Hey, everyone! It's me, Anomynous Nin! Sorry for making you guys wait so long for the next chapter, but I'm finally here to present you the third prologue of the story focusing on Weiss! And, uh... Remember when I said that this prologue won't be as long as the previous one? Well... It turned out to be even LONGER than the previous one. About 4000 words more, in fact. Then again, the previous prologue was originally intended to be as long as this, so there's not much to say about it. So, uh... You guys have quite the read ahead of you, so I'm really sorry for making an even bigger chapter than expected!

But before I let you read, there's something that I want to say about it. I... am not exactly proud at how this part of the prologue went, especially during one of the fights presented here and near the end of the chapter. For the latter part, I won't exactly tell you what it is, but I've put up an Author's Note just to give you a heads up. Though, it might just be me who thinks that way about it, but I just want to warn you guys just in case. I'll make the necessary edits if some parts turn out to be shitty.

And also, this is a very difficult chapter for me to write because it took me around 20 days to get this one done. I'm really ashamed to admit it, since this chapter is entirely focused on Jaune/Weiss, and it's for fans of this pairing. So I'm really, really sorry if this prologue isn't as well done as the Lancaster one! I'll try and fix it when possible! And I'll try and make it up to you later down the road!

Okay, now that I have said my worries, it's time to start the third prologue!

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

Flashback

Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by the late Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth

Prologue 3:

Prelude to Heartache: Weiss

Weiss Schnee… The first time that I lay my eyes on her, I knew that I fell for her pretty hard. How could I not be? I always thought of her as the most beautiful lady that I have ever seen in my whole life, as a pure angel whose magnificent beauty is defined by the serene winter snow, hence why I like to call her Snow Angel. She, on the other hand, didn't think the same way about me, since she defined me as tall, blond and scraggly, with an added emphasis on the last one.

There's just so many things that I wanna say about her… She's cold, one thing's for sure, but she's also incredible. She's really smart, since she's always at the top of our class in every single subject that I could think of. She's graceful, which is obviously shown in her looks and even in her fighting style. She's also talented, since not only is she amazing at fighting and being knowledgeable, she also sings like an angel. Gosh, if you ever hear her sing, you'll know what I'm talking about. She's the heiress to the Schnee Company, which is the reason why people are attracted to her, but it never crossed my mind. To me, Weiss is a perfect example of a spectacular angel who is amazing at everything she does.

And that served to hammer in the fact that I could never be someone worth her while.

Because she considered me as a clumsy idiot, someone who doesn't have any incredible talents to show or the capacity to think like a real genius, she always rejected me at any given opportunity. She always took my compliments in snide, she never treated me like a fellow huntsman, she… Well, in short, she's pretty cold towards me. After a bit of time, I finally understood that, no matter what, she would never notice me because I'm an idiot.

But even so, that doesn't make her a terrible person. No, far from it. Weiss cares about her friends, especially Ruby, hence why, according to her, Weiss is the best partner to have around. She isn't above making pretty bad puns to lighten the mood if she needs to. She is also shown to have a sweet spot for cute animals and cool guys, proving that she isn't always that cold. Weiss is beautiful, but she is very sweet and kind as well. It's just that she had no interest in taking me seriously, whether if it's in love or anything else.

I accepted the fact that she would never notice a guy like me, and therefore, I stopped crushing on her. Truth be told, my crush on her was the sole obstacle that prevented me from making notable progress in becoming a better fighter and leader. It wasn't my intended goal, but if I became stronger and smarter throughout my time here in Beacon, maybe Weiss would finally recognize me as a fellow huntsman.

That moment came earlier than I expected. Weiss finally noticed me because of whatever I did that was completely unrelated to me being stronger or smarter. To my shock, it had already gotten to the point where she actually fell for me instead…

It was a few days after my little quest to find the Sakura Tree with Ruby, and after Ruby confessed her love to me. Ever since then, I was in an inner conflict with myself, to decide which girl should I choose, which one did I love the most. Pyrrha or Ruby? My mind had been entirely fixated on that one issue so much that it was affecting my performance in school. I already got chewed out by several teachers because of it, especially Professor Glynda Goodwitch. She's really scary when she's mad…

It was painful to decide who to choose, so I decided to push the problem aside just so I could focus more on school work. I thought that if I spend time doing something else, maybe sooner or later, I would be able to make a decision. It was especially good for me, as I was able to concentrate just in time for Combat Class.

That particular class takes place in the amphitheatre. a pretty big, glass-domed room that not only serves as a fighting area, but also serves as a place for public announcements and to select missions from. I was sitting on one seat from the audience benches located at the border of the fighting stage, along with my team, Team RWBY, and the rest of the students from our class, including those from the other Kingdoms. Professor Goodwitch was our teacher for the Combat Class, as it was her duty to make sure that each and every one of us is skillful enough to qualify for the Vytal Tournament that is coming in about a month or so from now.

I was able to watch most of the matches between fellow classmates for the majority of the class session, looking in awe at how good and tactical some of them were in their battles. I was hoping that I would stay seated, opting to watch the fights instead of partaking one myself, since, let's face it, I don't think I would last a minute against any of them.

As the class session was almost coming to a close, the final match was between Weiss and Cardin Winchester. I guess I don't have any choice but to talk about the latter for a bit. Cardin Winchester… is a jerk. Like, a HUGE jerk. I painfully remember that he had been nothing but a big bully to me during last semester. Why is he such a big jerk? I don't even know. He just is. But I can't really complain too much about him, since he decided to back off from me after that one incident in Forever Fall from the same semester. Since then, he was acting pretty cautious around me. Although I was glad that he doesn't bully me anymore, he's still a big jerk to everyone else.

And it was very satisfying to see that Weiss was wiping the floor with him pretty damn hard.

I continued to watch the match as Cardin was pushed back a couple of feet away from Weiss after their latest clash. He managed to stop himself from backing away any further, as he threw an irritated glare at her. Weiss responded with a smug smile, as she still remained in her fighting stance and held her rapier, Myrtenaster, in front of her, waiting for him to make the next move.

"Grr…! Hold still, you little…!" he growled, as he charged in towards her, raising his mace above his head in an attempt to slam it down on her.

Weiss still maintained her stance until the moment Cardin slammed his mace at her, in which she dodged the attack by simply sidestepping. He followed up the attack with another one, swinging his weapon horizontally at her, in which she dodged it again by stepping back. He continued to throw a series of swings at her, all of which she dodged by stepping back each time, tilting her body when necessary.

When Cardin tried to make a diagonal swing at her, this time, Weiss stepped in and parried his attack, and she immediately followed it with a horizontal slash, which struck him.

He took a step back before moving in already with a thrust of his free fist. She quickly evaded it by moving under his fist, just before she took another step and hit him with her shoulder on the same side as her hand holding her weapon, hit his chest with the bottom of the hilt, then finishing it off by pulling her rapier back, the blade pointing at him, and thrusting it against him.

Cardin was sent sliding back as a result. He recovered from the attack, clutched the part of his body that was struck by the rapier, and gritted his teeth furiously. He moved in towards her once more, and along the way, he started to rotate himself and his mace around in an attempt to hit her. Weiss jumped back before he could reach her, and in response to that, Cardin stopped his spin and lunged forward, trying to slam his weapon down at her again.

Like always, she dodged the attack by cartwheeling to the side before thrusting her rapier at him. He managed to lean his body forward to avoid the attack and pushed the rapier out of the way with his free arm, before he tried to grab her with the same hand. She avoided it by doing a backward somersault and kicking his arm up while doing so.

Cardin tried to charge in by ramming his shoulder at her while she was open, only for her to step in, rotate herself around him, and did a slash at his back. He stumbled forward from her attack, but he recovered and retaliated by swinging his mace horizontally at her. Weiss simply took a step back away from the attack, and he quickly moved in to deliver a barrage of swings of his mace.

Just like before, when Cardin swung his mace at her at the end of the barrage, Weiss parried the attack off, pushing the mace up away from her. Cardin had to step back a little before he quickly retaliated by swinging his mace downward. Before he could have the chance to do so, she tripped him by spinning and sweeping the back of of her leg at his own legs. As he started to fall, she quickly got back into her stance and swung her sword upwards, launching him and spinning him high off the ground. When Cardin was about to reach the ground in his descent, Weiss slid in and thrusted Myrtenaster at him, shoving him back a few feet.

Cardin stopped himself from moving further back by pressing both his palms and his knees into the floor. He lifted his head up to glare at Weiss, with his teeth clenched in anger. The same smug smile that she had a while ago was still shown on her face, as she looked at him condescendingly.

He slammed his fist against the floor in anger, as he stood back up from the ground. "You piece of…! Why can't you just be a little nice missy and let me crush you already!?"

"And let a savage brute such as you have the satisfaction of touching me?" she snarked, brushing her bangs with her free hand in an act of superiority. "Not even in your wildest dreams, Winchester."

"Why, you little…!" Cardin was fuming like mad from Weiss' comments. It was pretty satisfying to see him getting belittled by her after all the trouble that he caused me. I think it was pretty clear that Weiss had that match in the bag. Not that Cardin would ever acknowledge it.

He channeled his anger into his next attack, as he slammed his mace against the ground, discharging a surge of explosive blasts from the fire Dust crystal in his weapon. As the series of explosions were going in Weiss' way, she rolled out of the way of the attack. Cardin seemed to perceive her dodge, as he slammed his mace again to create the same attack directing towards her again. Just like last time, she dodged the attack by rolling out of the way.

Once Weiss got up on her feet, a glyph about the same size as her suddenly appeared in front of her. That was her Semblance. With a swing of her rapier at the glyph, a huge icicle was shot out of the glyph, heading straight towards Cardin. He reacted by swinging his mace at the icicle, shattering it into pieces. Weiss already made her next move by sliding towards him, her weapon thrusted in his way. Cardin seemed to notice her attack, as he moved out of the way of it, causing her to slide through at nothing.

He turned to face her while she had her back on him, grabbed one of the big, falling shards of ice from the icicle that he just smashed, and threw it at her. Weiss quickly turned around just in time to see him throwing the ice shard and positioned Myrtenaster in front of her, deflecting the thrown projectile by creating a small barrier in front of her. Cardin continued to grab and throw any big shard that he could find in hopes of actually hitting her with it. Just like before, she deflected anything he threw at her using the same method, taking a step closer each time it happened.

Once she got very close to him, Cardin stopped his throwing strategy and opted to swing his mace at her again. The result was the same, as Weiss easily parried the attack off, forcing him to stumble back for a bit. When he recovered, Cardin lunged in to slam his mace at her for the umpteenth time. Before he could reach her, Weiss created a glyph right under her and jumped very high off the ground, causing Cardin to slam into the empty ground and discharging an explosive blast.

He let his gaze follow her on the way there and found her crouching upside down above him, with yet another glyph appearing above her feet. Weiss then propelled herself downwards from the glyph, as she looked to be preparing a horizontal slash. Cardin already prepared himself to intercept her attack by swinging his mace just as she was getting close.

Just as he was about to swing his weapon, Weiss made another glyph right next to her during her dive and pressed her feet against it to propel herself to the side in midair, prompting Cardin's attack to miss her completely. During her air dash, another glyph was produced in her direction, as she placed her feet on it and pushed herself diagonally downwards towards him, extending her leg forward to kick through his legs and trip him off the ground.

Cardin was falling forward from Weiss' dive kick, but he quickly recovered, turned himself towards her just as she was finished sliding from her descent, and charged right at her with his mace raised above his head. Weiss quickly turned around and moved in to parry his blow yet again, but this time, she did something different.

As she parried another one of Cardin's aggressive swings of his mace, she actually encased both the mace and most of his arm in ice before jumping back away from him. Cardin looked like he was caught off-guard by her unique parrying method, as he stared at his weapon and arm covered in ice. Shock turned into rage, as he gritted his teeth and slammed his mace and arm into the ground in a rage-fuelled roar, breaking most of the ice off of them.

He looked up at Wess and it seemed like his anger multiplied somewhat at that instance. I could probably tell why, since the same smug smile was still present on Weiss' facial expression during the whole thing.

I'll never get tired of watching Cardin getting the taste of his own medicine even once in my whole time here in the academy. Heck, not even in my whole life. It was so satisfying to see each of my friends and teammates giving him and the rest of Team CRDL a beating after all the trouble that they caused since coming here to Beacon. I'd like to give them a beating too, but, uh… I'm still not confident about my own skills at that point.

