Chapter 5: Heart
On her first day at Beacon, Weiss Schnee was abruptly awakened from a dreamless night by the shrill blast of a whistle. She rose up suddenly, struggled with her sheets, and almost fell off her mattress. She scanned the room with a gaze dark as night, and found Ruby, already up but still in her pajamas. Before she could ask her what time it was, or what she was doing, Ruby brought the whistle to her lips. Weiss stood up suddenly, and pointed at her partner.
"I forbid you from using this….thing again !" she shouted, looking furious.
"Oh good, you're up". The girl in red nonchalantly said. She looked at something behind Weiss, who turned her head. Blake and Yang had also stood up. The former seemed to agree with Weiss on Ruby's waking up method, but the latter wore a little smile.
"Okay team ! Ruby cheerfully said. "For our first day at Beacon, we have a first mission of the utmost importance !".
Weiss eyed the girl with a dark, stormy gaze.
"And what is this first mission, oh great sachem ?" Yang asked her sister before Weiss could scold Ruby.
"Prepare our room !" announced their leader in a still cheerful tone.
Weiss blinked, surprised. It… made sense . The day before, none of them had the energy to unpack their things, and they had slept among bags and boxes. Weiss blushed and turned her head to try to hide it. She would let it slide this time.
So they prepared clothes, books, posters, DVD, family photos, Yang's console, school supplies, maintenance materials for their weapons, ammunition, Dust reserves. They worked for a good half hour before being forced to stop. No matter how they tried, everything couldn't fit in.
"I have an idea" Ruby announced as they were thinking of a solution. "Blake, the ribbon of your weapon can support a weight of approximately how much ?".
"I would say about a ton" Blake said.
"Do you have any to spare ?".
"Yes, why ?".
Ruby's face brightened, and Weiss had a bad feeling.
"We're going to hang two beds to the ceiling, put the other two below, and that way we'll have enough space !".
Weiss stared at her in disbelief. "What's wrong with you ?" she shouted. "Did you think you were in a Looney Tunes cartoon ?".
"Oh come on Weiss, it'll be fun ! And Blake says it could work !".
"No !" the heiress shouted again. "I won't let you put us in danger like that to satisfy your childishness !".
"Team vote !" Ruby announced. "Who is in favor ?".
Yang raised her hand with a mischievous smile, and much to Weiss's horror, Blake did the same. The heiress angrily pouted, and had the distinct feeling of having been stabbed in the back.
"Sorry Weiss, you lost" Ruby laughed, sticking out her tongue.
Weiss looked like she was about to scream, but she just turned her head, sulking. Another half hour later, they finished attaching the second bed. They agreed that since Ruby and Blake were the lightest, they would sleep in the upper bunks.
They reorganized their things, then went to shower in the bathroom adjacent to their room.
"Okay team !" Ruby said as she finished putting on her uniform jacket. "We did very well ! Now, after the effort, comes comfort ! To the cafeteria for breakfast !".
Weiss looked at her, taken by surprise. With all this work, she had completely forgotten that they should have breakfast, even though it was natural. Shaking away her annoyance against herself, she looked at the time on her scroll. 7:45 a.m. They would have plenty of time to eat, come back, and get ready for their first class at 9:00 a.m. The heiress casted a suspicious glance to Ruby, and wondered if she had planned everything. No, impossible. Weiss thought with a pout. Someone who hangs beds to ceilings can't be that forward-thinking.
…
"Dust crystals are divided into seven types. Fire, Ice, Water, Earth, Air, Lightning and Light. Who can tell me which are the rarest ?".
Weiss' hand shot out like a cannonball, outpacing those of several other students.
"Miss Schnee ?" Professor Alviss called.
"It's the Lightning and Light Crystals, which together represent 10% of Dust's current production. Conversely, fire and ice types are the most common, and together represent 50% of the production".
"Excellent, Miss Schnee".
The girl smiled proudly and turned to her teammates. To her great disappointment, none of them seemed impressed. Weiss pouted, crossed her arms, and focused back on the lesson.
The teacher continued to explain the different properties of Fire Dust, until a bell rang, announcing the end of the class hour. That was easy Weiss thought. Almost disappointing . She would have expected more from the famous Beacon Academy.
She packed her belongings and got up. Turning to her right, she saw that Yang and Ruby weren't ready to leave yet. The heiress sighed, and waited for them.
"Come on princess, not everyone grew up in your company, give us two minutes". Yang grumbled. Weiss glared at the blonde.
"It's only the first lesson and you're already having difficulties ?" the heiress said.
"Well, it wasn't easy, though…" Ruby said in a somewhat unsure tone.
Weiss turned quickly to her partner, incredulous.
"What ?" she exclaimed. "But it was elementary ! You're a team leader, and you're having trouble with something that easy ?".
"Hey, princess !" Yang barked. "Ruby…."
"Yang, no stop !" Ruby suddenly shouted.
Weiss and Yang turned to look at her, both surprised. The two sisters looked into each other's eyes for a moment, then Yang seemed to understand what Ruby meant. The blonde nodded, and stood up, quickly followed by her sister.
"Come on, princess" Yang called, looking at Weiss. "I thought you were in a hurry".
