So I'd been wanting to write an Arkos oneshot for quite sometime, but then various plots I'd had in other dead stories fit this one and I accidentally wrote a real story, so enjoy. Reviews are always appreciated and thanks for reading!
"There are two days that matter most to a man,
The day he is born,
And the day he finds out why."
XXX
The building was cold, it always was.
The hallway was large, it always was.
The statues were huge, they always were.
Jaune had been having this dream for a long time, and each time more of the setting was revealed. This time he could clearly see definition of the great stone statues. Each sporting a simple sword and shield, much like his own. And at the end of the hallway, a great fiery cat roared into the stained glass around it. Each step he took added more flame to the cat's great mane. He could almost feel the fire warming his body. He saw a sword and shield silhouetted on the pedestal before the picture, and he could almost make out the words beneath them but the dream ended as he stepped into the light.
XXX
Jaune woke up with a strange feeling, a feeling of intense urgency and the rush to act. He blinked a few times trying to adjust to the light. Wait that couldn't have been right, it was the middle of the night judging by the clock. But the room around him glowed with a brilliant white light. He hadn't even woken up from the light, but from the sounds of his teammates. They scampered around thinking the worst as Jaune just stood. He wasn't quite sure what was really going on, but he knew one thing very clearly. That all of this, the white light, the feeling he had and even the thoughts of action and combat:
It was all very familiar to him.
He felt extremely comfortable in this state, he felt as if he really belonged in it, even as his teammates stared at him with shock and worry.
He for once in his life felt like he was where he was supposed to be.
But just like the light, the feelings faded. And soon Jaune was left standing in the middle of his room, wearing his pajamas staring at his teammates. The silence was overbearing and the rushing thoughts were nearly audible. Perhaps unsurprisingly it was Jaune who spoke first.
"We'll talk about this tomorrow, you guys just get back to sleep."
The others hesitantly nodded and started to move back to their bed, and also unsurprisingly Pyrrha stayed and moved toward him. She gingerly put her hand on his shoulder hoping to comfort him, bun in truth he didn't need comforting.
But he wasn't going to turn down Pyrrha touching him.
"Eisai kala?" (Are you okay?) she asked softly. Jaune smirked a bit when she did. "I'm sorry, are you okay?" she asked. She had to remember he didn't speak Mistralian.
"Pyrrha I can honestly say," he began as he took her hand in his. "I'll be fine." He gave her his trademark goofy grin and it relieved some of her fears. But it was temporary. Jaune made his way into one of their bathrooms and leaned against the sink trying to relax again. He felt full of energy for once. Pyrrha trained him until he was just a rag doll most days, so tired that he didn't bother taking off his armor before collapsing on his bed. Between her training sessions and the everyday school work he felt like he should have burned out a long time ago. But every time he looked in the mirror and saw what he was turning into, a respectable and proper knight, he knew he couldn't stop. But it was getting to a point where he would have to start making decisions for himself.
To understand who he was supposed to be instead of what.
He was Jaune Arc, a Huntsman-in-Training.
But what else was there? Who was he really?
XXX
Jaune felt his scroll vibrate at the exact time it had for the past four months under Pyrrha's training. He quickly shut it off and jumped out of bed taking his spot on the floor and beginning his crunches. Pyrrha had given him a workout plan early on that had only increased since then. He continued his crunches until he reached the last number of the set, switching then to push-ups. He expected fully to have Pyrrha come over and help adjust his sloppy form but nothing came. He looked over in the dull light to see her still sleeping, he checked the time again and it was right, she really was still asleep. He continued his workout without her, both a little disappointed and relieved that she was getting the rest she needed. Afterward relaxing with a nice hot shower, he gave more thought to what had happened earlier that morning.
Jaune was literally glowing. That stuff doesn't just happen. He tried to remember the dream he was having and it wasn't out of the ordinary for him. He'd had it for years, nothing seemed out of the ordinary until he really thought about it.
It started out the same way, a grand view in an ancient hall. Jaune didn't know what it was, but there were huge statues that surrounded him as he walked. He'd continue to walk the hall, looking at the statues until he woke up. Usually he couldn't really see their faces. He jerked from his daze when the water started to get cold. He quickly finished his routine and made his exit to see the light of early morning shine on his still sleeping teammates. He checked the time again and was indeed shocked. Usually at least Ren was awake, if not Pyrrha.
"Uh guys?" Jaune asked, trying to wake them up. "Guys?" He shook Ren's bed attempting to get him to at least stir. Finally after a few more minutes of failed gentle persuasion, he just flipped the main light switch and whistled as loud as he could. Pyrrha and Ren woke violently and predictably Nora didn't. They rubbed their eyes and both looked at the scrolls in shock. Ren shot out of bed, scrambling for his towel and change of clothes before Nora woke up so that he could take his shower. Pyrrha just sat on the edge of her bed gently cradling her head. "Uh, Pyrrha?" Jaune asked quietly.
"Hmm?" she asked. Her eyes were bloodshot and half-closed, as if they were beckoning her to close them again.
"Are you okay? You don't look so good," Jaune said quietly. Nora had just begun to stir.
"I'm okay, just didn't get much sleep last night."
"I told you not to worry about me."
"I couldn't help it," she said through a yawn. She stared at him through fluttering eye-lids and a lazy smile for a long time. Ren slammed out of the bathroom brushing his teeth while trying to brush his hair at the same time.
"Well why don't we get some breakfast, that should help a bit," Jaune suggested as Nora woke up.
Well she didn't really wake up, just more rolled out of bed and then jumped up in shock. They all nodded at the idea and joined Team RWBY in the dining hall like they did every morning. The weirdness kept coming when they saw Weiss wolfing down her food like her life depended on it.
"Weiss are you okay?" Ruby asked tentatively, afraid to meet her eyes apparently.
"I told you I'm fine Ruby, I'm just really hungry," she said with her bowl of Pumpkin Pete's in her mouth.
"This isn't hungry, this is like you haven't eaten anything in a couple days. You sure you're good?" Blake asked this time.
"You aren't asking Yang that question!" Weiss said sharply. The two turned toward Yang who was facedown in her empty plate. She hadn't eaten anything but instead seemed to have fallen asleep at the table.
"While that is interesting and a break from reality, it isn't as uncharacteristic as the usually reserved Ice Queen wolfing down her fourth bowl of what is, in her own words, 'disgusting unhealthy garbage disguised as food', so pardon our curiosity," Blake snapped. The two just stared at each other until Yang snapped up and muttered out the final words of her dream.
"Keep away from my unicorn!" Yang sat in silence as she tried to peel her eyes open, but soon just began to giggle madly.
The arguing young girls quickly lost all strife between them and joined in the maddening giggles of the sleepy brawler.
"So, rough night for you guys too?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah Yang didn't get much sleep last night," Blake confirmed. "Wait too?"
"Yeah!" Nora began with a shout, much to the dismay of a few people. "Jaune was glowing like a lighthouse at two in the morning, and then Ren didn't wake up with his alarm, which is probably even weirder because he always wakes up before me, sometimes even before Pyrrha because he likes to read those books he borrows from Blake and-." Ren quickly covered her mouth and sighed.
"Yes, we had a rough night," Ren said. It was odd, he was usually quiet and reserved. But his voice just didn't seem right, it was strained.
"Perhaps we just need a bit more rest tonight," Pyrrha said. Even the half asleep Yang noticed the difference in Pyrrha, she didn't look good at all. Pale skin, bloodshot eyes, shaky hands, the works. It was almost sad to see the proud Mistralian warrior reduced to this.
"Yeah, how about no plans, no long training hours, no crazy schemes. We just do our homework if we have any and just take long showers and go to bed," Jaune suggested. They all nodded and resumed eating. Ruby scooted off to the side and looked at Jaune.
