Disclaimer-Neither dracohalo117 nor Leaf Ranger own RWBY, The Darkness, Witchblade, or Artifacts in any way, shape, or form. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, and is the creation of Monty Oum...The Darkness, Witchblade, and Artifacts, are owned by Top Cow Productions.

Notice: This story, along with just about any other story made by dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger, will be AU, we will not be following canon. We will extract elements from canon, but we will not be doing a carbon copy rewrite of the canon storyline.

Attention: Well, here it is, the first RWBY fanfic created in partnership between dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger. We have been working on this fic for the last year, along with several others, which is why it has taken this long to post. Kind of awkward after that Season Finale. But, as mentioned in the Notice, we will not simply follow canon because it is canon, we will extract elements from canon for future stories and updates, but when we started writing this, we had only taken Volumes One and Two into account, so, with that in mind, do not expect anybody from Volume showing up, at least not in the way they were presented, and do not expect concepts in Volume 3 to show up either, they may show up, they may not, but do not simply expect that to be the case.

dracohalo117 announcement: I wish to wish Leaf Ranger a happy birthday, had it not been for his stories, I never would have joined fanfiction, none of my stories would be on this site, and none of you would be reading this. So, I wish him a happy birthday, and I want to thank him for being the one to inspire me to write.

Now, without further ado, we bring you 'Overcoming Darkness', enjoy.

The night was dark, black as pitch, the stars in the sky, barely breaching through the utter blackness, as the moons dim light cast its glow upon the landscape below.

A tall forest commanded the landscape, its trees towering to such heights, that they cast a shadow upon the earth below, blocking out the light of the moon, whose already dim glow barely reached the forest tops, now blocked from all that dwelled within it, and rendering the forest below the treetops nearly devoid of light.

The darkened forest, illuminated by the sparse breaks in the treetops, was still, empty, not a single form of fauna dotting its surface, neither bird nor mammalian beast scurried across its soil and wooden surface, rendering the atmosphere completely taciturn.

This quiet however, was broken, as the distant sound of crunching leaves began to grow closer, the snapping of twigs, and the panting of exhaustion which could only come from a living being.

The branches parted, and a figure rolled forward as they tripped upon a stone that jutted from the ground. They forcibly and swiftly pushed themselves to a standing position, before they sprinted forward, a look of fear clinging to their clearly masculine features.

The man, no, the boy, snapped his head left and right, the look of fear fastened to his visage, searching for something lurking within the darkness around him.

The boys eyes widened as he saw something in the darkness, and he saw that very same thing look back at him.

Those grim, glowing eyes and their sinister sickly yellow glow, casting a foul light as they pierced through the darkness, the focus of their gaze, solely upon him…and then he heard it…laugh.

The creatures laughter, echoed off of the walls of darkness surrounding him, even as he pushed forward, running faster, even as he felt his joints click from the strain he forced upon them, the adrenaline pulsing through his system as he tried to get away, as he tried to flee, running from the monster in the darkness.

He kept running forward, looking behind him, trying to see if the creature was following him, hunting him.

His gaze turned to the side, and he felt a sense of dread as he saw the broken branches of an eerily familiar bush, and he came to the realization that he had just run in a complete circle.

Biting his lip, he looked around, as he heard the mad cackling of the thing that had been chasing him grow ever closer.

Snapping his gaze to the right, he began to run in the opposite direction where he had heard the accursed laughter coming from, praying to the heavens above that he would be safe from the monster that was chasing him.

The boy turned his head, looking behind him, and saw nothing behind him, and noticed the lack of familiarity. He felt a sense of hope enter him, as he began to turn his head.

'Ooph!' only for him to come to a sudden stop, as he slammed into something that he had not seen thanks to him desperately looking behind him as he tried to flee the beast in the woods.

The boy shook off the pain of having crashed into a solid object running at top speed, and looked up at whatever it was he had struck.

His once hopeful expression, however dim, was snuffed as he looked at what he had crashed into.

Fear overtook every nerve in his body, and before he could let loose a scream of terror, he had sprung to his feet, and span around, running in the opposite direction, as that wretched cackling followed after him, the sound of his footfalls pairing with another, forming a duet of crunching leaves as the cackling of the beast paired with the footfalls, to create a song that broke through the silent night.

The boy ran faster than he ever thought was possible for his body to move, the clicking of his joints pierced his eardrums, as he felt his muscles burn, his feet bouncing off of the soil as his gaze briefly snapped back to his rear.

Those horrid yellow eyes were staring into his back, growing closer and closer even as he tried to outrun their chortling owner, which only seemed to move faster with each step he took.

He turned his gaze forward, and he saw the trees part into a small clearing, and before he could consciously make the decision, his body had twisted its position, and his feet carried him forward, running swiftly towards the clearing, as a shape within it began to form.

A single wooden shack no taller than a single story, sat between the trees, the small clearing providing an open space for it to sit comfortably, even in its clearly rundown condition.

His eyes shimmered with renewed hope, as he reached towards the door of the shack, and grasped onto the buildings handle, and pushed…only to be met with the resistance of a locked door.

The boys eyes widened in fear, as he pushed harder on the door handle, and began to kick the door, his gaze snapping behind him, as he heard the cackling thing's footsteps exit the tree line.

The yellow eyes of his pursuer peered from the edge beyond the tree line, its laughter resounding across the clearing, piercing the boys ears with its dreadful sound. The thing stepped forward, its gaze fixed upon the child who was still trying to open the door to flee his pursuer, and its visage was twisted by a toothy grin, that glowed the same sickening yellow shade as its eyes.

The boy trembled as the beast walked towards him, and in a desperate attempt to survive, he began to slam his shoulder into the door, a crack echoing out, whether from the lock creaking against the wood, or from the bones in his shoulder, he did not know.

Finally, the door gave way, as he slammed his shoulder into the surface again, and he charged in, slamming the door behind him. His gaze snapped to the side, as he saw a shape, its details unseen to his terrified vision, as he grabbed it, before forcibly shoving it aside, planting it in front of the door, as the cackling beyond turned into shrieks of rage, as the forceful slams of whatever had been chasing him crashed into the door.

He fell backwards, barely catching himself before he fell onto his backside, panting as he heard the beast beyond the door slam its fists into the hard surface of the door.

His breathing was labored as he tried to get oxygen back into his system, panting, wheezing, gasping for breath as he tried to regain his bearings as he came to his feet. He stumbled about as he tried to stand, and he grabbed onto a nearby object…only to freeze as he felt the shape of the object between his fingers.

His eyes snapped upwards, shock and horror overtaking his features, before he leapt back, before he crashed into another object, and as he felt its shape against his back, he stumbled forward, rolling as he looked up in terror at the objects around him, his fear filled gaze taking in the objects within the shack.

Statues, all of them in various stages of shock and fear, all baring the same facial structure.

His.

He crawled back, his back pressing against a wall, before he quickly came to a standing position, as his back rubbed against a protruding object, 'click', and suddenly, his vision was clouded with a blinding light, as a previously unseen series of lightbulbs suddenly lit up, and illuminated the cabin.

'Crack' his hands shot up as several of the bulbs illuminating the cabin suddenly burst, sending glass across the room, slamming and shattering into the stone statues which mimicked his visage, until only a single bulb remained, casting a dim light across the cabin, and casting shadows across the shacks floorboards.

Slowly, his hands receded from covering his face, and he looked around at the room, even as the dim light burned his eyes as it cast its harsh illumination upon him.

'Ha ha ha ha…'

The boys eyes widened, his body trembled, and his breathing hitched in his throat, as he heard that foul laughter…inside the Cabin.

He snapped his gaze around as he heard it continue, as it echoed off of the wooden walls of the shack, as the dim light of the last remaining bulb, and the statues that mimicked his form cast a series of shadows across the floor.

Shadows which began to move…

His vision focused on the shadows as they began to shift and move, extending outwards as the laughter only grew, and he ran to the door, and grabbed onto the object he had thrown in front of it to barricade it.

The object in question being a statue, whose faced was twisted in horror.

He glanced back at the shadows as he tried to lift the statue, barely shifting it as the shadows began to bubble, and a single one began to grow, and rise upwards.

His pupils dilated, and he struggled to make the statue move from its place before the door, and the light began to flicker.

'Crash' the windows of the Cabin suddenly erupted, glass flying into the cabin, bouncing off of the statues, and being swallowed up by the darkness, and a terrible shriek began to echo within the shack.

His hands shot up to his ears, as he screamed in pain, his fear multiplying a thousand fold as he heard that terrible noise reverberate throughout the cabin.

