Oobleck's training was a vast amount of theoretical knowledge combined with aura control exercises. Having had no real training before Beacon, they were all new to him and his control was terrible. It included tasks like moving aura to his right hand and only his right hand, then bringing it through his body to his left hand. He jumped up and down and alternating his aura between his feet on each hop, and even had to try and swing his aura from his toes to his head and back down again over and over, like he was making it wave.

He didn't manage any of them, but Oobleck told him to keep practicing at least once a day, and that it would get easier over time. The idea was that if he could control his aura in so specific a way, then he should be able to control his Semblance. Aura and Semblances might be two different things, but they were quite obviously interwoven, and it was his aura he was spending while he was in a person's dreams.

It was something Oobleck told him he could ask for help for, and both Pyrrha and Ren were happy to teach him. Nora offered to but got bored ten minutes into it. The other two were both patient teachers, and happy to help out, and soon Jaune was spending his time after classes balancing a knife on one finger, using his aura to keep it in place and from harming him, while he tried to match the number of fingers Pyrrha was holding up with his other hand, and push aura to just those fingers.

"This is impossible!"

"For now, maybe," said Pyrrha, smiling patiently. "But you've only just started. No one gets this for the first week."

"Did you?"

"Jaune, I wasn't born a championship fighter. Even I had to start and struggle with the basics."

"Renny got it straight away," boasted Nora.

"Renny had to," replied Ren, voice flat. "Because, otherwise, we'd have died to the Grimm in that forest. I don't think it's a fair comparison, Nora."

It should have been a moment of silence, or a dumping of trauma, but Nora picked up and flung a pillow at her crush, and he caught it, only to be blindsided by the second. Pyrrha laughed, and Jaune did as well, losing control and making the knife bounce off his finger to the floor. It didn't hurt much.

"Guys, come on. How am I supposed to concentrate with you two doing this?"

"Are you going to ask the Grimm to let you concentrate as well?" teased Nora.

"No, but I was under the impression I'm supposed to be walking before I can run, hence why I was doing this without distractions."

"Hence," moaned Nora. "Renny, he's been corrupted by Weiss. He's saying fancy words again."

Jaune wasn't afraid to give as good as he got and was about to start teasing Nora back when a heavy knock came at the door. Pyrrha, being the closest, moved to open it. They weren't expecting anyone, but it could have been someone from Team RWBY wanting to hang out or host another inter-team video game tournament.

It wasn't. It was Ozpin.

"Sir," said Pyrrha, surprised.

"Miss Nikos. Is Mr Arc present? I need to talk to him." Pyrrha stepped aside and let the headmaster in. He didn't look too bothered by the state of the room, and instead looked straight at Jaune. "You need to come with me."

Jaune's stomach dropped.

"Why? Has General Ironwood really-"

"It's not about him. It is..." He took a deep breath and seemed to age before their eyes. Ozpin's hands clutched the head of his cane tightly. "It is about your family. The one in critical care. Her condition has worsened." His eyes closed. "Badly. I do not believe she has much time left."

Amber.

Jaune was on his feet before he could think. Pyrrha had her hands over her mouth, and Nora and Ren were quiet, not knowing what to do or say. There was nothing they really could. Jaune pulled on his uniform jacket, over his pyjamas, and shoved his feet into his trainers, quickly leaving with the headmaster while his team stood by helplessly.

"What's happened?" asked Jaune, once they were on their way to the elevator. "What went wrong? Did I do this? Did I make it worse?"

"I don't know." Ozpin pushed the button for the elevator. His voice was hoarse. "Amber was stable and then... This was always a possibility, and I don't think you had any hand in it. The technology we used was only ever prolonging the inevitable. Amber was dying when she came to us, and we've delayed it this far, but we could not find a cure." They stepped into the elevator and rode it down. "Mr Arc, I'm bringing you along for more than just a chance to say goodbye. You recognise that, correct?"

"Yes. You want me to enter her dreams and watch her relive her last moments. Find the ones who did this to her."

"That's correct. I understand this is perhaps cruel of me. I understand I've put upon you a terrible burden, to grow close to someone on death's door. If not for me forcing this, you would not feel any of the grief you do now-"

"Sir, I entered Amber's dreams before you introduced me to her." Jaune felt exhausted, emotionally as well as physically, but he wouldn't let Ozpin blame himself for this. "You didn't cause this. You don't need to blame yourself."

