Hey everyone, so I'm starting to work on this. I want to go ahead and get the first real chapter out so I can get a feel how much you guys like this. After that, I'm not sure. I may take some time to write up a bunch of chapters so that I'm not scrambling to write and then publish the same day. Or I may do that anyway. Either way, I'd like to know what you guys think. Also, as far as the votes: Jaune will remember (that was unanimous), and his companion… Well, actually, there was a tie. Blake and Yang were tied at 6 votes each. So, I suppose I could choose one of them. Or I could just do both. I'll probably shift between who Jaune starts with every "realm," but we'll start with Blake here.

Initium Novum

Being at a loss for words was not a new sensation for Jaune. But this was a whole new level.

Jaune remembered most of what had happened. All the events of his past life. Beacon, JNPR, RWBY…

Dying.

He didn't remember what happened after, but he understood the general idea of what was happening. There were different worlds, all connected in some way, and they all faced the same dangers. At least, in a sense. Either way, he had been given the chance to help them.

"Jaune? You okay?" The little pink cat tail waved in front of his face, forcing his attention back to his youngest sisters face. Rose was climbing into his lap and poking him, looking a little peeved at his lack of reaction.

Well, somethings never change I guess. She's still the same Rose, just a Faunus. And a little younger, but then I guess I am too. Huh, ten years. Would've thought I would start at the beginning. Hope I didn't miss anything.

"Yeah, I'm fine Rosie. Go ahead and get ready, I'll meet you by the door." Jaune ruffled her light pink hair and smiled when she bounded away, an almost unnatural grace in her movements.

He went into his bathroom and looked in the mirror, the blond ears on his head twitching. He bared his teeth to see his slightly elongated canines, and he could already smell the breakfast his mother was making.

Steak and eggs. Steaks are medium rare right now, I've got about a minute before they're ready. Some bell peppers, red onions, salt, pepper, and some Cajun seasoning. Smells like biscuit dough too.

Jaune chuckled under his breath. His newfound senses were certainly helpful, though he had already found one drawback he never knew about the Faunus.

Blake certainly had behaviors that could be described as "catty," but this was strange. Jaune couldn't help it, but every time he saw an open field, dense woods, or if something twitched like they were going to run, he desperately wanted to give chase.

His blood boiled, he could smell the fresh air outside, feel creatures moving, hear their heartbeats, and he wanted to hunt. And just like that it was gone. He was normal again.

Jaune finished getting ready, tightening his leather tunic around himself. He had awoken here two weeks ago, and almost immediately went to his father. If this world was anything like his original, he needed to start training. Now. Thankfully, Jaune already knew a lot about his weapon.

Crocea Mors.

While he admittedly missed the extra functions he had added, Jaune was ecstatic to see his old friend.

"Jaune, you ready?" Ignatius Arc's voice was easily recognizable, his large frame standing resolute in the field outside their home. His father towered over Jaune's ten year old body, the man standing at six foot three inches. Despite the Arc's affinity for plate armor and weapons of the Knights of old, Menageries brutal sun required lighter equipment.

Ignatius' armor was merely a larger version of Jaune's; A thick leather tunic, light tan shirt, brown cargo pants, and leather bracers. Ignatius' personal weapon, Enkanma, laid against the porch. The red crossguard of the massive weapon gleamed in the sunlight. Jaune was glad to see they wouldn't be sparring with their weapons, as Enkanma had a habit of igniting anything it could.

"Alright buddy, we're gonna work on evasion techniques." Ignatius snickered at Jaune's bewildered look.

"Hey, I'm very happy you want to use Crocea. But not everyone forfeits range, and you'll have to be able to adapt. Ready up, and leave your shield over here. I know you can tank hits all day, but I want you to focus on outsmarting me." Ignatius reached behind him, producing a simple carbine rifle. Jaune knew that the light caliber wouldn't cause permanent damage, but it'd still hurt.

