AN: Hey, everyone, how's it going? When this gets uploaded, it will be like 10-ish at night my time. So sorry for anyone finding this the next day. I want you all to know that this bully arc is ending in the next two or three chapters. We'll see, I do want to finish this up.

I am kinda getting tired of doing it but I think it's important for the following parts of the story. Best wishes to Coeur Al'Aran and his mother. You hate to see incomptance in a hospital in all of places. Now on with the chapter. LET'S GO!

Chapter 11: Swelling Pain

"The terrible beast opened its maw, ready to swallow me whole. But as you can see, class." Port spread his arms in showmanship, "It failed." The class groaned, and to the old hunter, their minds had trouble understanding the story's amazingness. "Ho, oh, and with my hands, I held off the Grimm's jaws from closing." Port turned around to the chalkboard and picked up the chalk.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Jaune losing consciousness, and he chuckled to himself. Despite the abrupt addition of Jaune to their staff, Peter enjoyed the young man. It was nice to have someone who appreciated his true stories. He even found the lesson in just about all of them, which was a win in the professor's book. The tapping of chalk filled the air only for a second. "Now, class, can someone tell me how the Alpha Hillriser penetrated the defense of the fort I was in?"

Before Peter could turn around and face the young hunters in training, a white blob flew through the air and struck the sleeping form of Jaune. He saw the thing stick to the young lad's hair, and him reacting the best he could with a sleepy mind. Jaune reached for his bright golden hair and pulled the wet sheet from it. "Huh?" It was all he said as he studied the object.

The old huntsman turned to the class, and they all kept their heads down except for what Peter would call the young man's friends. They looked furious, and the old hunter was just as angry. "Who launched such a disgusting object at your peer?" he questioned the students with surprising fury. Team Prawn Jam, Ruby, and Yang searched the faces of the students but found none who would look them in the eyes.

"I asked a question, and as the future defenders of humanity, I expect answers! So, I will ask one more time. Who launched the wet ball into Mister Arc's hair?" No one stepped forward, and no one stood to take the blame. "Fine. Since no one wished to stand up and become an adult, you will all take the blame." The class groaned between themself but were silenced quickly when their teacher stuck the blackboard. "I will not hear a single complaint from the lot of you, and now your punishment is greater. Each one of you is expected to tell me a detailed explanation of different ways to handle every different situation I have told you with your usual load out. And I mean every different story I have told thus far."

The bell rang, and the students filed out of their seats. They looked straightforward and kept to themselves lest they gather the ire of the old huntsman. Peter turned to Jaune, who was now looking at himself in his scroll camera. "Jaune," he began softly, "are you okay?" Jaune's team and the Rose-Xaio Long sisters joined Peter's side, looking at the boy with concern.

Jaune chuckled and then looked at the concerned group of people. "Yeah, I'm used to this anyway. It's actually not that bad compared to some of the stuff people did to me back home."

"Jaune, you shouldn't be used to this kind of treatment," Pyrrha said as she moved to his side. "No one should." She turned to Peter. "How are people like this a part of this school anyway?"

"Yeah!" Ruby and Nora said together. They looked at each other with smiles and high-fived each other.

"Unfortunately, young Nikos bullies can be found anywhere, and Remnant needs Huntsmen. There are some stories I do not tell because they involve monsters made of human flesh. This time, however, I believe the entire freshman body and some of the higher years—excluding you six—don't approve of Jaune's rise to his new position."

"But can't you, at the very least, look back at a camera or something to find out who shot that spitball at Jaune?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, so we'll be able to break their legs," Nora exclaimed violently, but Ren put his hand on her shoulder and waved her down

.

"Oh, believe me, young Rose. I will," Peter said with determination. Jaune coughed into his fist, and they all turned to him with open ears.

"Look, guys, it will be fine. It was just a harmless little prank." Jaune collected his things and made his way to the classroom door. Peter and Ren reached for him, but he slipped from their reach. "I'll see you guys around." With that, the young apprentice left without saying another word. The air he left behind was awkward. The teens shifted from each foot, and Peter was lost for words.

/-/

Ruby walked to her next class with depressed efficiency. Weiss was standing there next to Oobleck's door, with her foot tapping against the polished floor. "Where were you?" Weiss asked frigidly.

