White Knight Errant

A RWBY fanfic by Andrew Joshua Talon

DISCLAIMER: This is a fan based work of prose. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth and WB Animation. Please support the official release.


Regrets and guilt. These were the main motivators for Qrow Branwen. He was a man who had lost so much, so many people. His regrets loomed over him like a murder of... Well, crows. Always looking over his shoulder.

So, he did three things to cope.

One, he drank.

Two, he leered at hot and buxom women.

Three, he tried to keep any more regrets from joining the flock he had following him.

He wasn't as close to Nicholas and Isabel Arc as he had been to his old team. But Nicholas had fought alongside him fearlessly, and Isabel had patched him up and kept him alive so many times that it was like she was immune to his bad luck. A good thing for a combat medic.

Nicholas and Isabel had gotten out of the game, and retired to the Arc Manor back in Radian Village. They'd had eight children, Isabel somehow getting her doctorate in medicine in between all that business. Nicholas had taken to training Hunters... And died on a training trip when their youngest was only eight.

That youngest was why Qrow was out searching along the main road between Vale and Radian. It was long and winding, crossing through Grimm territory and a dozen little villages and outposts.

Somewhere in all this, it was hoped that Jaune Arc was still alive.

Given the length of time it had been since the kid had gone missing... There wasn't a lot of hope left. Three months out in the wilds? If the kid hadn't gotten eaten by Grimm, there were any number of things that could have gotten a young teenaged boy with nothing but old armor and the family sword.

By all rights, Qrow shouldn't even still be searching. He should have given it up, long ago...

Yet here he was, still out here. Hoping that maybe he could bring home some good news to an old friend for once.

A siren sounded from over the treetops. A Grimm attack alarm from a nearby village.

Qrow turned and flapped his wings, headed for the disturbance. This was barely ten miles outside of Vale's walls. The CCL would be hot with messages and requests for help-Help that might not make it in time.

Well... He could.

He descended on the town, shifting to human form and unleashing gunfire from his scythe-weapon. He took out three Beowulves before he landed. Most of the civilians had fled to the shelters, the streets were deserted.

All except for Grimm... And a man trying to get his little girl away from a few Ursas. The gang of Grimm roared and charged them, drawn by the raw fear they exuded. Qrow grit his teeth-He couldn't get there in time for the man, the lead Ursa, a Major, was already pouncing.

Maybe the little girl-?

A figure in a worn, green cloak dove from a rooftop, plunging a sword into the lead Ursa's neck. The figure kicked off the Ursa's back, dragging his blade through the rest of the monster's throat. Its head fell, and the body collapsed as it began to disappear. The figure pulled out a kite shield and held it up, ducking under the second Ursa's swing. The claws nearly took the figure's head clean off, but popped back up and swung his sword, taking the Ursa's forearm clean off.

Another Ursa closed in on the green-clad figure, flanking him. The figure dove and crawled through the gap in the legs of the monster, barely avoiding the second Ursa's pounce. The figure jammed his sword up between the legs of the Ursa, making it roar in pain.

Despite himself, Qrow allowed himself a snicker. It was the kind of thing he would have done as a teenager... But it wasn't enough. The rest of the Ursa gang was upon the figure. He stood defiantly, his sword and shield burning with Aura. He looked back over his shoulder briefly: He saw the father and daughter make it into a shelter. He turned back, bellowed a roar... Had his sword and shield up, ready to battle the monsters all alone, like he was prepared to make a last stand...

Not today, kid, Qrow thought.

He fired his gun, blowing out the heads of the Ursas. He dropped down, swinging his blade and taking them all apart in the blink of an eye. The Grimm faded away, as the figure gaped at him in amazement.

Qrow reached out and yanked down the kid's hood. Blond hair and blue eyes greeted him. His armor was patched up from months of hits and strikes. His clothing was dirty and similarly patched up, sewn up with random bits of cloth. He had pouches on his belt and a worn messenger bag hung from his shoulders. Various potions, tonics and medicines, assembled in random bottles, clinked in said bag.

The kid himself looked roughened, lean, and strong. He was tall and lanky but stood strong despite the obvious exhaustion in his eyes. A far cry from the chubby-faced little crybaby his nieces had beat up once or twice.

"Jaune Arc, I presume?" Qrow quipped. "You're a long way from home."

Jaune grimaced, and scowled, bowing his head.

"I uh... I don't know who you're talking about-"

Qrow rolled his eyes.

"You're still a lousy liar, kid. Have been ever since your seventh birthday party."

Jaune's eyes widened in shock.

"Uncle Qrow?!"


The rest of the Grimm were soon dealt with by a few security teams and local Hunters. Qrow got them back to Vale proper via a bus. He dragged the kid to a cafe-One of the few that served booze and breakfast.

Which is why it was among Qrow's favorites.

