Phew, I got worried about when this chapter would be released because my Beta was in the middle of his thesis and wasn't sure when he would have time to review this. Of course, his real life responsibilities took precedence over this, but that didn't mean I didn't want to release this chapter. Flushing out Vernal and Raven more, along with the Branwen tribe's customs the last couple chapters were interesting and fun on my end. The tribe didn't get much screen time in the actual show and when they did, they were garbage. I'm going to make them an actual threat in this story when we see them again. There's no way they could survive if it was just Raven and Vernal were fighters. Also, special thanks to nBappo for Betaing.
If you enjoy my stories and feel like tossing a few bucks my way for expenses, please see my P a treon below.
P a treon . com (Slash) Dark Betrayer
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.
"Do we have to get up?" Yang groaned as sunlight filtered into their hammocks from the tree's above.
"If you want to finish today, yes!" Ruby huffed and pushed her sister with her foot. "Today's the last day and we should be able to finish before lunch!"
"Don't we have until tomorrow?" Yang moaned and turned over in her hammock. "We're an entire day ahead. Let me sleep!"
"The sooner we finish, the sooner we can shower." Blake reminded the blonde, as she stood up and stretched. "And things are a lot easier now since the rain stopped at least."
"The mud's still there."
"When did you complain so much?" Blake raised an eyebrow.
"Well, Weiss isn't doing it, so someone has to."
Blake and Ruby turned toward the last member of their team sitting next to the fire and staring at it as the collapsible pot with water began to boil. Weiss had grown unusually quiet the day before, her usual sharp comments replaced by silence. After the first night dealing with the tent issue, Weiss had complained quite a bit about marching through the rain and mud. Anything anyone did seemed to set her off. Especially when Yang tried to crack a joke at her expense. During the second night, she just sort of collapsed and slept like a rock, barely waking up to eat dinner. Ruby let her sleep then because it was obvious what the problem was.
Out of all of them, Weiss was the least physically fit for endurance.
Yang was a front line fighter and muscular. She was used to dishing out blows and taking them. Her Semblance was literally absorbing damage she took and increasing her own strength. Plus she hit the gym nearly every day to keep in shape. Blake spent a large part of her life out in the wilds doing missions with the White Fang, including long term scouting and stakeouts. Ruby, of course, had spent nearly two months traveling by foot like this, so it was second nature to her. With Weiss…
Besides training with her rapier and Dust, most of her studies weren't physical.
The heiress had seemed to hit her limits yesterday. Her body was going through the motions, but otherwise she was quiet. Unusually so. No complaints, no questions, and barely answered when someone asked her a question. She had reached her limit and Ruby wasn't sure how to approach that since Weiss was so prideful. Rather than saying she was exhausted, she was keeping quiet to conserve any bit of strength she had left. Qrow had explained to Ruby once that the more tired someone is, the quieter they get and she had witnessed it during her and Jaune's travels. At the beginning of their apprenticeship, that had indeed been the case, though she and Jaune did try to talk as much as possible.
Ruby wrestled with how to handle the situation, unsure how to support Weiss without offending her.
Yang was leading the group as Ruby slowed down to walk with Weiss in the back. Blake's amber eyes flickered over and she sped up slightly to move up with Yang. She was always so observant and didn't take pleasure in making fun of people like her partner. Ruby mentally noted to thank her later as she stayed by Weiss' side. The heiress looked at her, the normally pale face looking a little sunken, but otherwise normal, if slightly red from the exercise. However, if Ruby focused, Weiss' ice blue eyes seemed duller.
"Weiss… if you need help, it's okay to ask."
"I'm fine." Came the curt reply.
"No you're not!" Ruby pointed out.
"Yes, I am." Weiss countered, avoiding eye contact.
"Weiss!" Ruby moved in front of her and stomped her foot in the soft ground with a squelch. "This isn't like school! You can't pretend to be tough when you're barely standing! It's not only harmful for your body, but you can put everyone in danger!"
Weiss' steps faltered as she stopped. Ahead of them, Yang turned around and started to open her mouth, but Blake came to the rescue by clamping her hand over it. She pulled the blonde away and uncharacteristically, Yang didn't really struggle, even remaining silent. Ruby waited for them to get a short distance away, while standing firmly in front of Weiss.
"You're barely hanging in there." The young leader continued. "Aren't you?"
"It's not like complaining about it will do anything." Weiss scoffed weakly as she tried to walk past her. "We have less than a day left and the weather has cleared up. I can handle it."
"What if we're attacked and you don't have the energy to defend yourself?" Ruby asked. "You could get killed! What if one of us gets in trouble and you can't help us because you can barely move?"
"What do you expect us to do if that is the case?" Weiss demanded to know back. "Sit here all day and let me recover so we fail? This is supposed to be a mission with a time limit. If we delay, we risk failing. Could you let a town fall to Grimm because I'm what? Tired?"
"That's not what I'm suggesting!" Ruby shook her head. "But if you're struggling, as a leader, I need to know about it. We all do. There are things we can do to make it easier for you so you can recover while we keep moving." She held out her hand. "Give me your bag."
"I'm not going to let you carry my bag." Weiss looked like she had been slapped in the face at the thought of being forced to give her supplies to someone younger than her. The very thought of Yang seeing that was more than she could bear.
"I don't need the entire thing." Ruby shook her head. "But I'll help carry some of the load. A couple pounds will make you feel so much lighter now."
"I'm not weak, Ruby." Weiss growled, anger flashing through her dull eyes for a moment.
"I didn't say that." Ruby amended quickly. "But we all have strengths and weaknesses. Yang is used to a lot of physical exercise, Blake has done outdoor missions before, and I went with my Uncle Qrow. You are the least experience doing this kind of survival mission, so it's only natural you get tired a little faster than us." Weiss' eyes narrowed. "But you have so many other strengths! Like you're smart, you have those awesome glyphs, and you can control and support an entire battlefield. We need you to stay strong in case we come across a bunch of Grimm."
