Chapter 1: Prologue
"Jaune, are you sure you're ready for this?"
Truth be told, Jaune wasn't ready. He had been putting this moment off for as long as he could, trying to stretch the time until he would have to go through with this arduous task. But he had run out of excuses. Everyone in Vale was safe, Beacon was sufficiently locked down, and everyone had finished their period of mourning.
"Yea, I'm ready."
Tentatively, the blonde knight took a step towards the door in front of him and rapped his knuckles loudly against the hardened wood. He stepped back, and a few moments later the door swung open to reveal one of the house's occupants. He was an aging man, pushing towards the end of middle-aged, which his skin and hairline showed. However, his well-built frame would be more than enough to dissuade anyone foolish enough to try and test him; muscles standing out on his body, apparently unaffected by the passing of time, unlike his other features. However, it was sharp, blue eyes and bright blonde hair which confirmed the man's identity to Jaune's companions.
"Ah, Jaune. Please, come in." The man's voice was cordial, yet forced. It was clear he was holding himself back from acting out.
Hey, Dad." Jaune greeted timidly, stepping into the house. "Who else is home right now?"
"Your mother, Lillian, Violet, and Arabella." Jaune's father's eyes traveled past his son to observe the two other people with him. "Please, come in as well."
"Thank you, Mr. Arc," Ren responded and made to follow Jaune through the doorway. Nora was right behind him, uncharacteristically silent. Jaune's dad simply nodded and turned back into the house.
"Heather! Girls! I suggest you all come downstairs!" The larger man bellowed into the spacious house. Getting no immediate reply, he added on at the end, "And quickly!"
Slowly, the trio heard the sounds of movement coming from upstairs. An older woman was the first to appear at the top of the stairs, with long blonde hair in a braid behind her. At first, she seemed to be lazily making her way down, but when her eyes met the cause of her husband's summons, she became filled with energy.
"Jaune!" The blonde woman practically leaped down the remaining stairs, immediately wrapping her son in a crushing embrace. "Oh gods how we've all missed you!" She let go and held him at arm's length, allowing her eyes to rove all over him. "Why didn't you come home sooner? We've been so worried, we had barely any contact with you at all!"
"Mom, I'm fine. I missed you too-" If the knight had planned on continuing past that point, he was interrupted as several smaller masses rocketed into him. As soon as his sisters had heard the exclamation from their mother, they had rushed to greet their brother as fast as they could. The result was Jaune getting buried under the combined weight of his three younger sisters. He couldn't help but laugh.
"I've missed you all. Now come on, let me up so I can see how much you've grown."
"No. You might run away again." It was Lillian who had responded, one-half of the twins that were the youngest Arc children. Once again, Jaune merely laughed at this, but his father was more than observant enough to notice the look of discomfort which flicked across his son's face.
"Now Lilli, why don't we at least move to the living room. I'm sure there's more than enough space on the sofa for all three of you and Jaune."
Slowly, the mess of blonde on the floor untangled themselves and did as instructed. The whole group made their way into the more spacious living area, settling themselves down the comfortable furniture originally designed to hold the family of ten.
"Now Jaune, why don't you tell us about what you've been doing for the past few months?" His mother asked, getting them on track for the more serious conversation. "We've had barely any contact with you since your initial letter after the fall of Beacon."
This was true enough. With the CCT down after the incident, long-distant communication had gone back to pre-technological means. So while Jaune had had a pretty simple time keeping in touch with his family while studying at Beacon (after getting over the fact he had run away from home. They had been quick to forgive, preferring to be on happy terms with the knight, who in turn tried to update them quite regularly.) However, after the fall, he had sent one long letter explaining his whole situation, how he and his team were staying behind to help get the entire mess sorted, then he would return home. After that, it had been a rare letter home stating he was alive and little else.
It wasn't that Jaune didn't love his family, quite the opposite. However, avoiding them would only make the news he had to break all the easier.
"As I said, we were helping out in Vale. "Jaune gestured to his teammates to make clear who 'we' was. "The city was in shambles, Beacon was overrun, and people needed the aid. It just took longer than expected, that's all." While technically true, the trio had had plenty of chances to leave earlier, all passed up. "But I'm here now to see you all, right?"
"Of course, and that's what's important. And even more, I see you brought your teammates with you. I know you mentioned it in your letter, but we still weren't entirely sure."
"I'm sorry if we're intruding, Mrs. Arc. Jaune suggested it would be okay for us to visit is all." Ren stated politely.
