The Detective

The police are alright. But, hunter and huntresses are just so much more cooler and exciting, you know!

I know I said I wouldn't write for RWBY. But since all the stuff for season 3 is coming out, I became inspired. So, Here's to RWBY season 3. Making me hypocritical and all that jazz.

Here we go!

A bottle laid on its side on the ground. It was empty and slightly cracked. Rays of light shined off its exterior. The cracks were faint, but there. There was a small rustle, as bed sheets were pulled back. Bare feet hit the ground, knocking the bottle under the bed. A small groan echoed in the room, as the light continued to flow in.

The bed creaked as weight was removed, and the blaring alarm clock was silenced. A blonde man stumbled into the bathroom, groaning as he did so.

"Late again." Jaune murmured as he grabbed the toothbrush from the sink. He quickly squirted toothpaste on the brush and jumped into the shower. Multitasking was one of his strong suits. After he had finished cleaning himself, he reached into the closet to gather his usual attire. He made to sure to re-wrap the bandages on his left leg. White collared shirt, a red tie, and a black slacks. He grabbed his strap on holsters and clicked the buckle closed. He moved over to the safe on the side, passing his hand over the front. The scanner beeped twice and unlocked.

He grabbed his guns and his badge. Clipping them on to his belt, he proceeded to get the other items out as well. Blue eyes lingered on the earring inside. It was still dirty, still stained. He had forgotten to clean it. He grabbed it and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Be-" Jaune closed the safe with a heavy push. The earring shifted in his pocket.

It felt heavy.

Jaune shuffled out of his apartment, locking the door behind him. He walked downstairs, giving the usual nod to the guardsman at the door.

"Jimmy"

"Mr. Arc" Jimmy nodded back, opening the door for him.

Jaune turned right and started heading down. He might as well get coffee before he went to the station. If he was going to be late, he might as well have an excuse.

The coffee shop nearby, famous to only the locals, was open right now. A quick look inside made Jaune smile. It was almost empty. Usually, mornings were rush hour. Hell, it could take about ten minutes to get your drink. But the workers in there were tireless; they hammered out drinks faster than most people could get the words out of their mouths. Jaune entered quietly; the door's bell rang quietly.

The faunus at the counter looked up. "Welcome-" The fox faunus, Jack, paused as he looked at Jaune. His eyes were wide and ears perked up. Nervous and surprised, Jaune noted. He couldn't blame him. No one was really expecting him.

"Jaune?!" Jack blinked; he stood straighter.

Jaune nodded, with a smile. "Usual stuff. And add in two extra travel containers. Gotta make up for being late."

"O-of course." Jack moved quickly filling out the order. Jaune nodded to the other workers, who all recognized them. They all gave him glancing looks from time to time. Jaune didn't mind. He understood where they were coming from.

There was another ring behind him. Jaune turned slightly. He looked at the newcomer. Female, Red hoodie, lean, but muscular build, red hair, 5'5 probably, worn shoes, calloused hands, confident. Watch on hand, it's on the timer function. She paused it as soon as she walked in. Runner. Wasn't a regular, Jack would have greeted her already.

"Hi there." The girl said to Jack, moving past Jaune.

A bit younger than me. Jaune noted. The sound of the voice could tell you a lot of things.

"Strawberry milkshake please." A chipper voice. She pulled back her hoodie. The girl had her red hair wrapped up in a pony tail. She had a couple faint scars on her neck. Abusive home, boyfriend, girlfriend? No. Those weren't domestic. It looked like combat. Combat would fit in with the muscle build. Personality doesn't seem hindered. Possibly military. No, tone of voice and first contact didn't fit military MO standards.

"Hey Jaune."

Jaune blinked. He turned to Jack, who had a small box for him, waiting. Jaune nodded and walked over. He reached into his back pocket to pull out his wallet.

Jack smiled, shaking his head. "You're money is no good here. It's on the house for today."

Jaune blinked and chuckled. "Thanks. Then I'll pay for the miss's drink." Jaune took out a couple Lien and putting on the table. Jaune looked over to the girl and nodded.

She smiled back.

"Thanks umm" She started. "Jaune was it?"

Jaune was able to get a clear look of her face this time. Silver eyes, young face. No bruises. "Yeah." Jaune nodded. "You're?"

"Ruby, Ruby Rose."

"I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc."

"Thanks for the drink." Ruby smiled.

Jaune nodded. "Your welcome, hope you enjoy the rest of your jog."

Ruby blinked. She tilted her head to the side. "How did you know I was jogging?"

Jaune chuckled. "Your Shoes. The watch. You paused it when you walked in. Means you're keeping time."

Ruby whistled. "Wow, That's some sweet detective skills."

Jaune let out a laugh. "Well..." Jaune leaned forward, as if sharing a secret. "I'm actually a detective."

Ruby blinked rapidly; a small flush ran over her cheeks "Well whoops" She stuck her tongue out. "Sorry about that. As for me, I'm a huntress." She clasped her hands behind her back.

That fits. "A huntress huh. You went to Beacon?" Jaune felt a little nostalgic.

"Yep" She said.

"Yeah." Jaune rubbed the back of his head. "I tried to get in. Got rejected." He chuckled. He almost tried to fake his way in, but ended up not going.

"Oh Sorry." She said quickly.

"Not to worry." Jaune waved her off. " Became a detective instead."

"Oh right!" She brightened instantly. Jaune felt amused by her switch in personality. "That's nice. Why did you want to become a detective."

Jaune paused. Why?

It was a question he asked himself a lot.

"You know, helping people and stuff."

"Nice. I like to help people too." Ruby giggled.

"Yeah." Jaune shrugged " But most of the ones I help are already dead. "

"Kinda Morbid." Ruby deadpanned.

"Eh. It's bringing justice to criminals. I have to think how they think and it get's a lot tougher cause they have actual brains." Jaune teased.

"Grimm are pretty tough you know." Ruby huffed.

"Well I mean Fighting a ten foot tall Ursa sure is tough. But dealing with a psychopath is pretty scary." Jaune knew from first hand experience.

"I'm sure it is." Ruby drawled out.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" cried out indignantly

"I mean come on. You look strong. Are you really afraid of some guy holding a gun?" Ruby quipped.

A small bang. A whiz by his ear. He felt a small gasp in shock. He turned and saw red. Falling.

"Yeah," Jaune's throat felt dry. "Yeah I am."

