[BETAED BY THE UNDYING WILL]

So I was planning one story, but it fell through. For those who followed Knights of Rose, please note that THAT is the story that will be expanded upon. I wrote this because I still promised you all a story this month.

Also, the next chapter of MT is half-way done it'll be out eventually, trust me.

[WARNING! PLEASE NOTE IF YOU ARE A DIE-HARD SHIPPER THAT WILL ONLY READ FICS WITH YOUR PAIRING. TURN AWAY NOW. THIS STORY WILL MORE THAN LIKELY NOT GO HOW YOU EXPECT!]

Genres: Friendship/Romance/Humor/Hurt & Comfort

Rating Due to slightly strong language and the overall theme of the story but honestly it's an upper T low M kind of fic.

Chapter 0: Jaune Arc Wingman extraordinaire

(Seriously read the warning, this fic will be the bane of your existence and I will laugh my ass off at anyone who skipped the warning.)

-6 Months before the First day of Beacon-

-?: POV-

*SMACK!*

"How could you!?" A woman snapped angrily as I rubbed my now sore cheek. Damn, she drew blood. Looking up, I realized I was surrounded by at least seven different women whom looked ready to murder me.

Couldn't blame them.

Not after what I did.

I regret ever going to her for help-No that's irresponsible. This is completely on me, time to grow up and take the blame for your actions. Standing up weakly, I dusted off my already ripped suit jacket and rubbed my jaw where I was sure a bruise was going to form. Why did I do it? Was it lust? Pride? No worse, I let my insecurities allow me to be manipulated and as a result I hurt them. I knew I should have stopped things before they got this far but I was too weak.

But now I pissed off the one woman I loved.

Man, am I shitty human being or what?

It was time to fix this.

It was time to cut them all lose-especially her.

It was time…to finally be a man.

"Are you even listening!? What do you have to say for yourself! Say something!" Shit, not only were some of them crying they were giving me a chance to explain. They were still bound to this mask of mine. I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped my lips, I really was the lowest of the low. I couldn't help but wince slightly as the love of my life stared me down. "What were we? Just play things to you!?"

No, I legitimately cared for you.

But you deserve better and so do they.

Besides I want out of this life, I miss the feeling of my own bed. Can't remember the last time I slept there.

[The Final Lesson little bro, never get attached. Once you get what want or fail, leave. Or else you risk everything blowing up in your face…trust me I know.]

Sis, I love you, but you might be a shittier human being than me in retrospect.

"Well? Say something-"

"Hey." I interrupted calmly as I steeled my nerves and killed whatever little humanity I had left. I needed to say this, it was a lie but it was a lie that would set them free. "I only fucked you over because you let me."

Holy shit, I could HEAR their hearts breaking.

Or was that my nose?

Nah it was both, I decided as they all collectively kicked my ass. It was okay though, the pain they delivers paled in comparison to the pain in my chest. At least this way they would be able to move on.

-Later that day-

"Man they really kicked your ass didn't they, bro?" My eldest sister asked with a short laugh as she patched me up while I sat on the edge of her bed. "This is what happens when you don't follow the final lesson~"

"Yeah, yeah." I said sounding a bit annoyed as I glanced back at her my blue eyes meeting hers.

"You'll never be as powerful as me if you keep doing that…annoying habit of yours."

"Being a decent person?" I couldn't help making the blonde she-devil chuckle as she gave me a sinister smile.

"Exactly."

Power.

Yeah my sister had a lot of it, but not in the sense of physical strength or combat talent like the rest of the family whom I envied. She had it in the sense that she could get certain…things…done without any question. People from all over owed her favors for the sheer amount of dirt she had on key members of not just Vale's government but all of the kingdoms. Sleeping with the right people, charming others, this woman was truly terrifying.

Textbook definition of femme fatale.

Suddenly, she hugged me from behind and placed her head next to mine. A grimaced as I felt her necklace that had a glass-high-heel-shaped pendant dig into one of my many wounds.

"You're really not cut out for this life." She sad after a few moments of silence. "You're talented, just as skilled as me, but you are too good of a person."

"I guess I am, but I'm also too weak to be part of the 'family business'. I just have no place anywhere." I said eventually as her hold tightened on me.

"Do you regret moving to the city with me?"

"No, despite everything, it was fun plus it got me away from Dad's disappointed looks." I said honestly. Truly living with her was fun. Like I said before, she was a shitty person but at the same time? She was an excellent big sister. "I learned a lot about myself as well…that…that experience is invaluable. One day I'll find my place in this world I guess."

"I agree…personally I think you should try for your dream again." She said and I felt my heart clench at her words. "Don't give up on your dreams or you'll risk becoming like me."

"I've just turned seventeen, I think it's too late to accomplish my dream." I pointed out making her shake her head.

"Honestly bro, do you not remember who I am? I can get you solid transcripts tailored to get you into any school of your choice."

"Isn't that cheating?" I couldn't help but point out.

"The world is filled with liars and cheaters bro. It's a bitch, so fuck it good and fuck it hard. Your success is majorly dependent on who you know anyway, so make a good use of your network. My contacts are your contacts."

"I see…well what about the weapon or the learning curve?"

"Well, if you pick a school with any sort of good reputation they should be able to get you caught up, first year is typically only review anyway."

She had a point.

"As for your weapon, dear old dad gave me a going away present. Been using it as a wall decoration but it's in good shape." She said an immediately I looked at the wall where the family sword was hung up above a poster of the famous group, Dust punk. "Besides if you can become a skilled hunter you can later rejoin me and help me build my empire!" The woman said making Jaune snort.

"You know you never told me exactly what it is you plan to do with this…empire."

"Take over the world of course!" The woman answered as if it should have been obvious with a hearty laugh which the man mimicked. His sister was definitely known to exaggerate her goals. "Then maybe I can retire with my girl and live out life in luxury."

"You have a girlfriend? Like a legitimate lover? Why do I doubt that?" The man asked with half-lidded eyes.

"Am I not allowed to have a sugar momma?"

"Does this woman even know what you do?"

"Aww look at you being all over-protective." The woman said as she pinch his cheek playfully.

"You're my sister and I'm your only brother, kind of my job."

"Well for your information, no she doesn't. Now don't ask any more about her or I'll have my body guard kick you out. The woman said, making her brother raise an eyebrow.

"You have a body guard? I've never seen them."

"That's because she's really good at her job." The woman said with a smirk. "Now come on, let's get back to the matter at hand and top with this interrogation of my love life. Go to school, even if no one else, including your self believes in you…"

-Beacon Academy: First Day-

[…I believe in you Jaune.]

-General P.O.V-

"Man, I hope you're right" Jaune muttered to himself as he looked down at his tacky outfit. He had mixed feelings about it. On one hand he was comfortable, but on the other he knew damn well he could have put together a better outfit. Still he was trying to go back to his roots, back to the awkward boy he truly was so he packed the worst clothes he could find in his closet. His sister packed much more stylish outfits for him as well though.

For emergencies she said.

"Whatever that means-"

*BOOOOM!*

"Oh my God, did that girl just explode!?" Jaune questioned in alarm as he suddenly saw a girl blow up.

-Minutes later-

Of course it was the girl whose sister he threw up on, oh yeah there was no way he'd go back to his playboy ways even if he wanted too. His would be reputation was already in the negative.

"Well the name's Jaune Arc. Short sweet, rolls of the tongue, the ladies love it." Jaune said confidently before paling as he used the opener he always used to pick up girls. It was an opener he had designed with the help of his sister, it wasn't meant to be good. In fact, it was meant to be said in a way that it could be doubted so that he could further along the conversation and control it at his pace.

"Do they?" Ruby asked skeptically, making Jaune pale a bit as he saw the amusement in her eyes.

"Quick, Jaune, think switch topics. Add some hesitancy and perhaps bring up the old man. That'll delay this route from opening up, I really just need a friend right now." Jaune thought rapidly before continuing to do just that.

It worked.

"Thank goodness. I just need friends to keep me balanced, the last thing I want to do is turn back into…that person. Luckily they are here though thankfully they'll act as though they don't know me." Jaune thought as he continued his conversation with Ruby.

*Flashback*

"AHAHAHA! You? You're going to Beacon?" A short orange haired woman asked as she laughed hysterically while a long black haired man wiped his mouth with a napkin

"Are you an imbecile?" The man asked calmly

"You guys suck, don't you have any faith?" Jaune asked with a pout as the three sat in a nightclub that was booming with music.

The deadpanned stares he received did nothing for his confidence.

"Jaune, you're smart, as smart as your sister. Charming as hell too, but the last thing you are capable of doing is slaying monsters." The woman said with a surprising amount of seriousness. "There is just so much you don't know how to do when it comes to hunting Grimm."

"Look, Nora, Ren, I know you're worried. But I gotta do this, don't worry. I'll be safe." Jaune said making the two glance at each other uneasily.

"Jaune, as your friends we want nothing more for you to be happy, but as your body guards we can't help but be concerned for your well-being." Ren said simply though they could see they concern in his eyes.

"Ren…" Jaune trailed off as he reached into his pockets. Ren and Nora were two orphans whom survived the mean streets of the city together. Through means they felt no need to disclose, they gained quite the talent for fighting and were eventually hired by Jaune's sister to protect him as she showed him the ropes. Though initially just seen as another contract, Jaune's friendly personality eventually led to them being genuine friends and confidants. "Well I guess that just means you're going to have to keep an eye on me then." Jaune said as he handed them two envelopes.

"What?" Ren asked in confusion as Nora tore it open before releasing a startled gasp.

"But-how!?" Nora asked in surprise as Ren opened the envelope before dropping the letter on the table in shock.

They both had been accepted to Beacon.

"I may have let it slip to my over protective sister that having my bodyguards with me would be beneficial." Jaune said with a wink. "Besides you two said you wanted to be genuine hunters right?"

"Jaune…thank you." Ren said as he held Nora whom started sobbing making Jaune give the two a bright grin.

"We...we need to party!" Nora suddenly declared as she wiped her eyes making Jaune nod as he prepared to get a round of drinks. It was one reason they loved this club, no one asked questions.

"Yes, but not here." Ren said confusing them. "A woman walked in with what I suspect to be weapons on her wrists, her posture shows she's not here for leisure." Ren explained making Jaune and Nora turn to see quite possibly one of the most beautiful blonde haired women he ever laid eyes upon.

"Huh, how about that?" Jaune said with a small frown as he saw her approach the bar. "Let's go guys. Tonight, I just want to celebrate with my friends." Jaune said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

*Flashback: End*

"Guess it was for the best after all." Jaune thought as he watched Ruby chat animatedly with her sister. Jaune didn't know what to expect of the days to come, but he was feeling oddly optimistic for some reason.

-Months Later-

Optimistic?

How foolish he had been.

"I…can't feel anything. I think Pyrrha tried to kill me with last night's training." Jaune said as he laid flat on his back on the floor of his dorm while Nora jumped on her bed as Ren flipped lazily through a book. "She must have a lot of pent of frustration towards me."

"Can you blame her? I'd be irked too. I mean with how you have been fawning over Weiss lately, any girl would be annoyed." Nora said as she stopped bouncing and landed in a sitting position. "I mean really Jaune, what are you doing? You look like a loser. It's obvious, to us anyway, that you don't even want to have anything with Weiss."

"I concur." Ren said matter-of-factly. "If you really wanted to be with her you would have succeeded long ago. I also know you are very aware of Pyrrha's affections, to repeat Nora's question. Just what are you doing?"

"I have no idea what you two are talking about." Jaune said firmly but both of his friends just gave him a half-lidded stare that showed they did not believe him for a second. Suddenly Nora snapped her fingers as if something clicked.

"Wait, don't tell me you're-"

"I'm going to start heading to class." Jaune said as he stood up tiredly with a yawn.

"Jaune! What happened back then wasn't your fault." Nora said before pausing as both Jaune and Ren simply raised an eyebrow. "Okay it was totally your fault." Nora admitted. "But don't you think it's a little cruel what you're doing?"

"Yes but it's for the best. Believe me, Pyrrha will be grateful later."

"I meant, cruel to you." Nora said making Jaune pause.

"She has a point. Though your actions in the past were undoubtedly in a moral grey area. You are a good person. You deserve happiness." Ren said calmly making Jaune snort.

"Don't be biased Ren. If Nora had been one of them, you'd have killed me in my sleep." Jaune said simply making Ren pause.

…

…

…

…

"Well…he has a point." Ren muttered as Nora looked at him betrayed.

"Ren!"

"It's true." Ren said with a shrug. "Though that would only be if you didn't kill him yourself."

"I've done a lot of bad things, guys. Some people don't deserve a happy ending, I'm one of them." Jaune said calmly as he picked up his scroll.

"Jaune, every day your heart gets colder and colder. Soon it'll take the sun itself to thaw it! Do you really want a life like that!?" Nora questioned making Jaune glance back towards her.

"Want? No. Deserve? Yes." Jaune as he walked towards the door. "Let's go."

-20 Minute's Later-

"Crap, I should take notes on this but I left my notebook in the dorm." Jaune thought before glancing over at Ruby whom was slumped over in her seat, sleeping soundly. Nudging her a bit she woke up slightly startled.

"Huh-wha-oh, Jaune what's up? Was I sleep?" Ruby asked with a confused frown as she wiped the corner of her mouth free of her drool.

"Hey Ruby, I need to borrow a notebook, left mine in the dorm." Jaune said sheepishly making her nod with a smile though he could see she was still out of it as she reached into her bag for a notebook with yawn.

"Take this, and thanks for waking me up." Ruby said as she handed him the book making him nod.

"No problem, and thank you." Jaune said with a smile as grabbed the book. In the corner of his eye, he could see Weiss looked slightly annoyed suddenly which confused him greatly as he hadn't even spoken to her this period. Mentally shrugging, Jaune opened the note book and began to write-

[Dear Diary,

Weiss was actually nice today! Good job Ruby, you managed not to annoy her! Maybe soon we can get to the point where she can openly admit we're friends! Maybe after that sometime down the road I can even tell her how I feel-]

The speed at which Jaune closed the book nearly put Ruby to shame as the blood drained from his face. In her still sleepy mind, it appeared as though Ruby may have handed him something a bit more personal than a spare notebook.

"Ruby." Jaune whispered getting her attention as he attempted to tell her she had given him the wrong notebook.

"Mr. Arc, Ms. Rose, Please pay attention to the lecture and take notes!" Professor Port chastised making them nod quickly. Jaune remained quiet as he simply stared at the closed book. He decided to just keep his head low and pray Port didn't notice he was going skip note taking for the day. "Mr. Arc, I do believe I said take notes my boy!"

"Bullshit! Ruby can go to sleep but I can't even pretend to take notes?" Jaune thought angrily as he shakily opened the book.

[Dear Diary,

Ahh~ I don't know what to do! Jaune's like my best and first real friend here at Beacon but lately he's being trying to woo Weiss so much I'm getting irritated! I mean, I liked her first!]

"What?" Jaune thought as he re-read the passage before thinking about the first one he had stumbled across. Despite himself, Jaune found himself continue to read the contents of the book as his jaw dropped slightly the more and more he read. He tried on multiple occasions to get her attention about the book only to be thwarted by Port every time.

-After Class-

"Yay! Lunch time, you think they are going to have anything good today Jaune-"Ruby stopped cold as the smile on her face froze when she noticed the shaken appearance of Jaune. Confused, she looked down at the notebook she had given him and immediately felt the blood drain from her face as her eyes became the size of dinner plates. Shakily, Jaune turned to face the young huntress and weakly handed her the book.

Now she knew what he kept trying to tell her during class.

Silently, Ruby grabbed the book and gingerly put it in her bag. The only reason she even bothered to keep it on her was because Yang would stop at nothing to get a chance to read it.

…

…

…

…

"So, guys ready for lunch?" Yang asked with a smile as the two teams began to convene around their leaders. Shakily, Ruby raised a hand and grabbed Jaune by his hood before they body vanished in a swirly of rose petals after Ruby pushed her semblance to its current limits to escape the room. "…Eh? Are they serving the mystery meat again?" Yang continued, her voice laced in confusion.

-Roof: With Jaune and Ruby-

*SLAM!*

"How much did you read!?" Ruby asked frantically, her face completely flushed as her hands trembled while she held Jaune against the wall that the door to the roof was on.

"Enough to know that you're only half as innocent as you lead on." Jaune said, his own cheeks gaining a slight blush before Ruby released him.

"Oh nonononono." Ruby muttered his blush worsening as she grabbed her hair tightly.

"Ruby-"

"Jaune was my best friend." Ruby said to herself with a small whimpered making Jaune sigh.

"Look, Ruby-wait hold up was?"

"I mean where am I going to hide the body?" Ruby asked herself hysterically making Jaune pale.

"Whoa! Ruby! Stay with me now, don't do anything rash!" Jaune said as he tried to find a way to prevent Ruby from succumbing to her mental breakdown. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about!" Jaune tried to comfort her as she turned to him with a sniffle as her eyes shone with unshed tears.

"Nothing to be embarrassed about!? If you saw even one entry in that whole book then that means you must know about…about-"Ruby couldn't even bring herself to say it.

"Your feelings for Weiss?" Jaune supplied making Ruby's blush deepen as she placed her face in her hands.

Damn, Ruby looked completely vulnerable and he couldn't blame her, one of her deepest secrets was just found out.

How could he make this right?

What could he do to help her-

-wait.

"That's it!" Jaune thought before talking a deep breath as he steeled himself. "R-Ruby…what if I help you out?"

"W-what!?" Ruby asked as she looked back up at him with wide-eyes.

"What if I help you get together with Weiss?" Jaune asked making Ruby stare at him for a moment before her face shifted into one of both pity and confusion.

"Jaune, you can't get her to like you how are you going to get her to like me and why would you even want to?" Ruby questioned as she wiped her eyes with a frown while Jaune simply sighed.

"I…I have a secret Ruby." Jaune said as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I don't actually like Weiss." Jaune revealed making Ruby gape at him.

"What? But why do you keep trying to win her over!?"

"I'm not trying to, come on Crater Face, we both know none of my attempts had any chance of actually getting her to like me." Jaune said dryly. "I'm weak, not stupid."

"B-But then what was the point!?" Ruby asked with a slight edge to her voice that startled him. "Do you know how hard it was to keep this bottled up? To have no one to talk to about it? There is no way I can tell Yang and Blake is too emotionally distant to help either. I would have gone to you but I thought you liked her too so I kept quiet!"

"Whoa, Ruby, calm down. I'll explain. I did all of those things to get Weiss attention in order to get Pyrrha's attention off of me." Jaune revealed making shocking Ruby.

"Wait, you mean you know!?"

"How could I not!? Anyone with eyes can see her feelings towards me." Jaune said incredulously. "I figured if I played the oblivious love-struck fool, she'd give up and find someone better."

"Jaune, we've been over this! Just because you aren't as good as us yet doesn't making you a bad person-just a struggling hunter!" Ruby admonished making Jaune shake his head.

"Ruby, it's not about skills, I am genuinely a shitty person." Jaune said as he shook his head with a sigh. "Look I'm going to tell you something that only a select few people at this school know. I am-was-what you would call a…pick up artist." Jaune revealed with a frown. "I'm the guy your dad and sister probably warned you about. I played with emotions and used women in exchange for resources. Whether that be contacts, money, power, whatever."

"What? But you're so...nice...and awkward." Ruby said with a frown, not believing what she was hearing.

"That's because I am trying to rehabilitate myself. What you see now is who I really am, but prior to Beacon I wore a mask and that mask was anything but awkward or nice. Well technically, I was nice when the situation called for it." Jaune said as he thought about it for a second. "I was a bad person Ruby. Sometimes I went weeks without sleeping in my own bed." Jaune said making Ruby's face flush as she realized what he meant.

"But why?"

"We're not all lucky like you Ruby, we can't all just find our places in the world. Some of us, even your sister, are still searching. I wanted to be strong like my family but I was too weak. My eldest sister, on the other hand, showed me strength in another way. I mastered the art of seduction to get what I wanted from who I wanted but deep down I knew it wasn't me." Jaune said as he leaned against the wall and placed his hands in his pockets.

[Jaune…I love you.]

[What were we? Just play things to you!?]

"So I gave it another go, my dream to be a hero. That's why I'm here…if you don't believe me, ask Ren or Nora." Jaune said confusing Ruby greatly. "They're my bodyguards and my entourage, knew them before entering Beacon."

"You've been lying to us this whole time?" Ruby asked incredulously.

"Only by omission, not once did we ever say we did not know each other before Beacon. Ren and Nora said they knew each other and I opted to stay quiet, that's all." Jaune said with a shrug. "Still, despite my best efforts, Pyrrha somehow fell for me anyway. A woman like that shouldn't be wasted on me so I'm trying to get her to move on."

"I…I'm not sure what to feel about that…"

"Feel nothing, this is my problem, don't worry about it." Jaune said as he waved off her concern. "Back to the matter at hand, Ruby, you are a great person and helped me when I reached a low point. This is my chance to not only repay the favor but use this talent of mine for something good for a chance." Jaune said before doing something he hadn't done in almost a year.