The old place was packed with workmen coming off the night shift and workmen getting ready for the dayshift. Qrow took his usual table in the back, and his usual waitress-She was at least a Double Dee and wore her hair long. Jaune stared at her intensely, before blushing and averting his eyes as she took their orders.

Breakfast was delivered, two plates packed full of food. Jaune dug in immediately, eating like a starving man. Qrow raised an eyebrow as he sipped his morning beer.

"Well... You're a hungry one," he observed.

"Mmmph... Took me three days to get to that town," Jaune admitted between bites, "Ran out of food before then. Usually, I could get meals from the farms in exchange for doing some chores or taking care of some local Grimm, but there wasn't anything between Bail and that town!"

Qrow looked the kid over.

"You're not telling me that that's how you've been living these last three months?" Qrow asked in disbelief.

Jaune shrugged, eyes down on his breakfast.

"Well... Uh... My Scroll broke three days on the road... Couldn't access my accounts, so..." He shrugged, mumbling a bit under his breath.

Qrow sighed and motioned to the waitress. This would require something harder than beer.

"Your mom's been worried sick," he said. Jaune grimaced harder.

"I uh... I know... I'm sorry," he said. He sighed. "But she just wouldn't listen!"

Qrow shook his head, staring at the young man with a pitying look in his eyes.

"You didn't either," he stated. He leaned over, elbows on the table.

"Kid, you got accepted into the Valean Medical Research College," he said, "Your mom wouldn't stop gushing about you finally giving up on your 'silly dreams'-"

Jaune slammed a fist into the table. He glared at Qrow.

"They're not silly!" He growled. "Was my dad silly for becoming a hunter? Was my grandpa? My great-uncle?"

"Maybe not, but you are," Qrow stated, slapping the kid on the back of his head, "Why would you give up a career as a doctor? You'd be rich, with your pedigree and mom's connections. Hot and cold running interns. Maybe your own bullhead-"

"That's not what I want," Jaune growled, "That's what my mom wanted for me. I want to be a Hunter... That's all I've ever wanted!"

Qrow stared intently at him. Jaune didn't break his gaze, holding his ground.

The waitress came back and set down a tumbler glass of whiskey. Qrow took it and drank it down. He lowered the glass and shook his head.

Isabel was going to murder him.

"Well... I'll say this for you, kid. You're my kind of stupid."

Jaune's eyes widened in shock.

"You... You're not going to take me back?" He asked. Qrow sighs, and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"You got a plan for getting into Beacon Academy?"

"I uh... I got accepted," Jaune said. He coughed.

"I had to... Get a little creative with a few things in my background, but I've got my Aura unlocked, and I think I've got my Semblance... Kind of sort of figured out, and I've killed a lot of Grimm-!"

Qrow sighed heavily. He motioned for another whiskey.

"Well... I can't exactly fault you for that," he muttered, thinking back to his own time at Beacon. "Look, I won't drag you back. But you're writing her right now and letting her know her youngest son is alive and well."

Jaune grinned.

"Uncle Qrow! You-You'd do that for me-?!"

"I will do it for you," Qrow said, "Because if I did take you back, you'll run out again and get yourself killed. And then your mom will definitely kill me."


They dropped off Jaune's scroll at a local repair shop before they stopped by the post office. Jaune took a while to write up the note-He had to restart a few times. He finally got it down and put it into the mailbox. He sighed, and gave Qrow a smile.

"Again, thanks Uncle Qrow-"

"Don't thank me," Qrow grunted, "You're making a terrible decision, you know. You could have been a doctor, and now you're here. This is literally the stupidest choice you could ever make."

Jaune shook his head.

"There's a girl and her father who wouldn't still be here if I had made the other choice," Jaune said quietly, for once looking like a man and less like some defiant teenager. Qrow closed his eyes. It was too familiar.

"Yeah... Yeah," Qrow grunted. "Anyway... You'd better not pull that stupid bullshit you did before. Fighting like you're gonna die."

"I-I wasn't gonna die," Jaune insisted, "I've fought way bigger Grimm and I made it-!"

"You can't survive on luck, kid. You can't trust it, take it from me," Qrow said, punctuating his statement with a harsh smack to the back of Jaune's head.

"OW!" Jaune yelped, glaring up at the older man. "Hey!"

"Which is why you're going to that damn school and they're gonna correct your bad habits," Qrow stated. "You're lucky you set out so early. Now, keep an eye out for Ruby and Yang, this is their first year too."

"Ruby and Yang?" Jaune asked in shock. Qrow nodded.

"Yup. Remember them?"

"Kind of," Jaune said, wearing a sour look, "Yang's the one who made me eat dirt and called me Crybaby. Ruby's the little kid who made me dress up for tea parties with toy guns."

