I do not own RWBY or any of the songs mentioned.

Song of inspiration: Seasons by Fight the Fade

Re-forged

Ch. 15: Changes

Jaune opened his eyes to endless darkness. Memories ran rampant through his mind and voices echoed through the endless nothingness.

"You're a fraud."

"He's nothing but a cheat."

"Liar!"

The words echoed and rang loudly in his head. He tried covering his ears, but the voices only got louder. So much so that it was starting to hurt.

"You are nothing!"

"Just give up already!"

Jaune grit his teeth in an attempt to bear the pain, but his headache wouldn't leave him. His breathing became erratic and he could feel his heart beating violently inside his chest.

"Just stop trying..."

"It's no use, you might as well just-"

"SHUT UP and leave me alone!", Jaune roared into the dark abyss of his mind.

The voices suddenly grew quiet and Jaune fell to his knees, panting heavily. The pain in his head had also subsided but he still felt slightly unsettled.

He took a deep breath to calm himself before standing to his feet again. Jaune looked around himself but still only saw the same endless darkness.

He sighed and lowered his head despondently, "What's it gonna take for people to give me a chance?"

He received no answer from the void he found himself in.

He was working so hard and giving it his all, but there were still people that didn't acknowledge him. There were still people that doubted him.

The more he fought, the more resistance he found pushing back. No matter how hard he tried, his circumstances continued to use him as a stepping stool. It continued to frustrate him to no end.

Jaune felt a hand gently being placed atop his head and he flinched from the sudden contact. He opened his eyes and slowly lifted his head to a familiar gentle smile.

"Master Jade…?"

The aura master made no response, but simply continued to stare down at Jaune.

Master Jade lifted his hand and turned around, walking further into the endless darkness. Jaune made to follow but felt something holding him back.

He looked around and saw black hands holding on to him and resisting his motion. He struggled and screamed for his retreating master, but no sound escaped his mouth. A dark hand had covered his mouth and he found himself panicking as Master Jade only grew further from him.

'No, please….don't leave me alone….'

The dark tendrils wrapped around his body and Jaune struggled to move. He felt himself running out of air and he began to panic even more.

He shook his body violently in an attempt to escape the clutches of the dark limbs that held him back.

But it was no use.

He was suffocating and his vision began to blur. And then….

-.-

Jaune tumbled off his bed and landed with a loud thud. He poked his head out and sucked in a lung full of air. He laid on the floor in a heap of tangled limps and bed sheets.

After he caught his breath, he groaned in annoyance, 'Stupid…bed sheets….'.

Jaune untangled himself from his sheets and grabbed his scroll to check the time.

He sighed, it was early morning but too late to try and fall back asleep. He also had training that needed to be done. So he got dressed and headed out.

-.-

Team CRDL's dorm….

Jaune lightly knocked against the hardwood of Team CRDL's room but received no answer. With a sigh, he banged against the door, loud enough to wake the entire hallway.

He heard shuffling and then the thud of someone falling off their bed. The door opened to reveal Cardin in a tank top and boxer shorts, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

"Jauney-boy, isn't it a little-WAIT! Don't tell me it's six already. Damnit, who's turn was it to set the alarm?!", exclaimed Cardin.

Jaune peeked past Cardin and saw Dove making his way towards the door. He was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"I think it was Russel's turn.", responded Dove while trying to stifle a yawn. "He must've forgotten after his late-night gaming session."

"Did I not say no video games during the week?", questioned Cardin.

"Well he was playing after midnight, so technically~ it wasn't during the week.", Dove pointed out.

"Uhm, should I maybe just go on ahead?", tried Jaune. "I mean I can just meet you at the training rooms-"

"Nonono! Wait right there Jauney-boy, this won't take long….", said Cardin as he closed the door to the room. His voice had a somewhat unsettling tone to it.

Jaune stood outside and for a moment there was complete silence. He moved slightly closer to the door and strained his ears to try and hear what was going on.

He suddenly heard muffled voices followed by what sounded like a girlish scream and some commotion. After that, a few more seconds of silence passed and then Cardin opened the door to reveal Team CRDL in workout attire.

Jaune noticed that Russel was the only member that looked groggier than the others.

'Something tells me, I shouldn't even ask…', thought Jaune to himself.

A smile graced his face as he recalled his own team's shenanigans. However, it immediately fell when he recalled the more painful memories…

…

"How could you?!", (Pyrrha).

…

Jaune quickly shook his head clear of any negative thoughts and spoke, "OH-kay~, you ready to head out?".

"Lead the way.", replied Cardin.

-.-

Team RWBY's dorm…

The dorm was relatively quiet as its members slumbered away, each sleeping in their own unique way.

Ruby lay with a peaceful smile adorning her features, most likely dreaming of an endless supply of chocolate chip cookies.

Yang was sprawled across her bed with half her body covered by her sheets and the other half hanging over the edge of her bed. Her mouth was open, and she snored lightly.

On the other hand, Blake had her entire body covered and was curled up underneath her sheets.

However, sleep didn't grace the final member so easily.

