The two huntsmen stood dumbfounded at everything that had just happened. Jaune's eyes widened as he realized so much had changed in just one month. His impact on people, the new students, and his team's status suddenly changed.

"Jaune."

The blonde snapped to his senses and saw Ren with a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Apparently, Cardin wasn't the only one who saw him freeze up. Ren had a concerned look as well.

Jaune sighed and brushed his friend's hand off. "Yeah," Jaune muttered, putting his hands in his pockets. "It's just been a long day."

Ren nodded and decided to follow him as they returned to their room. Although Ren couldn't help but feel like there was something off about Jaune. As if he had seen a nightmare come back to life. The ninja decided not to push it but would if it continued. Friendly or not, poor leaders hesitate under pressure.

When the two returned to their room, they saw that Team RWBY had left. Pyrrha and Nora were studying and listening to music. Both looked up, surprised to see them so soon.

Jaune smiled at both of them and headed to his bed.

Nora looked at her partner, and he nodded at her while smirking. Nora nodded back and went back to her music.

"Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked as she closed her textbook and saw Jaune was unfastening his shoes.

"Yeah. I had to cool off a bit. Your not-so-secret admirer finally met me as well." Jaune joked and saw the sour look on his partner's face. "Eh, he won't be a problem. Cardin put the fear of Oum into him." A surprised confusion overtook her face, and he laughed. "I know. I was surprised as well. Apparently, there is someone else he hates more than me." The team chuckled at this, and Jaune lay on his bed and sighed in relief.

"I've known Louis since I started my tournament career, and it has been borderline insufferable. Status and sex is all he craves." Pyrrha growled, and Jaune looked back at her.

"I'm surprised he doesn't go for Weiss," Jaune said, and then Pyrrha giggled. "What?" he asked, wondering why Nora was joining in, and Ren did his best not to laugh.

"He did," Nora said, trying to speak between her fits of laughter. "She froze his manhood, and it took a few days before the frostbite went away."

Jaune looked at them wide-eyed, a grin slowly creeping on his face.

"She took blue balls to a whole new level." The room was silent momentarily as the three looked at Ren, who was smirking. The room soon erupted into laughter. Pyrrha propped her elbow on her desk so she couldn't collapse. Nora slammed her hand on the bed, doing her best to breathe, and Jaune was now on the floor howling with laughter. This continued for a few minutes but soon lowered to giggles from the four.

It was then that they heard a buzzing in the room. Jaune's attention turned to his scroll, which was vibrating frantically, and he picked it up while wiping a tear from his eye. His laughter ceased, however, as he saw the caller I.D., and the others noticed this as well. Despite the struggle to stop the laughter, they all became confused as he tossed his scroll at the foot of his bed, ignoring it altogether. Pyrrha was about to ask what was wrong until she saw the I.D. and only saw one word. Dad.

"Jaune," Pyrrha started. "Why aren't you answering it?"

Jaune sighed as he folded his arms and lay back on his bed. "Too tired to deal with it today." He mumbled as he tried to ignore the vibrating of the scroll by his feet.

Pyrrha frowned at this and took a step forward. "Your family, who had been looking for you for a month, should be an exception," Pyrrha remembered when his family came to the school to help search. Despite their worry, she could see the anger in his father's eyes when Ozpin told them about his transcripts, which worried her. His mother didn't seem to care for that and only wanted her son found and possibly back home. His older sisters were also as frantic as their mother and didn't seem to care for his transcripts either. The teams bonded with them and helped search for him all over the city. Jaune's reluctance to answer his scroll was concerning.

"Look, can we just ignore it and call it a day. Enough shit has happened, and I would actually like to sleep well for the first time in a month." Jaune snapped back.

Pyrrha went wide-eyed at this. Just what did he mean by that last part. Whatever it was, she knew it was tied to the scars all over his body. She was about to retort until she noticed that the vibrating stopped.

Jaune sighed, turned over onto his stomach, and began to fall asleep despite it only being 6 PM.

Pyrrha looked up to her teammates and saw the concern on Nora's face and Ren's understanding expression. The champion decided to let it be, and she returned to studying, not without taking a few quick glances at her partner occasionally, wondering what happened to him.

