The next day, after an uneventful night, Jaune joined her teammates and friends in attending classes. Even though she felt physically okay, her mind was filled with concerns and worry, to the point she had trouble focusing on her classes. Her friends noticed this and at lunchtime, Ruby informed Jaune of their plans for Friday night.

"Wait, what?" Jaune was a little surprised that Ruby and Nora had started the preparations for said Movie night, and even more shocked that Pyrrha would agree to attend… considering her dislike of said genre of films.

"Friday after dinner, we're all going to take over the common room, and have a Slasher Film Fest… it'll be the best night ever!" Ruby excitedly informed Jaune for the second time.

'You really…"

"You need a 'pick me up', Jaune," Pyrrha cut him off, "So we're doing this for you. We're your friends, and we want you to know we're here for you, always."

"I don't know what to say." Jaune responded.

"All you have to say is which film we'll be watching first!" Nora commented.

"So VB," Yang asked, "What will it be?"

"Can I think about it?" Jaune asked in return.

"Sure." Ruby replied, "Just make sure we know before we start."

"I will" Jaune responded, a slim and happy smile on her face.

"We should finish up." Ren informed the gathered group of friends. "We have Combat Class, and it'll start soon."

With that the troop of eight stood up, bussed their trays and dishes, before setting off for their next class. The trip was rather boring and normal, though Jaune kept it hidden from everyone that she was feeling a twisting knot of pain in her gut. She made a mental note to contact Doctor Peach after supper to go in for a quick examination.

"Where's Professor Goodwitch?" Jaune asked when she saw the rather tall, scruffy and dishevelled man standing at the front of the class. "Who is this?"

"It's my Uncle Qrow," Ruby informed Jaune, "Well mine and Yang's"

"Professor Goodwitch had to step away from class, to cover for the Headmaster, as apparently he's pretty ill." Pyrrha offered as the octet moved to their traditional seats.

Jaune was confused, and concerned, but she schooled her features, while inwardly wondering what was happening to her aunt. She hoped it was just as Pyrrha had said, but she had doubts. Significant doubts, and decided after her exam with Doctor Peach, she'd inquire with her aunt about what was really happening.

/==/

The three hours that made up Combat Class flew by, though Jaune had been worried that she would be called up, and was more than relieved when class ended without the potential outcome manifesting. It was idle and general chit-chat between the small circle of friends as they made their way to the cafeteria for supper. Jaune wasn't feeling very hungry, her… everything felt off, but she chose to stay with her friends, even if she was planning to have a fairly light meal.

Once they all had taken a seat, the conversation waned as everyone took the time to focus on their individual meals. Jaune for her part, picked at her plate of Dino-nuggets and fries, only nibbling at her food. She really was feeling off, and had no appetite. Of course, Pyrrha noticed this.

"Is something wrong, Jaune?" She asked, her brows knitting with concern.

"Just not hungry." Jaune replied.

"Should we call the infirmary?" Ren asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"No, I'll be fine. No need to involve them. Just not feeling very hungry."

"I still think we should contact the infirmary, but if you are sure you're okay, then I guess we'll just leave it be." Pyrrha commented, concern evident in strained tone.

"It's noth…" Jaune's voice cut off as a spasm of extreme agony ripped through her. Her eyes opened wide in fear, and her mouth gaped, as her fingers suddenly lost all their strength and dropped her utensils.

"Jaune?" Came a unison cry of basically everyone as they watched Jaune struggle to breath as well as rise from her seat. Ren and Blake were in motion, rushing to Jaune's side as she knocked over her chair and stumbled backwards…

"Jaune, what's wrong?" Pyrrha cried it to her, as she herself also sent her own chair skidding across the floor as she jumped to her feet.

The clatter of the expansive room died down as it became evident to everyone that something out of the ordinary was happening. Jaune weaved on her feet, before collapsing to her knees, and then vomiting the minimal contents of food and stomach acid on the floor before her. Blake and Ren didn't even pause as they rushed forward in the face of the soul rending screech Jaune let out, which caused everything to go quiet, along with freezing her other friends in place.

