RWBY 1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone *waves* Thanks for stopping in to check out this story. All credit goes to Defiled Ladel for writing the original story which really captured my attention and inspired me to write my own version (with his permission of course) so go check out his profile and give his story lots of love cuz it definitely deserves it. And don't be afraid to tell me how you think I did cuz I kinda feel like I didn't change enough to really make it my own story so just let me know when you're done :D**

He was being watched. He could sense it, like something you see out of the corner of your eye that vanishes when you try to look directly at it. He'd felt it since his return to Vale, blazing his way through the forest as if he himself was one of its residents. Every time he thought his little shadow would come close enough for him to get a glimpse, it would vanish back into the forest. He idly poked the low ember of his fire, flames licking at the few remaining dead branches he'd thrown onto it, eyes scanning the trees around him. He was getting jumpy, not because he didn't know who was tailing him, but because he _did_, and he knew he wouldn't be able to shake _her_.

Taking a deep breath, he leaned against the tree he had been resting against since he'd stopped to make camp, pulling his cloak tighter around himself. The forest was beautiful at night, especially now that he was back in his homeland. He had been in forests before over the last decade, indeed they seemed to be more his home than the actual houses he'd stayed in. But there was something about the forests of Vale that seemed better than the others. The breeze felt cooler and more welcoming, the leaves crunching under his boots louder, reminding him of the time he spent in the forests as a boy and young man.

He'd never left, not really. He _did_ leave, but it hadn't been a snap decision. Before he left all those years ago Ozpin had come to him and asked if he would be interested in a job. He would be dispatched on a long distance mission to a country whose villages had very little contact with the capital city or other better defended towns and were under constant assault by the creatures of grimm. He wasn't certain about the job at first. He knew his skills were subpar, but Ozpin made it clear the offer would not expire. It wasn't until _that day,_ in his final year that he made his decision.

As always Ozpin knew what was up, and why he was leaving. When he took up the job, the green clad professor informed him that the only one who would know where he was being deployed would be himself. And that was that. He left with a cliché; in the middle of the night as everyone slept, his bag packed with only his essentials. And for a decade he'd wandered mountains, valleys, and plains, exterminating grimm along the way. He'd even spent three years on the front lines during the grimm incursion of Mystral. And that was all there was to it really. Wander the land defending villages on the fringes of the map. At least that was the routine until a month ago when Ozpin had sent a recall order and that another huntsman had already been sent to take his place.

And now he was being shadowed deep in the forests of Vale by somebody he really didn't want to interact with at all. He was poking the fire with his sword when he heard a pop that wasn't from the fire, followed by a hushed curse. He smiled and pushed himself to his feet, kicking dirt over the blaze to extinguish it and strapping his sword to his back. He set off into the forest, following the gentle sound of a river sloshing its way down the slope until he found its source. He took the opportunity to fill his canteen before hooking it to his belt and continuing on, traveling upstream until he found a small wooden bridge that arced over it. He was halfway over when he turned and leaned against the railing, his arms crossed over his chest and a smile on his face. "Okay Blake, you can come out of the bushes." He said, chuckling softly when he saw her head pop out, eyes glowing bright and twigs decorating her hair

There was no denying Blake had matured, her long raven locks falling down her back like a black waterfall, her ears were proudly on display, twitching at every noise coming from the forest behind her. Jaune let his eyes cascade over her, drinking in her curves as she emerged from the brush. The way her newly ample bosom bounced with each step, the sway of her flared hips. She was a woman now, and a damn good looking one. She'd changed; much like everyone else had changed he was sure. They had all been on the cusp of adulthood when he left, and after he left they'd had ten years to mature fully. Blake was clearly in her prime. He managed to focus on the clothes clinging to the curves he'd been admiring, covered with dirt and grass stains and clinging to her like a second skin. He idly wondered if she dressed like that every day or only on assignments. When his eyes met Blake's he saw a smile in them.

"Yes Jaune, I am in fact a woman. Has it really been so long you had to eye me up like a teenager?" she asked, joining him on the bridge, bathed in the light of the moon. At the word 'teenager' Jaunes smile died, his mind flooded with memories of his time at Beacon, of _her_. His eyes grew hard and he answered her question with one of his own. "How'd you find me? Wait, too easy, how'd you find out I was coming back?" Blake blinked rapidly, surprised at his sudden change in mood. "Ruby overheard Ozpin talking about troop movements with the General. Said he talked about recalling a long distance huntsman called the 'White Knight'. It was easy to put the pieces together after that." She paused, looking down and rubbing her arm. "We thought you were dead Jaune. You just up and left. I understand the 'why' but you could have at least told someone you were going." She said, unable to keep the edge from her words, her ears flattening against her head.

Jaune took a deep breath and leaned against the railing of the bridge, his hands gripping it so hard the wood creaked. Blake hated seeing him remember that day. Hated remembering it herself, and the terrible secret she and the others had kept from him for two years. He finally looked at her, and the anger in his eyes made her take a step back. He spoke, and his voice was soft. But his words were sharp, and as he spoke them she felt every cut they made. "Tell them _what_ exactly Blake. 'Oh hey guys, sorry but I'm leaving. Why? Well maybe it's because you all decided it would be fun to keep an important secret from me for two years.' Why the hell should I have told you anything? You decided it was fine to let her lie to me, stringing me along and giving me the false hope that we could have something after Beacon. And you know what the worst part of it all was? It wasn't the lies, or the blatant disregard for how I felt, oh no. It was that, after everything, none of you. Not one single freaking one of you had the nerve to say you were sorry. So tell me Blake,why I should have_ told you a SINGLE FUCKING THING!?"_ he hadn't realized he was yelling until he heard his voice echo through the night, scattering the sleeping birds. Blake looked like she was ready to run, one foot set behind her and her ears lying flat against her head, her eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

Jaune let his shoulders sag as he sighed, letting go of his anger. "I'm sorry Blake. Let's just get back to Beacon." He turned and started across the bridge again. Blake stared after him, sparing a glance at the bridge and noticing something strange. Where he'd gripped the railing there were deeper dents in the wood where his left hand would have been. "Jaune." She muttered under her breath before looking at his retreating form, her focus on his left arm. Sighing again and unusually focused on the past, the black haired faunus jogged to catch up with him. She wasn't sure how long they walked before Jaune suddenly held up his left fist. She stopped and crouched low, drawing Gamble Shroud and racking the slide. Jaune drew his sword and Blake was startled that he had no shield. They sat there like that for a few minutes before a rustling in the bushes drew their attention, and the actual threat came at them from behind. They were shaped like jungle cats from hell, the infamous skull like protrusion and the bony spikes along its back, and armored plates on its tail. "Hellcats!" Jaune yelled as he spun, driving his sword into the face of the one leaping at him from behind. Blake dove to the side, feeling her hair being tugged by the hellcats claws as it went past her. Bringing her pistol around, she fired half the clip into the beast's bony skull, its blood and brains splattering against the trees.