"Checking on Jaune," she said with distaste on her tongue. "I can't believe the person who shot him wouldn't fess up. We're supposed to be training to be Huntsmen and Huntresses. Not jerks and bullies." Ruby huffed and found her way to her seat. The two teammates found their seats next to their counterparts.

Doctor Oobleck brought up whatever topic they discussed in the last class, but the young leader didn't listen. It was honestly hard to keep up with the fast-speaking man. He never seemed to slow down, no matter how hard they tried. So, with her infinite wisdom, she decided to use her scroll to record the lesson.

Well, it was her wisdom from the older students, but her idea was to ask them for tips. Well, her sister asked them, but they still got it in the end. So, while her scroll did all the work, Ruby sketched out different weapon schematics. Her sister Yang flipped through a textbook, probably hoping to find some art left by the previous users. Blake opened a book behind hers, and not to Ruby's surprise, Weiss broke out a pencil and paper to try to gain any amount of information from the good Doctor.

Oobleck's speedy motions and fast-talking filled the space as the students tried to listen. Ruby completed a weapon schematic after another one. Yang seemed to give up on finding something in her textbook, and when Ruby got a good angle. She could see Yang drawing her own pictures for someone to find. Blake was halfway through the book she started at the beginning of the class.

It must be a really good book. Maybe she'll let me read it later. Ruby's innocent thoughts were stopped short when she saw Weiss's frustration. The young leader looked around for anything that could anger her matriculate partner, but nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. The bored faces of the students were the same as ever, and the doctor was talking as fast as ever.

She shrugged and continued having fun while listening to Oobleck's speed talk. Before she noticed, the bell rang, and they filed out of the classroom. "Man, I swear Oobleck doesn't ever slow down. You think it's his semblance to talk fast?" Yang questioned as they made their way to the next class.

"Then how would that explain how fast he was? He left before any of us, and all of his stuff was packed, too," Blake added from behind her book. Yang shrugged her arms and linked her hands behind her head.

"Well, I'm happy to be out of that class. He makes me feel like my head is stuffed like a turkey." Ruby said with a groan.

"What would any of you know about Doctor Oobleck's class? You all weren't even paying attention to the lesson. You're lucky he didn't call on any of you." Weiss asked haughtily.

Yang rolled her eyes and responded, "So what ice-queen, we got the entire lesson on recording. So we can slow it down and actually understand it." Weiss scoffed at the insinuation. She opened her mouth only for Yang to beat her to the punch. "Did you actually understand more than like 60 percent of what was said?"

"It doesn't matter how much I was able to retain. What matters is whether or not you were paying attention!" She whipped her head in Ruby's direction with her off-center ponytail and followed angrily in the same direction. "You should've reprimanded them and yourself."

"Wa, me?" Ruby was flabbergasted. She followed along the best she could, but the ideas for new weapons just kept flooding into her head. It wasn't her fault that she was trying to make room for the wave of information that was history. The little reaper wondered why she even had to learn the subject, but it didn't matter. She had Weiss being Weiss again. "It's fine, Weiss," Ruby said as she waved off her partner. "We have the recording to look back on."

"And what if you didn't have a scroll?" The white-haired huntress in training fired back.

"I'll always have my scroll," Ruby said casually as she entered the cafeteria.

"That, that right there." Weiss scowled at Ruby as the team grabbed their trays and entered the line.

"What? Is something on my face?" Ruby felt all over her baby face, but nothing felt out of place.

"No, your attitude is not what someone of your station should be holding." Weiss grabbed a salad and soup while Ruby added cookies and pizza to her tray.

"Shouldn't you say something?" Blake asked in her flat tone. She grabbed a fish dish with glee and added some tropical fruits on the side. Yang mainly snatched things that had meat, but some leafy greens were present.

"I do, but she said she wanted to deal with it herself," Yang said dismissively, and she followed the argumentative pair.

"I think I'm doing pretty great. You soon-to-be bestie." Ruby poked Weiss on the nose and was almost swatted away by her partner. "Could be a little less crabby, though. The future member of the best team to ever walk Remnant has to be understanding." Weiss sat there pondering her words but only came back with frustration.

