Jaune stared into the exit, shock plastered over his features. Blake had disappeared more than a minute ago, but he still couldn't wrap his mind around what had happened. She had forfeited. He had lost, everyone knew it, but then Blake had forfeited. How could she have forfeited?

Jaune stood slowly, the golden white light shining up through the crystal floor under his feet. It meant that he had won. He looked around him, and the crowd started clapping. He saw many confused faces, but he searched until he found the only one that mattered. He looked at Pyrrha, and saw the relief on her face. His friends were making their way down the stairs towards the arena except for Yang. Jaune guessed she had slipped away to find Blake. Closer than his friends though was professor Ozpin. Jaune's eyes fixed on the headmaster, his stomach churning in anxiety. Sure, technically he had won, but the headmaster may not be so lenient.

"Congratulations Jaune," The silver haired man said as he approached, one hand on his cane and the other holding his mug. "If I've been keeping track right, this is your third match." He proclaimed, raising an eyebrow at Jaune.

"Yes sir," The blond replied, somewhat quietly. Fear was twisting through his stomach, making him feel queasy. He wasn't sure what to expect next.

"Well then, I suppose you'll want to celebrate with your friends. Perhaps discuss what you'll do over the summer before you return in the fall." Ozpin said pointedly before taking a sip of his coffee, never breaking eye contact with Jaune. Relief swept through his heart as he understood the headmaster's message. He wasn't going to be kicked out of Beacon. He was going to be able to stay, be with Pyrrha and maintain all the friendships he had made. The headmaster started to walk away as his friends walked towards him.

Pyrrha broke out into a jog, and ran straight to him. Jaune caught her in a warm embrace as she clung to him desperately. He hugged her for a moment before drawing away a bit, his hands coming to rest at her hips. He looked deep into her warm emerald eyes, caught up in her beauty. He leaned in closely, closing his eyes as his lips met hers. He kissed her softly, and felt her respond to his movements, her arms sliding around his neck. The kiss was desperate, wild and full of relief. Jaune finally broke away from her, resting his forehead against hers gently. Neither of them said a word, but they didn't need to. Jaune knew that she was feeling the same way he was; elated, excited, relieved and hopeful for the future to come.

"Please, spare us." Weiss said coldly.

"Yay Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed, smiling brightly at him.

"Thanks Ruby," He laughed a little, the relief making him slightly giddy.

"What did Ozpin say anyway?" Weiss asked.

"Just that he thinks I'll have a good next semester." Jaune said, grinning. "And I can't say that I'd disagree."

/

Yang walked down the mildly lit hallway, looking for her partner. She finally came to the athlete's room that was provided to the tournament participants before and after each match. Yang knocked softly on the door.

"It's open," She heard the familiar voice call, and Yang twisted the doorknob, letting the smooth door sweep open. The room inside was modest, a sink with a mirror, a few chairs, and a mannequin for armor. There was also a straw dummy, but it looked untouched. In the center of the room stood Blake, looking at Yang.

"That was a good thing you did." Yang said, walking towards her partner, embracing Blake when they were a step away from each other. "Because of you, Jaune's coming back in the fall. I know a certain redhead who's going to be forever indebted to you."

"I should have done it earlier though. I can't believe I didn't think of it right a-"

"Sh," Yang hushed her partner sternly and hugged her a little tighter. "You did it , that's what's important. I don't know if I would have thought to do that."

"I couldn't not do it. When I saw Pyrrha crying, when I thought of how wrong what I was doing was, there's no way I could finish the fight. Jaune's a good guy, and he didn't deserve to have this placed on him." Yang broke away from Blake, pride filling her heart. Her partner had made some questionable decisions, especially in the past few weeks, but it was this sort of thing that made Yang love her. Beyond everything else, Blake was compassionate to those that deserved it and always did the best she could to bring some good into the world. Jaune had earned his place at Beacon with his leadership and his ability to bring friends together, and Blake had refused to rip him away from everyone he cared about. Yang leaned forward and placed a small peck on her partner's lips. Blake smiled against her lips, and when Yang pulled away, her partner was grinning widely.