Ruby hoped she phrased this well enough so Weiss' defensive reflex wouldn't kick in. She stood there, sweating a bit, as her partner stared at her. Finally, a sigh escaped Weiss and she began to unhook her backpack. Relief washed over Ruby, but she determinedly kept it from showing on her face. As Weiss opened the bag, she held it out.
"Take what you want then."
Knowing Weiss was stuck on taking the broken tent back to Beacon and refusing to let someone else make up for her mistake, Ruby took other supplies, like the remaining food and a couple other essentials, leaving Weiss with the tent and water.
"There you go!" Handing the bag back to Weiss, Ruby smiled reassuringly. "You'll feel better and we'll get to the finish line in no time." As her partner took it, she leaned forward and whispered. "If you feel like you want to do some endurance exercise, we could work out together. Beacon's gym has treadmills."
"I'll consider it." Weiss pulled her backpack back up and fastened it, but Ruby thought she saw the hint of a smile on her partner's face. That was a good sign. While Weiss wouldn't willingly show weakness, she did appreciate these acts of kindness. And Ruby had been on the receiving end of when Weiss wanted to be kind too. Sometimes it was just hard for her to show it, but she really did care.
"Let's catch up to the others," Ruby suggested and pointed over her shoulder. "Yang will get in trouble if we're not there and Blake can only hold her off for so long." Weiss nodded and began to follow. Then Ruby heard it, a whisper so soft she could have imagined it.
"Thank you, Ruby."
"How's things going, Oz!" Qrow waved as he joined the headmaster and Glynda at the finish line all the teams were supposed to converge at. "Anyone dead?"
"Not funny, Qrow." Glynda sniffed, glaring at the man.
"So far, no casualties." Ozpin shook his head. "The outcome is pretty much what we expect. Peter and Bart are currently in the field monitoring some of the teams." He gestured to a couple Atlas technicians in the distance surrounded by computers attached to a Bullhead. "A couple of them were getting a little further away than they should and we considered they might have gotten lost. Atlas has been most helpful with their tracking technology."
"Huh, I expected more students to give up." Qrow plopped down on the grass. "Even a short hike through rough terrain is tough for kids."
"We've only had one team give up." Ozpin glanced at his notes. "Team CRDL." Qrow raised an eyebrow. "They were attacked by a group of Ursai and Mr. Bronzewing activated the emergency Beacon while retreating with Mr. Thrush and Mr. Lark. Mr. Winchester however took all the Ursai down and wasn't happy with them. We'll have to take that into account in his grade."
"Already done, Ozpin." Glynda informed him. "Speaking of Mr. Winchester, there's been a noticeable change in him recently. His performance in my class has suddenly improved and I've haven't had any reports of him bullying other students lately."
"It was only a matter of time until he started to outgrow those childish tendencies." Ozpin sipped his drink from his mug. "Students mature as they learn and grow."
"Or he's spending all his time taking out his aggression while training with someone else." Qrow's shrug might have seemed innocently enough if it wasn't for the huge shit eating grin on his face. "Sometimes brats just need to beat each other up a bit to respect each other."
"Is that why you had Mr. Arc antagonize him?" Glynda raised an eyebrow.
"Yep, and look, positive character development!" Qrow gestured with one hand. "The WInchester brat is using his extra energy to train and spar, rather than bullying others. Especially Faunus from what I hear. You really should do more to stop that kind of stuff, Glynda." For some reason, the blonde professor didn't appreciate that comment. "Best of all, since I can't be around all the time to spar with Jaune, I let him do it. They are closer in skill anyways, so it will be good for both of them. Jaune just has the advantage with his bullshit overpowered, grace from some god, Semblance."
"One might say you were jealous." Ozpin commented mildly.
"I would prefer you not use your method of teaching in my class and causing a spectacle," Glynda huffed, her eyes flashing dangerously. "It undermines me and my principles. I teach my students not to showboat because overconfidence leads to mistakes."
"I taught my apprentices that as well." Qrow added. "What Jaune did was antagonize a human opponent, leading him to make mistakes he could take advantage of. Seems like it was a good lesson for both of them. One learned how to use their opponents weakness against them, and the other learned not to fall for taunts. You should be thanking me, Glynda. Most people would pay a lot of money for a lesson from me."
"That's not the point!" Glynda snapped. "There is a time and place for everything."
"And I determined it was time for it in your classroom." Qrow reached into his pocket and pulled out his flask. "If anything, I should be commended for how great of a job I did. Trained a kid, got a bully to stop picking on others, and got them to train extra hard on their own. Seriously, when did I get so good? I think I earned this drink."
"What doesn't earn you a drink in your mind?" Glynda rolled her eyes.
"I like to celebrate achievements, no matter how small." Qrow chugged a bit of his cheap booze. "And when bad things happen, I need a pick me up. Alcohol solves all problems."
"Except for your drinking problem."
"It's only a problem when I run out."
"Now, now, you two." Ozpin remarked, interrupting their conversation. "Both of you have different teaching methods. Some students respond better to one or the other. It doesn't mean your style is inferior or wrong when compared. If you two can hold off on the banter, it seems our first team is drawing near."
"Which one?" Qrow asked, putting his flask away.
"Team RWBY." Glynda reported after checking her tablet that was connected to the main computer with the Atlas techs. "They are the clear front runners."
"Naturally." Qrow nodded with a smirk still on his face. "I taught Ruby personally and she seems to have some quality teammates. What, she's half a day earlier than you expected?"
"Based on past performances, we expected the fastest teams in the early afternoon at least, but it's not even noon yet."
"It seemed giving Team RWBY and Team JNPR an extra challenge did not cause any problems." Ozpin glanced at Qrow. "People have different needs to grow and thrive."
"Shame Jaune's team had some unexpected friends show up, or we would have some competition for first place." Qrow shrugged and took another swig of his flask. Glynda frowned as she stared at him, noticing the lack of sarcasm or humor.