"They've changed too," Qrow laughed. Maybe he should give the kid the 'shotgun' speech... But it would be a lot funnier to see how things went now. He had to get some entertainment out of this debacle. Maybe that's why Ozpin had let the kid in.

Speaking of...

"I uh... I was thinking of getting here early and maybe brushing up on some reading, but it took me too long," Jaune admitted, "I wanted to firm up my fundamentals. I lost track of time, when does the Academy semester start?"

Qrow sipped from his flask and smirked.

"Oh, in about... Twenty minutes?"

Jaune choked.

"TWENTY MINUTES?!" Jaune shouted, holding his head. "WHA-WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO-?!"

Qrow pointed at the airship port, some distance away. "Better get a move on, kid."

"YOU SUCK, UNCLE QROW! YOU FUCKING SUCK OLD MAN!" Jaune shouted, running as fast as he could towards the airship port and shaking his fist at him. Qrow laughed, and drank more from his flask.

"Haaa... Nicholas, your boy's just as stupid and lucky as you," he muttered, watching the young man sprint as though for his very life.

Still... Three months surviving on his own? The kid was going to do fine.

It wasn't like he'd run into anything too big or important during his trip here. He wasn't that unlucky.

He would know.


In the forests of Vale, far from the walls, one Adam Taurus of the White Fang glared at the overturned train car.

Here, there were supposed to be Faunus slaves and Dust to liberate for their cause.

Roman Torchwick's intel had put them here... And yet the train had already been liberated. The Dust had been recovered. The Faunus had run off and were now scattered amongst the various towns and hamlets. None had any interest in joining their cause, replacing his lost soldiers.

It was a great blow to their plans... Cinder Fall would be angry.

There were few humans whose wrath he feared, but she was at the top of the list.

"Who did this?" He demanded of one of his lieutenants. The Faunus coughed.

"Most of the Faunus didn't get a good look at it, but... Some knight in white, with a green cloak. A human."

Adam seethed.

"We're going to find out who this 'white knight' is... And we're going to kill him."


Ruby Rose didn't know what to do with herself, she was so full of energy! Getting accepted into Beacon Academy was... A dream come true!

She was scared about it, too. She was really scared and nervous. That was part of her nervous energy. She nearly felt like bouncing out of the airship!

She could barely stay still, as she wandered around the crowded airship, nearly ready to jump into her Semblance in excitement. So much to see...! And so many people she could talk to!

Maybe.

If she got the inclination.

And had some preparation time. Like, an hour. She could see herself making some eye contact too, for longer than a few seconds.

The trip was pretty short, the only really interesting thing happening was some guy in a green cloak constantly throwing up in the bathroom. Poor guy.

The moment they disembarked, she turned to her big sister Yang and beamed.

"So! Where do we go from here?" She asked.

"You go to the Opening Ceremony Speech, right away!" Yang laughed. "Me, uh... I've got friends to catch up with!"

And then she was gone. And Ruby was alone. She gaped after her big sister.

"Wha...?"

Her sense of shock is probably why she ran into a cart full of Dust, and caused some of it to explode.

"ACK!"

Her face slammed into the pavement. She looked up with a groan, into the eyes of an angry, platinum blonde girl in fancy white and blue clothing.

"What are you doing?! You could have blown up all my Dust!"

"Why are you dragging all this around?!" Ruby groaned, rubbing her face. The girl scoffed.

"Some of us are taking this seriously, thank you!"

She pushed the cart away, along with a lot more luggage besides. And Ruby was alone again.

"Hey... Need some help?"

She looked up. The boy from the airship stood there, his hand out to her. She took it, and let him pull her up to her feet. She blushed brightly.

He was... Kind of rugged. Like he'd been on the road. His weapons were worn and well used, his cloak waved slightly in the breeze.

"Thanks... Uh... Nice cloak!" She said. She gestured to her own. "I'm uh, an aficionado too!"

"Yeah," the boy said with a nod. "Uh... Ruby Rose, right?"

Ruby's eyes widened.

"Wha...? How'd you know that?! Is your Semblance to be psychic or something?!"

"No," the boy chuckled, "But I owe you for a few tea parties."

Ruby blinked in confusion. Her eyes then widened in recognition.

"Jaune?!"

"Jaune Arc. Rolls right off the tongue, huh?" Jaune chuckled. Ruby immediately hugged him tightly, burying her head in his chest. "OOF!"

"Oh I haven't seen you in forever! You're so... Tall! And you've got a cloak! And-And..."

She made a face as she pulled away, but kept her arms on his sides.

"You stink!" She declared. Jaune chuckled.

"Yeah... Didn't get a chance to shower, sorry," he admitted. Ruby pulled back, waving air away from her nose.

"Geez... Also that sword and shield need some polishing! That's a lot of Grimm residue!"

