Author's Note: Hi…So many of you have been wondering what the F*CK I've been doing all this time. Well… I won't tell you. There is a lot of things that happen that I does not need to be brought to light. There is one reason why this chapter was delayed, apparently the chapter was lost, not one, but twice. It was infuriating. Anyway, I must apologize that this story was delayed so long but I also want to thank you for waiting patiently for update. I really love PaulXion's story and want to see it to completion and I'm sure many of you are too. As for the story,

Here is the next chapters…

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or the original story.

Chapter 06: Heart Attack

Ignoring the noise of two teenagers arguing over some lien unaware that neither of them had any money of them, Pyrrha held the mysterious book in her hand and stared at the front cover of the book displaying the strange image of her partner. It was unsettling at first, but know she was curious. So far this book has shown reality although the same but also entirely different too.

She wasn't the only one.

All the other students were just as curious and perplexed of what this book had to offer. If this book is telling Pyrrha information of what's to come, can it also tell information of destiny? Only time and pages will tell.

"Let's see…chapter 6, chapter 6, here it is." Pyrrha quickly open to the next chapter ready to see what happen to her partner after he was knocked out of commission.

Chapter 6: A Blow to the Heart

"Seriously, how could you forget you don't have any lien on you?" Before the Mistral champion can start, she was interrupted by the two Vacou students return to their seats. "We are literally in the middle of nowhere!"

"Hey! It's not my fault that you lose. I like earning a little extra cash." The monkey faunus jumped back onto his seat with yet another banana in his tail. "You know how I sometimes forget things."

"Aren't you supposed to be our leader?"

"That's why I have you guys." Sun merely smiled which left Neptune unimpressed.

"Ahem!" Both cool dudes were interrupted by Ruby, "If you two are done arguing, can you be quiet for Pyrrha?"

"It's fine, Ruby." Pyrrha was grateful that Ruby along with everyone else have a better impression of her, but Pyrrha was capable of interrupting others, even though it was a bit rude for her. "Anyway…"

(Infirmary)

Team CVFY or Coffee as the Headmaster declared them, was in the infirmary that evening watching the Faunus member of their group pace around back and forth, a tick slightly visible on her forehead.

"Isn't that just cute~," Coco commented as she shoulder bump her other girl teammate who was blushing like a cherry, "You're worried over your knight in shining armor."

"It's not what it looks like. I would be worry too if Jaune got hurt because of me." Velvet refuted.

Jaune heard the bunny girl's words and smile knowing that he didn't leave a bad impression with her. If he recalled, when Ruby introduced him to Velvet, Jaune tried to use his funny one-liner to get the girl to laugh, instead it left the mood rather awkward.

"This is bad… this is really bad." The shy rabbit turned to a shade of red as she felt partly responsible to what happened a few hours earlier in the library. Her rabbit ears curled downwards into her hair. It was all just a big misunderstanding of course but that didn't change the fact that the damage was done.

It was all just because of some stupid gesture she decided to pass.

Fox, the blind-eyed member of her team was in the library for some peace and quiet after school. It was a common thing for him as the hustle and bustle of the city was never really his style. He wanted to doze off in one of the dark corners of the library where cobwebs gathered in droves. He would've enjoyed that peaceful evening until he heard a familiar voice echoing in the entrance.

Out of curiosity, he went to meet up with Velvet hoping to get a friendly chat when he noted that she wasn't alone. Another man was there and like many incident before that, someone was again touching her bunny ears.

Obviously that did not sit well with the man as he knew how people often treat Faunus. Knowing much of their culture he understood that the animal parts of any Faunus were reserved for family and loved ones. It was one of the few ways they showed intimacy to one another and having a stranger, a human no less, abuse it for their own amusement only pissed him off.

Without even hearing the full story, Fox moved up to the supposed bully and dealt him a blow that he won't soon forget. It was a perfect example. A beaten bully would send a clear message through the entire school that no one should mess with a member of Team CVFY, especially not Velvet.

"Just so you know Fox, I can handle myself." Velvet knew Fox would do the same in real life if given the change.

"The book and I disagree." Fox answered bluntly.

"Yeah, didn't you just fall over when you and Jaune ran into each other at the speed of snail?" Sun added.

"I was carrying a stack of books." Velvet defended, "Heavy ones, in fact."

"We got KindleScroll for dusk sake!" Neptune joined in the argument.

"Some of us enjoy the fundamentals." Blake silently nodded at Velvet's statement.

The white eyed warrior half expected Velvet to thank him like a white knight beating up the bandit and saving a damsel in distress in the process. To his surprise however, the rabbit simply lashed at him calling the whole incident. Since Jaune's aura was deactivated that time, it wasn't surprising that he would be knocked out with just one blow. Heck, if Fox hit him any harder, his head would've parted from his torso and some deep voiced narrator would be shouting out 'Fatality' with big red letters printed in mid-air.

"Are you serious!?" Jaune flinched at the thought.

"If I wanted to..." Fox did not hold back.

"Yeesh…remind me to never get on your bad side." Fox nodded, but his silent did not bold well with Jaune.

Luckily for Fox and Velvet, the library was pretty empty that time of day and with some luck they were able to get Jaune to the infirmary without any of the faculty noticing.

"Easy there, V. You're starting to scare me." Coco, the fashionable Huntress and Team Leader of Team CVFY, quipped at the girl from her seat trying to get her to slow down less she burned the floor with her fast pace. It would've been more convincing to her animal feature if she started hopping around like a bunny.

"Firstly, nothing scares me," Coco made it clear to everyone, "Secondly…Velvet, do the bunny hop."

"What!?" Velvet's rabbit ears shot up.

"You heard the book."

"I'm not going to hop around like some animal." Velvet crossed her arms under her breast in refusal.

"It would've been cute though." Coco gave up though the thought was still in the back of her mind.

"I can't go easy." Velvet muttered as she continued to pace around even faster. "Oh this is all my fault. I knew something like this would happen."

"You cannot blame yourself for something you have no control over, little rabbit." Yatsuhashi, the large green samurai gently moved in, blocking the girl's path.

"Yeah, it was Fox's fault for throwing the first punch." Coco added tilting her shades to the side to look at the culprit who simply shrug with little interest.

"The fault lies with neither." Yatsuhashi argued. "Fox was merely trying to protect you from those that he thought was doing you harm. You cannot blame him for his just heart."

