Too slow 3

Qrow Brawen was many things. A drunk, spy, tracker, drunk uncle, and champion of Signal's Mortal Combat tournament.
But he definitely wasn't a man who would take a beating, even if only verbal, for something he did not deserve.
That was why he was walking towards one Jaune's Arc room. Ozpin and Cat parents spent hours on grilling him about allowing youngsters to binge drinking and how immature and irresponsible he was.
Yet that was about half of the reason he was moving towards the room. When the Orange ball of energy and Ninja Kid went back from the Kid's room he heard what occurred there.
He knew it of course. He could see it in Jaune's eyes, knowing that the knight hated his and Ozpin's guts for putting a target on his deceased girlfriend back.
Yet even despite all of that the Kid ran and took him to safety when he was wounded without a moment of hesitation willing to risk his life for him.
That is why Qrow decided to help him out.
He was going to set Jaune straight.
Which meant beating some sense into him. The beating part was, of course, necessary since the Kid would not listen so he had to force him too. Surely it wasn't because of the verbal onslaught he got earlier…
The proportions were about 51:49 in favor of the educational beating, not a revenge one.
"Well, Kiddo it's your lucky day!" Qrow promptly kicked the door open...straight into Jaune's face
"Gyack!" the Blonde shouted as he was sent flying back.
'What a great start...' Qrow thought dryly as Jaune massaged his sore face looking at him furiously." Get geared up kid we're going to have some practice."
"What practice?" Jaune asked eyeing him.
"I meant training I need to make sure if what I saw last time is as crappy as I remember."
"Then watch it on the camera feed, I'm not coming with you."
Qrow sighed.
"Look we can do it the easy way or the hard way kid. I can beat you up here, drag you to the training ground and make you do everything I planned for you while you're all beaten up. Or you can come with me and I can beat you up on the training ground." He explained nonchalantly." I'm sure that would be easier to explain to your friends than a commotion early in the morning."
Jaune's eye twitched.
'Got ya.' Qrow kept his face impassive.
"Does Ozpin made you do that?" He growled.
'Yeah, Oz on the hate list too.' Qrow sighed again." No, all my idea, we need to work you a bit so you won't be a liability to your team..." He almost cringed when the word liability left his mouth. He needed to avoid such terms for Kid's sake as he noticed how the teen tensed with a flash of pain flashing past his face." So pack your toys and I'll be seeing you downstairs in ten minutes."
With that, he left the room not turning back. Don't mistake him he wasn't betting on hope.
He just knew that Ruby told him enough to know that he always made good on his promises…
Unsurprisingly the kid was ready and set ten minutes later silently following him to the training ground.
Qrow could feel the gaze of the knight on his back. Well, he would need to be very delicate on this matter to make things right.
"Ok let's see how much you suck." He spoke.'2nd great start today Qrow you're on fire ' He thought dryly.
Jaune took his sword and extended his shield taking a defensive stance.
'The stance looks solid, guess he got the basics down.' Qrow thought not drawing his weapon." Well, what do you wait for?"
"You're not going to draw your weapon?" Jaune asked.
"Do I need to?"
Well, that had to sting as Jaune charged forward. He began with a wide swing of his sword which Qrow easily dodged. Undeterred Jaune continued his assault but with similar result.
'Hmmm He's not that terrible, he's simply basic level as hell' Qrow ducked under the swing and punched Jaune in the face.
The teen staggered back but did not lose his concentration and blocked the forward kick with his shield.
He went for a thrust but Qrow easily sidestepped it and grabbed his extended arm. With one strong pull, he threw Jaune face first on the ground.
"Geez, Kid thrusts really aren't your thing." Qrow mocked him.
"Shut up!" Jaune stood up beef red with embarrassment.
"Make me Kiddo."
With the look of absolute fury, Jaune mecha-shifted his sword into a two-handed mode and charged at Qrow with a roar.
He took a mighty swung but the older hunter avoided being bisected albeit he noticed the airwaves coming from his swings.
'Kid's quite strong I give him that.' He finally drew his Reaper."Now I have seen the offense time to check your defense kid!"
Qrow slashed with his sword and...was completely stopped as their swords clashed. He rose an eyebrow pushing a bit harder but Jaune's sword did not budge an inch. He pressed harder but the only thing he got was a sneer from the teen as he began to push.
Qrow put two hands on the handle to not be overpowered.
'He should not be that strong...'He mussed as his muscles started to strain. The kid actually might with this strength contest! 'Oh well...'
He let go and let Jaune lose his balance and fall to the ground again.
