Chapter 10 – Jaunedice

Beta read by Levi Ackermanlet

Cardin fumed as he walked down the hallway towards his room. He scratched at the cast on his arm incessantly in frustration. Walking around school wearing the thing was humiliating enough, but did it have to itch so badly?

He clenched his good fist in anger. It was all that stupid Zuko's fault. If he'd minded his own business then he wouldn't be like this! And all because he got that lucky shot too…

'I swear, the next time I see him, I'll make sure he regrets thinking he can stand up to me.'

"…to Beacon! That speaks volumes of what you're capable of!"

'Huh?' Cardin snuck against the wall until he reached the window. Poking his head up, he could just about make out the two figures of Pyrrha and Jaune standing out on the balcony. For whatever reason, Jaune looked very upset.

"You're wrong. I-I don't belong here."

"That's a terrible thing to say! Of course you do!"

Jaune whirled on Pyrrha, looking angry and ashamed. "No, I don't! …I wasn't really accepted into Beacon..."

Cardin raised an eyebrow in confusion. Sure, he'd never thought Jaune deserved to come to Beacon, being the little pipsqueak that he was…

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"I mean I didn't go to combat school, I didn't pass any tests. I didn't earn my spot at this Academy! I lied! I got my hands on some fake transcripts, and I lied!"

A smirk grew on Cardin's face as Jaune continued his confession to Pyrrha.

'Oh Jauney-boy, we are gonna have some fun together…'

~RWBYZ~

"And…done."

The last essay slapped onto the mountain of paperwork with the others. All around the table, team RWBYZ lay back in their seats with relief. Weiss stretched out her body and moaned in satisfaction, her arms and legs letting out small 'pops' as she did so. She reached out and grabbed the cup of coffee she'd made and took a sip, before promptly spitting it out in disgust.

"Yuck, it's freezing cold! How long ago did I make this…?"

She slammed it down on the table in frustration, startling awake Ruby who had just started to drift off to sleep. Weiss raised an eyebrow as Zuko promptly picked up the cup and held it in his hands.

"It's almost sunrise, so…probably a good few hours." Steam began to rise from the mug as he reheated it, then placed it back down in front of her.

"Well that's…convenient. But how do you know what time it is? You don't have a Scroll…"

Despite Beacon having provided Zuko with a great many things to help him study, apparently a 'Scroll' was a luxury, so he'd been forced to wait as his uncle saved up using his measly pay in the kitchen.

"I can feel the sun as it moves."

Ruby looked over at him in interest. "Wow. So you can tell the time just by feeling it?"

"I'm…not that precise. But I can tell when the sun rises. Or, is about to."

Ruby let out a single small 'ha' before she laid her head down on the table to sleep. For the first time in a long time, Zuko smiled. There was just something about seeing the girls so exhausted after helping him that made him feel…happy. No, not just some girls…his team. Zuko picked up the stack of papers they'd built and began to leave the library.

"So, you managed to get it all done in time?"

Zuko nodded and accepted the cup of tea his uncle held outstretched for him, shifting the papers onto one hand.

"I had help."

"So I see." The slight smile Iroh had been carrying left his face as he turned serious. "I know that you've been struggling here Prince Zuko. But, I think it's nice that you can make friends here."

Zuko's smile fell. "Not friends' uncle. Teammates. I can't ever be friends with them…"

"Oh? And why's that?"

"I can't be friends with them if they don't know who I am." He glanced back to his team who had started to talk and laugh amongst themselves. "And how can I ever tell them who I am? They'd never believe me."

"Hmmm…sadly, that is quite true. But, I would suggest you try to be friends anyway." Zuko looked at him surprised. "Prince Zuko, we do not know what will happen to us, or what will come in the future. But I know, that when the time comes, you will need some friends of your own."

Zuko looked doubtful, finishing off his tea and handing it back to him.

"Give it time. Give them a chance, and when the time comes, tell them what you can. You never know, they just might believe you. Wouldn't that be worth all the work?"

"Maybe uncle…" Zuko's lips curled slightly, hope rising inside of himself. "Maybe."

Iroh left to work in the kitchen, leaving Zuko all alone when he arrived in Dr Oobleck's classroom.

