5

Chapter 5: I'd Like To Know You BetterSummary:

RWBY and JNPR face-off, as partners grow closer together. Ruby is entrusted with a secret, while Jaune's threatens to be revealed.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Jaune arrived to his team's favorite training room before everyone else. They didn't know it was their favorite training room yet, but they would! It was perfect. All the training equipment was actually working, the windows were perfectly positioned so sun never got in anyone's face, and it had a motivational cat poster on the wall. What more could they ask for?

His teammates trickled in, Pyrrha followed by Ren, and finally Nora, still half asleep. By the time Pyrrha arrived, Jaune was already halfway through his warm-up routines, and they chatted idly. The monotony of muscle memory gained from years of doing the same sets of exercises was gladly buffered by conversation.

"You're quite dedicated, aren't you?" Pyrrha asked.

"Huh, what?" Jaune stopped what he was doing and looked over at his partner. He had spaced out momentarily. Pyrrha gestured to the training room at large and Jaune's weapons in particular.

"You're the first one here and the last to leave."

Well, that was true. Jaune wanted to set a good example as team leader of course, and he felt compelled to push himself always, but the truth of it was that this was just what he was used to. For years his ability to survive had been dependent on his physical and strategical prowess in combat as well as level-headedness in the most stressful of circumstances. Honing that prowess daily had simply become his routine.

"I guess I am. You're never far behind me though." Jaune gave Pyrrha a dorky grin and she chuckled softly.

"No, I'm not, but I must admit having someone around who keeps up with me takes some getting used to."

"Please, you're twice the warrior I could ever be." Jaune said self-deprecatingly. Pyrrha frowned.

"You should give yourself more credit. With your talent, I'm shocked no one heard of you before you came to Beacon. You would've been able to do quite well for yourself in regional tournaments."

The statement surprised Jaune. He had kind of always considered Pyrrha to be someone who would always be out of his league when it came to combat, and here she was comparing them. The conversation spilled over to the both of them watching Ren and Nora go through their own warm-ups.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha's tone was softer now. "Did you go to a combat school? Your impressive skills make it seem obvious that you did, and with your talent you would've been entered in tournaments, yet you don't appear anywhere—and as you know I was in that world for quite a while."

The question caught Jaune off guard. Why was Pyrrha suspicious about his past? She hadn't expressed any interest before, beyond asking Jaune where he got his training regime from, which Jaune avoided answering truthfully by saying it was from an old friend from years ago.

Fortunately, he didn't have to answer the question at all due to the timely (and loud) arrival of team RWBY.

"Hey everyone!" Ruby shouted loudly as they entered the room. Blake was standing faithfully a half step behind Ruby, while Yang and Weiss brought up the rear. Nora returned the greeting with just as much thunderous energy, and Jaune and Pyrrha's conversation was put on hold.

Team RWBY was meeting them here today because they were going to be doing two-on-two sparing sessions. Ruby and Jaune needed to see what they were working with, in order to figure out where their teams needed improvement.

Nora and Yang engaged in their usual energetic antics as Weiss crossed the room in order to try and engage Pyrrha in conversation. Ruby waved at Jaune and motioned for him to come over to her. Jaune gave Pyrrha an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I should go check with Ruby and see how we want to run this. Can we continue talking about this another time?" Pyrrha nodded politely.

"Of course." She said. Jaune was thankful for the reprieve. He'd have to come up with something to tell her—eventually. There would be time to figure that out later though.

"Hey Jaune!" Ruby was as energetic and optimistic as ever. "So, I was thinking to do this fairly it should be Ren and Nora versus Yang and Weiss, and then us against each other with our partners."

Jaune thought about it briefly and nodded his head. "Sure, that works us. Let's have our teammates up first so we can take notes?"

"Already on it!" Ruby pulled out a notebook that she had reserved for team coordination notes. She had already recreated most of their old combos in it, along with their fun names. Jaune made a mental note that eventually he would need to do the same.