He handed her a card.

[Arcane Attractions: Jaune Arc]

"Give me a call if you want to take up my offer. You're a great person, Ruby." Jaune said as he grasped the side of her face gently and used his thumb to wipe off some of the tears she had missed. "Let me make yours dreams a reality." Jaune said with a warm smile that even made her heart skip for a moment before he turned away and began to depart. "Let's go get lunch." Jaune said as he gestured for her to follow him.

…

…

…

…

"Okay maybe he was tell the truth." Ruby muttered as she placed a hand over her fast beating heart. Though she still had feelings for Weiss, she couldn't deny that in that moment Jaune had been very suave, even now she could see him carry himself a bit differently.

-Later: RWBY Dorm-

"Okay Ruby, Weiss should be walking in any moment and Yang and Blake are still training. You didn't do anything to piss her off today, she stay cool and talk to her." Ruby thought to herself just as the door to the door opened before Weiss walked in. "Hey Weiss, how-"

"-Ruby, you know you should pay more attention in class instead of sleeping and chatting with that blond buffoon." Weiss said simply as she brushed past the now stunned Ruby. "It's unbecoming of you." Weiss said firmly before sitting on her bed and getting ready to start working on her coursework.

"-are you…?" Ruby finished before looking at her white-haired partner whom was completely ignoring her. Clenching her fists tightly, Ruby swallowed what little pride she had left after this tiring day and pulled out her scroll. Dialing a number, she placed the scroll to her ear while walking towards the door. "Hey Jaune? Are you busy?" Ruby asked as she left the dorm, not once looking back at Weiss whom was now watching where she left as she held her pen a bit too tight for comfort.

-With Jaune-

["I need to take you up on that offer; I think I'm worse off than I thought."]

"Is that so?" Jaune said with a small smile as he sat up from his bed. "Then let's meet up." Jaune said before turning to his partner apologetically "We're going to have to cancel practice for tonight, something urgent came up." Jaune said confusing not only Pyrrha but Nora and Ren as well. The latter two saw a familiar twinkle in his eye that made their eyes widen slightly.

No…

It was impossible…

There was no way he was going back to his old self.

-Later: Courtyard-

Jaune listened intently as Ruby explained everything she could about her current relationship with Weiss and how nothing seemed to ever go right.

"I mean it's like, yeah, I like her. A lot. But even if we can't be together, together, I want to at least be more than acquaintances, y'know?" Ruby said as she once again found herself ending a high speed rant.

"Hmm." Jaune hummed in thought as he digested what she had told him.

*Thump!*

"OW!" Ruby yelped after Jaune chopped her on the head making her look up him with wide eyes as she rubbed the new knot on her head.

"Idiot, you're already more than acquaintances. You're her best friend." Jaune said calmly making Ruby frown at him.

"Uhh, did you not just hear my whole rant on why we're not friends?" Ruby asked with a frown.

"Ruby…think long and hard about what I am about to ask and put your biases aside for a moment. Do you really think Weiss has a lot of friends given how oh so approachable she is?" Jaune asked sarcastically making Ruby pause. "Ruby, she has no friends here outside of our teams here and she's never called or spoken to any friends back in Atlas since she came here either. You're also her partner and the only one who doesn't need to take a break from her icy attitude. You're her best friend Ruby."

"Seriously? But why is she so mean to me, I thought friends were supposed to be nice to each other like we are!"

"They are." Jaune agreed with a nod. "But Weiss falls into a special arch-type of woman. She grew up spoiled and the price was that she has become socially inept."

"What? She doesn't seem to have any problems talking to others."

"That's all practiced behaviors." Jaune waved off easily. "I can walk up to a stranger and be polite, that's simple. I mean legit interactions with feeling and meaning, like hanging out with friends etc. A less formal environment is where Weiss fails at. With the type of woman Weiss is, the harder the exterior the softer the interior."

"What's that mean?" Ruby asked as she tilted her head.

"I chose Weiss because of her hard exterior, nothing I could ever do would ever touch her unless it was sacrificial or benevolent. No offence, but she's also too emotionally exhausting for me to accidentally fall for her as well." Jaune said dryly. "Still it's been months, as cold and mean as Weiss makes herself out to be, I'm sure she's dropped that façade at least once. Unless you're a hardcore masochist Ruby- I don't judge by the way-I'm positive you saw a glimpse of her soft side at least once. Something that made you fall for her and made you think she was worth it despite her less than friendly attitude towards you."

[Ruby, I think you have what it takes to be a good leader. Just know, I am going to be the best teammate you'll ever have.]

Jaune smirked as a smile lit up Ruby's face as she no doubt recalled some moment where Weiss had moved her.

"Y-Yeah…her soft side is worth it." Ruby said making Jaune nod.

*Clap!*

Ruby jumped a bit after Jaune suddenly clapped his hands with a grin.

"Alright, time to teach you the Arc Art of Attraction!" Jaune said with a grin.

Lesson 1: Conquer Thy Fears

"Ruby Rose, I've seen you do some crazy things since meeting you and it's obvious you're brave." Jaune began before his smile faded. "But like a rose, I've seen you wilt. When it's the battlefield you lead without hesitation, but when it comes to Weiss you return to being self-conscious and awkward. That's no good, Ruby."

"What!? But those are two completely different scenarios-"

*Thump!*

"Ow!" Ruby yelped with anime tears in her eyes as she held her head once more after another chop from Jaune.

"Ruby! Love is a battlefield!" Jaune said making Ruby freeze as she gaped at him. "It's even harder than fighting Grimm because instead of Crescent Rose, you just have who you are as a person. Your scythe is sharp and dependable, so make yourself just as sharp and dependable as your scythe! Lesson one Conquer thy fears!" Jaune smirked as Ruby had the appearance of someone whom had just gotten her mind blown.

It was at that moment…Ruby knew…

…Jaune was legit.

"Your task, Ruby, I want done by tomorrow." Jaune said as he stood up. "I want you to not only start, but hold a conversation. Don't let Weiss deter you with her attitude either, lead the conversation like you would a battle!" Jaune said before leaving Ruby alone on the bench. Clenching her fists tightly, Ruby nodded to herself before standing up and following Jaune back to her dorm.

-Team RWBY Dorm-

"Hey Weiss."

Weiss looked up from her work as Ruby entered the dorm. Closing the door, Ruby turned around only to pale a bit when she noticed Yang and Blake had returned. Talking to Weiss was going to be hard enough but now she had to do it in a way that didn't make her look like a klutz and reveal her feelings to the other two teammates.

Yang would lord it over her for eternity.

Perhaps…perhaps she should wait until later.

"Hello, Ruby, are you finally done wasting time so you can focus on your work?" Weiss asked sounding a bit annoyed making Ruby pause.

[Don't let Weiss deter you with her attitude either, lead the conversation like you would a battle!]

"Be as sharp as Crescent Rose, be as sharp as Crescent Rose." Ruby repeated in her mind before she gave Weiss a smile. "Done wasting time? Most of my life is wasting time, and let me tell you this school work isn't nearly as productive." Ruby said making Weiss gape at her as both Yang and Blake turned their attention to their leader.

"*Snort* Ha! Nice one sis!" Yang said with a grin which Ruby returned.

"Hey Yang, Blake," Ruby greeted as she walked further into the dorm. "Still if it'll make my partner happy, I guess I can get started though you'll have to catch me up on what I missed at the beginning of class."

"Why should I? You're the one who chose to go to sleep." Weiss said as she crossed her arms. Yang and Blake rolled their eyes as they tuned out their roommates who would probably end up bickering again, though Weiss was primarily the one doing the actual bickering. They'd intervene if something actually went too far though that barely ever happened.

"Yes, but then I would have missed out on one great dream." Ruby retorted making Weiss scowl before rolling her eyes.

"And what could a dolt like you dream about that's worth missing a lesson over?" Weiss questioned as Ruby frowned in thought before smiling.

"Snow." Ruby said looking Weiss right in her eyes as said heiress widened them incredulously. Ruby gave her a smile as she grabbed her stuff before sitting down next to Weiss, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Oh no, maybe that was too direct. Thank god Yang and Blake seemed to miss it." Taking a hesitant glance at Weiss, Ruby's silver eyes widened as her partner's face was a red as her cloak while looking down at her book with wide-eyes.

"J-just sit down you dolt so I can catch you up." Weiss said with a huff as Ruby smiled a bit, though inwardly, she was doing a victory dance while holding up a V sign for victory.

"It worked! No argument and I get to study with her!" Ruby thought happily as she began her study session with Weiss. As this went on, it took a moment for Yang and Blake to realize that there was no argument going on, blinking owlishly they glanced over at their teammates before glancing at each other.

The hell?

-The Next Day-

"Hahahaha! Snow!? Oh I wish I saw the look on her face." Jaune said with a grin as he sat on a bench with Ruby. "Look at you Ruby, you might be a natural. Mind being my wingman one day?"

"Oh shut up!" Ruby said with an embarrassed laugh as she gave him a playful nudge.

"You know Ruby, you have a nice smile." Jaune said making her blink as she turned to him in confusion, not sure how to take that compliment. "But it's too nice!

"Wait what?"

Lesson 2: Smile

"Lesson number two, smile. You need to master the art of smiling. I'm almost positive you delivered that line with your usual happy go lucky smile. But you need to understand that there are different smiles for different situations. If you had used a more sensual smile you would have clearly been able to convey your feelings but instead Weiss is probably debating what you meant and will eventually conclude that you meant nothing by it." Jaune said as he shook his head as Ruby paled. "What good is flirting if you get clam jammed by your own innocent disposition?"

"C-clam jammed?" Ruby asked incredulously. "What does that mean?" Making Jaune blink as he turned to face her with a confused frown.

"You know, clam jammed?" Jaune tried again making Ruby shake her head. "Clitoris Prohibitus?" Jaune tried again though Ruby shook her head, but her blush showed that she was beginning to get the idea. "Cock blocked for females? Come on Ruby, it means you lose your chance at getting laid. Okay first things first, I need an accurate idea of just how innocent you are."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Ruby asked curiously making Jaune face-palm.

"Here's the thing Ruby, you're at a disadvantage because you're two years younger than Weiss. If this was ten years from now, two years wouldn't matter at all. In our age group, however, two years can separate the little kids from the big kids."

"Hey, I'm a big kid-I drink milk!"

"And that's the shit I'm talking about." Jaune said dryly normally he'd watch his language around Ruby, but lately he decided that would do more harm than good. "Your cuteness will be your own undoing. Now I remember when I was fifteen and I remember some of the more…graphic entries in your diary." Jaune said making Ruby's face flush. "So I know there is some hope for you yet."

"H-hope?"

"You know what sex is right?" Jaune asked bluntly making the red-faced Ruby nod silently. "Good, the rest of us are always watching the topics of our conversations around you because we don't want to piss of Yang by telling you something you aren't ready for."

"Aren't ready for? The fuck? I'm fifteen!" Ruby said incredulously surprising Jaune with both her sudden surge of anger and her strong language. "I mean what the actual hell do you all take me for? A little kid? How the fuck do you think my family explained why I was suddenly bleeding days at a time on a monthly basis?"

"Uh Ruby-"

"No, fuck you, you're going to listen." Ruby said angrily silencing Jaune. "I'm fifteen, not eight. I'm optimistic, not stupid. There's only a two year difference between us I really doubt there is much you know that I don't. I never heard of clam jamming or whatever else you said because I don't beat around the bush. I call it for what it is, me not getting any."

Wow.

"In my defense, I totally called it." Jaune said with a sigh confusing her. "I tried to tell the others to remember what they were like when they were your age but it fell on deaf ears. They are really scared of Yang."

"Why? It's not like she's super over protective or anything."

"Wait, she's not?" Jaune asked in confusion

"Of course not! It's Yang. When she snuck out for parties at my age, she would try to bring me with her I just refused because I am not the best in social settings." Ruby explained making Jaune curse with a glare. "Jaune?"

"Sorry, it's just that I have no problems with being protective, but over protectiveness is a turn off of mine. The idea of Yang being over protective was literally the only way I could rationalize not getting closer to her." Jaune admitted making Ruby give him a half-lidded stare.

"The hell, Jaune?"

"Well excuse me, it's not my fault your sister is completely my type." Jaune said defensively. "Yang's a bad b-"

"I'll shoot you."

"Classy woman." Jaune corrected without missing a beat as Ruby glared at him. "Relax Crater-face, I told you why I'm not going out with Pyrrha. Why would I turn around and date Yang? She deserves better too. Look we got way off topic, back to the matter at hand. You need to learn how to smile sensually. It's the key to flirting successfully." Jaune explained as he got them back on topic. "Your smile needs to be flirty but not creepy, there is a thin line. It has to say I want you, but I'll only take you if you let me."

"So how do I learn how to smile sensually?" Ruby asked making Jaune sigh.

"This is where we run into an issue, the gender barrier. My sensual smile is different on a fundamental level than yours will be. All sexes smile differently when trying to get a potential lover." Jaune explained matter-of-factly before his eyes widened as he saw someone walking in the distance. "Ruby! Here's your next test!"

"Huh-what!?" Ruby asked in alarm as he pointed towards a stunning woman. Ruby's eyes widened as she recognized her as one of the visiting students, now that she thought about it she never got her name.

"Get her name and tell her to show you her smile, I can spot a flirt a mile away." Jaune mused. "This will help with your AA aka Approach Anxiety, and give you a close look at what a sensual smile is. Now go get em' Crater Face."

"B-but that's so embarrassing, just walking up like a creep and saying can I see your smile?" Ruby said as Jaune crossed his arms.

"She's getting away, get your super speed butt over there or I'm dropping you from the program." Jaune said making her pale before she suddenly got up and rushed towards the older student.

-With Ruby-

"Uh, excuse me!" Ruby called out making the woman pause before turning to glance back at Ruby curiously with her visible eye.

"Yes, may I help you?" The woman said as she gave the young huntress a once over. "Oh, we met the other day did we not?"

"Yes, um, I saw you and realized we never properly introduced ourselves." Ruby said before extending her hand with a smile. "Ruby Rose."

"Cinder Fall." Cinder said as she shook Ruby's hand lightly before releasing it. "Was that all Ms. Rose?"

"Ruby is fine." Ruby said as she waved the woman off. "I actually-um-okay this is embarrassing but can you do me a favor?"

Now this put Cinder off and even made her a bit defensive. Why on Remnant would this girl need her to do her a favor? They knew next to nothing of each other.

"Well that would depend on what it is."

"C-Can I see you smile?" Ruby asked as she looked up at Cinder with a blush. Cinder blinked owlishly before laughing lightly as she tilted the blushing Ruby's face up with her index finger.

"My, aren't you adorable?" Cinder asked rhetorical as she gave the girl a small smile that sent a shiver down Ruby's spine. "Is this fine?"

"Y-yeah…" Ruby said with wide eyes as she realized what Jaune meant by different smiles. The woman before gave her a smile definitely made her feel some special type of way.

"Oh I'm sorry my nail must be very uncomfortable." Cinder said as she removed her finger. "It seems as though I drew blood." Cinder said as she raised her finger to show a drop of Ruby's blood resting on her nail.

"I-It's fine, no pain no gain right?" Ruby said awkwardly as she rubbed her chin while her aura healed the small wound.

"And what is it that you wish to gain?" Cinder asked curiously as Ruby found herself verbally backed into a wall as the woman kept eye contact as she licked the blood off of her finger.

"Your number!" Ruby suddenly blurted out making Cinder widen her eye as Ruby bowed her head in embarrassment. "Why the hell did I just say that!?"

…

…

…

…

"Aahahahahaha!" Cinder laughed making Ruby's blush intensify. "Aren't you precious, I haven't laughed like that in years. If you really want it, then fine." It was a disposable scroll anyway.

"R-really?" Ruby asked incredulously as the woman nodded and quickly exchanged numbers with Ruby.

"Now I have matters to attend to, until we see each other again." Cinder said as she left the stunned Ruby whom stumbled back towards an equally stunned route.

"J-Jaune…I did it…" Ruby said as Jaune gaped at her.

"I saw. It seems you did something I like to call unlocking a route."

"A route?" Ruby asked in confusion.

"Another path." Jaune clarified. "In case that path you're on, the pursuit of Weiss, doesn't work out you can go down that route instead. I don't recommend it though, lady looks like she has more baggage than Weiss. To quote my sister, don't save these ho's." Jaune said making Ruby gape at him. "It's crude but it gets the point across."

"Is that a lesson?"

"A recommendation." Jaune said calmly before shaking his head. "Still, did you just get a number too? Look at you go Crater Face, still doubt me?"

"N-No… it's obvious you know what you're talking about." Ruby admitted.

"Good now moving on." Jaune began as he raised three fingers.

Lesson 3: Master a Good Opener

"I'll keep this lesson short for you to master on your own, seeing as you're already Weiss' best friend. A good opener is how you can guarantee you can at least get some attention. It takes seven seconds for a good first impression and days, weeks, months, years, and may even require divine intervention to fix a bad one." Jaune explained to Ruby. "Remember when I introduced myself to you?"

"That' was your opener?" Ruby asked with a snort as she felt herself doubting Jaune's validity again. "Short sweet and rolls off the tongue? How on Remnant was that a good opener?"

"You remember it don't you?" Jaune asked bluntly making her pause. "Not only that but remembering it gives you feelings of mirth, allows for me to start a conversation about it at any time, lets me control the conversation at my pace, the fact I looked dorky also made me feel safe allowing me to have complete control over whether or not to open or close your route. But yes, Ruby, I can see how you can doubt it being a good opener." Jaune said with a grin as Ruby looked at him in morbid fascination.

"Oh my god you're an evil mastermind!" Ruby said incredulously.

"Ruby, I'm telling you this as a friend, but I could have gotten your panties numerous times over the course of our friendship. What's worse I could have really been an asshole-well-more of one." Jaune said making Ruby pale as he gave her a firm expression. "Be safe and be vigilant, Ruby. In hindsight, it's good I'm teaching you this, you may not be innocent but you are still too trustworthy. I think that sums up today, come on, let's go meet with the others." Jaune said as a shell-shocked Ruby followed wordlessly behind him as she processed what she had heard.

-The next day-

"Jaune…he's been really helping me out and my confidence has done nothing but grow. Maybe, maybe I actually have a chance at this." Ruby thought as she approached Weiss in the halls. "Hey Weiss, wanna grab some cookies-"

"No." Weiss said bluntly as she kept walking passed Ruby whom simply gaped at her retreating form.

"That hurt to watch." A voice said making Ruby blink as she looked up to see a smirking Jaune leaning on the lockers "Tell me, what' s typically the most dreaded answer any question?"

"No." Ruby said as she slumped her shoulders making him nod.

"Exactly which is why we are going to remove it from the equation today." Jaune said making Ruby look up at him in surprise.

Lesson 4: Subtle Negation and Double Bind

-Later-

"Way to appear when I need you." Ruby said with a short laugh making him grin.

"I'm your wingman Crater Face, it's what I do." Jaune said before turning to face Ruby. "So let's begin this lesson. The answer, No, is feared because it can bring an end to the conversation but on the flip side so can Yes. What we want, is to keep the conversation going."

"But how does that work?" Ruby asked in confusion before Jaune gave her a once over.

"Ruby, you're not an A-cup right?" Jaune asked curiously making Ruby blush as she quickly crossed her arms over her chest.

"N-No, I am not!" Ruby said sounding a bit irritated making Jaune laugh.

"Oh sorry, I thought you were." Jaune said before giving her a sheepish expression. "I forgot, you drink milk." Jaune said making Ruby's face redden more but just as she opened her mouth he stopped her. "See?"

"Wait what?" Ruby asked in confusion.

"The conversation is still going on." Jaune said making her eyes widened. "And at the pace I want it to. Regardless, if my obviously incorrect assumption was right or wrong, the conversation is still up and running."

"Holy shi-"

"Now, Ruby." Jaune interrupted her as he gestured towards the court yard where a turquoise-haired student was riding what looked like a hover board. "Your task is to get her to let you ride the board."

"What? But that's her weapon." Ruby said sounding appalled.

The bond between hunter and weapon was sacred after all.

The thought of someone else holding Crescent Rose made her skin crawl.

"Way too dramatic." Jaune, like everyone else without a weapon fetish-you know, normal people understood it wasn't really a big deal. "Crater Face we are going to talk about you being disturbed on a mental level later, just get over there and get it done." Jaune said making her frown before nodding. "Wait! Actually hold on, you'll need the next lesson too, might as well not waste this opportunity."

Lesson 5: Subtle Prediction

"Lesson five, subtle prediction. Look you know how sometimes a conversation hits a lull and things go from fun to awkward in an instant? You can keep control over the conversation by sticking to these four topics, money, social relations, fitness, and dreams. I also recommend to add oppression if you're dealing with a Faunus." Jaune explained to Ruby as he ticked off each topic with his fingers. "You stay to these topics-"

"-Because they are what human and Faunus deal with the most?" Ruby questioned making him blink before giving her a grin as he ruffled her hair.

