章 11: Chapter 11
Jaune ducked beneath the metal cane, feeling it whistling by overhead. His own counter attack was easily thwarted, the criminal before him batting the blade aside by rapping his hand on the flat of Crocea Mors. A move only really made safe by the virtue of having an aura that would prevent any serious damage. It was a trick he would need to remember, and a sign of Roman's experience.
Any further thoughts were lost however as the orange haired man lunged forwards, wielding his cane like a rapier as he laid three rapid blows out against Jaune's body – his shield covering his head to block that one, but the other two solidly striking his rubs and his thigh.
"You shield the face and you lose vision." Roman tutted, going for the same move again – though this time Jaune put Neo's lessons to the test, spinning to dodge beyond the strike. "Better kid. You can't afford to lose sight of me."
"Are we fighting or talking?" Jaune gritted back.
"Which would you prefer?"
"Talking… definitely the talking."
"Then maybe you should have thought of that…" Roman began, before suddenly being inside his guard, knocking both his sword and shield aside - driving a fist into Jaune's gut. "-before you came and botched up my operation here!"
"In… my defence…" Jaune coughed, pushing himself to his feet. Neo had taught him the importance of always getting back into your guard position – no matter how much it hurt. "I only came to protect my students."
"Oh I gathered that. What were those words? `Trust me, I'm a hunter` pfft. You do remember that you're not, right?"
"I know that. But I'm a teacher now, I can't just abandon them – people would ask questions. I'd be screwed."
"Maybe you should have thought of that before you took the job kiddo."
"I had no choice! They wouldn't take me on as a student, it was your records that were too good, made me sound too powerful."
"You always had a choice. You just chose the easiest one. You made a deal with the devil, and the funny thing is… he always comes by to collect. Not to mention, it was you who wanted to look like the best – you didn't think the lies through properly."
And you let me make that mistake. Jaune thought, but didn't bother saying out loud. To suggest that Roman had thought that far ahead… was that the truth, or was the clever bastard just playing with his mind? Either way, there was no denying those words. He'd been a damn idiot when he had asked for that, he'd wanted to stand out – forgetting about what happened to those that did.
"So what happens now?" Jaune asked, nodding his head towards their surroundings. "We both know you could kick my ass at any moment, what's stopping you?"
"Not bad, kid. Looks like you're starting to learn something after all. The robbery is borked, with all this ruckus no doubt the police are already on their way – along with whatever help you called in. I have to retreat with my tail between my legs."
"So… you going to go now?" Jaune tried, hoping his voice didn't sound as hopeful as he thought it did.
"Thing is…" Roman began, walking back and forth while spinning his cane, as though discussing something as mundane as the weather. "My rep is going to take a real blow from this, and the boss-lady is also going to be on my case. I mean losing to a bunch of teenage students? That looks really bad."
Jaune didn't say anything. Roman effectively had him by the balls – able to sell out his secret at any given time if he wanted to. It would bring everything crashing down on him. He would be finished…
"I won't let you hurt them. Even if it means I have to die – I can delay you long enough for the police to arrive."
Jaune desperately hoped he would roll a natural forty-million on his bluff roll.
"Cute, kid. I thought I said before that school students aren't really my thing? Killing them would just paint an even bigger target on me, and I still wouldn't have the dust, would I? Plus, you already owe me a favour – so I don't want you cut down either. Nah, see… I've got an idea how both you and I can get out of this smelling like roses…. Interested?"
"I guess?" Jaune nervously agreed. Both of them coming out of the situation definitely sounded good to him – especially if it meant he didn't have to actually fight Roman seriously… sure he had learned how to dodge more effectively from Neo, but Roman had years of experience…
"Perfect!" Roman laughed, posing so that he was now leaning on his cane, one leg crossed behind the other. "You see, a bunch of kids forcing me to flee is bad for my rep – and that's a big deal in my kind of industry. But being chased off by a trained hunter isn't so bad. But what's better is me kicking the crap out of said trained hunter, before cutting my losses and escaping. See what I mean?"
