His team were naturally worried about his wellbeing when Jaune arrived at breakfast to see them and Team RWBY sat together. It wasn't unexpected, and he was quick to assure them he was fine. "They ran some tests on me and found my aura hadn't recovered properly. It should be fixed now, but they think I might have been sick. I've got to keep an eye on it and take breaks if my aura stays low."

He expected it to stay at that, but obviously his team were more concerned and pried into what exactly had been said. Keeping the ruse up wasn't easy, though he could luckily invoke Oobleck's name and the sick letter he'd been given as proof. It was only when he fully convinced them it might just be a bug or virus that they let it go. Aura helped protect and heal the body, and it could be used to bolster the immune system as well. That was normally something that happened in the background, or so Oobleck had said, but there were cases where it could leave an obvious dip in someone's aura.

It wasn't until combat class with Miss Goodwitch that it was brought up again. Instead of fighting one bout at a time for her to critique, they'd been assigned partners and left to spar against one another while the teacher came around and offered individual advice. Jaune's partner for the day turned out to be Yang, who grinned menacingly at him when they were selected, and then preceded to treat him with kiddie gloves for the first time in... well, forever. Yang loved a good fight and regularly trounced whoever she was put up against, but after ten minutes he was still on his feet, and she'd barely chipped his aura.

"You're going easy on me."

Yang didn't deny it. "Noticed, did you?"

"I mean, I'm still standing. That's not normal."

"That's not true. You've been getting a whole lot better since Pyrrha started teaching you."

It was kind of her to say – uncharacteristically kind. Yang wasn't cruel by any means, but she'd always saw him as a friend of her sister more than a friend of her own, and that meant he got winks and waves in public, but that they didn't interact all that much. Occasionally, she would tease him over Weiss, but this was the first time she'd ever complimented him.

"You're acting... different... Yang."

"Yeah?" Yang looked away, thumbed her nose and laughed awkwardly. There was the faintest dusting of pink on her cheeks, though he figured she was more embarrassed to have been called out than by anything else. "You ever think I didn't want the fact I beat up a sick guy weighing on my mind?"

"I was under the weather, Yang. I'm not on my deathbed."

"I still don't think you should be training today then." Yang suddenly dropped her stance and raised her hand. "Miss G!"

Jaune winced. "Yang, what are you-?"

"How many times do I have to remind you my name is Goodwitch, not Miss G or G-to-the-G, or whatever other idiotic moniker you try to fit me with?" The teacher sighed dramatically. "What is the issue, Miss Xiao-Long?"

"Nothing," tried Jaune.

"Jaune was sick yesterday and spent the night in the infirmary because his aura hadn't recovered properly." Yang, of all people, was tattling on him. Jaune could hardly believe it.

Miss Goodwitch faced him down. "Is this true, Mr Arc?"

"I... uh... well..." He winced. "It was actually the day before, and my aura was so low I had trouble staying awake yesterday. Doctor Oobleck said it was fine today, so I shouldn't-"

"Yesterday." Glynda's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying you passed out in my lesson?"

"Kind of?"

Her eyes closed. Her hand came up to her face and she sighed angrily into it. "Mr Arc, in future when I give you a detention for a misdemeanour that is caused by ill-health, say so. I would not have saddled you with detention if I had known you were exhausted because of sickness or low aura. There is a marked difference between falling asleep in class and passing out due to illness."

"I'm sorry." His apology was automatic. "But I didn't know it was that until Doctor Oobleck took a look at me. It was actually your advice that saw me going to him in the first place. I'd have said I was sick if I knew."

"Hmm. And I assume I can ask Doctor Oobleck about this?"

To check he wasn't lying. Jaune nodded. "Yes. I mean, he gave me a note-"

"And you did not think to show me it before lessons started?" There was an edge to her voice now, and even Yang winced. "Idiots. All of you. In future, Mr Arc, you are to make me aware of any sickness immediately. Combat training is no joke and you could have been badly injured. Miss Xiao-Long, well done on bringing this to my attention. Take Mr Arc to the changing rooms. He will be sitting out the rest of today's training."