"I'm lucky to have met you, miss Belladonna." Yang said, winking at the girl she had grown so close to in such a short period of time. Blake laughed and took her hand. "But this still means I made it further than you in the tournament." She joked. Blake gave her a dead eye stare, and Yang laughed. They held hands for a moment, and her heart swelled as she played with her partner's fingers.

"Right," Blake said finally, "But we need to get out of here. The next match starts soon, and the next contestant is going to want the room." Yang leaned in close to her partner's ear.

"I have a picnic packed back in the dorm and my bike is just out front of Beacon. What do you say to some lunch in Forever Fall?" She whispered into Blake's ear, her lips brushing against her partner's soft skin. She felt Blake shudder almost imperceptibly against her.

"Let's go," Blake whispered back.

Yang turned on her heel and made her way out the door, Blake close on her heels. It took them no more than ten minutes before they were packed and ready to go, just outside Beacon. Yang walked over to where she had kept her bike hidden over the year, seeming as students weren't aloud vehicles. That was a rule that Yang felt was ridiculous, so she had stashed the bike behind a couple of trees just outside the school. She threw on her helmet and passed Blake her spare, then the two of them were off.

Yang took the scenic route. She could easily have gotten to the forest in ten minutes, but she decided to take Blake along a few back roads. She knew the other girl enjoyed the thrill of speeding down the streets, so as often as she could, she revved the engine and went ripping down the paved cement. She could feel Blake laugh against her with her arms around Yang's waist, and Yang smiled a little. With everything having been so serious the past few weeks between what was happening with Adam, and then realizing what was on the line for Jaune, it was nice to let loose for a bit. All of that was over now, and Yang knew that she could look forward to another year with Blake, and then two more after that. They were partners in every way now, and after what they had been through, Yang knew that there was little that could ever come between them.

Finally, she pulled off the road at the edge of the forest and flipped down the kickstand. She removed her helmet and got off the bike, shaking her hair a bit to make sure none of her precious wavy curls had been flattened. She ran her fingers from her scalp down to the tips of her hair, feeling that everything was in the right place.

"Please stop being so seductive." Blake said monotonously behind her. Yang just winked at her and grabbed the picnic basket. They walked into the forest a bit, but not too far. Yang didn't mind living on the edge, but she knew that the further into the forest they went the more likely they were to find Grimm.

They set up the blanket and Yang opened the basket to pull out some mixed berries. The two of them lay next to each other silently, letting the soft petals fall on and around them. They snacked on the berries for a while, before Yang heard an audible growl. She looked over at Blake in concern.

"Was that your stomach, or an Ursa?" She joked, and Blake shoved her playfully.

"I'm hungry, did you bring anything else?"

Yang pulled out two sandwiches, tossing one to Blake and opening the wrapping on the other. She bit into it, and devoured it quickly. Blake ate hers just a s ravenously, and Yang had to pull out the second set she had packed and give both of them to her girlfriend. Blake had just finished a fight, and probably needed the food more than her. Before long, the two of them had eaten all the various pastries, snacks and fruit that Yang had packed, and they lay down beside each other. Blake snuggled up against Yang, and she put her arm over her partner. She had always been surprised at how well the two of them fit together. She rolled over, bringing Blake with her so that her partner's head was resting on her shoulder, and Yang's hands were holding her partner's over her stomach. She could feel Blake's pulse beating gently against the soft skin of her exposed stomach, and Yang sighed contently. She gave Blake a small kiss on the neck, and then leaned back happily. This was definitely something she could get used to again.

/

Jaune looked out past the high tower of Beacon to the lush, dense forest behind it. The cool evening breeze whispered through his hair, brushing his blond locks back over his ear. He leaned on the railing of the roof and breathed out a heavy sigh. It had been three days since his last match in the tournament, and he had spent most of the time since alone.

