I don't own RWBY or Overwatch. They belong to their respective owners. AN at the end of the story. ENJOY!

Swords and Shields

Chapter one: Kinks in the Armor.

"We're losing him!"

"Please not him. Please."

"What were you thinking?"

"I…I…"

"Your fault."

"Your fault!"

"YOUR FAULT!"

A gasp escaped the blonde knight as he shot up from his slumber. Sweat brimmed around the neck of his hoodie and in between his plates of armor. His chest heaved violently and he resisted the need to place a hand over it.

Jaune Arc closed his eyes in order to reel his fear back in and after a few breaths, he reopened them with a much calmer demeanor.

"And that makes three." Jaune said as he bent his knees up and placed his forearms atop his kneecaps. The grass beneath him brushed against his jeans along with the wind that rustled his hair and chilled the sweat along his skin.

The chill forced his memory to a week ago and on instinct alone, his mind clamped the memories shut, seizing his body in the process.

"Dammit." Jaune muttered as the memory only fueled the anger that rested in his stomach. He got up from his grassy spot along the Beacon cliffs, still refusing to relive what happened. He loathed the loneliness, but he was thankful his team was gone for the time being, they would never let him do this, despite that hypothetical opinion contradicting what was said a week prior.

A huff escaped him as he eyed the weapon that rested by his side, leaving an impression in the grass. There was a determined hatred in his eyes as he gripped the sheathed sword and placed it on his hip. The weight almost made him tilt to his left, but he remained true to his posture while he eyed the spot he was looking for.

A shallow smirk rose on his lips while he brushed his hand across the dirtied launchpad he buried months prior. He had no specific motive to hide it, but it would be something Goodwitch would chastise him for. He didn't care as he found a much-needed use for the device he cleaned off.

Jaune placed the pad toward the Emerald Forest and reached into his pack that rested at his feet, pulling out a makeshift map of his area of interest.

"There's the temple… I think." Jaune commented towards his amateur craftmanship. He was good with distance, but he was sure cartography wasn't a talent of his.

"It will do for now." Jaune said with some reluctance as he stepped on the pad. He didn't care for any engineering difficulties as he recalled the launchpad handbook mentioning as long as the interior wasn't tampered with, the alloy on the outside could be thrashed by a goliath and still be functional.

Jaune could hear the gears turn and a sense of nostalgia overcame him in regard to almost a year ago at initiation. He turned his head back to the academy and couldn't help but let the sad smile he had before return.

"Sorry guys." Jaune said as he tightened his pack around his shoulders and heard the final gear click. "But I'm doing this for all of you." his chest seized and breath halted right at the exact moment the springs released, sending the blonde knight soaring through the air.

The force that pressed all around him was nearly suffocating as the wind tugged him from every direction, twisting and turning his body with even the smallest of breezes. In due time, he was able to force his positioning head first. The forest blurred beneath him and with a gasp, Jaune activated his aura right before he entered the underbrush.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Jaune screamed as he rocketed through a few trees, splintering them in half right before he impacted the moist dirt.

"Uggh" the blonde knight groaned with exasperation. He gripped his right shoulder and coughed a bit before he stood up on his feet and reached for his pack.

"Please, please, please, don't be broken." Jaune begged as he unzipped his back pack and peaked inside. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding the moment he saw all the content he packed were accounted for.

"Water, map, compass, sleeping bag…" Jaune mumbled as he removed the wrapping for the shock absorption.

"Can't believe that hunch in Port's class helped." Jaune couldn't help but laugh. He hoisted his pack over his shoulder with a bit of a smile. "Alright, I'm not too far off from the temple, but I better get moving." With a quick huff, he trotted down and over the uneven greenery.

Jaune found no need to speak as he took the nature in. The branches above him decorated the greenery in a spotted pattern while the smell was rich with damp plants and soil. Despite his motivation, he couldn't help but revel in the sensations of the outdoors with a smile on his face.

"GRRRRR."

Jaune's footsteps came to a halt as he felt his shoulders tense at the sudden noise that cut through the flora. With a few breaths, he mustered the strength he needed to turn around. The familiar red eyes of three Beowolves peered into him with famished intrigue.

