The Games We Play

DISCLAIMER: This story is NOT MINE IN ANY WAY. That honor has gone to the beautiful bastard Ryuugi. This has been pulled from his Spacebattles publishment at threads/rwby-the-gamer-the-games-we-play-disk-five.341621/. Anyway on with the show...err read.

Returning Home

When I stepped out of the portal, I was back in Vale, overlooking the city from the cliffs that surrounded it. For a moment, I simply looked at the city I'd grown up in, marveling at it slightly.

Even now, it was hard to believe how much things had changed. Not even a year ago, I'd been going through my days as a normal person, going to a normal school, living a normal life. Looking around, I could pick out the distant figures of people I'd known, if only casually—fellow students, former teachers, and just people I'd seen on the streets enough that it had left an impression. Back then, I'd go to school, come back home, and just dream of things that were out of reach.

God my life used to be boring. I'd say I'd never have dreamed I'd get this far, but in truth, the life I was living now exactly what I'd dreamt of—the life of a Hunter, protecting the world from threats normal people couldn't even imagine. Granted, it turned out I hadn't been able to imagine those threats at the time, but regardless. Regardless, I was living the life I'd always wished for.

And it was pretty awesome. Could do with less world-threatening assholes and threats to those I loved, but those bastards had always been there—getting rid of them was just a work in progress. I couldn't say I didn't have any regrets, not when I remembered my father's death, but the life I'd found was one that I was happy with. Proud of.

You'd have felt the same way, right? Dad?

Absently—or, perhaps, unavoidably—my eyes fell upon the house I'd grown up in. Peering inside, I noticed that it was a bit dusty. Not as badly as it could have been, given that nobody lived there, but enough to notice. The yard was a bit overgrown, too. I reached out with my power to deal with both issues, not sure what anyone would think when they saw the change and not really caring. It occurred to me absently that when we formally returned for the Vytal Festival, my family would probably move back into the house anyway, so I might as well take care of the details while I was here. I wouldn't want anyone coming how to find that it was a mess.

"Jian," Raven whispered on the other side of the portal. "Is everything okay?"

I hummed at the question.

"Yes," I said after a moment. "Just mulling over how odd it feels coming home. I'd say I was feeling melancholic, but I'm not sad, exactly. I don't regret my choices, either. I just feel…strange."

"I understand," Raven replied seriously, honestly seeming to get it. That, as much as anything, made me smile as I briefly closed my eyes.

"I figured you would," I admitted. "I'll be going on ahead, then. "Give me awhile and then feel free to look around."

Raven nodded, aware that I'd be able to see her even with my back turned, and then the portal behind me vanished. I took one last look at the city of Vale and then turned, walking through the space it had previously occupied as I made my way towards Beacon.

Needless to say, I'd already let the form of Jian Bing fade, mainly because there was no real point running around as a wanted terrorist for this and partially because it didn't feel right to do so for this. Truthfully, it didn't make much difference as long as I was me, but…regardless.

Not that that meant I was any less on-guard, of course. As I jogged closer to the school, I scanned the surrounding area as thoroughly as possible—meaning, even more than I had the last few times, thanks to improvements to my array of sensory skills. In particular, I kept an eye out for anyone or thing that might be important to Cinder's upcoming plans, carefully scanning the nearby CCT and all the surrounding buildings to make sure I was thoroughly familiar with all of them. There were several weak points that I noticed at once and added to my list of things to make Ozpin deal with. At the same time, however, I paid close attention to the student body and the familiar faces within it.

There were quite a few of them.

The Red Rider

LV 70

Ruby Rose

The Sun That Chases the Night

LV 60

Yang Xiaolong

The Beauty

LV 56

Blake Belladonna

The Loneliest of All

LV 55

Weiss Schnee

The Invincible Girl

LV 68

Pyrrha Nikos

In the Wake of the Storm

LV 60

Nora Valkyrie

The Flowers Blossom, the Fallen Wither

LV55

Lie Ren

I couldn't say I was particularly surprised to see any of them, except perhaps Weiss. Pyrrha had left Mistral for Vale, after all, and I'd promised Ren and Nora that I'd meet them here again. Blake had said she'd attend Vale and I'd known about Ruby and Yang already. I wasn't sure why Weiss was here, seeing as her family was from Atlas, but I'm sure she had her reasons—perhaps her family just had issues like mine did.

Whatever the reason, however, I smiled—a bit happy, a bit sad, and perhaps just a touch resigned. For better or worse, it seemed that Beacon was where all the pieces would come together and where everything would end. The things I was working towards and the things I'd already done all seemed bent on bringing me back to the place I'd dreamt of as a child…and I suppose that was fine. I'd already decided on my path, after all.