"Try telling that to sleeping beauty over here." Coco gestured her thumb to Jaune who slept unconsciously on the one bed in the whole room. "Though I doubt he'll be in the mood for a talk with any of us when he wakes up. Still… knocking a guy with two pounds to the face? Not bad, Fox." The boy by the wall simply passed a smirk while the samurai grunted with disapproval.

Pyrrha wasn't happy about Coco's sense of humor, "I don't think it is appropriate to praise someone who punched my partner."

"No, but it shows Jauney boy still have a long ways to go before becoming a huntsman."

"I can't argue with that." Jaune replied.

"Coco…"

"What? I'm just telling Fox how good he is."

"The current situation requires… sincerity and modesty, not praise."

"Pfft… double standard." Coco complained.

"Pfft… double standard."

Velvet moaned. "Ahh… this is all my fault."

"Alright, enough girl." Coco cooed her down. "Pacing back and forth isn't exactly making things any easier for you or us. Who knows, it might not be that bad. He'll probably just wake up and we'll tell the whole thing as a big misunderstanding. He cries, we laugh and we put it all behind us."

"You think so?"

"I mean Fox was just trying to protect you. So I guess I can forgive him." Jaune confirmed it himself.

"See! Blondie's always nice to a cute girl." Coco shouted causing leader of JNPR to blush red.

"T-That has nothing to do with her being cute!"

Coco exaggeratedly gasped, "Are you saying my little Velvet isn't cute."

"What!? No! I-I mean…she's pretty, but…but…" Jaune stuttered trying to figure out a way to save his dignity.

Coco just started laughing hysterically slapping her knee, "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it."

Jaune could do anything but groan in shame. Ren patted his leader's back to comfort him.

"Trust me. Give it a few days and we'll be telling this story in the cafeteria."

"Your confidence is assuring Ms. Adel." Yatsuhashi nodded back though his tone gave a different taste. "But I get the feeling your optimism may be misplaced on the situation."

"How dare you Yatsu!?" Coco glared at her tall teammate, but he just shrugged her off.

"Oh relax Mr. Fancy pants." Coco waved her free hand out at him before noting the groaning of Fox's victim. "And will you look at that. Blondie's waking up."

"Jaune!" Velvet rushed to the boy's side seeing his eyes flutter open. "Are you alright? How many fingers am I holding?"

"That depends…" The boy muttered back lowly. "How many hands are you holding? Ow… what happened?"

"Hmm..." Fox held his chin thinking about something, "That's not right."

"What's not right?" Yang asked.

"That punch should have knocked him out much longer than that." Fox just nodded his head, "Probably was not at my best that day."

"Did I do something to offend you, Fox, because if I did, please forgive me!" Jaune begged the dark skin fighter but he just remained silent.

"Hey there Sleeping Beauty." Coco called him. "Sleep well? Was the bed too hard, too soft or just right?"

"Coco…" The samurai groaned again which she waved off.

Jaune took a moment to sink in. Quickly he realized that he was in one of the many infirmaries around the school but how he got here seemed like a mystery.

"Does your head still hurt?"

"My head's fine." He answered. "It's my jaw that feels the ache. What happened to me?"

The Coffee team turned to their leader to let her explain it. With a slouch she answered. "It's… kind of a long story. But first let me introduce you to everyone. The name's Coco. Coco Adel, leader of team CVFY. You already met Velvet. The guy in armor over there is Yatsuhashi Daichi."

"An honor to meet you." The samurai followed, bowing with his hands put together in respect.

"And the guy on the wall over there is Fox Alistair. He doesn't really talk much. Oh and he's the one who socked you in the jaw." That statement was so plain you might as well add a fart noise just to spice it up. Jaune visibly thought that it was best to steer clear of the guy with pupil-less eyes and backed up a bit from his bed. "Oh but don't worry. He won't hit you, if you don't give him a reason to."

All the boy could do was sit there, giving out a small laugh hoping to pass it as joke while Velvet sighed for the fifth time since she came here.

A short silence came between them as all eyes quickly turned to the culprit. Fox eyed back at them wondering why they were all staring.

"Fox? Don't you have some to say to our friend here?" The boy just shrugged in reply leaving Yatsuhashi to pick up.

"Seriously, is that all you can say!?" Jaune was on edge with Fox.

"I apologize in my nakama's behalf, Jaune-san." He began. "Please allow me to assure you that he did only what he thought at best at the moment. My friend is quick headed and somewhat inexperienced. His thoughts were merely to protect those that he cherishes. The sight of your actions at the time made him deliver unnecessary damage to your…"

"Fox thought you were bullying Velvet so he socked you in the chin and they brought you here." Coco gave the short version of the story much to Yatsuhashi's dismay. "Hope you don't hold it against him."

"Uh huh…"

"But if it makes you feel any better, he does regret his actions. Don't you Fox?" The older tanned skinned boy simply shrugged again with an uninterested expression. "Yeah. Like I said: He doesn't really say much."

"This Fox guy doesn't say much, but our Fox is such a chatterbox." Sun interjected his opinion.

(JNPR Dorm room)

Lie Ren was returned to his dorm room after Jaune's little practical exam was done. There aren't a lot of things that normally catches the boy's interest but today he was willing to make an exception.

"Ren, buddy, what is up with your desk?" Neptune commented on the next scene.

"Why are you asking me?" Ren blankly replied.

"Your desk is littered with junk."

Ren held out his one finger, "First of all, I don't have the Black Dust," Then the second one, "I don't leave my desk littered with junk."

In front of him stood his personnel worktable that he converted to an alchemy workstation of sort. Upon the discovery of Jaune's Black Dust, the boy's interest took a serious peek and after scraping through the first layer of the Dust, he thought that it might be fun to pick on the object some more.

Before the boy even knew it, he brought out every book he could get on the Dust subject and all the little equipment he brought from home. By the end of the day, he was already fusing the ash-like substance and doing small time experiments to see what it can do on a regular basis.

His next experiment involved putting a tiny, tiny spec of that Black Dust in a vial of water, hoping to dilute the substance, making it stable. But sadly the variables of that experiment was far too much even for his calculative brain and there were a lot of things that can go wrong.

At this moment, this phase of the experiment required absolute focus and unnerving concentration.

"Pst. Hey Ren… whatcha doin?"

