Aaaand, here's part two. Those of you who waited for Arkos fluff won't be disappointed. Thanks again for commissioning this, D. KnightOfShadows! This was a lot of fun. Enjoy!

Between Jaune's care and her own persistence, it didn't take much longer for Pyrrha to make a full recovery. She got out of bed one morning, put on her battle attire, and went downstairs to greet Jaune. Of course, her cautious caretaker insisted on waiting two more days before allowing her to venture outside.

Determined to not waste any time, she used those days to start teaching him some basic battle stances. She made him hold them for long periods of time in full armor, giving him gentle encouragement whenever his legs shook or his sword arm wavered. "Having a good stance is the first step," she insisted. "If your stance is bad and you leave an opening, you're dead no matter how well you can swing a sword."

Jaune grimaced as he continued to stand in place. "Are you sure you aren't punishing me for not letting you outside right away?"

"I would never stoop so low!" Pyrrha mock-gasped. "I am being completely professional."

"Uh-huh," Jaune muttered. "Somehow, I'm not convinced."

"You'll thank me later. Actual combat is nothing compared to this." Pyrrha noticed that, despite the halfhearted complaints, Jaune did as he was told. Under his jokes, his eyes shone with determination. This was certainly not a game for him.

Once the two days passed and Pyrrha was deemed ready to go outside, she immediately set out to volunteer for the foraging parties. It was interesting finally seeing Jaune's village for the first time. It was a decent-sized settlement with large walls surrounding it. The houses were sturdy, some of them clearly centuries old. At the center of town, where people signed up for foraging parties and picked up rations, a large monument of a Huntsman stood. The figure held a familiar sword and shield.

"Yeah, that's my great-great-grandfather," Jaune said as Pyrrha looked at it. "My family is a bit famous around here."

"Do you ever deal with media attention?" Pyrrha asked, genuinely curious.

"Nah. No one ever thought I'd be a Hunter. My dad is more likely to attract fans." His voice took on a slightly bitter tone before he shook himself. "But, I'm changing that. With you teaching me, I know I'll get into Beacon."

"I'm flattered by your confidence." Pyrrha's face flushed slightly. "I've only taught you some stances so far. We'll see how you like actually fighting me."

Jaune flashed a resigned grin. "I'm already prepared for the intense bruising I shall receive, don't worry."

The Huntsman leading the foraging parties eyed them both before assigning them to a group that was going into the western woods. According to Jaune, there was a good amount of deer as well as some mulberry trees there.

Pyrrha quickly realized that she would have done a better job if she had been allowed to venture out alone. Her time in the Wilds had made hunting for her own food necessary, so she was pretty experienced in the silent stalking of animals. With a bunch of other people around, progress was significantly slower and noisier.

Still, they eventually tracked down a herd of deer. Pyrrha took aim with Milo and managed to take down a large doe with a single shot to the throat. The rest of the herd scattered as the group approached to pick up the kill.

Jaune was distinctly green as he took a leg and helped drag the creature. At Pyrrha's questioning look, he explained: "I've never really hunted animals before. I…didn't expect to feel anything when it died. I guess I was wrong." He stared at the ground. Some of the other foragers rolled their eyes and snickered at his words, making his shoulders slump.

"There's nothing wrong with having compassion for our food," Pyrrha assured him, frowning pointedly at their smirking companions. "It keeps us from killing needlessly and guarantees that we'll respect the animal and use everything we can." She was satisfied when a few of them averted their gazes.

Jaune didn't reply, but he felt a small smile coming to his face. He realized that he cared much more about what Pyrrha thought than the rest of the group.

That night, the two feasted on roasted venison combined with the usual rations. They alternated between eating the venison and the canned soup, using the meat juices to soften the hard bread. Both felt distinctly drowsy by the time the meal ended.

"We actually have leftovers," Jaune noticed, letting out a yawn. "Maybe we can train tomorrow. How's that sound?"

Pyrrha nodded, echoing Jaune's yawn. "That sounds grand. We should probably go to bed, though. Falling asleep in these chairs wouldn't be good for our muscles."

"Yes, ma'am." Jaune got up, stretching before walking up the stairs. "Let me know if you need anything."

Pyrrha returned to her room which, she had found out, was actually Jaune's room. He had thought that it would be best for her to sleep there, rather than being put in one of his sisters' rooms without their permission. He had commandeered his eldest sister's room over the course of Pyrrha's stay. After her recovery, she had taken the opportunity to explore Jaune's room in greater detail. Several posters decorated the walls. A book shelf sat near the door, holding a few books on battle strategies and several board games. Comics were scattered all over the place, most of them piling up on the desk. Overall, it was a nice, ordinary room.

