The Betrayer

Even in the dark, Keep moving forward... for them … for her.

Here we go!

A thunk. The water rippled, creating circles on its surface. The stone, which had started the ripples, sunk to the floor slowly.

"If you throw it like that, it'll just keep 'thunk-ing' every time." She laughed quietly, watching the ripples gently fade.

A huff beside her, "Maybe, I like the thunking." He grunted, with a small annoyance. But, she heard his hidden amusement. He readied another rock and threw it, she watched his wrists and saw it turn slightly.

'No good.' she thought to herself as she watched the rock fly. It only made one bounce, before it 'thunk-ed' again.

"At least you're making progress." She giggled as she leaned against him. He didn't respond, instead playing with the stones in his hands. Reaching over and gently taking a small rock in her hands, she flicked her wrist and watched it skim over the waters gently.

"Hmph." He grunted, eyes following the stone. It skipped only a few times before sinking into the water, out of steam. He looked down at her, blue eyes meeting silver ones.

"Always better at everything." he smirked as kissed her hair.

She shivered slightly, he always had that effect on her. He looked up at the sky, staring at the moon. The pale light seemed to make his blonde hair glow. "We're almost to our last year huh?"

"Yea." She nodded slowly, her head still against his shoulder. His arm wrapped around her, hand playing with her hair.

"I wish things could stay like this forever. Never change." He murmured.

She shook her head. "Come on, Jaune. You know things will change. But, that doesn't mean things will get worse. There's a lot of things to look forward to!"

He looked down at her, eyes glimmering in the night. She could see the softness in his eyes, the emotions that made her toes curl, her face flush, and heart flutter.

He stared at her. And she stared back. Blue eyes and Silver eyes locked. They did this sometimes, whenever they were alone, just have these mini staring contest. But, for some reason, this one was different. She could see something in his eyes that was new, and she didn't know what it was.

"Ruby." He whispered. "I want to promise you something. I will be with you …"

"ALL RISE!" An officer in the court announced. Ruby snapped out of her thoughts as she looked to her right. The judge was walking in.

"Come on, get up" Weiss grabbed her with her good hand and helped her partner to her feet. Ruby giggled quietly.

"Sorry, sorry. Must have fell asleep." Ruby apologized.

Weiss rolled her eyes, and used her right arm to adjust the strap for her cast. "Well, we've been to a lot of these."

Ruby nodded slowly, she felt the smile on her face slowly fall. But, she felt a bump on her right side as hair brushed shoulder.

"Come on, sis. Cheer up. We won!" Yang gave a wide smile, though it was slightly covered up by the heavy bandages on her face. Her hair was tied up in a tight pony tail. The doctors did not want it interfering when they needed to redo her bandages.

Blake, the least injured member of the team, simply closed her book and sighed. "Yes. We did. But, I think we should talk to team JNPR."

The smile on Yang's face faded as team RWBY looked over at their 'sister' team, or what was left of it. Ren was in a wheel chair, his legs in casts, Nora standing at his side. Pyrrha stood tall, proud, but her face filled with anger and pain.

The Judge, a gray haired man, walked to his podium and sat down. Taking a moment, he nodded to the crowd, allowing everyone to sit. Ruby shifted in her seat, she hated these procedures, she hated this situation.

"Bring in the accused." He called out. As he did, the back doors opened and people entered. Most of the courtroom turned to see the accused, most growled, threw insults, and glared. Ruby just stared, just stood there and looked into blue eyes. But, they did not stare back.

He walked forward slowly, quietly. Every step would jingle the heavy chains around him, aura suppressors. Technology designed for the most dangerous of criminals, to the point where it was considered dehumanizing to put on someone. If the aura was a part of someone, part of their being, to suppress and take away that usage...

"Never thought I'd see that face again." Blake murmured to herself. Ruby tore herself away from his face and looked to team JNPR. Their faces a mixture of livid and grief. He passed by them, not looking at either of them. Not saying a word.

He stood at the podium, four guards with assault rifles surrounding him. They normally would not be necessary, but with someone of his caliber, his level of danger, warranted it. And, it made Ruby sick in her stomach.

The judge stared at him for a moment before sighing. He grabbed and banged his gavel.

"I am Judge Rickson. We are here to oversee, the judgment of Jaune Arc. Prosecuting attorney, Richard Borl" The judge waved to an elder man on the side, with low rimmed glasses. "will be taking lead on the Prosecuting side." Judge Rickson turned back to Jaune. "Jaune Arc, you have denied your right to an attorney. Is that correct?"

Jaune nodded, chains clinking as he did so.

The judge nodded and opened up scroll, taking out a small stylus to begin writing.

"Prosecutor Borl. You may begin your opening statement."

Borl nodded slowly and stood up, taking out his scroll. "I would like to begin with the Attack on Mythal, on March Fifth of two years ago." A small screen lowered from the ceiling and pictures were displayed. Huge fires, bodies on the ground, grim, wearing electronic collars, running amok. Ruby gripped her fists. She had remembered that day. Team RWBY had been deployed there, the fighting was bad.

"Here, we see." Borl tapped his scroll. "Jaune Arc. Leading the attack from his scroll. Directing group. Two Grim on either side, protecting him." Jaune stood on a tall building, two ursa's next to him. He was wearing black clothing as well as a white fang mask attached to his hip.

CRDL had been first to get to him. Jaune put them all in the hospital, almost killing them. But, Dove had been able to snatch the scroll away from him. They used it to counteract the collars that were controlling the grim. But, CRDL were only on light duty, even after two years.

"...And This alone is enough to sentence him." The prosecutor finished.