The man's breath rattled out. "Thank you, but, even so, I apologise for making you enter her dreams repeatedly, and for what you will no doubt see her."

Her final moments.

And then, her death. Jaune grunted his understanding, eyes closed, stomach riding down with the elevator. Amber had been a stranger to him at first, but it didn't feel like that now. She felt like a friend. To her, it was probably more. He only ever stayed in her dreams for a couple of hours every few days, but she continued to dream about him as if he was a lifelong companion on her journey. He was probably her best friend, her only friend, and he'd be damned if he wasn't there at the end for her.

He just wished he could save her.

"Is there nothing we can do?"

"I've exhausted every option," said Ozpin. "I've called in the best doctors, the most healing-oriented Semblances, and consulted the finest minds when it comes to medicine. Howsoever Amber was left like this, it was not by normal means. She has wounds from arrows that have fully healed, and those should not be killing her. We've been unable to even understand what is killing her."

The door pinged open. They marched out in unison. To Jaune's distaste, General Ironwood was there, working at the machine. At least he knew this was serious, because he looked up but didn't make any threats about arrest.

"I've brought him. Mr Arc will attempt to enter her dreams."

"I thought it was random chance," said Ironwood.

"It's early enough in the evening that very few people will be asleep. If it does go wrong then it will be no one's fault, but we shall make the attempt either way."

Jaune ignored them and moved to the pod housing Amber. She looked at peace, but the various monitoring machines were beeping angrily, and her heart rate was much higher than it usually was. At almost 170bpm. That wasn't common for a huntress in good physical shape. Other screens, which he couldn't fully understand, showed massively wavering lines and peaks that jumped up and down.

"That's mental activity," said Ozpin. "Brainwaves. They're often like this when a person is dreaming, but the extremes are much higher than Amber normally experiences. We believe she is approaching her final moments. Even if she does not understand that, her body does. It is replaying the terror she felt at that time and turning it against her."

Jaune placed a hand against the glass. "Amber..."

"We should start quickly." There was a cloth laid out on the stone floor that he ushered Jaune over to. "Will you need assistance sleeping, Mr Arc? I brought down some tranquilisers just in case."

"Yes, please." Jaune laid down on his back and rolled his sleeve up. "Do what you have to."

Ozpin returned with a big needle and a tired, frail smile. "Thank you for this. And remember, we need to know who dealt the final blow. That is your mission." The needle pushed into his skin, and Jaune lowered his aura to let it in. "Good luck."

/-/

He was alone in a dark forest.

Doubts of this being the right dream invaded his mind, leaving him in horror at the thought of missing Amber's final moments – not because it would mean letting her killers escape, but because it would mean having failed to be there to comfort her. He didn't think he would be able to forgive himself if that happened.

It was nighttime in the forest and thunder was in the sky, crackling and booming ominously. Long shadows reached out for him and the trees were thick and interwoven, tangled together to form threatening shapes. If this was Amber's dream, then it didn't take much psychological theory to understand why it was taking such a grim tone. She might not understand what was about to happen, but her subconscious did.

Jaune cupped his hands over his mouth. "AMBER!" he shouted. "AMBERRR!"

No answer other than the booming thunder that drowned his voice out. Snarling, Jaune expended a little aura to make his voice inhumanly loud.

"AMBERRR!"

He wasn't sure if she heard him, but he certainly didn't hear her. Then again, her voice might be lost in the storm just as his had been. Despite all the noise and the misery, there was no rain at all, and the path was solid dirt as he trudged down it. The air was still and quiet, and that only made it all seem that much worse. A few leaves rustling in the wind would have been a welcome relief.

"Ambeerrrr!" he continued to shout. "Amber! Amber, it's me! It's Jaune! Talk to me!"

"I never wanted this power."

Her voice reached him. "Amber?"

"You didn't tell me it would isolate me like this! You didn't tell me I'd forever be alone!"

"Amber, where are you?" he cried. "Amber, you're not alone!"

"You want me to stay locked in this house, to never leave and never be able to see the world. That's not fair. I want to travel, I want to experience things, I want to meet people. I want to make real friends who won't abandon me just because I'm not useful to them anymore!"

