Hey guys, this is AnimeFan299110, coming to you with the newest fandom story in my lineup. I wanted to make an AU Dragon Slayer fic because there are so few out there and I feel that with what has happened between these two blondes, they could help each other heal.

As per usual, I do not own the rights to RWBY, its characters, or locations. They are all owned by the good folks at Rooster Teeth and, of course, the great and powerful Monty Oum. Wherever you are, Monty, this is my way of saying thanks for creating such an amazing show.

Jaune Arc sat on the edge of his bed staring down at the ground with a sullen look on his face. It had been a few months since Beacon Academy had been attacked by Grimm and the once prestigious school fell to Cinder Fall and her gang of cronies. Many people, including some of their classmates, survived and escaped, but others were brutally killed by those horrid beasts. Jaune, along with his teammates Nora and Ren, were able to escape and ended up at the house of Taiyang Xiao Long, Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose's father.

Both teams suffered heavy losses that day; Yang lost an arm trying to save her teammate Blake from Adam Taurus, leader of the White Fang and Blake's ex-boyfriend. Weiss' father picked her up to take her back to their home in Atlas and Blake had run off after the battle.

As for Jaune, Nora, and Ren, they had perhaps suffered the greatest loss of all: a comrade. Pyrrha Nikos was a skilled fighter and tactician who had graduated at the top of her class at Sanctum Academy. She had also won the Mistral Regional Tournament four years in a row. Sadly, however, she was killed by Cinder after she had kissed Jaune and sent him flying toward the city of Vale in a locker.

A wave of emotions had stirred inside him after what had happened; some of which included shock, sadness, remorse, and confusion. However, the one dominant emotion that had been stirring inside Jaune ever since that day was anger. He was angry at Ozpin and his associates for putting Pyrrha's life at risk. He was angry at General Ironwood for questioning Ozpin and relying heavily on advanced robots that would eventually turn on the people of Vale. He was even angry at Pyrrha, though he was more frustrated than angry, for the fact that she believed it was her duty to take on Cinder even though it was a pointless battle.

But the one person he was angry at the most was himself. He was angry for the fact that he had failed to keep one of his teammates safe. He was angry that he couldn't do more to ward off the Grimm. And, of course, he was angry at the fact that he had completely ignored Pyrrha's hints indicating that she liked him. He had spent so much wasted time trying to hook up with Weiss that he couldn't see what was right in front of him. If he hadn't been so clueless and had actually picked up on Pyrrha admitting that she liked him, maybe they could have had time to spend together as a couple. Fate, it seems, had other ideas.

"Jaune?" A familiar monotone voice asked, snapping Jaune from his thoughts. He looked up to see Nora and Ren staring at him with concern. Jaune also noticed that they both were carrying their travel packs along with a rolled-up mattress pad.

"Hey, guys." Jaune said casually as he tried to put on a smile. "Are you guys going somewhere?"

"Yes we are." Ren said. "We're going to Mistral with Ruby to try and reach Haven Academy. We'll be leaving soon."

"Yepper!" Nora said in a chipper voice. "So let's get you packin'!" Immediately, she raced around the room grabbing whatever she could find and began stuffing it all into Jaune's personal travel pack.

As Nora continued her comedic method of packing, Jaune felt torn. On one hand, it was essential to get to Mistral and Haven to try and find out anything that might help defeat Cinder and her cronies. But then again, he felt as though he didn't deserve the privilege of going on this journey. One of his own teammates had died on his watch; he wasn't even sure he deserved to be a leader, let alone a huntsman.

"Actually," Jaune said, "I don't think I'll be going with you."

At this, Nora stopped moving with one foot in the air while holding onto Crocea Mors. "Say what?" She asked in surprise and confusion. Even Ren's eyes widened slightly at this announcement. "Jaune," Nora said as Jaune stood up to face them, "W-What are you saying?"

Jaune decided to take a deep breath before he began. "Guys, I want to help you and Ruby with Qrow's investigation, believe me. But," he paused as his face became more somber, "I don't feel like I'm ready to go out into the world yet and take on whatever is thrown at me. After what happened at Beacon, I…I just need more time to take care of some things. Not just physically, but emotionally as well."

"But…" Nora said, sounding both hurt and sad at her leader's reasoning. "But who'll lead us?"

"Don't worry, you'll have Ruby with you." Jaune said, trying to sound reassuring. 'She'd probably be a better leader than me anyway.' He thought sadly. "And it doesn't mean I haven't given up on being a huntsman." He added. "All I ask is that you two go on without me for a while with Ruby while I work some things out."