#

As Jaune walked onto the chain elevator platform, the supports broke. "Oh god!" He was sent plummeting into the room below. There were rows and rows of books around him. It must have been a library or something. He caught a glimpse of a black-haired woman in the corner of his eye. He grabbed onto the balcony's edge before hitting the floor. Pulling himself up, he came face to face with the woman, a fearful look in her eye. "Uhh...hello."

She immediately screamed, causing him to lose his balance and fall down. Then she started throwing books at him in self-defense.

"Hey -- ow -- knock it off! Ugh, will you stop it? Will you stop it?!... I'm not here to hurt you."

Elizabeth had run up to him with another book, ready to attack. "Who are you?"

"My name is Jaune. I'm a friend. I've come to get you out of here." He gently placed a hand on her arm to try and lower her book.

Elizabeth pulled back at the touch and reared back to strike again. "Get away."

Jaune grabbed her hand and held both it and the book in place. He didn't do anything else, hoping the pause would calm her down.

She quit resisting after a few moments. Taking a few breaths, a hand with no pinky reached up to his face. "Are you real?"

Jaune sighed. "I'd hope so. Then again, this past week has felt surreal in of itself."

A weird whistle alarm sounded from a statue.

She started pushing him to another part of the room. "He's coming...y-you've gotta go."

"Who's coming? Why?"

"You don't wanna be here when he gets here." She yelled at the hole Jaune fell from. "Just a minute! I'm getting dressed!"

Jaune put his hands up. "I can get you outta here."

"There's no way out. Trust me, I've looked." She yelled at the ceiling again. "Stop it! You're too impatient! That's enough!"

The ceiling started to shake. Jaune didn't know what to think, but it was big. Jaune momentarily looked at the large metal door and realized it resembled the key the twins had given him. He searched through his pockets and smirked when he found it. He held up the key to her. "W-what about this?"

Elizabeth glanced at it. "What about it?"

"This should unlock the door, right?

Elizabeth took a closer look at it. "W-what are you...? Give it to me!"

Jaune complied as both ran to the door.

A weird chirping noise rang out as Liz tried out the key. Upon turning the key in the slot, the door opened. The woman's face filled with pure relief and excitement. "We have a way out! Come on, this way!"

Jaune followed suit, and the entire building shook. They ran down the stairs and through the scaffolding inside the tower.

Elizabeth led the way. "It's his job to keep me locked up in here!"

"We'll see about that!"

"Who are you? Why did you come here?"

Before Jaune could answer, the wall exploded.

"This way, come on!"

Jaune fell to the floor as massive claws ripped through the statue's outer shell. "SWEET OUM ALMIGHTY!"

The girl helped him back to his feet as they headed to the exit. "HURRY!" she hollered over the pandemonium collapsing around them.

He knew they were close. "Call the elevator!"

Elizabeth kept running. "What?"

Jaune dodged a falling beam. "The hell is that thing?!" After a few minutes of running, they finally reached the elevator. "Press the button!"

She complied. As they anxiously waited, the girl turned around to see the observation windows Jaune had passed by earlier, and her eyes widened. "What is all this?"

Jaune was about to say something until she continued on.

"They were watching me? All this time... Why? Why did they put me in here?:" She turned to him.

Jaune didn't know the motivation behind this disturbing experimentation, so he nervously shrugged.

"What am I? What am I?!"

"You're the girl who's getting out of this tower."

They felt a massive quake in the tower and almost lost balance. The elevator doors ripped open due to an enormous metal claw.

Jaune's eyes widened at the massive head and glowing eye. The mechanical bird let out an ear-piercing squeal and tried to get inside. Jaune readied his machine gun and aimed at the mechanical monstrosity. He was about to open fire until he saw the elevator plummet down on the thing that was inches away from grabbing him. It struggled against the cramped space, and the added weight only hindered its chances of killing them. He unloaded a few shots into it and heard it screech slightly in pain. The elevator's weight gave way, and whatever that thing was, it soon crashed down with burning debris.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Jaune screamed over the destruction. The girl seemed to ignore his frantic outburst and only gestured for him to follow her down the destroyed scaffolding. We have to keep moving! He's tearing the building apart!

Jaune was in a daze and wasn't sure what to think. First, he gets knocked out by two really freaky twins, wakes up in a garden that leads him to a CITY IN THE SKY, finds out that said city is full of complete nutjobs more racist than the SDC, has to fight and kill Oum knows how many people, and now escaping a tower that housed a girl who was guarded by something he never wanted to see again. All he wanted to do now was wake up from whatever twisted nightmare this was.

