Author's Notes: Man it has been a while though I will admit that it was mostly my fault. Important things happen in this chapter that will have major repercussions throughout this Fic so I wanted to make sure everything was right. Which resulted in rewrite after rewrite… Sorry about that.

The Grimmlands are without a doubt uninhabitable unless one were to count the many Grimm that dwell there but those creatures were an exception to many rules. There are no plants that naturally grow there and the very little research that has been conducted about that forsaken place suggests that no plants can or will ever grow there regardless of what actions may be taken. There are many reasons why this is the case for example it has been discovered that the soil contains trace amounts of poison and others have pointed to the region's low air quality as the reason. However the biggest obstacle that any farmer or gardener would have to overcome is the water or rather the complete lack of water in those barren lands, instead, there are pools of black inky liquid whose existence are closely guarded secrets. The reason for the secrecy ties back into the real reason why the land is so utterly devoid of life, the Grimm and the black inky pools that give birth to them.

However, if one were to somehow venture deep enough into that hellscape they would find a palace, not a ruin devoid of life but, an actual palace with a sovereign sitting on her dreadful throne: A Queen named Salem, the ruler of the Grimm. She was a woman of inhuman power, intellect, and presence that when combined with her morbid beauty left little wonder as to why some would worship her as an actual goddess. To others such as Doctor Author Watts, Salem was not a goddess. She, however, was his boss, benefactor and someone who without a doubt was a true Queen and thus deserved respect and like any reasonable employer she required reports on the activities of her underlings and now it was his turn to bring for an account of his actions and state his case before her.

"What's it Watt?" Salem's voice echoed through the throne room giving Dr. Watts goosebumps and causing a small primal part of his brain to release both adrenaline and cortisol which worked together to elicit the fight or flight response which created a desire to just cowardly apologize for the intrusion and leave without saying anything more. However then he would then be guilty of wasting her time and thus punished accordingly but far worse was the consequence of putting his goals forever out of reach, which was simply unacceptable. So he took a moment to recenter himself to properly squash that rebellious part of him and only once that process was complete did he speak.

"My liege, are you aware of the late Dr. Merlot's final project?" he asked with a respectful bow knowing full well that she was familiar with the project even if she had no part in it.

"I do remember it well. I remember that it was a complete failure, I remember that it took time away from his working projects, the ones that actually had value." Salem's voice was cold and her face seemed devoid of emotion but there was anger lingering in her eyes. It was clear that thinking about Merlot made her upset or maybe it was the thought of that failed project or maybe it was both, her face gave no answers and no clues.

Dr. Watts for all his pride as a speaker was not prepared for this response and once again a tiny fearful part of him wanted to hide his discovery and pretend like there was nothing to report, Calm down, Arthur, her mood will improve when you show her the file. "My Queen, I have recently learned that Dr. Merlot's final Project was not, in fact, a complete failure and if you should permit me I will show you the medical file of a young fool by the name Jaune Arc who should now be known as Patient Zero."

Salem's eyes narrowed but she did not seem upset rather, she seemed interested which was a huge relief to the man. After a few nerve racking seconds she motioned for Dr. Watts to come closer to her which he obeyed with all due haste and once he was in front of her she silently motioned with her hand to continue his presentation, breathing a sigh of relief he took a respectful step forward and pulled out his scroll and in only a few seconds he found the files regarding Jaune and with Salem's permission, he began his presentation.

Jaune hated going to the doctor's for the same reason that so many other people hated going, it meant you were sick or that something was wrong with their body. Now he wasn't sick but there was something deeply wrong with his body but at the same time he knew that it was thanks to that wrongness that he was still alive, Pyrrha would have killed him, the landing would have also killed him, and he wasn't dumb or arrogant enough to think even for a second that he would have survive his encounter with the Nemean or the Varana had he been normal, And even if I did, I wouldn't have survived the aftermath… he bitterly understood that he had only persevered because he was violated, mutilated and left for dead by whoever that Goddamned Mad Surgeon was but even after all that, it wasn't enough. Laying on the medical bed in the Rest and Recovery ward, he was reminded just how weak he still was and he hated that, I contributed nothing and was just a burden to everyone… maybe I should have just gone to the safe zone, maybe its not too late.