The statues began to crack, the force of the shriek beginning to break them down into gravel, as they began to crumble to the floor below, as the shadows began to devour them, as they writhed into an unholy form of what appeared to be life.

He forced his hands from his ears, as the shrieking subsided, and he desperately grabbed the statue before the door, now cracked and broken from the terrible sound, and he began to throw them aside, even as the dark shadows began to stitch themselves together, the laughter of the monster growing in its intensity.

Finally, he succeeded in pulling the last of the statue away from the door, and he ripped the door open, and began to run outside, back into the dark forest, away from the shadows which had been formed by statues of his imagery and the broken light inside.

Only for his motion to betray him, as he stumbled on a single piece of broken statue, and fell to the ground, smacking his face against the soil, splitting his lip from the moment of contact.

He pushed past the pain, and tried to stand, his legs slowly bringing him to a kneeling position.

Only for a firm grip to wrap around his ankle, and pull hard, bringing him back to the ground, as he was swiftly dragged back into the cabin, his hands grasping on the door frame, clutching desperately for dear life as he felt splinters dig into his fingertips, only to let out a pitiful yelp of pain as the grip on his ankle tightened, and be dragged in forcibly, the splinters stabbing into his fingers as he was ripped back inside.

The boys shoulders were suddenly grasped, and he was flipped onto his back, and slammed into the floor, the wood beneath him cracking from the force, as both his shoulders were clutched with a powerful, bone cracking grip, as he was forced to look upon his captor.

The beast which had pursued him in this dark place…

The creature before him, which had hunted him since he entered this dark forest…

He beheld the monsters face…

His face…

It was like looking into a distorted mirror, as he looked upon his duplicate, whose facial features and hair matched his own, its form contrasting his own by only the yellow glow erupting from its pupils and lips, and the black tar which fastened itself to its flesh.

His doppelganger's lips curled, and it shrieked, as its head launched forward, its needle-like teeth bared.

"Gah!" A lone figure leaning against the wall suddenly shot up from his sleep, his body caked in sweat, as his blue onesie clung to his form, stumbling to his feet as he reached for the handle of the nearby bathroom door, as he wobbled inside, and made a beeline for the nearest trash can, before he began to unleash the contents of his stomach into the bin.

The spittle and residual half-digested meal from the night before, left a foul taste in his mouth, as the burning sensation of his stomach acid stung the back of his throat, as he continued to let out a steady stream of bile out of his mouth.

Finally, after several minutes of retching, he began to force himself to his feet, his arms trembling as he felt a great wave of exhaustion overtake him, a few stray tears coming down his face, whether from the vomiting, or from the fear that his Nightmare induced, he could not say.

"G-get a hold of yourself…" he muttered, breathing in and out, gasping as he felt himself begin to choke on the taste of his bile, which still lingered.

Loosely reaching towards the sink, sliding as his blue onesie caused him to nearly smack his head against the sinks edge, he turned on the faucet, and greedily began to shovel water into his mouth, in the hopes of washing away the foul taste.

The cool refreshing water washed away the foul taste, and as he began to splash water on his face to remove some of the sweat his nightmare had forced him to expel from his skin, he rubbed his fingers through his hair, and looked up at himself in the bathroom mirror.

A wince of shock and disgust found its way onto his features, as he saw the bags under his blue eyes, which seemed dimmer in color, moreso than usual. He could see the barest hints of veins in the whites of his eyes, which were highlighted by how pale he looked.

The blond hair, which looked messier than normal, likely because of the sweat staining it, framed his features, as he looked himself over in his reflection.

The doppelganger from his dreams briefly replaced his reflection, resulting in him flinching back, and almost slipping again as his onesie prevented his feet from gaining a grip on the bathroom tiles below.

The tips of his fingers just barely grasped onto the edge of the sink as he righted himself, before he looked back at the mirror, and saw his reflection.

No yellow eyes, no black sludge covering his skin, no needle-like teeth filling his mouth.

Just his normal pale skin, with blue eyes and blond hair.

He looked down towards the sink, the barest of reflections staring back at him in the pool of water that had yet to go down the drain of the sink, letting out a breath of relief as he began to whisper, "Get ahold of yourself Jaune, it was a Nightmare, it wasn't real, that's it…it's a myth." Jaune said with as much conviction as he could muster, clenching his fist as he tried to regain his composure.

'Briiiiing'

Jaune's eyes snapped wide as he heard the tell-tale ringing of the school bell, no doubt awakening the rest of those still sleeping in the Auditorium.

For the first time since he awoke, a smile found its way onto his features, as he stood up tall, and looked back at his reflection in the mirror.

This was it, this was his day, the day he had been waiting for since he was a child, where he would follow in his ancestor's footsteps, and become a great hero like they were.

Jaune took in a deep breath, and stared at himself in the mirror, and he felt his body begin to shiver from excitement.

'I will prove you wrong…' he thought as he smirked at himself in the mirror.

At that same moment, several people began to walk into the bathroom, and took one look at him standing in front of the mirror, grinning like an idiot, in a blue onesie, and proceeded to burst out laughing.

Jaune flushed as he felt incredible humiliation from the laughter of the bathrooms occupants.

'…as soon as I get changed.'

He pushed passed the still chortling male students as he returned to the auditorium, and turned to the side, where he had fallen asleep, and grabbed his luggage, which he had used as a makeshift pillow, and proceeded to pull out his outfit, the red hue of embarrassment lingering on his face as he did so.

After he had managed to get over the embarrassment of posing in front of a mirror in a blue onesie in front of all the other guys, Jaune finally succeeded in dressing himself. He did a quick once over of his appearance, and was sufficiently pleased.

His chest was adorned with a white chest plate, and similarly colored armor adorned his shoulders. He wore a black hoodie underneath his armor, which sported a reddish orange tinge to the sleeves. Finishing the outfit, was a pair of blue jeans with a white patch on the left knee, and finally, his lucky sneakers, 'left' and 'right' which were properly labeled as such.

He readjusted the two belts crisscrossing his waist, making sure the myriad of pouches adorning them didn't cause them to suddenly fall down and make him trip and fall down a set of stairs, again.

Sliding on his brown fingerless gloves, and clinking the metal plates on the back of them together as he clipped his sword, Crocea Mors, onto the left side of his waist

Jaune did a quick spin to check if anything was too loose, with no sound of jingling or unnecessary flapping, however, a series of hairs ended up landing in front of his eyes, partially blinding him, he quickly swept it out of his gaze, and let out a breath of annoyance as he recalled the statement of the white haired girl from yesterday, "I wonder if I should get a haircut."

After running his fingers through his hair one last time, he took in a deep breath through his nostrils, and looked around at where he was standing.

Beacon academy, the finest academy for training Huntsman and Huntresses across Remnant, where students from all across Remnant, from the best Combat Schools in the four Kingdoms, from Atlas and Mistral, to the local Kingdoms of Vacuo and Vale.

Even settlements outside the Kingdom had heard of Beacon, and the quality of the Hunters that came out from within its halls.

Jaune was proof of that, having lived in a settlement far outside the Kingdom of Vale.

Thoughts of home caused a wince to shoot through his system, as he recalled how he had managed to get here in the first place.

Shaking his head to clear his mind of those thoughts, he forced himself to look forward, "No, no going back now, you can do this Jaune." he spoke softly as he began to trudge forward, passing through the halls of the academy.

This would be his home for the next four years, and it would not do to sully the atmosphere by such negative thoughts.

"Ooph!" Jaune was suddenly pushed aside as he slammed into a tall figure that suddenly walked in front of him, and Jaune fell back onto his backside, as the figure stumbled a bit, before they suddenly grabbed onto the front of his shirt, and sneered.

"Hey, watch where you're going wimp." he said with an aggressive tone.

Jaune looked at the figure he had walked into, and saw a male student with burnt orange hair which was slicked back. His eyes were a deep shade of indigo, and his complexion was light, but had a noticeable tan. His body was adorned with heavy plate armor, that was gray with golden trim, and a golden eagle was displayed proudly on his chest plate.

The armored teen sneered at him again, before he unceremoniously dropped him back on the ground, before walking away, muttering under his breath that barely caught, something about, 'not worth the time'?

Jaune groaned to himself as he began to stand up, and he looked up, and his eyes saw where the armored jerk had come out of.

He came to a standing position as he began to walk through an arch, which had some noticeably elegant trimmings, and he began to look inside.

