Hey guys, here's the next chapter for The Azure Flame. Before it starts I just want address a couple things. First, Holy Shit I did not expect this to be doing as well as I thought. Second, I've read all the reviews from the first chapter and will be answering them at the end. Third, I planned out the entirety of Act one before posting the story, so I should be able to update regularly. However, this also means that for those of you who aren't a fan of music in fanfics, I'm sorry to disappoint. I've rewritten as many of the chapter outlines the best I can while still making sure I enjoy them. I still have music planned for 2 or 3 more instances outside of this chapter, and will take into consideration for the next. Anyways, I'll be answering more reviews at the end with the Bottom A/N. Until then, Enjoy!
6:00 pm the next day
Jaune was seated in the library, trying to work done for Ports project on Goliaths and how to execute an assault on one. Behind him was a bookshelf. And behind that were team RWBY and NR. Jaune was working hard, trying to focus on the work in front of him, however it was made challenging due to a certain conversation one row over.
"Hey there Blake. Ice Queen." He heard someone say. "Name's Sun, this is Neptune."
"Aren't library's supposed to be for studying?" He heard another person, probably Neptune.
"Thank you!" he heard Ren exclaim with Nora following up with something about pancakes.
"Shut up, don't be a nerd."
"Ah ah ah. Intellectual." He heard Neptune say.
"Why hello there Snow Angel."
'Man, I'd hate to be him right now.' Jaune thought to himself. 'He's about to learn the cold rejection of W-'
"Why hello there fair prince."
'What?' Jaune's mind had stopped. Had Weiss actually not been offended by that?
"Hey Weiss, didn't Jaune try to use that line on you?" he heard Ruby ask. He smiled a little. He didn't blame her or Nora for leaving him. They were dragged off and weren't given a choice.
"Who cares about that buffoon. Honestly, he sneaks into school and thinks that he can ask me out. He doesn't take care of his hair, doesn't present himself well, and is such a bad flirt."
"Then how come Pyrrha has a crush on him?"
'Pyrrha had a crush on me?' Jaune thought in confusion. 'Well, that explain spearing me to a tree. Although aren't you supposed to be dating someone before you start pinning them against surfaces?'
"Honestly, I don't know what she saw in that ugly idiot. I'm not surprised that the Arcs disowned him. He doesn't deserve a name that prestigious."
'THUMP'
Jaune had leapt out of his seat and was running towards the library doors.
"What was that noise?" Weiss asked.
"It was Jaune." Ruby said in disbelief. "He heard everything."
"Wait. Is Jaune that blonde dude with the blue eyes? Uses a sword and shield?" Sun asked.
"Yeah." Ruby responded.
"Oh, I liked that guy. Seems like a cool dude." Sun commented.
"Seriously?" Weiss asked. "He lied about his transcripts."
"I snuck onto a boat from Mistral to Vale. We've all done something shitty."
"You are taking this extremely well." Ruby told the monkey faunus.
"Eh, what can I say?" Sun shrugged, "I'm a decent guy."
Sun clapped his hands together before grabbing Neptune by the arm.
"Neptune and I are gonna go find the guy and try to cheer him up." With that he turned and started leaving only to run into someone.
"Sorry about that du-" Sun started only to look into a set of hetero-chromatic eyes. He looked at his hands and noticed a wide red dome with a steel circle surrounding it set into the back of his right hand. Sun's eyes widened as he recognized that he was talking to a member of the Set clan.
"Relax Wu kong. I'm not my ancestors." Orion said calmly, his gravely voice resonating through Sun's ears. "My generation and my father's generation are trying to undo our clans horrors."
"Sun, what's he talking about?" Blake asked, confused as to what Orion meant.
"Allow me to explain." Orion told them. "You know of the four old families and their creeds correct? The Arcs: An Arc never goes back on their word. The Winchesters: A Winchester always settles a debt. The Schnees: A Schnee treats a Stranger as an Equal. The Sets: Support for those who save. That creed came around in my grandfathers generation. Before my grandfather it was: Power to the wealthy. We were a mercenary warrior clan. My grandfather was the first one to change the creed and put into motion that we are no longer mercenaries. He struck down everyone from our clan that accepted contracts outside of Huntsman duty. For those he thought were redeemable, he spared their lives. But stripped them of our clans unique power."
"What's the power?" Weiss inquired.
"The remnants of the black beast. The first Alpha Grimm Hydra. Our clans founder, Ragna, slayed the beast and was able to absorb the power into a restrictor that was located on his right arm. He was able to use the dark energy of the Alpha Hydra to enhance himself and help end the first Great War. After starting the clan he opened up his options to mercenary work. He soon fell in love and reproduced and noticed that his offspring was missing his left arm. When a new Set is born they are born with one arm missing, meaning that we are to add the Black Grimmoire, also known as the Grimm Fire, to them when they reach a certain age. We are taught that the Grimm Fire is not ours to own, but ours to use. If we marry or decide to add a member to the clan, we remove an arm of their choice and replace it with the Grimmoire."