"Yeah, Weiss! Go for it! Show that big bully what you're made of!" The person who was cheering for Weiss was Ruby, who was sitting on one of the benches just raised above where I was sitting from.

"You go, girl! Give him everything you got and pummel his ass to the ground!" That was Yang, Ruby's sister who was just sitting right next to her, as she threw her fist into her open palm to show just how much she wanted Weiss to beat him. And of course, the person sitting next to her was her partner, Blake, who was just calmly sitting on the bench, observing the fight, while waving a small flag with the name 'RWBY' labelled on it… Uh, for some reason.

"Woohoo! Do it, Ice Queen! Take him down and break his legs!" And of course, that was Nora, sitting on the same bench as the rest of Team JNPR, with Ren sitting next to her and with Pyrrha at my side. Ren had to keep her down to prevent her from jumping into the stage and cheering Weiss on at a dangerously close range of the fight. Nora really has the habit of threatening to break people's legs without meaning to… For the most part.

Hearing their cheers, Cardin threw a death glare in our way, still fuming mad at all the humiliation that Weiss gave him. "Well, then," He turned his attention back towards her when she started to speak to him while moving a finger along one edge of the blade, her gaze looking over her weapon as if the sight of him wasn't important to her in the least. "If you have any brain cells left in that arrogant, little head of yours, you would have realized long ago that your relentless strikes have no effect on me whatsoever."

"I dare you to say that again, bitch! I'll smash your pretty, little head into smithereens if you keep this up!" he growled at her.

"Oooh, how daunting!" She feigned being scared, while stifling a laugh under her breath as she wasn't affected by his threats. She turned her gaze towards the holographic screen showing each fighter's respective Aura gauge, and I followed her gaze.

I saw that Cardin's Aura was already more than halfway depleted throughout the fight, while Weiss' was still green with barely any depletion. If Cardin still didn't realize that he was severely outmatched in terms of skills, then he was a lost cause and only his defeat at Weiss' hand would snap him out of it.

"I think I played around with you long enough." Weiss said, as she set her sights back at Cardin, moving Myrtenaster up in front of her face, as the chamber of the rapier started to cycle around. "What do you say we put an end to this farce here and now?"

"It would've ended a long time ago, if you'd just stay still!" Cardin yelled as he charged towards her in an attempt to strike at her.

Myrtenaster's chamber stopped cycling, as Weiss turned it over and stabbed the ground with it, creating a large wall of ice on the ground that was heading in his way. Cardin's reaction was to slam his mace into the ground during his charge, creating a surge of explosive blasts that burned through the ice wall and melting it down instantly. He continued his charge through the explosion, only to stop when he noticed that Weiss vanished from her spot. He furiously looked around him to try and find her wherever she was.

He was able to find her kneeling just a few feet away from him at a different spot, and it was then that I noticed what Weiss was doing. She had her rapier stabbed into the ground again and already had a glyph appeared beneath her, but this time, the glyph took on a different appearance. It looked like a huge clock whose arms were speeding through the cycle than normally so.

Cardin wasted no time to charge in and leap forward to slam his mace at her yet again. Unlike all the other times where she simply dodged his attacks, Weiss actually vanished from sight and reappeared far away from him, as Cardin ended up slamming his weapon into the ground, creating another explosive blast from his fire Dust.

Before he had a chance to make his next move or to intercept Weiss' next attack, she already rushed in and thrusted her rapier through him in a flash. He stumbled back for a bit, only for Weiss to perform the same attack from a different direction. Then again from yet another different direction. And again from another completely different direction, until basically, she was sliding through from all directions. He was definitely at her mercy.

After her latest thrust attack, she stopped right behind his back. He was clearly dazed from the attack, as his body was swaying around in a stupor. As he slowly turned towards her, barely lifting his mace up, Weiss already moved in with a final attack by repeatedly stabbing into him in a lightning paced motion. The barrage of stab attacks were so quick that it actually lifted him off the ground just a bit. The attack went on for a while until she made one last powerful thrust against him, sending him flying back across the stage.

Cardin then crashed into the ground and his body ended up rolling to a stop on his front. His defeated moan could be heard across the entire amphitheatre. Meanwhile, Weiss was brandishing Myrtenaster in satisfaction, smirking in victory as she brushed her bangs. The battle had been decided.

"Alright, that is enough." A woman's voice was heard in the amphitheatre. The class looked on as our teacher, Professor Goodwitch, walked into the stage in-between the victor and her downed opponent. "The match has been decided, and the winner is Miss Weiss Schnee!" the Professor announced.

The announcement was met with a huge cheer from the loudest people of our class, including Ruby, Yang and Nora. I decided to take the polite route and was clapping to Weiss' victory, along with everyone else in the class. Even if Cardin's humiliating defeat was taken out of the equation, I could definitely feel that Weiss deserved that win. Her fighting style was very elegant, nice and swift, and she had little to no dirt on her through the whole battle if the situation didn't call for it. Just everything about how she fights was amazing.

As soon as the cheering slowed to a stop, Professor Goodwitch turned her gaze towards Weiss, giving her a satisfying smile. "I am very impressed, Miss Schnee. Your fighting prowess has definitely shined throughout the match. You were quick to discern your opponent's weakness, took advantage of it, and used effective means to bring about his defeat. You were able to recognize your victory as soon as it had become apparent. Not to mention, your sword skills, the creative use of your Dust and Semblance are truly a sight to behold."

"Hmph! It's only natural that my victory is all but certain." Weiss said, smiling at the Professor's praise. "After all, I have been improving my skills constantly in preparation for the Vytal Tournament."

"Yes, of course. I am very confident that you will be able to qualify easily for the tournament. Do not hesitate to improve your abilities even further." The Professor gave an approving nod at Weiss. Then, she turned her gaze towards Cardin, as she had a disappointed look on her face. "Mister Winchester. You, on the other hand, have shown a very poor performance thus far. Your sole tactic was to simply overwhelm your opponent with your brute strength, never realizing that the weak point of such tactic was apparent since the beginning. To win a battle, one must put effort not only in their raw power, but in their intellectual power as well. Your over-reliance on your strength has only made you susceptible to your opponent's adaptable strategy."

Cardin, after he managed to lift himself off the ground on his hands and knees, looked up at the Professor with a grunt as a response. So she continued on with her critic of him. "It is almost embarrassing to see that your skills since the very beginning have not improved halfway through this semester. I suggest that you learn from this battle and think of other effective strategies. Otherwise, you will not pass your qualification for the tournament."

"… Yes, Professor." Cardin nodded, as he slowly stood up from the ground, his body not looking like it recovered from the recent attacks.

"Good." She returned his nod with her own, as she made a gesture with her riding crop. "You may now go and rejoin your classmates up there."

He gave her another understanding nod. He then shot a really furious glare at Weiss who replied by flashing another victorious smirk at him. Cardin growled under his breath before he went and left the stage for the remainder of the session.

Professor Goodwitch then shifted her look at the entire class, as she made an announcement to all of us. "The match between Miss Weiss Schnee and Mister Cardin Winchester has been concluded. Although the class is near its end, I believe that there is still enough time for one final match." She turned her gaze again towards Weiss, as she gave her a satisfying smile. "Miss Schnee, since you have performed splendidly during the last match, perhaps you do not mind partaking in another one, if you so choose?"

Weiss bowed her head at the Professor's suggestion. "It will be my honour to fight another battle, Professor."

"Very well, then." The Professor nodded at Weiss' willingness to participate before turning her gaze back at us. "In that case, I shall choose which one among the class who will be given the privilege of fighting Miss Schnee in this final match."

Her eyes began to scan around the whole class sitting on the benches, searching for one of us suitable to fight against Weiss to end the class. There I was, sitting anxiously at my spot, as I watched the Professor looking over at us like a spotlight. I really thought that the last match would be the last one for the session, but I guess she thought otherwise, which sucked since I wanted to stay out of it for the day. I reassured myself that she would pick a skilled student among us who would battle Weiss at a relatively equal level. I mean, there was no way that I would stand a chance against her! I would be turned into a popsicle in under a minute! As if I would be chosen to fight someone as talented as her!

… Unfortunately, fate was a cruel mistress to me. My gaze and that of the Professor eventually crossed each other. Just when I thought that it was just a simple inattentive gaze from her, I saw that a sly smile had formed on her face. I then feared the worst.

"Mister Arc?" She called out my name. I immediately became tensed, then I looked around me to see if she was referring to someone else, maybe another Arc other than me. A brief silence followed afterwards and no one else seemed to be responding.

I had to look back at her and nervously pointed at myself. "M-me?"

"Yes, Mister Arc, I am referring to you. Why, do you think that there is another Arc among us here?" she asked sarcastically. Of course there wasn't. My only answer was to sit still, not moving an inch, which prompted her to continue. "Anyway, you should be grateful. I have chosen you to be Miss Schnee's final opponent of this session."

Yep, hope had abandoned me. I slumped into my seat, as I let out a sigh of despair. Fighting against someone as skillful as Weiss was the one thing that I was hoping to avoid during the whole class session, and I was then being put on the spot at the last minute. I didn't know why the Professor bothered to pick me as the final opponent, if I get destroyed anyway?

Apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought about that. "What?!" Weiss exclaimed, looking at the Professor in disbelief. "Professor, with all due respects, but you cannot be serious about picking him as my opponent! I mean, are we talking about the same Arc?! The same person whose performance is comparable to that of a mindless slug?! You know that my skills are vastly superior compared to his so much that fighting him would be a complete joke!" Ouch. That was some pretty harsh words, Ice Queen.

"True. There is obviously a large gap in skills between you and Mister Arc." the Professor replied, acknowledging the fact that Weiss would beat me with no effort whatsoever. "However, as the teacher of Combat Class, it is my duty to ensure that each and every single student in class has shown the capacity necessary to qualify for the Vytal Tournament. Mister Arc is no exception to this. Although the result will be quite obvious, it will serve as a reminder for him that he is placed in very much the same standard as everyone else here, whether his skills are poor or otherwise. I am certain that you do not mind being the one to give him such reminder, correct?"

Weiss still looked like she didn't like the idea of fighting me in the first place, but she relented on the Professor's decision, as evident by her bowing her head as a reply. Me, on the other hand, I still didn't feel like getting beaten in class at the moment. The entire class all knew that, whether it was with Weiss or anyone else, it would all lead to the same conclusion.

So I decided to make up a half-assed excuse to slither my way out of there. "Uh, um… A-actually, I can't fight today, Professor Goodwitch, because I, uh… I, um…" I faked a cough to try and convince the teacher and everyone else in class. "I-I actually feel really sick…! My body isn't feeling too well, a-and I think that it'll get worse if I fight at all today…! And also…" I then held onto one of my knees to fake an injury. "M-my leg is pretty badly injured from my last mission…! I won't fight at full strength, at this rate…! So can you please choose someone else instead of poor, little, old-"

"Mister Arc." The Professor said my name in a commanding tone, as she gazed at me with a glare that could pierce a thousand Suns. It was pretty clear that she wasn't having any of my half-assed excuses, and it would be meaningless to keep on going.

And so, I yielded to her command, as I sighed in defeat. "Yes, Professor…" I thought that I would be safe for the entire session. But sadly, circumstances had forced me to come on down to fight, even if it meant getting pummelled to the ground.

Just when I was feeling hopelessly defeated, I felt a soft and soothing hand being placed over my own. I looked at it and realized that the hand belonged to Pyrrha, as I moved my gaze up to look at her. She was giving me a reassuring smile with a very soft and sincere look in her eyes. "Jaune, there is no need for you to worry about this. This is the whole point of your training, remember? I'm sure that you can pull through this. I know it because I'm here to see how much you've progressed…"

Just hearing her believing that I could handle a battle such as that made me feel more relaxed about it. And then, Nora joined in to offer the same effect, saying, "She's right, you know! We're a team! We all know just how strong you got, oh amazing leader!" Ren nodded in agreement to both statements from Pyrrha and Nora.

Seeing my whole team believing that I could do it, my spirit felt more calmer than ever. I let out a relieved sigh as I gave my team a confident smile. "Yeah… You're right. I shouldn't be scared of being beaten to a pulp, not after all I've been through. Thanks for helping me realize it, you guys." I thanked them, and they gave me a nod as a reply.