"Maybe there's a bug going around?" Ruby asked quietly. Jaune looked around at some of the other students who were acting odd. They were all different, some where overly hyper when they were normally quiet, others the exact opposite. Some who were known for being happy were the opposite as well.
"I don't think this is sickness, least not any sickness I've ever seen," Jaune muttered.
"But what is happening?"
"I don't know."
XXX
"And that is the importance of knowing the ins and outs of your weapon, you never know how even the most seemingly useless parts of your weapon can be useful!" Port concluded. The class nodded and kept writing down, except for a few people. "Now let's have Mr. Arc come down, we can have a physical example of what I'm talking about."
Jaune nodded and moved down to the front of the class, drawing his sword and shield. He stood at the ready in the stance Pyrrha showed him, they shared a small smile at the same time.
"Now Mr. Arc has a perfect example of a classic long sword. May I?" the professor asked. Jaune nodded and handed the sword over. "Now we see here the beveling along both edges of the sword does what for the blade? Ms. Rose?"
"It creates a double edged blade," Ruby answered.
"Correct, this is my preferred style of blade as I believe it gives you more options in combat, but that is just a personal opinion. Now, Mr. Arc's blade has a very stylized pommel, can anyone tell me the uses for the pommel?"
Nora raised her hand this time with her trademark mischievous grin.
"Ms. Valkyrie?"
"It's ta hit stuff with!" she said excitedly. There were a few giggles that sprung from her comment.
"That is one use for them yes, and the way Mr. Arc's is made it would certainly stun an opponent. Now we could sit here and talk about combat, or we could actually observe it. Are you ready Mr. Arc?"
Jaune nodded as the professor opened the cage letting the Ursa charge at Jaune.
Luckily for Jaune Pyrrha's training had meant that this particular Ursa was not as difficult to kill as his first Ursa. The Ursa's right paw slammed downward as it neared him. Jaune dashed forward underneath the striking paw and sliced at the on the front left. The Ursa's weight was suddenly unsupported and it collapsed. Jaune reset himself as the Ursa got back up. It limped and stood up to slam back down in front of him. Jaune moved back and the split second the Ursa landed Jaune leaped forward bringing the pommel of his sword straight into the hard mask. The sound was harsh and many students winced at hearing it. The beast whined and changed it tactics. It swipe with one paw but only after hiding away it's injuries. Jaune couldn't get anywhere close to it. He kept taking the hits with his shield but it was clear that he couldn't keep this up forever. He paused for a minute as the Ursa readied itself. He felt something move in his arms and before he knew it he chucked his shield like a discus. It collided with the same spot the pommel did earlier and made the beast rush back in pain. Jaune held his sword out straight and caught the shield with the sword. Soon after the sword began to move around and transform as other weapons did. He rushed forward and swung his newly transformed hand-and-half sword straight through the Ursa's skull leaving it just a crumpled heap on the ground.
Everyone took turns analyzing the events they'd seen with shock. But none of them eclipsed Jaune's shock. First of all, he never threw his shield. The only reason Pyrrha did at all was because she could manipulate it to always make it return. He didn't even know why he did, in all honesty it felt like his arms were just moving on their own. He panted heavily as he stared at the dead Ursa. His weapons were really old, his Great-Grandfather had used them. They shouldn't have transformed, but there was a large blade sitting inside of the Ursa's broken skull telling him differently. Jaune finally pulled the sword out and held it to his side. There was now one issue that he really didn't want to bring up.
He didn't know how to change it back.
"Well done Mr. Arc, I'm pleased you are learning to use your weapon in different forms at last! Please take your seat."
"Yes sir," Jaune said. He slowly started to drag the sword with him. It looked like his normal sword but just longer, a bit wider and a lot heavier than his other one. He wished he could have kept listening to the lecture but now he was extremely confused. With all that had happened he now feared for the safety of his team, if he couldn't understand what was happening to him it could be disastrous. But as he was looking over toward Pyrrha, who could barely keep her eyes open, he realized that disaster may have already been on it's way.
XXX
"Oh yeah, they're affected," Emerald said with a smirk, barely containing her laughter.
"You can't miss it, the sight of all those proud huntsmen and huntress' so broken," Mercury couldn't help but laugh. "It's almost perfect."
"And we're not done yet," Cinder reminded. She took her seat and began going over the list again. Her usual smirk was now a scowl. "Be wary, because right now the air is thick. People are going to start noticing, whether they want to or not, so be careful. No slip ups, no accidents, nothing." They nodded and left the room. The heavy atmosphere becoming even stronger.
XXX
"Yes it's heavy!"
"Shouldn't it weigh the same as your other sword?" Ren asked after a moment of silence.
"I don't know!" Jaune retorted. "My weapons shouldn't transform, they don't change, they're just a sword and shield. They don't even have names!"
Ren lowered his head for a moment.
"Jaune who do you remind me of?" Nora asked.
"What?"
"Well with the shaggy blonde hair and the giant sword you remind me of someone, but I can't remember who! And it's really bugging me, cause I feel like I should know especially cause of how long I've known you but oh well I'll figure it out later." She swung the sword around again and busied herself playing with it, since it was close to her preferred weapon, and Pyrrha had nodded off while they could rest. He couldn't help but feel something pull him towards Pyrrha, he hated seeing her like this. He rubbed the back of his neck thinking about what was happening, Ren joined him.
"Are you feeling okay Ren?" Jaune asked. Ren looked up slightly, still trying to work out the kink in his neck.
"I guess I didn't sleep well last night either," he answered.
"There are a lot of people who didn't sleep well," Jaune muttered. "Look maybe we're all imagining it. Maybe we're so attuned to being in danger that we're creating these scenarios when in all reality, maybe it is just a bug going around. Maybe we just need to take a deep breath-."
"They're asleep Jaune," Nora said with a giggle. Jaune turned to see Ren slumped over on his bed, snoring lightly.
"Great," Jaune muttered again. Jaune grabbed his weapon from Nora and attached it to his jimmy-rigged harness he now sported. "Let's go to class, Nora."
"Shouldn't we wake them up?"
"I'll tell Professor Oobleck that they aren't feeling well, at this point it's probably better to let them rest." They looked over them as they left. "We still don't know what's going on."
XXX
"So what's goin' on today?" Mercury asked lazily, he leaned against the lunch table nursing the soda he'd just bought.
Emerald just crinkled her nose. "How can you drink that syrupy crap?"
"The same way you can drink that over sugared whipped cream," he said pointedly. "Oh that's right, it's supposed to be coffee."
"At least coffee won't kill me with brain cancer," Em retorted.
"No, you'll just get diabetes with the fifteen pounds of sugar you put in the damn cup."
"You two," Cinder said. It was her usual tone, heavily laced with malice but high enough in pitch it would sound endearingly sweet to any random person walking by. "It will happen in one hour, prepare yourselves and be ready."
"Wait, I thought we weren't doing that until next week?" Em asked.
"That is part two, this is the test run. You'll be looking for the top four. After that we'll begin with the others." The bell rang signifying the end of lunch. "And Emerald?" she asked.
"Yeah boss?"
"Mercury does have a point, lighten up on the sugar."
"Told ya," Mercury said with a smirk.
"I can shoot you and get away with it," Em reminded.
XXX
"Well it's simply ludicrous!" Oobleck pointed out. Jaune sighed and tried to agree, but the speeds the man spoke at boggled the mind.
"I know, I'll be taking notes for them and doing everything I can do. But believe me it was the best thing for them," Jaune defended. "You saw Pyrrha, she couldn't keep her eyes open!"