Of course, the more she thought about Jaune, the less ordinary he seemed to her. They talked and laughed together so easily. She felt as if she had known him her whole life. And those gorgeous blue eyes…

Don't get ahead of yourself, she thought firmly. Despite everything, you've only known him for a few days. Keep your head and focus on teaching him.

The following morning, the two went into Jaune's backyard, where he had set up his own practice equipment (which consisted of a few training dummies, a tattered target, and a battered weapon rack).

"Dad doesn't let me near the more advanced stuff," Jaune explained, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. "I hope this will be okay. If you don't want to train me anymore, that's fine."

Pyrrha touched his shoulder. "Jaune, I made a promise. A shortage of training gear isn't going to stop me. Honestly, we won't need any of this."

"Really?" Jaune blinked. "Not even the dummies?"

"Dummies can't fight back." Pyrrha drew Milo and fell into her natural battle stance. "We begin now. Attack me."

"Huh?" Jaune stared dumbly at her for a second. "You mean…right now?"

"Yes, Jaune. Right now." Pyrrha smiled before suddenly lunging forward, hitting Jaune's side sharply with the flat of her javelin. "And don't forget your battle stance."

"Ow!" Jaune yelped as he jumped back. He made a nervous "eep" sound when he saw Pyrrha getting ready to attack again. Quickly, he tried to imitate one of the stances he had been made to learn. While he was trying to figure out his arm placement, Pyrrha delivered a sharp thwack to his other side.

"You're dead." Pyrrha stepped back, green eyes sharp as she watched Jaune. "On the battlefield, the enemy won't wait. The stances I taught you are a base. You need to constantly adjust depending on terrain, the number of enemies, and whether you have allies. Let's try again. This time, get into position within five seconds."

A few more tries and several more bruises later, Jaune managed to get into position in time to clumsily raise his shield and fend off Pyrrha's latest attack. Of course, he stumbled and fell on his face right afterward. He groaned, using his sore arms to push himself up. He sighed as he sat in the grass. "I really am hopeless," he mourned.

"Not at all!" Pyrrha quickly assured him. "You've improved a great deal, and this is only your first lesson." She knelt down next to him. "Let's take a quick water break. We'll go another hour before calling it a day."

"I can go longer," Jaune insisted.

"I know, but we are still on rationed food and water," Pyrrha reminded him. "Even if we join the foragers every other day, we need to be careful. It's very easy to get malnourished and dehydrated when training, and I refuse to be the cause of you becoming sick."

By the end of that practice, Jaune was able to block almost half of Pyrrha's attacks, and even managed to clumsily retaliate with his sword a few times. He was convinced that he was a failure, but Pyrrha was honestly impressed.

"If this is how you are with no experience, you will certainly become an extraordinary Huntsman with proper training," she said as she helped him back to the house. "Don't favor your legs too much," she added. "They'll get stiffer."

"Sorry." Jaune tried standing up straighter as he walked. "Are you sure you aren't lying to make me feel better?"

"Now, what kind of teacher would I be if I did that?"

"Good point…" Once inside, he plopped down on the couch with a loud groan. "I just hope I won't be too stiff to do any foraging tomorrow."

"It takes some getting used to," Pyrrha admitted. "You'll probably be sore in the morning."

"Great." Jaune rolled his shoulders, grimacing when that didn't do anything to ease the pain. "I hope I don't sound ungrateful," he quickly added. "I'm just whining. I really do appreciate the help. No pain, no gain, right?"

Pyrrha smiled. "Don't worry about it." She hesitated before adding: "You know, I learned a few massage techniques in Sanctum that might help…" She trailed off.

Jaune tilted his head. "They taught you how to massage in a battle school?"

"Well, the school was meant to prepare us for places like Beacon, where we are given partners," Pyrrha explained. "Helping one's partner is important, and soothing pain is certainly helpful."

"I'll try anything," Jaune said before stopping short, an uncertain look coming to his face. "So, uh, do I lie down or…"

"You can sit up. Just take off your armor plating." Pyrrha felt her cheeks growing warm as Jaune started unstrapping his armor. It's just a routine massage, she scolded herself. That's it. Don't make it more than it is. Just the same, a tiny shiver went down her spine as she placed her hands on his back. Even through his hoodie, she could feel the muscles that, while out of practice, were definitely present. She rubbed her fingertips and the heel of her palm into his back, gently feeling out the tight spots and working to loosen them.