Another 30 minutes passed and the three teachers saw the familiar students reach the clearing. The four of them looked to be in relatively high spirits, though it was obvious they weren't in pristine condition. Clothes had minor tears, hair was messy, and they weren't moving nearly as fast as they did back at school.
"HEEELLLLOOOO!" Ruby called out, waving her hands. "We're here!"
"Welcome, Miss Rose and Team RWBY." Ozpin greeted them. "Congratulations on successfully navigating back here. You have quite an impressive time."
"Did we win?!" Yang asked immediately.
"There's no winning or losing here." Glynda reprimanded sternly. "This is a test for us to examine your-..."
"Yep!" Qrow interrupted her. "You're first."
"Yes!" Yang cheered as Glynda gave Qrow a death stare.
"Why don't you young ladies enjoy a rest?" Ozpin suggested. "The Bullheads are designed to take two teams back so you'll need to wait for a bit before you can return."
"You mean we have to wait even longer to shower?" Weiss gasped, horrified. She had finally thought they were leaving this hellhole.
"We need to conserve fuel to reduce the costs to the school." Glynda informed them. "This Survival Training isn't cheap, but it's important for the students."
"It's fine." Ruby scooted over by Weiss. "We can have lunch and wait for our friends to get here. They shouldn't be long."
"Who wants to see their boyfriend so badly?" Yang teased, wrapping her arm around Ruby's shoulder.
"Staawwwp!" Ruby pushed her off.
"No matter how much things change, some things always stay the same." Blake whispered to Weiss, who nodded.
"You as disappointed as I am?" Weiss asked Blake, as they all sat down on a tarp to rest and prepare lunch.
"You mean getting back and having a hot shower, yeah." The dark haired girl agreed and slumped down. "Though not as much as Yang is. She's keeping her mind off her hair by teasing Ruby and I'm positive Ruby knows this. That's why she's not laying down the law."
"I don't know…" Weiss trailed off as she looked at Ruby pushing Yang away. "Is Ruby that perspective involving people?"
"You'll be surprised what Ruby notices and pretends not to." Blake replied. "She helped you when you were exhausted, didn't she?" Weiss didn't have a comeback for this. "Everyone copes in their own ways and they grew up together, so they know each other inside and out."
"I'm still getting into the bathroom first so I can have a nice long bath." Weiss tried to sound light hearted. "Yang can use the school showers."
"I'm not responsible for stopping her if she breaks down the bathroom door."
"Sounds fair."
"So brat, bigger brat, and other brats." Qrow grinned as he plopped down next to them. "Did you enjoy yourself? Bring back fond memories, squirt?"
"It was just like the apprenticeship." Ruby beamed. "Except more exciting! We were in charge and didn't have you to help us if we got lost."
"Didn't you say he let you get lost for a while before telling you?" Blake asked smugly.
"It was to teach the consequences of letting your mind wander." Qrow countered with a grin. "Out here, you need to pay attention to every detail."
"Yeah, the map we got was wrong so it took even longer to find our way!" Ruby complained, before crossing her arms and pouting.
"We should tell Goodwitch about that." Yang considered. "She'll make sure it gets fixed."
"Beacon hadn't updated those maps for a long time, so yeah, some might be out of date." Qrow kept a deliberately straight face. "But other than that, any major issues?"
"Nah, it was smooth sailing." Ruby told him excitedly. "Well, except the rain at the beginning. That was awful."
"I'll say." The rest of her team muttered in unison.
"You have no idea." Qrow sighed. "This was light rain. When it's a torrential downpour and you have mudslides, then things get crazy."
"Can we talk about more positive things?" Weiss asked exasperatedly.
"Yeah, like Ruby wants to know when her boyfriend is getting back." Yang grinned.
"YANG!" Ruby gasped, red faced. "Don't tell Uncle Qrow that!"
"Last I saw, they ran into some Grimm… a lot of them." Qrow shrugged and waved his hand. "I'm sure they're fine. Kid's team is pretty skilled."
"Assuming they put aside their differences." Blake pointed out.
"Eh, teen drama isn't something I focus on." Qrow yawned. "You brats are always whining about something."
"It's not a laughing matter, Uncle Qrow." Ruby huffed.
"I know, I know. I heard you two whining about it all the time." Qrow was aware of the entire team's gaze on him. "I assure you. They are fine. This isn't a hard exercise and the fresh air does wonders."
"This was awful and I don't want to do it again." Yang grumbled, causing Ruby to giggle. Weiss and Blake's lips twitched almost into one, but both of them weren't too keen on doing this anytime soon.
"Get used to it, firecracker." Qrow warned her. "This isn't uncommon for Huntsmen and Huntresses."
That sober them up and they focused on making lunch to keep that horrid thought out of their minds. Their conversations became more light hearted and Qrow was willing to tell a few funny stories about Ruby and Yang to Weiss and Blake, which only made the mood better.
However, Ruby never stopped thinking about Jaune. It wasn't just because he was her boyfriend, but that was part of the reason. She was worried about how Jaune and Pyrrha's relationship was doing. They were not on good terms and the few encounters Ruby had with Pyrrha weren't very pleasant. It was obvious Pyrrha harbored ill feelings toward her and even the younger leader knew why. Ruby really wanted Jaune and Pyrrha to become friends again because a fractured team wasn't fun. Like when Weiss and Yang discovered Blake was a Faunus and caused a lot of panic when she left.
The thing was, Ruby was also scared of Jaune and Pyrrha making up.
What if they became close again and Jaune realized he actually loved Pyrrha? In a way, Ruby was kind of a second choice since the reveal had caused them to break apart. If that hadn't happened, would she ever have a chance? Ruby couldn't help dwelling on the what if. Would Jaune dump her for Pyrrha now that they made up? She's read books where that's happened before! Pyrrha's a champion, pretty, strong, cool, and so much more than Ruby could ever hope to be.
No! Don't think like that! Jaune wouldn't leave you!