It was a semi-circular room, with nine stain glass windows being evenly placed along the wall, letting the bright light of the morning sun enter the room, which illuminated the empty chamber, and granting Jaune a good look at the objects placed in an 'incomplete' semi-circle near the back of the chamber.

Jaune whistled as he looked around at the smooth, yet elegant architecture of the chamber, "So, this is what a temple looks like?"

Having lived outside the kingdoms walls, he had been separated from the culture that the Kingdoms had, minus the major news, such as the famous Hunter academies and the random incursions of Grimm surrounding the walls of the four Kingdoms, as a result, until now, he had never seen a 'Temple of the Nine', the primary religion in the four kingdoms, which was one of the few things that the kingdoms shared.

As he looked at the temple, he couldn't help but marvel at the ornate trimmings along the surface of the pillars which held up the ceiling, the way the arches above the mirrors and doorways seemed to curve in the same semi-circular fashion as the rest of the temple, it was so different from the small familial altars that the people of his own settlements would keep in their home to honor their own gods.

It was a testament to how different life inside the Kingdoms was, he had thought his mother was exaggerating when she told him how differ-

Jaune clamped down that particular train of thought, before shaking his head, and letting out a sigh, before he turned to look at the idols sitting at the back of the temple, but as he passed over the idols, he stopped at one idol in particular.

The idol in question represented the God of Protection, and took the form of a shield, which wrapped around an androgynous figure, almost like the warm embrace of a parent, the surface of the shield, bearing an ornately shaped cross, with each portion being of equal length.

Jaune looked around at the temple, as he began to think of his home, and how he would often find himself kneeling before the altar in the family chambers, where he would make offerings, and pray to the pantheon he had been raised to give respect to.

However, he was not in his home, he was within Beacon academy, which resided within the borders of the Kingdom of Vale, his gods held no power here.

He thought back to his Nightmares, and wondered, if perhaps the reason for them, was because he was outside the power of the Pantheon he had known his whole life.

With that in mind, he turned towards the idol, and a thought crossed his mind. While his gods did not have any power here, perhaps the gods that did would be able to help him?

Jaune took a deep breath, and began to fall to a kneeling position before the altar, the awkwardness of his motion would have made any passing student, or even teacher, chuckle from the scene as he placed both his hands upon his lap, as he nervously shifted where he kneeled.

Coughing, he cleared his voice, and began to speak, "I apologize for my ignorance, but…" he began, as he scratched the back of his head nervously, "…I have no idea how I am supposed to do this." he chuckled as he tilted his head slightly, "I am from outside the Kingdoms, and my family, the Arc's, worshipped a different pantheon, so, I don't even know if I am supposed to kneel or stand." the nervousness of his speech was easily seen, as his ears grew red from the embarrassment he was feeling at laying out his problems in such a manner.

After a moment of silence, he took in a deep breath, his face still flushed, "But I am not outside the kingdoms anymore, I am in them, and this is your realm of control, so…" he became silent as he nervously looked up at the idol, and a single bead of sweat dripped from his brow, "…I thought, perhaps, you might be able to help me."

Jaune became silent, as he tried to find the right words, as he looked up at the idol, before he looked back down at his hands, which had begun drum against his legs. He gripped the cloth of his pants, and he looked back at the idol, the flush on his face receding, and spoke, "I ask you, God of Protection, patron divine of hunters and protectors…" he paused as he let out another breath, "…I ask for your protection from my nightmares, from my dreams." Jaune's gaze turned downwards, and he began to tighten grip he had on his jeans, "They haunt me, and fill me with fear." he took in a deep breath, "For the path I am to walk, I cannot let my fear to control me, so, I implore you, for you to watch over me as I sleep, so that I may sleep silently, that my fear not command me, so that I may protect others in turn."

After a moment of silence, Jaune began to stand up, albeit, clumsily, as he began to head back towards the way he had come in.

Before he exited the temple, he cast a brief glance back at the altar, and took a deep breath, before he entered the halls of Beacon, and headed towards the lockers.

How long had he been searching for his locker? Ten minutes? Twenty minutes? Thirty minutes?! It just seemed to drag on as he kept going up and down the rows upon rows of lockers, while trying to follow the insane directions that they had been given for their locker numbers.

"Locker 636, locker 636, oh come on, this is ridiculous!" he said loudly, his voice cracking as he looked left and right, "I don't remember counting that high." Jaune groaned as his head fell forward, "Why does this have to happen today?" he pouted as he began to turn, "Whooaah!" only to slip and fall over a bench, before landing in front of a locker. Groaning in pain, he grabbed onto the locker and pulled himself up, looking forward, "Oh, there you are." and found himself in front of the very locker he had been looking for.

He sprang to his feet and began to type in the code to his locker, humming to himself as he opened it…

And found a mirror on the inside of the locker.

The Nightmare's imagery flashed back in his mind as he looked at his reflection, and he shivered before grabbing the mirror, and pulling it off the door, tossing towards the nearby trash can.

"Whoa there Vomit-Boy."

Jaune snapped towards the voice, and stared at the owner of the voice.

The one who had spoken up was a teenaged girl, who wore a tan vest with gold piping over a low cut yellow crop top, with a black crest that resembled a burning heart just peeking out from under the vest. The sleeves of the vest had puffy caps, and black cuffs, with two golden buttons on the sides of the cuffs. She had an orange infinity scarf wrapped around her neck.

She was wearing a brown belt with a buckle, a pouch, and a small object that seemed to look like a banner, which had the same burning heart emblem that she had on her top, but it was golden in color. She was wearing black shorts which almost resembled a pleated skirt if his eyes were not deceiving him, and over top of them was a white asymmetrical back skirt.

Her legs were covered with a pair of knee high brown platform boots, with a pair of orange socks sticking out of them. A gray bandanna was wrapped around the top of her left boot, and a pair of fingerless black gloves adorned both her hands.

Both of her forearms had a pair of yellow gauntlets, which were clearly mecha-shift weapons, if the design was anything to go by.

And she was a bombshell to say the least.

She had a figure that models would kill for, smooth curves, and a muscular physique that spoke volumes of her physical strength. Her long legs had a noticeable, yet not at all unappealing muscle tone to them, and had he not turned his attention back to her, he would have kept staring. She had a smooth hourglass figure, with heavy emphasis around the chest area, which was also a tempting image to look at.

He glanced up to her facial features, which were soft, but at the same time held a womanly charm to it, held a pale complexion. Her lilac colored eyes stared back at him, as she gave off a knowing smile as she began to walk towards him, her long blonde hair bouncing as she did so.

Jaune gulped in fear as she stopped in front of him, "O-oh, uhm…hiya Yang?"

Yang simply glanced at him, that same knowing smirk on her features as she looked him over, "Hello there Jauney." she turned her head to her right hand, which held the mirror he had tried to throw away, "So, why on Remnant would you toss out a perfectly good mirror, huh?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jaune gulped as the light of the ceiling bulbs reflected off the mirror, and he had to cover his eyes, "I-I, uhm…don't like how they make me look?" he said, hoping Yang didn't notice the questioning tone of his voice.

She simply turned her head to look at herself in the mirror, and clicked her tongue, glancing back at him, "I like the way they make me look." she said as she began to admire herself in the mirror.

Jaune let out a chuckle as the scene played out before him, "I'll bet you do."

Yang let out her own snort of laughter, and cast a glance at him, "Oh? What about you Jauney?"

Jaune froze up at her question, which only sparked further laughter from her, as Jaune blushed from the blonde bombshell's actions, "I-I, uhm, I…ooph!" he leaned over as Yang 'lightly' punched him in the stomach, and ruffled his hair.

"Ah, I'm just messing with ya Vomit-boy…sooooo…" she drew out as she held the mirror close to her chest, "If you don't want this, mind if I have it?" she said with a pout and a small lip quiver.

Jaune winced as he saw the face Yang was trying to pull off, or rather, succeed in pulling off, "N-no, by all means, take it." he said with a blush, curse him and his weakness to all things cute.

Yang immediately switched to a grinning expression, "Yay!" and patted him on the back, hard, resulting in him falling to the floor, "Thanks a bunch Jauney."

"Yaaaaaang!"

Jaune looked up from his position on the floor, and found a hilarious and adorable sight.

A young silver eyed brunette girl with red tips, wearing a black blouse and black waist cincher with red lacing, adorned in a skirt with red trimmings, completed with a long red cloak, was dangling off of Yang's arm, pouting up at the taller blonde that was nearly a head taller than her.