"Yeah I get what you mean… but where are you going to find a trained hunter..." Jaune's eyes closed as he let out a long sigh, catching on to Roman's meaning. "Oh... I suddenly don't like this plan."
"Don't worry so much." Roman laughed, kicking his cane upwards so that he was now wielding it like a sword. The grin on the man's face was now just on the wrong side of vicious. "Just… do what comes naturally."
Damn it Roman…
~~~~~Professor Arc~~~~~
It was a difficult thing for Blake to fully understand.
That moment, when she had heard Ruby shout out – when she had seen Roman attempt to kill her leader. Perhaps that had been the defining moment, when in her own mind, she acknowledged that Ruby was still her leader. Her team leader – one she was willing to follow.
There had been no hesitation when Ruby landed beside her. No questions or denials, nor even apologies. One moment she had been fighting alone, trying to work her way towards Sun. The next she had pressed her back to Ruby's, taking comfort in that familiar presence.
The White Fang that were left, those who were not cut down by that… girl, they did not put up much of a fight against them. Even with Ruby and her aiming to disarm where they could – they were rank amateurs, untrained and untested in a way that Adam would have scoffed at.
Back when she had fought with them, they would never have dared send people like this out there… the risk would have been too great – both for the recruits, but also for those that might be in danger if one was captured and interrogated.
Had they changed so much in the time she had been gone?
Or had she simply not been able to accept what was in front of her eyes all along?
"Whoah…" Ruby muttered, drawing Blake's attention to the fight that was wrapping up on the other edge of the docks – just in time to see a great beam of light cut through two Bullheads in a single blast.
No way that girl was normal… even Adam's semblance was not that destructive, and that took time to charge up! And speaking of wanted criminals…
"Ruby, where did Torchwick go?" The smaller girl shifted at those words.
"He told me to leave him to help you. I didn't want to, but I think he wanted me out of the way."
"Torchwick told you to? Why would you follow his orders?" Blake asked, wondering just what had gotten into the girl. Ruby shook her head quickly, pointing back from the direction she had come from.
"Not Torchwick, Jau – Professor Arc, he's fighting him alone."
Professor Arc? How did- no… did he follow her? After she had told him she was leaving Beacon? But, that didn't make sense, did it? Surely he would have just let her be, let her leave Beacon… certainly there was no reason for him to want to help her when she wasn't even a student.
"Considering the discrimination they face… I thought there might be faunus I could help."
Had he meant that so literally? That he would follow after her to try and change her mind, before jumping into the fray when she was in danger? That… it didn't make sense why he would risk himself for her.
"He's a trained hunter." Blake reasoned, trying to calm down her beating heart. "He should be fine against someone like Torchwick." No reason to worry about him – clearly he was far stronger than she was… even if Torchwick had beaten her handily. The Professor would be strong enough.
"No!" Ruby urged, tugging at Blake's arm. "He's hurt. He took a shot for me and was injured – we have to help him."
"Hurt? How badl-"
"Ahhhhhhh!" A voice cried out, sounding in the distance before getting close and closer. Blake's eyes widened as she saw a male figure crash into an SDC storage container, denting the side of it before sliding down to the floor.
Pretty badly. Her brain commented, even as both she and Ruby rushed over to the fallen teacher.
"Well, that's all for me!" That hated voice called out, just about visible atop the roof as he waved towards them. "Thanks for the help Red. Would have been real difficult without you chipping in."
I could still chase him… She thought to herself… it would be difficult – already the Bullhead was pulling away, but he must have had a base somewhere within Vale, so if she could just figure out the rough area where it landed. But that would mean leaving the Professor when he was injured.
After he had gotten injured trying to find her.
"Jaune? Jaune are you okay?" Ruby asked, prodding the man gently as he groaned on the hard tarmac. Blake's eyes, more suited to operating in the darkness, were able to make out a few bruised spots on his body – but there didn't seem to be any blood. She knelt down next to him, lifting his head off the gravel so that he could rest it in her hands.
