Shattered Dream, Broken Soul
There are five stages to grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Every person goes through them all in a time of loss or trauma. Some go through them quick. Others take longer, sometimes years. Some people have the unfortunate circumstance to relapse into previous stages. Sometimes multiple times before they finally reach acceptance. Jaune was no exception.
His denial was short, only lasted an hour or so. From the time the doctor had told him about his condition up until the person who caused it to happen walked into his hospital room. He just didn't want to believe it. No way that it could be true, not after everything he went through.
His anger didn't last as long as his denial. It came when he saw her again and she tried to apologize. Quick and hot, just like the spark needed to start an inferno. He had yelled and told her off with his anger but it didn't last. It burnt out quickly. As soon as he saw the somber look in his uncle's eyes, his anger burnt out and he fell right into depression. The stage of bargaining lasted all of a second.
It had been a few days since then. He had been released from the hospital and was sent home. His uncle started to talk to a few workers and his cousins escorted him past the damaged club and up into their apartment. When they walked in, Miltia went to her room to grab something while Melanie went into the kitchen. He just walked into the living room and sat down on the couch and just looked out one of the many window to watch Vale. He went to scratch his face but stopped and looked back down to his right arm, in a cast and in a sling.
His heart clenched for a second before he sighed. He then started to send his aura into his arm, trying to accelerate the process. While still in the hospital, Melanie and Miltia had gave him the basics to how to manipulate aura and with him knowing the theory behind it, it only took a dozen or so failed tries before he got it to finally work. So, this is what he did. Circulate most of his aura from his fingertips to his shoulder then back again. The increased warmth in his broken appendage was relaxing and reassuring to him. But most of all, gave him hope it'll be back to how it was.
He just did that subconsciously as he looked out the window as it started to rain. He watched as the waterdrops slowly ran down the glass pane and just let his mind wander. He came back to reality when he felt something cold press against his neck. He flinched away from it before turning around, seeing Melanie holding out a glass of soda for him while she held a second in her other hand. She had her usual smirk on her face as she did it. "Looks like you're paying attention now." she said.
He gave her a weak smile and took the glass left-handed, "Sorry, Mel. Distracted."
She just sat down next to him and gently ran her hand through his hair, "You've always been distracted. That's what makes you my adorable little cousin." She teased.
That actually made him snort, "I'm taller than you now. Considerably." He took a sip of the soda she gave him.
She gave him a heatless glare, "Is that anyway to speak to your favorite cousin?"
He shrugged, "No. But Miltia isn't here." He smirked at her as he said his usual comeback when either of the twins said something along those lines.
Before Melanie could come up with a rebuttal, her twin sister's voice came into the room from the hallway, "Actually, I'm right here." She walked in and pulled DVD from behind her back, "So, you two ready to watch the latest in the in that superhero franchise?"
Jaune looked over to her, "Ten years of movies leading up to this point? Hell yeah."
Miltia tried to hide her smile as she walked to the DVD player, "Melanie, can you get the popcorn and snacks?"
She stood up, "Popcorn is already popping. I'll grab the rest though."
Jaune wouldn't call himself the brightest bulb out there but even he could see what they were doing. They were trying to take his mind off of what happened to him and trying to improve his mood. Both had their own ways though. Melanie would go out of her way to make the person happy. While Miltia would do things but play it off like it was the normal thing to do. Kind of like a tsundere. Although, they only did that with people they loved, like family. That just made him smile and just accept their treatment.
Miltia was frantically looking around the tv and he raised an eyebrow. He was about to ask her what she was doing when she shouted, "Who the hell lost the remote!?"
Jaune's eyes slowly panned down to the coffee table in front of him and there it was. In plain view. He chuckled and she turned to him with a glare, "What's so funny!?" His eyes met her's and he just grinned. He then slowly looked down and she followed until her eyes landed on the remote. Her jaw dropped and he just started laughing. She blushed and glared at him, "Oh shut up!"
