A Dash of Knightshade - Chapter 1

Next comm, this one's similar to 'Wait, you didn't know' in tone and Knightshade focus. Anyway, my next update will be my own version of 'Jaune Arc's Guide to (Barely) Surviving Women'. It won't have smut every chapter, but hopefully what is there will be more to everyone's tastes.

For anyone interested in making a commission, email me at: storylover543@gmail.com

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Blake Belladonna was a woman who'd been through much. Even through her short time on this planet, she'd experienced more trauma and difficulties than most people twice her age. After all, not many had to fight for the right to exist, to not be seen as second-class citizens just for their race. For Blake, the struggle for survival - for equality - was a fight she'd taken up for as long as she could walk.

She'd given up a lot of things in her fight for equality and had little to show for it. Was it any surprise then that she clung to the few comforts she could keep? Her friends could make fun of her love for tuna or 'tasteful literature' all they wanted, but those were the few sources of comfort she had when she'd reached her lowest points. The things that kept her going when all hope was lost.

When she'd lost everything and everyone, Kunoichi Kitty's Desperate Struggle had always been there for her.

Which was why she rolled her eyes and scoffed every time her friends - her teammates, her second family - made fun of her for it. From Ruby calling her books FILTH! to Weiss turning her nose up at the intricate plots to Yang insinuating that she used her books for more base needs. As if. While she did appreciate the finely crafted scenes of intimacy, it was the plot and story that truly captured her attention.

A particular author had been her salvation on many lonely, sleepless nights. ArcKnight. She had no idea who they were, but they'd brought her indescribable joy ever since she discovered their works three years ago. It started with SFW stories, which was fine. Blake was a mere 14 years old back then and would've likely felt too embarrassed to read anything more risque. They'd only transitioned into NSFW tales a year and a half ago, the same time Blake herself had started to take an interest in such things.

In a way, it almost felt like she and ArcKnight were growing into their preferences together.

There was something about their writing that enamored her. She'd read numerous Ninjas of Love fanfiction, of course. She considered herself a connoisseur of the fandom. And yet, ArcKnight's stories were the ones that left her with bated breath every single time. Whenever the White Fang had extended missions out in the wilds, she made sure to download as many chapters as she could before shipping out. It was the one thing besides tuna that kept her sane as Adam's spirals worsened.

She felt like her heart had been ripped out when she'd first joined Beacon and their next chapter said they'd be slowing down the updates. Apparently, they were going to a Huntsman Academy themselves and had to focus on that. It meant they were the same age. While she still felt sad about the updates slowing, she understood. And a part of her maybe fantasized about the idea of meeting them.

But really, what were the chances they'd be at Beacon?

Blake rounded the corner of the dormitory hall and bumped into someone. She held her ground. They didn't, "W-Woah!" A familiar voice yelped She looked up with a slight scowl to see Jaune Arc, the wannabe knight, falling on his butt with his scroll clattering to the floor. Considering how much taller and broader than her he was, it made for a rather pathetic sight.

"...Are you okay?" Blake asked slowly. She didn't really know Jaune. Team RWBY knew he faked his transcripts the same way Team JNPR knew she wasn't actually Human, but that was about the extent of the relationship the two of them had. Personally, she thought it was foolish to sneak into a school without training, but given that she was a former terrorist, she couldn't exactly throw stones.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

"Sorry about that." She couldn't deny she was at least partially at fault. She'd been so engrossed in reading one of ArcKnight's older works. It was a tantalizing love triangle between Hana, Toshiro, and Kazuha. While they were already part of a love triangle in the Sais of Love trilogy, there was something about the way ArcKnight wrote them that had her enamored. She would say they wrote it better than the canon, as blasphemous as that might have sounded.

"Nah, it was my fault. Just...focused on something dumb." He laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

He made to stand while Blake picked up his scroll if only to be polite. Her eyes flicked down to the holographic screen on instinct and she scanned through the page, all too used to having to scan for intel quickly after years of information gathering and sabotage.

...