Ruby had to push those negative thoughts out of her mind. The time she and Jaune spent together was magical. They haven't gotten very far in physical gestures, but they have cuddled and held hands. Everytime they lock eyes, Ruby could tell that Jaune really loved her. Thinking Pyrrha could take her place was silly and childish. When Jaune got back, she would run up and hug him. Show him how much she missed him. Then they can talk about all their adventures.
After they both showered of course. Ruby didn't want to stink in front of him.
Now she finally understood why Yang liked to shower so much back in Signal.
"Hmm…" Eventually, one of the Atlas techs began to notice something on the radar. "Let Headmaster Ozpin know that something big is heading our way."
"How fast?" The guy standing up asked.
"Fast. it will be here in less than five minutes. It's flying and not one of our ships."
"Hmm?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow when he was notified. "Glynda, let Qrow know we might have company."
"He's drinking with his nieces." The woman glanced over as the kids were enjoying lunch and laughing in the distance.
"It's fine. He can fight without being sober."
It didn't take long to see what was coming. What started as a simple black dot in the distance, quickly grew larger as it approached them. Wings began to come into view and the black dot was recognized as a large Nevermore. Grimm approaching the finish line wasn't an unusual situation. It's why Ozpin and Glynda were there, along with the weapons on the parked Bullhead; to take care of unwanted visitors. Though seeing the Nevermore approach in such a straight line was a little surprising. Along with the fact it was alone and there weren't any smaller Grimm following it.
"It's still coming straight at us." Glynda crossed her arms.
"It might be attracted to the large number of people here." Ozpin commented, sipping his drink from his mug.
"No, that's not it." Qrow was looking through a pair of binoculars. "Oh those cheeky little…" A laugh escaped him as he lowered the device. "There's no problem. Brats just taking a short cut."
"What's going on?" Ruby asked, aware of the incoming Grimm. "So we don't have to take it out?"
"Nah, take a look." Qrow handed the binoculars over. "You'll love this." Glynda frowned at him but didn't say anything with Ozpin looking amused.
"Come on!" Yang complained as Ruby zoomed in. "Hurry up, Ruby. I want to see."
"Shush, team leader privilege!"
"She really abuses her authority." Weiss commented to Blake.
"Standing up against Yang shows she's been growing up." Blake responded.
"I can hear you two." Yang grumbled, glancing over her shoulder.
"Good!' They said in unison.
"IT'S JAUNE'S TEAM!" Ruby squealed out of nowhere, making them all jump.
Turns out the Nevermore was not actually alone. Its companions were just not other Grimm, but humans. Four humans to be exact, who seemed to be in control of its movements. Large chunks of random metal debris formed a long chain that wrapped around the Grimm's neck like a makeshift collar and leash, while two others connected to its wings. None of those metal chains should have been able to stay together though, as they were all different shapes and sizes. Flat pieces, long pieces, curved pieces, yet they didn't move off each other.
All thanks to one girl in the middle of the Nevermore's back.
Pyrrha was using her Semblance to magnetize the metal and keep them stuck together. Because of the serious concentration, she wasn't actually holding the chains. Nora was the one holding onto the chains and pulling the ones on the wings to steer the giant bird. The two girls were working together perfectly to keep the Nevermore on track. However, the force to control a Grimm and keep the sheer amount of metal magnetized was more than either of them should be able to handle alone.
Which is why Jaune was glowing white behind them and had a hand on each of their shoulders.
Behind him, Ren seemed to be the one holding the map and compass.
With the four of them guiding the Grimm, they began to descend toward the finish line when it became apparent there was a small issue. Controlling the Nevermore in flight was one thing. Landing was another entirely. Unlike a Bullhead which had downwards thrusters, the best a large bird that was being forced against its will to do so was to flap its wings as its head was forced downwards. This was not a controlled dive and as the Grimm drew closer at its angle, Ruby could swear she heard screaming.
Some in terror, others in enjoyment.
Okay, Nora was enjoying herself.
BOOOOOM!
They all felt the impact shake the earth around them as the beast collided into the ground at near full speed less than half a mile away from base camp. The techs jumped to their feet in a panic, but Ozpin calmed them down with a wave of his hand. The Grimm wasn't even close enough for the automatic turrets on the Bullhead to aim. Mud flew up into the air as a loud squish echoed from the impact. Everyone on the Nevermore's back was thrown off and through the binoculars, Ruby could see Jaune and Nora still screaming.
Pyrrha and Ren landed without difficulty while skidding in the mud until they slowed down. Nora swung her hammer downwards to add a shockwave into the mud below her, knocking it all away so she could land without getting stuck. The one who had the most problem was Ruby's boyfriend. Jaune was not an acrobat and instead was more of a fortress that needed a firm foundation. So him flying through the air was anything but grateful. A white glow enveloped him as he hit the ground and began to roll as if he was on fire. Covered in mud, Jaune still managed to scramble to his feet in a somewhat fluid motion, even if a little lackluster compared to the rest of his team.
Grabbing her weapon with one hand, she started to step forward as she lowered her binoculars to go help. They weren't that far and her speed would cover that distance in no time. But before she managed to get more than a single step, her uncle's arm shot out in front of her, blocking her path.
"Stay back and watch." Qrow told her.
"But…" Ruby began to reply.
"They have this. Don't go kill stealing."
Ruby bit her lip but then relaxed. Her uncle was right after all. Jaune could handle a Nevermore and his team were strong too. She was just so used to double teaming Grimm with him to make it easier that she forgot he was with them. Lifting up the binoculars so she could get a better view, Ruby ignored Yang's complaining that she couldn't see that well. The large Nevermore was already rising, shaking mud off its wings and beginning to flap them.
Pyrrha and Ren had swapped their weapons to their range gun forms; Pyrrha's rifle and Ren's dual pistols. Unleashing a barrage of bullets against its right wings, they were obviously trying to stop it from taking off. Nora took the left wing, firing grenades to tear apart the flesh and bones. The Nevermore shrieked in anger and pain, still flapping and trying to get into the air. That's when Jaune raced forward and raised his sword. It was only thanks to the binoculars that Ruby saw his shield was still on his hip in its sheath mode and the boy was holding the sword hilt with both hands.
