Well, it has been a little while hasn't it? Before we get into the chapter I'd like to make a couple of announcements regarding me and my stories. Summer is now in full swing and the aforementioned issues have really picked up on this, however I'm finding a balance of the best times to work on my writing and hopefully, there'll continue to be consistent updates even if much slower than usual. Between this, Knight of Boosted Destiny, Y'know, Just When I think Life's Had Enough of Messing With Me and one more fic I'm planning to release more information on soon I think I've finally hit my stride and will be able to continue producing as time goes on.

Anyways, let's get started on this chapter before I get into any more trouble over cliffhangers xD

Disclaimer: Y'know the drill, Don't own RWBY just like sandboxes.

Chapter Nine:

School Life Begins

"We're not?"

"Just go with it Jaune, it's part of the surprise."

Yang's tone made Jaune feel slightly nervous. Having seven sisters wasn't exactly a good track record for the word 'surprise.' It usually involved being forced to wear makeup, weird hairstyles or on the rare, painful occassion, a dress. He highly doubted that Yang, Pyrrha and Blake would do any of those things but the trauma of those wonderful memories was enough to make the Arc a little bit nervous. He knew that it would only delay the inevitable should he kick up a fuss though and rose his hands defensively, showing that he would concede and go along with whatever this surprise was despite the hesitance he felt.

"Okay, Ladies-"

"-And Gentleman," Pyrrha cut Yang off for Jaune's benefit.

"It's time for us to kick this semester off with a Yang!"

Ignoring the collective groan of her team-mates at the pun, Yang pressed onward with what Jaune could only assume was the path toward his very death. With each moment that passed Jaune became less and less sure that this was a good idea. Sure, he doubted it was a good idea in the first place but this was just stepping things up into an entirely new realm here. He was unceremoniously pushed down onto his bed by the brawler and she then moved to the other side of the room, grabbing her scroll.

"What was that for?" Jaune exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Just because this is a surprise doesn't mean you taking it easy because of your injuries changes."

"I think you'll do more damage then me standing up," Jaune muttered under his breath.

"Huh?"

"What?"

Blake and Pyrrha sighed, both girls moving a few things around in the room, while hoping that the situation would diffuse itself without their interference. Jaune decided to resign himself to his fate, given that he was still technically within the timeframe that the nurse had told him to take it easy, Yang was right and even a small glimpse of her anger was enough to make him play along with this whole 'relaxing' thing.

"Besides," Pyrrha said, interjecting herself into the conversation, no longer wanting to leave this to chance, "you've made all three of us feel the importance of our roles on this team and while I can't speak for Blake or Yang. I've never known what it's like to have real friends like this before, so I think it's time that we showed you that you're just as important to this team as the rest of us."

"She's right, Jaune," Blake said quietly.

"You spend so much time doing so many nice things for us without even thinking about it. So forget your damn pride and enjoy yourself," Yang finished. The stern look in the Brawler's eyes left no room for discussion and Jaune finally relented, knowing that it was only fair if it was a two way street when it came to this sort of thing.

"Want to call for Pizza, P-Money?" Yang asked her.

"Very well!"

While Pyrrha made their orders, Yang went about adjusting the floor in front of Pyrrha's bed which was the one set up on the far side of the wall. With the help of pillows from all three beds and some cushions that Jaune wasn't really sure he wanted to know where they'd been obtained from, she managed to create a makeshift living room that, in his opinion looked somewhat inviting. He would've moved to help but since he'd already been told to stay put, Jaune thought it might've been in his best interest not to push his luck too much.

"What would you all like?" Pyrrha called back.

"Pepperoni with extra Pepperoni," Yang requested, "Thanks, P-Money."

"Tuna with extra cheese, thank you Pyrrha," Blake added in.

"And we'll get one drenced in coffee for Jaune," The red-head said, shooting her leader a playful smile to which she was met with a surprised expression. Was she teasing him? Well, he was happy that she was loosening up about that a little. Worrying about one's image all the time didn't sound either fun or healthy.