The blonde knight swallowed with remaining saliva resided in his mouth and slowly reached for his sword. The large Beowolf in the center of the group tilted its head at the slow movement. The other two continued to snarl at their imminent meal.

"This is why you're here." Jaune whispered to himself and with a shaky hand, he brandished his sword, pointing it at the Grimm in the center. His shield expanded in his other hand and he prepared his footing to how Pyrrha instructed him time and time again.

The center Beowolf let out a howl and without a moment to lose, pounced on Jaune with claws sharpened and teeth that glistened in the afternoon sun, all for the intent of ripping him to pieces.

Jaune yelped with wide eyes as he rolled to the side with a rugged grace only he would praise. He put his shield up once more and noticed the other two Grimm were hanging back, looking on at the confrontation.

'Port did mention something about that when Beowolves hunt in packs.' Jaune though, but was cut short as he felt the claws of his opponent scratch across his shield.

"AGH!" Jaune let out a startled yell as while stumbling back with his shield at his side. His right leg buckled at the sudden strength of the Beowolf and he fell to one knee. The beast ran its tongue across its teeth and with a growl, charged at the winded blonde.

Jaune's breathing was teetering between heavy and frantic as he saw the Beowolf charge. It was right on top of him with its paws outstretched and claws elongated.

"Dammit!" Jaune roared as he released his shield and grasped his sword with two hands. With what aura he could muster, Jaune put all his strength into his right foot and sprung forward into the Beowolf's space. He thrusted his blade forward into the beast's chest with everything he could.

A loud cry came from the Beowolf as Jaune looked up to see the Grimm dissipate into ashes. His gaze instantly locked onto the rest of the pack that decided to turn tail and ran back into the forest.

Jaune fell back onto the soil beneath him and let out a quick laugh.

"That's one down." Jaune muttered with a happy sigh. He looked down at his sword and couldn't help but let the euphoria of victory flow through him. That feeling left quickly before it was replaced with a sinking feeling in his gut that he felt for the past week, ever since the Breach. The cause of the dreadful feeling being the sight of his shield.

"I got careless." Jaune said as he stood up with weapons in hands. His mind began to race back to the beginning of the confrontation and his fists unconsciously tightened.

'Weiss could have dodged that without an issue.' Jaune thought. 'Ruby would have been faster, Nora would have been stronger, Ren would've…' a growl escaped his lips as he collapsed his shield and sheathed his sword with abrupt anger.

"Can't think." Jaune ordered himself while hoisting his pack up. "Can't think." he repeated with a hushed tone as he continued forward.

#

The camp fire flickered with grace Jaune envied and the embers danced up into the night sky as if they yearned to be among the stars. He sat atop his sleeping bag with his shoes planted in the dirt. With one last chomp, he finished off the rest of the squirrel he managed to catch a few hours into his trip.

Jaune tossed the burnt stick to the side where the grass ended and the stone of the ancient temple began. It was his base of operation so to speak and despite being a hard surface, it beat the much bumpier terrain of the grass.

"Okay." Jaune said out loud and brushed his hands of any burnt crumbs from his meal. "Time for some rest." Jaune new the risks of being out in the forest without his team, but he knew man made objects sticking out in the wilderness were mostly safe in comparison to sleeping the woods.

After dowsing the fire with water, he got from a nearby river, he made sure he wasn't out in the open too much and finally set his sleeping bag by the podium where he retrieved the white rook piece during initiation. Jaune rested his head on the cool ground and looked on at the center of the temple, His eyes softened at the memory he recalled but from the perspective of being upside down in a tree. He saw them all, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. All of them were there to get their pieces with competency, confidence, and the qualifications to do so.

Jaune looked at their transparent figures with their backs to him and the memories came flooding back. First the heat, then the blood, and finally the sterile scent of chemicals. It all came back tenfold and Jaune squeezed his eyes shut. He tried, all he could do was try and shut out the voices, but they came screaming back. Jaune seethed through his teeth and tried to focus on anything else, but he couldn't escape the throbbing pain in his head.

"HHSSSSSSS."

Just like with the Beowolf, Jaune's eyes shot open and he sprung out of his sleeping back, only to feel a blunt force crash through the podium he leaned against.