Ruby's face paled. "Oh. I m sorry did I-"

Jaune grabbed his box and shook his head. "It's nothing. I better get going. See you around miss."

Jack pushed forward her milkshake and gave a nod to Jaune. Jaune didn't return it as he shuffled out the door. He needed to hurry; he was already late as it was.

Jaune walked in quietly into the police office. He pulled open the door with his foot and slipped inside. His cartons of coffee jostled in the bag.

"Morning." Jaune said to the men and women up front.

Robert, long time worker, looked up. "Morning-" He paused. "Jaune. What are you doing back? It's only been-"

"Needed to get some work done." Jaune replied quickly. "A bit late. Got coffee." Jaune smiled and walked past.

"But, the chief will want to-" Robert started.

"He can yell at me later." Jaune shook his head. "Until then." Jaune winked. "I got some IPS to deal with." He nodded to a couple grunts on the beat walking past. In the back corner was a long wooden table. It had been there since the renovation of the police table, the buffet line. It was always packed during the morning. At one point, they had joked about adding in a couple of trays just to make the name fit more. Jaune walked over and placed the coffee cartons on the table. He grabbed some paper cups and starting fixing some coffee.

He heard someone walk up next to him. "Jaune."

A small glance over and Jaune saw a tan, muscular officer. "Adrian." Jaune nodded towards his fellow detective.

Adrian grabbed a cup. " I thought you were on the beach?"

"Couldn't handle the martinis and sunshine." Jaune fired back.

Adrian smiled. Jaune set aside the cups of coffee and reached for the condiments on the side. "So" Jaune continued the conversation. "I heard you were doing the hunter-Cop relations," He remembered because that silver eyed girl.

Adrian nodded. "Yeah. Looking for a replacement, though."

Jaune blinked. Adrian was a hard worker, and never turned down assignments. "That bad?"

Adrian snorted. "Makes Office Jockeying seem entertaining."

Jaune whistled. "Thought working with hunters would be interesting."

Adrian shrugged. "It's interesting to see the other side of the coin. But, Their deployment schedule is light. Also, all the yellow tape that goes around is annoying enough. No one likes stepping on toes, if they can help it."

Jaune shrugged. Being cautious was one thing. Making sure everyone was happy made for a tedious job. "Who did you work with?"

"Neptune. Blue haired kid. About your age actually" Adrian took a sip of coffee. He shook his head and proceeded to reach for more sugar. Jaune passed him a couple packets.

"That's young." Jaune's status in the force was stuff of legends. He had graduated academy in two years. He wasn't even in the accelerated course. He simply worked hard. He was tired of being look down, of being called weak, and wanted to make a difference. He had met his partner during his second year of school. She had transferred in, wanting a fresh start. They graduated that very year. It only took 3 years for them to become detectives.

Adrian sighed. "Well, I mean you and-" He stopped himself.

Jaune felt his heart stop. He let go of his cups before they spilled. Jaune looked down at them.

"Look. I know you're-" Adrian stopped himself and shook his head. "shit. I can't blame you for coming back early. And I sure as hell won't stop you. But, if you want help or to talk-"

"Thanks Adrian." Jaune said. He grabbed the two cups and started walking towards his desk. He moved past a couple of desks, drowning out the noise.

"That's him."

"What is he doing back? It hasn't even been a full fucking week."

"Oum, man. Everyone was pissed when we heard what shit went down. How do you think he felt?"

Jaune walked towards his desk. His desk was a mixture of neatness and messiness. Papers were stacked in logical piles but weren't aligned. He took the time to put everything in their proper place, just not neatly. He looked over to his new files bin. Orderlies or forensics would drop new files in there. It was empty, which was strange. Jaune placed his cup on his desk, sliding it to the center.

He turned to the desk across his.

He blinked.

Ah. That was right. Jaune placed the cup on the edge. And pushed it forward slowly. Up two inches an to the left about five. Just in reaching distance from the mouse and the computer. Two cream and one sugar.

"Just how you liked it." Jaune murmured to the empty desk.

"Arc, my office now!" A loud voice called from the other corner of the room.

Jaune looked up to see gray and white speckled hair, a dark suit, and a row of stars. Chief Warr was glaring at him.

"Great, we're in trouble again." Jaune blinked and shook his head.

"Yes chief." Jaune answered. He grabbed his cup from his desk and walked over to the office. Time to get yelled at. Jaune grumbled to himself. He walked in quietly, closing in the door behind him. The chief office was usually tidy. Though today, it was a bit messy. A couple of papers were strewn everywhere. Jaune noted an empty glass with an equally empty bottle next to it. That wasn't good. Chief's wife hated him drinking. It was a real treat to see her come in and yell at Chief Warr for drinking late. It was a legend among the rookies.

There was a single file placed neatly on the center of the chief's desk.

The chief was sitting down, behind his desk. Which was strange. If he wanted to yell at him, the chief had a habit of standing in front of his desk. Oum knew, that they had been called in so many times for abandoning protocol. They were justified of course, but that didn't stop chief from giving them a dressing down.

Jaune sighed and sat down on the chair to left, his usual spot.

The chief was silent. He rubbed his gray mustache and stared at Jaune. The usual hard brown eyes were tired. He looked his age. "What the hell are you doing back?" Gruff, but soft.

Jaune took a sip of his coffee. He looked past the chief. The man was too intimidating to look in the eyes. "I'm doing my job."

Warr let out a long sigh. He leaned back in his chair. It groaned under the unusual stress. Warr reached over and grabbed the file that was at the center of the desk. He opened it slowly, going over the case. Jaune didn't need to see the name to know whose file it was. "It's been only five days." Warr rubbed his face. "I know what you're going through."

"I'm just doing my job, chief." Jaune repeated. He placed the cup on the desk; the cup shook slightly.

"And you'll end up doing something stupid." Warr said. "You'll end up pushing yourself to the limit. And if you're lucky. You'll get out somewhat unscathed. But, if you're not, it won' be just you who gets burned. I know because it happened to me too."

Jaune rubbed his chin. He couldn't argue. Couldn't go anywhere near the subject. Being here was still too close. He felt a swirl of ink fill his stomach. He hated being here. He hated the desk across from his. But, he needed to work. "Chief, let me do my job. Please. I need it."