"Only kidding," she assured him, "I'm soorry. What would you like?"

"Garlic Cheese sounds good, Pyr. Thanks."

Pyrrha nodded, then returned to the call finishing off the order with their food as well as a bottle of soda each. Jaune's focus was suddenly drawn out the window, the flash of light in the distance catching his attention as if it had some deeper meaning. In the reflection of the light the young man's eyes flashed with recognition, memories rushing back through his mind unbidden.

"I'm going to take that things head off!"

Crocea Mors had been bathed in a shimmering sapphire light that made the blade appear several times larger than it was in its base and Jaune's own body was coated in the aura that seemed to be feeding itself into the sword.

The Nevermore screeched a second time and unleashed a veil of large feathers, shooting them down towards the earth as though they were projectiles. Jaune kicked off the ground, using the feathers as platforms on which he jumped up and across each one bouncing between them all flawlessly, adjusting his stance where needed until finally he was able to kick off one and ascend rapidly into the air. Jaune swung the mighty transformed Crocea Mors upward and cleaved the Nevermore's head clean from its body.

Suddenly, a loud roar sounded in the distance and the shimmering light of the weapon gripped in Jaune's hand spread a little further outward until it coated his entire body like a strange mystical light. There was a flicker of something that appeared for a single moment...but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

'What was that?' Jaune thought to himself, 'The last part didn't happen back in the Emerald Forest...'

He turned his head back to the room he was currently situated in and a loud yelp was thrown out of the young man's lips as he found himself looking rather closely at eye-level to one Yang Xiao Long. Apparently she'd crept over to him whilst he was lost in his own thoughts. Met by the sound of said yelp, the Brawler merely chuckled at her leader's expense and then moved back from him again.

"Sorry about that, Ladykiller," she teased, "You just seemed pretty zoned out. Pizza's gonna be here in about fifteen according to the guy on the other end."

"He seemed rather pleasant."

"So...I've figured out that pizza seems to be a part of this plan of yours," Jaune said, "and something to do with putting scroll movies on a big screen for all of us to watch together."

"Well, we figured it'd be a good chance for all of us to celebrate being a team and bring in the new semester. Originally we were going to a proper surprise party with LVWR, well likely minus Weiss but then the thing at the docks happened and you got injured so we figured we'd downscale the surprise to something the four of us could do together instead. What...are you disappointed?"

The tone in Yang's voice betrayed the confidence that Jaune usually heard there, which surprised Jaune somewhat. For someone so confident to be nervous like that...was he missing something? Perhaps, but he didn't mind that they didn't get the whole party thing, if anything it was better since even though friendships among their peers was important, but the bond of the team would always take priority. Once the pizza had arrived, Yang slipped the delivery guy three cards with varying amounts of Lien on them and the food was dished out.

"What's the movie?"

"The Hunts-Man and The Revenge of The Crimson Coil," Yang said excitedly.

"Wait, that's out?" Jaune said, his eyes widening.

Blake sighed. Perhaps the dark-haired girl had been expecting something a bit more mature but given her team-mates she really shouldn't have been surprised. Though, she decided that she would humor them for now and who knows? Maybe given the chance, this movie might surprise her. Now seated on the floor, Yang pointed up at the screen, "He kinda looks like you, ladykiller."

"You kidding? That dude's way cooler than I am!" he laughed through another bite of pizza.

"I see the resemblance," Pyrrha grinned, sipping at her water.

"Anyone brave enough to wear that ensemble even on a movie set is worthy of respect," Blake said, her bow twitching slightly as she giggled quietly at the appearance of the 'hero' on screen. Jaune rolled his eyes at the three of them, not expecting them to stop their antics any time soon. Sure, it was probably the least of the things he'd expected from this whole surprise thing Pyrrha had mentioned when they'd been in Vale before the situation but he couldn't help the grin that came to his face. Everything about this day had gone far better than he'd anticipated it to be.

Maybe he could find his spot in Beacon after-all.