Still, seeing them like this, I had to wonder what I should do. I'd come her for a reason, after all, but should I use this chance to check on them? In person, that is—I'd already looked all of them over the make sure they were fine. Leaving aside the matter of Ruby's continued infection, they were, which was good, but…

I had a little time, I decided. And there was no reason not to at least say hi, now that we were all here. Given how late it was, class wasn't likely to be an issue, either, and they were all in one place.

That thought in mind, I entered the school grounds and headed for the library. Maybe I'd even find a nice book to eat.

I met a few people in the halls, but while a few people glanced my way, no one seemed to think I was out of place—because, really, who remembers the entire student body? I only did because I remembered everything and had no choice. Well, even if I said that, it was a bit worrying, because it reminded me how easily Cinder would be able to move when the time came. She'd be an official guest when the Festival came around; I'd just shown up out of the blue with a confident stride and no one stopped me. I reached my destination easily enough, pondering what to do about security all the while.

But when I opened the door, I smiled.

"Hi everybody," I said loud enough for my voice to carry. Despite the fact that we were in a library, no one seemed bothered by it—not that I'd expected them to be. We were in a Hunter Academy; I'm sure everyone here was resigned to loud noises. "I heard I'd find you here."

The various students scattered around the library glanced up at the sound of my voice. Most of them took one look at me and looked away when they didn't recognize me—but a few didn't. Several eyes widened as they looked at me and after a moment, as voice rose in reply.

"Jaune?" Blake asked, seeming stunned by the fact that I'd literally just walked in and greeted her. She hadn't been around me in a while, so the immunity she'd gotten from exposure had probably lapsed. "What are you doing here?"

I walked over to the tables they seemed to be occupying, taking a seat at the corner.

"There's some business I need to take care of," I said with a shrug, glancing around. "But I knew some old friends would be around and I wanted to say hi. It's good to see you again, by the way. Hello, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren."

"Jaune," Pyrrha spoke up next, blinking once at me. "Hello. I…heard you moved to Mistral."

"Yeah," I replied, nodding in agreement. "Family issues, I'm afraid. I'd hoped to see you there, but it seems we just missed each other. Sorry about that—I guess we never got to finish that match."

"It's okay," She assured. "I was just a bit disappointed not to be able to meet a friend again."

"Well, hopefully we'll be able to meet each other more often soon," I answered. "I'm here to talk to Ozpin about some stuff for the Vytal Festival."

"So you'll be competing after all," Ren mused.

"Wouldn't miss it," I said, smiling his way and raising an eyebrow. "You doing okay, Ren?"

He rolled his wrist slightly, nodding at me.

"Just fine," He assured.

"Ren and I are peachy-keen," Nora all but shouted standing up. "I made extra sure of it!"

"That's good to hear, Nora," I said, holding up a hand. She high-fived it with enough force to shatter a normal man's arms. "I was worried. But after everything…"

"I know," She said, expression turning briefly serious. "Family's important."

"It is," I agreed.

"Um," Weiss interrupted, looking simultaneously confused and annoyed as she looked up from her book. "Excuse me, but who are you? And…Blake, do you all know each other."

"I'm as confused as you are," Blake muttered.

"The name's Jaune Arc," I greeted, looking at the girl I'd…taken hostage once, beaten up twice, and antagonized twice. I…really needed to do something about that at some point. "Sorry about that. I don't they know each other, but…well, I kind of get around."

"Oh?" Weiss asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Mhm," I agreed. "Let's see…I think I met Blake first? She and a friend of hers were having some car troubles and were getting harassed, so I gave them a lift. Then I met Pyrrha and she and I had a practice match before the tournament, but something came up and I had to drop out. The video of that got around, though."

"Ah," Weiss said abruptly, blinking at me in surprise as if only now recognizing me.

"As for Ren, Nora, and I…" I continued before pausing. I didn't have to fake my drop in expression, though I did have to actually paste it onto my illusory face. "Well, it's a bit of a sad story, actually, and most of it's personal. But we became friends and I volunteered at the hospital they were at."

Ren and Nora both tried for smiles as the attention in the room turned their way, but they came out fairly bleak.

"That's…informative," Blake lied as she spoke up quickly, refocusing on me quickly. "But why are you here again, Jaune?"

"Like I said, Vytal Tournament stuff," I replied, shrugging dismissively. "Need to talk to Headmaster Ozpin about something or other concerning Haven's attendance. I'm sure the world will end if nobody tells him, but I figure it hasn't blown up yet, so there's enough time to talk with some old friends."

