I'm back. Writing interaction is hard.

Friction

Pain slowly drifted to his senses as he regained consciousness. Along with the full body ache, his throat was dry, adding to his discomfort. Below his sore body, he could feel the cushion of a bed. There was something warm beside him. It was oddly quiet around him, but someone was humming. His eyes struggled to open with the bright lights above him, forcing them closed out of reflex. "Little bit of Monica in my life. A little bit of Erica by my side.~ " Jaune slowly tilted his head toward the voice and opened his eyes. It hurt just to open them.

"A little bit of Rita is all I need, a little bit of Tina is what I see.~ " Kiri Marigold, Valentine's assistant, was humming a tune away from him, her fox tail swishing back and forth. She wasn't a bad singer, but she wasn't a good one either. Her white lab coat stood out from the dark green walls of Beacon's infirmary. "A little bit of Sandra in the sun, a little bit of Mary all night long.~ " Light brown cabinets full of medical supplies, Dust, and poultices lined the walls as she rummaged through them, looking for something.

Finally finding what she was looking for, she pulled out a jar that had dark purple liquid. Her short auburn hair matched her tail, framing her face and golden eyes. "A little bit of Jessica, here I am. A little bit of you makes me a man.~ " She turned back towards him carrying the viscous container. "Good to see you're alive, Mr. Arc." Kiri leaned over him and unhooked the stethoscope around her neck. "I was wondering when you would wake back up."

Gently, she undid the buttons of his gown to expose his chest. Where are my clothes? The cold metal of the stethoscope on his torso interrupted his thoughts. Hissing in complaint he watched her move it across his body, from his pecs to his stomach, listening to his breathing. There was a scar on the right side of his chest, the red mark still fresh. Satisfied with his condition, she retacked the tool. "Sound fine to me. Your lungs are functioning normally again."

"Again?" He croaked out. His voice was dry and hoarse. It hurt just to talk.

"Yeah, you came in with a collapsed lung and broken ribs. Standard Huntsman injuries, I'd say." She said walking around his bed to grab a chart. "Multiple contusions, lacerations on the face and skull. Distal part of the left femur fractured, as well as blood loss and a minor case of hypothermia." Kiri continued to ramble off his injuries. She set the chart down on his legs and gave him an annoyed stare. "Usually, you'd have to be fully licensed to get injured this bad."

Jaune could only let out a quiet chuckle, bringing his metal hand to his hair. He flinched as he felt the sting of cuts on his scalp. "How long was I out?" Setting down the liquid on the table next to him, she glanced at the clock.

"About eighteen hours after Glynda dragged you in. Between you and the cat, you definitely needed more attention." Sighing, she went over to a desk full of papers.

"Cat?" He asked. The memories of the night before slowly started trickling in. White Fang, Ruby, Blake, the killing. Him killing. It was like he was looking at someone else's memories, but he knew it was all him.

"Blake Belladonna. Had a sprained ankle and a dislocated shoulder. Some bumps and bruises, but nothing else of note." Dismissing his teammates injuries with a wave. Her pen scratched against the desk as she wrote something down on a piece of paper.

"Where is she?" Gods, his whole body ached.

"With her partner and on house arrest. Ankle monitor and everything."

"And Ruby?" Last time he saw her, she was being carried away. Kiri just pointed at him and went back to writing. Confused, he looked down at his body, noticing the bruises and cuts. And also, the tuft of black air on his right side.

The warmth he was feeling was Ruby laying on his right arm. Her arms hug his like a stuffed animal and used it as a pillow as she slept. There were bags under her eyes and drool from her mouth leaking onto the bed. It fit her perfectly. Her red tipped black hair was frazzled and unkempt, neglected even. Before he could stop himself, he ruffled her hair with his other arm. His metal fingers ran through her short hair, gently waking the girl up. Snorting and smacking her lips from the excess drool, she slowly lifted her head. Silver orbs could be seen through her mess of hair and lidded eyes.

"Jaune?" Ruby asked quietly. He could only smile at the sight.

