At first, Jaune hesitated to fight back. Their surprised sparring had started as a simple test of skills, but as the intensity ramped up, he realized this wasn't just casual practice. They were serious.
"Alright," he muttered to himself, raising his shield to block Weiss's quick thrust. The rapier glanced off the surface with a sharp metallic clang, forcing Jaune to reposition. Pyrrha's spear came in from his side like a viper striking, and Jaune had to tighten his hold to parry the attack.
Fighting Pyrrha was a battle against his own weapon. Her Semblance, Polarity turned every clash into a struggle. With each strike, Jaune felt her subtle pull on his sword, like an invisible string trying to wrest it from his grasp. He had to amplify his aura, channeling it into Crocea Mors to keep control, but it threw off his rhythm. His swordsmanship, usually well-executed, felt clumsy under her Semblance's influence.
"You're distracted!" Pyrrha taunted, spinning into a roundhouse kick.
Jaune reacted instinctively, tossing his sword into the air to free his hand. He caught her kick mid-motion, slapping it down before reaching up to snatch Crocea Mors as it descended. With a flourish, he swung at Weiss, forcing her to duck and backpedal.
"Am I?" Jaune quipped, his confidence showing despite the odds stacked against him.
Weiss pressed forward, her movements a blur as her glyphs shimmered in the air. Each glyph amplified her speed, allowing her to dart around Jaune like a silver streak. Her attacks were sharp and precise, exploiting every opening Pyrrha created. Between Pyrrha's relentless pressure and Weiss's calculated strikes, Jaune was constantly on the defensive.
Pyrrha jabbed at him, her spear a blur. Jaune raised his shield, catching the blow, but her shield slammed into his side immediately after, making him stumble. Weiss took advantage, thrusting her rapier at his midsection. Jaune twisted just in time to deflect it with the flat of his blade.
"Not bad, girls," he smirked, despite the sweat trickling down his face.
"Cocky, aren't we?" Weiss shot back, her icy blue eyes narrowing.
Jaune had learned from his mentor, the Rusted Knight, that control was everything. His training emphasized measured strikes, restraint, and precision. It was a lesson hammered into him repeatedly — control your power or risk hurting someone. Even now, as he fought, Jaune held back, carefully regulating his strength. But the combined assault from Pyrrha and Weiss was testing his patience as well.
"Just allow yourself to be punished!" Pyrrha called out, her tone teasing.
"Aha! So this is punishment!" Jaune deflected her spear again, stepping back to create space.
Pyrrha lunged, her shield spinning in a dazzling display meant to disorient him. Weiss darted to his side, her glyph launching her forward at an incredible speed. Jaune barely had time to react, stomping the ground to create a shockwave that disrupted their approach.
"You two have no mercy!"
Weiss grinned. "You're doing fine! Aren't you handling us well?"
"She's right," Pyrrha added with a smile.
Jaune huffed, his frustration somewhat mounting. "What is this, a threesom—"
Before he could finish, a familiar battle cry rang out.
"Surprise!" Nora's voice boomed as Magnhild came crashing down.
Jaune spun, raising Crocea Mors just in time to block her hammer. The impact sent a jarring vibration through his arms. He pushed her back, but before he could catch his breath, Ren appeared on his flank.
"Sorry, Jaune," Ren said with an apologetic smile before delivering a swift palm strike.
"Et tu, Ren?"
Jaune deflected it with his forearm, but the coordinated attack forced him to retreat several steps. His heart sank as he saw Ruby Rose leap into the fray, Crescent Rose gleaming in the sunlight.
"Jump him!" Ruby shouted, her enthusiasm evident as she swung her scythe.
Jaune blocked the shaft of her weapon with his knee, but the sheer force pushed him further back. He glanced around, realizing he was now completely surrounded. Pyrrha, Weiss, Nora, Ren, and Ruby — all of them were grinning, their eyes glinting with mischief.