Weiss rolled over in her sleep and mumbled incoherently. Vivid dreams plagued her mind as she tossed and turned…

-.-

Weiss' dream…

Weiss sat quietly enjoying her meal with her friends and teammates at the cafeteria. She regally partook in her grilled chicken salad and dabbed her mouth lightly with a napkin.

"Uuhh, hey Snow Angel."

The voice was cheerful, almost carefree. Weiss didn't even need to turn around to know who decided to pester her. She took a deep breath and let it out with a huff.

'Let's just get this over and done with.', she thought.

"What do you want?"

The frustration in her voice was just barely simmered. She knew exactly what he wanted, but out of politeness she questioned, nonetheless.

She turned to address him fully and he quickly pulled out a bouquet of white flowers from behind his back.

She noticed how he used his free hand to rub the back of his neck bashfully as he spoke. "Well, uhm, I was just uh-wondering…", he stuttered out but clearly seemed more nervous than usual.

'Then again, when is he not a nervous wreck? He's always either overconfident or underconfident, never anywhere in between.'

"Just spit it out already.", responded Weiss forcefully.

He quickly cleared his throat and tried to calm his nerves with a deep breath. He put on a goofy smile and tried to stand up straighter.

"Ahem-well, I was just thinking-I mean, wondering-uhm, if you aren't too busy, there's this movie that I've been meaning to see. And I thought you might like it too. So I got tickets and I…If you're not too busy, I just wanted to know if maybe you wanted to go see it together."

Weiss observed Jaune closely, taking in every detail. She noticed how his goofy smile broadened slightly as he ended his proposal with a hopeful tone in his voice.

As she continued to stare, she felt her scowl only deepening, as though the mere sight started to disgust her. And the longer she stared, the more it did….

He stood with his usual outfit. A scrawny stature in childish attire. A crumby old hoodie that had clearly seen better days, covered with armour that he probably haggled from a pawn shop in a slum.

'That's his combat attire?'

These paired with worn-out jeans that had faded, likely due to being worn almost every day.

'And sneakers that are labelled 'left' and 'right'?! Did he truly think that people wouldn't notice his clear lack of intelligence?'

Weiss had met many she considered unintelligent, but to her, Jaune was the biggest imbecile alive.

His head was covered by a scraggly mop of blonde hair that was obviously not maintained.

'Is it so hard to afford a simple hairbrush?'

But what stood out the most were his eyes. A bright blue filled with childish hope.

Weiss sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. This was the fifteenth time that week that he had attempted to ask her out, the most yet. It was such a regular occurrence that she had even started to keep track, not that it helped.

Day after day, he just continued to pester her, never getting the message that she was not interested in his affections whatsoever.

"I've told you once, and my answer will never change.", his smile faltered for a moment, but she still noticed it.

"I am not interested in any of your offers.", she stood to her feet and took a step forward and Jaune retreated slightly as she came closer.

"I would never go out with such a childish and idiotic excuse for a huntsman. So get the message through your thick skull that it will never happen!"

Weiss observed his response and saw how his childish smile finally fell. The hope in his eyes disappeared, and the bright blue suddenly became duller.

For a moment she considered taking her words back, but she quickly squashed that thought. After all, she was the heiress to the biggest company in all of Remnant. And he? He was a child swinging his sword around like an amateur.

He lowered his head slightly as the words sank in. He quickly put on a strained smile as he responded, "Oh, okay. I-I understand. I'm…I'm sorry for bothering you, Weiss."

As he turned and left, he lowered his head further and slumped his shoulders in defeat. She watched his retreating form exit the cafeteria.

Weiss sighed once more and turned around. However, as she did so, she found that her environment had suddenly changed.

Instead of the cafeteria, she found herself in the arena in combat class. Her eyes darted around to make sense of what was going on. And then she heard a voice from behind her.

"Like I said…."

Weiss spun around and her breath got caught in her throat when she saw who spoke.

He had a dark maroon-red trench coat covered with some armour, paired with dark blue trouser and black boots.

He looked slightly taller and his frame looked somewhat more built than before. Instead of a scraggly mop of blonde, his hair spiked unnaturally in different directions. Even his facial features were more defined. He hardly looked like his old self.

Even the way he spoke was different. Instead of a nervous wreck, he stood tall and confidently.

In a flash of white sparkles, he summoned a sword as black as the night and rested it on his shoulder.

He stepped forward and began to make his way closer to Weiss. Weiss quickly began to retreat but found her back hit a wall.

Her breathing and heart rate sped up. Her eyes darted around for an escape but found none.

When she turned back towards Jaune, her breath hitched as she made eye contact.

The once dull orbs now glowed a bright blue while Aura emanated from them like white fire. Power seemed to radiate from every part of his body as he stood in front of her.

He stared her down. Not an ounce of doubt or fear seemed to be present in his eyes, only pure determination.

"I'm done giving up."

-.-

Weiss let out a quiet gasp as her body jerked forward into a sitting position. Her eyes darted around, but she quickly sighed in relief when she realised she was back in her team's dorm room.

She steadied her breathing and calmed herself down. Luckily, she had not woken anyone.

As she recalled the events of her dream, she instinctively clenched her fists. She remembered the things she said to him, the way he reacted. He looked utterly broken.

And then he changed.

The previous day's match against Jaune was still fresh in her mind.