"You see that Blake!" Nora wrapped her arm around Blake's neck, "I can totally be a ninja like you!"

"For the last time," Blake heavily signed as this was not the first time they had this conversation, "I am not a ninja!"

"Psst…" Nora flapped her hands like Weiss, "You're not fooling anyone with that outfit."

"What is she talking about?" Ruby asked.

Blake gave up and told her, "Nora thinks just because I wear black, it somehow classifies me as a ninja." Blake made air quotes with her hands.

"Just admit it!"

"Gah! Nora! Please… don't ever do that when I'm…" The pink locked boy nearly screamed as both his hands went up forcing more of the Dust into the vial. And rightly enough with his calculations, the vial of water began to shake making him groan in response. "Oh no…"

The water in the vial evaporated in seconds backfiring onto the boy's face creating a puff of odorless smoke in the air.

"You know smoking is bad for you, Renny." Nora added poking her partner by the cheek which only made him groan even louder. "So whatcha doing? You've been cooped up here since Jaune's super awesome test and you haven't even had dinner which is weird because you normally watch over your health. Is it because you're going on a diet or maybe you already eaten without me noticing which is weirder because I normally see you at the cafeteria at this time?"

Ren sighed knowing well that his partner's attention span is most likely revolved around him. "If you must know, Nora, I'm doing some experiments with the Black Dust that Jaune gave me earlier."

"Oooh, that powdery thingie?" She cooed next to the little pocket of Dust in front of her only to be held back by the boy.

"Watch it. Those are the only ones I have left and they're extremely volatile. You can't be playing around with those like your explosives."

"Aww… no fun." She whined before turning a complete 180 with a smile that was so wide you can draw the moon on them. "So what do they do? Are they like regular Dust? Do they go boom when you mix them with other chemicals? Can you use them for spice in your pancakes? Do they make black tea that makes your teeth as dirty as the good old days?"

"I highly doubt that." The boy answered, finally stowing the remaining Dust in a safe compartment. "I've spent the last few hours going through the books I brought from home but none of them ever even mentioned Black Dust before, which is… strange."

"Strange as in aliens in space strange or strange as in Pyrrha's…

*BAM* *BLEEP OFF*

"Hey, what gives?" Yang along with the rest of the students were confused at the champion's sudden action. The book was close and the holographic disappeared.

"Yeah, what was I going to say?" Nora jumped off the cough to get closer.

"N-N-Nothing! Nothing at all. I think I'll skip this part." Pyrrha saw the next word after her name and instantly closed the book.

"Come on tell us!" Nora started getting grabby and tried to peek, but Pyrrha quickly concealed it.

"You can't!"

"Why?" Coco joined in, "Its' not like Nora going to reveal your deepest darkest secret. By the way, tell me what it is?"

"NO!"

With quick thinking, Nora used one of her many advantages against Pyrrha, "Hey Pyrrha, Jaune want to know too, you know…" Nora smirked knowing this will catch the champion off guard.

"You too, Jaune!?" Pyrrha turned her back from Nora and faced her leader with bright red cheeks.

"Me too, what?" Jaune was confused. So dense. His partner looked like she was coming down with something, but before he could say anything…

"Yoiks!" Nora effortless snatched the book and proceeded to read.

"NO!" Despite being the shortest of the team, Nora was able to stop Pyrrha from taking the book and since there is no metal on the book, Pyrrha can't use her Semblance.

*BLEEP ON*

"No!" Too late to stop Nora, Pyrrha covered her blush face in shame and waited for the inevitable.

"Strange as in aliens in space strange or strange as in Pyrrha's underwear doesn't match her hair kind of strange?"

"That's it?" Nora's response made stunned Pyrrha. She was afraid the book would show embarrassing scenes of her. "What were so scared of?"

"I…Um…?"

"Nevermind." Nora toss Pyrrha the book leaving her wondering. "Continue!"

"O-Ok."

"What? How do you even… no. Never mind." Ren stopped himself from asking, knowing well that the answer would make him an accomplice to whatever Nora did to know such private information. "It's strange because something like this should've at least been mentioned in one of the discussion books, but there's hardly anything to go on. It's like… no one ever seen this before."

"So what do they do?"

"I ran a few tests on them and made some fascinating discoveries. For one thing… a single grain of Black Dust can rival the energy readings of a whole chunk of crystalized Dust."

"Why don't we pretend I don't have a clue what that means."

Ren smiled as he immediately got to explaining. "It means that a whole chunk of Black Dust has enough power to destroy half this building if it becomes unstable. If used correctly, I might be able to make this into a very potent healing reagent. With enough research, I might be able to make more of it and sell it off for a good price."

"Hey Weiss, how much do you think Black Dust is worth?" Ruby asked.

"If I can SUMMON it, maybe then I will tell you." Weiss sarcastically replied, "or did you forget I can't summon it at all."

"Sorry!"

"Yes! And I'll go and hunt Grimms and sell their furs and together we'll make a whole ton of lien and we'll be able to buy that cute little house near the border of Atlas and open a shop there!" Nora grinned happily she popped a bubble in her head showing her and Ren opening a magic store selling all manners of assorted items. "And we'll name the shop: Noren's magic shop of skinned animals and medicine!"

"What's with the Noren name?" Sun asked.

"W-W-What!? I-I-It's nothing. Everything's fine." Nora laughed in denial, "It's not that we're together or anything. I mean we are together because we're partners, but not like partners partners I mean…"Nora just kept rambling on an on.

"I can see it now." Coco whispered to Velvet.

"KEEP READING!"

"That sounds like a self-explanatory name for a shop." Ren humored her. "And also… the Black Dust seems to have an extremely unique property that doesn't exist on any other Dust. Here." He gently took a single grain from his pile of Black Dust and separated it. As he placed his semblance on the single grain, the larger pile suddenly became active and formed around his finger."

"Whoa! That is so cool!"

"Exactly." The boy agreed. "The Black Dust appears to have a unique frequency that attracts them to one another. They literally attract each other even in great distances. The magical properties alone are astounding and there is still so much I don't know about them. If used correctly… I might even be able to use them in both medicine and weapon design. The possibilities are all there waiting to be discovered. There's… just one problem."

"Oh and what's that?" Nora inquired offering her aid.