"It isn't that, my boy, believe me I am well aware and extremely pleased you have stepped up to do this as their leader!" Oobleck told him. "What I believe is ludicrous is that they are not the first students to have done that today, and of all days when we were talking about the history of our training!"
"They aren't?"
"No, in fact some of the students who have been visiting have also elected to recover from what I can only presume is perhaps the oddest sickness I've ever seen!" Oobleck dashed off and took his place at the front of the classroom. Jaune's uneasiness grew ever and ever stronger every time he looked over at empty chairs or heard the whispers.
"Well at least Team RWBY is whole anyway," Nora said with an uneasy smile. Jaune had been teammates with her for months now, and her smile never wavered. But the fact is that it was slowly disappearing and it made Jaune even more uneasy.
It was made even worse when he saw the same expression on Ruby's face about Yang and Weiss. Yang looked like she was about collapse at any minute and Weiss looked grumpier than usual.
That was a feat in of itself.
"Welcome class, today we're going to be continuing our discussion of the history of Hunters, specifically their training! It is just as important to know why we train, as opposed to just doing it!" Oobleck began his tirade of mad dashes and light speed lectures. Jaune was careful to take the best notes he could, these were for Pyrrha after all, and though Nora was supposed to be doing the same thing for Ren, she rarely took notes on her own anyway. Jaune kept looking back down to Ruby who shared the constant range of emotions.
He watched as Ruby nudged Yang to wake her up for the fourth time in less than fifteen minutes. He sighed as he looked over at Nora. She was trying so desperately to cling to her smile, never letting it get to her. But she would look at the empty desks between them and mourn silently. Jaune was right beside her, almost physically lamenting the fact that Pyrrha wasn't there. He hadn't realized how much he had come to rely on her, not just for the physical training but for the support she gave him. Even just sitting beside him helped him more than she knew.
"Now who can tell me why we spend time training our mental states?" Oobleck asked. Weiss raised her hand slowly.
"We train our minds to be sharp, to be problem solvers, and to be unshakable," Weiss recited. She of course would know, as the smartest student, besides Pyrrha.
"An excellent answer, yet still incorrect! Training our minds is important, but I asked why we constantly train to improve our mental states!" The silence echoed after his umpteenth sip of coffee. "Our minds are powerful, but like every powerful weapon it can be easily turned against it's wielder. Thanks to the rigorous training that Beacon and the other academies in the other kingdoms, we no longer need to fear what our forefathers did, the possibility of mind-control." He dashed back grabbed his thermos and emptied into the paper cup he clung to. "There are some semblances that can actually influence the minds of opponents, so it is not unheard of to be influenced into making a bad choice, however what I'm talking about is total control. To have someone so completely under the whim of someone else that they follow orders without question. Often times without reluctance or compassion."
"How do we stop that?" one student asked. Jaune was writing as much as he could when it dawned on him.
"We do that by being in control," Oobleck said matter-of-factly. "As simple as it sounds it is anything but, having total control and discipline of your mind is crucial. Thankfully as part of our curriculum most students master this within weeks. Therefore to be under the control of someone else, you would need to be nearly broken! And that is a preposterous idea that anyone would try!" Oobleck rushed back to his desk and shuffled his papers about.
"Jaune?" Nora asked. Jaune's eyes widened and he dropped his pen. Just as he was about to stand up a massive explosion ripped through the walls and the classes. Jaune pulled himself out of the wall and sped down the hallway. His new sword clattering against his back loudly as he turned down the narrow halls leading to the dorms. His worst fears were realized when he saw Pyrrha and Ren in full combat gear walking down the smoky hallways.
"PYRRHA!" Jaune yelled out, she turned to meet his gaze and he was heartbroken. Both of their eyes were clouded in a sickly yellow flame. They turned again to leave, not saying anything. "Wait, stop!" Jaune pleaded. He narrowly dodged the first round fired from Pyrrha but was forced to stop when Ren laid a straight line of fire down in front of him, sending a wall of flame to separate them. Jaune steeled his nerves and leaped through the fires but was met with Pyrrha's shield. Ren dive kicked him after that, sending him into the wall and blacking out his vision. He looked up again and they were gone. He rushed to find them but he was too late. He could see the airship taking off and flying away, he could feel it in his gut.
Pyrrha was gone.
XXX
"The total as of right now is sixteen students injured. There were no deaths, thankfully," Glynda said from behind her clipboard. Ozpin's fists clenched tightly on the table, Glynda could see the white from her position across the room.
"What of the students who are missing?" he asked, still staring at the screen on his desk.
"We've received no word of their whereabouts," she added quietly.
"Keep me informed, as soon as something changes, I want to be the first to know."
"Yes sir, shall I send for Qrow?"
"Yes, tell him what we know, as little as it is, he might be able to help."
XXX
"We've gotta help them!" Ruby said through tears. Blake held her tightly as she wept. Nora was close to that state too but she tried to stay strong for Ruby. Jaune just paced around the room, the now larger sword clattering across his back loudly. Blake tried to get him to calm down but she was distracted with the two girls.
Blake herself was close to breaking down, she had just lost her partner and her best friend in one go and they had no idea where she was. Blake tried to be strong for Ruby but it was getting harder, and Jaune wasn't doing a thing to help them.
"I know Ruby, but we need to calm down and make a plan." Blake kept trying to console them and hint at Jaune but he was too focused. He kept muttering to himself as he paced back and forth. "Right Jaune?" Blake asked. Jaune kept pacing, his forehead was beading with sweat and his fists balled tightly. "Jaune?" Still no answer, he was muttering faster now and the girls watched as he started to do something even more unusual. "Jaune?!"
He was glowing again, and now he was nearly frantic in his ramblings. Until he stopped, eyes wide and jaw hanging low.
"WITHDRAWALS!" he shouted suddenly. He turned to see all three girls staring at him wide-eyed. "What?"
"Jaune you're doing that glow-y thing again," Nora said suddenly. Jaune looked down at his hands and realized she was right.
"Whatever that's not important!" he shouted. "Get armed and meet me at Professor Ozpin's office!" Jaune made a mad dash down the hallways and nearly ran over students on the way. Ruby was the only one who made it to the office with him thanks to her semblance. Jaune broke through the doors startling the faculty in the office and finally he skidded to a stop right before Ozpin. "I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!" Jaune shouted, he quickly hunched over trying to catch his breath. The teachers and Ruby watched as he tried to catch his breath.
"I somehow doubt that," Qrow muttered as he took a swig from his flask.
"Hi uncle Qrow!" Ruby said.
"Well then Mr. Arc," Ozpin said calmly. Jaune looked up just as Ozpin sat down. "The floor is yours."
XXX
"That went well," Em said with a smirk. She looked at the four Huntress' standing before them with clouded eyes. "Though why we chose these four I'll never know."
"I don't know, I'm kinda looking forward to this," Mercury dragged his fingers over Yang's chin. Emerald shuddered and felt her stomach churn. "'sides, it's not like they're gonna remember any of this." He was about to move his hands lower when a small dart of flame pierced his hand, he recoiled in pain and uttered his usual curses.
"Mercury," Cinder scolded. She had regrown her trademark smirk. "These are not pawns for your enjoyment, we have business to conclude."
"Yeah, whatever."
"What was that?" she asked. Mercury felt his blood chill at the question.
"Yes, Ma'am," Mercury corrected quickly.
"That's better."
Em looked toward Merc with a definite smugness on her face, making the classic whip noises.
"At least I'll get some when this is over," Merc sneered.
"Fine then I call dibs on blonde one." She sauntered away leaving Mercury in the dust.
"Damn it."
XXX
"You're sure?" Qrow asked, with his mouth agape.
"I think so, it all makes sense."
"That's what scaring me," Qrow buried himself in his flask again.