"How many are there?" Jaune asked as he dropped to his back, letting the hellcat spear itself on his blade. Blake stopped long enough to scan the tree line, thankful once again that she was a faunus. Gotta love perfect night vision right? She saw the hellcats as they moved among the bushes and trees. "There's eight out there prowling. And the other three out here still with us." She said, leaping over her next attacker and emptying the last of her clip into his head. "Reloading." She called, ejecting her empty clip and inserting a fresh one. Of course there's always one predator that notices the vulnerability and takes that chance to strike, and for a brief moment Blake was frozen, unable to react as death leapt at her, maw gaping and razor sharp teeth exposed. Blake tried in vain to bring her blade up in time but before the jaws could snap shut around her throat an arm moved in front of it. As the hellcats teeth sank into the flesh Blake heard a metallic rasping, as if the teeth were scrapping against metal. She moved her eyes up to the arms owner and saw Jaune standing there, holding the arm up as if it didn't have a three hundred pound grimm hanging from it. He met her eyes briefly before turning his eyes to the grimm. "What's the matter you poor bastard, can't get a good taste?" he said before driving his blade into the creatures neck, killing it. He stared at her briefly before he tore the synthetic flesh off of his fake arm, letting it shift and change until a barrel popped up and extened from his forearm and a metal plate covered his fist.

"On your feet Blake, fights not over yet." He said as he charged off to take on another of the roaring hellcats, using both his forearm gun and sword. Blake recovered her senses enough to spring back to her feet and fight alongside the blonde knight. It took a while and some battle wounds, but eventually they emerged victorious. Blake watched as Jaune cleaned his sword on the fur of a dead hellcat before sheathing it again, his left arm returning to normal. Blake stared at it for a few minutes before tentatively asking "Jaune what-" Jaune held up his hand. "I'll tell everyone all at once. For now, let's move on." he said. Blake nodded and started off, passing him and heading further into the forest. When she didn't hear him following she turned back. "Jaune?" she said, turning back to see him staring back in the direction they'd come. '_It would be so easy to go back.'_ He thought. The thought had been hanging over his head like an angry cloud ever since he'd come back. He shook his head, dissipating that cloud and the thought with it. It had been too long to hold onto old grudges. "I'm coming." He finally said, jogging to catch up with the dark haired woman, who smiled to herself as they headed off. It would be hard for him to forgive them, he knew that. But he would have to. He was tired of being alone.

And he had made her a promise, and it would be rude to keep her waiting longer than he already had.

* * *

><p>To say Ruby Rose was anxious would be an understatement. The twenty-nine year old was walking around in a nervous huff. "Three days. It's been three days since Blake told us she'd found Jaune. It shouldn't take so long to get back to the city, should it?" she asked the other member of her team, who was just as anxious as their leader for the return of their friends. Ever since they had discovered that Jaune had spent the last decade hunting out in the wild and not rotting in an empty grave, they had devoted as many resources as they could to tracking him down. A month had now passed since they had gotten word he'd made it back to Vale and two weeks since Blake had left to make contact, now they waited impatiently for the arrival of their friend.<p>

Ruby had been a nervous wreck since she'd heard of their imminent return. She'd spent the past few days vigorously cleaning every surface of her home to preoccupy herself. She'd asserted that until Jaune could find a place for himself, he would stay with her. When met with the questioning looks of her teammates she said it was a step towards making amends and getting her friend back.

Weiss was nervous, perhaps even afraid, about seeing him again. Her last words to Jaune had been her harshest and it had stirred anger in him that no one had suspected was there. He had come back at her, yelled at her so loudly she was surprised that the whole academy hadn't heard him, about how he had been nothing but kind to her, wanted nothing more than to be her friend when he'd finally given up on dating her. And all she'd offered him in return was insults and harsh words. His final words to her haunted her the most when she thought of him. "I hate you, you spoiled brat, and I'm done putting up with you." She wondered if he still hated her now as much as he did then. She'd blamed herself for his leaving, and she would take this chance to apologize.

In the storm that was Ruby's preparations for Jaune's arrival, everyone else had seemed to overlook Yang. Surprisingly, she was nowhere to be found anywhere on the floor Weiss and Ruby occupied. She was lying on the bed in the spare bedroom that Ruby had deemed would be Jaune's. Zwei, faithful dog that he was, was lying next to his blonde owner to provide what comfort he could to the obviously troubled woman, who idly stroked his fur as she lost herself in thought.

In the wake of Jaune's departure, team RWBY had begun working with what was left of team JNPR and over the course of several years had developed excellent chemistry. Considering the friendship that already existed between the two teams it was obvious that team RWBY would bring them into the fold, making them one of the most effective grimm hunting teams in Vale, being deployed on the toughest missions and slaying even the strongest grimm. But over the years rumors had popped up here and there about a warrior out in the badlands. A warrior that apparently looked a lot like a dearly departed friend.

So three years after Jaune 'died' Yang went to investigate a ghost.

_**SEVEN YEARS AGO**_

Mystral had been blindsided by the sudden incursion of Grimm, though they'd held them off for a year before finally asking for support from the neighboring kingdoms. Yang, along with several other huntsman and huntresses had been selected as the vanguard, to be sent to Mystral as support. Her team had not wanted her to go, and had volunteered to go with her once they found there was no getting her back, to no avail.

When she'd gotten off the airship she'd expected to be part of a counterattack. A soldier was waiting for her and her support team to take them to the battlefield. They boarded the armored personnel carrier and rode in silence for several hours filled with sounds of gunfire and snarling grimm. When they arrived they found they were in the middle of a siege. The defenders had been pushed back, villages and towns abandoned as the grimm pushed slowly and steadily at humanity like a wave until they crashed against the fortified walls of the capital city, each day spent barely pushing them back from the gates. Yang was to be sent out past the waves of grimm to scout for any surviving people and escort them back to the gates.

The first few days were hardest, the grimm attacking her and the small groups of refugees she managed to find almost constantly. She never wanted to have to repeat this experience. Each day was a struggle just to get out of bed, each day listening to the casualty report and losing a little more hope that they could win this fight, each day going out into the field and wondering if she would come back.

A few months into her deployment the stories started to reach her, soldiers and other huntsman whispering about groups of civilians and vanguard scouts being saved by a blonde man in shining white armor and a ragged cloak, hacking through Grimm with a glowing broadsword and shield. The stories gave her hope, and her efforts redoubled to help push the grimm back.

It had taken close to three months, but the defenders finally managed to push back the tide. Now that they had breathing room Yang was sent with a few other huntsman as a scouting party to help establish a forward base to organize one last counter offensive. The spot itself had been easy enough to locate, a prime position for the forward base, the only thing left was for her team to secure the location. Yang felt a cold chill shoot down her spine and looked around, listening intently. She heard nothing, absolute silence. That was the giveaway. "Ambush!" she cried as the beowolves dove at her and her team. Time ceased to have meaning in that tangle of fur, limbs, blood, and explosions as the fight seemed to drag on. She heard cries being cut short as the grimm overwhelmed her friends and comrades. Before long she found herself surrounded. If she could hold on long enough for backup to reach her. She fought hard, but there were just so many of them. She felt the Ursa before she heard it, its shadow falling over her and the Beowulf she was fighting.

When asked by her surviving comrades that night she would swear she could feel its claws swinging toward her. She closed her eyes waiting for the killing blow to fall. But it never did. The next sound she heard was that of claws on metal as the blow was blocked. She looked up to see a man in a ragged cloak holding his kite shield aloft, blocking the Ursa's claws before drawing his sword back, red and orange etchings coming to life along the flat of the blade before bursting into flame. He swung the sword, taking the arm and head of the beast clean off, leaving behind the scent of scorched meat as the Ursa fell to the ground lifelessly. Yang could do nothing but stare at the man, who cast a brief glance in her direction, a smile plastered to his face. As shocking as it was to _see_ the friend you thought was dead for three years, not only alive and well, but kicking ass, it was even more shocking to _hear_ his voice, deepened with age and hardened by years of fighting. "On your feet Yang, fight's not over yet." He said, before darting off, leaving a trail of embers behind him.