"...ArcKnight?" Blake whispered.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Jaune laughed and took the scroll from her numb hand, blissfully unaware of her growing inner turmoil, "I write some fanfiction whenever I have some free time. Helps me relax, you know?" He laughed and scratched the back of his head, cheeks red, "I know it sounds silly, but writing feels like...it feels like you're bringing a picture to life. I can see it all in my head and I just can't help but write it down, you know?"

Blake didn't respond. Her mouth was parted in a shocked gape and she looked at Jaune in utter disbelief. Jaune was ArcKnight. Jaune Arc, the wannabe knight, was ArcKnight. Who could have seen that coming?

...

Okay, in hindsight, it was very obvious, but...look at him! Did Jaune look like the kind of guy who could write a (tastefully written) eight-way orgy? Or how Princess Himiko gave into her lust for the opposing General Jin? The thought that it was Jaune, of all people, writing all that tasteful literature made her face flush as if he'd been there when she was...heavily invested in them.

And yet, past the embarrassment and shock was a rising sense of glee. She'd found him. Her favorite author, her ArcKnight. She was surprised that it ended up being Jaune, yes, but his work spoke for itself. His wonderfully woven characters, his intricate plots, his fantastically...detailed intimate scenes. How he hadn't become a professional writer yet was beyond her.

"Uh...Blake?" Jaune waved a hand in front of her blank face. She wanted to say something, but she didn't form the words just yet. She wanted to gush, to praise his work, to beg him for another update. Instead, all that came out was the sound of strangled groans, "Okay...well, I'll be going. Grimm fighting in the Emerald Forest with both our teams. I...guess I'll see you there?"

He awkwardly backed away and walked off to his room, slamming the door behind him in his haste. The loud impact was enough to finally jolt her out of her reverie and she gasped, "W-Wait...!" She raised a hand, but it was too late. He was already gone. No, not gone. He was still here. ArcKnight was still here. She felt lightheaded. Her favorite author, her sole source of salvation for years, was just living across the hall from her.

She had so much she wanted to say! She...no! Blake shook her head. She'd seen more than once how authors fell because they started kowtowing to their readers. If she made demands, where would it end? Jaune was nice enough that he'd write about the pairings she wanted, but what then? Would she keep demanding more and more, faster and faster, sapping his creativity and using it for her own selfish ends?

No. She refused. She wouldn't be selfish. Jaune wasn't just her ArcKnight. He had other readers, hundreds of thousands of people who found joy in his work. For her to do anything but be a devoted reader was a betrayal of all her ethics as a fan. She'd appreciate his works, but she'd do so while looking on respectfully. Like a true fan would.

Blake nodded and smiled only to stop mid-step as Jaune's words from before sank in. They would be fighting Grimm in the Emerald Forest tomorrow, and while she wouldn't have worried for anyone else, Jaune was different. For all his skills as an author - and he was very skilled - his skills as a Huntsman left a lot to be desired. It made sense, after all. He did fake his transcripts and only started training under Pyrrha recently.

Before now, she wouldn't have given it a second thought. Jaune had made a foolish decision and he reaped what he sowed. Weiss in particular was very vocal about how dumb sneaking into Beacon was, though she'd refrained from telling the headmaster. If she was willing to keep Blake's past a secret, Jaune's was nothing.

But more than that, Blake suddenly found herself engulfed with an overwhelming worry. Before now, she assumed that the word that could happen was that Jaune would get injured and he'd have to drop out of Beacon. While she would've felt sorry for him if it happened, she also wouldn't have given it a second thought.

Now her heart raced and she felt like vomiting at the image. What if Jaune was hurt so badly that he couldn't write anymore? Or he was so depressed from having to drop out that he lost the desire to write ever again? Or worse, what if he...

Blake shook the morbid thought out of her head and slapped her cheeks. Jaune was going to stay in Beacon for the foreseeable future, and that meant putting his well-being at risk. If he wasn't going to change his mind on that then she simply had to make sure he was safe. Watch out for him to make sure no Grimm swiped his head off and train him so that he could take care of himself as needed.

