Chapter 2: Sad Goodbyes

It was sometime later before Ozpin and Captain Schwartz released him back to his room. After he'd accepted their offer, they'd gone over the logistics of the transfer—he was to pack his things and say his goodbyes that evening before heading off via airship in the morning. And they wanted him well rested for the trip—a full eight hours, Eliza had insisted—which meant he had even less time to pack and even less time to say…

To say…

Jaune swallowed. To say goodbye. Goodbye. Two syllables; good, which was generally a positive term, and bye, like 'see you later' or just 'later'.

But what was a good bye? A 'see you later' without the 'see you later' part? How was that good at all?

Wound up and agitated, the documents of his transfer still in hand, Jaune didn't even notice a trio of girls standing around up ahead of him. Nor did he notice when they noticed him and waved in his direction, faces first of greeting and then of concern when he didn't acknowledge them back.

In fact, he went as far as to actually pass them before one grabbed him by the arm and spun him around, against the wall as Jaune looked up wide eyed into the face of Weiss Schnee, who was glaring at him like his forehead offended her personally.

Maybe it did.

He swallowed.

To the sides of her were Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose, each with their own expressions of worry (markedly more kind than Weiss's) painted across their faces as Weiss let go of him and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Where have you been? And why were you ignoring us?"

Jaune belatedly remembered to breathe. In—out, in—out, in—out…Okay I can do this. Just gotta say that I'm going away, that I might not be coming back ever, that this could be one of the last moments they ever see me. Yep. Easy peasy. Just gotta say—

Before Juane could finish his thought, Weiss saw the papers with the official seal of the academy scrunched up in Jaune's hand. She snatched them without a second thought.

"Hey give those—!"

"—my, my, what do we have here?" asked Weiss, glancing down at the papers. Behind her, Ruby and Yang looked over her shoulders.

"It says," began Yang, "that you're being transferred…north? To Castle Neuwolfenstein?"

"No way,"breathed Weiss, shocked. "You're the one being promoted up north?"

Jaune frowned. "What do you mean…does everybody know about it or something?"

"Blake saw a strange lady in a dark uniform this morning," Ruby said. "She told us all about what she was doing here."

"I can't believe it!" Weiss yelled, throwing Jaune's papers on the ground. "After everything I've done and how hard I've worked…and they pick you for that school?" She raised her nose skyward, turning away from all of them. "Unbelievable."

She walked (more like stomped) away, leaving a somewhat starstruck Yang and somewhat somber Ruby in her wake. The two of them looked at him before stooping to the ground to grab his papers.

"When are you leaving?" Ruby asked, handing him her stack.

"Seven tomorrow morning."

"Have you told the others yet?" Yang asked, handing him the rest.

Jaune shook his head. "I just got back from the meeting. I've got to go pack my things now."

"Right." Yang gave him a final glance, gave her sister a little wink, then stuck out her hand. "Good luck!"

Jaune took her hand, grateful that she was sparing him a waterworks show.

"Thanks."

She walked away, leaving just him and Ruby, who was doing her darn-dest to hide how wet her eyes had suddenly gotten. Jaune tried to be polite and not say anything, but the sight was making his own eyes feel kind of hot too and no no no, he was not going to cry, darn it! He wasn't he wasn't he wasn't—

"I'll miss you," Ruby said, and then that was it; Ruby was there, in his arms, sobbing loudly into his shirt sleeve, her tears making a wet spot into his clothing.

He rested an arm around her shoulders. Yep, there was nothing good about goodbyes after all.

After what could have been one of the saddest moments of his time here at Beacon, Jaune returned quietly to his dorm. His eyes were heavy, his throat hurt and he had a really bad headache pounding away at his brain. He laid his hand down, frozen over the nob, nervous for the same reason as before. I can do this… I can do this. Just like before right? Just walk in say I'm being transferred, pack my things and sleep right? Right! Just turn the knob and-

Suddenly, the door opened and the light from inside the room shined in his eyes, forcing him to avert them. When they finally adjusted he felt a pair of hands pull him into the room.

