Signal Woes

Taiyang had thought he would only be dealing with one blonde terror at Signal academy, Qrow had just been expecting his fiery niece. Neither men were prepared for the day that Jaune Arc bravely stepped foot on Patch….and vomited.

So here we are. I did previously make an attempt at a story that would be more than one chapter, but due to my own inability to actually plan more than one paragraph ahead I ended up disliking how it went. So now I'm back and with help, a friend here to help me plan the story out and keep me on the path we've set forward. This is pretty much my first attempt at writing so please be patient as I develop my writing style and work on some of my issues. Hopefully spelling and grammar won't be an issue, but as a fair warning, I do tend to slip between British and american spellings of words. Working on that issue but sometimes things slip through the cracks.

Chapter 1 - Boy meets school

As the bay doors of the Airship finally opened, a head of blond hair made a dart for the sweet safety of solid ground and the accompanying trash can that awaited him, being given a wide berth by pretty much every other person that was getting off the same airship. Jaune sniffed. It wasn't his fault that he suffered from airsickness, a most debilitating disease that was far more common than people liked to talk about! They could at least stand to stop treating him as if he had something contagious that would kill them all if they even so much as risked sharing airspace with him! It was hard enough suffering the long journey to get to Patch just so he could attend Signal Academy, but for his dream he supposed that any price was more than worth paying. This was his starting line! This was the place that would see him taking his first steps into the shoes of the heroes of old he'd idolized and wanted to be since he could first form words! Here, he would start his journey to the path of a huntsman and nothing was ever going to manage to stop him, as soon as he could manage to extract himself from his lord and saviour, the almighty trash can. Screw dogs, trash cans were man's best friend in this sort of situation!

With a groan, Jaune managed to push himself away from the trash can, turning his blue eyes to the rest of the new students that had arrived with him, noting that they seemed to be paying attention to somebody that was approaching them. It was a struggle, but Jaune managed to pull himself together enough to stand with the rest of the newcomers, watching the person approach them.

The newcomer was a man with short, messy blond hair and blue eyes that Jaune likened to his own, though he did lack the stubble and soul patch that the newcomer had. One day though. The man was dressed in brown cargo shorts, with a brown belt and a brown vest, with a metal spaulder and leather vambrace on his right arm. He also only wore one fingerless glove, which was pretty odd if you asked Jaune. What was the point in only wearing one glove? He blinked as the man cleared his throat, instantly silencing the hushed muttering that had been rippling through the gathered teenagers.

"Hey there, welcome to Signal Academy. I know some of you have had a long time travelling, which has been harder on some of you than others." Jaune didn't bother hiding his wince at that. Somehow it felt targeted specifically. "But anyways, my name is Taiyang Xiao-Long and I'm a teacher at Signal Academy, the primary combat school here on Patch. Now, I know a lot of you just want to rest, but for now we'll be taking a quick tour of the academy once we meet up with the students native to Patch. Now, could you all follow me please?"

Jaune blinked, watching his fellow students start filing out after Taiyang, before shrugging and following along. It wasn't like he could choose not to and if it helped him manage to not get lost then he was all for it. It was better than getting lost on his first day or something and setting a bad example. He didn't want to be seen as some sort of troublemaker that wasn't taking his goals seriously enough. He planned to go to Beacon academy after all, so there was no way he could afford to get a bad reputation here, or he'd never be accepted in what was largely thought of as the most superior combat academy on all of Remnant. They were known for not taking many students on board and only the best of the best or the most promising individuals could ever manage to get into the prestigious academy. Not that there was anything bad about the other academies, but if he ever planned on being a hero like the ones in the stories and the ones his family were supposedly descended from, it was almost paramount that he graduated from the best schools he possibly could.

