*If you couldn't tell from the themes of this, it's a pretty dark oneshot. Also, I know I keep saying that I'll write more and I keep making you guys wait more, but there's been a lot going on in my life lately and it doesn't leave much time to write. I know that isn't an excuse, but I'll try my hardest to keep posting, though I can't confirm an update schedule. Also, if you're mad that I'm doing another one of these betrayal stories, read to the bottom. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Anyways, see you at the end. ~ Bruh Moment*
Jaune Arc was not in a good place right now. One week was all it took to break down his mind and body, leaving him shattered and broken. It all started so well… how did it ever get this bad?
Jaune thought back on the past week, the worst week of his life, and how it had gone. It started off with Cardin forcing him to do his homework, going to lunch, and having Pyrrha drag him off to the roofs.
He looked backwards at the entrance to the roof and cringed, he thought that Ms. Goodwitch had fixed the small crater in the wall that Pyrrha had made with his body.
'I may not like to be recognized for it, but I worked my ass off to get to where I am… and you think that just because you want to be a hero, you can just get a free pass?! You're a disgrace to every single hunter-in-training in all of history!'
He could still feel the slap a week later.
'You better be grateful that I won't go directly to Ozpin with this. I don't want to even see or think about your lying ass right now.'
The next morning had gone as well as he had expected. With his partner ignoring him and the rest of the team and team RWBY confused as to why, it wasn't long before the group started to help Cardin with his suffering.
'I can't believe you thought you had any semblance of a chance with me.'
'You better leave right now before I pummel you to death.'
'Yang was right about you… She told me to keep my distance because of how weak you were. I gave you a chance… thought that you would improve… But you didn't even have your aura unlocked before you came here…'
Ruby's answer hit him the hardest, with her just walking away disappointed. She didn't threaten him with violence, she wasn't even angry about it. Just… disappointed.
Things got worse after he saved Cardin from that Ursa. He honestly should have known that his ego would take the better of him and he would spill his secret. But he had hope… had being the key word.
Once the news got to the rest of the student body, he walked back to the roof everyday with at least twenty bruises. They didn't hold back during combat class, though it wasn't like they were going to be punished for going all out.
Every single loss was accompanied by what felt like personal insults from Ms. Goodwitch. He felt like there wasn't a single thing she had missed when insulting him. Though the other professors weren't any better. Every wrong answer, every little mistake, even if he breathed at the wrong time, it felt like they made it their goal to be as condescending as possible.
Though that was nothing compared to what came when his family found out. All seven of his sisters, his father, his mother, even some of his aunts, uncles, even his cousins came to Beacon to destroy whatever sanity he had left.
His father had walked up to his face, ripped off Crocea Mors from his belt, and delivered a hard punch to his jaw. Every single member of his family got a turn to kick him while he was down, and everyone was watching. How could they miss the dozens of people beating him in the middle of the courtyard?
The final kick was delivered when he was publicly disowned in front of everyone. One final spit in the face before they left. Now he was just Jaune. No lineage, no family, no friends, not even any semblance of mental stability… Just him. Alone with his thoughts.
Now, here he sat. No weapon, no armor, no nothing. Sitting at the edge of the rooftop. Letting the evening breeze blow through his dirty blond locks.
It surprised him that the thought of suicide had only come to him now. He supposed it was the words of his now ex-father that had kept him going.
'Life has its ups and downs. Sometimes, you feel like you're on top of the word and that no one can touch you. Sometimes, you feel like everything's gone wrong and that there's no point in going on any longer. But just know that, wherever on that spectrum you might end up, you've always got someone to count on. Be it your friends or your family, at least one person wants you around.'
Well… a lot of bullcrap that was. His entire bloodline had spit on him, all of his "friends" and classmates despised him, hell even the teachers wanted him gone!
A deep sigh escaped his nostrils. He looked back at the rooftop entrance, thinking of all the things he would leave behind…
But would anyone really care?
