Author's Notes: Remember words written in Italic are what the Character is thinking!
Under normal situations this would have been an easy fight, Pyrrha was a champion fighter whose skills lived up to her reputation as the Invincible Girl, Weiss was known as a heiress and a singer but her desire to one day break away from her father led her to train far harder than most people her age resulting in tremendous skill and Ruby was a prodigy at fighting all manner of Grimm and as a native to Vale she was already well acquainted to all the various species of Grimm that were pressing down on them. However, one major issue was changing everything about this encounter and its name was Jaune. All three Huntresses were agile mobile fighters just like most Huntsmen since it allowed them to cover more ground and dodge attacks which in turn saved precious Aura that could then be used on other more productive actions, but Jaune's unconscious body had become an anchor keeping his three protectors from moving too far away from him and thus severely limiting their mobility and their ability to fight. As the fight dragged on all three young women were slowly becoming fearful but not for their own safety but rather for Jaune's since all it would take is one mistake and a Grimm could breakthrough them and end his life.
But what can we do? Thought Ruby to herself as she ducked underneath the swiping claw of a Beowolf and then bisecting it when it tried to move past her, If we try to pick up Jaune then it's harder to fight and that would be bad. Spotting another Beowolf approaching Ruby prepared to attack it when a wave of fire from Weiss hit the beast and consumed it entirely. That's it! The answer is Dust! "Weiss!" Ruby shouted to get her partner's attention as yet another Beowolf came at her only to meet its end at her scythe.
Weiss, who was in the middle of freezing an Ursa in place, turned to Ruby, "I'm a little busy here so make it quick!"
"Make an ice wall around Jaune! Then we can go all out!"
Pyrrha found herself rather impressed by the younger girl's idea while Weiss mentally slapped herself on the forehead, I was so focused on fighting the Grimm that I missed something so obvious! Without any further hesitation, Weiss put Ruby's plan into action and began using her Ice Dust in carefully controlled bursts to build the barricade that had been suggested by the younger girl who with the assistance of Pyrrha kept Grimm off of Weiss's back but that didn't mean she could relax, I better hurry so that Ruby isn't left with that possible murderer for any longer than necessary, it took roughly a minute to create the framework for the enclosure and then another minute to build the walls, Winter would criticize me for this sloppy work but I really don't have more time to spare, "It's done!" She shouted loud enough for the others to hear, I swear this man is more trouble than he's worth!
"Oh thank god! Now let's get this over with!" Ruby shouted with a little glee. Without any words needing to be said the three Huntress threw themselves wholeheartedly at the approaching Grimm this time utilizing the full extent of their training and skill to utterly annihilate the pack.
"Qrow, you were the one who found the boy, correct?" Asked Leo who was doing his damnedest to attempt to look as unsuspicious as possible, it wasn't working but since he always acted like a nervous wreck no one thought twice about it mush to his relief.
"I sure did," Qrow answered, his words slurred as though he had been drinking.
Leo then paused for a moment to find the words to properly phrase the question he was about to ask, "Qrow, did you ever notice anything… unusual about the boy during your time with him?"
"You mean if I noticed anything inhuman about the kid," Qrow quickly answered back and reminding everyone at the meeting just how perceptive and blunt he really was.
Leo nearly panicked as he tried to explain himself to Qrow, "N... NOoo, I didn't mean that. I was simply inquiring ab-"
Qrow interrupted, "Geez, enough with your sniveling already!"
"Qrow! For the Brother's sake behave yourself and act your age, you were a teacher after all so please try to have modicum of dignity!" Glynda coldly scolded the alcoholic, having quite enough of his attitude.
However, this only angered the man who was already growing sick of the meeting and doubt surrounding the boy he had found, "Listen up! There was nothing strange about the kid except two things." He was holding up two fingers to emphasize the points he was about to make. "One that, the kid has an insane amount of Stamina and Aura seriously, he is going to make someone very happy one day." Qrow then gave the people in the room a little wink.