The thought of losing Jaune, losing ArcKnight, was a nightmare that she couldn't even begin to comprehend. So many unfinished works, so many potential stories left unwritten. There would be no greater tragedy in all of Remnant!

No, she had to make sure such a horrible future would never come to pass! Even if it took everything she had, she'd make sure that Jaune survived Beacon. Blake Belladonna made a vow of herself here and now. She would protect ArcKnight. Not just for herself, but for all his readers around Remnant. It was her duty...her responsibility to do it. To do otherwise would be betraying everything she stood for.

With a firm nod, she made a silent vow to herself and went into her room. The rest of the team said their usual greetings, but she paid them no mind. They were all so innocent, so blind to the fact that the greatest man on Remnant was staying right across the hall.

She would protect him, but she had to ensure that he never found out. He might think she was using her position to make him grateful, and she could never have that. She was of the firm belief that authors worked best when kept as far away from their audience as possible, only occasionally meeting them to sign the rare autograph and answer a few questions. Any more than that risked tainting their work.

But that wouldn't be a problem. After all, she was the most subtle and low-key in her team. She loved all of them, she did, but they wouldn't know subtlety if it was a brick to the face. Not like her. She knew how to keep a low profile. Roman Torchwick and the White Fang had no idea she was at the docks till she'd loudly announced her presence by putting a cleaver to the thief's throat.

See? Subtle.

Tomorrow she'd have to start protecting Jaune. It wouldn't be too hard. Team RWBY and JNPR were close and both team's members, Weiss aside, were friendly to a fault. They wouldn't question her. Heck, they probably wouldn't even notice with how subtle she'd be.

Yes, things were going to go perfectly.

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This had gotten weird recently.

Jaune was used to weirdness. A life in Beacon meant being surrounded by people from all walks of life, and Huntsmen were weird people of average. He chalked that up to the fact that no one really normal would choose a life of fighting Grimm and criminals, no matter what Ruby 'Normal Knees' Rose claimed. The most normal person on their teams was Pyrrha, and she was a nationally famous celebrity.

Still, even he found himself noticing Blake's sudden change in behavior.

It all started at breakfast. Team RWBY and Team JNPR almost always ate together unless their schedules didn't mix. He usually sat with Pyrrha to his left and Ren to his right. It was perfect. Pyrrha was his partner - his sister from another mister - and Ren was his brother from another mother. That wasn't to say he was any less close to Nora, but you needed a bit of a buffer to deal with her craziness sometimes. Ren was that buffer.

Except this time when he sat, Blake had suddenly taken his left. That got her looks from everyone, even Ren. Looks which she pointedly ignored as she dug into her breakfast of tuna, tuna, and tuna with a side of tuna, "Um..." Pyrrha looked like she wanted to say something, but eventually, she just sat at Blake's usual place rather than saying anything.

That was weird enough on its own, but they eventually moved past it. It wasn't like changing seats was anything to really worry about. No, the next bit of weirdness came when she actually struck up a conversation with him.

"How are you, Jaune?"

"Oh...fine." He squirmed in his seat at her piercing yellow eyes boring into him. He didn't hate Blake or anything, but she was more a friend of a friend than the rest of the group. He even got along with Weiss better, at least after he stopped being so damn cringy.

"Good. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you." She smiled slightly. It looked wrong, as bad as that was for him to think, "Is that all you're going to eat?" She looked down at his breakfast, a plate full of sausages and bacon. So sue him, he was hungry for meat today, "That doesn't seem very healthy."

"I...guess not?" Across the table, Yang looked at Blake with a raised brow.

"That's not good. A growing Huntsman needs a balanced diet. Here, let me get you something." She stood and walked away before he could refuse.

"Uh...the heck was that about?" Yang asked.

"...No idea." Jaune shook his head.