She immediately took his weapons off his belt, and pulled out his sword. She retrieved her weapons cleaning kit from her luggage, and set to work.

"Oh, the shield expands and contracts, cool! The mechanisms are still good but you need to use more oil," she muttered, "The sword's seen a LOT of Aura sharpening but you need to sharpen it manually too..."

In a few minutes, she presented the now shiny sword and shield combination back to Jaune. He took his weapons with wide eyes. He looked them over in wonder.

"Wow... It's like they're brand new!" He said. He grinned and hugged Ruby with one arm. "You're a miracle, Ruby!"

"Heheheh... I know my weapons!" Ruby grinned. "So! I didn't see any mechanisms on your sword."

"It cuts and stabs things," Jaune said dryly, "That's what a sword does."

Ruby presented her Crescent Rose, unfolding it and showing it off proudly.

"My High Caliber Sniper-Scythe, Crescent Rose! I built it myself!"

"Woah," Jaune said, looking over the complex, interlocking mechanisms, "Now that's awesome..."

He smirked up at her.

"And not a bunny or kitty sticker to be seen!"

"HEY! I grew out of that when I was, like, eight!" Ruby protested, blushing hard. She stowed her weapon and stomped in what she thought was a very mature way. "I'm gonna be a Huntress, darn it!"

"I know you are," Jaune said, a sincere smile on his face. He nodded. "Me too... I'm glad I'm doing it with some familiar faces."

"Same," Ruby admitted. "So uh... How are your mom and dad? I kind of remember them."

Jaune's face tightened. He spoke calmly.

"Dad... Died on a training mission," he said quietly, "Saved his class from some high-level Grimm."

Ruby's face fell.

"O-Oh... I'm so sorry, Jaune... My mom, she... She also..."

She bowed her head. Jaune reached out and squeezed her shoulder.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's okay."

"My mom's head surgeon at the hospital," Jaune said, moving on with warm energy, "She does a lot of consulting on Aura-based healing. Saphron got married, she lives in Argus with her wife and works for a publishing house. Aqua is a nurse, Verdy and Coral are still at college, Lilac is engaged to some banker, Orchid is doing some bookkeeping for the hospital and I think Tangy is trying to sell refrigerators up in Mantle."

"I still can't believe your mom named one of you after fruit," Ruby giggled. Jaune nodded.

"Better her than me, that's for sure," he said. "How's your dad?"

"He's a teacher at Signal," Ruby said cheerfully, "He's doing great!"

They continued their chat as they made their way to the audience hall. The Headmaster, a grey-haired man in green with a cane and glasses, was giving an opening speech.

"Let us all work diligently, and remember we are here to protect Remnant from the forces of Darkness..."

"I hope we didn't miss anything important," Ruby muttered. Jaune nodded.

"Same..."

The platinum blonde from before spotted them... And huffed, sticking her nose up in the air. Jaune and Ruby wisely took some seats far in the back. The rest of the speech went on... And on... And on...

Ruby groaned, and turned back to Jaune.

"So, why do you look like you ran around in the wilds for like... Six months?" She asked. "Is... Is that normal for you?"

Jaune shook his head with a thin smile.

"Three months, actually," he said, "Just got into town. Your uncle says hi."

"Uncle Qrow?! You got to see him?!" Ruby whisper-shouted, leaning forward. Jaune nodded.

"Yeah... He bought me breakfast... But he's still a dick."

"Sounds like him," Ruby giggled. "But seriously? Out in the wilds for three months?! What happened?!"

"Well-"

"Aside from you not getting any showers," Ruby giggled. Jaune sighed, and ruffled her hair affectionately. "ACK! Hey!"

"Plenty, thank you," Jaune chuckled, as Ruby batted his hand away. She pouted at him.

"You need to quit doing that," she insisted, "I'm gonna be a Huntress, ya know! I'm basically a full-grown woman!"

"You'll always be a little brat to me, Ruby," Jaune chuckled, continuing to mess up her hair.

"Hmph!"


A great deal of speeches, lectures, and generally boring stuff later, the sun was setting and the prospective students were gathered in a gymnasium. Small groups had formed of various teenagers, all preparing to sleep in pajamas and sleeping bags. Yang had picked out a nice place near some windows, and Ruby had joined her. A black-haired girl wearing a bow sat on the windowsill, reading a book and ignoring everything else going on around them, but otherwise they were fairly isolated.

Yang raised an eyebrow at her little sister's broad smile.

"So," Yang said with a grin at her little sister, "Saw you paling around with the Vomit Boy."

Ruby grinned, happy to have a secret that Yang hadn't figured out yet.

"Yup! I sure was!" Ruby said cheerfully, as she set out her sleeping bag with a flourish. Yang grinned, like a shark smelling blood in the water.

"Aw... Is my little sis finally hearing the siren call of romance?" Yang asked, sighing theatrically with a hand pressed to her forehead. "Or in this case, the stink of young love?"