Weiss stared at the two sisters for a moment. Yang held her gaze, but Ruby looked down. Then, Weiss turned her back on them, and left the auditorium without a word.
…
"For ordinary mortals, grimms are monsters and demons. Bogeymen. The creatures of the night, devourers of man".
Professor Port was a portly man in a three-piece burgundy suit, who sported a thick steel-gray walrus mustache and hair of the same color. He paused his speech, then looked around the auditorium. Not a single student among the hundred present seemed particularly interested.
"But I, and any good self-respecting hunter, call them by one name: prey." He glanced again at the first year students, who seemed no more interested than at the beginning of his speech, which had lasted for about fifteen minutes. "Let me tell you a story. That of a young man full of ideals and courage…..". But for the students, his words blended together in an indistinct stream and his story got lost in the general apathy. Time began to drag, and even Weiss found herself daydreaming. She turned to her teammates, who were sitting to her right.
Naturally, they paid no attention to the teacher. Ruby was scribbling something on a paper, Yang had taken out her scroll, and Blake looked like she was outright napping. Anger twisted Weiss' fine features and chased away her torpor. She nudged Ruby lightly in the ribs. The young girl let out a little yelp, and turned to her partner. Weiss, looking furious, pointed at Professor Port, who was still talking. Ruby shrugged, looking like she wanted to apologize.
But that only increased Weiss's anger, who had to restrain herself from yelling at her teammate.
"Well, now who can tell me what the moral of this story is ?" Port suddenly asked.
Weiss turned her head towards the professor, fast enough to hurt her neck. Guilt weighed on her, and her throat went dry. No one in the auditorium spoke.
Port looked at the students again, one after the other. Then he shook his head, looking disappointed. "There is still much for you to learn, young people. We will see in your next class if you can be more attentive".
Weiss furiously packed her supplies, got up quickly, and stormed out of the auditorium. "Weiss, wait !" someone shouted from behind her. Weiss suddenly stopped, and turned around to face Ruby.
"Go ahead, explain yourself. Explain why you were having fun instead of listening to Professor Port." Weiss asked in an icy tone, but heavy with anger.
"Oh come on, Weiss ! No one listened to this teacher, he was boring as hell".
"So, you think that's an excuse ? You will never become a good huntress if you don't take things more seriously !".
Ruby didn't answer, visibly ashamed.
"Are you planning to lecture us in every class, princess ?".
Weiss glared at Yang, but the blonde held her gaze.
"Sorry for trying to make up for your sister's mistakes, Yang." Weiss finally said. "Next time, I'll let her plunge this team into mediocrity".
"Weiss, what's going on ? I thought you were happy that we were teaming up. Why are you shouting at us like that ?".
Weiss turned to Ruby. She felt her anger diminish. Her throat drying up and tightening again, she had difficulty admitting the real reason for her attitude.
"I don't think you could be a bad partner, Ruby, but…"
"But what ?" Ruby asked.
"But she thought she was going to be made team leader" a voice said softly behind the trio.
Weiss, Ruby and Yang all turned to Blake, who was leaning against a wall a little further away.
"That's it, isn't it, Weiss ?" Blake asked.
"Is that true, Weiss ?" Ruby asked in turn.
The heiress looked down, her throat tight, unable to speak.
"Did you think you would be handed this title on a silver platter, like everything else in your life ?" Blake asked.
Weiss glared at the girl.
"You don't know anything about my life, Blake. So you can keep your comments to yourself." Weiss spit in an icy voice.
Blake looked at the heiress for a moment, then a thin smile formed on her face.
"Still, I'm going to give you another one. Tell me, Weiss, what makes you think that we would have listened to you if you had been made leader ?".
Weiss blinked in surprise and looked at Blake, seemingly unable to understand what she meant.
"What ? Did you thought that a title would have made us obey like good little soldiers ?".
Blake stopped. "After all, do you feel like you have someone on your side right now ?".
The four girls remained plunged into heavy silence for a few seconds. Then, Weiss turned around and left at a quick pace.
She walked randomly for a long time, head low, lost in thought. Then, she ran into an obstacle and stopped abruptly. Weiss looked up, and felt her heart stop. She had just bumped into Glynda Goodwitch. Perfect Weiss thought. Truly perfect.
"May I know where you are going, Miss Schnee ?".
"I…I needed to walk".
Glynda examined the girl, then sighed.
"You had problems with your team, didn't you ?".
Weiss looked at the vice-director, surprised.
"How…how do you…."
Glynda sighed again. "Miss Schnee, do you seriously think you're the only one who had problems with her team from day one in this school ?".
Weiss felt ashamed. That was obvious.
"No, no of course. You are right". said the heiress, ashamed of herself.
"Don't beat yourself up too much. Most people tend to focus on their own problems. It's only natural. Tell me instead, what happened ?".
"It…it was my fault" Weiss admitted, with an ease that disconcerted her. "I….I can't stand that Ruby was made leader. She's so….immature !".
"Miss Rose is two years younger than you, it's normal that she seems immature to you, Miss Schnee".
Weiss stared at the Vice-Principal, completely shocked. What does that mean ? Two years younger ? But….how….why ?
"So you didn't know about it. I see, I see".
"Why…why was she accepted at such a young age ?" Weiss finally asked.