Jaune closed his eyes, just barely keeping from letting out a sigh at how amazing Pyrrha's palms felt on his stiff back and shoulders. Those strong, slender hands, which had been mostly been used to smack him with a javelin throughout the day, were now soothing him in ways he never would have thought possible.

Admittedly, he probably wouldn't be enjoying this so much if someone else had been rubbing him down. Though he had actively suppressed such thoughts over the past few days, determined to keep from being creepy, he had to finally admit that he was very much attracted to Pyrrha. He had noticed her beauty even when he had first found her malnourished form at the edge of the village. When he had seen her fully-open eyes for the first time, he had been captivated. And she wasn't just beautiful; she was kind, funny, understanding, and seemed to genuinely like him.

Did he dare believe that fate had brought her to him?

Dude, that's cheesy, even for you, he thought with a mental eyeroll. At that moment, Pyrrha rubbed a spot in the center of his back that caused him to let out a pleased grunt. His muscles relaxed almost instantly under her touch.

Pyrrha's cheeks warmed even further at the small, involuntary sound Jaune let out. She scooted a little closer as she continued to search for more tense spots. After going over his back, she checked his arms, rubbing them firmly. Technically, a full massage in a relaxed setting would involve the subject removing his shirt. There was no way that Pyrrha was about to go that far! She'd probably get too distracted to give the actual rubdown. Remaining focused was already hard enough.

Okay, fine, she relented. I have a crush.

When she finished the massage, she hesitated before leaning forward to briefly hug Jaune from behind. He didn't even seem surprised. He just looked over his shoulder to smile sleepily at her. She smiled back. "You did very well today. Keep it up, and I know you'll become stronger." She squeezed him briefly before standing up. "Goodnight, Jaune."

"Goodnight, Pyrrha." Jaune watched her go upstairs, feeling a little dazed. He fell asleep a few minutes later, smiling at the warmth that still lingered after that all-too-brief embrace.

During their next practice session, Pyrrha unlocked Jaune's Aura. She had noticed before that he hadn't activated it to fend off any of her blows. She had assumed that he had kept it off in order to feel the impact of his failures better. It turned out that he had no idea what Aura was.

His family really doesn't think he can become a Hunter, she thought. For him to not even know what Aura is…

After giving him a brief explanation, she instructed him to close his eyes. Gently, she placed a hand on his chest, activating her own Aura. Closing her eyes, she remembered her lessons and mentally delved into the latent energy surrounding Jaune. Aura traveled through a person's veins like blood, even when dormant, and it was easy to follow the various paths to the heart. Carefully, she tapped into the core, activating it in a flood of golden light.

His Aura felt amazing. It was warm, comforting, and filled with potential. Pyrrha had only tapped into a few other people's Auras in the past for training purposes, but this felt more personal. She felt totally in sync with Jaune. When she opened her eyes to catch a glimpse of his serene smile, she knew he felt the same way.

As predicted, Jaune showed some improvement as they fought, using his Aura several times to block attacks. Though he was still figuring out how to activate it at will, he was learning quickly. Pyrrha was quick to distract him when he started to doubt his overall abilities, building him up as much as she could. She knew that confidence was every bit as important as physical skills, after all.

They went with the foraging parties every other day. At one point, a pair of Ursai attacked the group and Pyrrha and Jaune helped to fend them off. Jaune had been walking on air for the rest of the day. Later on though, he grew more somber as a thought occurred to him.

"Pyrrha, what if this doesn't make a difference?" he asked as they ate. "I mean, I'm going up against people who trained for years in primary schools, like you. Do I really have a shot?"

"Absolutely," Pyrrha replied. "Primary schools are there to give people an edge, but there have been plenty of Huntsmen who didn't start formal training until secondary school. You are definitely talented, and I think you should plan on applying this fall." She smiled reassuringly. "Who knows? We may end up on a team together."

"Yeah." Jaune smiled at the thought. "That would be pretty great." He paused before asking: "So, what are you going to do when the lockdown ends? I've heard that the Grimm are almost under control. Will you go back into the Wilds? Try to get to the capital?"

"I can hardly do that," Pyrrha exclaimed. "I have a responsibility now. Someone has to make sure you get into Beacon." She paused, glancing uncertainly to the side. "I mean…if that's okay. I wouldn't want to impose-"

"Oh, definitely!" Jaune quickly cut in. "It's no problem at all!" Easy, now. Don't sound too eager. "I, um, actually asked my parents about it. My sister Mary says you can bunk with her. I didn't want to ask, but if you want to…"

"That would be grand," Pyrrha said wholeheartedly, unable to keep the bright smile from her face. "Thank you!"