My anxiety had mostly gone away, as I felt that I could take Weiss on, regardless of what the outcome would be. I stood up from my spot and started to climb down the benches. As I was climbing down, I heard a familiar voice cheering me on. "You can do it, Jaune!" I turned my head around and saw that Ruby was standing up from her seat, as she had both of her fists pumped for me, smiling with a small, but noticeable blush on her face. "I know you can! Trust me on this!"

My spirit got even more calmer after hearing Ruby's cheer. I gave her the same confident smile as with my team and waved my hand at her. I then resumed to climb down, as I prepared myself for my upcoming battle with Weiss.

A while had passed, and after a bit of preparation in the waiting room, I finally entered the stage of the amphitheatre, armed with my trusty sword, Crocea Mors, in hand, as well as my fully extended shield on the other. I walked towards Weiss, who had been waiting for me with one hand on her hip and her foot tapping on the ground impatiently. I stopped walking forward as soon as there was a close enough distance between the both of us.

I stared at her and noted that she seemed to have an annoyed expression on her face, obviously because she was facing me. She also had an icy glare that threatened to freeze me on the spot, just for the sake of taking me down as fast as possible. I already knew that she wanted to get rid of me before I became a waste of time and effort to her.

To relieve the bitterness between us, I gave her a smile and a wave with my shield arm. "Uh… H-hey, Weiss! Uh, what a surprise that we get to fight each other like this! So, uh… How are you?"

"… Arc. I am going to make one thing clear for the both of us." Weiss said, her tone matching her expression. "Out of all the people that I have known in all of Remnant, you are the very last person that I expect to fight against." Ouch. I felt my spirit being pierced by her harsh comment. "I have never known anyone else who is as weak and moronic as you are." And there it was again. "It is clear that you are but a sorry excuse of a huntsman that the world has ever seen." And again. "To defeat you in an instant would just be an understatement, especially since your abilities are vastly inferior to mine by a very large margin."

"Okay, okay, you made your point! No need to rub it all in! Look, can we just get this over with already?"

"Hmph. Luckily for you, I'm in a very good mood right now." she said as she gave me a conceited smile. "Tell you what. Just this once, I will fight you using solely my swordsmanship. I will neither use my Dust nor my Semblance in our fight. Consider this an act of mercy from a fighter as esteemed as I, Arc."

"Oh! Uh… Thanks! I guess…" I was a bit surprise that Weiss decided to fight me purely in sword skills, considering she looked like she wanted to end it as quick as possible. Then again, it was still the case, since I felt that nothing would change from her restraint. And I think she knew that too.

"Fighters, you may now take up your stances." I heard the Professor instructing us from the far corner of the stage. I listened to what she said, as I got into my fighting stance, while Weiss did the same. We both stared at each other. waiting for the Professor to announce the beginning of the fight. I still felt a little bit anxious fighting against Weiss, but not as much as it would prevent me from giving my all. And from the look that Weiss was giving me, it was pretty obvious that she could care less about our fight. "You may begin!"

As soon as the match started, Weiss was already sliding in with a thrust of her rapier. I barely dodged the attack by tilting my body to the side. She stopped right in front of me, as she followed up her initial attack with a sideways slash. I blocked her next attack with my shield, taking a step back away from her in the process. She replied by taking a step forward and unleashing a fury of slash attacks at me, all of which I barely dodged or blocked while trying

When it looked like she was moving forward for another thrust attack, I held my shield up in an attempt to block it. However, instead of going through with the attack, she rotated herself around me before standing at my back. I realized what she was trying to do and I rolled forward, barely avoiding her slash from the rear. And just when I was about to stand up after my dodge roll, I realized too late that Weiss was already rushing in with yet another thrust attack, and I took the hit as the result.

Her latest attack threw me off-balance. I recovered and retained my fighting stance, as I set my eyes back on her. I could see that she was smiling with superiority over me. As if to humour me, she made a motion with Myrtenaster, signalling me to make the next move. I decided to take up on her offer and charged forward, with my sword ready to slash downwards at her.

She dodged my downward slash by simply sidestepping out of the way. I then moved in to deliver a series of slash attacks at her, all of which were dodged with barely any effort from her. When I tried throwing another downward slash at her, she went in and parried it, sending me stumbling back. When I saw that she was moving in, I quickly got my shield up despite still not regaining my balance, and I felt a pretty powerful kick against my shield, which knocked me down to the ground.

As I suddenly fell down on my rear and was trying to recover, I had my shield down just a little bit only to notice that Weiss was leaping in, spinning herself and her rapier around with her body positioned horizontally in midair. I quickly rolled out of the way before she could strike me with her blade, and I rapidly got up on my feet, as I turned to face her again.

For what might be the third time in the match, she rushed in once more with yet another of her thrust attack. I moved my shield high up in front of me in hopes that I could block her strong attack. Unfortunately, I foolishly exposed my lower body to any and all dangers. I realized it when Weiss stabbed into one of my legs, forcing me to kneel down and lower my shield, giving her the right opportunity to slash upwards at me.

I was then sent flying back and crashed onto my back. I groaned in pain, as I clutched the part of my body that got inflicted by her latest slash. Despite the pain, I managed to get myself back up and resumed my fighting stance. When I took another look at her, the same superior smile was still imprinted on her face. And just like last time, she made a motion with Myrtenaster, giving me the same signal as before. At that point, I felt that she was toying with me.

Even so, I decided to go along with it and charged forward. I tried to pretend that I was going for another slash from my sword, when really, I was resorting to bash my shield into her in my charge. Unfortunately, it didn't work, since she easily sidestepped out of the way, and on top of that, she tripped me by sweeping her leg at my own legs while I was still charging, causing me to fall forward. Once my body met the ground, my first instinct was to roll away from her as soon as possible, barely avoiding her downward stab.

I quickly got back up on the ground and faced her again. I then noticed that she was closing in on me, gradually stepping forward as she rotated the blade in a circular motion in front of her, clearly trying to catch me off-guard. My eyes followed the rotating blade, as I tried to spot an opening to strike. As she got closer and closer, I ended up having to thrust my sword straight in the middle of the rotating blade. She must have predicted it, as in the middle of her blade rotation, she moved her rapier against my sword and forced them to the side, keeping them still.

I struggled to get my sword free from her rapier's hold, pushing against it as hard as I possibly could. I think she predicted that as well, since she turned her blade around my sword and used my own strength against me to disarm me of Crocea Mors, sending it flying until it plunged itself into the ground a short distance away from us.

When I realized that I was left with nothing but my shield to fend off her attacks, I tried my best to block and dodge her successive slashes and stabs while keeping my distance from her. I was doing pretty well, for the most part, until she quickly moved behind me and bashed the bottom of Myrtenaster's hilt against my back. As I was staggering forward, I tried to turn and swing my shield at her as my only offensive tactic, only for her to evade it by leaning back before she threw two diagonal slashes in a cross pattern and finishing it off with a thrust attack.

It was the second time that I was sent flying back and fell down hard on my back. I turned over as I groaned, gripping onto the region of my body that received the subsequent attacks. As I struggle to get myself back up, I noticed that I actually fell right next to my sword, still plunged into the ground, and I then grabbed hold of it to help me get back up. Once I was back on my feet, I pulled Crocea Mors out and returned to my stance, although my legs felt wobbly. "Ngh…! Damn, that smarts…!"

"What's the matter, Arc?" Weiss asked in a mocking tone, as she lightly brandished her rapier around, still smirking down on me. "You're struggling to keep up with me even though I am only using my skills with the blade in our battle. Is it because it's still too much for you to handle? How laughable!"

I knew that she was just saying that to discourage me, but I also knew that she was right. The difference in our power was obvious. I still kept my stance, prompting her to continue shoving the harsh truth in my face.

"Admit it! There is no way that you will ever defeat me in your current state! Although I commend you for being brave enough to even fight me for this long, this match has long been decided in my favour! So unless you want to humiliate yourself even further as I stomp you to near unconsciousness, you can always opt to surrender the fight here and now, Arc."

She wasn't wrong. Throughout the entire battle, I couldn't even lay a single finger on her. All of my attacks were dodged with barely any effort, I always took the full blunt of her attacks, and overall, she wasn't taking our fight seriously. I was severely outclassed in terms of skills.

But even so, I still kept on going because my friends believed that I could pull it through. They had already seen what I can do in battle as of late, and they were sure that I could handle my own against someone as talented as Weiss. And her belittling of me and our fight due to our differences in strength was what allowed me to give my absolute all from there on out.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to concentrate, as I stopped my legs from shaking any more than necessary. I thought back to how our fight went from the start to where we were at, and I also thought back to what I know about Weiss' swordsmanship. In my current state, my slashes were too slow to reach her, accompanied by the fact that her movements were fast. I was blocking her attacks with my shield for too long in each session, which what allowed Weiss to seize my weak points. She offered very little opening when I attacked her, and it mostly occurred when she was in her stance.

After I took note of everything I knew so far in our battle, I could only come up with one conclusion as to actually reaching her: I needed to catch her off-guard to create an opening.

I opened my eyes and solidified my stance, as a surge of confidence came rushing into my very being. "Thanks for the offer. But I have to say no on both options. I'm still gonna try and beat you in your own game, Weiss."

"Is that a challenge that I just hear? Hmph! How quaint." she said, still keeping the same mocking tone in her voice, as she brushed off my act of confidence. She slowly pulled her rapier back, the tip of the blade pointing straight at me, as she was preparing an attack. "You can keep on trying. But you will soon come to regret your thoughtless decision."

And with that, she proceeded to slide in towards me, her Myrtenaster extended forward to deliver another powerful thrust attack. By then, I had already seen the attack several times already, so much so that my eyes were able to adjust themselves to the execution. In other words, I could see through her attack.

I took a specific step forward and made a quarter rotation with my body, dodging her thrust attack. Immediately afterwards, I pulled my sword back and threw a sideways slash at her. For a split second, I saw that Weiss widened her eyes in shock, as she leaned back, barely dodging my slash and my sword barely cutting a few short strands of her hair. She then backflipped away from me and, once she was on her feet, moved her free hand over her bangs and looked over it.

She looked pretty shocked, as she moved her gaze back at me. It was the first time that I ever saw her get shocked by what I just did during the whole entire fight, and it was pretty refreshing to me, to say the least. After a few seconds, she narrowed her expression and proceeded to charge towards me, her rapier ready to deliver a slash attack.

I intercepted the attack by clashing my sword with her rapier. When she moved her blade back and threw another slash attack from another direction, I also blocked it with my sword. From there on in, the both of us were clashing blades against each other, with Weiss trying to strike at me, only for me to stop her attempts with Crocea Mors. My eyes were able to better adjust themselves to the swiftness of her slashes, while still keeping a close attention to any opening that they could find.

After a couple of sword clashes, Weiss pulled her rapier back and attempted to thrust it at me. I saw it as an opportunity, as I went and deflected the blade with my shield. While she was staggering for a brief second, I moved in to deliver a fierce downward slash at her, sending her pushing back. It was the first time that I was able to inflict some damage into her since the start of the fight.

Weiss managed to stop herself from moving further back, as she looked at me with the same shocked expression on her face from the last time. I replied to her stare by flashing a confident grin at her. It might have snapped her out of her confusion, as she charged right at me to throw another string of attacks.

Another series of blade clashing took place between us, and Weiss tried to change it up by swinging her rapier at different places than normally so, but I managed to stop it each time. When she was swinging her blade at my legs, I just blocked it with my sword or, as an alternative, jumped over it. When she was aiming her slash at my head, I blocked it with either my sword or my shield, depending on where she was swinging from. When she tried to stab my legs, I just jumped back a bit.

It went on for quite a bit until Weiss decided to sweep kick at my legs, after her latest slash was blocked. I quickly jumped over her sweep kick and threw my own kick into her gut while I was still in midair. As a result, she took a couple of steps back, holding onto her kicked stomach, before she quickly recovered and went for a blade thrust. I dodged it by rotating myself in the same fashion as last time, but she took it as an opportunity to rotate herself behind my back and attempt to slash at it sideways.

I quickly ducked to avoid her horizontal slash and took it as a chance to sweep my leg back into hers to trip her over. She fell to the ground, but she quickly rolled away from me and got back up on her feet, while I stood back up and turned to face her again at the same time.

She wasted no time to charge in again and went for a series of stab attacks at different locations. I dodged her attacks by moving my body away from her blade thrust and only pushing her rapier up with my shield. She used it as a way to redirect her rapier and turn it into another slash attack in a single instant, thought I blocked that as well with my sword, locking ourselves in a blade struggle.