Yang sprang to her feet and fought with more fire than she thought she possessed, and after another span of immeasurable time the last of the grim fell dead. Yang cast a glance at the cloaked man, who was wiping his blade clean on the fur of a Beowulf before hitting a button embedded in the crossguard, making the sword collapse until it resembled a shortsword and sliding it into the shield, which also collapsed until it reached its more portable form. After hooking the sword to his belt he pulled the hood of his cloak down, revealing his face. He easily stood a whole head taller than her, his features chiseled and rugged looking, with a few days growth of beard decorating his jaw. His scraggly blonde hair fell to his shoulders and almost covered the three deep parallel scars along his left cheek. "Well Yang, nice to see a friendly face in my neck of the woods." He said, putting two fingers to his lips and whistling. From the surrounding bushes several refugees emerged, most of them women and children. Yang could only stare at them all. There were easily twenty of them. "Jaune, what" Jaune held up a hand to cut her off. "Hold off on the questions until we get back to base." He said, pulling his hood back up and signaling the refugees to follow him. Yang stared after him before jogging to catch up to him.

It took them several hours to reach the base, the journey involving trekking through the lines of grimm and doubling back along their route, and fighting, so much fighting. Yang wouldn't have managed it without Jaune there to fight beside her. They had great battlefield chemistry, even if they'd only just reunited. Jaune would cover her back with his shield, and Yang would watch his blind spots. Occasionally he would use his shield to send her skyward so she could rain death on the grimm. Finally, they reached the safe zone with minimal casualties to the refugees.

When they were finally safe in the barracks she punched him in the face. "That's for walking out on all of us." She said, following up her statement with a bone breaking hug. "This is for surviving long enough for us to find you." She said, finally putting him down and really taking in the sight of her old friend. He looked good for a dead man. She took in the barracks as Jaune entered the small kitchen. There were four bunk rooms that were connected by a small common room with the kitchen, really only a stove and oven with a refrigerator next to it nestled between two of the bunk rooms, a tiny table sat next to the wall across from the stove, which Yang took a seat at. Jaune removed his cloak and armor, unbuckling his sword belt and hanging it on the chair next to Yangs. She watched as he pulled two glasses from a cabinet and filled them with a liquid from a pitcher he pulled from the fridge. "This part of Mystral is known for its orange groves. A village I saved specializes in making tea from them that replenishes aura and energy. They gave me a few barrels of it in gratitude so I keep the fridge stocked for the others coming back from the field. Try it." Jaune said, placing a glass in front of her and taking a seat, glass in hand. Yang eyed the drink for a moment before shrugging and taking a swig. She blinked in surprise. Not only was it delicious, she felt the fatigue from the fighting start to lessen, at least a little bit.

After downing her glass of tea in a few large gulps, which Jaune chuckled at, Yang stared at Jaunes robin egg blue eyes and finally spoke. "We thought you were dead." Jaune sighed and set his glass down. When he spoke it once again startled the blonde brawler, who had been expecting to hear the voice of seventeen year old Jaune, only to be confronted with adult Jaune, and oh did she love his voice. "That was kind of my plan." This response cancelled out the pleasure she felt at hearing his voice with a heavy dose of anger. "That was the _plan_? To what, let us think you were dead while you were off playing hero in some backwater?" she grabbed him by his collar and slamming him against the wall. Jaune, considering his position and the angry woman pinning him to the wall, remained silent, his face expressionless as Yang, eyes blazing crimson and brimming with tears vented three years of frustration and grief. "Do you have _any__ idea_ what you put us through?"

**So thats the end of the first chapter for my version of 'Promises' Once again all credit goes to Defiled Ladel for the original idea and all the thanks for letting me write my own version. For those of you wondering why the chapter ended kind of suddenly its because the next chapter will revolve around Jaunes funeral and the weeks following it, along with wrapping up Yang's time with Jaune duuring the grimm invasion.**


	2. In Memoriam

To those hoping this was a new chapter I apologize, but today we honor the memory of the man who created a whole new fandom for us to be a part of. It was announced today that Monty Oum, creator of Haloid, Dead Fantasy, and RWBY, had passed away after 10 days in a coma caused by an extreme allergic reaction. We all mourn his loss, and my thoughts are with his family, friends, and co-workers at Rooster Teeth. In the announcement regarding Monty's passing, Burnie stated that in lieu of sending flowers or gifts to the office or Monty's family, we should do something creative. So I'm reaching out to you, anyone who reads this. Grab your computer, or your drawing pad and write, draw, animate, anything. Exercise your creativity to honor the man that made of think of Red, White, Black, and Yellow as people and not just colors. The man that taught us "It's also a gun." The man that created a map of his world using stains on a napkin. Do something to honor Monty Oum, who has left the world a lesser place by leaving it.

"I believe that the human spirit is indomitable. If you endeavor to achieve it, it will happen given enough resolve. It may not be immediate, and often your greater dream is something you will not achieve in your own lifetime. The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility, even in death." – Monty Oum

Monty Oum

Beloved son, brother, and friend.

1981-2015


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay guys, before you start i want you to know that the overwhelming positive feedback i've gotten for this story is truly amazing. I'm humbled that you guys enjoy the story so much and have told me so in your reviews. But that being said. A few reviews have pointed out things that could be done to improve the the story. And i decided to take those ideas to heart and revised the second chapter. The biggest change is that the surprise twist at the end of chapter 2 the first time around has been removed and will be re-introduced withing the next few chapters. I hope you guys won't mind that too much. I also decided the lemon had to go. There's no nice way to say it, it sucked and I struggled to write it. Other than that everything is still kinda the same. Mostly just grammatical fixes. Now that i have all the boring crap out of the way i present to you the revied chapter two of Promises, the Darth Azrael version. Enjoy.**

_**THE DAY OF JAUNES' FUNERAL, THREE YEARS AGO**_

Thunder rumbled over the entire fourth year class of Beacon, which was gathered in the courtyard, standing in orderly groups and all wearing their dress uniforms. At the head of the columns of students, beneath the statue that resided at the courtyards center, was a coffin, its lid closed, a bouquet of yellow roses adorning it. Next to it was the picture of Jaune Arc, smiling his goofy smile at whoever had taken the picture. On one side of the coffin, seated in chairs next to the picture were Jaunes parents and sisters, holding onto each other and crying silently. On the other side of the coffin were the members of teams RWBY and JNPR, also holding each other in shared grief. Nora held onto Ren like she was drowning and he was a piece of flotsam, tears spilling down her face as she was reduced to hiccuping sobs, Ren barely managing to keep it together as he stroked her hair. Pyrrha was crying on the shoulder of her fiancé, which had sent another wave of guilt through team RWBY. Weiss and Ruby hid their faces in their hands as they shed their own tears. Yang stood with her arms crossed under her breasts as she did her best to hold in her grief, thought she could not fight the tears that fell occasionally. Even stoic Blake could not maintain a calm façade as she looked up into the rain. "Even the skies weep for the loss of a good soul." She muttered as rain cascaded down her face, masking the tears she shed. It was then that Ozpin, sans his usual coffee mug and actually using his cane, stepped in front of the coffin to address the assembled students.