Ren turned to his small pile which has dwindled from a pinch to tiny… tiny black spot. "I don't have enough to continue my research. I asked the school Dust shop but it doesn't seem like anyone here knows anything about Black Dust either. I could ask Jaune for more but… I'm not sure he'll let me."

"Oh come on. Jaune's our friend." Nora pointed out like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm sure he'll give ya some of his precious powder if you just ask. No harm in trying."

The boy simply turned to his partner giving a hopeful smile. "You know Nora… I really like that optimism of yours." She grinned back in return.

"Thank you Nora…" Jaune was glad that Nora was friends…

"And if he doesn't then we'll break every bone in his body till he keels over!"

"Nevermind…" Jaune sighed because it was Nora.

(Teacher's lounge)

The teacher's lounge.

It is a place of solitude for the faculties of Beacon to relax and enjoy a nice cup of coffee and congratulate one another for a good day's work. A place where all the diligent souls of Beacon gather to accumulate all their experience and lay them down on their scrolls and compile them to be reported afterwards to the Headmaster.

Glynda found this little room to be the most relaxing of all the places in Beacon. She admits that she does enjoy a little bit of solitude every now and then as the clamoring and both students and certain professors alike often gives her a migraine at the end of the day. God knows she deserves a little rest every now and then to ensure that her performance as a teacher doesn't deteriorate from the lack of sleep.

"I never thought the book would use Goodwitch and relax in the same sentence." Yang said.

"Yeah you almost never Goodwitch like this." Coco added her two cents.

"She can't be that bad." Scarlet respond was understandable, "What's wrong with relaxing?"

"This is Goodwitch we're talking about." Yang explained, "She is the strictest teacher in Beacon Academy. Think of your strictest teacher…and throw them out the window because that's who Goodwitch is."

"Seriously…?" Scarlet wasn't sure what else to say.

It seemed likely a routine for her these past few years. Though the lounge can be loud during lunch hour and after school, at later times, this place can become quite deserted since hardly anyone would want to spend their free time in the teacher's lounge of all places. This often gives her the time to grade the students properly, take a quick power nap and return to her room after a good meal and a nice warm bath. She would later spend the rest of the night enjoying a good book somewhere or watch some late night shows on the television. Some mild entertainment was always welcome even for someone of her stature.

But today was a bit different. Her mind couldn't focus on her scroll.

As she tried to plow her way through her work on grading the students that participated in her class, she always seemed to stop every now and then because of an annoying subconscious that's been eating her mind.

It was all because of that boy she picked on earlier. Jaune Arc, if the name on her scroll spoke true.

"Which is not," Weiss glared at Jaune who chuckled in embarrassment, she just huff and turned away flipping her ponytail.

Her guilty conscious has been eating away at her ever since her little 'test' came to a close. She was slightly bothered by the look in the boy's eyes and the words of her compatriots who gave their insight on the exam.

"I've seen those eyes before… from long ago… from Ironwood."

What Bart stated back then could've been a premonition of some kind. If he didn't act so serious back then she could've easily taken it as another one of his caffeine induced banters. And unfortunately it has been echoing repeatedly in her head like a broken recorder. Could it be that she went too far with that exercise using experimental tools to test the abilities of a Hunter in training?

"War can change people in more ways than one. Let's hope this Jaune doesn't face the same fate." Yatsuhashi commented.

Ironwood. A name she both cherished and loathed at a certain degree. In the past she probably would've smiled simply hearing it, but now… that memory seemed so distant and blurry. The memories of a simpler life… a simpler time when things weren't so bitter between them.

"Who would have thought the General caught the heart of Beacon's witch." Everyone agreed with Nora.

As Glynda took a short walk on memory lane, she gently took out her scroll, opening a personal folder hidden amongst her work. Inside that folder was a photo of a younger version of her, with her hair unkempt unlike today, a wide eyed smile on her face and arm in arms with a man whose jawlines were comparable to a chisel.

"WOAH!" Neptune whistled at the picture of young Glynda wearing a purple sun dress. If Ironwood wasn't in the picture, he would seriously try his luck at the witch. "Who knew Glynda looks super-hot!?"

"Ew!" Weiss cringed at Neptune's comment, "She's likely twice your age!"

"There's beauty in mature women too."

"Urg, I can't believe I had feelings for him." Weiss quietly groan in her mind.

A genuine smile came as she gently traced her hand on her picture trying to recreate that smile she had on the photo. But the memories blocked them, followed by horrors that she'd rather not relive.

"Working late again I see." A familiar smug voice alerted her to a new presence, which she quickly responded closing her scroll in a heartbeat. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Ozpin." She muttered lowly, eyeing the Headmaster as he entered with his trademark cane in hand. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"When has anyone not…" Fox added.

"I saw the lights open in the teacher's lounge and I got suspicious. To my surprise, I find you here." He added, closing the gap between them. "Normally you'd be in your room by now, reading a good book or watching some annoying opera on television."

"Am I really that obvious?"

"I've known you for a very long time." He countered earning a grunt from the woman before she shoved a holo-folder up his chest. "What's this?"

"It's Mr. Arc's transcript." She answered bitterly with the name. "I finished compiling all the forms."

A smirk can be seen forming around Ozpin's face as he accepted it, getting a brief look at the neatly ordered files. "You work fast seeing as how he just finished your test a few hours ago."

"He's now a student of Beacon. It's only right that I treat him as such." She says that, but somehow Ozpin can tell there was something more behind her words.

"Working up on lost time?"

"Don't misunderstand." She warned. "I still find his credentials and abilities to be under suspicion at least. However… he has proven to be able to hold his own in battle and just for that I will allow him to attend classes. I'm already working on getting the contact details of the teacher in Atlas who gave him that formal recommendation."

"Oh ho…If she contacts the teacher, she'll find out you fake your way in." Ruby was worried for her blonde friend. She didn't want to see me leave so soon.

Ozpin rolled his eyes under his glasses knowing well that it wouldn't be easy to get that woman to submit. She was stubborn that way.

"Still not satisfied with what you've seen? Surely he's proven himself to be a genuine Hunter at least."

"I still don't get it. Why is Ozpin defending you so much?" Weiss wanted answers. Jaune already provided his. She hopes once they get out of this weird white void, she's going to go straight to Ozpin and demand…no…make him talk.

"I don't doubt his abilities any more than you." She returned, finally raising herself from her worktable, directing her gaze out the window. "I'm just being cautious whether he means to be a student or a threat."