"Heya Rubes, whatcha up to?" Yang either didn't notice, or didn't care that the silver eyed brunette was clasping onto her like a sloth on a branch.

The brunette's pout seemed to become more intense, "I was getting my Crescent Rose before I saw you pushing my friend to the floor."

Yang rolled her eyes, "Oh come on Ruby, I tapped him on the shoulder, I wasn't pushing him around, I mean-" she held up the mirror in her hand, which was difficult since Ruby was clinging to that arm quite tightly, "-why would I push around somebody who was nice enough to let me have his mirror?" she said with a smile and a tilt of her head.

Ruby stared at Yang quizzically, before looking back at Jaune, who had returned to his feet, "Why didja give her your mirror?" she said with her own tilted head, which only seemed to make her look even more like a confused puppy.

Jaune chuckled as he scratched the back of his head, "I don't like how they make me look."

Ruby stared at Jaune, her cheeks puffing out as she narrowed her eyes, "But, don't they just show you what you actually look like?"

Yang proceeded to ruffle Ruby's hair, "Oh Rubes, one day you'll understand." she nodded back at Jaune, "Catchya later Jauney." she waved her arm, which Ruby was still clinging to, "Thanks for the mirror." she said with a wink before she turned around, and began to head in the opposite direction.

Jaune let out a sigh and a shake of his head, as he closed the door to his locker.

Taking a deep breath, he looked around, "So, what am I supposed to do now?" his gaze stopped on a pair of girls nearby, who seemed to be talking, and he recognized the girl from yesterday.

She was wearing a pale blue bolero jacket over a thigh length dress of similar color, with a piece of black lace making up the neckline of her dress. Her jacket had a snowflake shape on the back, and she was wearing a skirt very similar in form to the one Ruby wore, 'I think she called it a 'combat skirt'?'

In addition, she wore a necklace that bore an apple shape, and a pair of thin rectangular earrings. She was also wearing a pair of white, heeled wedge boots that went midway up her calves. Her long white hair was pulled back in a ponytail that was noticeably off-center, with a small tiara at the base of it. Her skin was even paler than Yang and Ruby's, and her eyes were the iciest blue he had ever seen, and there was a crooked scar along her left eye.

He flushed looking at her, and the comments from the day prior came back to him, 'So, she thinks I am cute?' sure, she also mentioned he was scraggly, but, she did mention he was cute, maybe she liked scraggly guys?

As he began to walk towards them, he noticed the white themed beauty was speaking animatedly to another girl.

She had long red hair that was done up in a waist-length ponytail, which curled slightly into a loose ringlet. Her eyes were a shade of green that was incredibly vivid, and she had a small amount of light green eyeshadow around the upper corners of her eyes. She was tall, really tall, and she had a noticeable muscular tone. She had a bronze circlet headpiece that sat just above her ear, and a pair of small green teardrop gems hung from the circlet in thin chains. She had a bronze gorget around her neck, and a bronze armlet on the upper portion of her left arm.

She wore a light brown top, with a strapless bottom split with bronze patterns. The top had some embroidery on the sides. She also wore a low bronze V-neck beneath that, and a red, A-line miniskirt, with a red ankle length drapery which seemed to be wrapped around her skirt. Her forearms were adorned with cut off sleeves that covered her forearms and hands.

On her right hip, there was a small, circular bronze plate with an emblem on it that resembled a shield and spear. A pair of pouches, both connected to a belt sat opposite the plate. Covering her legs were an elaborate pair of bronze greaves that began mid-thigh, and continued downwards into her boots, a pair of cuisses began at the same height and ended slightly above her knees. Her boots were high heeled, and trimmed with bronze, which matched their brown color perfectly.

He smiled as he headed towards the girl in white, a confident stride, and a smile on his face.

She was trying to be polite, really she was, but after the last six times she had been asked to 'join forces' her patience was wearing quite thin.

Her most recent 'admirer' was none other than Weiss Schnee, the heiress apparent to the Schnee Dust Company. She had been trying to speak to her, only for her to be sidelined repeatedly by her other 'admirers' until she managed to corner her at her locker this morning.

To think, they were practically neighbors with how close their lockers were to each other.

Weiss had already tried to set her poorly veiled plan in motion by starting a bit of small talk, "So, Pyrrha, have you given any thought to whose team you'd like to be on?"

Pyrrha looked at Weiss as the white haired heiress opened her locker, and began to look herself over in the mirror, but keeping Pyrrha's reflection placed where she could observe her.

"I'm sure that everyone is eager to join forces with such a strong, skilled, and well known huntress in training, such as yourself."

Pyrrha turned her head slightly, and rolled her eyes, just outside of Weiss' field of vision, as she gave off a soft hum, pretending to be genuinely thinking about it, "I'm not quite sure to be honest." she glanced around, looking for any way to escape continuing the conversation, "I was planning to let the chips fall where they may."

Weiss' eyes lit up, and Pyrrha couldn't help but wince as she saw the hopeful look in her eyes.

"Well, if that is the case, perhaps you and I could join the same team?" she said with a soft smile, trying to show as much enthusiasm to the idea as possible.

Pyrrha smiled back at Weiss, even as she clenched her fist, a nervous habit she developed when trying to hide her true thoughts on the matter, dealing with reporters and admirers who only saw her for what she was, not who she was, had caused the habit to become harder to break, the more she tried.

She could see the ambition in Weiss' eyes, it was no different than her other 'admirers' who saw her fame and skill, and wanted to exploit it to their own ends.

But that hopeful look in her eyes, how could she say no?

"T-that sounds quite grand." she felt her voice crack as she lied to Weiss, in truth, she would rather she not be placed on the same team as Weiss, or anybody who knew of her.

Which narrowed down the options for teammates to an almost nonexistent amount, the likelihood of finding somebody who didn't at least know of her, was as likely as the Grimm suddenly vanishing from the face of Remnant overnight.

It seemed she would be forced to deal with more of her 'admirers', no matter how far she ran to get away from them.

"Why hello there ladies."

Pyrrha turned her head to see who had spoken, and her breathing hitched in her throat as she saw who had spoken.

The one who had spoken was a male student, his complexion was pale, and his blue eyes sparkled in the light in a manner that almost seemed iridescent, his golden blonde hair shimmering in a lustrous fashion, as he walked up to them with a confident stride, and a smile on his face.

She could not deny he was handsome, in a boyish sort of way, not at all unpleasant to look at.

With that however, she had to force a smile to her face, no doubt he was one of her admirers, coming to ask her to join his team an-

Did he just turn his back on her to look at Weiss?

"You know what else is great, me, Jaune Arc, at your service milady." he held his hand out to Weiss, and bowed his head ever so slightly.

Weiss saw him, and seemed to roll her eyes in contempt, "Oh not you again." she muttered as a hand came to her forehead, and she began to massage her temples in annoyance.

Pyrrha was still somewhat stunned that he had just ignored her, though, a small part of her thought it was another tactic to try and get close to her, similarly to how Weiss tried to bring her to her side with small talk. She put on the best smile she could, and stepped beside Weiss, and smiled as she looked at him, "It's nice to meet you Jaun-" she was cut off as Jaune gently pushed her aside, and stepped closer to Weiss

"Yeah, yeah." he said with a rapid tone of politeness, as if to not come across as being too rude.

This action however, had garnered a completely different reaction from Weiss. She stared at Jaune with widened eyes, looking at him as if he had grown a third head, as she looked between him and Pyrrha.

Pyrrha was no less surprised, and it showed, even as she observed from the sidelines.

This was unexpected.

"So, Weiss, was it?" he asked with that same smile on her face, "I couldn't help but overhear your fondness towards me last night." he said as he flexed his right arm, in an attempt to show off to the young heiress.

Weiss lowered her head into her palms, her face tinged red, "Oh you have got to be kidding me." she ground out as her teeth grinded against each other

Jaune noticed this, and his smile seemed to become more forced, as if realizing a mistake was made, "Now, now, no need to get embarrassed." he said, completely oblivious. "So, I've been hearing rumors about teams…" he said with a noticeable cheerful tune, "…I was thinking, you and me, might make a good one, whaddya say?"

Pyrrha chose this moment to cut in, "A-actually…" her voice cracked a bit, "…I think the teams are comprised of four students each."

This was not happening, it was surreal, this boy, came out of nowhere, and was completely ignoring her.

The boy in question slumped his shoulders, almost in a disappointed manner, "You don't say." he said looking at Weiss, before he turned back towards her, and stepped up to her, regaining some of his earlier cheerfulness.