"Today, we are gathered to honor the memory of Jaune Arc, beloved, son, brother, and friend, who fell in battle against the grimm on what was supposed to have been a simple scouting mission. To all who knew him, Jaune was a kind, caring, and compassionate young man, his optimistic attitude and constant smile were matched only by his tactical ingenuity, determination in battle, and willingness to lead from the front. He was, by all accounts, a late bloomer. I believe we all remember him in his first year, when he showed himself to be a bit of a bumbler. But he had a kind heart, and was always willing to help those in need. And as time progressed he came to embody what I always believed this school should be, a place where the determined can excel, the unskilled can become great warriors, and heroes can rise. And Jaune Arc was . . . _is_ a hero in every sense of the word." At this he turned to the casket and nodded his head. "Farewell noble knight. May your soul find rest in the arms of angels." Ozpin said before turning to face the crowd. "Those who knew Jaune best may come up and take a flower from the bouquet and pay your final respects once his family has done so." With that said he walked to the side to join the rest of the staff, Glynda taking his free hand and squeezing tightly. After Jaunes family retrieved their roses the remaining members of team JNPR went next, followed by team RWBY, then CFVY, who had come to associate with the other two teams thanks to Jaunes friendship with Velvet.

When all had taken a rose from the bouquet, Ozpin stood in front of the crowd once more. "This brings the funeral service of Jaune Arc to a close. Classes will be cancelled for the next week to give us all time to grieve. You may all return to your dorms." He said, and those students with excellent hearing would have sworn they heard the headmasters voice crack, if only slightly. The students returned to the school in haphazard groups as Ozpin walked over to the Jaunes family and friends. "I'm sorry this had to happen. Jaune had so much untapped potential and skill. He would have been one of the greatest huntsmen to have walked these halls, I have no doubt of that. We'll prepare Jaune for his final journey home. In the meantime I'd like you to come with me to my office." The group of people followed the headmaster through the halls of Beacon to the elevator, riding in silence to the top level. The elevator chimed and the doors opened to reveal Ozpins office, neat and tidy as ever. They followed him over to his desk and noticed two stacks of data chips. "Jaune left these in my care should anything happen to him. He recorded a message for each of you should he not return from the field, along with a recorded last will and testament." The headmaster said as he gestured to the data chips. Everyone assembled grabbed the one specifically labeled for them.

Ozpin took the last data chip and inserted it into the port next to his desks flip up screen, turning it around to let the assembled people watch. The video opened to a shot of Jaunes torso as he fiddled with the camera. "There we go, is it working? Sweet. It is." Jaune then sat down, a smile plastered on his face. "Hey guys. If you're watching this, well, I'm sorry, you know, that I died. I'm sure it wasn't intentional, at least I certainly hope not. But I'm getting off topic. I Jaune Arc, of sound mind and body, do hereby bequeath upon my death all my possessions, which shall be split among my closest friends and family, along with a final message for each of you that should have been given to you already. Okay time to list off the stuff. Okay, to my parents, I return Crocea Mors, which I uh, kinda stole when I faked my way into Beacon. Hopefully if any of the girls decide to become huntresses they'll be able to put it to good use."

They spent fifteen minutes listening to him give away his worldly possessions. Most of it went to his family, but RWBY and what was left of team JNPR got something as well. Ruby got back the plans she'd drawn up for a new weapon for him, and a message to forge it someday. Weiss received, of all things, his guitar. Blake was given half his book collection. Yang was given Jaunes favorite hoodie since she was always stealing it from him that year. Nora was given a small photo album so she would always have something to smile about. Ren was given the other half of Jaunes book collection and his collection of CDs, music being one of the few things they had bonded over. Pyrrha was given a small box, an engagement ring held within. "I'm sorry I never got to pop the question, hopefully you'll hold on to this and remember all the good times we had." At this Pyrrha descended into a new bout of sobbing and buried her face in her fiancés chest.

Ozpin gave his students a sympathetic glance. "You seven are free to leave now. There are a few other things I need to discuss privately with Jaunes family. You'll have extra time off if you feel you need it, simply come talk to me about it. We also have a grief counselor you can speak with at any time you feel you must." They group of young men and women all nodded and left. As Yang pressed the button to take them to the ground floor, she saw Ozpin handing Crocea Mors to Jaunes father.

_**TWO WEEKS LATER**_

Yang was at a loss as she stared at her sister. Ruby had barely gotten out of bed since the funeral, only doing so to go to the bathroom or when Yang forced her to eat. Weiss wasn't much better. Jaunes final message to her had been nothing but sweet words and smiles. Considering the fight the two had before Jaune had left, it had just made Weiss feel worse. She was like Ruby, barely eating or going to class, with the added bonus of crying herself to sleep at night and almost always playing Jaunes final message to her. Yang and Blake were faring better, but not by much. Blake spent a lot of time reading the books Jaune had left her, and Yang had taken to wearing his hoodie, even underneath her uniform jacket, though her mane of blonde locks kept her from utilizing the hood. Still, they had it better than the remaining members of team JNPR. Pyrrha had left a few days after the funeral. Ren and Nora spent a lot of time listening to the CDs Jaune left them and looking through the photo album with team RWBY. They'd even made copies of the pictures to give to the four girls.

"Ruby, please eat something, even if it's only cookies. You need to keep your strength up." Yang said, pulling herself up to look at Ruby and still shocked at how much she'd grown. The nineteen year old young woman had let her hair grow past her shoulders, though it was now frizzled and unkempt. The few traces of baby fat vanished when Ruby had her last growth spurt, which had made her as tall and curvaceous as her older sister. Yang glanced at Ruby's scroll and saw Jaunes message to her playing. The sisters shared a glance before Ruby shut her scroll off and climbed down from her bed. Yang sighed in relief as her younger sibling walked into the bathroom, followed by the sound of running water. Yang took that as a good sign and spared a glance at Weiss. The heiress was lying in bed much like Ruby had been, her snow white hair a mess and still in her nightgown. They shared a pointed stare before Weiss turned over, facing away from the blonde brawler. "Weiss." Yang sighed, sitting down next to the fencer. "Weiss please, you need to get out of bed too. Do you really think Jaune would want you to be like this, lying in bed crying all the time? He'd want you to keep chasing your dream and honing your skill." Yang was cut off by a flash of pain as the girl in white swung around and slapped her across the cheek, glaring daggers at the blonde.

"Don't you _dare_ try to use him against me." She spat before blinking rapidly and covering her mouth with her hands. "Oh gods Yang. I didn't mean to-" now it was Weiss' turn to be cut off as Yang wrapped her arms around her teammate and pulled her into a hug. "I miss him too snow angel." She said. Weiss gripped the hoodie Yang was wearing; the one Jaune had left her, and sobbed into her chest. "How c-could he forgive m-me after all the horrible things I said to h-him?" she sobbed as Yang stroked her team mates hair. Jaunes final message to her had been edited before he left, telling Weiss that he was sorry that they had fought, and hoping that she would forgive him for what he said "You know how he was; he couldn't hold a grudge to save his life." Yang said softly as she continued to stroke the heiress' hair. Yang wasn't sure how long they sat like that, Weiss still crying quietly into her chest. She knew it was long enough for Ruby to finish her shower and get dressed. It was then that Yang was struck with an idea. "How about we grab Ren and Nora and go into town, get dinner somewhere nice. Weiss can get us into one of those really fancy restaurants." The blonde said. Weiss couldn't help but chuckle. "Guessing I'll be footing the bill as well?" she said, removing herself from Yangs arms and grabbing fresh clothes. "You know it moneybags."