The image of white fire and blue orbs flashed through her mind and she felt a chill run up her spine. She shook her head to try and clear her mind of the image.

'Am I seriously scared of that buffoon?'

She grit her teeth in frustration but refrained from making any noise. She grabbed her scroll and some workout clothes and quietly stepped into their room's bathroom to get changed.

After getting changed she tiptoed across the room and towards the door.

'Maybe some early morning exercise will clear my head', she thought as she quietly exited her room.

-.-

Training rooms….

Beacon's training rooms had a unique setup. The central hub acted as a gym, with various fitness machines and equipment. The other training rooms surrounded the main hub in a circular arrangement, with each training room having an arena, combat droids and some benches.

The central hub was elevated above the training rooms and was surrounded by glass, allowing people to view inside the training rooms.

Since it was Saturday and early in the morning, not many students were present. Weiss grabbed her towel to wipe away some sweat. She kept her breathing steady as she ran on the treadmill. After some time, she stepped off the machine to catch her breath.

She grabbed her water bottle and took small sips to rehydrate herself. As she made her way to a different machine, she walked past the large panes of glass that overlooked all the training rooms.

Her eyes caught the sight of blonde and she froze. Slowly she made her way closer to the glass windows and looked down into one of the training rooms.

Situated inside the arena was Cardin and Jaune, while the rest of team CRDL sat on the benches on the side of the arena. They seemed to be resting given the sweat stains on their workout attire.

They weren't wearing their combat gear, but still had their weapons.

Weiss focused her sight on Jaune and Cardin. They seemed to be discussing something.

'What are they even doing?', wondered Weiss.

Jaune pulled a strange face and gestured animatedly and Team CRDL responded with laughter.

The sight annoyed Weiss. However, before she made to move away, she noticed them readying their weapons and getting into fighting stances. Out of curiosity she continued to observe them…

With Jaune and Team CRDL….

"There's no way that actually happened.", said Cardin as he bent his knees and lowered his body slightly.

"Hey, you don't have to believe me. All I'm saying is that after what my sisters pulled, I started sleeping with one eye open.", replied Jaune as he summoned Aurora.

Cardin let out a short chuckle as he readied himself, "I can only imagine. Okay, just like before. No dust, no semblances. Just good old-fashioned skill."

Jaune lifted his hands to shoulder level and held his sword horizontally, with the tip pointed towards his opponent.

"Ready when you are Cardin."

Cardin readied himself and remained motionless. The training room grew quiet and the rest of Team CRDL waited for the first move.

Without warning, Cardin charged towards Jaune. He twisted his body around to gain some momentum and then swung his mace horizontally at Jaune.

Jaune mirrored his movements and deflected the strike. However, Jaune could feel his arms strain from the strength of the blow.

'No ways I'm blocking blows like that without a gallon of Aura.', thought Jaune as he grit his teeth to bare the pain. 'I'll need to be quicker.'

Jaune closed the distance and unleashed a flurry of swipes with his blade. Cardin managed to angle his mace to block them in time and countered with vertical strike. However, Jaune managed to backpedal out of the way as the mace head hit the ground in front of him with a loud thud.

Cardin quickly moved forward and swung again. Jaune parried it and locked weapons with him.

"Is that the best you got?", questioned Cardin with a cocky grin.

Jaune grew a smirk of his own, "I'm just getting started!". Jaune shoved Cardin away and slashed fiercely at him.

Jaune slashed diagonally and sparks flew as it made contact with Cardin's weapon. Jaune quickly followed through by adjusting the angle of his sword and thrusting his blade towards Cardin, but Cardin batted it aside.

Weiss continued to observe their spar. They both held smiles on their faces, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves as they traded blows. It was clear that it was more of a friendly spar than a serious tournament style match.

Jaune's strikes were quick but not as strong as Cardin's. On the other hand, Cardin's strikes were slow but had far more power behind them. As a result Jaune found himself dodging, parrying and deflecting blows rather than blocking them.

Jaune backpedalled to give himself some room but Cardin didn't let up. Cardin brought his mace down on top of Jaune. Jaune channelled Aura through his left leg and in a burst of speed, Jaune sidestepped the strike. He kept his feet planted wide as they skid along the floor.

Jaune's smirk grew when an idea formed in his head. He quickly readied himself as Cardin charged at him. Jaune channelled Aura densely in his arms as Cardin brought his mace down on top of him.

Instead of avoiding it, Jaune narrowly deflected it to the side. When the mace hit the ground, Jaune quickly used his foot pin it down while fluidly moving the edge of his sword towards Cardin.

The motion was quick, and Cardin flinched when the tip of Jaune's sword was suddenly held near his throat.

Jaune retracted his sword and Cardin let out a sigh.

"That was a sneaky move.", commented Cardin as he rested his mace on his shoulder.

Jaune had a wide smile as he lifted Aurora and also rested it on his shoulder, "Well what did you expect? Just because I couldn't use my semblance doesn't mean I don't have any other tricks up my sleeve."

Cardin let out a nervous chuckle. "How's about next time we try not to cut things so close?", replied Cardin as he awkwardly rubbed his throat. "I think I'd like to keep my body intact, thank you very much."

