[RWBY] RWBY Shorts

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

Jaune was working diligently in the training simulator room. He practiced his sword swings, keeping pace, and trying to make the movements as smooth and natural as possible.

One, four, five... Five, three, one...

Pyrrha's lessons were ingrained into him like they'd been burned into his soul. He wanted to make it so refined he wouldn't have to think, to make it based on instinct...

The holographic knight countered his strikes, thrusting furiously. Jaune quickly parried and moved around, his footwork getting him around to flank the hologram. He lashed out with a shield bash, knocking the hologram back. Jaune thrust forward with his blade, and Crocea Mors went right through the knight's chestplate. The hologram winked out, and Jaune was left panting hard for breath.

Okay... Okay... Nora was right... Dancing like I want to win is the best way...

"Bravo! Bravo!"

Jaune froze and looked over his shoulder. He held back a grimace as he saw Hex Skvader standing there. Even through the black motorcycle helmet he wore, he could feel the rabbit Faunus' smirk.

"You move like a dancer... If he was drunk," Hex said mockingly.

Jaune scowled.

"What do you want, Hex?" Jaune demanded.

Hex shrugged. He held up a black chakram... And then split it into two. Both ignited.

"I was hoping for a challenge," Hex stated, "But I found you instead. So... How about a friendly little spar, huh? After all, I've got five minutes to burn. I could use a warm up."

Jaune bit down on his anger. He slowly shook his head.

"We're not allowed to fight outside of combat training," Jaune stated. It was a distraction, but it bought him time. Time to analyze things.

He's just after humiliating me, right? Right... Which means...

Hex laughed.

"What fight? This... Is a little friendly sparring!"

He leaped up into the air. A green hexagon made of energy appeared underneath his feet. He jumped from the hexagon and swung his chakram right for Jaune's head!

If it had been at the start of his time here... Jaune would have been down with just one hit. But he pivoted on his feet and dodged out of the way. Hex though was built for agility, and pirouetted to swing his blazing chakram right at him. Jaune got his shield up, taking the first hit and swing his sword out to parry the next.

Hex backflipped up over the strikes, artfully landing in front of him with a flourish. He laughed.

"That the best you got, Dead Last?" He asked mockingly. He threw a chakram, and it buzzed like a hive of angry bees! Jaune got his shield back up, but the blade slashed through the side of his thigh.

"GAH!" Jaune winced as he saw a bit of red through his jeans. "What the-?!"

"PAY ATTENTION, LOSER!" Hex shouted. He dashed forward, summoning another platform to leap up off off. He reformed it behind him, and kicked off to spring right at Jaune. He swung his chakram and knocked Jaune's sword right out of his hand.

"AUGH!"

Jaune fell back, as Crocea Mors clattered to the ground. Hex chuckled, and caught his other chakram as it circled back to him.

"See, that's the difference between talent, and some punching bag, Jauney-boy," Hex laughed. He held his chakrams out to either side. "Next one's gonna really hurt."

Damnit, damnit...! Jaune knew he should call for help. Call for back up. But he didn't know how this guy was going to react!

Okay... Okay... He's been toying with me... He can hit me from range all he likes but he's been getting up close... Up close... So...

Jaune got his shield up, and held a hand over his wounded thigh. Hex laughed again.

"Here we go~!"

He charged, forming a hexagon underneath his feet to leap up high. He dove like a falcon, both Chakrams burning with Dust and ready for the kill!

Jaune managed to block one chakram with Crocea Mors' shield. The other, Hex punched into Jaune's side... And Jaune was ready.

He wrapped his free arm around Hex's, and yanked him in. Remembering a move Nora taught him, he held up his knee and rammed it into Hex's stomach. He heard Hex grunt loud at the impact. Jaune followed through, pivoting like Ren taught him to drive Hex down into the floor!

Hex's fancy helmet fell off. He looked shocked... And even more shocked when Jaune swung his fist into his nose.

"URK! YOU-YOU SON-URGH!"

Jaune punched him again and again... Before he felt purple Aura surround him. He was yanked back. He looked and saw Glynda Goodwitch standing there, looking furious.

"Mister Arc! What is the meaning of this?!"

"He assaulted me!" Hex whined. Jaune's jaw dropped.

"WHAT?! He started it-!"

"I was offering him some pointers and he just decided to wail on me!" Hex added, blubbering through his bloody nose, "He called me a filthy animal, too!"

"That's a lie!" Jaune shouted angrily. "He-!"

"Enough!" Glynda growled. "Detention, both of you! Until I find out more, get to your dormrooms!"

Jaune glared angrily at Hex. Hex got up, pulling his helmet back on. And once again, he was sure the rabbit Faunus was smirking.

He clenched his fists. He picked up his sword, and under Glynda's scowl and Hex's helmet, he left.

Goddamnit...

- - -

This is a bit of a cliche, but hell, it can work if you do the plot properly. So, how would this be resolved?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Seriously guys, I went to all the trouble to create a REAL hatesink character. Let's try some other things with Blake for a while.

To that end:

• Name: Hex Skvader
• Allusion: The Skvader and the Hare from Aesop's Fables, a bit of Rinzler from Tron: Legacy
• Naming Process: Hex means "to cast an evil spell, bad luck" or "six", Skvader refers to a bird/rabbit hybrid creature created as a hoax by a Swedish taxidermist.
• Age: 19
• Background: Born in Vale City to rich Rabbit Faunus parents who own a computer company, Hex has lived a carefree life and only trained to become a Huntsman because it was expected of him (and it would let him get chicks).
• Race: Rabbit Faunus
• Emblem: Hex Bunny
• Weapon: Twin Dust Chakrams named "Stolthet" (Swedish for "Pride"). He can ignite Dust on the rings to give his punches, slashes and throws with the weapons an elemental attack element. He can throw them and bounce them back to himself precisely.
• Semblance: "Six Step"
  • Creates a translucent hexagonal platform out of Aura that he can jump on, jump from, or jump to. Has a range of only twenty meters and he can only make one or two at a time.
• Appearance: Lithe, runner's build, black neatly coifed hair, black rabbit ears, black eyes, high cheekbones, pointed chin, pale skin, white tufts on his ears, cocky smirk.
• Outfit: Black bodysuit with green glowing lines, pointed motorcycle helmet with holes for his ears, black outer jacket resembling a biker's, tall black boots.
• Personality: Deceptive, arrogant. Seemingly kind and understanding but betrays his prejudices and desires due to his pride. Is only out for himself, considers himself the elite and all others lesser. Sly, manipulative, untrustworthy. Popular thanks to his wealth, looks, and talent, but otherwise despised. Socially apt and cunning. Vengeful and petty. Racist towards humans and despises lower class Faunus. Narcissistic. Thinks he is the hero and everyone else is a side character.
• Notes: The consummate elitist jerk, Hex Skvader is spoiled, petty, and narcissistic. He must have things his way, and if he is blocked, thwarted, or stymied, he will keep at it but via another way. A bully who believes he deserves only the best and his whims are law. Despite his talent as a Hunter, his poor leadership of his team and arrogance holds him back. Has an obsession with Velvet Scarlatina: While he will use and then dump girls for fun or pleasure, the fact she has never once fallen for his charms and is dating a human means he thinks he's doing her a favor by pursuing her.

Spoiler

• Name: Kupa Manduka
• Allusion: Kupamanduka, the "Frog in the Well", with a bit of Asui Tsuyu from My Hero Academia
• Naming Process: Language expression "Kupamanduka", literally "frog in the well," meaning someone whose experience and view of the world is so narrow and small they are akin to a frog sitting at the bottom of a well.
• Age: 19
• Background: Born in Vale City to Pandavan immigrants who did well in the post-Faunus Revolution economic boom, Kupa is fairly well off. He became a Huntsman-in-Training due to family expectations, as his mother was a warrior who once served the Kauravas family before they were overthrown. His father was an engineer who invented a new kind of microchip that made them rich, and then were bought out by the Skvader family.
• Race: Frog Faunus
• Emblem: Bold Frog Symbol
• Weapon: A gada (mace) named "Hanuman" with a Dust charge. Can mechashift into a hand cannon, and has an attachment to shoot harpoons underwater.
• Semblance: "Amphibian"
  • Is able to breath underwater by absorbing oxygen directly into his skin and even if he's gagged.
• Appearance: Short, a bit potbellied, round headed. Bowlcut dark green hair with pale clammy skin. Green eyes. Wide lips. Gangly arms and legs. Large feet and long fingered hands. Despite this, is quite nimble, agile, and of course, a fantastic swimmer.
• Outfit: Green diving suit with white belt that has many pouches, goggles he wears almost all the time. Barefooted.
• Personality: Shy, underconfident, and gloomy, Kupa enjoys tinkering with his weapon and various gadgets. Has a genius level intellect for mechanical devices. Due to his frog-like appearance he was ostracized a lot despite his wealth, and so had very few friends. Has very little willpower to stand up to anyone. Really does want to help people, but is too timid to try. Often has to be bullied into doing things. Is enthusiastic about praising Hex, as he's been well trained into doing so and thinks Hex is really his only friend.
• Notes: He thinks he is the closest thing to a friend Hex Skvader has, as Skvader's family bought out Manduka's family company but treated them well. In reality, their relationship is more like master and servant. Hex will sometimes throw Kupa a bone to keep him from getting too depressed, but he mainly gaslights and manipulates the poor kid into being his virtual slave while thinking Hex cares about him.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The White Fang took hostages as a regular matter of course. In this case, Adam personally handled the operation, seizing a woman from Radian and bringing her to their HQ.



Adam: "Her mother is holding three of our agents in her hospital after they were captured. We use her to compel their release. Keep an eye on her, but do not harm her."



Guards: "Sir!"



Adam headed off to handle another mission... Leaving the guards with a surprisingly calm Lilac Arc.



Guard 1: coughs repeatedly



Lilac: "That sounds bad. I know a remedy for it, if you have a kitchen."



Guard 2: "Ha! Nice try! What's the remedy, rat poison?"



Lilac: "No, of course not. It's too salty."



Guard 1: keeps coughing "Ugh..."



Lilac: "You can keep suffering or you can feel better. I much prefer people to feel better. Besides, I would never poison someone."



Guard 2: scowls harder



Lilac: "Also, all I would do is poison one person. That won't let me escape now will it?"



Guard 1: coughs more piteously



Guard 2: sigh "Fine..."



They take Lilac to the kitchen. She gathers some local herbs and cooks up some tea. She looks over their other ingredients.



Lilac: "Hmmm... You all look like you could use a good meal." brightens "Do you have any venison? I can make a great stew!"



Guard 2: "Oh please, like we're going to fall for that!"



Guard 1 drinks the tea... Sniffs...



Guard 1: "Wow! It... I can breath! Cough's gone! And... And it tastes great! Try it!"



Guard 2: "Oh come on, you can't be serious!"



Guard 1: "Serious as a heart attack. Besides, she's one woman without her Aura activated. What could she do even if she poisoned it?"



Guard 2 drinks the tea... Blinks in disbelief.



Guard 2: "It... It's amazing!"



Lilac: "Old family recipe! Like this stew!"



She's already cooking it. Other members of the White Fang come in, drawn by the smell.



Lilac: "Oh! Hello! Grab a bowl, it should be done soon!"



Guard 1: "Hey, hang on a second, even if it smells good, we should test it!"



Lilac: "Come on. I would never poison food! Then you wouldn't get to enjoy it!"



Guard 2: "You... Do realize you're our hostage, right? If you don't cooperate, we'll kill you?"



Lilac: "I am cooperating."



Guard 1: "She's got a point."



Lilac: "Wonderful!"



When Adam returns... The guards all look a lot more relaxed.



Adam: "Sitrep?"



Guard 2: "Oh! Lord Adam! Uh, everything's fine, sir! The hostage is safe and compliant."



Adam: "Good. Her mother is proving difficult. We'll need to make a video to show how serious we are."



Guard 1: "Errr... I see, Lord Adam."



Lilac: "Hello Lord Adam! Let me take your coat. It's freezing out there, hm? Here, have some hot tea!"



Adam: "Ah, thank you."



He sips the tea... Then spits it out.



Adam: "Wha-Why are you out of your cell?!"



Lilac: "Well, I couldn't finish my knitting in there, My Lord." She hands him a red scarf "Here you are! Goes with your hair."



Guard 1: "Aw..."



Lilac: "I didn't forget you, sweetie!" She hands him a green scarf with a wink "Goes with your scales!"



Guard 1: "Oh, sweet!" At Adam's furious glare "I-I mean, um... Thank you, you pathetic human!"



Lilac: brightly "You're welcome!"



- - -



Lilac is modeled after Belldandy from Ah! My Goddess! She is thus a strong willed but ultimately kind and selfless woman who is REALLY good at winning people's hearts and minds with kindness. You let her into your HQ she's gonna turn your troops with gentle kindness, understanding, and REALLY good cooking.

 

[SharkCultist]

There are some rumors among the people of remnant that seem to refuse to die.

One being that the Arc clan are dragon faunus.

A rumor that spread after Artoria joined into their bloodline as texts about her and her ancestors claimed they had The Blood and Spirits of Dragons in them.

Historians believe it was most likely a Lizard faunus ancestor with a defensive trait like scales or regeneration, though the common people insist it was a dragon not a lizard.

Whatever the case Cinder Falls is certain of one thing. Whatever the arcs are it isn't faunus.

Before her stands Jaune Arc haven caught a arrow inches from killing his partner and giving cinder the magic she craves.

Gold scales slowly climbing up his arms as bone white horns begin curving out of his head forming a crude five points crown.

"~~~~"

He's saying something too low for her to hear but apparently Nikos can judging by the shocked look on her face. Or perhaps that's because his shirt just ripped itself to shreds as a pair of forming wings busts out of his back. (Also Cinder has to not he has a surprising amount of muscle definition, at least what she can see under the scales)

"Mine."

Oh she can hear him now. And that's not good, if he is a dragon (which is beginning to look more likely) then she messed with something he saw as his Cinder isn't a huge mythology buff (why bother when her queen can just tell her if something actually existed or is just a Grimm?) but even she knows about rule one of dragons.

You don't fuck with the horde.

"She's Mine! This School is Mine! These people are MINE! and you are not Welcome.

And suddenly Cinder became her namesake without even a chance to defend.

In the end Beacon would burn with golden flames, not a soul would be touched, not even soot on the steps. But for the first time in living memory the Grimm would howl with agony.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -



Cinder grit her teeth. The Grimm had not been a major issue-After all, Salem gave her the means to command them. But these magical guardians around the ancient tomb were a different beast altogether!



Mercury spun through the air like a shuriken, knocking off the heads of two of them. Emerald let loose shots from her dagger-pistols as she bobbed and weaved through the other constructs, resembling piles of smooth stones bound together by nothing. Cinder's fire blasts took down more... Yet they just kept pulling themselves back together!



"Why is that idiot taking so long?!" She seethed, slamming several flame enhanced arrows into one of the constructs.



At last, a mop of blond hair emerged from the temple. His black jacket was charred and dirty, along with his matching pants. His white undershirt was dirty as well. He was swinging his single elegant blade around himself as he ran, the artifact underneath his arm.



"I'VE GOT IT! GO GO GO!" The blond young man shouted. Cinder waited until the blond ran past her, then unleashed a firestorm. The magical guardians were driven back by the intensity of the heat for a moment, before they began to push through it.



"RUN!" Cinder roared. Emerald and Mercury followed the blond, and Cinder brought up the rear. They ran through the stone ruins, up towards the cliff they had rappelled down here in the jungles of South Mistral. The blond young man ushered Emerald and Mercury up first, before he began to climb. Cinder followed, grabbing onto the rope and climbing fast.



Emerald and Mercury made it to the top first, throwing themselves over. The blond young man made it third. He then immediately turned around and reached out for Cinder. She grunted, climbing faster... Then rocky fingers wrapped around her ankles and pulled back hard.



"AAAH!"



"CINDER!" Emerald screamed. Cinder unleashed hell on the rock guards, but to her horror, they had joined together into a gigantic structure like army ants. They were pulling her down, tightening their grip as hundreds of additional rocks rolled up to join her.



"ACK! DAMNIT!" She fired off more fire blasts, but the stones were seemingly immune. She felt her grip slacken, she heard Emerald screaming her name.



Damnit... No, no, not like this, not like this, not like this...!