"A moment." Judge Rickson held up his hand. The prosecutor stopped. Rickson looked at Jaune carefully. "Do you have anything to say?"

Jaune remained silent, looking blankly forward.

Rickson let out a long sigh. "I knew your father, Mr. Arc. Good man. Damn shame it turned out like this." Rickson shook his head and motioned for Borl to continue.

Borl nodded and waved Pyrrha to come forward. She stood up slowly, and walked to the podium. She was graceful as always, walked with confidence, but the anger on her face was plain to see.

"Full Name please." Borl asked.

"Pyrrha Nikos. Leader of the former team JNPR." Pyrrha answered. She glared at Jaune.

Borl nodded. "You have evidence of his transgressions?"

Pyrrha nodded. "He attacked us on missions to protect and evacuate civilians. Which can be read in the field reports. We also have evidence, from security footage, of him tampering with Shipments as well as setting explosives. It's how we were able to stop those explosives from going off."

Borl nodded and continued to question Pyrrha. Once in a while, he would stop and bring up a piece of footage, a photograph, a report. Each would implicate Jaune in a crime, each would show him in league with the White fang, with Cinder. There was no doubt that Jaune had been working with the enemy, that he was the enemy.

Jaune kept staring forward, not saying a word.

And she stared at him. She noticed his hunched back, his closed fists. His narrow eyes. He wanted to say something, to do something, but he was holding it in, Why?

Judge Rickson finally coughed. Stopping Pyrrha and Borl. "I think that is enough evidence. You may step down Miss Nikos." Pyrrha nodded slowly and returned to her team." Borl eyed Rickson, who nodded slowly.

Judge Rickson turned to Jaune and leaned forward, the desk creaked under him as he put his weight on his arms.

"Before, I even make it official, You know I am sentencing you for a life in max security."

There was a silence in the room. An air of finality permeated between everyone. Nothing could get Jaune out of this, and everyone knew it.

"He deserves death." Weiss muttered.

Jaune, seemingly hearing Weiss's comment, chuckled for a moment. He turned back to Weiss, and for the first time, in a long time, Ruby saw a grin on his face. A small grin, an amused one. "We get what we deserve, Snow Angel."

Weiss growled as she tried to lunge forward, but Ruby's instincts made her grab Weiss.

"Order in Court!" The judge yelled as banged the Gavel. It only took a couple of moments for Weiss to control herself. "Now do you have anything to say for yourself, Mr Arc?" The Judge asked. But, there was a pause, no answer. Ruby saw that Jaune's attention was drawn to the back of the room, and he looked surprised, shocked even.

"What?" Jaune started, there was uncertainty in his voice. "What are you doing here?" He asked out loud, his voice filled with disbelief.

The courtroom turned to the back to see who had come. Glynda Goodwitch strode through the courtroom and to the front. She was dressed in her usual attire, but carrying a large scroll, not her usual one.

"Your honor." She began. "Permission to enter the court."

Judge Rickson, with a raised eyebrow and a curious look, nodded slowly. "Of course, Miss Goodwitch. On... which side do you speak for."

"The Defendant's" She said without hesitation.

There was a deathly silence. Goodwitch? On Jaune's side. She was the first one to cross him off in the first place. She was the first one to tell them that he had join the other side. She was the one to warn them of trusting him, of trying to turn him back.

She was one to tell them that he had betrayed them!

Ruby looked at Weiss for answers, but her partner shook her head. None of them knew what was going on.

Jaune stared at Glynda, who made her way next to his side. She ignored the men with the assault rifles, ignored the chains. Instead, she placed her arm on Jaune's shoulder and nodded. The two stared at each other for a moment, as if sharing a private conversation.

And after a long, brief, quiet, intense, moment.

Jaune shook his head. He shifted to the right, away from Glynda. Their former teacher's face scrunched up in pain, as if she had been hit in the gut. Her hand slowly dropped to her side as she shook her head. She took a deep breath and looked back up at the Judge.

"I have new evidence regarding this case." Glynda began. "It will-"

"GLYNDA!"

Guns were raised, People stood up, and even the Judge looked surprised. Jaune stood, facing his former teacher. He stood tall, as if there were no chains on him. His back straight, hands at his side, and eyes bearing into Glynda.

Ruby stood up as well, but not to get her weapon. No, she wondered what was making Jaune panic. She saw the look in his eyes, the fear in them. She had never seen that before, not even when they had fought each other. Not even when they had gotten passed him during their fight to get to Cinder.

Jaune's and Glynda's eyes locked once more and for a second time another silent conversation was had. And this time, Glynda nodded slowly. She shook her head and let out a long sigh.

Jaune turned back to the Judge, every gun pointed at him in fear. "I plead guilty to all charges." Jaune declared, holding up his chained hands. "I think we're done here."

Judge Rickson looked between Jaune and Glynda, nodding slowly. "Understood. I here by sentence you, Jaune Arc, to life in Maximum security Prison which will be decided by General Ironwood, of the United Armed Forces.

'What was that about' Ruby bit her lip as she watched Jaune be taken away.

"Come on." Weiss poked Ruby in the ribs. "Lets go get some lunch."

Ruby nodded and, with her team, walked out of the building. They grabbed JNPR on the way and they all walked together outside the courthouse.

Getting outside was a bit harder.

"Ruby! Ruby! Look here!" Cameramen called out to her. Flashes of light blinded them slightly, and Ruby resisted the urge to pull her hood up to cover her face.

"You're the popular one now huh, Ruby" Nora commented, pushing Ren's wheel chair. They wre all using the metal ramp, instead of the stairs.