"The sword is as blunt as a butter knife. I didn't even use any Aura to sharpen it. The worst that could have happened-"

His vision suddenly grew blurry and his head began to ache. He gripped side of his head with his free hand and grit his teeth.

"Why…do you wish…to be a hero…?"

As quickly as the headache came, it suddenly subsided again. His vision became clear once more and he noticed Cardin laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Woah, you doing okay? I didn't hit you too hard did I?", questioned Cardin somewhat concernedly.

"Pssh, you hardly hit me to begin with.", Jaune waved Cardin off. "I think I'm just a little low on Aura or in need of some water, that's all. What do you say we call it a day?"

"Yeah, sounds good. I don't know about you, but I'm starving.", said Cardin as he and Jaune walked up to the rest of Team CRDL.

"I'm feeling pretty famished myself.", replied Jaune with a smile.

As Jaune and Team CRDL made their way towards the exit, Russel suddenly hung his arm around Jaune's neck. "Hey, Jaune, we were planning on heading to Vale today since it's the weekend. You wanna join us?"

"Sorry I can't. I got an appointment with the counsellor and Professor Goodwitch was gonna give me some tips on my semblance. Oh, and Dr. Oobleck wanted to check up on me after my first full week back at Beacon.", said Jaune. He smiled apologetically, "My day's pretty packed I guess.".

"Oh come on, it's Saturday! When did you become all work and no play?", retorted Russel.

"When you became all play and no work. And I'm not the one who spent all morning playing video games.", Jaune countered.

"Well sorry, MOM!"

The teens laughed humorously as they exited the training room.

"He does have a point though, Jaune.", began Sky. "You've been working hard all week. Keep it up and you'll eventually burn yourself out. You need to find some balance."

"I know, I know. It's just that I feel like I'll never catch up to everyone if I don't keep working my butt off.", Jaune sighed. "Tell you what, I'm not doing anything tomorrow. We can head to Vale, get some errands done and then hang out. What do you say?"

Cardin put his arm around Jaune as well, "Sound like a plan, Jauney-boy."

"Uhh guys, we're all still sweaty from training.", said Jaune as he cringed slightly from the sudden proximity.

Russel and Cardin quickly retracted their arms awkwardly. Russel gave his armpits an unashamed sniff and pulled a disgusted face.

"I call dibs on the first shower!", and with that Russel raced off towards his team's dorm room.

"No fair! You're the fastest member in a fight but the slowest when it comes to the shower!", Dove exclaimed as he and Sky gave chase. Jaune chuckled as he turned to leave.

"You're not headed back to your dorm?", questioned Cardin.

"Nah, I'm gonna go ahead and use the showers in the locker rooms here.", replied Jaune as he pointed behind himself.

Cardin nodded and stretched out his fist towards Jaune, "Well then I'll see ya at the cafeteria."

"Yeah, I'll catch you guys at breakfast.", replied Jaune as he bumped fists with Cardin. And with that the pair went their separate ways.

-.-

With Weiss…

Weiss continued to stand in front of the pane of glass overlooking the now empty training room. She had hoped to blow off some steam and escape the thoughts of the blonde, but in the end, he just popped up…

…

"You know it's not nice to stare.", (Jaune).

…

And this only further frustrated her.

'He's skill level pales in comparison to my own. I am an heiress. And he's still just an idiot, a buffoon….'

And yet he had somehow managed to find a way to avoid the icy floor handicap she had used against him. Not only that, but he had also avoided all her dust attacks while in the air.

He seemed to be walking on the air and using it as a steppingstone to move about.

The only other person she knew with similar aerial-acrobatic skills was her teammate Blake. And Blake usually incorporated her semblance or weapon to achieve it.

He had even avoided the attacks he couldn't see.

She remembered how his back had been turned. He was completely vulnerable and then she made her move.

Everything was perfectly executed. Her timing, her posture, her control over her Aura and semblance.

But right before her rapier struck him, he had positioned his sword exactly where she was about to hit him.

She remembered the white Aura flaring from his glowing eyes.

'Was that his semblance…?'

She quickly shook her head to regain her thoughts, 'It doesn't matter…He doesn't matter….'.

She glanced at her water bottle and saw that it was empty. With a sigh, she made her way to the water dispenser.

As she neared the water dispenser she suddenly bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry about that. I wasn't looking where I was-"

Weiss didn't finish her sentence, since standing in front of her was the very person she was trying to clear her thoughts of.

"No, it's just as much my fault. Don't worry about it, I'll just use a different dispenser.", replied Jaune as he walked past Weiss.

He didn't make any further interactions as he moved to a different water dispenser.

However, Weiss stood frozen in shock.

She didn't know how to respond; she didn't know what to feel. They weren't friends to begin with, so surely she didn't need to feel anything. She hated him, despised him. He was nothing to her.

And yet, she couldn't explain the strange knot she felt in her chest….

After Jaune had quenched his thirst, he made to leave but noticed that Weiss hadn't moved from her spot in front of the water dispenser. She was still just standing there.

When he thought about all the times she was harsh towards him, he considered leaving her there. No matter how hard he tried or how persistent he was, she continued to reject his affections. He remembered the venom and spite laced in her words and the pain that followed...