The blond shouted a few things, she couldn't hear him... Then she saw him. He had jumped off the cliff, and plunged his sword into the cliff face to slow his descent. He grabbed onto her around her waist, and heaved with all of his strength. She held onto him for dear life. He looked up and bellowed:



"NOW!"



A boulder rolled down. The blond leaped to the side, yanking out his sword and slamming it back in to provide leverage. Cinder clutched at him tightly and winced as the boulder dropped down, toppling the magical guardians. The blond watched this handiwork, nodded, then leaped up, slamming his sword in again. Emerald threw down a rope, and Cinder grabbed onto it. The boy yanked his sword out, and together, they climbed up.



They reached the top. Cinder breathed hard, but tried to hide it. She couldn't... She wouldn't show weakness...



"You okay?" The blond asked.



He was holding her still... There was a part of Cinder's mind that wanted to linger...



She shoved him away instead, and rose up to her feet.



"You kept the artifact, I hope?" Cinder demanded. The blond nodded, pointing to Emerald. The green haired girl held it up.



"Yes, he handed it off to me-"



"While I got the boulder and kicked it down to save you," Mercury drawled. "You're welcome, by the way."



Cinder snorted.



"Then mission accomplished," she stated. She took the artifact with reverence. Obtaining this meant pleasing Salem. Pleasing Salem? Meant power.



That was all she needed.



She glanced back at the blond, his face as impassive as ever. She worked her jaw.



"... Good work," she managed.



Emerald beamed. That morsel of affection lit her right up. Mercury snorted, looking unaffected.



And the blond...



"It was the mission," he said.



Mercury laughed.



"Cold as ever, Jack."



Jack Arc shrugged, and sheathed his blade.



"I'm starving. Let's get some food," he said, walking past Cinder into the jungle.



Emerald scowled after him.



"Who does he think he is, giving orders," she groused.



"Salem's son," Cinder reminded Emerald, "And you'd best remember it."



"Yes ma'am," Emerald immediately recanted, as Mercury snorted. They followed the tall blond, soon reaching the trail that led back to the town and their inn. They checked back in, and took their rooms. Cinder had Emerald and Mercury take one, and Jack meet her in the other.



She sat down, regal as a queen, on the bed with her legs crossed. Jack stood at attention before her, almost like a soldier.



He waited. She ground her teeth.



"... So," she stated, "What do you want?"



Jack blinked.



"Miss Fall?"



"You saved my life," Cinder said with a shrug, "You must want something."



Jack blinked again. He shrugged.



"Dinner?"



Cinder glared at him.



"We were getting that anyway. Why did you save me?"



Jack hummed.



"... Did I need a reason?"



"Yes, you did," Cinder growled, "Nobody does anything for free! So what do you want?"



Jack shrugged.



"I wanted you to not die."



"Why?"



"Because you're a great asset to Mother," he said. His blue eyes fixed themselves on hers, so focused and intense Cinder was taken aback, "You're a great asset to me. And..."



He hesitated. Cinder leaned forward.



"And?"



"... We're alike," he decided. Cinder growled.



"What do you mean alike? How?"



"... The world discarded us both," Jack stated, "My family abandoned me... Yours..."



Cinder's eyes narrowed dangerously. Jack wisely moved on.



"... Salem found us. Took us in. Raised me as her own," Jack said quietly. "I swore... I would never let someone else be abandoned like I was. Especially someone I... I consider important. To me... And my mother."



She was not blushing. She was not.



Jack Arc was the adopted son of Queen Salem herself. Yet in contrast to her darkness, he was... He was so bright. So kind. Stoic, yet always quick to act to protect someone. He even did that for Emerald and Mercury... And unlike Tyrian, Hazel, and Salem's other minions? He never belittled them.



He had to have some game, some scheme... It wasn't something Cinder had been able to figure out yet. What he really wanted.



It was almost like... Almost like he cared.



Impossible, Cinder's mind thought, Utterly impossible...



"Very well," Cinder said. She rose. "If I am important to you? Treat me as such. Take me to dinner."



Jack nodded, the ghost of a smile on his face.



"As you wish," he said. He turned to the door, but Cinder cleared her throat.



"You offer your arm to a lady when you want to treat her like she's important," Cinder stated. Jack coughed.



"Of course, Miss Fall."



He extended his arm. Cinder took it, and let him guide her out the door down the stairs.



She would play along for now. Figure out his game. If he wanted to overthrow his mother... Well, she'd be there in a heartbeat.



Nothing said she couldn't enjoy playing along, now did it?



Just a little.



Until she figured Jack Arc out...



- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

A few thoughts discussed with @The Sleepless One :

-The sheer size of the countries of Remnant means there would be thousands of Hunters at bare minimum for each Kingdom. That means that Beacon, Shade, Haven and Atlas Academy cannot provide the needed numbers alone. Therefore, they are the most elite Hunter Academies around: There would be Hunter Technical schools and Hunter trade schools. Lower priced, less training, less prestigious, but still viable.

-Hunter license exams are state run. People sign up, pay the fee, and take the exam. And the Proctors decide if you're good enough to be a full Huntsman. They have some law enforcement authority across all four Kingdoms, most likely by mutual treaty.

-That said, these Hunters could effectively become militaries for their respective Kingdoms in a crisis situation. Atlas just has an actual military with the logistics and flying battleships/carriers to back theirs up, but that fact is probably not lost on anyone. There's also probably a fair amount of tension if you're a Hunter in a Kingdom that used to be enemies with your own, and sub-kingdoms/nations in the various Kingdoms might stretch the law here and there to keep a larger body of Hunters loyal to them on standby in times of tension.

-Hunters who are not just part of a Kingdom's unofficial military probably have other side gigs. Aura-enabled individuals run the range in power from "Slightly stronger and faster than a normal human" to "Straight Up Shonen Anime Hero", and there would be lots of opportunities for people with those abilities. The Hunter Ranking System also plays a role. D-Rank Hunters need other skills to pay the bills, while S-Rank have a lot more options. Such Hunters would have a lot of picks for careers, from bodyguard to the rich and powerful to celebrity stardom.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Weiss: "YANG! Yang, look... I need a favor."

Yang: "Okay, what?"

Weiss: "Arc's driving me crazy!"

Yang: "He asked you out twice. Maybe three times-"

Weiss: "It's so irritating! Just... Flirt with him? Draw him away? Distract him?!"

Yang: SIGH "Fine... But you owe me."

Later, in the common room, Jaune is cooking breakfast as RWBY comes in to join them. Nora is eating pancakes happily while Ren meditates and Pyrrha reads a book. Jaune's eyes brighten at Weiss... And Yang moves in for the attack.

Yang: "Hey, VB! You tired?"

Jaune: "Not really-?"

Yang: "Because you've been running through my mind all day."

Jaune: "Huh?"

Silence. Blake blinks. Weiss winces. Ruby and Pyrrha stare in disbelief. Nora grins.

Jaune then falls back on instinct from having an extremely dorky dad, and...

Jaune: "... Well, your Semblance isn't going off. Which is weird."

Yang: "Huh?"

Jaune: "Because you clearly fell right from heaven." Wink

Nobody punned at Yang Xiao-Long without her punning right back.

Yang: Oh it is ON. "Are you a vegetable? Because you're a cute-cumber."

Yang edged closer to Jaune. Jaune refused to back down.

Jaune: "Are you a Wi-Fi Signal? Because I am definitely feeling a connection."

Blake: "... What is happening right now?"

Yang: "Do you have a name? Or can I call you mine?

Jaune: "I must be a snowflake because I've fallen for you."

They learn in closer to one another, their gazes locked.

Yang: "Can you lend me a kiss? I promise I'll give it back."

Jaune: "Is your dad an artist? Because you're a masterpiece."

Everyone else is staring in quiet horror and/or amusement. Horror especially for Pyrrha. They lean in even closer, their noses nearly touching.

Yang: "I must be a magician, because every time I see you, everyone else disappears!"

Jaune: "I'm no cardiologist, but I think you just made my heart skip a beat!"

Yang grabs Jaune and kisses him.

Jaune: "Mmph?!"

Weiss: "... That... Worked better than I expected..."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Yang and Blake were walking down a hallway. Yang was excitedly describing something with a lot of arm gestures.

Yang: "No seriously, its head was that big!"

Blake: "I doubt it."

Yang: "It absolutely was!" She spread her arms out "It was totally this-!"

Jaune comes around a corner. His eyes meets Yang and Blake's.

Yang: "-Oh, hey VB!"

Jaune: Eh? She's got her arms out for a hug? She wants a hug? Well, she is Ruby's sister, so...

Jaune: "Nice to see you too, Yang." He moves in and hugs her tightly.

Yang: Freezes "Ah... Huh?"

Jaune: beams at her, squeezes her gently but away from anything naughty "Hope you have a great day!"

He looks over at Blake.

Jaune: Don't want to make her feel awkward...

Jaune: "You too, Blake!" He hugged her tightly and squeezed, even as she stiffened in shock

He let her go and smiled, waving at them.

Jaune: "See you guys later!" Man, hugs are NICE... Especially with Yang-NO! No, don't think about that!

Yang and Blake stare after Jaune in silence.

Yang: "... That was... Weird."

Blake: "... Yeah."

Yang: "..." blush "Kind of nice..."

Blake: "That's his Aura. He has such bad control over it that it just kind of radiates out of him. Like a space heater."

Yang: "So, wait, I feel this happy because it's him?"

Blake: "Yes."

Yang: "... I'm hugging him more."

Blake: "I'm fine with being on his lap."

Yang: glare

Blake: "I didn't mean it like that!"

Yang: GLARE

Blake: "... Yes I did."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Her vision was dimmed, like shadows were creeping up around her. She saw trees, heard snarls. White masked monsters descended on her, even as yellow fire burned. She heard Ruby cry out… Ruby, where was Ruby? She brought her here, it was her fault, it was all her fault! Mom! MOM! MOM-!

"Yang! Yang! Yang!"

Yang Xiao-Long struggled back to consciousness, struggling against an intense fatigue and pain that seemed to permeate her body. She thrashed about furiously in the bed she lay on against someone holding her down.

"Wha-LET GO-!"

"YANG!"

She felt someone cover her mouth. She forced her eyes open. Desperate blue orbs bore into her lilac, as messy blond hair stuck to a familiar forehead. She breathed, training hammered into her after hundreds of bouts with her father forcing her to calm down.

"Jaune?" She mumbled against his hand. The knight nodded slowly, looking relieved. He had a bruise on his cheek, and his clothes were in rough condition, covered in cuts and a few stray leaves. He slowly released her mouth as he muttered soothing things.

"It's okay, you're okay, it's okay…"

Yang turned her head to look around-And then grit her teeth as pain screamed in her head. She reached up to the side of her head, finding bandages wrapped around it tightly.

"Ugh… Fuck… What happened?"

Her Aura barely responded, a weak spark compared to the usual immense flare. The room was barely illuminated by the fading sunlight through curtained windows, and a fire lit hastily in a small fireplace nearby.

Jaune sighed, and rubbed his forehead.

"Grimm attacked the student camp," Jaune said quietly, "We all got separated."

Yang winced for reasons unrelated to her head.

"Right… Then… I… Fought them…"

A huge monster Grimm, covered in bony plates and spines, had barreled out of the woods. It had charged, she had charged back. She'd unleashed the full might of her Semblance, taking hit after hit and dishing it back…

She heard Ruby screaming for her as she managed to break through the thing's facemask, her Aura near the breaking point but the hits kept her going… Then… Blackness.

"What happened then?"

Jaune leaned back just a little, pulling up a canteen. He held it out to her, and she pressed her lips to it to drink. The cool water was very refreshing as he spoke.

"Well, you got side tackled by a Boarbatusk," Jaune said, "I think your Aura broke when you were knocked out. I managed to hurt that one while the big thing was reeling, and I just ran. Everyone else scattered too. Last I saw they were all running off in different directions."

Jaune lowered the canteen. Yang licked up the excess water from her lips. She looked around a bit more closely at their surroundings: Wooden walls with some generic nature photos up, a desk in the corner, a few more cots and cabinets nearby. It helped distract from her headache and her worry over the others.

"Where are we?"

"Ranger Station. I ran into it after we fell off the cliff-"

"Cliff?!" Yang gasped in disbelief. Jaune smiled and waved his hand, even as his Aura flickered around his injuries.

"It's okay, it wasn't a big one. I took the brunt of the impact for you. Anyway, I got us here. Good news is there's a radio, since Scrolls don't work great out here."

Yang sighed in relief, but the tension remained in Jaune's eyes.

"Bad news?"

"It's busted," Jaune sighed. Yang groaned.

"Well, that's great."

"But I might be able to fix it," Jaune offered. Yang shot him a disbelieving stare.

"Might?"

Jaune shrugged with that embarrassed little smile of his. It was not very reassuring.

"Yeah, I know the basics. It's a struggle to remember some of them but I'm pretty sure-Oh geez, right…"

He pulled out a flashlight, and clicked it on.

"Okay, just look at the light for a second…"

Yang grimaced, but did so. Jaune nodded in satisfaction.

"Okay… Now. What's your name?"

"Yang Xiao-Long," Yang replied with a scowl.

"Name of your sister?"

"Ruby Rose."

"Okay, and your partner's name is…?"

"Blake Belladonna," Yang grumbled, "I wasn't hit that hard."

"You wouldn't know," Jaune stated firmly, "All right, pupil response is normal. How's your headache?"

"Still… Pretty bad," Yang mumbled.

"Dizziness?"

Yang lifted her head, trying to get to her feet… Then dropped back against the pillows, a wave of nausea washing over her. Jaune scooted out of the way and held up a bucket to her. She retched into it, feeling cold and clammy. He helpfully held her hair up, as he lowered the bucket back down. She moaned.

"Right," Jaune sighed. He offered her more water, which she accepted with some reluctance.

"Okay, just sip… Your Aura should recover in a few hours, and you'll be just fine. You just need some rest. Try to relax."

"Stuck in the middle of nowhere surrounded by Grimm? Sure, I'll be able to relax," Yang grumbled. Jaune sighed and shrugged.

"Yeah, well…"

Jaune slowly got up, and went over to the table. He set up his Scroll to illuminate it with its flashlight, and he started fiddling with it. Yang groaned softly, leaning back on the cot. She studied him for a bit.

"Stay with me, Yang," Jaune said quietly. "You need to rest but sleep might still be dangerous. Tell me something. Anything."

"I…" Yang frowned. Her memory was still a little hazy. Probably not a good sign.

"How do you know… Field medicine?" She asked. "You went through the same checks my uncle did with me during training."

"My mom's a doctor," Jaune said, eyes on the radio, "She wanted me to be a doctor, too."

Yang stared at him in disbelief.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah," Jaune said.

"You uh… Study for it?"

"Passed the exams to get into Thorndyke Medical School," he went on, without a hint of pride. Yang's eyes widened.

"That's… That's a really high brow school, huh? You passed the exams?"

His shoulders tensed a bit.

"Yeah. I mean, my mom's got connections so that helped but I did. Just before I left home for Beacon."

Yang snorted in disbelief.

"And you chose to become a Huntsman over a Doctor, huh?" She asked. Jaune sighed and nodded.

"Yeah…"

"Why?"

Jaune looked back over his shoulder. He shrugged.

"It's not what I wanted. It's what my mom wanted," he said. "I mean, she was a Huntress before she got her doctorate. She and my dad were partners. They fought all sorts of monsters, helped save so many people… I-I mean, she does great work, but…"

He shook his head, looking a bit self conscious.

"I wanted to help people. Save them. Protect them, like all my ancestors did. Like my parents did before they settled down. Not be stuck in school for eight years and then have to deal with bureaucrats and bosses and other crap like that."

He looked back to the radio, avoiding her gaze.

"I guess… I guess I'm kind of stupid, huh? I'm not even that good at this."

"I mean… No," Yang admitted, and then amended it when she saw him slump, "Not yet. But I think you made the right choice. Ruby's a lot happier to have you as a friend, for one thing. You're getting a lot better. And hell, if you did go off to be a doctor, you wouldn't be enjoying a stay in a tiny cabin all alone with me."

She managed a wink, though it gave her a headache. Jaune shook his head and his ears burned brightly in a blush.

"You'd have been okay-"

"Jaune, if I was Aura broken in the middle of a melee with Grimm, I would not be okay," Yang stated firmly. "Okay? I… Thank you. I mean it. Thank you."

