363Thanks for the support to those who left a comment on this story. It's not as heavily trafficked as my other RWBY story, but I enjoy writing it. A lot of you seem to be interested in seeing this continue. Hopefully, this story will live up to the hype and will really show interesting subconscious thoughts of characters in RWBY. I have several things planned for this story and looking forward to feedback.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.
"If you're ever falling behind, there's a shortcut right here you can use. You just have to time the boost properly." Jaune explained to his best friend and fellow team leader Ruby, who was sitting next to him on the floor of his room. They were playing a racing game, one Jaune had far too much practice in. As was the case, he was teaching his friend all the tricks he picked up.
"Wow, it's really easy to get there once you know what to look for." Ruby laughed, copying him and going through the shortcut. The girl was two years younger than Jaune, having been enrolled into Beacon due to her high prowess as a Huntress. She had a head of black hair, with the tips highlighted in a crimson red, matching the long cape draped over her back. A pair of silver eyes followed along with the images on the screen, whilst the black long-sleeved blouse she wore got dusted with the crumbs of the bag of chips the two were sharing. "Yang won't know what hit her."
Jaune was helping Ruby get better at this game. The hope being that he could teach her enough to finally beat her older sister.
"Jaune's awesome at video games," Nora agreed as she lay on her bed watching them play. "He's the only one who can give me a challenge."
"Doesn't he beat you most of the time?" Ren asked lightly from her bed.
"Umm… I let him win?"
Pyrrha giggled from her bed before taking a look at the wall mounted clock.
"I don't want to cut things short, but it's getting late, and we do have class tomorrow." The red-headed champion pointed out.
"Oh, wow!" Ruby glanced at the clock and jumped to her feet. "You're right! Weiss will lock me outside if I stay out too late again!"
"You sure she's not the real team leader?" Jaune gave a coy smile as she stood up, Ruby sticking out her tongue in response.
"We should set up a Team JNPR and Team RWBY game night." Nora suggested.
"Yang would come," Ruby agreed. "Blake… might? She'll probably sit in the back and just watch as Pyrrha does."
"Is she as bad as Pyrrha at video games?" Jaune asked and Nora covered her mouth as she snorted.
"Sorry!" Pyrrha squeaked. The shame brought about by her continued losing streak made her face burn.
The rest of her team always found it funny that while Pyrrha was smart, athletic, and an amazing fighter, she couldn't grasp basic games using a controller. Ruby found it hilarious too, but it was always an inside joke. They never said it around others. It was just a small joke between friends.
"Thanks for the help though, Jaune." Ruby hugged him tightly. "Yang has been a really sore winner lately."
"Anytime, Crater Girl." Jaune patted her back.
"Thanks, Vomit Boy." Ruby chuckled and squeezed tightly for a second longer. Hidden by her cloak and their hugging bodies, a small white spark bounced between them. One so small it was practically unnoticeable. No one noticed it and Ruby let go quickly. "I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast."
"Bye, Ruby." Jaune waved as his friend left.
"Honestly, I think Yang might know that short cut and would only use it if she was going to lose against Ruby." Jaune spoke aloud as soon as the door closed.
"Why do you think that?" Pyrrha asked, as they got ready for bed.
"Older sibling mind set," Jaune answered. "I've done it with my younger sisters too. We don't want to lose and show we are weak. Or we don't want them to grow up too fast, haha. We want them to stay cute and young forever. Part of being an older brother or sister is to be that impossible wall for them to overcome. I'll go easier on them so they can learn and improve, but I'll always have something hidden away for a 'just in case' moment."
"Makes sense," Ren agreed. "Give them a reason for them to improve and keep challenging you. Eventually they do tend to succeed."
"Yep, and it will be something they earned and feel much better than just being given a win." Jaune reminisced. "It's a rite of passage, so no wonder Yang doesn't give it up."
"She's also a sore loser." Nora snickered.
"Yang does hate to lose." Pyrrha couldn't help but acknowledge the fact.
"Well, Ruby's getting better, so she should be able to give Yang a run for her money." Jaune laughed. "Yang will get upset, declare a rematch, and go all out, but will eventually hug Ruby and laugh."
Moments later the crew was in their beds and Jaune bid them all a goodnight.
"Good night team."
"Night, Jaune!" Nora and Pyrrha mimicked before Ren shut off the lights.
Jaune laid down, eyes closed, reliving the fun of him training Ruby. It may have been just a video game, but at the same time, it was one thing he was better at than others. Being the weakest combat fighter at Beacon was to be expected, but it weighed down on him. Pyrrha was helping him train and it was thanks to her he was making so much progress. The boy just wished he was making even more. Still, he didn't regret coming. Meeting all his friends was a true blessing…
Sleep eventually came and the world went dark.
The next moment, Jaune woke up, laying on the ground, staring up at a clear sky.