Pyrrha put a smile on her face, but inside her head, she was thinking a mile a minute, 'This can't be real, can it?' she asked herself with a measure of hope.

Jaune stopped in front of her, that same smile from before gracing his features, "Well hot stuff, play your cards right, and I think we can squeeze you in on the winning team." he said pointing to himself, and Weiss, or rather, where she had been standing.

The girl had stepped between the two, and had swiftly pushed them apart, "Look, Jaune, was it?"

Jaune turned to Weiss and smiled, "Yes?"

The girl his vision was focused upon, took a deep breath, "Do you…have any idea, who it is you're talking to?" she asked with no small amount of curiosity.

Jaune tilted his head, and the smile seemed to go away for a moment as he turned to look at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha just smiled and waved, and she felt that small flicker of hope die in her chest, 'He'll recognize me, and go about treating me like everyone else do-'

"Not in the slightest snow angel."

A grain of sand falling to the ground could have been heard from the silence that followed after his statement.

Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock as she looked into his own for any sign of deception, and no matter how hard she looked, she could find none.

He was being serious?!

Weiss had a similar expression of shock on her features as she gestured to Pyrrha, "T-this is Pyrrha Nikos."

The red haired beauty waved again and smiled, her voice holding a noticeably more pleased tone, "Hello again." she responded as she began to shiver with excitement 'Is this real?'

"Nice to meet you Pyrrha."

Weiss' expression was one of complete confusion, "Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum!" she snapped at Jaune, who remained oblivious to her tone of voice.

"Never heard of it." he said with a confused and innocent expression.

Weiss however seemed to become far more frustrated, "She's won the Mistral regional tournaments four years in a row, a new record!" she looked between Jaune and Pyrrha, her left eye twitching as she saw no recognition appear on Jaune's face, in fact, he seemed to become even more confused.

"The what now?" he let one of his eyebrows raise to show just how out of the loop he was.

Pyrrha's eyes began to sparkle as her body tremble in excitement, her hands squeezing together behind her back as she tried to contain the joyous feeling permeating throughout her body.

Weiss became flustered and frustrated, and she began to flail her arms about, as her vocal tone seemed to rise in pitch, "She's on the front cover of every box of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box! All of them!"

Finally, the blondes eyes widened in recognition, "Gaaaah! That's you?!"

Pyrrha looked down to her side to hide the embarrassed flush that came to her features.

Weiss on the other hand, let her head fall as she slapped her palm against her forehead, muttering under her breath, 'That's where you recognize her from?'

"They only do that for star athletes and cartoon characters!"

Pyrrha felt a grin come to her lips, "Y-yeah, it was pretty fun." she gained a sheepish look, "Even if the cereal isn't that good for you." it really wasn't, and a part of her still felt terrible for promoting that cereal, which had become a staple in almost every home in Mistral.

Those poor kids.

Weiss recovered from her disbelief, and placed a haughty smile on her face as she stepped forward. "So, knowing all this, do you really think you're in a position to ask her to be on your team?"

Jaune seemed to gain a downcast expression, and Pyrrha couldn't hide the glare she was directing at the back of Weiss' skull as he spoke, "W-well, I suppose not."

'No, no, no, this is not happening.' She was not about to lose the chance of getting to know somebody who didn't see her for her title.

She stepped past Weiss, bumping against Weiss' shoulder, causing the much smaller student to stumble a moment, before she placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder, "A-actually Jaune, I think you'd make a great leader."

Pyrrha's eyes widened slightly, leader? Why did she say that? She meant to say teammate. Oh now he was going to think she was some weirdo who-

Jaune seemed to be amused by her slipup however, as he began to laugh, "Oh, I wouldn't go that far, buuuut-"

Pyrrha's eyes focused completely onto him, and she felt that same spark of hope from before begin to burn a little bit brighter.

"Please, don't encourage this behavior."

Pyrrha had to bite her tongue to keep from lashing out at Weiss, who was now standing between her and Jaune.

Jaune seemed to perk up regardless, and turned back his attention to Weiss, "Looks like Pyrrha is up to joining team Jaune, eh Weiss?" he looked around, pretending to be nonchalant, "Now, I know I am technically not supposed to do this, buuuut maybe I can pull a few strings, get you a place on the team? Whaddya think of that, Snow Angel?" he said leaning towards her.

Pyrrha couldn't help the tightening of her fist as she saw how close the two were, the first person to talk to her and not know who she is, and an uptight heiress who followed in the worshipping footsteps of all her other admirers, as teammates, the very idea of it left a bad taste in her mouth.

Weiss too was annoyed by the closeness, but for different reasons, "Ok, that is too much…" she looked past Jaune at Pyrrha, "…Pyrrha, a little help please?"

Pyrrha glanced back at Weiss, and responded swiftly, pulling out Milo, and letting the hilt extend, as it shifted into a spear form, she swiftly threw it towards Jaune, the tip of the spear pinning into the hood of his hoodie, sending him flying backwards, and pinning him against the far wall…away from Weiss.

She winced, as she saw him slam into the wall, even as she tried to comfort herself with the fact he and Weiss were separate, for now.

She winced as she knew she had overreacted in trying to get Jaune away from Weiss, but, if the two teamed up, and Weiss instilled her views of Pyrrha onto him, she would lose out on her only chance to have a friend she could get to know without her fame getting in the way.

That didn't make seeing him slam into the wall any less painful to look at, "I'm sorry!" she called out to him, hoping that he did not hold a grudge against her because of her gross overreaction in getting him as far from Weiss as was currently possible, even her internal thoughts, telling her that, for now, Weiss could not instill her views of Pyrrha onto him, thus losing out on a chance to have a friend who saw her for her and not her fame.

"It's ok." he responded back, waving his hand back at her.

Weiss turned her head, a 'hmph' of annoyance escaping her lips, "Come on Pyrrha, we should get going, they'll probably call us for initiation soon enough."

Pyrrha shook her head, she really didn't want to go, but couldn't think of a good enough excuse not to go at this time. She nodded back at Weiss as she began to leave, before walking up to Jaune, and pulling Milo from the wall, releasing Jaune from it as well, "I am really sorry about that…uhm…" she grinned nervously, "It really was nice to meet you Jaune."

Jaune smiled as he looked up at her, though it was noticeably strained, "Likewise."

Pyrrha flinched as she heard his tone of voice, and she took a deep breath as she looked back down at him, "See you during initiation Jaune." she patted his shoulder, "I'm still interested in that spot on your team."

That seemed to cheer him up, as the strained grin turned into a genuine one, as he chuckled, "I'm sure I can pull some strings for ya."

Pyrrha giggled softly into her palm, "I hope so." she began to walk away, but not before waving back at him, "See you later Jaune."

Jaune smiled back at her, as he began to rise to his feet, even as Pyrrha left the locker room.

The smile on her face didn't go away, as she began to think on all the possibilities this newfound potential friendship could create.

She was glad she chose to go to Beacon.

After the incident in the lockers, he was confronted by Ruby and Yang, who gave him a quick dusting off, and a short pep-talk, before one of the professors, Glynda Goodwitch, if he heard correctly, announced over the intercom that all first year students were to report to the 'Beacon Cliffs'. It had not taken him very long to get there, it was, after all, right outside the academy grounds.

Standing nearby the cliffs were two professors, or, more accurately, one professor, and the headmaster.

The professor, Glynda, was a middle aged woman, who had very light blonde hair tied back into a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. She had bright green eyes, and wore thin glasses. She had teal earrings with a small bead of the same shade on the collar of her suit collar. Her suit was a long sleeved white suit with puffy sleeves, and she wore a black business skirt with buttons running vertically up the front of it, and light brown stockings.

She wore black boots with brown heels, but what was most noticeable about her, was the fact she wore a tattered cap, with a purple interior, and a black exterior, with a row of golden diamond shaped beads horizontally crossing her cape, and a golden Tiara shaped emblem adorned the top of the cape as well.

The headmaster, Ozpin, was a middle aged man with gray hair, and thin black eyebrows. He was noticeably pale in complexion, and his facial structure was, in a word, sharp. He wore shaded spectacles, and a dark green scarf with a small purple cross-shaped emblem adorned it, very similar to the cross shape on the idol in the temple. He wore an unzipped black suit over a buttoned vest, with a green undershirt, dark green pants, with a pair of black trouser shoes to finish off the outfit. In one hand he held a coffee mug, with the Beacon emblem on it, and in the other, a Cane, with a knuckle guard around the edge.