"No" Warr shook his head. "You think you need it. We will follow protocol and-"

Jaune stood his feet. He felt the ink in his stomach explode into raging fire. "There is no one better than me on this case! I'm it." Jaune waved his hands around him. "The only one. I know this case inside and out. I am the best chance we got on doing this."

The chief didn't stand up. He didn't respond immediately. Instead, he placed the file on the desk, open. Jaune didn't look down at it. Warr clasped his hands. "Jaune. You just lost-"

"I've been on the force for 6 years. I knew the risks and she-." A voice cracks. "She would have wanted me to keep moving forward."

"J-jaune. Be-" Not now. Not yet. He gripped his fists and focused on the man before him.

Warr tapped his finger on his desk. He looked down at the file. And then up at Jaune. "Officer involved."

Jaune gritted his teeth. "Then I would like to know who was trying to kill me."

Warr let out a frustrated sight. He rolled his shoulders and closed the file quickly, slamming the desk as he did so. "Dammit." He shook his head. "You'll investigate it anyways. Even if it wasn't official. Fine." Chief Warr rubbed his face. "You have till the end of the week. And only this week." Warr growled out. "If you can't finish the case by then, I'm taking your badge and you won't come back until I say so."

Jaune nodded. "Understood."

A shuffle of files and movement. "Get out of my office, kid." Tired eyes stared at each other. "Take care of yourself."

No response.

Jaune sat down at his desk and started flipping through files. Only a week.

"Not a lot of time."

"We've done more in less." Jaune murmured.

"This time it's different."

Jaune rubbed his face. A bit different, yeah. A change of pace. Jaune's thoughts drifted back to the huntress he had met this morning. She was a change of pace as well. Jaune finished his coffee and started to work through their old files.

"Hopefully," Jaune said. "with a little luck. We can get somewhere."

"Hopefully, you're luck still holds true."

Jaune was about to respond when an orderly walked by his desk. "Detective Arc."

Jaune looked at the nameplate quickly. "Tobias."

Tobias nodded. "There's been a shooting over by Collins and Sixth street."

"And?" Jaune blinked. They would have just sent it to another detective.

"The first responder on scene asked for you. Said you needed to see it."

Jaune blinked.

"Gio?"

"Gio?" Jaune repeated.

Tobias nodded. "yeah. Sergeant Gio."

"Better take a look."

"Thanks for telling me, Tobias." Jaune stood up and grabbed his scroll. He stacked up his files on his desk. He could look at them later.

He had seen it a million times before. The crowd of people, curious eyes, police officers barring their way. They were like children. They were naive to the horror and only wanted to see what they shouldn't. They would scream and run if they saw the reality, the cold hard truth. Yellow tape drew the line between those who were fighting a war and those who oblivious to it. He had crossed that line long ago.

An officer at the scene lifted the tape for him. He was one of the old hands on the force. He knew all the faces of the detectives, the soldiers who went into the underbelly of the shadowy parts of Vale. Jaune gave him a small nod.

"Gio."

"Detective." Gio replied. He did something unusual. He held out his hand. "Good to see you back."

Back? He had never left. He didn't leave when he had been shot in the stomach. He hadn't left when he had carried her cold body to the hospital, begging for a doctor. He was there to empty out her desk, his hands stained with dried blood.

Jaune took his hand and shook it. "What have we got?"

"Homicide." Gio said. "Looks very professional. No initial signs of entry. Neighbor reported hearing shouting, then a gunshot, and nothing else. Didn't hear anyone enter or leave. No cars either. Front door was locked too."

"What's the reason you asked for me?" Gio usually had a good hunch.

"Remember hearing about your string of cases. It matches your description."

Jaune nodded. He cataloged the information. There was no need to interview the witness, if Gio had done the interviewing. The man had worked with them long enough to know what they liked.

"Time?"

"About an hour ago. I got on the scene fast. No one had been in there except me."

"Good." Jaune said. He looked around him. Officers doing their job. They were statues in front of the scene, in front of the war grounds. The civilians were flashing their cameras as if this was a goddamn paparazzi show. He shoved his clenched fists into his pocket and frowned, instead of snarling. "get the folks clear. I need some peace and quiet to work."

"Got it."

Jaune walked towards the entrance of the door looking at the steps. A single kit had been prepared on the ground for him. He turned to the officer next to him to tell him to get another, but stopped. He looked around him for a moment. He shook his head and opened the kit. Grabbing the sensor gloves, linking it to his scroll, he stepped inside. The kit was clipped to his hip and his scroll attached to his wrist. Data, from temperature to air composition, ran over the scroll's screen.

He walked carefully inside; he left his eyes roam carefully over the details.

"We should check the body first. And work from there."

"Yeah." He replied. "New case. Need to find a starting point." Jaune walked to the back of the kitchen. The kitchen was actually quite clean for a homicide. That meant there was only a small struggle, if at all. The alternative to that is that the man was dragged here. But, that was unlikely from the witness report. Eyeing the back door, he noted the door was unlocked. That was pretty interesting, considering how the front door was locked. Gio's intuition was right, the killer came from the back. But, if the door was unlocked, did that mean the victim new the murderer? Jaune, finally, examined the man with rabbit ears slumped against the cabinet. Blood pooled under him and streaked against cabinet. The cabinet was slightly cracked, suggesting the man had been pushed into it. That mean he was facing the way he died, when he was attacked.

"We should check the wounds. Shotgun looking by the spread"

Jaune nodded. He knelt down, near the body. He paused as he heard a drone fly over him. It's lens on it's side spinning rapidly. It was taking pictures of the entire room, making sure to capture every detail. Good, they could mess around a bit then.

Jaune looked at the man. The man was in his late thirties, probably. No visible ring, and no fade mark either. Single?

"Does knowing his marital status help?"

Jaune chuckled. "If he was married we could as his partner for information on grudges."

"Fair enough"

Jaune turned back to the corpse. Well built, muscular in fact. Not a body builder, judging by the body structure. Definitely not a civilian, though, he had some faint, but interesting scars.

"Bullet holes. Military?"

"We'll need to do a background check for that." Jaune murmured. "I'll ask Gio later." He pressed his hands against the bleeding wound. Five entry wounds. The pattern, though. It looked different. It wasn't centered nor did it have a discernible-

"the imprint on the skin. It looks like a-"

"a boot" He finished. Was this a kick to the stomach with a gunshot? Or at the same time? Forensics could probably tell him, but his hunch was on the same time. Jaune moved away from the bloody wound. He was about to start rifling through the man's pockets, but stopped.

