Alright, so, a while back I posted a story under the title, 'To Better (K)nights'. The basis for the story was the typical 'Jaune gets expelled from Beacon' direction and some people actually liked it. However, shortly after I put another chapter explaining that I didn't want to write the story because of a few reasons.

The main reason being that I felt that the RWBY-verse didn't have an excess of characters outside of the main cast. That being the case, I didn't want to write a story that had to rely on a plethora of OCs, even if a few would be used only once.

However! After thinking about it some more, I've decided to give it a shot again. I don't know how long it would be and I where it would end, but I'm hoping that you enjoy the story regardless. Anyway, here's…

To Better (K)nights.

Jaune sighed as he opened his eyes and let out a sigh. Five days. It had only been five days since his expulsion from Beacon and since then he's done nothing but stay in his temporary dorm.

'And here I thought things would work themselves out in the end.' The blonde thought as he continued to look at the ceiling above him. 'Looks like I wasn't cut out to be a Huntsman after all…I bet Rouge's just aching to rub that into my face' The blonde let out a sigh at that thought before he let the events, that had led up to his current situation, replay in his mind.

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"I got my hands on some fake transcripts and lied." Jaune said, turning back to Pyrrha to see her looking at him in shock. Seeing that his partner wasn't going to speak, Jaune let out a sigh before hanging his head and turning around. "This is what I've always wanted to be…a hero…" The blonde mumbled out. After a moment of silence, Jaune didn't bother to turn around when he heard his partner walk away.

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'I guess I should've explained myself a bit more to Pyrrha.' Jaune thought, a frown growing his face as he remembered the distance that grew between him and his partner. At first it was minor things, such as avoiding eye contact before it escalated to avoiding conversations until they were nothing more than associates. 'That's not mentioning Cardin and the problems he brought with him.' The blonde couldn't help flinch at the memories of Cardin's 'support'.

The leader of Team Cardinal had used Jaune's fake transcripts as blackmail and had forced the blonde to do or join him in shameful acts. Of course, Nora and Ren had tried to offer help to the blonde, but Pyrrha had managed to convince them that Jaune had things under control. Whether it was to help Jaune or punish him, the blonde couldn't tell you.

'I'm just glad that I managed to sort things out.' The blonde said, the events at Forever Fall coming to front of his mind.

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Jaune was breathing heavily as he pointed his sword towards Cardin, the mace wielder on the ground with a black eye. After refusing to throw a jar of red syrup at Pyrrha, Cardin had threatened to reveal Jaune's transcripts, only to be met with a punch by Jaune. The resulting fight was heavily stacked against Jaune, but the blonde had managed to beat said odds and take down Cardin. The rest of Cardin's team had left in order to give their leader some space and to deter anyone that was nearby.

"I don't care what happens to me…but stay away from my friends." The blonde said, sheathing his sword and walking away.

"I'll make you regret this, Arc." Cardin said, getting Jaune to roll his eyes as he made his back to the others.

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"And now here I am." Jaune mumbled, rolling onto his side. If Jaune was honest with himself, he thought that things would return to normal. Unfortunately, Fate had decided to play against him and, as if to spite him, made sure he and Pyrrha's relationship would never be repaired. If that wasn't enough, Goodwitch had also learned of his and Cardin's fight within the forest, forcing the two to serve detention. And then…

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"Enter." Letting out a sigh, Jaune exited the elevator that led to the bottom of Beacon Tower. In front of him were Professor Goodwitch and Ozpin, the blonde narrowing her eyes at the sigh of him while Ozpin simply looked at him over the rim of his cup.

"Is there something I can help you with, Headmaster?" Jaune said, his gut telling him that this wasn't just a simple check-in.

"Mr. Arc, I need you to take a seat." Ozpin said, getting Jaune to clench his jaw before he looked at the chair only avaliable.

"If it's alright with you sir…I think it's best that I stand." Jaune said, doing his best to remain calm as the Headmaster nodded. For the next five minutes, no words were exchanged between the three, only the sound of gears grinding against one another was heard. "May I ask what this is about?" Jaune asked, breaking the silence. Seeing Ozpin close his eyes and exhale, the blonde felt his anxiety build up.