"Well...I guess she's not wrong. You really do need a more balanced diet," Pyrrha said. Jaune's shoulders sagged. He knew he was really lucky that Pyrrha was willing to help him with so much, but she'd taken it to the next level. Not just his training, but she'd made suggestions on everything from his food, optimal sleeping time, and even suggestions that maybe sleeping with his shirt off would help support blood circulation.

"Here." Blake pushed his old tray aside and set a new one. This one had a more balanced selection with some beans, bread, and even celery, "A healthy brain needs a healthy body. You need good food to get the juices flowing."

"Thanks, I guess." Jaune looked down at the offered food. It was nice of her to do this, as weird as it was. He would've expected her to say something to Yang, especially since she had more meat piled on top of her plate than he did, but she completely ignored her partner's diet. Instead, she looked straight at him with those piercing orbs, "I'm...just gonna eat now."

"Yes. You do that." She went back to nibbling on her tuna bowl. He was almost tempted to point out the hypocrisy before thinking better of it.

Professor Port's class took up the the next few hours. They were supposed to go out and kill at least five Beowolves per team. Not exactly hard to do, though Jaune felt somewhat nervous all the same. It would've been accurate to say that it wouldn't be hard for the average first-year, but he was hardly average. Fake transcripts and no training were hardly the standard.

The worst part was that they had to do it alone. No team and no partners. It was to prove that they could handle themselves. Jaune understood the logic, but it didn't stop him from being nervous as he was dropped off at part of the Emerald Forest. The trackers on their scrolls were disabled and any attempt to call someone was considered a failing grade. They were allowed to help each other if they ran into one another, but that was about it.

Taking a deep breath, Jaune held onto his sword and shield tightly as he stalked forward. Beowolves hunted in packs so the chances of finding one alone were slim to none. Still, he swallowed his nerves and kept going. If he was going to be a Huntsman in the future then he had to get used to the idea of fighting all by himself. Pyrrha couldn't watch his back forever.

He wandered for only a few minutes before the telltale growls reached his ears. Jaune spread his legs apart and braced himself as a handful of beowolves charged out of the bushes and headed straight towards him. Remember Pyrrha's training, he told himself. Use the right posture, and if he couldn't dodge then he had to stand his ground. And never, ever turn your back agaisnt the Grimm.

Jaune blocked the first beowolf trying to chomp his head off and pushed it away. Without any grace or technique, he swung his sword around desperately in the hopes of hitting the Grimm with the pointy bits.

He didn't know how, but he eventually did manage to kill the five needed. Granted, his Aura was half gone by the time he was gone, which was impressive considering he had a lot of it. Now all he had to do was make it to the rendezvous po-

A roar came from behind. Jaune turned around and almost fainted at the sight of the Ursa with both its front paws raised to come down at him. He'd killed one before back in Forever Fall, but right now, there was no second wind.

The Ursa batted him away. He flew through the air for a moment and crashed against a nearby tree. His sword had fallen at the Ursa's feet and Jaune groaned. Aura meant he didn't die, but damn did it still hurt.

The Ursa went back on four legs and looked like it was about to charge when a thick black rope suddenly wrapped itself around its neck. The large Grimm roared and trashed around as Blake pulled back before unloading her pistol into the back of its head.

Jaune scrambled to his feet and picked up his sword. While Blake used her weapon's ribbon, Jaune slashed at whatever 'skin' he could reach. The fight lasted for only a few more seconds before the Grimm dissipated without a trace, leaving just him and Blake.

"Th...Thanks..." Jaune panted, sword hanging limply in his right hand.

"No problem." She nodded, eyes focused on his hands, "Are you hurt?"

"No, just tired." He grinned weakly.

"You need to be careful, Jaune. Don't you realize how important you are?" He blinked at the sudden seriousness in her tone. Her face flushed slightly before she continued, "I mean, you're the leader of team JNPR. If something happens to you then they'd all be devastated."

"Right..." Jaune nodded. She was right about that. A team leader not being able to fight an Ursa looked really bad on them, "How...How did you find me?"

"...I was just wandering around and I happened to stumble into you."

