He… He had dishonored his family.

He had betrayed his kingdom. He had turned his blade on his own countrymen and spilled their blood on foreign land, fighting for a cause which was not his own.

He had destroyed the bond that was forged with the blood of his grandfather, for what? To follow the selfish whims of his heart?

And Robin… Poor, poor Robin. He had never seen such scorn in her eyes, never heard such utter loathing in her voice as she addressed him. She did not deserve this. She did not deserve to be humiliated like this.

He was a disgrace. A complete and utter stain on the legacy of his family.

He stared at his pathetic reflection against the shining blade he was not fit to wield. His tears fell on and stained the blade's mirror-finish. Slowly, he lifted Crocea Mors up to his neck with silent resolve.

Perhaps he could salvage what honor was left with his death.

A creak from the door forced him to whip around, lowering the blade ever so slightly.

"Leanne…" He whispered.

The woman who he threw it all away for stood in the doorway, her green eyes wide with concern.

"Aes?" She called, stepping into the room. Her long, white robes made it seem like she glided towards him like an apparition. "What are you doing?"

He was silent for a moment, the lump in his throat preventing him from speaking. "I…" His eyes fell; he couldn't muster up the courage to meet her gaze. He didn't think it possible, but even more shame welled in his being. "I don't know…"

He was going to end his life, but at the sight of his lover, his hands began to shake, quaking with newfound hesitation born of fear and anxiety. The blade suddenly began to feel unbearably heavy, forcing him to drop it and let it clatter to the ground.

He felt Leanne drape herself over his shoulders, pressing herself against his back and nuzzling his cheek. Her large, beautifully pure white wings unfurled themselves and covered them both.

"Leanne…" His voice was nearly inaudible. "I have made… so many mistakes in such a short period of time. I am a traitor of the highest order. My sins shall besmirch my family's name for generations to come."

He weakly reached for her hand. "Tell me… How do I live? How can I live with the weight of my failings crushing my very soul?"

He dared not ask for redemption, for he did not deserve it. He only wished to know why the Gods did not smite him for all his wrong doings. Why was he so easily able to turn his blade on his fellow man, but not himself?

He felt her press her lips to his temple, her dulcet voice whispering into his ear, "Because it is too late for regrets. You have made your bed, and now you must lie in it."

He was pulled back to lay across her lap, forcing him to look up at her. Her face was the very picture of serene grace, framed by a curtain of radiant golden locks. Large, innocent green eyes peered down on him, cutting through his self-loathing and soothing his soul.

"Would I be one of your mistakes, my love?" she asked him calmly.

"No." He returned immediately. "Never you."

"And why is that?" she asked, running her hands through his hair. "Had we never met, you would have died with your honor intact."

"I was an honorless coward before I ever met you. You… You saved me."

"I tempted you to commit treason. You raised your blade against your countrymen to defend me and my family. To rescue my brother."

"Because you all were innocent. Rafiel… he did not deserve what had happened to him."

The poor man was traumatized so severely that he couldn't fly anymore. Rafiel was a gentle soul, just like Leanne. He did not deserve to be treated like a common animal, nor did any of the Faunus inside that prison camp.

"Was it a mistake to save my brother?"

"Of course not." It was the right thing to do.

"Then was it a mistake to keep fighting?"

And let others be tortured like Rafiel was? "No."

"Then why loathe yourself for fighting for what you believed was right?"

"Because…"

Because he hadn't meant to become a champion to a cause. He had entered Menagerie to help suppress the Faunus, not save them. He wasn't a hero: He was scum of the highest order.

So why had his family accepted him back with open arms? Why was his name sung with praise by the Faunus and their sympathizers? Why hadn't the whole world condemned him as they should?

"It doesn't matter what your intentions were when you came to my home: You fought for a righteous cause and helped to give my people their rights. You are a hero, my love." She leaned down to kiss his lips. "My hero."

Tears began to fall from her eyes. "So please. Live. Live for me and for your family, if not for yourself."

The impact of her tears on his cheek cut him deeper than any blade.

She was weeping for him. He had made her cry because he was too weak to live with his choices.

He really was a pathetic coward.

He raised himself up and turned to face her. "Leanne…" He gently took her hands in his, rubbing small circles into them with his thumbs. "Please, do not shed any tears for my foolishness."

