A begining of a new bond

As the time went by, life returned to its normalcy as the the most recent arrival in their apartment became more acostumed to the Arc siblings and their routine.

Neo is a very quick learner and it's very good at adapting to new environments, especially ones that offer her as much comfort and safety as her new home has.

After she was accepted as a new resident in the apartment, she was in the very next day brought into a hospital in order to recieve a checkup, in which she was not diagnosed with anything other than what they already knew: damaged vocal cords, heavy malnutrition and several cuts and bruises that hadn't healed. After that she was taken to go clothing shopping and to buy a few appliances such as a toothbrush, extra bandages and a few supplement pills in order to get her back into full health.

In the following days her routine consisted of being taught by Jaune since she lacked a lot of academic knowledge, receiving lessons of basic etiquette and common sense from Saphron in order to facilitate her daily life and spending all remaining time glued to Jaune as she followed him everywhere since he was the one that she trusted the most.

In regards to her overall appearance, it has changed steadily over the course of the time she'd spent with the Arcs, her body gaining a lot of much needed weight, her skin becoming much smoother and with a healthy hue and her hair becoming much more neat and tidy after a visit to a hairdresser.

All of that combined with her much better fitting clothes and a small change in attitude has changed her to the point that Jaune would dare call her 'cute'.

And speaking of her attitude, it has come a long way from the distirustful, gloomy and withdrawn. Recently she was even comfortable enough to share a bit about her past with Jaune and it has given him a few insights.

He was always aware that he is on a very similar alternative reality rather than the Canon reality of RWBY. The biggest proof being the original Jaune's death at birth, which would alone cause a major divergence in many of the future events but this is the first time he was able to see the same occurrence in another character.

As he listened, or rather read about her backstory he was able to detect several points where it diverged from the original from the dates of events to the reason for her escape and even the fact that she currently lacks her aura.

This gave him solid proof that he is not the only one that is affected by the changes and there's many other people that may present them. Before he didn't know anyone outside himself that had this changes so he couldn't confirm that, but meeting Neo has changed that.

So this means that he will have to be more careful about trusting his future knowledge and be wary of the risks. Suffice it to say that ballsy moves like contacting Ozpin without first verifying the information must be avoided.

Speaking of Ozpin, I'm still waiting for him to enter in contact so I can direct him towards the next tragedy that I would like to prevent, in this case I don't have an specific date so it would be better to inform him of it as soon as possible.

But this nice routine was about to be broken as Jaune and Saphron were soon returning to their family after such a long time and this was the perfect opportunity to introduce her personally to all of them.

In regards to the dojo, Jaune was given a time of rest by master Ryu-Bang after hearing that his pupil was returning home since according to him: 'a good rest is equally as important as the exercise itself'. So he would spend a good while in Ansel and this is also the perfect opportunity for Jaune to learn a new style of combat and learn a new skill that will help him in the future.

So with a heart full of anticipation, Jaune boards the bullhead heading towards Ansel along with Saph and Neo in order to face the Arc family in its entirety once again.

...

Arriving in Ansel, I couldn't help but feel a little bit of nostalgia despite me being away for only a few months, there was just this sense of tranquility and homeliness that I just couldn't find in the bustling capital.

As we walked through the village making our way towards our home, we receive many greetings from the locals and Neo received a few curious stares. In such a small and tight community one can locate an outsider immediately but gladly none of the villagers did so with any bad intent.

So a short walk later, the Arc Manor was in sight and we prepared ourselves to face the onslaught that awaited us.

But before making my way onwards, I felt a tug in my shirt and as I turned around I saw Neo with a very nervous expression and showing her notebook to me.

{Jaune, can we talk for a moment}

Seeing this, I turn to Saphron and signal her to go ahead and wait for us at the house's entrance, meanwhile we just remained still until Neo gathers up her courage and throws out her second question:

{Do you think your parents and siblings will accept me?}

Normally, I would just treat this as nervousness on her part, reassure her and move on but I know after being told of her past that this isn't the case. It's a trauma.

She probably remembers the time when her mother remarried and got herself a second husband, then she met with her new family. They were cold and uncaring at best and cruel at worst, making it very clear how bothersome her presence was to them and at the boiling point having a plan to abandon her being made.

She must be afraid of the same thing happening once again, that my family wouldn't accept her presence and that she would be once again turned away and forced back into the streets.

"Neo, I know that you had some bad experiences in the past but you can trust me on this, my family isn't like that, they'll love you and accept you regardless of anything, that's just the type of people we Arcs are. And even if they don't, you can be sure that I'll be at your side regardless." I say while looking her in the eyes and showing her the sincerity of my words.

Her reaction after hearing this is like watching a flower blooming, having a huge smile appear on her face and her worried body language be exchanged for a shy one, but she quickly realizes the expression she's making and quickly turns her head to the ground in embarrassment.