He turned back and smiled at her.

"Well, I mean, you'd do the same for me," he said warmly.

Yeah. Yeah, she would. Yang grimaced for a second. Her thoughts were so cloudy…

"Still… I mean… You got into medical school?" Yang ventured. "You're always such a… Well…"

"Dolt? Yeah," Jaune winced, "Academic stuff I can handle. Juggling other stuff at the same time? A lot tougher. I honestly really admire you. You're able to get good grades and be good at fighting."

"Yeah, well, I do have a lot more practice at it," Yang said. She stared up at the ceiling, wincing against the headache. A bit more silence followed, which Yang broke.

"You know… We haven't really just… Talked like this."

"Sure we do! We uh… We…" Jaune frowned as he looked up. "... Well, no. I guess we haven't."

"Like, I didn't even know your mom was a doctor," Yang said.

"Well, I didn't know… Um… Well, Ruby told me a lot but that… Yeah," Jaune sighed. "Did… I mean, I know I can be a little, uh…"

"Dorky? Nah, I don't mind that," Yang said, staring intently at the ceiling boards, "You making goo goo eyes at Weiss did tend to dominate things when we met up before."

"Oh. Yeah," Jaune sighed. "Yeah, I was… A total ass about that."

"Why'd you go so hard for her, anyway?" Yang asked.

"Well, she's beautiful, she's cool, she's smart, and well, she's kind, despite everything," Jaune said. He paused. "Though she did leave me pinned to a tree during Initiation."

"Wait, she did what?!" Yang asked in disbelief. Jaune nodded.

"Yup. Pyrrha had pinned me to a tree, I was hanging from it, Weiss walked in, looked at me, and turned right around and walked away."

"God, geez," Yang muttered, "You crushed on her for that? If you didn't have Aura, you'd have been killed!"

"Oh… Yeah… Eheh… If I didn't have Aura," Jaune managed nervously, "Um… Well… I mean, I did some thinking. I realized, with some help, that well… I was trying too hard to make up for… Being me. So, uh, the Dance, I just… I decided that her being happy was more important than trying to win her heart. That… That wasn't fair to her. I was being an idiot."

Yang stared at him for a while as he worked on the radio.

"Well, I mean… Weiss is kind of used to gold diggers going after her," Yang said, "So uh… I mean, she saw it like that. I just thought you were a little corny but… It was fun."

"Yeah, that's me, regular class clown," Jaune muttered.

"You really gotta stop being so down on yourself," Yang advised, "It's a real turn off."

Jaune blushed.

"Yeah, well… I'm used to it," he muttered. "Your dad encouraged you to become a Huntress, right? Trained you himself?"

"He did, yeah, but he was against it at first," Yang said, "He and Uncle Qrow tried to talk me out of it. Scare me out of it. My mom… Ruby's mom… She died on a mission."

"I'm sorry," Jaune said, automatic but sincere. Yang nodded.

"She was… She was basically one of my heroes. So I… I wanted to be like her."

She paused, the memories between the fight today and that terrible day back then…

"And, well…" She shut her eyes, "I wanted to be… To be free, I guess. Go out on my own on Bumblebee, explore the world. Make money punching monsters, saving people. Get out of that house."

Jaune looked over at her in concern.

"Why? Your dad…?"

Yang sighed.

"He… He just… He fell apart after Mom died," she admitted. "I mean, my biological mom left him when I was a baby. Then Ruby's mom died. And… And I had to take care of things. He'd just sit there for days sometimes. I had to take care of Ruby, make the food, do the cleaning… I was like a single mom at the age of seven."

She trailed off.

"He got… He got a little better after…"

"What?" Jaune asked, eyes away from the radio entirely.

Yang bit her lower lip.

"... I heard this story that my bio mom was still around on Patch. Or maybe… Maybe I just made it up. I don't know. Anyway, I put Ruby into a wagon and pulled her with me. I… I wanted to find her. I wanted her to come home, make Dad happy again. Fix everything."

She sighed.

"I… I got us deep in the woods. I found this old cabin. I knocked on the door… And a bunch of Grimm came out to attack us. They'd… They'd been stalking us. They were going to tear us apart. My… My uncle came just in time. Killed them all. But…"

She grimaced.

"I hated… Hated that I'd gotten us into that mess. Hated my dad for getting so bad it happened. Hated myself for being weak… I was so stupid."

Jaune slowly nodded.

"Yeah. You were. But I mean… We all make stupid mistakes. You didn't die. Ruby didn't die. You're both okay… And-And your dad got better after, right?"

"Yeah," Yang sighed, her eyes flashing red briefly, "But he still has… Had times he couldn't get his shit together. So… Yeah… Ruby's like my sister-daughter."

"You did a good job," Jaune said encouragingly. Yang snorted.

"No, really! I… I think you'd be a great mom," Jaune said earnestly.

A bright blush came over her face.

"G-Geez…" She tilted her head away, the headache distracting her from the sincerity in his voice, "Moving a little fast there, aren't you Ladykiller?"

Jaune's cheeks burned like stoplights.

"Er um, I didn't mean it like that! I swear!"

Yang snickered, despite how much it hurt.

"Yeah, I know you didn't…"

He really was kind of cute… Though that might have been the concussion talking.

- - -

First part. May be expanded into a smutty version at some point.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

While Glynda was metaphorically (and somewhat literally) flaying Ozpin alive, Isabel took Willow aside to have some coffee in an outdoor cafe. They watched the violence unfold as they sipped their lattes.

"Honestly, she really does have a lot of issues, always did," Isabel observed.

"Not like we can talk," Willow sighed, "Half your children ran away from you."

"They didn't run away from me," Isabel growled, shaking her fist furiously, "They went to pursue their different dreams from what I wanted for them! And anyway, two of your children ran away! That's two thirds! I'm still doing better than you!"

Willow looked even more depressed, staring into the depths of her coffee. Isabel frowned, the mood shifting away from wild anime slapstick.

"Willow?"

Willow sighed harder.

"You know... If I'd married Nick, my father would have had a hard time accepting him... But he would have eventually. My father never fully approved of Jacques. I thought he was being overly protective. Jacques was so warm and charming..."

She scowled.

"Turns out he was a bastard. A total bastard!"

Isabel frowned.

"How... Big of a bastard?" She asked cautiously. Willow glared at her.

"What do you care?"

"Willow, I'll admit," Isabel said carefully, "I am EXTREMELY irritated with you for still carrying a torch for my husband all these years but..." She shrugged. "I did want you to be happy. With someone else. Anyone else."

Willow sighed.

"Well..."

Five Minutes Later

Isabel rose, her eyes blazing with fire.

"THAT SON OF A BITCH!" She swore.

Willow gaped in shock.

"Y-You believe me?!"

"You are a worse liar than Nick! You have this twitch when you-ANYWAY!" Isabel glared. "That's just not right!"

Willow bowed her head.

"It's my fault, too. I fell into despair and ignored my own children-"

"Well, you're here aren't you?! You're not drunk!" Isabel cried. She grabbed Willow by the shoulders and pulled her up to her feet. "You're making a lot of progress!"

"Actually it's because Klein bullied and guilted me into being out here," Willow sighed, but her eyes narrowed. "But you're right! I've done nothing for far too long! I... I need to be more like you and your husband!"

"Yes!" Isabel declared. "We're going to help you, Willow! Both of us, together!"

Willow's eyes sparkled.

"Then, will you let me have Nick-?!"

"LIKE HELL!" Isabel shouted, bonking Willow over the head.

"OWWWWW! Why do you have to be so rough?!" Willow whined.

Klein appeared at his mistress's side, and handed her an ice bag.

"Doctor Arc is a very direct kind of person, Mistress," Klein said, "It is how she handles things."

"Damn straight!" Isabel smirked. "It's how I got my husband and my hospital! Totally direct!"

Glynda walked up, deadpan expression firmly in place, as a contrite Ozpin followed behind her.

"This from the woman who denied she had any romantic feelings for her future husband for years."

"I DIDN'T DENY THEM!" Isabel growled. "I-I was just waiting for the right moment and kept any thirsty whores away from him!"

Ozpin adjusted his glasses... Then realized they were no longer on his face. Indeed, given where Glynda had put them, pushing them up any further was a bad idea.

"As I recall, Isabel, you very publicly proclaimed, and I quote, 'Nick Arc is too stupid to be my boyfriend. He is too stupid to be anyone's boyfriend. You're not taking advantage of my idiot partner.' Unquote."

Isabel flushed a bit.

"W-Well... It was true!"

"More like you were hording him for yourself," Glynda huffed.

"Well! It worked, and you're gonna be a single childless hag who puts baby clothes on her cats!" Isabel snarled. Glynda's eyesbrows twitched, as every stepped away from the two blondes.

"Stuffy arrogant witch doctor!"

"Lonely spinster!"

"You don't even need glasses! You just wore them to look smart!"

"Look who's talking! At least I AM smart and don't pretend to be!"

Ozpin sighed again.

"I'm going to have to halve the coffee budget again, aren't I?"

"Based upon how much damage they did the last time they fought? Probably," Klein observed. "Ice pack, sir?"

"Thank you. I desperately need one."

"For your balls-?"

"That was implied!"

 

[SharkCultist]

Had a weird idea that Jaune gets to meet the FIRST Arc.

Jaune: so you're my....?

Johan: let's just say Great Grandpa.

Jaune: how the hell do you speak in capital? Also, you barely look old enough to drink.

Johan: I'm special.

Jaune: right. Totally. *Discreetly calls Ozpin about the crazy man*

*Ozpin steps out from behind a pillar*

Ozpin: No mr.arc he's actually serious and correct.

Jaune: what?

Ozpin: meet Johan Arc, the world's only Axolotl Faunus. Who also has a mutated aura. No shield but rapid healing. And his semblance? Also healing.

Johan: yeah pretty weird luck of the draw with that.

Jaune: so how old is he?

Johan/Ozpin: yes.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Im legit positive Nana Arturia is only gonna die cause she had to much bacon.

Click to shrink...

She stays in good shape even at her age because she's just that active, even as an old lady. But yeah, Jaune definitely learned how to cook the greasiest, most delicious and fattening burgers to make his Nana happy!

Just imagine how RWBY and JNPR would react to eating them.

Yang: "Ohhh my God it's so bad and so fattening mmmmmm~..."

Weiss: "It's greasy, barbaric, and the lowest kind of fare."

Ruby: "... So... You want seconds?"

Weiss: "YES!"

Blake: "Jaune... It's so delicious... Is this fish paste?"

Jaune: "I'll admit, it's a little weird to add to a burger but I thought you might like it."

Blake: "... I do."

Ren: "... This is the most delicious burger I have ever eaten."

Nora: "Mmmmm... Oh no... Ren? Ren, I love your pancakes! I really do! I'M NOT CHEATING!"

Pyrrha: "... Jaune? I... I love you... Y-Your burgers! I love your burgers!"

Jaune: "Thanks guys, but geez. Don't make such a big deal out of it! Besides, these aren't even the best I could make them."

Blake: "... Explain."

Jaune: "I mean... If I had Radian all grass fed beef? Local cheese and vegetables? As well as fresh baked bread? Then I guarantee it would be up to my usual standards."

Silence.

Ruby: "... MINE!"

Yang: "LIKE HELL!"

Pyrrha: "HE'S MINE YOU WHORES!"

Weiss: "OVER YOUR DEAD BODIES!"

Blake: "MINE!"

Nora: "FOR THE BURGERS AND NOT SEXY TIMES!"

Ren: "SAME!"

Jaune watches his friends fight furiously in disbelief.

Jaune: "Geez... Papa Shirou was right. Cooking can be dangerous!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

A shoebox was set down on the table Yang Xiao-Long was eating lunch at in the Beacon Cafeteria. She looked up with a cocked eyebrow at Jaune Arc, who stood there with a nervous smile.

"Yeah Yang."

"VB... What's this?" She opened the shoebox... And her eyes went wide. She pulled out a pair of combat boots, custom-built. She turned one of them over in her hands, eyes wide.

"Wha...?"

"I uh, I asked Ruby for your measurements..."

At Yang's smirk, Jaune shook his head quickly.

"You know what I mean! I asked my sister about it, and uh, well, she knows an Atlasian armorer."

"Huh...!"

Yang swung around and pulled her shoes off. She pulled on the boots, and they fit perfectly. She smiled and patted the sides of her boots. She looked up.

"What brought this on?"

"I did vomit on your boots when we first met," Jaune pointed out with a shrug, "I finally got enough money to replace them. And well..." He smiled nervously, "I just... I wanted to make up for it."

Yang studied the boots intently, well aware that the rest of their teams were staring intently. Yang looked over at Weiss, who was gaping.

"Wha... That's a Frau Holda piece!" Weiss sputtered. "Your sister knows Frau Holda?!"

"The top designer for Atlas' military?!" Ruby gasped. "WOW!"

She knelt down and studied the boots intently.

"Do they fit well?" She asked her sister.

"Perfectly," Yang managed. She stared up in shock at Jaune. "How much-?"

"Uh, um, don't ask," Jaune said, waving his hands, "B-Besides! Again, I owe you and I couldn't exactly just go to the Spend Less Shoe Store, right?"

"Nope," Yang said with a grin. She stood up, and took Jaune by the arm. "So, let's go try them out, huh?"

"Uh, sure?" Jaune asked with a smile, "A nice hike around campus?"

"To start with," Yang agreed, leading Jaune off. Weiss scowled after them. Blake raised an eyebrow.

"You seem unhappy," she observed.

"What? No!" Weiss scoffed. "Why would I be unhappy Arc can act considerate around others? He's finally growing up!"

"Mmhm," Blake said.

"Shut up!" Weiss growled.

"I didn't say anything!"

Pyrrha's smile was extremely brittle as she watched them go.

"I... I could have recommended some boots, Jaune," she mumbled.

Nora sighed, and patted her fellow redhead on the shoulder.

"There there... They're just boots!"

Yang and Jaune talked happily. They were silhouetted against the open door. Yang leaned over and kissed his cheek.

All of the metal around them began to bend ominously.

"Just boots! Just boots!" Nora emphasized, waving her hands frantically.

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -

The Arcadia Farmhouse doors opened up onto a modest wooden hall, dominated by a staircase going up to the second floor. Warm brown wooden baseboards ran about the walls, and a few simple knit carpets sat on the hardwood floors. A simple brass chandelier hung from above, shining in the sunlight the many windows let in. The wallpaper seemed to be a plain white... At least, Yang thought it was white. There were hundreds of picture frames covering the walls, ranging from images of Jaune and his many, many sisters with their parents at various ages, to black and white photos of relatives and friends, and several paintings.

Despite herself, Yang felt a bit more... Homey.

Jaune led Yang and Ruby into an adjacent living room. This was at the base of the round tower-like part of the farmhouse, and had a wide panorama view of the barn, fields, drive, and a CCT repeater tower in the distance. It was filled with worn but comfortable furniture: Couches, arm chairs, two coffee tables, and bookshelves filled with books and knick knacks. A player piano made of warm cherrywood sat in a corner, with a few swords hanging over it on the wall.

Yang's eyes focused against the glare through the windows. Her jaw dropped. She honestly would not have expected these people to survive the fall of Beacon, and yet... Here they were.

Velvet Scarlatina, that shy rabbit Faunus a year ahead of them, sat on a light green couch. She was leaning against the tall form of Cardin Winchester, who was fiddling with his huge mace. Velvet had gotten some combat pants, a T-shirt, and a brown jacket with a tac-vest-They were a bit big on her, suggesting she'd been loaned the clothes. Cardin was in his usual armor, though it had some touch-ups obviously made by a welding torch. His hair was a bit shaggier, and he had some stubble on his chin and cheeks. Velvet looked exhausted, but definitely comfortable sidled up against her former bully.

A dark skinned, red-headed girl (May Zedong, from Shade, she vaguely recalled) was dressed in her usual hoodie and jeans. She worked on a sniper rifle, doing some maintenance with the guts of the weapon spread out on a coffee table. Neptune Vasilias, looking a bit shaggy and unkempt himself, was nevertheless bent over May's weapon with her, fiddling with various components and talking softly to her.

A dark skinned, blonde girl in nun's robes sat on a pillow on the floor, deep in meditation. Arslan Atlan: RWBY had eliminated her team in the Vytal Tournament. She'd been tough, but ultimately no match for them.