"That's not my place to tell you, Miss Schnee" Glynda said in a harsh voice. "If you want to know, ask Miss Rose".
"Yes, of course. I understand" Weiss assured. She did not have to reveal someone else's secret after all.
"As for the fact that Miss Rose was chosen as leader, I only have one thing to tell you".
Weiss looked at Glynda, a little surprised, but mostly curious.
"A true leader needs one quality above all others. I want you to think about what it could be".
Weiss' brow furrowed in sudden, intense thought.
"Oh, I don't expect you to find the answer right away" Glynda clarified. "I suspect you must have a very strong idea of what a good leader is, but believe me, the chances are you're wrong".
Weiss looked down.
"Keep moving forward in this academy with your team, think, observe, and you will find the answer one day".
The vice principal looked at a watch on her wrist.
"In the meantime, you're already late for your next class. Go before I give you detention".
Weiss' eyes widened. She turned around and ran at full speed, without taking the time to salute or thank the vice-director.
The rest of the day passed slowly. Weiss didn't speak to her teammates, too busy with classes and thinking about her conversation with Glynda. Finally, at the end of their last class, Weiss got the opportunity she had been waiting for. She went to join Ruby, who was sitting one row above her.
"Ruby, do you have a moment ? I would like to talk to you. In private" she clarified while looking at Yang, who was sitting two seats away, and eyeing the heiress suspiciously.
"Of course, Weiss," Ruby replied. She grabbed her school bag and followed her partner outside.
They walked for a few minutes and ended up on the landing of a small staircase, away from the main corridors, where Weiss figured they would not be disturbed.
"So, what did you want to talk to me about ?".
"I know you were accepted here two years early".
Ruby stared at the heiress, surprised.
"Ho…how did you….".
"Miss Goodwitch told me. That's what Yang wanted to tell me at the end of the Dust course, isn't it ?".
Ruby nodded.
"Why didn't you tell us ?".
"Because…I didn't want it to become some big news. I didn't want to be seen as a prodigy or anything like that".
"You wanted to prove yourself". Like me Weiss thought.
"I…I just wanted to have a normal year, Weiss. Learn. Become a huntress. Maybe even make friends".
Weiss looked at her for a few seconds.
"I have a question".
"You want to know what I did to get accepted here so early ?" Ruby guessed.
Weiss nodded.
"I stopped a robbery in a store. Caused by Roman Torchwick".
Weiss widened her eyes.
"That was you ?" she exclaimed.
This story had been on the headlines of news channels and the internet for days.
"It's true that the names of the hunters involved were never revealed…but to think that it was an apprentice…..".
"Things happened very fast ?" Ruby ventured, looking embarrassed.
Weiss sighed, then her gaze firmed up.
"Come on, let's go study in the library".
"Uh…what ?" Ruby asked, completely lost.
"You had a hard time with class today, didn't you ? Not just with the course on Dust ?".
Ruby looked away.
"That's what I thought. We're going to go over it again and see what you are having trouble with".
"Oh, okay" Ruby said, surprised, but relieved that Weiss made this offer. That meant she wasn't angry anymore, right ?.
They turned around, and Weiss noticed a paper on the ground, yellow and crumpled, in front of them. She picked it up, unfolded it, and widened her eyes. It was a schematic drawing of Myrtenaster, which broke down its different elements. Someone, and Weiss was sure she knew who, had written "magazine ?" next to the Dust barrel.
"Ruby" Weiss asked. "Can you explain this ?".
The girl seemed to recognize the paper immediately, and panicked.
"It's just a rough draft you know, and…."
Weiss thought quickly.
"Is that what you were doing during Professor Port's class ?".
"Yes" Ruby admitted with the feeling of having made a big mistake. "You….are you angry ?".
"Of course not," the heiress assured. "You've only seen Myrtenaster once, and you already understand so much about how it works ?".
"Um…yes ?".
Weiss moved closer to her partner and pointed at the diagram.
"Your magazine idea isn't bad, but when we designed my rapier, we concluded it would make selecting Dust types more complicated in the heat of combat. With a barrel, I know exactly which type is in which tank".
"Oh I see. Indeed, it makes sense".
"But still, that was well thought, Ruby".
"Thank you, Weiss" said the young girl, blushing.
"Don't sweat. Come on, we need to start studying before the library closes.
…
Three days later
"Weapons. Weapons are integrated in our culture. They have become essential to hunters and heroes. More and more complex. But weapons break. Weapons malfunction. And above all, a weapon is only as good as the person who uses it".
Professor Rhodes paused for a moment. Tall, he had short-cut blond hair, blue eyes and a manly face. Despite his relaxed demeanor, his powerful and perfectly trained muscles were clearly visible under his shirt and sports shorts.
"That's why during this course, I will train you to use the first weapon of any human being".
He raised both his fists to his head. "Your body. Your hands. Your feet. Your elbows. Your knees. Your damn head if it has to come to that".
He paused again to judge the students' reactions. Most seemed bored by his theatrical presentation. Rhodes sighed.
"Okay brats !" he shouted, which took the students by surprise. "You want to go at it right away ? We go at it right away".
He scanned the crowd. "You, there, the little one" he said, pointing to Ruby. You start".