Ruby blushed furiously.

"N-No! No! But he's an old friend!" Ruby insisted. Yang blinked.

"An old friend? What kind of...Nnngh...!"

Yang rolled her shoulder, wincing. Ruby frowned in concern.

"What?"

"Ugh... Those damn twins got in a hit on my shoulder," Yang grumbled. She froze and laughed nervously over at the girl wearing the black bow.

"I-I mean, I overstrained myself at the gym and certainly didn't get my injury while doing anything borderline illegal, ahahaha!"

The girl gave her a neutral expression with her yellow eyes, and returned to reading her book. Ruby sighed.

"Yang, seriously?"

"I'll be fine," Yang insisted, "Besides, how many old friends could you have-?"

Ruby brightened and waved her arm happily.

"Hey! HEY! Jaune! OVER HERE!"

Yang looked... And her jaw dropped. She certainly had an appreciation for the male form... And this was quite the form. Tall, a bit gangly, but definitely packing muscle underneath his official Beacon Academy gym shirt and shorts. Blond hair, blue eyes, a sharp chin devoid of baby fat...

"Hey Ruby!" Jaune greeted with a smile, as he walked up to him. He lugged a few small pouches and a messenger bag with him, "Cute PJs."

"You too," Ruby giggled, "Where'd you get those?"

"Headmistress Goodwitch took pity on me and let me buy some stuff from the gift shop," Jaune chuckled. He grimaced and tugged at the shorts. "They're a little tight, but ya know, beggars can't be choosers and all..."

Yang ceased her ogling as her brain caught up with her mouth.

"Wait-Crybaby Jaune?!" Yang yelped. Jaune grinned and bowed mockingly.

"Yo! Firecracker Yang! Been a while, huh?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah," Yang managed, flushing a bit at the nickname, "Geez... Uh... It's been, what, eight years? Last I saw you, you were eating dirt."

"That you fed me," Jaune deadpanned. Yang winced.

"W-Well... You are a growing boy, right? Gotta provide fertile soil," she chuckled. Jaune laughed, holding a hand to his stomach.

"Aw man... Your jokes are still terrible!"

"My jokes are amazing!" Yang laughed back, "Only sophisticated comedy palates can appreciate them!"

"Or they built up a resistance," Ruby snarked. Yang swung at her, and Ruby dodged with a playful giggle. Yang sighed, and looked back to him with a smile.

"Still... It's good to see you again," Yang said. She winked. "And no bunny onesies?"

"Couldn't take them with me," Jaune deadpanned. He looked at the black bowed girl. "Yo. I'm Jaune Arc."

The girl looked up from her book.

"Blake Belladonna," she said quietly. Jaune extended his hand. She stared at it for a moment.

"I swear, I grabbed a shower," Jaune said, glancing at Ruby, "Because someone complained about my manly scent."

"You mean you smelled like you rolled around in garbage," Ruby teased back.

Blake slowly reached out her hand, and took Jaune's. He shook it. She pulled back gently, and Jaune nodded back to her.

"Why were you going around in that ratty cloak and all?" Yang asked. "Your mom make you hike all the way here from... Uh...?"

"Radian? Kind of," Jaune admitted. Ruby popped up, grinning and nodding eagerly.

"Yeah! He had to make it here all the way on foot!"

Yang scoffed.

"Oh come on! Really?"

"Didn't have money for the train, and I get airsick real bad," Jaune said. Yang winced and rolled her shoulder again. Jaune locked his eyes onto her. "You okay?"

"Ugh, yeah, just a pulled muscle or-" Yang said, but Jaune walked behind her, and pressed down at the junction between her neck and shoulder. "AH! Hey!"

"Hmmm," Jaune mused, "Tendons are a little overstressed. Hang on."

He rummaged around in his pack, and pulled out a small bottle of what had once been People Like Grapes. He opened it, poured some green liquid out onto his hand, and rubbed Yang's shoulder and neck quickly. A minty scent filled Yang, Ruby and Blake's nostrils.

"H-Hey... Shouldn't you buy me dinner first if you're gonna get this handsy with me?" Yang joked, though she had a slight blush on her cheeks. Jaune pulled his hand back.

"How's that?" He asked. Yang rolled her shoulder, and blinked.

"Huh... It's gone!"

"Folk remedy from my village," Jaune said, "My mom helped isolate the active ingredients years ago. That stuff is concentrated and a lot stronger, but this is cheaper to make and works just fine on little injuries like this." He handed the bottle to her. "Apply it overnight, and you'll be back up to one hundred percent in no time."

Yang blinked.

"I... Thanks?"

Jaune grinned.

"Hey, we still got this initiation coming up, right? And I'd prefer to be on a team that's at their best."