Nora and Ren were on another couch, Nora solemnly working on her hammer while Ren sat in repose with his eyes closed.

Everyone's eyes focused on them as they entered. Cardin, Nora and Ren got to their feet. Velvet, May, Arslan and Neptune soon followed.

"Hey Jaune. Hey Ruby. Hey, Xiao-Long," Neptune said, putting a bit of his old cockiness in his voice. "Nice to see you back up and about! Knew a babe like you couldn't be kept down for long!"

"It is indeed good to see you well," Arslan added, bowing slightly, "You were formidable opponents."

"H-Hello," May greeted softly, her eyes unable to meet Yang's.

"Xiao-Long," Cardin greeted with a simple nod. Velvet smiled a bit tiredly.

"It's... It's good to see you again," she said.

"It is," Ren agreed, giving Yang the slightest of smiles. Nora gaped in shock, then grinned.

"YANG!" Nora leaped over the coffee table and embraced Yang tightly. She tensed up, but relaxed as Nora sniffled and sobbed genuine tears.

"I missed you! You look great! Ooh, you got your new arm! That's great!" She grinned. "It has a gun in it!"

"... Really?" Yang asked, blinking.

"Totally!" Nora enthused. "That's what your Uncle said!"

"He visited you, huh?" Yang asked, eyes narrowing a bit. And not me...

"He did say something about that," Ruby agreed, smiling at Yang, "I-I can take you through the features-"

"Later," Yang grunted. Ruby frowned, but nodded.

"S-Sure... It's been a long day," she said.

"So Arc," Cardin cleared his throat, "Your dad and his troops visited. Told us to wait here for you. What are your orders?"

Jaune paused. He sucked in a breath through his nostrils.

"We're on stand down," he said at last, "Dad wants us to take a break."

Velvet's eyes narrowed.

"Did he say for how long?" She asked, a hint of anger in her tone. Yang had never heard anything like it from the generally meek Rabbit Faunus.

Jaune shook his head.

"No. They got reinforcements from Doremy, so they want us to take it easy for a while."

"Jaune," Cardin growled, "The walls aren't fully secure-They can't just exclude us! We've been fighting since we got here, damnit-!"

"We have our orders," Jaune stated flatly, "We're going to follow them."

Cardin grit his teeth. Velvet's eyes narrowed. The two of them united in anger like this was strange.

"Jaune, those monsters-!"

"I know what those monsters did, Cardin," Jaune growled, so deep and angry everyone stared in shock. Yang's jaw dropped as she beheld the transformation.

Gone was the goofy blond noodle. In his place was a hardened soldier, full of cold rage and steel.

Breaker Above... When did that happen?! She thought in shock.

Cardin ground his teeth, still glaring at Jaune.

Ruby cleared her throat nervously.

"M-Maybe... Maybe it's a good thing," she suggested, "We've been fighting without a break for over a week. Some of us longer."

"It would give us the chance to catch up on things," Arslan said, soft but firm, "And to recuperate. We will do no one any good if we're fighting our fatigue and the Grimm..."

She looked at Jaune knowingly.

"Among other things," she finished.

"H-Hey, I am totally fine with a break," Neptune said, laughing nervously, "Um... I mean, your sister-Hey, Orchid!"

A girl a little shorter than Yang walked out of the kitchen. Her blonde hair was cut short in a utilitarian pageboy. She wore jeans and a T-Shirt with the "Achieve-Men" logo over her chest. A pair of square glasses adorned her tired blue eyes, as she absent-mindedly tapped on a Scroll. Yang could see some kind of interface projected onto her glasses.

"Hello all. Hello Jaune," she said in a monotone. She walked up and hugged Jaune tightly. He returned the hug, rubbing her back.

"Hey Orchid. What are you doing here?" He asked, a small smile on his face.

"I live here," Orchid replied, her tone not shifting a bit.

Yang fought a snicker. Orchid blinked at the stares, then shrugged.

"You asked."

"Right, right, tell us what you told me!" Neptune said eagerly, "When we were at the repeater tower!"

Jaune glared at Neptune. He coughed and held up his hands.

"I was escorting her, I swear! May, you can vouch for me, right?"

"Y-Yes, he didn't... Um... We just did our jobs," May managed. Jaune slowly nodded.

"All right. Orchid?"

Orchid held out her Scroll and activated a holoprojector. Several technical diagrams and windows of computer coding appeared above them. None of it made any sense to Yang. Nora actually stood on her head to try and make sense of it.

"In essence, while the main CCT Network is down thanks to the virus implanted by the terrorists," Orchid stated, "Several regional networks are still mostly operational. The Gallian and Albion networks in particular."

"How did they avoid the virus?" Ruby asked, intensely curious.

"Twelve years ago, the system was due for a major upgrade," Orchid said, "As it was a joint venture between Albion and Gallia, both sub-kingdoms' Councils would have to agree on a unified upgrade plan."

"... Which would require both Councils to agree on something," Neptune deadpanned. Orchid nodded.

"Correct. Add in a scandal regarding embezzlement from the Modern Arts Grant, and the Councils of both nations collapsed in their respective elections to be replaced by new ones. They ultimately decided to save upgrading the servers for the regional repeater system for the year after this one."

"So we have communications?" Jaune asked. "Can we reach Vale? Beacon?"

Orchid shook her head, flipping through a few more holographic pages of what may as well have been hieroglyphics to Yang.

"Only intermittently. In addition, global communications are still down. We did get a call from Uncle Arjun over the radio.""

"Uncle Arjun?" Yang asked.

Jaune coughed.

"He's our godfather. He uh, he lives in Pandu, south-eastern coast of Animus."

"Well, what did he say?" Neptune urged Orchid.

She adjusted her glasses. "It appears that Mistral has fallen into civil war. Mistral itself, Pandu, Temujina, Fuujin-They're all at war since the CCT Network collapsed."

"Oh Breaker, no," Arslan whispered. Neptune gaped.

"What about Argus? Anything on Argus?!"

"I do not have any news on that," Orchid said in her monotone, "Though he did say that Atlas was holding to its treaty and had forces still stationed in Argus. Other than that? There is little to report. I am hopeful that we'll be able to get more as we work with other engineers across Gallia and Albion: Enough to get direct communication back with Vale to some extent. There is talk of reactivating the old cable networks, though most of those were destroyed by the Grimm."

Jaune sighed in relief, and hugged his sister again.

"Thanks Orchid."

"You are welcome. I am going to bed now, as I have been up for forty-eight hours straight rewriting IP Protocol codes for the region. Excuse me."

Orchid headed off towards the stairs, and climbed them out of sight. Cardin sagged a bit.

"Well... Maybe I'll get to call my dad," he sighed.

"Same," Velvet sighed, "They're up in Atlas. I... I'm glad they didn't come to see my fights. Not after all this."

"Agreed," Arslan said, "It was lucky for them..." She bit her lower lip. "After calling my family, I am hoping to get back in contact with my team. We were scattered during the fall."

May winced, and remained silent. The pain in her eyes reminded Yang of what had happened to her team.

"Same," Neptune sighed, "I lost Scarlet and Sage when we were evacuating to the airships. They took another but I don't know where to." He shook his head. "And of course, Sun ran off after Blake again."

"Blake?" Yang perked up. "Blake Belladonna?"

Neptune snorted.

"You know any other Blake Belladonnas he'd chase after? I did get a message before the CCT went totally down: That they were headed to Menagerie-"

Velvet seethed.

"Of fucking course they were," she growled.

All eyes went to the normally timid rabbit Faunus. Cardin was grim, but didn't move away from her.

Yang frowned as well.

"So... She's okay. That's good, right?" Yang asked. She was glad Blake was (probably) alive, but what was Velvet's deal?

"Sure. Two traitors running off together," Velvet sneered. Neptune gaped. Ruby frowned.

"H-Hey!" Neptune said, "Sun's not a-!"

"Oh, so the princess of the White Fang and your buddy just ran off to, what, elope?!" Velvet demanded angrily.

"I-I mean, I'm sure she had a reason-" Ruby tried, but Velvet angrily cut her off.

"She straight up abandoned you! Abandoned her partner!" She pointed at Yang. Yang grimaced and gripped her artificial arm with her real one.

"I-I mean... She-"

"She used to be White Fang!" Ruby insisted, "She wasn't anymore-!"

"And the White Fang attacked and destroyed a city," Velvet snarled, "Just as she conveniently gets away!"

"She-She's not like that!" Yang responded, though doubt tinged her words. "She was fighting against them-!"

"Well she did a HELL of a job, didn't she?!" Velvet spat, fists clenched, cheeks red, "A bunch of their goons caught my team! They shot Coco! They blasted Yatsuhashi and Fox away! I would have been next if Cardin hadn't charged in!"

Cardin grimaced and rubbed his chest. His other arm stayed around Velvet's waist, offering support and security as she raged.

She fixed a glare on Yang and Ruby.

"They murdered my team and their princess runs off?! Convenient, isn't it?!"

"She didn't have-She saved my life!" Yang shouted back.

"No," Velvet snarled, looking at the grim faced Jaune, "Jaune saved your life. Jaune carried you to the airship! Where was Blake, huh?!"

"She didn't have anything to do with this!" Ruby insisted. "I-I know Blake! She just... She..."

"She ran off with the rest of those murderers," Velvet seethed, now being restrained by Cardin's arm. "I hope Atlas invades and flattens them! I hope Atlas kills them all-!"

"That's enough!" Jaune barked. Velvet grit her teeth and scowled at him. Jaune shook his head slowly.

"That's not going to help," he stated. He looked at Cardin. "Cardin, Velvet... Go chill out. Relax. Get some air."

Velvet shot another venomous glare at them all. Cardin nodded slowly.

"Come on, Velv," he said softly, "Let's go chill out. All right?"

"... Fine," Velvet stated slowly. She narrowed her eyes at Yang and Ruby.

"But if I see her again? I'm putting a bullet in her head. The same thing her thugs did to my friends."

Cardin and Velvet walked out, Yang, Jaune and Ruby parting for them. The doors shut behind them, leaving only the clock ticking away.

"... I'll get started on dinner," Ren said quietly, rising and walking to the kitchen.

"I'll help," Arslan contributed, walking after him. Nora followed, though not without giving Yang, Ruby, and Jaune tight hugs.

"Um... I-I need to finish reworking my rifle," May mumbled, sitting back down with her head bowed.

"Y-Yeah, sounds good," Neptune said nervously, "I'll help."

Jaune hefted up Yang's luggage, his face stony.

"I'll show you to your room," he said to Yang.

"It's-It's mine too, Yang," Ruby said with a smile, "It's great. You'll see!"

"... Sure," Yang whispered, staring at her mechanical hand in silence.

- - -

Well, that got rather dark. But what do you think?

Click to shrink...

- - -

Yang was no stranger to faking being asleep. She'd had to keep an eye on Ruby for most of her life, after all. Oblivious and innocent, her little sister would sneak off in the middle of the night to mess with a new gadget, a new weapon, or look up technical facts on the CCTnet. Things Yang had had to manage, because God knew Dad was only fifty-fifty on it.

It was easy to tell when Ruby fell asleep this night though. It was when she stopped crying. Yang watched her from the twin bed on the other side of the small bedroom. It had belonged to one of Jaune's sisters, and the walls were covered in posters of old boy bands and pictures of the ocean. A few seashells sat in a glass bowl on a wooden desk, the only bit of debris left from her departure.

Yang slowly got out of bed, and stared down at her sleeping little sister. She clenched her fists. She reached out her hand... Her biological one, her real one. She tried to touch Ruby, to offer her some kind of comfort...

She grit her teeth. She pulled away. She turned and softly walked out of the door, silently shutting it behind her.

I'm fucking useless... Completely...!

Angry restlessness filled her. Something bitter and painful. Something she had to get away from, something she had to escape.

She stalked down the hallway. She could hear Neptune snoring through one door. Saw a light shining through the crack of the door where May and Arslan slept. Soft voices still carried to her as the two talked, though Yang couldn't make anything out. She passed by Cardin and Velvet's room, which was empty. They still hadn't come back yet. Orchid's room also had soft snoring coming from it. A few other doors were closed, but she couldn't tell how many were occupied. Not that she cared that much, as long as they didn't notice her.

Yang finally made it down the stairs, the steps creaking uncomfortably loudly for her. She made it to the ground floor, and wandered out the door. She closed her eyes as she felt the cool night air. She looked up at the silent stars, breathing slowly. She trembled as she stared at the moon, the broken form familiar but... Not in the least bit comforting.

She wrapped her arms around her, trembling in the sudden chill.

"Yang?"

She looked over. Sitting on one of the old rocking chairs was Jaune: Still in his armor and duster. A nearly empty bottle of whiskey was in his hand. He stared blearily up at her.

"Jaune? What...?"

"Couldn't sleep," he slurred. He looked back out at the stars. "You?"

"... Same," she decided on. Jaune nodded, rocking back and forth silently.

"No squeak," he said.

"Huh?"

"Chair. Doesn't squeak," he elaborated, rocking back and forth a bit faster. "Used to... They fixed it. Doesn't squeak... I... I liked the squeaking."

Yang stared at him for a bit, before a snort left her nostrils.

"You're drunk."

"Am not," Jaune replied maturely, swigging down another gulp of whiskey, "Been... Been drinking wine since I was six."

"Bullshit," Yang returned. "My uncle's a drunk. You're a lightweight."

"Nooo... Just... Haven't drunk in a while," Jaune protested. "Sides... Bet you can't handle a shot."

Yang's eyes narrowed.

"I could too!"

Jaune snorted in juvenile laughter, shaking his head. He leaned back with a smug smirk that just infuriated Yang further.

"You drink strawberry sunrises. No booze in 'em!"

Yang growled. She stalked up to Jaune, grabbed the bottle, and tilted it back. She gulped down a few mouthfuls, before she let it go with a gasp. She glared back at Jaune, even as the alcohol hit her system and lit up her cheeks.

"Not all the time," she snorted.

Jaune stared.

"Huh... Cool," he mumbled. He reached up and pulled the bottle towards him. Yang held on. Jaune scowled up at her.

"What?"

"I mean... Your mom's not gonna-"

"Fuck my mom," Jaune snarled, "And my dad!" He wrestled the bottle back, even as Yang held onto it.

"Jaune! What the hell are you-?!"

The bottle snapped under the pressure, and the remaining booze splashed onto the deck. Jaune groaned, and glowered up at her.

"Oh great. Thanks! Thanks a lot!"

"Well excuse me for being concerned about you!" Yang snarled. Jaune drunkenly glared back, grabbing onto the armrests of the rocking chair to rise up. His footing was unsteady, but he used his height to try and loom over her.

"I didn't ask you to-!"

"Well too bad! I am now!"

"I don't need anyone's concern!" Jaune barked. "You just got a new arm! You go back to sleep-!"

"Like hell I am!" Yang grabbed his arms. "You go to sleep! You're exhausted!"

Jaune tried to grab her wrists, but he stumbled and lost his balance. He slammed against her, and Yang surged her Aura to keep him upright. Jaune shook his head.

"No... No, you go. I'mma... I'm fine-"

"Oh really?" Yang asked with a glare. "Fine. How about the Uncle Qrow test then?"

She let Jaune go, and stepped back. He wobbled as she glared at him.

"If you can walk, you can stay out here alone," she stated. "Go ahead."

Jaune glared at her. He took a shaky step... And fell over again. Yang caught him with a grunt, and glared at his sullen face.

"... Fine," he mumbled.

"All right," Yang nodded, "Let's get you to bed."

"Why do you care?" Jaune mumbled. Yang started, and glared at him in complete shock.

"Why do I-You want a list, Jaune?! Is that what you need?!" She demanded. "You saved my life! You saved Ruby's life! You got us all here to safety!"

"You're not happy about it," Jaune mumbled, "And... And Pyrrha would have done better. Pyrrha would have done it... Super better..."

His head bowed. His eyes went blank. His tone was empty.

"Pyrrha should be here... Not me," he muttered.

Yang's jaw dropped. Her anger evaporated.

"H-Hey... Hey... You didn't kill her," Yang tried, "You didn't-"

"When she went to fight Cinder... I was gonna go," Jaune husked, "I was gonna fight with her... She told me she loved me. She kissed me... Then she shoved me in a rocket locker."