"Look at you Ruby, you really are a natural. Up until this point we've been dealing with getting the conversation started, now you must deal with keeping it up before we can go any deeper. Use the lessons you've learned up until now to talk with her." Jaune said making Ruby nod again as she went to talk to the blue-haired huntress.

"Come on, come on!" The huntress muttered as she tried to perform a flip only to mess up at the last moment and land on her rear. "Ouch! Damn it!" The young woman shouted as she held her rear.

"Whoa! Hey, are you okay?" Ruby asked in alarm as she quickly approached the huntress.

"Huh? Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Happens a lot." The huntress said sheepishly as Ruby helped her up.

"Probably should have worn a helmet." Ruby said with giggle.

"Helmets?" The huntress asked sounding scandalized. "Helmets are for pussies!"

"And coffins are for bad asses." Ruby retorted making the huntress pause before chuckling.

"Ha! Good point. I like you Red! Reese Chloris, nice to meet you." Reese said as she extended a hand with a grin while kicking up her board and catching it under her arm.

"Ruby Rose." Ruby introduced with a smile as a look of realization came over Reese's face.

"From team RWBY? Man, do you know how confusing that is?" Reese asked making Ruby's shoulders slump.

"Yeah I know." Ruby muttered before looking up when Reese snapped her fingers.

"Then I'm going to keep callin' you Red! Stops my head from hurting." Reese said with a grin that was really contagious.

"In that case I'm going to call you Blue because…well…reasons." Ruby declared with a matching grin as Reese laughed.

"So what's up, Red? Saw you eyeing me from across the courtyard. Checking out the competition? Or something else?" Reese asked with a smirk making Ruby pale for a second before she remembered the lessons she had learned up until this point before giving a smirk that would have made Cinder proud.

"Can you blame me? It's not every day you see someone with such a nice, firm…" Ruby trailed of letting the sentence hang for a second before she glanced at Reese's board. "Weapon." Ruby said as she glanced back up at the slightly blushing Reese. Ruby then remembered the task Jaune had set her on. "Speaking of which, you wouldn't mind letting me ride it would you?" Ruby asked before paling as she thought about the context in which she asked the question.

Damn that came out wrong.

"D-Damn, Red." Reese said her face bright red. "And I thought you were a nice girl."

"When I need to be." Ruby couldn't help but blurt out before mentally cursing. She always said the weirdest things when backed into a verbal wall. "I'll clarify though, I meant your board." Ruby said making Reese clear her throat, the younger huntress could have sworn she heard something that sounded like 'tease'.

"You really wanna give it a spin? You think you can handle it?" Reese asked as she handed the board to Ruby.

"I think I can manage." Ruby said as she thought about surfing on a food tray during the last food fight. Reese soon found herself unable to keep her jaw from dropping as Ruby proceed to perform expert level tricks and maneuvers on the hover board. "This is amazing! How did you calibrate this so well!? You have to be a genius!"

"W-well it wasn't easy, especially when I had to factor in the dual gun mode." Reese said a bit embarrassed at being praised. Her intelligence was something people tended to dismiss because of her outgoing nature and her slight clumsiness.

"Dual gun?" Ruby asked in surprise as her foot shifted causing it to accidentally activate the board's transformation. Both Reese and Jaune looked on in horror as Ruby suddenly found herself free falling towards the cold unforgiving ground as two hand guns fell behind her.

"Whoa, hold up, I got you!" Reese shouted as she caught the younger huntress while the hand guns fell harmlessly onto a nearby bush. Though the catch was a success, Reese was smart-not strong-and the two immediately fell to ground in a tangle of limbs.

"Oh…my god…" Jaune thought in disbelief as he looked at Ruby and Reese. His younger friend had currently found herself caught in an accidental lip-lock with the other huntress as her hand rested on her left breast.

Suddenly, Jaune felt a disturbance.

Looking up he just managed to see a flash of white before realizing Weiss had walked into the scene, her eyes glued to her scroll. Suddenly she stopped moving and began to look up at the compromising scene when suddenly Jaune tackled her to the ground.

"Ouch!"

"Ah! Sorry, Weiss didn't see you there-"Jaune tried to get out before he found himself being smacked just as Ruby and Reese managed to scramble apart.

"You insufferable blonde-"

"-It was an accident I swear!" Jaune tried to explain but Weiss' glare told him she wasn't having it. Suddenly, the hunter found himself being chased away by the irritated Weiss as Ruby and Reese climbed back to their feet

"Jaune…" Ruby thought as she resisted the urge to cry after realizing what he had just done. He had just sacrificed himself to save her chances at getting the person she liked. "I don't care what anyone says, you're family after that one." Ruby thought as the urge to cry only increased when she began to hear explosions and screams of horror from her friend.

Jaune Arc-Wingman of the year

"W-well that happened." Reese said as she picked up her guns. "Looks like the transformation trigger is still too sensitive and I think the weight is a little off, no wonder I can't pull off that trick." Reese mused before turning back to Ruby. "Thanks though you probably didn't mean to, you were a really big help!"

"It…It was no problem." Ruby said as she returned her attention to a blushing Reese.

"Hey, you obviously know what you're talking about, you wouldn't mind giving me a hand would-"

"I would love to!" Ruby gushed, her silver eyes shining like stars as she turned to face Reese, her weapon fetish shining bright. "Let's exchange numbers, we can set up a time to talk shop."

"Really? O-Okay cool, it's a date." Reese said with a grin as she and Ruby exchanged numbers.

"Excuse me, but I have to go make sure my friends aren't killing each other. It was really nice meeting you!" Ruby said with a bright smile as she went to leave only to stop when Reese suddenly grabbed her shoulder. Blinking in confusion, Ruby turned around only for her eyes to widen when she found herself receiving a deep kiss from Reese.

"I was right…" Reese said after breaking to kiss, her cheeks reddening, "…I did taste strawberries." Reese said before stepping back with a grin. "See you later, Red." Reese said with a wave as she suddenly rushed away leaving a blushing and frozen Ruby while Jaune's screams continued to echo throughout the air.

-Later: Roof-

"Thank you." Ruby said for the fiftieth time as a battle scarred Jaune stared at her with half-lidded eyes while holding an ice-pack to his head.

"Am I being hustled?" Jaune asked suddenly giving Ruby a suspicious stare making her look at him in confusion.

"What?"

"I told you to ride a hover board, you did that, made out twice, got a number, and a date slash potential booty call." Jaune said as he narrowed his eyes. "You're really a player, aren't you? You little succubus."

"What!?" Ruby squeaked out as Jaune eyes narrowed further.

"I've thrown you into the proverbial lion's den time after time and you went above and beyond my expectations on the first try, each time." Jaune said before shaking his head. "Doesn't matter, we're going to get your girl. It's the least I can do."

"Why? You don't owe me. I know you think you do for the confidence boost, but you really don't." Ruby said making Jaune chuckle.

"Who cares about that? Come on Ruby, who wouldn't want their best friend to be happy?" Jaune asked rhetorically making Ruby's eyes widen. "We'll end today with the next lesson."

Lesson 6: IOI

"IOI"

"IOI? What?" Ruby repeated with a frown making Jaune chuckle.

"Indicator of Interest. Posture is one thing you need to pay attention to when talking to a potential partner. How they sit or stand near you are subtle but clear indicators of whether you are going to sink or sail." Jaune explained as Ruby tilted her head curiously. "Like now, you're sitting close to me and leaning forward as you hear my explanation. This shows that we are on good terms and that you are genuinely interested in what I'm saying."

"Wow, I never paid attention to that." Ruby said as she looked down at herself, noting how close she actually was to Jaune.

"I try to be a generally warm and inviting individual. I'm safe so you tend to stay closer to me as opposed to someone like Weiss whom despite your feelings you tend to keep a little space between you two-well unless you're caught up in a moment." Jaune added at the end after some thought. "Tell me, is there anything Weiss talks about that just bores you to tears?"

"Uhh, I guess." Ruby said as she's thought about it making Jaune nod.

"Great, next time it comes up change up your own IOI. Listen to her like you're listening to me." Jaune ordered with a smile as he stood up and helped Ruby to her feet. "One thing about being in a relationship is developing an interest for your partner's interests even if you really don't care about them. This works for friends too."

"Huh, I'll give it a try-wait, friends too? Have you ever done that for me?" Ruby asked as she gave Jaune a suspicious stare which he met with a blank expression while countless conversations about weapons flashed through his head.

"…no."

"…"

"…"

"…uh-huh…" Ruby muttered as she noticed Jaune begin to sweat slightly under her scrutiny. "Well then, I'm off!

"Good luck Ruby, I'm gonna wait here for Pyrrha, we got a training session in thirty." Jaune said making Ruby nod as she departed.

-Later-

"How did a klutz like him ever manage to get into this school?" Weiss questioned angrily as she walked down the hall towards their dorm with Yang.

"Chill snowflake, it was an accident right? Besides you do tend to walk around with your eyes glued to your scroll, it was probably your fault if anything." Yang pointed out getting a glare from Weiss in return.

"Are you actually defending him?"

"I room with you, kind of makes me want to take his side honestly." Yang said dryly getting a huff from Weiss. "Look it's not that big of a deal-oh hey sis! Hear about Vomit boy's latest misadventure?" Yang asked with a chuckle.

"Come on Yang, don't call him that." Ruby admonished though she was smiling too. Even apparently suave people like Jaune suffered from motion sickness.

"All I'm saying is if he wants to be a successful hunter-"

"And what do you consider a successful hunter?" Ruby questioned making Weiss pause as Yang's eyes widen.

"No Ruby! Don't pull the pin on that grenade we'll be here forever." Yang whined making Ruby giggle at her sister's antics.

"No, I'm actually interested, you can head on to the dorm." Ruby said making Yang shrug.

"Hey, suit yourself. I'll see you tomorrow, probably gonna be stuck here the rest of the night." Yang mused as she kept walking while Ruby rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"Well if you must know, Ruby. A good hunter is one that-"

"-And off she goes." Ruby thought as she listened to Weiss' rant for the first time despite her partner giving it countless times before. However, she couldn't help but get depressed as she heard what Weiss thought a great hunter was.

"-And obviously they have to be calm and collected-wait, Ruby are you okay?" Weiss asked with a small frown as she saw her leader's mood do a complete one-eighty.

"M-Me? Fine. Just glad to know a good hunter is the exact opposite of me." Ruby said as her shoulders slumped making Weiss' eyes widen. "I'll head back the dorm." Ruby said as she began to sadly make her way back to their room.

"Hold on, wait." Weiss suddenly said making Ruby pause as she looked back at her in confusion. Weiss averted her eyes a bit as she crossed her arms haughtily while her cheeks reddened a bit. "Though I stand with what I said, I'll admit there may be…exceptions to every rule." Weiss admitted making Ruby's eyes widen a bit. "Like I said before you're fine, whatever it is you're doing its working." Weiss admitted while Ruby couldn't believe her ears.

"What?"

"Oh you insufferable-look you dolt, what I'm saying is that you are a good huntress despite my beliefs so they may not be entirely correct." Weiss forced out as she admitted she was wrong making Ruby give her a bright smile. "Oh don't look so smug!"

"Smug? I'm just happy." Ruby said honestly, her smile only growing along with Weiss' blush.

"L-let's just get back to the dorm." Weiss muttered as she stalked back to the dorm with a smiling Ruby tailing behind her.

-The Next Morning-

Team RWBY and Team JNPR were currently talking animatedly to each other as they ate their breakfast. Suddenly, Weiss frowned a bit to herself as she seemed to be in deep thought, something Jaune managed to catch in his peripheral vision.

"Hey Ruby." Weiss began getting her leader's attention. "The team is running low on dust aren't we? Mind heading to the city with me to restock?"

"Huh? Oh su-"

*COUGH*

"Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed in alarm as Jaune suddenly began choking, getting their attention. Thinking fast, Ruby got up and helped her blond friend who was sitting next to her.

"A-Allergy…" Jaune gasped out.

"Hold on!" Ruby said as she helped him up and began to pat his back as she led him out of the cafeteria. "I'm heading to the nurse, come on." Ruby said frantically as they left their friends behind. As soon as they were out of eye-sight, Jaune immediately pulled the frantic Ruby off of him and brushed off his clothes.

"Man that was close." Jaune mused as Ruby looked at him in confusion, her scared expression slowly being mixed with one of pure confusion.

"W-what? You're okay?" Ruby asked in surprise as Jaune gestured for her to follow him.

"Come on, in case one of them decides to follow." Jaune said making Ruby frown as she followed him. "I'm proud of you Rubes, you learned enough that Weiss has officially taken notice of you." Jaune said making Ruby look at him in confusion. "That was a test, one you were about to fail by the way."

"What?"

"Generally, women often try to test potential lovers by using either the ignoring tactic or impossible missions to see if they are worthy of their interest." Jaune explained making Ruby pause as she thought of the times she'd see her sisters send boys she refused to date on extremely hard errands."

"B-but...why? That's so mean!" Ruby said with a pout making Jaune chuckle.

"Welcome to my world." Jaune mused. "Weiss knows you can't afford even one-fourth of the dust you need to restock your team. She's also used having others carry her dust for her. I've seen your team fight, Ruby, you use way more dust than my team and it's hard for us to bring the dust back to Beacon when we need to restock. Hell, I don't even use dust-I just feel bad for them so I try to help out."

"Now that you mention it, we do normally all go out to restock." Ruby mused making Jaune nod.

"Yet she singled you out, made it seem as though you would be helping her run an errand. This is how I knew it was a test. Time for your next lesson."

Lesson 7: The Art of Rejection

"Lesson seven, the art of rejection. To sum it up, don't take that shit. Despite the title it doesn't mean you have to actually reject them but make it clear you are not a lackey and you are helping them out. This is the lesson that typically kills the 'nice guys'. There is nothing wrong with being nice, but don't be a pushover and on the battlefield of love there is fine line between the two." Jaune said simply.

"So what do I say?"

"Ah-ah, Ruby, this is for you to get your girl." Jaune chastised. "I tell you what needs to be said, but you come up with what is said. I guide you, not hold your hand. No, I suggest you use a neg."

"A neg?"

"A negative. It's when you deny but praise simultaneously. This can create a feeling of gratitude. But warning Ruby, you must always smile when you do this. The presence of a smile can determine whether you get a lover or an enemy. The art of rejection is dangerous, but you are clearly ready for the advanced lessons." Jaune said before gesturing for her to go back to cafeteria. "Now go make me proud."

-Later: Back at the cafeteria-

"Ruby! Is he okay?" Pyrrha asked in concern making Ruby nod.

"Yeah, the nurse said he'll be just fine. He'll be back for class." Ruby said as she sat down at the table.

"That's a relief." Pyrrha said as she released a relieved sigh, before long they lapsed back into their conversations when Weiss spoke up again.

"So Ruby? Want to go to the city to restock?" Weiss question making Ruby look up from her plate. Swallowing her food, Ruby gave her a kind smile.

"Well, I'm actually fine when it comes to dust so I don't need to. Still if you need to restock I'll help but I'm assuming you're paying since you clearly want to do something nice for the team." Ruby said with a short laugh before playfully wagging her finger. "And you're carrying your own. I'll get what Yang needs and split whatever Blake wants with you." Ruby said as Weiss' eyes widened a bit. "Deal?"

Both Yang and Blake didn't need much dust at the moment, but she actually needed quite a bit seeing how fast she burned through it.

"Uh yes, sounds fair." Weiss said as she returned Ruby's smile. Weiss was honestly surprised; one of her main objections of Ruby being their leader was that she was the youngest and most likely to get walked over. If Ruby had agreed to be her pack mule, that would have only solidified how she felt. "Interesting, I really misjudged her."

"I think I'm going to have to treat Jaune to a steak dinner." Ruby thought as she was once again saved by her friend.

-After Classes-

Ruby was on her way to the airships when she stopped when she heard someone calling her name. Turning around curiously, she watched as Jaune ran towards her. She had to repress her laugh as she saw that he was slightly out of breath.

"Crap, how do you run so much?" Jaune asked incredulously as he tried to catch his breath.

"I exercise!" Ruby said with a grin as he straightened up and wiped his forehead clear of sweat.

"Man, I've been running everywhere looking for you-"

"Why didn't you just call me?" Ruby asked in confusion making him pause.

…

…

…

"Damn." Jaune muttered as he realized she had a good point. "Guess I was caught up in the moment, there are two more lessons you need before you go out with Weiss today. Though one doesn't actually matter."

"Huh, why not?"

Lesson 8: Establish a Close Rapport

"Lesson eight; establish a close rapport, in other words, a close relationship between two people." Jaune explained before shrugging. "You're her partner and best friend Ruby, you can pretty much ignore this one."

"Oh, then that means I get to avoid another strange task from you." Ruby said sounding relieved making Jaune roll his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You know people would pay good money for the knowledge I am bestowing upon you Crater Face." Jaune chided making Ruby snort.

"Uh-huh." Ruby said skeptically making his shoulder's slump.

"Moving on."

Lesson 9: False Time-constraint

"Lesson nine, false time constraint." Jaune said with a smirk as he suddenly perked up. "Tell me Ruby, how long does a trip to the city usually take you all?"

"Hmm, like four hours." Ruby said after thinking about it for a while making him nod.

"Good, tell Weiss you only have three." Jaune said making confusing Ruby greatly.

"But…why?"

"Think knucklehead." Jaune said with a chuckle as he tapped her on her forehead. "By shortening the time, you make her treasure the time you are able to spend even more as it makes it seem that you are helping her despite being busy. It's also a nice reminder that you have your own life." Jaune said making Ruby look up at him with wide eyes. "And then since you don't actually have anything to do at the three hour mark…"

"…I can stay the additional hour and make it seem more valuable as well." Ruby realized making him nod with a grin. "Wow…that sounds a bit diabolical actually."

"It does doesn't it? But really, all you are doing is reinforcing the fact that your time is valuable, which it is. We often take the time people give us for granted, this in a way of reinforcing the quality of your time without truly messing with the quantity." Jaune explained to Ruby. "I mean think about it, you're really just doing her a favor and you don't mind but this could be time spent on modding and calibrating Crescent Rose." Jaune said making her gasp.

"Holy-you're right! Four hours, I can do a lot of good with my baby with four hours." Ruby said with a slightly maniacal giggle that sent a chill down Jaune's spine as she imagined all of the things she could be doing with her weapon at the moment. "Aw man, now I almost don't wanna go." Ruby groaned making her smirk.

"Good, now make sure she realizes your time is important to you but remember to be polite about it, don't make It seem like she's forcing you to do anything either." Jaune warned before walking away. "Also don't clarify on why you need to shorten the time as that also helps reinforce you having your own private life. Make me proud Ruby!" Jaune said as Ruby waved with a smile before continuing her trek to the air-crafts. It didn't take her long to find her partner whom seemed to be waiting on her with a frown.

"There you are Ruby! I've been waiting for over ten minutes!" Weiss said as she crossed her arms making Ruby smile sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head

"Sorry, needed to check something, Crescent Rose wasn't acting properly." Ruby said while mentally reminding herself to knock on wood later so that nothing could happen to her baby. "Hey Weiss, I'm going to have to cut our time short today."

"What? Why?" Weiss asked with a frown.

"Something came up that needs my attention." Ruby responded vaguely, confusing Weiss even more as Ruby was usually very open about what she was doing. It was almost as if Ruby didn't want to tell her. "Anyway, I only have three hours to get the errands done, so let's make the most out of them!"

"O-Okay, of course." Weiss said as they entered the aircraft and thought she would never admit it or even know why, she was a bit too curious about what Ruby had to do then she'd ever let on. The two chatted about various things as the air-ship flew towards the city. Still, soon the conversation seemed to die out as they lapsed into a comfortable silence as they looked out of the windows of the ship. Soon, however, Weiss turned to face Ruby and began to say something but stopped when Ruby's scroll suddenly vibrated.

"Huh?" Ruby said with a confused frown as she fished out her scroll.

*Bzzt*

Ruby's eyes widened a bit as she realized she was getting texts from Reese.

"Huh, she sent a picture." Ruby mused as she downloaded the image while Weiss looked at her with a small frown.

"Who?" Weiss asked curiously making Ruby blush slightly.

"A-a friend of mine." Ruby answered nervously and for some reason Weiss felt as though she really didn't care for the blush that Ruby was now sporting.

"What? We have like the same circle of friends." Weiss thought as her eyes narrowed slightly.

Blue: Hey Red look at these beauties!

Blue: [Picture]

"No way." Ruby muttered with wide-eyes as her jaw dropped slightly before she quickly called her new friend. It didn't take long at all for Reese to pick up. "They're amazing! They're just so…uh!" Ruby was unable to formulate her feelings into words as she made a weird gripping motion with her free hand.

["Aww, that's sweet~"] A voice Weiss could barely make out teased as the ship began to slow.