"Mr. Arc…it has come to our attention, through an anonymous source, that you've been harboring a secret. Do happen to know what it is?" Ozpin asked, catching Jaune's attention.

"Hard to say sir, everyone is entitled to secrets, aren't they?" Jaune asked, getting Ozpin to nod his head in agreement.

"Perhaps…however," Ozpin said, taking a sip from his mug before continuing. "this secret is potentially life threatening." Jaune clenched his jaw tighter as Ozpin took another sip and motioned towards Goodwitch. Without a word, the older blonde had laid a large scroll on Ozpin's desk before pushing it towards Jaune. Jaune didn't bother looking at the scroll, getting the blonde to narrow her eyes again. "It has come to our attention that you have submitted falsified transcripts. Do you deny this accusation?"

"No, sir." Jaune said, getting both the Headmaster and blonde professor to widen their eyes in surprise. "I had submitted fake transcripts to Beacon."

"I see…" Ozpin said, closing his before he let out a heavy sigh. "You do know this means that you will likely be expelled." The Headmaster said, getting Jaune to clench his fist before nodding. Silence had filled the room again, however, the grinding gears had mysteriously become muted to the three before Ozpin let out another sigh. "Mr. Arc, as of this moment…you are hereby expelled from Beacon. You have one week to gather your things and leave campus grounds."

"I understand sir." Jaune said, lowering his head as he headed back to the elevator. "Thank you…for letting me in though." Jaune said, giving the two a half-smile before the elevator doors closed.

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Things had ended there for the blonde and, before the day had even finished, news of his forged transcripts had spread quickly. The only good thing Jaune was thankful for was the fact that Ozpin had promised to keep his expulsion a secret from the rest of the school until he actually left. The only problem Jaune had to deal with were the rest of the first years practically abandoning him.

"It was bad enough that I couldn't walk around without being harassed…" Jaune said, sitting up and stretching. He did try to go walk around academy grounds, but that resulted in him being picked on and insulted. "…but not even my 'friends' wouldn't visit me." Jaune said running a hand through his hair.

He wasn't too surprised when practically every one of his friends had turned their backs on him. Yang and Weiss had threatened to send him to a hospital if he ever came near them or Ruby while Blake, Pyrrha and Ren had avoided him entirely. Surprisingly, students in their third or final year taken a shine to him, many offering a place for him to stay. At first Jaune had declined, but when Cardin had upped his bullying, he quickly took them up on their offers.

Of course, Goodwitch as caught on quickly and had moved Jaune to his own private dorm where he could stay for rest of the week. She had also informed him that he was no longer required to attend classes and was welcome to use the time to prepare for his departure. However, that didn't stop Port, Oobleck and even Professor Peach from visiting and giving the blonde a private lesson.

Oobleck's lessons had remained the same, focusing on history and past battles that shaped Remnant into what it was. Jaune, in turn, had told Oobleck a few stories about his family, mainly ones that were passed down through old tales, giving the professor a history lesson or two of his own.

Port's lessons were similar to his original class, giving Jaune some tips and pointers about certain Grimm. However, unlike in class, where the man liked to regale the students with stories of said Grimm, Jaune had gotten straight to the point weaknesses. The boastful professor had also decided to give Jaune a simple training regimen, one that could be tweaked to help him improve even after he left Beacon.

Peach's lessons actually consisted of Huntsman Laws and Regulations. Of course, while Jaune had gotten lost on a few concepts, and thought that they were kind of pointless, the professor had insisted that Jaune learn about them.

The three professors weren't Jaune's only visitors though, as Nora and Ruby had come by and ask for forgiveness. Jaune was quick forgive the two girls and let them visit his room until he left. That was almost taken away from him when Yang and Weiss had come by and tried to force Ruby to leave Jaune. The result was Ruby being pushed over the edge and fighting back, putting the two older girls in their place with words alone while Nora promised to properly introduce them to Magnhild.

The two had left him alone since.

'Well…It's not like I have anything better to do. I might as well so some exercises while I wait for someone else to come by,' thought Jaune as he got up from his bed and began to exercise. It was nothing strenuous, just some stretching and basic exercises. The blonde was only halfway done with his push-ups before a voice made him stop.