They didn't actually go get changed since they hadn't worked up much of a sweat, but Yang made him sit on a bench by the walls and took the spot next to him. He was still shaking his head. "I can't believe you tattled on me."

"I was being responsible."

"You were being lame," moaned Jaune.

"I'm not just the cool older sister Ruby makes me out to be."

"I don't think Ruby has even once hinted at that."

"Tch." Yang eyed the rings moodily, and Ruby especially. "I'll remember that one when she wants me to bail her out at the school dance."

"Is that a thing you're worried about?"

"With Ruby? Definitely." Yang laughed and elbowed his side. "You wouldn't believe how many things she ducked out of back in Signal. There were a whole load of little events, parties, dances and stuff that she kept trying to sneak out of. Dad would have let her if she had her way, but I stepped in. No way I'm letting her grow up afraid of talking to people."

Something about that tickled his memory from the dream. The worst part was that cart and its contents, and he wondered if that wasn't something of what Oobleck had meant before. He had taken it literally – hard not to with what he saw – but it might have been a representation of Yang's fears, perhaps of failing Ruby in some way.

"It sounds like you've been the one to raise her."

Yang looked surprised, then cracked a wry smile. "I guess I have. Ever since mom died, it's been me and Ruby, and I guess I was lucky enough to be the outgoing one. Dad tries, he does, but he's a guy and doesn't know much about what it's like growing up a girl."

"The arrival of everyone's favourite monthly visitor?" quipped Jaune. Yang nodded. "I've seen it all. I remember Amber screaming when that happened. Aren't you told about it in health class in advance?"

"Sure," shrugged Yang, "but there's knowing in advance and then there's waking up sleepily finding you're bleeding. Panic kicks in faster than school lectures."

"That explains it." Jaune balanced his chin on his hands and watched the fights. Yang was being surprisingly open. He wasn't sure if that was him reading into things, however. He knew stuff about her that he had no right knowing, and it was hard not to let that slip. "You've done a good job for what it's worth," he said, to change the subject. "Ruby has come out amazing considering you're only two years older than her and had to take on all that pressure on your own. You should be proud."

"I am proud of her. Ruby is awesome."

"I mean of yourself." He believed it. After what he'd seen, and the implications of a grieving and forgetful father and an absentee uncle, he felt she deserved all the praise in the world. "There are so many ways Ruby could have ended up that to say her worst flaw is that she's a little bit shy is high praise. There are full-time mothers out there who have raised worse children than you."

"Ah... ahah..." Yang's laughter was nervous, and she was looking away when he turned to her, scratching her cheek. This time she was definitely blushing, though he'd hit her with some serious praise so it made sense. "W-Where did all that come from, vomit boy? Sheesh, you're making me blush here."

"I'm just speaking my mind."

"Sheesh!" repeated Yang, this time louder. She gave his arm a light punch. "If you started off like that with Weiss, maybe you'd have had more luck. Don't tell me you're going to ask me out to the dance."

He laughed. "As if I'd have a chance."

"Don't put yourself down. It's unattractive."

"I'm not putting myself down. I'm saying you're too good for me." He saw her gobsmacked expression and couldn't help but laugh himself. Yang flushed red and looked away. "Besides, I bet you'll be swamped with guys asking you to the dance. I wouldn't be able to get a word in."

"Y-Yeah. Maybe." Yang looked at him out the corner of her eye, caught him looking back, and then fixed her attention ahead again. "You know, you should get sick more often if it makes you this smooth. I'd almost believe you were a lady killer talking like that."

"The difference is I'm not saying it to get in your pants. You really have done an amazing job with Ruby, and you deserve all the praise in the world for it."

Yang groaned. "You're killing me here."

"By complimenting you?"

"Yes," grumbled Yang. "Stop it."

"You don't take praise easily, do you?"

"Stop. It." Yang pinched his lips shut. "Geez, I should have ignored my feelings and knocked you out before you could start talking." Despite the words, she was still blushing. "You're lucky you're a friend, bozo, or I'd kick your ass."