"You have to at least let me see them up close and personal!" Ruby practically begged.

["Bet you wanna touch and hold these bad boys don't you?"] Reese asked huskily as Weiss' eyes widened incredulously.

"What!? No-they can't be possibly talking about what I think they are!" Weiss thought as a blush appeared on her cheeks as she found herself clenching her fists tightly.

"Hell yeah I do." Ruby muttered as Weiss looked at her in surprise, not used to hearing her leader use strong language. "You have no idea how much I want to. I'm literally drooling right now." Ruby practically gushed.

["Well there's more where that came from. Come to my dorm tonight. At ten. And they're all yours."]

Now Ruby was gaping along with her partner whom found her temper flaring for reasons she couldn't quite place.

"What!?" Ruby squeaked out gaining some odd looks as an excited smile lit up her face.

["Oh yeah, I think I know how to keep you entertained for the night."]

"If you're talking about what I think you are, what about your teammates? Won't we keep them up?"

["Nah, they are going to be in the city all night. If you ever met my leader, she looks stern, but off the clock she's a party animal."]

"Oh you can bet your ass I'll be there. Hold on, I'll talk to you later. Gotta pick up some dust." Ruby said as the air-ship landed.

["Later lil' Red~"] Reese said before hanging up. Ruby smiled warmly as she put away her phone but not before quickly glancing at the picture again.

"I can't believe she got those weapon mods! I'd have to save up my allowance for two years and not eat to get even one of them! And she's…she's just giving them to me?" Ruby thought in disbelief before her face flushed a bit. "Is she trying to propose or something? I mean I know we k-kissed more than once but isn't that too fast!? We're barely friends!"

Let it be known that Ruby took weapons VERY seriously.

"Ah! Where's Jaune when you need him!?" Ruby mentally complained though she couldn't help feeling giddy as a giggle escaped her throat while she led a frowning Weiss out of the air-craft who couldn't figure out why she could feel a knot growing in her stomach. "Alright Weiss, to the dust shop!"

"Hmph! Whatever, just hurry up!" Weiss said with more than a small amount of annoyance as she brushed passed Ruby and stalked down the street leaving a confused red-head behind.

"Eh?" A confused Ruby said as she watched her friend get angry for no reason.

-Three Hours later-

After grabbing the dust, Ruby and Weiss spent the next few hours running various errands for their missing teammates as they journeyed throughout the streets of the city. Fortunately it didn't take long for Weiss' seemingly irrational anger to wane. After a while, the sound of a stomach growling made them both tense before Ruby slowly turned to face a blushing Weiss in surprise.

"Wow that was loud." Ruby complimented with a small laugh as she held a box of dust vials and bullets along with a few other bags.

"S-shut up!" Weiss said as she nudged Ruby whom laughed at her expense. "I swear if you tell anyone-"

"Relax, Weiss! It happens, you're human. Still, my lips are sealed if it makes you feel any better." Ruby said with a grin which was impossible for Weiss to stay too irritated at. "Still, there is a restaurant nearby. Let's grab a bite."

"Are you sure? I would think you would want to get back to the academy as soon as possible." Weiss said with a scowl which confused Ruby greatly until she remembered the task Jaune had given her.

"Don't worry Weiss, I can sacrifice an hour to get you fed!" Ruby said making Weiss look at her in surprise. "If I'm with you, this hour will be better spent."

"O-Oh…well then, let us get something to eat." Weiss said making Ruby nod before she led the heiress to a nearby restaurant and despite herself, Weiss couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face.

-Later: With Jaune-

As what had seemed to become the new norm, Ruby eventually met up with Jaune on the roof where he was awaiting lessons from Pyrrha.

"You know, keep this up and you might end up needing a new teacher." Ruby said with a small frown, referring to Jaune's adamant attempts to ignore anything relationship-wise with Pyrrha. "Even she has to have her limit."

"And I hope she reaches it soon, getting tired of playing the love-sick idiot." Jaune said tiredly as he rubbed a hand through his hair. "I'm no good for her, Ruby. Believe me, if you knew me before we met you wouldn't want to be anywhere near me."

"Hmm, nope!" Ruby said with a sudden smile, mischief twinkling in her silver eyes. "You're a good guy Jaune, you made some mistakes, but who hasn't? People change, and you obviously have if you were even half the monster you claim you were."

"Ruby, I've really hurt people. I've caused more than my fair share of pain." Jaune said with a grimace.

"Yeah, but that's in the past. It's what you do now that counts, believe me, time heals all wounds." Ruby said with a nod. "I remember once when my sister ended her last actually serious relationship, I've never saw her that broken before and I've never been so angry at someone I've never met before." Ruby said making Jaune frown slightly.

"And what happened?"

"She got over it of course! It's Yang we're talking about! She came to terms with what happened and actually felt bad for the guy who broke her heart. Ask me, she probably still thinks about him but she's okay now. I realized letting hate fester would do me more harm than good, so I forgave him too despite how much Yang had been hurt." Ruby explained.

"Really? You forgave this guy you never met despite how much pain he caused?" Jaune asked skeptically.

"Well yeah, I began to think about it. I know my sister, she parties a lot but she's a good judge of character. He must have been a good guy at one point and if he hurt her he must have been hurting just as much if not more than she was. It takes a truly broken person to do that to Yang." Ruby said resolutely before frowning. "People are complicated, but that doesn't mean I don't get them, I just really prefer weapons. They get straight to the point like my baby." Ruby said with a fist-pump as Jaune chuckled.

"One day I wish to be as optimistic as you, but for now I'll stay a bit more pragmatic Crater Face." Jaune said as he poked her on her forehead. "Though you're right, I'll probably need a new trainer after this blows over though hopefully I can keep my friendship with her. We are stuck together for the next four years."

"How about Yang, it'll stop her from messing with me for a bit." Ruby said with a grin which made Jaune chuckle.

"I don't think I want to die." Jaune said dryly before shaking his head. "Now enough about my love-life, we're here for yours, tell me how it went." Jaune said making Ruby nod before she quickly went over the evening's events for him. "Wait, wait, wait. Hold up." Jaune said as he shook his head. "So you set up a date with another girl, within hearing distance of Weiss during your date with her? Damn Ruby, you're a savage."

"Huh!? B-but it wasn't a date! Neither is me spending time with Blue!" Ruby protested as Jaune laughed loudly.

"You even have pet names!" Jaune said as he laughed making Ruby's face flush in embarrassment. "Ruby I hate to break it to you, but you went on a date today. Even if neither of you realize it-Weiss is either in denial or dense."

"W-what…b-but tonight's not a date!" Ruby stuttered out making him snort before giving her a half-lidded stare.

"No, you're just spending the night with a lady who's somehow gotten you a very expensive gift. Let's not forget the fact you've kissed her twice." Jaune said sarcastically and Ruby immediately regretted telling him about the second kiss as he gave her a smirk. "Do you know where her room is?"

"She texted me the number earlier." Ruby said as her blush died down when she saw the suddenly serious expression on Jaune's face.

"Good, tell me it before you leave and send me a text at twelve. If you don't I'll send Nora to get you." Jaune said confusing Ruby.

"Why?"

"Cause you're my cookie buddy!" Jaune said with a grin. "She seems like a great girl, but she could also be trying to get some tonight-you see she works fast. I mean if you want to get with her, I won't judge. Hell, I'll be a little proud actually, but let me know if you're spending the night. Don't want Yang trying to kill me because I introduced her sister to someone who took advantage of her."

"Oh." Ruby said, a blush reappearing on her cheeks as she realized what Jaune was talking about. "I thought you we're on my side! Don't treat me like a kid, I can take care of myself."

"Ruby, we all need someone to watch our backs." Jaune said with a sigh. "It's not because I see you as a kid, on the contrary, it's because I don't that I'm worried. You're strong, but there will always be someone stronger. Which is why I'm sending Nora rather than going myself, I'm a realist." Jaune explained. "I'm too weak to save you when you get in over your head right now, Nora isn't." Jaune explained making Ruby frown in thought. "So you'll call?"

"I'll call." Ruby conceded making him grin.

"Now, moving on. I'm impressed, you actually managed to make Weiss, the girl who has everything, jealous." Jaune said shocking Ruby to her core.

"What? How? When?"

"Think back to you conversation with your…friend…" Jaune began using air-quotes around the last word. "Weiss is a lot of things, but crazy isn't one of them. She wouldn't just get angry out of thin air. Your plans tonight made her jealous which is impressive since that's a later lesson. The next lesson is…"

Lesson 10: Demonstration of High Value

"Lesson ten, the demonstration of high value." Jaune said as he crossed his arms. "Ruby, I'm going to give you the cold hard truth, as of now a feasible relationship between you two is nearly impossible."

"Wait what? Why!?" Ruby asked with a frown as Jaune sighed.

"Look at the big picture, you two are from two entirely different social classes. She's literally a woman who has everything, practically a damn princess at this point. She's rich and rich marries rich. What could you possibly give her?" Jaune questioned making Ruby open and close her mouth a few times before clenching her fists and bowing her head.

"…nothing…"

*Thump*

"Ouch! Will you stop that!?" Ruby asked angrily as she looked up at him only to find him smirking.

"Nope." Jaune said before grinning. "Not if you keep being a dummy, you answered wrong."

"How? There is nothing I can give her, like you said, she has everything." Ruby said making him shake his head.

"Ruby? What makes her special?" Jaune questioned making Ruby look at him as if he were an idiot.

"She's smart, beautiful, strong, is caring if you look deep enough, and also like you said she does have everything."

*Thump*

"Damn it! I'm seriously going to shoot you!" Ruby snapped making him chuckle.

"Give me the main reason you like her." Jaune challenged with a knowing smile making Ruby pause before frowning as she tried to come up with a reason. After a while she just….shrugged. There were many reasons, but none that she could pick over another.

"I just…do. I like Weiss because she's Weiss." Ruby said before narrowing her eyes as Jaune raised his hand again, though instead of chopping her, he ruffled her hair.

"Ding, ding." Jaune said with a grin as she looked up at him in confusion. "What makes someone desirable is entirely subjective, Ruby. If every person felt the same way, the entire world would be trying to date Weiss. Ruby, Weiss is only special because you-the one who likes her-thinks she is. She has an inherently high value, and generally women don't seek partners who they think are below them but that's just it Ruby. You're not below her. It's your life, your story, and only you can be the main character of your story. No one has more value in your life than yourself!"

"W-what?" Ruby asked looking completely stunned Jaune's words as he grinned wider.

"This is the lesson that brings an end to the intermediate lessons. Ruby, the one thing you can give Weiss…is yourself." Jaune said making Ruby gasp. "You do have value, and it's not low. You just need to realize it and you need to make Weiss realize it. Everyone has a gift, a talent, something that makes them unique."

"But…what do I have? What can I possibly express?" Ruby questioned as she looked down at her hands making him chuckle warmly.

"I may be a bit biased but…compared to Weiss, you're a better huntress. I mean you were made leader for a reason, right?" Jaune asked making Ruby's eyes widen.

"What? No! I'm just…I'm just me. I'm good, but deep down I know Weiss is just as good if not better than me-"

"-She also has two years of experience on you and much more resources yet you can still fight on par with her." Jaune interrupted silencing Ruby. "I know you have this need to be seen as normal, but you're not and striving to be normal might cost you something important one day. You are a prodigy whether you want to admit it or not. You have to own that Ruby, absorb that identity you try so hard to ignore. It's a part of you, don't run from it." Jaune said before poking her on her forehead.

"J-Jaune…"

"You have a gift Ruby, something within you just waiting to burst out! When I look at you I feel hope. Tomorrow in Glynda's class, stop holding back and release all of that strength that I know is inside you." Jaune ordered as Ruby's eyes glistened a bit. "Let everyone see just how a fifteen year old got into Beacon." Jaune said making Ruby nod quietly, not trusting her voice. "Good, now as intense as that was, you have a date to prepare for and Pyrrha will be here in fifteen." Jaune said making Ruby nod as she turned away.

What happened next, did not surprise him at all.

Ruby suddenly spun around and gave him a bone crushing hug making him grunt for a second before laughing lightly as he patted her back. He felt bad for doing it, but it was a habit, he always analyzed everyone he ever met just like his sister taught him to. It was away to stay alive that she had developed. He knew the insecurities, fears, and weakness of all of his friends though he swore to never use that knowledge for his own gain.

That didn't mean he couldn't use it for theirs.

He knew exactly what Ruby's insecurities were and what held her back from being the best she could be, and he hoped that by forcing her to face them he could guide her along to being the best person she could be. Ruby was going in the history books one day, this he could tell, he just hoped he could be a footnote.

It was because of this knowledge, however, that he prayed that he could remain Ruby's rock because she was growing as a person far faster than her peers, leaving them in the dust-himself included. A relationship required two people working, not just one, give and take. An imbalance would lead to disaster-it always did. There was only so much Ruby could do, in the end, Weiss would need to step up as well if they actually wanted to succeed as a couple.

"In the end, it all comes down to you Weiss, please don't let me down." Jaune thought as Ruby released him. As much as he wanted to tell her all of these concerns he had, now was not the time.

They only had a handful of lessons left.

-Later Team RWBY Dorm-

"Man, Glynda was brutal today." Yang complained as she laid flat on her back in bed. "I mean, really? Placing me against Pyrrha?"

"It's to be expected. She's the top of the class, everyone needs to face her - it's the best way to gauge to everyone's progress." Blake said as she flipped through her book. "It was a close match, keep training harder, you'll beat her one day." Blake reassured her making Yang chuckle.

"If I do, it won't be in a fight. None of my blows could even connect." Yang said with a sigh. "Oh well, like you said, there's always next time!"

"That's the spirit." Blake drawled monotonously with a half-assed fist pump.

"Besides, she's Beacon's best chance at bringing home the trophy. Glynda's probably using this as a way to train her against various opponents." Weiss explained as she continued to do her schoolwork. She had to refrain from laughing at Yang's comment about her blows not landing, she knew of Pyrrha's semblance but both she and Yang were her friends and it wasn't her secret to tell.

That said if they were forced to face team JNPR at the festival, secrets be damned, she was gonna spill the beans.

She was still sore after her last fight with Pyrrha.

"Huh, didn't think about it like that. Still, we'll show the school who's really bringing home the trophy! Our team is going all the way, right Ruby?" Yang asked with a smile as Ruby stopped cleaning her weapon and folded it back up after glancing at the her clock.

"Huh? Yeah." Ruby said with a smile making Yang raise an eyebrow at how distracted her sister was.

"Where are you going?" Yang questioned curiously as Ruby headed to the door.

"Uh…out." Ruby said vaguely as Weiss tightened her grip on her pen while Blake looked up from her book. Yang's eyes narrowed as her big sister instincts suddenly kicked in.

Flushed appearance? Check.

Vague explanation? Check.

Leaving at night? Check.

Fidgeting nervously? Check.

Changed from her uniform into her usual gear instead of her pajamas? Check.

Analyzation complete.

Ruby paled as a knowing smirk spread across Yang's face as the blonde sat up quickly.

"Oh no…" Ruby muttered as Yang shot forward and grabbed her in a tight hug. "My back!" Ruby grunted out.

"Oh my God my baby sister has a date!" Yang gushed as she held Ruby even tighter. "Why didn't you tell me? Dad and Qrow said it wouldn't happen but I knew you were just a late bloomer! Oh I'm so proud of you!"

"P-please...s-stop." Ruby groaned as the air was being pushed out of her lungs.

"Wait it's not vomit boy is it? I know you two have been spending a lot of time together lately." Yang said with a sudden frown making Ruby shake her head frantically, not wanted her best friend to get targeted by Yang.

"No. It's…it's just someone I met recently, alright?" Ruby said making Yang's grin return.

"Then I'm still so proud of you!"

"Let me go! I can't breathe!" Ruby forced out making Yang laugh sheepishly as she dropped her sister. Ruby glowered at her for a moment as she brushed off her clothes. "This is why I don't tell you anything."

"Well, can you blame me? Dad and I were really scared for a moment." Yang said with a pout making Ruby look at her in confusion.

"Huh? Why?"

"Because your love for your weapon is not what nature intended and you like it more than actual people." Yang thought with a sweat drop, she shuddered when she remembered the times Ruby would have full-blown conversations with Crescent Rose. "No reason…" Yang said weakly making Ruby look at her suspiciously. "I'll be waiting for you, when you get back. I can't believe I get to say this, but I want details!"

Finally, she and Ruby could exchange stories like actual sisters instead of Ruby blatantly ignoring every tale Yang tried to give.

It was a monumental moment for their relationship.

Yang could have cried.

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure when I'm coming back so get some sleep." Ruby muttered as she thought about how long customizing weapons could take. Three things happened at that moment.

Blake dropped her book.

Weiss' pen snapped.

Yang released a squeal so loud that it was the only warning Ruby needed to vanish from the room in a swirl of rose petals.

…

…

…

"Are…are you crying?" Blake finally asked after she heard the sound of someone sniffling and turned to find Yang wiping tears from her eyes.

"I-I'm j-just so happy…" Yang gasped out.

"Really? Huh, I thought you would be really angry and protective right now." Blake said as she looked at Yang in surprise.

"Do you remember what you were like at fifteen? I remember what I was like. Hell my parents too, if even half of my uncle's stories of my mom are true." Yang mused and Blake had the decency to blush at the thought.

Her first time dealing with heat was not something she liked to remember.

"I'm a lot of things, Blakey, but a hypocrite ain't one." Yang said with a grin before frowning when she noticed how agitated Weiss appeared. "Hey you okay-"

"I'm, fine!" Weiss snapped as she stood up abruptly and stormed to the restroom so that she could wash the ink from her hand.

-With Ruby-

*Knock*

*Knock*

Ruby waited for a few moments when the door to the dorm finally opened revealing Reese whom was wearing a white tank top and cargo pants along with a welding mask on her face.

"Hey Red, you made it!" Reese said with a grin which Ruby returned. "Come on in!" Reese said as she invited Ruby into the dorm. "Man, I never get much time to get some actual work done when sharing a dorm with my team, to say this is refreshing is an understatement."

"I know right!?" Ruby agreed as she thought of all the times she was forced to stop working on her baby just because her teammates wanted something as useless as sleep.

Filthy casuals.

"So I was thinking about what you told me about Crescent Rose." Reese began as she pulled out two cartridges. "And let me run this by you, what if you reduce the size of the magazine by half?"

"What? But that would make my bullets weaker and reduce the amount! Do you know how long I spent calibrating this thing?" Ruby asked with a frown making Reese chuckle.

"I know, I know." Reese said as she held up her hands defensively, her smile never leaving. "But what if we install a dust cartridge with the added room?" Reese asked rhetorically making Ruby's eyes widen in realization.

"The added versatility along with the ability to amp my rounds with elemental power would more than make up for the loss in bullet strength." Ruby realized making Reese nod with a grin.

"Not only that, but the new bullets will be lighter and cheaper allowing you to carry more magazines. All in all your weapon gets extremely strong while also being cost-effective and there is no change in the weight, so the balance is untouched!" Reese declared as Ruby placed her hands to her head and made a gesture to symbolize her mind exploding.

"You just blew my mind, you're a genius!" Ruby declared making Reese blush as she scratched the side of her cheek sheepishly. "But how am I going to pay you back for all that? Those mods aren't exactly cheap." Ruby said with a frown making Reese chuckle nervously.

"Uh, I may have forgotten to mention but we might have something else in common." Reese began confusing Ruby. "I got into my school through…special...means as well."

"Huh?" Ruby asked in confusion.

"I may have gotten a full-ride?" Reese said sheepishly making Ruby gape at her. "It's not an exaggeration when you call me a genius, though I don't look like one. I'm really passionate about what I do and my school fronts me all the money I need for my inventions. So don't pay me back, I didn't pay anything either. In fact, I have like two crates of mods I brought with me just in case I actually got some time to work."

"So you mean to tell me, we have an entire night to just screw around with advanced weapon tech?" Ruby questioned making Reese nod.

…

…

…

"Are…are you crying?" Reese asked in concern as Ruby sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"I'm just…s-so happy…" Ruby managed to get out. "We have an entire night ahead of us! Let's get to work and talk shop!" Ruby said with a grin as she took off her cloak. "Hold on, I'm going to go get some work clothes."

"No need, we're close to the same size." Reese waved her off. "I'll get you some of my spare clothes and you can get changed real fast."

"I appreciate it." Ruby said with a smile. "Now before we start though, let me run an idea by you this time." Ruby began with a smirk which Reese returned.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, look. Your weapon is awesome…I mean really awesome but you lose a majority of your mobility when you turn your board into dual guns." Ruby began making Reese frown slightly.

"I hope you aren't going to suggest getting rid of the dual gun function."

"What? No! That function is bad ass." Ruby protested looking insulted by the very thought before grinning. "Two words. Rocket boots."

…

…

…

"Oh my God." Reese muttered as if she had just seen the light. "You're a mad genius!"

"I try." Ruby grinned.