"Hey, watch it dreamer!" His thoughts were interrupted as he slammed into the back of somebody, though only he really seemed to come off any worse because of it, stumbling backwards from the impact. Great, he hadn't been looking where he was going. He looked up to apologize, only to stare at the retreating back of some guy he didn't even know, frowning as he bit his tongue in frustration. It was no use following the guy to apologize now. It was probably way better to wait, especially since they were approaching another group of teenagers their age, who were all stood waiting.

"Alright!" Taiyang's voice called out, washing over both sets of teenagers. "Now that everybody is here, we can get started with the tour! As you can probably see, this is the main entrance to Signal Academy, so you'll need your student ID with you to enter the building." And boy, what a building it was. It was no giant fancy palace like Beacon, but it was fairly high tech from what he could tell. A pretty modern building greeted him, with clean white walls and tinted out glass.

The groups followed Taiyang inside, ooh'ing and ah'ing at everything the man pointed out, be it the cafeteria to some of the classrooms that they were being shown, which were all coordinated using a color and a number. Jaune had been pretty in awe of it all, if he were honest. It was hard to grasp the idea that this school was where his dreams would begin. Where everything would start to fall into place and the building blocks for the rest of his life would be set.

"And in here is Signal Academy's combat sparring hall. Since we here at Signal require you to build your own weapon, for your first couple of years you'll be using the practice weapons here to get a feel for them. Pick the ones that feel most natural and maybe you can use it in the designs of your weapon." Taiyang was quick to explain, getting a different blonde head of hair to nod excitedly as a loud thump echoed throughout the room. Jaune jumped at the sound. Had that been the girl slamming her fists together? Taiyang however, wasn't quite finished. "We even offer practice firearms in here, though they fire dummy rounds that hurt when they hit you, but they sure as hell don't even pierce the skin." Jaune had to sigh in relief at that. There was another of his mother's fears put to rest, even if she wasn't here to actually know it. He smiled softly to himself. Maybe this would be even better than he'd hoped it would be?

The tour lasted for roughly another hour, along with a long safety demonstration about what to do in the event of a Grimm attack. Apparently, all schools had to have them, even the ones that trained students to fight against Grimm, who knew? After the presentation and talk about safety, each student was given a Signal Academy Scroll for their use, containing the few things they'd need like their student identification and in Jaune's case, the address of his student apartment. Not having family on Patch meant that he was supposed to house himself. It wasn't like Beacon, there weren't as many dorms.

The walk to his new apartment was cold and lonely, but at least he didn't live too far away from school. He could thank his father for that. Good old Dijon Arc, a real family man even when he couldn't be home. His father had rented the apartment for him, getting one as close to the academy as possible just so he could minimize his chances of being late as much as possible.

Jaune sighed, slipping the key into the apartment door and twisting the handle, pausing in surprise at what he saw. He'd expected to be greeted by a dark, dingy room with a single bed and a broken light or something. Instead, he'd been gifted with the sight of a warmly lit room, admittedly one with only a single bed to his teenage mind's horror, along with pretty much everything he needed to actually live in his apartment. His dad hadn't told him it would be furnished! And there, on the bed itself, were a collection of letters and notes from his family of 7 sisters and his parents. Some were longer than others, his dad certainly had a lot to say, but they'd all taken the time to leave him some personal messages. He swallowed, willing back the well of tears that had started to form in his eyes.

He picked up the smallest of the notes, scribbled onto a sticky note that was attached to an actual piece of paper, from his youngest sister.

"Hey big bro! Try to be cool at Signal and make lots of friends! Hope you come back and show me lots of the cool things you learned. -Meri"

The next note he grabbed was from his eldest sister, who was a busy girl herself, but still managed to write him something it seemed.

"Hello Jaune. I hope this reaches you properly. I'm so excited for you and happy that mom and dad let you start on the road to achieving your dreams. I know you'll do great. With love from, Aryl."

He chuckled, placing both notes onto a shelf next to his bed. He'd read them again if he ever felt lonely. The next note was from all three of the triplets, seemed they'd banded together to write him something. That was just like them, they never did anything apart.