"You really think that a single boy could be a threat?"

"Even if the odds are just 1%, I can't ignore it."

"She's the capital 'P' in paranoid." Yang said.

The smile on Ozpin's face dropped. "You know… you're beginning to sound a lot like James."

"Oh don't give me that." She brushed that statement off. "You know as well as I do that I'm doing this for the students and nothing else."

"If she's doing it for the students then why is she adamant to get Jaune?" Sage questioned the witch's statement, "Didn't she just allow Jaune to be a student?"

"It's Goodwitch." That was all Coco could say.

"James had good intentions when he became a General." Ozpin reasoned only to be met with another stern gaze from his companion. "And look what happened at Mountain Glenn."

"That was years ago. Besides… it was thanks to him that Vale was saved."

"At the cost of many innocent lives." The Headmaster finished adjusting his glasses.

"Death of innocent people is the one of the many prices to pay when you go to war." Yatsuhashi's sage words left a big impact in the group, "And General Ironwood must bear the consequences."

"We all had to make decisions. James made his… as well as yours. And don't forget that he's the reason why you're still the Headmaster of Beacon. He vouched for you to the council just as I did."

"I suppose so." The man leaned back to the table, finding a comfortable position to lie on. "Speaking of the council, I had the displeasure of speaking with them earlier."

Glynda immediately had a sour look knowing well that the relation between the council of Vale and the Headmaster was strained at best. It was only through influence and reputation that Ozpin has been able to maintain his office till now. "That couldn't have been pretty."

"It hard is."

"So what do our esteem leaders want from you this time? I can't imagine they just called to say hi."

The Headmaster titled his head in agreement. "As a matter of fact… they've agreed to let me be the host of this year's Vytal Festival."

"I can't wait for the Vytal Festival." Ruby cheered, "Maybe we can get see how we do against different teams."

"That would be sick!" Yang was pumped.

"Don't forget about us!" Nora jumped in, "I beat my opponents in one swing."

"You mean 'we' beat our opponents." Ren corrected Nora but she ignored him.

Glynda paused at the order. "That… doesn't sound so bad. You've always wanted to host the festival in Vale."

"Under a condition that we also allow the Atlas Fleet to join."

The world soon returned to normal. "Ah… let me guess. Another military demonstration. These Atleasians do like to flex their muscles in everybody's faces."

"It's worse. They're sending James as the representative of the Atlesian Council. They'll be arriving in a week."

"Worse?" Weiss was puzzled, "How can having the General as a representative worse?"

"I mean it looks like Glynda and Ironwood had a falling out." Velvet doesn't just have a good pair of ears.

Glynda's eyes widened. "Then… it's exactly as Qrow said…"

"Nothing's confirmed yet." Ozpin warned. "I'd rather this all just pass as nothing more but a coincidence."

"Ozpin. You know as well as anyone that there are no such things as coincidence in our line of work."

(The next morning) (Tukson's Book Trade)

"Hey V, it's your favorite place second to the library." Coco likes teasing her partner for being a bookworm

"Shut up Coco!"

"Haa…" A sigh escaped Velvet's lips as she skimmed down the block of her favorite bookshop that morning with a tired expression on her face. It was plain to see that she didn't have a goodnight sleep last night and it was beginning to show. The store owner himself seems to notice it as well.

"What's the matter little lady?" The bear Faunus store clerk asked. "You're usually brimming with energy whenever you come down my shop. Did you have a late night or something?"

"What bear Faunus?" Jaune squinted, "I don't see any ears."

"He has retractable claws." Velvet answered.

"Oh…"

"He looks more like a big cat." Fox blankly stated.

"Or like a pu…" Sage wasn't able to finish the last word because…

"WHO CARE!?" Nora shouted, "Pyrrha keep reading. We keep watching."

The rabbit girl shook her head in reply. "Not really. It's just that… I'm a little troubled."

"Trouble in school?"

"No… well… a little bit. But that's not why I'm so tired." Her mind literally raced back to yesterday's event which involved the socking of her new friend by one of her teammates. Though it was certainly all just a misunderstanding and Jaune quickly understood that Fox was just trying to protect her, that didn't change how guilty she felt. Sure it was her teammate that delivered the punch and she was the one who allowed the boy to feel her rabbit ears once more she couldn't help but feel that she was partly to blame.

"Oh? Boy trouble then?" The store owner inquired like a loving uncle teasing his niece.

"He's huge." Sun was shocked, "What does he eat?"

"Why so interested?" Velvet asked.

"It's the abs. I just found out someone has better abs than me. I got to get back to the top." Sun stared at his abs in dismay.

"And here I thought you couldn't be any more pathetic…" Blake still hates Sun for betraying her trust.

"Don't start with that again Tukson." Velvet glared back only to follow up with a tired sigh. "It's nothing like that. It's just that… I made a new friend and somehow it got a little out of hand."

"Ah so it is boy trouble." The bear man replied his grin widening even more much to the Huntress's annoyance. "Alright girl, I think I can help you with that. I might not look it but a lot of people your age actually come to me looking for advice about relationships. I'm pretty much a relationship guru. You can call me master."

"No he isn't" Velvet corrected that statement. "I actually heard him give advice to this boy and his girlfriend broke up with him…the next day."

"Oh… so you know everything there is to deal with boys?"

"Absolutely!" He proudly answered before realizing the question. "No… wait… I mean… is that a trick question?" The girl gave out a troublesome groan. "Come on now. Give me a chance. What do you got to lose?"

How about dignity and pride?

"You really think you can help me with my problem?"

"Of course! Lay it on me. The Master is in." The bear man gladly set aside the books on his table and turned his full attention to his favored customer.

With another troublesome sigh, Velvet decided to answer. "Well you see… there's this boy. He's not my boyfriend or anything that you're thinking of." She corrected rather quickly but Tukson didn't seem to care. He just kept that goofy grin on which annoyed her to no end.

"Is my little bunny crushing on Blondie Boy?" Coco couldn't help herself.

Velvet shock her head and hands, "I'm not crushing on anyone."

"So you're swinging for the same team?" The fashionista grinned.

"COCO!"

The next hour, Velvet explained yesterday's incident and how guilty she felt about being partly responsible for sending Jaune to the infirmary. Every word she made humored the bear man causing him to giggle every time she stuttered at the mention of the boy. If Tukson was a girl he'd say that he'd be creating a gossip circle of his own.