…

"People like you don't just change. You honestly think that you can just apologise and then everything will be okay?", (Weiss).

…

Right now, he wanted nothing more than to just leave her be, but he couldn't. She looked unsettled and Jaune hesitated to leave her.

…

"Irrespective of what your friends and family did to you, remember that they're just people. Nobody's perfect, everyone makes mistakes. But don't let it make you bitter. You need to forgive those that wronged you, so that YOU can move on. Hatred and bitterness will restrict you from reaching your purpose. Whether you kiss and make up is up to you. But you need to forgive them and forgive yourself.", (Fox).

…

Jaune sighed to himself and then walked back over to Weiss.

"Hey, sorry about bumping into you earlier. I didn't hurt you, did I?", questioned Jaune.

Weiss quickly awoke from her stupor, "N-no, I'm perfectly fine".

"You sure? Cause you seem a little out of it?", asked Jaune with some concern in his voice.

"I told you before: I'm fine. I do not need your pity.", retorted Weiss. Without another word, she quickly turned and left.

Jaune eyed her as she left the gym. When she was out of sight, he sighed, 'Can't say I didn't try…'.

-.-

Beacon hallways…

Weiss marched through the hallways determinedly as she made her way back to her team's room. It was early in the morning, but the few students that wandered the hallways quickly steered clear of the heiress when they saw the death glare she held on her face.

'He's nothing.', she thought to herself.

…

"You know it's true. No matter how hard you try, you can't change what you did. You can't change who you are. So just stop trying and give up.", (Weiss).

"Sorry, but I'm done giving up!", (Jaune).

…

Upon entering her room, she grabbed a fresh set of clothes, barged into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

"H-huh?", stuttered Ruby as she woke up.

Blake had also been woken from the commotion, but Yang on the other hand tried to ignore it by covering her head with a pillow.

Ruby glanced around the room and noticed that Weiss' bed was unoccupied. She then heard further commotion coming from their bathroom.

Ruby gave Blake a questioning look but only received an unsure shrug. So Ruby decided to get out of bed and find out what was going on.

"Uhm, Weiss? You in there?", she questioned as she lightly knocked against the door. The commotion suddenly went quiet as the door opened to reveal a very awkward looking Ice Queen.

"Oh, Ruby? Did I wake you? I apologise, I was uh-", she glanced to the bottle in her hand. "Looking for some shampoo! Yes, I was simply looking for shampoo, and couldn't find any.", said Weiss.

"Right~…you sure you're feeling okay? You seem a little out of it.", questioned Ruby concernedly.

Weiss put on a strained smile, "I simply had a rigorous early morning exercise. Nothing a good shower can't wash away. Now then, if you'll excuse me, I need to freshen up so that I am well prepared for taking on the tasks that the day holds."

Weiss quickly closed the door and Ruby could hear the sound of running water from the shower.

Ruby turned to Blake and asked, "What was that all about?".

"Don't ask me. She's your partner.", replied Blake. "Besides, I've got my own problems to deal with.", she added as she gestured to a now snoring Yang.

Ruby snickered at the sight of her sister somehow completely blocking out all the commotion.

"If I had a cookie for every time I had to hear that-", Ruby began.

"Then you'd be dead from all that sugar.", Blake finished. "Too much of a good thing is usually bad."

"LIES! You can never have too many sweets!", Ruby responded dramatically.

Blake chuckled lightly at her leader, "Correction: YOU can never have too many sweets cause your semblance burns through it before it has any effect."

A smile settled on Blake's features. "You seem in a better mood lately.", she pointed out.

"Oh? I haven't noticed.", replied Ruby awkwardly as she climbed back into her bed.

"Yeah, you've been pretty out of it but it's good to see our leader back to her old self again. I'm happy for you.", said Blake as she got comfortable in her own bed again.

"Yeah…", Ruby said as she pulled the covers over herself. "Me too…"

Ruby sighed quietly as she tried to get a few more hours of sleep. A pleasant smile graced her features and sleep came quickly. Cause by reconciling with her first friend at Beacon, her heart had found peace once more….

-.-

Later that day, Combat class…

Glynda stood quietly observing Jaune. Jaune was seated in the arena of the classroom with his sword on the floor in front of him. The sword was a good distance away from him and he had his hand stretched out towards it.

He kept his eyes closed as he tried to manipulate the Aura that lie within his sword.

He could feel the quiet flames that fluttered within the blade. So he called out for them. He called for them to move, to flow and to coalesce.

The pitch-black sword began to change. White swirls and patterns moved about on the surface of the blade. And then suddenly it began to spread itself along the edge.

Jaune continued to move the Aura and soon the entire blade of the sword was glowing white.

Then the bright white faded back to black. Jaune took a deep breath as he opened his eyes again. He turned to Professor Goodwitch.

"How was that Miss Goodwitch?", he enquired.

"That was excellent Jaune. Your Aura manipulation has improved significantly. I'm surprised that even at a distance it seems to be on par with some of the older huntsmen-in-training.", said Glynda.

"Nah, I had a lot of help and I think my semblance also makes it a little easier.", replied Jaune bashfully.

"You shouldn't sell yourself so short. You worked hard to get where you are. You've grown, and it shows.", Glynda pointed out.