"Why am I outside again!?" Jaune yelled, pushing himself up.
Looking down, his clothes were no longer his pajamas. He was wearing his normal casual clothes: hoodie, jeans, and sneakers. Once he took in his appearance, his eyes fell onto the ground. There was no grass, just a brown surface with random dark brown chunks. Frowning to himself, Jaune reached down and touched the earth, feeling the unusual texture.
It was so familiar but at the same time it was also definitely not dirt. Lifting his head and taking in his surroundings, the blonde noted the hills were made of the same material. There was no grass at all. The only plants were trees that seemed to be growing strawberries.
"Strawberries… on a tree?" Jaune muttered, walking up to the closest tree and picking one. "Yep, strawberry." Shortly after he popped it into his mouth. "Tasty, but why on a tree?" His eyes fell to the ground again. "I swear, if the earth is a cookie in this dream, I'm going to question my subconscious."
After getting to his knees and taking a mouthful of soil he confirmed that it indeed was a cookie.
The earth and hills were all made of chocolate chip cookies.
Why he was so aware that he was in a dream confused the boy. It was like last time with Nora. It was kind of cool that he could remember the dreams so vividly, but they didn't seem like the kind of dreams he would have. Or similar to any of the ones he vaguely remembered from the past. Being a knight in shiny armor saving people, being a superhero and flying around, and some… adult related dreams. Jaune wasn't sure if this dream not being that was a blessing or not.
Part of him really wanted to experience some of that in this style of dream.
Like a pretty big part of him.
Specifically the teenage male portion of it.
Shaking his head, Jaune decided to look around a bit. Might as well, as this was the first time he got to explore a real dream and at the same time realize it's a dream. If it wasn't for the one the night before, he would have been just as confused. He started walking forward, admiring the scenery, which quickly got boring. It was all cookie ground and strawberry trees. Eventually, he saw a river up ahead. Instead of being filled with water, it was a thick white liquid. He had a pretty good idea what it was.
"Yep, milk." Jaune laughed, as he reached down and cupped a handful of the liquid. "Makes sense. Maybe I should start having a small snack before bed so I'm not hungry when I'm about to sleep."
As his eyes returned to the horizon something in the distance caught his eyes.
"Is that a boat?"
Well, it was something to check out. It wasn't that far away either.
A surprisingly short time later, like only a few minutes, Jaune came to the docked boat. It resembled one of those old sea boats he saw in movies with the huge masts and sails. A wooden ramp led from the deck of the ship to the shore. The most defining feature being the mermaid carved at the front of the ship and the right side of the vessel having a name, painted in red, drawn across it.
SS Summer.
"Why the SS Summer?" It didn't make much sense for a dream of his. It's not like he was waiting for summer.
Eventually, the boy decided to board the ship. There really wasn't anything else to do to pass the time waiting for himself to wake up. "Wonder where this will take-..."
Jaune stopped talking when he heard voices.
Familiar voices.
"Are we ready, First Mate Weiss!"
"Yes, Captain."
"Wait… is that…?" Jaune rushed up onto the deck. The moment he stood on the surface of it and looked upon the source of the commotion he quickly covered his mouth with his hands to not burst out laughing.
Ruby was wearing a red captain coat with gold buttons and black trim. The wide brim pirate hat of hers was a matching deep crimson color. A green parrot sat on her shoulder, eyeing its surroundings with jolting movements of the head. Her signature cloak was still there. Jaune figured no matter how much he dreamed, he could never imagine Ruby without that cloak. Though, he was a little disappointed she didn't have an eye patch.
"Maybe I can change that?" Jaune muttered. It was his dream, so he should be able to. Right? However, his train of thought interrupted itself when he saw Weiss Schnee, Ruby's partner, walking up towards the crimson clad girl.
The snow white hair of the often haughty girl was tied up in a bun. Instead of her usual fancy dresses, Weiss was wearing a tight black pencil skirt, with a blazer of matching color over a stark white undershirt tucked into the hem of the skirt. Her light blue eyes were behind a pair of thin-rimmed glasses and she was writing on a notepad she held in her hand.
'Is this my secret desire?' The boy thought to himself as he took in an eyeful. It was pretty hot, and Weiss' chest, normally very small, was actually a much more pronounced size. At least the clothing made it seem so.
"Might as well…" Jaune cleared his throat and confidently strutted forward while he combed his hair back. "Hey, Weiss! Fancy meeting you here."
Weiss didn't even look up.
"Then let's head out!" Ruby declared. "Pull up the plank! Release the sails!"
From above them on the mast, a girl wearing a purple headband over her long black hair with slits cut out for her cat ears landed daintily before them. Her normal black, purple, and white outfit was mostly untouched, though the boots and top were a little more sailor oriented. It was Blake Belladonna, another member of Ruby's team.