The both of us tried to overpower each other in our struggle that went on for a bit, and Weiss ended it by shoving me off with a burst of strength before pulling Myrtenaster back and thrusting it right at me. I went to intercept it by moving my sword under the attack and sliding it across the blade of her rapier down to the cross-guard before swinging upwards. My intention was to deflect her attack, but to my surprise, I ended up disarming her of her rapier, as it was sent flying.

Weiss looked very shocked by what just happened, as she took a few steps back as a result. I decided to move into the offensive, as I lunged forward and swing my sword fiercely downwards. The end result was that she was pushed back a short distance away from me. And by coincidence, her rapier fell and planted itself into the ground right next to her.

Weiss gripped onto the part of her body that got struck by my sword, as she looked on flabbergasted at how the battle suddenly turned to my favour. Even when we were standing at a distance away from each other, I could still hear her muttering a couple of words. "What in the name of Dust…?!"

To know that she was clearly shocked by how well I was performing against her was in and of itself a great accomplishment for me, and I couldn't stop myself from grinning at it. When I turned my gaze towards the holographic screen showing our respective Aura gauge, to my surprise, both of our individual Aura depletion reached the halfway point, and it looked like Weiss' Aura was depleted a bit more than mine. "Well, would you look at that!" I spoke, unable to contain my astonishment at the progress of our battle. "I'm actually beating you, Weiss!"

"What?!" she exclaimed, her eyes widened even further in shock, as she threw her head towards the holographic screen. After a bit of time, she turned her gaze back at me, still looking like she couldn't understand just how it actually happened. "Impossible…! When the match started, you were basically at my mercy, and your attempts to fight back were poor! How is it that you suddenly caught up with my skills and cut my Aura down to half?! What is with this sudden change of tide?!"

"Hey, things happen just like that when you put some effort into it, you know."

"You? Putting actual effort into it? Please! There is just no way that a slacker such as you would ever bother to be serious at anything related to being a huntsman! It was just simple, dumb luck that allowed you to get this far in school, even becoming a team leader, which I myself find it to be completely ludicrous!"

"… You know, that's exactly what I thought about this whole thing too." I admitted, as I lowered my sword and shield down for a moment. I was fully expecting her to say something else to put me down even further, but surprisingly, because that I agreed with her thoughts on the matter, she suddenly got quiet. After waiting for her to speak up about it, with no answer after a few seconds, I decided to keep talking. "I know just how weak I am compared to you, compared to everyone else in Beacon. When I started out, I wasn't exactly the strongest or the brightest out of all the first-year students here. Pretty much the opposite, really. During our time at the Emerald Forest at the start of our first semester, I saw just how amazing you guys are when fighting against Grimm, which really hammered in just how pathetic I was. And when the Headmaster announced the teams, even now, I'm still shocked that I became the leader of Team JNPR in the first place, instead of Pyrrha, Ren or even Nora… Ok, scratch that last part."

As I kept talking about my thoughts on the whole matter, Weiss was still standing there, apparently listening to my words. "I can't exactly recall what I did that got me in the leadership role. I wasn't as strong as my other teammates, I wasn't as smart as them, I wasn't even gifted with some talent as with the rest. All of those facts are obvious to me and everyone else here. I didn't feel like I deserve to be a leader at all. I'm just not leader material."

"If this is how you exactly feel, then why…?"

"I guess… it's because there's a reason why I was chosen to be a leader in the first place. My friends thought so too, and they encourage me to keep going with my status. I still don't know what the reason is… But I intend to find out what. Even when I'm not cut out to be a leader, even if the decision to make me the leader is a mistake… When it comes to even a huntsman, I'm not going to walk away. That's why I've decided to train myself as hard as I can to catch up with everyone, and to meet the standards of what it takes to be a team leader, no matter the odds! I have my own reasons for being here, and I intend to stay being a huntsman no matter what anybody says about me! I'll still fight on for my goals, whether you like it or not!"

I was pretty surprised that Weiss hadn't open her mouth even once to raise an objection to what I said. It was even more surprising that she was willing to listen to all of it, with her eyes wide opened and almost looking like she was moved by the whole thing. She turned her head away and shut her eyes, as her lips started moving to form words that were barely audible. Thinking back on it, it looked like she was cursing herself for some reason.

When she moved her sights back towards me with her eyes open, her usual smirk came back, as well as her haughty demeanour. "Wow. Quite an impressive speech you got there. What, did you spent several days practicing it in front of your own reflection?"

"Of course not! … Okay, maybe just a teeny bit."

"Although, you have indeed caught me by surprise with your unexpected resolve. It's not every day that a slacker such as yourself would get serious about anything. Though I remain skeptical about it, especially in the face of your atrocious performance in school." Sheesh. If words can kill, hers certainly would. "Nevertheless, deeming you as an underachiever in our fight is my only mistake that led me to such predicament."

"So, what happens now?"

"You should already know the answer by now." She then pulled Myrtenaster out of the floor and lifted it up in front of her face. I followed her example by lifting my sword and shield back up, as I got myself prepared for her next move. "Our little sparring match has gone on long enough, don't you think? Now is the time to end this." Just after she said that, Myrtenaster's chamber started to spin, giving me a clue that she was going all out this time around. "Although you might best me in terms of swordsmanship, there is only one conclusion that I will accept in any fight. In other words, I refuse to lose. Especially to you!"

With that said, Weiss stabbed her rapier into the ground, creating a large wall of ice that directed itself towards me. As with any huge attack, I dodged it by rolling out of the away. Just as I was standing up afterwards, Weiss had created a glyph above and behind her, and she already jumped and set her feet on it before propelling herself forward, pulling back her rapier in preparation for an attack.

I lifted my shield up to try and block her flight attack, only to notice that she flew past me. I quickly turned around and the first thing that I saw was that she had her feet against another glyph created above the ground near me and facing my way. Before I could react fast enough, Weiss had already pushed herself diagonally downward and knocked me off the ground with her dive kick.

I fell flat on the ground in the process, but I wasted no time to quickly stand up and retake my fighting stance. By then, Weiss had already charged in with a slash attack, which I blocked with my sword. She then gave me a series of slash and thrust attacks that were either blocked or dodged by me, as I gradually walk back to give myself room to intercept her blows.

Suddenly, I felt something solid against my back that prevented me from baking away anymore, despite us not being anywhere near the walls. Another one of Weiss' glyphs had appeared right behind me, and I made a mistake of taking a glimpse at it before she struck me with a slash from her rapier.

The resulting shove from her strike caused me to bounce off the glyph, only for her to launch another attack against me with the same results. She repeated the process until I finally got myself out of there by rolling away from both her and the glyph. I then stood up and distanced myself away from her, just in time to see her next move.

She created a glyph right in front of her and, by repeatedly stabbing through it, produced small icicles that were shot out of the glyph in quick succession. I barely deflected most of the icicles with my sword and shield, until one of them grazed my cheek, and another hit one of my legs, forcing me to fall on one knee. I could barely recover from the attack before Weiss rushed in and thrust her rapier against me, shoving me back until I fell on my back.

I winced in pain as my back was still resting on the ground. When I had my eyes up, I remarked that a few glyphs had appeared in the air, each displaced differently and raised a level higher than the other. Then Weiss came into view, as she jumped on each individual glyphs in a zigzag pattern, moving higher up as she went. She stopped at the glyph located at the very top, as she crouched upside-down on it and moved her gaze down on me. I realized what she was trying to do.

She pushed herself off the glyph and dove down towards me with Myrtenaster extended forward. I quickly got up on my feet and jumped back before she could skewer me into the floor. But the moment I did that, a huge glyph almost half the size of the stage appeared below us, and when she plunged her rapier into it, it produce a huge field of ice that stuck out of the ground, and I was unfortunate to get caught in it.

I found myself completely encased in ice, though only my head was stuck out of it. I struggled to get myself free, even resorting to flailing my head around, but the ice was too dense for me to even break it. Weiss just stood a few feet away from me, at the centre of the ice field, as she created another smaller glyph behind her before pressing both of her feet against it. As she crouched against the glyph, the glyph itself started to get larger and larger, clueing me in that her next attack would be a decisive one.

"Victory is mine!" she shouted before forcing herself forward off the glyph, speeding through the air as she extended her leg towards me, the bottom of her foot aiming at me. Just before her flying kick made contact with my face, I blurted out one thing that first came to mind.

"Oh SHIT!"

The kick made its way into my face, and I was shot out of my ice prison. I was sent flying as further back as possible, until I crashed face-first into a wall upside-down. After just a couple of seconds, I slowly slid down on the wall until my entire body was lying down on the ground. I no longer had any strength left to continue the fight. "Ohh…"

"That is enough." I heard Professor Goodwitch's voice from a distance, just as I heard her footsteps. Despite still having my face planted on the floor, I probably figured that she was walking in-between us. "The final match has been decided. Once again, victory goes to Miss Weiss Schnee!"

I heard hand clapping coming from the rest of the students in class. I made the effort to lift myself up on both palms and knees, as I lifted my head up to look at Weiss, who was standing where I initially was, and the Professor who was standing in-between us.

"Miss Schnee, as always, you have performed considerably in your final match." the Professor praised her. Weiss responded by smiling with pride. Then, she instantly dropped her smile when Professor Goodwitch made the following comment. "However, I find your initial approach in this fight to be… questionable, to say the least."

"H-how so, Professor?" Weiss asked nervously.

"When the match started, you have made the decision to fight Mister Arc using purely your skills with the blade, which not only is arrogant, but also reckless of you. It is also apparent when Mister Arc started to gain the upper hand, giving you a tactical disadvantage." Her critique was enough to make Weiss grip her arm in discomfort. "Though, I will allow your initial action just this once, since this is a match between fellow classmates. But know that, in an actual battle, especially one concerning the Vytal Tournament, you cannot afford to hold back on your abilities. Always fight to the full extent of your abilities, Miss Schnee."

"Yes, Professor." Weiss bowed her head. "I assure you that I will not make the same mistake again."

"I am certain that you will not." The Professor nodded. By the time she turned herself towards me, I was already sitting on the floor, after I managed to get myself off of it. I was fully prepared for her to scold me in some way. "As for you, Mister Arc… Well, I have to say, I am… mildly impressed by your efforts thus far."

Her suddenly complimenting me was a big surprise to me, especially since she usually scolded me each time I fought and lost a sparring match. Though, she might still be bitter because she specifically said that she was 'mildly' impressed. "R-really, Professor?"

"Of course. The fact that you have assessed the situation and found that you can actually harm your opponent by countering through their elaborate attack pattern is a significant improvement, in my opinion. Miss Schnee is very skilled in the art of fencing, and yet, you have shown the ability to outmatch her in terms of skills with the sword. You have made quite an achievement."

"Eh… Heh heh… Thanks, Professor." I chuckled sheepishly. I was still surprised that the Professor would give me such a big compliment. Though, I had to wonder if there wasn't any catch.

"… However," Yep. There was. It wouldn't be Professor Goodwitch without her usual scolding of me. "Relying on simply one course of action would not win a battle. A tactic, as with any other tactics, will lose its utility after a period of time, in which case, the enemy will adapt to and bypass it with ease. You cannot hope to counter your opponent's attacks forever, Mister Arc. It is the matter of adapting to the situation at hand as the battle progressed. And more importantly, you are still in a severe disadvantage against your opponent's use of Dust and Semblance. This is a constant issue that you still possess. Unless you are resorting to utilize Dust next time around, or you discover your own Semblance, winning a battle would forever be difficult to achieve. I hope that you understand this, Mister Arc, and improve yourself to counteract such obstacles in the next few sessions."

"Y-yes, Professor. I understand." I nodded to her. I can't even tell you how many times she gave me the exact same assessment.

"I certainly hope so." she said. Then, she turned her gaze at the entire class still sitting on the audience benches. "And thus ends today's class session. To all the students who have participated today, as well as those who have participated in the past, take heed of my commentaries of each of you to refine your abilities. By the time that the next Combat Class starts, I will see to it that you have proven yourself capable to qualify for the upcoming Vytal Tournament. Until then, class is dismissed."

With her final announcement, Professor Goodwitch started to walk out of the stage, and the class session was finally over for the day. I let out a tired sigh, as I retracted my shield back into its sheath form, sheathed Crocea Mors and placed them on the side of my belt. I started to dust myself off a little, until a hand suddenly appeared in front of my face.