"Shit!" Jaune screamed as he along with his gear, went flying off the main steps of the temple. His pack sent one way, and himself another. He thanked his instincts to hold onto his weapon before he crashed into the dirt.

"HSSS."

The noise returned as Jaune mustered himself to his feet and faced the source. Here was no time to tremble as the full weight of a King Taijitu slammed into him head first.

"AAAGH!" Jaune hollered once again as he went soaring for the second time in thirty seconds, but this time, he had the pleasure of experiencing what it was like to be thrown through a tree again. Jaune shielded his eyes from the splinters as best he could before he hit the dirt with his shoulder. His brain bounced the walls of his skull as if it was a ping pong ball while his aura flickered quickly. His shield arm felt so heavy and with a glare, he relinquished the shield and grasped his sword with two hands once again. Jaune wildly slashed back at the snake who was circling around him. His sword fruitlessly sliced at the wind while he rubbed the remaining dirt off his face.

Jaune blinked a few times as he got up from his prone position to charge the snake. He was successful in his minimal efforts as a war cry erupted from his mouth and his blade made contact with the thick mass of the King Taijitu's body. A sharp hiss was aimed toward him and before he could get another hit in, Jaune felt a squeezing sensation below his waist. In the darkness, his eyes widened as he realized the Grimm's mass was squeezing around him.

"Crap, crap, crap!" Jaune panicked as he scrambled up on top of the overlapping layers of the snake's body. His chest was heaving and frantic cries flew from his mouth throughout his efforts to claw his way to the top of the snake's circle.

"AAAAGGGGGHH!" Jaune's scream ripped through the darkness as the Grimm closed any gaps between it and the blonde, entrapping his body from the chest down along with his right arm. His left arm remained free and atop the snake's body, but it was a minor victory as he stared at the two heads of the King Taijitu. One head was black, the other was white, and both had red eyes that looked on at him with a hunger he could never understand. A hiss of satisfaction rolled off their tongues in unison.

"FUCK!" Jaune yelled as he pounded his free fist on the Grimm's body that began to tighten. He gritted his teeth and refused to give the two heads the pleasure of another scream, even if he felt something in his entrapped arm snap.

"NGGH!" Jaune clenched his jaw as he clawed with what remaining strength he had. He wasn't able to breathe anymore due to the crushing around his chest. His eyes grew so heavy, that each blink was gradually becoming slower and slower as he felt more bones bend in ways they shouldn't.

"My…Fault." Jaune muttered as his head nodded off to his left shoulder, blinking more slowly with each second.

He was almost unconscious when he heard a screech come from one of the snake heads, before he could question it, he felt the sudden release of the Grimm and plummeted to the dirt beneath him. His breathing came back in shallow motions due to the lack of pressure around him.

"HAH!" Jaune opened his eyes at the sharp war cry and tilted his head up from the dirt. The Grimm's attention was elsewhere and Jaune suddenly saw an object slam against the whited head.

Jaune blinked.

A hiss of fury was aimed in the direction of the object, but the hiss was cut short as Jaune saw a figure slam their weapon along the side of the black snake head.

Jaune blinked again.

The King Taijitu's remaining head recovered from the sudden blow and attacked the figure with a gaping maw. Jaune's eyes flickered with doubt, until a blue, clear, square appeared out thin air and halt the Grimm in its tracks.

"HA!" Jaune heard a muffled cry along with what sounded like a quick thrust a Bullhead turbine would make. Before he could raise his head higher, he saw that the Grimm as a whole was tossed aside and smashed through a few trees. The figure charged on into the demolished tree line. The shattered moonlight gave Jaune just the right amount of visibility to witness the figure with luscious hair running off the back of their head. It waved with the light and he could have sworn it contained a crimson hue.

"Dammit…Pyrrha." Jaune said between breaths until his head became too heavy. His eyes fluttered for a bit as he rested his head on the cool, damp, dirt. Right before he closed his eyes, he could see the same figure come running towards his direction.

#

"I couldn't tell if he was just lucky or Oum was on his side."

"Why…. Just why…."

"YOUR FAULT!"

"NGGAAAAHH!" Jaune yelled as he shot up from his slumber once more. The sweat around his neck returned and crept up onto his forehead.