Jaune kept running, but the path felt endless. It was like he wasn't making progress. "Amber!"

"I want to leave. I don't want to here. Can't someone save me?"

Moonlight broke through the canopy overhead, and Jaune heard Amber gasp.

"Who is he-? He looks stupid. And lost. But, wait, he can break the bars on the windows? Ha-? I'm... I'm free? Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'll never forget this! Not in a million years!"

The bars. Wasn't that his first time in her dream-? No. No, no, no, she was reliving her life again. This new life he'd put in her head. It was happening. It was all happening too fast. Jaune sprinted on, determined to catch up with her.

"Mistral is nice, but I'm on my own still. So much for making friends. Ha—This is all so boring. Huh-? Wait, isn't that the guy? No, I must be seeing things. No, wait, it is!" Amber's voice rose in an excited pitch. "Okay, play it cool Amber, just introduce yourself, give him your name, get his, and ask him if he wants to travel together for a bit. You've got this. You can do this."

Jaune let out a ragged laugh among his frustration. "Damn it, Amber..."

"Jaune, huh? Kind of a lame name. But he's okay. Wait, he actually said yes? He'll travel—Okay, don't overreact. Don't overreact and scare him off! DAMN IT, GIRL, YOU OVERREACTED. Arghhhh! Kill me now! Kill meee!"

Jaune's breath echoed in his ears.

"It's not so lonely now. Even if it's just someone to come out the room opposite mine, or sit with me at breakfast, it feels different. It's nice knowing someone will be there. Jaune is fun. He listens. He keeps me company. But he'll leave eventually, won't he? I don't want him to go. I don't want to be alone again."

Another shaft of moonlight pierced through the darkness.

"He hasn't left yet. Why hasn't he left? Could it... Could it be that he likes travelling with me as well? Could that be it? Is he happy wandering around Remnant with a random person like me? How do I ask that? How do I ask him without coming across creepy?"

"I liked it!" shouted Jaune. "It was fun!"

"Eh? He likes it." Amber reached to the words he'd just said, and Jaune's heart skipped a beat. He must have been getting closer. "O—Okay, girl. Calm down. He likes hanging out with us. That's fine. There's nothing weird about that. There's no need to- oh my goodness he likes hanging around with us and wants to keep travelling with us. Yesyesyesyesyes. Ask him if he wants to go to Vacuo. Let's party at one of those casinos."

The memories were catching up with him. That was bad.

"Jackpot! Seriously!? Ahhhh! Jaune is the luckiest charm ever. Oh, my lord, we're rich. What do we do? What do we- wait, that resort, but no way, it's for couples! No, wait, he doesn't know that. Ask him now. Ask him while he's stunned. Strike while the iron is hot and dumb and doesn't realise!" There was a pause, and then, "He said yes! Ahhh, everything is too perfect. Screw you, Ozpin. Screw you and your maiden powers. This is my life. I can be happy!"

And then her voice became quiet. Nervous.

"Where am I? Where's Jaune? Why am I alone again? No, wait, wasn't I always alone? Who is Jaune? I don't like this forest. Something is wrong. Help me, Jaune. Who is Jaune? I... I'm confused. I'm scared. My chest hurts."

The shadows closed in and Jaune picked up his pace, breaking into a sprint. Time was limited, and he had to find her. He couldn't fail now. The world closed in around him but he kept running, using his aura to reach speeds no human other than Ruby ever could. He was a blur tearing through the forest, the world racing by as he ended up on what felt like a never-ending path.

Maybe it was.

Maybe this was to be his nightmare forever stranded on a path that would never end, unable to reach the person who needed him most. Jaune's heartrate sparked higher than Amber's, and he felt his aura surged.

"No!" he roared, grasping at the world around him with metaphorical hands. The trees bent and buckled under his grasp. "Take me to her! NOW!"

The world went white.

And then, almost so sudden that he slammed into her, he was behind Amber. He felt tired, and he knew he'd expended a lot of aura to change the reality of the dream, but it didn't matter. He snaked his arms around her stomach and pressed against her back, feeling her jump in fright. Her head snapped back, banging into his chest, but it was enough for her to see him and sag in relief.

