Dead Man Walking

by Mtop70

Jackson Wesson stands as the shell of a man he once was. Three years after a pivotal moment in his life, a brush with death drops him in the arms of Team RWBY, and someone he never thought he'd see again. Over time he creates bonds with RWBY and others, and collects pieces of himself as well. But when truths are revealed, can he forgive and forget, or will he burn it to the ground?

4. First Day

AN: Hey guys, welcome back to another chapter of Dead Man Walking! Sorry if this chapter and the ones that follow take longer to publish, school is coming to a close and now I'm being bombarded with projects. But I'm giving it my best, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any songs that may have been used within the story.

…

Jackson's Dorm

The Next Day

Not once in three years has Jackson slept as deep as this. His body stayed while his mind and soul was elsewhere up in the clouds, chosen by Odin himself, feasting on mutton in the halls of Valhalla, surrounded by beautiful women.

No wonder Weiss was having so much trouble trying to wake him up.

Jackson had left his door unlocked the night before, and she wanted to make sure he made a good first impression on his teachers. At this rate, he'd be lucky to stay in the classroom.

After many attempts at waking up Jackson, Weiss sighed. She pulled out her scroll, put on a song, placed it on his nightstand, and walked out.

'If this doesn't work, he's officially in a coma,' Weiss thought.

She walked out of his dorm and headed back to her own. Upon entering, she saw the rest of her team in their uniforms, Ruby and Blake fully alert while Yang more groggy than the others.

"Where's Jackson?" Asked Ruby. "Weren't you going to wake him up?"

Weiss held up a finger in response. "Wait for it."

As if on cue, music started playing in the room next to theirs. It was muffled, but they could still make it out:

"I can't stop this feeling

Deep inside of me

Girl, you just don't realize

What you do to me"

RBY was confused as to why there was music playing, and turning to Weiss, all they saw was an extremely irritated look on her face. "Is that-"

"Blue Swede, yes," Weiss replied coldly.

"When you hold me

In your arms so tight

You let me know

Everything's alright"

"Wow Weiss, I didn't take you for the type to listen to this kind of music," Blake said.

"It's not for me," Weiss responded.

Before they could question her further:

"AAAAAHAAAAAAHAAAAAHAAAAAIIIIIII'M HOOKED ON A FEELING! I'M HIGH ON BELIEVING, THAT YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The extreme outburst startled everyone, with Weiss only flinching. "It's for him," she said. She walked back into his dorm, retrieving her scroll and dragging a now dressed Jackson back into her own.

Ruby took the bait. "Um, what was all that about?"

Weiss sighed. "Ever since we met, Jackson has had an unbreakable connection with that song. I don't know why or how, but if he hears even a single note of it, it will snap him out of whatever state he is in, and make it a mission to find where it's coming from. Hell, he'd probably rise from the grave if you played it near his tombstone."

Jackson let out a sheepish smile. "Hehe, I suppose I do have an obsession of sorts with the song. I even have the original cassette, along with a cassette player."

Yang let out a loud yawn and looked at Jackson, color leaving his face as he remembered what happened. His legs tensed up as he was getting ready to bolt, but what happened next threw him off. Instead of a rampaging blonde brawler after his blood, she gave him a questioning look.

"Yo Weiss, who's the new dude?" Yang asked.

Of the many things Jackson expected for this to go, this was not one of them. He shot Weiss a confused look, hoping for an explanation.

Weiss understood and elaborated. "Yang's gotten the drugs out of her system, but the last 24 hours is a complete blur to her. It'll come back sometime around lunch, so try to remember that."

Jackson let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. In that case," Jackson held out his hand. "I'm Jackson Wesson, we've met before." Yang will still be pissed once it comes back to her, but by showing her he's not out to murder them, hopefully it will cool her down when it happens.

Yang smiled and took his hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Yang Xiao Long. I must have met you yesterday then, because I don't remember you before that. You seem like a cool dude."

'That won't last for long, I know that much,' Jackson grimly thought. He could only imagine what will happen when she regains her memories. And none of them were pretty.

'Eh, I'll burn that bridge when I get to it.'