Ruby wrangled the two teams and soon enough they got the show on the road. All of them were already dressed in their combat gear and had their weapons, so all that was left was to get started. Weiss and Yang made an imposing duo, after all, they had done really well in the Vytal Festival together, but this was a less experienced version. On the other hand, Ren and Nora were… well, some improvement would be necessary.

Jaune watched as Nora predictably went straight for Yang and started engaging her in a brawl. Ren supported her, but never strayed too far from her in case she needed support. That left Weiss open to use her glyphs uncontested. Jaune had kind of predicted that would be how things would go. Nora would have tunnel vision on one target until she took it down, and Ren had to watch her back whenever she was like that.

Well, Jaune already knew the weaknesses of the duo. He watched the fight and took mental notes of specific moves and moments that he would walk them through later. Unfortunately, even at peak strength, Ren and Nora were at a disadvantage given their semblances versus their opponents. That was, until Weiss switched to lighting dust, a rare move from her. With that, maybe they could actually turn things around with Nora's semblance-

"Stick to ice, Weiss!" Ruby shouted to her teammate, who indignantly shouted back that she didn't need the advice, but switched back anyway.

"Hey! Ruby, that's cheating!!" Jaune said. Ruby just stuck out her tongue good-naturedly at him.

"Alright, if that's how it's going to be… Ren, trust Nora to watch her own back, you need to put pressure on Weiss!" Jaune started shouting instructions to his own teammates. Ruby's smile just grew and she shouted counter instructions to Weiss and Yang until the entire thing devolved into the two of them just giving ever more specific orders trying to control the fight from the sidelines.

Eventually though, Weiss was able to pin down Nora enough that Yang got in the hits she needed to take her out of the fight, before the duo targeted Ren. Without Nora to deal the damage, he could run, but he couldn't hide. Eventually sheer persistence took him down as well.

It wasn't even two minutes after the fight ended and Nora had already rebounded and popped back up and she and Yang were giddily discussing the fight like a couple of first-year students.

Pyrrha and Jaune took their places opposite from the Ladybug duo. Ren helpfully counted them down, and the last syllable barely left his mouth before they all shot into motion.

Ruby and Blake split up, but Jaune and Pyrrha stuck together like glue. As long as they weren't separated, their opponents couldn't use their superior mobility to pick on one of them before the other could aid them. Jaune let Pyrrha control the flow of their aggression. She tried to stay on one target, but it was difficult given that both Ruby and Blake could easily create the space necessary to disengage on a moment's notice using their semblances.

Whoever Pyrrha wasn't targeting tried to use whatever openings the pair presented to force them apart. Jaune skillfully intercepted these attempts, covering Pyrrha so that she had the freest hand to deal damage. He was fortunate that he knew how Pyrrha, Ruby, and Blake liked to fight. Otherwise it would be a near impossible task to keep his opponents from getting to his partner.

Pyrrha eventually opted to focus entirely on Ruby, despite the disadvantage her sword gave her against the longer scythe. That just left thwarting Blake to Jaune.

Blake continued to stalk the edges, trying to create or find an opening for either of them to use. Jaune's full attention was on her, however, and while that was the case, she wasn't likely to be able to help Ruby in any meaningful way. Jaune was determined to stick to Pyrrha like white on rye. Getting separated meant they would pretty much lose.

Pyrrha was slowly whittling away at Ruby, and finally had her cornered. Jaune turned to quickly tell Pyrrha that Ruby still had other tricks up her sleeve (like her ability to split her semblance and go around Pyrrha in all directions) but Blake used the opportunity to attack Pyrrha directly. Jaune wouldn't be able to stop her this time, and quickly placed a hand on his partner's shoulder and flared his semblance instead. Blake's blade bounced harmlessly off Pyrrha's reinforced aura.

Blake retreated immediately, but stared at Jaune in confusion, bordering on shock. "What was that?" She exclaimed. On his other side, Pyrrha wore a similar face of confusion. Only Ruby was unaffected, seeing as she had seen his semblance dozens of times, she was about to keep fighting when she realized everyone else had stopped.

Oh whoops, Jaune guessed he really hadn't explained his semblance to any of them, so that probably was a bit of a shock. "Oh uh, yeah I can amplify people's auras. That's my semblance."