"It would explain many things, but now the question remains," Glynda stated staring Jaune up and down. "How did you figure it out?" she asked incredulously.
"I saw Pyrrha and Ren before they disappeared, they both attacked me for one, and then Ren kicked me in the face and blacked me out. But I remember their eyes, they were covered in this fiery stuff."
"That usually isn't pretense for mind control."
"But it makes the most sense."
"My boy, did you not hear my lecture?!" Oobleck said out of nowhere, jarring the remaining team. Blake, Ruby, Nora and Jaune stood surrounded by teachers and Qrow. "It would take a monumental strain of one's mental state to even begin thinking of mind control!"
"And they were going through that! It's not a sickness, it's something else entirely."
"Then what is it? And what does it have to do with my niece?" Qrow asked angrily. Jaune took a deep breath and tried to regain some composure.
"What is the one thing no one in the world wants to admit they're going through?" Jaune asked quietly, looking directly at Qrow. "I'm sure you've had your periods of drying out right, it's hard it wears on you. All you can do is think about what you can't have and it starts to eat at you. Soon you realize you can't focus."
"Wait, you're saying that my seventeen year old niece was going through withdrawals?" Qrow asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. The others looked at Jaune with an impressive amount of skepticism, but Ozpin let him continue.
"Yes I am, and they did the same to Pyrrha, Ren, and Weiss. They got them addicted to-something I don't know-and then took it away, and I know what they put it in."
"The food!" Blake yells suddenly.
"Exactly, that's why Weiss was overeating. Because subconsciously she was used to getting something from food that she wasn't getting any more!" Jaune said frantically. The faculty grows quiet, trying to absorb all of this.
"Then what was the explosion for?" Glynda asked.
"A distraction, no one's going to question when they can't find four kids in a panic situation. But they didn't expect Pyrrha and Ren to be sleeping in our room. If it had gone the way they wanted, they would have vanished without a trace, but I had to check on them."
"Why were they chosen at all?" Ruby asked.
"Combat scores," Ozpin said suddenly. "They were among the top first year-students, easily the best warriors in the school."
The silence was pressing heavily against them.
"We still don't know where they are," Ozpin said. His voice was low, and tinted with frustration.
"The ship was heading west," Glynda said. "We could run a trace on ships in that direction."
"That could take weeks," Qrow reminded.
"I think I might know, this might sound weird but hear me out,"
"As opposed to the rest of the situation?" Qrow asked.
"You said they went west, are there any mausoleums there?"
"What?"
"Okay, I've been having the same dream for like three months, it's a huge hallway with marble statues on either side. There's a huge stained glass window on the back of the room with what looks like a big cat on it." Jaune struggled to remember, even though he'd been having the dream for a while he was still hard pressed to remember the small details.
"What like a puma?" Ruby asked.
"Kinda?"
"Mr. Arc," Ozpin said suddenly. "I am not sure how, but you may have saved four students lives." The faculty turned shocked as Ozpin threw up a holographic image of a small building located two hours away. "I want the remainders of the two teams to get ready and meet at the airship in twenty minutes. You're going to go find them. Glynda I want you and Qrow to find the rest of the students who are afflicted, if we can discern what they were attacked with we might make their job easier."
Glynda and Qrow shared the same look of skepticism, but nodded and moved away.
"What is that place?" Ruby asked.
"It's the Sepulchrum, a resting place for heroes of war. At least it used to be, now it's a leftover of a war that no one wants to remember," Ozpin lamented.
"Why are they there?"
"Who would look for an army growing among the honored dead? Another slap in the face to those who would stand against them." Ozpin sipped his coffee nervously and moved from behind his desk. "If the four of you can find them we might be able to save their lives. But I implore you do not approach them unless it is absolutely unavoidable, we've lost four students today, I'd rather not lose eight."
"Sir who are we dealing with, is it Torchwick?" Ruby asked.
"No, someone worse, we believe they were the ones pulling the strings and commanding over Torchwick." The team turned to leave, Jaune leading the way. "Please be careful," Ozpin warned again.
"Ruby why don't you take the others down to the airship, I want to talk to the professor for a moment."
XXX
"Have the black haired one stand guard outside, the Ice Queen and the Harlot will guard the doors and Ms. Nikos will be with us in main room," Cinder instructed.
"What are we doing?" Emerald asked. Mercury set Ren up and gave him his orders.
"You'll be with me, planning the next phase, but that can wait."
"What is the next phase?"
"The acquisition of the next batch of recruits, and eventually breaking the idiot out of jail," Cinder deposited Pyrrha in the main room for her to guard. "But as I said that can wait."
"Wait for what?" Mercury asked jogging up to them.
"I'm going to have a meeting with Mercury, so Emerald you'll need to find a way to pass the time for about an hour," Cinder grabbed Mercury by the hair and started pulling him away. Mercury gulped and tried to follow but Em just smirked and made the whip noises all over again.
"Can I at least borrow the blonde one?"
"No."
"Aww." Em kicked her feet for a few minutes before starting a new game on her scroll.
XXX
"What did you talk to Ozpin about?" Ruby asked. Jaune looked up out of his daze as they made their way to the building. The airship put them about a thirty minute hike from the building.
"Something I need to say a long time ago, getting the last of it out of the way I guess."
"Seriously! You remind me of someone, maybe you know Ruby! The shaggy blonde hair, the giant sword, and right now he's being really broody and it's making it worse! Who do you remind me of?!" Nora asked growing even more frustrated with each word.
"What?" Ruby asked slightly confused.
"Look let's just focus, we don't know what to expect. These guys won't recognize us, they can hear us but they won't hesitate to attack. Blake and Ruby, you two run recon. Tell me what you see."
They nodded and dashed off. Jaune readied his sword, still upset that he couldn't change it back. He and Nora exchanged glances and Jaune was relieved she was smiling again, even if it was temporary. The woods shifted under the winds until they returned. Blake landed first with Ruby trailing seconds later.
"What'd you find?
"One guard at the main doors, no others but I could hear others in the compound. White Fang."
"Anyone we know at the door?"
"Unfortunately, it's Ren," Ruby said quietly. Jaune cursed silently as Nora dashed away madly.
"Nora!" Jaune whispered harshly, but she was already gone.
Nora crashed through the foliage and ran towards Ren. She wasted no time in trying to hug him but he redirected her and ended up behind her. He had his guns out in a moment and pointed at her head. Jaune and the others rushed to her aid but weren't expecting what happened. It was quiet for too long, he moved around her keeping his gun locked squarely on her head. He finally made eye contact with her and moved toward her. Nora stood staring down the barrel of his gun as her smile started to melt away.
"You do not belong here," Ren said. His voice was strained, he was trying not to say it seemed. Jaune and Ruby started working though a plan together but their silence was shattered by Nora's resounding sobs.
"You liar!" she shouted through her tears. She stomped her foot and balled her fists up tight. "I should have known you'd leave! You're just like all the rest!" She started to swing at him but they were feeble and easily pushed aside. "You promised when we met at the orphanage, you said we'd always be together, you said we'd make it! But you left, just like all the rest!" She collapsed to her knees and cursed at him more and more. Blake and Jaune watched helpless as two White Fang turned the corner and started threatening Nora. But she didn't hear them, she was crying too loudly.
"Hey get up!" the first one yelled. Nora shook her head and kept crying at Ren's feet.
"You promised me Ren! You promised!" she cried out.
"I said get up!" The butt of his rifle struck her back loudly, she collapsed in front of Ren.
Nora just kept crying.
"I ain't gonna tell you again," he growled. She tried to move toward Ren but the man stepped on her hand.
Nora just kept crying.