"Let's get to work!" Reese said making Ruby nod as she pulled out her scroll.

"Give me a second." Ruby said as she sent Jaune a text.

Ruby: Don't send Nora. I'm going to be here for a while.

*Bzzt*

Jaune: You know damn well I want details tomorrow. Get em' girl.

Ruby rolled her eyes fondly at the text, Jaune was interesting to say the least-guess things happen when you grow up with seven sisters. After changing into the clothes Reese handed her, the two immediately got to work.

And work they did.

For hours the two joked and laughed as they worked on their weapons and bounced ideas off each other. Some good, others absurd, but they didn't care as they listened to each other's dreams, goals, and even concerns for the future. It almost seemed as though it would never end but eventually Reese's teammates returned to dorm. They were so drunk they either didn't notice Ruby or didn't care. Arlsan, whom Ruby learned was the team leader, just raised an eyebrow before glancing at Reese and shrugging. She was far too tired to care what her teammate had gotten herself in to.

"That was a fun, definitely have to do that again. I'll bring you your clothes back later." Ruby said making Reese nod.

"Definitely, I'll let you know the next time they go out." Reese said with a smile. "As for the clothes, just drop them off after classes today."

"Still, you helped me a lot with my baby. Just wish there was a way I could repay you." Ruby said making Reese groan good-naturedly.

"I told you it was fine, I didn't pay for them." Reese said though she could see that Ruby still didn't seem too sure about it. "Fine then." Reese said as she smiled impishly. "Kiss me. That's how you can repay me." Reese said making Ruby blush.

"W-what?" Ruby stuttered out making her laugh as the younger huntress bit her lip. Reese shook her head with a smile as she saw how nervous Ruby was.

"Relax I'm just kiddin-"Reese was cut off as something warm pressed against her lips, making her eyes widen in surprise. Reese closed her eyes and savored it for a moment before Ruby broke the kiss and stepped back, looking extremely flustered.

"Uh-uh…bye!" Ruby said before vanishing leaving a dazed Reese behind who slowly grew a goofy grin as her lips tasted like strawberries. When Ruby finally made it to the dorm, it seemed she had made it just in time to see her teammates get up. And for a while no one could say anything as an awkward atmosphere seemed to fill the air. Now while Ruby wasn't completely innocent it still took her a bit longer to register more…adult situations. That said, not even she could play dumb about how bad this must have looked.

They literally caught her sneaking back into the dorm after being out until dawn.

She was sweaty and flushed.

Her lips were still a bit swollen from her kiss.

Her clothes were tucked under her arm-

-actually speaking of clothes she wasn't even wearing her own to add more fuel to the fire.

And unknown to Ruby at the time, someone had been complaining on social media about loud noises coming from the dorm Ruby and Reese were working in.

WBY may not have known where Ruby went, but they could hazard a guess.

"Oh sweet, sweet, payback." Yang muttered feeling blessed as she recalled the time Ruby caught her sneaking back home before snitching to their dad.

"It's too early for this." Blake decided before rolling back over to get some more sleep.

Weiss…well Weiss was making some sort of choking strangling sound, no doubt attempting and failing to put together a sentence.

*Click*

Ruby's attention immediately went back to Yang whom had taken a picture on her scroll making Ruby pale as she watched her sister snicker evilly and type something in to her scroll.

Yang: Guess who's a big girl now?

Yang: [Picture]

Yang's laughter sent a chill down Ruby's spine as she sent the group text to her father, Qrow, and even Ruby so that she could be part of the wonderful conversation.

Poppa Bear: WHAT!?

Unc. Qrow: THE FUCK!?

*BZZT*

*BZZT*

*BZZT*

Ruby jumped as her scroll started blowing up with dozens upon dozens of texts and Ruby couldn't help but narrow her eyes as she looked up at Yang and muttered the words the blonde had longed to hear from her sister since she hit puberty.

"You…fucking…bitch."

"Aww, I love you too sis!" Yang said with an evil grin as Ruby slumped her shoulders, dropped her clothes, and left to get some privacy as she called her father and eventually her uncle.

It was a long morning.

-Later Combat Class-

Ruby knew she should have been tired after the sleepless night and long start to an even longer day what with Weiss being unable to look her in the eye. She tried to explain but Weiss just turned red and left, obviously not wanting any details about what she thought happened. Honestly, it was a miracle Ruby was even conscious but thanks to Jaune's magic brew she felt good as new.

"Seriously, what is this magical potion?" Ruby asked making Jaune give her a deadpanned stare.

"Expresso." Jaune said dryly as he watched his super alert friend practically bounce in her seat. Perhaps he made a mistake. "So, uh, you kind of missed your chance to show off today but seeing your morning, I can't blame you."

Honestly, having to explain your sex-life to your protective dad and uncle?

Truth be told, the whole thing should not have blown up as much as it did and could have been resolved by a simple explanation from Ruby. That's what would have happened in an ideal world. This, however, was not an ideal world. Every individual had their own set of irrational and complex characteristics that simply made life much harder than it should have been.

Ruby was no different.

Apparently, Ruby was not a happy-go-lucky girl when she didn't get her sleep. Add that with the anger she felt towards Yang at the moment and being barraged with embarrassing questions by two of her guardians who still treated her like a child…safe to say Ruby's rebellious streak kicked in to overdrive.

If they wanted to worry, let them worry, is what the sleep-deprived Ruby thought when she turned off her scroll-not bothering to explain her side of the story since they weren't listening to her-before running into Jaune later that morning and being treated to her newly beloved drink.

"Probably! But you know what? I'm happy. Looking back on this morning I got to say some things that had been on my mind for a while." Ruby said with a grin as they watched Pyrrha annihilate team CRDL.

"Really, like what?" Jaune asked curiously.

"Well honestly, their questions didn't even bug me cause I knew what I really did. I didn't care until they started talking about how I was too young to do this or that…and that pissed me off." Ruby said with a small frown. "Like really? I'm old enough to fight monsters to the death with one of the deadliest weapons ever in my humble opinion, but too young for sex? That's not how this works." Ruby said with a frown. "I guess I have to thank you for showing me that."

"Wait what? Oh no, don't credit me. I don't need two deadly hunters coming after me because they think their little girl got laid." Jaune said as he shook his head.

"No, I mean, I thought about what you said. I'm the main character of my own life, right? No matter what happens, at the end of the day the only one going in my coffin is me. That's a very likely risk in our line of work Jaune, I mean do you know our death rate? No, I decided, I'm going to do what I want, when I want. That simple." Ruby said with a nod while Jaune just looked at her in awe. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just, does your semblance make you do everything in life fast? Because you've grown a lot since we've met." Jaune said before nudging her playfully as a small smirk graced his lips. "Going to have me feeling like a kid soon if you keep it up." Ruby was going to respond when suddenly Cardin slammed into the ground with a sickening crunch as Pyrrha ended the fight much sooner than expected.

"Wow, she's actually getting better." Jaune said with wide-eyes, how Pyrrha continued to get stronger despite having no real challenge in these sparring matches never ceased to amaze him.

"Alright, I know that was a tough act to follow but we have time for one more sparring match." Glynda said as she began cycling through the roster in her scroll. "Ms. Belladonna, you've been quite docile for the past few classes. Why don't you-"

"I'll-"

"Oooh, me!" Ruby interrupted both Glynda and Mercury as she raised her hand with a grin making Jaune smile slightly.

"Ms. Rose? Well, I suppose it has been awhile since your last match." Glynda said as she began looking for an opponent while Mercury sat down slowly, eyes slightly wider, as his plans went up in flames.

"Huh, look at you seizing the opportunity." Jaune thought as he sat back and watched things unfold while stealthily snagging Ruby's drink before sipping from it.

"Actually, I wanna fight Pyrrha!" Ruby said with a smile.

*pfft*

Jaune instantly spit out his drink as all of the students from Beacon seemed to pale while the visiting students looked at them in confusion.

"Finally!" A voice shouted making them all turn to a now blushing Pyrrha whom chuckled nervously. She had been waiting for a challenge for months and despite some close calls, she never actually had to try too hard to get a victory. She was getting bored and had always longed to test her fellow prodigy's strength herself. The impromptu food fight earlier that week was the first time Pyrrha had experienced defeat, and ever since she truly wanted to see if Ruby could do it again if they both had their weapons in a more serious setting. "Err…umm…" Pyrrha trailed off awkwardly under everyone's scrutiny.

"Are you insane?" Weiss finally asked from a few seats over while Yang fist-pumped.

"Woo! Go get her sis!" Yang said with a grin while Jaune continued to look at Ruby as if she had grown two heads. He knew he told her to show off her skill, but she just challenged their top student. If she lost, it would have the opposite effect of demonstrating her high value.

"Well, normally, I would not have Pyrrha fight again so soon after completing a match but since you both are obviously desiring this, I will allow it." Glynda said as she fixed her glasses while Ruby grinned and quickly sped to the arena.

"Alright, Pyrrha! Show her who's Boss!" Nora exclaimed while Ren gave a lazy woohoo after Nora urged him to cheer.

"You got this Pyrrha!" Jaune exclaimed with a grin.

"Hey!" Ruby called out looking slightly betrayed as she made it to the arena.

"Hey, she's my partner." Jaune said with an apologetic shrug. At the end of the day, it would be Pyrrha next to him on the battlefield, not Ruby.

"Point." Ruby said as she turned back to Pyrrha who raised her shield and slid into her battle stance while Ruby reached back and placed a hand on Crescent Rose. After getting over their shock, the Beacon students immediately began cheering for Pyrrha. Though, both Ruby and Pyrrha were easily at the top of their class, Ruby was definitely the underdog. Still, Yang showed her support and Blake, though interested, barely had enough energy to stay awake.

Weiss was still getting over her shock.

"You got this Red!" A voice shouted making Ruby glance back to see Reese grinning at her and giving her a thumbs up.

"Alright, settle down!" Glynda ordered making Ruby refocus her attention to her fellow red-head. "Get ready, the battle will start…now!" As soon as the last word was uttered, Ruby instantly vanished in a swirl of rose petals outing Pyrrha immediately on guard. Soon, she heard the tell-tale sound of Crescent Rose mecha-shifting and turned around just into time to find Ruby in the air behind her. Ruby quickly transformed her weapon into its rifle mode and released two shots at Pyrrha, causing the Spartan to immediately raise her shield to deflect them.

*CRASH!*

*CRASH!*

Pyrrha's eyes widened in surprise when the bullets immediately exploded into ice impact with enough force to send her stumbling back. When Ruby landed, she spun around once as her weapon transformed into its scythe form before stabbing it's blade into the ground. Pyrrha was immediately forced to dodge to the side as Ruby began to release high-impact dust rounds at her that left flaming trails in their wake.

"Did she upgrade her weapon?" Pyrrha wondered with a frown as she suddenly leaned back just as one of the flaming rounds whizzed past her face. "Hot!" Pyrrha thought as she felt the intense heat being released from the bullet which slammed into the wall behind her creating a small molten crater in the process. Thinking fast, Pyrrha turned to face Ruby and raised her ice-covered shield to deflect the next shot.

*KRAAANNNGG!*

*CRASH!*

Pyrrha's shield arm trembled a bit as the force of the shot pushed her back a few inches while the strength and heat of the bullet completely destroyed the ice that had been covering her shield. Pyrrha took that moment to throw her shield at Ruby with deadly accuracy only for the younger huntress to flip her body on top of Crescent Rose's handle. Quickly maneuvering her body, Ruby kicked the incoming shield from the sky before flipping off of her weapon and landing back on the ground in a crouch.

*BANG!*

After squeezing the trigger of her weapon, Ruby's body was suddenly propelled forward and shot towards Pyrrha at blinding speeds. Pyrrha wasted no time in transforming her sword into its javelin form and raising it high to deflect a powerful overhead swing from Ruby.

*Crack*

The ground beneath Pyrrha's feet cracked from the amount of force behind the swing as Ruby narrowed her eyes as she and Pyrrha stared each other down while their weapons struggled for dominance. Still, Pyrrha's physical superiority began to show as she managed to push back Crescent Rose.

*BANG!*

Pyrrha's eyes widened as she was barely able to tilt her head in time to avoid being shot in the face after Ruby fired her weapon to gain enough moment to flip over Pyrrha and gain a little space. When Ruby landed behind her and Pyrrha stood with their backs towards each other before she released another round from her scythe in order to shoot back towards Pyrrha whom quickly turned around and parried a horizontal swing form Ruby. As their weapons once again struggled for dominance, Ruby and Pyrrha couldn't help but give each other small smiles before they immediately found themselves locked in combat.

"Hmm, what's this?" Glynda wondered with a thoughtful frown as she watched their aura levels. Though it was very slight and almost unnoticeable, Glynda could see that Pyrrha's aura was ever so slightly being chipped away.

"I'm being pushed back, but how?" Pyrrha wondered as she continued to try to parry Ruby's high-speed swings to the best of her ability. Miló was much lighter than Crescent Rose and Pyrrha was physically stronger than Ruby so she should have had the speed advantage. Yet still, somehow, Crescent Rose slipped past her weapon and grazed her aura. "Wait, her semblance it's not limited to just running fast." Pyrrha realized before her smile grew a bit. "Time to even the playing field." Pyrrha thought as her hands were covered in a black aura. Stealthily, moving her hand, Pyrrha's shield suddenly flew from its resting place across the arena and slammed into Ruby's legs, effectively tripping Ruby up in the process.

"She's really going to use it." Ruby thought when she landed on her back just as Pyrrha flipped her javelin and stabbed down at Ruby only for said huntress to disappear once more in a swirl of rose petals. Eyes widening in alarm, Pyrrha glanced back just in time to see two feet slam into her face. Ruby decided then to capitalize on that moment, and using her trusty semblance she executed a vicious and flawless barrage of bicycle kicks that sent them from one side of the arena to the other. Ruby eventually back flipped off of the now slightly dazed Pyrrha and dashed towards her weapon.

"I knew Ruby was skilled, but unfortunately that skill is limited to her weapon." Pyrrha thought after clearing her head while her javelin shifted into its rifle form before Pyrrha quickly unloaded her magazine at Ruby, each connecting shot slamming directly into Ruby's back, heavily chipping away at the younger huntress' aura level. Ruby gritted her teeth in pain as Pyrrha lowered her weapon and raised her left hand causing Crescent Rose to be covered in a dark aura as it floated up from the ground. Ruby actually stopped cold at the sight, her eyes wide as her beloved weapon began to spin rapidly like a buzz-saw before launching itself towards her. "Good fight, but once more, it's my win." Pyrrha thought before looking on in surprise as Ruby raised her right hand suddenly.

*THOOOOM!*

"What!?" Pyrrha thought in alarm as she and everyone else, including Glynda, watched in in surprise as Ruby actually caught her scythe and clenched her hand so tight around its handle that it began to bleed. A bead of sweat slid down Pyrrha's face as she realized the deadly weapon was still under her control yet was unable to budge from Ruby's grip. It was like trying to yank a beloved teddy bear from a toddler. A deafening silence filled the air as tension began to fill many of the student's bodies. They weren't sure why but they had the sudden feeling that something had gone horribly wrong. Only a select few had even a slightest idea of what the problem was and only one of them could truly identify it.

"Oh…shit…" Yang murmured as her teammates plus JNR looked at her knowingly as dread filled their bodies.

Back in the arena, Ruby's shoulders trembled as a foreign feeling began to not only fill her very being but also suffocate her. She was drowning in this repressed emotion so much that even Pyrrha herself began to feel uneasy.

"Uh...Ruby…" Pyrrha began hesitantly as Ruby ejected the dust cartridge in her weapon.

"No one…" Ruby began as she reached into her pack while Pyrrha renewed her efforts of trying to pry the scythe from Ruby's hands all while Yang actually trembled in her seat. Pulling out a black cartridge, Ruby loaded it into Crescent Rose, causing the entire weapon to pulse as it released a black aura of its own that effectively canceled Pyrrha's hold over the weapon.

"Magnetic dust?" Pyrrha wondered in alarm as she felt her control over the weapons polarity completely canceled out. Pyrrha cursed as she got into a fighting stance when she released that of course Ruby would know the specifics about her semblance. Normally when people saw it, they passed it off as telekinesis rather than a control over magnetism but she had made the mistake of actually telling Ruby what her semblance was. Ruby pulled up her hood, a shadow now being casted over the top half over her face, as she turned to face Pyrrha.

*Bang!*

"Uses my fucking weapon but me!" Ruby snapped viciously as she shot towards Pyrrha whom prepared to face her friend whom she was beginning to suspect might be slightly disturbed on a mental level. However, unseen by all but Pyrrha, Ruby's eyes shone ever so slightly-effectively piercing the darkness created by her hood. Pyrrha paled at the sight when she found herself unable to even move after making eye-contact with Ruby.

"What!? Why can't I move? Speak? Anything!?" Pyrrha wondered in surprise before she was ruthlessly attacked from virtually every direction by the pissed of young huntress while a storm of rose petals flew around not just Pyrrha but the room as whole.

"The…hell…?" Blake questioned with wide-eyes, all signs of exhaustion gone for the moment while she and the other students gaped as Pyrrha's aura continuously depleted.

"That fucking weapon." Yang said with a slight shudder. "One time I got mad at Ruby for accidentally cutting my hair in a spar and threw that damned thing against the wall, apparently I scratched it I don't know. Everything was blurry when my dad tried to explain it to me after I woke up two days later." Yang said making her friends pale. "She warned me beforehand not to touch it but I didn't listen…I didn't listen!" Yang shouted before she seemingly had a mental breakdown as Blake awkwardly patted her on her back.

"It'll…uhh…it'll be okay?" Blake tried to reassure her blonde friend.

Back in the arena, Ruby slammed her scythe into Pyrrha with enough force to shatter her aura but before she could continue she found herself unable to move.

"Ms. Rose!" Glynda snapped making Ruby blink her eyes owlishly before glancing back to see the stern Professor aiming her riding crop at her. Looking down, Ruby saw that she was floating in the air. "Please, settle down." Glynda said sounding slightly exasperated. "You've won." Still not entirely sure what was going on around her, Ruby looked down to see an unconscious Pyrrha before looking up to see that while her Aura was in the yellow, Pyrrha's had been completely depleted.

"Oh."

"Yes, oh." Glynda said dryly before dropping the young huntress whom fell onto her rear. It took a while for everyone, especially those form Beacon, to digest what had happened but eventually the students besides the shell shocked WBY, JNR, Cinder's group, and the unconscious Pyrrha, all cheered loudly

"Oh my God, that was so awesome!" Reese cheered as she hopped down to arena and glomped the still slightly dazed Ruby. She had been so happy to see that the modifications worked without fail, looks like their hard night of work had been worth it. As expected, Ruby's face went from dazed to excited nearly instantly at the mention of her improved weapon.

"I know right!" Ruby gushed before she and Reese began to fan-girl over Crescent Rose's performance while the rest of Team JNPR came to collect their teammate.

"Boop." Nora said as she poked Pyrrha's nose. "Hey, are you alive?"

"Nora." Ren said sounding a bit annoyed as he began to lift Pyrrha's body making her chuckle sheepishly before helping him.

"We'll take her to the nurse." Jaune told Glynda whom nodded as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Please do, and do not forget about the dance this weekend." Glynda said making him nod before she went to regain some order in the room. Jaune was going to tell Ruby to meet him at their usual spot later but stopped when he saw her and Reese conversing with matching grins while they left the arena. Glancing to the side he saw quite the troubled expression on Weiss usually stoic face.

"Interesting…" Jaune thought to himself as he led his teammates out of the classroom.

-Later: Roof-

"Okay, mixed feelings. On one hand, no one can doubt your worth as a huntress." Jaune began before gaining a slight eye-twitch. "But you sent my damn partner to the med-wing!" Jaune snapped as Ruby chuckled sheepishly.

"Oops." Ruby said making him sigh as he shook his head.

"Luckily, it's just exhaustion, so she should be fine when she wakes up." Jaune muttered though he still gave the sheepish Ruby an annoyed glance. "Hey tell me, do you know any secrets about Weiss?" Jaune asked making Ruby frown as she thought about it. Well, when she thought about it she supposed there was the less than stellar childhood she had.

"Yeah, but I'd think she'd want me to keep that to myself, no offense Jaune." Ruby answer making him smirk.

Lesson 11: Conspiracy Theory

"None taken, you just passed the next lesson. The conspiracy theory. Potential partners find it necessary to be able to trust their significant other with their secrets in a relationship. The fact that even though we're so close, you aren't willing to spill the secrets says a lot about your character and show you are ready for an actual relationship." Jaune explained.

"Huh, might be the easiest lesson yet." Ruby said making him laugh.

"Gets better, you actually passed quite a bit of the remaining ones as well." Jaune said making her look at him in surprise.

Lesson 12: Compliance Test

"Next would be the compliance test. To put it simply, see if she'll do things for you." Jaune said making Ruby frown at him.

"I don't know Jaune, that one seems a bit…" Ruby trailed off not sure how to put it into words making him nod in understanding.