She then adopts a conflicted expression and starts to shyly write another thing in her notebook and shows him, this time she holds the notebook directly in front of her face in order to hide her expression, but her red ears and posture make it obvious that she is currently very embarrassed.

{Jaune, what do you think about my eyes and hair?}

As I read the message, everything starts to suddenly make sense. The reason for her nervousness and shyness is not only her meeting with my family but also because she is starting to become self-contious around me.

The problem isn't necessarily that my parents may not like her, but that as a result of it my opinion about her might change for the worse. I knew that she has become dependant on me ever since I picked her up on the streets but I didn't know that my opinion was important to her to this extent.

Well, if this is the issue then I just need to be sincere. I doubt that my response will be enough to undermine years of being ashamed of who she is but it will at least help her start building up some self confidence.

"Neo, I think that your eyes, your hair and everything else that makes you up are pretty exotic and unique and you shouldn't be ashamed of them, after all they are what make you so special. In my opinion, if anyone else tries to say otherwise then they are just jealous of what you have and you shouldn't take them seriously." I say it while removing the notebook from her face and staring at her face head-on.

The result of this is her face becoming even redder and steam being able to be seen leaving her head as she was hit by Jaune with a direct and sincere compliment.

And it was super effective!

...

|Neopolitan's P.O.V.|

What did I just hear?

Exotic? Unique? Special?

Have I ever received such compliments in my life? Honestly I can't remember.

Ever since my birth, my apparence was always a burden and something to be ashamed of. My parents kept me hidden, made me paint my hair and wear contacts since they were afraid of how society would look at her, after they broke up my hair and eye were a constant source of malicious comments from strangers and her step-siblings and after she ran away and started living on the streets was the time that she realized how much misfortune her appearance could bring her.

But Jaune was the exception, he was willing to extend a helping hand and show her kindness even when she was at her worst, he never looked at her with contempt, never treated her like she was some circus attraction. Before meeting him she had honestly already forgotten how is it to be looked upon with dignity and respect.

She was now completely convinced that Jaune was the only person she needed in her life. As long as he was nearby, all the hushed whispers, curious stares and offensive remarks she received seemed to become inconsequential.

So in order to repay his grace, she is willing to follow him as far as he may travel, aid him in whatever way he may need and do anything that he may request her. Anything below this is unworthy of paying off the debt of her salvation.

But she is taken out of her thoughts as she sees him extending his hand towards her and speaking with his usual kind smile: "If you're still not confident then you can just take my hand if it is of any help, just be calm and know that whatever happens inside I'll be supporting you."

Yes, this is the reason that she has decided to dedicate herself to him. He's dutiful, charitable, brave and honorable, but most of all he is so kind and always looks at her with such a sweet smile. No hurdles seems too hard when he's supporting me.

So I fail to hold back the smile the appears on my face and eagerly take his hand and let him guide me towards the house's entrance where Saphron is currently waiting.

And the oldest Arc sibling was currently looking towards us with an shit-eating grin and with a gingerly walk she closes the distance with her brother before speaking in her usual teasing tone that she has already used a few times when speaking to me.

"Soooo, little bro, I honestly didn't think that you had it in you, the scene you've just shown me was honestly so sweet that I got diabetes from watching it." Then she shifts to a slightly more serious tone "But it's still to soon to be playing with girls hearts, your carelessness may cause many conflicts when you're older." Jaune meanwhile just ignores her and shows no reaction to her teasing.

I would've questioned what did she mean by what she just said but I couldn't write while I'm holding hands with Jaune so I just let it pass and wait as Saphron makes her way to the door.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

After knocking on the door, we just wait in a tense silence until a response comes.

"Coming!" Comes a youthful voice from inside the house that clearly belongs to a girl and after hearing a few hushed footsteps coming towards the door, it unlocks it with a clang and it opens slightly.

"Who is it?" The door opens but not completely thanks to a chain holding it and from inside pops a blond haired, blue eyed girl that's seems to be the same age as herself. The girl has her hair in a bob cut and wears a tank top along with some shorts.

The girl inside immediately identifies Saphron that is upfront and confusedly shouts "Saphron?!" and Saphron replies with a greeting "Hi Rose, it has been a while, hasn't it?"

The girl then immediately turns back and excitedly shouts: "Everyone! They're back!" and that seems to be enough for the ones inside to understand and make their way towards the entrance.

From outside the sounds of footsteps can be heard becoming louder, and in a instant they grow to the point that they can be confused with a violent stampede.

That is enough to intimidate her a little but a little squeeze of Jaune's hand quickly gives her back her bearing and she stares ahead with a determined expression.

'Yes, Jaune said that he would support me and I've dealt with very bad situations on the streets before so it can't be that much worse. I have to stay strong for him!'

'I can do this!'