A friend, huh?

Funny. He'd never heard her refer to him that way before.

/-/

The rest of the day went by without too much in the way of trouble, but he did notice Yang talking to him a little more. Only one more time that day, to casually ask if he was going to the infirmary to get another check-up, but two conversations in one day when you normally had none was still a noticeable increase.

"You shouldn't be surprised by it," said Oobleck, later that evening in his office. "You said that Miss Valkyrie remembered her dream with you in it, so I expect the others will as well. Miss Xiao-Long likely feels a little more favourably of you after you stepped in to subvert a nightmare."

"Isn't that bad, though? It's like she's friendlier because of something that isn't real."

"Nonsense. You did step in and you did act to comfort her. Whether that is in a dream or not doesn't make it any less real since both you and I know it was a conscious effort on your part."

"I guess..."

"Look, Mr Arc, I do see your concern. If you were inserting yourself into someone's mind and bombarding them with misleading experiences in order to change their behaviour in the waking world to your benefit, then yes, I would agree it is a deplorable thing. You are not. First of all, this is not intentional on your part, and secondly you are acting as a good friend should and trying to look out for them. There's no shame to be had in feeling driven to help those you hold dear." He shuffled some books on his desk. "Now, it hasn't been long enough to order you any books, but I did print off some interesting articles for you." He handed over some stapled-together documents. "Feel free to have a look over this."

The theory, titled "WHY DO WE DREAM" was based less around the contents of dreams and their meanings, and more around the evolutionary advantage and reason for the act in the first place. It would have been dry reading at any other time, but he was interested due to it now being his Semblance, and he read it closely.

The article, peer reviewed, suggested that there must be some evolutionary purpose for dreaming, and that it could not have come about by chance. It drew parallels to the fact that animals dreamed as well, something Jaune hadn't thought of until now. He'd definitely seen videos of dogs kicking their legs and making noise while sleeping however, so he knew it to be true. It went on to suggest that something so ubiquitous across all forms of life must have had a purpose beyond simply occupying time. The author went on to highlight those existing theories of dreams covered things like letting your mind process deeply problematic emotional events in a peaceful way, but he argued that such didn't make sense among birds and other mammals whose brains are too small to truly process such deep emotional problems.

Therefore, there had to be another reason. The suggestion here was that it was to create white noise of some kind, sort of a defence mechanism of the brain that allowed it to forcefully reset and relax itself, but which came at the cost of what might be called hallucinations. It went on to say that dreams as a method of preventing the brain from overtaxing itself would explain why children, and young animals, dreamed more commonly and vividly than adults – because children had more to learn about survival and growing up and language than most adults did. As such, their brans were more commonly overtaxed, which was why they needed more sleep and more dreams to counteract it.

Jaune set the paper down. "It's interesting, but I'm not sure how much it helps me."

"Such is the nature of science, unfortunately," said Oobleck. "We also can't know for certain it is accurate, but as for what use it is for you, well, you are in a school. The minds of our students are being put through exhaustive learning, and that means dreams here might be more common and more vivid than anywhere else."

Right. Because everyone's brains were being worked hard in learning and storing and processing new information, whereas someone who worked a job in an office as an adult had probably gotten used to most of it and could work on autopilot. Even if they had to react to new events, they weren't really taxing their brains. Just using them. That did fit with what the study was saying.

"It also means dreams are... what, an important mechanic for survival?"

"Quite possible. The horrific effects of sleep deprivation are well known, and those are physical as well as mental. It could be that some of the mental aspects of that come not from the lack of restorative sleep, but the lack of opportunities for the brain to flush itself clean." He shrugged. "For lack of better terms. Some parts of the body use the resting period to flush themselves of waste products. The brain might be no different, and dreams might be a by-product of the process. That's why, or so the theory states, people are so often unable to find the answer to a problem late at night and wake up in the morning with a clear perspective and solve the issue. It's because active dreaming has helped the brain recover and function better."

"What does that mean for me in someone's dream?" asked Jaune.