"But Jaune, we-" Nora began to argue, but stopped when Ren stuck his arm out in front of her. As she glanced up at her childhood friend, Nora could see the answer in his eyes. Both she and Ren had lost people near and dear to them as well; they knew exactly what Jaune was going through right now. And they knew that he wouldn't be able to get over it quickly.

"Okay Jaune." Ren said as he lowered his arm and looked at the man whom he considered not just his leader and teammate, but a brother as well. "If you need time to heal, then Nora and I will let you. Just promise us you'll return; we need our leader back."

"Thanks, guys." Jaune said as he smiled with appreciation. "I promise I'll be back with you guys as soon as I can." He then shook Ren's hand and placed his other hand on Ren's shoulder, to which Ren followed suit. The two of them gave a nod of respect towards each other before letting go. "Nora…" Jaune began before Nora ran forward and hugged him. It caught him by surprise, for she wasn't giving him one of her signature bone-crushing hugs. It was the kind of hug a caring sister would give to a sibling who was hurt and needed comfort. He soon felt his hoodie get wet and realized that Nora was crying.

"Stay out of trouble and be safe, you big lug." Nora said through her tears.

"I will, Nora; don't worry." Jaune said with a small smile as he returned the hug. The two of them stayed in that position for a good thirty seconds until they separated and Nora wiped away her tears. She and Ren then made their way to the door leading out to the hallway.

Before they left, Ren turned to Jaune and said "When you're ready, we'll be in Mistral." Jaune only nodded in understanding. With nothing else to say, Ren and Nora left Jaune in his bedroom. As they left his line of sight, Jaune had to take in deep breaths so as not to cry. He knew that he should have gone with them; they were his teammates. But he also had to face his current problems. He felt lucky to know that they were understanding and caring.

As Jaune made his way to his bedroom window, he saw Ren and Nora with Ruby as they trudged their way down the snow-covered path towards Mistral. They soon paused, however, and looked back at Jaune's window. Ren and Nora gave a final wave, to which Jaune responded in kind. His gaze then turned to Ruby, to whom he nodded in appreciation. When Jaune saw the red-hooded huntress return the gesture with a smile, he himself couldn't help but smile a little as well. He knew Ruby would do anything to keep Ren and Nora safe; he would have gone with them immediately if he hadn't felt Ruby to be a capable leader. Jaune's gaze didn't falter from the trio until they disappeared over the snow-covered mounds.

Jaune then laid down on his bed and glanced up at the ceiling with a sigh; it was hard to accept that the events at Beacon and Vale had actually happened. Grimm attacking the city and the academy, people screaming in terror, Atlas robots malfunctioning and turning on those they were meant to protect, and the copious amount of negativity in the air. It almost sounded like a bad dream a child would have in the middle of the night. But it wasn't; all of that had happened…and he, along with many others, bore witness to it all.

After the battle, many of Beacon's surviving students left to stay with their families whether it was to make sure they were okay or to try and defend their villages and towns. Others applied to the other academies, like Team CFVY who transferred to Shade Academy. There were also some who went missing after the battle, like Team CRDL. Though nobody could find the bullies, it was rumored that after fighting off the Grimm in Vale, Cardin Winchester was last boarding the same airship as Velvet Scarlatina and the rest of her team. Jaune remembered how he chuckled at the thought of Cardin being in the same area as Velvet while the rest of Team CFVY gave him the death glare.

CRASH!

The sound of something breaking caused Jaune to awaken from his thoughts. He leapt out of bed and scrambled to see where the noise came from. As he made his way down the hall, he saw Taiyang, Ruby and Yang's father, bolt out of his youngest daughter's bedroom. As the father made his way downstairs, Jaune took a look inside Ruby's room. There, he saw a broken teapot and plate, the pieces scattered around the floor, and a note on Ruby's bed. Jaune then carefully made his way over to the bed and picked up the note, which read:

Dad,

I'm off to Haven to find out what Uncle Qrow was investigating.

I know you would want me to stay with you and Yang, but I can't. I can't just stand by and watch other people get hurt. If there is a way to stop Cinder and her followers, I have to find out what it is.

I won't be going alone, though. I'll have Ren and Nora to accompany me.

I'm sorry, Dad; I hope that, in time, you'll understand my reason for leaving.

Tell Yang I'm sorry as well.

Love you always,

Ruby

"Read it, I see?" A voice asked, causing Jaune to glance up at Tai. Tai then moved forward toward him and asked, "Did you know she was leaving?"