"Oh. Well, what are the chances, huh?" Jaune laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Higher than you might think. I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Sure..." He leaned back slightly from her hard gaze, "So...wanna head to the rendezvous?"

"Lead the way."

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Blake continued to hang around him for the next few days. It was weird at first, he wouldn't deny that, but he quickly got used to it. Strangers were just friends you hadn't met, so he should've been happy that she was more open to the idea of hanging out. The rest of the group had accepted it as well. Compared to some of the weirder things they'd been through the past few months, Blake branching out was hardly the most abnormal.

He was at the library reading a book when Blake called out to him again, "Jaune." She took a seat opposite him and eyed the book he was reading, "The Last of the Kunoichi. Interesting title."

"Is it?" Jaune smiled somewhat stiffly. He had no idea why Beacon had R-18 stuff on their shelves, but he wasn't complaining. It gave him a lot of inspiration for his own scenes. The best part was that it was all free. Novels could go for a pretty penny back home.

"Hm. I liked the protagonist's struggles and how she feels torn by her love and duty."

"You've read it?" Why was he surprised? She always had her head buried in a book.

"Just the first two books. I haven't read the next five yet."

"Then you're already ahead of me." Jaune laughed softly. Library and all, "I...well, it's kind of embarrassing to admit, but I use these for inspiration."

"For your writings?" She looked him right in the eyes with an unblinking gaze.

"Yeah. I try to come up with original stuff, of course, but pretty much everything's already been done once. My big sis Pearl told me that it's not about how original something is, but how you use it. A story could be completely unique but it doesn't really matter if it's not written well."

"Mhm. Cliches exist for a reason. People love to read about them, no matter how much some people sniff and turn their noses up at anything that doesn't subvert their expectations."

"Right." Jaune smiled. It was nice to talk about stuff like this. Ruby only really liked to read comic books, and while he did too, you couldn't live on Captain Atlas alone. The rest of his team wasn't any better. Nora didn't really like to read, Ren only ever checked out cookbooks, and Pyrrha was the same with fitness magazines. Pyrrha once told him that novels were time investments and she always had something else to do with her time.

The two of them talked about their favorite books - Blake was partial to the Man with Two Souls series - until night came and they had to go their separate ways. Well, it was more like Yang had come and suddenly dragged Blake away with the secret Faunus unable to do anything about it. Jaune picked up a couple more books and went on his merry way. With any luck he'd be able to update in a couple of d-

"Hey, Jauney boy."

Jaune sighed and looked to the new arrival, "Hey, Cardin." His lips pressed into a thin line. While Cardin had stopped holding his transcripts over his head, that didn't mean they were suddenly friends. He was still a racist bully and all-around jerk. Just one who wasn't completely ungrateful to Jaune saving his butt from that Ursa.

He grimaced the bigger man's obviously foul mood. Did he mess with Velvet while her team was around again? The last time ended with him and his entire team in the infirmary "Why're you so happy?" Cardin spat. Oh great, he was pissed and looking for a target.

"No reason." Jaune tried to slip past him.

Cardin shoved his shoulder and kept him from walking by. Jaune was pushed back against the wall and grimaced when Cardin picked up one of the books from his arms, "The Sais of Love? You into this nasty shit?" Cardin sneered.

"It's literature," Jaune defended, though it sounded feeble even to him. He couldn't deny that it had a lot of dirty scenes, but it was all secondary to the plot and characters!

"Tch, that's what they all say." Cardin rolled his eyes and tossed the book away like trash. Jaune went by him to pick it up, "No wonder you couldn't get Schnee to go out with you. She-"

That was as far as he got before a bullet shot past Cardin and impacted the wall. His eyes widened and he stepped back, but that only caused another bullet to whiz past. This one was just a couple of inches from hitting his right eye, "What the fu-"

More bullets fired, faster than Cardin could react. The small arms fire was concentrated on the bully's feet and he was forced to 'dance' to avoid getting hit, "What the fuck?!" The barrage stopped and he quickly ran down the hall with a panicked shout.

...