"B-blake?" He muttered, eyes seeming to slowly come into focus as he looked up at her.
"Yeah. It's me."
"Blake… you're-"
"Is Professor-friend Jaune Arc still in battle-ready condition?" A voice interrupted, as the orange-haired… thing… landed beside them. Blake couldn't help the way she tensed up. This girl might be on Ruby's side, but the way she had disposed of the White Fang soldiers had been brutal.
And she did mean disposed.
"Penny, he got hurt fighting Torchwick." Ruby explained, even as the other girl began to look up and down Jaune's body in a strange manner. Blake didn't like it.
"I estimate that there is a 67% chance Professor-friend Jaune Arc has bruised and/or damaged ribs. A 16% chance he is suffering from internal bleeding of a minor nature, 12% chance he is suffering from a concussion due to cranial trauma. But ultimately a 96% chance that he will recover given sufficient rest."
"Well, that's good!" Ruby cheered.
"B-lake…" Once more her eyes were drawn down to the teacher who had risked his life to help her.
"Shh, don't worry. The police are on their way, we'll get you treatment."
"No… Blake I-"
"No Professor, let me talk." She pleaded, placing one finger against his lips. "You were right, what you said back in that diner. I was running away. I kept trying to justify to myself that what I had done in the past wasn't a big deal – that we were freedom fighters. I wanted to prove to Weiss and the rest of the team, that we weren't just terrorists and criminals."
"Blake…"
"But I was the one who was the real problem, running away before we could do anything to try and resolve our differences like adults. And in the end, what I found here was what I really knew all along… we were terrorists. Or we had become terrorists. But that's not who I am now." She spared a glance for Ruby, who was listening intently as well, a small smile on her lips. "I'm Blake Belladonna now. A huntress in training, as well as a member of Team RWBY." The smaller girl pumped her fist happily, and Blake smiled in return.
"I'll have to ask you Professor. To ignore what I said about leaving Beacon. I'll be coming back after all."
"Blake…" He repeated once more, and she leaned closer to listen to his words.
"I'm listening… what is it?"
"Blake… you're kneeling on my arm – I can't feel anything."
"Oh my God I'm so sorry!" She gasped, leaping back as she released him, wincing as his head cracked back down onto the hard floor.
"Amendment: 24% chance he is suffering from a concussion."
~~~~~Professor Arc~~~~~
Jaune let out a quiet sigh as he sat propped up against a cargo container. Bright lights flashed around them, a mixture of blue, red and white. The Vale police force had been the first to arrive, and to his relief they had brought some ambulances with them as well.
"I can't find any blood, so I think you'll be okay." The nameless paramedic continued, fingers parting Jaune's blonde locks in search of any injury. "You hunters certainly are robust to take this kind of damage and keep going."
Jaune didn't bother replying, instead looking to the side just in time to catch a flash of white light. He winced from the pain, letting some of the bright dots fade as he watched some officers escorting away some random man with a camera. Seriously… was he that much of a circus attraction?
Ignoring the proceedings going on around him, he instead let his eyes wander towards the reunion between Team RWBY. Weiss and Yang had arrived just moments after the battle had been won. Too late to chip in, but just in time to corner Blake in case she tried to run away once more.
It didn't seem necessary however. Instead he simply watched as the four talked among themselves, occasionally with a hug from Yang. In the end however, the expression on Blake's normally uncaring face said enough.
At least there was a happy ending to all of this.
"Jaune!" A female voice called out, drawing his eyes back to the police, just in time to see Glynda force her way through a few uniformed men who dared to try and impede her path. To his surprise he even saw Peter behind her – though his pace was more measured.
"Jaune! Are you alright?" The Deputy demanded as she reached him, pausing with her arms outstretched towards him, before coughing and correcting herself. "What is his condition?"
"I'm fine." He tried, only to be ignored as she focused a sharp eye on the paramedic treating him.