"Hello Jaune," Came the soft, melodious voice that he would have recognized anywhere. He turned around to see Pyrrha sauntering towards him, and guilt racked through Jaune's stomach. He was only able to meet her eyes for a moment before looking away. He turned back to lean on the railing, ducking his head. A moment later Pyrrha sidled up next to him. "Jaune, everyone's worried about you."

"Hey Pyrrha," Jaune responded, not acknowledging her comment or even looking at her. She laid a hand on his arm gently, but Jaune shied away from the touch. She withdrew her hand and Jaune looked at her quickly. He could see the hurt on her face.

"What's wrong?" She asked, almost pleading. Her voice was so full of worry and fear that it made Jaune's heart ache, and he sighed heavily as the guilt rumbled through his stomach.

"Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if I'd never come to Beacon?" He said, his voice hollow and weak.

"Sorry?" Pyrrha asked, concern filling her soft tones.

"I mean, what if I had never faked those transcripts? What if you hadn't helped me in the Emerald Forest and we hadn't become partners. I wonder what it would be like for you, how many more friends you would have made and how much better school would be." He heard Pyrrha suck in a quick gasp.

"If I had never met you I'd probably still be in the exact same spot I was when I left Sanctum. I might be popular and well liked by everyone, but what does that matter without true friends? Jaune, if I've learned anything over the last few weeks, it's that I would never give this up for anything. It's not something I've ever really felt before but it's wonderful and amazing, and I would have never been blessed with this opportunity if it hadn't been for you."

He sighed, turning towards his red haired partner. He looked at her, studying her flawless face and delicate features. He had never noticed a single imperfection with her, in the way she acted or the way she looked. When he had begun to realize just how much she meant to him, he had been nervous, scared and excited all at the same time. The night when he kissed her and he knew for sure she felt the same it had been absolutely electrifying, but there had always been the nagging doubt in his mind that he wasn't good enough for her. His match against Blake had only reinforced his fears. It seemed that every time that Jaune was in some sort of trouble, it was a friend bailing him out. He had been put on academic probation because Goodwitch and Ozpin wanted to make sure he wasn't going to be a burden on his friends and teammates, and so far that's all he had been.

"This is about what happened with Blake, isn't it?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah, it's just that I don't know if I belong here Pyrrha. Since I got here I've felt two steps behind everybody else, and it seems that it keeps getting me and the people I care about into trouble." He confided. "It's like I'm bringing you all down."

"Jaune!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "That's not true at all."

"Isn't it? I mean look at every challenge I've ever had. The only thing I have is that I beat Cardin." Jaune could feel his voice rising, but he didn't care.

"You don't have the same training as everyone else. For having only been fighting for the past year, you're doing remarkably well." Pyrrha's voice remained calm as she spoke. "Jaune, Blake wouldn't have done what she did if she didn't think you deserved a shot at being here. Ozpin wouldn't have let you stay if he believed that you were a hindrance, and I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be with you." Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, one of the few times Jaune had ever heard her break composure.

Jaune looked at his partner sadly. She was so flawless, and all he had ever been was flawed. She was the most promising prospect at Beacon, and he had faked his way into the school. In effect, they came from two different worlds, but Jaune cared so much about Pyrrha. He knew he would do anything in the world for her if she asked him to.

"I'm only going to ask this once, so if you have any doubts, please tell me Pyrrha." He said quietly. Jaune leaned forward and cupped Pyrrha's hands between his own. "Do you want to do this? You and me being together?"

"Maybe you're not the... Most experienced huntsman," Pyrrha started, and Jaune felt his stomach sink slightly in fear. "But you're a good one, and you've improved a lot. You've always treated me fairly, you've always been kind to others, and most importantly you see everyone for who they are." She took a small step closer to Jaune, their bodies brushing against one another's. "I love you because you see me for me, and when I look at you, I see someone with the best intentions in the world. There's not a single thing I'd ask you to change." She bit her lip nervously, and a part of Jaune registered just how cute she looked doing that. "You're perfect to me, Jaune Arc." Jaune could feel his stomach churning nervously.