"Ah, Mr Lee. I've been informed you have some homework to hand in?"

"Here you go."

He dropped the papers onto his desk, the always caffeinated doctor quickly scrutinizing his work.

"Hmmm. You have two different answers for this question."

"Uh, I didn't know which one was right, so I wrote them both."

"And this one's in a different color."

"My pen ran out…?"

"And the handwriting in this essay is different from this one."

"Uh…I'm ambidextrous and switched hands?"

Oobleck scrutinized him, taking a disturbingly long break from speaking or from drinking his coffee. "…Well your weapons of choice are dual swords so I suppose that's possible! Might I suggest next time asking your teammates to help you? They are, in fact, allowed to do so."

Zuko sighed as the doctor sped away.

~RWBYZ~

Jaune groaned with exhaustion as he stumbled towards his dorm room. Ever since Cardin had found out about his fake transcripts, he'd been doing all manner of errands for him in just those few short days. Most of them didn't even make sense! He'd washed all his clothes, buffed his armour, cleaned his room, but then he'd also been taking notes on Rapier Wasps of all things!

"You know, there's only really two reasons why boys are out this late at night."

Jaune would have squealed if it wouldn't have woken up his teammates. Stepping out of the shadows emerged an old man with a grey beard.

"They're either in trouble, or seeing girls. So tell me, what trouble are you in young man?"

"Hey wait, I know you. You're that guy who works in the kitchen! Zuko's uncle, right?"

"That's right. But, you can just call me Iroh. It would be pretty strange if you called me 'Uncle'."

He let out a good natured chuckle, and Jaune quickly began to wave his hands through the air to try and silence him.

"Huh? Oh right, your team. Let's go somewhere and talk shall we?"

Jaune hesitated in confusion, before following reluctantly. Why exactly did this old man want to speak to him?

Iroh led him onto one of the balconies, taking a moment to gaze up at the full moon in the sky. After enjoying the beauty of seeing the whole moon for once, instead of that broken horror show of the second moon, Iroh turned back to the young man with him.

"So, what is a young man like yourself doing out so late, hmmm?"

"Oh uh, you know, no reason, just…wanted to take a little walk."

"And that's why you're covered in dirt? And I thought I got lost."

"…"

"…While you're a better liar than my nephew, I am still an old man, and I can wait a long time for the truth."

Jaune rubbed his hands together nervously.

"…I wasn't really going for a walk. I was, doing this thing for a friend."

"Doesn't sound like a very nice friend if they're making you sneak around at night."

"Well, he's not really a friend, more of a…person who knows something about me."

"Oh…and what did your team say about this?"

"Not much…I kind of, didn't tell them."

"Why not? Surely they would be willing to help you if you needed it?"

"They would. But, I don't want them to. I need to do this by myself."

Iroh regarded him in silence for a long time. "You know, you sound a lot like my nephew. Always thinking you need to do things on your own without anyone's support."

"…Didn't your nephew set fire to the cafeteria?"

"Well…you don't have his temper, at least."

Jaune and Iroh chuckled together briefly, before the elder man became serious again. "My nephew has often fought to do things on his own. Believing that only he could fix his problems. That only he could make himself strong."

"Oh come on, Zuko's here on a Combat Scholarship. The only other person like that is Pyrrha, and she's unbelievably strong."

"And do you think that she has accomplished so much all on her own?"

"…no."

"There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you, help you. You came to Beacon to become a Huntsman, and there is no shame in admitting that sometimes, you need a helping hand with that."

Jaune hung his head in shame.

"Do not let your pride blind you and hold you back. A drop of rain is not mighty, but together with others, it forms a mighty ocean."

"…do you always talk in 'wise old man speak'?"

Iroh laughed. "A habit from being with my nephew for so long. A few words of wisdom every now and then help him."

"…I thought I should deal with these things myself." Jaune slumped down onto the ground

"And now?"

"I'll stand up to him, but I'll do it with my team." His face began to fill with hope, before swiftly falling again as he realised something very important. "I just, I wanted to be able to at least stand with my team, not just rely on them. But, I can't beat him though, he's better than me."