"So that means that if they were stripped of the Grimmoire-" started Yang.
"They would be missing an arm." finished Orion.
"So why doesn't everyone have it then?" Nora wondered aloud.
"There are certain conditions that must be met. First, You must be accepted by the current clan leader. That is currently my father. Second, you must be inherently good, you must want to change the world for the better. Being in a huntsman academy is usually a good sign of this however we still have other ways of detecting it. Thirdly, and this is probably the most important, you must have large reserves of aura. You can still wield the Grimmoire if you have average, little or no aura, however it eats away at your life force. If you use aura to fuel it, then you won't need to worry about this problem for a while. If have A LOT of aura, then you won't ever need to worry about it." Orion answered.
The group of teenagers sat in silence for a moment before Weiss spoke up.
"Orion, I think I am worthy of the Grimmoire and would like to acquire it." Weiss declared.
"The fact that you are saying you are worthy, already proves that you aren't." Orion told her. "You lack humility. You think you're better than others and honestly I don't like you. You can appeal to my father but I will voice against you from obtaining it."
Orion looked to the others.
"Now then. Any reason as to why I saw Jaune running out of here looking shattered? I'm not going to get mad. Only really, really, frustrated."
The 9 teenagers looked intimidated by Orion, as if a threatening aura had set in between them. And then Neptune started talking.
"Well, I came here because Sun wanted to introduce me to these guys. Then I started flirting with Weiss and, I think her names Ruby, said that Jaune used the same pickup line I used. After which Weiss said some hurtful things and has totally changed my mind about her." Neptune summarized for him.
Orion looked calm. He closed his eyes and nodded his head a couple times. He then turned to Weiss.
"And this… this is why you will never obtain the Grimmoire." He said told her.
Orion turned away from the group and exited the library, set on looking for Jaune.
"Anyway Neptune and I are going to go our dorms, I think that Set dude is going to take care of Jaune. Later losers!" Sune exclaimed, before dragging Neptune out of there.
The Rooftops 8:00
Jaune was broken.
Had he snuck in? Yes.
Had he proven that he was able to hold his weight with proper training? Yes.
So why won't they just leave him be?
These were the questions that plagued his mind as he fingered the strings on his guitar. He was playing a song that he enjoyed for its dark energy.
This world will never be.
What I expected.
And if I don't belong.
Who would expect it?
The Dorm Hallways 9:30
Ruby Rose walk the dorm halls, saddened about what Weiss had said about Jaune. Why does she have to be so mean to him? He earned his place here at Forever Fall! Why can't she see that. Some days she just wanted to punch her in her perfect little mouth.
While Ruby was lost in her thoughts, she felt herself run into something. Upon closer inspection it was revealed to be a person. Upon even further inspection it was revealed to be Cardin Winchester.
"Hey kid." Cardin greeted her.
"Oh, hey Cardin." Ruby awkwardly responded. "Where are you off to?"
"The dorm roof. Jaune's up there playing music and I think it's about time I thank him from saving my dumb ass back at Forever Fall. And to apologize for being a jackass to him."
"Can I join you? I want to apologize for not being there for him for the last month."
Cardin smiled weakly. "Sure"
The two walked towards the stairs in a silence. It wasn't comfortable, but it wasn't awkward. It was missing… something. Luckily Ruby picked up on the lack of something and decided to put something there.
"I heard from someone that you weren't the one who ratted Jaune out." Ruby stated, not really expecting an answer from him.
"It wasn't. It was Russel. Boy was I pissed. After Jaune refused to throw sap at you guys, some Ursa showed up. And who was the one to save me? Not my asshole teammates. It was the guy we were blackmailing. Honestly, Jaune belongs here. I've already brought Russel's actions to Goodwitch and Ozpin. They gave him a suspension for a week and then he was on my ass as soon as he came back. I told him to wisen up or I'll put in an ROR."
"What's an ROR?" Ruby asked.
"Request of Removal. Basically if you believe someone doesn't belong here you can put in a request to remove them. There's a couple of conditions. They show un-huntsman like behaviour, which is the big condition. Or they are refusing to better themselves. On top of that only Team Leaders can put in an ROR, and it can only be for people on their team. Don't worry Jaune's safe. Hell, he's the only one that deserves to be here, in my opinion." Cardin explained.
"Huh, I guess I should read the Team Leader Handbook more thoroughly." Ruby joked.
Cardin smirked a bit. "Yeah"
Ruby couldn't believe it. She was with the person that bullied Jaune and blackmailed him into submission. And she was talking to him like he was an old friend! Ruby looked back up to him and noticed some discolouration on the right side of his face.
"How'd you get the black eye?" Ruby asked him.
"I tried apologizing to Velvet. Good news: She accepted it. Bad news: It wasn't before her team beat me up." Cardin answered with a sigh. "You know, if I could go back in time and undo all the bullshit I did last semester I would."
