Edited by: Trance Sephiroth

Cover Artist: Makentsu

Updated: (7/14/16)

Chapter 1: The Mark

Beacon Academy…

Jaune Arc knew better than to lie about things that were plainly obvious. Even partial truths weren't enough.

Team RWBY was comprised of some of the most interesting girls he'd ever seen in his life, excluding his sisters. The four girls were all so different in so many ways. Be it personality, weapons, fighting style, auras, likes and dislikes, or looks.

Ruby, the Red Reaper, as he privately called her, the leader of Team RWBY, was nothing short of cute. She had once made these undeniably irresistible puppy eyes at Jaune in order to get him to buy her cookies. But her cute look was backed up by a sniper rifle-scythe hybrid that dealt some massive damage, so she was no pushover. She would seriously hurt anyone that messed with her friends and family.

Weiss, the Snow Angel, as he still called her despite no longer harboring a boy crush on her, was one of the more difficult girls to get along with initially. She was a bit conceited, haughty, and cold. But she wasn't all that bad, as he had witnessed over the past few months. More and more, she had spoken to him not out of forced politeness, but out of a genuine interest to get to know him. He liked this Weiss better.

Blake, the most mysterious and elusive of the team, was still a mystery despite what he knew about her. She was a Faunus, which surprised him a little bit, but at the same time it didn't. It explained her defense of Faunus. She was the bookish type, always reading whenever possible, but she was slowly opening up to everyone more. He hadn't really talked to her that much, but he didn't have to in order to realize that she was a good soul and would fight for everyone if possible.

Maybe he ought to try and talk to her more often.

Yang, she was… trouble. She was a major tease for guys all around, and she had the looks to back it up. A rather… eye-catching body, beautiful lilac eyes, golden-blonde hair, and the practiced alluring looks that she gave. Of course she could take on any moron who wanted to get too close to her, and she'd probably kill anyone who harmed her baby sister Ruby. It was understandable, he realized. He had sisters who were protective of him as well.

Why was he reiterating things he already knew about Team RWBY? Because for one thing, they were sitting across from him and Team JNPR, his own team at the cafeteria. They always sat in the same way: across from each other.

And the second reason… well he didn't really have a second reason. He just did it on a whim. It wouldn't be the first time that he rambled in his mind. He did it enough when he talked normally. Of course everyone had gotten used to it. Yang still teased him about it.

Speaking of Yang, she was just so conveniently sitting across from him with a grin that he wasn't sure meant good or bad things.

Then Jaune realized what might've happened. He had been staring straight ahead, directly at Yang.

He held what little composure he possessed.

"Jaune," she leaned forward. "What's so interesting about me that you'd stare?"

"W-What," he stuttered. "I d-didn't d-do it!"

No matter how much he tried to prepare himself for moments like this, Yang's teasing effortlessly tore through his defenses and made him into a complete mess, and she enjoyed doing it as well.

"You don't think I noticed you staring," Yang smirked. "That's okay. I can't help that I'm so… gifted in the right areas."

Before Jaune could spout any further words of nonsense, he felt a sudden pressure against his hand. He didn't have to turn his eyes to know that it was his friend and partner, Pyrrha Nikos.

"That's enough, Yang," the redhead scolded. "Don't give my partner a heart attack."

Jaune calmed down considerably with the reassuring grip of Pyrrha's hand.

"Chillax, P-money," Yang smiled. "Just having a little fun. No need to be jealous that I'm so good at getting attention."

The flash of annoyance that Pyrrha displayed was foreign to the blond boy. He had rarely seen Pyrrha angry; she'd always carried the most genuine smile he'd ever seen. It wasn't just annoyance that colored his partner's features either, Jaune's instinct told him that there was something else he was missing.

He removed his hand from Pyrrha's grip.

"It's okay, Pyrrha" Jaune turned to her. "I was just… thinking about home."

It was a lie, but it was better to tell a small lie and save himself the embarrassment. Thankfully, nobody seemed to pick up on it and just went with it.

So maybe lying in certain situations wasn't so bad.

"You don't talk much about home, Jaune," Ruby chimed in.

He shrugged. "You guys didn't ask about it, so I didn't say anything about it."

"So why think about your family now," Blake asked. "What brought this on?"