"All finished, Captain." Blake reported, saluting.
"Batten down the whatsit!" Ruby ordered.
"Finished." Blake announced, after tying a rope attached to the sail.
"Then let us be off!" Ruby pointed into the distance. "Turn hard to port!"
"That's not port." Blake told her.
Jaune chuckled to himself at that. Blake was always super reliable albeit blunt. It made sense she was doing all the hard work to make the ship run. Ruby was good at leading, so she was the natural fit for captain. Weiss was always well organized and intelligent, so being the secretary for the captain fit her to a T. His subconscious was really working hard at this.
The last member of the team, Yang, wasn't there. Out of all of them, aside from Weiss, Jaune had the most… 'intimate' dreams about her, so he was a little confused when he failed to notice her around.
But right now, there was something else he needed to deal with.
"Hello!" Jaune waved his hand in front of Weiss. "Can you see me?"
"We're heading out!" Ruby declared, dashing over to the wheel and spinning it. The wind blew and the ship began to set out into the milk river.
"Come on!" Jaune yelled. "Why don't you notice me?" He turned. "Ruby, Blake? A little help here?"
Neither of them paid any attention to him. Ruby was steering the ship and Blake was leaning on the rails, looking out at the scenery. The river opened up and they entered the… lake, sea, ocean? It was probably an ocean since this was a dream.
"We should be at the target location in five minutes." Weiss reported, adjusting her glasses.
"Very good, First Mate Weiss!" Ruby complimented. "Afterwards, we can hug in victory!"
"I shall ensure 'Hug Time' is put onto your schedule, Captain." Weiss replied.
"Ugh!" Jaune pulled at his hair. "If it's my dream, why is everyone ignoring me!?" Soon enough, an idea came to him. "Well, if that's the case. Since this is a dream… I guess it's fine if I indulge myself." He was a hormonal teenager and had plenty of dreams that couldn't fit a T-rating.
So, as his hormonal mind demanded, he stepped back a bit, grinning stupidly to himself, as he swung his open palm at Weiss' butt.
Swoosh!
His hand passed right through Weiss like she was a ghost.
"WHY?!" Jaune wailed, falling down on his hands and knees in depression. "What kind of cursed dream is this!?"
The problem with most of his dreams is that they were either blurry in his memory or he didn't remember them at all. Now Jaune could fully remember these dreams of his, but he couldn't interact with them? Why was this a thing? What was his subconscious doing? He might as well be watching TV.
"Captain!" Blake called from the front of the ship. "Thar' she blows!"
Jaune was pulled out of his slump. If he couldn't interact, he could at least watch the show. Dreams didn't have to make sense, like with Nora's. Smashing Grimm into rugs? Then this cookie and milk world? At this point, Jaune figured he would just be along for the ride. He can worry about figuring out how to get involved later. Rushing over to the front of the ship with Blake, he looked out across the white sea. Bubbles were forming in the distance, sending ripples across the smooth surface.
Then a whirlpool began to form, growing larger and larger.
"We're turning hard to port!" Ruby yelled, spinning the wheel. "Hang on!"
"That's not port." Weiss told her this time, not even phased by the sudden turn. Blake didn't seem to be phased either, but Jaune had to grab the railing to avoid falling. His eyes then focused back on the whirlpool as something began to emerge.
An enormous head of yellow hair mixed with seaweed was rising out of the white, foamy ocean. An ancient giant was standing up out of the depths. Great lilac eyes stared down as two muscular arms reached out towards the ship. A shadow blanketed the entire ship. Jaune's eyes widened as one of his previous questions was answered.
The attractive and busty blonde of Team RWBY, Yang, was part of this dream. She just wasn't part of the crew. Yang was the monster, though she seemed pretty human, just gigantic. As the giant rose out of the water, her gargantuan body revealed itself from under the 'water' as it came up to her waist while she towered above the ship.
There was a bit of sad news for the blonde boy.
It would be the fact that the busty giant wore a top.
"Even my brain won't give me a little bit of service." Jaune fell on his hands and knees in despair once again. "Nothing goes my way."
"Prepare the cannons!" Ruby ordered. "We're taking down the great beast or die trying!"
"Cannons loaded!" Blake announced, jumping between each weapon on the side of the ship.
"Fire!" Ruby yelled, drawing her sword and pointing it toward Yang.
The cannons went off and collided against Yang's arms, chest, and head. Rather than explosions, they appeared more like fireworks. Multiple colors sparkled and blinded Jaune for a moment. Blinking rapidly and shaking his head, he looked back up. Yang was dusting herself off and grinning.
"Is that all you have, Captain Rose?" Yang's deep voice boomed over them. "You'll never defeat me like this!"
"Load another round, quickly!" Ruby rushed down to help Blake while Weiss stood there and watched.
"As if I'll let you!" Yang laughed, as she raised an arm.