"I'm not crabby; it's called being reasonable, you buffoon. You must halt your childish behavior; the real world won't be as forgiving as me." Yang sent a scowl the ice queen's way, but it went unnoticed by the receiver.

"You are being crabby, and if anyone is being childish, it's you," Ruby rebutted. "You've done nothing but try to prove why I shouldn't be the leader. I'm trying my best, but you chose just to find what I'm doing wrong."

Weiss looked aghast at her partner, and any words she tried to form failed her. The table was quiet, and the approaching team, Prawn, looked for another place to sit. "You're a child," she began with a whisper. "You should still be in grade school. Not learning how to fight Grimm with that gaudy thing you call a weapon," her voice raised with each word, and it got the attention of everyone in the cafeteria. "I swear your parents must've been touched in the head to let you become a huntress-in-training. Truly, they failed you and everyone in the world to let you pick up a training weapon. You should let your betters fight while you sit at home watching whatever you watch. Maybe you can clean up the shame you brought onto the Rose household."

The air was stagnant, and everyone sat stunned by the words from the W in RWBY. Ruby's eyes beaded with tears, and Yang's turned a bright red. Blake glared daggers at the young lady, and finally, the dam of emotions broke free. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Yang roared as she reached across and tried to strangle Weiss. Ruby ran out of the room as quickly as she could and headed for Jaune's office.

It was the only place she knew where she wouldn't be followed. It's a safe place where the owner doesn't care about her age. He even found it amazing that she was fifteen, just as skilled, if not more so than her peers. Her feet turned into petals, and her body followed suit. Unfortunately, the red blob of Ruby Rose smacked into a person and bounced against the floor.

"I'm sorry," Ruby said with tears running down her face.

"Ruby?" Jaune questioned when he looked up from the floor.

"Jaune?" He must've noticed the tear tracks on her face because he got up from the floor and began wiping them.

"Are you okay? Did something happen to Yang?" he fired off. Ruby shook her head, no, and Jaune nodded in return. "Okay, well, why don't we go back to my office?" The young reaper nodded her head and followed the young man. When they finally made it, Jaune gave her a cup of tea. With his tired eyes, he asked her one question: "So, what happened?"

Ruby opened up to him and didn't stop until the moment she ran into him. He sat there, fidgeting in his seat, probably unsure what to say. Ruby sat on the edge of her seat, hoping Jaune had some magical advice to solve all her problems. Seconds turned into minutes as he said nothing.

"Well?" Ruby asked with worry.

"I don't know." Ruby was a little shocked. "I honestly don't know. What she said isn't cool, but," Jaune yawned, "honestly, I don't know."

"Ugh, but Jaune, I need your help," Ruby said, pleading.

"I don't know, Ruby. Okay? I'm not that great at solving problems, alright? You come to someone who has less experience than you and expects a solid answer? Something to fix all of your problems with a couple of words? Well, I can't. All you can do is to talk to her," he said with a tired huff. Ruby didn't know what to say. All she could do was nod her head and leave. Could she really do this by just talking to Weiss? But what truly worried her was how Jaune reacted. He was always so patient with her and helped her solve her problems. But that back there wasn't Jaune; it was something weathered down to something short.

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Team Prawn Jam watched Professor Goodwitch push their weakest teammate around the arena. Jaune raised his shield, but the Goodwitch was already a step ahead. Jaune turned to meet her with his arming sword. Glynda greeted it with a kick empowered by her soul's rich purple energy, followed by hooking his foot on the blade.

Jaune's hold on his weapon was strong, and his body went with it as it was pushed to the ground. Professor Goodwitch snapped her foot back and drove the heel of her shoe into the young man's back. The white and gold hoodie took the blow with his Aura. His teacher backpedaled and waited with her fist, ready for the next attack.

After a moment, Jaune got up sluggishly and ready himself. They stood there studying each other until Jaune's guard laxed. The strenuous professor charged in and batted away his weapons. She landed a solid elbow strike across his face and then spun to backhand the young man to the ground.