Glynda got a little closer to the limits of her patience once again snapped at him, "Qrow Branwen, this is a serious topic! Handle it with the dignity and formality that it deserves for once in your life!" She was already in a foul mood after that conversation she had earlier with Ozpin and she would be damned before this meeting gets derailed.
But instead of being cowed like so many others, Qrow ignored her and kept going, "The second thing that stood out was the fact that the kid was a complete novice in all things huntsman related yet somehow he still managed to get Ozzy's seal of approval."
There was a complete and awkward silence in the room as Ozpin tried to ignore how every eye on the room was now firmly on him except for Gylnda who was busy rubbing her temples, You'd think I'd get used to this after all this time but I suppose some things never change.
After a brief period the silence was broken by Ironwood "Ozpin my old friend, would you please explain yourself?"
Once the wall was finished the immediate danger to Jaune was now a near nonissue thus setting them all free to fight at their full capacity. The outcome was decided and battle was all but over as the Huntresses utilized the full array of their abilities and skills to annihilate the Grimm onslaught down to the last beast and in only a few minutes it was done. But I can't relax just yet! Weiss thought to herself as she quickly positioned herself between the wall of ice and Pyrrha, Ruby and I are all that's standing between this bloodthirsty murder and her would-be-victim and she's more dangerous than any Grimm! So without any hesitation and before Pyrrha could notice, Weiss once again leveled her weapon at the champion's heart and prepared herself to lunge at her. "Stay right where you are Pyrrha! Don't you dare move a single muscle or I swear I will skewer you on the spot!" Weiss wasn't sure if she could beat the champion but, What kind of Huntress would I be if I didn't even try? Besides, I got Ruby on my side and she can handle herself so victory isn't an impossibility but first we need to check on Jaune. "Ruby go check on Jaune."
She looked at Weiss for a moment understandably hesitant to leave her partner alone with a possible killer for any length of time but, We can't afford to just assume that Jaune will be alright. So she used her semblance to quickly reach the wall of ice protecting him, It's just simple ice, maybe I can peek through. She leaned in close to try to make anything out but it was no good, in Weiss's haste pieces of debris from the forest floor had been caught in the ice which when combined with the ice acting as a lens and warping the image of everything inside looking through it to see Jaune quickly proved to be an impossible task, Guess I'll have to get a bird's eye view. So using her semblance a second time she launched herself above the glacial structure and into the air where she could get a good unobstructed look at Jaune and saw to her surprise that he was beginning to wake up. So with a third and final use of her Semblance Ruby dashed over to her partner's side and leaned in to whisper. "Weiss, you need to melt down the wall, he's beginning to wake up."
Nodding in understanding Weiss whispered back, "Ruby keep your eye on Pyrrha. Do. NOT. Let her out of your sight" Weiss then slowly and cautiously walked over to the ice wall keeping her eyes on Pyrrha the whole time. It was only when Ruby had taken a fighting stance towards the bizarrely concerned looking would-be-killer did Weiss allow herself to turn around and fully concentrate on freeing the boy. "Jaune can you hear me?" Weiss asked for his sake since she didn't want to risk shocking him.
"Ungh… Yeah, Yeah I can hear you. Can you help me out of this place? How did I even get here? Come to think of it, who are you?" Jaune was still a little groggy but it was clear that he was fully coherent which surprised Weiss.
He must have a lot of Aura to have recovered this quickly but after what he went through there can be no doubt that he needs immediate medical attention. I just hope he'll be reasonable. "Listen, Jaune, I am going to melt the ice now so please remain calm."
"Sure, please go right ahead!"
It would be easy for her to just shatter the ice and it would also be the fastest method by far but, That would also be a surefire way to give this guy a shock that he didn't need right now not to mention he would be pelted with frozen shards and she was almost certain that he doesn't have the Aura to shield himself. I'll have to melt it. She shifted the Dust revolver on her weapon Myrtenaster to fire and jabbed the weapon's tip into the ice before pressing the trigger to steadily heat up the ice. While that effort was in process she took a moment to turn around to look back at Ruby and Pyrrha saw something she did not expect, Is she… apologizing?