Ozpin turned his gaze towards Jaune, and quickly, the blonde's gaze turned away, as he felt those eyes of his peer into his own, and it caused a shiver of discomfort to crawl up his spine.

The headmasters gaze caused a similar reaction as he passed his gaze over the rest of the first year students, before he began to speak, "My students, for years of your life, you have trained, honed your skills, and pushed yourselves to new heights to become warriors, Huntsman and Huntresses, however over the next three days, those skills you have spent honing over the years, will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." he cast a sweeping glance over the forest below.

The forest in question certainly lived up to its name. The forest was the deepest shade of green they had ever seen in their lives.

The trees were tall as well, no doubt casting a shadow across the undergrowth below.

Jaune clenched his fist, as his eyes widened fearfully, as he looked at the forest below.

Standing near the end of the group, Pyrrha had been looking at Jaune, and noticed the fearful expression on his face, as well as the clear signs of tension in his body.

Her lips curled into a frown in concern, even as he closed his eyes, and began to take deep calming breaths.

"Now…" Pyrrha's attention, along with that of the rest of the first years, turned completely towards the blond professor, "…no doubt you have all heard about the assignment of teams, we will now erase all misconceptions you may have had. You will each be assigned teammates, today."

A disappointed groan came from Ruby, as Ozpin began to speak, "These teammates will be with you over the next four years, you will room with them, you will fight with them, you will eat with them, so, it is in your best interest to join up with someone who you will be able to work with."

At this, several students began to look at one another, giving knowing smiles to one another.

"With that said, the first person you make eye contact after your landing, will be your partner over the next four years.

"W-what?!" Weiss and Ruby yelled in unison, as everyone else stared at the headmaster as if he were a madman.

"After you have partnered up, you will spend the next three days making your way to a temple in the Northern edge of the forest, there, you will acquire a relic, and make your way back here. You will meet opposition from all manner of Grimm. Do not hesitate to destroy any Grimm in your path, or you most certainly will die."

'Gulp' Jaune felt his throat suddenly become a lot drier as he looked down at the forest.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation by myself and Miss Goodwitch…"

The students were silent, staring at him with a level of fear and concern as they glanced at the forest, as they tried to put on a brave face.

Ozpin had to hold back a smirk as he saw right through it.

"Now then, are there any questions?" he looked around, barely noticing the raised hand of one Jaune Arc.

"Yeah, uhm, Headmaster, I-"

"Good, now, take your positions."

Jaune blinked as he looked around, and saw the others did as told, "Uhm, sir, what exactly is this 'landing' you mean, are you gonna drop us off somewhere?" the tone of nervousness was easily noticeable, as he was reminded of the 'display' on the airship.

"No, you will be falling." the headmaster took another sip of his coffee, as Glynda began to input buttons.

'Twang'

Jaune's gaze snapped to the side as he heard the noticeable ping of a spring, and he saw several students be launched into the air.

His eyes widened in horror, his gaze rapidly snapping between his now flying classmates, and Ozpin, "Wait, y-you're launching us into the forest without a parachute or anything?!" he asked incredulously.

'Twang' he could feel the resulting spring launch to his side as Ruby was launched into the air.

Jaune looked at Ozpin, who had a small twitch at the edge of his lips, "Oh you psych-OOOOOAAAAH!"

Jaune's insult was cut off as the spring launch below him suddenly went off, and he was sent soaring through the air along with the rest of the first years, screaming in terror all the way up.

Pyrrha soared through the air, her hair whipping behind her, as she held out her weapons, Milo and Akouo, as she began to fall towards the tree line. She held out Akouo firmly, just as she was about to hit the trees, resulting in Akouo breaking through the trees, before she rolled into a combat position, as her weapon, Milo, began to shift into the form of a rifle.

Peering through the scope, she looked around for any sign of Grimm, or one of her classmates.

Her pupil dilated as she caught sight of one student in particular, tumbling through the air helplessly.

Her eyes became wide, as she pulled the scope away from her, and she began to twirl her rifle in her grip, as it began to shift into its spear form. She pulled her arm back, and focused on the falling form of Jaune Arc, and launched the spear as hard as she could, as a burst fired out from the other end, sending it hurtling towards him.

'Twang' the distant sound of her spear embedding itself into a tree echoed from the forest.

"Thank you!" and a smile came to Pyrrha's face as she heard the voice of Jaune Arc calling out.

"I'm sorry!" she yelled back to him, before she jumped down from the tree tops, and made a beeline towards his position.

The smile never leaving her face as she did so.

Jaune stared off at the forest, looking around from his perch, his hoodie pinned to a tree by a very familiar spear.

"So, this is how I am going to start the day, great." he let his head fall, only to wince as he saw just how high up he was, "I am really glad I didn't have a good angle to pull out the spear." he glanced back up at the spear, and a look of realization came to his face, "I'm talking to myself…great." sighing in frustration.

"Jaune?"

Jaune's ears perked up, and he looked back down, and saw the face of Pyrrha looking up at him as she walked towards him, a smile on her face.

Jaune let a grin cover his own features, "Hey Pyrrha!" he waved back at her.

Pyrrha stopped below the tree, "So, are there still open spots on your team?"

Jaune could not hold back his laughter, "Pyrrha, for saving my neck, I'd clear the roster for you, but, to answer your question no, team Jaune is just me for now."

Pyrrha giggled into her palm, as she held up two fingers, "Mind if we raise that to two?"

Jaune crossed his arms, and let a grin come to his features, "I'd be happy to oblige." he blushed in embarrassment, "Uhm, could I have some help getting down from here?" he pointed at the spear and himself, "Bad angle."

Her eyes widened, "Oh, right, sorry!" she jumped onto the side of the tree, and ran up it.

Jaune couldn't help but stare in shock as she suddenly reached his height, and grabbed onto the spear, and ripped it out of the tree.

That is when gravity did its work.

"Aaaaah!" Jaune yelled as he began to fall, as Pyrrha shot back down to the earth below him, and held out her arms, "Ooph!" catching him in her arms.

Pyrrha looked him over with concern, "Are you alright Jaune?"

Jaune sheepishly looked at her, and scratched the back of his head, "Never better." he said with a thumbs up.

Pyrrha let out a sigh of relief, "That's good." her smile returned to her face as she looked at him.

Jaune looked back at her, as his face began to grow red, "Uhm, Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha blinked towards him, "Yes Jaune."

He pointed down at the ground, "Could you, uhm, please put me down?"

Pyrrha blinked in confusion, before she realized exactly how she was holding Jaune.

He was in her arms, being carried bridal style.

A deep crimson overtook Pyrrha's complexion, as she placed him down, letting him stand up, "S-sorry." she looked away embarrassingly.

Jaune was no less flushed as he looked the other way, "I-It's no problem."

Several moments of silence passed between the two of them, before Jaune spoke up, "So, w-we should probably get moving huh?"

Pyrrha nodded, "Yes, lets." she looked up at the sky, examining the position of the sun, "We need to go north, so, that way." she said indicating a direction.

Jaune nodded, "Yep, let's go."

With that, the two of them began their trek towards the northern temple, as their eyes began to dart left and right, looking for any sign of Grimm.

After a while, somehow not encountering any Grimm, Jaune turned to look at Pyrrha, "So, uhm, Pyrrha."

The red haired huntress in training glanced in Jaune's direction, her eyes looking into his own with curiosity, "Yes Jaune?"

Jaune coughed into his fist, "Well uhm, thank you for saving me back there, I probably would have been paste on the forest floor if you hadn't thrown your spear when you did."

Pyrrha flinched at the imagery, even as she perked up with a slight smile, "Oh, it was nothing honestly." she tilted her head and looked at him, "However, if you don't mind my asking, why didn't you use your weapon to stabilize your flight path?"

He tensed up, stumbling a bit as he did so, "U-uhm, what do you mean?" he asked nervously, his hand coming up to scratch the back of his head.

She took note of this as she continued, "I mean, your weapons, shouldn't you have been able to utilize them to slow your descent or steer you to a safer locat-" she looked at his side as she spoke, and noticed his sword at his side, but saw no sign of any other weapon, "Jaune, do you not have a ranged weapon?" her eyes widened ever so slightly as she came to a stop, Jaune stepping forward a few more paces, before coming to a stop several feet in front of her, and as she saw him from behind, she still saw no other weapon.

He only had a melee weapon?

Jaune turned to look back towards her, but looked down, a nervous smile on his face, "Well, you see, uhm…" he began to stumble for words, as he tried to think up a response.