The man bowed back to strike her again but he was cut off, Jaune watched as Ren nearly cut off his hand with his blades. He turned to the other one and started attacking him, disarming and knocking him out in seconds. He turned back to the first one and growled at him. He picked him up by the throat and held him off the ground. He dropped him into a step kick aimed square into his chest. Nora looked up just as Ren started walking back toward him. She tried to hit him again but he pulled her into a deep hug.
"I'm here," he said. He pulled her deeper into the hug as she cried. Jaune and the others came out soon after. They watched silently as Ren comforted her. He'd broken out of it, he was Ren again.
"Intense surge of emotions can break the hold on their minds," Jaune noted. "We might not have to actually fight them."
Ren looked around for a moment and nodded to Jaune, "Pyrrha's in the main room." He pulled Nora apart and looked into her eyes. "Nora, I need you to punch me in the head really hard."
"Okay." She complied quickly and he was unconscious in moments. The others stared at her for a bit.
"You were a bit too eager to do that," Blake commented.
"I'm still a little upset," Nora admitted.
"Come on let's get inside before they find us." Jaune ducked inside first making sure the coast was clear.
"So what was all that Nora?" Ruby asked quietly.
"He promised," was all she said with a small smile.
XXX
Nora sat on the bed kicking her legs as she usually did. She clutched the small toy tightly as the sisters talked behind her. They said the same things she'd heard them say a hundred times. They were trying to get her adopted, but no one wanted her. She wasn't cute or smart like the other girls. Even as she turned ten last month, the age when all the other girls would get adopted, she was passed over usually. And it seems like it was the same now. The voices departed leaving her alone in quarters again.
She hated the quiet.
She started talking to her stuffed Ursa about her day, making up stories to keep the quiet away. She named him Balder, and he was her friend. The other girls in the orphanage liked Nora, but they all left too quickly for her to make real friends. So Balder stayed with her, he was her friend.
"And that was my day, what happened with you Balder, what did you do?" she asked quietly.
"Who's Balder?" a voice asked. Her eyes widened and she looked quickly around the room to see a young boy with long black hair, just about her age staring down at her toy. She smiled a little and shoved Balder into his face.
"This is Balder, he's my friend!" Nora said happily. The boy was surprised and stayed quiet for a minute, she didn't like that. "He's the one I tell all my stories too, but they're all imaginary cause I don't leave the building. I don't have adventures like I want to. But I do have pretty crazy dreams, so I make my adventures from them." She pulled Balder into her arms again and began kicking her feet again. The boy sat down in front of her and smiled as he joined in too. Her smile grew as they kicked at each others feet.
"I'm Lie Ren," the boy said.
"That seems hard to say a lot, can I call you Ren?" Nora asked. He smiled at her with a nod and motioned to her. "I'm Nora Valkyrie, well that's what the sisters say my name is, but I don't know if that really is. But I like Nora cause it sounds cool and maybe I can find my real mom someday and ask her what my real name is, so are you like me too?" Nora asked.
"Like what?" Ren asked after a moment. Nora's face fell for a minute but she tried to cling to her smile.
"Like you don't have parents," she said. He stayed quiet for a moment. She knew it, he hated her now, she was going to be alone again and then there was going to be more quiet in her life.
"Kinda," Ren said quietly. She looked into his eyes and saw the mixture of emotions there-in. He was happy, she could see that sparkle, but there was also some sadness and madness in there. Madness, is that a word? But she could see it. He didn't say much, he didn't have too. She could see it.
"Huh?" Nora asked.
"I was adopted about a year ago," he was quiet as always but his eyes were loud. They were practically screaming at her, loud enough that she didn't notice the quiet when he stopped talking.
"Then what are you doing here? You won! You're king of the castle! You should be at your castle celebrating your victory!" she said triumphantly. She stood on her bed and struck her victorious pose, and Ren laughed. She looked down and was awestruck, his laughter was just as quiet as he was but it sounded like a waterfall.
"Well my parents wanted to adopt another child, they were thinking a girl," Ren said. It was silent for a few more moments as the gears in Nora's head started working.
"WAIT! I'm a girl! That means I'll get to be queen! I'm gonna be 'queen of the Castle'!" Nora said victoriously. Ren couldn't help but giggle at the sudden proclamation. She laughed too but sat down again and looked down again. "They probably won't pick me though," Nora said in her usual tone.
"Why not?"
"No one really picks me," she said with a defeated sigh. "They talk like they like me but they never pick me. I've been here for a long time, it's just been me and Balder." Nora got quiet again, and this time she couldn't even look into his eyes because he was looking away.
"Well my parents want to adopt a girl, why don't we go ask?" Ren asked. Nora leapt at the opportunity and hugged him tightly.
"Let's go, Ren!"
XXX
"Alright the coast is clear let's go," Jaune said quietly. The team moved slowly down the halls, making sure to keep a constant watch on their surroundings. Blake was on point, her enhanced senses making the trip easy. The remainder of the White Fang they'd run into were quickly taken out by Ruby or Blake since they had the most experience with this.
"We have trouble," Blake said quietly.
"What kind?" Jaune asked.
"Yang and Weiss," Blake confirmed. Jaune shook his head.
"Okay look we got lucky with Ren, we can't risk that with these two."
"But Ren snapped out of it, they could too," Ruby said hopefully.
"They bombarded Ren with emotion, maybe we could do it to them," Blake suggested.
"But what can we do?" Nora asked. They all thought for a moment before Jaune sighed.
"Blake get ready to catch me." Jaune dove out and readied his sword. He got both of their attentions quickly but Yang jumped at him first getting ready to pound him into the dust. Jaune moved out of the way and reached his hand out as she landed. Weiss also thrust at him but she was thankfully knocked aside by Yang's landing. He kept dancing around them until he stood at one end of the hallway, in clear view of Ruby and the others as they readied themselves. He stood in front of them and held out his hand triumphantly. He opened his hand and let three or four bright golden strands fall.
"Oh no," Ruby whispered.
Weiss in her state didn't realize what was happening until she felt the heat building up beside her and heard the monumental cry, throwing her into the wall and knocking her unconscious.
"YOU LITTLE DICK!" Yang screamed out, her eyes were still fiery, but now it was her classic fire red. Jaune put his sword up in an attempt to block the strike but it just gave her a bigger target. "I'M GONNA RIP ALL YOUR TEETH OUT AND SHOVE IN BACKWARDS, YOU ASSHOLE!" Yang screamed as she rushed to destroy him. She made contact with him but a thin black ribbon saved him from colliding into the wall. Jaune tried to get himself up but the hit was strong. Ruby dashed out and hugged Yang tightly.
"You're okay!" Ruby squealed happily. She was near crushing her sister who clutched her head tightly.
"What happened? Why are we all here, and why did Blondie just shear part of my hair?"
"You were under mind control, look get Weiss and Ren to safety, then meet us back here," Jaune told her, picking himself up.
"Why what happened to Ren and Weiss?"
"I knocked out Ren and you knocked out Weiss!" Nora said. Yang slowly turned and saw Weiss stirring beside them. Though she'd been knocked out, the fire was still in her eyes and she stood ready for another attack.
"How do we do this?" Yang asked frantically.
"We overloaded you and Ren with emotions, you got anything?" Yang thought for a moment and moved up close to Weiss with a devilish smirk.
Weiss bowed back to strike.
"I caught you reading Blake's dirty books in the room last week. It sounded like you were enjoying yourself!" Yang said, her tone was sweet and innocent, an interesting juxtaposition of what she was talking about. Weiss' eyes widened and her face grew an intense shade of red, the fire just melted out of her eyes. Everyone else joined her in the shock. Blake just facepalmed.
"How DARE you assume that I would ever do anything so lewd?!" she asked. Her voice was almost unnaturally high-pitched. She inhaled to defend herself again but lost the will as she just grasped her temples tightly. "Why does my head hurt?" she asked feebly.