Ruby flushed, brushing her hair into place. "Come on. I only did my job."

Yang bumped shoulders with her sister. "Well, you did a pretty big job."

"Look over there. It's Jaune Arc."

The cheery mood died instantly. The seven of them watched as Jaune was being brought out, chains and all. People took pictures of him, jeered at him, and one of them even spat in his face. But he continued walking, with his head held high. Or, maybe he was looking at the person waiting for him.

"Professor Ozpin?" Ruby questioned out loud.

Everyone in the group turned to follow her gaze.

Professor Ozpin was indeed standing in front of the transport van, Coffee cup and cane in hand. Reporters, obviously, were trying to ask him questions, but he ignored them. Ozpin nodded to the soldiers and motioned the back. Jaune was put in carefully, with the soldiers and Ozpin entering.

Ruby bit her lip as she watched the van go off. Why would Ozpin show up? Why would Goodwitch?

'Things are always strange with you, huh' Ruby thought to herself. She always questioned Jaune's betrayal. And his actions, well, they seemed inconsistent at times.

Ruby dashed forward as she cut down another black fang member. They had to keep pressing forward. Emarald and Mercury were further down in the complex, which mean Cinder was here. That means they could end this, they could end this stupid war, and this stupid terrorist cell. And then, she could ask Jaune what the hell was going on.

Team RWBY and JNPR dashed through the doors, banging them open in quick succession. They raced towards the door at the end and charged through it.

The two teams entered a large hall, seemingly barren, with only one person waiting for them.

"My, My, My. What a nostalgic sight." There was a loud noise, someone was scraping a sword against the floor.

Ruby felt her heart flutter, but her stomach drop.

"Jaune." She whispered.

Jaune stood there, in his White Fang uniform, standing in front of the next door. He was older, he had more scars, and he looked weary.

They stared at each other, the gap between them was immense.

"Cinder is behind me." Jaune declared as raised his sword. "And she doesn't like uninvited guests."

"Well, she'll have to deal with that won't she!" Pyrrha growled as she stepped froward, shield raised.

Jaune smiled cheekily. "How's the arm?" He had given Pyrrha a deep wound when they had last met.

"Just fine!" Pyrrha growled out. "Ruby, go on ahead. We'll take care of this. This is personal."

"I..." Ruby started, but Yang put a hand on her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, Ruby nodded. 'Focus, lives are at stake' Ruby though to herself. Without any cue, Ruby, and her team, dashed for the door.

As she did so, Ruby passed by Jaune and couldn't help herself. She looked over and tried to look into her eyes. Surprisingly, he met her eyes. And something on his face shocked her.

'Was that a smile?' Ruby thought as she broke the gaze and continued to run forward.

Ruby shook her head, clearing her thoughts. She had to focus on Cinder.

A few days from Jaune's sentencing, and Ruby found herself in Beacon, with her team. They were celebrating the end of the war, end of the terrorist group. Politicians were, under the careful eye of Ozpin and Glynda, drafting anti-racism laws. Ozpin was hosting a party for Beacon and its alumni.

Ruby was dressed in her casual clothes as she walked onto the station. They didn't need any of their weapons, and it felt nice to not wear Crescent Rose for a change.

Ruby walked along side Yang towards Ozpin. Weiss and Blake, who had come with Neptune and Sun, were already talking to him.

"Ah, Miss Rose. And Miss Xiao Long. Glad you could join us. The rest of team JNPR will be joining us soon."

"What for?" Weiss asked.

"Two things. One, I made a promise. Two, I need you to brief you on something."

"Another mission, already?" Pyrrha asked, as her team joined the group.

"Something like that." Ozpin turned and walked across Beacon. The two teams followed. They passed people hanging up decorations. Some of the workers stopped and thanked the two teams for their service. Others cheered and took pictures. Team RWBY and JNPR responded politely, but continued to follow the Headmaster.

They walked towards the very back of Beacon, a secure and hidden place. Only staff were allowed to come here. 'Whatever this is, it's big' Ruby thought as they walked into the back. They had only come here once, when they had been informed that Jaune had... Ruby shook her head. She had to stop thinking about him.

They turned the corner, to the launch pads for the Bullheads. They saw Professor Goodwitch, leaning against a couple crates, talking silently to someone. They couldn't see the person well, but they continued to walk forward.

"Professor Ozpin." Professor Goodwitch looked up in surprise. She looked worriedly at them, and then back to Ozpin. "Are you sure?"

Ozpin nodded slowly. "Promises are to be kept."

'This is tense' Ruby thought idly as she watched the stiff motions between the two.

"What is going on Professor?" Weiss asked for everyone.

Ozpin turned and sighed, grasping his cane in both hands. "Fulfilling a promise. You are not to do anything hostile. Do you understand?"

"Hostile?" Pyrrha asked out loud.

Ruby felt her gut twirl. That was a bad sign. The person, the one Goodwitch had been talking to, turned the corner so that they could now see him. And, Ruby felt her heart stop for a moment, her eyes go wide in shock, and a single name leave her lips.

"Jaune."

Almost instantaneously, Both teams got into fighting positions, ready to rumble. But, they all froze as Ozpin banged his cane, cracking the floor beneath it. "Stand Down!"

Ruby felt herself shudder at the force, and she slowly lowered her arms as she looked at Jaune. He was staring at her, staring directly at her.

"What is the meaning of this!" Weiss bit out as she glared at Jaune. Her hands twitching, she probably wanted to strangle him.

"We are moving him to a secure location."

"Without precaution. Without chains. Just scott free!" Pyrrha roared. Nora was looking down, and Ren looked away. Their last fight with Jaune, it had been pretty bad.