"Nggh." He winced at the pain that rocketed up his right arm. He reached for it with his other arm, only to realize his armor was gone, along with his hoodie and shirt. They were replaced with bandages around his torso and a splint along his right forearm. The pain was more than prevelant, but he would be lying if he thought that the first aid didn't help.

Jaune looked around his surroundings and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the sudden change in scenery. The grass and soil were replaced with gravel and dust. He looked overhead to see the mismatched formations of stalagmites reaching down to him.

"A cave?" he asked as a fire brimmed brightly a few feet from him. There was another sleeping bag laid out on the other side of the fire, along with a pack next to his. It was bulkier than his and his eyes widened when he saw his armor and weapons next to it. Especially his shield.

"Oh!" A voice reverberated off the cave walls and rang in Jaune's ears. He quickly darted his head to the source of the voice while he scrambled back a bit with his good arm.

He paused though, when he looked up at the woman in front of him who continued to stare back with worry. She wore a mismatched outfit which entailed a black tank top and red overalls. Any other details to her figure were covered with armor plating around her chest and left arm. Her face was covered in soot and she had a band aid under her left eye. Jaune's interest peaked when he saw her hair that seeped out of the red cloth atop her head. Her hair was a rich brown and yet, the way the fire illuminated her entire being made her resemble Jaune's red headed partner.

"You were having some trouble sleeping, so I went to get some more water. Did you just wake up?" her voice was much different from Pyrrha's and he couldn't tell where her accent was from.

He tried to speak up, but didn't realize how dry his mouth was. The woman who was around his age, maybe older, noticed his predicament and handed him a canteen. He gratefully gulped down heaps of water and let a relaxed sigh.

"Sorry about that." he said in between breaths. "Thank you."

"Oh, it was no bother." the woman said with tenderness. "You sure did take a beating though." she pointed down at his bandages.

"Yeah…" Jaune said with a bit of a frown. "Did you patch me up?"

"Sure did." the woman said as she sat across from him. "Though your aura has been doing wonders. You should all better in a few days."

"Thank you." Jaune replied as he looked up to her. "I'm Jaune, Jaune Arc." the woman looked back at him with soft eyes and a calm smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Jaune. I'm Brigitte Lindholm."

"That's quite the last name." Jaune said. I take it you aren't from Vale?"

"Nope." Brigitte replied as she shook her head. "I'm from a small mining town along the coast of Mantle. She prodded the fire with a stick. "How about yourself?"

"Born and raised in Vale. Small town close to the kingdom though." Jaune used his good hand to scratch the back of his head and soon shivered at the sudden breeze that blew through the cave.

"Oh! Sorry." Brigitte shot up from her spot and reached for Jaune's hoodie she had neatly folded next to his armor. "After patching you up, I forgot the fact you could get cold even with the fire." she finished her reasoning with a nervous chuckle.

"Thanks." Jaune said as Brigitte offered him his hoodie. It took him a bit, but he managed to get his injured arm through the sleeve. Though he couldn't help but hear Brigitte giggle at his predicament.

"All better." Jaune patted the Pumpkin Pete mascot on his hoodie and smiled.

"Are you a fan?" Brigitte asked.

"You know it." Jaune said with a small smile until it morphed into a slight frown. He furrowed brows as his gaze turned to his armor. "Quick question."

"Hm?" Brigitte said as her attention broke free from the flames.

"What are you doing out in the Emerald Forest? Training as well?" Jaune asked as he once more, brushed his splint. Brigitte rose her eyebrows and ran her hand over the red cloth atop her head.

"Well I told Papa that I was coming out here to look for raw materials…" Brigitte said as she looked away from Jaune as if she was caught trying to steal a dessert. "Whether I fought Grimm or not along the way doesn't have to be shared." she gave him a knowing glance and Jaune put his hands up in defense.

"Lips are sealed." Jaune said while moving his fore finger and thumb across his mouth in a zipping motion. "Arc's promise." she laughed a bit at his reinforced promise and folded her arms.

"I answered your question, care to answer one of mine?" Brigitte asked and Jaune gestured for her to go ahead. "What were you doing out here? You mentioned something about training?" Jaune nodded and refused to wince.