"Hey, Craterface."

"Jaune!" Pain exploded as Ruby hugged him tightly, stressing his bones.

"Ah… Ruby! Can't… Breathe!" He choked out. Her only response was to loosen her grip.

"Sorry…" She mumbled into his shoulder.

"It's-" Jaune coughed, pain spiking with each breath. "Fine. Just surprised, that's all." Ruby's hair tickled his face while she clung to him. A torrent of emotions warred through him as he remembered last night. Patting her back, he was relieved that she was alright. But he was also angry. Furious even. Her actions, in his mind, singlehandedly caused that situation. Causing him to kill and put his whole team in danger. She could probably feel his body tense up at the thoughts running through his head.

"I'm sorry." She said again, leaning back to look at him. Tears were forming from her eyes and he could see the despair in her soul. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Ruby's voice cracking broke his heart. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She kept repeating it over and over as tears streamed down her face. Jaune's soft heart couldn't take as he pulled her in his embrace. Sobbing into his chest, Ruby clung to him like a lifeline.

Anger evaporated from his heart, but not completely. The tears stained his freshly scarred chest, another reminder of what happened. There was blame for this, whether it be on him, Blake, Ruby, or Weiss. Maybe they were all at fault in some way or another. Ruby's apologetic sobs haven't stopped and were slowly getting worse. Jaune shelved the thought at who was at fault for another time.

Right now, he needed to make sure Ruby was okay.

"I'm so sorry."

Ozpin hummed to himself as he walked down Beacon's halls, cane echoing with every step. Students wandered the halls after the long weekend, chatting amongst themselves about their goings-on. Music to his ears, if he was being honest. It was the sound of memories being made and bonds being forged, and in this world, he would have it no other way. Bonds were necessary in this lifestyle, being able to depend on your fellow Huntsman or Huntress was necessary for survival.

The funny thing about bonds, is that they can be forged a number of ways. Spending time together, common hobbies, or interests. But there was one way that was more effective than all the rest.

Suffering.

It was always peculiar to Ozpin as to why it worked so well. He knew that people bonded together in stressful situations. During the many long forgotten wars on Remnant, he saw soldiers of all creeds bond together like another family. Trauma had an equal effect. Victims that had the same experiences often sought each other out, whether consciously or not. Maybe it was human nature to find likeminded people or someone who could understand what someone went though.

Granted, everyone reacted differently to it. Some veterans lashed out or drank themselves to death. Some were stuck in the past, forever caught in that one moment. Some wanted to go back, never feeling complete or alive unless they kept experiencing the trauma over and over. And some rose above it all. Becoming better individuals, stronger than before and moving forward. He was no different. Eons of experience left him feeling alone in the world, alienated by his own race.

No one could comprehend nor understand how maddening it was to keep living after every heartbreak, grief, death, birth, love, and everything else in-between. He could feel his humanity slipping some days. Time had a funny way of getting faster the older you became, turning months into near flashes in his eyes. Ozpin remembered times he fathered children, and loved his wife, taking one lifetime for some peace and live a simple life. Ozpin died peacefully from what he remembers, it was a stark contrast to many of his deaths.

Then he reincarnated into his youngest grandson, slowly eroding the personality of the child he once bounced on his knee.

Never again.

Ozpin understood Salem's pain that day. It was easy to give into the grief, the madness, the hate. And he did, locking himself away in a cabin, away from everyone and everything. After years of isolation, four maidens came, breaking his isolation. In return, he bestowed upon them the powers of the seasons. During the time, he wasn't thinking correctly. He just wanted someone to feel as he felt. Only now does he know he bestowed a curse, just like his own. Another time where his sense slipped.

Sighing from his own inner monologue, he finally reached his destination. The inner ranting was happening more often than he liked. Gently, Ozpin opened the door. Inside was Jaune Arc and Ruby Rose. She was sobbing into his chest as the Team leader comforted her. Ozpin could only smile at the sight. He cleared his throat to alert them to his presence. They slowly disentangled themselves, young Rose wiping away tears on her seat beside Jaune.