"Uhh… he's okay I think, some bruising, nothing too bad." The man stuttered, wincing under that gaze as he looked around for some support. Predictably in the face of Glynda Goodwitch's anger, there was none. "He'll be fine?"
"We will have our own medical team see to Mr Arc if you are unable to form a correct diagnosis. Please feel free to return to your own unit."
Jaune winced for the poor man, even as he bowed his head and scurried away. Really, the guy probably knew what he was doing – but putting up with Glynda's ire was a skill that needed to be really trained. He had no idea how Ozpin managed it.
"My boy!" Peter greeted as he strolled up towards them, patting Jaune on the head. He winced in preparation for the blow, before being surprised at how gentle it was.
Even Peter seemed to be treating him like glass…
Wait… does that mean all the other times he hits me like a freight train were on purpose!?
"Squaring off against a renowned criminal, within not a month of your tenure with us! You aim big my boy – but you should have invited me along!" You should have asked for help. Jaune read between the lines, and the serious look in Peter's eyes.
"I know, it was a mistake. I had to help Ruby though."
"So long as this does not become a habit Mr Arc." Glynda rebuked, and he knew how serious she was when she started addressing him by his last name. "Roman Torchwick is no mere pickpocket, he was also once a skilled hunter in his own right. There's no shame in being defeated by him."
"Well." Yang's voice carried over to the three of them. "All's well that ends well, right!?"
"Excuse me gentleman." Glynda quickly cut in, before stomping over to the girls.
"There she goes." Peter whispered to the injured teen. "To crush some dreams."
Jaune wondered if it made him a bad person, that he was mentally cheering Glynda on?
All's well that ends well his aching ass!
~~~~~Professor Arc~~~~~
The ride back to Beacon had been a particularly awkward one, for a number of reasons.
A Bullhead wasn't exactly the most spacious vehicle at the best of times, and certainly not when four of the occupants were doing their best to be as far away from Glynda as possible. It seemed Blake's friend, the monkey faunus, had managed to slip away before the shouting began – but the four members of Team RWBY looked horribly nervous at the prospect of what awaited them at Beacon.
What also made the trip a little awkward was Jaune's position, floating in the middle of the carriage on an invisible stretcher courtesy of his superior. It wasn't so much that it was uncomfortable, because actually it was a bed that seemed to be made of air, and it really did support him well. It was more that he wasn't sure what to do with himself looking like he did.
So he chose to cross his arms over his chest and simply wait, looking for all of Remnant like he was levitating and thoroughly bored at such a feat.
Thankfully the trip from Vale to Beacon was short, and something about being levitated worked to counteract his motion sickness – maybe because he was being kept perfectly level and still by Glynda, and wasn't rocking with the motion of the vehicle. Either way, when the doors opened and he was floated off the vehicle and deep into Beacon, it was without vomit-stained clothes.
A few people looked at them as they passed, with plenty of hushed whispers going on. News probably hadn't travelled all that fast, but the explosion at the docks – and more importantly, the billowing dust cloud it had created, would surely have caught the student's attention. Now a badly injured teacher would be sure to generate even more rumours.
Joy.
"It didn't cross my mind to ask earlier." Jaune piped up, directing his question towards his two colleagues walking ahead of him, rather than the four teenagers sullenly bringing up the rear. "But do we actually have any medical professionals at Beacon?" Oh he knew they had an infirmary, but now that he thought of it, he hadn't been introduced to anyone else working at Beacon.
"Of course we do lad." Peter explained. "We have a trained doctor and aura specialist – though if there is a really serious accident we'll shuttle people down to the Vale main hospital."
"It is our responsibility as teachers to minimise injury where possible." Glynda added. "As such most cases for our infirmary are from concussive trauma and depleted aura reserves. Aura does wonders to protect the body, but there is always some force that bleeds through. Broken bones and minor injuries are somewhat common."
