Jaune sighed and stood up.

"No time to waste." he mutttered.

A sound like breaking glass gave him little warning to the girl who was now embracing him tightly.

"Hey Neo." he greeted. "How are you doing today?" he asked.

She gave him a joyful smile and stuck her face in his side. He placed his hand on her back and held her against him.

They stood there for a moment as the wind rustled his hair.

"I need to protect this." he whispered.

Neo looked back up at him with a questioning expression.

"Let's get back to the room." he said.

She nodded and they walked back into Beacon.

Line Break

"I've decided I want to train you all." Jaune announced as they entered.

"You want to train us?" Blake asked. "How would that help?"

"Jaune knows a lot about weapons, and he's super strong!" Ruby answered defensively.

"I've used a katana and a kusarigama, so I would have some inclination on how to use your weapon, though you would need more help with strength and stamina than actual weapon use." Jaune explained.

"What about me?" Yang asked challengingly.

"Mindset. You are too focused on power. You should work a little on where to apply it."

Yang frowned. "That's what dad says." she grumbled.

"On the other hand, Ruby, you need to get better with your semblance and fighting without your weapon."

Ruby clutched Crescent Rose possessively, turning as if to shield it with her body.

"And I need to discover my semblance." he said with a sigh.

"How are you gonna do that?" Ruby asked innocently.

Jaune smirked. "1 vs. 4."

Line Break

Jaune stood across from his team. They were outside, in a plain clearing a small ways from the school building. They were all armed and equipped in their combat clothing.

Jaune eyed his team warily. Neo was undoubtedly the most dangerous. Her illusions could have him distracted beyond reasonable doubt, so he chose the safest route.

He closed his eyes and listened to only the trees and the wind. The telltale sounds of glass shattering whenever Neo used her semblance meant that she may be able to use sound too, so he ignored his hearing.

It was just smell that he focused on. Ruby smelled of Rose petals and weapon oil. Yang of citrus and gunpowder. Blake of paper and lavender. Neo of ice cream and leather.

In a flash, it started. Ruby launched forward in a flurry of rose petals, and Jaune neatly side stepped, using his shield to catcher her and swing her back into her teammates.

Ruby tumbled as she reformed, landing in a heap next to Blake. Yang nodded to her partner, and the two of them entered the fray. Blake released partof her weapon, giving it to Yang as she launched around Jaune, the ribbon of Gambol Shroud attempting to wrap him up.

He jumped over it before charging Blake, ducking into a slide under her eager swipe and mashing his shield into her torso. She clutched her weapon tightly and swung it down on him, even as she felt her breath leave her from his strike.

Jaune grunted quietly from her hit, but easily shrugged it off and backed away. Yang swung at him, but he dodged as he felt the wind pass. Yang yelled and went for another punch, but Jaune slammed his arm wide, deflecting her punch with a vicious shield bash.

He reached into her guard with his own punch, knocking her back.

By this time, Ruby had recovered, and the three started to work together. Ruby and Blake ran around Jaune, shooting and occassionally swiping at him with their weapons as Yang kept the offensive up with her melee. Jaune blocked often, and retaliated when he felt it safe, but rounds made their way through his guard, and his aura slowly whittled down.

Neo stayed in the distance, occassionally using an illusion to distract him. Small sounds, like footsteps or the rush of air made him react automatically, leaving him open for another strike.

An errant punch from Yang was thrown wide, and he dropped his shield and caught her fist. He struck her in the solar plexus three times in rapid succession, and threw her bodily towards the sound of Ruby's sniper going off.

He rolled and sprinted for Neo, attacking with his bare fists as she dodged or blocked with her parasol. He kicked her weapon out of the way, and landed a solid punch in her abdomen, making her breath out in pain.

Jaune gritted his teeth and wiped away his worry as he attacked again, knocking her away.

Knowing Neo was distracted and out of breath, and having knocked a large portion of her aura down, he opened his eyes to look at his opponents.

Yang and Ruby were standing up, proving that he had indeed managed to make them collide, and Blake was reloading her weapon quickly.

He sprinted for her, pumping aura in his musckes so that he almost glided towards her. Jaune planted his feet and unleashed an uppercut that knocked her back, but he was frozen solid.

It was a clone loaded with Ice dust.

Jaune grunted and strained his muscles, ominous cracking emitting from the ice. He managed to free a hand, which he used to strike his other arm harshly, shattering the ice.

"He never stops." Blake whispered in horror. She had seen grown men struggle for upwards of twenty minutes to escape her ice.

Two punishing blows shattered the ice on his legs, and he shook off the remnants of the ice.

He was free.

Yang charged in, hoping to catch him off guard, but he ducked and threw her over his back, launching her further. He dashed to Ruby and Blake.

Blake unsheathed her katana and held the sheathe, trying to batter him with repeated strikes. Jaune jabbed two fingers into her wrist, forcing her to drop the blade. He released a devastating roundhouse kick, knocking her to the side.

Ruby stood with her scythe out, gripping the handle tightly. There was no one left. Neo was still dazed, Yang was having trouble lifting herself from the ground, and Blake was holding her ribs.

But Jaune was breathing heavily. He was tired, and Ruby was still mostly fresh.

She braced herself and fired her sniper away from Jaune, launching herself forward.

Line Break

Team Journey lay in a circle in the clearing. When they had got there, it was simply a spot without bushes or trees, and a small bare spot where grass didn't grow.

Now there were several gouges in the ground. Upturned dirt, spent shell casings, and indents in the shape of feet or fists were marring the earth.

Deep breathing was the only sound to be heard from the five of them.

"Good practice?" Jaune said, still gasping for breathe.

A groan and a few glares were his response.

"What's that? You want to go again right now?" he asked mockingly.

Yang slugged his arm weakly to answer.

"You're a monster." Blake repeated her earlier sentiment.

"That's not very nice." he replied.

"How can you still be joking around?" she asked. "Especially after Ruby."

Jaune shrugged. "It's more fun this way?" he answered half heartedly.

"All of that and you still didn't have any hint towards your semblance?" Ruby asked.

Jaune shook his head. "Not that I could tell."

"What does a monster need a semblance for anyway?" Blake asked dramatically.

Weak laughter echoed in the clearing.

There was a few minutes of silence.

"I'm sorry I was so rough on you all." Jaune said stiffly.

"It's alright, Jaune. You just want us to get stronger." Blake said.

Jaune frowned. "I don't want someone who wants to hurt you guys to be able to." he said softly.

Neo rested her head on his thigh and gave him a reassuring smile.

"We understand Jaune." Ruby said. "You don't want us hurt, and a few injuries in a fight with you will mean less serious injuries in a real fight. Dad had some trouble with Yang for the same reason at first."

Jaune sighed.

"It doesn't mean you want to hurt us. It means that you would rather hurt us than let us be hurt worse."

Jaune nodded. "I suppose that's about right." he said softly.

Ruby smiled at him before copying Neo, resting her head on his other thigh.

Jaune let his hand brush through her hair for a moment before sighing again. This time, it was contented.