"I see you are alive and well, Mr. Arc. How are you feeling?" Ozpin glanced over at Kiri, still scribbling at her desk. From what he could see, she was mildly annoyed at the two teenagers in her infirmary.

"Sore." The boy said, rubbing his chest. Ozpin could see the scars beneath his metal hand. "It hurts to breathe."

"That's to be expected." Ozpin chuckled and walked over to his bedside. "Ms. Rose, how are you feeling?" The girl didn't meet his gaze, instead staring at the floor.

"Imh fined." She sniffled, still wiping away tears. Not a good liar, I see.

"In that case, I would like both of you and your teammates to report to my office in an hour. Ms. Marigold, is he clear to leave?" Though he didn't want to rush them, Ozpin needed eyewitness accounts to appease the masses knocking on Beacon's door. The cleanup was of the incident was staggering and the paperwork required gave him a migraine to even look at.

"Yeah, just finishing up paperwork." She sighed, then pointed to a jar next to Jaune with her pen. "He needs to drink two teaspoons of that every day, one in the morning and one at night."

Ozpin glanced at the liquid and did not envy Mr. Arc. "Perfect." He had mountains of paperwork to do because of their little escapade, and it wasn't growing any smaller. "I'll see you all in an hour. And Mr. Arc?"

"Yeah?"

"Please wash yourself. You smell…. Rank. You as well, Ms. Rose." An indignant squawk was heard from behind the headmaster as he left. Good. Reactions were a promising sign towards recovery. Time to process was needed, but so was distracting oneself to start thinking properly again. Students parted as he made his way back to his office, whistling a long-lost tune. Ozpin knew better than anyone that a little push was all someone needed to start healing.

Icy orbs bored into the back of her skull while she was sprawled on her bed. There wasn't much else to do when you had a wrapped ankle and a shoulder sling on. Then there was the ankle bracelet on the other leg. Gods, this is humiliating. Her partner's behavior only added to her agitation. Not that she could blame her. "You know, I'm not going to disappear into thin air." She raised her accessorized leg for emphases. The black band blinked a dull blue light.

"Oh, I'm well aware. The thing is, I don't trust you." Weiss pointed an accusing finger from where she sat on her bed. "The fact that you were there with the White Fang proves that you could still be working for them."

"Alright, listen." Blake was growing more irritated with the heiress. "The only reason I was there was because Sun told me. I needed to figure out what they were doing."

"Being criminals, obviously." Weiss stated with casual dismissal. "It was an SDC shipment. They hate us and want to make the people of Vale suffer. What more is there?" Blake let out a frustrated groan at the statement.

"It's not that simple! Roman Torchwick was there, working with them! The White Fang would never work with a human. Especially one as obnoxious as him!" And that even wasn't the whole picture. The thief mentioned Adam having an involvement, and Blake had no idea how to bring that up without incriminating herself further. "Something is going on. Something big."

"Fine, I'll concede to that point. But you, Blake Belladonna, have not earned my trust. So, I will be watching your every move until I can say for certain that you, may in fact, be trustworthy." She promised, glaring at her. "You might be playing innocent now, waiting to backstab us in the future." Blake was on her feet, the statement hitting to close to home.

"I brought Ruby back when I could've killed her!" She towered over her partner, fury and indignation racing through her veins. "I could have left her for dead! I could have put a bullet in her skull and killed Jaune while I was at it! I could have ran and disappeared, where no one could find me." Weiss was leaning back from how close she was getting, fear evident in her eyes. "But no, I didn't." Blake seethed. "I stayed and killed my brothers and sisters for them. For you!" There were a lot of repressed emotions coming out and Blake couldn't stop the torrent.

"Do you know what it's like to kill, Weiss?" Blake asked.