"Oh?" Iroh slowly sat down next to him, letting out only a minor groan from his age as he did so. "Better than you, or simply bigger?"

"Uh, bigger. Does that, matter?"

Iroh looked at him as if he'd missed the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course! Bigger people are always so keen to use their strength, throwing their weight around without a care for tactics or finesse. But more importantly, when this method fails, so too does their will to push you around. Stand up."

Jaune awkwardly did so along with Iroh, though the latter moved a fair few metres away from him before facing him again. "Now, I want you to pretend that I am this Cardin boy and try to intimidate me."

"U-uh, alright." He awkwardly dropped into his fighting stance as he watched Iroh draw himself to his full height and puff out his chest. Though the elderly man's short stature and large gut made him look more comical than threatening. "Um, listen Ir-Cardin, I'm not doing what you want anymore. So, uh, just, leave me alone."

It sounded pathetic even to his own ears, though the way Iroh was looking him up and down seemed to imply that it wasn't the words that he was critical of. "Your stance, it's all wrong."

Jaune faltered. "W-what? What's wrong with my stance?"

Iroh shook his head and walked over to the boy. "With a poor stance, you are unbalanced, and you can be easily knocked over." He darted forwards and threw Jaune to the ground. The blonde groaned and began to rub his butt in pain.

Iroh extended a hand down towards him, which he gratefully took. "With a solid stance, you are a much more serious threat." Iroh dropped into the correct position, watching as Jaune then imitated him. Iroh pushed his hips forwards slightly and dropped his arms marginally.

"Much better." Iroh praised as he gave the boy a slight shove, nudging him only slightly. "It's also a very good chance to throw your opponent off balance." Iroh dropped into the stance and had Jaune try and push him, quickly deflecting his arms and moving to push him. He stopped just before he did, showing Jaune the key positioning of his arms, as well as how he'd moved his own foot forwards to pull Jaune's out from under him at the same time.

He repeated the exercise a few times, alternating between demonstrating and having Jaune practice it. After a few attempts, Iroh sighed dramatically and rested against the balcony railing.

"Though really, I'm far too old to be teaching much anymore. Perhaps however, that young Pyrrha lady can help you?"

It wasn't subtle, not even to Jaune, but smiled and nodded anyways. "Maybe. But…I kind of made a mistake. She offered to help me before and I…well, I told her what I told you. That I had to do it myself."

"It is usually best to admit mistakes when they occur, and seek to restore honour." Iroh placed a hand on his back, and began to lead Jaune back towards his dorm. "Be honest, and tell her what you have learned.

~RWBYZ~

"Hey Arc!" Cardin's voice reverberated loudly throughout the Forever Fall forest. The boy in question looked over to him, his teammates taking protective steps towards him. He held up a hand and they paused, stepping back only slightly as they all eyed the bully before them.

Cardin smirked in smug satisfaction, his own team likewise enjoying the sight of Jaune cowing down to them.

'Arc knows his place. Good.' "Hey Jaune, buddy, why don't you come hang out with us for a little bit?"

Jaune frowned and slowly began to walk towards him.

"Jaune, you don't have to-"

"It's okay Pyrrha." He flashed her a reassuring smile as he looked back to her. Hesitantly, she backed off, and he continued towards Cardin.

"Smart move Jaune. We'd hate for your friends to be rude now wouldn't we? So why don't we go and-"

"No." That caught Cardin off guard.

"W-what? Alright, listen here Jaune. I've-"

"No! You listen to me. I'm not listening to you anymore Cardin. I've changed, and I trust in my team. You're not gonna bully me anymore."

"Oh really?" Cardin was beyond angry. He was absolutely livid. First that Zuko brat embarrassed him, now apparently Jaune of all people thought they could boss him around. "Are you forgetting that little secret of ours?"

"No, I'm not. But you're forgetting one thing. My team's here, and whatever happens, they'll still be here."

The rest of JNPR formed up behind their leader, drawing their weapons threateningly.

~RWBYZ~

Zuko whirled through the air, fire blasting from his legs as he viciously attacked his imaginary foe. Fire punches and kicks melded seamlessly together as he continued his assault, refusing to give them even the slightest relief. He ducked a counter and whipped towards the ground, burning away the grass before him. His opponent leapt to avoid the attack, before being caught in the air with a charged fire blast. They went down, and stayed down.