"I just… haven't talked to them for a while," Jaune spoke. "My parents… they didn't really expect me to excel here. I came to prove them wrong."

Nobody said anything, and Jaune took that as his cue to continue.

"How depressing is that? My own parents, not believing I could become a huntsman? They said not to worry if I had to move back home. I can remember that exact moment so clearly."

Jaune's laugh was anything but real. It was devoid of any sort of emotion, and was just merely done, like a machine carrying out a program. To the seven friends around him, this was arguably the worst sort of reaction to expect from him.

"I'm sure they were just trying to protect you," Pyrrha said. "Parents always worry about their children."

Jaune didn't look at his partner because he wasn't sure how he could do so without seeming unaffected by her attempt to cheer him up. It wasn't that he didn't feel grateful that Pyrrha was trying to think of a way to cheer him up, but she was Pyrrha Nikos, the girl who was famous, who everyone believed in. How could he expect her to understand being nigh-invisible, being a nobody?

Untrained, unskilled.

Need more be said?

Jaune chose to ignore Pyrrha's comment in an attempt to sound neutral and just continue on.

"I don't blame them for not believing." Jaune pressed his lips together. "I came to Beacon with very little combat experience. I've only become decent in these past few months, but I've got years ahead of me if I'm ever to be at the league you guys are."

He didn't notice, but all the other seven hunters-in-training were now giving him looks, all of them mixed with different feelings.

"I… I really should go train," Jaune stood up. "I'll see you guys later."

Before anyone could object to his absence, he threw his partially-eaten lunch into a trash bin and with surprising speed got out of the busy cafeteria.

Nora looked to Ren, who shrugged his shoulders. Pyrrha looked hurt, like she didn't get what she was seeking. Ruby had a longing look. Weiss returned to her food, but had a strange expression on her face. Blake looked like she was deep in thought.

Yang stared the hardest at where Jaune had gone, her mind considering what she had just heard from her fellow blond. Somewhere in the back of her head, she was reminded of her life many years ago. His words had allowed certain memories to resurface of a time that wasn't pleasant for her.

For all of his faults, Jaune wasn't a bad guy. Far from it, from what she had seen. He was a good guy at his core, having the right heart and mind to become a huntsman, just like Ruby. That kind of person didn't deserve to be so self-deprecating. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right.

So she made a decision.

(X)(X)(X)(X)

Jaune sat on the roof of the school dormitory. The sun was beginning to dip down from the sky. Soon it would be late afternoon, and that meant it was Friday evening. People would probably be doing all kinds of things for the weekend. Some students might've already left Beacon and gone down to Vale.

He was here because he needed to get away from the depressing atmosphere that had unwittingly been created in the cafeteria.

It wasn't that he didn't ever want to talk about past events, but this one in particular relating to his family did hurt. Even now, he was still hurt by their lack of faith in him when he'd left his home.

Jaune hadn't heard from them in the months since then. He had send them his grades for the semester, which were surprisingly good considering how he had come to Beacon. Combat class was still his weakest class, but he had either good or excellent grades elsewhere and that was in no small thanks to his teammates supporting him.

He just hoped that his parents would be impressed by it and acknowledge that he did indeed have the potential. Maybe then, his parents would stop discouraging him from becoming a huntsman.

And speaking of bad feelings, Jaune chided himself for being a bit of a jerk back there. Pyrrha was just trying to help him and he'd pushed her away like it didn't matter. She'd done her fair share to help him get this far. He was thinking of ways to try and fix what he had done, he owed her that much.

"Hey, Jaune," a voice called out.

That was the last voice he expected to hear up here, and seeking him out, of all people. Jaune turned his head to make sure his hearing wasn't deceiving him.

And it wasn't. Yang Xiao Long stood there, hands on her hips.

"Hey," he smiled weakly.

"Whatcha doin' up here," Yang took a seat beside him on the ledge. "You're never up here unless you're training with Pyrrha."

"Just… I don't know what came over me at lunch," he admitted. "I love my family like nothing else in the world matters, but the thing is, it isn't perfect. I just wanted to show them that I don't have to be coddled all the time."

Yang, for once in a conversation with Jaune, didn't resort to teasing him. This was a serious topic for Jaune she could see. Ruining it would be a real stupid thing to be doing right now. The blonde brawler was many things, but she wasn't senseless.