With a simple karate chop, Yang brought her arm down. The simple wooden ship was cut neatly in half. Luckily, Jaune was on the front of the ship and was able to hold onto the rail for dear life. Well, in a panic he did. This was just a dream, so if he was about to die, he would wake up.
Or so he believed.
He's lived enough nightmares over the years to expect such an outcome. But even so, he feared what this ridiculous dreamscape had in store for him under the waves of the milky sea. Fear was still prominent as he held onto the sinking ship.
"We seem to be sinking," Weiss reported calmly. "What are your orders?"
"You and Blake can take the lifeboat," Ruby told her. "The captain goes down with the ship."
Jaune had climbed up onto the carved maiden of the ship, as the two halves broke apart and individually started sinking into the sea. Naturally, the lifeboat was on the other side. Weiss and Blake climbed on the lifeboat as Ruby stood on the other ship half. She pointed up at Yang.
"Next time you won't be so lucky! The SS Summer will return better than ever!"
"I look forward to seeing what you do next." Yang chuckled, reaching down and picking up Ruby from the sinking ship. Ruby sat pouting in her sister's outstretched palm. It was then Yang began to move to the shore, probably to drop Ruby off.
"How about some help here?!" Jaune yelled out desperately, but no response came. No one even noticed him. "What's that saying then? We who are about to die, salute you!"
The ship dropped down into the water.
"Ahh!"
Jaune sat up, now in his bed.
'That was a crazy dream. Twice in a row now I get these strange dreams? What's that about?'
Glancing at the clock, Jaune saw it was only 04:03 AM. It was far too early to worry about dreams. Turning over, he found a cool spot on his pillow, and went back to sleep. There were no other weird dreams that night and the team's alarm clock woke them all up a couple hours later.
Yawning Jaune woke up, got dressed, and went down to have breakfast with his team.
"Hey, Jaune!" Ruby rushed up to him some time later as they were walking to class. "Got any time tonight for some more practice?"
"I got some training with Pyrrha, but afterwards, we can probably play a little." Jaune told her. "I will probably have to do homework tomorrow or I'll fall behind."
"Weiss told me something similar." Ruby blushed. Jaune yawned and she tilted her head. "Tired? Oh, did I keep you up too late?"
"Nah, just had a weird dream two nights in a row," Jaune assured her. "Yesterday was a weird dream fighting Grimm. Today I was on a boat."
"OH!" Ruby's eyes sparkled. "I was on a boat too. Weiss and Blake were there and we got to fight Yang, who was a sea monster." The girl giggled.
Jaune's footsteps stumbled for a moment. His bulging gaze quickly met the back of the girl's head as he stared in disbelief.
That was exactly the same dream he had last night. It was impossible for two people to have the same dream, right? Yesterday, he knew Nora's dream, but that was a coincidence. Nora probably just added the Goliath because it sounded cool. It was for theatrical purposes. But there was no way Ruby dreamed an identical dream to his. Jaune had to be hearing things. Still, his curiosity wouldn't be sated until he looked into this and they did have a few minutes before class.
If he approached this the right way, it wouldn't seem strange.
"I bet the ocean was milk with land made of cookies."
"Chocolate chip cookies…mmph!" Ruby covered her mouth as she let something slip. "You didn't hear that!"
"I'm not making fun of you, Ruby." Jaune assured her. His tone was calm, but internally, he began to panic. "I was just joking since you like cookies."
"Oh… sorry. Used to Yang making fun of me for stuff like that. Weiss does it too."
"Come on, tell me everything about the dream," Jaune decided a lie was in order. "My dream was boring on a boat. All I did was float out into the ocean with fish in the sky and birds in the water. Nothing fun happened. Well, nothing I can remember."
"Hehe, weird." Ruby giggled. "Okay, promise not to laugh?"
"I promise."
"So yeah, hills made of cookies, strawberries everywhere, milk rivers and oceans. Just delicious." Ruby looked off into the distance for a moment before shaking her head. "I was captain of my ship with Weiss as my first mate and Blake a crew member. We went out to see and fought Yang, who was a giant sea monster. Nothing we did could phase her."
"Sounds like Yang." Jaune interjected.
"Hehe, yep!" Ruby nodded. "But then Yang broke my boat! I was sinking into the water and she saved me. Brought me to shore."
"Nice of her." Jaune choked out, though his true thoughts on the matter remained hidden behind his quickly sweating face. Ruby didn't seem to notice his true feelings.
"But then she… then she… tried to teach me math!"
"Math?"
"Yeah!" Ruby shuddered. "Like X equals something and Y equals something? It was soooo boring and I couldn't wake up. Yang isn't even that good at math. Weiss would teach me math if I needed it."
"Who's not good at math, Ruby?"