She looked at him, her liquid sadness still dripping down her visage. He mustered up what courage he had and put on his best impression of a resolute expression.

"My life is not mine to throw away. I realize this now." He paused, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Because it belongs to you."

"Me?"

"I already forfeited my right to live by throwing myself into the river that day. But you… you saved me. You nursed me back to health and gave me joy I've never known was possible. Now you have saved me again as I wallowed in despair for stealing glory undeserved. You, Leanne, are my guardian angel, and for you I will devote the rest of my continued existence to make you happy."

"Promise me," she begged, clutching onto him desperately as she buried her face into his collarbone. "Promise me you will stop trying to throw away your life. If you wish to make me happy, then live!"

He bent down so their foreheads touched. "You have my word."

{ I }

When Team AWBN walked through the halls of Beacon that morning, they had been the topic of everyone's conversation. More specifically, Jaune's name was on their lips.

The day of the duel has finally arrived.

Jaune tried to ignore them, but even he could not fully ease the anxiety welling within him. The event had been the talk of the entire student body since last week when it had been announced, but was especially prevalent today.

Many students were placing bets on the winner. Surprisingly enough, Jaune was only slightly favored to win: Though Jaune had beaten Cardin during their lunch room brawl, it had been anything but a one-sided fight. Cardin had continued to prove his strength during Combat Class, having not lost a single bout in five matches. Compared to Jaune, who had only fought once during class the entire week, there was a sizable amount of evidence to suggest the Winchester's victory.

Speaking of, Team CRDL approached from the opposite end of the hall, their team leader at the forefront of their formation. The two teams passed by each other silently, as they had the entire week prior despite the heightened tension between their leaders. However, today, as Cardin and Jaune passed, they shared a near imperceptible glare of challenge between them, sparks flying as their gazes met for all of a second before pretending the other wasn't even there.

After all, the duel was just two periods from now. It was too close for them to afford any slip ups.

{ II }

The ladies of Team AWBN glanced at their leader with varying amounts of concern, worry, and curiosity as he picked at his breakfast. They had all noticed how tense and unusually silent the blond was when they had woken up this morning, having hardly said a word to any of them beyond their morning greeting.

Weiss had known just how important this duel was to Jaune, having a good understanding of his family history. She could tell just how nervous he was to fight and potentially lose against Cardin. It was his chance to formally put an end to a generation's long blood feud, a battle not even his own father could decisively finish.

Pyrrha, the most ignorant of Jaune's lineage, could read and understand the teen's body language. She saw the way his shoulders tensed, the way his hands clenched and unclenched, the way he forcefully calmed his breathing. His eyes seemed unfocused, constantly lost in thought.

Blake could feel the waves of anxiety coming off the blond. He was on guard, like a danger was close by. She had seen the same thing during initiation when she first came upon him. When she tried to speak with him, he seemed to freeze up before answering with an unusually polite smile on his face.

"Heya Jaune!" The leader of Team RRYN called out as she and her team sat down with them.

Jaune seemed to just barely register the younger girl's greeting, turning to her with a small smile. "Hey Ruby."

"Are you all right, Ladykiller?" Yang asked. "I thought you would be a bit more excited with your fight being today."

"Just nerves, I guess." Jaune said with a shrug. "I didn't really sleep well last night."

"I'll say…" Weiss muttered. She had felt him constantly shift and turn throughout the night.

"Nerves?" Yang laughed. "What's there to be nervous about? You're gonna kick Cardin's ass! You were trained by the Dragon and the Valkyrie, after all!"

"Yeah!" Nora shouted after her partner. "You fought against the strongest partner pair in Beacon and didn't get your legs broken!"

"You were also trained by Pyrrha, a professional championship fighter." Ren reminded him.

Jaune took a deep breath before letting his lips curl upwards. "Yeah, I guess I'm being stupid, aren't I?"

Breakfast continued in relative peace, the two teams conversing in mild conversation, confident that their friend was going to win.

They didn't notice the small glances Jaune made towards Blake the entire time.

{ III }

Jaune sighed as he tuned out Professor Port's lecture to focus on his thoughts. He risked another glance at his partner, finding her doing her best to derive the small bits of practical knowledge from the portly man's stories. It seemed she was taking after Weiss's example.