"Don't we all." Yang sighed. "I know that when we began the school year I didn't have a good opinion of you, so I didn't bother to get to know you better. Truthfully, I still don't know you that well, but one thing's for sure: you're better. That has to count for something."

Somehow, those words, as mixed as they were, brought Jaune's full attention to her. She looked into her lap as she continued on.

"Jaune," she exhaled. "You're a good guy. A really good guy, like the best I've seen, alongside Ren. I've seen lots of guys in my time. Most of them were… were idiots and morons, and they were looking for a good time. In your position, they'd be hitting on all of the girls in our little entourage, and trying to get real cozy too."

Yang looked up and faced Jaune.

"But you don't," Yang smiled. "Well, at least not to most of us."

Jaune blushed a little at what she was getting at.

"The point is," she refocused herself. "You're not looking to get into a girl's pants. You're looking to get to know them. That's the kind of thing that's rare these days it seems. Maybe I'm hanging with the wrong crowd, but it gets tiring when good looks are the only thing that matters."

Jaune looked just a bit flustered by the very unexpected compliments from the girl that he least expected the words to come from. Her rather blunt language was a bit unsettling for him to hear.

"To see you, the kind of person I admire, suffer like this?" She pointed to him. "That hits me. I don't want to see you like that."

Jaune's eyes were lit with not only surprise, but amazement, and a bit of pride. But most importantly, Yang could see he was… smiling through his eyes, even if his mouth wasn't smiling. That somehow lifted her spirits up as well.

"So how about this," she suggested. "I'll be a better friend to you and start trying to get to know you better, like really."

"Yang," Jaune looked uncertain. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't need pity. I was just in a bad place, but I'm still alive and kicking. If anything, I'm happy with what I've got now."

"Your modesty does you credit," Yang laughed. "But being a little selfish isn't wrong, Jaune. And I'm not doing this out of pity. I'm doing this because I want to be a better friend."

It was now Jaune's turn to look into his lap, his mind ablaze with questions and emotions and all the things in between. This was… this was… was this even real?

Yang Xiao Long wanted to go out of her own way just to get to know him better? Was there something wrong with him? Or maybe something was up with her? Or maybe they both were in a weird place?

What to do?

"Please, Jaune," Yang begged. "For me."

That begging look, it was a look that Jaune felt drawn to. Regardless of whether or not he could fight, being there for people was what he did. It was as natural to him as breathing. Even if he didn'tfully understand why Yang had taken the initiative to know him better, he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

His shoulders gave away the obvious tension in his posture.

"Yeah," he managed. "But I'm not looking for anything out of this friendship. I just want to be friends."

"And that's just fine with me," Yang nodded. "I'm not looking for anything particular either. Any real friends I can get is a friend I'll take."

"Thanks, Yang," Jaune murmured. "It means a lot to me."

"Anytime, vomit boy," she teased.

"And the moment's gone," Jaune groaned.

She giggled at his response, but was far from discouraged.

"So," Jaune stared into the setting sun. "As friends getting to know each other, what are we going to do?"

Yang sat back a bit and her face turned into a thoughtful one. What could be fun for both of them to do?

Then Yang got an idea.

"You doin' anything tonight," Yang asked.

"No." Jaune looked confused.

"Cool," the brawler grinned, "I think I've got something we can try."

(X)(X)(X)(X)

"So, where were you, sis," Ruby asked.

Yang had returned to the dorm to get a few things. A few lien, some other odds and ends, nothing too much though.

"And where are you going now?" Weiss added on.

"Why do you guys thinking I'm going anywhere?" Yang turned to her teammates.

"You look like you're packing to go somewhere," Blake spoke. "and if I know you as well as I think I do; I know you don't prepare ahead."

Blake wouldn't be Blake if she didn't notice these things about her teammates. Yang knew she couldn't play this one off, so she just spoke truth.

"Jaune needs someone to take his mind off the bad stuff he's thinking about today," Yang said. "As his fellow blonde and good friend, I've decided to take him out somewhere."

"You," Ruby looked shocked. "Since when do you ever hang out with Jaune?"

Yang shot her younger sister a dirty look.

"So," the blonde exclaimed. "What's the problem?"

