Genre: Action/Drama/Romance
Pitch: Jaune Arc has Superman's powers, but just because he's powerful doesn't mean his life's gotten any easier.
Pairing: Jaune/Ruby
Word Count: 5540
Jaune Arc: Man of Tomorrow
If you could hear everything, would you even want to? When I say everything, I mean everything. Birds singing in Vale, chirping a song of their own. The shaking of the earth as an earthquake rocks Vacuo. The sound of someone stepping on snow and crushing it under their boot in Atlas. The sound of someone telling their girlfriend that they love them, and that they want to spend the rest of their life with her in Mistral. The laughter of a child as her parents watch her play in the morning sun...
What if you could hear everything else though? The good and the bad? The roar of a Grimm as it tears apart a village miles away from you? The skipped beat as someone is told they only have a few months left to live? The sound of the White Fang tying men and women, even children up, and burning them alive? The crackle of their flesh as fire turns their skin black and brittle and...
The passage above is scribbled out, aggressively, until it is almost impossible to read. A new passage begins.
What if you could hear everything? See everything? What if you were a God?
That's what they call me. God is one of my nicer titles, I guess, but I know I don't deserve it. I'm not God. I'm not. I know I'm not, because I can't do everything. I can't cure someone's disease. I can't stop the child from crying because her parents are fighting for the fifteenth time. I hear these things, and I want to fix them, but I can't. All I can do is break stuff.
Even with all the power in the world, all I'm good for is ruining everything...
Least I can take pride in the fact that I can do something right...
"Hey, Jaune, you got that firewood yet?" Ruby asked. Jaune could hear her down the mountain, having finally returned from the nearby lake with Nora by her side.
The blonde knight put away his journal and stood up. He looked around him for a brief moment, nodding his head and silently counting off the branches he'd need, He took a deep breath, and in an instant he shot off the ground and into the air. He shot through the air like a bullet, plucking branches and fallen sticks in a moment's breath.
I think I'm finally getting used to this flying thing, he grinned, proudly. He turned in the air, only to bank to far left. Uh oh! There was a loud crash as he slammed his shoulder into the bulk of a tall tree. He was fine, but his shoulder armor was dented once more, and he could feel the tree buckle under the sudden force. For a moment, he hoped it wouldn't topple. Of course, that hope was dashed.
"Jaune? We just heard a tree fall. Was that you?"
"Probably," laughed Nora. "Jaune - six, trees - zero."
"Sorry!" he shouted, more on reflex than anything else. Ruby and Nora wouldn't be able to hear him from where he was, but he couldn't help but feel the need to apologize. The tree laid on the ground, dirt kicked up and leaves littering the forest floor. "Man..." A brief glance towards his arms only doubled his frustration. The firewood he had collected had snapped under the tremendous pressure of his arms. "Darn it..."
"Think Jaune's okay?" Ruby wondered, sitting by the pit that would become their fire.
"Y'know he can hear you, right?" Nora beamed. "Hey, Jaune, shoot some of those laser eyes if you're okay. Don't shoot them if you're not." There was a pregnant pause, before the two girls saw a beam of scarlet energy shoot into the air a few miles away from them. Like a flare it shot towards the air, but it never came down. It just flew higher and higher, until neither could see it as anymore than a crimson star in the dusk sky. "There you go."
Ruby did not look so convinced. She reached into her pocket and plucked her scroll from within. She began to type onto it, before handing the white device to Nora. She took it and opened her mouth to read aloud, only for it to be covered shut by the younger girl. Ruby brought a single finger to her lip, motioning for Nora to be silent as she read.
I'm serious. Ever since this whole thing's started, he's been acting weird. He's been acting closed off and distant and I dunno. I'm worried about him. Just cause he can't feel anything, doesn't mean he can't feel anything.
Ruby tapped her chest, pointing at her heart. Nora's trademark grin had faded away at this point. She started a new paragraph on the scroll and began to type on it, letting Ruby hang over her shoulder to read as she wrote.