"Whoa! What the—"

"Do you know what time it is Jaune?" snapped Pyrrha, her voice crisp and cutting. "It's nearly eight o'clock!"

"You missed our sparing session and Professor Oobleck's class," added Ren. "Where have you been?"

"I was um, in Professor Ozpin's office…" he muttered. His eyes were staring at his shoes as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with the failed exam, would it?" Ren asked. His concern was superficial, on the surface, something he hardly let creep into his voice.

Crap, I need to speak up and tell them the truth before they worry too much. Darn it. But I don't want what happened with Ruby to happen with Pyrrha. Because then I'd really lose it…

Jaune breathed. He lifted his gaze up to meet his teammates' faces. He was never that much of a leader. But he would be darned if he didn't act like one cleared his throat, swallowed and inhaled.

"I'mbeingtransferredtoafacilitytotrainwiththebestofthebestandIwon'tbebackuntilnextyearsoIcan becomeastrongerhunter-in-trainingandabetterleaderforyouguys!"

Jaune exhaled quickly, gasping for air. The room went quiet; his teammates were gaping at his sudden and blunt confession. But he felt like a thousand burdens had been lifted from his shoulders, freeing space in his lungs to breathe normally. A relief in the midst of a burden.

The quiet lasted for several minutes before each and every one of them composed themselves (including Jaune). As soon as he heard someone clear their throat, he braced for the worst.

"Well…that…is great news!" Pyrrha said, smile plastered like plastic on her face.

"Yeah! Our fearless leader is gonna be the best of the best!" Nora practically screamed at them. But he could hear it. The sound that gave away how she really felt. The sound of sadness.

"Jaune?"

"Y-Yes?"

"I'm going to miss you, my friend."

Before he could even register what had happened, Ren was hugging him. His arms were over his neck forcing his face on his shoulder. Heat raced to his face as he tried to pry himself off his best friend's body. But before he could, someone else was hugging him from behind—he felt something squishy pushing up against his back and when he turned to see it was Pyrrha holding him as well.

"I'm going to miss you two, Jaune."

Nora stood beside them, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "Group—hiccup—hug!"

She tackled Jaune from the side and began to sob against his shoulder. Her nails were gripping his and Ren's shoulder.

Jaune crumpled under their weight.

Team JNPR shed their fair share of tears and reminisced about the old times—like when Jaune had mistaken a Death Stalker's stinger for a relic and rode it all the way to where RWBY was, just barely grasping on for dear life. They laughed, they enjoyed the last night as team JNPR. They drank soft drinks and ate the candy that Nora had been saving for a special occasion. But after an hour of her sugar rush she collapsed on her bed, mumbling about a Nevermore stealing her hammer…perhaps it wasn't the smartest choice letting her eat five Choco bombs in a row.

Jaune smiled as he watched Pyrrha sprawled over her bed, her eyes closed and her breathing even. She truly was beautiful. Maybe when he came back, he would finally be worthy of asking her out. Maybe they'd become more than friends, maybe he'd have something better in his life than what he had now. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what fate has in store for me at Castle Neuwolfenstein. He took a deep breath and stood up from his cross-legged position on the floor. He set down his cup on his dresser, taking care not to cause a racket.

The room was mostly quiet save for the sounds of Ren in the bathroom taking a shower. The only available light source was his lamp and the small crack of light escaping the bathroom through the small opening on the bottom. Otherwise the room was dim; Jaune took great care of the sounds he made as he wandered around the room.

He made it over to his closet and fished inside for several moments; when he finally found what he was looking for, Jaune made a sound of contempt and pulled it out. It was his green duffle bag, a rather ragged one that his father had given him. Another hand-me-down, he frowned. It wasn't all that green anymore, either; maybe a light grey olive would be a better way to describe it. Nevertheless, he placed it on his bed and began to put in 'the essentials'. What are the essentials? Underwear, sleeping clothes, oh—should I take my footsie pajamas? No, that would be a bad idea. Let's see, socks, deodorant, cologne for the ladies…body wash, that's in the shower and Ren's in there as well as my toothbrush. I assume there won't be any toothpaste so I'll take mine. He looked over his room and noticed a small picture. About five inches wide and four inches long, taped to the wall behind his bed.