"I... I am, look I... I didn't mean to… to," Pyrrha had no idea what to say or even if she should even say anything but she knew what she had to do, I don't know how, but somehow I need to make this up to Jaune.
Ruby didn't know what to do, unlike Weiss she wasn't completely sold on the idea that Pyrrha had attacked Jaune with the intent to murder someone that she had just meet especially since she was committing this crime during an event when she would be most certainly caught and on top of that, she did know thanks to the first-hand experience that Weiss was prone to overreaction and jumping to unfair conclusions, But what if Weiss is right? That was Pyrrha's weapon that hit Jaune so she is responsible for what happened to him but why? Why did Pyrrha throw her Javelin at him? Was it an accident or do they have some history with each other? I guess I'll have to ask her. "Hey, Pyrrha can you answer a question for me?"
"Yes, Ruby! Ask me anything."
"Why did you do it? Why did you throw your Javelin at him?" she held her breath as she awaited a response and watched closely if Pyrrha even twitched the wrong way then she would attack, Because that's what a Huntress would do! When Pyrrha became oddly quiet Ruby got ready to open fire but then she noticed a stark in attitude come over the Champion, the way she bit her lip, held her hands, looked at the ground and the shade of red that was on her face made it strange but undeniable! Is she getting embarrassed?
"You see… um, Jaune was tumbling through the air uncontrollably so I figured I'd help him land… by pinning him to a tree... with a javelin," Pyrrha finally answered.
Ruby was dumbstruck, "Are you serious?"
Weiss at fight the urge to drop what she was doing and run over to her partner's side and she found herself on the verge of shouting when she saw Ruby putting down the scythe and talking to the suspected murder! To make matters even more unbelievably unbearable she couldn't make out a single word that was being spoken but had no doubt that Pyrrha was trying to poison the younger girl's mind. I was a fool leaving Ruby alone with Pyrrha! That murderer has plenty of experience talking to people, I need to hurry before I lose Ruby to her clever lies! Turning back to the wall she shouted, "Jaune can you hear me?"
"Yes, I can."
"I need you to brace yourself."
"Why?"
"I'm going to shatter the ice so you need to use your shield to protect yourself."
"What!? No, Stop!"
That was a request that she was going to ignore. Besides any injury he'll receive will just be healed by his semblance and if I do this right he won't be injured at all. She removed her rapier from the ice and began to reexamine the wall looking for a weak point and thank to train for such an occasion she soon found it and stabbed the weapon back in and began to select the right Dust for the job, The wall is weak enough here that a strong blast of wind injected directly here should do it. "Jaune I am going to count down to one and then collapse the wall."
"I thought you were going to shatter it."
"Look it doesn't matter which one it is, now Prepare yourself: Three… Two… One." She pulled the trigger and the Dust unleashed a mighty gust of wind that slammed into the weakened ice and broke through, bringing the structure down with a loud crash. As soon as she could, Weiss immediately peeked through the now broken wall to check to see if Jaune had made it through without problems. What she did not expect was to find him already standing up, though leaning on a bit of the wall's remains for support while brushing pieces of ice off of himself like it was no big deal. That can't be right, he recovered from unconsciousness only a few minutes ago, he should still be on the floor. Regeneration is one thing but rapid stamina recovery should be another thing altogether… there's something incredibly off about this guy but, I guess it won't matter since he won't be passing and Pyrrha a bigger concern anyway.