"Ah, you are awake, that is excellent news Mr. Arc." The sudden voice of Ozpin shocked Jaune out of his thoughts and grabbed his attention and turned it toward the headmaster who had just entered the room and was now standing next to his bed and making him feel just a little uncomfortable. "How are you feeling Mr. Arc?"

"I feel like shit." On any other day he would never dream of talking to anyone like that much less the Headmaster of Beacon Academy and that was before taking in account the fact that he was now a student of that Academy however, a shitty day often results in a shitty attitude.

The Headmaster had every right to be offended by the boy's blunt and rather crude reply but instead, he just chuckled understandably and sat on the chair next to the bed the boy was laying in. "First off let me be the very first to properly welcome you to Beacon. Congratulations Mr. Arc, you earned it."

The words felt fake to Jaune,"But I was nothing but dead weight," he said, trying to understand what he was hearing.

"You were not the one at fault there Mr. Arc, it was Pyrrha who bears all of the blame since it was her who threw the javelin. Your injuries and naturally your performance during Initiation was due entirely to her lapse in judgment but, even then you still managed to pass and even defeated a couple of Grimm." Upon being reminded of what she accidentally did to him caused an interesting array of emotions to play across the young man's face, anger was the first to emerge which was understandable given what her selfishness had done to the boy but then it was followed by shame, Is he ashamed of his on performance or by his own anger towards her? When that had passed confusion and conflict settled in the aftermath. It was an ugly sight so the Headmaster decided to help clear some things up, "Jaune it is perfectly alright to be angry at her…"

"Huh?"

"The life of a Huntsman is a stressful one and when you consider how we have to hide our fears, anger, worry and even sorrow for the sake of the people we protect... it's hard. I won't insult you by trying to sugarcoat it for you, I've seen more than one huntsman go through a breakdown because of the subtle but constant double life this work requires. Learning how to control and properly vent out your emotions is essential if you want to work in this career, honesty with others and especially yourself is key. In your case, she made a mistake and it nearly cost you. I'm not a psychologist but I know for a fact that if you don't let this feeling play out, you will regret it."

"But, she apologized! She tried to help me pass, I would have failed without her help!" he couldn't believe his ears, why is Ozpin saying this?

"Yes I know, Jaune it was thanks to all the care and assistance she gave you that made me and the rest of the professors decided to appoint her as the captain of your team which is a position I feel she will do justice."

Now he was just getting confused, "Then why are you telling me that it's okay to be angry?"

"Because it is okay, because anger is a normal and perfectly acceptable reaction especially when we consider everything that you have already gone through... Normally, I would not bother to meddle like this in the affairs of my students." He noticed the odd look he was now getting from Jaune and decided to clarify, "Don't misunderstand me, my door is always open to those who honestly want my help but this is not a normal situation Mr. Arc. You are not a normal student."

There it is, there it is, he thinks I'm some kind of monster... And he's right. Without realizing it, he began biting his lip and he was biting it so hard that his teeth broke right through the skin and was now bleeding but he did not seem to notice either the pain or the blood. Ozpin however did notice and quickly handed the boy a handkerchief to clean the blood that was trickling down his face.

"I must apologize. I never meant to offend you like that or imply anything... Jaune I have lived for a long long time and I have never seen anything like you before, there is a lot that I am not sure of. But I know this, you don't have to suffer alone. If you truly hold no grudge against Pyrrha then that is fantastic but if a part of you still resents her then please, tell her. It will save both of you much pain and regret to get this out of the way now but don't think that you owe her anything, especially when you saved her from being ambushed by a Creep." Seeing that Jaune now had something to think about Ozpin then got up to leave but as he when he reached the door, stopped as though he suddenly remembered something important that he was supposed to say. "By the way Mr. Arc, I would recommend lying about the nature of your regenerative abilities."