Jaune, with no restraints to speak of, was wearing a casual white T-shirt and blue jeans. He looked liked the average civilian, if you excluded the muscle tone and scars. He stared at them blankly, not saying a ward. But, Ruby couldn't but notice...

"We made a deal." Ozpin said, choosing his words carefully.

"A deal!" Blake stepped forward. "After all he's done! After all the people he killed! He set Grim on Thousands of people. He set up bombs. He gave information to the White Fang about our movements. He even attacked us, himself." Blake cried.

"Even still. This is a deal." Ozpin said quietly, looking back at Jaune. But, he didn't look back. Silver eyes were still staring into blue ones. And Ruby couldn't stop staring at him. Something was bothering her, niggling at the back of her head.

"NO!" Pyrrha stopped angrily. "I can't accept this. I won't!"

A chuckle. A small, tiny chuckle and everyone stopped. Jaune stood there. Hands shoved in his pockets, body relaxed, and even a small grin on his face. Ruby could see it now, in his eyes, not just his posture.

"Sometimes, things do change for the worst." Jaune said carefully, as if he wasn't even aware of what was going on. "But, I really hope you never change."

With that, Jaune turned back to Ozpin and nodded. "Are we done here?"

Ozpin nodded. "Yes, Yes, we are Mr Arc." Ozpin held out his palm, a key on it. Jaune grabbed it and gripped it in his fist. The teams were silent as they watched Jaune. They hadn't seen this, hadn't seen this in a long time. Jaune acting... normal.

Jaune turned to Glynda and gave a wide smile. "Can I get a hug?"

Glynda, shocking the teams, snorted in amusement and wrapped the younger blonde in a hug. "Take care." She whispered.

Jaune nodded and broke away, he walked away towards one of the Bullheads. Before entering it, Jaune took a look back one more time. And Ruby saw it again, that soft look. That old Jaune that cared about them.

Jaune turned away and entered the plane. The engine started and flew off quietly, the teams to stunned to do anything.

Ozpin turned to them, his shoulders sagging. "Come to my office. We have a lot to talk about."

"So, this is why you called me outside. To have a private little dance?" Ruby teased as she carefully sidled back and forth.

"Bah." Jaune chuckled as he guided her. "I just didn't want you stepping on my toes in front of everyone."

Ruby rolled her eyes as she made an angry face. But, that only made Jaune laugh even more. "Oh come on, You know I'm not good in lady stilts."

"Lady stilts?" Jaune repeated.

They continued to dance quietly, the music from the hall echoing just enough so they could follow along.

Ruby laid her head against Jaune's chest, taking in his warmth. They moved in sync,hair brushing against one another, feet sometimes being stepped on.

Jaune sighed as buried his face in her hair, lips brushing her head. "Ruby."

"Mmm." Ruby acknowledged, still trying to enjoy the warmth.

"I want to say I'm sorry."

Ruby blinked in surprise. "What." She leaned back and looked up at Jaune, incredulously. "What are you saying sorry for?"

Jaune smiled down at her, he looked sad. "For a lot of things."

Ozpin stood in front of them, chairs laid out for them, courtesy of Glynda. The two teams, after settling down for a bit, had situated themselves amongst the chairs. They trusted Ozpin enough to let him explain to them, what the hell was going on. The projector had been pulled down and Ruby saw that scroll again, the same one she had seen Goodwitch carrying in court.

"What is going on?" Ruby asked. "Why did you just let Jaune go like that."

Ozpin sighed as he looked at Glynda and nodded. Glynda nodded slowly and started typing on the pad. Ozpin turned back to the teams and gripped his cane. "What I am about to show you is classified. So much so, that this is the only record of this. Only the leaders of the Four Countries, Myself, Glynda, Ironwood know of this. The reason why this is being shown to you, is because of the deal, the promise I made."

"With who?" Ruby asked. But she already knew the answer. "With Jaune?"

Ozpin nodded and moved aside, away from the screen. The Light's flickered and an image displayed on screen.

Ruby's breathing hitched. It was

"Do I really have to do this Ozpin?" Jaune asked, his head in his hand. He looked younger, probably when he was a first year.

"For Posterity sake yes. It's so we have evidence … for the worst case scenario." Ozpin's voice could be heard.

Jaune shook his head, looking annoyed. Turning to the camera, Jaune smirked. "soooo to anyone watching this. I'm a super secret double-"

"Jaune please" Glynda interrupted

Jaune rolled his eyes and continued. "I am Jaune Arc. Hunter in training. Double agent in training. I was tasked to infiltrate the Cinder Faction and White fang, under the orders of Headmaster Ozpin and my handler is Glynda Goodwitch."

"good. Now let's begin." Ozpin finished.

The video went black.

Ruby didn't know what to think She was too busy trying to get her breathing under control. 'No. No this is a lie. Something made up. He was lying.'

"W-what" Pyrrha's voice cracked. "The hell... was that?"

They all looked Ozpin. Their world seemed to tilt, gravity seemed to double, and nothing... nothing was at it seemed.

Ozpin rubbed his face, he looked tired.

"This was planned from the beginning. The very beginning. We faked his grades. Faked his involvement. Made the bluff. He fed us information, sometimes through Glynda, sometimes through you. He wanted you to … know." Ozpin took the Scroll from Glynda's hands and passed it to Ruby.

It was heavy. Heavier than a scroll should be.

"Professor. I don't-" Ruby looked back up at Ozpin. She had never seen the man so weary before.

"He made hard decisions. He made Sacrifices." a solemn voice. "Watch it. You all owe him that much. We will come back later." Glynda and Ozpin left the room silently, leaving the two teams there.