"Not impressed here." Qrow stabbed the ground when just second before was Jaune's back." I mean I get it that you might not be the brightest bulb but after a few years of combat school and a year in Beacon you should at the least be better than that..."
Jaune glared at him with spite.
"Stare all you want at me but let's face reality if you can't grasp something in a few years it might mean that you're not cut for it.
Qrow did not want to be cruel to the Kid but if that was all he could achieve in such time he would die for sure in future.
This world did not forgive any weakness as many hunters came to realize. He was doing him a favor laying the truth his friends were too kind to-
"A year," Jaune spoke breaking the eye contact.
"What?"
"I've been training for a year...I never went to combat school."
What the actual fuck? Qrow almost dropped his sword.
"What the hell you're talking about Kid? You got into Beacon, you know the MOST prestigious hunter school in the whole Remnant?" Qrow never pegged his for a lying type.
"I had my transcripts forged...ask anyone you like they will confirm that." A flash of shame passed through his face.
Qrow stared at him unable to comprehend what he just heard. If what he was saying was true…
"Ozpin you goddamn schemer..." It was set. He would give good old Ozpin a pep talk he would remember for next 5 incarnations. He was far too cunning to NOT recognize fake papers.
But that still did not change one thing…
"Are you out of your goddamn mind?!" Qrow exploded at the Blonde." Just how stupid one has to be to sneak his way to Hunter school without preparation?!"
"It was my dream ok!?" Jaune snapped back. "I wanted to be a hunter!"
"Well, woopie doo we got a dreamer here! It's nice to know that you value your dream over the lives of your teammates who can surely rely on your skills, that must have never gone wrong even once-"
Qrow suddenly stopped remembering whom he was talking too.
Shit
As if on cue Jaune charged forward screaming bloody murder. Out of blue, his eyes started to glow white which disturbed Qrow to a point but he ignored it.
But what he could not ignore was the fact that Jaune got...faster. His swing while still telegraphed and wide were now delivered in such succession that Qrow actually had to use effort to block it as each and every one of them had a force of a raging bull behind it.
He jumped back to avoid a strike from overhead. What did not escape his notice that the force behind the strike created a crater in the ground.
'Not to self-don't get hit by it.' Qrow thought as he shot few rounds at Jaune. Much to his surprise the bullets just bounced off him.
Yes, aura protected you but getting shot aura or not would at the least slow you down.
But that seemed to not be a case here as Jaune seemed to not even notice it as he charged forward with a battle cry.
Each time a bullet collided with him there was a small flash of white light.
Qrow blocked his sword again feeling his bones creak as the pressure was simply unbelievable.
'How did he get so strong?!' Then it hit him! It was Jaune's semblance,
Aura Amplification.
Now while maybe people gushed over their semblances and how they made them powerful. Qrow actually scoffed at the notion.
Aura was what counted.
Everything from the speed to damage resistance was reliant on the aura. It was the very foundation of the Hunters itself.
Semblances in Qrow's humble opinion were just bonuses that came with.
But!
What if you had a semblance that boosts your aura? What if every base skill got multiplied by Monty know how many times? Jaune discovered his semblance not even two full days ago and yet he was able to out-muscle Qrow at this point.
While far from panic the older Huntsman decided to stay on guard. He did not need to provoke the kid that far but at the least, he would see the extent of his capabilities.
Deep in thought, he narrowly avoided being beheaded as Jaune's aura flared brighter making him even stronger.
"Calm down Kid!" Qrow snapped at him.
"HOW CAN I CALM DOWN WHEN IT'S MY FAULT!?" Jaune roared staring to bash Qrow's sword with his." If not for me she would be alive! She would not go kill herself off in an attempt to protect me!"
Qrow had enough.
He dodged a sloppy slash coming from Jaune and using his full strength he swung at Jaune. Of course, he anticipated that he would do next to no damage but that wasn't his intention. The force behind the swung sent Jaune flying back. If not for his semblence he would surely feel when he hit the tree, or actually several of them as he shoots like a bullet through them.
But Qrow was already onto him.
The thing young Hunters often did was to over-estimate the usage of aura. They thought it made them invincible.
Many paid the ultimate price for such stupidity.
While it acted as self-regenerating armor the basic

rules of human
biology still applied it.
Hence why twisting Jaune's sword arm back and almost snapping his wrist worked like a charm when it came to making him let go of his weapon.
"Calm down Ki-" Qrow was violently interrupted when the back of Jaune's head made contact with his nose making him stumble back.
Jaune spun on his heels and grabbed Qrow by the hem of his shirt slamming the older man against the tree.