"Thanks, Miss Goodwitch. I really appreciate.", he replied.

"Now then, what did you have in mind that needs addressing?", questioned Glynda as she approached Jaune.

Jaune stretched his hand out to resummon his sword and in a flash of sparkles it disintegrated and then rematerialized in his hand.

"Well I was hoping you could give me some pointers on reducing the Aura consumption of my techniques. And since my semblance is a lot like your telekinesis, I figured you could help me improve my range. I'm just barely able to control the trajectory of my ranged attacks, but it's still pretty wonky. It took me a couple tries before I could actually hit a stationary combat droid. If I can control my sword as it moves, it would mean I could follow a moving target.", explained Jaune.

Glynda couldn't help but smile. It was clear that Jaune had taken note of the things she encouraged him to improve on. He had even considered ways of further adapting his semblance and finding new ways to use it.

'He's changed so much…', thought Glynda.

"It is good to see that you are eager to grow. From what you displayed earlier, your semblance does have similar aspects to my own. I use my riding crop as a conduit to channel it while you use your sword to channel yours.", Glynda pointed out. "Why don't we start by going through your Aura techniques?"

"Well most of my techniques rely on Aurora. Apparently the sword was only good for being used as an Aura battery. But my semblance increases its capabilities. I used Shooting Star, Aura Slash and Cyclic Overload during my fight with Team CRDL. The only other technique that uses lots of Aura is my Aura Awareness. It's a sensory-type technique where I project my Aura all around me like a bubble and use it to sense incoming attacks. It's how I was able to avoid Weiss' attacks during yesterday's match.", explained Jaune.

Glynda took a moment to absorb the information. Although his semblance was similar to hers, it was also remarkably different from any of the semblances she had seen before.

Most semblances weren't very versatile. They had one or two unique features or applications and nothing more. Jaune's semblance seemed to have many applications and he had barely scratched the surface.

"If the sword is an Aura battery, why not simply use it to replenish your Aura? Surely that would solve your Aura consumption problem.", questioned Glynda.

"Oh, well my weapon is bound to my soul. So whenever I dismiss it, whatever Aura I put inside it just returns to my body. If I wanted to use it as an Aura battery, I would need to keep it outside my body. But doing that would mean I wouldn't be as mobile in a fight.", explained Jaune.

Jaune gripped his chin with a thoughtful expression on his face, "It's kinda like my body and Aurora are buckets of water. On the one hand I can fill both buckets and therefore have more water, but I'd be slower. On the other hand I could fill both buckets halfway. Then when I wanted to move I just pour the water into one bucket and put that bucket inside the other one. That way it will be easier to carry."

"I…see.", said Glynda awkwardly. Although creative, the use of buckets in explaining his use of Aura was rather simplistic. Then again, being able to take a complex principle and dumb it down was a good sign of intelligence. After all, teachers had to do just that.

"As long as you don't try and kick the bucket.", came a voice from the doorway.

Jaune turned to the source of the voice, "Dr. Oobleck? What are you doing here?".

"Simply here to observe, Jaune. And it's also almost 6pm.", said Dr. Oobleck as he checked his wristwatch. He took a sip from his trusty thermos and sighed.

"Poor choice of words, Bart", stated Miss Goodwitch flatly.

"Oh calm down, Glynda. The boy is far stronger than he used to be. One cynical joke won't harm him.", said Dr. Oobleck casually.

"Even if that is the case, it was inappropriate.", retorted Glynda.

"It's okay Miss Goodwitch."

Glynda turned back to see Jaune with a sombre expression on his face.

"There were a couple times that I considered going that far. It would've been so easy to just end all of the pain.", said Jaune. Jaune had experienced so much pain and loneliness. He was in a dark place without a ray of hope.

And then he smiled, "But luckily I had you and Dr. Oobleck, and Master Jade too. You guys helped me keep my head above the water. I know you guys care about me, so I won't allow you guys to go through that kind of pain. So if things get too rough, I promise I'll come to you guys."

Glynda couldn't stop the lump that formed in her throat or the unshed tears in the corners of her eyes.

'He truly has changed…', thought Glynda.

She quickly turned away and cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure in front of her student.

"Ahem, well uhm-I think that is enough for today.", replied Glynda hastily. "I should be able to spare an hour or two a week to help you with your semblance. We can decide on a day and time that suits you best. In the meantime I can also provide you with some literature that helped me train my semblance.", said Glynda.

"There's books on semblances?", questioned Jaune.

"Semblances have been around for as long as Aura.", added Dr. Oobleck as he walked up to them. "And these days you can find a book for just about anything. Perhaps you should try having a look around the library for any books that may relate in some ways to your semblance. You might find something or at least be inspired. In the meantime, how's about you get changed into something warmer and then I'll meet you at the gardens."

Jaune realised the weather outside would be too cool for the shorts he was currently wearing.

"Will do. Thanks for all the help Miss Goodwitch.", Jaune said as he made his way towards the door. Before Jaune exited he quickly pointed towards Dr. Oobleck, "Don't forget the hot chocolate!"

"I won't, now get going.", nagged Dr. Oobleck. Jaune nodded and took his leave, leaving the two teachers alone in the classroom.

