The Grand Hall groaned with the sound of waking teenagers.
Bags unzipped. Limbs flailed. Someone snored loud enough to vibrate the floor. Someone else farted like a cannon. A pillow flew across the room in retaliation.
Jaune Arc sat upright, groggy, still swaddled in his fluffy white bunny onesie — the one with floppy ears and fuzzy sleeves.
He blinked around the room, rubbing crust from his eyes. Nearby, a girl with white hair was already dressed and brushing lint off her spotless uniform with a look of contempt. Weiss, right? He hadn't gotten much more than a glare from her so far.
Two beds over, Ruby was brushing her teeth like her life depended on it — aggressively, rapidly, like she was trying to sand down her molars. She was bent over a tiny travel mirror, frothing like a feral toothpaste gremlin.
A golden voice rang out: "Still hopping well, Bunny Boy?"
Yang leaned against her bedroll, grinning at him. Her hair was somehow perfectly tousled, like she styled it in her sleep.
Jaune, bleary-eyed, raised a single hand in surrender. "Once again… it's comfortable. And soft."
Ruby popped up beside her sister with a sparkle in her eye. "It is aggressively soft," she confirmed, rubbing his arm like she was petting a rabbit.
Jaune groaned and flopped back onto his pillow.
He needed coffee.
Desperately.
------------------------
Beacon's student café was tucked beside a greenhouse path, modest but blessedly open in the early morning.
Jaune wandered in, still in the bunny suit, drawing a few double-takes from half-awake students. No armor. No weapons. Just pure, caffeinated intent.
He found a quiet table and stood in line behind two students already mid-conversation.
"Well, pancakes are essential to any balanced battle breakfast," the girl declared, fists on her hips. "You need energy, and joy, and FLUFFINESS!"
"Nora," the boy next to her said softly, voice like a sigh from a man who'd seen too much in the last ten minutes, "this is your third request for pancakes in twenty minutes."
"You can't rush genius," she shot back, poking him in the cheek. "You know what they say. The secret ingredient is HYPE."
Jaune snorted under his breath.
The boy glanced over, catching his eye with a polite nod. "Good morning."
"Morning," Jaune said, stepping beside them. "You two seem… awake."
"I'm Nora!" the girl declared, offering a sugar-sticky hand. "And this is Ren! He's my best friend, my battle buddy, and my emotional support tree."
Ren looked like he accepted that title with solemn resignation.
"Jaune," he introduced, shaking their hands. "Nice to meet you. You here for Initiation too?"
"Yup!" Nora said, bouncing slightly. "It's gonna be awesome! Unless we die horribly. In which case it'll be epic!"
Ren just sipped his tea, eyes half-lidded.
Jaune blinked. "...Right."
They sat together over breakfast. Jaune nursed a black coffee like a man clinging to the last thread of sanity. Nora inhaled pancakes like a Hoover on turbo mode. Ren simply sat, quietly sipping, ever the calm in the chaos.
Yang and Ruby eventually wandered in.
"Sharing a romantic caffeine moment with the mysterious bunny boy?" Yang teased.
Ruby waved. "Hi Jaune!"
"Hey," Jaune said flatly, staring into his cup. "If this doesn't work, I'm putting the coffee in my IV."
"It's soft," Ruby whispered again, poking his sleeve.
"Still not over that, huh?"
-------------------------
Later, Jaune wandered into the locker room, scanning for his assigned spot. "649, 649... where the hell is 649?"
He passed rows of lockers, some students chatting, some frantically getting ready. And right in the middle of it all, he found it.
Right between two girls.
One red-haired with bright green eyes and a polite smile. The other white-haired and definitely already judging him.
He recognized her voice immediately.
"I mean, we'd make a fantastic team. Two high-achievers, perfectly balanced in skill and style," Weiss said, her arms elegantly folded.
The redhead — clearly uncomfortable — smiled politely. "We don't know the rules yet. We should wait—"
"Excuse me, ladies," Jaune said, sliding between them. "If I could interrupt for but a moment. My locker's here."
He opened it smoothly, grabbed his gear, and turned toward the redhead.
"Name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."
"…Do they really?" she asked, almost curious.
He deflated a little. "No. No, they don't."
Weiss scoffed. "Do you even know who you're talking to?!"
Jaune blinked. "Nope. Not a clue."
Weiss gave an affronted look as if the though of him not knowing the redhead was inconsevable "She's Pyrrha Nikos!"
