Hey guys, Rabakku here. After various *cough* failures *cough cough*, I am finally back at it again with a new story. Hopefully this will be a fresh start for me, and this time I actually have a partner to help me on this story. This will be a collab, he will continue to be a huge help as this story progresses. This story may last around 3-6 chapters, but that is pure speculation. Anyway, let's hop into it.

"Ozpin wants to see me?"

At first I was mildly confused. Now, I'm panicking out of my mind.

'The only possible justification for me getting called is my transcripts. That has to be it. Normally he just calls us to his conference room, but to go directly to his office… This is definitely a big deal. But in the end, do I even belong here? I don't even have a Semblance! Some prodigies unlock theirs as early as the age of 4. If it wasn't for Pyr-'

My thoughts shifted from panic to downright depressing. I had to leave my team behind, my friends. And, her. Throughout all my time here, she was the only reason I've had any grounds on which to stay. It was her who unlocked my Aura. She was the one who made me feel like I could be the leader, that I had such a place in Beacon Academy.

But that may all come to an end, because I lied for something I don't deserve. I walked down the hall at an anxious yet slow pace, before staring the door down in agony. I raised my hand and gave it a light tap.

"Come in, Mr. Arc. We have much to discuss."

I wrapped my hand around the handle and gave it a turn before opening the door. Ozpin stared me down across the room, but to my surprise, it was a soft look, not the harsh disdainful one I had expected. I walked forward and took a seat in front of him, passing him a nervous smile as if I was at the most important interview of my life. He leaned forward and intertwined his hands in front of his chin with his elbows on the desk. He stared at me expectantly. This lasted for about 2 minutes before he finally said, "So?"

"Y-you called me in here, what for?"

He just smiled, "I think you are already well aware of the answer to that." He was dead right, but it wasn't something I was comfortable with saying aloud.

"My transcripts."

"Yes, about those. Well done, aren't they? Had me going for 2 whole days."

"You've known since before school had started?! W-why would you make me team leader? Or even allow me to stay in the first place? If it wasn't for Phyrra, I wouldn't have even made it out of the forest, I-"

"Haven't given me any reason to regret that just yet, have you?"

This was a question I was completely unsure about. I was a total mess, even now my skill still lacks in multiple departments. I just looked away, "I don't suppose I gave you any reason to regret it, but I don't think I've done anything to justify you letting me in, either."

"That is precisely why I need you to prove yourself, Mr. Arc." I looked up at Ozpin with expectant eyes. "What you have proven to me, is that you have the necessary leadership skills to stay the leader of team JNPR. Though I have made my mistakes, I refuse to believe appointing you were one of them. However, your fighting skills will need to improve vastly if you wish to live up to our standards here at Beacon. Though I wish I could allow you to learn on your own, I am not willing to take the risk that it may cost you your life, or the lives of your fellow hunters and huntresses."

My breath hitched, "What exactly would I have to do to show I can improve enough to stay?"

"Spar with me, Jaune."

The empty room fell silent, with even my breathing going quiet. Could I last even two minutes against someone of his caliber?

We stood about 20 feet apart, across the arena from one another. The rules were simple, knock the other out the ring. Of course, I was offered a handicap. If I could stay in for 30 seconds, I would win. The ring felt pretty small, just a drawn circle surrounding us two, probably no more than 30 feet wide.

"I will not be holding back, Mr. Arc. This will not be easy. Make sure to focus that aura you've unlocked, you will certainly be needing it."

"We start... Now."

I didn't have a second to react, he was already close, throwing a wide kick at me. It hit with full force. Thankfully I was allowed Crocea Mors in the battle, and was able to stop myself from immediately getting thrown out by stabbing the ground to stop the momentum. However, I wasn't allowed a moment of rest as he was already upon me again, ready to strike the next blow. Again, his attack hit hard, and already my body felt weaker. Though I didn't go airborne, I did fall backwards. I recovered as quick as I could. His next attack was thrown just as quickly as the last, a right hook aimed at my jaw. I raised up my shield and it negated some of the damage, but the force still shoved me back a foot or two. He continued, deliberately attacking my shield forcing me back more and more. I reared up and shield bashed against my assailant, but it had little effect besides pushing him back for just a moment. But that was what I needed, just more "moments", more time off the clock.

I was shoved back really far, the edge seeming to grasp me backwards. I had a whole 15 more seconds to get by, at least. I raised my shield, and somehow, my Crocea Mors felt, heavier. I sheathed my sword and grabbed the shield with both hands, and as Ozpin went to hit it, his hand seemed to almost bounce off. He stood there for just a moment, baffled. 5 seconds left, in a burst of hope I threw myself into Ozpin, knocking him onto his back. He reacted by shoving me off to the side with tremendous strength, but didn't have enough time to remove me from the arena after his recovery. As the timer ticked down to zero, the bell that followed marked a chance for my future at Beacon.

He dusted himself off and stared at me as I picked myself up. He simply just gave me a nod before turning to exit the private gym room.

Hesitantly, I stopped him on his way out with a call, "Does this mean I get to stay?"

He turned back to face me, "You won, didn't you?" He finished his exit and let the door close behind him, leaving a loud, booming echo in the large room. The room eventually fell silent again, leaving me to contemplate my next move.

On my way back, something felt noticeably wrong. I couldn't quite tell off the top of my head. I could have sworn my vision had improved, but I couldn't really tell. And I was hearing a lot of thumping from something, too. People seemed to be stomping a lot today as well. The pounding was starting to get on my nerves.

Velvet Scarlatina, one of the many faunus students at Beacon, had stopped me, "Have you seen Coco?"

"Why are you talking so loudly?" Her voice seemed a bit too raised for us being so close.

"What? I'm talking at a normal tone."

"You sound like you're yelling." I complained to the bunny Faunus.

"I think it's just you, I constantly have things sound way louder than they should due to my ears," She gave them a cute little wiggle along with that line. "Maybe your ear hurts, so it's more sensitive than usual. Anyway, if you haven't seen Coco, then I'll continue my search. See you layta!"

I proceeded to my dorm room, knocking just in case anyone was doing personal things. After a confirmation the dorm was clear from Ren, I entered. Pyrrha was sitting on her bed across from the doorway, but she quickly made her way towards me as soon as she saw me. "What exactly did Ozpin want?" She seemed nervous, but I was too distracted by a ridiculously loud thumping to answer. I shook my head, trying to see if maybe it was my own thoughts.

Pyrrha waved her hand in front of my face. "Jaune? What's wrong?"

I shook it off and gave her a smile, "Everything is okay, Ozpin just had a question about the information on my transcripts."

She sighed happily, "You had me worried when you left like you did. It's rather odd for Ozpin to pull anyone straight from class."

I nodded, and just continued to smile warmly at her, "Everything is taken care of, so it's all right."

Pyrrha nodded, and I swear I saw a subtle blush rise on her expression. My own face grew pink as well, but before I said anything, she had turned to walk back to her bed. The thumping grew faster. I wonder if I'll be able to sleep tonight. The constant *thump* *thump* was actually kind of calming, in the end. It'd probably be gone by tomorrow either way.

So, chapter one complete. This chapter was short, but they will get longer. This is still a work in progress, so forgive the team for any mistakes and feel free to submit your own CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. If you want to be nasty about it, we won't take your opinion into consideration. We will see you in the next chapter.

Forgive the layout, this was done on mobile.