"So you're feeling bad for your friend knocking the lights out of this guy because you let him play with your ears?"

"That's the short version, yes." Tukson simply laughed at her childish dilemma. It made him think that youth was such an exciting time for her. "I knew this was a stupid idea."

"Wait wait. Slow down Velvet. I'm sorry aheh. It's just that… your guy problem is a little over the top. But I think I get the general idea of what you're going through." The Faunus bear chuckled lowly just enough for the rabbit to give him the death glare. "You feel bad for this guy after he's been all nice to you. You thought maybe you could get a new friend when your teammate screwed that up for you."

"Do you have a solution?"

The man again laughed. "What do I look like? A doctor? I don't hand out prescription like they do in pharmacies. But I might have something that will help you feel less worrisome. Hold on for a minute." He quickly ducked onto the counter to pull out a comic from his private stash. "Here. This will cheer you up just fine. It's the limited addition, collector's version of the first ever X-ray and Vav. Unopened since it was published two years ago."

"No way!" Jaune gasped at the sight of the comic book. "Now I really want to summon that book!"

"Me too!" Ruby joined.

"Good luck." Weiss sarcastically replied.

"Man…" Jaune slumped his head in defeat, "The other Jaune is so lucky!"

Velvet eyed the strangely colored comics with the same oddly featured characters on the front page. Her eye twitched on the man before returning it. "Thanks Tukson but I'm not really into comics. You know I always prefer the heavy reading novels."

"It's not for you, pea brain. It's for the guy." He corrected. "There isn't a kid in Vale who wouldn't like a mint copy of the first ever volume of X-ray and Vav. I hear they're even making an animated show about it. Pretty cool, huh?"

"I… never really thought of it." Velvet answered still not really understanding why anyone would like such a comic where two men have to touch their genitals just to transform.

"Trust me. Give that to anyone and they'll be your friends for life. I know I would."

"This looks pretty expensive." She noted seeing how the seal was still tight on. "I don't think I can afford this."

"No kidding!" Jaune shouted, "That book alone is worth an arm and a leg."

"It is weird that Jaune knows so much about comic books and nothing about dust, the very blood of our civilization." Blake whispered in her partner's ear.

"Yeah…I can see why, but Jaune doesn't need dust." Yang agreed, "He uses a sword and shield…sheathe thingy."

But Tukson simply waved her worries off. "Take it as my going away gift. It's the least I can do for my number one customer."

"Going away gift? What do you mean?"

The bear quickly realized his mistake and cursed himself mentally for letting such information slip. "Ah well you… I'm closing down my store here."

"What!? You're closing? But you can't close! You're the only good bookstore near Beacon. How am I supposed to buy all the books I need?"

"I'm flattered Velvet but as you can see my store isn't exactly doing so well." The man gestured to his seemingly empty shop which could easily be passed on as a ghost town. "Not a lot of people come to stores own by Faunus and my slogan an't exactly pretty. Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade. Home to every book under the sun. It was a mistake."

"It's a rather mouthful of a slogan." Scarlet added, "I mean who would remember that."

"And where do you plan to go?"

"Vacuo." He answered cheerfully trying to get the girl to smile for his departure. "I got some friends back there who'll help me start up again. It's hotter than Vale but at least I'll manage." Velvet's bunny ears went down expressing her disappointed look. "Hey now. Don't give me that. I'll still be around for the Vytal Festival so chin up."

"Still… it'll be hard for me to find another bookstore like yours."

An idea popped on his head. "Well… if you're looking for a good one, I can point you to one of my friend who owns another book store not far from here. It's this old man who helped me out when I was still new around the city. He doesn't say much but he's a nice guy. Now that I think about it his Dust shop got robbed a few weeks back. He owns a noodle shop just outside of Beacon and I think a truck company? Now that I mention it… he has a lot of business here in Vale. But he's a nice guy I'm sure he'll have everything you need once I'm gone."

"I should visit Tukson's bookstore when we get back." Velvet took a mental note to herself. Unfortunately, she will never have that chance again.

"It won't be the same without you."

"I know sweetie. But hey… we still got the Vytal Festival so… if you're not busy maybe you can help me clean out my shop later?"

After awhile, she smiled. "You bet."

(Forever Fall)

"Wait a minute?" Jaune remembered something, "Isn't this where Cardin tried me to…"

"Hey Jaune, remember this is where you beat that Ursa." Ruby chirped up.

"Oh! Yeah that's right." Jaune smiled in pride still unaware of the truth. Best keep it that way.

Forever Fall Forest. A strange name fitting for such a strange place.

Forever Fall was a woodland area not far from Beacon with its unique red leafed trees acting as its natural flora. Today, the freshmen students of Beacon have been gathered on its borders performing some form of field trip

Again presiding over this class was Glynda Goodwitch who happily instructed them that they were all here to aid Professor Peach's research by collecting a jar of sap. Though some wondered why gathering sap was instrumental to becoming a Hunter, few ignored it and became strangely awed by the sight of the red color that literally littered the whole area.

"It never seized to amaze me the beauty in a deadly forest like Forever Fall." Scarlet rambled on, "It really brings out…"

"Pyrrha's outfit! Totally! In fact, it brings out my hair too!" Nora cut off the pretty boy leaving him speechless.

"Alioop!" Jaune let out a cheer as he cut through one of the tree barks hoping that his attack was deep enough to reach the vein inside the wood. Pyrrha was beside him, a jar in hand ready to catch the sap which seemed to arrive no sooner after the cut was made. "Alright."

"Excellent." The Amazonian cheered along with the boy. "A clean cut Jaune."

"Hehehe… 20th times the charm." The boy muttered tiringly as he removed his sword from the bark. To say the least, this was the first jar of sap they've been able to gather. "These things are a lot harder than they look."

"Psst…" Yang held in her laughs, "Who says that?"

"I'll have you know I was able to collect five jars, on my own, in 10 minutes…flat." Jaune had to stretch the truth a little. It was actually a whole hour when each jar should have taken 5 minutes.

"Aren't you allergy to that stuff?"

"I just get stuffy nose, I think?"

"Red Forest trees are known for their sturdiness." Ren explained appearing from behind with a full basket of sap jars. "A lot of people in Mistral grow them around their houses because of their warm climates. Not only do they provide excellent wood for construction, their sap is also a healthy source of food."