Jaune tried to push himself off the ground but stopped halfway. The squire slumped to the ground and lay motionless. "Get up, Mister Arc. The Grimm nor any trained fighter wouldn't let you lay there in your pity." His arms shook as he rose, and his breathing became labored.

His weapons shook in his hands, and his stance was unsteady. Glynda rushed forward and jumped to strike the young man. Jaune raised the heater shield in front of his face but quickly corrected himself to see his opponent. Glynda sailed over him, her semblance carrying her. He turned to meet his teacher with his sword, but she backed away from the blade.

Jaune hurriedly reached for a black pistol on his right hip, but Glynda glided across the floor before it was ready. A solid haymaker was found to have purchased the young blond. The Goodwitch followed it up with a solid combo across his body. The final strike made a home in the apprentice's stomach, and he crumbled to the floor, holding his gut.

Pyrrha cringed at the last punch and almost shied away from the match. However, she knew that—despite the bashing—it was vital for him to build his pain tolerance. Aura could stop a bullet, but it didn't numb the pain. Nora was fuming at the treatment the professor gave what could be a new friend to her.

While they didn't really get to know each other besides that sleepover, Nora didn't want her teammate to be made into a paste. Ren wasn't the most expressive person, but he knew and could barely feel the uneasiness of watching his teammate getting beat up. After the second blow, Ren knew this wouldn't be an actual training bout. He tried to find the reason behind all this, but they just stepped into the ring, and Glynda went after him.

But he couldn't find a single one besides trying to get used to fighting stronger opponents. A cruel fact that Jaune has always been facing every time he stepped into the ring. Glynda stopped a couple of paces short of Jaune's racked form. She didn't enjoy this beating, but orders were orders. It did, however, help her work out some stress, and Jaune was helpful.

He was more helpful than getting the rust off her gears; he also helped with various troubles around the school. "I think," Glynda coughed in her arm. The professor looked at the Aura gauges and saw Jaune's at half while hers was entirely full. "I think that will be all for today, Mister Arc. Remember, you must gauge not only the distance but also the speed of your opponent. If you don't, then you'll be in a worse state than this."

Jaune mumbled something that went unnoticed by all. He put himself on all fours and crawled to grab the dropped gun. The injured boy slotted it into his holster. Jaune shakenly got onto his feet and was met with the face of his shield. He looked up to see Pyrrha's concern plastered across her face and the dull shine of his defensive weapon.

"Thanks," he mumbled. He shakily grabbed his family heirloom, and with a click, it turned into a sheath. He looked to his right and saw Ren displaying his family's blade, Crocea Mors, in his hands. "Thanks," he mumbled again, putting it in its sheath with a weak motion. Without a word to anyone, he shuffled out of the training room in the direction of his room.

"Jaune!" Nora cried out, but he didn't respond.

/-/

The beaten young man slowly hobbled out of the arena. He didn't know where he was going, but he just kept shuffling across the floor. He met the outside air, and the rain came down on his face. Slowly, it rolled down his cheeks as they shone in the daylight. He passed the statue of his great-grandfather's words, and each letter felt like it bore into his back.

Where he was going wasn't clear, but all he could do was walk.

Numb.

From his head to his toes was all he felt. The air condition of the building hit sweat, and the chill of the drying process put goosebumps all over his body. The rain on his face and armored jacket dried along with the sweat. Jaune rubbed his eyes to get the rain out, then ran into someone.

Numb.

All he felt was from his head to his toes. Jaune's tired body fell, and he looked up to see books strewn across the ground. "Oh," he said with a smile that felt sewn on. "I'm sorry. I had my mind on something else. Let me help."

"No, you don't have to," the brown rabbit fanus said.

"It's my fault. Please, let me," Jaune said sincerely. She gave a meek okay, and after a short moment, the books were back in her hands. A sunglasses-wear brunette approached them before Jaune could continue to where he honestly didn't know.

"What's this Velvet? Are you trying to woo the teacher's pet? Ambitious," she ended her tease with a shark-like grin. The rabbit fanus — now known as Velvet — frantically looked for an excuse with blush decorating her face. "Thanks for that dude. Names Coco, and honestly, I don't know what to make of you." Coco peaked over her sunglasses with a critical eye and studied his tired face. "Actually, are you okay, kid?" Coco asked with a hint of worry. Velvet's worry was plastered on her face, and she looked him up and down.