The group's movements were relentless, their coordination impeccable as they encircled Jaune. It was a flurry of steel, aura, and sheer skill. Pyrrha's spear thrust at his chest while Weiss's rapier angled for his legs, forcing him to shift his stance. Ruby's Crescent Rose swung low, aiming to sweep his feet from under him. At the same moment, Nora's hammer came crashing down like a meteor, and Ren's strikes exploited every opening, seeking to disrupt his balance.
Jaune's aura flared, golden and defiant, as he blocked Weiss's thrust with the flat of Crocea Mors and twisted away from Ruby's sweeping scythe. He deflected Pyrrha's spear, only to catch Nora's hammer on his shield, the impact rattling his entire arm.
"You're supposed to be my friends!" Jaune shouted, his voice tinged with mock frustration and disbelief.
"We are!" Ruby replied, her giggle betraying the mischief in her eyes. "But this is way too much fun! Think fast blonde!"
"Fight back!" Ren tried to punch him on the face. "Fight back! Don't make it hard for yourself!"
Pyrrha's shield slammed into Jaune's side, knocking him off balance. Before he could recover, Weiss darted in with a glyph-enhanced lunge. Jaune rolled to the side, the blade grazing his shoulder but failing to connect fully. He barely made it to his feet before Nora's hammer came crashing down again, the ground beneath him cracking from the force.
"You're all having too much fun with this!" Jaune bellowed, narrowly dodging another attack. His armor took the hits, but his shield arm trembled from absorbing blow after blow, and his breathing, although now labored, was still measured.
And yet, despite the absurdity of it all, he couldn't help but smile. There was something exhilarating about this. The challenge, the camaraderie, even the over-the-top chaos — it reminded him of why he'd come to Beacon in the first place. He came for this kind of fun.
"Alright, you asked for it!" Jaune growled, planting his feet as his aura surged brighter. "Let's see how you guys handle this!"
With a thunderous stomp, he unleashed a shockwave that radiated outward, sending his attackers stumbling. Seizing the moment, Jaune surged forward like a golden comet. His shield struck Ren squarely, knocking him back several paces. Pivoting on his heel, he met Pyrrha's spear with Crocea Mors, twisting the blade in a maneuver that temporarily disarmed her.
"Nice try, partner," he teased, his grin wide.
Weiss rushed in, her rapier a blur of calculated precision. Jaune anticipated her movements, sidestepping the thrust and catching her wrist in a firm yet gentle grip. With a slight push, he sent her stumbling back, careful not to hurt her.
"One down, four to go!" he quipped, his voice tinged with mock confidence.
"Not yet!" Weiss rolled forward and they regrouped, their expressions ranging from determined to outright gleeful.
"You're not getting out of this, fearless leader!" Nora declared, her grin feral as she charged, Magnhild raised high.
Jaune braced himself, raising his shield to block the hammer's devastating swing. The impact reverberated through his entire body, forcing him to grit his teeth as he absorbed the blow. Before he could recover, Ruby's scythe came swinging in from the side. Jaune twisted, deflecting it with Crocea Mors, only to find Pyrrha advancing with a recovered Milo.
"Really? Again?" Jaune groaned, blocking her thrust as Weiss closed in on his other side.
The group attacked in perfect synchrony, their strikes flowing together seamlessly. Jaune felt like a lone ship in a storm, battered by waves of steel and aura.
"Is this a spar or a punishment?" he muttered, sidestepping another of Ren's precise strikes.
"A little of both now," Pyrrha replied with a knowing smile, her spear spinning in a graceful arc. "But you have to admit this is fun."
Nora's hammer came swinging again, but this time Jaune ducked and countered with a shoulder charge that sent her sprawling. Ruby lunged at him, her scythe a blur of crimson and rose petals, but Jaune blocked it with his shield and pushed her back.
Weiss and Pyrrha pressed him together, their weapons striking in perfect harmony. Jaune parried Pyrrha's spear and blocked Weiss's rapier with his shield, but the combined assault forced him to retreat several steps.
"Come on, Jaune," Weiss taunted, a rare grin lighting her usually serious face. "You're supposed to be a leader. Show us what you've got!"
"You're all going to pay for this, you know?" Jaune grumbled, his voice half-serious, half-playful.