"What's going on?" Melanie asked as she walked in with a tray with a bowl of popcorn, a few boxes of candy and a few more drinks. She looked at Jaune trying to breathe after laughing so hard to Miltia looking embarrassed as all hell and blushing before finally looking at the remote on the table. She gained a deadpanned expression before she looked at her sister, "Again?"
She just looked away and crossed her arms over her chest, "Shut up." Melanie just rolled her eyes at her sister's antics before placing the tray on the coffee table and reclaiming her seat on Jaune's left while Miltia sat on his right hand grabbed the remote to play the movie they would all enjoy for the next few hours.
The three enjoyed the movie greatly up until the ending where Miltia stood up and shouted, "Are you kidding me!? You can't end a movie like that!"
Melanie just looked over at her sister, "Apparently they can."
She turned to her sister, "You can't just let the bad guy win and kill off half the cast!"
Jaune decided to add in his two-cents, "Technically, they weren't killed. They just faded out of existence."
Miltia's eyes snapped over to him, "How is that any different!?"
He shrugged, "Not sure how to explain that. But they'll figure out a way to fix everything in the sequel. That's how these things work out." He then picked up the remote and turned off the movie. Miltia just pouted and sat back down on the couch, stuffing chocolate into her face while she grumbled.
Melanie just poked his shoulder, "You're taking this rather well. I thought you would be upset by the ending."
He shook his head, "Nah, I knew the bad guy was going to win. Only way it would make any sense since they already revealed there'd be a sequel. Besides, that gauntlet was OP."
"True." Melanie nodded. That was when the door opened showing and exhausted Hei. He slowly walked across the room to the fridge to grab a mineral water. He started to walk over to his recliner as he drank greedily from the bottle. The three of them just watched him as he practically collapsed into the chair with a sigh. "Tough day?"
He nodded slowly, "Yeah, talking to the contractor all day. Not any structural damage thankfully. But the repairs are still going to take a month. Probably two if the contractor is as lazy as I'm thinking he is." He ran a hand down his face with a groan, "So, glad I had full coverage for insurance. It should cover all of it and a few renovations I've been thinking about." He then looked to Jaune, "And I have some information that you might like."
Jaune raised an eyebrow, "What info, Uncle?"
With a grunt, he sat up and put his water on the table. He then pulled out his scroll and started going through different pages before he found what he was looking for. He handed it to his nephew, who took it in confusion before he looked down and gasped. There was a picture of a very familiar blonde and a lot of information but the picture made his arm ache with phantom pains. "Is this…?" he asked.
Hei nodded, "All the info I could dig up on the blonde that trashed the club." The twins stared wide eyed at Junior then back to Jaune. "Her name is Yang Xiao Long. Seventeen and just graduated from Signal Academy. Also found out she has been accepted to Beacon." That caused Jaune to grip the scroll tighter. "With this, we could sue her or even press charges. But, since you were affected more than anyone, I'm going to leave this up to you, Jaune."
Jaune just looked down at the scroll as he looked at her picture, cocky grin and all, he just felt the embers from his anger start to light again. She had broken his arm, pretty much guaranteeing he'd never be a Huntsman, and now he finds out she is going to the very school he was supposed to. She was going to get exactly what she wanted and get away scot-free. Well, not anymore. With this he could ruin her life and take everything away from her. Karma.
As he thought about that, he started to think back to the hospital and the look in her eyes. He didn't realize it because of how angry he was but now, he had more clarity. That look she had in her eyes, what was it? Sorrow? Regret? Pity? He wasn't sure but that doused the flames of his anger just a bit and his depression came back in full force.
Yeah, she broke his arm but did that warrant ruining her entire life for it? And suing her? He doubted she had the money to go through something like that and it would just hurt her family more than anything else. No point in hurting the many for the sins of a few. Besides, he wanted to protect people. That's part of why he wanted to be a Huntsman. Hurting someone out of spite was never him and he didn't want that to change.