"History… lame." Nora commented, sneaking her hand onto one of the jars in the basket before taking a good sip.

"You go girl!" Of course Nora would agree with Nora.

Pyrrha on the other hand understood what he meant. "I know. Back when Mistral was just a fledgling colony thousands of years ago, the people grow these trees in their backyard because of acclimates to warm weather and it helped feed the citizens during the winter. The people dug the roots from Vale and transferred them to their kingdom and even till today, the people grow them in orchards to sell worldwide."

"Wow… I didn't know about that." Jaune said, amazed by his team's knowledge.

"What else do you not know?" Weiss was convinced that Jaune needed serious help. Once this date she's stuck in finishes, she going to force Jaune to live in the library if he has to.

"Not surprising considering how cold Atlas is." Ren added as he pulled out a jar. "It's the reason why Red Leaf tree saps are exported daily to other countries at a high price. You can make a fortune if you have the patience to grow them."

"We have a few them back in my house in Mistral." Pyrrha proudly stated. "My mother loves to make jam out of them and pack it for my lunch almost every day. I was hoping to ask Professor Goodwitch if we could take some of them with us."

"Yes!" Nora cheered. "And then we'll have a jam-tastic fiesta! Hmm emmm…" She licked her fingers savoring every drop of the sap under her nails. "Oh yeah… now that's good stuff."

"We'll ask her once we got enough." Jaune offered which she returned with a smile. "Now… let's see. How many chops do I have to make the next one?"

"That tree by the pond looks inviting." Pyrrha recommended gesturing to the lone large one near a small pond which was covered in red leaves.

Jaune observed and compared it to the first one he was able to bleed. It certainly wasn't getting any easier cutting through these trees. "Meh… I guess one tree is no different from the other."

"Why don't you take mine?" Ren suddenly offered to the duo trying to butter some favors on them. "Nora and I got more than enough to finish."

"Aw… gee Ren… we'd love to but…" Jaune looked at the basket only to find two jars full while the others were drained of its contents. "… they're empty."

"What!?" The green garbed warrior looked down only to discover all the lids were popped out, the sap, drained from within. Quickly enough he turned to the culprit who was still happily slurping the contents of her last jar. "Nora!"

Ren just glared at Nora who nervously giggled, but since this is Nora, Ren just let it go.

"Oops." The Asgardian, realizing she had been caught literally red handed, decided to bolt off in the opposite direction hoping that her partner won't catch her.

With an irritated groan, Ren sighed in defeat. "Well… I guess I'd better start gathering again."

"Wanna work together?" Jaune offered. "It'll go a lot faster."

Ren smiled and accepted with a heartbeat. Pulling his weapon from his hidden sleeve pockets, he gave the large tree a clean cut, hitting the veins of the sap, letting it spill to the jars below.

"Hey Jaune. That reminds me. I wanted to ask you something." The boy got his attention quickly enough. "Do you still have more of that Black Dust earlier?"

"I'm still salty at you, Arc," Weiss wanted to make it clear, "Of all the people in Beacon, you gave Ren Black Dust."

"Ok Ok…" Jaune held his hands up, "If I need advice about dust, you will be the first to know."

"To go begging me for help, you're a leader of a team." Weiss turned away but she still wanted the other Jaune to give her the Black Dust.

"You mean that stuff I brought? I still have the vial. Why?"

"I was hoping if I could have more of it." He shyly admitted. "I've been running a few tests on the Black Dust and the results alone are phenomenal. The powers stored in them are unlike anything I've seen."

"Whoa wait." Jaune stopped him midway sounding slightly alarmed. "You ran experiments? Isn't that a little dangerous? I mean… you did say that this thing can destroy a whole building."

"I'm still confused how your mother came into possessing such a powerful dust." Ren spoke to Yang.

"How should I know?" Yang frowned, "I don't care what she's doing."

"It's all contained, you have my word." Ren reassured him. "This stuff can be revolutionary. The small patch I had earlier trumps all the Dust I've seen so far. If I can unlock its secrets… I can probably make healing reagents so powerful that it can mend any injury on the battlefield in an instant. And that's only going through the medical path. I've tested it on my weapon and it increases the firepower ten folds. Who knows what else this thing can do if put in the right hands."

"You're starting to sound like a mad scientist."

"You're a wizard, Harry!" Nora shouted.

Ren was caught off guard, "You mean Ren."

"Yeah…I said you're a wizard Ren!"

"But you just said"

"Onward to the story!" After all these years, Ren still never caught up with Nora's antics.

"Call it a researcher's ambition." The green garbed warrior corrected. "All I need is just another pinch. That'll be enough to get my research moving for a few days. Who knows what I can discover with the right tools and equipment."

"Alright, you don't have to convince me." Jaune quickly grabbed his friend to calm him down. "Look. You can have half of it. But if you ever make a profit… I get 40% finder's fee."

"30%"

"Deal!" They shook hands on it.

On the side, Pyrrha seemed rather amused to see two male specimens bond in such a matter. Though it sounded more like a business trade, she couldn't help but smile as the two shook on their honor. "If you boys are done with your little agreement, perhaps you'd like to help me replace these jars?"

"Right, sorry Pyrrha." Jaune obeyed handing Ren his share. "Here you go. And try to lock the lid this time."

"I will." Ren agreed. "I should probably go find Nora before she eats someone else's collection. See you back at the clearing."

As the pink locked man bolted off with a nearly hopping gesture, Pyrrha turned to her leader with a proud smile on her face. "That was a nice thing you did there, Jaune."

"Even in another universe, you're always willing to help your friends." Pyrrha smiled brightly causing her leader's face to turn red.

"It's just who I am." Jaune chuckled.

"Huh? What is?"

"Helping Ren like that. You were going to give him that Dust even if he didn't make a profit."

The boy rubbed his head shyly in return. "Ah well. I thought that something so dangerous might as well be better off in his hands rather than mine. Besides, it's not like I can use them for anything. It'd be safer with him."

"Like I said… it's a nice thing you did."

"Meh. You probably would've done the same if you woke up with a vial of Black Dust in your pocket one morning."

"Well…I would take the time to find out myself, but I guess you're right too Jaune." Pyrrha was smarter about unknown things, but she didn't want to put down her leader.

That statement made the redhead laughed. "I wouldn't know about that. Come on. This tree should have more than enough sap for two more jars."