Ruby responded with a 'huh' as they climbed the stairs to the roof. Cardin stopped before the door and gestured for Ruby to be quiet. They could hear Jaune playing. Ruby recognized the song. She used to listen to it when she had a fight with Yang or her dad.
And now it's coming clear
That I don't need you here
And in this world around me
I'm glad you disappeared
The mercenary and the rose could hear the knight scream out the last stanza of the song as if he was in pain.
I feel so much better
Now that you're gone forever
I tell myself that I don't miss you at all
I'm not lying, denying that I feel so much better now
That you're gone forever
And now you're gone forever
And now you're gone forever
The two of them heard him finish singing, but he continued to strum. This time with a different pattern but with the same chord. Ruby realized that Jaune wasn't finishing but rather continuing with another song.
Memories consume
Like opening the wound
I'm picking me apart again
'He's full of guilt.' Ruby thought to herself. 'He feels guilty that he cheated in. It probably doesn't help that we abandoned him.'
You all assume
I'm safe here in my room
'Wait. Is he hurting himself when no one's looking?' Ruby thought. 'I'm going to give him a big hug, apologize and bring him some cookies. I'll get Nora in on this. She can help me cheer him up.'
Unless I try to start again
I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
'Cause inside I realize
That I'm the one confused
I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean
I don't know how I got this way
'He's confused. He doesn't know why we're hypocrites. Vomit Boy, after you're done playing I'm going to make sure you know you're loved.'
I know it's not alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight
Ruby looked to Carding and was met with a matching look of confusion. Did Jaune have an addiction they didn't know about?
Clutching my cure
I tightly lock the door
I try to catch my breath again
I hurt much more
Than anytime before
I had no options left again
'He must really hate himself.'
I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
'Cause inside I realize
That I'm the one confused
I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean
I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight
I'll paint it on the walls
'Cause I'm the one at fault
I'll never fight again
And this is how it ends
The two eavesdroppers heard Jaune scream these words with a distortion in his voice. This is how what ends?
I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
But now I have some clarity
To show you what I mean
I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit tonight
They heard him stop. And then they heard him turn off the amplifier.
"Let's wait a couple seconds and catch him while he's on his way out. We can ask him if he needs a hand." Ruby whispered, receiving a nod from Cardin.
The two of them waited for half a moment before they heard a noise that sent a chill down their spines.
SPLAT!
Ruby and Cardin looked at each other with wide eyes, praying to Oum above that they misheard something. Cardin burst down the door and looked frantically for Jaune not seeing him anywhere. Nervously he walked over to the edge of the roof, and his heart sank. He called Ruby's name and told her to come over.
She listened. But once she looked over the edge, she wished she didn't. Because at the base of the Beacon dormitories laid a bloody body of Jaune.
"Ruby." Cardin began, grabbing her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "Look at me. Jaune doesn't have a lot of time right now so listen closely. I'm going to go to the body and arrange it so it's ready for transport. I need you to use your semblance to go get Goodwitch and inform the infirmary of what happened. Do you understand?"
Ruby nodded, with a glint of determination in her eyes. She will not let her first friend at Beacon die! They're supposed to grow up and go on badass hunting missions. And she would not let that dream fade.
A/N Contin.:
Songs used:
Never to Late by Three Days Grace
Gone Forever by Three Days Grace
Breaking the Habit by Linkin Park
So... Jaune jumped. This was a dark chapter but I wanted to get this write this part as early as possible. I didn't have the energy to write a bunch of dark and brooding stuff for the entirety of the first act. As it is right now I'm planning on their being about 3 or 4 more chapters for act one. It all depends on the next chapter and how I pace it. I'd also like to apologize for the short chapter I promise the next one is going to be longer.
Other than that, I would like to thank Prxmer for the initial beta read as well as HasbroBearBoi from Tumblr for doing the second beta read.
Review answers:
hirshja: Don't worry I'm not going to be using music all the time. Unfortunately I already have the rest of Act one written out and don't want to re-write it more than I have. I'm happy where it is right now, although in Act 2 onwards I can promise that the story won't have as much music.
To the group of people asking about Jaune's weapons: He will be getting new one's. I've already planned on what they are as well as their names.
As for the hypocrisy part: I was pissed that all these other betrayal fics didn't have that part in their. I want mine to stand out so I wanted to write it in.
Finally: 'Your oc is doing most of Jaune's work for him'. In the canon, Jaune doesn't have alot of self-esteem or confidence. That combined with the fact that now his friends have left him high and dry, both of those have plummeted. I wrote Orion as someone who cares deeply for Jaune, and wants to help him out the best he can. Even if it means solving his problems for him. That being said I also have it planned out that the characters will be forgiven.
As for pairings I might do a Knightshade (Jaune x Blake) and SolarFlare (Sun x Yang) pairing.
I'm kidding. But I already have the pairings planned out.
Anyway's I hoped you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you next time.