Qrow expected a lot of things on the kid's face like rage, hate, spite and so on but the thing he saw made him bite back any snappy comeback he had.
Despair.
It was so prevalent that it overshadowed any other emotion he felt.
"Why..." Jaune choked feeling his throat was tight from the maelstrom of feelings." Why it had to be her? Why did you choose Pyrrha?"
"I don't know."
Just like that, the glow was gone and Jaune deflated like a pierced balloon.
"I know it won't mean a squad to you but I was against choosing someone that young." Qrow sighed feeling sympathy for the blonde." Yet Ozpin in his infinite wisdom decided that she was a perfect candidate albeit he gave her a choice...which she made."
"It's my fault." Jaune mumbled looking at his feet." I made her do it..."
"What?" Qrow looked at him perplexed.
"It was I who told her to not anything or anyone to stay in the way of her destiny...Monty...it's my fault!" He fell to his knees letting tears slid down his face." Every time I open my goddamn mouth women I care about get hurt..."
Qrow kneels to his level and put his hand on Jaune's shoulder.
" Jaune I want you do listen to me very carefully." He made sure kid looked at him." You cannot blame yourself for the actions of others. Pyrrha made her choice to go and fight Cinder, her not you."
"But it was I who told her to do what she thought was right!"
"But it was HER choice to go there. It was not your fault."
"Weiss got hurt because of me! If I did not speak to Cinder she would have been fine!" Jaune protested.
"What exactly did you tell her?" After Jaune shorty re-told him the exchange between him and Cinder Qrow had to hold himself from punching the kid.
"While I disagree on failure part you certainly have a death wish." Qrow shook his head." She's a monster and chose to harm one of your friends which again is not your fault."
"I let her-"
"KID FOR FUCK SAKE!" Qrow finally had enough of his self-hate." She killed Ozpin! She killed the Maiden and she killed your girlfriend that was a champion! What chance did you stand against her!? Hell, I would lose to her! You let her do something? Get off your pedestal!"
"But-"
"No buts! Listen here kid because I'm going to be nice to you right now. With only a year of actual combat training, you're a goddamn prodigy! I bashed your skills at the beginning because I thought you went through combat school but right now? For someone who just discovered his semblence so shortly after they began to train is nothing short of amazing. While your skills are basic, that is expected, yet you got them down, kid."
Jaune hung down as tears started to stream down his face.
"I just want to see her again...I want to see her so much" He whispered with breaking voice."She should be the one to live not me...P-Pyrrha..."His voice broke and he furiously tried to wipe his tears away.
Qrow sighed feeling genuine sympathy for Jaune. Qrow knew precisely what he was going through. Because not that long ago he also lost a woman he loved with all his heart.
"What am I supposed to do?" Jaune hated himself from pleading. He always begged in the end."I can't keep going like that...I'm always angry...I wake up and I think about killing Cinder every day...this hate...it burns me."
Qrow cursed that he missed the children psychology lessons when he enrolled at Signal.
"Listen up Angst-knight don't let go of your hate. Right now it's what keep you going."
Smooth
"But don't let it control you, channel it instead, make it your weapon."
What are you doing Qrow?
"Learn when to unleash it, when you face your enemies. Make yourself ruthless and unrelenting. "
Qrow! Stop raising a psychopath!
"But! And that is most important. Don't ever let it come between you and your friends. You have them and yesterday when Pinky came back with Ninja kid she looked she was about to cry. Just talk with them and let them in. You do more harm to them and yourself by bottling it up."
Ha still got it!
"Is that what you did?"
"Hell no, I did the exact opposite and ended up without friends and with the bottle so take a note and don't go my way, you'll regret it."
"Who did you lose?" Jaune asked the million dollar question.
"My case was similar to yours albeit I managed to get past second base." He chuckled when Jaune's face turned crimson." I would tell you but that would raise even more questions that I don't want to answer. He patted Jaune's shoulder.
"Why are you helping me?" The blonde asked standing up.
"Because I see the potential. In that fight, despite the results, you had the will to do the dirty work. Only you, hell the ice queen could off Hazel yet she chose to target an area where he could survive. You? You almost chopped Cindy's head off at first chance you got. No hesitation." He rose his hand to silence his protest at his failure." I'm not talking about your lack of skill I'm talking about the will to kill. None of them have it. That's why I'm helping you here. Because at some point they will have to take a life and a moment of hesitation might cost them theirs. You're rough around the edges kid but we'll work on that."
"So what now?" Jaune dared to ask feeling a shiver go down his spine as Qrow smiled at him in an almost father-like way.