I almost forgot something important!

Jaune walked over to it and took great care in taking it off.

When he had finally managed to do so, he sat next to his duffle bag that was now mostly full with his items. Picture in hand, eyes scanning the image, he remembered that day. It was his 18th birthday. RWBY and JNPR had thrown him a surprise party with cake, candles, balloons…everything he could've wanted. They even bought him presents—something they had not needed to do—and he'd done his absolute best to thank each and every one of them profusely. Even Weiss had bought him something, although he could have done without her gift. "How To Be A Proper Gentleman For Idiots," he remembered.

He'd thanked her anyway—otherwise, she'd have thrown a fit. Plus, had he not…he would've been proving her point that he needed lessons on his manners.

The only person who didn't give him a gift was Blake. In fact, she wasn't even at the party; he guessed she just didn't care much for him. They rarely spoke, rarely saw each other…heck, she was the only one he hadn't said goodbye to out of all his friends. Ruby had told him not to worry, that she had probably been too embarrassed to come since she hadn't bought a present. Maybe that was it—but she hadn't needed to. She could have just come and celebrated with everyone and Jaune would've thought nothing of it.

Jaune set the photo down inside his duffle bag and zipped it up. That was it, the last thing he could pack in the main part of his bag. He'd grab his bathroom stuff in the morning—and then he'd have nothing left to take with him.

He laid down on his bed and spent his last evening at Beacon clawing for sleep that would not come.

Morning came and Jaune had already said his goodbyes, his sad goodbyes. He had packed the essentials since Headmaster Ozpin assured him everything he needed would already be there by the time he arrived. He left his room without looking back, he already said what he needed and it made no sense dragging it on any longer than he should. Even if I really want to..

It was a quarter past five when he left his dorm and the school was starting to come alive as students went out for early breakfast or a morning jog and exercise. He inhaled and exhaled as students went past him, some giving him strange looks of pity while others were green with envy. Maybe it was the fact that he was not in his Beacon uniform; instead, he was in his black hoodie with washed out jeans and black boots. His upper body also held his armor chest plate and his leather gauntlets that covered his hands all the way to his elbow. His Crocea Mors was in his make shift shield sheath holstered on his brown leather belt.

The only thing that was not regular of his battle attire was a green duffle bag that was slung over his shoulder. A rather ripped duffle bag that had seen better days.

But it didn't bother him—Jaune was on his way to becoming the best hunter in all of Beacon Academy history. He might even beat Pyrrha or Ruby! Yet even with that feeling of happiness there was still room for much sadness as he was leaving a life he loved behind to make a new one.

He went passed his teachers who gave him knowing looks and even whispered good luck to him. Professor Port gave him a big smile and a salute on his way out through the campus doors. He could see off in the distance the airship landing zone, but no ship was waiting for him. Well it is still six thirty. It should be here in twenty minutes. What to do for the last twenty minutes here on my last day of Beacon for the year? Just then he heard someone shouting his name. It sounded female.

"Jaune!"

There it was! He looked around, from left to right. But he saw no one other than a couple of students jogging around the vast campus .The voice sounded familiar. Could it be?

"Blake?"

"Up here, vomit boy."

He looked up and sure enough, there she was—he could see here body half through the window, her ears free and her serious face like always. She waved at him briefly before jumping down. He quickly moved away from her landing zone, once she dropped down with a single 'umph', she stared at him quietly. He stared back at her with a look of confusion. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes before she spoke up.