And now the boy was confused again, "Should you really be telling a student to lie to his peers and professors?"

"Sometimes lying is not only the smart move but it is also the correct move to make, this is a Huntsman Academy which means you are going to get hurt. Without fail sooner or later you are going to be injured to such a degree that will trigger that regenerative ability of yours and when that happens most people are going to assume that it is your Semblance in action and I would recommend that you agree with them, at least for now."

Jaune quickly grasped the wisdom in Ozpin's words but the last part made him puzzled and naturally a little worried, "What do you mean for now?"

The headmaster gave a hearty chuckle before answering, "I don't want to cause you any undue worry but I have to ask whether you honestly think that this is a secret that you can hide forever? Even if the circumstance to bring forth your true Semblance never comes to pass it doesn't change the fact that regeneration, thanks to the way Aura works, is not an actual Semblance. Some people are going to be confused and others are going to be suspicious, fortunately the odds are that suspicion will be as bad as it ever gets but one must hope for the best and prepare for the worst," and as with that Ozpin left to get back to work leaving Jaune alone with his thoughts.

Nora was excited, how could she not be excited? She and Ren got into Beacon and more importantly, they got on a team with each other and it was going to be the best team ever!, Go Team PRAN (Prismarine which is apparently a real color but I 'vs never heard of it)! But there was still work that needed to be done! First, they need to decide on sleeping arrangements, then they need to decide on chores, bathing schedules, who will go out for booze runs, make a list of potential enemies and form plans on how to properly destroy them along with so many other smaller but still very important tasks. With many plans and backup plans still running through her mind, Nora excitedly turned to her best friend and asked, "Say, Ren, do think you think you can take the bed by the window? With your Mad Ninja Skills, you'd be able to sneak out whenever you want and just the possibilities that would bring!"

"Nora, maybe we should wait for the last member of our team to voice his opinion," he stated in such a cold and uninterested sounding manner that most people would think that he was just burnt out by his partner's antics. Those people, however, would be wrong as Ren was already considering the best means to put Nora's plans into action, Maybe we can bribe them with pancakes.

"Oh, that's a good Point Ren! We don't want our first meeting with the guy to be like, Hey! There, nice to meet you, I hope we can get along. By the way, while you were recovering we made a bunch of important decisions about the next four years and beyond without you! Let's be friends!"

Pyrrha, who during this conversation had been mostly ignoring the pair while silently arranging her stuff on the bed nearest to the bathroom but she flinched at the mention of Jaune and the reminder of his absence. Even worse she was betrayed by her own mind which refused to let her forget that she was the reason why he was in a hospital bed instead of unpacking in their dorm room with the rest of the team. And then her guilt began its assault, It's your fault you know, he wouldn't be in that condition if you hadn't thrown that javelin just to fulfill your own selfish wish! Did you even ask if he wanted to be your partner? Did it ever occur to you that he might have already had a partner in mind? No, you didn't! Instead you forced your own desires onto him and tried to pin the guy to a tree in the middle of a Grimm infested forest! He is lucky to be alive.

"Excuse me Pyrrha."

Her heart nearly jumped right out of her chest and when she turned around to see who had startled her she saw both Ren and Nora staring at her with concern for her written plainly on their faces. For what felt like a tense minute the pair just looked at her without saying anything as though they weren't really sure what to say themselves. Eventually the silence became unbearable, "What?" Pyrrha finally asked, not in an angry or annoyed way but rather in a hushed guilty tone like she was just trying to get away from this uncomfortable situation. It's all your fault.

Nora was the first to answer, "You were shaking."

"I… I was?!"

Ren stepped a little closer but still gave Pyrrha space so we wouldn't think she was being cornered or forced into anything, "Go to him Pyrrha."