"Mind control through addiction withdrawals, I'll explain later but right now Nora and Yang need to go get Ren and make sure he's okay. Ruby you and Blake stay here with Weiss, get her up to speed, I'll get Pyrrha."
"You can't go in there by yourself," Weiss started but Jaune was already gone. He took a minute or two to plan what he was going to do. But like always he just said screw it and ran for the door. He burst through the main doors and charged past Pyrrha, hoping to avoid what he knew he had to do sooner than later. Emerald jolted up and fired, but Jaune was able to dodge the bullets and close the distance. Pyrrha turned to attack him but Jaune kept avoiding her. He was focused for the moment on Emerald, and had her pinned. Even with her kusari-gama, she couldn't keep him at the right range. Pyrrha's shield collided with the back of his head and sent him stumbling into Emerald's chains. Emerald had him restrained letting his sword clatter on the ground. He tried to fight it but it was no use, that's when he noticed two things:
His sword had started changing back into the sword and shield he was comfortable with and that Pyrrha was charging him with her spear readied. He slammed his foot down on his shield and kicked it, sending it flying at Emerald's head, then using her chains against her by spinning his own body and slamming Emerald into Pyrrha. The two skidded back a few feet and let Jaune grab his weapons again, this time he stood ready. Pyrrha swung first, he was lucky that he'd trained against her for so long, he had an inkling of how to fight her. But Emerald was a different story, she was crazy swinging the chains around like no tomorrow and Jaune was hard pressed with the two.
Jaune once again felt his muscles moving without his consent, spinning around in a circle with his sword out, somehow that managed to threw Emerald off and keep Pyrrha on the defensive. Jaune knew enough that she wasn't defensive all the time so this was his chance. He dashed forward and slammed his shield on Pyrrha's, which is what she wanted. She spun to the right but Jaune countered her. Slamming her sword arm with his shield so that her arm flew back. She instinctively put her shield up but Jaune took her legs out with a kick to her left knee. She crouched in pain and Jaune brought his shield down on hers. She was trapped. She used her semblance to throw him back and mid-flight he collided with Emerald knocking her out as he landed on her. Pyrrha stood again, her eyes still clouded. Making sure they were alone he did something she knew he'd never do.
He disarmed himself.
He threw the sword and shield down in front of her and even un-clipped his breast-plate and his pauldron and let them fall, clattering loudly against the marble floor. He took his time and really let it sink in where he was. He saw the great statues he'd dreamed of for months, and in the center of the room was the one thing he could never have. Pyrrha watched him with suspicion as he soon was just wearing his hoodie and jeans.
"I'm not going to hurt you Pyrrha," he told her. He just kept walking toward her, even when she put her sword to his throat.
"You do not belong here," she growled at him. But Jaune knew those weren't her words. Jaune continued even as the sword pressed into his throat. She growled again and slashed quickly, tearing the fabric of his hoodie and lightly scratching his skin underneath.
"Neither do you." Jaune kept walking toward her. She backed up and swung her shield, expecting him to dodge or redirect her. But he didn't. The shield collided with his head, and though he staggered he resumed his pace a moment later. Blood ran down his face drenching the bangs above his eye and running through it. "You belong at Beacon," he said softly.
"Leave!" she screamed. She reached out and stabbed his shoulder. Jaune took the wound but kept walking. "Fight back!" she ordered.
"No."
"Why not?!"
"I can't hurt you."
Pyrrha growled and slashed again, deeper into his chest this time. Jaune didn't even stagger he just kept walking, he even slipped forward a bit in his own blood but he still walked toward her. Pyrrha lowered her body and charged into Jaune, he flew back and stayed on the ground for a minute clutching at his ribs. He tried to get back up but Pyrrha stopped him by stomping on his ribs. She readied her spear above his head and the flame covered eyes bore down on him. Jaune's vision was going black as she panted in her rage.
"Tora tha pethaneis!" (Fight or die!) she shouted.
She switched to her native Mistralian just like she always did when she was angry or over emotional. Her nostrils flared because she kept her mouth tightly shut. And the tips of her ears burned brightly even amidst her fiery hair because she was frustrated.
All the little things.
"Se agapo," (I love you) he said quietly. "Ego panta tha." (I always have.)
XXX
Jaune blacked out after that, he felt every drop of blood leaving his body. But then again that was his plan. Though maybe Pyrrha actually did try to kill him, and his plan failed. He'd be disappointed but not surprised, after all his plans didn't have a history of ending well.
"Jaune Arc," a voice jolted his eyes open and he lurched up quickly. Much to his dismay, the blood was still fresh on his hoodie. "You have made it at last." The voice was attached to a very tall blonde man, his beard was neatly trimmed and his long hair in a neat ponytail. What shocked Jaune was he was holding his sword and shield.
"Uh, what?" he asked. "Who are you?"
"I am Militis Arc, my boy. You should know the name well."
"Wait, my dead great-grandfather? So that means I'm dead?"
"No quite the opposite boy. You've reached the day we all dream of, I'm sure your father has told you," he said. He helped Jaune up and led him toward the window. It was the same building, but cleaner and better kept.
"Told me what?"
"About who you really are." He walked right up to the pedestal and he saw his weapons, cleaner and better taken care of. "Amicus and Praesidium, the sword and shield of the Arc's."
"So they do have a name?"
"They do to those of us who have had their day," Militis told him.
"What day?"
"There are two days most important to a man, the day he is born-."
"And the day he finds out why, yeah dad says that like a thousand times a week, but what does it mean?" Jaune asked, Militis just smiled.
"Haven't you found it odd that you don't know your semblance yet?" he asked. "That among even your closest friends, you are the only one who hasn't mastered or even found it yet?"
"Well thanks for reminding me," Jaune muttered.
"There is a reason your father said that phrase, it's the key to unlocking your semblance."
"So what finding the reason I was born?"
"Yes, why do you think you're here?" he asked. Jaune looked around and saw all the statues holding the same sword and shield. The emblem etched into their tombs.
"So it's hereditary? For the Arcs?" Jaune asked.
"Not just for us, the Arc's haven't been a family for this long. It started with just one person, but that person married and had children, who carried on those gifts. The family name may change but the power stays the same."
"So what's our semblance?"
"It has gone by many names, but when I discovered what it was, it was simply known as the Ancestor semblance."
"That doesn't sound like a normal semblance," Jaune said.
"It's not, it is perhaps the most unusual semblance. This semblance activates only once, but believe me my boy it will be powerful."
"So what is it?"
"Look behind you," he told him. Jaune turned and saw hundreds of statues going down the great hall. "How many of your fore-fathers do you see?"
"A lot, I don't think I can count them all."
"They have each learned to use the weapons you now hold, and in their times they have learned techniques that are passed down. That is our semblance, we learn all the techniques and tricks of our fathers."
"That doesn't sound so impressive," Jaune muttered.
"All at once, and it's collective."
"Meaning?"
"It means the second you leave here, you'll know every single way to use your weapons that your fore-fathers knew, and the ability to use them. I'm sure you remember even today when your arms seemed to move without permission?"
"Yeah, that's the semblance?" he asked.
"In a way, there are other abilities as well but that depends more on you than it does your family name." Jaune's eyes widened. Having the skills of an army all at once? That could definitely be useful. "And you'll need to use it to save that young girl."
"Wait you mean Pyrrha?"
"Yes, that's the reason you're here, she is the reason you now wield those weapons. You found why you were born my boy!" Militis said with a great smile.
"Uh, you know Pyrrha right? She doesn't need help."
"She does, especially right now. Otherwise you wouldn't have risked your life to save her like you did."