The last problems he would cause to anyone would be his cleanup and his removal from the school records. After that, everyone would forget he even existed and would move on with their lives, probably more happy and satisfied…
He turned back around to see the far concrete below him. He exhaled for the final time before he-
"Jaune? Jaune, are you out here- Oh my god!" Ruby's voice broke him out of his thoughts. Using her semblance to rocket to him, she grabbed his arm, pulling him back onto the rooftop.
He grimaced as he impacted the floor before quickly getting back up and dusting himself off.
"Jaune, what do you think you're-" "Are you honestly that surprised?" The sharpness in his voice stopped her dead in her tracks.
"This is what you all wanted. This is what everyone wants. It's what I want. You've even said it yourself… so why are you trying to stop me?" His glare pierced her soul as he remembered what had happened moments ago.
It had been right after his ex-family had left him. He had been trying to read to distract himself when he heard team RWBY and the rest of team JNPR across the library.
"Honestly, he deserves everything that's happening to him." Weiss said, glaring at him. He buried his head deeper into the book before he heard the sentence that brought him to the rooftop in the first place.
"If he killed himself, I doubt that anyone would spare a thought."
He slammed the book down on the table, closing his eyes and trying to calm himself.
"I mean... I wouldn't go that far, but…" He heard Ruby's voice trail off before he got up and ran to the roof.
"I… I didn't…" Ruby stammered, trying to come up with something. "You didn't what? You didn't mean it?" His voice was full of sarcasm, his arms crossed. He didn't care that Ruby was crying. Yang couldn't kill him if he had killed himself.
"I… I…" Ruby sniffled, trying to make out her next sentence. "I'm…" "Sorry?" Jaune cut her off, he wasn't letting her have this. Not after what she had done to him.
Ruby looked up at Jaune, eyes akin to a waterfall. "It's a bit late for sorry… don't you think?" Jaune gave her a sad and cynical smile as he watched her expression drop even more.
"You all put me through the worst hell of my life, this last week put me where I am now... so I feel that I get to be the least bit selfish and end it all myself." He gripped the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the campus below him.
"Jaune…" "JAUNE!" Ruby's quiet cry of his name was overpowered by the roar of her sister as she barged in through the door.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Yang yelled as she brought her fist up to punch the blond boy's head.
His grip became tighter as he glared at the inferno in front of him. "Getting rid of a burden."
He made out to jump before his legs were tackled by Ruby. "Jaune! No!"
As he tried to get the girl off his legs, he heard the sounds of footsteps rising up the staircase. It wasn't long before he was greeted by the rest of the teams as well as some students who had woken up from the commotion.
Jaune's mental limit had been reached as he screamed at the girl on his legs.
"Why are you doing this, huh?! This is what you wanted right?! Do you just want to keep me around so you can torture me for the rest of my miserable life?! Huh?! Why won't you just let me die!"
All rage directed at the boy was swiftly forgotten at the sound of his broken plea. Ruby had been so dumbstruck that she let go of his flailing legs.
He looked up at the eyes of his former friends, saw the pity in them, and became more angry.
"Why the fuck are you all so surprised, huh?! You're the ones who brought me to this point, you know! You told me, day after day, that I should die! So why are you so sad when you're getting what you wanted?!"
His screams of rage were put on hold when a purple aura surrounded him, locking him in place.
"What the fuck are you doing?!" Jaune roared as Ms. Goodwitch came up to him, holding a syringe filled with some kind of purple liquid.
She quickly injected the needle into his jugular before everything started to go black. The last thing he heard were the words… "I'm so sorry for everything you've experienced."
Jaune Arc was not in a good place right now. One week after the worst week in his life, he woke up in the hospital and was told the truth about what had happened.
A few weeks before initiation, a new type of Grimm had been discovered that crept into the minds of humans and faunus and altered their memories to attract more negativity. It showed them their worst fears, scenarios that could only be described as hellish, and made the person act out to incite hate or fear to those who were not infected.
They had been getting reports of more and more of these Grimm, known as Psychosis, around the area of the Emerald Forest. In response, Beacon's medical began production of the cure in case any of the students or faculty were infected. He had apparently been infected since initiation.