"First of all, that it is important and necessary for someone to dream – and that the content of said dreams is there for a reason. You could forcefully change a dream, but it may be important to their health that you don't. I'm sure the odd saving grace here and there is no problem, but if dreams have purpose then preventing them might well be counterproductive. Work within the boundaries of a dream. With Miss Valkyrie, for instance, it was probably of no harm to fight alongside her because combat was what the dream was about, but forcefully making the Grimm disappear and changing the dream to a picnic in a meadow might have harmed her. Not heavily," he added, a moment after. "Please don't think I'm saying you're going to kill anyone here. I obviously mean over time, and assuming many repeats, you could lead them to feel exhausted or to have problems."

Jaune nodded. He understood what the doctor was saying, and he didn't want to cause any harm to his teammates or friends, no matter how small. What he'd done with Yang probably wouldn't have been an issue then by Oobleck's theory, but Pyrrha's might have been. Obviously, it hadn't cost her much, but if he repeated it over and over for weeks on end, always in Pyrrha's head, then she might start getting headaches or struggling in class. It was something to keep in mind.

"The other thing to take away from this – though it is only a theory – is that dreams here in Beacon might be especially unusual because minds are being put through a lot more work than usual. That doesn't have to mean everyone is a boiling kettle of agony waiting to spill over at any moment. Miss Valkyrie's nightmare might be more due to homework than deep seated trauma. The same goes for Miss Xiao-Long. That said, I'd still say their dreams are accurate of their subconscious thoughts and feelings."

"The dreams are no less true but I can't assume they're actively worried about whatever they're dreaming at that given moment. And not everyone is a live hand grenade waiting to go off."

"Exactly. You have the right of it. I'm sure everyone here in Beacon has some aspects of their past they are unhappy or troubled over, but that doesn't mean we aren't capable of dealing with them, or that we haven't already. We are at our weakest in our own minds, but do not let that colour your perception of anyone. The brain is making us experience these things to help us process and parse information, and to recover while we sleep. Humans – all animals, really – are at their weakest when they rest. It's when we let our guards down and are most vulnerable. Keep that in mind."

Don't judge anyone, Yang for instance, by what he saw when she was at her most vulnerable. Jaune nodded. Yang was a kickass person and he shouldn't see her as a small and vulnerable child like she'd seen herself. It was little wonder her mind associated her younger body with weakness when her older form was a trained and capable huntress-in-training.

"Thanks for these," said Jaune, hefting the papers. He planned to read more of them. "Is there anything else I should keep in mind?"

"Not for tonight. Go back to your team and rest and try not to interfere too much in any dreams you enter. A little is fine, and I won't ask you to ignore your feelings, but do not exhaust yourself. Come see me in the morning if you do and you need another sick note. Otherwise, I'll assume all is well."

"I will. Thank you, doctor." Jaune stood. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes. I should have at least one book for you by then. Goodnight, Mr Arc, and pleasant dreams."

That old saying had never felt so necessary.

/-/

He was in a nightmare.

Jaune knew that because he was in an abattoir – the kind of place where animal carcasses hung from hooks, and a thick cloud of frosty mist covered the floor. No good dream took place in an abattoir. No one said "oh yes, this is a lovely setting" when talking about a slaughterhouse.

It was a slaughterhouse for crying out loud.

The clue was in the name.

"Well, I guess this isn't going to be fun," said Jaune out loud. Hearing his own voice helped, even if the absolute silence otherwise didn't. "I guess dreams can be all kinds of messed up. I really hope I don't see anything too freaky here."

Sudden panting and gasping caught his attention. It was off a room to the side, and Jaune quietly crept in the direction of it. He wouldn't have if it sounded like a serial killer's rasping, but he knew panicked breathing when he heard it. He moved past a freezer room with ice cold air spilling out – which felt wrong for a place like this, since surely it was wasteful to just keep spending money on energy.

Dream, he reminded himself. It doesn't have to make sense.

The room beyond was empty of carcasses thankfully but had plenty of empty meat hooks dangling on rusty chains. There, in the corner, he saw a familiar red cloak. "Ruby...?"