"Hey guys, we should be heading to class now," Ruby called out. Sure enough, Jackson checked his scroll, and realized they all had 10 minutes to get to their first class.

"Oh shit, yeah you're right," Jackson said. "We should start heading there. And by we, I mean I'll follow you to whatever class you guys have."

They smiled and rolled their eyes as they led Jackson to their first class.

…

The walk to first period was uneventful, only small talk to pass the time. Jackson mostly kept to himself, not talking unless asked directly. They finally made it to their first class, and Jackson saw who he suspected to be the teacher.

He was a burly man, short, large overall, with bushy eyebrows and a mustache that every man hopes to achieve. All of his visible hair was grey, and his clothing was a rustic red with a gold color on his buttons and cuffs on his jacket, as well as the outline.

The man noticed Jackson, and his voice boomed throughout the classroom as he called him over. "Ah, you must be the new student Professor Ozpin spoke to me about! Come here, young man!"

Jackson was hesitant, but relented and walked over to the teacher. He held out his hand which the man took rather cheerfully.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, young lad! My name is Peter Port, and what might your name be?"

"J-Jackson Wesson," he responded. Mr. Port seems like a nice guy, and he doesn't want to start off on the wrong foot.

"Well, Mr. Wesson," Port said. "I look forward to having you in my class."

Jackson smiled, and headed back to the girls. By the time he got back, other students started trickling in. After a few minutes, the classroom had filled up, and the group had taken their seats close to the front of the classroom.

Mr. Port took the stage and began. "Welcome students! Now, before we start today's lesson, there is someone I'd like you to meet. Would you please stand up Mr. Wesson?"

Jackson froze at the sound of his name, hating being the center of attention. He slowly stood up for the class to see him, dying on the inside.

'aS IF i WasN't aLreAdY.'

"This is Jackson Wesson, he's a new student attending Beacon. He'll be alongside all of you, used as support should the situation desperately call for it, but will be mainly used for Teams RWBY and JNPR. Let me be the first to welcome you to this prestigious academy. You may be seated."

Jackson gratefully took his seat as Professor Port began his lesson, letting out his breath that he didn't even know he was holding. Once he sat down, Ruby leaned over to him. "Geez Jackson, you froze up when he called you. What happened?"

Jackson let out a small groan. "I always hated being the center of attention. Most of the time it was due to my semblance, but I never made a big deal out of it. It was always to help others, not for my own personal gain, so it feels weird whenever I get praised for something that involves saving someone's life or limb, because it's never about me, it was always about them, those that needed my help."

Ruby smiled at his response. She knew people that would do it for the glory or reward that came with it. Yang wanted to help others, sure, but she's an adrenaline junkie through and through, and becoming a huntress was her best shot at getting her daily dose. Blake saw Beacon as a way to redeem herself for what she did before, all the sins she committed, and fix her past mistakes. Weiss was one of the few she knew to help others without reason to do so. She's heiress to the SDC, has more money than she knows what to do with, and could have everything handed to her on a silver platter at the snap of her fingers. Yet, she travels a great distance to attend an academy to help those in need, even though it isn't required to fill her role as future CEO.

She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've come to the right place, Jackson. Sometimes the world isn't like a fairy tale with happy endings. But that's why we're here, to make it better."

Jackson smiled at her. "Thanks, Ruby. You may be young, but you're a lot more mature than most adults I know. You'll make a great team leader."

She blushed at the praise she was receiving, but managed to blurt out a response. "T-Thanks Jackson."

He chuckled at her behavior. She's acting just like him when he lived in the village, cracking under the compliments. But he really meant what he said, he could see why she was appointed leader, and he has yet to see her in combat. Not only that, but accepted two years prior than originally planned. Jackson thought she must be exceptional either academically or in combat to achieve such a feat. Plus, she's quite-

'Don't you dare.'

What do you mean?

'I know where you're going with this, and I forbid it!'

YOU CAN'T HIDE IT FROM ME, IT'S WRITTEN ALL OVER YOUR FACE.

'SHE'S JUST A FRIEND, NOTHING MORE!'

LIES AND SLANDER! YOU AND I BOTH KNOW SHE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE SOMETHING MORE!

'...'

…

'...'