"Jaune." Blake said, suddenly at his side.

"Woah!" Jaune stood up in surprise and pressed the books against his chest, "Blake, w-when did you get here? And were you the one shooting Cardin?" Dumb question. Her pistol was still in her right hand.

"Yep." She nodded.

"...Why? He's a jerk and all, but still."

"I don't like him."

"Right..." Well, it wasn't like Blake was the first to attack someone. Considering Cardin got away with bullying Velvet, a second year, in a crowded cafeteria without any of the students or teachers stopping him, she doubted Blake would get into trouble for this either, "I thought you were with Yang?"

"I was." Blake rolled her eyes and huffed, "She thinks I'm acting weird," Blake said in a tone that made it clear she disagreed, "I don't get her. Why does she care who I spend my free time with? I don't rag on her for going out to clubs whenever she can get away with it."

"I mean, it is kind of odd." Blake looked at him and Jaune shrugged, "The two of us barely said three words to each other all year and now we're hanging out almost all the time. I don't blame her for being weird."

"Do you not like spending time with me?" She frowned slightly.

"No!" Her frown deepened, "I mean, not 'no' as in 'I don't like hanging out with you'. No as in 'I don't hate it'." Jaune groaned. Why was talking to people so hard? "I just...well, it's a surprise, but not a bad one. I knew you liked books, but i didn't think that we'd have the same taste or anything. It's a nice surprise."

"Hm...I think so too." She smiled, "How's your writing going? You mentioned you wrote before."

"Oh, right." Jaune's shoulders sagged, "I've been having a bit of a slump lately. Training and classes don't leave much time to write, you know."

"Hm." Blake nodded, "We all need some time to decompress. I'm sure writing is like that for you."

"Yeah, especially since..."

"Since?"

"Ah, it's nothing." Jaune shook his head.

"You can tell me if you want. I'm a good listener." She smiled again.

"Well...alright." Jaune nodded and smiled in turn, "Well, I've been getting a lot of good feedback on my stories lately and I'm considering starting original works." Blake blinked, then blinked again and just...stared at him. Jaune took it as a cue to keep going, "I mean I wouldn't know where to start, but I'm thinking maybe romance? I did start writing those first."

"Original works. You're planning to write original works?" Blake asked with an unreadable expression.

"Maybe? If I can find the time and figure out what I want it to be about. Romance, sure, but what kind? A rom-com? Something tragic? Maybe a forbidden love story? So many things to choose from. That's kind of why I'm re-reading these." He raised the stack of books in his arms, "Hopefully, it'll give me some ideas. Starting from scratch is pretty hard." Jaune laughed softly.

"I see..." Blake licked her lips, "Well...we should go back to your room. Wouldn't wanna run into Cardin again, right?"

"Right."

Jaune turned and walked back to his room, blissfully unaware of the storm of thoughts bouncing around Blake's head. Original works...Jaune was going to do more than just fan stories. She felt faint even thinking about it. What would he write, she wondered. She was partial to a good dramatic romance herself, but she couldn't tell him that. No. She vowed to herself that she wouldn't interfere.

But still, every bone in her body trembled in excitement at the thought. Arcknight's first original work. If she were less controlled she would've squealed in excitement. Gods, what had she done to deserve such a lucky break?

Blake shook her head and clenched her fists in determination. She'd already promised to protect Jaune, but that wasn't good enough. She had to step up her game. Cardin just proved to her that the world wouldn't understand his genius. She had to make sure that he was not only just protected, but that he found the right inspiration. The sooner he did that, the sooner she could read his...original work.

The secret Faunus wiped the drool from the side of her mouth and laughed under her breath. First, she had to make plans...

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Man, that Blake. She's so subtle. I'm sure no one's noticed her change in behavior at all. Oh well, Jaune's not complaining. He has a hot catgirl determined to be his free bodyguard.

Next chapter will focus on Pyrrha and Yang's jealousy at their partner's time being monopolized along with Blake's subtle efforts to make sure that Jaune is safe and able to update her favorite stories.