The girl flinched, gasped, and made to run, then saw him. "Jaune?" Her voice cracked. "Jaune!"

He was almost knocked over as Ruby crashed into him, as solid and as real as if this was the waking world. He didn't know what surprised him more: that Ruby would be having such a horrible nightmare, or that she'd recognise and react to him in her dream like it was normal. Maybe it wasn't too unusual a nightmare. This had all the hallmarks of a slasher movie, and maybe Team RWBY had watched one before bed. Ruby struck him as the kind to be completely and utterly spooked by that.

"Ruby, what's going on?"

"We have to hide." Ruby pushed off him and looked around. "We have to-"

A rattling sound came in the distance, followed by heavy breathing.

"Oh no!" hissed Ruby, shaking in his arms. "It's found us. No, no. We need to run!" Despite saying that, Ruby ran in what he could easily tell was the direction the heavy breathing came from. He tried to snag her arm, but she ghosted by him with her Semblance. "We've got to run!"

"Not that way, Ruby!"

"Got to- urk!" A gloved hand caught Ruby by the throat and raised her up into the air. Ruby's legs kicked frantically beneath her, and her hands struggled with the one holding her up. All the while, she choked. "Urk. Kckk. Ackk-"

A wickedly sharp meat hook pressed against her stomach.

Jaune slammed shoulder-first into it and the arm holding Ruby, smashed it aside and caused her to drop to the floor. "Ruby, ru-" She'd already sped off. Good – but also bad, since he'd kind of hoped she could fight. Then again, it was common in a nightmare to forget you could fight back and be helpless, so he shouldn't have expected it.

Guess it's up to me.

Spinning, he drove an elbow into the chest of the killer. They were garbed in black, full black, with a white mask adorned with red lines, like a Grimm's faceplate. They were shrouded from head to toe otherwise and looked almost like a Grimm-human hybrid more than a person, with little wispy bits of shadow surrounding their arms and shoulder.

Some kind of random shadow monster Ruby dreamed up, thought Jaune. I guess that makes sense. Takes a Grimm to properly scare someone like her.

Jaune reached for Crocea Mors only to realise it wasn't there – damn it, Ruby. He threw a punch instead, imagining himself moving faster and suddenly doing so. It'd drain his aura as per Oobleck's theory, but he'd rather lose a little aura then be caught by this thing. Dream or no. To his surprise, his devastatingly fast punch – as quick as Yang's – was almost lazily dodged. The Grimm swayed to the right, inside his guard, and wrapped the chain and hook around his arm, entangling it and locking him in place. It then rushed past in pursuit of Ruby, ignoring him entirely.

This being Ruby's nightmare, she had to be the victim.

"Damn it, Ruby!" shouted Jaune, again.

He rattled the chain attached to the ceiling, then closed his eyes and imagined him pulling through it. There was a tinkle and another rattle as the chains fell loose, his arm having literally turned intangible and passed through. He wasted no time to wonder and sped after the Grimm instead, willing himself faster, and soon finding himself moving almost as quickly as Ruby could.

It wasn't hard to track the Grimm. Like with Yang, the dream became hazy and obscured the further away he got from the action. Ruby must have been the epicentre. He followed the sounds of screaming and pain and came to a halt in a room ripped straight from his nightmares. Or, more literally in this case, from Ruby's. It was a freezer room filled with bodies hanging upside down from hooks, and those bodies were familiar. He saw Yang, her golden hair touching the floor, dangling from one ankle, and he saw the back of Weiss and her white hair trailing down as well.

The sight of them had him shaking, but he tore his eyes away. Dream. Nightmare. Ruby was just imagining the worst possible situation – failing her teammates, or just her friends dying. He clenched his eyes shut and ran past Yang and Weiss, sprinted through the door at the far end and saw Ruby backed into a dead end, the Grimm approaching with another meat hook for her.

"D-Don't," begged Ruby, shaking. "P-Please don't. I'm sorry. Whatever I've done, I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me!"