But just as the two were waiting for their last batch of sap to be filled, Jaune suddenly noted a strange feeling coming from his gut. A familiar feeling. An attack.

"Interesting…logically speaking that attack was unexpected, but your other-self remembered." Sage analyzed the scene, "This ability has translated over to combat. What else could this mean?"

"Something the matter Sage?" Scarlet asked his partner but he just shook his head.

Seeing a glint of light coming from the bushes, the boy leaped upward pushing his partner down. A jar of sap came from the bush and smashed right on his head spilling all across his body in a red, wet and sticky sensation.

"Jaune!"

"Oh no!" Pyrrha afraid for Jaune. Now the sap might attract Grimm.

The boy licked the top of his lips and tasted the fruity delicacy. For once he might actually agree with Nora… this thing was delicious. "Hmm… now that's addictively tasty."

"Who did that!?" Pyrrha demanded turning towards the location of the catapult drawing her weapon out in defense, only to pull up short when she saw Team CRDL on the other side of those bushes. They were passing high-fives and snickering at the duo. "Cardin Winchester. That snake of a man…"

"Man I hate it when Cardin gets away with everything!" Yang screamed, "I want to just beat the living snot out of him."

"Get in line" Coco replied.

Team CRDL or Cardinal as it was pronounced. They were a freshmen group just like Jaune and Pyrrha but with a more infamous reputation. The whole team consisted of folks who lived on a higher classed society. From their infamous leader down to the 'cronies' that he worked with, they were all high bred warriors with prominent family names that they can easily live up to. They are considered untouchable not only because of their status but also because of the strength they can easily back up to match their aggressive behavior.

Pyrrha would've liked nothing better but to put those boys in their places but she was quickly stopped by Jaune. "Let it go Pyrrha. They're not worth it."

"He doesn't even hold anything against Cardin." Pyrrha watched scene and admired Jaune's cool headedness.

"You're letting them go…" Nora and Yang spoke at the same time.

"I would rather not get on Professor Goodwitch's bad side." Jaune make a very simple and compelling reason.

"But Jaune…"

"Starting a fight here isn't going to make things any better." He added, holding onto the girl's shield. With a confirmed nod, the redhead sheathed her weapons and allowed the bullies to walk away satisfied with their prank. "Come on. The jars are full." The boy followed, putting the lid on the other two jars as the sap finally dried up.

Pyrrha felt partly at fault of the boy's messy state. Because of the calm talk that Jaune and Ren had earlier she dropped her guard for a moment allowing Cardin to get a drop on her. If that sap jar had hit her, it'll take weeks just to get that sticky feeling off her chest.

"And even more on my hair." Pyrrha added.

"If Cardin even thinks about do that to me," Yang felt the need to get that out. After all, she loves her hair.

"Here… why don't we clean you up?" She offered, grabbing one of the empty jars and filled it with water from the pond. "We can't have you returning to the school looking like the insides of a jam sandwich."

"Well I would look good on buns." Pyrrha laughed at his optimistic attitude and slowly began washing his face with a piece of cloth she got from her pocket. She gently removed the sticky red sap on his chin only to notice a cut below his neck.

"The same scar from the beginning." Ruby noticed too.

"Hmm? Jaune? Do you have a scar?"

The boy unconsciously moved his hand to his chest only to discover a strange lump going inward. "Huh… I must've gotten it back during the initiation. Never noticed that before."

"Perhaps we should go see the professor and have you checked."

"No, that's not really necessary." The boy waved if off. "It's probably just something I had when I was a kid. I'm more worried about getting this smell off me."

"That's not how your memories work." Blake noted.

"That might take a little laundry doing." Pyrrha deduced. "Perhaps you'd better put on something that will deal with the smell. You really do smell like tree sap."

"Heh… my mom did always say I was a sweet guy." Jaune added before slipping another finger-full of the tasty sap unknowing that some of the jelly got stuck on his teeth showing like a bucked toothed beaver. Pyrrha stifled a laugh before pouring the water on him. "Wah! That's cold!"

"Why are we watching Jaune getting a bath from Pyrrha?" Yang asked.

"Hey Jaune is living it up. He's getting service from the Mistral Champion." Neptune answered.

"Hold still Jaune." The redhead told him. "I can't wash the sap out if you keep moving. Ahh!" She quickly retreated when the boy armed himself with one of the empty jars and filling it with the contents from the pond. "Jaune! What are you doing!?"

"Jaune!?" Pyrrha turned to her leader in fear.

"Hey if I'm suffering the embarrassment of being washed by you, the least you can do is get wet." Pyrrha blushed in silence hoping her other-self survives.

"Jaune give us some fan service." Sun cheered.

"Hey it's no fair if I'm the only one who gets wet." The boy countered throwing another bucket full before reloading it in the pond.

"Jaune! Hey! Jaune ah! Stop that! That's cold! Ah!"

"Woo ho!" Sun and Neptune cheered and surprisingly Yang.

"Show her whose boss."

"Yang you're not helping." Pyrrha was very bashful eventhough there isn't actually fan service.

"Aha! So you admit it's cold! Bet you can't handle this next one. Come on. Take that!"

"Hey! Jaune! Ah! That's… this isn't funny bwah!"

"Oh yes it is!"

"Weiss, how could you and me don't do fun stuff?" Ruby meekly asked.

"Because I don't want to ruin my hair." Weiss replied harshly.

"Jaune ah! Don't make me use this!" Their gathering of sap soon became a water battle that ended in both sides dripping to the brim of their clothes.

For the rest of the day, the forest of Forever Fall would be treated by the soothing laughter of two kids with the future still ahead of them.

On the other side of the forest, Glynda flicked her glasses upward, wondering what could be taking those kids so long.

"Finally that's over…" Pyrrha let out a huge sigh seeing her turn is over. "Anyone else?"

"…"

"…"

"I guess I can try…" Unexpectedly, Blake took the book. "There really isn't much going on so I suppose I can read the next chapter."

What Blake doesn't know is the next chapter will change her entire view on the JNPR leader.

To be continued…

Author's Note:

Sorry for the absolutely long hiatus. Many things have happen in my life that I rather not get into detail. As I stated, this story is not dead. However, I cannot guarantee regular updates. They will update whenever I can.

No more questions and answers if I want to post these chapters faster.

Until then…