"Have I met the person who will be treating me?" He wondered, trying to recall the faces of those who worked at Beacon. It was an impossible task however. Apart from the small core team of teachers, there seemed to be at least a hundred other minor staff at Beacon – many of which worked in the kitchens, as janitors or as maintenance staff. He supposed it made sense they might have some medical staff on hand as well.
"I don't think so." Glynda shrugged. "Certainly you haven't had need to as of yet, but I suppose it's not beyond possibility that you've seen her around, or at the kitchens."
Any further questions were curtailed as they reached the white door of the infirmary, Peter holding it open as Glynda manoeuvred him inside. The four students filed in afterwards, when Peter made it clear they were expected inside. Ozpin was waiting for them all, beside a brown-haired woman he didn't recognise.
"Over here Glynda, I've prepared a bed." The woman smiled pleasantly, exuding that caring attitude one could expect from a woman used to dealing with young children. It was as Glynda moved him towards the soft white bed that he made out the additional features the woman boasted.
She was a faunus too, like Blake. Though unlike the black-haired girl wilting under Ozpin's gaze, this woman had both a set of brown ears – and a fluffy brown tail, tipped with black. A dog faunus… or a fox one, perhaps? Some kind of canine, though when she smiled he could clearly see she didn't have any fangs or similar.
"Jaune, this is the head of the medical team of Beacon. Kitsune-chan."
There was a general pause after the introduction. Jaune blinked once, then twice, even as the woman – who after being labelled with that name had to be a fox faunus – looked away.
"Kitsune?" Jaune attempted.
"No. Her full name is Kitsune-chan."
O…kay…
"Please call me Tsune." The woman pleaded, pushing Jaune down into the soft sheets, and pulling the blanket up towards his midriff. She settled a few pillows behind him, so he could sit up for the conversation ahead. "My parents were hardly the most responsible of people, so I would really prefer Tsune."
"Eh, sure." Jaune laughed, finally feeling a little calmer now that he was in a bed and no one was trying to actively kill him. Compared to all the crazy shit that had happened lately… with Neo, teaching, Cardin and Roman... A woman with an unusual name might as well be old-hat.
"Tsune is hunter-trained, and also medically qualified." Glynda explained, as the fox-faunus began gently prodding along Jaune's body, humming to herself as she did so. "Beyond that, her semblance also allows her to subtly direct the flow of aura through a patient's body."
"Though it won't be of much use here." The doctor laughed. "You're pretty much running on fumes."
"Will he be okay?" Glynda demanded, hands scrunching up Jaune's sheets.
"Unless he has a hitherto undiscovered allergy to infirmaries he should be fine. As far as I can see he had some bruising, possibly some damaged ribs – which I can check once you're all gone. And judging by how cognizant he is, I doubt he has any brain damage. Can you look into my eyes for a moment Mr Arc?"
"Sure." He accepted, matching her gaze as she moved her face about ten inches or so from his. Some of her long brown locks fell down across his shoulders, but otherwise she kept her face pleasantly neutral as her deep brown eyes met his. He noticed that she had a slightly unusually shaped pupil, though it wasn't split like some faunus had. Just somewhere in the middle.
"His pupils aren't dilating, so there's no problems there." She reported as she lifted her face away, flicking her hair back behind her. He took the brief respite to have a proper look at her, in the way that he wouldn't out loud admit all men did. She wasn't stunning like Yang or Neo, but she was certainly comely and fetching in her own way. A relatively smooth face, though with a single beauty mark a little below and to the left of her lips.
Idly he wondered if his standards were simply becoming higher – since most of the women at Beacon seemed to be super-model material.
"Team RWBY." Ozpin suddenly spoke, silencing the two women as they all turned to watch the Headmaster attend to his errant students. "I must say, I am most disappointed in you all."
He let the words sink in, along with the shame, as the four girls looked at the floor. Some stubbornly, others with true remorse.