Jaune and Ruby turned to see Yang approaching them, arms crossed under her ample bosom. Her long voluptuous blonde hair was as pristine as always. Besides wearing a lot more clothes and no seaweed in her hair, she was just like the dream, albeit smaller.
"See ya, Ruby!" Jaune waved and slipped into the classroom.
"Traitor!" Ruby yelled after him.
Guilt formed in the pit of Jaune's stomach because he left Ruby to fend for herself against her older sister. It was just that he had a lot to think about. The dream last night… it was the same dream Ruby told him. Way too similar. Saying they were different dreams would be childish. The question was why he suddenly started to have the same dreams as Ruby and Nora. After talking with Ruby, the boy decided the dream with Nora had to have been shared too.
Were they even his dreams?
'The first one seemed like it would be Nora's dream, while the one last night was obviously something Ruby would dream. So if they aren't mine… doesn't that mean I'm seeing theirs? How? Could it be my… Semblance?'
Jaune's eyes widened as he came to that conclusion. Though even as his mind went over the possibility, he still remained cautious as to not jump to conclusions.
"Maybe…" The boy muttered to himself.
"Maybe what?" Pyrrha asked, sitting down next to him.
"Maybe… I'll do well enough today to get Professor Goodwitch to compliment me." Jaune made up on the spot as soon as the redhead startled him out of his musings. He wasn't entirely sure why he was lying to his partner. There was no reason to. Thinking about it, part of him probably wanted to learn this ability on his own. If it was his Semblance. There was still a small chance it was just a really weird coincidence.
It would be embarrassing if that was the case.
Though, he supposed people would be weary if they knew he could invade their private dreams.
"That's the spirit," Pyrrha smiled. "Always stay positive."
"Good morning, class!" Glynda Goodwitch had arrived and Jaune wasn't able to respond. "I trust you have been working hard. We'll be starting immediately. Mr. Winchester and Mr. Arc grab your gear. You'll be our first match today."
"Nice, an easy win!" Cardin laughed, standing up.
Jaune groaned internally, as he stood up and went to grab his weapon.
The match happened exactly like all the other ones. With Cardin smacking him around for five minutes. The good news was Jaune was able to land a couple hits on his opponent. Cardin's Aura was a solid 78% when Jaune's hit 30%. He almost got a really good hit in, but Cardin managed to block the strike with the hilt of his mace at the last second.
Cardin may have been a jerk and a bully, but he DID pass initiation, along with training for years to be a Huntsman.
"Winner, Mr. Winchester." Glynde announced. Cardin raised his weapon to the stands where people clapped politely. "No showboating, Mr. Winchester. You made plenty of mistakes. Including telegraphing your attacks and only relying on brute force. There will be plenty of Grimm that will be able to overpower you. You need to vary your attacks."
"Eh, sure. But I don't need to do that against Jauny-Boy." Cardin replied with a shrug.
"Enough, Mr. Winchester. Go back to your seat." Glynda then turned to Jaune. "Mr. Arc. You have a lot of work to do. When your opponent telegraphs their attacks, you need to be able to take advantage of openings. Defending without attacking will not allow you to defeat your opponent. Hiding behind a shield is not the same as using one."
"Yes, professor." Jaune hung his head as he went back to his seat. Pyrrha gave him a concerned look, but he ignored her for now. Losing so badly against Cardin made it feel like he disappointed her. Pyrrha gave up her nights to help him practice throughout the week and he still couldn't come close to winning. All he did the rest of the class was watch the fights.
The bell rang and everyone began to stand up.
"Have a good day, class." Glynda told them. "Mr. Arc. Stay behind. We have a few things we need to discuss."
"Hahaha." Cardin and his team were laughing as they left, while Jaune's team looked on in pity.
Once the door shut and all the student's left, Glynda cleared her throat.
"I take it you understand why I want to talk to you, Mr. Arc?" The professor asked.
"My poor performance." Jaune hung his head.
"Correct, you are far behind the level that other students are at, you know this." Glynda was examining him closely behind her glasses. "Are you practicing during your free time?"
"Yes!" Jaune felt a little exasperated at this accusation. "I train alone, with my team, and with Pyrrha."
"Good, you need to keep it up." Turning around, Glynda picked up a packet of papers from her desk. "Take this Mr. Arc." She held the packet out to him. "It's a training schedule I recommend doing. It will help strengthen your weakest points. There are things you need to improve quickly. If you don't, I'm afraid I will have to talk to the headmaster about your performance."
When Jaune reached to take the packet of paper, their fingers barely brushed against one another under the sheets. Yet again, a faint spark hopped between them, not that they felt nor noticed anything.
The boy's throat went dry and he was more focused on the situation than some random unseen electrical sparks. If Ozpin knew about how bad he was doing, would he double check Jaune's transcripts? To distract himself, he glanced down at the packet in his hands, trying to figure out what he was going to work on first. There was just so much. It felt like Glynda was saying he was bad at everything. The boy felt like crap as he flipped to the next page.