"Oh I know, out of context it sounds like a lesson for assholes. Called my sis out on this one too when she was teaching me. She made it sound like I was treating someone like a pet rather than a person, so please let me clear up what I meant." Jaune said as he crossed his arms. "Ruby, it's bad to use someone in a relationship right?"

"Well…duh." Ruby said as she raised an eyebrow making him smile.

"Ruby, being used, is just as destructive for the relationship." Jaune said making her eyes widen slightly. "Give and take, Ruby, that's what a relationship is. Nine times out of ten, people new to the dating game fail their first relationship because of this. They try so hard to do everything but ask for nothing that it creates an imbalance in the relationship which will ultimately end it." Jaune explained before sighing sadly. "This is another reason why 'nice guys' don't always get the girl or keep them when they do. Do not fall into this trap, Ruby. If you need something ask for it and then be ready to provide when something is asked of you. That's how a relationship works."

"Is that why you won't go with Pyrrha?" Ruby asked quietly, stunning him for a moment before he gave her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Among a few other reasons." Jaune confirmed. "I'm just her partner and even now this arrangement is so one-sided it's not funny. It's not a good feeling, Ruby. You feel like a leech, a burden, if I had anything to even give her in return then maybe I would consider it. This is one of the reasons I say she needs someone better than me." Jaune explained. "Now back to you, I've seen that you two actually have a good give and take relationship going so keep doing what you do."

Lesson 13: Become the Alpha of the Group

"Lesson thirteen, become the alpha of the group from time to time. Stand up, take charge, show your backbone and emphasize your strengths." Jaune said before shrugging. "You're a team leader Ruby, and you've proven why numerous times since I've known you. Again, this lesson was over before you ever learned it." Jaune said before chuckling. "I mean think about it, between the initiation and the food fight there have been more than a few times you've taken charge. I saw the news and saw your team fighting a giant Robot on the highway. I never saw you but I'm sure you were there calling shots."

"Well…you're not wrong." Ruby said sounding embarrassed, leading was second nature to her but she couldn't help but be embarrassed whenever someone pointed it out.

"In all honestly, our roles were switched in this lesson, you helped me in this regard more than I could help you." Jaune pointed out before they both thought of the time she gave him what he had dubbed the 'nope-talk'. "I mean, I may be the weakest person on my team, but thanks to you they listen to my orders any way."

"Well you're smart." Ruby said with a shrug as if it were obvious. "Just because you have trouble fighting now doesn't mean you can't come up with a good plan. By the way, how do you get your team to do entire complex battle plans with one word commands?" Ruby asked suddenly. That had always bugged her about team JNPR. Their synergy was almost unnatural in terms of how good it was.

"Team secret." Jaune said with a wink making her pout. "How do you get your team to remember team attacks?" Jaune countered making her pause. That had been something that bugged Jaune about team Ruby. Their ability to complement each other in battle was crazy. The fact they could remember each one of their relatively large arsenal of team attacks was a cause of envy for the blond leader.

"Okay I see your point." Ruby admitted, deciding to keep that secret within team RWBY. RWBY and JNPR had a good-natured rivalry that they used to help each other grow, giving their secrets to each other would cause the rivalry to lose its intensity.

And that just wasn't fun.

Lesson 14: Induce Jealousy

"Before moving on to lesson fifteen, you gotta do lesson fourteen at least once. Lesson fourteen involves, inducing jealousy." Jaune said before placing his hands in his pockets. "Please note you only do this when not in a relationship as it is a sure fire way to fuck up said relationship. There aren't many ways to see if a person is interested in you back, but jealousy tends to be a good indicator."

"Pssh, well good luck with that. There is no way, I can make Weiss jealous." Ruby said with laugh as she waved him off.

"Oh really? Because this is the last of the lessons you passed before being given them. I must say I am really impressed." Jaune mused making her look at him incredulously.

"What!? But-how-when? I never made Weiss jealous!" Ruby exclaimed making him snort as he looked at her skeptically.

"Really? Because Weiss looked as though she wanted to ram her Myrtenaster through your blue-haired friend's chest." Jaune said making Ruby blink.

"What? Reese? But she's so nice and cool, why would anyone want to hurt her?" Ruby asked with a confused pout.

"Not anyone, just Weiss. And maybe because she's occupied a fair share of your time lately, your team thinks you had sex with her, and from what you've told me you two have kissed twice." Jaune listed off making Ruby blush as she muttered something. "What?"

"I said…it was three times." Ruby repeated, the last part Jaune only managed to hear by sheer luck due to how fast and quiet she had said it.

"…"

"Don't give me that look! Look we had a really fun night, she gave me a whole bunch of rare and expensive parts and I really wanted to pay her back but she said no but I was like please, but she said it was fine, but I didn't take that for an answer, no sir, so she caved and told me to kiss her and I did and I might have liked it but everyone likes kissing right so it didn't really mean anything and-"

"Ruby!" Jaune interrupted Ruby's embarrassed high-speed rant. "Take a breath!" Jaune said incredulously making the flushed Ruby nod before taking one.

"Look, maybe Weiss just doesn't like Reese just because? I mean someone will always dislike you right? I remember when we went shopping in Vale and Weiss had gotten mad after I called Reese to talk about the picture of weapon mods she sent me. Weiss barely knows Reese now and didn't then but she had still gotten irritated. Maybe it's a sixth sense thing?" Ruby tried making Jaune give her a half-lidded stare as his mind instantly went into overdrive trying to piece together the story Ruby had just told him.

"So she sent you a picture on your not-a date-but-totally-a-date-date with Weiss. Then you proceeded to call her and, knowing you, probably gushed over the contents of the photo. Then proceeded to accept a date with Reese for later at night that eventually led to –as far as your team is concerned- sex." Jaune said as his urge to laugh grew with every word.

He had to fight the urge!

He had to be strong!

For Ruby!

"You then went back to your dorm, where Weiss blatantly saw you in someone else's clothes." Jaune continued as Ruby nodded, squirming a bit under Jaune's scrutiny. "For the sake of this argument, let's assume Weiss feels some type of way about you-how the actual fuck could she not be jealous?" Jaune questioned rhetorically.

"B-but, Weiss just saw Reese! There's no way she could just automatically assume that's who I was with! She doesn't even know what Reese sounds like!"

"So she wasn't standing next to you as you talked to Reese on your scroll which you keep at an ungodly loud volume?" Jaune questioned making Ruby pale.

"S-she still doesn't know what she looks like!"

"You share the exact same circle of friends, not hard to realize the one person you know that she doesn't is who you were with." Jaune pointed out as things finally started clicking for Ruby. "Ruby everything else is already cause enough for Weiss to be jealous, but you said she was angry during your call right? Think back to the call and think, could it have possibly have been misunderstood? Like when you were gushing over the weapon mods did you actually use any words pertaining to weapons?"

…

…

…

…

…

Ruby and Jaune just stared at each other as a tumble weed blew across the roof.

"She has been on edge lately." Ruby finally said, realizing she may have been the cause of some of Weiss' mood swings while Jaune wondered how the hell a tumble weed made it to the roof.

"You're a piece of work Ruby." Jaune said with a chuckle as she pulled up her hood in a vain attempt to hide her embarrassed expression. "But it's time for the next lesson."

Lesson fifteen: Statement of Interest

"Lesson fifteen, statement of interest. It's been a long time coming Ruby but here's the chance for you to clear the air. The big moment. Go to Weiss and tell her how you feel, ask her to the dance this weekend." Jaune said making Ruby look up at him in silent horror.

"Do you know how bad that could go?" Ruby asked incredulously. "There is a reason I was keeping quiet! I don't…I don't know what to do if she rejects me. It'll hurt."

"Like hell." Jaune agreed with a nod. "Still, did you actually think you two would magically just get together? Or worse if you two do like each other, actually expect her to make the first move? Weiss? I'd be able to solo Ozpin and Glynda with my eyes closed before that happens."

"Well I kinda did…until you said that." Ruby muttered as she thought about it. Weiss was definitely capable of making the first move in a relationship, but this wasn't just any relation, it was one with Ruby. If, and Ruby believed that was a big if, Weiss liked her as more than friends their hair would be the same color before Weiss actually admitted it.

"Ruby, I'm going to tell you something my sister told me when I first met the girl of my dreams." Jaune began getting Ruby's undivided attention. "Getting rejected hurts, especially when you have genuine feelings for someone. But you know what hurts more?"

"What?" Ruby asked quietly.

"Having the one you love pass you by and go about their lives without even knowing about your feelings to begin with. That shit right there can drive a person crazy Crater Face." Jaune said seriously. "Look you're a huntress, to use your own words, it's not the safest job. You can die at any moment and you'll face things much scarier than a simple rejection." Jaune said as he smile once Ruby gained a look of determination on her face.

"You're right, if I couldn't do something like this there is no way I can be a huntress." Ruby said as she nodded to herself. "Alright, I'll go for it. Thanks for the help Jaune!" Ruby said as she smiled.

"No problem." Jaune said as he returned it and watched her leave. However, as soon as she was out of eye-sight, his smile fell. "I wonder…if this doesn't work, will you end up making the mistakes I did?" Jaune wondered.

There was only one lesson left.

-With Ruby-

"Hey Red!" Ruby stopped walking when she heard Reese call out her nickname. Turning around, she smiled a bit unsurely as Reese ran towards her with a grin.

"Hey, what's up?" Ruby questioned curiously as Reese shifted a bit nervously before taking a deep breath and giving Ruby a determined expression.

"It's nothing it's just…well, I know we have this…thing…between us. It's pretty chill and all, and I don't mind but-uh-damn, I had practiced this like a hundred times before coming here. Um." Reese muttered before shaking her head.

"Hey, its okay, I won't bite." Ruby said with a short laugh not knowing the skater could be this flustered about anything.

"Willyougotothedancewithme?" Reese finally forced out making Ruby's eyes widen a bit as she cursed her semblance for allowing her to make out exactly what her friend said. Ruby found herself at a crossroads instantly. Ruby's mouth went dry as she slowly opened it…

-With Weiss-

Weiss could currently be seen lying on her bed with her eyes shut tight, for once she was too tired to do her work. Instead, she found herself preoccupied with her current existential crisis. In her youth up until recently, she had prided herself in knowing just what she had wanted out of life. She had it all planned out and was…hap-well-content with her circumstances. She had a plan but recently, a wrench was thrown in that plan.

A wrench named Ruby Rose.

She hadn't had…many…friends in life. Okay, prior to Beacon, she didn't really have any but the point still remained that Ruby had wormed her way into her life and had become very important though she'd never, ever, admit that to Ruby. The world would have to be on the brink of destruction before that happened. Still, Ruby was her best friend, her family more than likely would not have approved of Ruby even being a friend due to how below their status they would have deemed her.

Winter probably would have tolerated her, but that would have been it.

Ruby was an important friend, partner, and leader, and Weiss had accepted the role Ruby had in her life. This semester, however, is when things began to get hectic. Not only was there the drama with the White Fang but there was drama on a more personal front. Blake was on a path of self-destruction and Weiss, for the first time in a while, found herself being drawn to someone. A young hunter named Neptune, he was everything Weiss had ever looked for in a guy and she really wanted to be closer to him.

That should have been simple, she was Schnee after all, who could say no to her? But it wasn't that simple, ignoring that buffoon Jaune who kept trying to get her attention-though she'd admit he was easy on the eyes and actually hadn't bothered her recently.

Maybe he finally got a clue that Pyrrha of all people actually had feelings for him.

The main problem was Ruby.

Ruby.

Fucking.

Rose.

Any ideas of mere friendship had recently been obliterated by the younger huntress whom seemed to worm herself even further and further into her heart until Weiss even began to see her as a potential…partner…one day. If being friends with Ruby was looked down upon, Weiss took a private satisfaction at picturing the look on her father's face if she told him she had feelings for the energetic red-head. She was alone in her own head so she could admit it, she had been gaining increasingly romantic feelings towards Ruby. That was not good.

Weiss was at a crossroads in her life.

She could go the easy route or the hard route. The easy route being that she ignore her feelings and limit her relationship to being friends with Ruby and pursue her first target of interest, Neptune. Though still probably not too easy, seeing how she had no true idea what his social standing was, she believed he could at least be tolerated by her family.

Ruby on the other hand? Cute optimistic Ruby? Her family would eat that girl alive, she'd have to disown all of her relatives if she wanted to go that route and that's just assuming it lasted. Neither Neptune nor Ruby were guaranteed to be successful or long-lasting relationships, especially not in their line of work, but there was a considerable lack of risk when dealing with Neptune. Now with that dance coming up, Weiss was going to have to make a choice.

Truth be told, she had no idea of Ruby felt about her, finding out would require her to actually reveal her own feelings and Weiss honestly wasn't sure if that was an entirely possible feat for her as of now. Nor could she deal with making an absolute fool of herself and ruining her friendship with Ruby.

Life was hard.

*Click*

Weiss' eyes snapped open as an emotionally drained Ruby walked in to the room. For a moment neither said a thing, both lost in their own issues before they eventually made eye-contact. Now neither of them said anything or had solid concrete proof of the other's feelings…yet…somehow, in that moment…as if everything had been conveyed to each other in that one glance…

…they just knew.

"Weiss." Ruby began making Weiss swallow nervously, knowing that she was going to have to face this much, much, sooner than she had anticipated.

She had really been hoping to face this sometime around never.

"Ruby." Weiss said calmly.

"We need to talk." Ruby said, a surprisingly serious expression on her face that Weiss managed to mirror.

…

…

…

…

…

-That Night-

Jaune sat tiredly against a tree in a secluded part of the school which received little to no visits from other students and faculty. His left shoulder was currently very soggy with tears as he held Ruby close. He didn't know how long he held her, the sun was setting when he had finally ran into her after he received a text from Ruby to meet her here.

"You get it all out?" Jaune questioned quietly as he patted her back after she finally went quiet. Ruby had experienced pain before, and she was surprisingly mature for her age, but he knew there were just somethings that when experienced for the first time could break even the best of them.

"Y-yeah…but Jaune…I tried…so hard…" Ruby said quietly as he hummed in understanding.

"Like I said. At the end of the day, a relationship is two people. You were ready, she wasn't. Nothing you can do about that." Jaune said calmly. "Maybe one day, she will be."

"Should…should I wait? For her I mean?" Ruby questioned making him frown in thought.

"If this was a fairy tale, I'd say go for it. But this isn't that kind of story Ruby. This is your story, your life, and every character comes complete with their only collection of complex emotions and motives for interacting with others the way they do." Jaune said simply. "You're young and you only have one life, don't waste it on anyone else. The only one that goes in your coffin…"

"…is me." Ruby finished making Jaune nod as she wiped her eyes. "So what now?"

The Final Lesson: Don't get attached.

"It's time for the final lesson." Jaune said as he steeled himself.

[The Final Lesson little bro, never get attached. Once you get what you want or fail, leave. Or else you risk everything blowing up in your face…trust me I know.]

"D-"Jaune stopped as Ruby looked up at him in confusion. Her expression seemed to cause him physical pain as he thought of his best friend, this optimistic young woman, becoming anything like him.

No.

He wouldn't be like his sister.

The True Final Lesson: It was all you.

"The final lesson…is that there is no final lesson. There is no Arc art of attraction, everything up to this point Ruby? It was all you. You came out of your shell, you made yourself a better person, and you confronted your feelings head on which is much more than many people can say. And though it wasn't the one you wished for, you got an answer." Jaune said as a smile split his face while Ruby looked at him in surprise. "Placebo effect, Ruby."

"J-Jaune." Ruby said completely stunned by his words.

"I may have pointed you in the right direction, but you made the choice to overcome each obstacle, you made the choice to be a better you. Most importantly, over the last few days you took control over your life and worked to get something you wanted. You may not have succeeded but that's just part of the human experience." Jaune said with a grin as he stood up. "Do you know why you made it this far? And I don't just mean with Weiss but in life in general?"

"N-no?" Ruby said quietly as she sniffled a bit while he gave her a thumbs up.

"Because you're already a magnificent woman." Jaune said seriously making her gasp. "You didn't need to be better than you are, you're more than good enough and if people can't see that, fuck em'." Jaune said before he was suddenly hugged tightly by him as if she would die if she let go. He smiled warmly as he patted her head as they fell into a comfortable silence for a bit. "It's not over, you know. Your love life that is."

"H-huh?" Ruby asked as she looked up and saw him smiling knowingly at her. "What do you mean? She said no, she's asking Neptune."

"I know, but here's the thing Ruby. We're constantly stuck between a never ending battle of what we want and what we need. This is the battle that results in all failed relationships. It's a horrible battle and you can't differentiate between what you want and what you need until it's too late." Jaune informed her as they broke apart.

"I…I don't understand." Ruby said helplessly making him chuckle a bit.

"Sorry I suck at explaining things, my Sis did it best. The way she put it is that deep down, we all want someone who we think of as more than we are. But what we need is someone that makes us more than we are. Someone that makes us better, but that's scary Ruby because we as people hate change on a basic level." Jaune tried to explain before grimacing.

This was harder to explain than he thought.

"Look, you know the saying opposites attract, right?" Jaune asked suddenly making Ruby nod with a confused frown. "We typically want someone who we see has a quality we desire yet we don't possess ourselves. However, what we need is someone that challenges us to bring that quality out within ourselves. Opposites do attract, Ruby, but the like-minded last. Always remember that." Jaune said seriously. "In the battlefield of love, choosing what we want over what we actually need can cause a devastating phenomenon to occur."

"What is it?" Ruby asked in confusion making him chuckle.

"It's known…as the one that got away." Jaune said shocking her. "Nearly all of us have that one person, the one we could have loved if it wasn't for a failure on our part. A source and summit of all the 'what if's' that are formed in our heads. The person who's voice haunts us for an eternity. Even if you move on, find a new love, even a true love, you can just sit down one day years from now and still hear their voice."

[What were we? Just play things to you!?]

Jaune noticeably grimaced as he heard those broken words once more and Ruby realized he was speaking from experience.

"You?" Ruby asked quietly.

"Haunts me every day. I had a girl once, one that-like you-I was too scared to pursue until my sister taught me the 'art'. However, she was who I needed and she actually not only accepted my feelings but returned them. We were a couple and life was great…but I fucked up." Jaune said quietly as Ruby tilted her head curiously.

"How?"

"I let doubt enter my head, see she was my first relationship so finding the one on your first try is a cause for many doubts because you feel as though it's too good to be true. She and I shared everything but I let my doubts consume me and I allowed myself to be manipulated and hurt the one that mattered most." Jaune muttered. "We lived nowhere near each other, but she'd travel two hours every weekend to see me. I moved from the country side to the city in order to live with my sister because not only was life at home getting hard, but it would cut her trip down by half. Things just got worse in the city though and I couldn't tell lust from love."

"You cheated." Ruby realized making him nod.

"I was weak. Stupid, and nowhere near ready for a relationship. You're better than me Ruby, helping you out showed me what someone who was ready looked like up close and personal. In some ways, you're more mature than all of us." Jaune said with a tired smile. "Still, even though I've learned my lesson, I can't enter another relationship not after all of those that I hurt."

"Wait a second…you…you still love her." Ruby realized. "Is that another one of the reasons you don't return Pyrrha's feelings?"

"The biggest." Jaune said with a nod. "I'm what she wants, a kind person who didn't know who she was that won't treat her like a trophy."

"But you're not what she needs."

"You're finally getting it, Ruby. Her desire blinds her to my faults. Once she sees them when the desire dies out, she'll feel trapped. No, only one person could handle this baggage and I fucked it up. She haunts me, when I'm in class, walk the halls, eat in the cafeteria, and even when I look at you." Jaune revealed. "Her smile haunts me the most, it keeps me up at night which is why it's so hard for me to stay up in class. Here's the best advice I can give you." Jaune said as he brushed past Ruby. "Don't be like me. Find me when you understand what that means, it's still not too late if you act fast-and that's what you're best at." Jaune said before leaving Ruby alone with her thoughts.

-Hours later: Team RWBY Dorm-

There was a noticeable tension in the dorm now, one that Yang and the now well-rested Blake could both pick up on. Ruby was lying on her bed in her pajamas, sleeping mask on her forehead as she stared at the ceiling. Weiss was doing her work as usual but it was obvious her normal passion wasn't in it, as if she were going through the motions. She had approached Neptune after forcing herself to reject Ruby, for both of their benefits she had been telling herself, only for him to reject her for reasons she didn't understand because he seemed disheartened to do so.

[Opposites do attract, Ruby, but the like-minded last.]

*Flash*

Ruby nodded her head as Reese stood behind her and guided her hands in the installation of the advanced weapon modification. Reese had been entirely caught up in her explanation, her passion for technology shining through in a way that resonated deeply with Ruby as she felt content at finding someone else whom shared her passion.

*Flash*

Ruby bit her lip as she thought about just how…right…it felt to have her body so close to Reese's. She involuntarily shivered as she thought of the feel of her lips against Reese's.