Yeah, okay, You're probably right. Maybe you should talk to him? :) Ruby's eyes widened and she pointed at herself, staring at Nora with disbelief in her silver eyes. Nora grinned and typed up her reply with a knowing smile. Jaune likes you the most. He opens up with you easier than he does Ren or I . Just get him alone and try talking to him.
Ruby's eyes scanned over the words, and as much as she wanted to argue, Nora's arguement made sense. With a small sigh, she nodded her head and took back her scroll. Perfect timing too, as they could both hear the rush of wind as the blonde-haired bullet began to shoot towards them. It was still hard to believe for the young huntress-in-trainning. Seeing her best friend, the one she had always called Vomit Boy, the one who tripped over his own feet when he was walking, soaring through the air like a Nevermore was still a sight to behold...
He began to slow down as he heard the two, but a slight gust of wind still pushed at Ruby and Nora as he began to land. Jaune had once tried to describe the act of flying to Ruby. In his own words, 'going in a straight line is easy. Turning, stopping, and landing were the hard parts.' He landed on the ground on trembling legs, holding the firewood in his arms. His armor, Ruby noticed, was dented in several areas.
"Hey there, Super-Jaune!" Nora greeted.
"Hey, Nora. Hey, Rubes. Ren not back yet?" he asked, placing the wood down. He tried to speak as casually as he could, an attempt that made Ruby smile. That, and a couple other things...
"Hey, Jaune." He turned his head to her as she motioned to her own face. "You kinda got something..."
"What? Is it my hair? Flying always messes it up...! How bad is it?" he sighed, combing his fingers through the mess his hair had turned into.
"Well, yes, but it's not that. You kind of have something on your face."
"Huh? Where? What?"
"I think it was a bug," Nora suggested.
"B-b-bug? Jaune touched his cheek and immediately felt a rush of nausea at the sticky, slimey substance he felt on his cheek. "Oh, gross! Ew! Gah!"
Ruby giggled at her friend's behavior, trying to contain the laughter with her hand. It failed, of course, but she gave herself points for trying. Jaune had flew off to his backpack, pulling out a napkin and rubbing it against his skin, wiping away the guts and remains of the once large insect. "Ren's still picking up supplies in the village."
"Yep." Nora nodded her head, before grinning again. "Don't suppose you wanna use that Super-Jaune-o Vision to tell us how he's doing, do ya?"
To Nora, Jaune probably seemed fine with the idea, but Ruby could see the slight hesitation in face. It only lasted for a moment, maybe half of one, but Ruby knew how to read her best friend. But all Nora saw was a friendly smile and nod as Jaune replied, "Sure thing, Nora. Which way was the village again?"
"That-a-way!"
He followed her pointed finger and Ruby watched as he used his powers. She didn't see any difference to his body. His eyes didn't glow red and his stance wasn't different, but she knew he was using them. His stare was unblinking as he stared at a village miles away from them, before finally speaking to them. "I think he's talking to one of the shopkeepers."
"Oooh. Haggling. Getting us those good prices. Nice one, Ren!" beamed the ginger. "How's he doing? Can you tell what he's saying?!"
"Um... Well, I could-"
"That's okay, Jaune." Ruby stepped forward, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Let's just get the fire started and rest. Ren probably wouldn't like us spying on him."
"Yeah... Okay."
"Awww..."
Jaune picked up some of the firewood and tossed it into onto the pit where the fire would be. Instead of trying to start the fire with a match, Jaune took a deep breath and glared at the pile of wood. Before, Ruby and Nora would have thought their friend was losing his mind. Now, Nora was practically jumping in place with excitement, and Ruby couldn't help but watch with amazement.
Red beams of heat and energy shot from Jaune's cerulean eyes, reducing the pile of wood to ashes in a moment. "Dang it," he growled, brushing the ash off the ground with his hand.
"Maybe just do it the old fashion way?" suggested Ruby, taking a lighter out from his backpack.