He spun Crocea Mors in a wide arc, forcing his attackers to momentarily back off. His aura flared into a golden blaze.
"Let's finish this!" Pyrrha declared, her voice ringing with excitement.
"Oh, man," Jaune muttered. "You're enjoying this way too much."
The five of them surged forward in unison, their attacks raining down like a relentless storm. Jaune held his ground, deflecting, dodging, and countering with everything he had left. His shield absorbed Nora's hammer, his sword parried Pyrrha's spear, and his footwork kept him just out of Ruby and Weiss's range.
But finally, his exhaustion caught up with him. A well-timed strike from Pyrrha's shield unbalanced him, and Ruby's scythe swept his legs out from under him. Jaune hit the ground with a heavy thud, Crocea Mors sword and shield wrestled away by Pyrrha's Polarity.
Nora's Magnhild, Weiss's Myrtenaster, Ren's StormFlower, Pyrrha's Miló and Akoúo̱, and Ruby's Crescent Rose pointed at him.
"Alright, alright! I surrender!" he exclaimed, raising his hands in mock defeat. "This wasn't fair, you know?"
The group burst into laughter, their weapons lowering as they gathered around the disheveled Jaune.
"Not bad, fearless leader," Nora said, offering him a hand.
Jaune took it, groaning as she pulled him to his feet. "You guys are sometimes the worst."
"You did asked for this," Pyrrha corrected, a warm smile on her face.
Jaune leaned back in his chair, arms crossed loosely over his chest, as his team and Team RWBY interrogated him. Chairs pulled into a circle in their dorm room.
"Alright, Arc," Weiss began, her arms crossed and one hip cocked in that confident, slightly curvy way. "Spill. Where have you been sneaking off to?"
Jaune shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Just... information gathering."
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Information gathering?"
"Yeah," Jaune said, leaning forward slightly. "I've been talking to travelers, traders, and whoever's willing to share. I wanted to know what's going on in Menagerie, especially with the rumors of the civil war."
Ruby's silver eyes widened, and she gave him a small, touched smile. "You've been looking it up for Yang and Blake?"
Jaune nodded, though he avoided her gaze. It wasn't a total lie — he had gathered some intel, but he was withholding key details. He hadn't mentioned Juniper, his ability to travel through known locations, or his trips to Haven and the coastline. Those were truths he wasn't ready to share. Or he felt compelled to… no, it felt like he couldn't bring any 'strength' to tell them… like his mouth wouldn't obey.
"You could've told us," Ren said, his tone calm but tinged with disappointment. "We could've helped."
Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, guilt flashing briefly across his face. "I didn't want to bother you guys. Besides, I didn't find much. Just pictures and videos from travelers who've been nearby. Everything I've seen and heard confirms what we already knew: getting into Menagerie is going to be hard, especially with those crystal-covered Grimm in the seas and skies."
Ren exchanged a glance with Nora, who pouted exaggeratedly. "Still," she said, slumping into her chair. "You could've asked. We're your team, you know!"
Pyrrha, sitting beside Jaune, studied him quietly. There was a flicker of sadness in her emerald eyes, but she didn't press him. "It's alright," she said softly. "I'm sure Jaune had his reasons."
Weiss, however, wasn't as forgiving. She tilted her head, her expression sharp and analytical. "You're awfully vague, Arc. Convenient, isn't it? And a little cocky, thinking you could just waltz around and figure everything out on your own."
Jaune smirked, leaning back again. "Maybe, but I'm not that overconfident."
Weiss raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Really? Because that's not the impression I'm getting."
Before Jaune could respond, Ruby interjected, her voice light and teasing. "Well, he may be cocky, but he still got his butt kicked earlier."
The room erupted into laughter, with Weiss even cracking a small smile.
Jaune grinned smugly, holding up a finger. "Five versus one, Ruby. I think that's a little unfair, don't you?"
"Oh, please," Weiss scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You had your aura and armor. That should've evened things out."
"Not even close," Jaune retorted. "I still think I held my own pretty well."
The group collectively disagreed, their protests overlapping in a cacophony of mockery and teasing.