[Her smile haunts me the most…]

*Flash*

"I was right…" Reese said after breaking to kiss, her cheeks reddening, "…I did taste strawberries." Reese said before stepping back with a grin. "See you later, Red." Reese said with a wave as she suddenly rushed away leaving a blushing and frozen Ruby while Jaune's screams continued to echo throughout the air.

*Flash*

[Don't be like me. Find me when you understand what that means...]

*Flash*

"O-Oh…someone else?" Reese said hesitantly as she quickly hid her heart-broken expression behind a forced smile. Unfortunately, it wasn't fast enough and made Ruby feel even worse than she already did. Ruby clenched her fists tightly as her eyes began to water. "I-It's fine I guess I was a bit too slow." Reese said sheepishly as she placed her hands in her pockets. "I'll see you around, Red." Reese said as she turned away and began to walk away as Ruby began to raise a hand towards her and call out to her new friend only to lower it.

No. It was better this way.

Wasn't it?

*Flash*

Yang and Blake both couldn't help but feel as though they had missed something. Closing her eyes, Weiss realized that they weren't being fair to their friends and they at least needed to understand why things would be a bit awkward for a bit.

"Ruby, we need to-"

"I screwed up!" Ruby suddenly exclaimed with wide-eyes as she sat up instantly, shocking her teammates as she suddenly jumped out of bed and landed on her bare feet before dashing out of the room. "Jaune! Help!" Ruby could be heard shouting as she banged on JNPR's dorm. It only took her three knocks before Jaune, fully clothed, opened just as she began banging on his chest-plate.

"Ruby?"

"I screwed up." Ruby repeated as both her dorm-mates and his could be seen looking at them with wide-eyes from their respective rooms.

"Figured it out?" Jaune asked making her nod frantically. "Well what do you need?"

"A wingman." Ruby said seriously making him smirk.

"Say no more. Guys I'll see you at the dance tomorrow." Jaune said before racing off down the halls as he beckoned for Ruby to follow him. "Follow me!"

"Got it!" Ruby said as she raced after him not even bothering to change.

…

…

…

"Did…did I miss something?" Pyrrha questioned while Ren and Nora looked at each other incredulously.

"No…" Ren began in disbelief.

"…he…he can't be..?" Nora continued as they both shook their heads.

"Can he?" They asked in unison.

-Hour later: Vale: Night Club-

"Jaune? Why are we here?" Ruby questioned as their silhouettes could be seen behind the door before it opened up and revealed them as they entered the club which was flashing with bright lights as a DJ with a bear head blasted the music as loud as possible. Ruby looked up at Jaune for an answer as said man was grimacing as multiple scratch marks were being healed on his face. For some reason when they were a block from the club, the blonde had suddenly been attacked by a raven that seemed as though it were trying to claw him to death.

Ruby was positive it went for an eye.

"Whoa there, hold up, how did you get in with those clothes?" A bearded man said as he approached them from the side, a scowl on his face. "You might be passable boy, but the girl is way too young and she doesn't even have shoes on!" Making them blink before glancing down at Ruby's bare feet which were now dirty.

"Really?" Jaune asked dryly "You could have got some shoes and caught up to me in no time."

"This is not the time, Jaune." Ruby muttered a bit embarrassed, they were so focused they hadn't even noticed it.

"Oh my God Junior, are you just blind or dumb?" A black haired woman wearing red asked in annoyance as she approached him with and identical woman wearing white.

"Militia's right, this is the boss' brother dumbass." Militia's twin said making him gape at the blonde.

"Thanks, Melanie." Jaune said with a smile which she returned before wrinkling her nose in disgust when she gave them a once-over.

"The fuck are you two wearing, Jaune?"

"Um...uh PJ's!" Ruby answered with a smile while Jaune sighed.

"Sis gave me her support but froze my accounts, I had to make due. I guess because we were probably going to end up on opposite sides from time to time." Jaune answered making them smirk.

"Always the noble one, should come back to the dark side, we have cookies now." Melanie said as Ruby's eyes lit up like stars.

"You do?" Ruby asked happily.

"Don't fall for it, Ruby, besides they are a dark grey at best, they won't go full dark." Jaune said as he held Ruby back from being persuaded by the evil thrall of the cookies.

"Wait, wait, wait, back up? Jaune? That's you?" Junior asked making him roll her eyes.

"We already dealt with that man, keep up." Jaune said before tensing as he noticed someone approaching them.

"Well, well, look who decided to grace me with his presence, give up already?" A beautiful blonde woman asked as she approached the two and crossed her arms. She was wearing a black button up shirt under a black suit jacket with a matching short black business skirt. Around her neck was a red tie and above that was a necklace with a glass-high-heel-shaped pendant. On her forehead was a pair of red shades. Ruby's eyes widened as she looked between the woman and Jaune, noting the uncanny resemblance.

"Not exactly, I have an important favor to ask of you." Jaune said making her chuckle as her bright blue eyes shone with mischief.

"And what favor could you possibly have that needs the help of the greatest information broker in across the kingdoms." The blonde asked making Jaune grimace.

"None." Jaune said making her eyes widen slightly in confusion. "I need a favor that requires my sister instead."

"Oh this I have to hear." The elder Arc said with a laugh that made him blush in embarrassment.

"Can we speak alone, I don't want to say it in front of them."

"Oh now I have to hear it. I bask in your embarrassment Jauney-boy." The woman said making him sigh.

"There's a dance tomorrow." Jaune said making her tilt her head.

"Legit? Or did you lose a bet again and need to borrow a dress?"

"Nope, I'm legitimately going to it. I packed an old suit, but I'm not here for me, I'm here for her." Jaune said as he nodded towards Ruby.

"Hello." Ruby said with a smile and a wave before wilting slightly under her scrutiny. "I...I mean… it's a pleasure to meet you…uh…please don't have me go missing."

"Depends, what are your intentions towards my brother?" The woman asked with an icy stare.

"Hold up, she's my best friend that's it." Jaune interrupted getting his sister's attention. "I'm here on wingman duty."

"Oh, well, lead off with that then. Say no more." The elder Arc said with a smile as she snapped her fingers, instantly bringing an end to the music. "Get the fuck out my club."

The speed at which the clubbers left even had Ruby looking on in amazement.

"You two, crash in the back room-girl take a shower first and wash those feet, I'll get you some slippers. Wake up early, something tells me we're going to need a miracle for this girl." The blonde said as she gave Ruby a once-over.

"Uh…thank you?" Ruby said making her nod.

"Let me show you around." The blonde said as she gestured for Ruby to follow her.

-The next day-

"Yeah…I've seen 'em'" Jaune said with a frown as he looked at a picture on his sister's scroll making the blonde nod. Her face was impassive, but he could see a storm of emotions in her cold blue eyes.

"Then my time is running out." The elder arc said before reaching into her pocket and handing Jaune a pitch black scroll making his eyes widen in alarm.

"S-sis?" Jaune stuttered out as she sighed.

"A war is coming, Jaune. One that is currently in the shadows but will eventually affect the entirety of Remnant…I want no part of it. There is only one thing I want, one reason I've done all of this in the first place. Tonight is the night I either retire or die." The blonde said as a tear down her brother's cheek. "You were the only one who was there for me, Jaune. It's why I'm leaving everything to you. My network, my accounts, the debts owed to me, everything. This is your empire now." The elder arc said as she looked out of the window of her office. "Information is the single most powerful weapon in war, use it wisely."

"But…is it really worth it? After everything? The pain? The complete destruction of your moral code? You've given everything for them-"

"And they've given everything for me." The blonde interrupted calmly. "Would you not do the same in my shoes?" The blonde asked rhetorically as Jaune looked away with a grimace while she smiled weakly. "I love you Jaune, and I'm so proud of the man you're becoming. But this is where my story ends. We...we won't see each other again for a while, if at all."

"I don't want to lose you." Jaune said quietly as the woman stood up.

"Oh little bro, if only you knew just how much I've used you for my own gain. The last thing I deserve is to be part of your life any longer." The woman said seriously. "Now, it's time for me to ask you for a favor for once."

"Anything." Jaune said seriously as he picked up the scroll while she smirked and placed her shades over her eyes.

"Tonight, play my song for me." The woman said making his eyes widen as she left the office.

-With Ruby-

"How…how are you this bad at dancing?" Melanie questioned with a whimper as she lay on her side holding her foot tightly while anime-tears cascaded down her face.

"I'm so sorry!" A horrified Ruby apologized for the umpteenth time.

"You're a monster." Militia said, her face filled with hurt as she tried to comfort her twin. Ruby was going to respond when she suddenly looked up when she noticed Jaune's sister approaching her now wearing a white tank top, gray sweat pants, and matching sneakers while her hair was tied back in a ponytail.

"Go home for the day, I'll take it from here. It shouldn't be too hard to teach her how to dance." The blonde said making their eyes widen in surprise.

"No boss, not you too, you shouldn't be hurt by this...this monster." Militia said passionately making Ruby pout.

"You should have seen Jaune when he was younger!" The woman said with a laugh. "If I can teach him, she'll be a walk in the park. Trust me."

"If…If you say so boss." Militia said unsurely as she helped her sister up while giving Ruby a death stare.

"Sorry!" Ruby repeated only to be ignored as Militia helped her sobbing sister leave the dance floor.

"Hey you got that aura shit protecting you right?" The blonde questioned getting Ruby's attention.

"Uh….yes?" Ruby answered unsurely making her hum in thought. Ruby suddenly felt a bit of fear when the older woman pulled out a gun and placed it on a nearby table.

"Good. Every time you step on my foot, I'll shoot you." The blonde said with a grin as Ruby paled. "I mean it's only fair right? We only have a few hours before we need to get you dressed."

"Wait, hold up. On second thought maybe we can skip this, I mean nothing wrong with hanging out at the punch bowl right?" Ruby said nervously.

"Don't be silly, how can you woo your partner if you can't dance with them? Now I hear you're fast, if you try to dodge the bullets I'll just end the lesson then." The blonde said with a shit-eating grin as she approached the now whimpering red-head.

-Four painful hours later-

"See that wasn't too hard was it?" Ruby's impromptu teacher asked as she handed the barely conscious red-head a water bottle.

"It hurts to breathe."

"See? Not bad at all!" The blonde grinned as she sat next to Ruby whom forced herself into a sitting position. The two sat in silence as they drank their water, sweat covering both of their bodies.

"Umm…hey can I ask you a question?" Ruby asked suddenly making the blonde glance at her from the corner of her eye.

"Ask away."

"What is it….what is it that you actually do? The people that work for you, I've seen similarly dressed people robbing a dust store once." Ruby finally said making the blonde pause.

"Huh, so you're the reason the men I rented out to Torchwick went to jail." The blonde mused before chuckling. "No wonder they refused to tell me what happened, they got their asses kicked by an adorable girl. Well if you must know, I own a record label, music is my passion. I actually signed Dust Punk if you can believe that."

"What!?" Ruby asked in surprise making the blonde nod with a smile.

"Yup, that's my day job. However, when the sun sets…I start running my chain of night clubs across the kingdoms. Still neither of those are what you are asking about is it? You want to know about the criminals I employ." The blonde said as her smile went cold. "I…provide a service for those who need it. Whether it be protection, information, or maybe even a little companionship when someone is feeling a little lonely. If you catch my drift."

"You're a crime lord." Ruby stated making her chuckle.

"Understatement, does that scare you little rose?" The blonde questioned curiously making Ruby frown as she thought about it.

"No…It…it just makes me sad." Ruby answered honestly making the blonde fully turn to face her, her eyes slightly wider.

Of all the answers…

…that was not one she expected.

"Excuse me?"

"It's just…you're a good person. You might not think so if you're anything like Jaune, but you are it's why you are helping him and helping me. So why are you doing all of these bad things? You should make more than enough money with your 'day job' alone, so why crime?" Ruby asked in confusion making the blonde frown before turning away from the younger woman. Feeling she may have offended the blonde, Ruby began to apologize. "I'm sorry-"

"Love." The blonde answered making Ruby look at her in confusion. "I didn't lie when I said music is my passion you know? But that wasn't necessarily a good thing in my household."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand." Ruby said with a frown.

"The Arcs are a long line of some of the strongest warriors and heroes in history. As the oldest it was my duty to continue that. The training is brutal. My parents locked my aura away at birth and kept me ignorant of its existence as we trained until I was seventeen. I was to be a warrior, but that wasn't my dream. I loved music and my parents, as good as they were, refused to accept that one wish so I ran away to the big city before they could unlock my aura, not wanting to be part of the military complex." The blonde said before chuckling bitterly. "Truth be told, they really wanted a son-they even gave me a boy's name."

Ruby couldn't help but gape at how heartless that was.

"So they turned to Jaune to fill that spot, not bothering to find me. But Jaune…even though it was his dream, he was too weak. Another failure. So I guess they kept trying. No idea how many siblings I'm up to now."

"Seven. Jaune said he had seven sisters." Ruby said quietly making her hum in thought.

"Huh, how about that?" The blonde questioned with a thoughtful frown. "Still, if you think I became a success as soon as I went to follow my dreams you're wrong. Life isn't that kind, it was hard and I was homeless for weeks until I ran into a woman barely older than me. Oh, she was beautiful, kind, and she took me in even though she herself barely had anything."

"Was she a runaway?" Ruby questioned making the blonde nod.

"She ran even farther from her home than I did seeing as she came from Mistral. She was a great huntress but she couldn't get a license in Vale. So she was stuck doing mercenary work and odd jobs to make ends meet. She lived day to day, so adding me just made things even worse. I wanted to leave but it was too late, the two of us had gotten in way too deep."

"So…where is she?" Ruby asked making the blonde raise a hand in front of her as if trying to grasp something.

"Just outside of my reach. I wanted to help, to bring in money, but with no one listening to my music I had to sell the only thing I had. Me." The blonde said making Ruby's eyes water. "I kept it quiet for a while but she found out, and she…she just fell into despair. She didn't blame me, no, she blamed the world and herself for being too weak to live in it. We fought alot after that, and not just verbally. After a particularly bad fight one day I woke up and she had left, leaving me alone with whatever money she had left and a shard of glass in my arm. At that moment, I too began to hate the world."

"So hate. You became this person due to hate." Ruby said as tears slid down her cheeks only for the woman the laugh humorlessly.

"No, life isn't that black and white Ruby. I became this person because of love." The blonde answered, confusing Ruby greatly. "I wanted to find her, to hold her in my arms again and reassure her that things would be okay before she did something she regretted. I've been searching for her since she left, doing whatever I needed to do to get information, even sacrificing my own brother's love life after he moved in with me when I started making more money." The blonde revealed, shock Ruby greatly. "All have-all I had-left of her was just that shard of glass." The woman said as she gestured towards her pendant.

"How…how did you sacrifice-"

"Purposely gave him bad advice, placed doubt in his heart. Someone who would be the key for me to find my own love requested that his relationship ended. That's all I'll say about that."

"But…but that's so selfish!"

"When have I ever said I wasn't a selfish person?" The blonde asked rhetorically. "You have yet to experience what actual love is. It's strong. I'd gladly sacrifice someone else's for the sake of my own, that's just how humans are. That's just how this world works, it's not fair but neither is life. Life is a bitch so fuck it good and fuck it hard." The blonde said matter-of-factly making Ruby look at her in morbid fascination. "She and I? We've both become monsters for each other's sake. We both want to make a world we can live in together…and now…now I've finally cornered her…and it's all thanks to my precious little brother whom knowingly let me use him as a pawn." The blonde said as she stood up.

"What are you going to do?" Ruby asked with narrowed eyes as she wiped her eyes. "Now that you've found her?"

"Play her a song. One she helped me write." The blonde answered with a short laugh as she faced Ruby with a grin. "After all music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent. Now shelve the disdain I know you feel for me at the moment and let me get you dressed so your love-life can be a bit less dramatic than mine. I want at least one good deed under my belt before I leave this world." The blonde said as she extended a hand towards Ruby. Ruby frowned in thought before reluctantly accepting it as she thought of a certain huntress.

"Do it for her." Ruby thought as she let the blonde help her up.

-Hours later: Beacon Academy-

"I have to admit, Yang. You did a great job putting this together, and thanks for the talk earlier. I needed it." Blake said as she and Sun approached Yang whom was leaning against a rail, overlooking the dance.

"I guess, though I am a little ticked that the other half of our team isn't enjoying the fruits of my labor." Yang said with a sigh as she looked down at Weiss whom was keeping herself busy by attempting to straighten up a wilting white rose. Hell, her sister hadn't even shown up and the dance had been going on for an hour. "And not just our team, half of JNPR is missing out as well." Jaune was wherever Ruby was she figured, and Pyrrha was just alone.

"I can try to talk to Neptune, he tries so hard to look cool that he does whatever it takes to hide his faults. The truth is that the guy can't dance but he'll never admit it." Sun said with a sigh as he gained their attention.

"Please speak with him, this is just sad to watch." Blake stated making Sun nod.

"I'll be right back." The blond Faunus said as he quickly departed.

"Now, what about you?" Blake asked as she turned to face Yang. "Don't tell me you were so busy getting things together that you forgot to get a date as well." Really for someone as popular with the guys as Yang, the fact she herself didn't have a date confused Blake to no end.

"It's a family curse." Yang said dramatically. "So worried about others, you forget about yourself." Blake was going to respond when she was interrupted as the party goers began to murmur loudly. Blinking, the two turned to the main entrance and felt their jaws drop as the crowd parted to reveal Jaune walking in with Ruby on his arm.

Jaune was wearing a very expensive looking black suit with a black shirt and bright red tie. He had a pair of black framed shades with red lenses on his face and his normally messy hair was actually combed and neat.

Ruby was wearing a black evening gown that had a crimson rose embroidered on her side. On her feet was a pair of black heels that had bright red bottoms. Ruby's silver eyes were surrounded by black eye-liner. Her lips were covered with dark red, almost black, lipstick. The left side of her hair had actually been shaved down and she had a rose pattern shaved into her hair. Eventually the murmuring stopped as the two made their way through the room as they approached a familiar turquoise-haired young woman who was filling a cup with punch with her back to them. Feeling someone staring at her, Reese turned around and her eyes widened incredulously when she saw Ruby and Jaune.

"W-wow. You clean up well, Red." Reese complimented as she looked at her friend incredulously before glancing between the two and giving Jaune an appreciative whistle as she forced a smile on her face. "And damn, now I know why you said no. I'd reject me too if I had someone like this lined up for me."

"Thank you, I appreciate the compliment." Jaune said before gently moving Ruby in front of him as he stepped back. "But I'm not her date, that title belongs to the person I'm delivering her too." Jaune said with warm smile making Reese look at him incredulously before turning to the slightly blushing Ruby.

"I made a mistake, if it's not too late…would you mind being my date?" Ruby asked as Jaune turned around and left his friend alone.

"Like for real?" Reese asked nervously. "I thought…I thought there was someone else."

"There was but I realized that this isn't the sort of thing you can plan. When I met you, I had no idea I would feel what I do for you. I…I…always do things fast, check my semblance, but the speed at which I fell for you scared even me." Ruby said quietly. "I panicked and tried to stick with what was familiar, what I thought I wanted. And by doing so, I nearly sped past what I might have needed-you…if you still want to try things that is?" Ruby asked shyly.

"D-damn it Red, did I ever tell you how much I hate making scenes?" The blushing Reese groaned as she noticed the sheer amount of eyes on her as Ruby glanced down and began to turn around only to be stopped by Reese grabbing her hand. Ruby's eyes widened when Reese hugged her tightly. "But the only thing I hate more than scenes, Red, are stupid questions. Of course I still want to try." Reese said quietly as Ruby closed her eyes and hugged her back tightly.

Now she knew why Jaune's sister insisted on giving her water-proof make-up.

Neither Ruby nor Reese were incredibly social people and hated being in the lime-light, but at that moment even they managed to completely ignore the cheers and claps as they both focused on the person in their arms.

"She's really grown up." Yang said quietly, a grin splitting her face as Blake looked down at the scene with a small smile while the party-goers began to continue dancing. At that moment, Yang's eyes began to water a bit making her wipe them as she stepped away from the rail and decided to spend some time on the balcony to gather her thoughts. Meanwhile, Jaune made his way through the crowd as he searched for his partner.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune called out as he saw the red-head begin to ascend the stairs. Pyrrha stiffened a bit before turning back to face him with an unsure expression, but even she couldn't help but give him a quick once-over when she got a closer look at him. "We need to talk." Jaune said as he approached her.

*Flashback*

"You know, Jaune. I don't think the awkward you is entirely the real you either." Ruby said suddenly as they rode the air-craft back to Beacon.

"What are you talking about?" Jaune asked looking completely confused.

"You say you wore a mask to get all of those girls, including the one that got away right? Well if you ask me you can only wear a mask like that before some of it actually becomes a part of you. You've been forcing yourself to be this uncool guy but isn't that just playing a role as well?" Ruby asked with a small frown.

"What are you getting at?" Jaune asked with a frown.