"I-"

"No. You don't. Ruby knows. Jaune too. They were both there, fighting for their lives." Weiss's eyes were as wide as saucers as Blake invaded her personal space. "But you weren't." Blake let that statement hang for a hot second before continuing in a low threatening tone. "Just like every other Schnee, you let someone else do the dirty work for you. Just like Daddy, you belittle everyone else for their actions at a first glance. Not even comprehending what they might have gone through to get to that point."

"It must be hard riding on that high horse, watching the rest of us struggle through the mud." Disdain was what she felt towards Weiss. Her attitude, personality, everything she represented was what the White Fang was against. The sheer ignorance of their plight. Blake could see it in her body language. The guarded posture, the conflicted emotions in her eyes. "But like father, like daughter, you're just willing to ignore the truth for something far more comforting."

Standing up from the heiress, she hobbled back over to her bed. "Do whatever you want. Nothing I ever-" The door to the dorm room clicked open, interrupting Blake's rant. Jaune came in helped by Ruby, who had his arm around her shoulders. There was a pained look on his face, like he was constantly hiding a wince. Ruby looked exhausted, but at least she wasn't crying or screaming.

"Hey guys." He said hesitantly, holding a jar of dark liquid with his metal hand. "How's… How's everyone doing?" Jaune looked from Blake to Weiss, seeing the stark contrast in expressions. "Right… Dumb question." He gently shrugged Ruby off before limping to his closet. "Ozpin wants us at his office in an hour." Pulling out some jeans and a sweater, he slowly made his way to the bathroom. Blake's nose wrinkled from the scent as he walked by. "Me and Ruby are going to get a shower in beforehand. Dibs, by the way." With that, Jaune sealed himself in the bathroom.

Ruby glanced between Blake and Weiss, her already frayed nerves showing her anxiety. "Are… Are you guys alright?" She asked quietly. To her surprise, it was Weiss who spoke first.

"No, Ruby." A low whine came from the reaper as Weiss looked down at her hands. "I don't think we are."

A shower and a fresh change of clothes later, Team Jabberwocky made their way to the headmaster's office. She would've noticed the students giving them odd glances at their sullen mood, but Ruby's thoughts plagued her attention. It was all her fault. She dragged Jaune and Penny to the docks. She went off on her own to look for Blake. And she killed people. Then what did she do afterwards? She went straight into shock, leaving her team to look after her.

The memories flitted back in fragments when they got back. Ruby remembered Weiss slapping her and being utterly terrified of everything. Then she remembered her sister and Goodwitch bringing them back to Beacon with Jaune's broken body next to them. The sheer number of emotions she felt yesterday were taking a toll on her, but she couldn't sleep. Closing her eyes brought images of dismembered bodies and bloody water to her mind.

She left her cloak in the dorm room. It reminded her too much of the crimson color. Thinking about it, Ruby only ever wore it to feel closer to her mom. Now, she could barely remember what Summer looked like. The distracted thoughts didn't help her as guilt gnawed at her being. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Reliving it in her head caused her to cringe. She was so caught up in the moment. So caught up in getting Torchwick, who slipped through her finger last time, she didn't even consider if anyone else had Aura.

It's not like she bothered to check. Ruby realized now she was lucky not to kill the guards he brought last time. Maybe I shouldn't be here. Ruby was still fifteen. By all accounts, she should still be in Signal. Ruby studied harder than anyone else to make up for the missing education gap, and she hated it. More work, more hardship, and for what? Because the Headmaster thought she was a prodigy. Ruby knew she was blaming him for something out of his control. She didn't care, it was still partially his fault.

The ding of the elevator pulled Ruby from the depths of her mind. Team JBRW walked into the cramped compartment, giving Ruby a good look at the rest of her team. Jaune looked tired and in pain next to her, sending another pang of guilt to her strained heart. He noticed her staring and gave her a small smile. Through everything, he could still smile.

Ruby wanted that strength.

Weiss looked depressed and lost in thought next to Jaune, at odds with her usual self. Ruby and Jaune did walk in on Blake and her talking, and from the atmosphere, it was pretty heavy. Speaking of her, Blake looked stoic. Eyes straight ahead, like a prisoner walking towards her execution. Ruby still didn't know why she ran instead of talking to them. Well, she did. Weiss made it blatantly obvious she didn't trust her. Ruby just hoped Blake didn't blame her for what she did. She didn't know how much more blame she could take before something snapped.