"I should be the one thanking you," Jaune insisted, eyes shining excitedly. "We can even take the entrance exams together! Oh, and we can marathon Red vs. Blue once the lockdown ends!"

Pyrrha chuckled, happy that Jaune was as enthusiastic as she felt. "I would certainly enjoy that. I look forward to meeting your family. I feel that I should thank them personally, since I've been in their house all this time."

"I've already told them a lot about you." Jaune's cheeks turned pink as he said this. "They really want to meet you, too."

After dinner, the two went to bed and continued their cycle of training the next day. It was easy to fall into a schedule. At the end of the day, whether they had been fighting or foraging, they ate dinner together and talked. On training days, Pyrrha would massage Jaune's stiff muscles, always ending with a firm, reassuring hug and a reminder that he was absolutely improving.

When she went to bed each night, she quietly reflected on the unexpected turn her journey of self-discovery had taken. Though her time in the Wilds had taught her a lot, the weeks she had spent with Jaune had done so much more. She felt as if she had a purpose outside of fighting in tournaments and posing for pictures. She was a teacher, a friend, and a Huntress who was pursuing her dreams while helping someone else pursue his.

Perhaps, it was destiny, she mused as she fell asleep, smiling in anticipation for the coming morning.

…..

The lockdown finally ended after another week, and Jaune's family arrived at the house the following day. There was much hugging and catching up. Everyone was thrilled to meet Pyrrha, especially Jaune's younger sisters, who had seen her face on the Pumpkin Pete's cereal boxes and was shocked that their big brother was being taught by "a real famous Huntress."

Jaune's mother took an immediate liking to Pyrrha and insisted on giving her a "real meal" that she wouldn't have to hunt for (since the grocery stores were finally getting stock again). The following dinner, consisting of homemade roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob, was the best Pyrrha had eaten in ages. To celebrate the end of the lockdown, Mrs. Arc even made a chocolate cake. Pyrrha was glad that a Huntsman's Aura naturally broke down food quicker. Otherwise, getting up the following morning to continue training would have been next to impossible.

She discovered that she was enjoying herself even more than before. Jaune's family was wonderful, and strove to make her feel accepted. Without the rationed food and electricity, she was able to eat three full meals a day and take showers without timing herself. At night, she and Jaune would sit in the living room and alternate between watching movies and marathoning Red vs. Blue. A few times, Jaune would doze off due to exhaustion from training, and his head would fall on Pyrrha's shoulder. She didn't mind one bit.

When she talked to her parents, they expressed concern that Jaune was taking advantage of her kindness by training with her so much. A stern reminder that Jaune had literally saved Pyrrha's life was usually all it took to shut them up. Her father forwarded information on how to apply to Beacon from a different address and wished her luck. She thanked both of them, promising to come home in the summer, after the Beacon acceptance letters would be mailed out.

On the day of the entrance exams, Jaune was nothing but nerves. "Oh man! What if I forget something? What if I mess up on the written stuff? What if I pull a muscle? What if I impale myself and DIE?!"

Pyrrha grasped him firmly by the shoulders, giving him a shake. "Jaune, you'll be fine. The written portion hardly counts. If you pull a muscle, remember the trick I taught you for relieving the pain. And I highly doubt that you'll impale yourself and die. You'd have to be very stupid or very untrained. You are neither, so you have nothing to worry about. I believe in you." She smiled gently. "Okay?"

Jaune took a deep breath and let it out shakily. "Yeah," he muttered, taking in Pyrrha's words, allowing them to calm him. "Yeah, okay." He hesitated before pulling her into a hug. "Thanks for everything, Pyrrha. I wouldn't have gotten this far without you." He drew back quickly, fixing his gaze on the exam room to hide his rising blush. "Okay, let's do this. Ready?"

"Absolutely." Pyrrha nodded. She was confident in her and Jaune's abilities. Also, the warmth of his brief hug traveled directly to her chest. It felt as if his warmth was combining with her Aura, filling her with hope and clarity.

Now's not the time for poetic sentiments, she told herself. Focus.

For the next few hours, any and all thought was consumed by filling in the right answers to the essay questions and remembering what battle stance to take while the professors watched them with narrowed eyes. The impassive stares and ominous scratching of pencils on clipboards were enough to unnerve even Pyrrha. The two let out a combined sigh of relief when they were finally able to go home.