Moving my head up to see who the hand belonged to, I was really surprised to see that it was Weiss who was extending her hand to me. She didn't look prideful, she didn't look like she was about to laugh in my face, she just… Well, her expression was just neutral, I guess.

I still stared at her for a short moment before she decided to speak up. "Well? Are you going to take my hand, or do you find the ground to be much comfortable to sit on?"

"Oh! Uh… Right…" I awkwardly took her hand as I pulled myself up on my feet. Weiss still had a neutral look on her face, and it seemed like she was staring into my eyes. I subconsciously did the same, and we stayed like that for quite a bit. I broke out of my gaze when I realized that I was still holding her hand, and I quickly let go of it before it got too awkward. "Uh, sorry about that!"

"There is… no need to apologize." she replied. I completely ignored the fact that she said something that was unlike her, especially when it was to me.

"Uh… Heh… That was a pretty good fight, you know." I chuckled as I scratched the back of my head. "Well… It is to me. Not really sure if it's the same to you. I almost thought that I had you for a second there, but I know better than to win against the graceful Weiss Schnee herself."

I was expecting her to reply with a jab at my self-confidence, but to my surprise, she didn't say anything. When I took a close look at her, I noticed that her neutral expression shifted. It became more soft and her eyes were showing… concern. But for what reason? "Uh… What's going on, Weiss?"

"Huh? Oh, no, it's nothing." she said while turning her head away from me. There was something off about her, but I couldn't tell what. "I… didn't hurt you too badly, did I?"

"Wha? Um, not really, no." I shrugged. "I mean, it's only natural that I feel pain from all of your blows, but not to the point where I get seriously wounded. That's what an Aura is for, you know?" I tried to reassure her, but she still looked concerned. It got up to the point where she was showing… regret.

"That's not what I am talking about…"

"Uh… Then what is?" What was Weiss trying to say? I found it weird that she even bothered to ask about my well-being.

"It is just… I… Jaune, I just…" Wait… Did she just call me Jaune?

"Jaune! Weiss!" I heard the voice of a certain girl with the red hood calling out to us. We both turned our gaze towards the voice and saw Ruby running at us, followed by Yang and Blake.

Ruby stopped running as soon as she got near us. "Wow, you guys! That was a pretty good match! Especially for you, Jaune! You actually managed to turn things around against her at one point!"

"Heh heh… Thanks, Ruby." I chuckled.

"Hmph. Please. I would hardly call it a decent fight." Weiss disagreed, as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her haughty attitude seemed to be returning, but I still wondered what was up with her just a moment ago. "This buffoon was simply lucky. If it wasn't for that, I would have wiped the floor with him."

"Riiiight. Of course it was just luck. It's not like I didn't see you get totally surprised by how Jaune almost beat you in a sword fight." Ruby teased her, causing Weiss to deny her claim in an exaggerated fashion. "But still, you could have gone easy on him, you know? For a moment, I thought that you seriously hurt him with all of your harsh and relentless blows."

"You're joking, right?" Weiss asked in disbelief. "Do not tell me that you are seriously worried about him getting hurt? This is how it goes in Combat Class, Ruby! We are expected to give our all, to show our worth as huntresses! Besides, Professor Goodwitch was supervising our fights, and I am certain that she would have intervene, if that were the case!"

"Well, yeah, but…" Before Ruby could continue to express her worries, Yang walked up behind her and wrapped her arm over her little sister's shoulder.

"Hey, don't sweat it, sis! Weiss is right, you know." she said. "No one was in a serious danger of getting hurt. Just look at Vomit Boy here! He looks good as new! If he really was hurt, he wouldn't be here standing alongside us, right?" Ruby started to ponder about that, before she nodded in agreement to what Yang said. "Attagirl!" Yang grinned, as she pulled her sister even closer in her arm, as Ruby begged her to stop hugging her so tightly.

With Blake silently joining the other girls from behind, Team RWBY were finally together again. It felt really good to see a team as colourful as them interacting with each other like they were the best of friends. Maybe that's how they became the best team among first-year students.

As I continued to observe Team RWBY's interactions, I felt a hand touching my shoulder. I turned my head and saw Pyrrha standing right next to me, giving me a proud smile. "Jaune, you did really well in your fight against Weiss. Your training really paid off."

"You think so, Pyrrha?"

"Of course she is!" I heard Nora's voice, as she popped her head out from behind Pyrrha, displaying her huge grin. "You almost took down little Ice Queen with your smart moves! Did you see the look on her face? That was awesome! Imagine what her face would look like if he actually beats her! It'll be glorious~!" Just seeing Nora going on and on about what would happen if I defeated Weiss with her usual hyperactive behaviour put a big, old smile on my face.

"Of course, it doesn't change the fact that Weiss did beat him today." Ren said, as he walked by our two teammates. "If she was using her entire arsenal from the start, then the fight would have been over a lot sooner. And we all know that Jaune has no chance at winning against her, if it were the case."

"Geez, Ren. Thanks for lifting my spirits up." I said sarcastically.

He simply chuckled, as he placed his hand on my other shoulder. "Regardless, you did pretty well against her. It shows how much you've improved since the beginning."

Pyrrha nodded in agreement to what Ren said. "Yes. And like I said before, Jaune, it's not the result of the battle that matters, but the progress that you have shown. You should be happy that you're one step closer to becoming what you want to be."

"Yeah… You're right. Thanks, you guys." I smiled at my team, and they smiled in return. "Okay, team! What do you say we hit the cafeteria? I'm actually starting to get a bit hungry after all of that!"

"Of course." Ren spoke. "It is especially good for Nora, since they are making pancakes for lunch today."

"Yaaaaay!" Nora cheered as she threw her arms up enthusiastically. "Oh sweet, delicious pancakes! Your queen shall soon be there by your side! And you will all find a new home in my wonderful belly!"

The rest of Teamn JNPR laughed at Nora's sweet-toothed reaction, as we all started to walk out of the amphitheatre. By then, I already forgot about Weiss' strange change of behaviour at the end of our fight. I thought to myself that it was just my imagination, and the real Weiss would never act like that towards a guy like me.

I didn't notice at all back then, but I think I felt a pair of icy blue eyes watching me, as I left the amphitheatre with my team…

You've ever get the feeling where you're stuck doing homework for a class that you are absolutely terrible at, and that same homework consists of writing a five-page report of all the stuff that your teacher barely talks about that isn't related to his life, and it is due for the next day? I have. Lots of times. The exact same feeling came back in the evening after my match with Weiss.

I was sitting at one of the desks in Team JNPR's dorm room, with a blank sheet of paper with the title of the subject that we were supposed to write about written on it sitting on one corner of the desk, a huge open book lying on another corner, and a bunch of papers scattered all over the surface of the desk. Studying was never my strong point, especially when it was with Professor Peter Port's Grimm Class. So you can probably tell my dilemma right there.

In my nervous state, I decided to look around the room, trying to find something that could help me out with my struggle against the homework assignment. Sadly, I could find only one, and that was Ren, who was sitting on the edge of his bed, reading a novel of sort. Pyrrha was out helping out a teacher to set up something big for next class, while Nora was out doing who knows what. So it was just me and Ren in our room.

I didn't want to bother him with my assignment which I stupidly set aside until the last minute. But I was desperate for some help, even if it was just a small one. "H-hey, Ren! Buddy!" I called out to him while waving my arm at him.

Ren lowered his book as he set his sights on me. "Is something the matter, Jaune?"

"What? No! Of course not! … Well, okay, maybe just a bit." I smiled nervously. "Actually, I want to ask you just one little thing, in particular. You don't mind, right?"

"Sure. Why not?" Ren shrugged. "So what do you want to ask me about?"

"Um, okay! Uh, what I wanna ask is… Uh…" I had to look back on my notes to see what exactly I should ask without making it obvious that I was dealing with something big. I found one topic that caught my eye, and I decided to ask him about that. "Okay, so here it is! Um, how exactly do Grimm evolve? And what was the resulting effect?"

"Oh, that's simple. Most Grimm are born as lesser beings, such as Beowolves. Huntsmen are always tasked to eliminate Grimm whenever possible, and lesser Grimm are the easiest types to dispatch. However, when lesser Grimm escaped death at the hands of huntsmen, they grow in strength and mind as a result. They will continue to do so after surviving each battle until they become more powerful Grimm, capable of slaying huntsmen weaker than them. For example, a simple Ursa can evolve into an Ursa Major after it survived many battles."

Wow. Ren's explanation was much more clearer than Professor Port's, and he actually explained them without going off-topic. "Oh, so that's how it is? Okay, I got it. Thanks, Ren."

"… Is this because of Professor Port's homework assignment?"

"Oh, that? Haha, well, that's just… Uh… Um… Yeah. It is." I confessed. I should have known that Ren was smart enough to see right through me. "I'm actually starting to work on it right now. But I have no clue what to write about, and it's due tomorrow. I didn't want to annoy you with my stupid problem…"

Ren looked at me for a bit before he sighed, closed his book, put it down on his bed, and walked over to my side. "Alright, Jaune, I'm going to help you complete your homework assignment, but just this once. After that, you really should kick off the habit of doing things at the last minute."

"R-really? You don't mind helping me out with it?"

"Of course not. That's what teammates are for, right?" Ren smiled at me, signifying his intention of helping me getting through my struggles against my homework. I guess being the only two guys in a team kinda helped.

"Wow. Thanks, Ren. Remind me to make it up to you, somehow." I thanked him, now feeling confident to tackle the assignment with him by my side.

But just as we were about to work on it, the door bursted open and Nora marched into the room with two envelopes in her hand. Oh, so that was what she was doing. Rather mundane, but okay. "You got mail~!" she said in a singsong manner. She walked in to where Ren and I was, and she handed one envelope to Ren. "Here you go, Ren! This one's for you!"

"Oh, thank you, Nora." he said, as he took the envelope from Nora's hand. "I rarely get any letters since coming here. And this one is from… Nora." He paused before saying the name of the sender. So Nora gave him a letter addressed to him and it was from… Nora herself. I failed to see the point of it.

But it did got her excited, though. When Ren looked back at her, she was smiling widely and nodding her head with eagerness. He didn't seem to mind, as a small smile appeared on his face. "Heh… I guess I have to read it now, huh?"

Nora's smile got even wider when Ren started to open her letter to him. Then, she went over to my side, as she handed me the second envelope. "And heeeeeere's for you, Jaune! A surprise letter!"

"Oh, thanks, Nora." I thanked her, taking it out of her hands. I wondered if the letter was sent by my family, as it had been a while since I've had any sort of communication with them. However, when I looked at it, there was only confusion, as the sender's name was never written on it. I couldn't find the name in the front or in the back. I wondered if it really was from my family, or if it was someone else. "Uh… Hey, Nora? Do you know who sent this letter to me?"

"Nope! Didn't write their names on it anywhere! They must've forgot or something, I dunno." she replied.

"An anonymous letter?" Ren asked, as he looked over to my letter. "Hm… They might have written their names inside. You should probably take a look."

"Yeah, you're right." I listened to Ren's suggestion and opened the enveloped and pulled out the letter. Unfortunately, the sender's name wasn't written on the letter either. Instead, there was only a single sentences written on it:

Meet me in front of the school statue at 8:00 PM.

That…. looked like a note to me. And an intimidating one at that.

"This is rather ominous." Ren commented after he read the note, apparently sharing the same feeling as me. "The sender refused to add in their name, and yet they demanded that you come as per their instructions. I don't like the looks of this, Jaune."

"Yeah, no kidding." I nodded in agreement.

"Wow, how mysterious…" Nora said, as she took the note right out of my hands to look at it herself. "Hmmm… Maybe it's from that Cardin douchebag?"

"Oh, I really hope not!" I groaned at the thought of having to deal with Cardin of all people. "I really don't want him messing with my life this semester too! It was going so well…!"

"I say we just ignore their demands, Jaune." Ren suggested. "We have no idea what their intentions are, and it's possible that they're simply seeking to cause trouble for us, based on how ominous the letter is. But the decision is yours to make, nevertheless."

I started to contemplate on my decision. If the letter really was from a troublesome person like Cardin, then I would definitely be in for a world of hurt, and I would only have myself to blame for it. But at the same time, it could be an important message, and I really couldn't afford to miss the meeting. There was only two scenarios, and only one of them had a chance of happening.

After thinking long and hard, I made my decision. "I don't think I can handle not knowing who it is from. So I guess I can go ahead and meet them."