"So, Pyrrha Nikos, do you want to be my girlfriend?" He asked hopefully. Pyrrha took a half step away from him and looked into his eyes. She started giggling.

"I thought that I just said that." She said, the humor clear in her voice.

"Oh, right." Jaune laughed nervously

"Jaune?" Pyrrha said softly, biting her lip again. Jaune looked into her lovely, deep green emerald eyes. He was pretty sure that this was the part where he was supposed to kiss the girl. So he did.

/

"Mister Winchester, please come in." The bulky student entered Ozpin's office, looking around the headmaster's clockwork room suspiciously.

"What's the problem?" Cardin asked, his voice low and threatening.

"Take a seat." Ozpin held out his hand to indicate the seat across from him, and the boy took it. "Since you told me about Jaune Arc's faked transcripts I have looked into the matter."

"And are you going to expel the little creep?" Cardin said, raising one eyebrow. Ozpin took a long sip of his coffee and paused before replying.

"No," He said curtly.

"What?"

"Jaune Arc is not going to be expelled. He was tasked with being the victor in three matches of the tournament, something that he has done despite my expectations of the opposite."

"He lost his last match. He was beat, and he was only declared the victor because he was so pathetic that his know-it-all friend took pity on him." Ozpin looked at his student, trying to stop the frown from forming between his brows.

"Blake Belladonna did not take pity on mister Arc. She weighed her options and their consequences. What she did she did because she believed it was the right thing to do. She did not believe that sending Jaune home could bring any good about, and so she did what she had to. She got herself disqualified from the tournament, that is not pity, that is sacrifice in the name of what she had believed was right."

"Call it what you want, but the twerp still lost the match."

"He would have, yes, had he not inspired such strong friendship between himself and those who surround him. Having friends is just as powerful a weapon as any sword, hammer or spear can be, and often more so. He earned that victory, but not by his actions in the ring. He earned it by building relationships that mattered, that were real, and that added to the structure of the school. Technically he may not be the most proficient, but anyone can train to be able to swing a sword well. It takes a truer heart to know right from wrong and to affect the lives of those around you in a meaningful way. Jaune possesses this ability. Had he not, he would never have emerged victorious from that ring and would be back home at this moment."

"He's allowed to stay because he has friends? That's ridiculous."

"Not friends no, but values. Jaune has the heart of a true huntsman, something that I have noticed you lack."

"What?" Cardin looked outraged, his voice raising in volume and lowering in pitch as he spoke. It sounded almost like a growl. Ozpin looked at him carefully.

"While I was looking into Jaune's forged documents, I discovered that, before informing me of their existence, you used you knowledge of the fraud to blackmail not only Jaune, but also his partner Pyrrha. Is this true?"

"I asked Jaune to do a few homework assignments for me and some stuff like that. It wasn't anything major." Cardin said, entirely self-assured, which of course was the problem. Cardin Winchester didn't seem able to admit his mistakes. If it had happened only once, Ozpin would have left his student with a warning, but all of his teachers had informed him that Cardin had been continuously disrespectful. There had been several accounts of him bullying other students, and being openly discriminatory to the faunus. Cardin was a problem, and Ozpin didn't think that, as it were, he would make a proper huntsman.

"Mr. Winchester, given your actions over the past year and particularly those of the past few weeks, I cannot allow you to continue your studies here. You are a disturbing presence to the other students and such reckless behavior is intolerable. You are simply not suited to become a huntsman."