And that's exactly what they did. With Ren and Nora in tow Weiss managed to get them into one of the most exclusive restaurants in Vale, where they ate overpriced, if downright delicious and worth it, food. Drank wine and champagne by the bottle, and for the first time in two weeks, felt a little less sad. They still toasted Jaune with every glass and told stories they remembered fondly, but things finally started looking up for the group of young ladies, plus Ren. They knew they could start to heal.

_END FLASHBACK_

Jaune looked at Yang with sadness in his eyes as the blonde brawler held him against the wall, her eyes glowing crimson. "Even after that little outing it was still a fight to get Ruby and Weiss to eat. They didn't take those damn data chips out of their scrolls for another month." Jaune hung there silently as Yang spent more time berating him. When she finally fell silent he reached up and placed his hand on her cheek, stroking it with his thumb. "I'm sorry Yang, for everything you went through because of me." His voice was soft; full of regret and sadness, and Yang realized he'd been hurting just as much as they had, simply because he knew what his leaving would mean for them. Yang lowered him to the floor and did her best to keep her tears from falling. But after holding in her grief for so long because she knew her team needed her to be strong, now she didn't have to. It was Jaune wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her that sent her over the edge. And she cried, holding onto Jaune with a death grip as she sobbed into the crook of his neck.

Jaune gently guided her to the bed in his room and sat down, her grip on him seeming to tighten as he stroked her hair. She cried for over an hour, and even after she calmed down she refused to let him go, like she was afraid he would vanish again. And he just sat there, wrapping a blanket over the both of them before going back to stroking her hair. "Why did you leave us the way you did Jaune? It hurt so much." She sobbed. She felt Jaunes chest heave as he sighed. "Because of her, and you. You and the rest of your team knew, you could have told me." Yang clutched him tighter. "She said she would tell you." She said, a little sob escaping her. "Well, she didn't. And I went on thinking the promise we made to each other was worth something to her. And now here I am, in the walls of her city, defending her people, while she sits in the keep, her weapons unused and her skills atrophied. The Pyrrha Nikos I knew and loved, she's dead now." He lapsed into silence after that, and they sat quietly as he stroked Yang's hair. Eventually her fatigue caught up to her and she fell asleep.

Yang woke up in the dark and all alone, still wrapped in the blanket Jaune had draped over them before she fell asleep. She switched on the small light on the bedside table and looked around, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. As she finally got her head together she could hear the faint sound of music beyond the closed door and smell something _delicious_ cooking. Wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, she got up and pushed the door open, her nostrils flooded with the smell of bacon and eggs as music blared from the kitchen. Walking into the room revealed Jaune, clad only in a pair of pajama pants and bobbing his head to the beat of the song. She couldn't help but admire his physique. _'Mama likey.'_ She thought to herself, a blush dusting her cheeks. She was drawn from her admiration when she saw him turn around. "Morning. Guessing you're hungry." He said, using a spatula to scrape eggs and bacon onto a plate and putting it on the table. Yang was about to answer when a loud growl permeated the room, drowning out the music briefly. Jaune chuckled. "Well that answers that. Come eat." He said, motioning for her to come sit down as he put more eggs and bacon on his own plate and sitting down.

Yang sat down and stared at the food like it was a gift from the gods, picking up her fork and scarfing it down, barely taking time to chew. "Damn Yang, don't they feed you?" Jaune asked with a wry smile as he speared eggs on his own fork and shoved it in his mouth. Yang chuckled and finished eating her food before belching loudly. "Sorry Jauney boy, been too long since I had a good bit of meat." She hadn't realized how tense she'd been around him until she saw him smile and heard him laugh. It reminded her of when they were at Beacon and he would laugh at her stupid puns and innuendos. As his laughter died down a peaceful, comfortable silence enveloped them.

Jaune was first to break the silence. "Look, about last night-" he was cut off when Yang held up a hand "Don't apologize Jaune, you were right to be angry at us back then. We did something cruel to you because we thought we were being kind. And in the end we hurt you more than if we had just told you." She said, taking one of Jaunes hand in hers. She could feel how rough and calloused his hands had become, even wearing gloves. "I've forgiven you Jaune, and in time the others will too." She smiled at him, lilac eyes meeting ocean blue. "So whaddaya say, partners?" she asked, wondering why her heart was beating so fast. She thought it was going to explode out of her chest when Jaune covered her hands with his free one and squeezed. "Partners." He said, drawing his hands away. "But first, we have to do something about this." he grabbed a small handful of Yang's blonde locks and pulling them in front of her face. Yang's' eyes flicked from her hair to Jaunes eyes nervously. "What do you mean, what's wrong with my hair?" she asked. She grew extremely nervous when Jaunes eyes hardened, and he spoke with an authority that would accept no argument. "Yang this is a hard truth. Your hair is too long. The grimm out here are stronger than anything we fought before and they're way smarter. They know long hair is easy to grab and I've seen plenty of rookies who thought they were the exception to the rule die because they didn't tie their hair back or refused to cut it."

Yang was mortified. Everyone knew she loved her hair; it was like a law of the universe. What goes up must come down, Ruby loved cookies more than air, Cardin was an entitled dick, and Yang would rather die than cut her hair. "Jaune you can't be serious." She said, hoping against hope this was a bad dream. "As a heart attack Xiao Long, you've seen me in the field I tie mine back, but you've got too much goin on back there to tie it down right unless you wanna try and braid it." He said with a smile. "_No!_" Yang said quite forcefully, remembering a time in their third year at Beacon when she had decided to let Weiss try and braid her hair. Needless to say, it was a disaster of world shattering scale, at least for Yang. For everyone else it was terribly funny. Yang unconsciously grabbed her hair and stroked it lovingly. "Do I really have to?" she pleaded, practically begging Jaune to reconsider. But her pleas fell on deaf ears. "Yang I'm telling you this because I care, you have to do this." He said. Yang's shoulders sagged as she sighed. "Okay, just make it quick." she muttered. She watched like a prisoner watching their executioner as Jaune grabbed his sword and walked over to her, grabbing a fistful of her hair near the nape of her neck and with a quick precise stroke, and a loud _shenk_ that Yang flinched at, Jaune pulled his hand away, holding the small curtain of Yangs hair.

Yang couldn't help but shed a tear as she rubbed the back of her neck, not liking the chill that washed over her newly exposed skin. "I know you don't like it but it had to be done." Jaune said, sheathing his sword and grabbing a pair of scissors. "Go ahead and turn around so I can clean it up a bit back there. Just think about all the money you'll save on shampoo and conditioner." He stated, grabbing a chair. Yang did as he asked and turned around, studying his sword as he began clipping the extra strands of hair that he missed. "Jaune, I saw Ozpin give Crocea Mors back to your family. So what sword is that?" she asked, gesturing to the sword lying on the table. "It's the sword Ruby designed for me. I left her the original plans but made a copy and had it forged. It's a beautiful piece of work, just what I'd expect from Ruby." She could hear the smile in his voice as he talked about his weapon. "Does it have a name?" she asked. Jaune sighed and put the scissors down, making Yang turn around. "Cowards Run and Hide." He said. Yang tilted her head at the statement. "Why is it called that of all things?" the blonde brawler asked. "Because when it gets down to the nitty gritty, I'm a coward. I could have just confronted you and the others over the whole thing with Pyrrha, but ultimately I did what I normally do. I ran away, took that job from Ozpin convinced I was doing it for the right reasons, but looking back, I just wanted to get away from the problem instead of facing it. I ran away and hid in the badlands fighting grimm and doing my best to forget about what happened." He said, walking over to the sword and picking it up, giving it a quick spin before sheathing it again. When he turned around Yang was in his face, her eyes soft. He had to admit, her hair looked good short.