Let the dream happen, Oobleck said. Don't intervene too much, Oobleck said. There had to be limits, though. Jaune flung himself at the Grimm's back with a roar, wrapped his arms around it and tackled it to the ground. This time, he positioned himself on top of it, punched down into its face and refused to budge. He didn't need to tell Ruby to run because she leapt over them and disappeared around a corner, and with her Semblance she wasn't about to be caught again.

All he had to do was keep this shadow monster busy. The further Ruby got, the more indistinct this part of her dream should become. That was the theory anyway. He was worried she might just manifest another monster to terrorise her, but it was better to try to help her and fail than not try at all.

The monster under him thrashed and kicked, drove an elbow back and caught him on the cheek. It hurt, but the pain was imaginary. He gripped them by their head, by their hair, and slammed their face down into the concrete floor, and heard a crack as something broke. He was then on the floor, back to concrete, with the monster on top of him. It was so sudden and so instantaneous that it was as if they'd traded places.

Why is Ruby dreaming me getting overpowered? She should be focused on herself running away!

And on that same thought, why hadn't the area here become indistinct? Ruby must have been a good way away now, and yet the dream hadn't faded. Jaune felt the fingers on his neck and struggled to breathe. He didn't need to breathe in a dream. Sure enough, acknowledging that fact had his lungs stop hurting. It was imaginary. This wasn't real. Even so, it felt like he was fighting the dream – or the dreamer, in this case. He had made it so that he won against the monster, and Ruby had changed it so the monster was winning.

Something sharp dug into his stomach and Jaune cried out. He looked down and saw the curved hook digging into his skin, and the blood pouring out. Even if he knew it was fake, it felt real. The pain felt real, the blood looked real, and the sensation of metal grinding into bone inside him was the worst thing he'd ever felt. Instantly, his hand slammed up into the face, hoping to dislodge the monster. Instead, he struck the cracked face plate and sent shards of it flying off in every direction.

The monster's face stared down at his, and Jaune froze.

"B-Blake...?"

Golden eyes grew wide. The hand thrusting the hook down into his body stopped, then rose. Blake held it before her eyes, fingers glistening with blood. The gloves were gone, as were the shadows, revealing a girl he could now recognise. But why was Ruby dreaming about Blake killing her? It didn't make sense.

"No..." whispered Blake, shaking. "No, no, no. I didn't-"

"You killed Yang!" screamed Ruby, suddenly behind her. Wait, she hadn't run away at all? Jaune groaned underneath Blake, too much in pain to move. "You killed Weiss! You killed everyone! I hate you! I hate you!"

"Yang-? Weiss-? No, I..." Blake looked around frantically, and then down at him. Jaune tried not to react, but it was hard. His face was pinched with pain and blood was bubbling up out his stomach and over Blake's hands. "J-Jaune...? Why?"

"You're asking me?" groaned Jaune. "I'm as confused as anyone."

"You're a monster!" screamed Ruby. "It's all your fault!"

"It's your fault!" cried someone else, a faunus boy with red hair and burn marks down his face. "You betrayed me!"

"No, I-"

"Traitor!" cried another girl, dark-skinned with dark reddish hair. The girl threw herself on Blake's back and tried to stab at her throat with a tiny knife. "Traitor!" The girl tugged Blake back, and she stumbled off Jaune's chest, staggering under the weight of the tiny terror. "Traitor! Traitor!"

"I'm not!" cried Blake. "I-"

"Monster!" screamed Ruby, suddenly wielding her scythe again. Typical that she'd forgotten she could fight when it came to saving him, but now was suddenly armed and dangerous. Jaune was too stunned by the sudden turn in the dream to act on it. "You betrayed Team RWBY. You killed Yang and Weiss!"

Blake swayed out the way of the scythe's blade but was caught by the follow-through as Ruby slammed the butt around into her side. She hit the nearest wall of the abattoir, then gasped as the girl on her back managed to jam a knife in her shoulder. Blake reached up, gripped the girl and threw her away, then tried to run, only to nearly be cut down by a bright red sword.

"Where are you going, my love?" asked the boy from before, now garbed in black.