In fact, the two girls were getting along rather swimmingly the past week. Their conversations evolved beyond just the curt greetings and begrudging compliments. They actually looked each other in the eye now when talking, and one day he had even spotted them laughing together.

That was good. Great, even. Jaune was happy that they were able to move past their earlier grievances.

It meant that Blake wasn't trying to kill Weiss.

He wanted to smack himself for even thinking that. When he had finally been able to fall asleep last night and woke up with a semi-rested mind, he had spent the entirety of the morning going over what he knew of the disguised Faunus girl.

She was the daughter of the founders of the White Fang, Ghira and Kali Belladonna, who were also the de facto rulers of Menagerie. Now that he thought about it, wouldn't that make Blake something of a princess?

He shook his head, saving that thought for later musing.

For some reason, the girl ran away from home. He now knew it was because she had joined the White Fang after her father stepped down and had come under new, more militant leadership. Something happened that made her abandon the cause.

And now she was here.

In Beacon.

As his partner.

On a team with a daughter of arguably the most hated family known to the White Fang.

Did fate get some kinda kick out of setting up these kind of scenarios?

Jaune let out a breath. He was getting distracted again. He needed to focus on what that meeting at the bookstore was about.

'The White Fang are moving operations to Vale? Why? What for? Why did Blake want to get involved? Who was Adam? Why was he looking for her?' These questions plagued his thoughts, almost completely driving the memory of the duel from his mind. However, there was only one question which trumped all the others, and was the source of his current anxiety.

'How do I bring this up to Blake?'

Should he keep pretending that he didn't overhear her conversation with Tukson?

He honestly didn't know if he could. The forbidden knowledge would drive him mad.

Should he tell the rest of their team? Possibly even go to the headmaster?

He shook his head, immediately disregarding that action. Besides, Blake didn't seem to be a bad person, even if she was a terrorist before coming to Beacon. She was nice, polite, snarky, even somewhat geeky with her love of erotica. He wouldn't risk disrupting the peace of his team like that without sufficient evidence that she would be dangerous to them.

Should he just tell her that he knew?

… Honestly, that was what he was leaning towards. It's not that Jaune couldn't keep a secret: He was already keeping Blake's race hidden from the rest of their team, even covering for her when her ribbon came loose a few times.

No, what was really bothering Jaune is that the girl seemed so willing to take on the entirety of White Fang's Vale branch by herself. He was afraid of the girl getting hurt in her quest for justice, or whatever the reason she used for vigilantism. She would need someone to watch her back in whatever escapades she would inevitably get herself into.

As her team leader, partner, and friend, he supposed it was his duty to look out for her.

The bell rang, signaling the end of both class and Port's mind-numbing tales. Just as his team had left the classroom, a smooth, cold hand caught his own and pulled at him to stop. He hadn't even needed to turn around to know it was Weiss.

"Yes, Weiss?" He spun around to face her.

Suddenly, he was pulled downwards as she tugged at his tie. His eyes widened as Weiss pressed her lips against his. He vaguely heard Pyrrha gasp, as well as the outcry of several students in the hallway.

Weiss pulled away, a heavy blush on her face as she spoke. "Your duel is just a few moments away. Whatever worries you have, release them. You must focus now. I expect nothing less from you than victory. Am I understood?"

Jaune nodded, dumbstruck.

"I would have it said, Jaune Arc."

"I-I understand." He stammered.

Smiling, Weiss released his tie, allowing him to straighten his posture. "Very good. Lead on."

The sole male of Team AWBN did as he was told, practically fleeing towards the combat arena with his cheeks glowing red and not once turning around to see if his team was following.

Pyrrha and Blake looked at Weiss with shocked expressions, mouths agape in sheer disbelief. The heiress merely smirked at them before walking after their leader with a confident stride.

Normally she wouldn't have been so bold, but Pyrrha had forced her hand. If the Invincible Girl wanted to take something from a Schnee, she would need to pry it from her cold, dead hands.

{ IV }

Jaune stood on the arena platform, armored and ready with his sword drawn. Across from him was Cardin Winchester, similarly armored with his mace held against his shoulder.

