Cowboys of Remnant

A RWBY Fic by AndrewJTalon

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

Cowboys of Remnant: Missing the Mark

Pyrrha and Jaune do some training.

Chapter Text

Pyrrha lined up Milo with the targets downrange. As had been drilled into her from a young age, she checked her safety, focused down the sites, let out a breath, and-

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Six rounds went right through the center of the target, a holographic Grimm Beowulf. Each trajectory was lit up in red, making the Beowulf look like it had been pierced by six red arrows. She smiled softly and nodded mentally.

All on target, all perfect.

She glanced over at Jaune in the lane next to hers. He held his revolver with practiced ease, with both hands around the grip, the thumbs locked together. His blue eyes locked onto his holographic Grimm, and he pulled the trigger.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Pyrrha's smile grew a bit as she tracked the trajectories of the rounds.

"That's very good, Jaune," Pyrrha complimented him. Jaune smiled and shrugged.

"Shucks Miss Nikos. Ain't nothing but a lot of practice," he said modestly.

"I am a bit curious," Pyrrha said, "In combat you usually shoot one handed. And then only with one gun."

Jaune spun his revolver around on his finger, before he unlocked the cylinder and swiftly reloaded.

"How Mister Duke taught me," he explained, "One handed at close range? I've got enough precision to handle that. Longer range, I'll use my rifle or one gun with both hands. And in a big melee where a hit is guaranteed? Both guns akimbo."

He locked on with his revolver, and fired six more rounds. Again, his aim was unerring. Almost as good as hers.

"Ain't no reason to waste ammo unless you're right in the thick of it," he explained.

"Is that why your melee skills are a bit, um... Below average?" Pyrrha asked delicately. Jaune winced, and slowly nodded.

"Yes Miss Nikos. Truth be told, I'm not much with my sword," he admitted, "It's embarrassing, but I've mostly used it to clear brush. Usually we shot down any threats before they get that close, since most of the hands didn't have Aura unlocked."

Pyrrha slowly nodded, as Jaune fired off another volley of rounds with pinpoint accuracy.

"Being a Hunter can often require melee combat," Pyrrha said gently, "Would you like me to train you?"

Jaune looked back at his partner and smiled broadly.

"R-Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Well, you are my partner," Pyrrha said with a gentle smile, "Shouldn't I help you where you're lacking?"

"Er, well, I-I'd appreciate that," Jaune said earnestly, "But um... I ain't sure what you'd be getting out of it, Miss Nikos. I mean I'm-"

"My partner and team leader," Pyrrha said firmly, reaching out to rest her hand on his shoulder. She fought a blush. "You... You bring me a lot more than you think, Jaune."

Jaune slowly nodded.

"If you think I'm worth the trouble, then, yes, thank you Miss Nikos," he said gratefully.

"My pleasure," Pyrrha said with a warm smile.

Inwardly, she pumped her fists.

Yes!

She brought Jaune out to a nice grassy clearing overlooking the valley of the Emerald Forest. She shifted Milo into sword mode, and waited for Jaune to draw Crocea Mors.

"The basics of swordplay are fairly simple," Pyrrha began her lecture, as the birds sang overhead and wildflowers waved in the light breeze, "Footwork is paramount. You get the most out of your sword by knowing just how much strength to put into movement, and you control that with every aspect of your body. Your wrists, hips, and legs help here the most."

Jaune nodded, his face completely serious. Pyrrha held up Milo in her usual stance.

"Try to copy my stance," Pyrrha ordered. Jaune nodded, and did so. Pyrrha then walked over and behind him. She scrutinized his form... Very, very carefully.

"Miss Nikos?" Jaune asked, "Something wrong?"

"Ah? Oh! N-Nothing!" Pyrrha said quickly. "Um... Well..."

She reached out and pressed on his hips with her hands. Her face burned bright red.

"You'll want to, um... Be looser here," she murmured.

"S-Sure, Miss Nikos," Jaune confirmed. She let her hands linger for a moment.

"Um, Miss Nikos?"

"O-OH! Y-Yes!" Pyrrha laughed nervously. "S-Sorry! Okay... Shoulders... Arms... Your grip..."

Her hands drifted over his upper body and she tried as hard as possible to stay professional. She was being his mentor! She shouldn't-Shouldn't be crass and perverted!

She pulled away, bright red, and cleared her throat.

"Um, th-that's good!" She said quickly.

"Er, um, y-yes Miss," Jaune confirmed.

Pyrrha composed herself, as she had for a thousand photoshoots. She walked in front of Jaune and resumed her own combat stance.

"All right. I want you to watch my movements, and then copy."

She went through a simple combo, thrust, thrust, feint, and then low slash. She watched Jaune go through the movements, and nodded.

"Good. Now, you do it against me and I'll show you how to defend."