"A-Adam, I... You... No, I had to leave. I had to. You were turning-"

"Into a monster?" The man chuckled and pointed, and Blake turned to see Yang and Weiss strung upside down on hooks, their arms slack and pointed down, their bodies pale. Terrified, Blake looked down at the hook still in her hand, slick with Jaune's blood. She dropped it and stepped back, shaking her head. "Who is the monster here, really?"

This isn't Ruby's dream, thought Jaune, pushing himself up. The sudden assault from people he could tell were from Blake's past more than Ruby's lined up with that. No wonder the dream didn't turn fuzzy when Ruby ran away. She wasn't the epicentre because she's not the dreamer.

It was Blake.

"Traitor!"

"Monster!"

"Coward!"

"Scum!"

"Animal!"

"Beast!"

The voices came from people who were suddenly flowing out the walls and doors, turning the hunter into the hunted as Blake tried desperately to escape, running to one door, only to scream and back away, then sprinting to another to repeat the process.

"You can't run away forever!" said Ruby. "You'll run out of places to run to!"

Ruby jumped Blake and knocked her to the floor, and then the rest were there, bringing hooks and chains of their own. They were going to string her up as she had her own victims, except that he was no longer sure Weiss and Yang had ever been victims, or if they hadn't begun the dream like that.

"Damn this dream!" swore Jaune, pushing himself forward. "If I wasn't about to let Ruby get mutilated then I'm not going to let Blake end up that way either."

He raced over and picked Ruby off first, trying to be gentle as he tossed her away. He was less gentle with the others he didn't know, grabbing collars and shoulders and throwing them off the wildly struggling girl. One even looked like an older version of Blake, a fully grown woman in black and white robes.

He threw her away all the same, knowing they weren't real and wouldn't remember any of it. He even had to catch the red sword by the blade to stop it stabbing down, ignoring the pain it caused as he shoulder-checked the redhead off Blake's body. Soon, it was only him, fending them off as he tried to grab her shoulder and stop her thrashing about. None of the hooks had got in her skin yet, so he'd arrived in time to stop that.

"Blake! Blake!"

"No!" screamed the girl. "Stop it! I'm not! Don't make me! Please!"

"Blake!" snapped Jaune, grasping her shoulder. "You need-"

"NO!"

Agony exploded through his chest. Jaune spasmed as Blake's hand shot up, Gambol Shroud there where it hadn't been before, to punch into his chest and erupt out his back in a shower of crimson. It was in his lung, through it, and even though he didn't need to breathe, he could still feel himself drowning.

"B-Blake," rasped Jaune, flecks of blood falling over her pale face. Her eyes were open, stretched wide, and she looked horrified. "N-Now you notice," he complained. "W-Was... trying... to help..."

"That's so like you, Blake," said the redheaded man, standing next to them with a mocking smile. "Even when someone tries to help you, even when they care, you cause them pain, hurt them, then run away like a coward."

Blake looked up at Jaune, then down at her hands, soaked with blood, and Gambol Shroud pushed through his chest. He tried to tell her it was alright, to reassure her it wasn't real, but there was no time for it.

Blake screamed and the world burst into light.

/-/

Jaune ratcheted up in bed with a harsh gasp.

It was dark, he was in their dorm, the others were sleeping, and he'd caught his mouth with one hand before he could shout and wake them. His body was shaking, and he ripped the covers back to check his stomach. No blood, no wound. Of course there wasn't a wound – it had happened in a dream – but he could still remember the pain, almost feel it like a phantom injury. He guessed this was proof that pain was as much psychological as physical, but that didn't make him feel any better. He was soaked through with sweat, and still shaking.

Leaning over the side of the bed, he grabbed his scroll and brought it back. It was set to silent, but it vibrated angrily when he held it against his arm, and the human shaped figure on the screen turned yellow. His aura read at 40%.

Damn it. That dream had hit him harder than he'd expected. There was no way he was going to get away with a day of classes like this. I guess it's good Oobleck said I could go to him for a letter. I might need to spend the morning in the infirmary after this. At least there he could sleep during the daylight hours when no one else would be. No dream invading if there were no dreams to invade.

