Summary: When Jaune was expelled, he did what he did best – he went to find another way to become a hero. But a disastrous event left Jaune lying on his death bed. However, his luck managed to pull him through by unlocking his semblance. Sadly, this power came at a cost – he slowly loses his very identity. And in the end, all that will be left of Jaune Arc will be Remnants of a Grail.
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Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. Rooster Teeth does. I don't own Fate/Stay Night. Type-Moon does.
Disclaimer: This story was inspired by Born of Prayers' Jaune Arc Expelled: A Different Path, Drow79's Holding All The Cards, and the countless other awesome fanfics.
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"He who moves not forward, goes backward."
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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Chapter 1: A Different Path
A yellow-haired teenage walked solemnly on the gray paved road alone. Armed with nothing but the casual clothes he decided to wear today, his scroll, and his great-grandfather's legendary weapon, Crocea Mors, the teen was slowly walking to the airship that would take him back to the city in Vale. While the weather was sunny and birds were singing their beautiful melodies, the teenager – Jaune Arc – was anything but happy. He was, instead, rather miserable.
Why?
It was because he was expelled from Beacon Academy – a famous and renowned school that taught children how to protect humanity and safeguard its walls from the evil Grimm. But unlike his other classmates, he cheated his way into Beacon by forging his transcripts. And now, he was paying the price for it by walking the lonely road of solitude alone back to the city where he would once again be Jaune Arc, the idiot failure of the Arc legacy.
Clenching his fist in misery, he did his best to not let his lucid tears of defeat fall down his face. He wanted to be a hero ever since his father told him stories of a man named Julius Arc fought with Crocea Mors in the Great War long ago. Loved by his allies and friends and struck fear in the hearts of the enemies; Julius was the epitome of suave with the fairer sex and an absolute monster on the battlefield. And thus, it came to no surprise that you could find the man being mentioned several times in history.
That was the man Jaune Arc wanted to be.
But Jaune Arc wasn't like Julius. While he did inherit Julius' traits – including messy blond hair, electric blue eyes, and an angular chin that made the teen appear rather handsome despite his thin frame, he did not have the confidence nor skills that went along with it. Without any formal training and support from his family since the Arc family was trying to move away from the bloody huntsman legacy, Jaune Arc was left to flounder alone in the turbulent sea. Only his iron-clad goal and ample use of the public library allowed him to forge a shaky path to becoming a hero (that Julius could be proud of) kept him from sinking into the dark depths. Sadly, it wasn't enough.
With a lack of formal training, he could not get accepted into any hunter academy no matter how much he tried. No one, including his father and seven older sisters who are huntsman and huntresses, would be willing teach him how to use a sword and shield, unlock his aura, or even point him in a direction so he could be one step closer to his goal. Now when he was accepted into the prestigious academy, things were finally looking up! With plenty of teachers as willing resources of guidance and information and the many talented yet kind friends he made, he was proud to say that he finally found a place where he belonged.
Except it wasn't to be. When Cardin told the headmaster, Ozpin, that he forged his transcripts, Ozpin was forced to kick Jaune out according to the Council Law – no matter how much monstrous improvement Jaune made both as a leader and a huntsman.
So here he was, forced to leave without a form of protest and couldn't say goodbye to his friends and partner. He couldn't even get all of his belongings in his dorm.
Feeling a tear fall, he hastily wiped the salty liquid with his arm. He couldn't cry. Hunters never cried. He dared not to disappoint his ancestor any further.
With each step, he made his way closer to the airship.
This doesn't change anything... He looked up at the sky. Jaune made his decision. If he couldn't go to Beacon to be a hunter, he would find other means to do so. He made it here with his determination. He wouldn't stop now because of some privileged bully who had nothing else better to do with his life decided to bully others.
Grabbing the hilt of his weapon, he took comfort in the familiar grooves. He absently wondered if his ancestors would be proud or disappointed in him. But it didn't matter what they or anyone else thought anymore.
One thing he did learn from Beacon was to not believe anything other people may say. It didn't matter if Cardinal or the honorable Council members themselves believed he, Jaune Arc, should be content in the walls of Vale as a simple blue-collar worker.
He was Jaune Arc, a future hero in the making.
He walked in the airship and picked a seat near the windows. He stared confidently at the beautiful architecture that held the future hunters and huntresses.
He would make his own path.
After all, an Arc never breaks a promise.
Bye, Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, Ruby, Ice Queen, Blake, Yang… I hope I'll see you again when I can proudly call myself a hunter…a hero…
He smiled, before he felt the horrible urge to vomit when the ship was taking off.
Oum damn it.
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Despite not eating lunch, his body still found a way to release tons of food back out via his mouth. Luckily, there was a nearby friendly trash can. After taking a couple of minutes to lay down on some grass and let his body rest, he stood up and walked to the nearby coffee shop.
Ordering a cup of white mocha for the needed caffeine and some snacks for energy, he decided to sit in the far corner of the café by a window.
He hoped he didn't meet team RWBY or the rest of JNPR. It would be an awkward conversation he didn't want to be in.
"Here you are sir." A waiter brought his food before attending the needs of another customer.
"Thank you." He called out. He took a sip of the brown liquid and sighed. He wasn't much of a coffee person but he did appreciate how the brown liquid could sharpen his mind.
And he needed his brain to be sharped as much as possible to figure out his next move.
So what should I do next? I don't think I should try to apply to the other academies since my forging will definitely affect my application so that's out. Never really like the theoretical environment Beacon had anyway. Oh, Professor Port, why in Oum's name were you hired?