"It's simply that you've never taken an interest in doing anything with Jaune," Weiss continued. "Why now?"

"Can't I just want to," Yang demanded. "And besides, when have I ever been anything but spontaneous?"

"Fair point," Blake conceded.

The others were quick to agree.

"So anyway," Yang sighed in annoyance, "I'm taking him out, as a good friend, and trying to see if there's anything we can connect with."

"How long will you be gone," Ruby asked. "You know that Professor Goodwitch will kill you guys if you don't get back past curfew."

"Little sis," Yang patted her on the head, "It's Friday. The night's not even here. And besides, I think we're both able to take on anything that comes our way."

"That's not what I meant," Ruby sighed. "You know what? Just go, but… don't do anything stupid."

"You're agreeing with this," Weiss looked thunderstruck. "This is your sister, our teammate. Discipline her."

"Weiss cream," Yang feigned a scold. "I'm surprised that you'd ever think I'm not trustworthy."

"Let them go guys," Blake shrugged. "If anything, Jaune can make sure she doesn't do anything she'll regret."

"Exactly," Yang agreed. "You guys know how Jaune is."

None of them could say that Jaune Arc was irresponsible. Even if he was a doofus, he knew what was right and what wasn't right. He'd make sure to keep Yang in line when it needed to be done.

"So I'm off," Yang called out. "Don't do anything too exciting while I'm gone."

"You know us," Blake sighed. "Always in the middle of the action."

Flashing her partner a satisfied grin, Yang closed the door to find that Jaune was waiting for her, looking almost no different than before. The only real difference Yang could see was that he had switched into a white hoodie and some black jeans. He looked like he was trying to appear casual, but looked a bit frightened.

"Hey there, lady killer," she greeted. "Why so serious?"

"This is just something I've never done, you know," Jaune ran a hand through his hair. "Anyway, so what are we doing?"

"Going to Vale," Yang explained. "You'll see once we get there."

Jaune wanted to question this rather vague explanation, but ultimately, he didn't want to ruin whatever it was that Yang wanted to do. It just would be really awful of him as friend, so he kept his mouth shut despite his instincts telling him to reconsider carefully.

(X)(X)(X)(X)

It was with forced effort that Jaune had actually entered the establishment that Yang wanted them to.

A club.

Where there was alcohol.

And shady characters.

And… whatever else was there. Jaune didn't know squat about clubs. He could thank certain family members for that. Every family member.

Of course Yang had insisted that she knew the place well, which didn't make Jaune feel any better about this planned event.

"Come on, Jaune" Yang whined. "Just relax."

"I've never been to these kinds of places," Jaune whined back. "And I've never drank alcohol before."

"Then don't," Yang pulled him forward. "Just lean on the bar, act casual, and we'll talk."

Not willing to argue further with Yang, Jaune just allowed her to guide them to the bar. The man at the bar seemed to reel back like he was expecting something back to happen when he caught sight of them.

"Blondie," he grunted. "Do I want to know why you're here."

"Just for a drink," Yang chirped. "Don't worry, Junior. I won't destroy anything. Promise."

"Right," he answered skeptically. "So what'll it be?"

"Two strawberry sunrises," she ordered. "No ice."

The man reluctantly went to mix the drink. Jaune noticed the short but rather tense exchange between the two of them and that's why he couldn't stop himself from asking the question.

"So what happened between you two," he inquired.

"You saw that," Yang stated. "We've got some… past history."

"This ought to be good," Jaune braced himself. "So what happened?"

So Yang spoke about event back before Beacon Academy, how she'd been looking for someone, and came here because Hei Xiong, aka Junior, knew all the talk in the city of Vale, or so she'd thought. He didn't know anything, and she'd destroyed the club to make a long story short.

"So everyone giving you the glare," Jaune gestured to relatively large crowd. "I take it they're the ones that got caught in the crossfire."

"Something like that," Yang responded. "It's their fault for getting caught up in it. If they were smart, they wouldn't have gotten in the way."

"I hear that," Jaune chuckled.

Yang noticed that Jaune seemed to be looking longingly at the dance floor. This instantly piqued her interest. If that look was what she thought it was, there might be something they could do together yet.

The sound of glass tinkling nearby caused them both to turn and see the two drinks set before them. Junior set the bill between the two and left them to their own devices, but still kept an eye on them just the same.