The doors dinged open again, heralding their fate. Jaune led them to the Headmaster's desk as the clockwork above ticked away the time. Four chairs sat in front of his desk, a spot for each member. Ms. Goodwitch stood off to the side behind Headmaster Ozpin, who sat down behind his desk. He had a gentle smile on his face while he arranged a stack of papers. "Thank you for coming on such short notice." Ozpin greeted, pleasantly. "I'm afraid there's quite a bit of paperwork that can't be held off any longer. Please, have a seat." He gestured to the chairs in before him.

"Um, what type of paperwork?" Jaune asked as the team seated themselves.

"Oh, nothing too strenuous. Just documentation of what happened, insurance for the destroyed and stolen property, reports from the authorities in Vale, and of course Emergency Services for a labeled 'Mass Casualty Incident'. Plenty of legal and confusing jargon that would go over your heads." Ruby could feel her team wince together. The Headmaster's smile looked a lot scarier now. "Thankfully, for all of you, Glynda and I were able to intervene before the masses caught wind of four students instigating such an event."

Ruby audible swallowed as her heart hammered in her chest. People were dead because of her. Her ideas of playing hero got them into this mess. That and Blake running off. Running because of her argument with Weiss. Weiss arguing because Jaune thought it would be a good idea to get it out in the air. Circles started appearing before Ruby's eyes as she tried to backtrack the events to their origin.

"Officially," Ozpin speaking again snapped her back to reality. "A Huntsman operative tipped us off to an upcoming Dust theft by some local gangs and thought it best to inform Beacon. Glynda led a team of students as extracurricular activity, only to find a battlefield. Story goes that there was a disagreement between who got how much, then the fighting started."

"But that's not what happened!" Blake spoke up from beside her. "The White Fang are still out there, and they are planning something!"

"I am well aware Ms. Belladonna. I said this is what happened officially. Unofficially, Glynda and Team Upsilon had to rescue you from a situation you started. And we, being Beacon staff and Vale authorities, will be handling this matter." His tone shifted to a scolding, prompting tears to well in Ruby's eyes. "I hope I do not need to remind you how serious this situation is. Serious enough that I thought it would be wise to alert your families." She saw Ozpin shift his eyes to Blake. "Including yours, Blake Belladonna."

"No…"

"Yes. Kali was surprised to hear from me. So much so, that she decided to come here herself." A quiet whine came from Blake. "I recommend you get in touch with them as soon as possible. There will also be mandatory counseling with Ms. Goodwitch." The deputy headmistress nodded in confirmation and stepped forward.

"Events like these carry a psychological toll." She began, handing out document forms. "Especially for students encountering this for the first time. Twice a week, each of you are required to attend a one-hour session with me. Understood?" A combination of grumbling and nods answered. "Good. Now, section one…"

Jaune rolled his wrist and cradled it with his metal hand. An hour of paperwork and documents had to be filled out and signed. Most of it went over his head. They did have to fill out an eyewitness account for the incident, which brought up some painful recollections. The emotions that came with it didn't help, ranging from remorse to utter rage. He was starting to wish he lost the other arm instead to mitigate the dull ache.

The rest of his team was in a similar state. Signing forms and trying to understand the mind-numbing sentences with each page had a way of leaving someone exhausted. Weiss looked utterly defeated. Considering what he and Ruby walked in on, it might be a good idea to intervene. Make sure they don't have a repeat of last time. Why did being team leader have to be so hard? Or maybe it was just his team.

No… Jaune still had no idea how Yang dealt with Nora.

"Thank you everyone." Ms. Goodwitch examine the documents before laying them on Ozpin's desk. "You are dismissed. Please enjoy the day off tomorrow before classes." Jaune took out his scroll to see it was just passed nine and numerous missed calls from his family. Well, that's not going to be fun.