Panic, fear and utter embarrassment rose up inside Jaune, much the same as the bile in her throat. Her pain fraying mind caught on to what was happening, and in her desperation to not be seen, she tried to make it to her feet. Ren and Blake were at her sides, and grabbed hold of her to assist. The inhuman howl Jaune let loose caused the pair to release their grip and step back as Jaune collapsed back to the floor.

Screwing her eyes shut, Jaune whimpered, and prayed that it would end. That the pain would stop. That this would all turn out to be a vivid nightmare. As their friends watched on in shock and horror, Jaune's body started to contort and twist, as she continually let out screams and howls of fear and agony.

Not knowing what else to do, Ren dropped to his knees beside Jaune's writhing form and activated his semblance. His hope was to ease Jaune's emotions in an attempt to allow her to focus on controlling her pain.

Blake, for her part, pulled out her scroll and fired off an urgent message to Professor Goodwitch, Doctor Peach and Headmaster Ozpin. Unknown to any of them were the number of scrolls suddenly being aimed at the scene, and recording it. As Blake and Ren did what they could to address the evolving situation, the remainder of JNPR and RWBY just stood in utter horrific fascination as Jaune's body continued to twist and contort.

Ren gently touched Jaune, with just his fingertips, letting his semblance flow forth into her. He grimaced as Jaune's body began to change. The pained screams, the flowing tears, and contortion of her body made him want to vomit, and while he held back others who were witnessing this nightmare were unable to.

Jaune's face softened, as her shoulders narrowed, while her hips widened, and her chest expanded. Her male clothing struggled to adjust to her changing form, and quickly became ill-fitting and strained. Pyrrha slapped her own hands over her mouth to stifle her own cries of horror and distress as she watched the young man she was attracted to, slowly morph into a female.

As Jaune's hair slowly lengthened, Pyrrha was unable to handle what she was witnessing, and she bolted, racing for the exit and vanishing into the halls. It was finished, and Jaune returned to her proper form, lay on the cool tiled floor, whimpering as the last vestiges of the pain due to the transformation surged through her.

With tears flooding her eyes, Ruby was overwhelmed and echoed Pyrrha's action… though, she vanished from the cafeteria in a burst of red rose petals.

"Ruby!" Yang called out, herself shaken to the core by what she just witnessed.

Weiss stood frozen in place, her mind unable to process what she had witnessed, though for some reason a wave of guilt washed over her as her Icy blue eyes stared at the shaking and whimpering form on the floor before her.

Nora looked from Ren to Jaune, and then to the door that Pyrrha and Ruby had vanished through. Her eyes pleaded with Ren, who gave her a nod, signifying his consent to go after their teammate and friend.

"Peach, and Glynda are on their way. We should get her up and into a chair." Blake informed Ren as she moved closer and prepared to help him get Jaune up off the floor.

"No! We need to get her OUT of here… and now." Ren shook his head, as he prepared to haul Jaune off the floor. "Help me get her up… I'll carry her if I need to."

Blake nodded, and moved to assist.

/==/

Velvet had come to the cafeteria much earlier than her team, having skipped going to CFVY's dorm to change out of her uniform. She was just exiting the buffet line when she heard the cries of pain. She set her tray on a nearby table and rushed forward towards the agonized cries.

What she saw terrified her. She fought back the urge to retch as she watched the horrific transformation… Then a realization hit her as the male form slowly twisted into a female form.

"That's Jaune." She whispered to herself. "Coco's Jaune."

Spinning on her heels, she bolted out the nearest exit. She needed to get Coco. Her friend and team leader needed to know.

/==/

Jaune felt herself being eased up from the floor, but she couldn't see through her tear blurred eyes. All she knew was utter mortification as she could feel that she had wet and soiled herself, along with the bitter aftertaste of vomit coating her mouth.

Her pain-addled mind tried to comprehend why this happened now, while also processing the fact that everyone she knew. That everyone she cared for as a friend had seen.

Her body felt frail and weak, she had to get away from here, trying to move, she found deep inside a well of strength. Desperately calling upon it, Jaune found herself suddenly free of whomever was helping her up. She felt light on her feet, almost as if she was gliding, but suddenly everything seemed to falter and she stumbled. She could hear people calling out her name, yet she didn't stop.