"You may go, and don't forget. It's possible to catch up with the others, but you're going to have to put in three times the work."
"Yes, professor." Jaune murmured, as he left the classroom.
The rest of the day, he was really subdued. Didn't talk to his team or friends much as he thought about the situation. Eventually, Nora refused to be silent about it and cornered him that night in their room.
"Tell us what happened, Jaune!" The ginger demanded. "You've been acting weird all day."
"Goodwitch told me if I don't start improving a lot more, she'll have to talk to Ozpin." Jaune relented, pulling the packet out of his backpack. "Here. This is what she said I have to work on. It covers just about everything." He fell back on his bed. "She pretty much says I suck, but in teacherease."
"Teacherease?" Ren asked.
"Duh, Ren." Nora rolled her eyes. "Teachers can't tell people they suck. They have to be diplomatic. Like I am with everyone. Be nice, but firm."
"...Right." Ren nodded as he understood. "I don't think Professor Goodwitch is saying you're bad, just that you need practice. We all know why, so you can't deny that it's obvious."
"No, I can't." Jaune admitted, still depressed. "But we all know it, so why does she have to rub it in." Technically, Glynda didn't know about his fake transcripts, but it still hurt.
"I don't think she's doing that," Pyrrha told him kindly. "A lot of these exercises are what we're doing already. I can tweak our training a bit to fit this schedule. The biggest thing you need to do is wake up early and go for a run before breakfast to build endurance. If you want, I'll go with you."
"I can't ask you to do that, Pyr." Jaune waved her off. "I'll try to do that I guess…"
"It's no bother, Jaune. Really."
"Sleep on it and see how you feel about it in the morning," Ren suggested. "Exercise is normally more fun with a partner."
"Maybe… but I like sleeping in." Jaune grumbled.
"Jaune, we're here to help," Pyrrha told him, a little firmly. "You have a lot of potential, but it takes time and effort. Everyone at Beacon works hard, no matter what level they are at. Don't think of it as a burden"
"Yeah, we're a team and it's not a burden!" Nora agreed. "Let's make it a team thing! It might be hard for Ren to get up, but I can drag him out of bed."
"I can get up and join you in the morning." Ren assured her. "It's actually healthy to do morning exercise to get the body moving for the day."
"You guys…" Jaune sat up and looked fondly at the others. "Thanks…"
Nora ran over and hugged him tightly. He really loved his team. They were like family. A short while later, they all decided to go to sleep early. Tomorrow would be a busy day if they had to wake up an hour earlier. Lights went out and everyone went to sleep. Or at least tried too. Jaune laid there thinking. It had started off a great day until he was reminded about how weak he was. Even the fun of possibly having a dream Semblance…
Jaune's eyes snapped open as he laid there.
'Woah, hang on. I might not have that power, but even so I shouldn't just discard the possibility. Think… how can I test this?' Jaune glanced over at Pyrrha, who seemed to have fallen asleep. 'Maybe if I concentrate on Pyrrha before I fall asleep. I should be able to recognize if it's her dream. We're partners. Then I can talk to her in the morning about it. If this is my Semblance, she won't be upset if I say I can't control it.'
With an obvious foolproof plan in mind, Jaune laid there, trying to still his mind while thinking of Pyrrha. That was actually more difficult than it sounded. Trying to sleep while focusing on something was like reading when someone was talking to you. You couldn't do either well.
Eventually, sleep did overtake him, plunging him into darkness.
Jaune opened his eyes and looked on at his surroundings, the scenery covered by a thick mist.
"It worked!" Jaune cheered. "So that's how I do it… but what's with the fog?"
He couldn't see very far. Only a couple feet. The blanket of fog was thick, unusually so. Since this was a dream, unusual could easily become the norm. The ground beneath his feet was hard and barran dirt. No grass at all, but not pleasant like in Ruby's dreaml. Every footstep echoed in the silence. Without having any bearing, Jaune slowly walked forward, hoping to find something.
"Hello?!" Jaune called out, as he blindly walked around. "Anyone there… right, no one else can hear me."
Sighing loudly, the boy kept walking. Was it his imagination or was the fog getting thinner? The visible ground was his marker and he could indeed see slightly further than before.
"At least I'm going the right way." Jaune sighed. "But what could Pyrrha be dreaming about with this fog?" He kept looking around, half expecting to see a scene pop up in the distance. Yet the fog was still there. "Ugh, wait… is that someone?" He could swear he saw a shadow of something. Wanting to see something, anything,that wasn't fog Jaune began to pick up the pace without watching his feet.
"AHHH-...oomph!"
He tripped on a large object, before falling and hitting the ground.