Pushing himself off of the wall Jaune took a few uncertain steps before gaining enough confidence to walk out but he was still rather confused and who could blame him? One moment he's stumbling through the sky when something sharp slams right into his backside and the last thing he remembers is hitting the ground hard. Though I do remember someone carrying me but I can't remember who it was... I think I blacked out before I could find out who or why they were carrying me at all. Speaking of why, why was I in that ice cage? He took a look at Weiss and frowned, She's the girl from the locker room, and even before that she blamed Ruby for the explosion… Was she the one who put me in that cage, seems extreme even for her but you never know... "Um, are you my partner?" Please say no.
"What! No!" Weiss was stunned, Seriously that is your first thought? "Look you were hurt, Bad. But don't worry, my partner, and I will take you to a Safe Zone."
Safe Zone, I remember Gris telling me about those. If a prospective student felt overwhelmed over some was injured and couldn't continue, they could go to one of the Safe Zones but that means an instant fail and she wants to take me to one. "But then I'll Fail!" Jaune shouted out of fear, his voice carrying his words over to Ruby and Pyrrha.
"You can always try again next year," Weiss answered faking sympathy for the boy, Nothing personal Jaune but, there is something wrong with you.
Turning away from Ruby winced at what she had just heard, it wasn't fair. There was absolutely nothing about this situation that was remotely similar to fairness. It was a cruel twist of fate, to be offered this incredible opportunity to take such a major step to accomplish your dream only to fail and be denied because of someone else's mistake. Ruby's first thought was to drop what she was doing and help her new friends but held her ground. I'm sorry Jaune, but this is a dream you can keep chasing as long as you're alive and healthy.
Pyrrha on the other hand was horrified. This was her fault, this was all her fault, she hurt Jaune and ruined his chance to get into Beacon, she nearly killed him! My selfishness nearly ruined him, no if he fails then I will have ruined him. I need to fix this. I have to make it up to him.
Weiss was getting frustrated and the fact she was getting frustrated was also frustrating her. As a Schnee and as the Heiress to the biggest supplier of the most valuable resource in all of Remnant she should be able to handle someone like Jaune easily, she should have been able to simply state the facts and that would have been the end of it. But, this wasn't Atlas, this wasn't the Schnee Dust Company and Jaune didn't work for her. He didn't have to listen to her when she said No and that was Frustrating even more so because this was for his own benefit. Doesn't this idiot realize that I'm trying to save his life?
Why can't she understand!? Jaune thought to himself as he grew desperate, he needed to pass. But this pompous snowflake couldn't seem to understand that simple fact or maybe she just didn't want to listen or just didn't care. I cannot go back home! Not while I'm like this! Sure Ozpin would let me stay in Beacon, but I would be staying as a patient and a test subject! Try again next year? Please, as though I'd ever get a second chance! I've managed to come so close to achieving one of my life's biggest goals and I'm going to be denied my dreams for something that isn't even my fault!? Are you kidding me!? And then Jaune saw her, the red-headed champion, he saw the Javelin in her hands and the guilt on her face and he realized who she was. She was the one who had stabbed him, she was the one who was about to rob him of his dream, she was the one who had ruined everything and something snapped within Jaune. "Fix This." Weiss, Ruby, and especially Pyrrha were now looking at Jaune who was staring coldly at Pyrrha, there was an uncomfortable silence and then he spoke again. "Fix. This. Now."
Weiss realized that she needed to put a stop to this right away, "Now listen he-."
"Shut Up. Just shut the hell up." Jaune was now glaring daggers at Weiss, "I am not like you, I cannot afford to wait another year so either you help me, or get out of my way," there was an edge to his voice that made her feel uncomfortable.
Pyrrha began walking towards Jaune and Ruby did nothing to stop her, Weiss, on the other hand, tried to get in her way but Pyrrha gently brushed her away and said with a soft apologetic tone, "I know you only mean well, Weiss and I don't blame you for anything. Had our positions been reversed I honestly would have reached the same conclusions as you and I'm almost certain that even this moment would have occurred even then. I made a mistake Weiss and now I need to fix this. You understand don't you?" With that Pyrrha walked past her and over to Jaune letting him lean on her for support.