"What!?"

He pressed on, "We heard about what happened in initiation."

Pyrrha suddenly felt like the world was slowly growing darker and colder, "Then you know what happened... you know that I hurt him," she could feel the heat leaving her body as she said this.

This time it was Nora who stepped forward, "We also heard from Ruby how you helped him, how he wouldn't have passed without your help."

"BUT I'M THE REASON HE NEEDED HELP IN THE FIRST PLACE!" she didn't mean to shout, it just happened and for a moment she was afraid that she had screwed up and driven both Ren and Nora away before the team was even assembled, Is fighting the only thing I can do right?

"And that's why you need to go and talk to him, the sooner the better since the two of you need to be able to put this behind you. Otherwise, this will just fester and sooner rather than later it will burst and everyone will be affected," Ren's face remained so calm and collected as he said this but, his eyes were different, there was a nostalgic sadness in his eyes that didn't not escape Pyrrha's notice. The best way she could think to describe it was as though he was remembering something painful, which was oddly comforting, Like I'm not the only one who has made mistakes like this.

"I know we just met but, please trust me and Ren on this. We… We have both made similar mistakes in the past, mistakes where we accidentally hurt each other both emotionally… and physically," Nora was looking down and tightly gripping her arm as she said this while Ren placed a gentle reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Pyrrha couldn't think of anything to say.

As she made her way to the medical ward Pyrrha couldn't help but feel like she was trapped inside of a maelstrom as her mind kept imagining all the ways this could go wrong while a smaller but still present voice inside her head took every moment to remind her that she didn't have to do this alone which was true. When Ren and Nora had succeeded in convincing her to go see her partner both of them were quick to offer to come with her as a form of emotional support, But I need to do this alone. However that was just a lie she was telling herself and she knew it and both Ren and Nora knew it but they were too polite to force the issue and now she had no one but herself to blame. The reality was that she desperately wanted them to come with her but thanks to her own guilt she felt like she had to do it alone out of some misguided desire to prove herself when she didn't really have to. This drive to constantly push herself was a reason she was the top graduate at Sanctum Academy and more importantly the four time Mistral regional champion! She was the Invincible Girl and now she was scared, no she was horrified, Pathetic. Just how absolutely pitiful can you be? And yet despite her fear, she kept walking down that hallway, walking to the room where her partner was, Is he alright? Is he even still awake? Does he hate me? Of Course, he hates you. Her pace quickened as she tried to ignore that tired old and always disappointed voice in her head that she could never please no matter how hard she tried and before she realized it she was almost running down that hallway and she didn't stop until she had reached the Rest and Recovery room with now the only thing between her and Jaune was a simple door.

She attempted to reach out and grab the door handle to turn it but she found that she just couldn't, she just couldn't bring herself to open the door and to her frustration she found that couldn't explain why, she just felt the strength drain from her arms and as that happened she also felt a rising desire to run away, to go back to her dorm room and lie to Ren and Nora by telling them that Jaune was asleep before promising to try again tomorrow where she would doubtlessly do this whole dance and song all over again, but she couldn't bring herself to do that either, for some reason her feet felt frozen. Coward. Failure. Weak.

"SHUT UP!" Pyrrha shouted into the empty hallway. "Just shut up!"

The door to the R&R opened up and a confused Jaune emerge,. "Um, Pyrrha… are you okay?"

She took a moment to compose herself before looking him right in the eye. "No Jaune, I'm not alright and we need to talk," the two stared at each other in silence for a few of the most terrifying moments in her life before he wordlessly stepped to the side and let her inside the room.

"Dr. Gris is in his office right and right now there is no one else here so we can talk in private." With that, both he led her to the mini library which was located towards the back reducing the possibility of someone walking in on what could be a private moment between the two, once there they sat on opposite chairs and faced each other from across a table.