Yang felt a chill. The shame in Jaune's voice, the way he stared down at the porch... It was all too familiar. Horrifically familiar.

"J-Jaune... You... There wasn't anything you could've-"

"I could have died for her," Jaune said bitterly, "I could have been a distraction... Anything... I didn't deserve her love. I didn't deserve... Anything. I should be dead... I deserve it. Fucking deadlast loser fraud. I should have died for her..."

Yang felt tears come to her eyes. Her mood was all over the place thanks to... To her depression. Isabel warned her about it.

Probably why punching Jaune came as a surprise to her. He was slammed down into the porch. He looked up in disbelief, as she panted for breath. She clenched and unclenched her artificial fist.

"Don't you fucking say that again," Yang snarled, "You stupid bastard! You get it?!"

"I-!" Jaune tried to protest, but Yang grabbed him by his collar and lifted him up in the air.

"Your parents love you! Your sisters love you! I can see it, I can tell! And you-You're just acting like they wouldn't care if you died?! What about Ruby? REN?! NORA?! What about everyone else?! HUH?! What about PYRRHA?!"

The tears were flowing freely now. She didn't care though. All that mattered was that Jaune's eyes were wide in fright and shock and he needed to listen.

"She got you away cause she loved you, moron!" Yang spat. "How do you think she'd feel if you'd died, huh?! You selfish-selfish stupid fucking bastard-!"

Anger returned to Jaune's eyes. He shoved her away, and she dropped him onto the porch beams.. He grabbed onto her shoulders for balance.

"Anyone could do better than me! Anyone SHOULD! Anyone-!"

"ANYONE DIDN'T! YOU DID!" Yang shouted. "So don't you fucking pull that-that 'I should have died' shit! Don't you pull that fucking 'woe is me' shit, Jaune! Because that will get people fucking killed! YOU GET IT?!"

Jaune stared back. His anger faded. His shoulders sank. Fatigue set in.

"... I'm sorry," he muttered. He hugged her, and she returned it.

"Yeah, well..." Yang buried her face in his shoulder, "I... I hate seeing people give up. Especially... Especially when they have people depending on them."

Jaune nodded slowly.

"I don't know why," he admitted.

"Yeah, well... Neither do I," Yang mumbled, "But in case... In case you haven't noticed? We're not... We're not in the best of shape. I... I don't mind taking a break."

Jaune stared at her for a long time. She flushed.

"What?"

"You haven't been passionate in a while," he said, "I-I missed that... You're always hottest when you're passionate."

Her cheeks burned red for a very different reason.

"You're drunk," she mumbled.

"Yeah," he muttered, "Doesn't mean I'm wrong."

He hugged her more tightly. She sighed.

"... Don't make a fucking habit of this," she muttered, "I'm not dragging your ass to bed again when you're drunk."

"You smell nice," he mumbled. Yang sighed and helped him towards the doors.

"Yeah, well... You stink."

"Yeah..."

Yang paused and looked out into the yard. There were a few spotlights here and there. Underneath one, some distance away, she spotted the tall form of Cardin Winchester and the diminuitive form of Velvet Scarlatina. They were holding hands and talking, leaned up against a fence post. Yang stared in quiet disbelief. Her eyes widened when she saw them...

"They're... Kissing?" Yang muttered, holding the door open, "How the hell did that happen?"

"Cardin always had a crush on her," Jaune mumbled, "He was in super denial... They saved eachother's lives during the attack so... Ya know..."

"That's... Strange," she muttered.

"Yeah. She likes getting her ears pulled," Jaune said cheerfully, "Not supposed to say that... Or say-"

"Anything else, got it," Yang covered his mouth with a blush, "Now shut up, you need sleep."

She managed to get him to the couch, where he collapsed with a snore. She pulled off his duster, armor, and boots, and got him settled. She then pulled an old comforter over him.

"Now sleep," she ordered. Jaune smiled up at her, even as he closed his eyes.

"Love you too."

Her face again turned bright red. She heard Cardin and Velvet's voices approaching the door. Like a flash she ran up the stairs, past the other rooms, and right up to the one she shared with her sister. She took a deep breath to calm her rapidly beating heart.

She opened up. She saw Ruby was still asleep. She was mumbling things, and sniffling every so often.

Yang stared for a long moment, before she shut the door behind her. She walked up and squeezed Ruby's shoulder comfortingly.

Her little sister relaxed, just a little. She rubbed her back, and Ruby calmed down.

Her hand lingered for a bit longer... Before she pulled back. She sighed, and trundled back to her bed. She laid down on it, and pulled the covers up.

It wasn't much. Honestly, their drunken host/leader smiling for once and her little sister not having a nightmare.

It was never enough.

It was all she could do right now.

- - -

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Beacon Academy. Jaune was just chilling out with his team and RWBY out on the campus quad. Nora was regaling them with a story about her latest dream. Weiss was trying to study, while Blake read a book. The whole time, Nora's exploits got more and more ridiculous… Which was just how Jaune liked it.

"So there I was, fighting the mighty Grimm Kraken made of oatmeal raisin cookies!"

Ruby gasped.

"That's horrifying! Oatmeal raisin is the Devil's cookie of choice!"

Nora nodded sagely, shaking her fist.

"EXACTLY! And so when it lifted its huge tapioca arms-!"

The roar of a powerful, Dust-enhanced combustion engine shattered the afternoon air. A large silver motorcycle drove up onto the quad, ridden by a blond bearded man carrying a giant rail gun sword on his back. Jaune got up first in shocked recognition.

"DAD?!" Jaune cried.

The seven foot and some change man slid off his mighty steel steed, and laughed. He hugged Jaune tightly, his long brown duster waving in the wind over his black and white armor.

"HEY SON!"

"Dad?!" Yang and Ruby gasped.

"That's his Dad?!" Weiss gaped in disbelief.

Blake stared in shock. Nora whooped.

"HEY DAD!"

"HEY JAUNE"S FRIEND!" Jaune's Dad greeted. "AND JAUNE'S OTHER FRIENDS!"

"Oh-Oh my," Pyrrha mumbled. Weiss blushed a bit, looking back and forth between Jaune and his father.

"Haha! How's it going? Your mother was worried!" Jaune's father said cheerfully.

"Er, I'm fine. Everything's fine. How-How are you?"

Jaune's Dad chuckled and waved his hand.

"I'm great! Killed a dozen Grimm on my way here!"

Yang got right up in front of Jaune and his father, her eyes wide in awe and amazement.

"You drove a Wayland 2005 through the Emerald Forest all the way here? Killing Grimm?!"

"Of course I did! I'm Nick Arc! That's how I roll!!" He laughed.

"With the twin Acerbo Dust turbos?!" Ruby gasped.

"Absolutely!" Jaune's Dad said, giving her a thumbs up. Ruby's eyes sparkled. Yang laughed.

"Your dad is fucking awesome, VB!"

"So fucking awesome!" Ruby repeated. Yang immediately glared at her.

"Language Ruby!"

"You said it first-"

"NO!" Yang growled. Ruby pouted then turned away to ogle the bike.

"Hmph!"

"Hahaha!" Jaune's Dad patted Yang on her shoulder. "It's my Semblance to be awesome, Jaune's Girlfriend!"

Pyrrha, stunned until now, was broken out of it by this declaration.

"Wait, she's not-!"

Jaune also tried to interject.

"She isn't-!"

Weiss also interjected, though for different reasons.

"Wh-Why not take a Bullhead?!"

Blake stared at Weiss as though to ask "Really?"

Nick Arc laughed boisterously.

"Bullheads are for sissies! ... Plus I get airsick. ALSO! I had to deliver my boy's birthday present, didn't I?"

Weiss stared in further shock.

"I... Wha?!"

"But that's not for another month!" Pyrrha protested. Nick chuckled and winked at his son.

"Well it's also supposed to be a bribe." He winced, and Jaune scowled at him. Nick sighed. "Oh. Shoot. Your mother told me not to say that."

"Dad," Jaune said, as firm and hard as steel, "I am NOT going back to medical school."

"Medical school?!" Weiss gasped.

"Yeah," Ruby said cheerfully, "He passed the entrance exams but he ran away to become a Huntsman!"

"... So he's an idiot," Weiss sighed.

"Huh," Blake murmured, "Why didn't I know about that?"

"Because you're a self absorbed drama queen," Weiss muttered.

"You didn't know either!" Blake accused, "Typical Schnee arrogance!"

"Typical Belladonna self-absorption!"

While Blake and Weiss argued furiously, Nick gave his son an exasperated (but still rather proud) grin.

"You're just as stubborn as me and your mom, you know. Still..." He gestured to the motorcycle. "Eh? Ehhhh?"

"Wha... Dad!" Jaune gasped. "You can't give me your motorcycle!"

"What? I got a new one!" Nick affectionately patted the handlebars. "Tarasque here is all yours!"

"But it's... I mean, you've had her since I was a baby!"

Nick nodded firmly.

"True. I blew up my old one getting that Deathstalker for your birth celebration! But now son... She's yours."

Jaune stared at the motorcycle, clearly tempted. He could see how Ruby glowed around it, how Yang was nodding furiously.

However…

"If I quit and go back to medical school, right?" Jaune asked.

Nick coughed, and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Errr..."

At this, Ruby frowned. Yang followed, staring at Jaune.

Jaune shook his head.

"No deal."

Nick drooped and sighed.

"Aw son... Yeah. That's unfair of me." He tossed Jaune the keys. "Take her anyway. It'll make your career as a Huntsman go better, believe you me. Also," He nodded over at Yang, "Your girlfriend has good taste and would probably like a ride."

Jaune sighed.

"She's not my-"

Yang: grabbed Jaune's arm "Of course darling~! Let's go for a ride right now!"

Pyrrha twitched. Nora and Ren slowly scooted away from her.

Nick laughed. He hugged Jaune cheerfully.

"HAHA! Great! Try not to break her too quickly, huh?"

"Dad, I just got the bike. I'm not gonna break her immediately."

Nick blinked.

"The bike-? Oh! Oh, yes. The bike. That's totally what I meant. ANYWAY! I'm gonna go get a room in town! Don't mind me, I will NOT be cramping your style! Though I will insist we do father-son bonding by killing Grimm tomorrow!"

Nora dashed up to Nick, her eyes sparkling.

"Can you adopt me?"

Nick hummed.

"You like killing Grimm?'

"HELL YEAH!"

Nick gave Nora a bear hug.

"WELCOME TO THE FAMILY, SWEETIE!"

"YAY!" Nora looked over at Ren with a beam. "NOW I HAVE SOMEONE TO GIVE ME AWAY AT OUR WEDDING, RENNY!"

Ren blinked. Pyrrha continued to twitch a bit.

Jaune looked scandalized.

"DAD!"

Nick shrugged at his son.

"What? Your mom is getting Empty Nest Syndrome! COME ON, NEW DAUGHTER!"

"YAY!"

"NO ADOPTIONS WITHOUT MOM!" Jaune shouted.

Nick pouted, as did Nora.

"All right… I'll go get some ice cream then," Nick sighed, then brightened. "I'll get ice cream for everyone!"

"YAY! ICE CREAM!" Nora cheered.

Jaune sighed.

"You know, your Dad is kind of weird, but cool," Ruby said.

"Do not encourage him," Jaune sighed.

While Nick headed off, Yang and Jaune were left to admire the Wayland 2005. Ruby was already checking the stats on her Scroll, grinning happily. Blake and Weiss continued to argue, while Pyrrha shyly examined it from afar. Nora happily babbled about ice cream to Ren.

Yang rubbed her hands almost greedily.

"Oh man, I've wanted to ride a Wayland since before signal! How come you never mentioned your dad had one?!"

Jaune sighed.

"Well, one, it's my Dad. He's… A bit much. Two? Why would I? Waylands are great but they've got nothing on the Fenrir models."

Yang snorted derisively.

"Please! Fenrir's are for dads with mid-life crisis going on. I should know, my dad bought one."

"That's true," Ruby admitted.

Jaune scoffed.

"Mid-life crisis? Fenrirs are rugged, damn near unbreakable and crush every reliability score on the market!"

Yang shook her head.

"Fenrirs are rugged because they're slow! They're only so tough 'cause the manufacturers know the Grimm will catch you!"

Jaune nodded sagely, rubbing the console of the Wayland.

"Exactly! A good Fenrir will pulp any grimm dumb enough to get in between you and your destination! I've seen my Dad drive his straight through a Leviathan gullet without a scratch! While Waylands are great, compared to Fenrirs, they're made of paper!"

"So your dad is going through a midlife crisis too, Jaune?" Ruby asked.

"No, he's always been like that," Jaune sighed.

"You mean amazing?" Yang demanded. "And hey! The slowest Wayland is at least half again faster than the fastest Fenrir, I won't need to drive through the Grimm because I'm already a speck in the distance!"

Jaune scoffed.

"Just like your savings! New Waylands are way overpriced for what they offer. They've become way too pricey!" He took hold of the handlebars. "I'd better get her to the school garage. No telling how hard Dad rode her here."

"I'll go with you," Yang said, taking the other side of the motorcycle, "Besides, you clearly don't know what you're talking about!"

"I absolutely do!" Jaune insisted.

Yang leaned over the other side of the bike, glaring in irritation.

"What model of Fenrir did your dad get?!"

"Um…" He checked his Scroll.

"A Loup 455!"

Yang scoffed.

"HA! A Loup 455 is overpriced!"

"Not when you do the custom mods yourself…"

The two walked off arguing on their favored motorcycle, Jaune pushing the Wayland between them. The rest of teams look on with a mix of frustration, confusion, and mirth.

"I-I'd be happy to ride a motorcycle with Jaune," Pyrrha muttered.

"It doesn't make him even the least bit more attractive," Weiss muttered in irritation.

"I wanted to help," Ruby pouted, "But I think they're in their own little world. Hmph. I know more about it than Yang does…"

Nora, fresh off her ice cream rant, hummed thoughtfully.

"Soooo, do you think they're gonna fight or fu-?"

"Nora!" Ren scolded her.

"Whaaat? We're all thinking it!"

"No we were not!" Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha all denied very loudly.

Blake smirked.

"Well, one way or another, we know someone's getting a ride very soon."

"BLAKE!" The teams screeched in unison at her. Save for Ren, he just sighed.

"See? She knows what's up!" Nora said cheerfully.

- - -

A fully expanded and edited version of a short I wrote. Along with a bit written by @Seth ex makina for Dragonslayer Week 2024. What do you think?

 

[LordofBones]

>Yang realizes that when Jaune stops overthinking and just feels his way through a fight, with passion, he's actually REALLY good. So, in the interest of helping out a classmate and friend, she contrives ways to make him unleash his true inner passions!

Click to shrink...

It's too late that Yang realizes that she turned Jaune into a true meme-tastic paladin.

Jaune: "I don't need a formal education for evil to meet my sword! SWORD, MEET EVIL!"

Jaune: "Weapon? THE THEWS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ARE MY WEAPON!"

Jaune: *walks into the cafeteria, heartily eats enough to make Nick proud, sweeps Yang off her feet with a loud, lusty kiss, then squeezes her ass* "Dear, I'm going to go kick Evil's butt, then we're going out for dinner tonight. Wear something nice." *smack*
Yang: *dazed giggle* "Yes darling~...Wait, what just happened?"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Team RWBY find Team JNPR outside on the quad at some picnic tables. With them is an elegant older woman in a blue and white dress. She sips tea, her white hair up in a bun thanks to some blue ribbons.

She has wrinkles around her blue eyes, but all from smiles.

Arturia: "Oh, hello!"

Jaune: "Hey guys! My uh... My Nana came to visit."

Arturia: "I'm very proud of you, Jaune. Getting into Beacon! First try, too!"

Jaune: "Er uh, well... I had a lot of help."

Ruby: "Oh... Wow. Your Nana? So she's your grandma?"

Arturia: "Great-grandmother actually."

Ruby: "WOW! You must be super old!"

Weiss: "RUBY!"

Yang: snerk

Arturia: laughs "I am!"

Jaune: "Er, yeah."

Pyrrha is starry-eyed.

Pyrrha: "She fought in the Great War!"

Arturia: "Oh, I did my part."

Weiss: "Well, that's very impressive."

Yang: "You don't actually look that old."

Arturia: "Healthy living! I keep in shape!" She looks intently at Jaune "I hope you are keeping up with your training, Jaune?"