"True, but what about after that? She's the best warrior I've ever met, she's smarter than me, she's better at pretty much everything than me what do I need to help her with?"
"My boy, sometimes you must realize that you can help someone simply by being next to them as they go on through life. And that young woman needs someone by her side. She needs you."
"So what do I do?" Jaune asked. Militis smirked walked with him towards the glass. Jaune could see the statues glowing behind him and the glow was getting closer.
"You wake up, pick up your weapons, and you fight with her. Not for her, not against her, but with her. The time will come when you need to protect her, as she will need to protect you. That is what it means to be together, and what it means to be a friend."
Jaune picked up the weapons and smiled. "I'm ready," he said.
"Good to hear." Militis smiled and clapped his hands on his shoulders. "Oh and Jaune? She likes you too." Militis winked and Jaune woke up.
XXX
Ruby dashed into the main room and she wasn't quite sure what she was seeing. Pyrrha knelt beside Jaune in tears and a lot of blood. "Jaune?!" she shouted. She ran over and nearly slipped in all the blood. She saw Pyrrha now free of the mind control but sobbing uncontrollably.
"What happened?" Ruby asked.
"Den eicha skopo!" (I didn't want to) she said through her sobs. She clutched tightly onto Jaune as she wept. "Ela piso! Min me afineis!" (Don't leave me, come back!) she pleaded. Ren and Nora both joined her at Jaune's body. Nora who was already emotional and still close to tears anyway joined Pyrrha's sobs. And Ren could only gape at the scene in horror.
"Well this is unexpected," Cinder said. They all turned their heads at the same time and watched her descend the stairs. "Now how did the dogs get out of their leashes?" she asked.
"I'll kill you!" Pyrrha screamed, tears still falling.
"Yes, charge at me full of emotion, let those hate-fueled emotions throw your minds into greater disarray. That makes my job easier, and it will be better for you in the long run." Her voice adopted a growl as the flames moved from her hands. The four screamed out and clutched their heads again. The others tried to help but there was nothing they could do.
"Please don't!" Pyrrha begged. The others watched the fires crawl across their eyes again.
"Begging for mercy?" Cinder growled out, she strode over to Pyrrha and struck her. "How disgusting!"
Ruby started her assault but Emerald and Mercury held the hunteress' at bay. Pyrrha stood up first, still struggling with the flames. She wanted to strike but Cinder hit her first, knocking her back down.
"Leave us alone," Pyrrha said weakly. She tried again to stand but Cinder stopped her.
"No," she said simply. Cinder grabbed her face and pushed the flames into her eyes. Pyrrha bit her tongue trying not to scream.
Cinder wasn't expecting what happened next. The searing pain in her left arm, the spray of blood and the horrifying image of watching her left hand fall to the ground in a pool of blood. Jaune stood there with his sword and stared at her. She fought to control herself, her anger was rising. It was only made worse when Jaune just turned and left to gather the rest of his armor and weapons, completely ignoring her.
Jaune turned back around and stared at Cinder, his left eye still filling with blood from his head wound, and still bleeding badly from his other wounds. But Cinder was still in control, he was still fighting against three, he knew Mercury and Emerald would be fighting him soon. Cinder was still in control, she wouldn't let her anger overtake her. She was in-.
"Ruby, you guys take care of those four. I've got this," Jaune said calmly.
Cinder wasn't in control anymore.
Cinder said nothing but motioned for Mercury to attack. Mercury sent Ruby and Nora flying with a kick then dashed toward Jaune. Jaune sheathed his sword and shield and stood ready. Mercury sought to end this quickly and aimed the kick straight for his head. Jaune grabbed Mercury's ankle and spun putting his elbow in his ribs. Mercury staggered back before taking Jaune's shield to his forehead.
"Try again," Jaune told him as he put his shield back. Mercury sneered and started firing blasts from his greaves. Jaune simply moved left or right to dodge them until Mercury let out a charge blast. Jaune took his sword out and not only blocked the blast but spun his sword so that it fired back at Mercury, sending him flying back just to dodge it.
"Need a hand?" Emerald shouted as she opened fire at Jaune. Jaune dodged every bullet and even cut a few down as he went. She brought out the blades and started swinging. Jaune deflected each strike with his sword and kept her at range with his shield. Mercury took his chance and tried to hit Jaune in the back. But Jaune knew that was coming and slid his shield around his back deflecting Merc's strike and letting Jaune counter-attack.
"Am I still hallucinating or is Jaune kicking their ass?" Yang asked quietly.
"I would vote for hallucination but I'm seeing this too," Weiss said.
"Are these the tricks you showed him Pyrrha?" Ruby asked.
Pyrrha just shook her head, "I've never seen these techniques before. This isn't what I've been teaching him."
Mercury and Emerald both ran back and gave themselves space as they prepared a projectile onslaught. Jaune dashed in front of all the others and slammed his sword in the ground in front of them. Mercury and Emerald sent their barrages toward him but they all stopped about three feet short after hitting some sort of force field, harmlessly falling to the ground.
Cinder called in the remainder of the White Fang and had them attack. But Jaune was ready for them, seamlessly attacking them with both his sword and shield and the larger sword he'd just gotten. Jaune didn't even look like he was trying, the others joined in to fight but it was clear they weren't needed. Jaune was winning, quite handily. Fifty White Fang soldiers laid unconscious on the ground as Mercury and Emerald returned to their assaults but they too met the same fate.
"Where was this?!" Nora asked. "Jaune just ran through them like they were wet wrapping paper!"
"Jaune is awesome!" Ruby shouted back, rooting for Jaune and cleaning up any White Fang that attacked them.
"That sentence scares me," Weiss muttered.
Jaune turned and smiled toward his team and nodded to Pyrrha. "To kanoume afto mazi." (We do this together) Pyrrha's eyes widened, he was talking to her.
"Den thelo na se pligoso." (I do not want to hurt you)
"Min anisycheis gia emena, to kanoume afto mazi." (Do not worry about me, we do this together)
Pyrrha nodded and grabbed her weaponry. Jaune and Pyrrha marched down to fight Cinder. Cinder's eyes flared and she began her attacks. Pyrrha was scared of hurting Jaune again but Jaune's attacks only seemed to compliment hers and soon they had Cinder on the defensive, somewhere she was clearly not used to being in. Cinder seemed more than capable of holding one of them off with ease, even with her missing hand, but with the combined assaults of both of the knights she was pushed farther and father back. Cinder's anger flared when Jaune and Pyrrha both slashed at her cheeks, letting more blood fly. She slammed the ground and let loose a flurry of chains that held Jaune tightly, Pyrrha used her semblance to escape them and worked on getting Jaune out. But Cinder had other ideas, she grabbed Pyrrha's throat and forced her down to her knees. In a swift motion she took the chains on the ground and changed them to a sharp point. Pyrrha closed her eyes in fear for only a moment, she was shocked to hear the chains shatter. Jaune broke free and had Cinder on her knees this time, pointing his sword at her throat. Jaune stayed still as Cinder laughed.
"Do you think you can kill me?" she asked through her laughs. Her eyes were wide with anger.
"My ability shouldn't be questioned, it should be my willingness you question."
"Then I know I'm safe, a Huntsmen of Grimm," she tried to stand but Jaune kept her down. "A good guy, even, far to many rules to stop you."
"Right on all accounts except one," Jaune moved closer toward her holding the sword even closer to her throat. "I'm no longer a huntsman." He pushed her down to her back.
Cinder's eyes widened and for the first time in a very long time she felt a tinge of ear. "W-what?"