"I heard from Weiss and the others that you got accepted into the Castle Neuwolfenstein facility. And judging by how you're dressed and your duffle bag, I guess the answer is pretty obvious that they were telling the truth, huh?" Her eyes were filled with amusement and a hint of…of something he didn't really understand. Sadness? Encouragement, maybe regret? He couldn't tell so he decided to ignore it... for now.

"Y-Yes, I'm waiting for the airship to arrive. But what are you doing here Blake—shouldn't you go be with your team training or something?"

"Well, can't a girl come and say goodbye to her friend?" Friends? Since when are we friends?

"I never said that! Of course you can. B-But it's just we never spoke that much before and I'm a bit surprise is all."

She stared at him a minute before looking down. Then she stared back at his eyes. "Anyway… I just came here to say good luck and here." She fished in her coat pocket for a moment before taking out a small pendant. She then extended it to him, prompting him to grab it.

"B-Blake?" His cheeks lit up a light pink as he stared at the pendant. It had an angel in shining armor with its shield to the side and its sword pointed skyward. It seemed to be made out of steel and it was polished to the chain. It seemed expensive.

"Look this doesn't mean anything so stop acting so flustered, your birthday was last month and everyone got you something…even Weiss and I felt bad I didn't get you anything so yeah. It cost me a pretty bit of Lien so don't lose it. Or you can lose it—I don't really care so much." She looked away, taping her foot impatiently.

"I-I don't know what to say..."

"You could say thanks."

"S-Sorry, thanks Blake, I really love it. I will keep it with me always." She smiled at him. A rare smile. He blushed but before he could speak he heard the sound of airship engines. He turned his head towards the helipad and watched as an airship circled it slowly, waiting for permission to land.

"Well I have to—"

"Go? Yeah I figured. But hey, be careful. Come back safe. Oh and bring me back a book or something." She waved at him before turning around and walking away, leaving Jaune confused. Was Blake sad that I'm leaving? Nah, she wouldn't be... Would she?

As he waited for the ship to descend, he couldn't help but be amazed by the ship that would be taking him to the facility. It was unlike any other ship he'd ever seen—big and grey in the blue sky, like a dark storm cloud on the horizon, completely out of place. Up close, the airship was all sharp steel and slick edged, with only the occasional gear or lever revealed for free movement. Underfoot, the platform almost looked like concrete except Jaune knew it wasn't not because that would be ridiculously hard to carry; but all the same, he knew it'd be strong and secure. On top of the platform, there were rubber mats decorated with the signature wolf biting down on a what he guessed was one of the many leg bones, signifying exactly where Jaune was going.

When it finally landed a few meters from him, he got a closer look. The cock pit was sort of square, with polarized glass on the front, right, and left side to let the pilot see every angle except behind him. It had one jet engine on either side and two bigger rocket engines as well for maximum speed. By the look of it, it seemed like it could break the speed of sound in its full speed. For armaments, it had two Vulcan cannons they were set on a sphere that was integrated to the ship itself to combat any aerial Grimm that was unlucky enough to cross its path. It also had two heavy mass rail guns that were tucked into the retractable wings for ship versus ship dog fights.

What puzzled Jaune was that it had two lower Vulcan cannons behind the wings. He guessed this was to provide support for ground troops. This was not a regular airship, this was a gun ship. For the military.

What did a get myself into?

Soon enough, when its engines had died down and the ship finally settled on the ground instead of hovering, a side hatched opened, revealing Captain Schwartz in her uniform. She jumped off it and began to walk towards him. Soon after two other soldiers jumped as well. They were dressed differently. They had combat uniforms, ones with a sort of wilderness pattern to them. They wore black combat boots and their trousers were tucked into them. On their upper body they had a green vest that had multiple cartridge pockets and utility pouches as well as couple of knife sheaths with knives in them. Under that, they wore long sleeved jackets that matched their trousers. On their arms, they sported a black armband with the Jager Hundes symbol. They wore black gloves and weird helmets that gave no clue of their faces. They only had a polarized black visor that covered their eyes and a black material that was like a gas mask over the lower portion of their faces; and on top of their heads, they wore round helmets that covered the tips of their ears and the back of their necks. Leaving only the front exposed, they were carrying heavy automatic dust rifles that were also mech-weapons by the look of them. What they changed into he did not know.