"While it's not unusual for teams to experience difficulties in their time together, getting into dangerous fights that cause significant property damage is." He paused once more, an apparent master of causing guilt through well-timed silences. "It is even worse when you not only endanger your own lives, but the lives of your teammates. And much worse when you endanger the lives of people even outside your team." Here he paused to look towards Jaune, and the girls seemed to slump even further.
That was my fault though…
"Miss Belladonna." Ozpin's voice cracked out, making the girl jump violently. "Your past was known to us long before we decided to take you on here. I believe you suspected this to be the case?"
"I did." Blake answered simply. "You suggested that you knew."
"Indeed. At the time I did not believe it a big deal – you had clearly shown you wished to step away from the mistakes you once made. And yet I see you were unable to do so indefinitely… Given the circumstances I believe Miss Schnee would be well within her rights to request your removal from Beacon."
"No!" Said girl shouted, before covering her mouth with one hand. "I'm sorry, I mean no, I don't want that. I'm content with Blake on the team, we can resolve our differences."
Good job Miss Schnee. Jaune praised, glad to see the two of them getting on. He didn't miss the grateful expression on Blake's face, nor the happy ones on the two sisters.
"Even so." Ozpin continued, cutting those smiles down with ruthless precision. "Sometimes I, as Headmaster, must make decisions students do not agree with – if they are made to protect the majority."
Again he paused. This time taking a whole minute to savour a sip of his coffee. Jaune couldn't even tell if it was a deliberate pause, but the four girls barely seemed to breathe.
"Miss Belladonna. I am not sure we can continue to have you here. Given your unwillingness to move beyond your past."
"No…" The girl whispered, the tone causing Jaune's hear to freeze. She looked desolate, her eyes shaking – or was it her entire body? Yang grasped one of her hands, trying to lend her strength.
"I am afraid so. Miss Belladonna you are hereby exp-"
"Wait! Wait wait wait!" Someone shouted out rapidly. And it took the pain in his ribs to realise it was himself. All eyes turned to him, even as his mind went blank.
Okay… so what was I going to say?
"You have something to add Mr Arc?"
"Yes... I… this isn't the correct decision."
"Oh?"
"Absolutely." Jaune delayed, wracking his brain for an answer. From the corner of his eye he could see four sets of young eyes staring at him pleadingly. I'm trying! "My injuries were my own fault – I made a poor estimation of an opponent's strength."
"You did what you thought was necessary to defend a student." Ozpin summarised. "A decision that would not have been necessary had Miss Belladonna simply informed us of the situation – or had she not attempted to attack Roman Torchwick alone."
"Yes well… maybe it was a mistake, but that's why they're here isn't it? To learn from their mistakes and grow from them."
"To a degree, yes. What concerns me however is her willingness to ignore the rules where the White Fang are concerned. She has shown an unwillingness to move on from her time with them."
Jaune spared a moment to look at the girl in question, whose yellow eyes were locked on his. Both her hands were now held, one by Yang – and one by Weiss of all people. Please. She seemed to mouth towards him. Please…
"I think she can."
"You think, Mr Arc?"
"No. I know she can."
"Very well, then. I'll leave it in your hands." The Headmaster cheerfully accepted, a bright smile coming to his face almost immediately. There seemed to be a loud crash as the four teenage girls collapsed.
"Wh-what?" Jaune attempted.
"Oh well you have offered to show your support for Miss Belladonna. What better form of rehabilitation than counselling? I applaud your willingness to aid a student – despite the vast amounts of paperwork involved."
"Vast….?" Jaune groaned, suddenly realising just why Ozpin looked so pleased. And perhaps just what his plan had been all along.
"Oh, you would not believe Mr Arc. But I'm sure you will. I'll have some people bring it to your office."
You bastard Ozpin….
"And Miss Belladonna?" The Headmaster chirped, getting a nod from the girl picking herself up from the floor. "Do remember the opportunity Mr Arc has given you… you will have a session every week, and you will not miss them. Am I understood?"