"Huh? Yeah... Sorry."
"No problem, Jaune. Don't worry about it."
Ren thinks keeping a journal with me will help. I'm lucky it didn't get ruined when I was flying around, crashing into trees.
I don't know how I can do anything I can do. We've tried testing my limits, and so far... I don't think I have any. I fly fast. Really fast. But I know it isn't my limit. It's just how fast I can go without crashing... Jaune crossed the words out, sighing as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. The pencil shattered between his fingers, reduced to splinters at his feet. "Damn it..."
Jaune picked up another pencil from his backpack, and with a gentle sigh, began to write again. I'm really bad at flying. I have a hard time NOT crashing. In fact, I'm controlling all of my powers, which is... awful. I remember the first time Ruby saw me after Pyrrha died... She hugged me, and I hugged her back. If I tried hugging her now, I'd probably kill her...
I can shoot lasers from my eyes. I... really don't know how, but I can. It was terrifying when I first did it. I nearly set the inn we were staying at on fire... We barely got everyone out in time before the inn came crashing down. Just another problem Jaune Arc is responsible for...
Hell, I nearly tore down a tree by breathing too hard! What the hell is wrong with me?! I used to be too weak to be of any help, now I'm terrified if I even touch my friends, I'll kill them! Nothing I do is right, and eventually I'm going to get them killed... Like Py
Jaune slammed the book shut, sighing as he rubbed his head again. He could hear a crack as the wooden pencil in his hand began to break apart. He snapped it in two without any effort, before picking up the pieces and throwing them into his backpack. "Damn it..."
"Jaune?"
"Huh?" He hadn't even heard Ruby. In a wave, it all came rushing into him, flowing through his body and echoing through his every cell. It was almost overwhelming, to be honest. He could hear Ruby's voice, her heartbeat, the ambient racket of the surrounding forest, it all rushed into him like a wave. "Ow," he grunted, rubbing his head.
"You okay?" she asked, walking towards him and sitting by his side on the soft, emerald-green grass.
"Y-yeah... Sorry. Just a lot of noise," he sighed. "What's up, Rubes?" He tried to smile at her, but despite all of his strength, he couldn't muster a real smile. Ruby didn't buy it for a moment as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Jaune, you can talk to me... I'm worried about you," she admitted.
"Come on, Rubes. You don't have to be worried about me. I'm invulnerable," he grinned, pounding his fist against his armorless chest. "Super-Jaune, remember?"
"Jaune..."
"Ruby, I'm fine."
"You're not! Please, just talk to me..."
"There's nothing to talk about. Look, Ruby, I appreciate the offer, but I..."
Screaming.
Crying.
Blood crashing on the ground.
The sound of Stormflower firing, hot shells falling to the floor as her wielder's heartbeat raced...
Jaune's aqua eyes widened. He shot up from the ground, floating in the air for a moment, as he spun his head around. "Ren!"
"What? Jaune, what is it?!" Ruby could feel her body stiffen for a moment, looking around the area for any sign of trouble. She knew there was there was no way she could see what he did, but she still tried...
"The village Ren is in is underattack! There are Grimm tearing the village apart!" Jaune's pupils were little dots in his wide, terror-filled eyes. His hands tightened into fists as he shot towards his tent, ripping through the fabric to pick up his sword and shield. "We've got to help them!"
"You go ahead, I'll wake Nora and we'll grab our weapons!"
Jaune was about to suggest he'd carry the two girls, but he remembered the first batch of firewood he had picked up. His mind painted the nightmarish sight of Ruby's broken body in his arms. Another death he was at fault for... "R-right. You be careful, okay?"
"Right. You too!"
Jaune was about to tell her she didn't need to worry about him, but decided against it. He nodded his head, before turning into a blur and shooting off towards the village, sword and shield in hand. He didn't bother picking up his armor. It was still dented, and had no practical use for him...
