AN: This fic is inspired by TheKingOfStorms "A New Sword is Forged." Read his story if you find this one to be interesting as his is great. Note, this story may contain other elements from the Nasuverse or a handful of characters from other anime. Rest assured that the main focuses will be FATE and RWBY.
Jaune panted as he kneeled in the lush grass of the yard. He tried to catch his breath as he heard panicked steps running towards him. That was his cue to give into the exhaustion as his knees finally buckled under his weight. His bottom hit the floor as he looked towards his sister in defeat.
"Are you alright Jaune? I didn't mean to hurt you! I thought you would dodge," her tone was laced with worry as she reached a hand out towards him.
Jaune took her hand as he looked into the blue eyes of his twin. Jeanne Arc was a natural fighter just like the rest of his older sisters were. She wasn't covered in sweat like he currently was, in fact her appearance remained spotless with her braid untouched. This was nothing new to Jaune as each spar since their twelfth birthday six months ago had ended the same. He did not have the natural talent of his sisters, yet he still fought all the same.
"Give me a few minutes to catch my breath. I'll be ready soon," It may have been a stubborn thing to say, but how else was he supposed to improve if not push himself.
"Nope, Dad told you not to go crazy. I still remember how mad Mom got when you had to say in your bed for that week. You know she doesn't want us out here especially with what happened," her expression looked pained.
Jaune nodded stiffly as he slowly walked over to lean against a nearby tree. He took a seat in the shade underneath the tree and was soon joined by his twin. They sat quietly listening to the branches sway in the afternoon wind. He peaked to his side after hearing his sister's clothing rustle only to see his sister hug her knees into her chest. She was staring up into the canopy of the tree as the silence between the two was soon broken by her whisper.
"It isn't fair..."
Jaune swallowed hard as he tried to ignore the hollowness he felt from those words. They were weak children, powerless to protect their family when they needed it most. There was nothing they could do to help Violet. Violet Arc, their oldest sister, had returned home just a month ago as a changed person. Their peaceful big sister was now a shell of her former self as the twenty two year old was now hiding away in her room.
"She still hasn't said a word," Jaune closed his eyes as his words washed over the two.
He let his hand rest against the grass between the two with his palm up. No words needed to be shared as he felt his twin's hand lock with his own. He felt her hand shake in his grasp as his twin silently mourned. Jaune squeezed her hand as the two sat there under the shade of the tree. He didn't know how long it took for the shaking of his twin's hand to cease, but eventually the connection broke as he felt her hand pull away.
Jaune opened his eyes to see Jeanne standing with a smile on her face. Any signs of her mourning disappeared as she settled back into a smile.
"I think that's enough sparring today. We need to put the wooden swords away before Mom gets back."
"Yeah, especially since Dad won't be able to bail us out if she catches us again," Jaune slightly shivered at the thought of what type of punishment his mother could come up with for the two.
He stood up and fell into step with Jeanne as the two started to walk back to their home. They were only a few minutes away from their home, yet still remained within the property of the Arc family. Jaune couldn't imagine what trouble they would get into if they were caught further away from the Arc territory. Soon enough their home came into view causing both of them to increase their pace.
One of the first things he noticed as they closed in on their home was Violet's window remained completely covered on the second floor. Another afternoon had gone by without the slightest hint of change in her behavior. His feelings twisted indecipherably in the pit of his stomach at the view. He could only swallow the feeling back down again as they finally got to the front door of their home.
Their house wasn't anything special compared to the others in the village. It was just another cramped two story home in the eyes of Jaune. It wasn't as bad as it could be at the moment as his Dad and two older sisters have been away. Normally they needed to share space more as a family of seven, but with Mordred and Artoria living at some academy and their Dad away from home as a Huntsman there had been more room. Jaune had claimed the room of the third oldest in the family, Mordred, after she moved to the academy for her first year at the age of sixteen.
The first thing he did when he got in the house was to run up the stairs to get to his room. He wasted no time in hiding the wooden sword deep inside his closet before covering it with as much random stuff he had laying around. His mother would rarely check their closets, but he couldn't take the risk she would check. She really didn't want him and Jeanne to train without Dad there to watch the two.
With the weight off his shoulder, Jaune left his room and looked towards the shut door of Violet. Her half picked breakfast plate and drinking glass was placed neatly by the side of her door. Falling into routine, he grabbed the kitchenware and headed back down the stairs towards the kitchen. This was one of the few ways he could actually help his sister at this time, since she refused to leave her room. She was lucky enough to have a bathroom connection between her room and Artoria's room. With Artoria away from home to attend the third year of her academy, she had full control over the locks.