"You were outclassed, Jaune," Pyrrha said, though her smile was warm. "But I'll admit, you lasted longer than I expected. Just accept it, okay?"
Jaune chuckled, throwing up his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright! I admit I lost."
After everyone left, Pyrrha silently pulled him to the rooftop without a word. The rooftop of Beacon was quiet, save for the distant hum of activity below. Classes hadn't fully resumed, and the Academy grounds were caught in a rare lull.
Jaune stood at the edge with Pyrrha standing next to him.
Jaune glanced at her, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "So... what are we doing here?" he asked.
Pyrrha didn't answer immediately. Instead, she gazed out over the spires of Beacon Academy, her expression thoughtful. Finally, she spoke. "I was… a little sad that you didn't come to Argus during the break."
Her words hung in the air, carrying a quiet weight that made Jaune hesitate. He turned to face her fully, his expression apologetic. "I really did forget," he said earnestly. "It wasn't anything more than that. I got busy… that's all."
Pyrrha studied him for a moment, then nodded, though a shadow of disappointment lingered in her eyes. "I believe you," she said softly, before letting out a small sigh. "But I also feel like… if you wanted to, you probably could have made it work."
Jaune blinked, taken aback. "You think so?"
Pyrrha smiled faintly, folding her arms. "I do. You're strong, Jaune. Stronger than you give yourself credit for. I think… even if you started learning about Aura and combat after initiation, I'm confident that in two years, you could catch up to any of us."
"Hah, how would I even get into Beacon if I don't now how to fight or have Aura? Forge my transcripts? Would that even work on something as prestigious as Beacon Academy?" Jaune shook his head, letting out a short laugh. "Still, you're overestimating me, Pyrrha. I'm not—"
"I'm not overestimating anything," Pyrrha interrupted gently, her tone firm but kind. "I've fought alongside you, seen what you're capable of in a fight."
Her unwavering belief in him left Jaune momentarily speechless. He looked away, his gaze drifting to the horizon. The golden light of the afternoon sun bathed Beacon Academy in a warm glow, but Jaune felt a subtle weight settle over him. When he chanced a glance at Pyrrha, he caught her staring at him, her green eyes studying him intently. They weren't harsh or critical, but soft, as though she were trying to understand something unspoken.
"I was really worried," she admitted quietly. "You just disappeared without saying anything."
Jaune flinched slightly at her words. He opened his mouth, searching for the right response, but nothing came. In the end, he offered the simplest answer he could manage. "I'm sorry, Pyrrha. I promise, if I can help it, I won't do it again."
Pyrrha nodded, as if accepting his apology. Her voice softened even further as she added, "I know you have your reasons, Jaune. And I know you have some secrets too."
Jaune tensed, his shoulders stiffening. Pyrrha stepped closer, tilting her head slightly as she caught his gaze, her sly smile disarming. "But we're supposed to be partners, remember? I'd really appreciate it if you could rely on me, too."
Her words were sincere, but there was an unspoken challenge in her tone, a quiet encouragement that made Jaune feel both supported and cornered. He looked down, fiddling with the edge of his clothes, before dodging the weight of her statement with a small, hesitant smile.
"I… I'll do my best. If anything like this happens again, I'll let you know."
Pyrrha studied him for another long moment, then leaned back, her hands slipping behind her back. The sly smile softened into something more relaxed, and she turned her gaze back to the sprawling campus below. "That's all I ask," she said simply.
The sunlight framed her figure, casting a warm halo around her crimson hair as it shifted in the breeze, her gaze remaining on the campus and the spires blocking the horizon.
Jaune opened his mouth, hesitating as if to say something — perhaps to explain, to give her some kind of answer. But before any words could form, a multi-colored leaf drifted between them, carried by a faint breeze. It shimmered briefly in the sunlight, an impossible blend of colors that seemed to shift and dance as it spun lazily downward.
Pyrrha didn't see.
But upon seeing it, his breath caught.
Whether it was the rules or some unspoken agreement tied to the Everafter, the message was clear… that his lips were sealed.