The young girl walked to the wrestling mats, slightly anxious. "And you, blondie" he said, pointing to Jaune. "You will be her opponent". The young man took place in front of Ruby. "You don't go for the genitals, you don't go for the eyes, you don't go for the orifices, you don't bite. Other than that, everything is fair game. You win by stoppage from me or by tapping out. Questions ?".
Ruby didn't have any. Jaune, yes, but, out of shame, he didn't dare admit it. "So let's go !" Rhodes announced.
Jaune attacked first, swinging his right arm widely. But Ruby grabbed his arm, turned her back to the young man, carried him over her shoulder, and, using the momentum of his clumsy attack, threw him to the mat. Jaune fell with a terrible crash, and pain pinned him to the ground. Ruby looked at him apologetically, and suddenly, anger and frustration blew the young man's suffering away, and he got up to his feet.
He sized up his opponent, and cocked another blow, this time with his left arm. But Ruby dodged it by diving at his legs, and, once again taking advantage of Jaune's momentum, threw him over her head. The blond spinned in the air, and fell flat on his back with another cry of pain.
A few mocking snickers began to rise among the crowd of students. Pyrrha and Nora looked worriedly at their leader, while Ren remained impassive. For their part, Blake was indifferent, Weiss stared at Ruby, wide-eyed, and Yang applauded her sister.
Jaune stood up on legs that were starting to shake. He looked at his opponent and his eyes met Ruby's. He saw the glint of worry in her black pupils again, and he grimaced, furious. He let out a loud cry of anger and raised his right fist high.
But Ruby moved to the side, grabbed his arm, jumped, put her legs around Jaune's neck, spun around, and threw him to the ground, still clinging to him.
They fell, Jaune more violently than Ruby. Taking advantage of her opponent being unable to react, she released her legs, put them around Jaune's arm, pushed the other arm away with the soles of her feet, and grabbed his wrist. She pulled on the now locked arm, making her opponent shout in pain. But, despite being unable to escape the hold, Jaune refused to give up. The seconds ticked by, and Ruby began to worry.
"Enough, the fight is over !" Rhodes yelled.
Ruby let go and stood up. Jaune held his arm, groaning in agony. After a few more seconds, he got up, visibly worn out by the fight. The other students chuckled at the pathetic showing, and a huge boy with brown hair, built like a fridge, actually let out a long, mocking laugh.
"Are you okay, Jaune ?" Ruby asked.
The young man glared at her, and he grimaced with anger.
"I…I…. I don't need your pity !" he hissed.
Ruby widened her eyes, surprised and hurt by the venom in his voice. Jaune looked at the girl, then he felt a blow, weak but painful, against the back of his head. He looked behind him.
"None of that in my class, Arc," Professor Rhodes said in a firm and vaguely threatening tone. "Don't blame others for your own weakness, get it ?".
Jaune lowered his head, and suddenly, he felt terribly guilty. He had dared to shout at one of his few friends.
"Ye… yes". He stammered to his teacher. He turned again to face Ruby.
"I…I'm sorry, Ruby" he said awkwardly, unable to look at the girl in the eyes.
"It's okay" Ruby assured with a very fake smile, which only increased Jaune's guilt.
They left the combat zone without another word. Jaune passed through the crowd without looking at his team, to the mocking snickers of the students. Pyrrha tried to follow him, but Ren grabbed her shoulder to hold her back.
"No, Pyrrha. He must already feel bad enough as it is. Believe me, for now, he needs to be alone".
Pyrrha froze, then lowered her head, dejected.
For her part, Ruby didn't seemed happy with her victory.
"Come on, Rubes !" Yang shouted at her before slapping her hard in the back, which startled her sister. "The teacher is right, Blondie is just disappointed to have lost. You can be proud of your victory".
"Thanks, Yang" Ruby stammered.
"She's right, it was a great performance" Weiss said. "I didn't expect you to be so good at hand-to-hand combat."
"Oh !" Ruby said, blinking. "That's because my uncle Qrow explained to me that scythe fighting involved quite a bit of wrestling, so he taught me a few moves".
She gave a small, embarrassed smile. "I never liked that actually". Weiss looked at her. Go ahead, ask her ordered a small voice in the heiress's head. Ask her. But she was unable to do so, and looked away to hide her confusion.
"May I know what makes you laugh, Winchester ?" Professor Rhodes suddenly shouted, which caught the attention of all the students and put an end to their giggling.
The brown-haired boy didn't answer, surprised.
"Do you find Arc's defeat comical ? Do you find it funny to belittle those weaker than you ?".
Winchester remained silent, seemingly unable to tell if his professor was asking him an actual question.
"Come here," Rhodes ordered, before entering the combat zone.
The student stared at him, surprised.
"What, you're deaf on top of that ? I told you to come here".
Winchester finally obeyed, and stood in front of Rhodes. Despite being six feet and five inches tall, the professor was two heads shorter than his student.
"Ready when you are" Rhodes said. The boy cocked a punch, but Rhodes let himself fall to the ground, and threw an uppercut, sharp like a whip strike, which hit Winchester square in the chin. The boy immediately fell flat on his back, unconscious.
Rhodes grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out of the combat zone. Then he looked at the crowd of students, now completely silent.