With a defeated sigh, he handed the scroll back to his uncle. "Just leave it be, Uncle."
That shocked the three, "Jaune, are you sure? After everything that she did to you, she should face the consequences." Junior told him.
"Uncle, suing her would just hurt her family. They had nothing to do with this. Besides, you already said it, you don't need the money to fix the club. And I sure as hell don't need it." He looked down at his cast, "Yeah, this sucks. But ruining her life wouldn't fix this and I wouldn't get anything out of it besides revenge. It's just not worth it." He said in neutral tone.
"But, Jaune-" Junior started.
"Stop." He said with an edge to his voice that took them all by surprise. "I don't want to do anything." He stood up, "If you really want to do something, send a letter to Beacon explaining what has happened to me and her. Let them deal with it their way. Maybe send one to her parent's too. But that's it. Nothing else." He started to walk past them with his head lowered.
"Jaune..." Miltia said.
"I'm going to bed. See you all in the morning." He told them as he went to his room.
They all watched him go and when they heard his door shut, the twins smacked Junior on the back of his head, hard. "Ow! What!?"
"You're an idiot, that's what." Miltia growled at him. "Why the hell would you bring her up now?"
"I was trying to help him out after everything that happened to him." Junior defended himself.
Melanie sighed, "Jaune isn't like us though. He has been raised on the tales of his ancestors and heroes. The only way he'd want revenge is if the culprit hurt someone he cared for. He doesn't hold himself in high regard, you should remember that, so of course he wouldn't want revenge for himself."
"And you ruined all the progress we were making!" Miltia shouted at him and he flinched. "We finally got him to start acting like his old self. He was being snarky with us, laughing, nerding out at a movie he was really looking forward to. He wasn't back but it was a start and you just-" she stopped and just growled at him.
Junior just looked at his two adopted daughters before he looked down in shame. He knew both had good points and he knew he royally screwed up. He sighed and took out his scroll to start typing the letter Jaune had asked for. It was the least he could do, respect his wishes. He could do little else. His sister had warned him that his double life would get people hurt and she was right. And worst of all, it was his only nephew that was at ground zero. How was he supposed to fix this?
Yang was sitting in her room at Patch. Just sitting at the head of her bed and looking out the window. She saw Ruby playing with Zwei and gently smiled before it quickly fell from her face. This wasn't the usual Yang Xiao Long that her family knew.
She had graduated Signal and was heading out to Beacon soon, she should be out having a great time. She should be celebrating. Hell, she should really be down there teaching Ruby some hand-to-hand, but she wasn't. She just sat in her room from the moment she woke up until she went to sleep. Only leaving to go to the bathroom or to get something to drink or eat before bringing it back. This is what she had been doing since she came back home. After she went to see Jaune Arc.
Jaune Arc. That was his name. The name of the life she ruined. She only knew it because she overheard it from his doctor as he was talking to Junior as she snuck by them. Everything about that night haunted her and she kept reliving it. The punch she threw. Him hitting the wall. Hearing that eerie sound of his arm breaking. The sound of him screaming that bloodcurdling scream as the pain finally registered with him. But worse was the reality that if Junior didn't unlock his aura, he could be dead.
She turned from her window and looked down at her hands in her lap. She raised them and they started to shake like crazy. These were the hands that broke him. Nearly killed him. The fists she had trained for years to fight Grimm or fallen Huntsman, had almost killed an innocent soul. One who just was trying to protect his family. That was the worst part. The two of them could've had a kinship. She would risk everything to protect her family, especially Ruby. And look what she did to him, someone that would probably do the same with his family.
She put her shaking hands down and looked over to her nightstand. Sitting there was Ember Celica in their compact form. She hadn't worn them since that night and she was having a hard time with the reality that she'd have to wear them again. Every time she reached for them, her hands would spasm even worse than they were a minute ago. How was she supposed to be a Huntress if she couldn't even touch her weapon?