Perhaps there was even a chance he could grow into becoming the kind of Leader ABYN deserved.

Jaune finished pulling his uniform on, a smile on his face. Now having showered he was ready to face the first day of what Beacon had to offer. Jaune took one last look in the mirror to make sure that his hair wasn't sitting too messily. He calmly stepped back out of the bathroom and nodded, "Right," he said, "I'm ready. How long until classes start?"

"We've got about forty-five minutes," Blake observed.

"Just enough time for coffee," Jaune answered without hesitation and promptly left the dorm room with Pyrrha, Blake and Yang in pursuit, the latter of which rolling her eyes in frustration at their leader's attitude. Jaune wasn't entirely paying attention but he could've sworn he heard, "The damn coffee's not going anywhere, Jaune!"

Of course, Jaune, who had shot off along the hallway a good deal ahead of the rest of his team hadn't heard her and continued his advance toward the mess hall without so much as a single look behind him. At a suprisingly quick rate despite his recovering body, Jaune managed to make the trip in record time and when Yang, Blake and Pyrrha entered they found him already seated at their table sipping at a coffee discussing something with fellow leader and friend, Lie Ren.

"You need an intervention," Yang grumbled, dropping into a seat beside him.

Blake regarded Jaune with a small smile as she walked past and sat down at the end of their side of the table. Pyrrha slipped in between Blake and Jaune, smiling happily at the two of them.

"Hard to believe that week went by so quickly," Yang groaned.

"Getting up early blows," Ruby agreed, stretching out a little bit.

"You're both just being overdramatic," Weiss sneered, "I imagine that our classes will be interesting so don't be childish."

"Monsters...Demons...Prowlers of the night. Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I merely refer to them as prey, hah-hah!" Professor Port said, beginning the next part of his lecture, he was so focused in what he was saying that he hadn't noticed that most students were either slowly drifting off to take naps or keeping themselves otherwise occupied, "And you shall too upon graduating from this prestigious academy."

Jaune was one of the few students trying to pay attention to what the Professor was saying. Jaune was so far behind that he felt it was important to soak up as much as he could. Sure, he could do without all the extra lavishment but if he had to suck it up in order to learn something about the Grimm then he was going to do so. Pyrrha, Yang and Blake were going out of their way with the training plan they'd devised to help him get on track and he wasn't about to throw that back in their faces by underpreforming in class.

"Now, as I was saying," Port continued, drawing Jaune's attention back to what he was saying, "Vale as well as the other three kingdoms are a safe haven in an otherwise treacherous world. Our planet is teeming with creatures that would love nothing more than to tear you to pieces and that's where we come in. Huntsman. Huntresses. Individuals who have sworn to protect those who cannot protect themselves. From what you ask? Why the very world. That is what you are training to become. But first a tale of a handsome young man."

"Still think we're being overdramatic, Weiss Cream?"

"Shut it, Yang."

"-In the end, the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity and I returned to my village with the beast in captivity and my head held high, celebrated as a hero. The moral of this story? A true Huntsman must be honorable, a true Huntsman must be dependable, A true huntsman must be strategic, well educated and wise. Now which of you believes that you have what it takes to become a true huntsman?"

Weiss' hand shot up in the air immediately and Port regarded her with a smile, "Of course, of course. Well, how about a little demonstration then, MIss Schnee?" Jaune watched the ensuing fight, Weiss was able to slay the Boarbatusk Port had brought in, yet Weiss had accused Ruby of distracting her and the subsequent argument that broke out between Ruby and Weiss over it left Jaune in a position where he could only sigh. He hoped whatever the issue there was got resolved sooner than later because in his opinion, Weiss was being incredibly childish and this was dragging on far longer than necessary.

"Well," Port said, cutting through the Arc's thoughts, "That's all we have time for, off you go."