"What was that?" Jaune pushed himself up and turned around. Something was laying on the ground. Moving closer, his eyes went wide.
It was a person's body.
"HOLY SHIT!"
Scrambling back on the ground, fear overtook him. There was a dead body laying on the ground. Jaune began to freak out, taking in short, quick breaths as his heart thudded against his chest. His hand then touched something. Something wet and cold. Slowly, Jaune turned around like in a horror movie. Letting out another scream, the poor kid was met with another lifeless corpse. Jumping to his feet, his head spun around as the fog began to disperse.
More and more bodies were appearing from the fading mist.
Jaune's mind was having trouble processing this. Why would Pyrrha be imagining so many dead people? Was this a nightmare? What could have caused this? Question after question ran though his mind as he stared at the field of corpses, without taking much in. Finally, after a good ten minutes, his brain finally clicked and he took in a few deep breaths to settle his nerves. The dizziness began to fade.
"Think, Jaune. Think."
This had to be a nightmare. If he could enter people's dreams, then naturally, some dreams would be nightmares. Pyrrha would at some point have bad dreams. Even if he didn't know why this was the subject, dreams didn't have to make sense. Jaune began to walk again on trembling legs, careful to avoid tripping over the bodies and examining them as he passed.
All of the faces were blurred. Who they were supposed to be was impossible to tell. Some of the clothes were familiar though. They were obviously Beacon's uniform. Actually, now that he looked closely, most of the bodies were wearing the uniform. Only a few others were wearing combinations of suits, uniforms, casual outfits, and other normal designs.
"Is Pyrrha worried about Beacon?" Jaune wondered. "Why? Does she know something I don't?"
"Grrrrrrrrr."
Jaune instantly flinched as the low growl permeated the silence. From the fog, a large black figure emerged. A black furred werewolf-like creature. On its face was a white bone mask with red markings, along with spikes on its back, arms, and legs made of the same bone material. It was a Beowolf, a typical Grimm found in the Kingdom of Vale. Normally a little taller than a person when standing upright, this one was not.
It was much larger, towering over Jaune.
Grasped in its clawed hands was a faceless person. The corpse was being dragged along as the Beowolf stepped forward. Its red eyes glowing as the low guttural growl escaped its throat. Eyes were not focused on him, but something in the distance. Jaune squinted and looked through the fog. If he hadn't known this was a dream and that he would be ignored, the boy would have been terrified. The setting was exactly like a horror movie. Yet, because this was a dream, the direction the Beowolf was looking at had to be the location of the dreamer.
A flash lit up inside the mist, as a purple ball of light exploded from the distance. It collided with the Beowolf, lifting it up into the air and tossing it back dozens of feet. The body in its hand fell and hit the ground with a thud. Jaune flinched as he watched the body flop there.
"Enough is enough!" A feminine voice shouted as a shape emerged from the fog.
Jaune's mouth dropped as he saw it wasn't Pyrrha.
It was Glynda Goodwitch.
"You won't be killing anyone else today!" The woman yelled as she flicked her riding crop. Large boulders lifted up into the air, lightly glowing in the same purplish light. With another flick, they flew through the air and smashed into the Beowolf, crushing it. There was no blood, and it was just buried under the rock. Glynda then rushed forward to the person that had been in the grip of the Beowolf. "Are you okay? Speak to me!"
"I'm… dying… professor." The boy coughed out, his face still not visible. He was also wearing a Beacon uniform. "S-sorry… I failed…"
"No, you did your best," Glynda soothed him, grabbing his hand with both of hers as she knelt down next to him. "You are a great Huntsman. If anything, this is all my fault. I didn't train you well enough. I should have done more."
"Maybe…" The boy's words got weaker..
"Shhh, save your strength."
"What is this?" Jaune muttered. While entering someone else's dream was always an invasion of privacy, this felt like something really personal. "Is the professor… dreaming of former students who… died?"
Being a Huntsman was dangerous work. They literally fought monsters that outnumbered humanity. It would make sense that many people lost their lives protecting others. It wasn't something they talked about much besides an occasional mention in class. Combat class was one of the most important classes during the school year for that very reason.
"I helped… right?" The boy asked softly, as his voice faded.
"You did, you helped more than you know." Glynda told him, squeezing his hand tighter. "I'm proud of you."
"Professor," Jaune said, stepping forward, forgetting she couldn't hear him. "You're a great teacher… sorry we don't tell you that." He wanted to reach over and put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, but from his time with Weiss, it wouldn't have done anything. He would just pass through. That sucked, but it was how his Semblance worked he guessed. Probably.
His eyes fell down on the boy in Glynda's arms.
The breath left his lungs.
He saw his own face appear.