"Your… semblance?" Blake said with some disbelief. Oh come on, did he still look so dorky that she expected he didn't have a semblance? He was doing way better than last time! It wasn't that big of a surprise.

"Yeah! It's really useful. I can help heal people, make their semblances stronger, help them take hits, and more!"

"That's… incredible." Pyrrha commented. She seemed to have recovered from the shock of being affected by the aura amp. Jaune thought 'incredible' was overselling it. I mean, it certainly was handy, but everyone had really cool semblances in their own right and he had already told her about it.

"Booo!!!! Less talking more fighting!!" Nora shouted from the sidelines, grinning.

Jaune shook his head. "Why don't we call this one a draw? I think we could be here all night and we wouldn't be any closer to actually hitting anything." Pyrrha and Jaune couldn't catch either of them without being separated, and Ruby and Blake couldn't hit either of them while they were together. Besides, he had learned what he wanted to from this exercise.

Blake nodded. "Agreed. You two are remarkable together."

They would have plenty of other opportunities to spar in the future anyway. They all gathered up their stuff to leave. Well, everyone except Weiss.

"Uhh… Weiss, aren't you going to pack up?" Yang asked her partner. Weiss addressed Ruby in response.

"You two go ahead, Yang and I are going to stay and get in a little more practice."

"We are??" Yang asked. Weiss glared at her partner.

"Yes, Yang, we are."

Jaune chuckled. Weiss was probably just on her perfectionist streak again. As he left, Pyrrha walked up to him.

"How did you meet Ruby?" She asked.

"Huh, Ruby? We met our first day at Beacon, we were on the same ship coming in." He responded. Pyrrha hummed thoughtfully in response.

---

"So… care to explain why we're still here training when everyone else is off enjoying their night?" Yang asked her partner, a touch of exasperation in her voice.

They had been practicing the same combo for almost two hours now, without success. It was one of the ideas that Ruby had shouted to them during their spar with Ren and Nora. The fact that Ruby had figured out how Weiss and Yang should fight together before Weiss had rankled her to no end.

"Because. We need to improve. Didn't you see how coordinated your sister and her partner were?" It was incredibly frustrating. They went toe to toe against Pyrrha. That was something Weiss would've never thought possible.

"Pfft- sure they were pretty awesome, but we actually beat our opponents. I'd say we're doing just fine." Yang waved her hand.

"Then you're clearly not thinking straight." Weiss snapped at Yang. "Pyrrha and Jaune are on a completely different level then Ren and Nora. Not only did Ruby and Blake never let them land a single hit, they managed to fight them to a draw. They barely had to communicate to achieve that, to be on the same page regarding attack patterns and strategy. On top of that, Ruby commanded our fight with ease." As much as Weiss hated to admit it, the advice Ruby had given the entire time was solid. Incredibly solid.

Weiss was already unhappy that she wasn't named leader of their team. She would've been more vocal about it, if her partner wasn't Ruby's sister, and if the girl herself hadn't proved to be a picture-perfect leader. She was attentive in class, pushed herself and others in the training room, and was constantly coming up with ways to better herself and her team. She was also two years younger than every other student in the school. A prodigy rivaling anything Weiss had ever heard of. Except for Pyrrha, of course, who was in a category of her own.

It was, in a word, nothing short of infuriating.

Yang shrugged. "Rubes has always been pretty good at this."

"We're not leaving until we get this right." Weiss declared.

"Wha- oh come on! I had other plans for tonight, you know!" Yang protested.

"If you took this more seriously, we could already be done!"

"If I-? Okay, you know what princess, how about this. I'll play your game; we'll stay until you're satisfied. But- if we get this on the next attempt, I'm going into town, and I'm dragging you out with me so we can get that stick out of your ass. If not, I'll do twice the work on our next partner project for Peach's class."

"Fine by me!" Weiss readied Myrtenaster and turned to face Yang. She didn't care what Yang was saying, they would be here all night at this rate. Her partner wasn't taking this seriously at all.