"Heya little brother! It's your favorite three sisters (you know you love us!) leaving you a note to say that you can't screw this up! With the Arc family behind you, there's absolutely no way you can fail! Tanger says to follow the rules and not to cause trouble and Ginger says to get good grades and do well. Me? I say you should have fun and kick some ass! -Bris, Tanger and Ginger

P.S this was all written by Bris

P.P.S Seriously let loose and have fun, you need more friends!"

Well that had been…. a trip? Interesting?It definitely wasn't very different from the triplets' usual band of mischief and it was just like them to let Bris do all the writing, mostly because it was hard to get her to not do what she wanted. She was a handful like that. Without the other two to balance her out, she'd have probably gotten in way more serious trouble by now. Bris was a troublemaker and Ginger just liked to go with the flow. Without Tanger's more disciplined nature to balance them out, they'd have been in some damn fine messes long ago. Try as he might, Jaune still couldn't keep himself from smirking. Of course, they'd say they were his favorite sisters when they caused him the most trouble to begin with. Next came the note from one of two twin sisters, younger than him.

"Hello Jauney! Glad you and pops managed to convince mom to get you off to a combat school. Now you might actually be cool in the future! In a couple of years I'll be following you in there and then I'll show them just how much better and cooler I am. Make the Arc family look good until then! From Anna."

Anna was the rebellious spirit of the family, though she still wanted to be a huntress like quite a few of her sisters. She openly disrespected their parents sometimes, though Jaune knew that she cared for them too, deep down. It was typical of her to think of herself first and want him to make her look better. There was the other twin's note to read now, though Jaune had to admit he wasn't looking forward to it quite as much. Nella had always been…. displeased with the family members that wanted to be huntsman and huntresses.

"Hi Jaune, it's Nella. I'm sure you can tell that I'm still worried about you becoming a huntsman and wish you'd give it up and pursue something safer, but I'm still proud that your dreams are being taken seriously. You'll always have a place back home if things don't work out. We love you."

Straight and to the point, but somehow, she managed to make it sound so much more caring than it would have from anybody else. Nella had that trait about her. She just cared about you, no matter who you were or what you'd done. It was honestly a surprise that she wanted to be a world-renowned chef and not a doctor or nurse. Next was the letter from mom and he wasn't quite sure what this would contain. Was she regretting sending him?

"My son, I'm glad you made it to Patch safely and I hope you settle in well. I've sent over some more of your clothes including your pyjamas, I hope you'll think of me when you wear them. I'll miss you and of course I'll worry about you, I honestly wish you wouldn't pursue such a dangerous career. You're my only son, after all. But of course, I'll support you even if I don't like it. Just make sure you stay alive and healthy. Love, mom."

It was nice to know he had her grudging support. Getting her to agree to sign him up for Signal was like pulling teeth, even with his dad helping. Lye Arc was a determined woman, he'd known that since he were a young boy attending Faunus rights protests with her and his older sisters. The lioness Faunus had been absolutely vehement on what she wanted, sticking to it no matter what. Even when the White Fang had started to change, she'd remained as only a peaceful protester. It was probably one of the charms that had made his dad fall for her. And speaking of his dad….

"Hello son. A long time coming but we finally did it, eh? She might be a stubborn woman, but your mother isn't cruel. She just wants all of her children to outlive her and be alive and happy. But enough about her, we should be celebrating your arrival at Signal. I had a lot of things sent over to you, including everything you'll need. Textbooks, equipment, some funds of your own. I'm sorry I couldn't be around enough to actively train you before you got to Signal, but you're there to learn and I believe with all of my heart they'll do it better than I ever could. Remember what I always tell you kiddo, all it takes is confidence. It works in more situations than just with the ladies too. Just be confident and everything will go your way, I promise. Give your mom a call every once in a while. She'll miss you. From Dad."