"Ahhh!" Jaune sat up, now sitting up in his bed in the middle of the night. Sweat drenched his sheets. It took a moment to remember where he was. Panting heavily, the boy glanced over at his team. Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora were all sleeping peacefully. They hadn't been woken by his yell. Plopping back into his bed, Jaune stared up at the ceiling. Glynda's dream was still fresh in his mind. He had been aiming for Pyrrha, so why did he see the teacher's?
'I really don't know how this Semblance works, or if it even is one.'
The alarm clock glowed dimly and warned him that he would have to get up in less than two hours for their daily morning run.
"Ugh… but why was it my face?"
Somehow, Jaune managed to fall back to sleep after that nightmare.
The next morning came way too quickly and Jaune found himself running laps around the school with the sun barely in the sky with his team. The boy didn't complain. Instead, he focused his thoughts on what he saw that night. A dream was supposed to show subconscious thoughts. Did Glynda think he was too weak to survive and wanted him to become stronger so he could? Is that why she was always so hard on him? Or did she just expect him to die at some point?
'It's not like she's a bad teacher. She knows what we have to work on and tells us without beating around the bush. A compliment now and then wouldn't hurt.'
"Jaune, are you okay?" Pyrrha asked as they sat down for breakfast. "We didn't go too hard did we?"
"Morning workout huh?" Yang yawned. "Have to say, that's pretty tough."
"Not necessarily unwarranted for him." Weiss pointed out, causing Ruby to elbow her.
"I'm just not very hungry right now." Jaune admitted, pushing his food away.
"You really should eat," Ren told him. "Exercise without replenishment will only hurt in the long run."
"I'll have some later, just an… upset stomach." Jaune quickly left the cafeteria before they could quiz him more. What he said wasn't exactly a lie. The image of his dying face still haunted his thoughts. Along with the dream in its entirety. Glynda always seemed so calm and put together, but inside, she had her own worries and fears.
The scary teacher was human like everyone else.
"Good morning, Mr. Arc."
Speak of the devil…
"Good morning, professor." Jaune looked up and greeted Glynda automatically.
The woman began to walk past Jaune and he planned to just keep walking, but the dream flashed in his mind once more. His feet stopped and the boy turned around.
"Thank you!" Jaune blurted out.
"For what?" Glynda asked, stopping herself and facing him.
"For all the help you're giving me in class… and for that packet yesterday. I've already started implementing it with help from my team."
"I see…" To the boy's shock, Glynda gave him a small smile. "That's good to hear."
"I know I'm not the best fighter in class," Jaune continued. "But I'm working hard to catch up. Your advice after class does help. If I seem upset, it's more at myself for not doing better than what you're telling me, ma'am."
Glynda blinked and stared at him for a moment, before she coughed once.
"Please don't think I enjoy criticizing students," The woman explained herself. "My job is to help you improve. That involves me talking about your weaknesses so you can overcome them. Our profession is dangerous and I can't afford to play to people's egos and only compliment them. It's why even when Mr. Winchester does win against you, I focus on how he can improve too."
"Still, you really helped me with a training schedule and I appreciate it," Jaune replied with his own smile. "It's going to help a lot. You're a great teacher, professor."
For a moment, he thought he saw something soften in the woman's eyes for a moment.
"While I appreciate the sentiment, don't think it's going to get you any bonus points in class," Glynda warned suddenly. "You have a lot of potential, and I'm going to make sure it comes out."
"I'd never dream of it." Jaune was really glad Glynda couldn't get that pun. He also didn't miss what his teacher said.
She had complimented him!
Feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Jaune headed on his way. The dream didn't seem so bad. Glynda was hard on him so he could survive as a Huntsman, and she believed he had potential. He decided right there and then, to really work hard on that training schedule so he could be a leader that he, his team, his teachers, and family could be proud of.
That also meant practicing his Semblance. It helped him understand Glynda's reasoning along with why she did what she did. In a way, Jaune got to see a side of her no one else could. To come to an understanding. Could that be what his Semblance was for? To learn about people and help? Everyone had secrets and it wasn't like he was going to blab them to everyone.
"Maybe I can figure out how to get through Weiss' icy shell?" Jaune muttered to himself, feeling excitement bubble up. "Just a peak to help her open up. That's it."
Oh, the lies people tell themselves.
He still hadn't figured out how to control his power.
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two.
Jaune finally got to view a nightmare and learned a bit about Glynda because of it. I figured this was a realistic dream a combat teacher could have. When she hears one of her students died in battle, would she blame herself for not helping them more? If she had been a better teacher, would they have survived? Just something to think about.
Ruby's dream was more fun, but had a lot of underlying themes. Can you spot them all? 10 points if you can. (Points have no monetary value and can't be redeemed for anything.)
UrsaMJR: Cheapskate.
Darkbetrayer: Next chapter will be Blake's dream. I was going to do Pyrrha's, but Jaune hadn't learned how to interact with it yet. For hers, I need him to be able to do that. I'm sure people can see where this is going.