Cardin Winchester was speechless. Ozpin by no means enjoyed doing this, but it was necessary. Cardin was not the first student that Ozpin had been forced to release from their studies, but it was something that had always soured his mood. It was not irregular for there to be bullying or teasing in schools, but what Cardin had done to Jaune and Pyrrha was something else entirely. The hardship Cardin had caused for a personal vendetta was... Extreme in nature. Someone who found it so easy to exploit others in such a manner was not fit to become a huntsman or huntress, and so Ozpin had little choice in the matter.

"You have the day to pack your things. Tomorrow morning there while be a jet waiting to take you back into Vale where your parents are already waiting to collect you."

"You can't be serious!" The heavyset student exploded. "You're expelling me instead of Jaune? I passed your entrance exam, showed I was physically capable and a good enough fighter. He lied his way into your school."

"And nonetheless, he beat you." Ozpin said, eyeing his ex-pupil over his dark glasses. "Do not forget that he has already shown progress and adaptability. You have not. That will be all, mister Winchester." With that Ozpin swiveled his chair around to face out of the glass wall that made up the back of his office. After a long moment he heard Cardin stomping away and a door slam behind him. Ozpin sighed, then took a deep sip of his coffee.

Jaune had indeed shown promise, and over the next three years he would undoubtedly work hard to become a fit huntsman. With the help and support of his team, Ozpin had no doubt that his investment in the young man would pay off. Anyone can learn to wield a blade, but not everyone can learn to be honest, caring and dutiful. Those were the important characteristics in a huntsman, and Jaune possessed them all.

/

Pyrrha twirled under Jaune's arm, laughing as he spun her in circles. He finally stopped and caught her, bringing her in close. She rested her hand on his right shoulder then leaned her chin on his left shoulder while he caught her free hand in his own outstretched one. Jaune swayed her back and forth in rhythm to the music, and Pyrrha sighed contently. This was exactly the sort of thing she had been hoping for since the start of the year. The year end dance was being held, and all of the friends Pyrrha had made throughout the year were there to share the evening with her. To make it all perfect, she was able to spend the evening with Jaune. After all they had been through and Pyrrha competing almost everyday, they hadn't been given the chance to spend all that much time together. Now though, it didn't seem to matter. It was the end of the year, and she was excited to spend her last few days with her partner.

"Ahem," Came a voice from the speakers littered around the room. Pyrrha looked up to see Ozpin standing in front of the microphone set centre stage. "Good evening students. Today marks the last day of classes of the year. While I am sure that many of you have had struggles, victories and challenges throughout the year, the end of it signifies the closing of a chapter in your life. For many of you, there will be no return to Beacon next year. To those who are graduating, I wish you the best of luck, and urge you to remember what you have learned here. You have made friendships that will last a lifetime, guard those well as you go forth into the world. Uphold the values of the huntsmen and huntresses; courage, valour, honour, kindness, and above all else, remember that it is your duty to protect the innocent of Remnant.

"For those who will be returning to Beacon next year, congratulations. All of you have learned much, and continue to strive to learn and improve as much as you can. You have more years here, and though we should rejoice for what you have already accomplished, there is more work to be done. You have not become huntsmen and huntresses yet, but you will. Continue to work, to learn, and more importantly, to grow, as individuals and as teams. Should you do your best, I am sure that you will all find yourselves more than prepared to become Huntsmen and Huntresses at the end of your stay here.

"Finally, I would like to thank you all for a wonderful year. Between the Vytal festival and its constituent tournament, it has certainly been a busy one. You have displayed many virtuous qualities throughout the year, and I congratulate you for it. So enjoy your evening, students, and celebrate the closing of the year."

Having finished, the headmaster stepped away from the microphone, then walked from the stage. Pyrrha took Jaune's hand as the two walked over to where the punch bowl was sitting on top of a sturdy table covered in fine cloths. Ruby was standing next to it, as she often was during social gatherings.

"Hoping the punch bowl will save you again?" Jaune asked, a hint of laughter in his words.

"Yep," Ruby said brightly, nodding her head. "It is the life of the socially awkward. We don't all have girlfriends."