"Well if that's the exercise, I'll be done before breakfast." Jaune smirked as Rose laughed behind him. Ignatius smiled at his son's jab, replying with a single round to Jaune's left foot.

Jaune yelped, Ignatius chuckled, and Rose started rolling on the floor.

"You shot me!"

"Ready? Go!"

Jaune rolled his stiff shoulders as he walked through Kuo Kuana's crowded streets. Most people greeted him with small smiles and waves, a few calling out to him. Despite Jaune and his sisters being some of the only Faunus Arcs, his family was known for being kind to Faunus. They hated what the White Fang were doing, but they hated the Schnees just as much. The Arcs had always been against both parties, becoming Hunters since they viewed the Grimm as the bigger threat.

Jaune knocked gently on the doorway of the hut, peering inside cautiously.

"Hello? Ares, you here?" Jaune knew he was asking for trouble, but Violet needed new books and this was the best place in Menagerie.

Jaune was about to back out of the doorway when a fist flew towards him. He dodged it by a hairsbreadth, reaching out and grabbing the offending limb, pulling his attacker towards him.

Ares wild grin made its way into Jaune's vision as the two boys stumbled into the street. No one else really minded them too much, very use to the occurrence, some even stopping to watch.

The two began circling, Jaune keeping all his senses on his opponent. True to his name, the idea of "planning" didn't mean much to Ares. His movements were sporadic and chaotic, but they were powerful and damaging if you weren't careful.

Ares' grey eyes flashed with joyful rage as he got into a loose stance, glad to be able to fight someone.

"Man, Jaune. You've gotten quicker. I missed our talks, you've been out for a while." Ares switched the direction of their circle, putting his left side out front.

"Yeah, I don't remember us talking very much." Jaune matched his old friend's movements, covering a smirk as he saw a figure behind Ares. "I mostly remember me beating you into the ground, then chatting with your sister."

Ares burst out laughing, letting his stance drop. He knew Jaune wouldn't attack at such a blatant opening, and even if he did, Ares would be fine.

"I think I knocked something loose last time. You got some serious revisionist history going on there pal. You only talked with my sister because she had to patch you up. Why else would you talk-"

Ares… questionable statement about his sister was interrupted by said sister. Specifically, by her suplexing him back into their hut.

"Hey Athena. How's it going?" Jaune reached a hand down to the young girl, her aqua eyes squinting at him.

"I'm fine, though I am curious why you dragged me into this." Athena poked Jaune in the shoulder, her pale red hair flowing to her waist.

"Eh, you were already behind him. I figured you'd take the excuse to-" Jaune ducked as Ares launched himself out of the hut. "Knock some sense into him."

"I'm right here you know! Also I call bull, that was a cheap move."

"It's called strategy, dear brother."

"Boring."

Athena shook her head as she handed a bag to Jaune.

"It's Monday, so Violet's probably done with her books, right? Here's the next batch. We just got some from a ship that docked a few days ago. Said they were from Mistral, so maybe there's some good stuff in there."

Jaune smiled and hugged her, dragging Ares in via headlock. Jaune's world may have been turned upside down, but he couldn't complain too much. He had his family and good friends.

"Mom said you guys were coming over for dinner. You know her, that isn't really a request. I'll meet you guys there later, I've got a few more errands to run." Jaune waved as he moved towards the center of town.

Two weeks was enough time that Jaune knew how to move around Menagerie, though it felt easier than he would've thought. Residual memory from before I woke up? He shrugged as he kept walking.

Jaune paused as he passed by the main street, looking to the Chieftain's home. He remembered his dad saying something about going there soon, that Ignatius had someone he wanted Jaune to meet.

Wait, I'm in Menagerie. If my math is right, it's still about six or seven years until Initiation. Blake had told us she left the White Fang right before. But she never told us when she left her home… which is the same home I'm looking at. How did I not think of this sooner!

Jaune grinned and almost sprinted to the doors, stopping at the bottom of the stairs and throwing himself to the side.