Yang walked over to Weiss and looked her straight in the eyes, and for a moment Weiss was worried that she was going to try and hug her. Instead, she put her hands on Weiss' shoulders. "Take some deep breaths." Yang commanded.

Weiss wanted to have some snappy remark or tell Yang to not touch her, but the words never fully materialized. Instead, she did as she was told and took a few calming breaths.

"There you go." Yang smiled down at her. "We've got this." She got in position. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

That very next attempt, they executed their combo move flawlessly.

---

Ruby exited their shared bathroom, toweling down her hair and dressed in her pajamas. There was nothing as satisfying as a nice shower after a long training session. She looked around the room, Weiss and Yang weren't back yet. Hopefully Weiss wasn't putting Yang through the ringer… Ruby had been on the receiving end of that once, and while it really helped her build her discipline, it wasn't something she wanted to relive.

Dressed in her own black pajamas, Blake sat on the top bunk, omnipresent bow in place. Yang let Blake use her bunk whenever, and Blake preferred reading there, something about how the view was much better. Ruby called out to her partner.

"Hey Blake! Whatcha reading?" Ruby walked over and stood on Blake's bed so her head was just above her sister's bunk.

"The Man with Two Souls." Blake responded, she put the book down and gave her full attention to Ruby.

"Still? Wasn't that the same book you were reading the night before initiation?"

Blake shrugged. "I thought it pertinent to read it twice."

"You know, the library has tons of books if you need something else." Ruby suggested. Blake chuckled lightly.

"I appreciate it, Ruby, but I'm satisfied with my collection for now." She patted the space in front of her. "Could you come sit here? I have something important to tell you."

Important? Well, how could Ruby pass up something like that! She happily hoisted herself up onto the bunk without the usual grace Blake displayed, and sat down on the other end of the bunk, facing Blake.

Blake's face didn't give away anything about what this was about. Outwardly, she seemed calm, resolute in her decision to reveal whatever this was about. Slowly, Blake reached a hand up, past her head, to her bow. She pulled gently on the fabric, letting it pool in her hand. Her cat ears poked out where they had once been hidden by the bow, standing absolutely motionless.

"Ruby… I'm a faunus." Blake confessed. She was staring right at Ruby, studying her to see what her reaction would be.

Ruby hadn't expected that Blake would openly reveal her heritage to her like this. Her heart swelled with affection knowing that Blake trusted her enough with this secret.

"Oh, Blake." Ruby smiled at her partner and reached out a hand to cover the loose ribbon that Blake was holding. Ruby was fighting back a wave of emotion that threatened to wash over her. This wasn't just a secret; this was a secret that Blake hadn't told anyone by choice the first time. "Thank you for telling me."

Ruby was extremely happy that Blake trusted her, it made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside and for a moment, she felt the weight of the bond she had with her old teammate. But more than any of that, this represented change. Ruby had done it; she had changed a small sliver the future. For her part, Blake looked like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Had she been worried that Ruby wouldn't accept her?

"You deserve to know." Blake said. She didn't pull away from the casual touch and opened her fist to let Ruby hold the ribbon that her bow was made of. "What you said… when you told me that it was my job to 'know these ninja things'… You've heard the phrase curious as a…"

"Cat?" Ruby supplied. Blake nodded with a grimace.

"It's always been something that marked me as different. Coming to Beacon, being on this team—different was the last thing I wanted."

Ruby listened to her partner. That was what had done it? She was really surprised that her offhand comment that night when they walked back together was what lead to this. She wondered what Blake was thinking. Was one comment really enough for Blake to decide to confide in her? Not how she had expected to change the future at all… But she'd take it! She had only said that because, well, she said it the first time after finding out that Blake was ashamed of sneaking around because of her heritage.

"Now that you know… I need to ask you for a favor."

"Anything, Blake." Ruby said earnestly.

"I need you to help me tell the others. Weiss especially." Blake wasn't ignorant of the turbulent relationship between the SDC and the faunus, and rightly understood that Weiss wouldn't be as understanding as Ruby had been. She and Blake were on the same page for that.