"They don't have a family to return to themselves, so I thought it best if I stayed with them." Jaune quickly added.
"Intruding? Not at all, my dears. And I'm sorry to hear of your situation. Please, feel free to stay with us and Jaune for as long as you need, until you can be okay on your own." Jaune shifted uncomfortably at his mother's words.
That was enough to solidify the knight's father's suspicions. "Jaune will not be staying with us."
The calm words sparked silence before chaos erupted from the three daughters and his wife. "Nicholas, you can't turn out-" the large man raised a hand to silence his family.
"I do not mean he is not welcome to stay. I mean that Jaune does not plan to stay with us, do you?" All eyes turned to Jaune at this, who was uncomfortable to be placed on the spot like this. He knew it was a conversation that would happen eventually, but the knight did not expect it to be thrust into the spotlight.
"I- umm… Well…" He stuttered out. "It's just..."
"Jaune, don't be stupid!" His mother's voice rang harshly across the room, a stark contrast the warm, welcoming voice from before. "You already left us once, and it nearly ended in your death! Why can't you stay with your family?" At the final question, her voice seemed to crack, anger turning to sadness.
"Mom, it's nothing to do with you. Any of you." He added for the benefit of his sisters, all listening in silence. "But now more than ever, people need protecting. I can't just run back home and live peacefully, not while I know the dangers out there. I can fight it, but they can't!"
"But, they have the army for this, the hunters!" She was grasping for an excuse, so that her son could stay with her, away from danger.
"No, Mom. They don't. Too many people died in the fall of Beacon, civilian and defender. They need every fighter they can, and even then it won't be enough. The three of us might not have graduated as hunters, but that's what we need to be right now. For everyone."
"Why can't you just be my son?" His mother's words were barely a whisper, yet everyone heard them clearly.
"Mom, I know this is hard. But this isn't a choice for me. Just look at how many more missions Dad's had to take in the past couple months."
A guess, since Jaune hadn't actually known for sure. But a good guess. With all the panic and chaos going on in the world, hunters were being called upon from all over the continent to do what work they could, and his Dad was no exception to this.
"Jaune's right, Heather." Nicholas, Jaune's father, made to comfort his wife. He was no more happy about this, but he understood the position of the world right now. Any help that could be had was needed. "It's not a good truth, but it is the truth nonetheless."The man now turned back to his son. "What do you plan on doing? How long will you stay?"
"Us three," Jaune motioned over his teammates and himself. "Plan on traveling around the villages around Vale, helping out the towns that need it. And I plan to stay here at least a week if it's okay. I want to see all of my sisters again before we head out."
Nicholas nodded in understanding. "Why don't all of you go unpack then. The guest room is open for your teammates, and your room is still the same. I'm going to have a talk with your mother and sisters."
Jaune, Ren, and Nora stood, nodded their thanks at the understanding Nicholas showed. He was a hunter, after all, so it was expected. But it was still a welcome change from the other members of the Arc clan.
But as the trio made their way up the staircase, the sound of sobbing still came clearly out of the room they had just left.
Their remaining time at the Arc household could not accurately be described as 'happy'. Everyone tried their best to put on a smile and act like this was all a welcome family reunion, but the underlying truth put a damper on that.
Jaune was leaving again. And this time there was little guarantee for his safety.
Eventually, all the immediate members of Jaune's family had made their way back home. Sisters had traveled from the surrounding area, away either working or studying. Of course, Lilli, Violet and Arabella, all younger than Jaune (13, 13, and 15 respectively) still lived at home. Then there was July, 18, how was studying to become a teacher in town. Iris, 20, had taken on an apprenticeship nearby, working with metals. She had never been one for typical gender roles. Finally, the oldest siblings, Breanne and Casey, twins at 24. Both bibliophiles, the former owned a bookshop while the latter had become a journalist. While it often found amusing that the youngest and oldest siblings had both ended up as twins, they couldn't have ended up any different. While Breanne and Casey were studious and quiet, Lilli and Violet had ended up as energetic and troublesome.
Jaune loved them all. Which made this all the more difficult.
In the end, Jaune and his team spent closer to two weeks catching up with his family. He wanted the chance to spend time with all his family members; including the more distant family that visited temporarily. Recently, Jaune had met more uncles, in-laws and distant cousins than he knew he had. And with each new person who came to see him, he had to explain once again why he couldn't stay with his family and adopt a quiet life, like all his sisters. Of course, some of them understood. Jaune's dad being one, and his widowed Grandmother. She knew of the duty of Hunters only too well.