The teams stayed there for a very long time. They stayed there talking, trying to make sense of what was going on. Jaune, a double agent? Jaune of all people. They had faked everything. His fake transcript and his betrayal.

"This has to be some kind of joke. Some kind of sick, twisted prank." Pyrrha muttered to herself. Ruby looked at her. She knew how she felt, the world twisting into itself. The lines, clear lines that she had put to separate sides, rights and wrongs, all of them had been swept away.

"But... if all this time." Nora murmured. "If he was pretending, was he still our friend. I mean... did he actually care for-" her voice cracked as she leaned into Ren. Her fiance wrapped a strong arm around her, and held her close, his own face marred by confusion and disbelief.

Pyrrha buried her head in her hands. Ruby heard her curse to herself quietly.

"Play the next one." Pyrrha whispered.

Ruby swallowed and nodded slowly, turning away from the water dropping on the floor. Ruby thought about how Jaune looked at her, looked at them. No bitterness, No anger, just sadness, regret.

Hope.

Ruby shook her head and gripped the scroll, pulling up the videos. There were a lot of them.

"We're really going to watch it?" Weiss said quietly. Staring at the scroll as if its contents would horrify and scar her. Maybe it would

"Yea." Ruby nodded. She needed this.

Jaune looked at the camera. He was in Ozpin's office again, though Ozpin and Glynda were no where to be seen. He had bandaged wrapped around his head, and his arm was in a cast.

'The time when Cinder invaded.' Ruby recognized.

"We got invaded today." Jaune sighed, looking in to the camera. "Cinder and the White fang. Some guy named Adam. They wanted to test me. So they had me open up the gates to allow the white fang in."

Jaune leaned back and sighed. "They don't trust me. I have to get them to trust me. I told them I hated hunters, hated the stupid system."

Jaune shook his head. "I guess it's just part of the plan."

"That's where he went." Pyrrha muttered to herself. Jaune had disappeared for few minutes before the evasion. He had chalked it up to using the bathroom. But, he had let them in.

Ren sighed as he rubbed his face. "I don't. After all this time... and we..."

Blake shook her head.

Ruby stared at the screen, as it flickered and shifted to the next video.

Jaune smiled at the screen. Glynda, who was behind him, was walking out of the room. Jaune was bare chested but had a fresh scar on his chest. "Got my tracker and everything in today." Jaune patted the scar. "Should be healed up soon, so no one will notice. Supposed to keep track of me, and make sure I don't get killed off in some remote place." Jaune shrugged as he leaned forward.

"I am learning to resist Investigation and Torture tactics." He rubbed his head. He looked tired. "It's been rough." There was a small pause. "But!" Jaune smiled at the camera as his face turned cheerful. "I got a date with Ruby!" Jaune smiled wide as if he had just won the biggest prize in the world. "Hopefully, Yang won't kill me."

Jaune paused for a moment, before his face fell. "This isn't a vlog and … it probably won't go anywhere" Jaune rubbed his face as he reached towards the camera.

The screen flickered.

Ruby felt her insides twist as she watched. She remembered that time.

"Hey, Ruby." Ruby, who had been walking back from lunch, turned. She turned slowly, because she was carrying some books in her arms and an apple in her mouth.

Jaune was jogging over with a small smile on his face. Ruby gave her half attempt at a smile and a greeting.

Jaune slowed down as he reached her and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Hey. I was umm." Jaune scratched his head. "wondering if you wanted to go to the movies this weekend?"

Movies? Ruby thought about it. She was free. And maybe they could bring more people. She nodded.

Jaune smiled, "Great it's a date!" Jaune declared and started to walk away. "I'll pick you up around five."

Ruby smiled and watched him go. It only took a few moments for her to process his words. The apple dropped to the floor in a loud clunk. "D-date?!" Ruby said wide eyed.

Ruby felt a phantom of a smile pass.

Ozpin was standing next to Jaune now. They both had mugs in their hands. This had to be in their final year. Jaune had a scar on his right cheek, something he didn't get till he was around that age. Ozpin nodded towards the camera and sipped from his coffee.

"Alright, for the record Jaune. Let's get it down."

Jaune didn't hesitate, had no witty remarks or extra comments. He looked at the camera, as if he was admitting his defeat." I will be infiltrating the white Fang. As Cinder's liason. Any and all actions I do from today and hence forth will be protect my cover and find out more information. I am exempt by all four countries of all crimes I do from now until Headmaster Ozpin see fit." Jaune pauses and sighs. The bags under his eyes is obvious. Ruby saw the mug in his hands shake.

"I really don't want to do this." he muttered.

"I know." Ozpin knelt down next to him, a hand on his shoulder.

"If I do this, I'll lose everything. They'll never-"

"Forgive? Do you want their forgiveness or their lives?" Glynda's voice entered. She walked forward, out from behind the camera. She knelt down on the other side of Jaune.

"Their lives are worth it." Jaune nodded slowly.

Ozpin closed his eyes, as he took a deep breath. "We must make them believe you have betrayed them. You are the betrayer, betrayer of their trust, their title, but never their love."

"Will it be worth it? If we do this?" Jaune asked. Ruby could hear it. The pain in his voice, the utter desperation for any alternative.

" I don't know. But, spend the time you have with them wisely." Ozpin advised.

Jaune nodded slowly.

Ruby closed her eyes as the screen flickered. She remembered how stress Jaune was, back then. She thought it was from the exams but...

Ruby snuggled into her boyfriend more, resting her head against his bare chest. It was a bit sweaty, from their earlier activity, but she didn't mind. Jaune's arm was wrapped around her shoulders, keeping her warm. The only thing really covering them was the blankets from the hotel.