"Of course. We'll tell them together." Ruby smiled at her partner, and intertwined their fingers together around the ribbon. Blake gave her a small smile in return, but quickly looked away when their eyes met. She withdrew her hand, and affixed her bow back in its proper place.

"Do you want to read with me?" Blake asked.

"Oh- I wouldn't want to slow you down, and I would be kinda lost starting in the middle of the story."

"I don't mind starting over. A good book is always better with good company."

"Then I gladly accept!" Ruby beamed at her partner. Blake patted the space next to her, and Ruby gleefully moved to occupy the space. She was concerned she was getting too close to Blake, but when the girl simply held the book in front of them, she moved so their shoulders were touching and began reading together.

---

The blaring music and reverberating bass made Weiss want to leave and never look back. Nightclubs were so not her thing, and as she watched several men of… questionable character pass her by, she wrinkled her nose. She sipped the drink that Yang had insisted she get and looked out over the dancefloor. She wouldn't want to be caught dead in a place like this, but she was true to her word, and Yang dragged her out to the 'perfect place'.

Speaking of her partner, she seemed totally in her element. She had a broad grin on her face as she reveled in the loud music, drinking something that smelled vaguely of strawberries.

"See anything you like out there?" She asked, waggling her eyebrows. Weiss scoffed in return. Her partner's grin turned into a frown. "You know, it really wouldn't kill you to cut loose every once in a while."

"That's not a luxury I can afford. And no, Yang. There's no one here who catches my eye." She pointedly looked at Yang.

"Ouch." Yang feigned hurt. "Right, forgot you only had eyes for Pyrrha."

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're not that subtle, Weiss. I've got you all figured out. She's about the only person you give the time of day to."

"I work with you, don't I? And our team?" Weiss countered.

"True, but you don't have a choice there, partner." Yang winked at her. "Nah, you've totally got the hots for Pyrrha. Not that I blame you. Girls a freaking goddess and an angel."

Weiss sighed in exasperation. Her admiration for Pyrrha was perfectly platonic. The girl was incredibly talented, and Weiss' desire to be close to her had nothing to do with her personal feelings and everything to do with her desire to cultivate whatever opportunities were presented to her. It was only good business.

"Can we leave now?" Weiss had had just about enough of this. Yang eyed her partner and took a pointedly long sip from her drink before answering.

"You know what your problem is?" Yang prodded. Weiss resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She was in no mood to engage but knew that it was likely the only way to get Yang to leave here with her. At the very least this should be entertaining.

"What, Yang?"

"You try to impress people too much." Weiss stared at her partner for a moment. That wasn't even remotely true. She wasn't trying to impress anyone, least of all anyone who would waste their time in a place like this. "And, I know what you're thinking. I'm not talking about trying to impress me or our team, or even anyone at Beacon. Cause anyone with eyes knows that's not your goal. No, see—you're trying to impress the wrong people. This whole shtick you've got going on, this perfect-princess routine, it's not you. Nah, someone's telling you that it is, but they're wrong—whether you realize it or not."

"I didn't realize you specialized in psychoanalysis as well as combat." Weiss commented dryly.

"What can I say, I'm a girl of many talents." Yang spread her arms and grinned obnoxiously.

"Clearly." Weiss said, unimpressed. "So then, who am I trying to impress?"

Yang shrugged and reached over the bar to grab an olive and popped it in her mouth. "Probably whoever put that stick up your ass in the first place. I'm guessing parents."

Weiss scowled. Okay, this wasn't funny anymore.

"You don't know me half as well as you think you do." She said, annoyed. Yang laughed.

"Maybe, maybe not. But I'd like to know you better. See who you are under all that armor you force yourself to wear. See who you could be if you didn't let all those expectations control you." Yang stood up and offered a hand to Weiss. "Come and dance with me, let's meet who you could be together."

Weiss considered Yang's outstretched hand. Was she mad for considering the offer? Yang oozed confidence and Weiss found herself inexplicably pulled to that flame. She wouldn't let herself admit that Yang was right, but she had to admit that seeing Yang against the backdrop of flashing lights, her hair dazzling in the ambient light, she was undeniably radiant.