She sighed and leant the back of her head against the wall. She looked up at the ceiling. "Do I really have the right to be a Huntress?" she asked out loud.
She didn't get her answer though. All she heard was her father's voice from downstairs, "Yang! Come down here!"
She flinched at his tone, "Great. He's pissed." She muttered to herself. Taiyang was never quick to anger so if he was mad, it was something serious. She got off her bed and left her room. She made her way down the stairs and halfway down, she could see her father sitting in the arm chair. His back was to her but she could tell by how he was sitting, leant forward with his elbows resting on his knees, that he was indeed very angry. "What's up, Dad?" she asked nervously.
He answered but didn't turn to her, "Sit down, please." He said please but she knew he wasn't asking her.
She swallowed and made her way down the rest of stairs. She then walked past him and sat down on the couch. He was now at a forty-five degree angle from her and she could see him clearly. His face was the epitome of angry. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were looking down at a paper on the table in front of him. His glare was so intense, she was shocked the paper didn't catch fire from it. He had his fingers linked together and his mouth was hidden behind them so she couldn't see the frown that was definitely behind it.
For five minutes, they sat like that in silence. And Yang was growing more and more nervous. If her father was mad, he'd usually yell and move past it. But the way he was acting now, it was unnerving for her. Thankfully, he finally decided to speak. He pulled his hands from his mouth and looked at her. She looked into his eyes and she felt like a five-year-old about to be yelled at. He motioned to the paper on the table, "Do you know what this is?" he asked in a calm voice.
She looked at the paper but couldn't read it, so she had very little idea on what it was. She looked back at him and hazarded a guess., "A letter?"
He nodded his head once, "And do you know who it's from?"
She just shook her head.
"Well, let me tell you. It's from a Mr. Hei Xiong. But maybe you know him as 'Junior'?" Yang froze at that. She didn't even breathe. After a minute or so of her staring at him like a deer in headlights, he continued, "Do you know what he wrote me about?"
She cleared her throat and looked down. She spoke in a whisper, "I have a good idea."
"Well, let me clarify it for you." Tai said as he tapped the paper with his index finger. "Apparently, you went to his club, one you are too young to go to, I'll remind you. While there, you threatened him for information and when he didn't have the information, you assaulted him and his employees. Along with that, you caused severe property damage to his business. You then started to fight with his adopted daughters and his nephew. Care to tell me what happened next?"
She didn't dare look up at him. She answered in a weak and shaky voice, "I hit him and broke his arm."
She jumped when Tai slammed his hand on the table. She looked at him and his eyes were burning with anger, "No. You shattered his arm." There was a very tense silence between the two as Tai was glaring at his eldest daughter. "Do you know how bad this is, Yang?"
She slowly looked down and said one weak word, "Yes."
"I don't think you do. You do realize he has grounds to sue you for all the damage to his place, right? Or worse, he could press charges and have you arrested." Tai informed her.
Yang was shaking slightly and just managed to nod her head as she looked down.
Another silence followed and Tai just stared at his shaking daughter, who refused to look him in the eyes. He eventually took a deep breath and sighed, "Yang." He said calmly. "What were doing there in the first place? Why did you do all this?"
After a few seconds, she answered him. "I was trying to find information on Mom."
Tai just stared at her in disbelief for a few seconds. He then shook his head and made to get up from his chair. Before he could, she asked him one question, "How much trouble am I in?"
He looked at her still shaking and answered her. "You're lucky. Mr. Xiong isn't going to sue or press charges."
Yang stopped shaking and sat in a silence. She then spoke up shakily, "W-what?"
He nodded, "You heard me. He was all for it but he left the decision up to his nephew. And he said to just let it go and to just send me this letter." He looked back to the letter, skimming it. "What was his name again?"