"Clean you damn hands, rookie. Man seven years on the job and you still screw up."

Jaune chuckled to himself. Clicking the back of his wrists together, he activated the micro-scrubbers on his gloves. The micro-scrubbers would clean the surface of his gloves with a mixture of blue and red dust, leaving them sanitized. He waited for the scrubbers to do their job and continued to look over the body.

"Homicide. A single kick. Powerful too." He listed out the obvious facts.

"Feels familiar. Wasn't there a case back..."

"Six years ago. The Tukson case, yeah. Cold case. It was said that someone of the White Fang did the hit."

"We'll need to bring up the files again."

"I'll make a note of it." Jaune nodded to himself. A green light on his scroll notified him the cleaning was done. Jaune shifted forward and started to pat the corpse down. Wallet. Keys. Another key. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Why is there a key separate from the ring?"

Jaune paused, contemplating the suggestion. Jaune took the lone key into his hands. It was metallic, shiny, but the wearing on it's edges showed its use. A safe key? Why would he have it on him though? Did the killer know about this?

"We got a lot of questions to answer." Jaune said.

"Sir?"

Jaune blinked and turned to his left. He saw a young man, dressed in blue protective clothing. He was relatively new on the force, if Jaune remembered correctly. He had been at a couple of the sites for their cases; he did good work.

"Charlie. Good to see you." Jaune stood up. "Go through the body. And check around for any prints on the back entrance. Killer came in through the back."

Charlie nodded slowly. "Of course." Jaune stood up and moved to side to let him past. The kid started to walk towards the body but paused. "If you don't mind me asking, sir," Charlie asked. "Who were you talking to?"

Jaune blinked. "I was talking to-"

There was only two people in the room.

He felt black ink coil around his heart, pulling it down like an anchor. "I was recording on my scroll." Jaune put his arms behind his back. Standing up quickly, Jaune made his way towards the stairs. "I'll see you around kid. Just tell me the results when you're done."

"Got it." A small nod. A weak smile.

Hurried footsteps.

He headed up stairs, alone. No one was with him as he entered the victim's bedroom.

"Jaune."

He blinked. He shook his head. He kept searching.

The man had been living here for a while. Signs of old nick knacks, used items, and some dirty areas. The clothes were neatly packed into drawers. No rush or signs of leaving. The man hadn't been expecting trouble. He ignored the bed and bathroom for now. Forensics could deal with that later. He wanted to see the man's lifestyle. Jaune entered the closet and took his time. His gloved hands sifted through the many jackets and shirts. Nothing out of the ordinary, pockets were clean. He shifted some of the clothes to the side. There had to be a reason for this murder.

There was a small tiny hole behind the rack of jackets. Interesting. Jaune leaned forward, examining the hole. A key shaped hole. Jaune looked down on the ground. He noted that the floors had small scratch marks on it. Hidden door? Jaune took out the metallic key and inserted it into the key hole. It fit perfectly in. With a small turn, the door clicked open and pushed back.

Jaune whistled. There was a clothes rack. It was laid out neatly like the other clothes in the closet, except this one was special. The clothes in here were military grade, and ready for war. This was the suit of a White Fang elite. He eyed the guns to the side and the many cartridges on it. He noted that some of the magazines were empty. Recently used? Jaune refrained from touching anything. The forensics team would throw a hissy fit.

Jaune chuckled as he stepped back. This made things way too complicated. Jaune scanned over the items in the hidden closet. It had the works, from armor, to guns, and to a couple explosives. A small piece of paper caught Jaune's eye. It was crumpled to the side. He picked it up carefully, smoothing out the wrinkles. An address, 1502 West Snow Street. That was the industry section, specifically the storage area. They had cased a couple of the warehouses for a case, but they needed a warrant to get close.

"No time for a warrant." Jaune murmured. If this was recent, that meant the trail could still be hot. If he waited for the warrant, the case could become cold.

"At least we have a lead"

"Yeah." Jaune whispered.

Tracking down the location of the warehouse was simple enough. It was a matter of putting it into his scroll and loading up the map. Of course, his scroll had a bit extra. It would take some time to get a warrant. It would take time he didn't have, or have the patience for. Instead, he decided to go ahead and proceed with the investigation. Not totally by the book, but the chief could yell at him later. He had grabbed their car from the lot. Popping his scroll in, he started the software to run silent. Law enforcement were tagged by their scrolls and their badges. It allowed the city to track and keep an eye on them. It was for safety reasons, as well as efficiency.

But, detectives had special privileges to turn it off. Any technology could be hacked., whether it be by going to the source or intercepting a signal. When they had been given their badges and told how to do it, they only used it a few times. It was mostly to avoid detection of high profile targets, or targets that had specialization in the technology field.

Jaune rolled through the back roads and arrived at the edge of the warehouse company. He eyed the White Snowflake on the side of some of the buildings. Schnee. Jaune shrugged. Hiding in the last place people would look. Also, the Schnee corporation were famous, or rather infamous, for their mishandling of workers. Questionable business practice.

He had the officers over at major crimes complaining about the Schnee company. Their money ran deep. It was hard to pick through the Lien field, but higher ups looked down on investigating the Schnee company. Load of bullshit politics, in her words.

Jaune turned off his car and locked the door. He checked his pistols. He reached into his left holster and pulled a small pistol. He had his standard issue, Hullum-5, .4 cal. It was small, light and flexible. Not designed for a true fire fight. More for intimidation. It had a good amount bullets in the clip, but that was it. It wasn't even designed to use dust capsules. On the other hand, his Luna & Shawcross was a monster in the field. It's initial design was standard, using .4 caliber rounds. But, its magazines were designed to work with dust capsules, of all types. It held 12 rounds per magazine, and had recoil compensation to boot.

He always had three clips for regular metal ammo for both his Hullum and Luna & Shawcross. Jaune, after his first fire right as a beat cop, had made himself dust magazines. They were called dusters by most officers. You had to be specialized, licensed, and so on. His arsenal contained a mixture of red, blue, and silver dust. Red was fire, blue was ice. Silver was the more interesting one. When it shot, it would act as a normal bullet. But, if hit someone, it would instead shock and immobilize them. Knock out punch, was what people joked about. Silver dust had replaced the traditional taser, because it was flexible, easier to use, and had more range.