Dr. Oobleck took a quick sip from his thermos and adjusted his glasses. "You seem to be losing your edge, Glynda.", he pointed out.

"And you seem to be losing your pace.", she countered quickly.

Bart chuckled lightly. "Well at least I have something that can easily fix that.", he said while gesturing to his thermos. "If you're not too busy, you can always join us."

"You sound as though you're asking me out on a date.", said Glynda.

"Oh, please Glynda. As if I would be so bold. And besides, wouldn't that make Jaune the third wheel?", said Bart with a smirk.

Glynda scoffed, "You're just as brash as Peter. Speaking of which, why not ask him instead?"

The two teachers exited the classroom and made their way through the hallways.

"Trust me I considered it, but the whole point of this was for Jaune to be given the opportunity to share how things are going on his end. Knowing Peter, he might just end up hogging the limelight…Perhaps next time.", explained Dr. Oobleck.

Dr. Oobleck's tone suddenly grew serious, "And besides, you know as much as I do that you're one of the closest staff members to him. Professor Peach had a counselling session with him today, but apart from that, hasn't interacted as much. Same goes for Peter and even Ozpin. You were there for him when he was at his lowest…"

The events were still so recent. Around two weeks had passed since Jaune's fake transcripts were revealed and everyone had abandoned him. Glynda could still recall how he had suffered. He was lost and alone, and no one was willing to help him. He tried to hide it all, to handle all the suffering by himself. But when both his team and his family had abandoned him, he simply broke.

Glynda recalled how he had cried in her arms until he was completely exhausted. She recalled how broken and alone he was, and how desperate she was to keep him together. She didn't want to see him fall apart ever again.

Bart gave her a sideways glance, "I think he would appreciate your company, Glynda….".

Glynda then recalled how much he had changed, how he had begun to smile again. Even the joy in his eyes was different. It was like there was more than just hope that lay within them. There was a light inside them. And that light seemed to shine brighter with each day…

…

"…Cause a true huntsman never gives up….", (Jaune).

...

Glynda smiled lightly, "I-…I think I'll take you up on your offer, Bart. But I think I'd prefer some coffee over hot chocolate."

Bart smiled as well, "Oh, by all means. The hot chocolate was Jaune's idea. But personally I was planning on adding some caffeine to my own mug. After New Exodia, I never want to experience a caffeine-lapse ever again. The gift of coffee is one that should be CHERISHED~!"

Glynda rolled her eyes and sighed at Bart's mannerisms, "Although I agree with that statement, I'd rather not be as effected as you are. A regular coffee will be just fine."

"As you wish, Glynda. I understand that not everyone has as refined a pallet when it comes to caffeine.", said Bart.

'And I understand that only you and Ozpin can handle a quadruple espresso without dying of a heart attack.', thought Glynda with a sigh.

-.-

Beacon gardens…

Flowers of different colours and shades littered the ground. Pathways branched in between the grass and flowers and some benches were positioned throughout the gardens. At the very centre was a water fountain.

The only sounds were the light chirping of insects, the sound of the running water from the fountain and the gentle rustling of the grass from a cool night's breeze.

Jaune, Bart and Glynda sat on some benches, each with a mug in hand, simply admiring the peace. The moment was serene and neither felt the urge to leave any time soon. So they simply continued to enjoy the moment. Sometimes they would chat for a bit and other times they would just sit in comfortable silence, admiring the stars in the night sky.

"I'm still not convinced that you somehow managed to get Team CRDL to change.", Dr. Oobleck pointed out. "Change takes time. You for one should know that."

"Yeah you're right, but I don't think they wanted to be bad. I think deep down, they all wanted to change. They all wanted to be better people. Just like me, they don't wanna be Beacon's worst. They just needed someone who was willing to help them. So that's why I'm gonna keep helping them however I can.", stated Jaune with conviction.

"It's good to see you trying to improve both yourself and others, Jaune. I am confident that you will all turn out to be fine huntsmen.", said Glynda. "It's also good to see you making friends"

"Speaking of, why not ask Fox or Yatsuhashi to help you train?", recommended Bart. "From what you described of your interactions they seem to like you. I'm sure they wouldn't mind giving you some assistance."

Jaune's eyes widened in realisation, "Yeah! I bet they could give us some pointers on what to improve on."

However, he quickly deflated again, with a look of defeat on his face, "But…they probably hate Team CRDL cause of their reputation."

"Well if you could convince Team CRDL to turn a new leaf and work harder, I'm sure you could convince some upperclassmen to give you some help.", said Glynda encouragingly. "You won't know until you try."

Jaune's smile returned, "Yeah, then I'll definitely give it a try. Thanks."

Glynda nodded. She quickly took a sip from her mug to hide the small smirk that had formed. She savoured the warm drink as an idea settled in her mind.

'And perhaps I might just give it a try myself….'

-.-

Luke 17:3-4 (ESV)

3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

1 John 1:9 (NIV)

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

-.-

Now forgiveness is something I never really got to share my opinion on. However, I'll be blunt.

Whether you like it or not, you need to forgive.

Hear me out. I'm not saying that when people hurt you, it's fine. Of course it's not. But you need to forgive people for your own sake. If you continue to hold a grudge against someone, it will only affect YOU negatively.