"Jaune?" the blonde flinched at the serious tone in Pyrrha's voice, and he felt her hand on his chin, gently forcing him to look up at her, staring into her emerald green eyes, "Please, tell me, why don't you have a ranged weapon?"

After several seconds of the two staring into each other's eyes, Jaune finally let out a breath he had not realized he was holding, "I…didn't have the opportunity to get one, or learn how to use one."

Pyrrha just stared back at him, waiting for him to continue, as she removed her hand from his chin.

"My own weapon, isn't even technically mine, it was my grandfather's." he let his hand gently wrap around the hilt, "He gave it to me before I came here, it was the only weapon I had any chance of using properly, but, it was more than that." he paused, as if trying to find the right words, as he tightened his grip on the hilt "It's also my legacy, my grandfather wielded this sword, and my great grandfather, and my great great grandfather before him, it just seemed…right, to make them proud, by continuing this swords story, instead of letting it gather dust in the family chambers." he had gripped the hilt so tightly, that his knuckles had turned white.

Pyrrha's expression softened as she saw how tightly he gripped the blade, she couldn't help but empathize with him, but even still, "Jaune?"

Jaune looked back at her, releasing his grip on his sword, realizing how tightly he held it.

"While I admire your desire to wield a weapon such as your sword, not having a ranged weapon could prove dangerous in the future, not just for yourself, but for your teammates, or the people you will protect as a huntsman."

Jaune looked down at this, and sighed heavily, "I know, and I mean to correct the issue, but, I just haven't had the time, yet."

Pyrrha hummed to herself, as she brought a hand up to her chin, "Well, the school does have a forge. Perhaps after initiation, you and I can work on a long ranged weapon design, and have it built there?"

Jaune looked up at Pyrrha, his eyes wide in shock, "R-really?"

Pyrrha smiled back, "Yes, really, the school covers most of the cost, and whatever is left won't be terribly expensive, and it would give you a long ranged option in case you need to use one."

Jaune grinned back at her, "That would be spectacular!" he yelled out, covering his mouth, "Sorry."

Pyrrha let out a soft laugh from this, "It is fine Jaune, really." she glanced at his blade, "So, does the 'ancestral weapon' have a name?"

Jaune nodded in response, "Yes, its name is Crocea Mors."

She continued to look at it, an expression of curiosity on her face, "Would it be…ok if I could take a look at it?" she asked softly.

He tilted his head in confusion, but wrapped his hand around the hilt of Crocea Mors, and drew it, "Of course…" he held out the sword, so that Pyrrha could grab the handle. She gently wrapped her fingers around the hilt, and held it aloft, looking at the swords edge.

It was certainly a well-crafted weapon, especially for its time, a longsword with an edge that seemed to be quite sharp, bearing a golden cross guard, with blue wrapping around the hilt.

She lowered the sword, and gingerly handed it back to Jaune, "It certainly is a marvel of craftsmanship, to still be used by your grandfather, even so long after its initial forging, is a testament to its durability over the many decades."

Jaune chuckled nervously as he slid the sword back into its sheath, "Yeah, my grandfather always said that all of Atlas' firepower couldn't break the sword, though I think he was exaggerating a bit."

Pyrrha only smiled at that, "Well, all good stories have a bit of embellishment, don't they?" she turned on her heel and began to continue forward, as Jaune fell in line to her side.

After some time, Pyrrha began to gain further ground, unsurprising due to the length of her stride.

At some point, they began to cut through the underbrush, and as she pushed a branch aside, it swung back to smack Jaune in the face, "Ooph!" he cried out as he fell backwards.

Hearing the sudden commotion, Pyrrha turned around, and saw Jaune standing up, "Oh my, Jaune, I am so sorry, I didn't know it would swing back that hard." she looked at the branch and back at Jaune, before she ran over to try and help him up.

Jaune waved Pyrrha off, "It's fine, really, let's just keep go-"

"Jaune?"

Jaune looked at Pyrrha, who was staring at him, or rather, his cheek in concern, "Uhm, yes Pyrrha?"

She pointed at his cheek, "You're hurt."

His head tilted in confusion, as he rubbed his fingers along his cheek, and felt a small amount of blood, "Oh, this?" he said holding out his hand, "It's just a scratch, nothing to worry about."

"Jaune…" she said with concern, "…your aura should have stopped that."

Jaune could not hide the grimace as he processed Pyrrha's statement, "My…aura, right." he began to fidget in place, as he began to look away from Pyrrha.

Pyrrha's face showed deep concern, "Jaune, is your aura not unlocked?"

Jaune did not look her in the eyes, confirming her suspicions.

"Jaune, why isn't your aura unlocked?"

He did not answer her, instead opting to look away.

Memories playing out in his vision.

"Mommy, why won't you let daddy unlock my aura?" he asked his mother as they sat at the table

His mother cast a glance to his father, who looked away in response. She turned back at Jaune "Because I don't want you to get hurt Jaune."

"But Joanne and Bianca have theirs unlocked, and they aren't even training to be huntresses!" he yelled pointing at his sisters, who were seated next to their father.

His father rose from his seat, and snapped "Jaune Arc you will not talk to your mother in that manner again, this discussion is over, you will not have your aura unlocked, and that is final!"

The telltale sign of tears shimmered at the edges of his eyes "I hate you!" he yelled, running back to his room, as the rest of his siblings looked on sadly, while his father fell back into his seat, as his hands ran through his hair, while his mother watched his fleeing form.

Evenings like that had been common in the Arc household, up until he was ten years old, he would ask to have his aura unlocked, his mother would not permit it, and his father would fall in line. They'd fight, they'd make up, and eventually, he just…stopped asking.

He still wanted to be a huntsman, even if his parents, or more accurately, his mother, did not allow it, but without aura, he was at a severe disadvantage.

Pyrrha saw the downcast look on his face, and immediately felt bad, clearly, whatever the reason for his aura not being unlocked, it was clear the reason was something that still hurt him.

"Uhm, Jaune…" she said, trying to change the subject, "…if you want, I could unlock your aura for you?"

Jaune's downcast expression seemed to evaporate, and he looked up at Pyrrha, "R-really?"

Pyrrha smiled back at him, "Yes, really."

Jaune grinned, and nearly leapt for joy as he cried out, "Woohoo!" he stood close to her, his excitement showing with the ear splitting grin on his face, "So, what do I do?"

Pyrrha laughed at his actions, and grabbed onto his shoulders, "Just, hold still, and I will do the rest."

Jaune did as was told, and stood in place, as Pyrrha placed one hand on his head, and the other over his heart, "Are you ready?"

Jaune nodded at her, his eyes steeling themselves for what was to come.

Pyrrha smiled back at him, and closed her eyes…

A dark haired male whose hair was done up in a long ponytail flipped backwards as he dodged the incoming strike from a massive black snake, only to be forced to leap out of the way of a second snake, this one white in color. As he skidded backwards, he looked upwards, revealing a single magenta streak on the left side of his hair, matching the color of his eyes.

He stood in a fighting stance, his dark green tailcoat allowing for a fluid motion as he saw the Grimm turn its full attention towards him

He snapped his fists forward, and out of his sleeves, came out a pair of dual sub-machine guns, with a blade attached to the end of each, the same color as his coat.

The Grimm hissed angrily at him, as they coiled themselves, ready to strike.

Yang Xiao-Long smashed her dual shotgun gauntlets into the face of a bear-like creature of Grimm, as two others flanked her, and her partner.

She had a light olive complexion, and had long wavy black hair, her amber eyes shimmering in the forests dim lighting, which tilted upwards at the ends, a shade of light purple eye shadow complementing them.

She wore a black ribbon on the top of her head in the shape of a bow, along with a scarf-like collar around her neck.

She had on a black buttoned up vest with coattails, a sleeveless white shirt underneath that exposed her midriff, and white shorts with a zipper on each side. She wore black stockings that faded to purple as they neared her boots, which had low heels, an emblem adorned the outside of her stockings, in the shape of a flower. She had black ribbons around both of her arms, but a detached sleeve and a silver band uniquely adorned her left arm.

In her hands were a pair of blades, which she had used to cut down three Ursa already, and she was about to cut down another, while Yang pummeled the others.

Yang looked back at her, "So, can I get a name, huh, partner?"

The girl rolled her amber eyes and muttered, "Blake."

Yang hummed to herself as she cocked back her gauntlets, "Blake huh, I like it."

The Grimm began to charge forward, as the two huntresses in training did so as well.

Ruby ducked under the sweeping strike of a Beowulf, as Weiss, her partner, impaled it on her rapier.