"Yeah." He said as he scratched his cheek. "I was planning on a weekend trip out here for some extra training. Not doing too well in classes at the moment." Jaune finished while cupping the back of his neck.

"Are you a huntsman?" Jaune noticed that Brigitte's demeanor grew much more up beat than it already was as she asked her question.

"In training." Jaune clarified. "I go to Beacon."

"I knew it!" Brigitte exclaimed with a wide grin. Jaune was a little put off by the sudden glee, but decided to remain still. "I knew you had to be. Your weapon said it all." Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"How so?"

"Well it is a basic broadsword and shield, but the collapsing feature on the shield definitely has the flare huntsmen and huntresses are known for." Brigitte explained as she examined his weapon from afar. "It's definitely more practical and reliable than most of the weapons I've seen around the academy." Jaune could see the distaste across her face as she declared her statement. There was a short pause before he chuckled.

"Are you a student as well?" Jaune asked with a little caution. "Do you work there?" Brigitte shook her head.

"Sadly no." she replied. "I mostly help Papa at his shop in Vale. I do train a lot though." Jaune smirked at her justification and slightly shook his head.

"Well I could learn a thing or two from you. You handled that King Taijitu like it was nothing."

"Well hard work pays off I guess." both of them chuckled at her response as the fire grew dimmer. Once the laughter settled down, Jaune let out a yawn and stretched his arms, only to wince at the pain in his forearm.

"You should probably get some rest." Brigitte said. "I'm heading back to Vale tomorrow, so I can help you get back to Beacon if you'd like." her earnest suggestion baffled Jaune for a few moments before he shook his head.

"You've already done enough." he replied. "I'll be able to get home on my own." as on cue, the pain in his arm flared the moment he put a bit of pressure on it.

"You may have a strong aura, but that will take some time to heal." another pause hung over them as Brigitte pointed out the obvious. "I certainly don't mind helping you out."

"This seems a bit too good to be true, y'know?" Jaune asked out of genuine confusion. "I don't mean to complain, but saving me, patching me up, and helping me get home, you're going a lot out of your way to help me out." Brigitte let out a huff, but smiled anyway at Jaune's objection.

"Well, I want to." Brigitte said as she stretched her arms. "Papa taught me to help anyone whenever I can. Given that we are basically heading the same direction, it only seems rational that we head back together, you won't be caught off guard like earlier."

"Yeah…" Jaune reverted back to the silence for a brief moment before taking in a breath. "Alright. We'll head out tomorrow. Thanks."

"Well what are friends for?" she asked, though an awkward look contorted around the edges of her mouth. "I mean, what are newly met strangers for?" she asked with a nervous chuckle and Jaune couldn't help but smile back.

"Well, Mom always said strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

"I don't think that's entirely true."

"Is it true now?" Brigitte's eyes widened just a millimeter before she smiled.

"Oh, you're good." she said. "And yeah, I'd say it's true."

"Great." Jaune said with a toothy grin.

"Now go get some rest," she playfully ordered. "I'll wake you up in a few hours." Jaune wanted to object, but saw her looking down at his injured form.

"Point taken." he muttered before he made his way to his sleeping bag. Once he got comfortable with his arm and his bruised chest, he realized how exhausted he was. "Good night…Brijitte?" she rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Brigitte." she corrected. "It's a 'G' not a 'J'."

"Alright." Jaune said as he turned over. "Good night, Brigitte."

"Good night, Jaune." she replied and Jaune finally closed his eyes on his own volition. He would be a lying idiot if he said that today wasn't a bust, but he couldn't help but smile at thought of his new companion. Maybe he was a bit too trusting, but if that was the case, she could have just left him and took his things. Maybe he was going to wake up with his bag gone and her out of sight. His need for being apprehensive was overwhelmed by the need for sleep and he decided like always, he would face the consequences if they ever came his way.

So yeah. I was able to finally get this out. This has been bouncing in my head about a few months after Brigitte's character was released and I'm so happy I can get this out there to you guys. Big thanks to Jauneforever for helping me out and brainstorming with me. I don't know how this ship will go, but hey, nothing ventured nothing gained. Like, review, comment, and if there are any questions, shoot me a PM. Alright everyone, like always, BE FIRECE!

SPARKYDAPPERDAB19 SIGNING OFF!