Jaune sighed as he pressed his lips against her forehead. She could feel his tenseness, he seemed so stressed out now.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked, from her position against his chest.

"Nothing, Rubes." Jaune muttered.

"Now I know something is wrong." Ruby looked up at him. He looked down to meet her eyes. The pale moonlight from the window illuminating their eyes and bare forms.

"Just stress. It's nothing to worry about." Jaune answered.

Ruby gave him a smile, gently touching his face. "Come on, whatever it is, we'll conquer it together."

"Together." Jaune repeated slowly. He smiled, and Ruby saw something flicker between his eyes. She wanted to ask what it was, but she couldn't, as her lips were captured by his. She took in his taste, his warmth, and this wonderful feeling.

'Oh Dammit, he's distracting me.' She thought to herself. But, she didn't care. They were together, and that's all that mattered.

Ruby sighed as she continued watch the screen. There was a twist in her chest, something that had been dulled for a long time. But now, it was coming back in full force. Ruby wiped her eyes, they had something in them. She wanted to see the videos clearly. Looking over to see how the others were doing, Ruby set down the tablet for now.

Ren and Nora, were talking to each other quietly, still wrapped with one another. Pyrrha's eyes were red. Weiss, and Blake were both silent, eyes staring at the screen. They had learned, over the long war, to control their emotions well. But, she could see Weiss wringing her hands and Blake's bow twitch. Yang was another story. She sat there with a small smile and a satisfied look on her face.

Her half-sister noticed her looking and gave her a wide smile. She stood up and walked over, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "I'm going to go for a walk, I've seen enough."

"You sure?" Ruby questioned, grasping her sister's hand.

Yang looked back to the screen, still with a smile. Turning back to Ruby, Yang nodded. "Yea. I knew there was a reason why I approved of him."

Ruby looked away, for some reason, unable to look at her sister and keep her face cool. Yang placed a small kiss on Ruby's hair and walked out of the room. Ruby stared at the tablet and sighed, pressing the next video.

He was crying. He stared at camera, in a dark room. There was a bare bed behind him, only a small duffel bag on top of it. Jaune stared at the camera, just staring at it. He raised his fist to his mouth, trying to contain himself, but the tears kept coming down. Pain etched on his face as if someone had just died, and maybe someone had.

"I-It's" Jaune swallowed, taking a deep breath. He wiped his eyes and buried his head in his hands. A few seconds passed, as Jaune continued to weep, continued to sob, continued to grieve. His breathing slowed, his tears stopped, and he looked back up.

His eyes were unfocused, shoulders sagged, and arms resting on his knees. "I betrayed them today. Detonated a shape charge. I told Pyrrha to grab the team and run. Said I would be getting help." Jaune looked down, muttering. "never even got to say goodbye."

A pause, slow breathing. His hands slowly tightened into fists. His back straightened incrementally.

He looked straight at the camera.

Blank.

"I have infiltrated the White Fang. I am to work as Cinder's Liason, because I do not have personal bias, and Roman has had a bad experience with them. I will continue to work on this side. Glynda, will meet me in two weeks, via dead drop, to see how I am doing." Jaune's stoic mask cracked, as he tried to finish the report.

"I back stabbed everyone. Betrayer. That's what they'll label me. It's a hunter whose gone bad. If any of my team had gotten caught in the explosion. If any of them got hurtt. Oh god." Jaune placed a hand on his forehead. Eyes squeezed shut. "I- I've always been running from my legacy. But I guess this is the farthest from it."

Jaune reached forward for the camera.

"I think that's it for me." Weiss declared as she stood up.

Ruby looked over to her partner, who was still staring at the frozen image of Jaune reaching for the Camera.

Weiss stared at it, her hard eyes softening. "That idiot..." Weiss closed her eyes, nodding to herself. She turned to Ruby and put a hand on her hip. "I'll have to go to the President of Vale to talk to him about wiping away Jaune's criminal record."

"This is classified information. We can't just-" Blake tried to intervene.

"The president of Vale unofficially pardoned him didn't he?" Weiss interrupted. She raised a finger in the air, "That's all the more reason to directly go to him. No one will ever have to know but the people in charge. It's a good idea, and I'm going now!" Weiss declared as she turned around and headed towards the door.

Blake shook her head and sighed. "I'll go after her. Before Neptune hears about her breaking into City Hall and has to arrest his wife." Blake got up and rushed out the door, after Weiss.

Ruby shook her head. They had changed a lot, they all had

"I-" Jaune swallowed. His face was tired. "I directed grim today. They gave me access to the full scale grim control army." Jaune shook his head. "We used collars. Directly inserted into grim's nervous system. Forced them to go to certain areas. Not the cleanest, and hell-" Jaune rubbed his eyes. " I tried to direct them to the least populated areas. Important structures yea, but areas on the map that didnt' have a lot people on sensors. I-" Jaune buried his head in his hands. "I killed people. Their blood is on my hands. I hope this is worth it. When I told glynda. When she heard."

Jaune chuckled bitterly. "She said I did what I had to do. Did I? I'm really not a hunter" Jaune closed the video.

"Must have been the time when we saved Team CRDL." Nora said to herself, her eyes were red.

Ren nodded slowly, as he shifted in his seat, wincing as he did so. "It was strange, didn't really think about it. The grim left immediately when they saw us. They had plenty of time to kill Team CRDL." Ren reasoned.

Nora crossed her arms and sighed. "And..." She looked up at the ceiling, remembering the past years. "He did leave behind the device so we could counter act it. CRDL never said they did take it off him, Dove just found it on himself."