"I was expelled from Beacon, forbade from ever becoming a Huntsman. And you just tried to kill my friends, so even me being a so-called good guy? That's just as questionable." Jaune kept walking toward her as she scurried back. "Those rules that I adhered to? The ones that kept me from killing people like you, I no longer follow." Jaune pushed the sword even harder against her throat. A small pin prick of blood meeting the tip. "So know that this next action, isn't coming from a huntsman, or a man burdened with morality. This is coming from me." Jaune swung his sword downward and buried it in the ground by Cinder's head. "Because I will never be like you." Jaune released his sword and backhanded her with his shield, letting her black out. The only sounds left in the room were the pants and gasps of the hunters.
"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.
"We might want to call an airship," Jaune said suddenly. "I've lost a lot of blood," he said with a laugh.
"What?" the others asked.
Jaune's reply was to pass out.
"This is the guy that saved us," Yang groaned. They stood silently as the airship came and started to clean up. Yang watched Mercury start to stir. "Hey Nora can I borrow your hammer?"
"Why?"
"I hafta do something," she turned to Pyrrha and Weiss knowingly.
"Yes let her," Weiss said. She turned and made a glyph that lifted Mercury up and propped him up against it. Yang grabbed Nora's hammer and moved toward him.
"Pyrrha?" she asked.
"Got it." Pyrrha moved Mercury's greaves apart with her semblance as Yang to a running golf-swing. Mercury's eyes widened and his face paled. Instinctively Ren shuddered and turned away. There were no sounds. Mercury doubled over quickly and tried to scream but there was no air in his lungs, and the others just looked in awe. Disgusted by the consequences but too in awe to look away.
"Does he even have a pelvis anymore?" Blake asked, slightly horrified at the sight.
"If you ever touch me again, I'll make that feel like a foot rub." They just left Mercury to his pain and walked into the airship.
XXX
Pyrrha and Jaune stood in Ozpin's office, the low grinding of the clock tower's gears echoing in the quiet room.
"So have you decided who's taking my place?" Jaune asked. He'd just come back from surgery to this meeting, he wanted to get this over with.
"I have not," Ozpin told him.
"Reason being?"
"You're still the leader," Ozpin said. Jaune's eyes widened a bit and Pyrrha sighed happily, relieved that he was staying. "I knew before you ever told me."
Pyrrha's eyes widened this time. He told him about his transcripts? Why?
"So I'm still a Huntsman?" Jaune asked.
"That you are, and after the events of these last few days, one of my most trusted." Ozpin confirmed. "We will be having some more meetings at a later date, however for today," he stood and shook Jaune's hand. "Just rest, you've earned it." Jaune and Pyrrha left after that but Pyrrha stepped in front of Jaune. They looked at each other for a few moments, and Jaune saw the familiar look of betrayal in her eyes.
"You told Professor Ozpin?! Why?!" she asked. Jaune didn't move, he didn't backpedal, he didn't try to cover it up, he didn't try to explain himself. He didn't even blink. "Giati to ekanes afto gia mena?!" (Why would you do that to me?!) she asked again.
"I didn't want you to hurt anymore," Jaune said. "I wanted you to be safe. And if it meant I had to do something drastic I would have done it."
"Gia poio logo?" (For what reason?) she asked, hurriedly wiping away tears.
"Se agapo," Jaune said again. The betrayal was gone. "It was never Weiss, it may have started out that way but not for long."
"Ti ennoies?" (What do you mean?)
"Isoun o monos pou pistepsan se mena," (You were the only one who believed in me,) he told her. His trademark goofy grin was shining through again. "Perimena tin katallili stigmi gia na sas po. Se agapo." (I waited for the right moment to tell you.)
"Jaune," Pyrrha rushed to him and hugged him tightly. She clung to him as her body shook with her heavy sobs. Jaune held her just as tightly.
XXX
"If the answer to my next question is "Jaune", I'm going to scream," Weiss said as she massaged her aching temples.
"Please don't," Yang begged. They were in the last day of their detox and they were all feeling it.
"Screaming aside, Jaune is the reason you're all here right now," Blake told them. "He found out where you were, he figured out the mind-control and withdrawals and he figured out the overloading of emotions to free you."
"How?" Weiss asked. She suddenly envied Ren when she saw his contented face. Nora had come back with his tea and they sat together as they always had. It wasn't as if her teammates hadn't offered. But it was her own pride that stopped her from accepting the help, until she silently swallowed said pride. "Ruby? Can I have a cup of coffee please?" she asked meekly.
Ruby nodded vigorously and dashed off using her semblance.
"Don't even try asking me. Nora, Ruby, and I were just along for the ride after Jaune figured it out."
"Well how did he figure it out?" Ruby returned carefully and Weiss gratefully let the hot drink ease her pounding head.
"What part of don't ask me did you not get?" Blake asked with a smirk. "Once Jaune figured out he sped up to Ozpin's office and explained it all."
"Okay, now explain how Jaune Arc, a man who could barely survive before Pyrrha got to him by the way, did an impressive amount of ass-whooping?" Yang asked.
Blake just shook her head, so did the rest of them. "You saw what we saw, he was dead, he cut Cinder's hand off, then did that."
"But where is he? And Pyrrha?" Weiss asked as she sipped her coffee.
"Jaune said they had a meeting with Professor Ozpin," Ren informed them. Blake barely noticed the smirk on his face but left it alone.
"So they could either be down here in three minutes or three hours."
"Hard to say, but I'm sure neither of them are enjoying it too much."
XXX
Jaune and Pyrrha laid side by side in their darkened room. Bare chests heaving as they drew gasping breaths. Pyrrha's muscles fluttered and tensed rapidly as she finished the waves of her latest release. The room lay quiet for a few tense minutes.
"So that just happened," Pyrrha noted, trying to calm herself.
"Yeah, it did." Jaune felt his stitches strain but couldn't help enjoy himself.
"That was an interesting moment you had planned," Pyrrha moved herself so that she rested underneath Jaune's arm, resting her arm gingerly on his chest and shoulder.
"Well actually it was more like an hour, but oh well."
Pyrrha clutched him tightly and her expression turned from content to concerned.
"Jaune I have so many questions," she said quietly. He held her hand tightly.
"I'll answer all I can." He turned to face her and pulled her deeper into his arms. She was brought face to face with the long gash down his chest. She felt her stomach start doing flips and her eyes burned with tears. "That wasn't you, Pyrrha."
"It was my-."
"But it wasn't you," Jaune told her. It didn't relieve any of her worries. "Pyrrha, look at me."
She slowly lifted her eyes and saw the trademark goofy grin.
"Se agapo," she whispered slowly.
"I know," Jaune whispered back.
"When did you learn Mistralian, when we met you didn't know any?"
"A few months ago, those lecture tapes I was listening to where actually lessons. I had wanted to surprise you."
"You succeeded," she said with a light kiss. "What happened to you?"
"There are two days that are most important to a man: the day he is born, and the day he finds out why," Jaune said softly.
"Hmm?" Pyrrha asked.
"I found out why I was born."
"You found your semblance?"
"In a way," he admitted.
"I think the roles might need to be reversed, you were amazing, I think might need training."
"Then how about this?" he asked as he sat up. "I show you some tricks, you show me some back."
"I'd like that."
XXX
So yeah, that's it. Uh, some things about the story:
I made a few video game references in the story, some obvious and some not so much, but if you got them, great job! If not, you'll get it next time.
Jaune's secondary sword is actually similar to Aragorn's sword from LOTR, a traditional hand-and-a-half sword can be used one handed or two handed. Other names are Bastard Sword or in some places plain Broadsword.
Nora and Ren's origin's haven't been revealed as I'm writing this but I like to think this is close to what it is.
Also the Mistralian is Greek, and it was all found on Google translate, so if it's wonky that's why. Apologies to anyone who actually speaks Greek for what I have just done to your beautiful language. So yeah, my bad.
Thanks again for reading and I'll see you next time.