"Jaune." Yang said and Tai looked at his daughter, who was shaking again. "His name is Jaune Arc." She sniffled slightly, "W-why?" She looked up to her father to show that tears were running down her face. "W-why would he do t-that?"
"Yang?" he asked confused.
She started to shake more and she started to hug herself as she cried. "I hurt him so badly. I took away his dream. He should hate me, want me to suffer. So, why is he letting me off so easily? I don't deserve it."
"Sweetheart." Tai said quietly before he sat next to and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. As soon as she felt that, she practically threw herself into his arms and started to cry into his chest. He was genuinely surprised by this and could do nothing but hold her and try to calm her down. It took almost twenty minutes before she stopped crying but she refused to let him go. He looked down at his daughter, "You better now?"
She shook he head, "No. I'm not." Tai gently rubbed her back and she started to speak again. "I went to see him, while he was in the hospital. I wanted to make sure he was okay and to apologize, as stupid as that sounds." She shook a bit before she spoke up again. "He told me that because of what I did, his arm would take a month to heal, even with aura. Then he'd need physical therapy and even then, his arm would probably never be the same."
"He even told me he was supposed to go to Beacon soon. But with his arm…there's no way he'll be able to make it. And if his arm will never be the same…how could he hope to get in later? So, why isn't he trying to get back at me? He has every right to be angry. To hate me." She looked into her father's eyes and asked brokenly, "So, why?"
Tai sighed and motioned to the letter, "He wrote that his nephew is in a bad place right now. But, his words were, 'Ruining her life wouldn't fix this and I wouldn't get anything out of it besides revenge. It's just not worth it.' Maybe he did not do it out of goodness of heart, but maybe because he didn't want to ruin your life like you did with him, or something like that. Maybe he's was just trying to be the better person."
Yang sniffled, "Yeah, great. I break a kindhearted guy that probably just wanted to be a Huntsman for a better reason than I do. And he is one of those few people who don't want revenge." She sat in a silence for a while. "Dad?" she asked.
"Hmmm?" he responded back.
"After everything I did, do I have any right to be a Huntress?" she asked again.
He thought about it for a while, "I guess that depends on you, Yang. Do you think you do?"
She just shrugged, "I don't know anymore. I keep thinking about what I did to Jaune. I've even been having nightmares about it. I can't even pick up weapons without shaking. So, how am supposed to go from here?"
"Well, I can see two choices for you. One, you quit and find something else to do with your life. Give up on all the training and hard work you put into it. Or two, you can learn from this and make sure something like this never happens again. Make yourself that you can be proud of. Make this your repentance."
She snorted, "Yeah, right. Go to the same place he was supposed to go. Like that will make things better."
"Think of it as an added challenge. Besides if you do go to Beacon, it won't be as easy as you think. I got a call from Professor Ozpin not long before I called you down." Yang flinched at that. "Yup, he received a similar letter. He is still willing to accept you into Beacon but with three stipulations."
Yang looked up at him hesitantly, "Which are?"
"If you do pass Initiation, you will have a weekly Anger Management session with Professor Goodwitch. You will be restricted to staying on Beacon Grounds unless explicitly being allowed off by the Headmaster himself. And finally, you will be on probation of sorts. If you prove to him that you do not belong, he'll expel you there and then." Tai explained to her.
Yang was shocked but pulled away from her father. She stared at the table for a while. "I'm not sure on what to do. Can I think about it?"
Her father just nodded, "Take all the time you need." She nodded and stood up, intent on going back to her room. "One last thing." She turned back to her father who had an understanding smile, "You made a mistake, a bad one. But one mistake does not make you a monster or criminal. No matter what you decide, I will always love you, my Sunny Little Dragon."
She looked at her father in shock before she had a small smile, "Thanks, Dad. Love you too." She then went back up to her room.
When he heard her door close he sighed and looked up at the ceiling, "Wish you two were still around. Would make these things easier to get through." Tai said out loud as he thought about his two past loves. He then stood up and went to prepare dinner for his family.