"I guess that's it then." Ren rubbed his chin, looking towards Nora.

Nora smiled wide. "I guess we owe a lot of apologies to fearless leader huh?!"

Ren chuckled. "Yeah. Come on. Let's go to the hospital."

"Eh? Why?" Ruby asked. "Are you in pain."

Ren shook his head. "We're going to go see team CRDL. I'm due for a check up anyways." Ren smiled and nodded. "Don't worry Ruby, Just keep moving forward, And we'll all get there someday."

Pyrrha waved them goodbye and Ruby smiled at the advice. The two remaining girls turned back to the screen.

The next video was of Jaune running with the camera. He was almost the right age now. Muscular, scars on his face. Jaune was panting, sweating, and looked desperate as he ran."Got info on Cinder's end game. I'm uploading this now. Making sure I get it down."

Jaune entered his room and closed the door. Securing the area. He used a small stick to check every corner, carefully going through each of things, locking the door, setting up a small device near it. After he had finished everything, he sat at the desk, and took deep breaths.

"She's planning a grim invasion against every major country, and using the military to do it. She uploaded a virus." Jaune bit his lip and rubbed his chin. "I don't know if I can send a message to Glynda in time. Plus, there's no reason for them to investigate and if they force it, it might break my cover. Shit."

Jaune looked confused for a moment, searching for an answer. But a few moments later, he snapped his fingers. "I got it! I need to find a way to tip Ruby. She can get that info to Weiss, whose making machines for Ironwood..." He paused again, still thinking about it. " Shit. How do I -" Jaune stops and grits his teeth. After a moment a solemn look on his face. Jaune looks at the Camera and sighs. "I need to get a hit onto Team RWBY."

Ruby gasped as she remembered the hit. It was sort of out of the blue, out of the way for a hit like this. They were doing recon, while Pyrrha's team was evacuating civilians from a nearby city.

Ruby ducked around another sword swing. She was frustrated, she wanted to scream, cry, hug this person, but she couldn't. Instead, she fired a couple rounds at him.

Jaune easily lifted his shield and blocked the bullets.

Ruby called out to him. "Jaune don't do this I know. Somewhere, somewhere in that heart of yours you still love all of us. You still love m-"

Jaune laughed, interrupting her. "That Jaune died long ago. And if there is anything it's probably just echoes. You are all so weak."

Jaune charged forward and they met eyes. There were only a few feet in between them. Close. Too close. Not close enough. They distance between them was shorter than anything in past few years. But they were so far apart.

Ruby let herself drift backwards, moving away from him. But, Jaune was faster. He press forward, with speed she didn't know he had in him. He closed the rest of the gap in an instant. His face was mere inches in front of her and her eyes still locked into his. She shouldn't get distracted here, Jaune was...

A glint, a flicker. She didn't know what it was but it caught her attention. In his eyes, there was something off. Their breaths mingled slightly, as they flew through the air, her backpedaling, him chasing after her. For a moment, as she stared into his eyes and he stared into hers, they weren't on the battlefield. They weren't fighting for their lives. They weren't on different sides.

His eyes held a softness, something she remembered clearly. The same softness from when he first helped her up, asked her out, and said …

And then it was gone, his face turned into a scowl and he lashed out with his fist. Ruby leaned backward, avoiding the first and backflipping to gain more distance. Jaune skidded on the ground, slowing his speed down. The distance between them grew.

Jaune glared at her, eyes filled with anger, frustration. "Seems I still can't handle fighting you after all." Jaune sighed as he rolled his neck. He turned away, unconcerned that Ruby was still near him, looking at the rest of RWBY fighting the White fang. "Well, It seems this operation has failed."

"Operation?" Ruby blurted out. He had been sent here?

Jaune hummed nonchalantly. "In preparation to deal with your military. Ironwood thinks he's so great." Jaune snorted. "The idiot's got worse intuition than Ozpin, and even Ozpin didn't know, I was working for Cinder, day one."

Ruby swallowed, trying to get her emotions and thoughts under control. Ironwood. The miltiary? Was something going on with them.

Jaune shook his head, and dropped something in between them. A count down timer. "There's a city, not too far from here, in the west. A bomb's been planted there, and Pyrrha won't be able to stop all of it. Leave now, And you may be able to save them." Jaune huffed out, sheathing his sword as he walked towards his plane.

Ruby didn't even chase after him, she dashed forward quickly, to grab the rest of her team.

They had taken the information to Ozpin. Glynda had snapped it up and worked with Weiss to figure out the virus. Apparently, it had been tracking the Hunter's missions and been feeding intelligence to the White fang.

Ozpin nor Glynda seemed surprised, instead they worked twice as hard. In the end, it led them to cornering Cinder.

"It's funny." Pyrrha whispered. "Watching this. I don't-" She shook her head, her red hair waving as she did so. "You know Ruby. I always wondered when I lost faith in him. And now, I realize I-"

Pyrrha looked at Ruby, and silver eyes met green ones.

"We both loved him."

Pyrrha stood up, walking towards Ruby. Ruby stood up as well, looking up at the taller girl. "But there was a difference between me and you. A big one." Pyrrha chuckled, though it felt bitter. " All this time. I was disgusted with him. Angry with him. I hated him. I wonder... what would've happen if." Pyrrha shook her head, blinking tears out of her eyes.

Ruby placed a hand on her elbow, giving it a comforting squeeze. Pyrrha grasped the hand and squeezed back.