Lurching through the cafeteria doors, she wiped her eyes, clearing them just enough to see a door before her. Shoving it open, she more or less fell inside the small closet like a Janitor's room, and with what little she had left she kicked the door closed, before forcing herself to reach up and lock it.

As she lay there suffering through the last vestiges of pain, her eyes wandered… that was when she saw it. The implement of her salvation. A simple little item that would end all the pain.

/==/

Velvet was out of breath just as she was reaching the landing for the floor on which her team dorm was. She knew she shouldn't be that out of breath, and pushed the idle thought that she should do more cardio out of her mind. She had a mission, and Velvet needed to complete it now. Taking a deep breath, she pushed forward, making a final sprint towards her dorm.

Coco stepped out, just a Velvet got two doors away.

"Bun-Bun?"

Velvet said nothing as she grabbed Coco by the wrist and started to pull her towards the stairs.

"Hey! What's…"

"Jaune."

"Jaune?" Coco tried to slow her teammate down by leaning backwards, and if Velvet had tried dragging her anywhere besides the tiled floored hallways of Beacon, she would have stopped her progress dead. "What about Jaune?"

"She needs you." Velvet replied as she continued to drag Coco down the hall.

"She needs me? She's not even at Bea…" Coco's comment was cut off when Velvet rounded on her and gave her a glare. "Vel?"

"You need to come with me to the cafeteria now. Jaune needs you."

"But I received a message from her yesterday… she said she'd see me when she came back to Beacon."

"She's here." Velvet offered. "She's always been here."

"That makes no sense. I would know if…"

"I can't explain it. I don't even know if I believe what I saw…. But Jaune needs you, and she needs you now!" Velvet snapped, "So are you going to come with me… or do I have to drag you there?"

"What did you see?" Coco asked, still slightly put off by Velvet's uncharacteristic actions.

"I don't know… or I don't have the words to describe it…" Velvet let go of Coco's wrist, and let her own hands drop to her sides, limp.

"What's going on, Vel?"

"Ever since you introduced me to Jaune, I've found things off with her." Velvet took a moment to think about what else she was going to say, making an effort to specifically avoid what she knew about Jaune's lineage, as per instructions from Professor Goodwitch. "Jaune isn't who she seems to be."

"Vel?"

"Remember that first year we chased CRDL from a while back?"

"I think so. Blonde kid right? Kind of lanky?"

"Yes… he smelled exactly like your Jaune."

"What? Excuse me… what is that supposed to mean?"

"Just what I said. That student and the girl you are enamored with have the EXACT same scent… which means they are the same person, and considering what I just saw happen… even if I don't understand it… your Jaune has been pretending to be a guy during the time you've been away from each other."

"Not possi…"

"I SAW it!" Velvet shouted.

"Saw what!" Coco yelled back in retaliation.

"Jaune changed from a guy to a girl. I saw it… and it looked…"

"I don't follow. I don't understand."

"What I saw was horrific… utterly horrific, and the sounds he… she made… the pain…"

"Is Jaune in trouble?"

"Jaune is suffering and she needs you. That is the only thing I am absolutely certain of… in all this insanity."

"I still…" Coco closed her mouth and grimaced. She could tell Velvet was really worked up, she would hazard a guess that she was near panicking. But still, nothing she was saying about Jaune was making a lick of sense. "Can you tell me what is going on? Really tell me?"

"No…"

"Then…"

"I need to get you to Jaune… then… then maybe this can all make sense."

"So you're being truthful? Jaune is here at Beacon, right now?"

"Yes, and she's suffering."

"If that is the case, and you know where she is… take me to her."

/==/

Blake and Ren had followed Jaune out into the hall, and watched as she barricaded herself in the janitor's room.

"Jaune?" Ren called out, hoping to hear a response. All he received was silence, but when he looked towards Blake, he saw the concern written across her face. "Blake?"

"She's crying… no, sobbing is a better way to describe it."

"You can hear her?"

"And smell her." Blake replied, wrinkling her nose. "She's in a bad spot."

"I can go get Jaune's bag, will you?"