"Jaune, please know that this is coming from a place of pure love. You're a coward." Ruby said bluntly surprising him as she normally tried to make him see the potential he had. "You went for Weiss so you wouldn't have to face Pyrrha. But it doesn't stop there, this person you tried to make us all think you really were-this uncool guy-it was just another mask wasn't it?" Ruby asked knowingly making him tense. "So you wouldn't have to face someone else."

"What are you getting at Ruby?" Jaune asked cautiously.

"You're…you're trying to preemptively stop someone from loving you which explains why you haven't dealt with Pyrrha even more. She helps keep this other person at bay with her obvious affection towards you." Ruby said as she narrowed her eyes at Jaune. "If it wasn't such a dick move, I'd be impressed."

"Ruby, just stop." Jaune said quietly.

[What were we? Just play things to you!?]

"Holy crap, she gave you a chance to explain, didn't she? She tried to make things work!" Ruby realized and by the defeated expression on his face she knew she was right. "She still loved you so you did or said something to try to end her feelings after you became disgusted with yourself and it haunts you."

[I only fucked you over because you let me.]

"That's enough Ruby." Jaune tried again making Ruby shake her head

"No you need to hear this!" Ruby actually snapped at Jaune, not caring if she had just gotten the attention of a few other passengers. "That didn't work either did it? She still loves you doesn't she? She's not the one that got away, she's the one you're trying to get away from! But you still love her as well!"

"And she deserves better than me!" Jaune snapped back. "You got it right, Ruby, I'm a coward, I'm weak, and I use people to avoid my problems. There you happy? You now know what I tell myself every day."

"Jaune, she does deserve better than you." Ruby agreed whole-heartedly. "But why can't you be that better person? It only takes one decision, one moment, to be that person. Jaune you're a good man, deep down in your core, but you've been manipulated by things outside of your control. However those manipulations won't last forever and the real you, the better you, will show itself. I see you get better each and every day."

"Ruby…" Jaune said quietly as he looked at her with wide-eyes.

"One day you'll be someone great, Jaune, but if you keep this up you won't be able to get her back and then she really will be the one that got away. It's not too late to fix things, Jaune. Set things right." Ruby said reassuringly. "Take your sorry ass to her and work things out so you can both grow and become great people, together."

*Flashback: End*

"Looks like I won our bet, and now I don't need to wear a dress." Jaune said confusing the red-head before she realized what he was talking about.

"What do you mean, Jaune? No one asked me." Pyrrha said sadly making him shake his head.

"Come on, the party doesn't start until I arrive. And I'm asking you now." Jaune said making her eyes widen as he extended a hand towards her. "I won't promise you a future, I won't promise you a relationship outside of being the best damn partner and leader I can be. I know you like me." Jaune said making her eyes widen. "That said, we won't work out. I know for a fact that I am not the person for you."

"But how could you know-wait…" Pyrrha trailed off as she accepted his hand. "…there's someone else isn't there? And it's not Weiss."

"Yes, I didn't know how to tell you." Jaune revealed making Pyrrha narrow her eyes.

"How about, 'hello partner, I see you are growing feelings for me but unfortunately my heart belongs to someone else.'" Pyrrha said making Jaune stare at her for a moment.

"Okay, I'm a dumbass." Jaune said as he realized how well Pyrrha was taking the news.

*Crack*

Jaune yelped as Pyrrha crushed his hand with her powerful grip and pulled him towards her before burying her fist into his stomach with enough force to make him focus all of his strength into not vomiting.

"O-okay…I deserved t-that…" Jaune said weakly as she held him close as if they were dancing so that she didn't get the attention of the professors.

"Yes, you did. You lead me on for nearly a year." Pyrrha said matter-of-factly as he felt his aura attempt to stitch together his wounds.

"Hold up, you liked me last semester too?" Jaune asked incredulously, perhaps he was a bit more oblivious than he realized.

"God you're dumb, you're lucky you're cute." Pyrrha said as she muttered something about blonds. "One dance."

"What?"

"One dance. You asked me out, you're going to dance with me at least once and afterwards we're going to put this behind us and start over with a clean slate. Agreed…partner?" Pyrrha asked with a small smile.

"Agreed." Jaune said with a chuckle as the two began to dance with each other.

"Ren! This is happening!" Nora cheered making Ren frown.

"Actually, I don't think that ship's sailing-"Ren was cut off as Nora dragged him towards the rest of their team before all four members of team JNPR found themselves dancing in perfect synch.

"Seriously, did they rehearse that? How is their synergy that good?" Ruby asked helplessly as Reese shrugged.

"No idea. Wait, you know how there is love at first sight? Maybe there is bros at first sight, or something like that." Reese said with a shrug as she held Ruby close to her while they watch the admittedly amazing performance by team JNPR. As this went on Weiss was talking with Neptune whom had approached her earlier and explained why he had rejected her.

"So…why did you come to me? I thought you said you were embarrassed?" Weiss said making Neptune give her a small smile.

"Sun, he convinced me that the best things in life required you take a chance." Neptune said making her tense.

"Take a chance, huh?" Weiss repeated with a small frown as she glanced over at Ruby.

"You're really good at dancing!" Pyrrha praised making Jaune chuckle as their dance came to an end.

"These kinds of things tend to happened when you grow up with seven sisters. Speaking of sisters…" Jaune trailed off as he realized Dust Punk was DJ'ing the dance. "Give me a second." Jaune said as he raced over to the band. "Hey guys, remember me?" Jaune asked as he got their attention. "My sister wanted you to play…that song."

"No, way! She barely let anyone hear it before, must be a special occasion." One of the members said as they stopped playing. As this went on, up on the second level Emerald watched the dancers alongside Mercury.

"It appears all the dancers have partners, though the Arc boy took a small break to speak with the band." Emerald said as she watched the blond.

["How long do I have?"] Cinder asked form over their link.

"We should probably be home by midnight to be safe."

["I'll keep my eye on the clock."] Cinder said just as the band began to play a new song.

-With Cinder-

Cinder was sneaking her way towards her destination as she hopped from roof to roof before landing in the streets below. But before she could go any further, she heard the music of the party from her earpiece.

BGM: Runaway-Kanye West

Cinder stopped cold as she heard the music while her eyes widened in surprise. A bead of sweat slid down her face as she saw someone was already waiting for her.

"Well I'll be damned, it's about time." The Eldest of the Arc children said as she leant against the wall of Cinder's destination in her business attire.

["Ma'am? What's going on?"] Emerald asked in concern.

"Emerald, Mercury, take out your earpieces."

["What-"]

"Now!" Cinder snapped and she could hear the ruffle sounds of them taking out their earpieces. "Y-you…" Cinder said quietly.

"You? Really?" The blonde mocked as she pulled off her glasses and stared coldly at Cinder. "I think we are on a first name basis at this point, Cin."

"Why are you here?" Cinder asked as she took off her mask and glared at the blonde. "Answer me, Charmant!"

"Don't ask stupid questions, I'm here to get your stubborn ass once and for all." Charmant said as her left sleeve suddenly shredded as two spinning blades ripped free before slamming into each other and forming a bladed circular shield that bore the Arc emblem. The blonde kept eye-contact as she pulled a collapsible blade from the back of the shield which suddenly began glowing in a golden light. "Cinder, come home."

"What home? We have none which is why I am doing this. You have no idea how far I've come, how deep I've gotten just to make a world for us." Cinder muttered, her eyes shining brightly as she gritted her teeth.

"The home I built for us. A safe place, where it'll just be the two of us." Charmant said as she watched Cinder shoulders tremble a bit. "I know exactly what you've done, what you're going to do, and who you're working for. It's you who has no idea what I've done to get that information. All of my 'I'll nevers' went up in flames just so I could have the chance to see you again." The blonde stated angrily as Cinder actually had a look that was akin to horror cross her face.

"You weren't supposed to be part of this. You were never supposed to follow me you were supposed to wait until I did what needed to be done." Cinder said as she gritted her teeth.

"I was supposed to wait until you destroyed yourself you mean." Charmant countered.

"Yes! It doesn't matter if it's me but not you! You were not supposed to hurt yourself anymore in anyway-"

"Too bad, because you leaving hurt far more than anything I've done to myself to reach this point." Charmant interrupted. "For once, why don't you play the part of the helpless princess and let me be your knight in shining armor-the way it's supposed to be!" Charmant then shook her head as her eyes began to glisten. "I'm not the same as I was before, I won't idly sit back and watch you hurt yourself. You want in this building? You go through me and I won't stop fighting you until I'm dead."

"Charmant…"

"Please…" The blonde pleaded as twin trails of tears slid down her face. "Come home."

-With Jaune-

"It's time to be a man. For real this time." Jaune thought as he stepped out onto the balcony. "Hey." Jaune said quietly.

"Hmm? Oh hey lady killer, gotta admit I didn't expect you to help Ruby come out her shell so much, but I gotta thank you-"

"Yang, please." Jaune interrupted making his fellow blonde look at him in confusion. "Please don't continue this charade."

…

…

…

…

*Flash*

"You've got balls." Yang finally said and Jaune didn't even flinch as she glared at him with bright crimson eyes as her hair illuminated her surroundings with a golden glow. "To ask me to drop the act when you started it? Who ignored who first?"

"I did." Jaune answered honestly as he approached her. "And that was wrong, as was everything I've done since the end of our relationship up until now..."

"You stay away from me." Yang ordered making him stop.

"Fine, I will…if you can tell me you honestly don't still love me, I will leave right now." Jaune said honestly and Yang could see the sincerity in his eyes. She opened her mouth to do just that but the words just could come out. She glared at him viciously, tears burning and steaming against her cheeks as he got closer.

"Yang, I failed in so many parts of our relationship that I don't even know where to start apologizing. So instead, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I was the one you fell for." Jaune said as he stopped before her. "I'm sorry that of all the people who could have stolen your heart that you were unfortunate enough to have it stolen by a weakling like me. But that's why I'm here, to get stronger and I don't mean Beacon but right here with you." Jaune said before sighing. "I know exactly why I…strayed…but you wouldn't believe me if I told you-"

"-Your sister." Yang interrupted as she clenched her fists. "That bitch apologized to me in person about how she used you, about how someone wanted us apart. What angers me is that it was her that told me. That even though it sounded unbelievable, you didn't even make the attempt. After everything we had been through."

"I didn't make the attempt because I am-I was- pathetic. I thought you'd be better off, you got offers from better men on a daily basis. Insecurities raised their ugly head. You know, my usual baggage that came from being a part of my family." Jaune said as he shook his head. "I know I've hurt you badly-"

"-Do you? Do you really? Have you noticed that I have no date tonight? It's not because I was busy it's because for some fucking reason I still can't get over you! I try to be strong every day, for Ruby if anything but you broke me-"

"-So let me take responsibility and help try to put you back together. I want you to leave this balcony tonight with closure." Jaune said firmly. "Every day I grow stronger as a person, and I want to grow alongside you even if it's just as friends. You have no reason to trust me, but I have changed."

"Changed? You think just because you've gotten the balls to talk to me that you've changed!?" Yang snapped as she suddenly slammed a powerful right at the blond.

*Flash*

*RIIIIINNNNNGGG*

Yang's eyes widened in confusion after Jaune was covered by a flash of light before it died down and she could see him holding her fist in the palm of his hand. Her hand hurt as it felt as though all the power she had put in to blow had re-directed back at her.

"I've changed." Jaune said confidently as he looked at their hands before slowly lacing his fingers in between hers. "And no…"Jaune continued as he gave her a small smile. "I have no idea how I did that." Jaune said as she glowered at him though she didn't move her hand. "You have a million reasons to say no, but give me one more chance." Jaune said making Yang grit her teeth as she opened her mouth.

-With Weiss-

"Hold on Neptune…I…I need to go for a second." Weiss said she stood up and left the blue-haired man in his seat as she sought out her partner, unable to shake the feeling she had made a mistake. Making her way through the dancing couples, she managed to find Ruby dancing with Reese, both lost in each other's eyes. Weiss clenched her fists tightly as she imagined all the scenarios that could go wrong from her making a fool of herself to one day enraging her family. Take a chance, Weiss, take a chance." Weiss thought to herself as she approached the dancing couple.

-With Cinder-

"Well, what will it be?" Charmant asked quietly as Cinder glared at her as her right eyes was engulfed with a flaming aura before she stalked towards the blonde. In the distance, a clock stroke twelve…

…and time stopped.

Wouldn't it be perfect? If time could just…stop…and free us from making the hard decisions in life?

The decisions that could make or break the entire future of the world around us?

The decisions that always affects others and their happiness?

Oh wouldn't we be so lucky if time could come to a stand-still and permanently leave the future a mystery to be left up to the imagination of the now-frozen actors?

Oh what a perfect world this would be.

If only time could stop.

…

…

…

…

But alas no matter how much we wish, and how much we want the future to go our way…

-Beacon-

"…Time stops for no man." Ozpin thought as he sipped his coffee and watched as the minute-hand of a nearby clock ticked forward. "An absolute force, time is, only superseded by the chaotic force known as love."

-With Cinder-

Love isn't fair, many times the vilest of people have the happiest of endings because of it. Karma is sadly nothing but the wishful thinking of those wronged by evil.

"Show me." Cinder said as her fire died down as she gripped Charmant's wrist as though her life depended on it. "Show me this home. If it can protect us from her I will walk away from this life. If not, I'll leave if only to protect you. But promise me. You leave as well. I no longer wish for you to be a part of this life-style…please." Cinder said quietly making the blonde nod.

"Follow me." Charmant said as she walked away from the building with Cinder as they approached a limo that had pulled up before them.

-With Jaune & Yang-

Love is irrational. It is the bane of common sense. A person can hurt someone more than anyone else and still be loved by that very person.

"I know I shouldn't even entertain the thought. There is just too much bad history." Yang began before stepping towards Jaune, their hands still together. "Yet…I can't just pretend as though I don't love you. I've seen that that just causes more problems in the end."

"Yang. I promise. I won't ever be that person again." Jaune said as Yang searched his eyes, blue mixing with red.

"You better not, there will not be a third chance." Yang said firmly before the two claimed each other's lips. The sheer passion Yang had made her body burn even brighter as Jaune felt his frozen heart begin to thaw.

[…every day your heart gets colder and colder. Soon it'll take the sun itself to thaw it!]

Jaune idly wondered what this team would think if they saw him now. He knew Nora and Ren would probably take it upon themselves to help make sure he didn't screw up again. Pyrrha…well she'd probably be a little annoyed at first, but…

She'd live.

And thanks to the decision of another, Jaune would never know how significant and true that was.

-With Ruby-

Love, however, is completely dependent on the individuals it affects.

Weiss was approaching them just as Reese cupped the side of Ruby's face. The turquoise-haired woman glanced up and internally frowned when she saw Ruby's partner approach them before slowing to a stop when she and Reese made eye-contact.

At that moment, Reese understood just who the third person in her little love triangle was.

An entire relationship could be dependent upon a single instant or even something as insignificant as a simple glance.

Feeling something off, Ruby began to look back at where Reese had suddenly started staring but before she could see Weiss, Reese gently guided her head back towards her and smiled warmly at the red-head.

This is why…

Reese began to lean forward and knowing what was coming, Ruby closed her eyes as she went to meet Reese half-way. Glancing back up at Weiss, Reese smiled and gave her a wink before pressing her lips to Ruby's. The younger huntress practically melted in her arms as she did the same. Weiss shut her eyes in pain and quickly turned around and left as she realized she missed her chance. Once more…despite her appearance, Reese was a very intelligent young woman.

Only a dumbass wouldn't nip this situation in the bud.

…all is fair in love and war.

BGM: END

-Vale: Nightclub: Basement-

"What are we doing here?" Cinder questioned with a frown.

"Leaving these lives behind, let them deal with their petty war." Charmant said as a black bird suddenly flew into the area and dove into one of the shadows of the basement. Before long, a woman with red-armor stepped out of the shadow with a rotating carousel of dust covered blades on her side. Her hair was pitch black, and her eyes were bright red.

"You." Cinder muttered.

"Raven, it's time to hold up your end of the bargain. I've given you the information you required and more than a few safe-houses for when this war kicks off. Now, it's time for you to hold up your end of the bargain so that we never have to see each other again." Charmant said making Raven frown a bit as she placed a hand on the sheath of her weapon.

"That boy has gotten with her again, you were supposed to end that relationship." Raven said calmly though her eyes narrowed.

"And I did, whether they got back together later or not was not covered in the agreement." Charmant said simply as she revealed the loophole. "I'm sorry mommy dearest doesn't approve of my brother, but that's no longer my problem. I have what I want." Charmant said as she grabbed Cinder's hand. Raven looked at her for a moment before snorting as she pulled out a crimson blade and opened a portal for them.

"Get out of my sight Arc." Raven said making the blonde smile as she and Cinder made their way to the portal.

"With pleasure." Charmant said as she and Cinder vanished just as the portal closed.

"Hmph. Weaklings, all of them…still if that boy proves to be as entertaining as you perhaps I can…tolerate him." Raven muttered before opening another portal and leaving.

-?-

"She really came through. Welcome to the middle of nowhere." Charmant said as she gestured to a large house after appeared in what looked like the middle of a thick forest. "Until your boss is dealt with, you'll have to stay here and leaving the shopping to me. There is a village a few dozen miles east. As of now we are completely off the grid."

"What about Grimm?" Cinder asked with a frown. "She can track me with them."

"Don't worry, the property is surrounded with a force field to keep them out. As long as you can stay put for now they won't see you and you'll be safe. I promise." Charmant said making Cinder look at her for a bit before nodding.

"Then please, give me a tour. I cannot believe you actually got a white-picket fence."

"Thought you'd get a laugh out of that." Charmant said with a grin as she led Cinder to the house. She knew that by removing Cinder so suddenly would give Ozpin one hell of an edge against Salem. She knew that she would never be recognized as the hero she actually was due to the sheer amount of lives she would have saved with Salem's down fall.

She knew all of this and didn't care.

She'd let her brother be the one that went down in the pages of history. She had given him all the tools to do so.

She got what she wanted.

Epilogue: Weeks Later

["And here we have it folks! The final battle of this year's Vytal Festival!"] Professor Port boomed as Ruby and Reese stood before each other on the arena.

"Woo! Bring home the Trophy, sis!" Yang cheered as she sat next to Jaune whom fist-pumped.

"Get her Crater Face!"

"Oh, man this is gonna be intense! Who do you think is going to win?" Neptune asked Weiss whom simply scoffed.

"As if you need to ask, Ruby is my partner there is no way she could lose." Weiss said matter-of-factly.

"Funny, I said nearly the same thing." Jaune said as he gave Pyrrha a look of mock-annoyance. Pyrrha just rolled her eyes as she jerked a thumb at Penny whom was sitting next to her.

"Please, oh great leader, I would love to see you face Penny. In fact, that's going to be your next training lesson." Pyrrha said as she gave him a sadistic smile.

"Really? Whatever you say friend Pyrrha! I'm combat Ready!" Penny said with a salute which made Jaune pale. He had seen the fight between Penny and Pyrrha, they fought on an entirely different level. If it wasn't for the fact, they both had a double ring-out, he was positive that the Vytal festival would have had its first casualty.

"Yang, help!"

"Nope, you got yourself into this mess!" Yang said with a grin before giving Penny a thumbs up. "Just keep the damage from his face and above the waist!"

"Understood!"

"Fuck me." Jaune thought with a groan as he looked back at the arena.

"Looks, like we made it huh?" Reese asked as she and Ruby grinned at each other. The two teams had fought valiantly to reach this point. Ruby with her sheer amount of skill and power and Reese with her intelligence and technologies the world had never seen before. "I couldn't have done it without you, babe." Reese said with a wink as she thought about all the times Ruby helped her work on her gadgets.

"I just can't believe you actually registered under that name." Ruby said making Reese laugh.

"And you didn't register under yours?"

"It...it was just to stop the confusion!" Ruby said as her cheeks reddened making Reese laugh before giving her a wink.

"Sure it was, babe." Reese said knowingly.

["Fighters, get ready!"]

"Break a leg." Reese said as she hopped on her board.

"Yours?" Ruby asked innocently before they grinned at each other, a competitive spark in their eyes.

["The final match, Red vs. Blue…begin!"]

And with that the two launched themselves at each other as they prepared to bring the festival to an end. Just like the outcome of this battle, no one knew what the future had in store for them. No one knew of the impending war against evil that would erupt just a few months later. Nor, did anyone know that mere huntsmen in training were soon going to find themselves written down as legends in the pages of history.

All they knew was what they could see right now with their own eyes.

The present.

So they decided to savor that for now.

The End?

Maybe continued one day in the future in…"The Best Man" but not any time soon.

Enjoy the story? Read the Korean web-comic/Manwha that inspired it all, Skill of Lure!

Also incase people didn't catch it no Cinder= No manipulated matches. RWBY and ABRN didn't fight at first but PvP still happened only without Penny needing to be dismantled.

Read and Review

~RebukeX7