…

'It's only a thought. There's Weiss as well, not just her.'

I knew it.

'Fuck you.'

Jackson was now in a sour mood, madly blushing after our bickering, heh heh. Ruby noticed his change in expression, and was concerned as to what happened, but never got the chance as Jackson's name rang out throughout the classroom.

"Mr. Wesson! Would you kindly come up to the stage, please?" Professor Port called out.

Jackson froze in place to process what he just said. After a moment, he composed himself and walked up to the stage, standing next to Port.

"Since you've been accepted into Beacon, you must have exceptional combat skills, because I'm quite certain you didn't get here through academics. You possessed a stare long enough to circle Remnant, my dear boy."

Rather than become flustered, Jackson let out a laugh, confusing Port as well as the other students. "Well, you're not wrong, Professor. I take it you'll have me prove my might?"

"And where would you get such a conclusion, Mr. Wesson?"

"There's a rumbling crate right behind you."

Sure enough, as he turned around, a large crate was shaking and rumbling, menacing growls coming from the inside.

Meanwhile the rest of the classroom had their jaw on the floor.

"I'm impressed," said Port. "Almost no one notices me put it there. Nevertheless, yes, I wish to see you in combat against Grimm. So, go change into your combat gear, retrieve your weapon, and come back so we can begin."

Jackson nodded and left the classroom to go get changed. After five minutes, he returned to the stage, in new clothing, but a similar style to before his old clothes was torn beyond recovery.

He wore a black hoodie with the sleeves rolled up just above the crook of his elbow. He wore black slim fit pants, along with black combat boots for footwear. He had a holster on his right hip, holding a ridiculously large revolver inside. Nothing about his attire was flashy or held any type of armor against Grimm. Rather, it was laid back and looked comfortable. The all black attire caused his eyes to stick out like two shining beacons, and like moths with a flame, they were all drawn towards it, encaptured by its golden glow.

Jackson took notice of this and blushed, but quickly pushed it out of his mind and steeled himself.

Professor Port pulls out a combination of a blunderbuss and a battle axe. "Let the match-" He slams it down on the lock, opening the crate and releasing the Grimm. "Begin!"

The front wall burst off as a beowolf charged it's way center stage. It took a moment to observe its surroundings, and noticed Jackson as being the immediate threat. Letting out a growl, it got on all fours and charged him. He spread his legs out, put himself lower to the ground, and taunted the Grimm to come and get him.

Right before it was on top of him, he dives forwards and goes under the beowolf, throwing the Grimm off and leaving it in a confused state.

Enough for Jackson to unholster his weapon and open fire.

The first bullet was enough to kill it, but he unloaded the entire cylinder on it, each one ripping large chunks from it, until only a mutilated corpse remained. Not that it really mattered, the remains quickly dissipated afterwards.

"Well done Mr. Wesson!" Port exclaimed. "We have a true Hunter in training within our midst! That will be all, read the assigned chapters, and I expect an essay on my desk the next time we have class."

They all rose from their seats and made their way out of the classroom, Team RWBY waiting for Jackson outside once he changed into his uniform.

He soon exited in his uniform and met up with Team RWBY.

"Nice job taking care of that Grimm," Blake said. "But wasn't that a bit excessive?"

"I had to relieve some stress," Jackson replied. "And blowing that Grimm to hell was the best way of doing it."

The girls nodded and made their way to their next class. The halls were buzzing with life, friends talking to one another, people filling the hallways, students desperately studying or rushing for their next class. This is what life was for people his age, for them, this had become routine until graduation.

It felt wrong.

All these people had practiced and trained to get into this academy. They spent years studying and figuring out their combat style, planning out their life. That's not how he got here, he was found in a puddle of his own blood on his deathbed in the middle of the forest. Ozpin knew of his… predicament, and whether he was impressed with how long he survived out there, or it was a pity admission, he'll never know. Either way, he had a feeling he didn't belong here. He's severely unprepared, academically mainly, and his combat style may need to be adjusted as well, so as to not kill anyone.

Jackson was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the group stop in front of a classroom and continued walking. If they hadn't called out his name, he probably would have lapped the whole school.

"Jackson, where are you going?!" Ruby called out.