All around them, students observed from their raised seating. The entirety of the student body seemed to be here, as the seats were nearly filled to the brim unlike usual. It seemed that they were split into two sections: one which supported him, and the other that supported Cardin. He could spot his team and Team RRYN at the very front, waving small flags with his name on it. Just above them was what he assumed to be Team CFVY, having spied Coco and Velvet alongside two males. If he looked even closer, he could just about pick out Team ANON as well, though it was hard to be sure.

"I see you got a new toy there, Arc." Cardin glanced down at White Rose, which was holstered on Jaune's right side. "You think a little peashooter like that is gonna do anything to me?"

"I don't know, Winchester." Jaune returned with a shrug. "I heard you weren't supposed to hunt small game with a big gun." The blond eyed the belt of shotgun shells wrapped around Cardin's waist. "Are those shells just for show, or do you have something new for me too?"

"You're not the only one tinkering in the forge." Cardin called back. "I had some help from Professor Mulberry himself. Unlike you, I actually had professional help. Honestly, letting a little girl build your weapon?" He spat on the ground. "Disgraceful."

"It's called having friends, Cardin. Maybe you should get some instead of forcing your team to act like they like you."

Cardin gritted his teeth in anger. "We get along just fine. Just like my mace will with your face."

Jaune rolled his eyes. "Now I see why we're having a duel of arms instead of wits."

"Enough." Ms. Goodwitch commanded as she stepped onto the stage, glaring at the two boys with her usual authoritative gaze and forcing them into silence. She waited a moment before turning her attention to the mass of students around them.

"Students, today's class shall be a little different. We are to bear witness to a school-sanctioned duel between the scions of House Arc and House Winchester to end their ongoing generation-long blood feud. The winner of this duel shall have their family vindicated by the opposing party: If Jaune Arc is victorious, the Winchester family shall withdraw their accusations of treason against the Arcs; if Cardin Winchester is victorious, the Arc family shall withdraw all accusations of xenophobia and hate-crimes levied against the Winchesters. In the event of a draw, neither party will rescind their accusations. Regardless of the outcome of this duel, Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester will not antagonize one another for the above accusations for the remaining duration of their tenure at Beacon. Are these terms correct?"

Both teens nodded with hardened gazes. "Yes."

Their instructor carried on. "The rules and conditions of victory shall be the same as the tournament style that you all have grown accustomed with for our usual class, barring one exception: I, the official presiding over the match, cannot interfere until one of the duelist surrenders, is unconscious, or whose Aura levels reach the red. That means that even if you disarm your opponent, the duel shall continue. Do the duelists accept these terms?"

The scions nodded once more. "Yes."

Ms. Goodwitch looked between the both of them once more. "Are both combatants ready?"

The grips on their weapons tightened. "Yes."

"… Begin."

The two teens roared with fury, charging each other at a breakneck pace. The cheers of the crowd deafened them with their excitement as they clashed. Jaune parried Cardin's overhead swing, tossing the strike aside and bashing the larger teen's face with his shield. Cardin turned his head with the blow, bending over and ramming his shoulder into Jaune, sending the blond stumbling back. Cardin followed up with an upward swing, which Jaune just barely managed to dodge after regaining his footing.

Jaune thrusted forward, striking Cardin in his exposed armpit before being blasted in the face by a spray of lead. He staggered back, ears ringing as he saw the smoking end of Cardin's mace with narrowed eyes. The pommel had expanded to expose the muzzle of a gun. Cardin grinned as he fully shifted his weapon: The flanges of the mace head folded together into a stock while the grip slid up the haft. becoming the firearm's fore-end. At the end of it, the mace had become a pump-action shotgun. Cardin wrapped his hand around the fore-end and pulled back, ejecting the empty cartridge, then pushed forward to load a new round into the chamber.

Taking a brief moment to thank his helmet, the blond quickly raised his shield to block as Cardin slam-fired his weapon. Jaune quickly put his sword into his left hand and drew White Rose, popping off several shots of his own. Cardin tanked them all, letting them impact his left pauldron with a grimace of pain as he blitzed forward. Choking up on his weapon, he swung upwards with the stock, forcing Jaune to block and strafe to the side to avoid getting shot point-blank again. Flipping his grip on his sword, Jaune stabbed down into Cardin's foot, eliciting a shout of pain before burying his pistol into the larger teen's gut and firing off several rounds.