It was terrifying moving this fast the first time... Jaune remembered the feeling of his body tearing through a tree and being already a mile away by the time it hit the ground. He remembered how careful he had to be not to hit anyone. At the speed he was flying at, there'd be nothing left of the person. He had to take care not to create a sonic boom. Nearly killed his friends with his own stupidity...
It didn't take long to reach the village. Jaune made it within a couple of minutes, but the place was already in chaos. Fires engulfed entire buildings as people ran in terror from the Grimm. Beowolves and Ursas charged around, tearing down stone and wood, but aiming for flesh and bone. Jaune had to find Ren in this mess, but the sudden disarray and chaos brought with it all the sound one would expect...
He could hear the savage roar of the Beowolf as it broke down a door. He could hear a child cry out as his father was cut down by an Ursa. He could hear every heart of every freshly slain man, woman, and child stop. It was like the end of a performance. Every instrument, every sound, being cut down as the Grimm rampaged through the village.
"No!" he screamed, desperate to block out the sound of screaming as he lifted his sword. He swung it, cleaving an Ursa in half with one strike. He dashed forward, the toe boxes of his shoes grinding against the ground as he rammed his shield into another Grimm, ripping through it like a cannonball. "Ren!" The force of his voice seemed to push back an unprepared Beowolf, leaving it wide open to Jaune's blade cutting it in half.
Jaune could feel the air change as a gust of wind breezed against him. He looked up, scanning the air with darting, blue eyes, before seeing a terrifying sight. There was a flying Grimm in the night's horizon, basked in the moonlight. It was flying towards them, titanic, leather wings flapping as its' crimson eyes glowed. It was the second biggest Grimm Jaune had ever seen before, like the little cousin of the Grimm Dragon that...
"Ren!" Jaune felt an Ursa tackle him, but it only resulted in giving itself a concussion. He swung Crocea Mors against it, slicing it in two, before he heard a familiar sound. The 'band bang' of Stormflower, mixed with the thumping heart of his friend, he finally found it through the chaos. His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword as he charged forward, tearing through Grimm, sometimes running right through them.
"Help!" Jaune came to a skidding stop, silently swearing as he felt his shoes shred apart against the paved trail. "Damn it," he growled, turning his head. The scream came from a nearby building, what might have once been an inn, but was now just another home engulfed in flames. He glared at the walls of the building, his vision actually piercing through the stone and to the innocents inside.
There's someone in there...! Jaune quickly looked the building over, thankful of the fact that no one else was there. Then he caught the scent of burning skin from the building and he realized why he didn't find anyone else inside... He pushed the thoughts aside and focused himself, before he leaped into the air, soaring towards the building. "I really hope this works," he prayed as he closed his eyes. His body broken through the wall with ease and he fell onto the floor, rolling on it. "I'm here to help!" he shouted, holding his hands out to the young woman.
She shrieked at him, and he glanced towards his sword that he had accidentally pointed at her. "S-sorry!" He quickly turned his shield back into a sheath and placed his sword into it. "I'm here to help," he repeated.
"M-my leg," she whimpered, turning her head to the badly cut limb. It was pinned down by a large piece of splintered wood. To make matters worse, smoke and flame began to fill the room, the pyre slowly eating away at the walls, roof, and floor.
Jaune grabbed the broken piece of the roof and easily lifted it off of her, tossing it aside. "I'm going to get you out of here, okay?" The blonde knight reached down towards the young woman, picking her up in his arms. With one hand on her side, and the other holding her legs, Jaune ran for the hole he made in the wall.
"W-wait! What are you doing!?"
"Just trust me! Hang on!" And then Jaune jumped out of a burning building. Please, don't crash. Please, don't crash. Please, don't crash! Jaune slowed down their fall, silently thanking his power of flight as they gently descended towards the earth. A beowolf saw the two of them, running at their with fangs stained in scarlet. It leaped off of the ground, swinging its' claws at the two of them. The woman screamed, but Jaune tried to block it all out as he turned his body.