"Jaune! Hell, you scared the crap out of me!" Her hands came over his but didn't force him to let go. Not that he would have. "Where have you been? I lost you! I thought you'd-" Her eyes widened. "Are... Are you crying...?"

"I'm sorry," he babbled, losing control for a moment. He pressed his face into the back of her neck. "I thought I'd lost you forever."

"G-Geez," said Amber, flushing bright red. "And I thought I was freaking out. You big dummy, I'm right here." She giggled and leaned against him. "And I'm glad you caught up. This place is freaky. I don't know what it is, but it's freaking me out. I can't think straight."

It's the place of your death, Amber...

"I'll be there with you," he said. "Whatever happens. I'll be there."

"I know. I know. You've always been there." Amber gently stepped out of his hold, but she didn't let go of him. Her hand clung to his right arm, keeping him in hand. "I don't know where we are, Jaune. In Vale, I think, but... I don't really remember how we got here. Where were we going? We left the resort in Vacuo, but I can't remember what we were doing here."

That was probably because her real memories of the past were conflicting with the fake ones he'd planted. Amber had probably never been to the resort in Vacuo and had just dreamed it up after he used his aura to simulate her winning the jackpot in a casino. This was her life flashing before her eyes, but he'd changed bits of it. Made them better. It was no wonder she was feeling confused toward the end.

"We were on our way to Vale for the festival," said Jaune.

"Oh, right. Yeah. I remember." Amber accepted the first thing he said as fact. "But we should have stayed in that inn we stopped at. I can't believe I pushed us to keep moving. Idiot, Amber. Idiot. We could be sitting around with a drink and a warm meal right now."

Was that a last regret from her normal life as well? It must have been easy, in her final moments to regret being there. He imagined everyone felt that way, and could look back and say, "if only I didn't do this, then I wouldn't be dying right now". Jaune walked with her, toward the end, and prepared himself for something he knew he didn't want to see.

"Something is wrong," she whispered, and stopped. "I... I don't want to keep going..."

"Amber?"

"I want to turn back!" she said, almost begging. "L-Let's go back."

Ahead of them, Jaune could see the end of the path. There was a tree, a small shape, and a red object. It looked like an apple. Amber shook her head however, stumbling away from it and bumping her back into him. Then, she twisted, latching onto him and burying her face in his chest.

"Don't make me, Jaune!" she cried, voice rising. "I don't want to go on! I don't want to go! I don't want to see- I don't... Why am I afraid? I... I don't understand." She was crying against him now, her fingers digging into his shirt. "I don't want to."

Jaune stood there, frozen. Ahead of him, the tableau remained perfectly still, waiting for Amber's presence before it played out. He couldn't make out any detail of the person holding the apple because of all the shadows, but he knew they were involved. Ozpin and Ironwood both wanted to know who that was, and if he could just steer Amber toward it then he'd be able to find out.

"Amber..."

"Please," she begged him, her voice cracking. "Take me away. Save me, Jaune."

"Amber-"

"Don't let me die."

Jaune choked.

And his aura exploded out of him.

It burned white-hot, searing out in every direction and smashing the trees away. Everything went, every tree, every blade of grass, ever spec of dirt, annihilated in a wave of blinding white light. The storms above were shoved back, thrown to the horizon to reveal a starry night sky with the shattered moon hanging bright in it.

Under their feet, a carpet of white flowers burst into bloom and spread out for a hundred metres in every direction, thick and lush and soft. The thunder was muted, and a gentle breeze sprung up, rustling through the flowers and the tall grass, and over their bodies. Amber shuddered, looking up at him with teary eyes, and then around at their new surroundings.

"W-What...?"

"I took you away," said Jaune. "You asked me to. Remember? I carried you out of there."

"I... Yes, I..." Amber's legs gave way and she slumped down. He kept hold of her, kneeling to support her to the soft grass. "I-I guess that's why my legs have stopped working. I... I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I just... I..." Amber took a deep breath. Fought for it. Her brows crossed. "My chest feels tight."

His too.

Jaune gently sat down beside her. "You're just tired," he said, lying again. Lying like he always did. "You had a panic attack back there. Don't worry about it. Don't think about it." He could see her growing tired, and he heard a noise up in the sky.

Beep... beep.... Beep....

"What's that?" asked Amber, drowsily.