"Yes sir." She accepted, mouthing her thanks towards Jaune. Not that he could see it, with one arm across his eyes and thoughts of paperwork streaming through his mind. Was it too late to throw her to the wolves?
"Alright, I think we're done here." The doctor began to usher them from the room. "Mr Arc needs his rest, not to be haunted with whatever work he has ahead of him."
"Wait, can't we speak with him?" Ruby attempted to squeeze by the woman, only for the doctor to quickly snatch the back of her hood and begin dragging her to the door.
"Visiting hours are tomorrow, ten through eight. He needs rest not excitement."
"I will visit you tomorrow." Glynda was the last to leave. "Look after him Tsune."
"I will Glynda, don't worry." The faunus laughed as the door closed, leaving the two of them alone. "Talk about the centre of attention Mr Arc."
"Ah, you can call me Jaune."
"Only if you call me Tsune. And I am very serious about that. Use my full name and you might find something nasty happening." She smiled to show she was joking as she came up to stand by him. "Now that they're gone however, I want to do some quick tests to get a better idea of what we're working with."
"Sure, I guess. What do you need me to do?"
"Just sit still, and tell me if anything hurts." She didn't wait for his response, instead placing two fingers on his chest, a little below his heart and pressing into his skin. Thankfully she hadn't seen fit to ask him to divest of his shirt, so he didn't have an attractive woman running her hands all over his chest. Instead she simply started moving her fingers higher, stopping at each rib to push in on it slightly.
"Argh." Jaune gritted once she had reached the third or fourth. "That one hurts."
"Yeah?" The woman asked, pressing down on it again. Hard.
"Ow, yes!" He gasped, giving her a small angry glare as she moved away from that rib with an apologetic smile. Yes thanks, he was good at identifying pain – no reason to press it again!
"How about this one?" She asked, pushing down on a different one, drawing a low groan from him in answer. Through the haze of pain he noticed the woman biting down on her lower lip. Her eyes closing languidly. "Hmmm yeah… that one hurts, oh yeah I bet it does…"
"Er… Tsune?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry I was just talking to myself Jaune!" The fox laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head. "I just meant that it looks like you have a few bruised ribs, so it makes sense that it's these three next to one another. Probably from a single solid blow to your ribcage."
"Ah right, yeah… he wasn't very gentle."
"Hmmmm…. good..."
"Pardon?"
"Oh I mean it's good that it was from him, at least then we know it's not an internal injury."
Okay… he supposed that made sense. The explained injury was better than an unexplained one or something. Wasn't that something they said about ninjas though?
"Right well, I just want to administer a dust injection, and then I'll let you rest for the night." The woman turned away from him as she began to rummage in some nearby medical cabinets. Jaune shivered from where he lay, hating the idea of injections with a passion. From the corner of his eye he could just make out the woman's tail flicking behind her, apparently moving without her control.
"What's a dust injection… it sounds risky." Surely she didn't mean injecting actual dust into him, right!?
"It's more of an auric booster, to kick-start the recovery of your aura levels. No use in the field because it makes you tired afterwards, but that will only make sleep easier for you." She explained while drawing something from a bottle into what looked to be the biggest fucking needle he had ever had the misfortune of seeing.
That cannot be going into me…
"Anyway, no need to worry Jaune. I got my degree at a medical school, not in some dark castle patching bodies together. Dust injections are common among all hunters. No risk involved."
"W-why is that needle so big!?" He began to stutter as she turned towards him. That wasn't a needle - that was a spear!
"Hmm?" The fox tilted her head questioningly. "Well, have you ever tried giving an injection to someone with aura? You can't exactly turn it off – and mundane needles just snap under the pressure. We're forced to be a little more… heavy duty."
She smiled as she approached him, even as he tried to push himself backwards on the bed.
"Can't we go without the booster!?" He demanded hysterically.
"Now, now Jaune… calm down. This won't hurt much."
"There's no way in Hell that won't hurt!"