Blake's eyes snapped to my face, widening even as Pyrrha gave a polite laugh. I sent them both a smile and turned my attention to the other side of the table, ignoring the look Ren was sending my way.

"So you're from Mistral?" Ruby asked, speaking up as she looked at me in interest.

"I live there now, at least," I replied. "I used to live here in Vale, though. You're…Blake's friend?"

"Ruby Rose," She introduced herself. "I'm the leader of Team RWBY."

"RWBY," I repeated, tilting my head, mentally replacing the 'U' with a 'W' to account for Weiss. "So you, Blake, and…?"

"Ah," Ruby said with a blink as if suddenly realizing I didn't—or, at least, shouldn't—know several of the people at the table. "This is Weiss and my sister Yang."

"Yo," Yang said as she looked me over carefully.

"A pleasure to meet you," Weiss said politely, also looking me over, but more as if analyzing a future opponent. "You'll be in the Vytal Festival, then?"

"Seems that way," I said with a slight laugh. "What about you?"

"We don't know yet," Ren interrupted smoothly. "We'll compete to qualify next semester."

"Ah, right," I mused as if I hadn't known that. "I forgot that Beacon doesn't have to do that until near the end. In Haven, it's already a big deal because everything needs to be sorted out in time for us to come over in a few months."

"Must be tough," Ruby said, wrinkling her nose. "I bet you guys have a lot of homework to deal with on top of that."

"I manage," I answered with a shrug. "It's not too bad, really. I have some seniors helping me and my team out, too."

"You're team?" Ruby asked, perking up. "Are they here, too?"

"Ah, no," I replied, shaking my head. "It's just me for this. I forgot to mention; I'm the leader of team JAME."

"Jasmine?" She asked.

"Spelt J-A-M-E," I said. "Weird, huh? But they're alright. I got lucky enough to be on a team with a close friend of mine. What about you two?"

I sent that last bit towards Ren, along with a questioning look, and he nodded.

"We're on a team with Pyrrha, actually," He said. "Though I hadn't realized the two of you knew one another."

"Small world, isn't it?" I asked. "I was surprised when I saw all of you. So it's you, Pyrrha, Nora, and…is your fourth member not here?"

"They were here just a bit ago, actually," Pyrrha mused. "But they left in a hurry a few minutes ago."

I didn't quite frown, but the words drew my attention. 'A few minutes ago' wasn't exactly a precise measurement, but…did it have anything to do with my arrival? I quickly scanned the entire school, looking for anyone that seemed out of place, but there was no one there.

"Eh," Yang said with a grunt and a slightly off-put expression. "She's always been a bit odd; that's nothing new."

"Everyone has their own issues to deal with," Pyrrha defended gently, smiling at me. "She's a sweet girl, really, but a bit shy. Perhaps you'll meet her next time?"

"Hopefully," I answered, already deciding to ask Ozpin about it. I didn't want to seem concerned in front of my friends, however, so I looked down at the table and the pages scattered across it, as if just noticing them. "Ah, are you guys working on homework, then? I didn't mean to interrupt."

Ruby and Yang groaned, apparently quite happy with the interruption, which caused Weiss to send them both stern, disapproving looks.

"You're not interrupting anything," Yang replied with a haunted look. "Please stay. We've been here for two hours."

"Putting it off doesn't mean you don't have to do it," Weiss told her. "In fact, putting things off is what got you into this mess in the first place."

"I wasn't putting it off," Yang protested. "I just had other things to worry about. Hell—I literally carried you through the end of the physical exam, Weiss."

Weiss flushed a bit at that, seeming displeased by the reminder, but all she did was mutter about 'lucky hits' and 'shoes.'

I chuckled and smiled, reaching out with a hand to pull Yang's book towards me and spin it around as if I couldn't read upside-down. Not that I needed to, of course; I already memorized this textbook.

"Let's see…" I mused aloud. "Hey, I remember this stuff. Want some help?"

"Please," Ruby said quickly. "Please, please, please, please!"

I laughed at that and glanced at Yang's discarded notebook and pencil, this time dragging them over with thought alone. As the notebook slid across the table, it also snapped open to a blank page, the pencil rising to stand over it and begin writing. I stared at it for a few seconds as it moved quickly over the turning pages, filling them with printed words, and then stopped.

"There," I said. "The book's a little dry, but if you just memorize those bits, you shouldn't have any trouble. I listed all the important stuff, I think, so you should be able to find the answers to your questions."

"Cool," Yang answered, quickly leaning forward to snatch the book up, clutching it close. "You heard him Weiss—we're all but done now, right? Let's take a break."