Jaune flicked the safeties off and called on his aura. He was one off the special ones to have it. It was a reason why he had been upgraded to detective so fast. Using aura, for non-hunters was rare. Everyone had aura. But, to actively pull it to the surface, to use it as protection, that took skill and training. He had never learned it in school or the academy. It was his partner who had taught him. His partner was a drop out from Beacon academy. It was why they had gotten along so well with each other. His goofiness, her sharpness, his empathy, her understanding, they complimented each other.

"Time to go" Jaune whispered to himself.

"On three? Or on Zero?"

Jaune chuckled. Their old joke. They watched old cop movies in the academy. They used them as a source of 'inspiration.' They would even make bets, while on the beat, if they would get caught in what kind of conspiracy. Jaune was on the winning side, though. He always had a better intuition.

He crept quietly past warehouses, eyeing the numbers painted on the walls. It wasn't a far walk, just about a five minute one. He needed to scope out, find a clue, take some pictures move on. He could get the warrant later. The chief wouldn't mind too much, as long as the case was bow wrapped for him to bring in front of the press. Methods, sometimes, were secondary to results.

It didn't take long to find the warehouse. It didn't stand out, but it wasn't conspicuous either. For one thing, its windows were tinted. Not standard procedure for warehouses. Also, there was a security lock on the door, not the standard one. This one had a keypad and scroll reader. The warehouses next to it only had a keypad. Jaune walked over to the lock. The scroll scanner was interesting. Every scroll contained RFID tags. They could be manipulated to create pass-codes for doors.

Luckily, the police anticipated these locks. Normally, he would have one of the geeks from cybercrime handle breaking and entering. But, he knew the value in cracking into an electronic lock. Jaune tapped through a couple tabs on his scroll, finding the application.

"Detective Jaune Arc, requesting crack." He spoke carefully. They had used this a couple times in their careers.

"Badge number" A robotic, feminine voice replied.

"2796" Jaune replied quietly. He watched as the scroll's screen flickered and blinked twice. Jaune felt his body tighten and shoulders twitch slightly. He felt and heard someone coming behind him. There were two set of footsteps, light One of them was wearing heels.

Jaune reached quietly for his smaller gun; he didn't want a firefight right now.

"Can I help you?" A feminine voice asked.

Eloquent. Haughty. Rich family background or arrogant, maybe both. But, the voice was familiar. Why? Jaune turned around slowly; he didn't remove his palm from the grip of his gun. Even in the dim light from the moon, he could make out his company clearly.

"Ah" Two voices said at the same time.

Jaune let his hand drop to the side. It was the girl he met this morning, Ruby. She was in a different attire. Red cape and hood, buckler, small skirt. She was armed, as well. He saw a large weapon attached to her back. They were here on business. Her partner, Jaune assumed, was actually someone he knew by reputation. Weiss Schnee. Jaune noted that the Schnee was also armed, a rapier at her side. But why were they here?

He didn't like coincidences.

"You know him?" Weiss asked Ruby. The red hooded girl nodded slowly.

"Yes." Ruby said carefully. "He paid for my drink this morning."

She was confused, or suspicious. Jaune understood. He was suspicious too.

Weiss turned back to Jaune; her eyes were lit up with authority. "I am Weiss Schnee. My father owns these warehouses. I would like to know why you are trespassing."

"An investigation." Jaune said. He knew they were huntresses. He even knew that they had a run in with the White Fang. It was on some of the reports. But, he didn't know why they were here at the exact time he was.

"Do you have a warrant?" She asked.

Jaune smiled. He couldn't help himself. They both knew he didn't. "Must have forgotten it in my other pants."

Ruby snorted. Weiss glared at her, before turning back to Jaune. "What investigation is this part of?"

Jaune sighed. He would get stone walled if he didn't throw them a bone. He might as well combine resources. Hunters, after all, were on the same side of the law as Cops. Jaune crossed his arms and leaned against the warehouse's doors. "Finish the name for me." Jaune smirked.

Weiss rolled her eyes. Ruby, on the other hand, was attentive. Good. She knew what was going on. And why he was going on the round about method. He couldn't give them information outright. That would be divulging information to a non involved party. Even though they were huntresses, they were effectively civilians right now.

"White..." Jaune started

"Fang." Ruby finished. She nodded slowly. Something morphed on her face. She was pulling together the pieces. She got the message. "We're here investigating the White fang as well." She chose her words carefully. "Will you help us?" This would make the partnership official, and legal.

As Jaune nodded, Weiss whipped her head around in shock. "Ruby, what are you-"

"Weiss." Ruby sighed. "He's a detective. He's on our side. Take help where we can." Ruby turned away and continued. "We discovered a discrepancy in the logs about some dust shipments."

Jaune raised an eye brow. "I thought the Schnee company had resolved the dust scandal?"

A few years back there was a huge debacle about a dust shortage. Torchwick, a world class criminal, had been hoarding it. Hunters and Police had coordinated to track down the missing dust and redistribute them. The Schnee company had been generous in their redistribution. It was mostly due to Weiss actually, which was why Jaune knew about her.

Weiss sighed heavily. "We did. But," She looked a the warehouse behind him. "We somehow had dust transferred here, but when they would be prepped to ship. Some of it would go missing. I didn't find out about it until last night." She glared at Jaune. " I was going to report it to Neptune and he could work with the police but-"

"Neptune. The guy that's part of the Hunter-Police relations?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "You know him?"

Jaune laughed. "No, Just by reputation." Jaune shook his head. "Well I'm here. And it doesn't get much better than me." Jaune's throat tightened. Actually, now the torch was held by him alone.

"Anyways" Ruby intervened quickly. "Why did you come here? Other than the white fang?"

Jaune held up the card he had taken from the crime scene. "A lead. A white fang member had been killed in cold blood." Jaune flicked the card to Ruby. "This was found in his hidden wardrobe."

Ruby gave one glance to the card, before handing it to Weiss. "Is this connected to other cases?"

Jaune smiled. She was good, sharp. There was a plethora of intelligence behind the bubbly facade. "Yes. I have been hunting down these string of murders for a while."

"It hasn't gone public?" Ruby asked.

Jaune shook his head. The chief wanted to keep it quiet. Even with an officer- "Not yet." Jaune swallowed. "It's gotten complicated" He gritted his teeth.

Blue eye stared into Silver eyes. Pain. Understanding.

"Weiss let's go inside." Ruby said.

"But-" Weiss started.