"Anyone else want to comment on Arc's performance ?" asked the professor.
No one dared to speak up.
"Good".
With no apparent effort, he picked up Winchester, who was beginning to wake up, one handed and unceremoniously threw him into the crowd.
"Let's continue ! Two more !".
Rhodes pointed to Blake. "You and…" his eyes fell on a group of four people : a blonde, short and plump, accompanied by another girl with candy pink hair, a dark-haired boy whose proportions reminded those of Winchester, and another boy, smaller, with orange hair. "You" he said, pointing to the blonde.
…
Jaune's fist hit the bathroom wall again, chipping away the partition's plaster even more. He wanted to cry, but the tears refused to come. He had lost. Against Ruby. Ruby, who was so childish sometimes. Ruby, who was half his size. In front of everyone on top of that. Pyrrha, Nora, Ren….what would they think of him now ? He didn't even dare go out to show himself, but after a few minutes, he did it anyway, because he wanted to attend his teammates' matches.
He found Pyrrha in the middle of a fight against a boy with orange hair. Looking at the boy, Jaune realized that they were the same height and had similar physiques. But the other boy was throwing punches and kicks with impressive ease.
But Pyrrha was always one step ahead of him, parrying his attacks or anticipating his movements with even greater mastery. Finally, she faked a high grip, took advantage of the opening to grasp her opponent around the waist, and, with a two-meter leap forward, threw him to the ground, head first, ending the fight.
Jaune watched the scene, completely still, his eyes locked and glassy. Thanks to what seemed to be a miracle to him, he did not cry.
Once Pyrrha and the boy had left the combat zone, Professor Rhodes ended the class, before specifying that they would have the same program next time. By the time the students all got into the locker rooms, had showered and had changed clothes, they were barely on time for their next class, a history course, so Jaune couldn't ask the others what had happened during his absence.
The rest of the day flew by, spent running between the different classrooms and auditoriums. When the last hour of class came, Jaune was exhausted and unable to listen.
He told himself he would ask Pyrrha for her notes. Because, of course, she was also a good student, and often answered the teachers' questions.
The bell of liberation rang, and Jaune mechanically put his supplies in his bag, stood up, and looked for Team RWBY. He found them three rows up, and went up the stairs to join them.
"Hey, Ruby" he called.
The four girls turned towards him in a simultaneous movement, and a vague feeling of fear made him shiver.
"I wanted to apologize again for what I said to you earlier. It wasn't nice".
The girl stayed silent for a moment, then smiled at him, this time more sincerely than during the hand-to-hand combat class.
"Thank you Jaune" she said. "But it's okay, it doesn't matter anymore. I am not mad at you".
The boy nodded, relieved.
"You're lucky Ruby is so nice," Weiss said suddenly. "I wouldn't have forgiven you so easily".
Jaune looked at her, but he didn't dare try to defend himself.
"I have something to tell you too, Blondie" Yang said loudly. "Don't ever talk to my sister like that again if you don't want me to give you a real beating".
Jaune stared at the blonde, shocked. He gulped, and nodded, too afraid to speak.
Ruby started talking to her partner and her sister, but Jaune couldn't hear anything, lost in his own world. He did not see the four girls get up and leave the auditorium, leaving him standing there.
Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to find Pyrrha. She seemed embarrassed and didn't looked at him in the eyes.
"You're coming ?" she asked softly.
"Ye…yes" the boy stammered before following her.
"Hey, Jaune ?" Said Pyrrha after a few moments.
The blond looked at her questioningly.
"Yes ?".
"You don't have to worry, I'm sure you'll improve in no time" the champion said with a smile.
Jaune blinked, before smiling in turn, a small, sad smile.
"Thank you, Pyrrha," he said.
…
But things didn't get better for Jaune in the following days. He had difficulties with the theoretical classes, and the two practical classes, Professor Rhodes's on unarmed combat, and Glynda's, on freestyle combat, were complet disasters. He never won a fight, and often couldn't even touch his opponent. This quickly made him the laughing stock of the first years, who laughed at his defeats and mistakes when the teachers weren't looking, pushed him in the hallways, hid his spare clothes during combat lessons, and bothered him in any way they could find.
Despite the support of his friends, Pyrrha first among them, Jaune closed himself off. He spoke and ate little, looked perpetually dejected, and his performance only deteriorated further.
Finally, two weeks after Jaune's loss to Ruby, Pyrrha made up her mind. Somehow, she felt guilty for not having thought of it before.
At the end of their last class, a math lesson, she took Jaune aside and brought him to one of the roofs of the Academy.
Jaune stared into the five-story void, completely still, and Pyrrha realized what he must have been thinking.
"Jaune, no wait, it's not what you think !" she shouted hurriedly, embarrassed.
"Oh" said the young man weakly. "And what is it then ?".
Pyrrha firmly grabbed her partner's shoulders and turned him around to force him to look at her. But Jaune lowered his eyes to avoid hers. The champion sighed.
"Jaune, I know you're having difficulties in class, so I want to help you improve. Here we can train without anyone seeing us".
"You think I can't do it." The young man stated flatly.
"No, no, I think you have potential, but….".
"But what ? Where have you seen potential in me lately ?".