Wait! How would I even start this conversation? 'Hi, my names Jaune! I'm actually almost twenty, my consciousness is from a different world, I was friends with you and your team of Huntresses, and we all fought against the queen of the Grimm until I died.' Yeah, that'd go well.

"I need to think this through. Time to head back anyway." Jaune sighed as he stood, freezing when he heard a cry. His ears swiveled, searching for the sound. It wasn't a cry of pain or sorrow, it was like someone was fighting or training.

There it was again, but it was quiet. Yet it sounded close.

Jaune couldn't help it, the need to hunt was back. He prowled through the shrubbery around the Chieftain's home, following his ears and nose.

He could smell his target now. Female, young, sweaty, tired… smells like nightshade?

Jaune cautiously peered through the bushes, his entire body rumbling with energy. He kept himself still and quiet, every muscle tense.

Found you.

Blake. A young Blake, but definitely her. She already had Gambol Shroud, and she was decimating the wooden targets around her. She came to a halt after decapitating the last target, smoothly reloading and sheathing her weapon. She was wearing light sweats, most of which was darkened from her exertions. Jaune watched as her small ears twitched, and she cocked her head slightly.

He knew he had positioned himself downwind, but he couldn't stop her from hearing his breathing or heartbeat. Which seemed to be beating very hard.

Let's see if we can't get ahead of this. Oh Monty, please don't kill me Blake.

Jaune gently eased himself from the bushes, hands already raised when Blake spun, her weapon leveled center mass.

"Who are you?"

Jaune winced. She did not sound happy. Like, at all.

"I'm Jaune." She didn't seem satisfied.

"I didn't mean to sneak up on you, I just heard you training and I wanted to see." Jaune prayed she would take the bait and not ask any more about why he was here.

"Why? It's just training."

"Well, I'm training too, but I wanted to see how you did it. Your fighting style is crazy different from mine. I'm sorry." Jaune hung his head, trying to make himself seem smaller.

"It's fine. You said your name is Jaune, right?" He nodded. "As in, Jaune Arc, Ignatius' son?"

Jaune looked back up and quirked an eyebrow. He nodded again, trying to piece together Blake's flat look.

"Okay then. You wanted to find out about my fighting, so it's only fair that you let me do the same." Blake gestured to the rack of training weapons behind her. Jaune was hesitant to say the least. Back in Beacon, Blake could easily wipe the floor with him, not even needing her semblance.

But this Blake was young, and didn't have Jaune's level of experience.

Jaune nodded once more and moved to the weapon rack, picking up a sword about the same as Crocea. Its edge was dulled, and it was a little lighter than he was used to. But there was a bigger problem.

"No shield?"

Blake walked up next to him and raised a slender eyebrow.

"No. None of us fight in a way that would use shields. Is that going to stop you?"

Jaune knew that tone. She was challenging him. Any good Huntsmen should be able to adapt.

"No, I'll be fine." Jaune glanced over the weapons, wondering whether or not he should try a second weapon. Jaune settled on a decent sized knife, its blade a little broader than a dagger.

"Ready?" Blake had already settled into her ready stance, her eyes fixed on Jaune.

Jaune put a few paces between them and settled into his own stance, holding just the longsword at the ready. He nodded to Blake and they began to move.

Jaune rushed forward, knowing Blake would be expecting such an attack. As she jumped back, Jaune cut hard and threw himself to the side, startling Blake as her retaliation hit nothing but air.

Blake moved herself back, watching Jaune with a cautious eye as he got himself back into position.

This time, Blake engaged. She threw her kusarigama in a wide arc, pulling on the ribbon to force the arc closed, causing Jaune to slid on his knee to avoid being strangled. As his momentum carried him forward, Blake readied for a punishing strike with her cleaver.

By a miracle of balance, reaction time, and luck, Jaune managed to pull his sword up and deflect her strike…

Unfortunately disarming himself in the process.

Blake felt a small grin etch itself into place as she pulled on her ribbon again, sending the blade of her weapon hurtling towards Jaune.