"It's nice to meet you." he gave her a nod.
Weiss's face tightened in disbelief. She crossed her arms. "She's a four-time Mistral Regional Champion!"
Jaune blinked, unfazed. "Never watched it, but hey, good for you."
Weiss seemed to falter a bit but pressed on. "She graduated top of her class at Sanctum Academy."
Jaune nodded like he was taking notes. "Dang, you must be smart, then. Congrats." He deadpanned, the sarcasm dripping from his voice.
Weiss's eyes practically twitched. "She's the face of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes!"
Jaune snapped his fingers like the stars had aligned. "Oh! That's why you looked familiar! I really like that cereal."
Pyrrha blinked at him, looking genuinely confused. "It's… not exactly healthy, though."
Jaune gave her a lazy grin. "Yeah, well, sometimes you gotta treat yourself."
Weiss's face was now a mix of exasperation and horror. "Are you seriously not impressed?"
Jaune gave a shrug. "I mean, I'm impressed you're on cereal boxes, but I've never seen you fight. I'll leave the impressed for later."
Pyrrha awkwardly shuffled her feet. "Well, if I can't be impressive, I can at least be healthy, right?"
Jaune couldn't help but chuckle at her shy awkwardness. "That's the spirit. You'll be great… when we're all fighting grimm in the forest or something."
Pyrrha looked down, a small, bashful smile tugging at her lips. Meanwhile, Weiss was literally facepalming.
Jaune turned to grab his gear, making sure to do it in a smooth, cool manner. "Anyway, I'm Jaune Arc," he said, casually throwing his bag over his shoulder. "Short, sweet, ladies love it."
Weiss looked at him, deadpan. "Do they really?"
Jaune froze for a second, then continued, trying to act cool but a little defeated. "...Totally." He chuckled nervously.
Pyrrha couldn't hold back a small giggle, and even Weiss rolled her eyes, the faintest smile pulling at her lips.
"Well," Jaune continued, "I guess I'll just be over here. You know, standing between two amazing people who could totally leave me behind in the dust one day. But hey, no pressure."
With that, he grabbed his gear, but before walking away, he turned and gave Pyrrha a quick wink. "Nice to meet you. Hope you bring those championship moves to the field."
Pyrrha blinked, a little flustered, but she offered a gentle, "Nice to meet you too."
Jaune turned away, leaving them both standing there. Behind him, Weiss let out a long, exasperated sigh before beggining to mutter something about "barbarians in bunny suits."
--------------------------
The forest stretched out endlessly below the cliff. A sea of green mist and danger, just waiting.
Ozpin stood calm as ever, coffee cup in hand, voice drifting like fog. "For today's Initiation, you will be launched into the Emerald Forest. You will find and retrieve a relic from the ruins at the heart. The first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the duration of your time at Beacon."
Jaune blinked. "Wait—did you just say launched?"
Ozpin raised his voice slightly. "Any questions?"
Jaune raised his hand high, a hopeful little waver.
"None? Excellent."
"What?! Wait, I—"
FOOM.
The first student was launched with a blast of steam and screaming.
Another.
Then another.
Yang laughed as her turn neared, practically vibrating with excitement. "Oh yeah! Let's go, baby!"
Nora bounced in place, cackling. "FIGHT ME, GRAVITY!"
Ruby was practically dancing on her toes. "This is the best day ever!"
Weiss, by contrast, stood stiff as a board, muttering under her breath about lawsuits and liability.
Jaune's turn came.
"No, no, no—!"
FWOOOOM.
He screamed.
Loudly.
All the way through the air, flailing like a broken kite.
A/N Jaune Finding Out That Gravity Is Very, Very Real
"DAMN IT—!"
THWACK. A branch.
"FUUUUUU—"
WHAM. Another.
"SON OF A—"
CRACK.
He hit the forest floor hard enough to bounce. Leaves fluttered down in mockery.
Jaune lay there, groaning. "Ow. Again."
Something throbbed in his shoulder. His elbow. His pride.
He rolled over, about to sit up, when a soft voice called out.
"Are you alright?"
He blinked up.
Red hair, green eyes, gold armor. She looked almost radiant standing in the dappled light.
"Alive, I think," Jaune muttered. "Probably concussed, but what else is new?"
Pyrrha Nikos stepped closer, crouching beside him. Her brow creased as she gently touched his arm.