Yang began to drink away, but Jaune was more tentative with his. Watching him do this was like torture to her. The drink wasn't strong in the least, and even if was, Jaune had an aura to help him filter the alcohol content.

"Just drink it," Yang growled. "I promise you that you won't die."

The blond boy gave Yang a final look before tipping the glass and taking a sip. His expression didn't indicate whether he liked it or not, but then he began to drink it like she was.

"So," she asked.

"Not bad," he concluded. "Why?"

"Just glad you can drink it," Yang replied.

They were silent for a few moments, listening only to the music that blared around them. Aside from a few of Junior's men, there were some other normal people in the club as well. It was a"business as usual" sort of atmosphere.

"Do you like dancing Yang," Jaune suddenly asked.

"Yeah," Yang said immediately. "Why, you wanna dance?"

"Actually, yes," Jaune put down his empty glass. "I don't know why, but I'm feeling the mood."

"Cool," she stood straight. "You any good?"

"I'd like to think so," Jaune said. "But I guess we'll see."

Together, the two of them stepped onto the dance floor. It was crowded, and it took them a minute to find a decent spot that afforded enough room to actually make a few moves.

Once a new song started, the two of them began to bust out some moves.

As they danced, Yang began to realize one thing: Jaune wasn't good at dancing.

He was amazing at it.

The way he moved, it didn't look practiced, but rather natural and smooth. His footwork was phenomenal as he switched up every now and then. His expression indicated a person who wasn't just doing this, but a person who liked to do it. Yang was actually finding herself challenged by someone who could match her in skill on the dancefloor.

As their dancing intensified, they failed to notice that they were attracting attention due to the more advanced moves being utilized by both dancers. However, the two of them weren't focused on the gathering crowd, but rather on each other.

For the first time, Yang actually took the time to look into his eyes. They were sapphire-blue, and so bare and truthful. She could look into them and see the kind of person Jaune was. He was loyal, truthful, compassionate, brave, and selfless. These were the sorts of things that made a good huntsman, but also a great Human being.

Jaune too looked into Yang's lilac eyes, and like his fellow blond, he could read her in that instant. She was passionate, a kickass fighter, determined, stubborn, and confident. Those were the obvious things. However, if one looked closer, there was also something else there, and Jaune swore that he was seeing things, but as he stared harder into her eyes, and it became clear what he was seeing.

Pain.

This prompted him to suddenly embrace Yang, who didn't object to this sudden contact as she too laced her arms around his neck. There was very little distance between them, their breaths felt hot against their faces. Blue met lilac and they ceased dancing. All distractions were blocked out by the intensensity between the two of them.

Both were nervous; Jaune had never been this close to a girl, not even Pyrrha. He wasn't sure what to say to that fact. Yang was just a bit frightened. She had never allowed any guy to get even this far. She was a tease, and that's all she did to guys.

"Alright people, enough," Junior called out. "Leave them be."

Whether Junior was doing them both a favor or getting back at Yang, it didn't matter anymore. There was a bit of a groan as everyone was slowly forced away from the moment. Both Jaune and Yang became aware of what was happening, and they backed away from each other, blushing madly.

"My fault," Jaune blurted. "I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay," Yang assured. "It was… nice?"

"So… " Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "You wanna go home?"

"Yeah," Yang said quickly. "I would."

It was then that Jaune absent-mindedly checked his watch and realized that they had spent so long out here that the last airship to Beacon was long gone.

"Yang," Jaune looked up. "Do you realize what time it is?"

"No," the brawler looked puzzled.

"The last airship to Beacon left an hour ago," Jaune reported. "We'll have to wait till morning to get back."

"What," Yang looked slightly panicked. "Seriously?!"

She noticed the watch on his arm and grabbed his wrist forcefully to see what time it was. When she saw it, she let out a loud curse.

"This is bad," Yang began to ramble. "This is really bad. Ruby's going to be so pissed when I get back. Weiss'll probably lecture my ears off. Blake… I don't know what she'll do, but it can't be good."

Watching the normally calm and collected Yang go into a state of semi-panic left him frowning. They were stuck here for the night, and once they got back, there would no doubt be a really troublesome welcoming from both of their teams. Pyrrha would undoubtedly fuss over him, Ren would be worried subtly, and Nora would crush him into her unnaturally strong hugs until he promised to never do what he did again.