Jaune: "I am!"

Arturia: "Hm... Mind if I test you?"

Jaune: "Ummm..."

Pyrrha: "It would be wonderful, Jaune! Can she test me, next?"

Nora: "Me too! She seems SUPER fun!"

Ren: nods "It would be an honor, ma'am."

Arturia: "Oh, I'm deeply flattered! Honestly though, I don't know how much fun I'll be. I'm old, after all."

Jaune looks extremely nervous, which Blake, Yang, Weiss and Ruby take notice of.

Jaune: "Well uh... I mean, Pyrrha is training me-"

Arturia: "Hmmmm..." She eyes Pyrrha "I see. I'll test her first then?"

Pyrrha: very excited "Wonderful! Is right here and now good?"

Arturia: "Perfectly!"

Ruby: "Uh, Pyrrha? You sure you want to do this?"

Yang: "Yeah, I mean uh... Maybe Jaune's Nana needs to take a break? It must have been a long trip from uh... Where are you from?"

Arturia: sips her tea, then rises "Radian."

Yang: "Right, there."

Weiss: "Yes! Surely we can wait, have some more tea-?"

Arturia: "No, no. I do need to know just who is teaching my great-grandson."

Jaune: "Um... Just remember, Nana-"

Arturia: chuckles "Oh Jaune, you worrywort! You're such a sweet lad. But your partner will be fine." She stretches a bit "Mmm! Honestly, she seems like she'll give me some trouble. But I like trouble!"

Pyrrha: "Thank you, Mrs. Arc!"

Arturia: "Call me Nana Arturia!"

Pyrrha: "Hee!"

As Arturia and Pyrrha walk off onto the grassy knoll, Arturia carrying a rather large briefcase Ruby is deeply concerned.

Ruby: "Um... Why are we letting the... How old is she?"

Jaune: "One hundred and five."

Ruby: "One hundred and five year old woman fight the best student in Beacon?!"

Jaune: "Honestly? I'm more worried about Pyrrha."

Weiss: "Her?! What about your great-grandmother?! She looks... Well, she's well preserved but she's still really old!"

Ren: "Ah. So you don't recognize her."

Weiss: "Recognize who? I'll admit she looks... A little familiar."

Nora: "Waiiit for it!"

Arturia pulls on gray armor, which expands and locks around her midsection. She pulls on gauntlets and grieves that automatically lock into place. She then pulls out a sword that fairly glows with Aura Energy, something reflected by her eyes.

In a moment, Nana Arturia has gone from a sweet old lady... To a deadly knight, with grim eyes and face that speak of nothing but battle.

Pyrrha is practically beside herself with excitement.

Weiss: eyes wide, jaw drops "Wha...?! No.. No way-!"

Arturia's sword turns invisible... And in a split second she is hammering her mighty sword against Pyrrha's Milo and Akoúo̱ so fast sparks flew off the impacts. Pyrrha tried to rally and go on the offensive, but Arturia's speed, precision, reach and strength were phenomenal. Pyrrha feinted and tried to flank Arturia, but the elderly woman parried her strikes. She gave ground slowly as Pyrrha began to get more mobile.

Pyrrha then feinted and side flipped, trying to get behind Arturia. The knight swung her blade behind herself, unleashing an Aura Slash that Pyrrha barely dodged. It cut a tree behind Pyrrha in half, and sent it falling over.

All of RWBY is gobsmacked at this. Jaune looks relieved. Nora cheers as Ren smiles softly.

Arturia: "Haa... Haa... Haa... Very impressive, young lady." She raises her sword in salute

Pyrrha: "Haa... Haa... You too, Nana Arturia!"

Arturia: smiles "That said, you rely very heavily on your Semblance to fight. If you were blinded or distracted by loud noises, it could throw off your concentration. It is admirable you are so gifted and train so hard... But do not forget that true battle does not have rules."

Pyrrha: unbelievably happy "Yes Nana Arturia!"

Arturia: "Hmmm... Also... Jaune? While Pyrrha is very good at swordplay... I don't think emulating her style suits you, at least in that way. She's very mobile, you are not."

Jaune: "Er, well, not really."

Arturia: "I will teach you my own style while she trains you in more general combat. You should know how to fight like a proper knight: Great cunning and calculation, but brute force and strength are just as important!"

Jaune: nods "Um... What will Mom say though?"

Arturia: sighs "I may have respected her wishes when you were a child, but you have clearly chosen your path."

Jaune: smiles "Thank you Nana."

Arturia: "Now, aren't you going to introduce me to the rest of your friends? It's very rude."

Jaune: winces "Sorry Nana. Um, Nana? This is Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao-Long, and Blake Belladonna. Everyone? This is my Nana Arturia Arc... Um, Pendragon-Arc."

Dead silence ensues. One Blake breaks.

Blake: "Your Nana... Is Empress Arturia Pendragon?! Queen of Albion?! The Saber Queen?!"

Arturia: "Oh my, that was a very long time ago. I abdicated, after all."

Weiss: "Y-You slew over ten thousand enemy soldiers in ONE DAY during the siege of Camelot!"

Arturia: "Did I? Huh! I didn't really keep count. Couldn't afford to."

A tall old man with tanned skin, white hair, and golden-brown eyes approaches in plain green and black clothing with some bags of fast food.

Shirou: "Heh. I got about half of them, but I wasn't keeping count either. Too busy watching you."

Arturia: "Aw! Sweet as always, my beloved Shirou. Did you get-?"

Shirou: "Yes, just how you like them. I see you worked up a sweat!"

Arturia takes a bag, pulls out a burger, and sits down with her husband at the picnic table. She happily eats a burger, as Shirou smiles and waves.

Shirou: "Hey! I'm Jaune's Papa, or Great-Grandpa Shirou! Nice to meet you!"

Weiss: "Th-The Master of Unlimited Blade Works?!"

Yang: "Holy crap...!"

Shirou: "Heh. Been a while since I was called that. You're a good student of history!"

Weiss: "Th-Thank you sir!"

Shirou: "Call me Papa!"

Ruby grabs Jaune and drags him aside. RWBY and NPR join them as Shirou and Arturia eat their burgers.

Ruby: "When were you going to TELL ME your great-grandparents were some of the most incredible fighters in history?!"

Jaune: exasperated "When you didn't fangasm over them?"

Ruby: "I-But-THEY'RE SO COOL!"

Jaune: "Yes. I know. But to me, they're just my great-grandparents. So please..."

Weiss: "You know, um... It is curious you didn't bring them up. With me."

Yang: "Oh, so now you're interested in him?"

Weiss: "In his family history!"

Jaune: "Because of this, okay? I love them to death... But I'm not using them to get attention. I want to earn my way through life myself... Not thanks to their names."

Weiss: "... I... I can understand that, Ar-Um... Jaune."

Blake: "Same."

Pyrrha: "Completely, Jaune. I just... It's such an honor to fight her! She's still so incredible!"

Yang: "You think I could fight her next?! Or your Papa? Damn, he still looks amazing! I am seeing the future and I like it~!"

Pyrrha: "What do you mean by that?" Very brittle smile

Yang: "What do you think I mean, P-Money?"

Weiss: "Hey! There's no need to fight! Especially not over Arc!"

Blake: "Says the girl who's been eyeing his great-grandpa with lust in her eyes since he showed up?"

Weiss: bright red "I have not!"

Ruby: "DID YOU SEE THAT ARMOR?!"

Nora: "IT WENT ALL SWOOSH AND CRANK AND WHIRR-WHIRR!"

Ren: "Indeed."

Pyrrha and Yang glare at one another over their smiles. Weiss and Blake argue. Jaune sighs. He walks over to his great-grandparents and sits down. Shirou hands him a burger.

Shirou: "If it helps, son, I've been where you are. With your great-Aunties Sakura and Rin."

Jaune: "What happened?"

Arturia: "I beat them into submission and made it clear Shirou was my man. This will work itself out."

Jaune: "How is that supposed to help?!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

A quick idea I put together last night:

A small rogue independent kingdom has revealed robots that can use Aura. They developed them as a weapons system against the Grimm and they're doing very well! Atlas is very interested in this, as is Ozpin. However, this kingdom keeps its secrets very close to their chest. It's not until Team RWBY and Team JNPR run into one of these "robots" that they discover the truth:

The "robots" are actually cyborgs. Living people, the dying, the crippled, the criminal, were plugged into these things to give them souls so they could fight Grimm. And while the program started out with only volunteers, as demand has increased, more souls are needed for these weapons to function.

This program has allowed this kingdom to flourish with their cyborg protectors... But is the price worth it?

 

[AndrewJTalon]

When Yang hears her grandmother is coming, she starts a desperate plan to get her off her back.



Yang: "Hey, Ren? Mind posing as my boyfriend-?"



Nora: "HISSSSS."



Nora hefts up her hammer menacingly. Yang backs off.



Yang: "Ahem... Right."



A bit later, Yang sees Jaune outside.



Yang: Well, I'll take him over Cardin. I just need to convince him."Hey Jaune? I-Oh crap..." Eyes widen as she sees her granny approaching "Just... Play along?"



Jaune: "Play wha-?"



Yang kisses the BEEJESUS out of him and presses his hands against her boobs.



Yang: "Mwah! O-Oh! Hey Granny!"



Jaune: "Hwah?"



Yang: "Have you met my boyfriend, Jaune Arc?"



Jaune: "Huh?!"



Granny: "ARC!? You related to that stupid cow, Arturia?"



Jaune: "Um... Y-Yes? She's my great-grandma?"



Yang: Oh shit... "But Granny! I love him!" Hugs Jaune tightly. "And he loves me... Right?"



Her hug is becoming more of a headlock.



Jaune: "URK! Y-Yes! With all my heart!"



Granny: "Hmph. Bad liar. That good. Keep working him, Yang."



Yang: Relieved "Will do!"



Jaune: "What?! I'm not a liar!"



Granny pats Jaune on the cheek.



Granny: "Yes yes, you not liar. Just dumb. Just like my son."



Granny sighs and shakes her head. Jaune scowls.



Jaune: "I would literally die for Yang before I ever broke her heart! Or abandoned her!"



Yang blushes



Yang: Geez... He's... Overdoing it a little...



Granny: "Oh? You want die for girl you know for a few months? You want make my granddaughter a widow!? You want my great-grandbabies to grow up fatherless!? You not dumb, you stupid! Idiot! Suicidal!"



Jaune: "W-Well, no! I wouldn't die if I could avoid it! But I mean... Okay... I'd protect her and our family with my life!"



Granny: "Better! What you do if you get her pregnant? You take responsibility?"



Jaune: "Yes! I absolutely would!"



Yang: Deeper blush "Ah, Jaune, uh-"



Granny: "Good! You have permission to court my granddaughter! Good catch, Yang. You start making babies."



Yang: "Er... Thanks Granny! We'll get right on that... After graduation?"



Granny: sighs in annoyance"If you must."



Jaune: "Uh... Thanks, Mrs. Xiao-Long... I-I'll take care of her."



Granny: "You better! Or I come back and rip penis off!"



Jaune gulps.



After Granny leaves...



Jaune: "Yang? ... What did you do?"



Yang: "... So, I guess we're dating now?"



Jaune: "You couldn't have warned me?!"



Yang: "It worked out!"



Jaune: "Well now we have to get married and have kids or she'll castrate me!"



Yang: "She was just exaggerating! ... I think."



Jaune: "SHE DID NOT LOOK LIKE SHE WAS EXAGGERATING."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

After Initiation and everything settled down, Jaune became leader of his team, and Ruby became leader of hers. A team Yang was on with her.

After the ceremony, they'd gone to their assigned dorms. Yang waited outside the door to hers, arms crossed under her chest. She saw Jaune walking with his new partner, Pyrrha Nikos.

Just the sight of him with her was... Irritating. Some celebrity invincible girl buddying up to her childhood friend...

"Hey! Crybaby!" Yang called out. Jaune looked up, and smiled.

"Hey Firecracker!"

"Oh... You two know eachother, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, still smiling. Yang smiled back at her, though anger was burning in her eyes.

She was sure she would have landed with Jaune so they could be partners. Ruby at least should have landed with him! But then she threw her spear to pin him to a tree...

"Yeah! I've known her since we were kids," Jaune said cheerfully. "She unlocked my Aura!"

"Did she?" Pyrrha asked, narrowing her eyes while still smiling.

"Oh yeah. We go way back, P-Money," Yang said, her grin becoming feral.

"Well, I'm pleased that Jaune has so many friends... And so glad to be his partner," Pyrrha replied, looking just the tiniest bit smug.

Bitch, Yang growled mentally. Jaune cleared his throat, and stepped away from Pyrrha between the two young women.

"Hey! It's been a long day. Let's all get some rest, huh? Pyrrha, I'll be there in a bit," he said with a smile.

"Of-Of course, partner," Pyrrha said with a smile. She shot Yang a hard look for the briefest of moments, before she turned and headed into the JNPR dorm. The door shut behind her. Jaune looked at Yang in concern.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," Yang grunted, "You got the Invincible Girl as your partner, after all."

"What's wrong with that?" Jaune asked.

Yang scowled at him, then looked aside.

"Nothing. Your stupid ass needs all the help it can get," she grumbled.

"You're probably right about that," Jaune sighed.

"Yeah, we're in agreement," Yang growled.

"So, what's the problem?" Jaune asked, "Pyrrha's really amazing! And nice! A little... Weird, but I was lucky to get her."

She's not ME.

Yang flushed, and shook away the thought.

"I just... You know..." Yang huffed. "I just... I wanted us to be partners. You know? I mean I'm with Blake and she's neat but..."

Jaune nodded.

"I know. I wanted that too," he said, "But hey... We're at Beacon together. Just across the hallway!"

"That... Yeah," Yang agreed.

"Plus..." Jaune frowned. "I don't know... Pyrrha's... Lonely. Really lonely. I... I got that feeling from her. Or maybe I'm just imagining it. It's hard to read her and I don't really know her very well. Not as well as you."

He laughed.

"Ya know... Before I met back up with you and Ruby? I thought I could handle anything thrown at me. But... I would have died if you didn't unlock my Aura. I... I got an idea of how outclassed I am. I'm sorry I was a jerk."

"You kind of were," Yang laughed, lightly punching his shoulder, "But... Ya know... Getting knocked down is good for you. If you learn how to stand back up."

Jaune beamed even as he rubbed his shoulder.

"Thanks Yang. I... I really appreciate you, ya know? How can I repay you?"

Yang bit her lower lip and thought about it.

"Just... You know... Don't get killed. And... Stay my friend. Forever."

"I made the same promise when we were six, you know," Jaune pointed out.

Yang laughed.

"Yeah, only now you seem a little less dorky saying it."

"Hey!" Jaune laughed.

They talked a bit more afterward, before heading to bed. Jaune smiled, waved, and went into the dormroom. Yang sighed and leaned back against the door, looking up the ceiling.

"You know," Blake said, making Yang jump as she crept out of the shadows of the hallway, "Childhood friends win the protagonist's love less than 25% in most love stories."

"Geez!" Yang yelped. "Why don't you tell me when you're around? And what's that supposed to mean?!"

"You know what I mean," Blake deadpanned. Yang blushed.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

Blake smirks.

"Of course I don't. And you're absolutely not worried about another woman stealing Jaune away."

"Of course I'm not!" Yang growled. "Now shut up, I wanna sleep."

"All right," Blake said, "But you should know... The tsundere route is fifty-fifty."

"Shut it!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Weiss managed to finagle tea and biscuits with the former Queen of Albion and Empress of Vytal, in a nice garden on the Beacon grounds near the old cathedral.

Weiss: "It's just such an honor to meet you, Your Majesty!"

Arturia: "Please. It's been a very long time. Just call me Nana."

Weiss: "Still... I mean... It's just so incredible! You're like a living legend! You took over the throne of the biggest empire on Remnant when you were my age-!"

Arturia: "Yes, because my father Uther was killed in the opening battles of the Great War."

Weiss: wince "Oh, um... Sorry."

Arturia: "It's quite all right. He was a good man. Flawed, but he did his best to rule the empire justly and to train me to take the throne. It was not easy." sips tea "You have no idea how hard it was... I pray you never do. War... War is truly Hell."