"Be careful!" They kept running.

"Hurry! There's a door up here!"

"HELP ME OPEN THIS!" he heard her say. She was struggling with one of the doors, and he nodded. Now wasn't the time for a mental breakdown. Hopefully, he would live through this and have one later. Jaune channeled some of his aura into his hands and opened the door. They both felt the rush of wind slam into them, and they began their struggle up the tower.

"Which way?!" she asked.

"UP!" he replied over the extreme winds. As they reached the top, however, the tower shook one last time, and they both felt the floor give way and slowly fall off.

HOOOOLLLLY SHIIIIIT!" Jaune screamed. He could hear the terrified screams coming from the girl now in front of him. He reached out to her and grasped her hand tightly. They began to freefall, and before Jaune could close his eyes and accept his fate, he saw a skyrail beneath them. His eyes widened, and he pulled out the sky hook he stole from the first guard he killed. He saw the hooks rotating rapidly and prayed to any entity that would listen to him that he would survive this.

The hooks connected with the rail, and his aura absorbed most of the shock. Jaune grunted in pain as he nearly felt his arms rip from his sockets. However, he still held the girl tightly, who was using both hands to latch on to him. They traveled along the Skyrail, both hearts pounding out of control, and they only seemed to skyrocket when they heard the familiar screech from whatever was at the tower. Jaunes eyes widened as he saw a beast with massive wings soar past them.

"WHAT IS THAT THING!" Jaune screamed as he had seen Nevermore before, but nothing like this. This was a whole new level of insanity. Jaune looked around some more, trying to find any place they could jump down. He saw a small docking bay and sighed with relief. It was only about a few dozen meters away, and all he had to do was hold on for a little longer.

That is until the flying monster crashed through the sky rail that he was about to come to.

"Son of a BIIIIIIITTTTTCCHHH!" Jaune screamed as he and the girl once again plummeted to the ground below. Jaune muted the noises from around and put his arms out before him, bracing for the impact.

#

"AAGH!" Jaune gasped as he held his hands out in front of him. His breathing was rapid, and his head darted all around his surroundings. He wasn't in Columbia anymore. He was in his dorm room with his team, who were all still asleep. His heart still pounded, and he put his hand on his head.

"What the fuck?" Jaune whispered to himself. His mind clamped shut as if in a vice, and he shook his head. He needed a drink, and he needed one now. He put on a red long-sleeve shirt and some of his newer pajamas and bottoms and silently headed into the hallway.

Jaune snuck past some of the school security and, after a few minutes, made it to the mess hall. He headed to the kitchen and saw the liquor cabinet in the back pantry. Only a padlock kept it secure, and he chuckled at this.

"If I learned one thing back in Columbia, every skill matters." He took out a lockpick. After a few seconds of fiddling with the lock, he heard the familiar and satisfying click. Jaune opened the cabinet and studied the brands in front of him.

"Lady Nevermore, huh." He saw this brand back at the bar he went to after returning to Remnant but didn't have any of it because it was too expensive. He shrugged his shoulders and poured himself a glass. He downed the dark liquid in moments, and he nearly coughed.

"Toughest shit I've drank in a while," Jaune muttered. "Oh, I'm keeping you." He poured himself another glass. After downing the second drink, he washed his glass and returned to his room, never noticing the fiery mop of hair that contrasted with the moonlight.

#

The mess hall was booming now, with students who were excited for their first day of the weekend and were now taking care of breakfast. RWBY and (J)NPR sat across from each other. Little conversation was had until they saw Jaune enter the mess hall. They were surprised to see that he kept his vest and red sash combo and not his traditional hoodie that they were so used to.

"Hey, guys." Jaune sat down. They replied with silent nods or cheerful gestures, and he smiled.

"Sleep well last night?" asked Yang.

He took a relieved breath. "Better than I had while I was gone."

On the side, Nora frowned.

He shook his head and ignored it. "It's good to be back." Before he could say more, he heard the doors to the mess hall slam open.

"JAUNE MILES ARC!" the students went silent as they heard the massive voice boom throughout the mess hall. RWBY and NPR looked at a blonde with a blank expression.