But that wasn't important now. What was important was finding a place to call home for the night.

Home.

Home.

Home away from home.

Jaune's face then lit up as he remembered something that he had completely forgotten about the entire semester.

Turning back to Yang, he saw her still making a fuss.

"Yang," he called to her.

"What are we gonna do Jaune," she turned to him. "We've got nowhere to go."

"Actually," Jaune said. "I do know a place where we can crash for the night."

"Really," Yang grabbed his shoulders. "Where!?"

"Just follow me," he assured her.

(X)(X)(X)(X)

It was late in the night by the time that Jaune and Yang got to where they were supposed to be going. Yang wasn't exactly sure where in the world they were going, but Jaune seemed to know what he was doing, and she trusted him.

What she didn't expect was when they left the more crowded parts of Vale and went into the surrounding rural areas.

"Are we there yet," Yang asked.

"Around the corner," Jaune motioned.

Once they did turn the corner, they came upon identical apartment buildings that stretched out to the end of the street. Yang's eyes looked left and right; there was no one around, no life whatsoever.

Reaching into his pocket, Jaune retrieved the set of keys he'd had with him. His parents had said to always have them with him, and now he was grateful that they ingrained this in his mind. Otherwise this wouldn't be possible.

"Yang," Jaune turned to her. "Over here."

Yang was shaken from her thoughts and quickly followed him as he unlocked the door to one of the apartments. When he flicked the lights on, he turned to watch her, still on the front steps.

"Do you… want to come in," he asked.

Yang was having her own thoughts. This was the first time that she'd ever been to a guy's place of residence, or at least that was what she presumed this was. It was sort of freaky for her, but it was Jaune. He was only doing this because they were both in a bad spot; nothing was going to happen.

Yang stepped into the apartment and took a look around.

For an apartment, it was surprisingly roomy, like it was expected that at least ten people were going to be living here. The main living room was decorated very simply, but also quite nicely. The walls were painted a bright yellow, and the furniture was pitch-black, making it stand out. Framed photos lined each wall.

Yang was instantly drawn to the sight of what looked to be a younger Jaune and several other girls, most of them bearing some sort of similarity to him in one form or another.

"Are these your… sisters," Yang asked.

"Yeah," Jaune closed and locked the door. "I've got seven of them."

"SEVEN," Yang exclaimed. "How do you deal with that?!"

"You take it in strides," he smiled. "But they mean the world to me."

"I can see that," Yang replied. "Do you guys always have this much fun?"

"As much as we can," Jaune affirmed.

Seeing that Jaune had older and younger siblings put him a new light, and now she knew that he understood her and Ruby. She had a newfound respect for him that she hadn't had before.

Her eyes turned to a framed photo that looked significantly older than the others. The picture showed a man that bore a striking resemblance to Jaune, but still had some characteristics that were unique. Green eyes instead of blue, brown hair instead of blond hair, and a slight beard. Next to the man was a woman, with vibrant blond hair, crystal-blue eyes, and possibly the most beautiful smile Yang had ever seen.

"My parents," Jaune joined Yang. "Oliver Arc and Daisy Arc."

Yang's eyes didn't move from the photo as she committed said photo to memory. In a way, she felt slight jealousy that Jaune seemed to have an almost-perfect family. A mother, a father, and lots of siblings to look after him. She wished that she could say the same.

"I bet they're awesome parents," Yang finally spoke.

"They are," he sighed. "That being said, we've… got our differences. Apart from sending them my semester grades, I still haven't found the time to send them a letter. And I haven't heard from them in months."

His voice was shaky, and he looked really downtrodden. She turned to look at him, and he was eyeing the ground, a reminiscent look in his eyes. There he was again, feeling down. She had to do something.

Yang embraced him tightly, her eyes closing as she just took some comfort in the quiet moment. He didn't reciprocate the action at first, but then she felt his arms around her, and she felt their bodies move closer to each other.

Yang had once been told by her father, Taiyang, that there will always be a moment or moments in life when one simply takes joy in simple things like a hug. Hugs were meant to show affection, caring, and friendship. However, the best kinds were the ones that were genuine, emotional, and tender. Those sort of embraces were the kind that one never wanted to break away from, and could simply accept for so long that time would lose meaning.