"Jaune you're not a coward, no matter how much you may think you are. You left because you were hurt and angry and had a way to vent that would only hurt humanities greatest enemy. Hell, in your shoes I might have done the same." She playfully punched his shoulder, "So don't be so down on yourself. You're a badass huntsman now, there's no room for doubt." He couldn't help but smile at her optimism. "Yeah yeah, let's finish up here so we can get back out in the field. They're gonna need us soon." He said, sitting down to finish his food. Yang smiled at him before joining him at the table.

_**THREE YEARS LATER**_

The next three years were harder than Yang could have imagined. The constant fighting, the nights with too little sleep, and more comrades dying, it all took a toll on her. The only that kept he going, kept her _sane_, was Jaune. He was like a lighthouse in the storm that was their fight against the prowlers of the night. But they won; after two years of hard fighting they pushed back the tide and won one of humanities greatest victories in over a hundred years. The following year was spent helping rebuild the towns that were destroyed and escorting the civilians back to the homes they'd had to leave behind. And in that time, Jaune came to mean more to her than she would ever have thought. Over the course of that year, she found herself staring at him more and more. She enjoyed the way he smiled when he played with the children in the towns they helped rebuild, or the way he would focus when he was helping raise a house. But the times she ended up staring at him most were when he was asleep. It was the only time she'd ever seen Jaune really at peace. It was also at times like this where she realized she might have fallen for the blonde knight. She was surprised he hadn't caught on, considering all the pointed stares he would get from the other huntsman and the sly winks the women would give her. _'Some things never change.'_ She thought as she unconsciously ran a hand through his hair.

Sadly all good things must come to an end. Since Mystral was declared free of grimm Yang had received a recall order along with the remaining huntsmen and huntresses that had come with her. The day before she was meant to leave, they were camping in the ruins of another abandoned town. Jaune was laying beneath a tree, smiling when he saw her climbing up the hill to stand over him, the yellows and oranges of the sunset making a very nice backdrop. "Sleeping on the job, it's impossible to get you to work huh?" she asked teasingly, plopping down next to him. "Yup, I'm the laziest huntsman to exist; I kill grimm by the score with my sonic snore." He said, shutting his eyes and making a loud, fake snoring sound, eliciting a giggle from the blonde brawler. They shared a chuckle at Jaune's antics and lapsed into silence, Yang leaning her head on his shoulder as they watched the sun continue its steady decline behind the trees. "When does the airship arrive?" he asked her. His voice was devoid of emotion, but Yang could hear the unasked question hidden beneath his spoken one. '_How long til I'm alone again?' _was his real question. "Tomorrow morning at about nine o'clock." She responded.

Jaune lowered his head, his hair obscuring his face. Yang took his hand in hers and squeezed. "You know I can always stay, recall orders can be ignored." It was more of a plea than anything else. Jaune met her eyes, that same smile she loved to see plastered on his face, and draped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. "No, you need to go home to them. Who else would annoy them with bad puns and dumb jokes while simultaneously beating the shit out of everything that moves?" he said, drawing out another fit of giggles from her. She turned into him, wrapping an arm around his waist and snuggling into him. "You could come too Jaune. You don't have to stay out here anymore." She said, cupping his cheek in her hand and making him look at her. His smile turned sad then as he stared into her eyes. "I wish I could, but I'm not ready to face them yet. Besides," he said, reaching into one of his belt pouches and pulling out a piece of paper. "I got a dispatch from Ozpin. He's sending me west to a town called Gershek that's just being established. They need a huntsman to keep them safe until the walls are up." He said. Jaune could swear he heard his ribs creak as Yang tightened her hold on him. He saw her shoulders start to shake as she sobbed quietly into his chest. He adjusted her until she was seated in his lap, her face buried in the crook of his neck as she continued to cry, stroking her hair in an attempt to comfort her.

"Please don't leave again Jaune. It took so long to find you and I don't want to lose you again." She managed to say through her sobs. "I know Yang, but those people need someone to keep them safe. Here." He unclipped his sword from his belt and drew his sword, planting it tip first in the ground, and handing the sheath to her. "This is a promise Yang, a promise that I will come back to you, alive and whole, and that I won't disappear again." Yang stared at it for a moment before tossing it aside and ramming her lips against his. Jaune's shock wore off quickly and soon he was responding to the kiss, his hands threading through her hair.

They made love beneath that tree, a desperate union of two passionate lovers who had found each other on the battlefield, and wanted nothing more than to stay together, but knowing they would have to part come the next sunrise. Neither knew how long they spent in that passionate embrace, but as the moon began to peek over the tops of the trees they reached their climax, sharing a kiss as she felt Jaune release himself inside her.

Jaune collapsed on top of Yang, accidentally slamming his face into the grass, a muffled "Ow." The only thing he was able to say. To Yang, still coming down from her orgasm, thought this was the funniest thing ever, and gave voice to that thought by busting out laughing. Jaune turned his head to gaze at her with a sour expression. Yang looked at him and stuck her tongue out, her hand coming up to rest on his cheek. "I was that good huh?" she said, still giggling softly. All Jaune could do was smile and take her hand in his, planting a kiss on each finger. Yang felt another blush wash over her cheeks and leaned over, capturing his lips with hers. "You really know how to charm the ladies vomit boy." She said, earning a smile from her fellow blonde, who simply rolled off of her and pulled her close to him, stroking her hair. Yang smiled and snuggled closer to her knight, grabbing his cloak and pulling it over them as a makeshift blanket. Jaune smiled and kissed her one last time before falling asleep, followed soon by Yang.

The next day was a dreary one. A storm front had rolled in from the west and brought sheets of rain with it. The bad weather seemed somewhat appropriate for the pair of blondes as they stood in the airfield, the only sound other than the rain being the bullheads engines. "Are you sure I can't convince you to come with me? The others would want to see you too. I'm sure your parents and sisters would want to see what life in the field has done to you as well." Yang asked, trying one final time to get Jaune to come home. She'd found out that his parents knew he was alive, they'd found out shortly after the funeral and practically disowned him for it. The knight shook his head. "I can't. I'm not ready yet. But I will be someday." He closed the gap between them and hugged her. "Will you wait for me?" he asked. Yang nodded, not trusting her voice. Jaune turned his head and kissed her lips one last time. When they finally separated Yang showed the tears in her eyes. "I'm going to hold you to your promise Jaune. So you better come back or I'll beat the shit out of your ghost." She exclaimed, pointing the sheath of Jaunes sword at him. "I will Yang, an Arc always keeps his word." Satisfied with his response, Yang stepped into the bullhead and shut the door, watching Jaune through the window as it lifted off.