Weiss: "Ohh..." Is feeling worse by the second

Arturia: brightens "But I did meet my wonderful husband during the war. He was so heroic! We were holding off Atlas' siege on Camelot while Lancelot got reinforcements. But their artillery, air attacks, and General H. Holmes' powerful Dicer Semblance were driving us back until they were at the city walls. I went out with men who would volunteer to try and get behind enemy lines, but they surrounded us. We were going to fight our last stand... Artillery shells flew in... And they were all knocked out of the sky by swords."

Arturia smiled happily, lost in her memories.

Arturia: "Lancelot had returned with reinforcements, including the Arcs from Radian. And the man who was shooting off swords like arrows, so many they nearly blotted out the sky... Was Shirou."

Weiss: "Wow..."

Arturia: "We slew Holmes, and the traitor Gilles de Rais, and drove the Atlasian forces off Albion. And after I abdicated the throne and abolished the Empire with the end of the war? We were married."

Arturia sighs in bliss.

Weiss: "That's wonderful..."

Arturia: "It is. Though I did have to put up with his other two girlfriends for a while."

Weiss: "Eh?! His girlfriends?!"

Arturia: nods "His childhood friends Sakura and Rin. We get on just fine though."

Weiss: "They uh... They married other men?"

Arturia: "Hm? Oh, no. But they recognized the pecking order." sips her tea

Weiss: "I uh... I-I see...?"

Arturia: "You will have to do it yourself if you date Jaune."

Weiss: "What?! I-I have no interest in that dolt! Sure, he's a much better person than I gave him credit for and well, he didn't use his lineage to impress me and maybe he's actually getting better but I don't-I do not like him like that, Ma'am!"

Arturia: chuckles "Ah... Memories."

Weiss: "I DON'T!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Shirou and Jaune are doing some training out in the wilds.

Shirou: "Honestly... I don't see why you're keeping my dad's sword and shield." Slices a Grimm in half with a flick of his wrist

Jaune: struggling to keep up "He-He was a great hero in the War, wasn't he?"

Shirou: "He was. And a very good father. I'm so blessed to have had him..." Kills a few more Grimm by tossing more swords "But it is very old. It needs reforging. Maybe your little Reaper friend could do it for you?"

Jaune: "I mean... You really think I should?" Manages to bash a Grimm, then stab it "Hurgh!"

Shirou: "Absolutely. I know swords, after all. In fact... Why do you even need the shield?"

Jaune: "Cause that's how I fight, Papa!"

Shirou: "Bah. Who needs shields when you can just have more swords?" Blocks a Deathstalker with two swords, then summons a third and cuts it in half "See? I blocked that with two swords, and then used another sword to kill it! Swords!"

Jaune: "I-I just like sword and shield!"

Shirou: sigh "Your father doesn't even use a shield, just a big sword! Your mother... Didn't get into swords. I suppose it skips a generation."

Jaune: "Swords are super cool, Papa, but you're a little obsessed with them."

Shirou: "It is not an obsession!"

Jaune: "Papa, I was nearly crushed when I last went to your house and I opened a closet full of swords."

Shirou: "Well, you were very young at the time-"

Jaune: "IT WAS LAST YEAR!"

Shirou: "Fine, fine! You sound like Arturia. And your mother. In stereo..." sighs

Jaune: "Anyway... Thanks for training me, Papa. I know I'm not very good-"

Shirou: "Relax son." pats him on the shoulder while throwing a sword at another Grimm trying to sneak up on them "Literally the only reason I'm so good is because I trained like hell to get that good."

Jaune: "Oh."

Shirou: "Also some... Other ways but those don't really apply."

Jaune: "Oh? Like what?"

Shirou: "Meeting your future self and getting all his knowledge and power."

Jaune: "... Hahahaha! Wow, you almost got me there, Papa! You're such a joker!"

Shirou: "Heheh... Yeah... Joker..."

The Rusted Knight peeks out of the Ever After for a moment, before pulling his head back in. Shirou tries very hard not to notice.

 

[TheFabulousCustodes]

Honestly curious on how Rusted Jaune would react to Ozpin. Beat him up while Glynda rolls to seduce.

Click to shrink...

Glynda would probably have to battle Weiss and Winter to even have a chance to roll.

It'd be fun to see more of Princess Celestia at Beacon.

I can just imagine Cinder bragging about how much fire she can create as a half maiden......

Cinder - "You honestly think that you can stop me? Even as just half a Maiden, I command the elements themselves!"

*Cinder lets loose a blast of fire*​

Princess Celestial - "Isn't that just precious, It certainly brings back memories of Twilight Sparkle trying a fire spell for the first time at school! But, I'm afraid I can't tolerate any more of your shenanigans, dear, my son has his first Vytal tournament, and I'm hoping he'll find someone special so he doesn't wind up like Glynda, living in an apartment with more animals than Fluttershy.....

Cinder - "If your too stupid to get out of my way, you overgrown country bumpkin, I'll just burn you to a crisp like the sun!"

Princess Celestia - "Me? Not likely, dear. The Sun and I have a working relationship, you on the other hand...... "

Elsewhere
​

Nora - "Anyone else feel like barbecue?"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

You know, I did make Arjun Sarkara Jaune's godfather in my fanon. Perhaps there's another timeline where Arjun, mindful of Isabel's desires that Jaune not become a Huntsman... Did at least train him in archery and the use of his Aura.

- - -

Arjun: "There are plenty of things you can do with your Aura activated and skill in archery that don't include Hunting. So your mother should be fine... Though let's just not tell her about it, all right?"

Jaune: "What about Aunt Saia? Won't she tell Mom?"

Arjun: "I have ways of keeping her quiet."

Jaune: "Like what?"

Arjun: "Well... First you make your fingers like this-"

Jaune: "EW! GROSS UNCLE ARJUN!"

Arjun: "Hey, you might not mind this knowledge when you're older!"

Jaune: "No way!"

Years Later... At Beacon Academy... Jaune Arc arrives in white armor, a red jacket, black pants, a bow, a quiver full of arrows, and a kukri knife at his side.

Ruby causes a Dust explosion. Jaune walks over to help her up.

Jaune: "Hey! You okay?"

Ruby: "I-Yes..." cough "Sorry!"

Weiss: "Well you should be! This is Dust straight from the Schnee Dust Company! You have to be careful around it!"

Ruby: "Well why were you handling it in loose containers?!"

Weiss: "They weren't loose until you bumped into them!"

Jaune: "Hang on... This was just an honest mistake. How about we all just be thankful nobody got seriously hurt?"

Weiss: "... Hmph. Idiot."

Ruby: "You are!"

Weiss stalks off with her luggage. Blake Belladonna slips by unnoticed. Ruby turns to Jaune with a smile.

Ruby: "Hey... Thanks. Oh! You're the guy who threw up on the airship!"

Jaune: wince "I... Yeah, that's me. I get airsick and I forgot my pills. I'm Jaune Arc. What's your name?"

Ruby: "Ruby Rose."

Jaune: "It's nice to meet you, Ruby. You're here to become a Huntress, huh? You look really young!"

Ruby: "Oh! I-I got in two years early!"

Jaune: "Wow! That's really impressive!"

Ruby: "Wanna see my weapon?"

Jaune: "Sure!"

Ruby produces Crescent Rose and spins it around.

Ruby: "I built her myself!"

Jaune: "That's incredible!"

Ruby: "What are your weapons?"

Jaune holds out the bow, a metallic compound bow.

Jaune: "This is my godfather's old bow, Pinaka."

Ruby: "Cool! What's it do?"

Jaune: "Shoots arrows."

Ruby: "... And?"

Jaune: "Shoots more arrows."

Ruby: "Oh... Well, uh... That's cool... You any good with it?"

Jaune: little smile "I guess we'll see."

The next day... After everyone's been catapulted into the Emerald Forest... Jaune is flying through the air. He sighs.

Jaune: Well, here we go Jaune... Don't fuck up, don't fuck up...!

He throws a grappling hook with a rope he reinforces with Aura (just like his godfather taught him) to catch a tree and swings himself around and around... Until he lands gently on the ground. He releases the hook and reels it back in.

Jaune: "Geez... That's always the worst part..."

Weiss Schnee stumbles through the forest into the clearing. She locks eyes with Jaune. She scowls.

Weiss: "You?!"

Jaune: sighs "Oh, hey. Guess we're partners-"

Weiss: "NOPE!" She turns and stalks off

Jaune: "... Seriously?"

Pyrrha: "Ahem... Um, hello Jaune?"

Jaune: "Hm? Oh, hey Pyrrha!" smiles and waves "So... You want to partner up?"

Pyrrha: "I would love to!"

Jaune: "Well, I'll try not to slow you down too much... Oh, hang on."

He narrows his eyes, and they glow with Aura channeled to them. He holds up his bow, notches an arrow, and lets it loose. The arrow passes right past Pyrrha's ear.

Pyrrha: "Ah?!" She turned around and stared. A Nunda, a panther-like Grimm, had been sneaking up on her, was dissolving from the Aura-infused arrow that had pierced it between the eyes.

Jaune: "Sorry. Man, those things are super rare!"

Pyrrha: "I didn't... Even notice..." She looks at Jaune, blushing red

Jaune: "You would have sliced it in half when it pounced! You're awesome!" Beams "Anyway, cover me while I get my arrow? I only have so many."

Pyrrha: "Yes~. Certainly Jaune~."

Jaune does so... Though he can't help but feel as though some great predator is staring intently at his rear...

- - -

So. What else can be done with an Archery-Focused Jaune?

 

[LordofBones]

Weiss: "What?! I-I have no interest in that dolt! Sure, he's a much better person than I gave him credit for and well, he didn't use his lineage to impress me and maybe he's actually getting better but I don't-I do not like him like that, Ma'am!"

Arturia: chuckles "Ah... Memories."

Weiss: "I DON'T!"

Click to shrink...

Mordred: "Father! Jaune can do better than this skinny twig!"
Weiss: "EXCUSE ME?!"
Arturia: *sighs* "Sir Mordred..."
Mordred: "None of this pansy shit! Oi, you! The blonde with the cow tits and the abs! You have this Mordred's support!" *thumbs up*

Sakura: "It's okay. I was the youngest too, you know."
Ruby: "Wha...really?"
Sakura: "But...I was there for sempai every day. He...he took care of me, and I like to think I took care of him, too..."
Ruby: *squirms* "Then, I...I have a chance?"
Sakura: *gentle smile* "You have to lean into your advantages, and mine includes having badonkers bigger than nee-chan's. That, AnD mAkInG sUrE tHoSe BiTcHeS kNoW tHeIr PlAcE."

Rin: "I don't like people like you, who hide their feelings and pine away at a distance."
Pyrrha: *invisible arrow pierces her back*
Rin: *sips tea* "Be meek and demure, or a rough and tumble tomboy, I don't really care. But as you are now? The Invincible Girl is a pretty little lie."
Pyrrha: *another invisible arrow pierces her back*
Rin: "I thought I'd have to test your worth, but you failed before you even picked up the pen. Pathetic." *turns to leave*
Pyrrha: "No...no, wait! Please! I...I don't know how...to be the real Pyrrha Nikos...please, teach me..."

*later*

Pyrrha: *in a short, skimpy toga with somehow-practical slut armor underneath* "I'm Pyrrha Nikos, the best fighter of our generation, and this man is where my babies come from!"
Jaune: "Eh? EH?"
Ishtar-Rin: "Ohohoho, war and beauty, baby!*

 

[LordofBones]

Weiss: "WERE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME OR WHAT?!"

Jaune: "If I wanted you dead, Weiss, you would be. Since you aren't, I didn't. And it's not my fault you foolishly get so close to Grimm when your combat role is best suited to Caster."

Weiss: "Caster?"

Jaune: "Yes, my godmother is one. She unleashes Dust blasts and effects from medium to long range... And only resorts to melee when things get close to her. She doesn't charge in like an idiot!"

Weiss: "DOLT!"

Jaune: "Moron!"

Click to shrink...

Medea: "Boy, for my help with teaching this little girl how to properly Cast - even if it's with this absurd 'Dust' - I will require upfront payment."
Ruby: "...Why are you looking at me like that? What...costumes? No, not that! Anything but dressing up!"
Medea: "Eeeee, goth loli, sailor suits, evening dresses! And she's as adorable as Saber!"

That said, given that Fate implications:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*The Vytal Festival: The Arcs, Arjuna and Saia are holding back the Grimm alongside the other Huntsmen and Huntresses. More and more pile in as the defenders are pushed back, fighting with all their might. It's obvious that they're losing badly, and Arjuna closes his eyes and whispers a prayer. Saia is the first to notice as Arjuna's bow is now replaced by one more ancient and ornate. He draws back the bow, a bittersweet smile on his face as he unseals his power and Divinity-*

*Then he recoils and whips around, staring at the topmost tower of Beacon*

Arjuna: "Jaune? No...no, it's impossible..."

*The top of Beacon erupts in roaring flame and lightning, Cinder's screams of triumph dwindling into a shriek of fury mixing with the Grimm dragon's as the power of the Maiden blazes, exploding out in a ring of fire, only to be consumed by even brighter flames. Far, far away, Salem's head whips around as she stares at the horizon, eyes widening as the power of a god blazes like the Sun upon Remnant*

Isabel, panicking: "Jaune? Jaune? My baby is up there?!"

*Arjuna isn't listening. Instead, he stares at the firestorm in shock and wonder, eyes widening as he recognizes the flames and struggles to reconcile with what's happening.*
Arjuna: "How? How does Jaune have His fire?! How?!"

*Cinder rises from the flames, floating in the air. She screams expletives, her fire burning hotter and hotter as someone else bursts from the inferno, blazing like the Sun, reaching higher and higher over Cinder's figure. Even from this far away, everyone can hear Jaune Arc's voice*

Jaune: "O' Brahma, Curse Me!"
*There's a single flash of crimson, and Cinder Fall's twitching body crashes down on the pavement, pinned there by an ornate golden spear like an insect, before the world erupts in flame. The defenders are spared from the ensuing inferno, but the Grimm are not.*
*Jaune finally lands, his armor now a skintight armored suit. Nothing else has changed, save that his hair is now bleached white. All is quiet and the survivors, including NPR and Ruby - that is, those that aren't driving off the stragglers of the Grimm - stare at him in astonishment. He's equally stunned.*

Jaune: "Mom? Dad? What are you..."

*His eyes land on Arjuna, and flash with recognition. For the first time since the Grand Order, the Hero of Charity and the Endowed Hero meet once more.*

Jaune: "Arjuna..."
Arjuna: "...Karna."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Also, Arturia Arc shouldn't just interact with Jaune, of course:

Tanya: "Nana, why don't you try a gun? A gun would be great." Hefts up her Dust rifle "See? Guns are awesome!"

Arturia: "What do I need a gun for? I can shoot Aura blasts from my sword."

Tanya: "But won't you run out of Aura?"

Arturia: "Run... Out?"

Tanya: "Nana, I know Arc Aura can be ridiculous but it's not unlimited!"

Shirou: "Pendragon Aura. She's only an Arc by marriage."

Tanya: "Oh, right."

Shirou: "Strangely though, we Arcs tend to attract mates with absurd Aura reserves."

Arturia: "Strangely, he says. As though it wasn't a necessity..." Saucy smile

Shirou: Just as saucy smile back

Shirou: "Oh come on. You've left me worn out more than a few times."

Arturia: "Oh you~!"

Tanya: "Please. STOP."

Shirou: "I meant in our spars!"

Tanya: "No. You didn't."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Jaune is refletching his arrows in the JNPR common room when Weiss walks up to him with a scowl.

Weiss: "Ahem. Jaune..."

Jaune: "Weiss."

Weiss: "Would you mind NOT blasting around me when we're in a training exercise?! What are you trying to do, kill me?!"

Jaune: "I wouldn't have to if you actually fought like you should!"

Weiss: "Who are you to tell me how to fight?!"

Jaune: "Because I know how to stick to my fighting role! One I'm actually decent at!"

Weiss: "Explain, you dolt! What's your role? Hiding in the back line?"

Jaune: "I'm an archer. I have excellent vision and great aim. I also remain mobile and stay out of melee range because I suck at it. I'm no good to anyone if I get mauled by a Grimm because I tried to stab one instead of shooting one. You are a caster-type combatant. Your Glyphs let you hit targets with Dust effects at medium range and to move about the battlefield at high speed, but you cannot last long up close in melee. So guess what? Every time you do get up close, I have to make sure you don't FUCKING DIE!"