"Jaune!" The woman gasped, holding one hand to her breast. "Do I look like a woman who takes pleasure in causing pain to my patients? I, who have dedicated my life to the art of healing?"
"Your tail is wagging…" Jaune pointed out with narrowed eyes, even as the woman flinched and looked over her shoulder. True to his words, the fluffy appendage was wagging back and forth aggressively.
"Ignore it." Tsune grinned, grabbing it with one hand when it came by, and doing her best to hold it still. "Now, it's time for your booster Jaune!"
He could only whimper.
~~~~~Professor Arc~~~~~
(Omake)
"Why is Ruby suddenly drinking so much milk?" Weiss finally caved and asked of Yang, as the three of them watched their young leader down a third pint of the dairy product.
"Ugh." Yang grunted. "She has this obsession with milk helping her grow up faster – usually when she does this it's because she wants to be bigger, or older."
"Ruby." Blake interrupted, reaching over and holding the glass down before pint number four could join its brethren. "You're going to make yourself sick."
"Yeah sis, what's gotten into you?"
"I need to be bigger!" The young girl explained, trying to remove Blake's hand from the glass. The faunus girl simply raised one eyebrow, keeping the glass locked down. "I need bigger breasts, and two feet of height… and longer legs! At least!"
"You and Weiss both." Yang quipped, ignoring the indignant squawking from the Heiress. "But why right now?"
"Well how am I supposed to compete with all these older women?" Ruby sighed, collapsing onto the table with her head in her hands. "I mean Professor Jaune is surrounded by so many gorgeous adults – all with huge breasts. And I'm… me."
"Awwww Rubes." Yang cooed, sitting down and pulling her in for a hug. "You silly girl, you don't need to change yourself to attract a guy."
"Easy for you to say…" The girl mumbled petulantly, glaring at Yang's breasts.
"Yang is right Ruby." Blake agreed, sitting opposite her while subtly hiding the milk. "You don't need to change yourself to fit an ideal you believe the Professor desires. You simply need to make him notice you, and make him desire you."
"Exactly!" Yang cheered, ruffling Ruby's hair."
"Make him... notice… me…?" Ruby whispered to herself.
~~~~~Omake~~~~~
Jaune sighed as he headed towards the lockers. Another combat class, another long shower. At least this time he had just been running with the students as a pacemaker. Sweaty work, but he hadn't been forced to fight again.
Pulling off his shirt he opened the door of his locker, before freezing.
"Ehh… hiya Jaune, not-!" Ruby greeted from within the metal box.
Jaune slammed the door closed, unsure if he was imagining things.
~~~~~Omake~~~~~
"Right class." Jaune began as he sat down at Oobleck's desk. "Oobleck's currently comatose since we ran out of coffee, so I'll be handling this class. If you open your textbooks to page-" He paused, as he felt something against his legs. Looking down he noticed something red.
"Jaune! Noti-" Ruby waved from beneath the desk, even as he reared back in shock, toppling over his seat and smacking his head against the wall.
~~~~~Omake~~~~~
"You sure are a glutton for punishment." Tsune sighed as Jaune lay morosely on the hospital bed, some bandages around his skull. "Well, time for an aura booster I think."
Jaune whimpered.
The woman once more sashayed over to the medical cabinet, opening it, before screaming in surprise.
Jaune felt no such shock. Even as a red figure tumbled and rolled out of the cabinet and across the floor to his bed. His eyes simply watched it all vacantly.
"Ahem." Ruby coughed once into her fist, before placing both her hands beneath her chin and shouting the words that doomed him.
"Notice me senpai!"
クリエイターの想い 
FakeWriterDaoist
FakeWriterDaoist This story is written by Coeur Al'Aran. I am simply reposting it on this site to spread its glory. I take no credit for this story. All credit go to Coeur Al'Aran. If you want to support him, then check him out on “https:// fanfiction. net /u/ 6272865” (remove the spaces)
Also, for those not familiar with Omakes, any Omake are completely non cannon and don’t affect the story in any way.
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