"Not now." Ruby shook her head. "We'll talk about this later. But we're wasting time right now. He's here to help and that is good enough for me."

Shoulders relaxed. Breath was released. Fists unclenched.

Jaune moved away from the warehouse and allowed Weiss to move forward. He watched as Weiss go through the motions of trying to open it. Ruby stood next to him.

"You okay?" Ruby asked

"We've only known each other for less than an hour. Already asking if I'm okay?" Jaune fired back.

"Doesn't take a close friend to see you're hurting."

Silent.

"Thanks for asking." Jaune whispered.

Weiss huffed loudly. "This isn't the standard lock."

Jaune rolled his eyes. "Yes. It isn't. Can I have your permission to open it?"

Weiss nodded and stood back. Jaune raised his pistol and fired once. The metal lock exploded in a eruption of sparks, metal and wires. Weiss grumbled under her breath about repairs and costs. Ruby moved past her and opened the door quickly. She had her weapon out and pointed inside. It was a large gun, but Jaune saw the blade collapsed inside.

Jaune pulled out his combat pistol and turned the flashlight on the under barrel. The bright light flashed into the warehouse, illuminating it.

"You said dust was stored here right?" Jaune asked.

Weiss stepped in slowly, her rapier out. "Yeah." She whispered; her voice filled with shock. "But, how is this even-"

Jaune looked around at the rows of weapons and mechs. This was a weapon storage. Jaune looked quickly over. There was rows of assault rifles, heavy weapons, armor, and even a Paladin. Dozens of mechs, in their containment boxes, lined the wall. This was not good. Some of these were military grade. While some of them were clearly old; the fact that these were even here was frightening. Someone had done this under their noses.

It also connected to the theory he had been tracking down.

Jaune walked carefully into the room. He swept the top floor with his gun. If the murderer had been to this warehouse, there could be evidence. Weiss was sweeping through the room. Her scroll out, taking video of each of the weapons. It was a good idea, keeping track of initial evidence. The furious look on her face told him there would be hell to pay for her security team.

Ruby was looking curiously at the mechs. "these look like military mechs. The one from Ironwood's division."

Ironwood? The one from Atlas? "You think he-"

Ruby shook her head, as she turned to him. "No, It's just that. He was complaining-"

Jaune froze as he saw the mechs activate behind them. Their visors glowed red, indicating they had found hostiles. Jaune raised his gun quickly. "Down!" He roared. He fired off around, shooting the mech behind Ruby. She rolled to the side, collapsing her weapon. Jaune stepped forward, firing at the other mechs as he did so.

Ruby stood up, and started firing as well. She stood back to back to him. Weiss had jumped up to the upper floor, dealing with the mechs, who were trying to snipe them. Jaune felt Ruby shift on her side and spin. Jaune knelt down to one knee, as Ruby's scythe swung over his head. He kept firing at the approaching mechs. He pulled his second pistol, with his other hand and started firing. A mech jumped up to slash at Ruby. Jaune fired it's head off. A mech tried to shoot Jaune. Ruby fired a bullet and caved in its chest.

It only took a few more minutes of dancing in concert. They eliminated the rest of the mechs. Jaune panted as he reloaded his pistols. He was running low on bullets. He walked over to the rack of guns and grabbed an assault rifle. He grabbed a row of magazines and stuffed them into his pocket. He started putting on the armor, as Weiss returned to join them.

"What the hell was that?" She breathed out.

Ruby shook her head. "We're being watched. Or we tripped an alarm." The two girls started to discuss what was going on.

Jaune nodded. He looked over the destroyed mechs. They could be activated remotely. But, the timing was too convenient. That meant the attacker had to be close. Did that mean he was in the room with them? But, they had cased the entire room. Where the hell-

"Oh shit." Jaune murmured. He looked up and saw the Paladin start to shift. The guns pointed at the unsuspecting huntresses. "Watch out" Jaune roared as he dashed towards them.

"Reach within yourself. It's sort of like a liquid or a core. Grasp it. Pull it forward. Let it fill you."

Jaune glowed white as he dove in front of the huntresses.

He was walking quietly down the street. She was by his side. They talked quietly. They laughed as they joked about their next vacation. She wanted to return home for a bit. Jaune had agreed to go with her, meet her family and all that jazz. He looked over and smiled. She smiled back, softly, like she always did. They were investigating a crime syndicate. The cases were linked. They agreed that it was connected to the White Fang. It was the only organization large enough to pull off the crimes they were investigating.

Then they heard it. They felt it. He tried to catch her. She fell. He wasn't fast enough.

Not this time.

Jaune roared as he let his semblance take over. He never had used this much aura before. Being a cop, made his aura use a rare ability. A stray thought crossed his mind. He really would need to practice using his aura. Since, she was gone. Maybe, Ruby could help him with it.

And then he felt the pain. The cannon fire rammed into his back and the aftershocks pushed them all back. They flew out the warehouse. Jaune felt small hands wrap around his back, and a small chest press against his. He didn't hit the ground. Ruby had caught him.

"It's getting away." Ruby yelled to Weiss.

"We can't catch up with Jaune down."

No. They couldn't give up here. He had lost too much to just stop here. Jaune swallowed the blood in his throat and reached into his pocket. He ignored the strain in his muscles. "Car." Jaune coughed out. Jaune took out his keys and threw them to Weiss. Weiss caught them and nodded. "Over by warehouse 3?"

Jaune nodded. Ruby turned him around, allowing him to lean on her. They made a mad dash to his car; Jaune's body screamed in agony as they did so. He could hear the Paladin stomp away. They dove into the car and Weiss started the engine. She raced after the paladin, and drove it expertly. Funny. The heiress knew how to drive fast. He watched as Weiss expertly shifted gears and drove. He noted that Ruby had found his first aid kit and had ripped open his shirt. Not even the first date. Jaune chuckled at his delirious thought. Fuck, he was losing it. He needed to warn everyone else.

"Scroll" Jaune coughed out.

Ruby paused from her efforts to stop his bleeding, and grabbed his scroll. She lifted it towards Jaune's mouth.

"Detective Jaune." he coughed out. "Badge 2796. Emergency Black Alpha Zulu-" He coughed out blood this time. "Oh, Eight." Jaune finished. He leaned back as the phone beeped twice.

His scroll clicked on. "Jaune." The Chief's voice filled the car. "What the hell is going on."