"Nice to see you training, fearless leader." the voice called out, making Jaune and look up to see Nora standing in his doorway. The smile that Jaune had on his face had quickly disappeared when he saw Nora enter his room and reveal Pyrrha behind her. Narrowing his eyes, Jaune immediately got to his feet and crossed his arms, his actions getting the redhead to frown a bit.

"What are you doing here?" The blonde said, hoping his voice sounded cold. Whether it was or not, the blonde saw Pyrrha tense up before she let out a sigh and looked down.

"I came here to talk." The redhead said, getting Jaune to raise an eyebrow. "Mind if I-" Seeing Pyrrha take a step forward, Jaune decided to lay down a line.

"The door's as good a place as any." The blonde cut off, getting Pyrrha to stop and look at him. "I don't mind Nora coming in since she's been doing that for the last few days. Whatever you want to say, you can say it from there." If it were any time before their separation, Jaune would've felt bad for what he said. However, since he was technically no longer a student at Beacon, he couldn't bring himself to care about how he treated his former partner. "Well?" Jaune asked, getting annoyed that Pyrrha had yet to say anything else.

"I'm sorry…" The redhead said, getting Jaune to blink. "…I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you. You were in trouble, and I did nothing but step aside and let you sort everything out." Pyrrha said, letting out a quick sigh. "I should've been there to help you out with Cardin. I have no right to ask for forgiveness, but…I wanted talk to you."

"My, how touching." A second voice said, getting Pyrrha to jump before the redhead turned around and was greeted to a woman in a lab coat standing behind her with a large duffle bag. "It's good to keep relations between one another stable." The woman continued, lowering her glasses to look at the redhead. "But if you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with Mr. Arc…alone."

"Of course, Professor Peach." Pyrrha said before began to walk away, stopping to give Nora a questionable look. "Nora? Are you coming?"

"Can Nora stay?" Jaune said, getting everyone to look at her. "She's a good friend, and I want her to know what's happening." The woman took a second to look at Nora before she nodded, looking to Pyrrha and waiting for her to leave. The redhead had a look of betrayal on her face as she continued to walk out of the room.

"You alright?" The professor asked when she was sure that Pyrrha was gone.

"No serious injuries." Jaune joked, getting the woman to smirk before she fixed her glasses. "Is something wrong professor?"

"Nothing to drastic I assure you, Mr. Arc," the professor said, looking over her shoulder before looking back at Jaune, "However, Bartholomew, Peter and I have been talking. And we were wondering what you're going to do when you leave Beacon." At that, Jaune took in a deep breath before sitting back on his head.

"Honestly? I don't know." The blonde revealed. "I mean, the best I can think of is just…going back to my family and starting a life as a farmer." At that, Nora cast a worried look towards Jaune.

"Wait! What's going on?" The ginger asked, switching her attention between Jaune and Professor Peach.

"You haven't told anyone?" Professor Peach asked, getting Jaune to shake his head, "I see. Ms. Valkyrie," the woman said, getting Nora to look at her. "Due to circumstances surrounding Mr. Arc's transcripts, Professor Ozpin had decided that the best course of action was to expel Mr. Arc."

"What!?" Nora shouted, looking at Jaune to see him lower his head. "You're leaving!?" Seeing her worried face, Jaune only winced before nodding.

"…yeah." Was all Jaune said before Nora began to rant about how he couldn't just leave. Fortunately for Jaune, Professor Peach was there to rein in Nora and explained everything to her. Surprisingly, the hyperactive ginger had calmed down and listened to the professor's explanation. As soon as the professor had finished, Nora went silent before leaving the room, saying that she needed some time alone. The professor raised an eyebrow before sighing. Jaune would've joined her, but his attention was drawn to the object the professor had pulled out from her pocket, which was currently flying towards him. Reacting quickly, the blonde caught the object and looked at it see that it was a new scroll.

"What's this for?" The blonde asked, looking back at woman.

"A going away gift." The professor said, "I'll be honest with you Mr. Arc, Bartholomew, Peter and I do not agree with your expulsion. In fact, we believe that you have great potential, enough to overshadow your former classmates." Jaune couldn't help but blink at the professor's words. "If you take a minute to look at your progression, then you'll see that in just a few months, you've not only managed to keep up with students who have been studying for longer, but you've managed to become a team leader."