He looked back at his bed but couldn't bring himself to lay down. One more dream like that and he'd be reduced to no aura at all and pass out. Plus, if he was going to sleep through the day anyway then he might as well stay awake now. Quietly drawing the sheets back, he slid out of bed and grabbed his jeans, dressing as silently as he could and then creeping to the door. Nora was a heavy sleeper, and the others weren't that much better. Ren was the biggest danger, but even he didn't stir when the handle clicked and Jaune slipped outside. They might worry where he was when they got up, but hopefully they'd see he'd taken his clothes and assume he woke up early for some training. He'd make sure to message them closer to their usual time.

It was three in the morning now; so early that he was probably one of the few people up.

Or so he thought. It wasn't even a minute catching his breath out in the corridor when the door opposite their own creaked open. Jaune tensed up, and he didn't relax when a shadowy figure slipped out. Blake closed the door to Team RWBY's dorm, noticed him, and froze in the dark. Her eyes were almost glowing.

Those eyes had been looking down on him not minutes ago as she buried a hook in his gut. Jaune didn't unclench, even though he knew it had been a nightmare. Ruby's nightmare, he'd initially thought, but now he knew better.

"Couldn't sleep either?" asked Jaune, hoping to break the tension.

Blake flinched. "I..." Her eyes slipped down the front of him. He'd have thought she was checking him out, but he knew she was looking for blood. The dream had definitely been hers with that kind of reaction.

What did it mean that Blake dreamt of murdering her team?

It was hard not to jump to conclusions.

"I was struggling to sleep," said Blake. "Yang snores like a car engine. Once you're awake, there's no getting back to sleep."

It was a flimsy excuse. He didn't believe it. Then again, he didn't have much of a better one. They were both lying. "Makes sense. Going for a walk, then?"

"Yes. You?"

"I'm headed to the infirmary." It was the wrong thing to say because Blake looked horrified, the briefest flash of absolute panic spreading over her face, and she looked down to his chest. No blood. Jaune tried not to react to it all. "It's just that bug I mentioned at breakfast. I guess I'm not as over it as I thought I was. My aura is in the yellow."

"Oh. Oh, I... That's not good..."

Blake recovered with a shallow breath, then looked him in his eyes again. It seemed like she was recovering, the nightmare fading. He knew she remembered it, though. That she remembered stabbing him.

At least she looks guilty about it. It was a nightmare. It doesn't have to make sense.

"Maybe I should escort you there," she said. "Make sure you get there without passing out."

"You don't have to. I'll be fine."

"I want to," insisted Blake. She then realised how unusual that sounded, and said, "Because I'm just going to have nothing to do otherwise. I can't sleep and..." She trailed off with a sigh, rubbing at her face. Despite saying she didn't want to sleep, she was obviously tired. "I just want to distract myself for a bit. Let me take you."

Blake wanted to distract herself, or she wanted to make it up to him for what she'd done? Even if she didn't believe he knew, she must have felt just a little bad about it. That would explain why she was so insistent on helping him here. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to let her, though he didn't much like the idea of being alone in the dark with her right now.

But Oobleck had said he couldn't judge people by their dreams. A nightmare from Blake was sure to be centred around her fears, and if she was afraid of hurting her team and him, then that probably meant she was safe to be around. Either way, it would be suspicious for him to start acting avoidant around her when he hadn't before.

"Yeah. Okay. I guess I wouldn't mind the company..."

Only the one dream this time, and it's not nearly as long or as deep as Yang's. This one is a little blunter as well because Blake's issues are a little more obvious, and self-castigation and guilt tend to manifest in more immediately self-critical ways.

Even knowing that, it's kind of hard for Jaune to just ignore being murdered by her. This dream is also one where, despite his efforts, he really wasn't able to "help" much. Sure, he saved her killing Ruby, but murdering him is no less fun for Blake.

Also, this is before the docks so give Jaune a break on not istantly being like "omg, she former white fang!"