All of those memories. Pyrrha throwing him against the wall, the hatred from teams RWBY and JNPR, even his family disowning him, had all been fabricated.
Pyrrha had supported him, and was confused when he ran away. The teams were trying to confront him about what was wrong, and were worried at his response. His family had come to visit and cheer him up, and were mortified when he broke down.
Even that whole conversation he had heard at the library was warped. In reality, they were discussing his heath and bolted after him once they saw him run.
As soon as Ozpin finished explaining what had happened, the door to his room had been broken down and he was crushed by the weight of his teary eyed friends.
"Are you alright Jaune?!" "Jaune! Please tell me you're okay!" "We would never say any of those things!" "We all care about you, please don't think like that!"
"Everyone, settle down. I do believe Mr. Arc needs some room to breathe." Ozpin said as the group got off of the injured teen. "Ms. Nikos, could you bring in the rest of the Arcs? I believe they need to hear this as well." Pyrrha nodded and went out into the hall.
Jaune flinched as he saw his family. All seven of his sisters, his father, his mother, even some of his aunts, uncles, even his cousins came. But instead of hatred in their eyes, he could only see tears. "Oh, my poor baby boy." Isabella walked up to her son's side and held his hand. "We were so worried about you."
"Mr. Arc… Jaune. If you are well enough, would you mind telling us what you experienced under the Psychosis' effects? It will help us understand the Grimm better while allowing your family and friends to aid in your recovery." Ozpin asked.
"Ozpin! Give him some time to rest! He's just gotten out of that monster's effects!" "Dad… It's okay." Jackson looked at his son with worry before Jaune nodded. He looked at the group, sighed, and started. "It all started when I told Pyrrha about my transcripts…"
"Oh my God… Jaune…" Joan said as she walked up to hug her brother. Everyone was shook from the gruesome acts of their false selves. "Ren… can we jump into Fearless Leader's mind to break our other selves' legs?" Nora said, enraged by the fact that she had basically left Jaune to die on his own. "Honestly, I'm inclined to agree with you no matter how impossible that is." Ren said, his semblance being the only thing calming him down.
"Jaune, as much as you might annoy me, I would never say such things to you." Weiss said, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"I see... You know Jaune, out of all the descriptions of the effects of Psychosis that I've heard, your case has to be the worst by far." Ozpin took a sip from his cup, then spoke again. "You need not worry about classes. You may take as much time off as you need. Now, I must leave you to converse with your friends and family. Have a speedy recovery, Jaune." Jaune nodded as the professor left, leaving him in the safe hands of his family.
After everyone else had left, promising to return to make sure he was okay, it was just him and Ruby. The cold breeze from the open window fluttered Ruby's hair as she walked over to the bedside.
"You know… you never let me finish what I was about to say that night." Jaune raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
"Before you said that it was too late to say sorry, I was going to say…" She paused moving closer to him.
"That you're wrong. That you are one of the strongest people I know. That you brighten up everyone's day, even if you don't know it. That you inspire me everyday with your attitude. That we all love you…" Ruby took a breath as she steeled herself. "That I love you."
Jaune's eyes widened as Ruby climbed into the bed and pecked him on the lips before snuggling into his chest. He put his arms around her and just before he fell asleep, he heard the clicking of a scroll. "Aww… Aren't you two just the cutest thing~" Yang said, running out of the hall.
"YANG! Delete that now!" Ruby yelled as she got off him and chased after her. "NEVER!" Is all he heard before they left.
Jaune laid back into his pillow, looking out the open window to see birds perched on a nearby branch, their heads snuggled together in the shape of a heart.
Jaune Arc was in a good place now.
*God it's been a while since I last uploaded. I wrote the beginnings of this back in February and only now finished it up. Well, now that it's summer, I have a lot more time to write… but that doesn't necessarily mean that I'll find a way to get less lazy. Thanks to all of you who have been reading from my long hiatus. See you (hopefully) soon! - InsertMemeHere*