Jaune noticed Pyrrha's silence at dinner and talked to her as they ate their dessert in the living room. "What are you worried about? There's no way you failed."

Pyrrha sighed. "I'm just thinking about the fact that it's out of our hands now. All we can do is wait for Beacon to send out those letters. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep in the meantime."

"Tell me about it," Jaune muttered, shaking his head. "Did you see that lady who was looking at our battle stances? Her weapon was a freaking riding crop! I was expecting her to smack my wrists if I lost my balance, or something."

"The one who kept running from place to place unnerved me. I'm positive that he must have spiked his coffee with something else," Pyrrha said, finishing her cookies and putting the plate on the coffee table. "Why don't we treat ourselves? Let's take a break from training tomorrow and spend the night watching the rest of Red vs. Blue!"

Jaune grinned. "I like the way you think!"

In the end, the exertions of the day caught up to them, and they ended up falling asleep together on the couch. When they woke up the next morning, feeling totally relaxed, they saw that someone had put a blanket over them.

A week after the exams, two letters from Beacon arrived at the Arc household.

Jaune and Pyrrha stood together by the mailbox, eying each other nervously in the early morning light. Taking a deep breath, they counted down from three before frantically ripping their envelopes open and staring at the letters within.

There was a pause of less than a millisecond before two simultaneous shouts of glee echoed throughout the neighborhood, probably waking up everyone within a half mile.

"Holy Dust!" Jaune shouted. "I got in! Look at it!" He waved the letter in front of Pyrrha. "It's signed by Ozpin himself!"

"I know!" Pyrrha said, rushing forward to hug Jaune, clutching her own acceptance letter in her hand. "I knew you could do it!"

Laughing, Jaune picked her up and spun her around once. "It's all thanks to you! Man, I could kiss you right now!" As he spoke those words, his blood turned to ice and he mentally kicked himself. Wait, did I just say that out loud? Crap! "Uh, I mean, uh. That was a figure of-Mmph!"

Pyrrha was too happy to hesitate. Upon hearing Jaune's words, she threw caution to the winds and leaned forward, pressing her lips to his. She felt him stiffen in shock before his arms tightened around her, pulling her flush against him.

Jaune's eyes closed as he clumsily returned Pyrrha's kiss. Her fingers combed through his hair, causing him to shiver with delight. He brought one hand up to her cheek, caressing it softly while keeping his other arm firmly wrapped around her waist. Part of him wondered if he was dreaming and would wake up in a few minutes hugging his pillow.

Unfortunately, the kiss was ended abruptly by a whistle and a child's voice going "Ooooooh!"

Jaune jumped back, his face turning bright red. "Jenny, go inside!" he snapped. The little six year old giggled and quickly closed the door. A moment later, shouts of "Jaune and Pyrrha sitting in a tree!" rang through the walls. Jaune groaned, bringing a hand to his face. "Sorry, Pyrrha. Looks like we're going to be tormented about this for at least the next twenty four hours."

Pyrrha, trying very hard not to burst out laughing, walked over and pecked Jaune's cheek. "Well, since we're already going to be teased about it…"

Jaune's face immediately softened to a smile and he pulled Pyrrha into another hug, brushing his lips lightly against hers. "I'll be honest: I've kinda been wanting to do this for a long time."

"What a coincidence," Pyrrha exclaimed, flashing a coy smile. "So have I."

Jaune looked at his letter again. "I still can't believe this. Do you think there's a chance that we'll be partners? Maybe we can bribe Ozpin..."

"I think we'd have to be much richer to do that, Jaune," Pyrrha chuckled. "I'm sure things will work out, though." She glanced toward the door. "Come on. Let's show these to your parents before your sisters' singing drives them crazy."

They walked toward the door hand in hand, their acceptance letters crinkling merrily in their free hands. Neither teen could remember ever feeling happier, and knew that the coming fall would only be better.

And the events of Volume 3 never happened! Our favorite Hunter duo joined Team JNPR, kicked ass, and lived happily ever after. The end.

In other news, the official release date has been given for Volume 4. It looks like October 22nd will mark the beginning of a massive black hole of feels from which there's no escape. Between what happened in Volume 3 and Shane's letter, I'm a bit apprehensive, but I have decided that I care too much about these characters to just stop watching. The huge timeskip between volumes worries me, as I feel that it robs us of some key character moments that we should have seen. *cough* The rest of team JNPR dealing with Pyrrha's death during those first few months. *cough* Still, we'll see what happens.

Praise Monty and peace out!