And that was the man that Jaune looked up to and aspired to be like. His father was everything he wanted to be as an adult. Strong, kind, loyal and always working to save people and be a hero. The man had basically inspired Jaune and guided his whole life to this one moment. Even whilst he'd been away on mission after mission, the man found time to return home from time to time and had even set Jaune on a basic fitness routine. He had no real training as a fighter, but at least he wasn't lagging behind as much physically now!

His stomach certainly wasn't, as it growled to remind him that he was in fact hungry and that Signal cafeteria was going to open for Dinner soon. The blond pulled his hoodie on, gathered his scroll and apartment key and left the apartment, jogging the ten-minute walk to Signal in roughly 4 minutes. He wanted to get a good seat in the cafeteria, after all.

Entry didn't take long at all and Jaune didn't really mind the food, but it was nothing special. Nella cooked better food and he was pretty used to that, so this seemed a little subpar to him. And well, the company left a whole lot to be desired, especially since he'd already made himself look like an ass earlier by bumping into the guy sat next to him with an arm wrapped over his shoulder. To anybody else, the probably looked like friends. But god, they definitely were not friends!

"You're the idiot who bumped into me earlier. Going to apologize for scuffing my jacket?" The guy basically towered over Jaune, even though they sat next to each other, with deep black hair and coal black eyes. He wasn't wearing anything special, just a long black trench coat that didn't even have a single mark on it.

"Your coat doesn't have any scuffs on it. I-I didn't…" The single stutter was all it took, a moment of weakness that made Jaune a target.

"Yes you did. I think you should apologize."

"But I'm not at fault here!"

"Yeah well if you don't apologize soon I'm gonna start getting real angry at you!"

"Boys!" Both of them were snapped out of their respective trances, Jaune out of his cowering and the wannabe bully out of his anger, looking at the Blonde girl that had sat opposite Jaune and was looking at them with an unreadable expression. Was… was that excitement? "Both of you should calm down before I get angry. And you wouldn't like that. Now leave blond and scraggly alone." Now, normally Jaune would have jumped in indignation at such a remark, but when a good-looking girl comes to your defence you suck it up and say thank you. Or something.

"Uh, t-thank you. I'm Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue and the ladies love it." He watched warily as the bully started to walk away, noting that he didn't even know the guy's name. He could at least get the name of his fellow blonde-haired heroine, since she wasn't leaving it seemed.

"Huh the ladies love it do they?" She didn't seem too sure about that, glancing him up and down before scoffing. He sucked a breath in. What was wrong with him? He wasn't ugly or fat, was he? "I'm Yang Xiao Long, everybody loves it!" Now it was his turn to be dubious. Did everybody love it? Was that kind of what he sounded like? Wait a minute…

"Xiao Long? Like uh, Taiyang from earlier? Are you two related?" He asked, because far be it from him to just assume relation like that.

"Yeah, he's my dad. We live here on Patch and he taught me everything I know already."

"So, you've been trained already?"

"Yeah, haven't you?"

Crap. That wasn't good. Jaune took a minute to soft reboot his brain, blinking before letting what he hoped was a confident chuckle out. In reality, it sounded more like a nervous giggle.

"Of course I have. Psh, who hasn't had training before now?" His nervous laughter continued, earning an unamused look from his new companion. Well, that was fun. He wasn't even making a good impression with somebody that had helped him! He groaned, holding his head in his hands as Yang got up to walk away, finished with her food.

"See you in class, lady killer! Maybe we can spar at some point!" God, he hoped not. He'd heard her slam her fists together earlier. He did not want that. He sighed, standing and making for the exit. He just wanted to go home and sleep now.

Jaune jolted awake the next morning as his alarm clock finished ringing, glancing over at it to confirm his most horrible suspicion. He was late! By 7 minutes! Crap! It took another 2 minutes to get dressed and gather his belongings, before hurrying out of the door. He wouldn't even have time for breakfast! He just had to hurry, sprinting towards the academy and hurriedly navigating the halls to look for his classroom.