"I know I do!" Yang sang from behind them. Pyrrha turned to see the bright eyed girl's hand intertwined with Blake's. She looked at the group that had gathered away from the dance floor curiously. "What? Is everyone getting bored?"

"I think other than Nora, everyone's had enough dancing for the night." Weiss said, approaching from the opposite side of the table. Pyrrha knew she would have continued dancing for the whole night with Jaune if she could, but Ruby looked quite uncomfortable there.

"Should we head to the roof?" Jaune asked the group. They had set up a second party just for the eight of them on top of the dorms, and they all knew that it would make a certain scythe-wielder more comfortable. There were murmurs of agreement from all around the group, but Pyrrha abstained from answering. She was content to go where everyone else preferred so long as Jaune was by her side.

Jaune went over to drag Ren and Nora off the dance floor and Pyrrha started walking with team RWBY towards the exit. The rest of her team caught up with her after a while, and Jaune wrapped his arm around her waist. Though they had kissed before technically becoming a couple, those had been rather emotional and intense moments for her. She was still getting used to the proximity that being in a relationship granted her, but she was enjoying it. There was a lot of banter ahead of them between the others, but Pyrrha ignored it for the most part. She was content just as she was. Finally, they started to scale the stairs, and Pyrrha had to step away from Jaune as she lifted the hem of her dress and skipped up the stairs. Pyrrha waited as Jaune took his time reaching the top, still a little stiff in his suit. He made it to the final landing, and stepped up beside her, taking her hand.

"Are you ready?" Jaune whispered into Pyrrha's ear.

"Of course," She said, bright and cheery as ever.

Jaune smiled at her and pushed open the door that they had entered and exited countless times over the past year. The rooftop had become very special to them over the year, so when Ruby had suggested making an auxiliary party, Jaune hadn't hesitated to suggest the rooftop. Pyrrha gasped slightly as she took in her surroundings. Weiss and Yang had been in charge of setting up the roof, and none of the others had been allowed to see the roof before now. The two girls' unique personalities stood out in different ways around the roof. There were large white linens draped in swooping arches all around the edge of the roof, and a few crystal lamps scattered in a snowflake pattern around the ground. It was beautiful, elegant and organized. In stark contrast to what was obviously Weiss' work, there were some overly large speakers in the corners and a handful of hefty leather chairs along the back wall set in a half circle. Bouquets of flowers were arranged around the edge of the roof and on top of each of the lights, and it seemed that those had been a joint effort. Beside her, Jaune squeezed her hand slightly and Pyrrha looked at him. He nodded his head towards the center of the snowflake pattern. She followed him to it, and he let go of her hand, bowing slightly in front of her.

"Miss Nikos, may I have the honour of the first dance?" He asked, raising his hand politely. Pyrrha took it, smiling the whole time. Over by the stereo, Yang clicked a button and some soft, slow music started playing. For the duration of the first song, Pyrrha lost herself in the soft sways of Jaune's body, but the next song that came on was much more upbeat. Whereas during the first dance, it had only been her and Jaune alongside Yang and Blake, the two couples, dancing, this time everyone joined in. Pyrrha found herself being twisted around and dancing with all the friends she had made over the year. She laughed as she danced, caught up in the pure joy of the experience. She had shared many memories with every single one of the people there, and as the dancing died down, everyone started chatting about the year.

Pyrrha walked with Jaune over to one of the large leather recliners that Yang had set up on the rooftop. Jaune sat down, and Pyrrha made herself comfortable in his lap as he wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her neck softly, and chills shivered through her body. She looked at all of her friends, each sitting around them in the semi-circle arrangement of the comfortable seats. The talking continued long into the night, and Pyrrha took part in reliving the best moments of the year. She knew how much her life had changed since coming to Beacon, but thinking about everything that had happened, she was incredibly grateful for having met Jaune and partnering up with him. If it weren't for him, she likely never would have ever met all of the friends around her and would never have lived through all the highlights of the year. At Sanctum, she had been top of her class, but had never done anything particularly exciting. She was finding it difficult remembering any distinction between one year and another, but she knew that each year at Beacon was going to be distinct, each would be a story and each would be a chapter in her life, as clear and distinct as its predecessor. She smiled at the thought, turning around in her seat so she was facing Jaune. She kissed him lightly, hoping to convey just how truly pleased she was right now.