The grin fell completely as she watched her weapon bounce away, the ribbon torn from her grasp. Jaune had pivoted as he stood, hammering an open handed strike to the flat of her blade, sending it to rest by his own.

"Nicely done." Blake's brow twitched, but she couldn't deny he deserved the compliment. The timing alone proved he knew what he was doing.

That should not have worked.

Jaune was about to reply, but he froze when Blake smirked.

"But now you have no weapon." She wiggled her cleaver in emphasis, showing herself to still be armed. Blake launched herself forward, intending to end the duel as quick as it started.

Jaune returned her smirk as he locked his knife against her cleaver. The look on her face showed that she had forgotten he grabbed it, Jaune having hidden the blade in his left bracer.

Blake pushed off him, and did something Jaune was not expecting.

She smiled. A genuine smile.

Jaune smiled straight back, happy to be back with a friend.

Jaune sighed as he sat on the edge of his bed. He knew it might happen, but he had prayed that he could help stop it. Five years of being close to Blake, and Jaune realized how much he had missed her. How much he missed all of them.

A coward. That's what she had said to him. That he feared the Humans, so he wouldn't help his brothers and sisters.

That was three days ago. Jaune hadn't left his room, he hadn't eaten, barely drank. Every time he slept, he saw her accusing him. He saw Adam gloating over him. He saw…

He saw Cinder. He saw Salem. Yang's arm, Ruby's eyes, Qrow's last stand, all the terror of his last life.

"Jaune?" Noir poked her head through his door. Her feather like hair shook as she looked around, her sharp and bright eyes cutting through the dark.

She felt her heart shatter as she looked at her little brother. He was perched on the side of his bed, in nothing but his drawstring pants, staring out the window. His blond ears were drawn back, lips twitching into a snarl, his entire body tensed.

Noir walked over and sat next to him, wrapping him in her arms. She sang softly into his ear, holding him tight.

Jaune took another deep breath, reveling in his sisters soft feathers and gentle song. He prayed to any god that would listen that Blake would at least make it to Beacon.

Noir's song stopped, but she continued to hold her brother, gently scratching his ears.

"Jaune. Mom and Dad are worried about us. They're going to take all of us to Mistral. They're a little more accepting than most, and they remember what our family has done." She paused, unsure of delivering that final piece of news. "Dad said he has a friend in Vale. Well, on Patch. He thought you might want to go train there, since you want to go to Beacon."

Jaune's ears instinctively perked up. Noir smiled, assuming he was happy to have a goal again.

Patch. Ruby and Yang! There's no way… Is the friend Qrow? Nah, can't be. Taiyang, maybe?

But soon, another thought entered his head.

"I'd love to, but… what about you guys? I can't just leave." Jaune shifted enough to look his sister in the eyes. Noir was only two years older, but Jaune felt closest to her than anyone else. Well, except his twin, Merron.

Noir's heart swelled when Jaune looked at her. No matter what happened, Jaune always thought of his sisters. She smiled again and booped his nose.

"We'll be fine. You'll just have to visit when you can. Show off your team, your cool Beacon skills. Just promise you won't change too much, okay?"

Jaune felt a squeeze around his heart. Little late for that promise, sister.

Jaune wrapped her into a tight hug, memorizing everything he could about her.

"I promise, Noir."

Okay guys, here's the first chapter. So, to clear up, Jaune is a Wolf Faunus. His father is Human and his Mother is Faunus, haven't decided what type. I'm sure you could argue that they should all be similar Faunus, but I like the idea of a "Menagerie" inside the Arc household. So like I said, Jaune will have both Yang and Blake as companions, it'll just trade on and off. Few more favors to ask of y'all: First, obviously I'd like to know what you think. Second, Throw me some suggestions for worlds once I finish this one. Third, should I mess with the teams or keep the canon teams? And Fourth, would you guys prefer chapters longer or shorter than this? Alright, that about wraps things up.

Goodnight,

Arebus.