It was almost like the sound of shattered glass. Jaune had never heard a Beowolf cry out in pain like that. He almost felt bad. He kicked the Grimm away, letting it bellow in pain as its' declawed hand bled ebony blood.
"You're okay, you're okay," he repeated. Jaune tried to look for a safe place to put the girl, but there was no safe place in this war-torn hellhole. There were only monsters and victims and-
He couldn't hear Stormflower anymore.
Ren's heart beat was erratic.
He could feel the earth shake as the giant Grimm landed.
Everyone could hear its' roar...
"Ren!" Jaune zoomed off again, dropping the girl off with a small group of survivors. He hoped they were going to be okay, but he couldn't devote his time to protecting them. He sped forward, finding his friend surrounded by Grimm, with the gigantic, wyvern-like Grimm watching them all like a tyrannical kind. "Get away from him!" In an instant, several Grimm were decapitated, dead in second.
That probably confused a lot of them... His friend laid on the ground, his green robes stained with his blood. The blood flowed from a nasty cut on his hip, spreading through his garb like a flood. "Ren, are you okay?!"
"Ugh... Bleeding."
"R-right. Okay. Don't worry, I'll get you out of this!" How am I going to do that?!
Jaune looked at the surrounding Grimm, each one waiting for the giant, alpha's command. The beast looked down at him with those inhuman, monstrous eyes. Jaune could feel his body turn cold as the monster seemed to breathe in all the heat of the village. It raised its' head as it held the breath, before he saw a orange-red glow come from its' throat. It radiated, building up as it moved its' head to fire.
"No!" He ran forward, and rather than use his shield, he used his own body to defend his fallen friend. He clapped his hand together, a trick he had learned after an unfortunate attempt to crush a gnat. His palms slammed together, and a shockwave went forth, blasting the wyvern back like it had been hit by an artillery shell. It seemed stunned, to Jaune's shock. "Whoa..." He looked at his own hands, marveled by his own strength. Can't believe that worked...
"Jaune!"
"Ren!"
Several pink explosions tore apart the surrounding Grimm, and a red blur cleaved a path through the horde. Jaune beamed as he saw the familiar silver eyes of his best friend, and the toothy grin of his teammate. "Ruby! Nora! Ren's hurt, you need to get him out of here!"
Nora was quick to obey the command, but Ruby had other plans. "We're not going to leave you!"
"The Grimm are all over the place! Ruby, you're the second fastest of us. I need you two get as many citizens together and protect them! Nora, once Ren is safe, take out as many Grimm you can with Ruby and get the people to safety!" he ordered, cutting his hand through the air for emphasis. He didn't mean for the simple movement to cause a gust of air. Thankfully, none of his friends were injured by it...
"I'm going to take on this Grimm. It's the strongest one. If I make it focus on me, it won't hurt attack the village or you! You guys can cut down the Beowolves and Ursas and then you can come help me!"
Memories of the Fall of Beacon raced in those silver eyes. Or maybe he just saw the reflection of his own. "Jaune..."
"Ruby, you need to trust-"
That thing was getting back up. They didn't have time to argue about this. They- Ruby shot like a bullet, slicing through another group of Grimm with Crescent Rose. Her blade gleamed with the ebony remains of her weapon, before she turned her head to Nora, who was helping the injured Ren up. "Let's go! Jaune's got this!" Her eyes met his and he swore he could hear her say, "You better got this."
Great. Now I can read minds, Jaune sighed.
The three were following his orders, running away from the giant wyvern and focusing on the people as Jaune stood his ground. The monster lifted its' lizard-like head, bony protrusions poking from its' head like horns. It let out a low, bone-shaking growl as its' mouth glowed with that similar red-orange hue. The knight glanced at his sword and shield and pulled it from his armor. He hugged the metal against his hoodie, taking a slow, deep breath... before gently placing them on the ground.
Time to stop fighting like the old Jaune...