Jaune cleaned the dishes in silence as he thought about the spar. He was too slow to dodge the attack at his side or even parry the blow away from him. Unfortunately, he lacked the same inborn talent his older sisters and Jeanne had when it came to combat. His Dad did say it would be a struggle for him to continue training without the spark, but Violet's situation only reinforced his drive to improve. Sure he would never be as strong as his other siblings, but as long as he could protect his family he would be happy.
Jaune grabbed a clean dish and glass from the cabinet to prepare a quick lunch for his sister. A simple sandwich with a side of fruit and a glass of water was what he brought back up the stairs with him. He placed the two by the side of her door before giving it a light knock and retreating back down the stairs. Jeanne was looking at him with a large smile from the couch in the living room.
"It's nice of you to do that you know. I think she really appreciates it Jaune," she stretched her arms as she sunk further into the couch to watch TV.
Jaune shrugged awkwardly before taking a seat next to her, "Anything interesting on?"
"Not at all, it's always boring news about the big cities or some boring Mom show like the one about the judges," she sighed slightly.
"You mean you don't want to watch a marathon of Judge Court again?" Jaune smiled slightly as he teased her.
His only response was a light glare as she continued to flick through the channels on the TV. There was still some time before Mom would get back with Alice from picking up Lilly and Nero from their classes. Lilly and Nero had both shown the same talent for combat as their sisters at the young ages of nine and eight. Their father had already decided they would be combat trained at home once both turned twelve.
"Hey what do you think Dad is up to right now? He should be training us," maybe it wasn't a fair thing to say about their father but Jaune felt restless about not having him there for the combat training.
Jeanne remained quiet for a while before she responded, "I guess he's helping people right now. I know how you feel about him not being here but think of all those people that need someone to be there to rescue them. Dad's a Huntsman and that's what we-," her face reddened as she stopped her sentence.
Jaune gave her a slightly bewildered look, "You know you don't have to watch what you're saying around me. I don't care that I might not be able to make it into an academy. I just want to make sure I'm strong enough to help you guys and that means I really do need that training."
Jeanne nodded before placing her hand on his shoulder, "I promise I'll keep training with you and I'll see if I can get Dad to spend a little more time on your dodging. Have you thought about what you are going to do if you don't get in?"
"I thought I might try my hand at getting into a police department. I'll be able to help people there and I'll get all that cool equipment you see on those detective shows."
Jeanne's eyes widened as she spoke jokingly, "You with a badge? What horror!"
Jaune rolled his eyes as he responded with as little enthusiasm as he could muster, "Ah yes, my first step in my villainous plans begin. Fear me as I use my badge to take as many donuts as I want."
The telltale sound of the front door opening broke them out of their conversation as their five year old sister Alice came running in. Jaune saw her green eyes immediately lock onto him as he prepared himself for her to lunge. As predicted, she wasted no time jumping into his lap to watch what was on the TV. He found himself idly pulling what seemed to be grass from her straight hair. She was a lot like Mordred in his eyes as the two were more energetic compared to the rest of the household.
"What were you up to today Alice?" He brushed what seemed to be the remains of a leaf out of her hair as his Mom and his two other sisters finally made it through the door.
"There was a puppy! We rolled in the grass," Alice moved her head slightly to smile at him.
Jaune smiled down at her before turning to see his Mom. He frowned slightly as the light of the room emphasized the large bags under her green eyes. The situation with Violet hadn't been treating her well. The white hairs in her long blonde hair was another sign she was likely having a difficult time. He could only give her a smile as she finally spoke.
The exasperated voice of his mother filled the room, "Did she ever, I can't turn my back for a minute with her. Don't get comfortable now Alice, you're off to the bath as soon as I get dinner in the oven."
Alice's enthusiasm seemed to immediately die down as she sulked in his lap. He glanced over to see Lilly and Nero heading off to their room down the hallway, likely to keep to their routine of doing homework as soon as they got home. He shook his head slightly as he reflected on the thought of both being more responsible than he was. Soon enough he joined Jeanne and Alice in watching some cartoon on the TV.
Dinner was a quiet affair as the four picked at their meals before heading off to prepare their nightly rituals. Jaune stayed behind to deal with the dishes as the others scattered around the household. He made sure to put together an extra plate to keep in the fridge for Violet. This was a routine he had developed since she returned to the household. Put together a plate for Violet, clean the dishes, put on some pajamas after a quick shower, and then finally deliver the heated up meal to Violet.
Falling into the routine once more wasn't difficult as it was almost relaxing to him in a way. These tasks were his after he usurped them from his mother. It was the least he could do as he felt a sense of personal responsibility for caring for his older sister. Jeanne had offered her help several times, but he had always declined her aid as this was something he felt he needed to do.