"Y-Yes." Jaune said nervously. "But I thought she had gotten your approval before he-"

Before Jaune could even finish his sentence, however, Tai grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie and moved him until Jaune's back hit the wall. "Don't lie to me!" Tai said angrily. "If you knew she was going to leave without my permission, then-"

"I'm not lying, I swear!" Jaune exclaimed in fear. "I-I seriously thought she talked to you about this. If I'd known otherwise, I would've told you."

Tai kept a hold on Jaune's collar as he looked at him angrily. The boy seemed to be sincere with his words and if Ruby seemed to trust him, then he should as well. After what seemed like an eternity, Tai finally let go of Jaune, which caused the boy to breathe a sigh of relief. "Sorry." The older blonde said sincerely. "It's…It's just been hectic lately. After what happened at Beacon and with Yang, I just wanted my girls and I to stay together for the time being. And with what just happened, I…I guess I just snapped."

"It's alright." Jaune said as he rubbed the area where Tai had grabbed him. "I get it; you wanted to keep Ruby and Yang safe and sheltered from all the bad stuff going on right now. And forgive me for saying so, but I think we both know Ruby's not that kind of person. She'd rather find a way to protect those she cares about and risk her life rather than stay put and do nothing."

"Stubborn and determined." Tai said before he chuckled. "Just like her mother. And why aren't you with them?" He asked as he turned his attention to the boy.

"Oh well," Jaune said as he placed a hand on the back of his neck, "I've…got some things I need to work out myself. But I wouldn't worry about Ruby." He added hastily. "I can guarantee that Nora and Ren will look out for her."

"I see." Tai said as he took a deep breath before continuing. "Well, if you're going to stay here for a while, you're going to have to help around the house. Accommodations aren't free, you know?"

"I understand, sir." Jaune said as he nodded his head.

"Good." Tai said. "The first thing you can do is help me clean up this mess." And with that, Jaune began cleaning up the broken shards of the teapot and plate. Once they had brought the fragments downstairs and dumped them into the garbage, Tai then said, "You're free to go; I'll call you when I need help." Jaune only nodded as he made his way back upstairs.

He had just passed two rooms on his way to his when he heard someone call his name. He turned to his right to see none other than Yang Xiao Long, the blonde brawler of Team RWBY, starring at him. She was lying in bed wearing a brown pajama top and black pajama shorts. But the most notable feature was the bandage that covered the stub where her right arm used to be. That, and the sadness that he saw in her eyes.

"What you doing here?" she asked suddenly, causing Jaune to snap out of his thoughts.

"Oh, well," Jaune began, "I felt that I needed to stay here because….I need time to think things over and work out some things."

"Oh," The blonde bombshell said almost unenthusiastically. "I just thought you might be going with your team and Ruby to Mistral."

"They wanted to." Jaune said sadly. "But when I told them that I couldn't, they understood. And I wouldn't worry about Ruby; Ren can always look after her. I mean," he added with a chuckle to try and lighten the mood, "if he could handle Nora for so many years, I'm sure he can keep Ruby in check."

Unfortunately for Jaune, his good humor was met only by silence as Yang had instead turned her gaze toward the window. Jaune figured that maybe humor wasn't the best ice-breaker at the moment. Then again, he couldn't blame Yang for not laughing after everything that had just happened to them. Out of all the students at Beacon, Yang probably suffered the most. She had lost her right arm trying to save Blake, only to have the cat Faunus run off as soon as the battle was over. Something like that could not easily be brushed off.

After a long, awkward silence, Jaune finally said, "Well, guess I'll see you around." But like before, his words didn't seem to reach Yang as she continued to stare out the window. Finally giving up on any attempts at communication, Jaune retreated back towards his room.

Downstairs, Tai sighed sadly as he had heard the interaction between the two former students. He knew that moving past all of what they had experienced was going to be hard and that it would take time. But he also knew that neither of them could continue living like this. He did, however, smile a bit when he had heard Jaune try to lighten the mood with some humor. 'Who knows?' Tai thought as he opened the door to take out the trash. 'Maybe over time, they can help each other heal.'

And thus ends the first chapter of Time and Love Heal All Wounds. Sorry if the ending seems rushed, but let's just say that I was a bit pressured by some fans of My Hero Academia to publish the next chapter of my most popular story. Also, sorry if any of the characters seem a bit OOC.

Kudos to Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov for giving me suggestions on which direction to take my story for future chapters.

Finally, don't forget to favorite, comment, and follow for more of this story.

This is AnimeFan299910 signing off and reminding all of you to go out with a "Yang"… *sigh* goddammit, Barb.