, and she distinctly remembered the amber eyed girl had nothing to say for or against Jaune's indiscretion. But like Ruby and Nora, she too was keeping her distance, often in fact missing entirely during meal times, just like now.

Then finally there was Jaune himself. She was worried about him, even though she was upset and part of her was disgusted by what he had done. Yet there was a want and need to see and talk to him. She had tried. Getting up well before anyone else to intercept him at the cafeteria. Running out after him as soon as classes ended. But to no avail. He would always just vanish. This ability of his, was frustrating her beyond measure. If he would only give her a chance, and then her miserable heart would speak up, "Just like you did for him."

So with supper over, Ren, Yang, Weiss and herself returned to RWBY's dorm. They all knew what they would be talking about. It was always the same. The dysfunction of their teams, and why Jaune was the cause of it.

/=/

Ruby, Nora and Blake were bundles of nerves as they closed on the spot Jaune had given them to met him at. After she had finished telling her secrets, to him there had been a long silence. There was no angry words, no accusations, just a simple question.

"So what are you going to do?"

She didn't understand his question. Seeing her confusion, he had asked it again. She stood there in silence, trying to come up with an answer, and while she struggled; he spoke again.

"I'm going to give Ruby directions to my room. Only her, Nora, and you are welcome to come. Anyone else and none of you will ever get the chance to talk to me again."

She had asked why she was also being allowed to meet at his room. She hadn't defended him, when everyone but Ruby and Nora turned against him. She had only sought him out, for her own selfish need to confess to someone.

"When you show up... IF you show up. I expect your answer."

So here she was, with Ruby and Nora, standing outside one of the doors to a teacher's residence. If this was were Jaune had been moved, it would explain why no one had been able to find his room. Who would have thought to look for a student in the teacher's dorms. Nora looked around as she raised her hand to knock on the door.

"And what pray tell are you three doing in the teacher dormatory?" came a stern voice from behind them.

"Professor Goodwitch!" Ruby exclaimed in a rushed whisper, as the trio of huntresses-in-training whipped about to face her.

"I'm waiting."

"Jaune invited us?" Blake offered, speaking as if it was a question instead of an answer.

"Is that so?" Professor Goodwitch's eyes narrowed.

"He sent us directions." Ruby offered, as she held up her scroll showing the combat teacher the text message she had received.

"I see." she never relented on her glare as she continued to let her gaze meander between the trio of young women, "May I inquire as to why he gave you three directions to his room?"

"We... I mean they just want to talk with him. To see how he is doing." Blake answered.

"And you?"

"I... I told him something personal, and he wanted to talk with me more about it."

"I see. So you finally told someone."

"You... you knew?" Blake's eyes wide with shock and distress.

"Why is it you students think that we don't look into things? We are professionals, and have been doing this for more than a few years." Professor Goodwitch closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. "I must commend you Ms. Belladonna for taking such a; what must have been, terrifying step."

Blake just nodded, as Ruby and Nora looked at her with questioning eyes.

"I'll leave to your meeting." Professor Goodwitch, informed the trio as she walked passed them towards her own residence.

"So what did you tell fearless leader?" Nora asked.

"I...um... maybe I'll tell you later. I'm still uncomfortable..."

"When you're ready to tell us, we'll listen." Ruby offered.

"Why?"

"I trust Jaune despite what everyone else says. He a good person. He cares. If he was willing to hear you out, and still invite you to see him... it means he's accepted you, and whatever it is that you're holding on to." Ruby replied, "If he can do that, then least we can do is be there for you when you're ready to tell us."

"I'm with Ruby on this." Nora offered. "Jaune's too kind to turn his back on someone in need. If he wants to help you, then I'll help too."

"I don't know how to handle all this."

"Then be like Nora and I. Trust Jaune to do what he thinks is right." with that said Ruby nodded to Nora who raised her hand and knocked on the door. After a short delay, it slowly opened and let them inside.

/=/

They all waited as Yang and Weiss climbed into their respective beds, and wrapped themselves in a couple layers of heavy blankets. The first time they did it, during these now nightly meetings, Ren and Pyrrha were told that they still felt cold. That they couldn't seem to get the chill out of their bodies. So here they were again. Ren leaning against the door, with Weiss and Yang wrapped in blankets, while Pyrrha sat backwards in a desk chair, facing them.

"I still can't believe they let him stay." Weiss mumbled.

"The Headmaster did say they received his proper transcripts." Ren once again offered.