Tell me about it. From what I see, it's gonna be loud. Juniper knows how to chew a kid out.

Are you… Are you going through my memories? Other hadn't said anything for a while and this was the first he heard him since waking up.

Well, first off, they are our memories. Gods, we were cringe in middle school. Jaune winced at that. And B, there's nothing else to do here.

Please stop.

No. There's something I need to find.

What?

That would ruin the surprise.

A hand on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts. "Come on Jaune." Ruby urged him. She had a worried look on her face while glancing towards Weiss and Blake walking away. Getting up from his seat, he followed his team out. "Mr. Arc, a moment, if you would." The Headmaster called from behind him. Jaune paused, looking back at Ozpin. He was riffling through papers on his desk. "It'll be quick, I promise."

"Come. All of you have had a long day." Ms. Goodwitch walked past him and ushered Ruby towards the elevator. Jaune sent her a wave and a tentative smile as she was loaded into the compartment with the rest of his team. Only when the doors closed on the professor and students did the Headmaster speak again.

"My apologies on being harsh on all of you." He began, taking a sip from his mug. A content sigh escaped him from the refined brew. "I have an image I need to uphold." Jaune was aware that he had his full attention.

"No, it's fine." Jaune scratched the back of his head. "In honesty, I thought we were in a lot more trouble." He did. Him, Ruby and Blake killed a lot of people. Then there was Penny. From what he knew, she just disappeared afterwards. Right now, he wanted nothing more to just forget she ever existed. Ozpin nodded in his direction in acknowledgement.

"And you would be." He added, taking off his glasses and rubbing his temples. "But I fear, this is also my fault as well. Encouraging you and brining her to Beacon were both my doing. That's the only reason you were let off so…" He paused, thinking. "Lightly. That's a good word for it." Taking another sip from his coffee, Ozpin motioned for Jaune to sit down again. "another reason is because you requested assistance the moment you knew this situation was out of hand. A trait not easily acquired."

"Uh, thank you. It seemed like a good idea at the time." Everything went to hell and he didn't have a plan for it, so he just operated under a default rule: Grab an adult. "I just panicked after Ruby left, honest."

"Speaking of which, did anything unusual happen to Ms. Rose that night?" Ozpin steepled his finger before him.

"Like other than committing murder?" There was a lot of that going around.

"No, not that. Did anything strange happen afterword? Flashes of light or odd sensations?" Jaune leaned back and thought hard. The only thing he remembered was her shell shocked on the pavement.

"No." He began, trying to gauge the Headmaster's reaction. "Nothing special. She was catatonic the whole time." To his surprise, Ozpin looked almost… disappointed at the fact.

"Very well, at least you all made it back in one peace." He sighed before relaxing again. "I also have it on good authority that you may have unlocked your semblance."

"What do you mean?" Last he checked; he didn't do anything worth mentioning at the warehouses. You know, except for nearly dying. The elevator doors dinged open again, followed by high-heeled steps.

"I mean what I just said. You've unlocked your semblance." Ms. Goodwitch walk past him to stand next to the headmaster.

"But I haven't done anything."

"Some semblances are more covert than others." Goodwitch began, "My semblance allows me to utilize object as if I were telekinetic." She demonstrated by flicking her riding crop, levitating Ozpin's desk in the air with his papers. A dull purple glow surrounded the objects as they were manipulated through the space. "Semblances are reflections of our soul, just like the Aura we use." Jaune could see a faint violet shimmer in her emerald eyes.

"Mine suggestion I could be controlling." She continued, setting down the desk in front of the headmaster. "I like to believe it reflects my views on efficiency." A small smile graced her lips.

Bitch must be wild in bed.

I am not touching that.

"Others cannot be activated so easily, or consciously." Ozpin added, setting his mug back down. "I personally know a man whose semblance is bad luck. Shame he can't turn it off."

"That's a bummer." Jaune already felt like he had that semblance, seeing how everything went to hell the moment he left home. "It's not me, is it?" His question brought light laughter from Ozpin while Ms. Goodwitch smirked.