The wyvern screeched into the night, its' cry echoing out for miles, before it unleashed a torrent of flame from its' maw. The river of fire slammed into the top half of Jaune, scorching the earth around him. It wiped out the few remaining Grimm, reducing them, any nearby structure, to ashes.
That is, save for Jaune Arc. The boy's hoodie was burned to a crisp, but he was completely unharmed. His cerulean eyes narrowed and turned as red as the Grimm's. His frame smoke from the flames, yet were completely unblemished by the heat. The Grimm stared at him, watching him like a snake that had just bitten into a mouse, only to find the rodent was far stronger than it thought.
"Burn," he growled, before he unleashed his own wave of heat and fire. The Grimm's eyes widened as it was engulfed by the scarlet energy, letting out a bellow of agony as its' own flesh was seared and roasted. Jaune could feel his entire body tremble from the force. He had never just... let loose like this. The only thing he could do to make sure the forest behind the beast was reduced to ash was tilt his head slightly up. Anything caught with the beam was vaporized and reduced to nothingness...
At least, it was supposed to. The Wyvern suddenly lunged forward, and slammed a clawed hand into Jaune, pinning him onto the ground. Jaune could see what his burning gaze had done to the beast. Its' wings were melting away, dropping from the wyvern's body like burning teardrops. Its' skin was horribly burned and tiny embers seemed to seep from the sound as it struggled to hold him down.
Despite its' injuries, it summoned enough strength to try and fight back. An attempt that would fail. Jaune's arms were free from the pin and he lifted them up, bringing his fists down on a claw. Once again, he heard the sound of a Grimm's claws shatter, but this time it was louder, and the thundering shriek of agony was much louder.
Block it out, he told himself.
The creature lifted up its' bloody, declawed, hand. Jaune had to finish this fight. He took in a deep breath and held it, imagining an artic wasteland in his head. With the vision of a snow-covered plain in his head, he released the breath through pursued lips. The creature struggled, and it roared, but in the end it was fighting a losing battle. It went from burning, melting flesh to frozen, immobile skin. It let out one final cry of rage and resistance, but even that fell silent as its' body was encased in ice.
Jaune's body stood on shaky legs as he stared at the impromptu statue. He panted, his breath visible as if he had just stepped into the artic. With one final clap, the titanic monster shattered, reduced to bits and pieces by a single man...
Weiss didn't know what to expect when she saw the morning's paper. With the communication tower of Vale down, information seemed difficult to attain, but was this what the papers were reduced to? Making up tall tales? To try to create hope or mock the victims, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that it was utterly ridiculous.
She glanced at the photo, caught by someone's scroll, of the supposed deity. He lacked any sort of top, instead walking bare-chested. His hair was golden, illuminated byt the fires of the attacked village. His eyes were a glowing crimson, resembling more of a Grimm than any deity she had heard of. His body was toned, taut, but by no means inhumane. His body was of that of an average Huntsman, perhaps even below average, yet the paper swore up and down that this being was a deity sent from above.
The deity's face was frozen in the picture, trapped as an angry snarl as it vanquished Grimm. There was something almost familiar with his face, but Weiss shrugged it off. This supposed 'god' simply had one of those faces. More likely than not, this was some Huntsman trying to offer help to the helpless, using somekind of Semblance and advance weaponry to strike down the Grimm.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Ruby Rose found him on the outskirts of town, staring at his reflection in a river. He wore a plain, white t-shirt, his usual attire lost in the battle. He knew she was there, she assumed, but seemed to lost to his own self-loathing to acknowledge her. Of course, that wouldn't stop her.
"Hey, Jaune."
"..."
"You're the talk of the town, y'know. How you destroyed that Grimm. How you saved a bunch of people's lives... Pretty cool, huh?"
"I can hear them from here, Ruby. They're scared of me..." Jaune's fingers dug into the grass, ripping apart blades and pushing dirt between his nails. He threw the blades of grass into the water, lazily. "Even that girl I saved... I nearly killed her." He let out a bitter chuckle as she sat beside him. "I held her too tightly and broke a rib. I didn't even notice, I was so focused on saving Ren... I'm such an idiot."