"Want us to tag along, leader?" Nora asked. "We can beat the living crap out of those guys, if they turn out to be big bullies."

"No, that's okay, Nora. I think I can handle this myself."

Ren nodded. "Alright, I can see that you have made your decision. But you better make it quick because it's already 7:55 PM now."

"It is?" I turned my head towards the clock and realized that it was definitely 7:55 PM, just five minutes before our intended meeting. "Oh wow, it's that late already? I better get going!" Not wanting to waste any more time, I quickly ran out of the room in order to get to my meeting place with the mysterious sender. "Wish me luck, guys!"

"Be careful, Jaune! If anything happens, give us a call!" Ren shouted out to me just before I disappeared into the hallway.

I was determined to find out who the letter belonged to. But one thing is for sure, that night would turn out to be something very eventful to me. Especially when it was with a certain someone who I very least expected to meet with…

I tried to run outside of the school building as fast as I could, but not too loudly as to bother some of the students and teachers throughout the dorm. I finally exited the school from the front entrance with just about, uh… 5 minutes later than the intended meeting time.

The evening sky was clearly seen in full view, and the Moon itself was radiating its light onto the school grounds. The first thing that I could see in plain sight, after I left the building, was the back view of the school statue that was located several feet away from the entrance. That was where I was supposed to meet the mysterious owner of the rather intimidating-looking letter. I started to march towards it.

While I was on my waiting to the statue, I started to think about how I should approach the situation. If it was someone who wanted to tell me something important, then it's simple. Just talk to them and see what they had to say. But, if it was someone who turned out to be a jerkwad, then I had to figure out how to deal with it. Even though I told Ren and Nora that I could handle it myself, in all honesty, I hadn't really thought ahead. I had only a short moment to think of a way to counteract that situation, or I'm toast.

As I began to get closer and closer to the school statue, my ears started to pick up a sound. Not just any sound, but one that I didn't expect to hear at that time of the night. It sounded like… like the singing of a lady with an angelic voice. And it sounded… familiar.

It certainly caught my attention. When I listened to the singing carefully, I became aware that it came from where the school statue was. I resumed my walking towards it, as the singing got louder and louder with step I took. When I got near the back of the statue, I could see someone standing in front of it. The source of the singing came from her, and I realized who it was.

It was Weiss. She was the one who was singing with a voice of an angel. I knew that the singing voice belonged to her. I knew it because I was there, during one of her performances in a theatre. But what was Weiss doing there at that time of the night?

I decided to stand still behind the statue, not wanting to interrupt her singing. I wouldn't even dare to interrupt it, as her voice, as she sang, felt very soothing to the soul. Anyone who could hear at that close of a distance would have been filled with tons of emotions. It truly had a touching affect to a person's heart, my own included.

She ended her singing with one, relatively high note before it faded away. I still stood there, watching in awe at another one of her musical performances. "… You know, if this was a stealth mission, you would have easily been caught by now, Arc."

Her comment startled me, as I didn't expect her to know that I was there without her looking. I didn't think I did anything that would alert her of my presence. Weiss then turned her head back to look at me, to show that she did intact knew that I was there. My only reply was to give her a goofy smile, as I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "Uh, h-hey, Weiss! It's a surprise to see you here tonight! So, um… How did you know that it was me?"

"Well, a numbskull like you doesn't exactly have a rather… pleasant presence around here."

I was about to ask what did she meant by that, but I backed away from it, since it would be rather pointless to ask. I walked towards her before standing at the same place as her, in front of the statue. "So, uh… What are you doing here, Weiss?"

"As you can already see, I'm practicing my singing." she replied. "And before you ask, the reason why I'm practicing now is because I don't necessarily want any unwanted attention from anyone. This time of the night is perfect for me to practice without anyone around here to disturb me."

"Oh, I see. Well, eh… Heh heh… Too bad that I came in at the wrong timing, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, what of you? What is your reason for coming here at this hour?"

"Huh? Oh, right!" I exclaimed, as I remembered why I bothered to come there. I pulled out the note from my pocket, as I told her my purpose. "Actually, I got a letter from somebody telling me to come here at 8, but I don't exactly know who they are." I looked around me to see if there was anyone there besides me and Weiss. Back then, I wasn't smart enough to put two and two together. "But, uh… It looks like they're not here yet. I guess something must've come up for them to be late."

Weiss blinked her eyes, for some reason. With a sigh, she walked over to the statue and sat down on the base. "Well, if you truly intend to find out who that mysterious owner of the letter is, perhaps you'd like to sit here and wait for them?" she asked, as she patted her hand to the empty spot next to her.

I found myself dumbfounded by her proposition. In fact, it barely even registered in my head. "Are you… pulling my leg? Do you really want me to sit right next to you?"

"What else could I be talking about?" she asked, slightly irritated by my hesitation. "Or perhaps you would like to stand there like an idiot until your legs break off from sheer fatigue? That is also a valid option."

"Uh, r-right." I hurried over and sat right next to her, but not too close as to invade her personal space. I decided to wait like that until the supposed owner of the letter showed up, while Weiss stayed seated next to me. I still had no clue why she wanted to offer her company to a guy like me, or why she hadn't left already.

The both of us had been sitting at the base of the statue for at least five or ten minutes, and the mysterious sender still hadn't show up. I felt really awkward sitting right next to her and doing nothing, as I thought that my presence would be pretty irritating to her. So I decided to speak up. "Um… Nice evening we're having here. A bit chilly, but still."

"I haven't noticed the cold weather. Though, it is nice indeed." she simply replied. I guess she wouldn't notice it because of how often she was using ice Dust.

I couldn't find the opportunity to continue the conversation, so I got back to being quiet. After a few seconds, however, I went for another question. "So, uh… How's homework coming along?"

"Very well. I've already finished my assignments shortly after they were distributed to me." Obviously, since she's at the top of every class.

Just like last time, I couldn't find anything else to keep the conversation going, so I went silent again.

The next time that we talked to each other, to my surprise, it was Weiss who went to ask me a question. And an unexpected one too. "Hey… What do you think of my singing?"

"Wha?" I said, stunned by her question. She then gave me a look that was strong enough to pierce into my soul, which forced me to reply. "O-oh! Um, it's, uh… It's great! You sang really amazingly! Your voice really did the trick! I'm sure that anyone who first experience your singing will fall heads over heels for you in an instant!"

"… Hmph. I wonder about that." she scoffed, as she averted her eyes away from me as her lips formed a sarcastic smirk.

I raised a confused eyebrow at her reaction. "Uh… What do you mean?"

"Have you forgotten who I am?" she asked. "I'm the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, the most renowned producer and exporter of Dust in the entire Remnant. When people hear of me, this is the first thing that will always come in mind. Nothing else comes afterwards."

"You, uh… You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

"Hmph. Why don't you decide if this is truly the case?" She then threw a mean gaze at me, for some reason. "But if you wish to know my stance on it, then let me tell you this. What attracts boys to go after someone as famous as I? Is it their appearance? Is it their qualities? No. It's wealth. The idea of being wealthy is what drives foolish boys to latch onto a woman. It's the only thing that matters to them. And once they have achieved it, what do you think happens between them and their precious person? The answer might surprise you." Her explanation continued to the point where she was scowling at me, while still keeping her sarcastic smile. "Tell me, Arc. Do you think wealth is what determines a person's love?"

From the way she said it, it was pretty clear that she was bitter about the whole matter. I guess it did explain why she turned down a lot of guys without a second thought, and she wasn't interested in going after anybody… Well, except for one person. But what I don't really get is why she was directing it at me.

After listening to what she had to say, I could only shook my head in response. "No, of course not. I mean, where's the logic in that?"

"That's what you say. But I know a greedy boy when I see it, and I've spent several years witnessing it. Admit it, Arc. You act like you're searching for a girl that you can give affection for, but really, you're just hungry for wealth, and that girl is the perfect target to achieve your mindless satisfaction."

"… So you really are directing it at me." I found myself getting irritated. "Look, I don't know what's your beef against me, but I find it really sad that you're even comparing me to those kinds of jerks. You're not the only one who finds it stupid. I mean, falling in love with somebody because they're rich? That's as blind as anybody can get. It doesn't lead to a good life, especially for the richer person, and it certainly doesn't lead to a peaceful harmony. It really undermines the person's more sophisticated and honest qualities by narrowing down to a single, simpleminded aspect that doesn't even define who the person is."

After my rather calm outburst, Weiss suddenly went wide-eyed, as if she realized something. "You… You really didn't think that this is how it should go?"

"Of course not. Like I said, it's stupid to love someone just for their wealth. There are other notable qualities that really define the person, such as their personalities, their values, their way of thinking, their talents, heck, anything that defines a person for who they are, not for what they have! If you ask me, for the boys who are after you, this is what we should keep in mind about you. Weiss, you're really smart because you're at the top of every single class we attend to. You're graceful because you approach anything with a formal attitude, especially when you fight with a rapier like Myrtenaster. You're talented because not only are you really intelligent and a great fighter, but your singing can easily melt the hearts of anyone around you. This is how boys should think about when they're attracted to you, because those qualities are what makes you you. That's how I believe. Don't even think that I'm like those jerks who are only interested in being famous, Weiss."

After I made my whole point how we should approach love, Weiss stayed quiet for a bit, before she slowly turned her head away from me and lowered her gaze down on the ground. It looked like her expression was showing… remorse. "… Damn it… I thought that I had peg you for a greedy fool… But I only made it worse for myself…"

Hearing her say that, something clicked in my head. What I thought to be a coincidence was actually planned out, by Weiss. "The fact that we meet each other like this… It's not a coincidence, right? Weiss, what is this all about?"

"Well… The truth is, I… Jaune…" There it was again. She said my first name for the second time that day.

"Did you just call me Jaune?"

"What? Is it strange for me to call someone by their first name?"

"No, it's just… You rarely ever call me that. I figured that you only ever called your friends and trusted allies by their first name, including Ruby, Yang, Blake, Pyrrha, heck, just about anybody who you find to be trustworthy. You only call people that you don't like by their last names, like Cardin and… Well, me."

"I see… That is another thing to add to my ever growing list…"

I slowly come to understand that she had a reason to be there, at the same time as me. "What gives?"

"Jaune…" She started to speak, only to trail off. She took a deep breath before she turned her head back at me. "Tell me… That letter that you mentioned just moments ago… Who do you think it belongs to?"

"The letter? Well…" I looked down at the note that was still in my hand. The owner of the letter never gave me their name, and all I got was a single sentence written on the note. I decided to examine the note itself very closely, starting with the handwriting. The sentence was written in a very fancy cursive way, as if it was written by someone who was of royalty.

It was then that I realized, after looking at only one clue to the sender's identity. I looked at Weiss with my eyes widened in shock. "Weiss… This letter… It was you?"

"Of course it was me, you dunce!" she exclaimed, looking irritated that I just discovered who the letter was from. "I thought for certain that you would recognize my handwriting, since you are often sitting right next to me in most classes!"

"Uh… Heh heh… I'm not exactly that quick to notice sooner…"

She sighed. "In any case… Yes, I was the one who sent you this letter. And as to why I even ask you to come here to meet me… It's because there is a matter that I want to settle with you…"

"And what could that be?" I asked. She stayed quiet, as she moved her gaze back down on the ground, as her expression showed a mix of discomfort and regret. From the look of things, it seemed to be something serious, but only she knew what it was. "Seriously, what's up?"

"Jaune… I… I want to… apologize."

That one sentence said by her was enough to catch me by surprise. I had to be dreaming. I mean, Weiss Schnee wanting to apologize me, Jaune Arc? It couldn't possible be real. "Wha…? I-I'm sorry, but I think I might have misheard you. Did you say-?"

"I said I want to apologize… for how I treated you earlier today…" It had got to be a dream. There was no way that she would ever apologize to me, the one guy who she considered to be the most annoying out of everyone she knew and met! But I came to realize that it wasn't my imagination, especially when she had a solemn look on her face.

She went silent after stating her intention, but suddenly, she roughly shook her head before looking at me with eyes showing remorse. "No, no…! I want to apologize for everything that I've caused you! For treating you like a good-for-nothing! For belittling you without a care in the world! All of this without even knowing the kind of person that you really are!"