Weiss silently took the notebook from her hands and began to flip through it, pausing once she reached the new parts.

"This…isn't bad," She admitted. "You're a telekinetic, then?"

She wasn't even hiding her attempts to probe for information, I noted with amusement. Not that there was anything wrong with scoping out the competition, of course.

"Something like that," I answered, sending a smile and a look at Pyrrha when she raised an eyebrow at me, to which she quietly nodded back.

"Oh," Yang pipped up, drawing out the word. "I have an idea. What do you say we ditch this homework and go spar for a bit."

"I didn't say you could take that break, Yang," Weiss cut in sharply. "I promised I'd help you catch up and I am—which means sitting down and actually doing the work."

"But…" Yang nearly whimpered, looking at the notebook she was holding pitifully. "It's a special occasion. Blake's friend from Mistral came all the way here; we should show him a good time. And you want to see him fight, don't you Weiss?"

Weiss looked at her with a deep frown, but didn't say otherwise, which made Yang smile in triumph.

"What do you say, Jaune?" Yang asked, giving me a flirtatious wink. "Wanna go a few rounds?"

I continued to smile as I looked back at her calmly.

I work with your mother, I thought. And your step-mother is my daughter.

"Sorry," I said. "But I actually do need to speak to Ozpin. It'd be fun to fight with you guys, but it'll probably have to wait for the tournament. I'm glad I got to see you all again, though."

"Too bad," Weiss said. "Back to work, Yang."

Yang, for her part, did a pretty good job at looking forsaken.

"Bye, Jaune," Pyrrha said, waving at me kindly. Her words were quickly echoed around the table as I stood up.

"Wait, Jaune," Blake interrupted suddenly, rising along with me. "I need to talk to you about something."

I raised an eyebrow and looked at her teammates before shrugging.

"Sure," I said. "You can walk me to the Headmaster's office, I guess."

Blake barely waited until we were out of the library before speaking again.

"Is something happening?" She asked, expression serious.

"Hm?" I wondered, tilting my head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what are you really doing here," She clarified. "Are you…are you still working with…?"

"I don't work for the White Fang anymore, if that's what you're asking," I said, which was true. Nowadays, it was more like they were working for me. "I actually need to speak to Ozpin about the Vytal Festival."

Blake relaxed a bit at that.

"Really?" She wondered, tone a bit more at ease. "You're a student at Haven? How'd that happen?"

"Ah," I ducked my head slightly, scratching my cheek. "It happened after you left, so it makes sense you wouldn't know, but…my father died."

Blake flinched slightly at that.

"Oh, Jaune," She said. "I'm so sorry."

I smiled at her a bit sadly.

"It's okay," I said. "Seriously. My mom and I just…well, moved to Mistral. It's where most of my family is, you know? And then one thing led to another and I found myself as a student."

"Right," Blake said awkwardly, sighing and shaking her head. She seemed briefly at a loss for words before smiling hesitantly. "You'll be competing in the tournament, then? That seems pretty unfair."

"I know, right?" I replied, laughing a bit. "But you know what else is unfair, Blake? Life."

"Jerk," She returned, smiling more honestly now. "So you're out, then? Like I am?"

I considered that careful before answering.

"Things are different for me now," I said, trying to sound assuring. "Everything changed after my dad died. I'm not saying Jian Bing is gone forever, but I'm not going to do anything I'll regret. What about you, Blake?"

"Me?" She asked, blinking. "What about me?"

"You're happy, right?" I pressed. "Nothing's wrong, is it?"

"No, nothing's wrong," She said, glancing over her shoulder at the library doors. "They're…good. My friends. Things are still weird, sometimes, but…yeah. I'm happy. Are you?"

I smiled at her and nodded.

"Yeah," I said. "Yeah, I am."

We both smiled a little bit at that.

"Thinking about it, I dragged you into all that, didn't I?" Blake wondered aloud, shaking her head. "It's funny how much things change, isn't it?"

"It is," I returned. "But I should still thank you again, Blake—for dragging me into all this. It was fun."

Blake swallowed slightly and nodded.

"Do you…" Blake paused for a second. "If you ever see Adam again, could you…?"

"I'll tell him you're doing well," I assured before nodding my head towards the center of Beacon. "I better go before I get you wrapped up in anything crazy again, though. That's one thing that hasn't changed, by the way."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," She answered, laughing slightly. "I'll see you at the Vytal Festival?"

"Definitely," I promised. "Bye, Blake."

We smiled at each other one last time and went our separate ways again—though this time, I suppose I was the one walking away.

I'm glad you're happy now, Blake. I'll try my best to make sure it lasts.