"You know Ruby I think its good that you two..." She looked away in pain. "I stopped believing I in him after I saw him lead the grim. No, I stopped believing him after this." Pyrrha motioned towards the video. " I just believed the old jaune never existed. But you. You never stopped trying, never stopped believing. I guess that's why he fell for you."

Ruby gave her a weak smile. "And you made him the man he was today."

Pyrrha chuckled, hiccuping slightly. "Yea. I guess we did. Thank you Ruby. If you ever see him, tell him I'm-"

"Tell him yourself. I'll drag him back here." Ruby gave the girl a hug, and she returned it.

With that, Pyrrha walked off and left the room, leaving Ruby alone in the office.

"Ozpin did it. Good. I cut Glynda off. It's too dangerous for her to come here anymore. I'm on my own now. I-" Jaune sighs and shakes his head.

Ruby jumped, a bit shocked that the video started on it's own. She looked Jaune. He was the right age now.

Jaune looks at the camera, tired eyes. "The final steps are approaching. We're almost there. I" Jaune sighs. "I don't know what to do afterward. Ozpin told me that he would find a way to integrate me back into society. But" Jaune shakes hie had. "Everyone would hate me. Or it would be too awkward and nothing is worse than..." Jaune chuckles and mutters. "To the socially awkward." Jaune shakes his head and looks back up. "Time to go."

Ruby didn't know how long she stayed there. Didn't know how long she stared at Jaune. But she did, until Ozpin came in.

The older hunter walked in slowly, with just his cane in hand. He looked at the screen and sighed. "Every time he fought, he was careful to hurt but not kill. Injure but never cripple." Ozpin murmured. "Wanted updates on you guys. And in the end, he wanted to see you one last time before he left.

"One last time?" Ruby asked. No, that didn't sit well with her.

"In case you didn't forgive him." Ozpin said

"I-" Ruby started. There was a burning feeling in her chest. A desire. She needed to find him.

"There is one final video." Ozpin whispered. He reached past Ruby and grabbed the tablet. Tapping it for a bit, he turned back to Ruby. "It was only meant for you to watch."

He pressed the button and the screen flickered.

Jaune appeared on screen again. This must have been made around the time of the final fight. He was wearing the same worn armor, and had the same gruff face.

"Ruby. If you are getting this video, either I have died or I have succeeded. Honestly. Jauen shrugs I don't know what would be worse. You probably watched all my other videos, all my other files. I made this one for you because I-" Jaune swallowed.

For a moment, It looked like he wasn't going to say anything. But he looked back at the camera, tears in his eyes and small smile. "That Jaune. That Jaune that still loved everyone. Still loved you. He never died. He was just on the back burner for awhile. I want you to know. That if you still- if you still wanted him. He would be waiting."

Numb.

"Where is he?" A small voice.

Ozpin gently placed a set of keys and a piece of paper in her hand. "We gave him a man made island. Outside of Patch, your hometown. It's secluded so he can live in peace, until he's ready to rejoin society. You can use the jet on the roof"

Running.

She didn't know how long she was flying. She didn't know how long she waited. All she wanted was to go faster. She sped over the cities, land, sea.

And then she saw it. It was a small, man made island. Nothing for a tourist attraction but quite large for one person.

She punched in the docking codes, and the Bullhead did it's work.

As soon as the plane landed, she stepped out and looked around. She was about a mile away from a small beach house. There was a small dock on the side and someone sitting at the edge of the dock.

Jaune.

He was wearing a white button up with blue jeans. His hair blowing slightly in the wind. He was skipping rocks into the sea.

Ruby felt her feet move, one by one, left then right. She walked closer, staring at him. Whether he noticed her presence, she didn't know. She stood on the docks now, wanting to speak, but no words were coming out.

She kept moving forward.

The wood creaked underneath her feet, and Jaune shifted in his sitting position. "What did they say Ozpin." His voice was light, still trying to skip rocks.

She couldn't speak.

"Tell me, I'm in no mood for games. Or did you just come here to watch me skip rocks." Jaune growled as he tossed a rock, twisting his hand. The rock landed in a thunk against the water.

"You need to keep your wrist at an angle. Or it'll just Thunk." Words slipped out.

Jaune froze, his body so still, so silent. He stood up, slowly and turned around. His eyes wide, his mouth slightly ajar.

Blue and Silver locked.

"Ruby." He whispered. "I- you watched."

She walked forward and reached for his hands. He pulled them back, his breathing hitched. She could see his shaking hands, his erratic beating, and the soft look in his eyes.

She slowly reached forward. He did not pull back this time. She gently grabbed his hands, pulling him forward.

"I did." She nods.

"Do- Do you. I-" He stumbled over his words.

She smiles. "I didn't come here just to skip rocks you know. Well, maybe with you."

He chuckled. Voice cracking. "I-I am so-"

"You already apologized. That night on the roof."

"I-I guess I did."

"What did you say again?"

"Forever and ever, until I fall."

Explanations:

I wanted to tackle the idea that Jaune had gone through a lot of 'terrible' things and the one thing pulling him through it was Ruby. Also, I didn't want to make it JUST a pairing Fic because I feel one shots should be more than that. The idea of a double agent sounded cool so I ran with it.

As for themes:

There is a lot to do with perception, sight, and which way people are facing. And whether they are Looking At a person's face or their back determined what was truly being shown.

Also, the order in which people left the room represented two things. The order in which they lost faith in Jaune. And the Order when they forgave, not only him, but themselves as well.

There's also a lot of mirroring going on, I like making one shots that have Beginnings and endings that mirror each other, kind of like wrapping a package in a nice tight bow.

I hope you Enjoyed this! If you have any questions or inklings as to the other themes or pop a review. Thanks!