"This is Ruby Rose" Ruby said. She placed his scroll to the side and continued to bandage Jaune. "I am a Huntress. Detective Jaune is hurt. We were chasing down a lead at the Schnee warehouses. We were attacked by a Paladin Mark V. The newer model." She explained. "We are in pursuit and heading towards downtown. We are requesting a lockdown and backup."

A hard voice answered. "Understood. Keep Arc alive, Miss Rose. I won't be losing another officer." The chief hung up.

Jaune closed his eyes. He felt a needle being pressed into his vein and a chemical being injected. Jaune opened his eyes slowly. The pain started to fade. The painkillers were really effective. Jaune blinked as he saw something in front of him. Red hair. Kind smile.

No.

Blood dripping from her lips.

No.

A weak smile.

No.

A whisper. "Be-"

"Jaune!"

Jaune inhaled sharply. He looked into silver eyes and green eyes dissipated like smoke. Jaune blinked slowly. Ruby grasped his shoulders; a worried looked marred her pretty face.

"You with me?"

Jaune nodded. "Yeah." His voice hoarse. He swallowed, sitting up. "Yeah." He said a bit stronger this time.

Ruby stared at him, but then sat down next to him. Weiss was pulling of a couple turns, getting around crashed cars. They were gaining on the Paladin, but making slow progress. Jaune saw a police helicopter shine its beacon on the paladin.

"You were murmuring a name." Ruby whispered.

Jaune didn't say anything. He knew he had been calling out for. "My partner. She was murdered on the job."

Ruby stiffened next to him. "I'm sorry. So this morning, you were coming out of an extended leave."

"Not exactly" Jaune chuckled bitterly. "She died five days ago."

The car was silent. Ruby didn't say anything. She reached over and wrapped Jaune in a hug. Jaune felt his arms move and return the hug. He looked towards the window. He saw phantom of red hair and green eyes. He tried to erase it.

She was still bleeding. Shit shit shit. Jaune carried her in his arms as he raced through the streets. He jumped over cars and kept on running. His leg was bleeding with a bullet still lodged in it, but he didn't give a damn.

"Almost there." He whispered. "Almost there. Hang on."

There it was the glowing red sign of the hospital. He raced forward, bursting through the doors.

"Doctor now!" He roared. The lobby burst with activity as he ran in. Nurses on phones. People gasping and screaming. Blood pooled on the floor. He didn't care. Enough, blood had stained his shirt. He gently let her down.

"You're going to be okay." He said. He brushed his red stained hand through her red hair. He tried to smile. Blood smeared her paling skin. "You'll be okay" His voice cracked.

She smiled back. Kind. Gentle. Like always. Her green eyes glimmered. She reached up slowly. She brushed his cheek. He grasped her hand.

"Be-" She whispered. Her hand fell limp.

What.

No.

She wasn't breathing.

Silent.

Her eyes were closed.

Gone.

He grabbed her.

Alone.

Holding her close.

Guilt.

He rocked back and forth.

Screaming.

"We're approaching." Weiss said quietly.

Jaune's eyes snapped up to the paladin. Cop cars were following it now, firing as it did so. He watched as they tried to contain it, but failed. The newer model of the paladin was extremely resilient. It was designed for war. However, it was facing the entire police force of Vale. The pilot knew his run wouldn't last long. The missle banks on its shoulders opened up.

"Oh shit." Jaune cursed.

Rockets spewed upwards and outwards. Ruby jumped out of the car and started firing some miscles down. Jaune watched as other hunters and huntresses show and and attack the paladin. Weiss parked to the side and exited the car. She dashed to help Ruby. Jaune could only watch as the police and hunters tried to battle the war machine. His body felt like lead. He watched as the Paladin was shot, battered, slashed, and pushed into a corner.

Wait. A corner. That didn't make sense. Why would the pilot run to a dead zone? Jaune knew that the criminal was intelligent. They had been chasing the perp for several months. Why back yourself into a corner? Unless...

"It's a distraction." Soft voice. Soothing. He turned and saw her. Red hair tied up in a pony tail. Her weapons on her back.

Jaune nodded. "Yeah. But, when did he get off?"

"Probably during the explosions."

"We need to tell Ruby." Jaune struggled, as he limped out of the car.

"They're too distracted" She said. "We need to figure it out on our own."

"Ok." Jaune turned and searched the area. The painkillers were dulling the pain, but his body felt stiff. He saw a broken door a couple blocks back. There were burning cars, smoking craters, and crumbling debris everywhere. But, this door had been broken from the outside, and there was no debris. There was no way the shock wave would have open the door like that.

Jaune limped towards the door, taking out the assault rifle. He had to be careful. He was still injured. But, at least he had back up. Jaune slid into the building. The lights were on. It was moslty a long corridor with stairs to the side. An apartment complex. The doors were all locked shot, and none of them seemed to be open. The people were probably told to stay inside.

They moved forward, together. He clicked the safety off on his rifle. He checked the stairs. He looked down and saw a bit of dirt on the stairs. Fresh. Maybe rubble. Most likely the pilot. Jaune walked carefully upwards, step by step. She led the way. She turned the corner.

Jaune followed after her. Suddenly, fist met his face. Jaune tumbled backwards, rolling to his feet. A kick soared towards his chest. Jaune spun away from it, parrying with the stock of his rifle. He remembered the other murders. A gunshot rung out from the bottom of the boot. Jaune tackled. He arms were slapped down. Jaune tried to step back. He felt a knee hit his stomach and send him into the wall.

His vision became blurry. He felt weak.

"My, my, my. Aren't you a sight to see. I thought you wouldn't be back so soon. Mr. Arc."

Jaune blinked rapidly. He focused on a silver haired man, wearing a dark coat. A young face. His boots were metal with guns attached to the soles. He fit some of the descriptions they had received.

Jaune spat blood on the man's boot. It was all he could do. The man laughed. He gripped Jaune's hair and pulled down. Jaune felt a flash of hot pain and his mind go blank. Fresh blood coated the man's knee. Jaune coughed to the side. His breath hampered.

"get up"

Jaune tried to stand. He tried to fight back. He couldn't.

"You know." The man laughed. "I followed your progress. You were so close. You and that pretty little red head. You were good. Almost caught onto me a couple times."

"Come on. He's right there. We can do this."

"But, you came too close." He smirked. "It's why I had to put a bullet in that partner of yours."