Eventually he found it, the classroom he was looking for. Homeroom with Mr. Branwen in classroom Grey 02. He panted at the door, knocking three times as loudly as he dared before the door swung open, revealing the sight of a somewhat tall man with silver-ish black hair and slight stubble. This was Mr. Branwen?

"You're late kid. Not a good look for your first homeroom, now is it?" The man drawled. He talked slowly, with a low voice that made Jaune believe that he was more used to whispering than he was yelling. Even when he was quiet, the man seemed to demand your attention just with the way his words sounded. Every single word that had left the man's mouth had sounded important just now. "Don't let it happen again, or you'll actually be in trouble. Huntsman can't afford to be showing up late on the job or somebody'll end up hurt. Go sit down kid."

Verbal tongue lashing over, Jaune trudged to a seat in the back of the classroom, idly noting that he'd walked past both Yang and his would-be attacker from yesterday. Maybe the latter had cooled down and hopefully the former would want to talk to him? A friend would sure as hell be nice.

"Right, where was I before the kid walked in?" Qrow had returned to standing at the front of the classroom, gazing over the students, his eyes stopping on Yang for a second. Or maybe he'd just imagined it? It was hard to tell. "Right, right. I'm your homeroom teacher, Qrow Branwen. Call me whatever you want, but when I'm talkin' you're listenin'. You've got me for homeroom and for combat training, both theory and practical. I'm in charge of whipping you into shape."

Jaune was pretty impressed, honestly. Despite the man giving him a warning earlier, which was probably definitely his fault come to think of it, Mr. Branwen seemed like an easy enough guy to get along with. Perfect for a homeroom teacher, though he wasn't too sure how that'd translate to being a combat instructor. The guy just seemed way too lazy and apathetic to teach any sort of combat, let alone the type that saw him helping dozens of teenagers find their unique styles and begin to develop them into something useful. Though maybe all of the laziness gave him the patience he'd need to actually get through it?

"Right. Today is going to be pretty short since it's your first day and it'll be shorter for some than for others." What on earth did the man mean by that? "Now, does anybody not have an activated aura?" What on earth did the man mean by THAT? Jaune's hand flew up, only to find that, to his horror, his was the only hand up. Through flaming cheeks and grit teeth, he clenched his eyes shut and let his hand stay raised. He'd really done it now.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality…" Suddenly, a hand gripped his outstretched forearm and Jaune glanced up to stare into the glaring eyes of Qrow Branwen as a heat began to diffuse through his body. It seemed to start from Qrow's hand, travelling to his chestm where it began to burn brighter and brighter. "Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee." Suddenly, Jaune's whole body was engulfed in a white glow, Qrow stepping backwards with a smirk on his face.

"What the heck was that?" Jaune panted, watching his hands as the white glow seemed to fade away, almost sinking inside of his skin and vanishing from sight. "That was…. Intense. It burned, but didn't hurt. It was warm." Just what the hell had that been and how did Qrow manage to cause it? Was it a Huntsman thing?

"That kid, was Aura. The soul manifested, it protects us and stuff. Kinda like a forcefield, made from our souls. You have way too much of it too. Don't panic, that's a good thing." Qrow explained it, maybe poorly, but it made sense to Jaune. It was some sort of soul energy that protected him from danger? Why didn't everybody have their aura unlocked? Wouldn't that save so many lives? Or maybe there was a reason behind that too? "Anyway, for now we'll move on to something else. For today, we'll be focusing on homeroom stuff and getting to know each other, everybody." Why did Jaune feel like this wouldn't go well?

"Right, now everybody write down one fact about yourself and pass it to whoever is next to you." And he was right, he didn't like this already. Hopefully once everything got settled, the actual huntsman stuff would begin? The stuff he was actually there to learn?

God he could only hope so.

So thanks for reading through the first chapter. I can only promise to try to improve as time goes on and hopefully this should be updated fairly regularly, aiming for at least one update per month. Constructive criticism is appreciated if it could be sent via PM, but please feel free to leave a review!

Thanks for reading!

- Culaco & Friend