Against her better judgement, Weiss reached out and took Yang's hand and let her pull her up. Yang's megawatt smile turned up another degree.

"I knew you'd accept."

Weiss wanted to wipe that cocky grin off her face. "How could you possibly know that?"

"Like I said, I've got you all figured out." With that, she pulled Weiss onto the dance floor.

---

 Something had been bugging Pyrrha ever since she and Jaune had sparred against Ruby and Blake. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something was amiss when Jaune touched her shoulder and used his semblance.

Jaune had told her about his semblance, the broad strokes at least. They had all sat down as a team and discussed semblances, weapons, and tactics at Jaune's insistence. Pyrrha instinctively felt compelled to not reveal her semblance, but she reminded herself that these were her teammates, not her rivals. That, combined with Jaune's caring patience made her team some of the first people she openly admitted one of her biggest secrets to.

Reminiscing over the memory made her thoughts turn to her partner. Jaune… He had been nothing short of the model partner. Perfect, even. Pyrrha got the impression that perfection was exactly what he was striving for. Good enough wasn't good enough for him. He was the first one in when it came to training, and the last one out. Training like a man possessed.

Pyrrha had seen impressive work ethics before. She herself had not gotten where she was without considerable effort. But Jaune was something else. Some force compelled him inexorably. It was as though it was a compulsion, not a choice.

Then there was his semblance. When he used it, that feeling… it felt so… well, for lack of a better word, familiar. There was something about Jaune, it was on the tip of her tongue, if she could just put the pieces together.

Pyrrha and Jaune were alone in the dorm for the night. Nora had gotten hungry and dragged Ren out with her to the cafeteria, so they would be gone until the cafeteria closed. Pyrrha and Jaune occupied the two desks in the room, each working on some of their many assignments.

"Jaune," Pyrrha got her partners attention. "Do you think you could explain your semblance to me in detail?"

"Uh, sure. What do you want to know?"

"When you use your semblance, that sensation that the person on the receiving end feels—what is it?"

Jaune scratched his head. "Hmm… I think it's probably my aura? It's amplifying yours when I use it, so what you felt was probably my aura. I don't know for certain. No one's really made any special note of it before."

That confirmed Pyrrha's suspicions. It was definitely Jaune's aura that she felt. She stood up from the desk and sat down on the edge of her bed, her partner's puzzled expression following her.

"When we were sparring Ruby and Blake, I transformed Miló into its spear mode. I needed the extra range against Ruby's scythe. I used both hands in order to have the power and control necessary to pierce her guard, sacrificing my ability to move my shield independently. However, scythes are rare, and due to my unfamiliarity with the weapon when I went to attack, Ruby was able to ensnare my weapon between the shaft and blade of hers. I was able to retrieve my weapon, but it took an extra half second longer than it should. As you know, fights are won or lost by half seconds.

"I left myself open, and Blake moved to take advantage. However, when she moved to attack, you were already in the perfect spot to block her opening. That was an impossibly fast block to make unless you were already aware of what I was going to do.

"Not only that, but it required a detailed understanding of both Ruby's and Blake's capabilities and reactions." She paused to take a breath.

"Jaune, the others may not have the combat experience to recognize this, but you either possess the greatest intuition I've ever seen, or you already are already intimately familiar with how I fight. At first, I thought perhaps you weren't being entirely truthful about your semblance, and that was what was giving you that unnatural premonition. But… I've seen your semblance now."

Jaune started to fidget nervously as Pyrrha talked. He looked like he wanted to talk but Pyrrha raised a hand so she could finish.

"I could dismiss that as you simply knowing my style because you have watched the tournaments I participated in, but something makes me believe that even if I tried every trick I know, none of them would phase you.

"There's more too. Every morning, when it's just the two of us in the training room, I watch you going through your warm ups. It's the same set I used to do years ago. At first, I could just put that down as us having similar weapons, but you do them in the same order that I did years ago, the same number of repetitions for each exercise.

"You've clearly outgrown them too. I can tell in the way you move. You've been doing them every day for years, and never been willing to move on from them."