"Now we're going to use the rest of the morning for a special kind of training."
"What kind of special?" Jaune gulped.
"Mean one"

"Uhhhhhhhhhh" Nora cried with crocodile tears as she knelt at Jaune's bed. Her fearless leader was lost forever, disappearing without a trace! All that was left of him were his clothes and his TOOTHBRUSH!

"Nora I'm sure Jaune will come back eventually." Ren patter her head and she blew her nose.
"You think that he went drinking again?" Blake asked.
"Dunno, uncle Qrow is gone too so it might be." Yang replied frowning." Still, he always had breakfast before..."
"I swear when he gets back he will see!" Weiss growled pacing across the room. " I will give him a piece of my mind!"
"Calm down Weiss I'm sure that was a one-time thing, it's Jaune after all." Ruby tried her best to calm her friends down.
"GONE FOREVER!" Nora wailed." Ren! Are we cursed to always be only together-together?!"
"You're together?" Blake parroted. How could she miss that?
"Ehehe a lot happened when you were gone, Blake." Ruby rubbed her neck while together-together duo blushed.
"Hey, guys!" Sun suddenly burst into the room." Jaune's and your uncle back!"
Before anyone managed to proceed what he said. Nora already knocked Sun out of the way and was at the end of the corridor.
With lightning speed, Nora teleported downstairs to see...quite battered Jaune being dropped on the sofa with small grunts.
"JAUNE-JAUNE you're back! And you're somber!" She crushed poor boy in a bear hug.
"N-Nora! Air!" Jaune choked.
"Sorry!" She exclaimed just as the rest joined them eyeing Jaune.
"Before any accusations are going to be thrown we went to train." Qrow quickly said.
"Oh yeah?" Yang moved closer sniffing the air.
"I take offense at that!" Qrow protested.
"You should and you!" Yang pointed a finger at her fellow blonde." It's the last time you go out drinking without me!"
"YANG!" Ruby squeaked.
"What? I can't be outdone by Jaune in that department too! It's bad enough that he pulls dresses better than me!"
Jaune blushed crimson at the memory of the banquet at Beacon.
"Renny! Why did you wear that tacky tuxedo?! You would look amazing in the dress!" Nora chirped.
"No." He deadpanned.
"Ok before THAT escalates I think that you owe us an explanation Jaune." Weiss folded her arms looking at him pointedly.
The blonde sighed. He could dodge again but what would that achieve? They would not stop trying to get him to speak.
He knew his friends that much.
"Maybe let him decide when the time is right, Ice queen." Qrow butted in.
"No, it's ok." Jaune stopped an outburst from Weiss." It's like you said bottling it up will do more harm than good." He said sitting up resolve building up on his face.
Teams RWBY and NR plus Sun sat at the couches allowing him few moments to gather himself.
Then he started to speak. Everything from the fateful conversation with Pyrrha before the final fight to the night he decided to get wasted.
He spoke for a long time but no one interrupted him. Ruby tired few times but Yang stopped her fearing that Jaune might close in again.
Jaune noticed that as he begin to speak the words started to flow like a river. He kept all those feelings, all those regrets all that hate in.
It was eating him from inside. He knew it but never realized how much.
"...finally after the last battle it was just too much to take and I went drink myself into oblivion." Jaune finished closing his eyes.
The room was deadly silent as all of them had a hard time proceeding all of that.
Jaune stood up with a painful groan.
"W-where are you going?" Ruby shuttered hardly being able to contain her tears.
"There's one more thing I need to do..." He moved to the stairs. "I need to talk with Ozpin."
"Then, by all means, let's talk." Before Jaune managed to leave the room the ancient man in young boy's boy walked down.
"Why did you choose Pyrrha to become the maiden," Jaune asked keeping his voice calm for now.
"I believed that she had potential to become one of the greatest maidens to come," Ozpin replied instantly as if he predicted such conversation would happen.
"There are hundreds of huntresses around, full huntresses not just first-year students, you made her a target," Jaune growled.
"I made a mistake here yes," Ozpin replied. "Which cost her her life!" He was close to grabbing his sword."Your decision killed her!"

"I gave her a choice Mr. Arc."
"Yeah between the END OF THE WORLD and her own happiness...you knew from the start that she would not refuse you..." Ozpin actually managed to look guilty." But you just don't care right? Even if you fail now there will be other generations to manipulate after we all die off..."
"Mr. Arc it's not that I-"
"How many Ozpin?." Jaune interrupted him." How many people died for you or because of you Ozpin?"
The silence was absolute in the room as people were looking nervously between the two.
"Too many too many." The man finally replied.