"It's my scroll complaining about the lack of battery. Ignore it." He laid her down, and then laid next to her, on his side. "Hey," he said, watching her eyes slide over to him. "Are you happy with how things went?"

Amber blinked. "Hm?"

"With me accompanying you," he explained. "Our journey together. Did... Did you enjoy it?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"An important one."

Amber giggled sleepily. "Of course I did. You're my best friend. I was so lonely before you showed up. I... I'm glad you came with me. All this time." Amber rolled onto her side to snuggle up to him. "Do you remember in Vacuo?" she whispered. "Do you remember when we got drunk and skinny-dipped in the hotel pool, and they caught us and told us off?"

He didn't.

It had never happened.

Not in his dream, nor in real life, but only in the dreams she had while he lived his life up above in Beacon. The story Amber was telling was one she'd imagined up on her own, and yet he gripped her hand and laughed.

"I remember it," he lied. "It was embarrassing."

"Hey. You're the one who took your pants off first, mister!"

Beep...

Beep....

Beep...

"I guess I was. But you didn't have to join in."

"And admit defeat?" Amber smiled weakly at him. "Not a chance. But, that night, it was fun. I don't think I've ever laughed so loud. I don't think I could have ever felt that way without you there. I wanted to travel and see the world, but it would have been so lonely on my own. I think I would have hated it."

He wished someone could have been there on her journey. Him, or anyone else. Someone to keep her company and share in the good and bad moments. Instead, all she got was a fake hallucination of it all, while she slowly died.

"You're crying again, Jaune..."

"Sorry. I guess I'm getting emotional."

Beep...

Beep.....

"Maybe we should talk about something else then," she said. "Like the future." He choked up even harder. "What shall we do when we get to Vale?"

"Anything you want," he promised. "Let's... Let's go wild. Let's eat at every restaurant, drink at every bar, visit every show and make a huge ruckus at the festival. Let's make the kind of memories that can never be forgotten."

Amber stared at him, mouth agape, and then laughed. "Jaune, what the hell!? You're not normally this crazy. Sheesh. Hah. Ozpin would lose his mind if he saw me doing that. I'm kinda tempted now. T-Though, you know," stammered Amber, glancing up at the starry sky. "M-Maybe if we're already going out to eat together, we could make it... you know..." Her voice dipped. "A date...?

Jaune's eyes widened. "Amber...?"

"I was just thinking the other day how happy I am having you around," she babbled. "And I don't want to risk that and lose it all, but I've had so much fun, and there's no other guy I know – no other person I'm this close to – and if you don't want to, that's fine and we can just be friends but I think I-"

"Yes. Let's go on a date."

Beep...

Beep.....

"R-Really? A proper date? A... A ro... you know..."

"A romantic date," he said, for her sake. "Just you and me, a candle-lit dinner." He took her hand and weaved their fingers together. "I would be honoured to, Amber. I'd be honoured to go out with you. And more." He was choking up and running out of time. He could feel the meadow of flowers fading away at the edges. "Let's get married."

"Eh!?" Amber's eyes grew huge. "J-Jaune! That's too soon! There's an order to these things! We haven't even said we love-"

"I love you, Amber."

Her breath stuttered, and her face burned bright red. Her eyes were watering, too. "You idiot," she whispered. "I love you too, b-but there's still a proper order." She lay on her back, eyes shining with happiness, and her arms and hands came up for him. "You have to kiss me first."

Beep...

Beep.....

"Of course."

Jaune leaned over her, feeling her arms wrap around him. The darkness was coming in fast, but she closed her eyes, smiled, and then pursed her lips, waiting for him. He did the same, tilting his head and leaning down.

He could taste her warm breath.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeee-

Jaune's lips touched the cold, stone floor of Beacon's basement.

And, thus, Amber dies, but at least she wasn't alone at the end.

Yeah, she died sooner than canon here. I'm sure some will wonder if Jaune's presence in her head didn't speed things up or allow her to accept her death sooner, and whether that's good or bad for the world of Remnant. I'll just point out that neither he, Ozpin or Ironwood would have any reason to believe that, as to them it'd just seem like Amber passed away.

And yes, this means the maiden power will have jumped to Cinder. We'll see how well she can control having a piece of Amber's soul in her with Jaune dream hopping around.