"I'll wait here… maybe bring a blanket as well?" Seeing Ren's questioning look, Blake explained, "She's going to want out of the clothes she's in, but I doubt she'll want to put anything clean on until…"

Ren just nodded and then sprinted off down the hall towards JNPR's dorm. Not knowing what else she should do, Blake checked her scroll, seeing the reply that Professor Goodwitch and Doctor Peach were on the way. Looking up, she saw other students starting to file out of the cafeteria, many seemingly trying to figure out where the guy-girl had run off to.

Blake moved to put herself near the door, turning herself into an additional barrier between the world and Jaune's chosen refuge.

"Jaune if you can hear me listen. Peach and Goodwitch will be here soon. Hang in there." Blake whispered, hoping that her voice carried just enough for Jaune to hear her, though she doubted it did.

/==/

Emerald wanted to throw up when she found the video. She also had to fight the urge to start crying at the sounds the man-woman was uttering during the change. Emerald was not a stranger to pain, agony or cruelty, but what she witnessed was beyond even what she had ever seen… or experienced. But she now knew she had the answer. The proof as to why she wasn't able to locate the Maiden before.

"She was hiding as a male student." Emerald commented to herself, as she started to make her way towards Cinder's hotel room.

Emerald was conflicted. The suffering on display made her uncomfortable, but the satisfaction of finally having the results that Cinder demanded from her was also there. Yet the closer she came to Cinder's room, the less uncomfortable she felt, and soon she felt almost giddy that finally Cinder would reward her for all her efforts. That she would finally be recognized for all the work she had done.

Even though deep in her heart, she knew she was lying to herself.

/==/

The onlookers that were making Blake more and more jumpy, quickly found other places to be when Doctor Peach and Professor Goodwitch arrived. A few moments later, Ren returned, a bundled up blanket under one arm, and Jaune's over-night bag in his other hand.

Peach looked at the gathering crowd of students, and practically roared at them, "You all know this is a medical emergency, so I expect you to CLEAR THE FUCK OUT OF THE HALLWAY BEFORE YOU ALL WIND UP IN INDEFINITE DETENTIONS!"

Her words had the desired effect, as students slowly started to trickle out of the hallway. "What happened and where is Jaune?" Peach asked.

"She's in the closet." Blake replied, causing Glynda to move past the trio and attempt to open the door.

"Jaune?" Glynda called out, as Ren and Blake began to relay what had happened. "Baby, let me in, please?"

As Ren and Blake continued to inform Doctor Peach about what had happened with Jaune, Coco and Velvet arrived. The trio paused and regarded the new arrivals, as Glynda ignored everything, focused entirely on Jaune, who had yet to let anyone into the room she had locked herself in.

"Where's Jaune?" Coco asked, slightly out of breath.

When Ren and Blake turned their heads to look towards the closet, Coco understood the unspoken response, and moved forward towards Glynda and the door.

"Jaune?" Coco called out, her voice wavering slightly,

"Jaune." Glynda called out, her head pressed against the varnished wood surface of the door. "Coco is here, baby. Can you come out so we can make sure you're okay?"

"Jaune… Velvet said you needed some help. I'm here to help." Coco spoke loudly, attempting to make sure her voice carried through the door. "Can you let one of us in, or can you come out?"

The pair were met with silence.

"Jaune, it's just us. No one else. Just us." Coco tried again to coax a response. "Please come out."

As Glynda and Coco continued with their attempts to coax Jaune to open the door, Velvet and Blake's ears twitched. The pair shared a look, a worried and concerned one.

"She's in trouble!" Velvet screamed out. "I can hear it! You NEED to get in there NOW!"

The sound of her teammate's voice caused Coco to act. Just the way she said those words made a pit form in Coco's gut as she grabbed the door knob and drove her shoulder into the varnished wood surface. It creaked from the impact.

"MOVE!" Glynda snapped. Coco stepped aside as she saw the Combat Professor whip out her riding crop weapon. A second later the door was surrounded by purple energy before being ripped, frame and all, from the wall.

"Jaune!" Coco called out as she charged headlong into the room.

The stench, and then what she saw caused Coco to falter, and Glynda who was following close behind to gasp in despair.

"JAUNE!" Coco screamed in desperation as she forced herself to act.