_**PRESENT DAY**_

Yang was brought out of her memories by a gentle knock on the door and her sisters' voice. "Yang, Blake called us. She said she'll be here in ten minutes. Ren and Nora called too; they'll arrive a little after Blake." Ruby said before walking away from the room. Yang rolled off the bed and headed into the small bathroom connected to the room. She turned on the shower and quickly stripped down, stepping under the hot water. When she felt the water hit her body she relaxed considerably, surprised at how tense she had been. She honestly shouldn't have been surprised. It's not every day a friend you thought was dead for three years turned out to just be off fighting grimm and then fought alongside you for another three years before falling in love with you and having sex under a tree the day before you were supposed to be shipped home. The aftermath of that had had bigger consequences then anyone could have imagined.

When she heard the shower turn on Ruby relaxed a little bit. Yang had been acting more distant since she heard Jaune was finally coming back. She stared at the clock wonder why time was moving _so sloooooooooooow_. Weiss seemed to be infected by whatever was making Ruby so anxious, as she had started tapping her nails on the table. Finally the doors lock clicked and Ruby practically ripped it off its hinges in her haste to open it. Standing on the other side, draped in a cloak and looking like a wall of lean muscle was Jaune Arc, her first friend.

With a delighted squee she tackled him, knocking him onto his back and burying her face in his chest, thankful he hadn't been wearing his armor. She felt herself start to cry as she hugged him and he finally hugged her back. She had missed this most about him. His hugs were always so warm. She looked up to see his eyes boring into hers as he let go of her to wipe away her tears. "That's certainly a fine hello. I didn't get a hug from Blake." He said, throwing a wry smile towards the cat faunus, who simply crossed her arms and quirked her eyebrow. "Ruby how can you be as old as you are and still act so immature. Let him up." Came a voice from the door. Ruby and Jaune both looked at the door to see Weiss Schnee standing there, arms crossed and foot tapping on the ground. Ruby reluctantly got up and helped Jaune to his feet. As soon as he was on his feet Weiss closed the distance between them and punched him in the mouth, sending him sprawling. "_Weiss_" Blake and Ruby shouted at the same time. Weiss ignored them both as she placed a foot on Jaunes chest and pointing a finger at his face.

"You have a lot of explaining to do. And you're going to take me out to dinner to the fanciest restaurant in town. Then you'll take me shopping. And maybe, just m-maybe I'll for-forgive you for what you did." She said, her angry demeanor breaking down as her eyes watered, a few tears sliding down her cheeks. Jaune gently pushed her foot off of him and stood up, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her. "I missed you too snow angel." He said, stroking her hair as she cried. "And if you find the restaurant, I'll take you to dinner, and shopping as well. I have ten years' worth of back pay heading my way." He let her go and looked over at Ruby, giving her a thumbs up. "So I won't be here for very long hopefully." He continued. Ruby just smiled and shook her head. "You stay as long as you want Jaune. It's the least I can do." She said, heading back into her house. "Now come on in out of the cold. I've got cookies that just came out of the oven." The red haired girl called over her shoulder as she strode inside, Blake only a few steps behind her.

Weiss and Jaune shared a look before going inside, Jaune doing the gentlemanly thing and allowing Weiss to enter ahead of him. When he finally managed to get in the door he stopped in his tracks, staring at her. She hadn't changed much in almost five years. She'd kept her hair short, her arms were still just as ripped as before, as were her legs. From what he could see of her midriff her abs were still toned as well, though he could see the faint outlines of stretch marks. He didn't take much time admiring her as his eyes continued to travel upwards, desperate to see those beautiful eyes he'd missed so much.

They stood like that, ocean blue eyes staring into lilac until she finally walked across the room to stand in front of him. "You came back." She said, her voice almost a whisper. He smiled. "I was finally ready to come home. Besides, I made you a promise, and an Arc always keeps his word." He responded, his smile nervous. He couldn't have predicted what happened next, no one in the room could have. She shoved him against the wall and kissed him, hard. He was quick to respond in kind, his hands sliding around her waist as he turned them around so she was the one against the wall. Yang wrapped her legs around Jaunes waist, groaning softly as he squeezed her ass. They were interrupted by Weiss, Blake, and Ruby all clearing their throats very loudly, and immediately separated. "Sorry about that." Jaune muttered, rubbing the back of his head with his left hand. That was when Yang noticed that Jaunes hand was made of metal and not flesh. "Jaune what happened to your arm?" she said. That of course drew everyone's attention to it. Ruby was the first to say something, but it wasn't what everyone expected. She dashed over to Jaune, looked at the arm from a bunch of different angles, looked at its transformation into the gun form, and then stated simply. "Give me a week and I'll make you something ten times better." That said, she went to the kitchen, grabbed a cookie off the baking sheet, and popped it in her mouth. Then it was Weiss' turn to examine his arm. "As sad as this is you should have been more careful. I'll make sure Ruby has the materials to make you a better arm." She then went and joined Ruby. Blake said nothing, she simply sat at the table and started reading the book that was lying there.

He turned to Yang, who had been staring at his arm since she noticed it. "You tried to block a strike and forgot you had no shield didn't you?" she asked, taking his mechanical hand in hers gingerly, as if it were mad of glass and not steel. Jaune placed his free hand on Yangs cheek, stroking it with her thumb to wipe away the lone tear that had begun to fall. "It's not your fault Yang. I was careless and a beowolf managed to graze me. You remember Port's lessons, grimm claws are covered in all sorts of shit. Gangrene set in before the battle was over and they had to amputate. For what it's worth, it's got a really cool transformation that I had modeled after Ember Celica." He said, slapping the palm of his hand into his fist, and the still active trigger plate on his knuckles, discharging a round into the wall. Everyone looked between the hole in the wall and Jaune, who chuckled nervously and shifted his arm back into its normal form. "I can fix that." He said, pointing at the wall.

Ruby just smiled and shook her head, "Go get settled in, your rooms upstairs second door on the left." She said. Jaune nodded and went to his room, throwing the duffle bag with his armor in it on the floor. After a quick shower he changed into some of the clothes hanging in the closet. Apparently Ruby had taken the shotgun approach and bought a bunch of clothes of varying sizes hoping something would fit. After finally finding clothes that fit properly he headed back towards the stairs. When he got to the top he heard a pair of voices that he hadn't heard in ten years. "No she wasn't too much trouble. We dropped her off with his parents like you asked. We had a lot of fun, didn't we girls?" Ren said. Jaune almost didn't recognize his voice. He then heard two female voices shout; "We totally did!" Jaune recognized one of the voices as Nora's.

He sat on the top stair and listened to them, glad to hear their voices again after being gone for so long. He heard Yang speak next. "And where did mommy and daddy take you and Amy, Arenor?" he heard her ask. A child's voice answered her. "We went to the zoo! Amy and I got to see sloths and mommy talked to them didn't you mommy." The child, Arenor, he presumed, then started making sloth sounds similar to the ones Nora used to make. Deciding he had to face the music eventually, he descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen, greeted by the shocked stares of his former teammates. Ren hadn't changed much in ten years. He was still all lean, hard muscle packed into his svelte frame, his eyes still full of wisdom beyond his years. The only noticeable change was the grey in his hair that had just started to come in around his temples and the facial hair that covered his chin. Nora on the other hand had changed quite a bit. Her hair had grown long and like Ren had during their time at Beacon, she sported a lock of hair that was dyed the same color of her eyes, the bright teal clashing horribly with her fiery mane. Jaune quickly shifted his attention to the child staring at him. A little girl, maybe seven years old and easily identifiable as Ren and Nora's child based simply on hair color alone, half of her hair was dyed magenta while the other half was dyed teal. This had to be Arenor.