Jaune nodded, resumed his stance. Pyrrha assumed her own.

"Go!"

Jaune struck through the combo. Pyrrha parried the first two hits, moved in response to the feint, then deflected the slash at her legs and carried through to put the tip of Milo right at Jaune's throat. He gulped, and nodded with new respect in his eyes.

"W-Wow... That's mighty impressive, Miss Nikos."

"Oh, um, just lots of practice," Pyrrha said with a blush. Sincere praise like that was rare. She smiled warmly.

"Let's continue!"

They went back and forth, slowly on some movements that Jaune struggled with, and faster on those he picked up almost immediately.

After about two hours, she decided they would call it quits. Jaune shook his head, panting for breath.

"I can go further-"

"Yes, you can" Pyrrha agreed. "But we're not stamina training, we're training technique. That requires more frequent breaks."

Jaune slowly nodded. He pulled out his canteen from his belt, and took a long drink. Pyrrha herself walked to a log and procured her own water bottle, which she drank from.

"So, how am I doing?" Jaune asked, after he'd quenched his thist. Pyrrha lowered her water bottle with a smile.

"Good," she said, "And I don't mean that just to be polite. You're not very refined, but I think you could go very far with a sword!"

Jaune nodded with a smile.

"Well... Thank you kindly, Miss Nikos," he said, "I mean... My Pa uses a sword. My grandpa, my great-grandpa and great-grandma, all used swords. It's nice to know I could do well with them, too."

Pyrrha nodded with a concerned smile.

"Why didn't you train with your father in swords?" She asked. Jaune sighed.

"I... I mean..." He shrugged. "Guess I just wanted to blaze my own trail, ya know?"

"Is that why you became a cowboy?" Pyrrha further probed. Honestly, she was incredibly curious about Jaune. He only volunteered a little of his past, mostly what he'd done on cattle drives. Much of his life before then? He glossed over.

"Partially," Jaune admitted, "My ma and pa... Well... They worry, ya know? I was... Most of my childhood, I wasn't in the best of health."

At Pyrrha's look of intense concern, he smiled and waved a hand.

"I'm fine now. Just... When your ma is a doctor, and you've spent a lot of time in a hospital bed or your room, well... She tends to be overprotective. My pa followed her lead, even though he was fine with me bein' a Hunter or anything else. But ya know... You can't really fight what was wrong with me with a sword."

"Oh, Jaune," Pyrrha murmured softly. She walked up to him and put a comforting hand on his forearm. He smiled gently back.

"Mister Duke and Pa managed to convince Ma to let me go. To let me try my hand at something hard. I came to like it. Enough that I even considered doing it as my career."

"But...?" Pyrrha prompted.

Jaune shrugged, and smiled shyly.

"Mister Duke said no man should give up on his dreams. Not without a fight for them, anyway."

Pyrrha smiled, and nodded slowly.

"I see... I-I'm glad you decided to fight for them."

"Me too, Miss Nikos," Jaune said.

Pyrrha sighed.

"You don't have to call me that. Really," she stated. Jaune blinked.

"Does it annoy you?"

"I mean... W-We're friends, right?" Pyrrha asked.

"Sorry," Jaune said, "Just... You're a bit hard to read, Miss Nik-Er, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha blinked rapidly.

"I-I am?"

"Yes miss," Jaune confirmed with a nod, "Sometimes I ain't sure if you're being honest, or if you're just bein' polite. I mean, you've fought alongside me so I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt in most things, but uh... You can be a bit perplexing."

He flushed.

"I mean, most girls are, which is fine! If you wanna be! Just..." He shrugged, and pulled his hat brim down, "I uh... It's a little hard on me, miss. No disrespect meant."

"I... I see," Pyrrha murmured. Hiding her emotions had just become second nature to her. In public, with her mother, with her agent... She had come to Beacon because she wanted to be herself. Yet... She was still locked into this... This form.

"In... In that case, Jaune," Pyrrha stuttered, "Um... I don't like it when you call me Miss Nikos. It uh... It..."

Jaune stared into her eyes.

"Annoys you, miss?"

Pyrrha nodded.

"It does... It... It really makes me unhappy. I just... I want to be Pyrrha to you. That's... That's all. I-I want to be your Pyrrha."

Her cheeks again went bright red, and she looked down at her hands.

Oh no that's too much! Too forward! I-I can't just... No! Calm down, Pyrrha! Calm down! You need to-!

She felt him take hold of her hands. She lifted her eyes to his. In the late afternoon sun with the shadow cast by his hat, he looked so... Dashing.

"My Pyrrha then," he said with a smile, "That's what you'll be to me. Always."

Pyrrha turned bright red, trembled... And then fainted dead away with a smile on her face.

"AH! PYRRHA! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?! PYRRHA?!"

And a panicking Jaune was left holding her in her arms.