Cardin grit his teeth through the pain, hammering the stock of his weapon down into the base of Jaune's neck and forcing him to the ground with a sharp cry of agony. Pushing his advantage, Cardin shifted his weapon into a mace again and golf-swung the flanged head into Jaune's side, launching him clear across the platform. Jaune managed to catch himself in a roll, panting as he clutched at his side with teeth clenched.

With the small lull and distance gained, Jaune glanced up at their Aura meters. He was at roughly 80% while Cardin was hovering at around 60%, having just entered the yellow. Turning his attention back at his opponent, Cardin was holding a hand against his stomach, his breath labored and sweat dripping down his face.

"That… Really fucking hurt!" Cardin growled, his body glowing as his Semblance began to kick in.

"No shit…" Jaune returned, staggering to his feet as his own Semblance began to boost his Aura levels. "Not bad for a peashooter, huh?" Holstering his pistol, Jaune combined his sword and shield to activate Crocea Mors' greatsword form.

Jaune paid special attention to how Cardin fought during Combat Class the previous week, gathering as much information as he could about the Winchester's fighting style and Semblance. His Semblance, Indomitable, gave Cardin more than just a boost in speed and strength when he had lower Aura: It also increased the 'density' of his Aura as well, making it harder to break. Not only that, but the boost in physical attributes got exponentially more powerful the lower his Aura was. He needed to end this fight fast before Cardin's Semblance could give him much more of a power-up.

Charging at each other once more, Jaune thrusted forward, using his superior range to stop Cardin's momentum and force him to dodge. Stepping to the side, Cardin swung at Jaune's head. Bringing up his greatsword with a hand on the blade, Jaune parried the blow, tossing mace aside before jamming his pommel into Cardin's nose. The hulking teen's head flew back with a cry of rage before swinging forward and headbutting Jaune's helmeted head. Caught completely by surprise, Jaune stumbled backwards as he tried to regain his bearings. Cardin wouldn't let him, however. Activating the Dust in his weapon, he rammed the mace-head into Jaune's chest. Just before the impact, Jaune buried his blade into the ground and amplified his Aura, bracing himself as much as he could before eating the strike head-on.

'KABOOM!'

The explosion that rocked the arena sent Jaune skidding back a few feet as his greatsword carved a deep furrow into the ground. Jaune fell to a knee as he gasped for air, having had his lungs forcefully purged of everything they had. Wheezing and coughing, the knight barely managed to hear Cardin's thundering footsteps and battle cry getting louder and closer. He rolled to the side, wrenching his weapon out of the ground as Cardin's mace crashed into the place he just occupied. Swiftly, Jaune lashed out in retaliation, scoring a hit on Cardin's exposed flank. Lunging forward, Jaune swung upwards, catching Cardin in the chin with the tip of his blade and sending him staggering back.

The Arc scion was relentless, chasing after his opponent with his weapon poised for an overhead strike. Activating the Dust cartridge within his sword, Crocea Mors lit up a cold sheen of blue as the blade was consumed by a thin layer of frost and ice. He slashed downwards, colliding with the haft of Cardin's mace as he raised it to defend himself. The ice along Crocea Mors keen edge crept downwards instantaneously, flash-freezing Cardin's hand to his weapon and encasing it in a small block of ice. Continuing his assault, Jaune landed several more strikes against his opponent as Cardin desperately raised his limbs to defend himself until his entire body was imprisoned in a thick coating of ice.

Jaune stepped back to admire the new ice sculpture, catching his breath as he watched Cardin struggle to free himself. The Ice Dust infusion on his weapon faded out as the cartridge was spent. He took the opportunity to look up at their Aura gauges once more.

Jaune Arc: 62%

Cardin Winchester: 31%

'Just a little more,' Jaune thought to himself. The Aura gauge would turn red at 15%, so he just needed to whale on Cardin for a couple more hits.

A loud 'crack' echoed across the arena, drawing Jaune's attention back to his opponent. Cardin's grunts of efforts evolved into an intense roar of defiance as he fought to free himself from his icy shackles. A large line began to travel across Cardin's frozen form, branching out and splintering into several more fractures. Finally, with one last flex of his muscles, Cardin broke free, sending shards of ice flying.

The Winchester scion was suddenly on him, Jaune just barely managing to block a heavy overhead swing. The sheer force of the blow almost brought the blond to his knees, his legs shaking under the weight Cardin pressed down upon him.