Weiss was about to try and talk some sense into the pair but was stopped by Ruby, "It's no use Weiss. The best thing we can do now is to make sure that they make it through safely," There was nothing left that needed to be said and so they all began their journey toward the shrine together.
It had been a reasonably short meeting but even then it was far longer than Ozpin would have liked, it wasn't that he didn't enjoy spending time talking with the people he had grown to trust but the subject of the debate was not one he was fond of. Sure it was important but they could hold those meetings whenever they needed to but Initiation was a special event and it was one that he was eager to continue observing. Even Glynda was looking for it even if she pretended like she didn't care but there was no mistaking that the Vice-Headmistress was walking ever so slightly faster, "I wonder how much we've missed?" Ozpin jokingly asked as he opened the door and took a step out of his office.
"Actually, Oz there is something else I need to say." Turning back around Ozpin saw that the monitor that had been projecting Qrow's face was now back on and revealing a slightly sorry looking expression on his face. "Before I begin I want to apologize for bringing up the kid's transcripts but I had a good reason."
Ozpin was curious but it was Glynda who spoke up first, "Well I hope you have a good reason Mr. Branwen since the subject derailed the entire meeting!"
"Now Glynda, Qrow has proven himself time and time again. If he says he had a good reason to do something then I believe him." Ozpin said and then motioned for Qrow to continue.
"I didn't want Jimmy to find out about this because he would have overreacted and frankly I wouldn't have blamed the guy at all. Oz this kid… his Aura doesn't work right." Qrow explained, his face devoid of any of usual laid back attitude, he was dead serious.
"What does that mean?" Inquired Glynda.
Qrow began his explanation, "Living things have Aura and Grimm don't, everyone knows this and Jaune has Aura."
Ozpin was quick to interject. "That is one of the reasons why I disagreed with Gris when he labeled the boy a Pseudo Grimm. As you said Mr. Arc has Aura and a lot of it, just because he shared some traits with the creatures didn't mean he is anything like them."
However, Qrow continued, "You didn't let me finish Oz, the Kid's Aura is there but it doesn't work right. Aura is supposed to stop attacks but the kid's Aura only softens it, thankfully he can regenerate but that is not his Semblance and it burns through his Aura as a result."
"What are you saying, Qrow?" Ozpin asked as he and Glynda were listening intently.
With a weary look, Qrow answered, "What I'm saying Oz, is that Gris' diagnosis of, Pseudo Grimmification while messed and incredibly fatalistic isn't completely wrong."
The Emerald Forest is a dangerous place, a death zone for anyone without the proper training to enter. Even with the proper training, the Forest must not be underestimated, within the deeper confines of the woods lie old, intelligent, and powerful Grimm. Creatures that have survived and at times even thrived despite the occasional purges that Beacon conducts with the assistance of the Upper Years.
Right now one of those monsters has been stirred from its slumber, awoken by a rare combination of all of its favorite flavors. Paranoia, Uncertainty, Anger, Self Loathing, and just a hint of Contempt simmering beneath all of it. The beast licked its fangs as fond memories of past hunts began running through its vile primal mind stirring up a desire to partake in those flavors once again, the hunt was calling and the monster answered standing and reaching out with its sense to pinpoint the prey. As it made its way through the forest one all-consuming question kept repeating itself over and over again in its depraved mind: How many will I be able to Kill Today?
Author's Notes: The fun thing about the Butterfly Effect is how the changes can stack up. For example, right now there is going to be no Deathstalker and Nevermore Battle. Why? Simple, since they are all traveling together they won't be going into the cave since Weiss would Veto that and a Ride on the Nevermore isn't going to happen because Jaune is injured. I could leave it at that, but that is boring as hell.
So I am taking the liberty of bringing in a new beasty that I hope you'll all love.
Because, Dammit! Horror is one of the tags on this Story and a Little Horror is what I'm Gonna Deliver!