Jaune stood from his desk, collecting his books. He slipped them into his bag and then looked over to his team-mates who were doing the same, "What's next on the schedule? Combat Class, right?" Even though he was focused on the conversation with his team about what was to come, Jaune could've sworn he felt a pair of eyes glaring viciously into the back of his head. Was that the same feeling he'd gotten in the cafeteria a few days ago? He supposed only time could tell.

"Look at how smug he looks."

"Smug? He's a loser."

"You can still be a smug loser," Cardin muttered, "On a team with three girls? Bet he's living it up."

"That's a bit of an immature approach isn't it?" Dove answered, "We're all going to be Hunters and stuff I doubt there's anything untoward going on."

"You've gotta be kidding me Dove," Russell threw in quietly, making sure to angle himself at just the right direction so that no one else who was on the way out of the classroom could hear what he was saying, "You saw them in the cafeteria the other night, Goldilocks was all over him. Plus, the red-head always dotes on him as well, makes me sick."

"Don't tell me you two suddenly care about being honorable," Sky Lark said, rolling his eyes, "sounds more like jealously if you ask me."

"Nobody did," Cardin shot at him sharply, "Either way, I'm going to stomp that Arc kid into the ground and make sure he knows his place. His team-mates will be so embarrassed that they're stuck around such a loser instead of a real huntsman."

Combat Class proved to be interesting to Jaune and even though the first lesson was mostly based in combat theory, Jaune found this to be an excellent opportunity to add a few little notes to his book and build on what had been put in from Grimm Studies before. Side-notes were added when something he thought made allude to the hidden secrets of Crocea Mors which he could eventually use in pursuit of trying to discover more of the truth behind the secrets of the weapon. He'd finished making another anecdote in the book when Professor Goodwitch's voice reached him.

"Now that brings our theoretical part of the class to an end, let's end off on the note of having a spar between two of our students...any volunteers?"

"I'll go!"

This what the excited exclamation of one Nora Valkyrie, member of Team LVWR and Jaune had to admit he privately felt very sorry for whoever it was that ended up getting paired off with Nora during this fight. She'd entirely scared him senseless during the small time they'd known each other and it was only reinforced every time Jaune remembered that she'd ridden an Ursa to the temple during their initiation.

"Very well, Miss Valkyrie and...?"

"Me!"

This was the confident call of another student. Jaune winced, already hearing the crushing of the bones from where he was sitting. The kid looked particularly scrawny even by his own standards, like one hit from Nora's hammer would smash him clean in two kind of scrawny. Jaune almost felt bad, the two had barely returned from the locker room and a second after Godwitch had called for the match to begin, a single swing from Magnhild and ended the match by throwing the other student from the ring.

"Well...that was something," Yang muttered.

"Kinda feel bad for the guy," Jaune agreed.

"Well, given that match was over a fair amount too quickly, shall we have another? Miss Rose? Miss Xiao Long, how about you?"

"Me?" Ruby asked, "Fight Yang?"

"What do you say, Ruby?" Yang asked her sister, smashing the knuckles of her fists together.

Ruby's face brightens and she nods once, "Yeah!"

Jaune and Ren share a look that clearly screams, "Oh boy." Though Jaune notes that Weiss seems much more reserved than usual, her attitude seemed to sit less...on edge? He supposed. Well, it wasn't really his business as long as this led to her and Ruby getting along a little bit better than he would stay out of it. It wasn't his team after-all.

"Yang."

"Yes, Jauney?"

Jaune rolled his eyes, Yang's clearly faked tone of innocence not fooling him even one bit, "Please don't assist your sister in destroying the school during our first combat class, okay? I like it here."

"Buzzkill," she muttered to him, "But fine, I won't destroy anything."

"Thank you."

End Chapter

Sorry to cut things off here, but I really want to give the fight between Ruby and Yang it's own chapter. As well as leaving it here gives me a bit of time to go back and watch a couple of older episodes during volume 1 to analyze how the two fight in earlier RWBY to give a basis for how this is going to look. Oh, the Yellow trailer as well because I think that's my favorite example of early Yang's fights. Well, that's all from me this time folks and I hope you'll join me for the next chapter as well.