"You're bruising," she said softly. "Your Aura should've protected you."
He winced. "Well… funny story. I, uh… don't have mine unlocked."
There was a pause.
"Aura's kind of important," Pyrrha said carefully, like she didn't want to judge.
"I know. I just… never got around to it." He sat up, looking sheepish. "Is that something you could do? Unlock it, I mean."
She smiled faintly, a touch of pink on her cheeks. "Yes. If you'd like, I can do it for you."
He nodded. "Would really appreciate it."
Pyrrha knelt and placed her fingers gently against his chest.
She closed her eyes.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality," she whispered, voice soft and sacred. "Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul…"
A pulse of golden energy burst from her hands and washed over Jaune like sunlight cracking open a new sky.
The effect was instant.
Jaune's Aura flared—massive, glowing, and nearly overwhelming.
He felt Power, Anticipation, Shock, and was that a slight bit of fear? Before he could continue ruminating on this power he was brought back by Pyrrha's gasp.
Pyrrha staggered back. Her own Aura flickered down to a sliver of light. "Oh—!"
"Are you okay?" Jaune rushed forward, steadying her. "You look pale."
"I didn't expect—your reserves are… remarkable." She smiled weakly. "But I'll be fine."
As he instinctively focused, something flowed back. A small, subtle shimmer poured into her, and she straightened, blinking in surprise.
"You—You replenished my Aura?"
"Did I?"
"That shouldn't be possible."
They exchanged a look.
Jaune scratched the back of his head. "Well, first time for everything."
They shared a small laugh. Then, sword in hand, they started walking together.
"So… Jaune Arc."
"Pyrrha Nikos."
"Short, sweet," he grinned. "Ladies love it."
"…Do they really?"
He sighed. "Not even a little."
A/N: Welcome to the Temple — OH GOD THAT'S NOT A TEMPLE
Their path led them to a break in the trees. A series of tall stone walls jutted out of the underbrush like ancient teeth.
"Looks like a temple," Jaune said.
Pyrrha touched the stonework. "There are carvings. Scorpions… warriors…"
they made their way in jaune fasioning a quick torch using vines, a stick and some fire dust. as they traveled deeper and deeper jaune began to get a nervous feeling. one that slowly churned in his gut. which was strange since he actually was feeling more confident than he had in a while. The rounded a corner that opened up into a small room. and in the middle....
"Oh no," Jaune whispered. "Please be a statue. Please be a statue…"
It wasn't.
The Giant Deathstalker awoke and tore through the ground in a shriek of stone and fury, tail arching, claws snapping.
"RUN!" Pyrrha shouted.
And they did.
The beast chased them through trees and ruins, crashing through trunks like paper. Jaune leapt over roots. Pyrrha dodged falling debris. The Deathstalker skidded behind them, its screech vibrating the earth.
They burst into the clearing where the real temple stood — four stone pedestals with chess pieces atop.
"I'm the queen of the castle! I'm the queen of the castle!" Nora yelled from the far side, holding up a gold rook triumphantly.
Ren stood beside her, sighing but smiling.
Yang and Blake entered next, snagging a pair of white knights. Yang called out, "Hey, Bunny Boy! Still hopping well?"
Jaune, panting, dodged a swiping claw. "It's comfortable. And soft."
Ruby appeared in the sky above, tumbling through the air with giggles.
Weiss was not giggling.
Yang caught Ruby mid-fall like it was nothing.
Jaune caught Weiss.
Both stared at each other.
She blinked. "You're… surprisingly built."
"Bunny onesies are deceptive."
The Deathstalker slammed into the temple wall with a hiss.
Pyrrha stepped beside Jaune. "We fight?"
He smirked in anticipation, his world slightly slowing down. "We fight."
The battlefield exploded into motion.
Ren dashed beneath the Deathstalker's legs, slicing the tendon. Nora rocketed into the air with her hammer, flipping and crashing down on its back.
Blake and Yang tag-teamed its side — Blake using shadow clones to distract, Yang unleashing a fiery uppercut.
The deathstalker began to swing its massive claws around before launching towards the closest threat. Pyrrha.
Jaune seeing this raised his shield, intercepting the stinger strike to protect her. "Go!"
And as if his shout had set off a bomb, she launched forward, aura sparking, slamming her spear into the beast's eye socket, iliciting a shriek of pain and a violent bout of thrashing and smashing.
Nora whooped. "Let's blow this thing sky high!"