"Oh no, did I hurt you with that fall?" The fanus cried. Jaune chuckled weakly as he waved her off.

"No, he seems fine from the fall. You've been crying, and damn, I don't think I've ever seen worse bags except for maybe Goodwitch after a busy day." Jaune touched his cheeks and felt the tear tracks.

I thought that was rain. Jaune thought to himself and then looked to the worried seniors. "Sorry guys, it's just the pain of being manhandled by Professor Goodwitch. I'm just not used to it yet. Man, I wish Aura would make this training hurt less. Well, I gotta go," he finished in a hurry. The tears welling up behind his eyes told him to find anywhere other than where he was.

Coco grabbed his shoulder, and he tried to shove her off. "Let go, Coco," he demanded.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong. Trust me, doing stuff like this will only get you hurt later."

"Let go," he said as he finally felt something that wasn't numb.

"Jaune, please, let us help you," Velvet added.

Jaune's breath was shaky, and his body started to tremble as a flood of feelings welled up. He looked at the two as deeply as he could and said, "Please, let me go. I don't want it, and it won't help." They simply just stared at Jaune until Coco let go of the boy. With the release, his body rushed in the direction of his office/home. Distantly, Velvet said something to her friend, but they were already out of earshot, and Jaune didn't pay it any heed.

/-/

Ozpin was talking to another staff member about something that bored him out of his mind. His thoughts were on other things that weren't that important at the moment. Then, a white and blonde mass ran past them with sniffles as their running partner. Ozpin turned to see it was Jaune. "Jaune!" he called out, but the young blonde kept running. He turned to the staff member to cut their meeting short, but they nodded understanding and walked away.

Ozpin moved briskly and was never 10 paces away from his experiment. Then they found their door and yanked it open. The door was slammed shut before his cane could become an impromptu doorstop. He must have noticed I was following, Ozpin thought to himself. "Jaune," he sounded off as he knocked on the door. May I come in?"

"Uh, no, I'm a little busy, and I want to catch up on some work from now on." The apprentice paused for a moment. "Everyone." Power seeped into the Headmaster's ear, and he pressed the appendage to the wooden barrier. Paper shuffling and pen scratches were all he could hear for the moment.

"Well, if you ever need any help. We are here, Jaune," Ozpin replied. He heard mumblings and then sniffing from the young man.

"You've done so much for me. I couldn't possibly ask for more help. Now, can you leave me, please?"

Ozpin held in the sigh he wanted to express. He could just unlock it with his scroll, but barging in wouldn't work. "If that's what you need. I'll even ensure no student will bother you while you focus."

There was a pause, and then Jaune responded. "Than- Thank you, Headmaster," Jaune choked out. The Headmaster moved to walk away, and as he did, the sudden sound of crying coming from Jaune's room danced out of the room as it leaked into the hallway and then screamed. His sobs brewed worry within the Headmaster, and his face focused forward.

This won't do. This won't do at all for us. Ozpin thought to himself.

End of Part 1

AN: Also I have started to read Warhammer 40k so if my writing is differnt that's why. I mostly read manga and stuff when it comes to fiction and starting in the Horus Hersey is a fun so far. I'll keep you guys updated as I go but so far I've only read Horus Rising. I learned alot about the setting and it's history before getting into the reading. I just found a video by probably by WesHammer. Solid dude with solid content. I do however really enjoy 40k content. He just seems like a guy I would get to know more.

My favorite legions so far are the Salamanders and the White Scars but hey that might change. The Dark Karkens are my favorite chapter but I also haven't read anything involving any chapter. Also they don't seem to have a book so I might change my favs. I just enjoy the Salamander aspect of them and that they hunt deep sea monsters for fun. A recommendation for a story if you want read on the site is Cat, Bunny, and the Good Ship Honey Starbright by Lazy Autumn Moon. It's a nice sci-fi RWBY fanfiction but doesn't have many chapters and no real update schedule. Anyway, if you like my work, come find me on Youtube, Twitch, Twitter, Tiktok, Instagram, and Facebook under DragooFire.

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Next Chapter: April 17, 2023