Moonlight shown through the window as he heated her plate of leftovers. This was roughly the same time every night he would deliver her dinner as anytime earlier would result in her eating even less than she had been. The leftovers from her breakfast already worried him with how little they were eaten, but at least it looked like she ate more of her lunch today. He placed her dinner by the door as he scooped up the remains of her lunch by the door.
A quick glance showed the sandwich had a few nibbles in it, but the meat was completely gone. Her side dish of fruits was empty causing Jaune to smile at the sight. Her eating habits had improved if only slightly it had seemed. Jaune lightly knocked at her door before turning towards his room to begin wrapping up the end of the day. It was stuffy in the room causing him to open his window before resting his head on the pillow.
The loud sound of a thud from outside caused him to wake up from his slumber. Jaune rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he looked towards the clock within the room. Only a few hours had passed since he turned in for the night, yet there was no way he could sleep after the noise.
'What was that sound?' Jaune stretched slightly as he stood up to peak out the window.
He strained his eyes as he scouted the surrounding area outside his window. The usual scenery of lush grass included a discrepancy as the moonlight outline of a person sitting in the grass stuck out heavily in the night. Not willing to take any chances, Jaune grabbed his wooden sword hidden away in his closet before heading out the front door. He slowly approached the person with his sword at the ready until he noticed the long blonde ponytail going down to her waist.
"Violet? You'll catch something if you stay out too late," Jaune calmly whispered as he took a seat to her left with his sword placed neatly in the grass.
The only sign she had heard him was the slight turning of her body causing her empty right sleeve to flap in the wind. Her blue eyes remained locked on the shattered moon as she continued to look up into the starry night. As she continued to look up in the sky, Jaune spent his time studying the wounds on the side of her face. The jagged lines which once glowed an angry red seemed to have begun to settle on her cheek. Jaune did the only thing he could think of at that moment, he leaned into the shoulder of his older sister resting his head against her as she continued her vigil.
There wasn't any movement as he joined her in looking up at the night sky. His previous sleepiness discarded for the rare chance of being by Violet's side during her time of need. He expected her to mourn or to lash out in rage at the injustice she had faced, yet she remained calm and expressionless in the moonlight. The feeling of emptiness stabbed at Jaune as he thought of the person she once was before she lost everything she held dear. Violet was cursed to be a lone survivor from a rescue mission gone wrong, his father didn't give anymore details at her situation.
Jaune wanted to rage for her, to mourn for her if she could not bring herself to do so, yet this was all he could do. He reached towards her hand placed on the grass and placed his hand on top of her own. The cool wind of the night skies did not bother him as this was more important than anything else in the entire world at the moment. Jaune's free hand dug into his palm, he needed to get stronger to stop something like this from ever happening again.
He didn't know how long they sat together staring at the shattered moon, but eventually the spell which had wrapped itself around his sister subsided. She rose from the ground on her own under his watchful gaze. Jaune walked her back to her room before heading back to his own. Today had been an exhausting day for him, yet he felt he would not be getting much more sleep.
Jaune opened his eyes quickly as he felt something tapping against his head. He was greeted with the sight of Jeanne standing over him with the tip of her wooden sword tapping the top of his head.
"I was starting to think you weren't going to wake up. Did you stay up really late last night? You missed breakfast, but I made sure Violet got her plate," she sounded concerned as she rested her sword back by her side.
Jaune stretched as he sat up to pull himself out of bed, "Couldn't sleep, thank you for handling breakfast. Let me grab my sword and get ready, meet you by the door in five?"
His twin nodded at him before leaving the room. Jaune let out a sigh at her departure as he did not get much sleep thanks to worrying about Violet. It was incredibly selfish, but he wanted to keep the moment from last night to himself. He buried those feelings as he put on a pair of jeans and a sweater, ready to head out as soon as he grabbed the sword in the back of his closet.
Jeanne led the way from the house to their training spot before she stopped to take a combat stance. Her wooden sword was of a heavier variety and longer length than his own causing her to wield it at an angle with both hands. Compared to her long sword, Jaune was armed with a wooden short sword as he had more luck managing the smaller blade than attempting to use a long sword or the even heavier variants of swords his older sisters use.
Jaune angled his body slightly to the side as he held the short sword with a single hand in front of him. His father had given him tips on closing some of his weak points when it came to wielding the smaller blade. He locked his eyes with his twin before nodding his head to signal he was ready for her to begin. She smiled at him before charging in his direction with her blade held at her side.
The swing was recognized by him as an attempt to aim for just under his armpit. A quick sidestep resulted in her over committing on the swing allowing for him to get a quick swipe at her hand. The blow landed, but she took advantage of the closer proximity to bash him with her shoulder causing him to lose ground. He was back on the defensive as his sister used the momentum to go for another swing of her blade.