But he wasn't going to complain about any of it. This was likely to be the most relaxing time he'll have for a while. A peace he wouldn't be afforded while living town-to-town. However, there was only so long Jaune could put off leaving.
It was ironic, really. The knight had put off the visit to his family for as long as he could, but now that he was here, he could barely bring himself to leave them.
Everyone was currently sitting together for one last dinner; the ten Arcs and their two guests. Heather, Jaune's mom, had been slaving in the kitchen all day, with each person taking shifts to help out where it was needed. The results had been fantastic, a spread of food so wonderful there was barely any talk at the table, people instead choosing to focus on their plates.
This was interrupted, however, when Nicholas stood up from the head of the table, gathering everyone's attention.
"Thank you, everyone. First of all, I think we should all show our appreciation to the chef of this fine meal we were provided." He paused while a chorus of thanks was directed to Mrs. Arc, and even some towards Ren, who had spent nearly as much time in the kitchen himself. This died down as Nicholas continued."But, we all know the purpose of this 'feast'. Some of you might not like it, but Jaune and his team will not be staying with us anymore after tonight. They chose to live the lives of Hunters, and now they're going out to do just that when it's needed the most. I have personally seen that they are ready for this."
That might have been an understatement. Every chance he had gotten, Jaunes father had dragged him away to test his skills as a hunter, physical, technical and mental. And he had been astounded by the huge process the knight had managed to make in less than a year at Beacon.
"So instead of fearing for your brother, be proud of him, like I shall be. He had chosen a path in life many are too scared to choose, and he had excelled in it. I couldn't find a soul more worthy to wield Crocea Mors."
As he sat down again, the whole table burst out in cheers, all directed at Jaune. The blonde in question didn't know how to react. His father's words, they had been so genuine and supportive. His father was a practical man. For years, Jaune had wanted to become a Hunter, but Nicholas hadn't let him. Not because he was worried or harsh, but because he knew factually Jaune hadn't been good enough. Now, instead, his dad was fully supporting his decision. He didn't know what to say. But seeing the pride that still lingered in his father's eyes, Jaune knew he didn't have to say anything.
Ren sat on the sofa in the Arc living room, waiting for his teammates to be ready. It was an early morning, they couldn't afford to waste any daylight for their journey today. That meant the would be no one up to wish them goodbye, which, honestly, probably made it easier on Jaune.
While he waited, Ren had decided to see if there was anything on the news that could be of use. Local channels could still run without the CCT, luckily. But even so, their group would not have many chances to watch the news while traveling.
'Today's weather will be mild and dry, with a low chance-'
*click* Heard it already.
'Recent White Fang activity has spiked near the Tousaul area-'
*click* Don't want to hear it. Not our problem anymore.
'The events at Beacon have shaken Remnant all over, including Mistral who still mourns the loss of four-time Mistrali tournament champ-'
*click* The news is useless.
As Ren powered off the TV, he heard the sound of movement from behind him. Turning, he saw that Nora and Jaune were finished waking up and getting ready. That meant they were good to go.
"Everyone's for all they need?" The ninja double checked with them. "Jaune, you sure you don't want to say goodbye?"
"No, I've had enough goodbyes already. I think it's time we go." His response was firm, he knew that it was easier to just leave without anyone seeing them off.
"Okay then, let's go."
As they followed the road away, Ren noticed that his leader's eyes were staring ahead, unwavering. He didn't spare a backward glance for his childhood home.
Here it is, the first chapter of my new fanfic. As you might be able to tell, this is not going to be the same humorous, light theme of my other stories, but instead my attempt on a more serious, dramatic story.
This chapter is meant to set the stage, giving you an idea of how the story will be. It also allows me to solve one of the problems I had with RWBY itself after volume 3, which is Jaunes family. It's never shown what Jaune, Ren, and Nora do between the fall of Beacon and leaving with Ruby, and logically it makes sense Jaune would want to see his family.
Another issue after the fall of Beacon is technology. We see Yang watching the news in volume 4, yet no one (to my memory) uses their scrolls to communicate. Personally, I chose to accept this as local networks still work, but that all scrolls need to go through a CCT tower to work at all, just how they were designed.
Anyways, enough rambling. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will enjoy the chapters to come. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to leave it a review.
-Dunkacoke-