Flame filled Jaune's veins. Jaune roared and charged forward. He reached for the man's throat. His hands were caught. Stopped just before he could squeeze the life out of the man. He lost his breath. Another knee to the stomach. His legs shook. His knees felt weak. He refused to fall.

"Well you earned a special reward before you die." The man smirked. He let go of one of Jaune's arm and hooked Jaune in the jaw. Jaune fell too his knees, legs giving out. The detective was only being held up by the man.

"My name is Mercury. Take that name to your grave. Would you?" Mercury laughed again.

"Come on. Do something. You're a detective. You didn't come all this way to die!"

Jaune thought about it. He had only become a detective because he couldn't become a hunter. But, really. He just wanted to live up to expectations. When he failed that, he decided to do something that he wanted. He forged his own path. He had climbed the ranks. He had trained. He made his own legacy. Not because of some long tradition. Not because of some expectation. Not because it was cool or romantic.

It's because he wanted to.

Jaune took a breath.

Just like you taught me.

He reached for it. He reached for his goal.

He punched upwards. Mercury was thrown back into the opposite wall, leaving a dent in the wall. Jaune stood up slowly. His aura surrounded him, flowing around him.

"W-what the hell!" mercury shouted. "You have a semblance. Only hunters-"

Jaune smiled. Sweat and blood dripping down his face. White light whipping around him. Two souls within him.

"What can I say?" Jaune chuckled, gripping his fists. "I was taught by the best."

Jaune charged forward and struck. He struck, punched and pummeled. Mercury dodged out of the way, blocking and weaving. Jaune chased after him. Finally, Mercury leaped backwards, reaching into his pcoket.

"Well it seems I've underestimated you." He threw a cylinder tube at Jaune. "See you later then."

Jaune covered his face as a bright flash filled the corridor. Jaune blinked rapidly trying to figure out where Mercury had gone. The criminal had disappeared. He should go after him. Jaune heard the explosions around him. It seems the Paladin was still running amok. That wasn't good. But, he still needed to chase after Mercury. He started to walk forward. This why he became a detective. To stop people like him. To bring these bastards to justice. That was why? Wasn't it? But, something held him back.

Why did you want to become a detective? A question from a red haired girl.

Help people.

"No! Chase after him." Green eyes flashed in desperation. "He killed me. Stop him!"

I like helping people too.

"You just met her. You've known me for years. Why!"

Jaune stopped. He stared at her. Red hair tied in a pony tail. Dazzling green eyes. A white button up shirt. Black slacks. A brown belt. Detective badge hung proudly on her belt. Just like he remembered. But, not exactly.

"I-" Jaune swallowed. "I always wondered about the last words you told me."

"This isn't the time."

Jaune shook his head. "No. that's not what she would say. That's what I want. Not what she wanted. I know you. You made me who I am today. Your final words. "

The phantom was silent. It stared at him.

"What did I say?" it asked.

Jaune held her body close to him. She was so light, so fragile. His hands were sticky from the blood. She leaned forward, whispering so quietly. He burned her words into his memory.

"You said." Jaune smiled; his voice cracked. "Be happy."

Jaune coughed. The painkillers were wearing off. "I keep thinking back to them. Be happy." Jaune shook his head. "I don't know how that ends. I don't think I know how it'll ever ease the pain of you not being here. But, I do know the first step." Jaune stared into green eyes and remembered silver ones.

Jaune felt his voice steady. "The first thing I need to do to is move forward. Even if that means leaving you."

She smiled at him.

Jaune turned towards the stairs. He paused, looking back at the fading image of his partner.

"Good bye, Pyrrha."

The fight to stop the automated Paladin was messy. The combination of hunters and cops saved the day. And in the end, there were only injuries, no fatal casualties.

Jaune was sitting down in an open ambulance. He had a warm blanket wrapped around him, and wounds had been bandaged up. He didn't tell anyone about Mercury, not yet. He would put it in his report later. He watched as Hunters and Cops talked to each other freely.

It really didn't matter what profession they were. They all did the same basic thing. Protect and serve.

Jaune smiled as he saw Adrian talk to Weiss and a blue haired man, who he assumed was Neptune.

"Hey." A small voice called him.

Jaune looked over and stared into silver eyes. "Hey."

Ruby sat down next to him, looking out into the aftermath.

"Busy night." Ruby said.

"Yeah." Jaune agreed.

"You-" Ruby blinked. "You seem different."

Jaune turned. He didn't see green eyes. Jaune smiled. "I got some closure."

Ruby simply smiled. She gave a small quiet, tiny, kind, smile. "That's good.

Jaune turned back to see the Chief arriving on scene. He was ordering people around and coordinating with some Man with a cane and coffee cup.

"Now I'm just wondering what the hell I'm going to do."

Ruby shrugged. "Got no advice for you there, Mr. Detective."

Jaune chuckled. It was a geniune chuckle. He looked back at the huntress. Be happy. Maybe one day. But for now...

Jaune coughed and swallowed. "Ruby we should go over the case."

Ruby tilted her head at the sudden change in topics. "Alright. Do you want to do it at the station or something?" She asked.

Jaune rubbed the back of his head ."Well, I was thinking about a small coffee shop down the street." Jaune checked his watch. The sun was peeking out over the horizen. "It's got fresh donuts right now."

"Won't your boss yell at you."Ruby nodded to the Chief. She had a smile on her face.

" I think he'll let me slide this time." Jaune winked. He took out the earing in his pocket. It wasn't heavy anymore. He set it to the side.

"Well, I don't think Weiss will mind" Ruby giggled. She stood up and held out a hand. Jaune grasped it and pulled himself up.

They walked together, hand in hand.

Many people call my stories dark. I like to think of them as hopeful.

And yes, that includes To the Socially awkward.

Themes:

I wanted to draw parallels between protectors of citizens. I like police officers. I think what they do is awesome and cool. I wanted to give them a bit of a highlight. I also thought the premise was an interesting take an alternative Jaune Arc.

I also wanted to deal with Grief. Because of... You know. This is highlighted when I have Jaune have hallucinations. He has not properly dealt with his grief. There are very specific times I use They. Hint: Ruby scenes never has the word, 'they', accentuated or italicized.

The romance is light on this one, because it's not the main focus. I don't feel like people who just met each other would go all lovey dovey. But, they can certainly leave good impressions on each other.

I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you all enjoy RWBY season 3.