Right now, Yang felt that way.

The two of them faced each other, their proximity once again very minimal. This time though, there was nothing around and no one around to interrupt them. Just the two of them in this place.

Jaune felt his body heat up, his heart beat heavily against his chest, his hands feeling a bit unsteady. What was going on between them now? What was this strange but nice feeling?

Yang too was questioning what was happening, it was one of those inexplicable moments. Her entire mind was ablaze with wonder.

Before they knew it, their lips touched hesitantly, pressing gently against each other. It was an innocent kiss, no pushing or shoving against one another, no tongues trying to war with each other, no moans of pleasure. Just a simple kiss.

But calling it simple would not be doing it justice either. Both of them were feeling excited, surprised, happy, and fearful.

They separated to get air, their gasps harsh and sudden. Both of them looked to each other for signs of disgust, betrayal, anger, hatred, anything that would indicate this was an undesirable course of action.

There were none of those things.

"Yang," he whispered.

"Jaune," she reached with both hands to cup his face.

Without another word, they lip-locked again, this time, it was no longer a simple kiss, but one fueled by something else, something the two knew about, but weren't experienced with. It had a name, but was it really something to be described with words? Whatever it was, their movements became more desperate, their bodies pressed heavily against each other, their lips no longer just touching, but fighting.

Jaune's mind was cheering as he took in this moment. This was his first kiss, and boy did it exceed his greatest expectations tenfold, and then some. He wasn't sure he was getting it right. He went with what felt natural and right, and he was also going off how Yang was responding. The slight moans and breathy sighs in between kisses seemed to suggest she was somehow pleased.

Yang too was thinking a million thoughts at once. She'd never admit it to anyone, but she'd never had a real boyfriend before. In actuality, she didn't have any more experience than Jaune had in kissing. She just knew how to flirt with boys, how to get them to do what she wanted them to do. This was new, and uncharted territory for her, but if it felt this good now, she shivered to think what was to come.

Their now frenzied passion had somehow led them to a bedroom, with Jaune clumsily guiding them both into the dark room, the lit living room now forgotten.

In the back of their minds, they were warning signs for them to stop this before it got out of hand. Both of them were perfectly aware of what would happen if this was to continue. One thing was leading to another thing, and the last thing they both needed were serious complications to add to their life.

Why now had this suddenly come up? Why were two friends now tangling their bodies up and doing this? What had caused this sudden flare of desire?

Jaune unconsciously detached himself from her lips and began to focus his attention on her neck. His lips against her skin felt extremely arousing, and Yang pulled on his hair, trying to stifle her gasps, but to no avail. Feeling the need to get back in control before Jaune could hold anything over her, she forced herself away, noticing the bed behind them. She used her strength to push him onto the bed.

His yelp of surprise was silenced as she climbed on the bed as well, straddling him. Her eyes searched his for any signs of disapproval and he did the same. When they both silently said yes, she found his lips again, and he returned her fervor.

They should have stopped. It would have been the right thing to do, most people would say. They were friends, and friends didn't do this sort of thing, but they were no longer in any position to stop what they were doing. Sure, they could make excuses that it wasn't something they could stop, or that they couldn't stop because they weren't in control.

Yet, that wasn't the case here. They were fully in control of themselves, and they were more than capable of stopping.

They simply chose not to.

Because they both wanted it.

Their auras flaring brightly, white against yellow.

Lilac eye against sapphire eyes.

Pure bliss.

Welcome to my experimental stages with intimate moments. I do admit that I've read some real explicit smut in the RWBY sections, and that's not the sort of thing I want to write about. The moment I see the derogatory words for certain body parts, I just know that it's like watching… porn. Yes, I've seen porn, and trust me, that is different from sex.

So anyway, I've toyed with this idea for a long time, and honestly, I can't be too sure that this is genuine or real to believe, but I wanted to get it out to the community because I felt I should at least try. If nothing else, it's going to teach me a lot about how I write and how to better work on character-focused stories.

So if you guys want to see more of this story, then review. If you love it and want more, let me know. If you hated it, tell me what I could improve. Feedback and comments are greatly appreciated.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this pilot chapter, and remember:

"One fails forward toward success."

Charles Kettering

Peace!