"Ah Mr. Arc. I see you arrived here on time." Came the voice of none other than Headmaster Ozpin. He stood behind him, hand propped on his cane and the other in his pocket. His coffee cup was nowhere to be seen. Very out of character for him.

"Good morning Professor. Come to see me off?"

Ozpin smiled and held out his hand. "But of course! How can I not say goodbye to one of my most important students?" Jaune's face went a deep red at the compliment as he took Ozpin's hand.

"T-Thank you sir, I won't let you down!"

"I know you won't lad, I know you won't. Just remember that you are only as strong as your heart his. Please take great care of yourself and make all of Beacon proud of you." He placed his hand on his shoulder as a sign of caring and encouragement. His voice was soft with a touch of friendliness.

"Y-Yes sir, I will!" He looked up to him, his eyes full of strong resolve.

Ozpin just smiled and ruffled the young man's hair. Soon after Captain Schwartz joined them and asked if Jaune was ready.

Jaune nodded, not a word left his lips. He just followed her into the gunship and sat down.

"Nervous?" she asked.

"Just a little, but I'm mostly worried about getting airsick. It seems it's a curse…"

She stayed quiet for a moment then dug her hand into her coat pocket, producing a small orange pharmaceutical container. She opened it carefully then took out two tablets. They were small and white, about the size of a pea. She then moved her hand forward.

"Here, this should take care of that. You haven't had breakfast have you?"

"N-No I haven't, Captain." He took them carefully. He stared at the pills quietly. She doesn't expect me to take these without water, right?

"Ah, almost forgot." She turned to the side where one of the soldiers had just finished getting on. "Ivan, können Sie Ihre Kantine geben?"

"Ja, Kaptain!" He unfasten his canteen and handed it over to the captain who gave it to Jaune. He stiffened up.

"Thank you, Captain."

He opened the canteen and placed the pills in his mouth, swallowing them as he took a drink. He gave the canteen back to the soldier who didn't say anything. Captain Schwartz nodded and then pointed to the window next to him.

"Looks like you have a going away crowd, Mr. Arc."

He looked puzzled and then turned to the window and surely enough he saw them—Team RWBY and his own team, waving at him.

Pyrrha was waving with a smile, though her eyes were noticeably shiny. Nora was jumping up and down trying her best to be noticed by him. She had a really big grin. Ren had a serious face but he nodded at him and waved.

Ruby was trying to hide her tears again by hugging Yang who was waving at him with a pervy grin and Weiss, well Weiss was just standing there. But Blake was looking at him through the window. A knowing look in her eyes that made him grab the amulet she gave him. As the ship started to ascend water started to cloud his vision. He couldn't cry now—Captain Schwartz was in front of him. He waved at them and slowly they started to get smaller and smaller. Then Beacon became a blip in his line of vision, a tiny dot, then…nothing. Jaune turned his gaze towards the ground, fighting off the tears that threatened to spill. But then he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"It's ok to cry, Jaune, they were your comrades—your friends." He looked up to see a smiling Eliza Schwartz with a kind look in her eyes.

Was this really the right choice? Is losing my friends worth it?

He cried quietly for the better part of the flight. The captain nor the soldiers accompanying her judged him or thought less of him. Because they knew that this was the last time he would ever feel this weak again.

As promised! Chapter two!

Wow! So many reviews and favorites! Id like to thank DrummerDancer for helping me make this scene perfect. Without her you wouldn't have enjoyed this chapter like me. Oh if you are a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist Be sure to Visit her storys, she has lots of them and they are well written. I actually like quiet a few.

I also started a new story, a new AU one where Jaune and Ren are brothers and there is no hunters only soldiers. Be sure to read it as well.

Reviews are completely and utterly accepted.

Love yall!