Pyrrha broke the ice, "Jaune, I wanted to know… are you going to be alright?" Such a disappointment, her old fears and worries were now in full force, it was almost funny really. The Great Pyrrha Nikos was stumbling towards an anxiety attack all because she didn't dare to ask her partner something as simple as, Hey I'm here because I wanted to apologize again for what happened and ask if there is anything at all I can do to help you? Also I just wanted to get to know you better!

"Yeah, I'm okay. I was getting ready to go meet you and the rest of the team in the dorms… are they nice?" Jaune answered but there was an edge to his voice that made Pyrrha flinch just little which was something he quickly noticed, I guess Ozpin was right, I'm still angry at Pyrrha and judging by her reaction she is still upset by what happened. He realized what he needed to do if there was to be any chance for this partnership to work on any level, he needed to cut the bullshit and get to the heart of the matter, "Actually... No, I'm not alright."

It felt like her worst fears were about to be realized and in the back of her head she could feel the urge to run or make excuses rising but to her credit, she did not listen to that cowardly vice and remained sitting in that chair and ready to allow Jaune to speak his mind.. Despite what that damnable voice in her head may say, she was strong enough to bear the weight of his hate if she had to. Sure, she trembled every step of the way here but, she came anyway and she would take it, no matter how much she hated it or how badly it would hurt she would accept it, You're Faking Courage. Shut up!

He continued, "Pyrrha I would be lying to you if It said that I wasn't still a little angry with you," That was the easy part, now comes the hard, "But, I am far angrier no… not angry isn't the right word. Rather I'm disappointed with myself."

She was more than a bit bewildered at this and without thinking she spoke out, "But Jaune you did nothing wrong! I was the one who hurt you! You should be angry at me!"

"And I'm still angry at you Pyrrha, but only a little and do you know why? You are the reason I got impaled, but that was an accident and instead of making excuses you took responsibility. You argued on my behalf and you even carried me until I could stand on my own two feet! How can I stay angry at you when I passed thanks to you?" he was fully sincere as he said this and this created an odd sickly feeling in her.

"Jaune… I don't deserve this. You should be angry at me, not disappointed in yourself, I was the one at fault, not you!"

He had a feeling that she wasn't going to accept what he said and truth be told he did not blame her at all but he needed her to understand otherwise this subject could be a cancer damaging the relationship, he had to carefully word the next part correctly and to do that he sat in meditative silence trying to formulate his next words when without warning memories began to resurface. Memories of a bar, memories of an operating table, memories of pain and a memory that felt like dying, Jaune now knew what he wanted, no. What he needs to say, "Pyrrha, before I came to Beacon… I was hurt. Nothing personal but I'm not to tell you what happened and I would appreciate it if you don't ask me questions about it."

Pyrrha nodded her head in understanding but there was a part of her that was rather curious.

"I'm not comfortable saying this but, back then I felt such an overwhelming feeling of helplessness that I swore I would never feel that way again no matter what it took... then Initiation happened and once again I was helpless for a while... I was furious at you, at Weiss, at the whole damn world but mostly at myself. I thought I had grown stronger since then but, I was still just as naive and vulnerable as I ever was."

"I… I am so sorry Jaune." it was now starting to dawn on her just how grim her sins were. He attempted to interrupt the apology but she raised a hand to ask him to wait, which he did. "Jaune, you did nothing wrong and as soon as you could you began walking on your own, you helped us in every fight that you could and you protected me from the Creep and you were the one who spotted the Nemean, Weiss is alive thanks to you."

"And then I was ambushed by the same thing." he bitterly added.

"You got ambushed while trying to make sure Ruby was safe! None of us knew that there even were Grimm that could mimic voices but more importantly, you were able to fight it off! You even killed the Varana while ambushed and wounded! You are Strong!" Now it was his turn to be blown away by the sincerity in her voice.

The weight on his shoulders got a little lighter, "Thank you, Pyrrha. Thank you for carrying me, thank you for fighting for me and thank you for calling me out for my idiocy… I'm glad that it was you that found me in the forest."