But what else is there? I need a teache- wait do I actually need a teacher? Pyrrha was kind enough to help train me and I have gotten way better than before. But how did she do it? We didn't do anything resembling a PE class with push ups and jumping jacks or helping form a new fighting style, we just kept sparring each night…
That's it! The best way for me to improve is through experience. She said I'm a fast learner when I am forced to think on my feet. So I need to find opponents to fight! And the best opponents to fight Grimm are Grimm! Perfect! Instead of hopelessly trying to get into an academy, I can easily leave to find some Grimm and "level up"! Just like a video game!
With his mind made up, Jaune quickly ate the small snacks and used his scroll to pay for his food. Walking away, he went to various stores to buy what he would need: camping gear, convenient portable food, a first-aid kit, guide books, and some extra clothes. And some medicine for future flights.
It wouldn't do for a hero to get motion sickness in front of everyone – again. For some reason, he always keeps forgetting to buy some everything he went to Vale.
At 3:00 P.M. Jaune snuck out of the safe walls of Vale through the aptly named Smuggler's Tunnel. With a confident gait, he took his first steps into the quiet forest with his backpack full of supplies. It's time to go hunting.
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Five minutes into his hike and he already encountered his first Grimm.
A few months ago, he would be shaking in fear of seeing a Beowolf Minor stare straight at him.
Now, he was filled with only anticipation.
He pulled out the ancient sword from its sheath with a resounding shing. But before he was able to bring out his shield, the Grimm violently charged with a roar.
Stupid Janue, the Grimm aren't going to wait for you to prepare. He absently thought before his mind snapped into battle mode.
The beast lunged at Jaune. Needing some time to deploy his shield, he hastily rolled to the side. But once again, he found himself flat-footed. He cursed himself when his heavy backpack hampered his maneuverability and prevented him from completing the roll fluidly. Instead, he ended up laying on the ground awkwardly like an upside down crab.
Seeing his bag as a hindrance, he freed his arms from the backpack as fast as he could and quickly stood up. He looked around to find the sheath but was forced to abandon the search after hearing another roar. He turned around only to see the Grimm in mid-leap and moments away from tearing his face apart.
He froze for a moment in shock but trained instincts quickly prevailed. His arm moved and the sword flew to meet the teeth of the Grimm in a stalemate. Janue quickly re-focused on the threat and avoided two clawed swipes from his opponent. He then gave the Grimm the strongest front kick he could muster.
It didn't help much as the Grimm got pushed back a foot, but it was enough for Jaune. Seeing the advantage, he quickly ran at the Grimm screaming with his sword at the side.
The Grimm match Jaune's roar with a primal roar of its own before charging straight ahead – intending to slam into the yellow-haired human and turn him into a pancake. But Jaune had other ideas. Instead, Jaune rolled once more out of its way – allowing the Grimm to crash into the tree behind Jaune.
Jaune quickly got back up and managed to hack the nearby arm of the Grimm as it was disoriented. Before Jaune was able to finish the job, however, the Grimm screamed in pain before violently throwing Jaune into a tree.
The air was violently released from his lungs and Jaune slid down the tree. That moment would have been the end of his story if he was attacked a few months earlier but his unlocked aura buffered the damage. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he spotted his sheath laying quietly on the ground next to him. So my luck hasn't run out yet! Jaune thought optimistically.
Grabbing the sheath, he made sure to keep an eye on the Grimm as he successfully activated his shield. Taking a defensive stance, he waited for the Beowolf to get up and lunge or charge at him once more.
Sure enough, the Beowolf stupidly attempted to lunge at Jaune once more – indicating how young it was. Instead of receiving delicious human meat in its mouth it anticipated, it received a white-yellow shield in its face. Growling in pain, its held its bony-white face reflexively to protect its face. Jaune quickly saw an opening and he gleefully took it and stabbed his sword at its neck while using his shield to protect him from the stray swipes of its remaining arm.
After he cut the head off, he saw the monster slowly evaporate. He clumsily sat down at the base of a tree. Catching his breath, he smiled happily as he already saw what he could do. He could become a hero!
However, his positive reinforcement moment had to come to an abrupt end when two more Beowolfs appeared out of the forest.
Grinning, Janue stood up and placed his shield in front of him while angling his sword. Seeing them run at him, he hunkered down to face the black and white animals that hunted humans and faunus.
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When night was beginning to fall, Jaune decided to bunker down on a branch of a tall tree. While it wasn't ideal place for a good night's sleep, it was safe enough from the weak Grimm roaming on the ground and low enough to be hard to spot by flying Grimm.
Pulling out his first aid kit from the backpack, he started treating his minor wounds. But that didn't stop Jaune from feeling overjoyed. He killed six Grimm on his own. While that was a meager footnote for any professional Hunter or Huntress, that was his first time fighting Grimm by himself without any help or supervision. And he killed six!
Not even the creepy sounds in the forest managed to dampen Janue's mood. Once he finished treating his wounds, he munched on a calorie bar. It tasted horrible to Jaune but it had all of the vital nutrients any hunter needed. It was convenient in times when he couldn't make a camp fire. Plus, it made him feel like a real hunter!
He looked his own reflection using the sword and found himself dumbly grinning like a fool. But he couldn't help it! He made so much progress today. Forget Beacon! This is the way to go to become a hero!
With his shield and sword nearby just in case of a Grimm attack, he embraced the sweet whispers of Morpheus and dreamed about fighting Grimm and saving damsels in distress.
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A/N: And that was that.