The little girls face lit up as if she recognized him, then she pointed at him excitedly while jumping up and down. "Mommy, Daddy, it's the man from all the pictures!" she exclaimed. Jaune couldn't help but smile at the child's innocence and excitement. It reminded him of Nora. He returned his gaze to his former team mates, only to find Nora's teal eyes a few scant inches from his own. With a startled yelp he backed up a few inches from the bubbly bomber. They stood like that for a few moments, silence reigning as they stared each other down. Finally Nora spoke. "I'm kinda torn between hugging you and crying and punching you and being super mad so can I do both?" she asked, her mouth moving at the same ridiculous pace as ten years ago. Jaune closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. This was going to happen eventually, may as well take care of it now. "Hit me first, then I'll apologize and then you can hug me. Sound good?" he asked. Nora nodded and without any hesitation or warning punched Jaune in the stomach, actually taking him off his feet and launching him halfway up the stairs. Groaning and clutching his stomach, Jaune managed to keep himself from rolling down the stairs, feeling his aura set to work healing the damage Nora undoubtedly did to him.

Managing to get his feet under him, he walked back down the steps and smiled at his energetic friend. "I'm sorry I left the way I did. If anyone deserved to know what I was doing, it was you guys." He looked past Nora to the green clad gunman sitting at the table. "Can you forgive me too Ren?" the blonde asked. Ren adopted a thoughtful expression before nodding. "Eventually. Give it a few days. Actually, make it a few weeks." He said. Jaune opened his mouth to reply but was suddenly scooped up by Nora, who was_ way_ stronger after ten years. "Ren can pout all he wants, I'm just glad you're back." She said, squeezing him tighter before letting go. Jaune gasped and took a deep breath as he was let go. It was then that Yang spoke up. "Okay enough sappiness." She cried, reaching for the bottles above the fridge. "Says the girl who dry humped him as soon as he got in the door.", Weiss muttered under her breath, getting her a red eyed glare from the blonde brawler. "If it's all the same to you Yang, we should be going." Ren said, getting up and walking over to Jaune, patting the blonde knight on the shoulder. "We'll be in touch Jaune. We've got a lot of catching up to do." The gunman said before picking up his daughter and exiting the house, his wife in tow.

The night was spent drinking, reminiscing and swapping stories. By four in the morning the only ones left sitting at the table were Yang and Jaune, speaking in hushed tones so as not to wake the others. After they finished the third bottle Jaune found out Yang was quite the romantic when drunk. At the moment she had her fingers laced with Jaunes, a small smile on her face. "I missed you, you know. Four years is a long wait." She said, leaning in and kissing his lips. Jaune smiled into the kiss and cupped her cheek with his false hand. When she pulled away Yang looked at his arm again, running her free hand over its length to where it met the remaining part of his natural arm. "You know, if I was one for technicalities, I would say you broke your promise." She said, staring at the spot where prosthetic met flesh. "You said you would come back, alive and _whole_." She continued to run her fingers along the metallic appendage. Jaune gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm sorry Yang. If it's any consolation, I came back alive." He said bringing her hand to hip lips and kissing each knuckle. Yang blushed and kissed him again before taking another drink from the bottle. "I still wish you'd come back with me when I left. You had friends, a family, all of us wanted so badly for you to come back."

Jaune smiled and kissed her again. "Well I'm here now. And I don't think I'm going anywhere anytime soon." He said. Yang grinned mischievously and leaned close to his ear, her voice low and husky. "There is one place we could go." Her statement was followed by her sinking her teeth into his neck ever so gently, making the blonde knight inhale sharply. Before he could respond however, Yang pulled away, her expression worried. "Oh no." she muttered before covering her mouth with her hands and running down the hall to the bathroom. Jaune sighed as he rose, following the brawler to the bathroom, where she sat hunched over the toilet, retching into the bowl as her body attempted to expel the copious amounts of alcohol she'd consumed. Unsure of how to help for once, he rummaged in the cabinets until he found a wash cloth and stuck it under the cold water, letting it sit as he rubbed Yangs back. After another round of vomiting she said over her shoulder. "Guess it's been longer than I thought since I drank this much." With a groan she pushed herself away from the toilet, her back hitting the wall with a resounding _thump_, the noise only disturbing Zwei, who had decided to hide upstairs while the tall people drank.

Yang patted the dogs head when he pawed at her hand. She let out a satisfied groan when Jaune laid the wet washcloth on her head. "Thanks Jaune." She muttered, glancing up at him, and the shit eating grin plastered to his face. "Not a problem, Vomit-girl." He said, chuckling to himself. Yang face palmed, the washcloth making a squelching noise when she did so. "How long you been waiting to pull that one out of your hat?" she asked. "Ten years." Jaune responded, gently hooking his arms under Yangs armpits and helping her to her feet. "I can walk, you don't have to help." She protested, getting her feet under her. Despite her claims, she barely managed to walk five steps before wobbling dangerously. Luckily Jaune had been nearby to catch her and help her get to his bedroom, where he gently laid her down. "Can I trust you not to take advantage of me oh noble knight?" Yang said with a teasing smirk. Jaunes response was a simple smile before he left the room, returning with a large glass of water. "Drink this before you pass out." He said, his voice holding some of that commanding edge he usually reserved for the battlefield. Yang accepted the glass happily and guzzled the water, setting the empty glass on the nightstand. She offered him her thanks and patted the empty spot next to her. Jaune took that as his cue to lie next to her.

Yang rolled over to face him, propping her head up on her elbow, a smile on her lips. "So handsome, come here often?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Jaune chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, his chin resting on top of her head. They lay like that for a few minutes, simply enjoying being in each other's presence again. After a few minutes of silence Jaune asked; "Yang, who's Amy? I heard you mention them when you were talking to Arenor earlier." Yang was silent for a few moments before speaking. "She's . . . a new addition to your family. Her actual name is Amarillo but everyone just calls her Amy." She said, nuzzling into Jaunes neck. Jaune smiled and stroked her hair. "So I have another little sister, or a new niece?" he asked, surprised at how excited he was to meet this new addition to the already large Arc family. Yang chuckled and leaned up, pressing her lips to his. "I let them know you were coming home. They said you could come see them whenever you want." She said, giggling at his surprised expression. "Guessing you went to talk to them after you came home?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Yang nodded and ruffled his hair. "Yup. They were glad to know you were still alive and fighting out there."

Jaune scowled playfully as Yang pulled her hand from his blonde locks, but it soon dissolved into a smile as he laid his head back on the pillow. "I guess I can call this an eventful first day back." Yang nodded and laid her head on Jaunes shoulder, it definitely had been. Yang yawned and drew the covers over them before wrapping a hand around Jaunes waist. "Yang, I'm glad you were here when I came back." Jaune said, shifting a bit to get more comfortable. Yang smiled and nuzzled Jaunes neck. "I told you I would wait. As long as it took." She whispered. The knight nodded and let out a tired sigh, thankful to be sleeping in a bed again after weeks of using the ground or trees. Content with how the day had gone and looking forward to the next one, the two blondes drifted off to sleep.

**Not gonna lie, might have gotten a little heavy on the fluff, but I decided it was for the best. At least for now. I hope you enjoyed the revised chapter and look forward to the next one, which i am working on as you're reading this. Until then this is Darth Azrael saying; goodnight, and may the Dark Side break your chains.**


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