"No, no." The Headmaster chuckled. "It is someone else. Yours, is a bit stranger, I believe." He stood up from his desk and walked towards him. "Tell me something, how many times have you nearly died?" Jaune wasn't expecting that.

"What does this have to do with anything?" He didn't see the point.

"Just humor an old man." The Headmaster leaned against the ornate desk, cane in front.

"Well…" Where to begin? "The first time is when I lost my arm, so that's one. Second time was during initiation with the giant bird." Not like he could forget that. "Then there were the warehouses, and that's all that really comes to mind. So, three times." Ozpin nodded in confirmation.

"Three times you have almost died. Three times more than anyone else among the first years. Don't you think that's strange?"

"Meh." Jaune shrugged. "Isn't it normal for a Huntsman?" The career had the highest mortality rate on Remnant. No surprise there.

"It's not, I can assure you. At least not in training. By all accounts, you should be dead. And there is a reason why you're not. Glynda, when you were recovering Mr. Arc's body, what happened?" His attention turned towards the deputy headmistress.

"When I was administering emergency first aid, I felt my Aura being drained whenever I made physical contact with him." She stated, grinding Jaune's thought process to a halt.

"…What?" There's no way he heard that correctly.

"You drained my Aura when I touched you." She iterated again. "Though, after your wounds were healed, the drain stopped. It goes without saying that you were unconscious the entire time."

"That's…" Jaune swallowed. "That's great." Ozpin quirked an eyebrow.

"I was under the impression you would be much happier about this." He said, studying him.

"I am, it's just…" It was hard to describe. "How is that helpful for being a Huntsman?" From what he knew, Grimm didn't have Aura. "And what does that say about my soul?"

"Well, not too much on its own." Ozpin agreed. "If that was the extent of it."

"There's more?"

"I do have a theory. Semblances are finnicky at best and sometimes need certain conditions to manifest." The Headmaster began. "Yang Xiao-Long, has one such semblance. From what is known, it is related to her temper, or emotions, if you will. The angrier she is, the stronger she becomes, and her Aura becomes a sort of 'fire'. The harder she is hit, the harder she can hit. Quite an intriguing semblance."

"Does this have a point?" Jaune asked, growing impatient. He needed to get back to his team to make sure they were okay.

"It does, Mr. Arc, if you would listen." His tone became firmer. "What I'm saying is that there could be more to your semblance if the right conditions are met."

"Well, it seems like a stupid condition." Jaune didn't like that the only time his semblance activated was when he was unconscious.

"There may be more conditions we just aren't aware about. You just recently discovered yours, and it takes time to learn and efficiently use them." Ozpin walked back over to his chair behind the desk. "But I've kept you long enough. Think it over and rest for now. A night's rest always helps with troubled thoughts. Have a good night, Mr. Arc." The Headmaster dismissed him, going back to his paperwork.

"Thanks. I'll see you later." Jaune had larger concerns. Namely his team and getting back to his family. "And thank you for coming to save us, Professor." It was comforting that the dictator of a teacher came to their rescue.

"It's our duty to make sure the students are safe." Goodwitch said, standing beside the Headmaster. "But I will ask that the next time you go to Vale, please don't go agitating local terrorist groups. I would rather not have to do this again."

"Yeah, I can get behind that. Goodnight." Jaune walked away from the leaders of Beacon. Thoughts about the night before were running through his head. How this whole incident could be avoided. How his family is doing after being away for over two months. Why he felt like he was always behind the curve where everyone else was ahead. And most importantly, why he could only do so little. The only thing he really did last night was hold off a little girl. How pathetic was that? The elevator doors closed on him as he descended the tower, while one thought bounced around in his skull.

If only he was stronger.

Sorry for the long delay. The reason why it took so long was because I started re-editing my earlier chapters so that I didn't sound like a deranged third grader. Didn't get through all of them, but it does sound better. Check them out if you want. Until next time.