"Oooo!" Yang called from beside them. "Come on Jaune, you gotta kiss her now!" Jaune looked at Pyrrha sheepishly, and she giggled as he leaned in and planted a heavy kiss on her. She smiled against his lips as the kiss deepened and she lost herself in Jaune's warm embrace. She felt his arms slide along her back, and she pressed herself into him a bit more forcefully. There was a soft ahem from beside them, and Pyrrha was shocked back to reality as she blushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry!" She said meekly. She wasn't used to losing control like that, but Yang just laughed at her.

"It's alright," Blake said beside her.

"Yeah, Blake could hardly keep her hands off me after we first started dating." Yang said with a wink. Pyrrha blushed a little more.

"Gross," Ruby whined from the opposite side of the semi-circle. Even Weiss smirked at that.

The joking continued for a while, and Pyrrha relaxed back into her partner's arms. The talking petered out as the moon reached its zenith high above them, and Pyrrha leaned back into Jaune's arm, her heart full. She looked up at the familiar shapes of the constellations above her as the clouds drifted lazily across the sky. She felt truly at peace and happy. She knew what this year would be bookmarked as in the story of her life. It would be a chapter of hurt, hope, happiness and joy. It would be the chapter of how she had met her first real friends, the crazy experiences they had shared, and how she had fallen for a tall, kind and goofy blond.

This was the chapter of how she had come to love Jaune Arc.

-The end

Ending stories is really hard. I'll just start by saying that! I feel like I've spent a lot of time and effort on this story, and it's over. I'm never going to sit down again and start writing about Pyrrha and Jaune working to be together despite what Cardin has done to Pyrrha and the mandate set upon Jaune by Glynda. When I wrote the first chapter of this story, I had no definite plan as to where everything was going. I had vague ideas, but I knew I wanted to end it happily. I knew that was going to bring up a lot of controversy in the second last chapter, and it did. Personally, I'm quite happy with the way things have ended, but I know a lot of you were hoping for Jaune and Pyrrha to fight since a long time ago. Seriously the first prediction of that was months ago! So, while I'm personally more than content with the way things have gone, I understand that not everyone is happy. As I have said, I'm open to advice and suggestions, so to those of you looking for a different ending, let me know. If there's enough of you who ask for it, I will release a different story probably by next sunday or so that takes the place of the last two chapters. I will only do this if there's a huge outcry for it though, as personally I liked this ending.

Other than that, I want to thank everyone who has been reading this story. I wrote it hoping to gain a bit of experience as an author and to give others something to read and enjoy. I can honestly say that I feel I've accomplished those goals, and I only have the readers to thank for that. Thank you all so much, you've all been great and fantastic, and I don't think this story would have ever evolved as much as it did without all of your help. There were a few points where I was struggling to find the time to write, and without the support you guys and gals offered me, I don't know if I would have ever finished. It's been a long time since I started this story back in august, and I've become kind of attached to writing this. But it is time for the story to end, so it's with a sad sort of relief that I'm signing off. I'll continue writing of course, I'm going to throw the next chapter of the new story up in an hour or so, but I think my job here is done.

So in conclusion, thank you all so much. This has been a great experience, and though it took me a while to figure out how to end the story, I'm pretty happy with where I'm leaving this. One last time, any suggestions, comments or even just what you thought of the story are always greatly appreciated. Thank you, and farewell until the next time!

Hail and farewell!

-Unjax