"Jaune's mom is super cool, huh Yang?" Ruby asked. She got up and wrapped her arms around Jaune's arm. "So! Got any more potions that might help our chances?"

"Maybe a few," Jaune said with a shrug, "Though most of them are basically energy drinks."

"ENERGY DRINKS?!"

A muscular redhead shot up, grinning broadly.

"Caffeine, right?!"

"Uhhh," Jaune managed, "Y-Yeah...?"

"Can I have some?" The girl asked. A dark-haired boy with a pink stripe running down his bangs walked up, and took the girl's hand.

"Sorry about her," the boy said calmly. The girl pouted.

"But Rennnnn!"

"No buts, Nora," Ren stated, leading his partner away. Yang, Ruby, Jaune, and Blake all blinked.

"That was... Weird," Yang observed.

"Yeah," Ruby said, "Though I think I like her!"

"You would," Yang snickered. She grinned at Jaune, brushing her hair back and tangling a finger in her golden locks.

"So Crybaby, you gonna get some shut-eye, or should we progress to painting nails and gossiping about boys?"

Jaune gave the stare of a haunted veteran of No Man's Land. But his grin was savage.

"I have seven sisters, do your worst."

"Oh, I intend to-"

"Children!" Professor Goodwitch called out, drawing every eye in the room. "To sleep, now. Boys on one side, girls on the other. You have a busy day tomorrow."

"Guess we'll have to take a Yang-check," Yang chuckled, "But I can see you in electric blue!"

"Please, I'll rock electric blue nail polish," Jaune said with a confident grin. "Night ladies!"

He headed off to the other side of the room, Yang's eyes locked onto his posterior the whole time. Ruby pouted at Yang.

"Yaaang," Ruby whined. Yang blinked.

"What?"

"No," Ruby scowled. Yang blinked again.

"No what-?"

"No. Flirting," she growled. "It's gross!"

"Aw," Yang chuckled, ruffling her little sister's hair, "Is my little sister feeling jealous~?"

"I AM NOT!" Ruby pouted. "Just-Don't be mean to him!"

"What if I want to be nice~?" Yang teased.

"THAT'S WORSE!"


The next day, Jaune was checking over his gear in the locker room. They'd checked it all in the day before, where it had been gone over by the Engineering section of the school. He was gratified to see his armor was cleaned up and properly repaired. His sword and shield were in pristine shape, but only a little more than what Ruby had done.

His clothing had been cleaned, at least. Still pretty patchwork, but now that he had access to his funds again courtesy of Uncle Qrow, he could buy some new clothes. Still, this hoodie had served him well for three months-Maybe it was lucky?

He'd lost his jeans-Cheap freaking denim-So he'd upgraded to some hardy carpenter's pants a farmer had let him have. It had a lot of pockets, which was useful. HIs sneakers hadn't lasted much longer either, and he'd gone around in sandals for a while until another farmer had gotten him some heavy boots.

He pulled the armor on last, fastening the pauldrons on with practiced familiarity. This stuff reacted to his Aura, and a surge of his soul's power seemed to make it all... Fit better.

He couldn't really explain it. Maybe he'd ask Ruby about it.

He backed up, turned around... Nearly ran into a tall redhead in skimpy but functional armor. She wore a golden tiara, under which were bright, bewitching green eyes.

"Oh, uh, sorry," the girl said with an apologetic smile that seemed made for fashion magazines. Jaune's cheeks flushed a bit.

Woah, Jaune's mind went, I should say something cool.

"For what?" He asked.

DAMNIT!

"Uh, almost bumping into you," she said quickly. Jaune shrugged.

"You didn't though. So... No reason to apologize," he said. Geez. Poor girl. Did she have self-esteem issues? Was she like those ultra serious pretty girls who were all broken up inside or something?

Oh, she was still talking. He should probably pay attention to that.

"It's great to be here at Beacon, huh? It's been my dream," she said happily. She extended her hand. "I'm Pyrrha Nikos."

Jaune extended his hand and shook hers firmly enough to be manly, but not too firm. Though given how strong her grip was, maybe he should have squeezed harder...

"Jaune Arc," he said with a smile, "It's nice to meet you."

"PYRRHA NIKOS?!"

A platinum blonde in light blue, expensive looking clothing and what appeared to be gogo boots skidded to a halt, panting hard.

"The Pyrrha Nikos?! I-I had heard you were at Beacon but-My locker room-Wow-I'm Weiss Schnee, of the Schnee Family!"

"Uh, it's very nice to meet you too," Pyrrha said, carefully pulling her hand from Jaune's and shaking Weiss'. Well, Weiss seemed to be doing all the shaking-Hard enough that certain assets of Pyrrha's were moving-

Nope! Nope! Just because he'd been on the road for three months didn't mean he was going to gawp like a caveman at a pretty girl, nope. All of these women could murder him in incredibly creative ways, he didn't need to give them any reason to do so!