He and his weapon were glowing bright white, causing a tingling to run through Ruby's entire body.
Bringing down his blade in a vertical strike, Jaune wasn't near enough to physically cleave the Grimm in half. Before a few days ago, that would have been a problem. Not anymore, because he had finally seemed to have mastered it as Ruby watched in amazement. The light from his blade expanded into a crescent moon shaped slash that grew larger as it released. Pure white in color, the energy passed right through the great bird without slowing down. Eventually the Aura slash did fade, but not before going several dozen feet behind the Nevermore. Luckily it was aimed upwards so Jaune didn't destroy anything like he did in the comm tower.
Ruby continued to tingle in excitement as she watched. It wasn't lost on her that his attack formed a crescent shape and she also had a weapon with a crescent shape. It was obvious that shape connected them.
It's fate that I met him. Just like in Blake's filthy books.
Her eyes didn't miss Nora jump over on him and hug Jaune in excitement. Nothing new there. Ren then patted him on the back. Just like normal. Then she squinted as she saw Pyrrha approach them. Ruby wanted to see how their relationship changed during the survival exercise. Did it improve? Stay the same? Or get worse. Conflicted feelings swirled within Ruby about which option she would prefer but then felt upset as the negative reasons for wanting Jaune and Pyrrha to stay apart.
Jaune's with me. Jaune's with me. He wouldn't cheat on me.
Then she saw it.
Pyrrha was smiling and patted Jaune's arm in a reassuring, but also slightly intimate way. A fire exploded within her as she continued to stare. Jaune smiled back and said something which made Pyrrha laugh. Mentally anguishing that she couldn't read lips, Ruby kept watching through the binoculars. Jaune's team was back together and she should be happy for them. Which she was! Honest. But Pyrrha seemed a little too close to him. Probably. It might be her imagination after not seeing him for a while. It could also be that she was amazed at his ability to take down Grimm.
Fire continued to blaze inside her and at that moment, she decided it was time to show Jaune how awesome he was.
A flurry of petals covered Qrow, who spat one out.
"Huh, she held out longer than I thought she would."
"Where did she go?" Weiss asked, noticing she vanished.
"Off to greet her boyfriend." Qrow and Yang answered in unison.
"She couldn't wait the five minutes or so for them to arrive?" The white haired girl asked incredulously.
"You know Ruby well enough now." Blake reminded her with a small smile. "Patience is not her strong suit. Though she did hold off for a while."
"It's something I was working on with her." Qrow nodded.
"Ah, to be young again." Ozpin watched the blur disappear into the distance. "Miss Rose is so high spirited."
"I'll overlook it this time." Glynda informed him. "Technically it's against the rules to interfere with other teams, but Team JNPR is close enough that they know where the finish line is. Her interference will not affect them in any way."
"Hmm, it might increase their spirits." Ozpin mused as he watched Ruby reappear to the surprised blonde boy. "And maybe a little bruising."
Jaune didn't see Ruby until she collided point blank with him. The force sent the boy tumbling to the ground with his girlfriend on top of him. Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren were all staring in shock, as none of them expected her to show up out of nowhere. If Ruby had been thinking clearly, she would have stopped there. Driven by adrenaline, happiness, and a desire to prove herself, the young leader did something she wouldn't normally do out in the open.
Her lips collided into Jaune's as he laid under her.
"So mind explaining what happened with the Nevermore?" Ozpin asked curiously after Team JNPR arrived at the finish line. Ruby was hiding under her cloak, refusing to show her face to anyone. She looked so embarrassed, even Yang was holding off on making fun of her. Qrow was the only one snickering, but he wasn't entirely sober, so everything was funny to him. "You sure made quite an entrance."
"Kind of a weird story," Jaune admitted, though with a huge grin and not looking upset at all from the earlier incident. "We came across a downed bullhead and our first thought was that someone crashed. Turns out they did; just not recently."
"The rust indicated it's been there for years." Ren added.
"It's not uncommon for small airships to crash due to Grimm attacks." Ozpin nodded in understanding. "Please, continue."
"Well we were going to leave it alone, but then that Nevermore showed up and wouldn't leave us alone!" Nora continued the story and tried to sound dramatic as she moved her arms up and wide. "Which is weird because we didn't have any negativity at that point."
"If the passengers survived the initial crash and were angry and scared of approaching Grimm, then it would leave a mark on the land." Glynda explained. "Negativity tends to remain long after people pass away." There was a moment of silence as that sunk in.
"Enough negativity yourself, Glynda." Qrow interjected. "The brats were telling us an exciting story."
"We decided we needed to lure the Nevermore down," Jaune was relieved Qrow broke the tense air. "But we didn't have enough long range firepower." He noticed Nora hopping up and down on the balls of her feet. "Do you want to tell the story?"
"Yes!"
"Go ahead."
"So Jaune-Jaune was going to amplify himself to attract the Nevermore's attention." Nora declared dramatically, holding up her hand as if she was wielding a sword. "Then I got an awesome idea! What if we rode it to speed up our travel? We were behind due to being attacked by R… sooooo many Grimm! Pyrrha used her Semblance to take apart the Bullhead and made some chains with magnetized metal and when the Nevermore tried to eat Jaune, she wrapped them around its neck and wings."
"It took everything I had to keep it together, let alone pull it, so Nora was the one steering by pulling on the wings." Pyrrha gave credit where credit was due.
"And it was tough!" Nora rubbed her bicep. "I could barely keep it grounded while Jaune and Ren got on. Then Jaune got the awesome idea to amplify us! I felt so powerful! Like I could lift 10 Bullheads and then Pyrrha's chains became unbreakable!"
"It was my first time being amplified by his Semblance and it was quite surprising how much he can boost us." Pyrrha agreed.
"Yeah, Semblances are tied to Aura so when he amplifies your Aura, your Semblance strength will increase dramatically too." Qrow confirmed. "I've seen it a few times during his training." He glanced over at Ruby, who was listening to the story, but still firmly hiding under her red cloak.