"So are the two of you going to make out or what?"

Jaune and Pyrrha both nearly jumped out of their respective seats before together turning to see both Ren and Nora standing at the door and looking at them both. Before Jaune could ask who they were, Nora already crossed the distance and began shaking his hand, "I'm Nora Valkyrie and this guy is Lie Ren! But don't call him Lie, that's his last name not his first but it comes first instead of last and it is weirrrrred but more importantly we're your teammates! Also, you owe Ren and I a Monkey!"

Ren then stepped in to clarify, "You stole our kill and we demand compensation."

And now Jaune was more confused than ever, "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard Ren! You filthy honorless Kill Stealer! We were going to the ones to defeat that monkey and then I was going to make a jacket out of it!" Nora explained.

"Nora, you can't make clothes out of Grimm. Their bodies evaporate when they are killed." Ren calmly stated.

"And that is bullshit! I mean come on! You already tried to kill me, the least you could do is let me make a jacket out of your skin! It's only fair!"

Looking at his partner and then looking at the rest of his teammates for the next four years filled Jaune with an odd sense of relief. Sure there were still plenty of uncertainties that remained on his mind and the mind of Pyrrha but they didn't seem so big anymore. Rather they felt like everything was going to somehow work out just fine.

Salem was smiling as she watched the recording of Jaune fighting the Varana. But, it was not the fight itself that impressed her, after all, it was a rather short fight and the outcome was decided the moment he had knocked the weapon out of the Grimm's hands though that wasn't to suggest that she was in any way impressed with his skills, he was just another one of Ozpin's ignorant pawns in the middle of beating what amounted to an overgrown monkey to death with a rock. However, what was inside the boy was a whole other story.

Quite frankly the boy should be dead, he should have died months ago at Watt's hands, he should have died after that Javelin cut his flight short, he should have died again at the jaws of the Nemean and finally, that first blow from the Varana should have ended his life and yet there he was still alive and more importantly fighting with a strength and ferocity that was more suited to the Grimm. The medical reports that Watt's provided her with revealed that Jaune was simply not Huntsman material, while he was by no means unhealthy he was nowhere near the bare minimal level of physical requirement needed to be considered for a Huntsman academy let alone one as prestigious as Beacon. And yet there he was on screen overpowering and pinning down a Grimm with one hand while the other was raising a rock to finally crack the monster's skull open and it was all thanks to Dr. Merlot's yet unfinished creation, It's not often I'm proven wrong.

When the video ended she turned to Dr. Watts, "Arthur I most certainly hope you did not use all of those delightful vials experimenting on random people."

"I most certainly did not your Grace, I still have around a dozen left." Arthur quickly answered,

"Excellent, then I want you to get to work right away on finishing what Merlot started! Since it involves Grimm I will assist you in this matter, rejoice Arthur as you are about to become the world foremost expert on all things Grimm related."

"Thank you, your Highness! I shall begin work right away!" With that Dr. Watts left the throne room to begin work on his most ambitious project of his entire career.

Author's Notes: So let's talk about Pyrrha, first off Jaune was never going to be the leader thanks to his condition which leaves Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha. Nora was out thanks to her wild nature and since Nora and Ren never met with the others, he never got a chance to show any leadership skills. Sure Pyrrha hurt Jaune but that was an accident and she took responsibility for it and was even willing to trust in his abilities later on. So, I felt that there was never really a choice.

As for the voice in her head, that is part of my headcanon. I think that Pyrrha isn't exactly at the peak of emotional and mental health and I tried to demonstrate that here. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that she is insane but there is a reason she left her entire career behind and went to Beacon.

The Real funny thing about all of this is that originally there wasn't going to be any focus on what the characters were thinking or what they felt about things. Back then I was writing and it just sort of happened and I think that the story is better for it.

PS

Writing for Nora and Ren is a delight and if there are any fanfics with them as the MCs please let me know!