"Jaune, do you remember the Luferlang ? You're the one who found the strategy to beat it. And then you got accepted into Beacon ! It's no small feat to begin with, you know !".
Jaune's face darkened even more. He lowered his head so low that Pyrrha was afraid he would fall, and she prepared to catch him.
"I…..I…I wasn't accepted into Beacon, Pyrrha." He said in a monotone voice, without emotion.
What ? The young girl thought. She stared at her partner, confused and stunned.
"Wh…what do you mean ?".
Jaune raised his eyes, dulled with despair, to her.
"I mean I didn't get accepted into Beacon." He repeated in the same tone. Then, all the pain he had accumulated exploded at once. "I went to any combat school, I haven't trained my Aura, I don't have a power like a Semblance…. I lied, Pyrrha ! I falsified my file, and I lied to get in here".
Pyrrha stared at her partner, stunned. She remained silent for what seemed like an eternity to her. She wanted, with all her might, to deny what Jaune had just revealed to her. It couldn't be true. He couldn't have done that. But a little voice in his head whispered, treacherously, that it was logical after all. That explained everything. Why he failed in class. Why he didn't know anything about combat, Aura, or grimms. Why he didn't recognized her.
"Why," she whispered in a trembling voice. "Why did you do that ?".
"Because all the men in my family are heroes !" he exclaimed. "My father, my grandfather, my great-grandfather…I wanted to be like them !" he shouted, louder. "But…" he continued in a weak and sad voice "I was never good enough….".
"Jaune, I….".
Jaune gave her a venomous look, which surprised and hurt the girl.
"Oh, come on, Pyrrha, it's not like you know how I feel".
A heavy and harsh silence ensued. Pyrrha remained motionless, petrified.
"You don't know what it's like to be weak. To be the idiot hanging to a tree while his friends fight the monsters ! You don't know what it feels like to fail. You don't know what it's like to be beaten by everyone next to you ! So stop acting like you understand me, because you don't !".
Suddenly, he stopped, as if a button had been pressed to turn him off.
"You'll never know how I feel, Miss four-time US Champion !" he finally screamed.
Pyrrha looked at him, without her normally gentle face betraying the slightest emotion. Then, silently, she turned around, went back inside the Academy, and left Jaune alone in the darkness.
…
Two days later
"Is there a problem with Jaune ?" Ruby asked the rest of her team during lunch break.
"You mean right now, or in general ?" Weiss replied.
"Right now" the young girl clarified, without noticing, or deliberately ignoring, the sarcastic tone of her partner. "He hardly talks to us anymore. He spends all his time with the CRDL team but Cardin made fun of him during Mr. Rhodes' class, and...I don't think they're really friends".
Ruby turned to the table where the four armored boys were sitting. Jaune was stacking sheet trays under their snickers, looking particularly dejected.
"Forget it, Ruby" Weiss said. "I don't know why he does this, but it's his problem".
Ruby looked at Yang and Blake, who didn't seem any more interested in the blond's fate.
"I am sure that our beloved leader knows perfectly what he does, Ruby" Pyrrha said sternly.
All eyes turned to her in disbelief. They had never heard her speak like that. But, finally, the seven companions went back to eating, in a slightly tense silence. Ruby sighed and mechanically took a bite of her chocolate chip cookie, without the treat succeeding in chasing away her dark thoughts.
The following course was a history lesson. Professor Oobleck exposed to them the origins of the Menagerie Kingdom and how it had become a refuge for faunus. When the bell rang for the end of class, Oobleck asked them for a four-page essay on Faunus history. While putting his things away, Jaune felt his scroll vibrate in his pocket. He took it out, and saw that he had received a message from Cardin.
I hope that you will not forget my homework and that of the team, Jauney Boy. Remember that friends stick together !
Jaune sighed. He would probably have to spend the rest of the evening working on the assignment, or even part of the night. Without saying a word to the rest of his team, he left the auditorium.
The assignment did take him several hours after the last class of the day, and he had to skip the evening meal, but at least the five copies were finished and he had gained a day of peace.
He went to the CRDL team's room and found the four boys playing a video game he didn't know, several soda cans scattered around them.
"Cardin, I finished the history homework" he said to the team leader.
The boy stood up to his full colossal height, grinning smugly.
"Great, Jauney Boy, you're a real friend" he exclaimed. "I knew I could count on you".
Jaune didn't dare say anything, his face grim.
"Don't make that face, Jauney Boy ! I told you. As long as you're my friend, I'll be yours, got it ?".
"Got it" Jaune grunted before leaving the room.
"What an idiot !" Exclaimed Sky, a boy with long, very straight navy blue hair.
"Yeah, yeah" Cardin groaned. "But we have a guy at our service, isn't that cool ?".
"Yeah, it is" admitted Sky.
"Hey, I wonder how far he could go" said Russell, a boy with a mohawk dyed turquoise.
"I think we'll find out soon enough," Cardin chuckled before they restarted their game.
…
The trees formed such tight rows that it was difficult to distinguish one from another, and stretched as far as the eye could see. Their very deep orange-red foliage gave what little light that filtered through the branches an almost supernatural appearance.
"Welcome to Forever Fall Forest". Professor Peach announced to the first year students.