It was time for him to say something intelligent again.

"So... She's a big deal then?"

DAMNIT! SERIOUSLY BRAIN?!

Weiss shot him a disbelieving sneer.

"Are you kidding?! Where did you grow up, under a rock?! She's the four-time Mistral Regional Tournament champion! The so-called INVINCIBLE GIRL!"

Jaune blinked.

"Oh... Good for you," Jaune said with a slow nod to Pyrrha. Pyrrha flushed.

"It's-It's no big deal-"

"She graduated first in her class from Sanctum Academy!" Weiss continued eagerly. "She's a fashion model for Amazons!"

Pyrrha's smile was looking a little brittle. Like his mom's whenever she had to entertain some rich councilman or businessman.

"Nope, never heard of you before," Jaune went on, smiling apologetically.

Weiss looked almost desperate.

"She's the mascot for Pumpkin Pete's Cereal! You have to have heard of THAT, at least!"

Jaune shook his head.

"My mom was a big health nut, so I never ate it. My uncle got me this Pumpkin Pete's hoodie but that's all," he said.

Weiss groaned, and slid in front of Jaune to put herself fully in Pyrrha's view.

"I'm so sorry you have to put up with such ignorant lummoxes!"

"I uh, it's not a problem-"

"Listen, if you join my team, it would be such an amazing alliance! My family's connections, your talents...!

Now, had Jaune not been three months on the road, fighting for his life, he might have just let that go.

And if Pyrrha didn't shoot him a look that said, quite clearly, 'Help me,', he might have also let that go.

But he hadn't. So he didn't.

"Actually I might have heard of you," Jaune said quickly, grabbing Pyrrha's hand. She flushed as he stepped right into her personal space, coincidentally bumping Weiss out of the way.

"ACK! HEY!"

"Don't interfere!" Jaune said quickly, "Our families made a pact long ago to join our families in marriage! At last, I've found you, my beautiful fiancé!"

Pyrrha's face turned an even brighter red. Jaune took her hand and kissed the top of it. Weiss goggled.

"WHAT?!"

"Oh-Oh yes!" Pyrrha cried, forcing a swoon. "My darling! We must discuss our plans! Sorry Weiss, maybe another time? I've been hit with a LOT and I need to sort it out!"

"But-!"

"Hey! Your family had your chance!" Jaune cried. "Don't paw at my wife!"

"YOUR WHAT?!"

Jaune led Pyrrha away, leaving the sputtering Weiss to watch them go.

Once they were outside in the bright sunshine, Jaune let go of Pyrrha's hand. He coughed.

"Ah, sorry," he said, "Some chick tried that on me to get out of some guys trying to shake down her family shop for money. I thought it would at least be confusing."

"It was," Pyrrha giggled. She beamed at him. "Thanks... Seriously? No idea who I am?"

"Not even a little," Jaune said, shaking his head, "Sorry."

"No, no, that's okay," Pyrrha said, waving her hands. "But um... I'm glad we'll be going to Beacon together."

Jaune grinned at her.

"Same," he said.

"JAUNE!"

"URK!"

Ruby tackle-hugged him, beaming up at him like an eager puppy.

"Come on, come on, we're going to be late!" Ruby said eagerly. She leaped off and grabbed Jaune's hand, dragging him off. Jaune sighed, looking back over his shoulder. Pyrrha covered her mouth to giggle, as she followed them.

"Right, the initiation thing... So... Anyone know what this is supposed to be? Like... Do we get baptized with oil or touch a dead unicorn before heading out or something?"

"Something like that," Pyrrha agreed.


They assembled on the top of a cliff overlooking a verdant, beautiful valley, and Headmaster Ozpin gave his instructions.

"The rules are simple: You will be launched into the Emerald Forest, where you will employ a landing strategy. Once down on the ground, the first person whose eyes you meet will become your partner for the next four years. This is non-negotiable-We are monitoring the entire area."

Aw crap, Jaune mentally groaned. He glanced around at the other students. Sure, maybe they weren't all jerks or weirdos... But given Weiss, did he really want to take that chance?

"You will fight your way to the ancient ruins, killing anything in your way, and retrieve the ancient relics. You will then make your way back to the Cliffs. The risk of death is quite high, but you are the best of the best, so I have every confidence in your abilities."

The headmaster paused and then sipped his coffee.

"And you all signed the waivers," he said.

Was that a joke? I can't tell! Jaune thought. Still...

"Any questions?" Ozpin asked.

Jaune raised his hand.

"Er, Headmaster?"

"Yes, Mister Arc?"

The headmaster gave Jaune a probing look, that made him feel as though the older man was seeing right through him. It made him feel incredibly uncomfortable, but he pressed on.