"This is the part where you LOSE!" Cardin shouted, enraged.

"Over my dead body!" Jaune gritted out, amplifying his Aura just to keep up with Cardin's monstrous strength.

He barely managed to twist his body out of the way of Cardin's kick. Quickly, Jaune swept Cardin's leg out from under him before he could put the other one back down. Cardin slammed into the ground with a loud thud, but was already rolling out of the way as Jaune stabbed downwards. The larger teen rose to his feet with an agility far greater than his size would suggest, swinging his weapon furiously at Jaune in large, heavy arcs.

Chambering another Dust cartridge as he desperately parried Cardin's blows, Crocea Mors crackled with electricity as Lightning Dust shot up the blade, sparks flying. When Cardin's mace next struck against Jaune's greatsword, the electricity shot up and through his weapon and into his hand, then traveled throughout his body. Cardin began to spasm out of control as his entire being seized up, unable to pull himself away from the lightning-imbued weapon.

However, through sheer determination and will, Cardin managed to inch up his thumb towards the Dust activation button on his weapon. The Fire Dust crystal began to glow a furious red. The sparks and electrical current from Jaune's weapon reacted with the active Dust crystal, igniting and detonating it.

'KABOOOOOOOOM!'

The sudden explosion was several magnitudes stronger than the one before it, sending a visible shockwave through the arena as the entire Dust crystal was consumed in the reaction. Both combatants were blasted away from each other, landing on opposite sides of the platform. Crocea Mors was launched from Jaune's grip and sent flying out of bounds, embedding itself deeply into the high wall just below his team's seats.

Jaune's entire world was one giant blur of white, his ears ringing deafeningly as everything spun around him. He could barely register the feeling of air on his face, his helmet having been knocked off in the explosion. Dizzy, Jaune rolled off his back and onto his arms and knees. He retched as he tried to overcome his vertigo. Across the arena, he could hear Cardin doing the same.

It took a moment, but Jaune's spinning vision slowed just enough to comprehend the Aura gauges on the screen above.

Jaune Arc: 30%

Cardin Winchester: 19%

Jaune laid prone to catch his bearings, his body glowing white as his Semblance attempted to boost his Aura regeneration. Slowly, Jaune's Aura gauge began to tick upwards, the bar filling up 1% at a time.

Cardin saw this and forced himself to his feet, limping towards the blond to stop him from recovering any more Aura. Unlike Jaune, Cardin managed to keep a hold of his weapon during the blast, even if it had nearly wrenched his arm out of its socket. His mace was held loosely in his hand, dragged along the ground like a caveman's club.

Seeing Cardin approach, Jaune readied himself. Just as the larger teen entered his range, Jaune managed to launch himself from all fours and tackle Cardin to the ground. Cardin tried to swing his mace, but Jaune elbowed him and the face and pinned his arm to the floor. Drawing White Rose, Jaune unloaded it into Cardin's wrist, forcing him to drop his weapon. Cardin grabbed Jaune by the back of his collar and forcefully pulled him off him. Jaune landed harshly, his pistol skidding away from him. Jaune tried to grab for it, but Cardin reared up and slammed his fist into Jaune's stomach, knocking the wind out of the knight.

Standing up, Cardin grabbed one of Jaune's legs by the ankle, then, with a ferocious roar, swung Jaune over and onto the other side. Amplifying his Aura, Jaune braced himself as his frontside was slammed into the ground.

Again, Cardin swung Jaune over his head, the blond impacting harshly and leaving an indent where he landed. Again, and again, and again, Jaune was tossed and slammed like a ragdoll and created craters in his wake until Cardin couldn't find the strength to do it anymore. He dropped Jaune's leg, shoulders heaving with exertion as he loomed over the boy with a tired, but triumphant expression.

Jaune laid on the ground, buried in the platform, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths as his eyes stared upwards towards Cardin's face. Weakly, Jaune grabbed onto Cardin's boot, his body suffused with his Aura.

Feeling energized by witnessing his opponent's weak attempts of resistance, Cardin grabbed Jaune by the collar and hoisted him up to eye level. Jaune grabbed onto his arms, body still glowing as he tried to relieve the pressure off his neck. The Winchester scion slowly brought the blond over to the edge of the arena, dangling him over the edge.