"So you four just hopped on the Nevermore and flew it here?" Weiss asked incredulously.
"Ren guided us with the map and compass." Jaune shrugged. "And we couldn't quite stick the landing."
"We screamed in excitement the entire way down!" Nora laughed.
"Yes… excitement." Jaune muttered in a deadpanned voice and Pyrrha and Ren snickered.
"We still won." Yang bragged with a huge grin. "But you were less than an hour or so behind us."
"Boooooooo!" Nora pointed at her. "It's not our fault."
"How so?" Yang tilted her head.
"It was because of… of…" Nora glanced over at her team who stared back at her. Ren even shook his head slightly. "The pilot of the bullhead dropped us in the middle of like 5000 Grimm! We had to spend the first two days killing them all!"
"Uh huh, sure." Yang patted her shoulder. "There's nothing wrong in being second to the superior team."
"You're going to eat those words!" Nora shouted back. "Just wait until the Vytal festival. My hammer's going to have your name on it."
"Yang does understand what it means to be the focus of Nora's attention, right?" Weiss whispered to Blake.
"Uh huh…"
Blake wasn't really listening to her. Her keen sense of perception zoned in on the moment Nora stumbled and shared a look with her teammates. They had not been slowed down by Grimm. There was something more, but Blake had no idea what it could be. Whatever it was had to be serious enough that they had to remain silent about it. Blake also thought Qrow's expression narrowed for a moment when Nora was about to let it slip. So was he involved? Of course, it could all be her imagination, but the chance was slim.
"Now that we have two teams ready for transport back to Beacon, you can go ahead and board." Glynda informed them. "The rest of the day is free but classes are going to start up tomorrow afternoon like normal. As Huntsmen, it's important to be able to reacquaint yourself with normal daily life."
"We don't even get one day off?" Yang and Nora complained, but didn't directly say it to the professor or risk her ire.
"You all don't mind if I head out for a bit?" Jaune asked his team later that night back at the dorm. "I need some… fresh air." It had been a long day and the sun was finally setting.
On the way back to Beacon, Team JNPR and Team RWBY chatted a bit about their adventures, but didn't get into any important details. Mostly Yang needling Weiss about being slow and losing her tent, while Nora kept going on about all the Grimm they killed. She did over exaggerate a bit, but not as much as Team RWBY probably thought she was. Once they got back to the school, the girls quickly rushed off to get cleaned up, with the two boys trailing behind them to hop into the locker room showers.
Jaune and Nora made a friendly wager on if Weiss or Yang would hog the bathtub back at Team RWBY's dorm room.
"You don't have to beat around the bush, Jaune." Pyrrha assured him. "I'm happy for you and Ruby. Really. The two of you go together really well and it's obvious how much she adores you."
"Plus that kiss she gave you the moment she saw you!" Nora whistled loudly.
"Can you do me a favor and not bring that up around her?" Jaune sighed. "She's still embarrassed by it."
"But it was so cute!"
"Nora." Ren warned. "You know better."
"Alright, fine." Nora crossed her arms and pouted for a moment but then relaxed and was back to her normal cheerful self in just a few seconds. "At least Team JNPR is finally together at last!" She hugged Pyrrha tightly. "I'm sorry for being so mean to you!"
"You've apologized a dozen times already." Pyrrha hugged her back anyways. "We discussed it in detail and we all understand each other. I think that's what we all wanted but were just too childish to admit it."
"Tell me about it." Jaune rubbed his neck. "So are you and Mercury doing anything to celebrate finishing? His team got third right?"
"They arrived about thirty minutes after we left, according to him." Pyrrha giggled, remembering the text. "He said Cinder was upset they weren't first. I can see her adding more training to their schedule. She means well, but is a bit of a perfectionist. Though we're planning to go to Vale tomorrow after class to celebrate."
"Hope you two have fun then." Jaune meant it. Mercury seemed to be good for Pyrrha. At the very least, it helped her get out of her shell during the dark time when everyone was against her. Jaune promised he would never let her go through something like that again. He would be by her side whenever she needed him. They wouldn't be lovers, but they were friends and he would never abandon his friends. "Maybe someday we can do a double date?"
"You'll have to prepare Ruby." Pyrrha warned seriously. "He will most likely tease her a little."
"With how much Yang does, I'm sure Ruby won't even notice." Jaune laughed. "But I'll let her know."
"Have fun!" Nora waved and turned to Ren. "Looks like we'll have the dorm to ourselves soon!"
"Mmm hmm." Ren confirmed with a noncommittal response.
Jaune waved and left his room, heading down the deserted hallway and up to the roof. Sure it was late and past curfew, but the teachers never seemed to care. As long as he didn't make a mess or cause problems at least. Just going up to the roof and getting some fresh air was perfectly okay with the school. The night sky was clear with countless stars twinkling against the blackness. A light breeze messed with his hair as the door to the roof shut behind him. It was a perfect night and the girl sitting at the edge of the roof, not above any dorm rooms, made it even better.
Of course he was meeting his girlfriend that night, but that wasn't all. Ozpin had asked him to stop by for an hour or so to try healing Amber again as there were positive results from his previous attempt. Meeting Ruby and then using an excuse to meet Qrow for some training would prevent any unnecessary questions.
"Hey, Ruby." Jaune plopped down beside her. The smile on her face when she turned to him might as well have been the sun. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting."
"Nope! I just got here myself." A short giggle escaped Ruby's lips. "Had to put Yang in her place when she tried to tease me about meeting you."
"I hope you're not being too mean to her." Jaune faked admonished, wagging his finger at her. "Yang is very sensitive."
"SNRK!" Ruby had to cover her mouth with her hands but couldn't hide the snort. Once she calmed down, she leaned against his shoulder. "I missed this."
"Missed what?"
"This." Ruby gestured to them. "Just… being ourselves without anyone judging? When it's just you, I can relax. Even more when it's just me and Yang. Or me and Weiss."
"I missed our alone time together too."