Ren severed the tail. Pyrrha pinned the head.
Jaune drove Crocea Mors down into the beast's skull.
The Deathstalker screeched one last time… then fell.
The forest went still.
At the same time, a ways away, the Nevermore dove — wings slicing air.
"Here comes bird-brain!" Yang yelled.
Weiss and Ruby leapt together. Glyphs formed under Ruby's feet, launching her higher. She danced across falling feathers, soaring above the Nevermore's neck.
Ruby's eyes gleamed.
"Time to clip your wings."
She spun Crescent Rose.
The scythe cleaved clean.
The Nevermore crashed in a tornado of feathers.
Silence.
And then… cheers.
They'd done it.
They'd survived.
-------------------------
The sun had begun to set by the time the surviving students gathered again in Beacon's courtyard. Most of them were bruised, dirt-smudged, and carrying their chosen relics like medals.
Glynda stood front and center, clipboard in hand, posture immaculate. Ozpin loomed beside her, ever unreadable with that ever-present mug of coffee.
She spoke crisply, her voice cutting across the murmuring crowd. "You have all demonstrated skill, resolve, and, most importantly, teamwork. Based on your performance and your chosen relics, we are ready to announce your teams."
Students straightened. Some puffed their chests. Others just wanted to sit down and ice their legs.
Glynda raised her scroll and began:
"Cardin Winchester, Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark. You retrieved the white rook relic. You will be known as Team CRDL, led by Cardin Winchester."
Cardin grinned like he just won a trophy, throwing a smug glance toward the other students.
"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long. You retrieved the white knight relic. You will be known as Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose."
Ruby froze. "Wait, I'm the leader?!"
Weiss looked like someone just told her she lost to a pancake. "You must be joking."
Yang slapped Ruby on the back, nearly knocking her over. "That's my little sis! Let's go, baby leader!"
Blake closed her book with a nod, unreadable as ever.
And then:
"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos. You retrieved the gold rook relic. You will be known as Team JNPR, led by Jaune Arc."
Jaune blinked. "Wait, I'm the leader?"
Nora squealed, pumping her fists. "WOOOO! Let's go, fearless leader! Team JNPR, baby!"
Ren offered a rare, tiny smile. "It suits you."
Pyrrha gave a calm, approving nod. "I'm honored."
Jaune stood there, trying to figure out how he went from falling out of the sky to being handed leadership over three actual warriors.
Glynda's gaze swept the courtyard one last time. "Congratulations to all of you. Rest well. Classes begin tomorrow."
The crowd began to disperse.
-----------------------
That night, Beacon finally quieted.
From a high terrace overlooking the forest, Jaune stood alone. The city lights glittered far below, and above him the moon sat heavy and full in the sky.
He held a mug of coffee between both hands, sipping slowly. It had gone lukewarm, but he didn't care.
His armor, scuffed but whole, rested beside him. Crocea Mors sat sheathed at his hip, still reliable.
No more bunny onesie. Just Jaune Arc, officially a student of Beacon Academy.
And a team leader.
He still didn't know what his Semblance was.
He still felt like he was a few steps behind everyone else.
But…
He'd made friends. People believed in him. And for once, he didn't feel like he was pretending to be a Huntsman.
He was becoming one.
He took another sip, eyes lifted to the stars above.
"Day one," he whispered. "Survived."
A beat passed.
Then he smiled, tired and full of wonder.
"Now let's see if I can keep up."
----------------------------------------
Author's Note
So, uh… no comments on Chapter 1. Not a single one.
Which is fair! Maybe everyone just passed out from how aggressively soft the ending was. Or maybe you're all out there reading silently, sipping your own coffee like mysterious literary phantoms. Either way — hi. I see you. I appreciate you. I am talking into the void and the void is very cozy.
Chapter 2 was all about laying groundwork: team bonding, shower arguments, emotional support pillows (Jaune), and many red flags disguised as coffee habits. You also got a taste of Jaune's diva arc, Nora's construction supremacy, and Pyrrha's "not famous, just flawless" vibe.
We're heating up, and Chapter 3? Oh, you sweet summer readers — we're going full raid boss.
RWBY isn't mine — sadly — or the entire school would run on pancake-powered aura tech and Jaune would already have a grappling hook shaped like a teacup.
As always…Stay caffeinated. Stay chaotic.Stay, above all else… AGGRESSIVELY SOFT.
-UB