"I win, Arc." Cardin said breathlessly. "I hate to admit it, but you put up a good fight. In another life, where your grandfather wasn't a treacherous Faunus fucker, we could have been friends. Maybe even kin." His grin widened menacingly, rearing a fist. "But that's not reality."

"No," Jaune smiled. "No, it isn't."

Mustering the last of his strength, Jaune whipped his head forward, crashing his Aura-strengthened forehead into the bridge of Cardin's nose. The larger teen staggered back, dropping Jaune onto his feet and back onto the stage as he covered his face. Seizing his advantage, Jaune grabbed onto Cardin's arm and began to pull. Cardin fought back, attempting to dig in his heels, but he found that he couldn't overwhelm Jaune's strength.

Roaring in victory, Jaune twisted his body and swung Cardin over his shoulder, launching his opponent out of the ring and into the wall. Cardin impacted, then slid down the wall, landing on the ground head first.

Immediately, the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the match. Glynda strode onto the stage and stood next to her son. Smiling brightly, she raised his arm to the sky.

"Winner: Jaune Arc!"

The crowd erupted in a cacophony of cheers. He could see his friends jumping up from their seats, whooping and hollering as they pointed to him and said something he couldn't hear. Jaune slumped against his mother, who wrapped an arm over his shoulders with a proud look on her face.

Jaune Arc: 16%

Cardin Winchester: 35%

{ V }

Jaune lied quietly in the infirmary, stripped of his armor with a small smile on his face. He had been carted here along with Cardin to check for concussions and the like from the ground zero Dust explosion. Luckily, neither of them had sustained any long-term injury, though he did dislocate Cardin's shoulder with his final throw.

After popping his arm back into the joint, Cardin was able to leave due to his higher Aura levels. Jaune was held to let his Aura recover a bit more; even if had technically still been in the yellow, his mother insisted that he rest, a request which he gladly obliged.

His friends visited him after classes were done for the day. Each of them greeted him with bright smiles and congratulations.

"Thanks for all the cash, Ladykiller!" Yang said, fanning herself with a large stack of lien.

"Yeah, thanks Jauney!" Nora echoed, showing off her own thick wad of cash. To the side, Ren, Blake, and even Ruby flashed their winnings at him. It seemed his friends all profited from the bets.

Weiss held a smug expression on her face. "See? I told you betting against him was a fool's errand." She turned to him, smiling brilliantly. "Congratulations on your victory, Jaune."

"You certainly gave us a scare there near the end." Pyrrha said. "I didn't think it'd be so close."

Jaune shrugged. "Well, to be fair, Cardin's Semblance is kinda bullshit. I mean, really? At least Yang's Semblance uses up all her power after she attacks! Imagine fighting her but she gets to keep her power-up until the fight is over!"

"He does bring up a valid point." Ren remarked. "I certainly wouldn't want to fight against that."

Weiss scoffed. "Jaune, you can boost your own Aura and amplify its effects. Your Semblance isn't exactly fair, either."

"Hey, I need a bit of time to do that." Jaune defended himself. "It's a lot more tiring than you think."

"That was an interesting plan you had there," Blake said. "Reducing his power by increasing his Aura. I wouldn't have thought of that."

"I really didn't want to risk it until I absolutely had to." Jaune admitted. If he had accidentally powered up Cardin's Semblance, he would have been done for.

"Oh!" Yang exclaimed as she suddenly remembered something. "By the way, I heard through the grapevine that our dear knight received a good luck kiss from a fair maiden before his match." She looked pointedly at Weiss. "Care to share?"

"Yes, Weiss." Pyrrha agreed, staring intently at her partner. "Would you care to explain?"

"It's quite simple, really," Weiss explained. "Jaune was still worrying about the duel, so I had to take it upon myself to clear his mind."

"And fill it with only thoughts of you?" Blake asked wryly.

Weiss flushed, but was completely unashamed. "Better thoughts of me than of doubt. Speaking of which…" She turned back to Jaune. "I hope that my earlier actions make my intentions towards you clear."

"Of course, Weiss." Jaune smiled his usual smile. "Crystal clear. I know it must have been embarrassing to do that in front of so many people, but it worked. I really am lucky to have such a good friend."