Weiss: "I-I'm a fencer-!"

Jaune: "Which also requires reach. As in range! So before you tell me how to do MY JOB, why don't you do YOURS?!"

Weiss: "Arrogant ass!"

Jaune: "Stupid child!"

Ruby: "Guys, guys!" She steps in between them "Look... Jaune, maybe you should try to make your point in a less... Mean way?"

Jaune: "..." sighs "Sorry Ruby."

Ruby: "And Weiss! Jaune's only trying to help you! You are basically our caster and you shouldn't get too close to the enemy if you can help it!"

Weiss: "Says the girl with a sniper rifle that's also a scythe."

Ruby: "At least I can take a punch!"

Weiss: "I-I can take a punch-!"

Jaune: "But not a Dust blast, clearly."

Weiss: "SHUT UP!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Radian, Gallus, North Sanus



One month after the fall of Beacon

- - -



He trained. He trained and he trained and he trained. As hard as he could, every day. Nora and Ren joined him, trained with him, and then rested. But Jaune kept going straight on until he was exhausted. His sisters had to drag him back to the farmhouse, or Nora or Ren.



His parents were out, helping in Vale. Trying to save it.



And here he was, training in the copse of trees around the family mausoleum... Useless.



"HAA! HAA! YAHH!" He roared, beating the tree trunk with Crocea Mors furiously. The slices went right through the ancient wood, and the tree soon toppled. Jaune fell to his knees after, panting in the shade. He bowed his head, trying to get breath back into his lungs.



Pyrrha... Pyrrha, I failed you...



She hadn't even wanted him around as a distraction... She'd just sent him away with a kiss and a declaration of love.



I failed her...



He heard soft footsteps behind him. He turned and stared up at a slim, feminine form.



"Nana?"



The old woman smiled sadly. Her white hair was in an elegant braid behind her head. Her blue eyes shone with understanding. Her blue dress waved slightly in the breeze, over her brown boots. Her walking stick held her up as she considered him.



"Hello Jaune," she murmured. "I heard about what happened."



Jaune again bowed his head. He heard her walk up, and felt her hand on his shoulder.



"There is nothing to be ashamed of," soft and kind she spoke, "You were outmatched. Overwhelmed-"



"I failed my team. I failed... I failed the girl who loved me," Jaune whispered, fighting back tears, "I failed... Everyone."



"You lost, yes," Nana said quietly, "But it was a battle. Not the war. The war against the darkness goes on, Jaune."



Jaune slowly looked up at her, still fighting the tears threatening to emerge. Her face held nothing but compassion.



"The question is," she said softly, "Are you willing to keep fighting?"



Jaune considered it. He was still so weak, so outclassed. Cinder may as well have just killed him instantly.



He shut his eyes. He could still see Pyrrha running off. His fists clenched.



"Yes," he growled.



Nana nodded.



"All I can say is... You must not give into hate, or despair, or desperation, Jaune," she said softly. She squeezed his shoulder. "If you do that, you may fall prey to... To worse things than Cinder Fall."



"Like what?" Jaune demanded. Nana didn't so much as flinch at his angry tone.



"You may give up all the things you fight for," she answered, "Humanity is a precious gift, Jaune. You cannot discard it. Without it... You become nothing more than a tool of uncaring forces. In a fight you are a mere pawn in. Do not give in, Jaune. She... She would not want that for you."



Jaune stared into his nana's eyes. She was very old, but still so sharp. Her eyes held a deep wisdom, born from pain. Jaune slowly nodded.



"I... I won't," he said, "I swear. But I... I still can't... Do anything. I try so hard and..."



He bowed his head again in his shame.



Nana nodded. She let him go and began to walk towards the mausoleum.



"Come with me," she ordered.



Jaune got up and obeyed. They went through the old fortress manse, Arcadia, which was overgrown with trees yet still possessed an ancient, mysterious splendor. They descended down marble steps into the mausoleum.



They passed the statues of Jaune's ancestors: Roland the Great, Renaud de Montauban, and Joan D'Arc herself were preserved in stone as silent guardians.



They finally came to a coffin, large and square, in the middle of the great mausoleum. As though the lid weighed nothing, Nana pushed it off and let it fall to the floor with a loud crash.



"Look inside," Arturia said quietly.



Jaune hesitated, but obeyed. He looked inside... And his eyes widened.



"A sword...?" He murmured. His eyes bugged out in shock when he recognized it.



"But...!"



"I chose to live here with your Papa, Jaune," Nana said quietly, "To build and share in the days of peace after the Great War. I gave up my sword, at long last... But I did not forget it. The one in Camelot is a replica. A very good one, but still a replica."



She bent over, reached in, and pulled the sword up and out. She grunted and winced a bit, before turning to him.



"You... You cannot imagine the battles I have fought, the things I have seen, Jaune. Same with your Papa. I do not regret my life with him, with your grandfather, your mother, you. I do not regret the sacrifices I have made. And I do not regret that I will die, and go onto an eternal reward."



She smiled sadly.



"For eternal life in this world is overrated. But this sword... This is more than just a weapon. It is a legend weaved purely out of hope. It represents the legitimacy of humanity, uses it, and thus is proof of our future. Even the most depraved, lost, and darkened souls will feel light when they see this sword, for it speaks of the universal truth of hope."



She looked into Jaune's eyes, and held the sword out.



Jaune recoiled instinctively, and shook his head.



'I... I'm not worthy-!"



"I didn't think I was either, Jaune," Nana said softly, "But I was. A minor king's daughter with a desire for glory and justice. That's all I was, when the sword chose me."



"Chose...?" Jaune stared at the holy blade in awe.



Nana nodded.



"Draw it. Let us see what it thinks of you. Focus, Jaune. Focus on what you want to be. What you truly want to be."



Jaune stared down at the sword. He knew its history, knew how his great-grandmother had used it. How the Pendragons had wielded it to help win the Great War and bring peace to Remnant. To slay so many horrible monsters and terrible foes.



He closed his eyes, and reached out.



I want... I want to be a hero... I want to help people... I want that terrible day to never, EVER happen again... Not to anyone.



I want to justify people's faith in me...



I want... I want Pyrrha's death to mean something...



I want... To bring hope again. To make people smile once more...



He took hold of the hilt... And pulled the sword. It caught for a moment, but he kept pulling... Until it came out with a flourish. He held it up, and opened his eyes. The sword gleamed in the dim light of the mausoleum, as pure as the clouds on a sunny day.



This was Excalibur. The Sword of Light.



Nana nodded, looking very proud.



"It has chosen you, Jaune," she said quietly. "But it will still great effort to master it. You will have to abandon the shield. You will have to make yourself a shield for others. Are you willing to do that?"



Jaune nodded slowly, feeling the weight of history on him... Yet his heart was light.



"Yes."



"Then," Arturia Pendragon-Arc, once Queen of Albion and Empress of Vytal, the Lion Queen, the Queen of Knights, smiled, "Let us begin."



- - -



Damnit, I watched a little Fate for this and now I'm hooked.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

- - -



Jaune awoke to his bedroom door opening. He was up in seconds, hand going for his sword-



"It's me, Jaune, it's your Dad," Nick Arc said, stopping some distance away with his hands open and up. Jaune relaxed, and slowly nodded.



"Hey... What is it-?"



He heard angry voices echoing from the hallway. He frowned and stood up. He looked to his father, who stood there with a very serious look on his face.



"... I guess she told you, huh?" Jaune asked quietly.



Nick nodded.



"Your mom's not happy."



"I figured," Jaune sighed. He gird his sword and belt on, over his boxers and T-shirt. His father looked at the sword, and smiled softly.



"You know," he said, "When I was a boy... I dreamed of getting to wield Excalibur. The weapon of legend. The day your Nana accepted me into the family, wearing it? Was one of the happiest days of my life."



He paused and shrugged.



"It was also our wedding day, so... Super happiest day."



He reached out and ruffled Jaune's hair. He smiled a bit, but then grew serious.



"Dad," Jaune said, "I... Why did you let me go? You were always agreeing with Mom that... That I shouldn't be a Hunter."



Nick slowly nodded.



"Yeah... Well..." He sighed. "I would be proud of you as long as you did something good with your life, Jaune. As a doctor, a teacher, or a Hunter. Because... We know how horrible it can be. And nearly losing you as a baby? It... It scared her. She's always blamed herself. The world's greatest healer and she nearly lost her son... Her baby boy... Feeling helpless like that is... Is horrible. I understand it, her desire to protect you from any harm. And there's a lot of harm involved in being a Hunter."



Jaune slowly nodded. Nick reached out and squeezed his son's shoulder.



"We were trying to protect you from that. To be the shield between you kids and those kinds of horrors," Nick said softly.



"I know," Jaune said quietly. Nick then pulled his hand back, and shrugged.



"But... Since you've seen those horrors. Since you've fought through them. And since you're still going to keep doing it...? Well. I can't stop you. I won't stop you. Just know that... That your mother and I? We both love you very much. Your mother just wanted you to be safe and happy, and so did I. But you won't if we keep you cooped up here."



Jaune nodded slowly.



"I... Thanks Dad," he whispered, voice thick with emotion. Nick hugged his son, then patted him on the back and let him go.



"For what it's worth? I am very proud of you, son," Nick said, "And your mother is too. You just need... To make her understand."



Jaune sighed heavily. He stood up straight as though going into battle. His father stood aside, and let him march out of the room.



He descended the stairs, the shouting becoming much clearer. He walked into the living room, where Nana Arturia sat as regal as a queen on a green couch. His mother was stalking back and forth, waving her hands around and ranting.



"-So irresponsible-He needed therapy! He needed to recover! He doesn't need a SWORD!"



"It chose him," Arturia said patiently, "If it hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to draw it. His path is set."



"Bullshit his path is set!" Isabel raged. "He's just gotten out of a warzone! Did you SEE his eyes when he came back?! Do you know what he went through?!"



"Yes Izzy, I do," Arturia stated firmly, "And so do you. We both know what the path of the warrior holds."



"So why are you encouraging him?!" Isabel demanded, her fists clenched as she shook them at her grandmother.



"She didn't. I chose this path."



His mother started, and looked over at Jaune. He stood there feeling... Calm. Or at least, focused. He'd thought about meeting his mother after Beacon many times. How fearful he was of her reaction.



Yet now he saw less anger in her eyes and just... Fear.



"Jaune," Isabel said, "Please. Just... Give back the sword. You want to help people? I'll train you myself! There are so many people that need help-So many wounded-!"



"They'll need protection, Mom," Jaune stated firmly, "They need hope. I... I can provide that."



Isabel glared at her only son.



"You almost died when Beacon fell! You admit this-!"



"And I'm still willing to fight," Jaune said, eyes narrowed. "Or are you not going to help?"



"There are other ways to help, safer ways-!" Isabel insisted, but Arturia snorted.



"There are no more safe places, Izzy," she stated quietly. "The sword chose him. If he masters it... He could help save more lives than even you could with a hundred hospitals."



"He's my son!" Isabel snarled, tears threatening to leave her eyes.



"I know," Jaune said quietly, "But I'm not a child anymore. I haven't... I haven't been a child since my partner was murdered."



Jaune stepped forward, and faced his mother. He took a deep breath.



"I know you've never liked the idea of me being a Hunter, Mom. I know you wanted me to be safe... But I can't be. This..." He held up Excalibur, "I can't just ignore this. Ignore what's happened. I'm not asking you to be happy about this, Mom... I'm just... Just asking you to accept it."



Isabel tried very hard to hold back a sob. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, and kissed the side of his head.



"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... This is my fault-"



"No!" Jaune insisted. He pushed her back just enough to look her in the eyes.



"No... It was never your fault. I don't blame you... Please. Stop blaming yourself, Mom. Stop trying to make up for something that wasn't your fault... I-I..."



He closed his eyes tightly. He still saw Pyrrha's sad face as the locker door closed.



"I know how hard that is... So... So let's both try... Please?"



Isabel continued to cry. He held her tightly, as he sobbed into his chest.



His father gracefully walked in, and took Isabel into his arms. He guided her up the stairs, after she gave Jaune a last hug and kiss. They disappeared up the stairs. Jaune watched them go, before turning back to his Nana.



"Nana... Do... Do you think I can do this?"



Arturia nodded.



"The sword would not have chosen you if I didn't believe... But you can't do it alone. Or without proper training."



Jaune felt a strong arm wrap around his shoulders from behind, and yank him against a tough female body. He looked to his side to see a familiar scowl on a graying blonde woman in black and red armor.



"Aunt Mordred-?!"



"UNCLE DAMNIT!" Mordred growled.



Arturia rolled her eyes.



"We've been over this many times Mordred, there is no need to hide your gender-"



"Well I got into the habit, so there, Father," Mordred scoffed. She scowled at her great-nephew. "So... The sword chose him."



She did not bother to hide her hurt. Arturia nodded.



"Why?" Mordred demanded. "Why him?! Why not me?! Your own firstborn?!"



"Because he does not seek a crown and throne, Mordred," Arturia stated patiently, "But to help all. I'm sorry, Mordred. It does not mean you are unworthy of succeeding me."



"No, just that I cannot be the greatest of warriors," Mordred snorted. Arturia chuckled.



"Life is full of disappointments. But also great joys. After all... You will be my heir."



Mordred and Jaune's jaws dropped.



"Nana?! You-You-?"



"The situation in Vale is so grave that I have used all my connections to enact an ancient law," Arturia stated, slowly rising, "I will take the throne, as Emergency Dictator. I will take our friends and forces down to restore order, and government. It will be temporary... And I will expect you, Mordred, to take my place as Queen of Vale when the emergency has passed. I can think of no one better suited."



Mordred gaped in astonishment at her mother. Tears sprang from the corners of her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away.



"I... Father... Th-Thank you," she whispered.



"So, um... What do I do?" Jaune asked.



Arturia smiled.



"Kneel, Jaune," she commanded. "Mordred? Your sword please?"



Mordred handed it over to her mother in reverence. Arturia took it, as Jaune knelt before her. She held the sword up over Jaune in a salute.



"Jaune Arc. As Queen of Vale, I charge you with a sacred quest," she began, her voice grave and full of ancient power, "You will find allies, form a party... And seek out the intelligence behind these forces of Darkness. While long have I lived, the mysteries of this world still remain enigmas... Yet I have seen enough to know there is an intelligence behind the Grimm. You will seek it out, and destroy it."



It was the task of a lifetime... But if Nana thought he could do it? It could be done. It would be done.



"I will," Jaune said firmly, "I swear it."



Arturia hummed.



"Do you swear to uphold the principles of chivalry? To follow and glorify the True Divine in all you do? To bring mercy and aid to those in need? To bring light into the darkness, even if it costs you your life?"



Jaune felt a conviction arise in him, stronger than any that he'd ever felt before. He looked up into his great-grandmother's eyes, firm and focused.



"I do," he stated, before bowing his head again.



Arturia pressed the flat of the sword on his right shoulder, and then on his left, before she pulled it away.



"Then I, Queen Arturia, first of my name, Lion Queen of Albion and Vale, hereby dub thee Sir Jaune Arc," she stated.



Jaune rose, the solemn gravity of the moment making it hard to stand, but he found it in himself to do so. Arturia smiled softly.



"And for the next three months? Mordred will train you and your friends to ensure you can accomplish this," she stated. "After that, I shall need Mordred in Vale with me. You must not speak of your mission to any but those who will join you. You must be sure of their loyalty. Secrecy is of the utmost importance, Jaune. Do you have companions who you can trust with this quest?"



Jaune nodded, his mind already going to Nora and Ren (who were sleeping in the rooms above) and Ruby (down in Patch). It wasn't much, but it was a start.



"I do."



"Then I leave it to you, and my... Son," Arturia decided. Mordred grinned.



"Though if you are to appear at court," Arturia said wearily, "Please cease this nonsense?"



"I've kept it up for eighty years!" Mordred declared.



"Yes, we are all well aware," Arturia sighed.



Jaune snickered. Geez. One minute, his great-grandmother and his great-aunt were like the warriors of legend... And then the next squabbled like they were still kids.



It was strange but... It gave him some hope for the future.



"Don't you laugh at me!" Mordred growled, putting Jaune in a headlock, "I'm gonna make your life hell, Usurper!"



"URK! S-SORRY AUNT MORDRED-ARGH!"



"UNCLE!"



- - -