"Jaune, stop it."
"Why do I even have these powers?! First, I'm not strong enough and Pyrhha dies because of it! Now I'm too strong and everyone thinks I'm as bad as the Grimm! I-" His voice died in his throat as Ruby's arms wrapped around his body. His aquamarine eyes widened at the embrace, but he didn't dare try to hug her back. How easily would it have been to kill her without even meaning to... "Ruby, stop. I'm just going to get you-"
"Stop it, Jaune. Stop it. You can't do this to yourself." Ruby pulled away, and Jaune silently mourned the lost of the warm, soft presence she held. She glared her silver eyes into his as she spoke. "You keep focusing on your mistake, on everything you think you do wrong. What about the good? I saw the girl! She's happy to be alive! She could have died in that fire, but all she got out of it was a bandaged up leg and a broken rib. Considering she could have lost her life, she knows she's lucky, and her family does too!"
Her words hit Jaune harder than anything the wyvern threw at him. His eyes fell to his lap, silently accepting her words. Accepting, but not believing.
"And what about Nora and Ren? Can't you hear them?"
Of course he could... Nora was laughing, cracking jokes about how Jaune's pants were nearly burned off, making up stories about how he fought an army of Grimm naked.
Ren smiled and nodded his head, his wound properly bandaged. He laid on a bed with silk sheets, his pillow freshly stuffed, and flowers by his bedside. The villagers knew he fought for them during the battle, nearly gave his life for them.
There was a plate of pancakes beside them, waiting on the nightstand. Nora had made them for Ren. By the smell Jaune caught, they were blueberry...
"You saved everyone, Jaune." And then there was Ruby. Jaune's blue eyes finally lifted up to meet her and he tried to say something. Words failed him as her soft, moonlight fingers dug between his. She squeezed his hand as hard as she could, and he could just barely feel them. They were so soft... and warm. Like her.
"Ruby...?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we just... stay here for a while?"
"Sure, Jaune." She smiled at him, and this time he gave her the same. It was small, and weak, like how he felt, but it was there and it was real. The two sat by the riverside together, the sounds of nature, of Nora's laughter, and Ruby's calm, steady heartbeat lulling the blonde knight to a well-earned sleep...
I don't know what's going to happen to me. I don't know where I got these powers from, whether they're my Semblance or something more. I don't know if I'll ever be able to control them...
But at least I have my friends.
Guess it isn't all bad being Jaune Arc :)
END
Sweet Oum... All this, in ONE NIGHT. I'm so tired.
So, this is the first story of my personal, NaNoWriMo challenge. I'm going to write a bunch of ideas down, not every day, but as often as I can. The stories will be of varying lengths and genres, ranging from action/dramas like this to more light-hearted fun stuff.
Some stories will only be a chapter long. Others are ideas that I want to make into full stories. Like this! I love Jaune Arc, and I love, love LOVE Superman. Now, I won't point fingers or name names, but I found another story with a similar premise and was not a fan of it, personally. That's why I wanted to make this story! To show Jaune Arc as a Superman-like figure, struggling with his powers and his own inner problems. Because just because Superman's all powerful doesn't mean he doesn't have flaws or inner demons.
Jaune's personal demons come from self-doubt and self-loathing, feelings only enhanced by his sudden rise in power. From the weakest hero, to one of the most powerful beings in Remnant, but just because he's strong doesn't mean he'll always win. I tried communicating that in the story, with Jaune's own inexperience and powers biting him in the butt, ranging from vaporizing firewood to breaking a poor girl's rib.
I hope you enjoyed the story, and please stick around for more tomorrow or the following day. Tell me what random ideas you like, or don't like, tell me what I got wrong, or got right. Tell me I'm nuts for trying to write so much.
Anyways, enough rambling from me. Enjoy your night and maybe leave a review? Drop a favorite, perhaps? Follow me? All up to you. Love you, reader, and take care!