"Whooo!"

Ruby openly cheered while Yang and Blake clapped enthusiastically. Weiss was more modest with her applause. As a thank you, Ruby had wanted to see Zuko's fire bending so that she could she compare it to that woman working with Roman. The others had been curious too, and so they had tagged along for his demonstration.

Zuko didn't mind. Having his bending back felt amazing, and he hadn't wanted to wait any longer than he had to to practice. To feel that fire flowing through himself again, to feel the heat in his veins…there wasn't anything quite like it.

"Well done Zuko." His uncle walked over and embraced him in a tight hug. "Charging your attacks, the flow from one form to another…you have truly mastered your basics."

While to the others, saying that he had mastered his basics might have sounded a bit underwhelming, both Iroh and Zuko knew what it really meant. He had finally become a master fire bender. Leagues behind his sister admittedly, but Zuko was in too much of a good mood to care about that.

Being a true master fire bender meant he was far beyond any ordinary bender. Others could use master-level moves to be sure, but they skipped their basics to do so, and were in fact weaker for it. Zuko would be considered one of the most powerful benders of his world, and no longer such a failure. His father would be proud…

Their celebrations were cut short as they heard the sound of arguing. Off in the distance, team RWBYZ and Iroh could just about make out the figures of team JNPR and team CRDL. Jaune and Cardin were in the middle of a heated argument, with Zuko only faintly able to hear something about 'staying away'. It turned violent just as quickly as it ended, with Cardin stepping up to shove Jaune over, and quickly finding himself flat on his ass.

'A Fire Nation counter? Where'd he learn that…?'

Cardin's team moved to attack Jaune, but quickly halted as the blonde's own team stepped forwards. Whatever they were arguing about, it was clear that Cardin was backing down.

Iroh smiled with pride. Bullies were cowards, wherever they were from. Threaten them with losing and embarrassment, and they would usually give up straight away. That was the trick, never give up without a fight. Iroh frowned as he looked towards his bag.

Without a word to Zuko or his team, Iroh wandered deep within the Forever Fall forest. Officially, he was coming along on the student field trip to make sure that Zuko behaved. In reality…

Unpacking his things by the river he'd found, Iroh laid the portrait of a young man against a rock. He positioned it carefully, giving it a beautiful view of the gently flowing river, and the magnificent leaves that drifted down from the trees.

"Happy birthday, my son. If only I could have helped you."

Tears began to drip down his cheeks as grief squeezed at his heart. His voice cracked as the tears grew, but he pushed on, and sang his son's favourite song.

"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow.

Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam.

Little soldier boy, come marching home.

Brave soldier boy, comes marching home."

He dropped his head into his hands, letting the tears spill out freely.

There was a snap of a twig behind him, and Iroh turned to see a young red-haired woman paused awkwardly as she had attempted to back away quietly.

"I'm-…I'm sorry for, interrupting you Mr Lee."

Iroh smiled sadly. "It's quite alright young lady. I wanted to show my son the beauty of the world, but that does not mean it is private."

She had obviously wanted to speak to him, so he patted the ground beside him as he gazed at the forest before him. Slowly, hesitantly, she came over, and sat down as quietly and respectfully as she could.

"…I'm sure your son would have loved to see this."

"As do I…" He continued his sad smile in remembrance of when Lu Ten was but a child, and he used to run through the palace gardens in excitement.

"So you must be that Pyrrha girl on Jaune's team, what brings you to me?" He said it kindly, to assure her that he felt no ill will towards her seeing him grieving.

"This place isn't very safe, so I started following when I saw you walking away, I wanted to make sure you were safe. And…I wanted to thank you for helping Jaune. He asked if I could help teach him…"

"He is a smart boy."

"I don't think the wisdom was all him."

He chuckled softly. No, admittedly it wasn't. But he had listened, and he had accepted it. That was something.

"That…that was a beautiful song."

"I used to sing it to my son as a child."

"Can I…would he like it, if we sang it together?"

He looked to her, smiling with thanks.

"I think he would…"