Jaune put his arm around her and leaned his head against hers. The two of them stayed that way for a while. Neither talking and instead just staring up at the sky. Both of them had things on their mind and weren't entirely sure how to start off saying them. Plus it felt like breaking the silence was taboo or something. Eventually, Ruby was the one to start talking again, as patience was not her strong suit.
"You know… while we were waiting at the finish line, I was really nervous about you." Ruby admitted guiltily.
"Worried about me?" Jaune blinked and looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "Why? You know my team can handle something like this for a couple of days."
"I know, but it was more… your relationship with Pyrrha." Ruby tapped her pointer fingers together. "The two of you… it was like when Weiss and I first started out. I wasn't sure if you were going to be able to fix things or if you two would never make up." The way Pyrrha looked at her during their spar in combat class also put her on edge a bit. "But you seemed to have made up so I'm really happy for you two."
"In the end, some time apart to calm down and then time to actually discuss things when we were not angry anymore was what we needed." Jaune admitted, looking back up at the sky. "And then a battle between life and death really puts things in perspective. Neither of us wanted our friendship to end."
"Life and death battle?" Ruby pushed off of him and stared into his eyes. "What Grimm did you fight that did that? Did you run into a Goliath?"
"No…" Jaune paused and looked around like he was worried someone was spying on him. "Don't freak out, but Raven ambushed us."
"Raven!" Ruby yelped and Jaune was forced to cover her mouth. After a second or two, he pulled his hand back. "R-Raven? W-Why?"
"She and Vernal thought it would be funny to declare a Blood Rivalry…"
Jaune spent a bit of time telling Ruby what happened with Vernal, along with what Qrow told him. How the Rivalry worked, his fight with Vernal, and even that his team now knew about Yang's mom making an appearance. Of course, Qrow swore them all to secrecy. The main point was Raven was using him to train Vernal and the only reason they walked away was because Qrow showed up to save them, along with Jaune being useful to her.
"Do you think Uncle Qrow knew this was going to happen?"
"He said he didn't find out until it was too late and was following me because of that." Jaune admitted. "Vernal has a little vendetta against me after I used her to escape."
"Which is weird, because I'm the one that kicked her off the vehicle." Ruby recalled fondly, a small grin on her face.
"You're a better fighter than me, but my Semblance allows me to survive encounters I really shouldn't." Jaune pointed out seriously. "And I think she sees me more as Qrow's apprentice, along with wanting my Semblance for her tribe."
"You're a lot stronger than you think, even without your Semblance." Ruby assured him. "But it's a part of us. Not using it is like… like… not using one of your arms!"
"I know." Jaune chuckled and then grew serious. "The thing is, now my entire team knows about Raven and I had to tell them how we met her. It filled in a few gaps since they knew about bandits kidnapping us."
"They won't tell Yang, right?!" Ruby looked alarmed.
"No, but it's possible Nora might let it slip." Jaune looked down for a moment. "I really don't think we're being fair to Yang by keeping this a secret from her. It's her mom…"
"I agree, but we promised my uncle." Ruby agreed hesitantly. "There's a lot of reasons Yang shouldn't know."
"Ruby…" Jaune took a deep breath. "Let's say Yang finds out about this and knew you kept it a secret from her. How do you think she would feel?"
"You'll be angry… and upset… devastated that I kept it from her when I knew how much she wanted to find her." Ruby muttered dejectedly. "She might actually hate me."
"She'll never hate you," Jaune patted her back. "But things would get awkward like it did with Pyrrha and me. At the very least, she wouldn't listen to you anymore. If you tell her, you'll give her time to cool down and think rationally."
"Can you tell her if we can get Uncle Qrow to agree?" Ruby asked, somewhat hopefully, but she knew better. The line between optimism and delusion is nearly invisible but that would clearly cross it.
"Ruby…"
"I know. I know." The girl sagged down next to him. "I've never had to talk to Yang like this. She's always the one who made me sit down and have a serious conversation. Most of the time I try to have one with her, she'll joke to lighten the mood and avoid a lot of questions."
"You're an adult now, Ruby." Jaune reminded her. "Adults have to do things that aren't easy."
"Ugh…" Ruby grabbed her head. "Here I thought we were going to have a happy conversation while looking at the stars."
"Sorry." Jaune pulled her into a one arm hug. "If it helps, I'll go with you to convince Qrow to let us tell Yang, but when you talk to her, you really should be one on one. Or with your uncle. It's a family matter."
"But you're family!" Ruby blurted out.
"Huh?" Jaune blinked and stared at her.
"I mean… you're like family." Ruby blushed and looked away.
"I feel like it more than you know." Jaune squeezed her closer with his arm. "And I think you're right and we've talked about depressing stuff enough. How about I tell you how I mastered my Aura Manifestation?"
"Mastered?" Ruby raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, I can use it on demand at least."
"That's better. You can't pull one over on me."
"No, no I can't and honestly, unless it has to do with a surprise party or presents, I probably won't want to." Jaune laughed and scratched his cheek with his free hand. "I don't like lying to people important to me. My transcript was an unusual situation."
"So I am important to you." Ruby teased, cuddling closer.
"Of course you are." Jaune looked down at her. "You're my best friend and girlfriend."
"Hehe." Ruby giggled. "I still love hearing that." Her silver eyes sparkled in the moonlight. "Now I want to show you that you're important to me." After earlier today, now that they were alone, it wasn't hard to gather the courage.
Raising her head, Ruby lightly pressed her lips against his as she closed her eyes. Jaune couldn't help but imitate her actions. The two teens were lost in their own world under the moonlit sky. Ozpin and the rest of Remnant could wait a little longer for them to return.
"So Pyrrha has made up with her team." Cinder muttered late that night as she and the others were talking in their room. It was one of the few places they could talk without being bugged or overheard. As long as they kept their voices down at least. Though Cinder made sure they swept the room periodically just in case. "You're absolutely sure? This isn't for show?"
"Yeah, she's happier than I've seen her in a while." Mercury shrugged as she glared at him. "Hey, don't blame me! Things were going great until this survival training thing."