She was a young woman, slightly taller than average, with hair the same color as her name, tied in a high ponytail, and blue-green eyes. She wore camouflage pants, a beige hunting jacket, and a pair of khopesh was attached to her slender hips. She pointed to backpacks, obviously very loaded, placed behind her.
"You just have to collect the sap from the trees. You will find all the necessary equipment in the bags. That said, be careful not to spill it, its smell easily attracts grimms".
One after the other, the students grabbed the bags and went to work. As he looked around for a bag, Jaune felt a hand heavily weighting on his shoulder.
"So Jauney Boy, we go to work ?" Cardin asked in a way too loud voice.
"Yeah, yeah" Jaune grunted, annoyed.
Jaune and the CRDL team moved a little away from the other students, and the blond began to fill the jars with sap while the other four boys rested quietly.
An hour later, Jaune screwed the last jar. Turning to Team CRDL, he saw that Russel, Sky and Cardin had left, leaving only Dove, a fairly ordinary-looking boy of average height, with him.
"Dove" Jaune called her. "I finished".
"Okay, cool," the boy said distractedly.
Jaune felt a pang of anger rise within him. Is that all it meant to him ?.
"Don't look at me like that, Arc," Dove spat. "You know what ? You deserve to be in this shit".
Jaune's face turned red and he looked like he was about to shout, but Dove didn't give him time.
"You cheated, Arc ! You cheated and you got caught ! And you're going to complain about it ?".
Jaune looked at him, shocked.
"You know ? It's no wonder you didn't got in Beacon, you have no balls. Do you think a real hunter would be as lousy as you ? Have you ever trained seriously once in your life, or were you too busy whining ?".
Jaune looked away.
"It's the same thing with Cardin. Do you think a real hunter would let himself be walked on like that ? I would have punched him in the face a long time ago if I were you. But you didn't do anything, because deep down, you're just a wimp".
Jaune lowered his head, unable to respond, unable to speak, unable to think.
"Are you done, Jauney Boy ?" Cardin yelled. He was returning with Sky and Russell. "Perfect, we can continue. Take the bag and get here".
Jaune, mechanically, without thinking about what he was doing, grabbed the bag and followed the quartet. They walked for two minutes and eventually came to a small cliff. As they approached the edge, the five boys saw some of the other students, including the rest of the JNPR team. Pyrrha and Ren were talking, and Nora was drinking a full jar of scarlet sap, that Ren was absentmindedly trying to take from her hands.
"Grab a jar Jauney Boy" Cardin ordered. "Here's the plan," he continued once Jaune obeyed. "You're going to throw this jar at Nikos, then I'll drop this bag of wasps on her. That should calm her down a bit, this goody-two shoes. What do you say, Jauney Boy ?".
But Jaune didn't hear Cardin's question. He was staring at Pyrrha. His right arm, which held the jar of sap, felt both very weak and very heavy.
"Jaune, what the hell are you waiting for ?" Cardin shouted.
"No," Jaune whispered softly.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY ?" Cardin yelled at the top of his lungs, violently grabbing Jaune by the shoulder.
"I said no, Cardin". The blond repeated in a very calm voice, looking the colossus straight in the eyes.
His anger and fear had vanished. All he felt was an ice-cold determination.
"I am done. Leave me and my team alone. It's over".
Cardin raised his fist very high, but Jaune, without thinking about what he was doing, his body moved instinctively, smashed the jar of sap on his head. Cardin took a few steps back, shocked. A scarlet liquid spread across his face and Jaune, for a moment, thought he had seriously injured him, before realizing it was just the sap.
"YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD ARC !".
Cardin threw a wild haymaker, which hit Jaune in the right cheekbone and made him step back. Cardin moved forward to strike again, but Jaune delivered him a hook to the face, which broke his momentum. Cardin replied with a direct hit to the face, which made Jaune stagger, but he struck Cardin in turn, right in the chest. The two boys continued to fight, encouraged by Russell, Sky and Dove. Even though Cardin was bigger and stronger, no matter how many times he hit Jaune, he remained standing and continued to hit back.
But, a demonic roar echoed in the forest and stopped the fight between the two boys. Under the appalled eyes of the five boys, an Ursa Major, a grimm bear at least four meters tall, with a black body, bristling with white plates and spikes, came out of the forest to face them. It sniffed the air for a few moments, before locking its glowing eyes on Cardin.
The sap Jaune realized. It's attracted to the sap. He looked at the CRDL team, who were still terrified and shaking. "Guys, we have to move," he shouted. "Someone needs to get help".
Cardin seemed to wake up suddenly, as if he had been struck by an electric shock. "Russel !" he bellowed. "You're the fastest, move your ass !".
The boy with the mohawk nodded and ran towards the forest at full speed. The grimm tried to attack him, but, with loud cries, Sky, Dove, Cardin and Jaune attacked it to cover him.
The Ursa turned around and with the back of its paw, swept the four boys like they were nothing. They fell and rolled in the dirt, their Auras severely damaged. Slowly, one step after another, the Ursa approached Cardin, who was struggling to get up. The boy, in a gesture fueled by desperation, raised his mace to protect himself, but the bear disarmed him with a swipe of his paw, before hitting him again and sending him flying two meters back.