"But still to treat forgeries, as if they were a clerical error. He bent the rules, if not fully broke them!" Weiss sneered, "I have half a mind to inform father of this whole debacle."

"And what will that accomplish?" asked Yang.

"It could force the Headmaster to reconsider. My family is quite influential. Maybe he could even bring this to the media. Force a scandal."

"So you would smear Beacon's entire reputation, just to get back at Jaune?" Pyrrha asked. "The impression I got from the Headmaster was of someone who probably would even bat an eyelash at such a thing. Besides this is Vale, not Mistral or Atlas. He probably has more influence here than we could guess."

"Well it's still an option. One that if we all agree on, I will initiate."

"Well besides Jaune, we have other things to discuss. Ruby and Nora." Yang brought forward, "They're staying away from us. Ruby is barely even talking to me anymore."

"Nora is the same. She's not even trying to interact with me or Pyrrha, unless she has to."

"I don't know what they even see in that fraud. I mean why are they acting like we did something wrong?"

"It's because they trust Jaune." Pyrrha muttered.

"Trust him? How..."

"Weiss... I know we're all upset with what Jaune has done. Me especially. It's like he spit on all my hard work and sacrifice to become what I am... but..."

"But?" asked Yang.

"Did we even give him a chance? Do we know his reasons? I went behind his back and told you all, and before he was even in the room we jumped on him."

"Regardless of his reasons, it doesn't change what he's done."

"I know Weiss, yet all I can think about right now is how he treated us all like we were special to him, and then we did what we did. I'm still disgusted by what he did, but it hurts knowing how quickly I turned on him, especially since all he's been is kind to me."

"I understand Pyrrha, and maybe we did jump the gun, but what he did was wrong. Regardless of how the Headmaster spins it... it was also illegal."

"Yang's right." Ren spoke up. "To be honest I miss him. He was... comforting, accepting. But then I think. If he was so eager to break the rules to get what he wanted, what else would he be capable of doing? Could he, would he abandon us to save himself? I want to say, I doubt he would, but now... now I don't know."

"If you all agree, I will inform my father of what has been happening."

"So you are still willing to smear Beacon's reputation?" asked Pyrrha, "And possibly yours and mine as well?"

"Headmaster Ozpin has already smeared Beacon, by allowing Jaune to remain here!" Weiss pulled her blankets tighter around herself, "But I understand, what you're saying too. It could look like we are all just lashing out; because we're not getting the result we want, and to be honest... after what he did in combat class the other day..."

"Weiss?" Pyrrha and Yang asked with concern.

"It scares me." Weiss shrank with in her cocoon of blankets, "It makes me wonder as well, not only what else he is capable of... but why it feels like he's holding back."

"Yang, Weiss; I know I should have asked this before, but I wanted to give you guys some time to recover. What was it like?" Ren asked.

"I just felt really cold. Like seeping into my bones cold." Yang replied. "I can still feel it even now."

"It was cold. It was so cold that I couldn't breathe. My body was instantly numb, and wouldn't function." Weiss paused in her answer, squeezing her eyes shut before continuing "It was also dark and empty. Even with Jaune standing right there, with his hand on my shoulder; I just felt so alone. So utterly alone."

They all sat silently after that, admission from Weiss. Pyrrha frowned, her mind forming a heart wrenching thought. "Just like how Jaune must have felt when we lashed out at him."

"Anyone have any idea what's going with Blake?" Yang asked finally breaking the uneasy silence that had filled the room. "I kinda understand Ruby and Nora, with what happened, but Blake... "

"She's hiding something, and terrified of telling us."

"Why do you think that, Ren?" Pyrrha asked.

"I see the fear in her eyes, and by the way she's basically avoiding us whenever she can, it's all I can assume." Ren replied.

"But we're her..." Yang cut herself off.

They all knew what she was going to say. It tore at them. Their feelings of self justification, were still there, but so too was doubt. Doubt that anyone could, or would open up to them, considering how they reacted to Jaune.

/==/

I have too many ideas right now. I get while sitting around reading, or watching some anime. So here is sort of another "Jaune is Betrayed" type of story. I wrote a lot more, but decided to cut, and work with a more "after" the event style. If this story continues I will be throwing a few flashbacks scenes in; to show the events I have glossed over. I'm kind of happy with how this turned out, but wary of the characterizations. Not sure if I'm portraying the whole "mad, but still care; yet are too proud/stubborn to reach out" feeling.

Anyway, hope you enjoy and feed back is always welcome.