The shout snapped him out of his trance and he made his way back to the group.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I spaced out for a minute or two. So, what class is this?"

"This is Professor Oobleck," Weiss said. "He's the history teacher that will go over all of Remnants history, from the discovery of Dust, to the Great War."

At the mention of History, Jackson's face had lost color. "Fuck."

"What's wrong?" Blake asked.

"I was home schooled. I was quite gifted in Math and Writing, so I was taught the more advanced portions of it. History, however, never struck me as interesting. The only thing that stuck out was the weapons used in The Great War. But other than that, nothing."

The group visibly cringed at what he said. "Ooh, you're not gonna enjoy this class then," Yang said. "Oobleck's a history nut, getting a question incorrect is basically the same as stabbing him. He won't show it, but you'll notice a definite change of behavior between you guys from then on."

Jackson mentally prepared himself and let out a breath. "Well, my luck hasn't run out yet. Let's head on in."

They nodded their heads and walked in. Little did Jackson know what awaited him on the other side.

They made their way in, and what they saw caused Jackson to lose all life in his body.

Taking center stage was a man that can only be described as a blur. Towers of paper stacked his desk, notes, maps, and documents pinned against is board. Only when he stood still for a second could you fully see him.

His clothing was in disarray, his shirt only half tucked in, and a coffee mug in hand, holding a seemingly eternal amount of coffee. He had glasses that prevented you from seeing his eyes. His hair was green, all spiky and was the most notable thing, when a blur and still.

Before he knew it, the professor was a foot from his face, startling him and causing him to jump back in surprise and fear.

" !" Oobleck said in one single short breath. He said it so fast that Jackson had barely processed it before he began to speak again. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, young man. I am Professor Oobleck, History Teacher of Beacon Academy! I am the man that makes it a certainty that any student that walks into my classroom learns from our history, lest they be doomed to repeat it. Nonetheless, Team RWBY will assist you in the upcoming assignments and summarize what I have already taught within the unit."

"Thank you, Mr. Oobleck," Jackson said. Team RWBY gave a silent nod and made their way to their seats. The rest of the class trickled into the classroom, soon filling up with students. As the last of them took their seat, Oobleck did not hesitate to get today's lesson underway.

"Welcome back students," Oobleck said. "I hope you all did the assigned readings and have your essay to turn in, I expect it on my desk by the end of the period. Now! For those of you that were absent the last few classes, or lacked the attention span to learn from our past mistakes, we had begun a new unit, looking back at old and recent events and breaking them down in hopes of finding out how it happened, why it happened, and what could have been done to either prevent or complete it. Allow me to summarize what we already discussed."

It was at that point he had completely lost Jackson.

He was prepared to take notes to lessen the catching up he had to do, but the second he opened his mouth to summarize, he was left in the dust before he could even put his pencil against the knew any attempt to write anything down was futile, so he just tried to remember as much as he could while he spoke. He was too focused on Oobleck to look at the others, but they as well made no effort to write anything down, other than Weiss.

Finally, Oobleck had finished with his summary. Jackson felt mentally drained trying to keep up with the Professor. It was enough to have him begging for sleep.

But that would disappear in a flash for what came next.

"Now, we've done ancient battles during the Great War, let us analyze some more recent events that occurred, a real challenge… Ah! I've got one! March 25th, three years ago."

Weiss lost her grip on her pencil, causing it to fall to the floor, and her face becoming more pale than it already is. Jackson's eyes shot open, and he stood straight, a cold, dead expression on his face. He knew what was coming, there's no way it's anything else. Blake also behaved oddly once she heard that, but no one noticed.

"Now, three years ago, there was a village in the Emerald Forest, not too far away from the walls of Vale. Sadly, it no longer stands. Does anyone know why?"

Shockingly, of all the people to answer, Jackson raised his hand. "The village was attacked, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake."

"Very good Mr. Wesson!" Oobleck complimented. "Now, this village, along with every other nearby, was sent semi annual supply drops, containing weapons and ammunition, enough to defend themselves from attackers. So, what happened?"