Cardin fell, pinned to the ground by pain. He could only helplessly watch as the Ursa grew closer. It's over Cardin thought. I'm going to die here. Without having been able to become a hunter. Without being able to become strong. Without being able to show my father that he was wrong.
The Ursa stood up on its hind legs, which made it grow even larger, and prepared to attack Cardin. The boy closed his eyes. A second, two seconds, three seconds passed, and Cardin slowly realized that he was still alive. He opened his eyes, still afraid.
Jaune had put himself between them and, with groans of effort, struggled against the Ursa while holding his shield in both hands. With a cry, he pushed forward, and threw the bear off balance, which made it roll over. Jaune rushed forward, sword out. The Ursa attacked, but Jaune narrowly dodged the paw strike, and his slash hit the grimm in the shoulder. The Ursa tried to crush him, but Jaune jumped to the side to avoid it and hit it in the head.
The Ursa turned around and swept Jaune with a paw. The blond protected himself with his shield, but despite that, he flew backwards and hit a tree with his back. But he didn't feel the pain, nor did he feel the fear. He looked at the Ursa, who was growling and focused only on him.
Jaune ran at it, his shield and sword raised high. The Ursa stood up on its hind legs, ready to strike. Jaune's shield seemed to move on its own, and the grimm's claws slid across the metal. Jaune brought down his sword, and the Ursa's head rose into the air for a short moment before disintegrating, under Jaune's fixed gaze.
"What happened here ?" shouted a firm voice, coming from the forest.
Jaune turned around. It was Professor Peach, accompanied by Russell, Team RWBY, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren.
"It's my fault, ma'am." Cardin said while getting up, before the others could speak. "I dropped a jar, and it attracted an Ursa. Jaune killed it".
The professor looked at Cardin, then Jaune, Sky and Dove.
Yeah, right she thought. That's why there is sap all over your face ? I think you fought Arc, lost, sap got spilled, it attracted the Ursa, and Arc saved your ass. At least I hope it will give you a lesson.
"I see" Peach said flatly. "Be more careful next time."
Team CRDL regrouped, as Jaune joined his team.
"Hey, Jaune !" Cardin shouted behind the blond's back.
He turned around, surprised.
"Thank you" the colossus simply said with a smile.
Jaune felt his face break out into a proud smile, and he nodded his head, before giving a thumbs up.
…
Once they returned to Beacon and gave the sap supplies to Professor Peach, Jaune asked Pyrrha to speak with him in private. The young girl accepted, already suspecting what her partner was going to ask her.
"Please, can you train me ?" Jaune asked once they were apart, which confirmed his partner's suspicions.
"Oh, you are interested now ?" Pyrrha said ironically, but her little smile betrayed that the situation pleased her.
Jaune looked away, looking guilty.
"I'm sorry, Pyrrha" he said. "I should never have talked to you like that. It was very stupid and very disgusting. I think...I think I was jealous. Actually…I want to be strong….strong like you".
Pyrrha looked at him.
"And you are ready to train hard for this ?".
"Yes !" exclaimed the blond. "I will do whatever you tell me !".
The girl's smile widened.
"Alright, then, lesson one".
Here, done !
Honestly, I don't really like Jaune as a character. For me he is a failed attempt at doing an underdog story. Nothing in Canon explains why he couldn't make it to Beacon except that he "wasn't good enough". Except that if that really is the case, then he simply doesn't belong in Beacon, plain and simple. Even when he trains with Pyrrha, nothing lets you imagine that he trains any harder than any other student before getting into Beacon.
And obviously, if I don't like the basic character idea, his development "zero to hero" don't really work for me.
To give a comparison to Midoriya, the reason why Midoriya can't become a hero, is lack of Quirk, is something he has no control over and is due to pure awful luck, which gives an unfair aspect to his situation. Plus, he still has the will to save others, the most important thing for a hero, which shows that he is made to be a hero, Quirk or not. (which is why All Might chose him as successor).
Another thing, yes, in this Ruby can fight without Crescent Rose. To expand a bit on what she says in the chapter : in real life, while the scythe wasn't really a weapon, there is a type of battleaxe head called a bec de corbin, which kind of looks like a scythe blade. A french manual for the battleaxe called "Le noble jeu de la hache" (the noble play of the axe) even explicitly call for a Bec de Corbin in some techniques. Which is why I used battleaxes as a reference for Ruby's fighting style, and battleaxe techniques use a lot of wrestling, since it was first made for armored combat.
That being said, Ruby is still not a expert hand to hand fighter, and she won this one because she is fighting Jaune. She certainly isn't going to gain the upper hand on Yang for example.
Also, still about her : yes, I described her with black eyes here. You will see why.
Professor Rhodes is probably very familiar to Pro Wrestling fans (if there is any here). For the others, he is the current WWE Universal Champion, Cody Rhodes, who I nicknamed "Captain Murica" since I first saw him in a match (and yes, I know he is called the American Nightmare). I had a lot of fun with his scene.
The four people after Jaune's and Ruby's fight are Roxy Richter (Blake's opponent), Ramona Flowers, Lucas Lee and Scott Pilgrim from the Scott Pilgrim series. Scott was also Pyrrha's opponent.
Anyway, till next time !