"How... Are we going to be launched?"

"The catapults you are standing upon," Ozpin said dryly.

Jaune looked down and blinked.

"Huh. I completely missed those," he muttered.

He heard Weiss What's Her Name groan in disgust. Yeah, that just hardened his resolve.

"If there are no more questions-?"

"Oh, uh, Headmaster?"

Ozpin again raised an eyebrow, and sipped his coffee.

"Yes, Mister Arc?"

"Do we need to be launched one at a time?" Jaune asked. Ozpin blinked.

"The catapults are rated for a maximum weight of several thousand kilograms, so technically, I suppose not-"

"Great!" Jaune said cheerfully. He got off the catapult, walked over to Ruby, and picked her up. She squeaked and blushed as he put her on his back, and walked back to his catapult.

"H-Hey, Jaune-!"

"This way, we'll be partners," Jaune said with a nod. Ruby beamed.

"Oh yeah! WOOHOO!" She threw her arms up into the air.

"That's a GREAT idea!" Nora cried, immediately vaulting herself over to Ren and getting up onto his back. Ren sighed.

"Nora, you don't have to-"

"Shush, Ren, you're my noble steed! You don't talk!"

"Aw, shooting right for my little sister, Crybaby Jaune?" Yang laughed. "I'm hurt-No consideration for me?"

"She's less annoying and smaller," Jaune shot back. Ruby smacked his head. "OW! What the-?!"

"I-I'M STILL GROWING!" Ruby growled, blushing furiously.

"I-I know, but I mean you're shorter-OW!"

"I'M NOT SMALL! I-I'M FUN SIZED!"

"OKAY OKAY! SHEESH!" Jaune groaned. A lot of other students laughed, but he couldn't find it in himself to care-

"Pyrrha!" Weiss cried, immediately latching onto the taller redhead, "We'll work together!"

"Uh, um, that's nice, Weiss," Pyrrha managed.

"We'll be the greatest team, I KNOW IT!"

"If you're all quite finished," Ozpin stated, "We shall begin the launching. Good luck!"

He sipped his coffee as the catapults powered up.

"Oh, also," he said, "The aerodynamics of the human body ensure that you'll most likely be separated from your chosen partners the moment you are accelerated... Unless you hold on very tightly."

Weiss blinked.

"Wait wha-?"

The catapult tossed her and Pyrrha up, up, and away. Ruby tightened her grip.

"It will also ensure you may end up almost anywhere," Ozpin stated, "So... Good luck with that."

"Wait, I-"

Jaune and Ruby were launched, tumbling through the sky, holding onto each other desperately.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" They both screamed. Ruby was able to look up as they tumbled. Her eyes widened.

"AHHH! BIRDY, NO!"

"BIRDY-?!"

Ruby let go, and slammed into a gigantic, black bird. Jaune sailed right underneath the squawking Grimm, tumbling through the air like a screaming, flailing rock.

Okay... Okay... Calm down... What do I do? What do I do?!

Jaune spread his legs out, and his cloak. That helped a little, in that he was now no longer tumbling, but the looming ground coming up remained a problem.

All right... Don't have a flying Semblance or aerokinesis or wings or anything else... So...

He pulled out his shield, and poured his Aura into it. He spread his cloak out as far as he could with his arms and legs.

Right... Slow down, slow down... Arrest your momentum... Just rely on my aura and shield... Tuck and roll... Hope I'm tough enough to tank a few trees.

Simple!

He descended, and he pulled his limbs in to hide behind his shield as much as possible.

Right... Right... And... First tree...!

He smashed through it. It rattled his bones, but the tree broke and he didn't. That was most important.

He smashed through a second tree. He was still going pretty fast, but not as fast. And he still didn't break.

Third tree... Didn't break. He finally tumbled and fell to the ground.

"SHIT SHIT SHIT SHITTTTTTT-!"

He grabbed onto a branch... Which snapped. He grabbed onto another branch... Which also snapped. He held his shield up and smashed through several more branches... Until he tumbled out of the tree and landed with a hard thud on the ground.

"Ugggghhh... Perfect landing... Just as I planned," Jaune managed, breathing hard. He tried to get up... And fell over against the tree trunk.

"Ahhh... Yeah... Let's uh... Strategic rest, yeah," Jaune nodded, his aura regenerating, "Just to get my bearings... Totally to get my bearings..."

He didn't even know why he said that, not like there was anyone around to be impressed.

"Oh! Hello Jaune!"

Jaune blinked, and looked at the speaker. The female, smiling speaker.

"You need more time to get your bearings?"

Okay, so there was someone around to impress...


As you may have guessed, this is a RWBY AU. Jaune Arc centric. With a lot of romantic comedy focus. This is the kind of fic I haven't written before, save for that one other RWBY fic of mine. So, I hope you enjoy.