"Aren't you going to make excuses that it was all for the greater good or something like that?"
"Would it change anything?" Ozpin asked rhetorically. "Some of them gave their life's willingly, others like Ms. Nikos were killed before they could reach their full potential. I take full responsibility for each and every death I caused directly or not."
"Which will be forgotten as we all only short episodes in your life." Jaune shoots back.
"193 223 names." Ozpin looked Jaune dead in his eyes.
"What?"
"I have memorized 193 223 names of people who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the war I wage, Those aren't all of them of course since millions more died without me knowing them personally but to honor their memory I memories who they were and how they died."
Jaune was speechless as well as the rest of them.
"I know you might not believe me but Ms. Nikos death was a terrible blow for me not solely because of the maiden's powers going to the enemy but because another young and innocent life got taken away in this never-ending conflict. You have to understand how...easy it is to stop caring about the lives of those around you when you're immortal. Yes, eventually you will all age and I while I will remain on my post for as long as Salem is alive. Like countless times before you all the people I grow to cherish will perish around me making the cycle being anew."
For the first time, Ozpin allowed them to see the extent of his exhaustion. The centuries upon centuries of war all laying on his shoulders. The burden unimaginable for a human being to carry.
"How easy it would be to simply treat you as expendable tools and do not invest myself anymore to spare myself a pain of loss...even after all those years I could never get used to losing the people I care about. This pain is what keeps me human Mr. Arc, along with fact that I allow myself to care for the people around me. Without those feelings, I would be no different from Salem, merely another side of the coin. "
Jaune was at the loss of words. It was almost impossible to wrap his head around the scope of what Ozpin just said to him. How many times did Ozpin go over what he was going now? The scales were simply incomparable. His loss felt small, insignificant in comparison.
As if reading his mind Ozpin spoke again.
"I'm not saying this to diminish your loss Mr. Arc nor was it was my intention to gain your sympathy." Ozpin moved closer and put his hand on his shoulder which looked quite comical as he almost had to stay on this toes to do so." I want you to understand that I'm not your enemy. I also wanted to apologize for not being able to stop Cinder at the vault. My powers grow weaker with every reincarnation and apparently now I'm below maiden level." He shook his head with remorse.
For the second time this day Jaune felt that all of his strength left him leaving only exhaustion behind. How could he say anything Ozpin did not hear already a hundred times over? He exhaled before asking one last question.
"Why did you allow me into Beacon? I'm sure you knew my transcripts were forged."
Ozpin smiled looking somewhat smug.
"Mr. Arc, can you do me a favor and borrow me, Coreca Mores?"
"Sure?" Jaune blinked and went for his sword, handling it then to Ozpin. The man looked at the sword with a sort of fondness. He took a step back and made few practical slashed before suddenly going through an insanely complicated sequence of moves with blade moving as if it was an extension of his arm.
The moves captivated all of the gathered Qrow included. It was very rare for Ozpin to truly show off his skills.
"As good as I remember," Ozpin placed the edge of the blade in his other palm and presented the blade to Jaune." May thy will be unbreakable, resolve never dull, and honor be your guide. Let this blade be an instrument of justice and shield of the innocent. Now wield it with pride descendant of Arc bloodline."
Jaune looked at him with mouth agape.
"H-How do you know those words...they are..." Jaune shuttered feeling his heart skipped a beat. How long he dreamed of his father uttering those words to him? How much he hated himself from stealing the sword like a thief.
"You asked why I allowed you to remain in Beacon despite not receiving an actual training. It was to repay an immense debt I had towards your great great great great grandmother Jeanne Arc...my wife from that life..." He closed his eyes." You have no idea how much I owe her...and how much of her I see in you. I recognized you the moment I laid my eyes upon your application form and quite well-forged transcripts." He chuckled looking at Jaune with amusement." I admit I do not know why your parents did not train you but!" He rose the sword in his hands again." Crocera Mors belongs to you now Jaune, take it."
The young man was flooded with emotions as with trembling hands he took the blade from his ancestor's hands. He somehow managed to withheld tears as his dream from the past came true.
"Now since we're leaving in two days and I have matters to attend to take the rest of the day off. Tomorrow I invite you all to a training session with me where I will show you a few tricks." With a final kind smile, he left the room nodding at Qrow to follow him leaving flabbergasted teens behind.
After a few moments of silence, Yang opened her mouth.
"I have so many questions!"

A/N

next chapter will the final one for this mini-series. So how many of you think that Ozpin and Jaune are related? Tell me via PM or review! Also who else is impatient and anxious for the vol 6?