"… I shall borrow this for a moment." She yanked Jaune's pillow out from under him and began walking out the room. "Please excuse me."

She disappeared around the corner. A muffled scream of sheer frustration sounded soon after, startling everyone in the room. Weiss entered the infirmary once more, leveling an icy glare at her team leader before throwing the pillow at Jaune's head. The soft cushion collided with the blonde's face at Mach 5, sending his head backwards into the headboard with a loud 'CRACK.'

"Was that really necessary?" Blake asked with a raised brow.

"He has a hard head. He'll be fine." Weiss replied coldly.

"Oww…" Jaune groaned, removing the pillow from his face. "Was it something I said?"

The temperature in the room seemed to visibly drop as Weiss' icy glare began to reach sub-zero intensity.

"Ah, would you look at the time!" Yang said with an awkward expression, ushering her team out the room to give the lover's quarrel more privacy. "We should really be going. We'll catch you guys later!"

"But Yang~" Nora whined. "It was just starting to get good!"

"Hush, you!"

When Team RRYN left, Weiss took a deep breath before sighing exhaustedly. "Why did I expect anything else from you?"

"Expect what?"

"Nothing, you dolt."

"Jaune," Pyrrha stepped up to Jaune's bedside. "I know it's already been said, but congratulations on your victory once again. It makes me so happy that you took our training to heart."

Jaune beamed up at the redhead. "Of course! You've helped me out so much, Pyr. It's thanks to you, Nora, and Yang that I was so ready for Cardin."

A heartwarming smile spread across her face. "My pleasure, Jaune."

Pyrrha closed her eyes for a moment as a conflicted expression crossed her visage, the girl seemingly at war with herself. Suddenly, the Amazonian Mistrali brushed her hair back, leaned down, and pressed her lips against the blonde's.

Weiss let out a squawk of indignation while Blake pinched her brow in disbelief. Pyrrha pulled back, her face as red as her hair.

"Pyrrha?" Jaune whispered in confusion. "What… What was that for?"

"Oh, it's nothing!" The girl exclaimed frantically. "It's a Mistrali custom to award the winner of a duel with a kiss. O-Or something like that."

"A-Ah, I see." An awkward smile crossed his face. "Thanks, Pyr. I really appreciate it!"

"Pyrrha," her partner growled. "I believe Jaune may have left his weapon in the arena. Could you help me look for it?"

The fiery redhead returned a confident stare at the heiress. "Of course, Weiss. Please, lead the way."

The W and N of team AWBN vacated the premises to settle their dispute, leaving Jaune and Blake alone.

"... Didn't Professor Goodwitch put it away for you?" Blake asked.

Jaune nodded. His mother had telekinetically pried it from the wall and put it back in his locker along with his armor.

The black-haired beauty sighed tiredly, moving to follow after their teammates. "I guess I better tell them."

'And make sure they don't kill each other.' She thought to herself.

"Blake, wait."

She stopped in her tracks as she felt Jaune's hand grab hers. As she turned around to face her partner, she saw him sit upright at the edge of his bed, a serious look on his face.

"Could we talk for a moment?"

Her usual demure expression morphed into one of curiosity and confusion. She had rarely seen the blond with such a grave look. Whatever he wanted to talk about must have been important. "Um… sure?"

Jaune took a deep breath, seemingly bracing himself as he spoke.

"I know you were part of the White Fang."

A/N: Yay, Jaune won! That means that everything's over now and he and Cardin can be buddy buddy now, right?

... Yeah, no. Things aren't quite over between the scions of Arc and Winchester just yet.

A few little facts to note about the weaponry showed here, especially since I forgot to mention some last chapter.

Jaune's new pistol, White Rose, is heavily based off the iconic Desert Eagle. Congrats to those who noticed that 12.7mm is equivalent to a .50cal and made the connection from that. The reason for the frankly obscenely long magazine will be revealed next chapter when the weapon will be completed in its entirety.

Cardin's new mechashift is based off the Winchester 1897 pump-action shotgun, otherwise popularly known as the Trench Gun. I was originally toying with the idea of basing it off a Winchester lever-action rifle instead, but ultimately decided that a shotgun fit better. In the case of the rifle, it would have been chambered in, you guessed it, .308 Winchester.

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. See you next time!