I was further caught off-guard by her sudden outburst. "Whoa, Weiss, calm down! I-"

"Please! Let me continue!" she exclaimed, causing me to shut my mouth. "Ever since we first came to Beacon… The first time I saw you, I already deemed you a weak, pathetic clown who simply got lucky that he even entered the academy in the first place. The feeling intensified when I saw you in action, fighting ineffectively against Grimm. It especially worsened when you incessantly tried to ask me out. At that point, I thought that you had no right to be a huntsman in the first place, that you had no place among us in Beacon…"

Weiss started to wrap her arms around her, as her body slightly shook. "But… Earlier in there semester, especially during the dance… I started to see you in a different light… When I found out from Neptune that it was you who managed to convince him to go back and see me, I realized that you were doing it for my sake, for my happiness. I knew that you truly wanted to ask me out to the dance, yet you sacrificed that chance just so that I could be happy. I was really grateful… And it was then that I started to feel remorse…"

She lifted her head up as she looked at the night sky and the beautiful moon. "At first, I deluded myself into thinking that it was a mere coincidence, and that you were still the pathetic buffoon from the beginning. But as the semester progressed itself, I started to doubt my delusions. Each time I saw you, your self-confidence has improved. And during Combat Class, your skills have also improved since the beginning, despite still not on par with everybody else's. And especially earlier today… You still intend to fight as a huntsman… You knew that you are weaker than your teammates, than anyone else in the academy, yet you still want to work as hard as you can to become what you want to be… Your determination, your resolve… is more than enough to make you a true huntsman…"

As she lowered her head down from looking at the sky, she closed her eyes shut, as her body shook even more. "And what's worse… is that I still deluded myself just moments ago…! I wanted to prove myself that you are just a pathetic fool who cares nothing but himself…! I was so desperate to convince myself, that when you told me of your true feelings on the matter… I felt horrible about myself…!

I never thought that I would see the day where Weiss wanted to apologize for how she was treating a moron like me. It had gotten to the point where she was on the verge of tears, as she bit her lower lip. "Jaune…! I… I'm truly sorry…! I behaved extremely condescendingly towards you that I blinded myself from seeing your true strength…! I mistrusted you the most out of everyone who are willing to be my allies…! I can never forgive myself for inhumanly treating you so badly…! Jaune…! I'm really, really sorry…!"

She was expressing her remorse to me in the most passionate way possible. If I was the me in the past who was still crushing on her, I would see it as a huge achievement, that Weiss finally acknowledged me. But seeing the esteemed, elegant Weiss Schnee close to breaking down… It pained my heart to see her like that. I never wanted to see my friends sad… Especially Weiss.

"H-hey… No need to beat yourself up over it, Weiss." I tried to cheer her up. "I mean, you don't have to apologize for anything. I can understand."

"How can you still say that…?!" she asked, still shutting her eyes close to prevent any tears from leaking out. "I treated you horribly…! I called you a weakling, an imbecile, a sorry excuse of a huntsman…! I have never bothered to discover the real you…! How can I ever call myself a splendid huntress after everything I've done to you…?!"

"Weiss, listen… You may blame yourself for thinking this way about me… But that doesn't mean there's no truth in your way of thinking." I reassured her, which earned me a look from her with her eyes slightly opened, her tears visibly formed in both corners of her eyes. "I'm not strong like everyone else. I can't even beat you when you're at your full strength, back in Combat Class. Though I intend to change that by working as hard as I can to be like everyone else. As for how smart I am, I'm pretty sure everybody knows that I just don't have the smarts. I mean, have you seen my grades for all of our classes? And last, but not least, I'm still not sure if I'm cut out to be a huntsman, but that doesn't mean I can't try. I'll just have to see where my path leads me, whether I really don't deserve to be a huntsman or otherwise. So don't blame yourself over it, Weiss, because you have every right to think that way about me…"

Weiss continued to stare at me with her tear-filled eyes, until she started to smile. It looked like I was able to cheer her up somewhat. "I… I still cannot understand how you can say that about yourself… But I guess it's simply what you are, as a person…"

"Hey, I know myself better than anyone. Heck, I can even call myself weak and stupid without feeling ashamed about it. I don't shy away from those kinds of accusations."

She chuckled, as she wiped away the tears from her eyes with her hands. "Ah ha ha… You truly are something else, Jaune…" she said, smiling at me. I smiled back, as I managed to make her feel better about herself. She looked back up at the dark, starry night. "I… I wish that I could have given you a chance…"

When she told me one of her regrets, I thought that she meant that she wanted to treat me better. "Doesn't mean that it's too late. You can always get it started right now, if you want."

She looked like she was contemplating about my suggestion, before looking back down at me with a small smile. "Yes… You are absolutely right." she said, before she pulled out her scroll, opening it up as she pressed a couple of buttons and scrolling down some sort of a list.

I could only look confusingly at what she was doing. Could she be checking her emails? Maybe she was surfing through the internet, or maybe it was something else. After a couple more button presses, she placed her scroll down next to her before standing up from the base of the statue and walking a few feet forward.

Just when I was about to ask her what was up with that, a song started playing, and it came from the scroll itself. Hearing the first couple of piano notes from the song, I instantly recognized it. It was Wings.

Weiss stood a few feet away from the statue, with her back facing me. When she turned to me gracefully with a smile, she extended her hand out to me. I was still confused as to what exactly she was doing. "Uh, Weiss? What are you…?"

"You can't tell? I thought that a dolt such as you can easily figure out exactly what I am trying to do." she said, again calling me names, but in a friendly tone this time around.

I continued to stare at her blankly. It took me a moment to realize what she was doing, as I widened my eyes in disbelief. I finally realized what she meant by giving me a chance. "H-huh?! W-wait, wait, wait just a minute! Weiss, are you… are you asking me to dance with you?!"

"Of course." she nodded. "I rejected you when you were asking me out to the dance earlier this semester. Now, I want to fix my mistakes and make amends with you by offering you a chance to dance with me."

"S-seriously? I mean, it's nice that you're doing this for me, but the dance was over a long time ago, so there's really no point to this! You really don't have to go this far! I just think treating me like a friend is more than enough to make up for it!"

"Jaune… I wish to leave here with no regrets." she stated in all seriousness. "I have wronged you for too long, rejected you at every given opportunity without a single thought. I had been unfair in my judgement of you for the longest time, and I want to change that, by redeeming myself to you. And the only way to do so, in my honest belief… is to give you a chance which I have long since declined. Jaune Arc… Will you be willing to dance with me, to form a proper pact of our trust and friendship to one another?"

I could hear it in her words that she was serious into wanting to dance with me, as a way to make up for her attitude in the past. It was getting harder for me to decline her offer, especially after listening to her resolve. I eventually gave in, sighing as I stood up from the base of the statue and started to walk towards her. "A-alright, if that's how you want it…"

As soon as I got close to her, I looked at her offering hand, then at her smile, just before I moved my own hand up to grasp hers, slightly hesitating at first due to my lingering feeling of disbelief. We stared into each other's eyes for a bit before we slowly pulled each other together in a closed partner position. Weiss was still smiling at me, so I returned it with my own small smile. And then, we started to dance to the slow beat of the song…

One life

Is not a long time

When you're waiting

For a small sign

We started off by slowly sidestepping simultaneously in one way at each individually beat, then doing it in the other way following the same rhythm. We continued to do so like that until the third line of the first section of the song.

We started to diverge ourselves away from sidestepping in one linear pattern to sidestepping in another linear pattern when I began to lead ourselves, such is how a man should do when performing that kind of dance with his female partner. We continued to do this sort of dancing pattern for the rest of the first section of the song and until the end of the second section.

Patience

Is hard to find

Shadows

Seem to fill your life

As we continued to dance like that well into the second section of the song, we both had our gaze fixated on each other's eyes. It's one of the things that makes the dance genuine, to show that both dancers are well in sync with one another.

"You must be overjoyed, Jaune." Weiss spoke. "After such a long time, after being rejected for so long, you have finally got to dance with me. You must be filled with euphoria right about now."

Well… She wasn't entirely right on that. If I was still the old me from back then, when I still had a crush on her, I would definitely feel very happy that I got to dance with her. I might even faint in the middle of our dance, if that were the case. But at that point, I just felt that it was really nice to dance with her as fellow partners. "Eh heh heh… You might be surprised at what I'm actually feeling right now."

"Hm? What's that suppose to mean?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. But then, she lightly shook her head. "Oh, never mind. There is no point in asking trivial questions, not when we're dancing like this."

I silently nodded, as we continued to dance in a simplistic pattern until the next section came up.

Don't be disappointed

Don't let your heart break

Don't spend another minute

In this way

It's okay

When the next section of the song started, we moved away from the dancing pattern when I slowly spun her around and away from me, temporarily letting go of her hand until my other hand took hold of her own. She stopped when our arms are fully extended.

I then gently pulled her back, as she spun around again until she got close to me, my other hand seizing her own at the height of our shoulders, and her other arm wrapping itself around her gut while my other arm found itself behind her waist.

Weiss spun around once more until she was facing my way, our hands still joined together all the way through. We still had our eyes gazed into each other, as we remained in that position for a few short seconds.

And then, she caught me off-guard when she let go of my hands and moved closer to me before wrapping her arms around my neck. I was surprised that she got us in a rather personal position, but I decided to go along with it by wrapping my arms around her waist. We then resumed dancing in that position, to the rhythm of the song.

Dry your eyes now, baby

Broken wings won't hold you down

You'll take flight soon, baby

You'll be lifted up

And you'll be there

We got back to our initial dancing pattern while still remaining close to each other like that.

"I'm actually surprised." Weiss spoke. "The first time that I saw you dance, I thought that my eyes were deceiving me. But now that I have experienced it myself, I know now that you are actually proficient at this kind of dance. How is it so?"

"Well, you learn a lot of things when you're living with seven sisters." I replied.

"You have seven sisters? Haha…" she chuckled. "Now it makes perfect sense. I can only assume that you had a rather difficult life with them, as they were a handful to take care of, correct?"

"You can say that. I still remember just how embarrassed I was when I had to take part of their little, girly adventures, but I still love them all the same. And it was thanks to them that I'm an expert at all sorts of dance."

"All sorts of dance?" she asked in a skeptical tone. "If you're trying to flatter me, then I'm afraid that it has little effect on me. Especially when the idea of you being remarkable at all forms of dance at your age sounds incredibly ridiculous."

When I heard her questioning my dancing skills, I couldn't help but let out a smirk. Whenever someone says straight in my face that I'm not a good dancer, I always have the urge to show just how terribly wrong they are. "Oh, so you're doubting my skills? Why don't I just prove it to you, then?"

"Oh? Is that a challenge?" she asked with a smirk of her own. "Interesting. You sound confident about your own abilities. Well then, let's see if you can keep up with my own skills at dancing."

"Heh! You're on!"

As soon as we agreed on a challenge, Weiss' scroll just finished the song that it was playing. And then, by pure coincidence, it started playing another song in response to our challenge. When I recognized that particular song, I knew it was because I'm such a geek. The next song that it was playing was called Signs of Love.

When the song started, the both of us got back to a close partner position. The music started with the beat of a drum, and in response, we both started to touch-step simultaneously under us to the beat, then touch-step in different directions about halfway through the drum beats, still in sync with each other.

When the trumpets started playing, we simultaneously stepped forward in one direction before rotating ourselves around in the first half, then we did the same thing but in the opposite direction in the second half, finishing it off by leaning ourselves back from each other, our hands still holding onto each other and our feet glued in place, before we pulled each other in and got back to a close position, all in the rhythm of the song.

(A/N: Hey, everyone! Sorry for interrupting the chapter here, but before you proceed any further, I need to address something clear. For this part of the dance, I initially planned to describe the dance in its entirety, just like with the previous one. However, unlike the previous one, this one is more elaborate, and it'll make the description far too big and confusing to understand what is going on, even with my current writing skill. So instead of fully describing the dance, I'll just describe it in ways where you can imagine how it would look like yourself… At least, I hope. It's gonna look awkward, but I can't find a way to get around that. Again, sorry for the interruption. I really need to warn you guys right here.)

Signs of love overshadowed by dreams

Baby, don't worry coz you ain't alone

Only time running days without nights

Tears pass through

Once the singing starts, both Weiss and I increased the intensity of our synchronized dancing, still in rhythm of the music. Our bodies were moving in correspondence to each line sung in the music, even down to exhibiting the description and mood of specific ones, such as the first and second line of the current section for example. I don't have anything else to say about our footwork, since they were very closely in sync with each other and they captured the feeling of the song.