"You could have made her hate her teammates more." Emerald scoffed. "So even being stuck with them for days, she wouldn't have opened up."
"You underestimate how stupidly kind that girl is." Mercury rolled his eyes. "It was hard enough getting her to just realize she needed to put herself first. It's like she's been conditioned to placate everyone else in the world before her."
"That's the life of a celebrity." Cinder informed him. "That weakness is why you were able to approach her in the first place and exploit it. Given more time… but knowing Ozpin, he probably did this training on purpose to help her reconcile. Though if she was to become the new maiden, having her isolate herself over developing companionship would be ideal. I don't know what he is thinking."
"What do you want me to do then?" Mercury asked.
"Keep doing what you've been doing." Cinder informed him.
"Yes!" Mercury fist pumped. "Going to try to convince her to go to a hotel with me after the date."
"Oh god!" Emerald face palmed. "She's going to slap him and ruin everything."
"Again, Mercury has a certain… charm… in this aspect with Pyrrha Nikos." Cinder commented. "If he sticks to the plan, he's allowed to enjoy himself as long as it doesn't interfere."
"Better luck than I've been having." Emerald muttered.
"Yes, you've not been able to get much closer to either Team RWBY nor Team JNPR." Cinder stared at her, face unreadable. "Neo already has their leaders wrapped around her finger."
The mute girl waved from her bed, currently in her Mint disguise. Pink, white, and brown were obvious and it was known Roman had an accomplice fitting that description. So as much as Neo hated not being able to express herself, she's been keeping up the disguise. Keeping up appearances, she had messaged Ruby and Jaune to see if they wanted to do anything and they agreed to hang out. After all, 'Mint' was their adopted daughter and if she had to play on that to get close and find out about their secrets, she could roleplay.
And if she enjoyed herself a bit while doing it?
As Cinder said, that's allowed.
"We've discussed enough for tonight and the last few days have been strenuous. Feel free to rest up. Things are going to get hectic soon and once the Vytal festival starts, there won't be a lot of freedom. It's best to get everything out of your system now."
"Not me!" Mercury fell back on the bed. "I live every day like it's my last."
"Keep pissing me off and it will be." Emerald whispered, causing Neo to snicker. "You two, shrimp." Neo glared at her and it was Emerald's turn to smirk back. "Don't even…Cinder!" A flash of light drew everyone's attention.
"What?" Cinder asked, aware of everyone staring at her.
"Y-Your eye…" Mercury pointed out.
"Huh?" Cinder suddenly felt the warmth wrapping around her before turning to the mirror. Just like before, the reddish-orange flame was flickering from her right eye. The woman tried to suppress it, but it wasn't going down. If anything, her other eye seemed to glow with a few embers. "Ozpin!" She hissed angrily.
"What's Ozpin got to do with that?" Emerald asked in alarm.
"He's most likely trying to heal Amber so he can learn our identities." Cinder spat out. "I doubt he knows it's empowering me in the process."
"How is that possible?" Mercury asked, having very little understanding of the situation.
"The source of her power is tied to the soul," Cinder briefly explained. "Whatever Ozpin is doing to try to heal her is affecting me." Her hand touched below her left eye where the small flickers were steadying. "I can feel the increased power down to my core. Shame it's only temporary because if it wasn't…"
"Heh, sounds like it's Jaune's Semblance." Mercury pointed out. "Pyrrha mentioned his Amplification affects Semblances and she used it against a giant Nevermore."
Cinder paused as her brain processed this.
Jaune Arc and Ruby Rose returned not terribly long ago and then Qrow Branwen showed up as a part-time teacher. The first time her powers flared up was after they all arrived. Then Jaune Arc's Semblance was Aura Amplification, which he could use on himself and others to push their Aura beyond their normal limits. It made attacking him difficult as it was like hitting a steel wall. Cinder also learned that the boy knew how to use Aura Manifestation. With his Aura reserves and the ability to recharge, his attacks were dangerous, even to her.
She had been on the receiving end of the attack in the comm tower after all.
"Aura is tied to the soul," Cinder placed her hand on her chin as she talked to herself. "So we can reasonably assume the opposite is true. If Jaune Arc is amplifying her Aura to heal her… then it's possible her soul is regenerating. Being connected to her means I'm gaining strength too…I wonder if this will allow me to track her?"
Cinder knew Amber was at Beacon, but she didn't know where she was hiding. None of them had been able to locate the injured woman. It was a closely guarded secret and if anyone caught them somewhere they didn't belong, it would blow their cover. Ozpin had no idea the spies were right under his very nose.
"Mercury." The woman suddenly looked up from her thoughts.
"Y-Yes?" Came the stammered reply.
"You have done well. When this is over, you'll be rewarded."
"Sweet, thanks boss."
Emerald pulled at her hair but didn't say anything. She couldn't say anything because Mercury actually connected the dots. It had been so obvious but she had missed it. She had failed Cinder.
"So what do we do now?" Emerald asked Cinder. "Do we kill him?"
"No, we can't. Not yet." Cinder didn't even glance at her. "If he's important to Ozpin and Jaune vanishes, then he will have proof we're in the school and everything goes on lockdown. No, we need to use him to find out anything we can about where Amber is being hidden. Neo!" She suddenly turned to the small girl. "You have permission to do anything that doesn't jeopardize our mission to get close to Jaune Arc."
Neo's eyes widened and the green pupils swapped back to pink and brown for a moment. Then a wide grin formed on her face and she saluted like she was in the Atlas military greeting a superior officer.
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.
Dark: I am curious if people want to see more non canon events before the Vytal tournament or should we do some heavy skipping? I have a couple events in mind, but I also have big plans for how the Vytal festival will end and it's not going to be pretty. A good part of the optional events will probably have Jaune deal with the White Fang more earlier on instead of after the fall.
So if you have any strong opinions or ideas, feel free to leave them
nBappo: I am dead, no comment this time. My glorious bed, I am coming honey.