The two had met up almost immediately, much to the white haired heiress' chagrin, however, before she could protest, they were surrounded by a rather large pack of Grimm, Beowolves to be accurate, which forced them to work together.

Ruby had immediately gone through with bisecting several of the Grimm, before Weiss followed up with using her Rapier as a focusing rod to cast several dust glyphs to freeze the Grimm in place, before she began to run them through with her blade.

However, they were pushed back, as several, much larger Grimm, arrived, Alpha Beowolves, much larger, much older, and far more dangerous than their smaller cousins.

Ruby and Weiss stood side by side, as the rest of the Beowolves gathered behind their larger kin, as they foamed and frothed at the mouth, eager to sink their teeth into their flesh.

Weiss looked at Ruby, "You think you can keep up?"

Ruby smiled as she cocked her sniper-scythe, Crescent Rose, "Do you need to ask?"

Weiss frowned, "Yes, yes I do." she pointed her rapier, Myrtenaster at the Grimm, as they began to charge.

Pyrrha allowed her aura to extend from her body, and begin to wrap around Jaune, "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality."

Jaune's body began to glow with a soft light, as he felt an incredible warmth spread out through him.

"Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death."

That sensation grew, and yet, there was, something else.

"I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."

With a blinding white light, Pyrrha was pushed back, as she stumbled, clutching her head as she cried out in pain.

Jaune saw her condition and he ran towards her, "Pyrrha, oh my god, are you alright?"

Pyrrha looked up at him, her pupils dilating, trying to readjust from the blinding light, "I-I'm fine Jaune."

Jaune was not convinced, "Pyrrha, you flew back from unlocking my aura, that doesn't seem fine to me."

Pyrrha blinked away the spots in her vision, rubbing her eyes, "I-It's fine Jaune, I…I've never actually unlocked anyone's aura before." she came to a fully standing position, as she slowly blinked away the lingering spots in her eyes.

Jaune looked at her, still concerned, "Is that why you went flying back and cried out in pain?"

Pyrrha looked at him, and squinted her eyes, and shook her head, "No, not entirely, mostly it's because of…well…your aura."

Jaune was clearly confused, "I don't understand."

"Jaune, you have a lot of aura, more than I have ever seen in a huntsman in training."

Jaune looked at her with shock, "Wait, seriously?"

She nodded back at him in response, "Yes, really, it's actually quite a marvel."

Jaune grinned as his expression changed to one of joy, "Yes, this is great, thank you so much Pyrrha, I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you."

Pyrrha let a soft smile come to her features, "We'll work on that at a later date, for now, let us press forward, we should find shelter before it becomes dark."

Jaune flinched, "O-oh, right, dark…yeah." he looked around in concern, "That would be a good idea."

Pyrrha smiled at Jaune as she turned around, "Alright, let's get moving then, if we hurry, we should be able to make it to the temple by tomorrow."

Jaune snapped himself out of his stupor, and ran after her, "Right, good idea, time's a wasting huh?"

She smiled as Jaune ran up beside her, before she turned her head away from him, as she began to think back to the moment she unlocked his aura.

Why did she see yellow eyes?

The dark haired male looked at the snake-like Grimm, which had suddenly stopped in place, as if some outside force had commanded them to cease.

His weapons, Stormflower, were still pointed at both of them, fearing they would turn their attention back to him, and continue with the attack.

The attack never came, instead, the dual headed Grimm began to slowly uncoil itself, and begin to leave the clearing, leaving him standing there, his normally stoic features showing a considerable amount of confusion.

He heard the rustling of branches behind him, and the telltale sound of something hitting the forest floor.

"Ren?"

The dark haired youth broke out of his stupor, to find an orange haired girl with turquoise eyes staring back at him. She was wearing a collared black vest that ended at her waist, and a sleeveless white top that formed a tiny-heart shape which barely showed off her cleavage and collarbone. She had white detached sleeves on each arm, and wore matching fingerless gloves on each hand. She also had on a pink skirt that ended mid-thigh, and her shoes were pink and white with pink laces.

"Nora?" Ren looked at his childhood friend, who had a similar look of confusion on her face.

"Grimm have red eyes, right?"

Ren looked at her with a questioning gaze, "Yes, why?"

Nora pointed back at the Grimm, as it left the clearing, and Ren looked back at it, and caught a glimpse of one of the retreating heads, and understood what she was referring to.

Yang and Blake watched curiously, as the Ursa Grimm began to waddle away, after suddenly coming to a stop in front of both the huntress' in training.

Not seconds after they stopped, did they turn their attention elsewhere, and begin to leave the area, leaving the blonde and brunette duo alone.

Yang leaned in towards Blake, "Grimm have red eyes right?"

"They're supposed to." Blake acknowledged, as she watched the Ursa reenter the forest.

"So, if that is the case…"

Weiss and Ruby nervously looked around as the Beowulf pack began to move around them, slowly trudging past them, ignoring them as if they were not even there, and yet, avoiding direct contact with them.

Ruby held her weapon at the ready, and Weiss was about to attack the Grimm, only for Ruby to grab her shoulder, "Let go of me you dolt-"

"Weiss, look at them."

Weiss cast an incredulous gaze at Ruby, "What are you-"

"Their eyes."

Weiss stopped her sudden retort, and with a groan, did as she was told, and looked at the Grimm.

And she felt her own eyes widen in confused shock, "B-but-"

"Grimm have red eyes."

Weiss looked back at Ruby, and snapped at her. "Then why are their eyes yellow?"

AN: Well, there you all go, the first RWBY fic posted by dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger, this is only the first chapter, and more will come soon, don't worry, updates will be more frequent for this story, and others, so waits won't be NEARLY as long as they used to be. With that said, don't expect an update every single week, not that we won't try for that.

Now, to answer questions...

1. Why the Temple and Pantheon?: Often, authors will use Monty Oum as the stand in 'God' of Remnant, dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger decided to do something different here, and give the people of Remnant a sort of religion. However, the Kingdoms have a different religion, than those outside the walls of the kingdoms, due to the two different lifestyles affecting what is, or is not, worshipped.

2. Why did Jaune pray to a God from a Pantheon not his own?: Jaune, being raised outside the kingdoms, worshipped a different Pantheon, yes, but, that pantheon rules outside the Kingdoms and their settlements. This ties into certain older tribal cultures. Different cultures in the past, would have different gods that 'held power' in different regions, during those times, tribal nomads would pass through these settlements, and, as a sign of respect, would offer prayers to the local shrines, altars, and temples, as a sign of respect to that particular gods authority within a region, or at least, that is what I recall was the case. For a more modern look, look at the book series 'A Song of Ice and Fire', despite the primary religion of Westeros being'The Faith of the Seven' in the North, and beyond The Wall, the people worshiped the old gods, who held power within those regions, but not further south. In this case, Jaune is within a region where his gods do not have power, so, he offers prayers to the gods that do have power. The 'Temple of Nine' is the primary religion of those who live within the walls of the Kingdoms, and the assorted gods of this particular pantheon, will reflect that.

If you have any questions, leave them in a review, and we will try to get back to them in the next chapter.

God of Protection: Patron divine of Huntsman and Huntresses, and other Guardians of Remnant, such as Soldiers, Police, and even Mothers and Fathers offer prayers to this God when they seek strength to guard and protect others. This God is often represented by a Shield wrapped around an androgynous figure, similarly to how a parent would embrace a child, with an ornate cross on the front of the shield. Worshipers of this God often wear a cross of some form on their clothing.

Recommendations: Here are stories I personally recommend…I have followed these stories for a while, and I feel they deserve more recognition for the amount of work the authors put into each of them.

-The Heroes And The Queen-Robot Overlord

-Journey: Path of the Hero-The White Wulf

-Naruto's Butterfly-gadman85

-InFamous Salvation-JAYSEN

-A Simple Mission-Leaf Ranger

-The Heat-wildstraydog

-The Warmth of Winter-RareNyte

-Squire-Dakaath

-Arc-Angel-KtyouVsWriting

-Legacy-Greatcow

-RWBY: The Grimm Warrior-CaptainPrice

-Blake's Mistake-wildstraydog

-RWBY: Destiny of Remnant-ultraguy7x

-How I Made You Meet Mom-PhantomGalaxy13

-Altered Fate-KorKor11

I surely will recall more stories that I feel deserve more recognition for the work their authors put in them, but for now, please check out these stories, they are a fantastic read, and deserve more attention than they are getting.

Please show your support...read, write, review, PM, or if you absolutely must, flame with LEGITIMATE reasons...