We both continued to go at it, following every beat and mood of the music and displaying some of the lines of the first section, until right at the end of it, we pulled ourselves away from each other, our hands separated included.

He said, "I'm the one who's got to leave"

I said, "Nobody's really got to leave coz"

"I don't hear enough information"

"All I need is admiration"

With the first line of the following section, I was dancing alone in a matter that looked like I was about to leave her, taking the role of the man who spoke the dialogue.

Weiss followed by closing in on me, as sung in the second line, taking the role of the woman, in this case, the singer. She then danced in a persuasive way as an attempt to convince me to stay, even resorting to pulling me closer by the arm before I could move away even further from her. I was trapped in her hold, as she kept me close to her.

Big frustrations bro he goes,

"Life is short we gave a shot,

but didn't work honey coz we had,

a whole lot going on and on,

and on…"

Weiss initially took charge of the dance, at the start of the following section, until I slowly took over as the section progressed itself. Our dancing at that point represented the explanation for my wanting to leave her, as I gradually increased the gap between us until both of our arms were fully extended. It developed to the point where we were whirling around together until we crashed into one another, just in time for the chorus.

Signs of love overshadowed by dreams

Baby, don't worry coz you ain't alone

Only time running days without nights

Tears pass through

With the chorus, the both of us performed the same dancing pattern together, following and displaying some of the lines that were sung in the music and the mood that it followed. My feelings throughout the dance had increased in intensity at the same level as the one exhibited by the song, and my body was basically moving on its own to the rhythm of the song. And I think the same thing occurred with Weiss, as she also looked like she was dancing naturally to the song.

Every time look at the picture in the frame

Gaze in fascination so hard

You still think that is nothing but love

Rain still falls

When we separated from each other before the following section started, we both danced solo in our individual side, but our movements were close to being similar to one another. At the second line of the section, she ran towards me, and I intercepted her by lifting her way up high off the ground and lowering her before the line ended.

We got back to a close partner position by start of the second line, as we both danced in sync with one another with the same relative intensity as before. We kept going like that until I spun her away from me, letting her go as she stopped rotating at a fairly short distance from me.

The song was nearing its end, and we decided to finish it off with a pseudo dancing competition. When the music started off by playing the piano, with rhythmic drum beats, I went and showed off my dance moves to her in the mood set by the initial part. I stopped dancing once the next instrument was added in, in which case, it was Weiss' turn to show off her own dance moves to me, with a more upbeat mood than it was initially set.

As soon as the instruments went more intense as the song was finishing up, the both of us were dancing simultaneously in our own respective way, capturing the tone of the music. The dance ended when Weiss spun herself towards me, and I took hold of her and picked her up bridal style. And with that, the song was over.

The both of us were panting heavily following our rather intense dance, partially covered in sweat. It showed just how much we gave our all in that. In light of it, I threw a prideful grin at her. "Heh heh… So, what do you think, Weiss? Is this enough to convince you that what I said wasn't a complete bull?"

I was expecting her to say something along the lines of 'this is just one form of dancing, you fool' or 'I acknowledge your dancing skills,' but for some reason, she wasn't saying anything. In fact, all she was doing was looking deeply into my eyes. "Uh… Weiss? Everything okay?"

"Huh?" She blinked her eyes, as she seemed to have snapped out of her trance. "O-oh! Why yes, of course I'm fine." she replied. She then took a look down at herself before throwing an irritated glare at me. "Anyway, how long are you going to keep carrying me like this?!"

"O-oh crap! Sorry bout that!" I realized that I was still holding her bridal style. I immediately lowered her down before I suffer her wrath. "I'm really sorry! I was just… caught up in the moment, that's all!"

"Hmph… Well, you are lucky that I'm not in a terrible mood tonight." she replied, dusting herself off in the process.

Since she didn't reply by beating the crap out of me, or freezing me solid, I let out a relieved sigh. When I lifted my gaze up, the sky was still dark with stars blinking through it, and the moon had moved closer to the centre of the sky. It was enough for me to realize that we had been outside for quite a while. "Oh wow. It's getting pretty late, don't you think?" I asked, moving my sights back down to her.

"Yes… It seems so." she nodded, as she had her sights up to the dark sky as well.

"Well, uh… We should probably get back inside. So… I'll see you tomorrow, Weiss." I waved my hand at her, as I turned towards the school entrance and walked past her.

But then, she suddenly took hold of my arm before I could go anywhere. I turned my head back towards her, giving her a confused look. She was facing away from me. "Weiss? What are you…?"

"Don't leave… Not yet…"

"What's going on?"

"Jaune, I… For all the times that you have done for me, I have never once got to express my gratitude… I have said my apologizes, but I still haven't thank you until now… And I don't want us to depart while regrets are still etched into my heart… So please, don't leave… Not until I can properly thank you for everything you have done for me."

"Weiss, I…" I still didn't understand why she wanted to express her gratitude to me so badly. Was it really that important to her?

"Jaune… Thank you for catching me and stopping my fall back in the Emerald Forest last semester…" Well… I didn't technically saved her. Thinking back, I just jumped off the branch to catch her and save her from falling. But I hadn't thought ahead when we were still in the air, and we both ended up falling down and she used my back as cushion to stop her fall. I… wasn't so lucky.

"Thank you for convince Neptune to come back and see me at the dance, despite your own desire to be with me…" When I learned that Neptune declined her offer, I was so mad at him and confronted him about it, until I discovered that he was just simply shy about not being good at dancing. I managed to convince him to see her again as his own self just so that Weiss wouldn't be sad and alone. He must have told her about what I did that led her to thank me for that.

"Thank you for seeing me for who I am, and not for what I have…" No one should like her because she's the heiress to the Schnee Company. They should like her for who she is, for her personality, values, talents, anything that defines her. That's what I believe.

But what shocked me the most out of her gratitude was what she said next.

"And thank you… for making me fall in love with you…"

She quickly pulled me closer to her and crashed her lips onto my own.

At that moment, I thought that I was dreaming because the real Weiss would never do something like that to me, especially when it comes to love. But the moment she kissed me, I felt the exact same feeling as before. My heart was bursting like crazy, and my stomach had butterflies fluttering about. Those feelings convinced me that it was all real.

We stayed like that for a few seconds before Weiss pulled away from the kiss. As I continued to stare at her in shock at what just happened between us, she had a very sincere look on her face, and she had a huge smile that warms through the cold night.

The true face of a pure, wonderful Snow Angel…

"… I still can't believe that it actually happened. She's my first crush since coming here to Beacon, but she made it very clear that she was never going to be interested in me, no matter what I do. I thought that I could never be someone worth her while, so I stopped crushing on her. I mean, there is just no way that a dork like me would ever be together with someone as esteemed as her, especially when it comes to the differences between us. But the moment that she confessed her love to me, I was completely perplexed at how it came out of nowhere. I thought that she might have gone crazy because she's in love with an idiot like me. I thought that my mind was just playing tricks on me by twisting how it happened in my head. It's just too insane for that to actually happen!"

As Jaune continued to express his disbelief at how the situation unfolded itself to the waiter, he thought back at how it occurred between him and Weiss. And then, his lips formed a sweet smile, as he remembered the other feeling besides disbelief. "But… I knew in my heart that it was true. That Weiss really does love me, and for a good reason too. It's because I like her for who she is as a person. I like her for simply being Weiss, not for being the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. I think I might have been the first guy to ever see her that way, and along with the fact that I'm still striving to be a better huntsman, she started seeing me in a whole different light. And what resulted… was her actually falling in love with me. And as soon as I learned that… My feelings for her in the past revitalized themselves."

Just as with the blond knight's last two retellings of the events that transpired, the waiter was listening to his story about the heiress herself and his own feelings for her. He understood how the blue-eyed boy became infatuated by her, and unlike everyone else, had legitimate reasons for doing so. And what surprised him the most was how Weiss came to love him for that. "I have heard a lot of things about Miss Schnee herself, and one of them is that she is never the kind of person who would ever go after a boy. You must be the first person to have ever capture her heart, good sir."

"Well… I'm not exactly the first…"

"And the other thing that I have heard about her is that her personality is comparable to that of a spoiled child, and she is very disdaining towards anyone she sees as irrelevant. Your description of her and her personality is the first that I have heard that is the complete opposite of what the gossips were stating, as it does not make her seem like a rotten person. And from your honest words, that is her true self, correct?"

"Yeah." Jaune nodded. "The gossips can say anything about her, but only her friends know who she actually is: a very sweet, kind and caring person. I've finally got to experience it myself when she confessed her love to me, after several months of being subjected to her insults, and it made me love her even more than usual. I was really lucky that I finally got her to notice me, even though I never realized it, and it had gotten to the point where she actually loves me…"

The waiter could feel the boy's happiness when the one person who he had a crush on finally saw him for who he is, just as he did the same for her, which led her to feel affections for him, as evident by Jaune's loving smile. However, he immediately perceived that something was wrong, when the boy instantly dropped his smile. "But… After I've gone over the fact that she loves me… I realized more than ever that I've basically made my whole dilemma even worse, especially when I remembered Pyrrha and Ruby afterwards…"

"… I see." The waiter nodded in understanding. "And this is what led you here, in this very cafe, in your anguished state. I now understand your torment, now that you have told me your stories about each individual girl, and how strong their feelings for you are, as well as your own feelings for them."

"I… I still can't believe that I've gotten myself trapped in this situation without even meaning to…" Jaune placed his hands over his face, as he frowned over the circumstances that led him to that. "All three of them love me because I was being myself. Pyrrha loves me because I treated her like a normal friend instead of a celebrity. Ruby loves me because I inspired her to keep working hard through the obstacles. And Weiss loves me because I saw her for who she really is. And after thinking back on all of this… I realized that I love all of them all the same… And I want to be with all of them…"

The boy's distress over the situation that transpired had been very clear to the waiter, especially after hearing how it came to be.

"… What am I supposed to do?" Jaune asked, still having his hands over his face. "I know I have to choose one of them… But I can't bring myself to decide. Not when it'll end breaking their hearts. And… I can't stand to see them heartbroken because of me! They all have their reasons for loving me, so to choose one of them and breaking the hearts of the other two is…! It's just too much for me!"

The blond knight slammed his hands against the steel table, as he leaned over it and looked at the waiter straight in the eye. "I'm really sorry if it's too much to ask… But can you help me? Please, tell me what I have to do…"

"You are… asking me to help you with your dilemma?" the waiter asked, surprised that the blue-eyed knight would ask for a stranger's advice.

"Yeah… I want you to tell me what I need to do so no one has to suffer… So that everyone can be happy… I can't bring myself to turn any of them away, not when their love for me is perfectly genuine… I want to be with all of them… So please, just tell me what I have to do!"

For the entire time that he was working at the cafe, he never expected to be the one giving a really huge advice to a troubled person such as Jaune. The situation was indeed dire, especially when love is unconditional for each of them. The waiter was chosen to make a decision for Jaune that benefits all of them.

… And only one solution is presented in his mind that he found to be more logical and more sane to end this predicament, even if the boy has to go through a difficult trial to do so.

End of Prologue 3

And there we go! This is the end of the third prologue of the story! But, this isn't the end of the entire prologue itself. I'm planning to add in one more part of the prologue to make a proper conclusion to it, as well as to make a proper start to the story itself. So stay tuned for the final prologue before we jump in to the actual story!

Now, since this chapter is over and done with, I should apologize for how the second part of the dance turned out to be. Like I said before, the dance itself is more elaborate, and it's difficult to get around it without fully describing the dance itself, and it's going to be really confusing to follow. And in the end, the dance looked really awkward as hell, at least to me. Again, I'm really sorry that it turned out like this, but I'm just not good enough. And this is the first time that I've ever written a dance scene like that! I might improve myself somewhere along the line, but this is what we get for now.

As for the songs that played during the dance, as you all know, the first song is called Wings by Jeff Williams featuring Casey Lee Williams. As for the second song, it's called Signs of Love -Reincarnation-, and if you're a geek like I am, this is one of the songs from a game called Persona 4. And it's thanks to this song that I decided to write the second part of the dance, however awkward it may be.

And before I let you guys go, if there's something about this part of the prologue that you find to be off and not consistent to the source material at some extent, let me know. I'll try and see if I can't fix it and make it better. Because I really, really dislike to be inconsistent with anything.

Anyways, that's all I have to say! See you guys next time! And reviews are always appreciated, thank you!