So if people have wronged you and wish to apologise and make right: forgive them and try to mend what once was broken. Doing so makes us all better people as we strive to change. If people wanna change, help them. We're all striving for prosperity, so let's help each other obtain it.

If people have wronged you, but don't seek repentance: forgive them too.

If we consider the theme of persevering, picking yourself up and constantly trying to move forward; then bitterness and hatred will only shackle you and stop you from achieving your purpose in life.

I've been hurt myself, but I still try to forgive cause hey, I've hurt others too. We ALL need forgiveness.

Like Fox said: you don't have to kiss and make up. Some relationships might not be mended. But I implore/beg you, forgive others and let it go so that YOU can keep moving forward.

Don't let petty grudges hold you back. There's so much joy and prosperity waiting for you. Don't let someone else's actions stop you from experiencing peace and joy.

If you're struggling to forgive someone or even yourself: pray about it, ask someone for help, talk to a friend or family member. But don't let bitterness and hatred cloud your heart. Cause we all need forgiveness and YOU deserve joy, peace and prosperity.

God bless and all the best with the rest..

-.-

Extra AN rambles…

I don't really like adding extra ANs cause I wanna end a chapter with an encouragement rather than me explaining things. I also don't wanna reveal too much of what I plan to write in future. But I'll add it if I feel it's necessary.

So just a few things to point out.

Timeline- So after Jaune's transcripts were revealed and he got kicked out of Team JNPR, he went on his mission to New Exodia. When Jaune activated the portal from the outside it acted like a "doorbell" and then Master Jade opened it from the inside to let them in.

In New Exodia, he spent about 2 months (60 days) training so that they could re-charge the Regen dust crystals for the portal. However due to the time dilation inside New Exodia, 60 days in New Exodia= about 6 days in Remnant. So Jaune's absence during his mission only lasted about a week and he returned the following weekend. During the week of his mission, Team PRAN was formed.

Then he fought Team CRDL and met Fox and Yatsuhashi the Monday. The Friday was his match against Weiss and this chapter showed the events of the Saturday.

So in summary, only about two weeks have passed since Jaune was kicked out of Team JNPR.

I'm gonna keep the pacing more or less like this cause I think in canon, they rushed through a lot of events without developing characters. So if I keep the pace relatively slow, it means more events can be shown and we can see more character development. I'm also trying to balance lighter moments with more serious and even actiony moments, while overall trying to create something wholesome.

Power scaling- NO, Jaune is not OP. If he was, it would be 1,2,3 and then Jaune saves the day and then the fic is over…However this fic is about facing struggles and hardships. Sometimes winning, sometimes losing, but always picking yourself up to fight another day.

I hope the "bucket" metaphor explains Jaune's use of Aura well. His Aura attacks and techniques do tend to use a lot of Aura. He has to take his Aura, channel it inside his sword, then condense and channel it for the appropriate attack. Because Aura is on the surface of the sword, some of it is gonna escape to the air as well.

Also note that Jaune's fighting style is very similar to Noctis' in FFXV. I mean shooting star is pretty much Warp Strike without the warping. So instead of hunkering down and tanking blows, Jaune is far more agile, mobile and quick with his strikes: only summoning and using his weapon when he needs to. Although somewhat light, Aurora is still a large weapon. So moving it around isn't easy.

This fighting style also completely contrasts with sword and shield which is more about balancing offense and defence and generally he would act as a tank rather than moving quickly. With this new fighting style it's all about speed, agility and strength. Rather than blocking attacks with a shield, he now has to parry and deflect with his sword or dodge them. It also lines up with how Jaune has changed. No longer does he hide behind a shield, but he is facing his problems head on.

Characterisation-If people don't seem canon or they seem OOC then remember that this is fanfiction. This is also my first fic and I'm a "fan", not an expert. If everything and everyone was exactly like canon, it wouldn't be fanfiction. By all means, personalities should be somewhat similar, but consider the events that the characters have gone through. Although Jaune can still be his usual goofy self, he isn't an idiot. He's gotten smarter cause of his training. He's far more confident and determined than before. Same with other characters. All the characters have experienced the events in different ways and are reacting in different ways. At the end of the day nothing is exactly like canon, cause this isn't canon…

And really I'm writing this fic for myself and also as a means to encourage someone. So the events and story are so that someone out there would be encouraged or inspired during this time of crisis. It's far easier to read and review a fic. Actually writing a fic and publishing it, takes time and effort and authors are basically putting their work out there for the whole world to see.

I want people to read it and be reminded that there is still hope and that they shouldn't forget to smile. I want people to be encouraged to stay strong and keep fighting, irrespective of their circumstances.

Remember that every fic on Fanfiction and other sites is an expression of the Author. It's their creativity and convictions and experiences all coming together to form something unique for the world to enjoy.

And with the way things currently are in the world, wouldn't it be better to lift each other up rather than put each other down?

So keep that in mind with all the fics you read.

We're all on the same floating ball of dirt and we all experience the same hardships in life.

And at the end of the day we all desire joy and prosperity.

Stay strong, stay hopeful, Never give up and as always, God bless and all the best with the rest..