Again, it was Jackson to answer the question. "The village claimed to be self-reliant, refusing any help the city was willing to give them, but Vale was not deterred. They would continue to send them supply drops, but most likely it remained in their crates, merely collecting dust."

"Correct again, Mr. Wesson!" Oobleck said. "No Huntsmen were in the immediate vicinity when the village was attacked, so nothing could be done to assist them, because sending aid would have been for nothing, as the fight would've already been over once the arrived. Can anyone tell me who attacked them, and if there were any survivors?"

"Mr. Oobleck," Jackson said. "No one really knows what or who exactly attacked them. Rumors have floated about, claiming it was Grimm, the White Fang, or that it was an inside job, a group of radicals that destroyed it. As for survivors, it is clear to say that no one survived the ordeal. Only skeletal remains are what were found at the scene, bits of meat and blood still stuck to the bone, whether it was a Grimm attack or it happened after the slaughter, can't be said. Either way, it made it impossible to identify almost every person or faunus that lived within the village, only a handful containing enough data to determine who it was, but of no significant importance to anyone or anything. However, there was a single set of tracks leading away from the village and into the forest. Vale conducted a full scale search and rescue for the missing person, but after a month of searching, they called off the search, fearing the poor soul didn't even last the first week. That made it impossible for them to receive an eyewitness account of the event, and any potential clues as to what happened and who was responsible. By that point it was official: A full village was wiped off the face of Remnant by an unknown force."

The last portion caused Weiss' grip on the counter top in front of her to tighten, knuckles whitening, tears threatening to escape once more. She knew what Jackson had been through, but it was no less difficult for her, sitting on the sidelines, letting it all happen, allowing him to go through all that without someone to care about you.

"Ah, but that's where it gets interesting, for you see Mr. Wesson, the Vale Police Department received a radio signal the day of the attack."

Jackson's heart lurched in his chest as he heard this, but kept himself composed on the outside.

"Although I'll admit it wasn't a long, nor clear message sent to us. Poor signal and constant static made most of the message undecipherable, but a few keywords were plucked out of it. Allow me to show you."

Oobleck pulled out his scroll, and attached it to a speaker, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"*static* HELP! We- *static* assistance at our vill- *static* White Fang have- *static* at our location as wel- *static* please, send someone, anyone! We need he- *BANG*

*static*"

The classroom fell silent, not because lack of interest, the radio message piqued their interest. It was what occurred it the message and the context causing the silence.

Oobleck broke the silence. "As you can see class, the message was unable to provide sufficient information, but what we can get from it is that the White Fang had taken part in the attack. The only issue is, all activity within that space has ceased completely. The White Fang have managed a clean getaway with the destruction of a village, and leaving us nothing to continue the search. Now, I present you all with the same question: What could've been done to stop it? Should the village have relied on us more and the supplies given, or was there nothing that could've been done to save them from their path of destruction?"

The bell rang, and Jackson immediately got up and quickly left.

"That's the bell! Read chapters 48-62 and give me a summary of it by next class period! Thatisallclassdismissed!"

Weiss did not waste a second chasing after Jackson once dismissed. The rest of RWBY followed suit.

By the time they exited the class, Jackson was already down the hall, heading for the nearest exit.

"Jackson, wait!" Weiss exclaimed. He paused for a moment before turning around, revealing slightly puffy pink eyes. The others noticed as well and were slightly worried, Ruby more so than the others.

"Weiss, just let me deal with it on my own," Jackson said. "It's lunchtime, right? I shouldn't even be around you guys when you-know-what happens. Besides, I'm not that hungry and I have to go check on something. See you later."

And with that, he turned and exited the hallway, leaving a distressed Weiss and a worried RBY.

…

Jackson had changed into his regular clothing, holster and all, standing at the cliffs above the Emerald Forest. He stood there, looking out into the seemingly eternal field of green. Emotions were building up inside him, the biggest one being rage. Eventually he reached his limit, and let out a blood curdling scream that made its way to the heavens. Suddenly, he jumped off the cliff side, plummeting straight towards the trees. He didn't show any sign of slowing down, rather, it looked like he was trying to speed up. During his plummet, he put as much Aura he could spare into his right shoulder as he could muster, as well as putting some into the entire right side of his body, and rammed himself into the cluster of trees below.