They then looked to the entrance to see a massive man with a blonde mane trailing down his shoulders. He had a goatee and was dawning white armor that covered his upper body. A massive greatsword strapped to his back. The man scanned the room and focused on where they were sitting. He made his way to them, and each step he took had a sense of pride and purpose. Perhaps a little too much pride. The man stood over Jaune, and the huntsmen in training only sighed.

"And the day was going so well, too," Jaune muttered as he stood up and looked slightly up to make eye contact with the man in front of him. "Dad." Everyone at the table went wide-eyed. Silence filled the entire room, and students were unsure what to do. The man in front of Jaune was about to say something. Pyrrha saw his fist shaking as well.

That was when the doors slammed open again, and seven women appeared this time. They all fixed in on the two blondes standing up, and Jaune's team saw him go wide-eyed. The woman in the center of the group, who was the oldest, had the same expression that Jaune had. She wore a yellow sundress and had her brunette hair in a ponytail. Her tan skin reflected off the light coming through the front doors, and they noticed tears in her eyes. "JAUNE!" She rushed to where he was and glomped the huntsman in training, sobbing. The tears streaming down Jaune's face really stood out to Pyrrha.

"Hey, mom," he said in a shaky voice.

She pulled away from the hug for a few moments to get a good look at her son, and she was impressed with how handsome he looked in his new attire. "We lost you," she said, pulling him back into a tighter hug.

"I came back," he replied with a stifled laugh.

"And apparently ignored my calls," Jaune's father said sternly. Jaune's eyes snapped open, and he stood up. His father's eyes were focused on him, and his arms were folded.

"I was hoping to settle back in before talking." Jaune retorted with the same glare his father had.

More footsteps came their way. "Parents are expected to care about their children, Mr. Arc."

Everyone's attention was on Headmaster Ozpin with his signature coffee mug and cane in his hands.

Glynda was at his side, and she nodded.

Jaune's mother got up and looked at the headmaster confusedly.

"It's good to see you again, Maria. You as well, Alexander."

Alexander Arc nodded at this, and Maria was about to ask something before Ozpin raised his hand.

"He just came back yesterday. We can talk about this in my office, Jaune." He called out, which caught his attention. You may bring your team as well. If JNPR allows it, Team RWBY is welcome to come along as well." Jaune nodded at this and gestured his team to Team RWBY for their opinion. They didn't object. Everyone at his table stood up. He chuckled at this and gestured them to follow.

#

The ride to Ozpin's office could be described as cramped and uncomfortable. As the doors opened, Jaune let out a sigh of relief. He and his team emerged, along with the headmaster and his parents. RWBY and his sisters were the second group coming up to the office.

When everyone filed into the massive room, Ozpin sat at his table.

"Now, Jaune. As you can see, your family had recently received the news of your return."

Alexander scoffed. "I discovered his return yesterday from a video of him fighting his partner."

Ozpin nodded at this.

Jaune refused to acknowledge the man next to him.

"I tried calling him, and instead of being out of service, he refused to pick it up. So, I decided we head over to see him ourselves."

Maria looked at Jaune in shock and then looked back at Ozpin. "How long has he been back?"

Ozpin leaned forward and set his sights on Jaune.

"Mr. Arc came into my office a few days ago. However, I don't know how long he has been in Vale before returning to Beacon. Only he can answer that."

All eyes were now on Jaune, waiting for his answer.

His arms were folded, and he had a look on his face that showed he was contemplating what he would say next. "I've been in Vale for a week before returning to Beacon." He then turned to his partner, who was shocked at this revelation. "I ended up stopping a bar fight."

Her eyes widened, and Jaune could see the shock on everyone.

"Jaune," he heard his mom say in a somewhat cold voice. "You better have a good reason for not contacting any of us." The temperature in the room dropped as she said this, and Jaune looked back at her, hollow.

"I needed time alone. It was hard coming back from where I've been. I needed time to decompress."

Maria didn't like that answer.

Jaune slumped in his seat. "It wasn't easy, Mom. I'm really trying here. I'm not exactly in the best state of mind right now."

"Is that why you went out last night?" All eyes were on Nora Valkyrie. Jaune raised a brow and nodded.

His teammate folded her arms at this. "I followed you to the kitchen and saw you sneak some alcohol."

Jaune was in brief shock before staring at the floor. He felt every looking at him, ranging from shock and concern from his friends and siblings to anger from his parents.

"Could use another one right now."

#

A/N: Special thanks to Jebest4781, Charles, and Seana!

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