Jaune was starting to go a bit pale. He quietly got up and moved to his own bed so he was across from Pyrrha.

"Again, maybe that was all some giant coincidence. Maybe I'm reading too much into all of this and there's really nothing there. But your semblance, Jaune… I can feel your aura when you use it—and it was like feeling a piece of my soul in someone else's."

Jaune looked at Pyrrha in shock before his face crumpled. He must have put together where she was going with this.

"It was like looking at my reflection in a rippled pond. Enough to recognize yourself in the waters, but not enough to see the edges." Pyrrha's voice was soft now and she reached out a hand to her partner. "Jaune, we've met before, haven't we? I must have been very important to you to have left a scar on your soul like that."

Jaune raised his head and Pyrrha saw the barely concealed tears in his eyes. He couldn't bring himself to speak, and instead just nodded weakly. So there it was. She knew it. There was something different about Jaune. It wasn't just her imagination. Pyrrha reached out a hand to him, and he clutched it like a lifeline.

"I'm- I… Pyrrha I wanted to- I was going to tell you…" Jaune said between choked breaths. He wiped away the tears from his eyes. Pyrrha moved over to sit next to Jaune and wrapped an arm around him.

"Shh. It's okay." She comforted her partner as he cried. "I'm sorry that I don't remember you. I'm sorry if I pushed you away. But… I'd like the chance to get to know you, again."

Jaune wiped away yet more tears. "You're not… weirded out- that I already know you?"

Pyrrha thought about it for a moment. No, she wasn't, at least not in this moment. She would have time for freaking out later. She had seen his soul, and in a way, it felt like perhaps he might have been the first person to truly understand who she really was. How else could she recognize herself so distinctly within him? She shook her head.

"I have questions, but as long as you promise to tell me one day soon—I trust you."

"I will." Jaune promised. "I'll tell you everything."

That was enough for Pyrrha. She smiled and opened her arms for a hug. Jaune glad accepted. After a moment they separated and Pyrrha moved back to her own bed.

"Goodnight Jaune." She said.

"Goodnight Pyrrha, and thank you, for this chance. I won't let you down." Pyrrha smiled at him.

"I know you won't."

Sleep didn't come for Pyrrha quickly that night. Even though all evidence pointed towards it, she hadn't actually expected to be right, or for Jaune to admit it. She briefly considered that he wasn't being entirely truthful, but his break down seemed entirely genuine. It would be hard to believe that he was capable of deception after seeing that.

Pyrrha wanted to ask more, to understand what had happened. She saw her soul in Jaune, she was certain of that. But it was torn, and mangled, like a source of great pain. What could have possibly happened for his aura to look like that? How could she have forgotten Jaune? Something in their shared past had been monumental to him, but forgettable enough for her that she didn't even recognize him. Yet nothing in Pyrrha's memory fit that profile.

She wanted answers, and had originally planned to get them tonight. But after seeing him in such distress, she could wait. Not forever, but for tonight. For now, Pyrrha decided to put her trust in her partner, and hope she hadn't misjudged him.

Notes:

My beta reader: Watch ruby accidently bring her "save the world notebook" somewhere by accident and have something happen there…

"Alright girls, this is our goal today! The deadly pollination!" Ruby held up her notebook and showed off the diagram she had made.

"... Ruby why does this say you're going to trick us into fighting an immortal witch?" Blake squinted at the page.

"Huh what?" Ruby turned the notebook around. "I think I may have brought the wrong book." She said sheepishly.

Five weeks five chapters! Who would've thought that Blake revealing she was a faunus wouldn't be the most important aspect of this chapter?? Certainly not me when I started writing this!!! (Don't worry, I know where Arkos goes from here, huge shout-out to my beta reader for reading this and helping me figure out where they go from here.)

This was also the chapter when I realized that trying to simultaneously develop 3 separate romances and alongside a plot heavy fic may not have been my greatest idea. But hey, I'm here for the long haul!! In other unsustainable news, this chapter is longest so far, which makes it the fifth chapter in a row to hold that distinction-- out of five chapters written. 4.5k words has been my goal, so yeah, that trend can't continue.