"Yeah, well…" Jaune said, rubbing the back of his head as his face began to heat up. "…it still doesn't change the fact that I did this all because I wanted to become a hero."

"That may be true, however, you should remember this: Those who lived a life as themselves are better than those who lived a life based on a lie." Professor Peach said, getting Jaune to lower his head. "It is true that you lied to get into Beacon, but at the very least, you did so wanting to be what you wanted. So, tell me…" The woman said, getting Jaune to look at her. "…would you have been the same if you didn't want to become a Hero?"

"No, I guess not." Jaune said after a minute of thinking it over. Giving the woman a smile, Jaune's attention was focused on the duffel bag that still on the professor's shoulder. "By the way, what's with the duffel bag? Is Professor Port going to capture more Grimm?"

"I hope not." The Professor said as she shifted the bag into her arms, "These are just some more gifts from you." Peach said, casually tossing the bag onto Jaune's bed. "If you still want to pursue being a hero, then I suggest that you head to a shop called 'Lady Fyre's' after you get into Vale. The owner is a good friend of mine and I called to let her know that you'll be dropping by." Jaune took a second to look at the duffel bag before focusing on the scroll in his hands. "And before you leave Mr. Arc, I suggest that you leave a message to your friends."

Jaune simply gave the woman a nod before she turned around and walked away, closing the door in the process. Jaune stayed where he was for a few more minutes before letting out a sigh, the pieces of a puzzle, hidden over the past three days, finally falling into place.

"Looks like I should get ready." Jaune said, pulling out his scroll and switching his attention to the new one he had received and the one he was currently using.

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Jaune sighed as he looked around the halls of Beacon and the school grounds of the campus from his window. He didn't get a visit from anyone else aside from Port and Oobleck, the two of handing Jaune something they though would help before reminding him that he has their numbers.

Looking at the clock and seeing it nearing ten, Jaune began to switch out his old clothes, replacing his old Pumpkin Pete Hoodie with a plain black one that had on a few plates of armor. After getting it on, Jaune took a look in the mirror and smiled when he realized that the plates of armor made it look like he was still wearing his old one. Nodding at the change, the blonde switched out his jeans with a pair of black military pants as well as switching his converse shoes with combat boots.

As the blonde finished changing his clothes, he took a second to look at his bed, where Crocea Mors and his armor were currently resting. Feeling a set of tears building up, Jaune took a second to rub his eyes before he pulled out his old scroll and toss it onto the bed next to the weapon and armor. Giving himself a quick look over, the blonde nodded to his reflection before he pulled up his hood and grabbed his duffel bag before making his way to the door.

Without wasting time, the blonde entered the hallway and immediately headed straight for the airships, the last one leaving in a few minutes. As the blonde made his way through the halls of Beacon, he couldn't help but notice the lack of students. Despite being an academy, there was no actual curfew and students were forced to rely on themselves or their team for everything aside from lessons.

Once the blonde had made it through the doors, he took a second to look around, feeling a wave of nausea wash over him when he saw the empty school grounds. Shaking his head, Jaune continued on, his destination being the small glow across the large avenue. As the blonde closed in on the large statue, the sound of footsteps running towards him made him stop and look back just in time to get knocked over. As the blonde tried to gather his thoughts and figure out what happened, a voice made him tense up.

"Jaune?" Looking down, Jaune was greeted to a pair of amber eyes looking at him. What made Jaune curious was the fact that Blake looked like she was on the verge of crying. Without thinking Jaune looked around for the rest of the girl's team before he helped her up and led her to the airships, buying the two of them a ticket before boarding. As the airship began leaving the docks of Beacon, Jaune decided to speak up.

"I'm guessing you and your team got into a fight?" The blonde asked, looking away when Blake turned to him.

"Yeah…something like that…" Blake said, getting Jaune to nod before he looked out the window. As he saw the lights of Beacon grow further and further away, the blonde couldn't help but let a few tears fall before a single thought passed through his mind.

'Now what?'

And thus, the story kicks off. This beginning chapter is relatively the same as the first time but has a few changes to it. The direction of the story is the same, but I made a few tweaks to, hopefully, make it better. I do understand that Jaune did go a little OOC near the end, but I felt that was the best way for me to write him as.

I hope you enjoy and until next time, see ya!