Jaune was just barely able to angle his blade sideways with the support of both of his hands to block the attack. The sheer force of the attack caused his arms to shake as he tried to redirect as much of the swing away from him as he could. Unfortunately, his stamina took a major blow from having to block the entire hit instead of dodging or parrying it. He panted slightly as he jumped slightly backwards to put some space between him and his sister.
She remained in place with the same calm smile on her face. Jaune knew she was inviting him to go on the offensive, so he took a breath before rushing towards her. He swung his sword as hard as he could at an angle towards her leg. She moved faster than his attack connected as he felt the force of the side of her sword hitting the underside of his sword arm. The pain was immediate as the force caused him to lose grasp of his blade. It soared from his open hands into the nearby tree as Jaune kneeled clutching at his arm.
"Shit! That one hurt Jeanne. I didn't expect you to react that fast," he was rubbing the reddened underside of his arm as she kneeled by his side.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have hit you that hard. I forgot that you were still half asleep. We should go home and get some ice on your arm before it bruises," she reached out to run her hand against his arm.
Jaune winced slightly before nodding at her, "Let me grab my sword first before we head back. I don't want to lose it or risk it getting wet if it rains."
Jeanne looked over his shoulder and pointed up at the nearby tree, "It looks like it's stuck. Are you sure you don't want to just leave it there for now?"
"I can't just leave it Jeanne, just give me a minute," Jaune sat up and headed for the tree.
He carefully felt the trunk of the tree as he started to climb up the trunk. A quick glance at his sister showed her looking towards him with concern, so he did the only sensible thing and stuck his tongue out at her. Jaune seemed to have lessened some of her concern as she seemed to have finally calmed down. He continued to climb higher into the tree to reach his wooden sword nested in the branches up above. Jaune finally reached his sword and let out a breath in exhaustion as the climb had proved more difficult with his sore arm than he thought it would be.
He looked downwards to see his sister much lower than he currently was. He gave her a wave of his hand with the sword and she returned the same to him. Jaune took a second to catch his breath before he would begin his descent back down the tree. That's when he heard something crack and the air fill with a scream. He felt wind brush his skin as he saw the ground quickly approaching before everything went dark.
His ears were buzzing as he twitched the fingers on one of his hands to feel the fabric of sheets underneath him. His eyes felt too heavy to open, so he listened quietly to the sounds around him masking the sound of the buzzing. A beeping sound was the first thing he could make out followed by what sounded like the breeze of an open window. Jaune noticed his other hand felt warm causing him to squeeze his fingers to see what was going on. He felt something squeeze back causing him to slightly panic before he recognized the feeling was of another person's hand.
A whisper masked the buzzing, "Thank god, I didn't to lose you too," it took him a few seconds to recognize it as the voice of Violet.
Jaune tried to speak but found nothing would come out. He swallowed before trying his best to speak to her.
"V-violet," the whisper hurt to say as he felt as if his entire throat had dried.
The warmth from his hand was removed as he felt her hand against his hair. He thought he heard her say something else, but he couldn't make it out over the sound of the buzzing. The sound of footsteps was recognizable over the buzzing as he thought he heard a door open. Jaune wanted to desperately see Violet and whoever else was there. He was terrified at not knowing what was going on or where he even was.
Jaune fought the heaviness holding back his eyes to peak around his surroundings. It was incredibly bright leaving him slightly blinded before his eyes began to adjust to seeing the lights of the room. The first thing he saw from his slightly opened eyes was the blurred face of Violet. He traced the tear streaks across her face with his eyes until he suddenly froze in horror.
The world began to spin as he heard the beeping get louder. His vision of his sister was wrong, it was the only thing he could think of as his eyes swiveled to see the pulsing black lines moving around her face. They moved as if they had a will of their own as they never seemed to stay in one place for long. Jaune followed the sight of the black lines across her entire face before his gaze moved towards the wall of the room. Those same black lines were etched into the walls of the room, except this time they remained in place.
He continued to stare at the lines as the beeping increased. His sister seemed worried as he thought he heard her screaming, but the room remained quiet other than the beeping and buzzing. All he could think about was those black lines as pain pulsed from his temple. He felt something drip on his lips only to taste what seemed to be something iron as he continued to look around the room. Everything seemed to be spinning, yet he could not get his eyes off of those black lines.
His eyes started to feel heavy again as his head pulsed in pain. The dripping got worse as he felt his lips covered in the iron. His vision began to blur as he felt incredibly exhausted. As his eyes were beginning to close, he thought he saw Violet running towards the door and some stranger coming in the room. He heard just a few more voices over the loud beeping.
"Somethings wrong!
"Get Dr. Emiya in here now!"
"Kiritsugu should be in room 104!"
Jaune didn't know what was happening. He just wanted to fall back asleep, so he didn't fight against the exhaustion taking over. He heard crying before he finally drifted back into the darkness.