He smashed through the trees, wood flying all over the area. He continued to crash through trees until he crashed his way into a clearing, practically burying himself as he impacted the ground. He slowly got up out of his little hole, and and began to brush himself off.

Or at least tried to with a dislocated arm.

Jackson sighed. He should've seen this coming, but his mind was clouded with fury that he wanted to get down here as fast as he could, regardless of injuries, to start killing Grimm.

Nonetheless, what's done is done, and now he had to put it back in place. His less dominant arm wouldn't be able to properly put it back in place, so he had to go with the next best thing.

He used his left arm to place his right where the joints meets the socket, and looked for the closest thing to ram the palm of his hand against, in hopes of gaining enough force to pop it back in place. He put Aura into his wrist, so as to not break it when his palm hits the tree. He took in a breath, and ran to the tree, preparing himself.

POP!

Jackson bit back a yelp as his arm popped back into place. He moved it around just to make sure it was properly in. After he thought it was fine, he pulled out his revolver and fired off a few shots into the air, hoping to alert any nearby Grimm.

He could hear the rustling of bushes at the edge of the clearing, signifying that they heard the shots. One was brave enough to come out into the open, revealing itself to be a beowolf. It kept its distance from him, not feeling very brave. That is, until the rest of the pack appeared behind it. Rather than become discouraged, he became excited, more than normal because it's moments like these where Jackson feels it's safe to allow himself to release his inner demon, if only for a little.

Jackson pulled out his revolver, making sure it was clear of dirt and didn't damage the weapon. After a thorough check, he pulled back the hammer, aimed, and fired at the beowolf at the head of the pack. The Grimm's head burst like a bubble, and dropped, causing the rest to charge at Jackson. He fired off the remaining four shots, dropping another four beowolves, leaving five to attack him.

Instead of reloading, he transformed his weapon, now preferring to get more up close and personal.

'coMe On yOu bEadY EyeD bAstaRds.'

The first Grimm was within range after mere seconds of charging, and swiped at Jackson. However, Jackson ducked under it and got in close, preventing the Grimm from attacking and stabbed it square in the chest. It howled in agony, and to worsen its suffering, he began twisting it, worsening the wound and causing it to be that much more painful.

Jackson pulled out his knife and left the Grimm to writhe on the ground in pain. The other four were a little more hesitant to attack after what they just witnessed, but continued. They all charged him at once, throwing Jackson slightly off guard, but recovered nonetheless. He immediately socked two Grimm, throwing them into a daze and temporarily leaving him to combat only two instead of four.

The first one attempted to bite down on his neck, but Jackson moved out of the way and slashed at its back. He continued to slash at it, a little too immersed in it, until he was swatted away by the second beowolf. The claws had cut through his clothing and cut him, but no real damage was done.

Jackson slowly got up and saw the two beowolves staring at him. The other two regained their senses and joined them. Only one was at full capacity, while two were still mildly disoriented and one was injured, causing its attacks to become sluggish.

He reloaded his revolver, having something to fall back on should the CQC fail.

Jackson charged back into the fight, going after the most physically capable saving the others for last. He ran into the group, running the uninjured one through with his other three attempted to rip him apart, but their sluggishness and disorientation gave him enough time to back out of the group.

The Grimm fell to the ground, a gaping wound in its stomach bleeding profusely. The other three continued to try and hit him, but to no avail as he swiftly dodged and ducked all of them, whittling away at them, until they crumbled, and eventually dissolved.

Jackson let out a sigh, glad he was able to get that out of his system. He was about to start heading back, but heard a stick snap behind him. He immediately turned and aimed his revolver at the source of the disturbance, and almost pulled the trigger had he not recognized who it was.

"Jesus," said Jackson. "Don't sneak up on me like that, otherwise you might have ended up like those guys." He pointed to the dissolving corpses of Grimm.

His companion remained mute, but he could tell what he was saying by his body movement, and he wasn't happy.

"Hey, it's hard to check up on you with the new arrangements I have. And I can't bring you, because, well, you're you."

Silence. "You know what I meant! *sigh* Listen, I really care about you, I do, but it's dangerous for you to be seen. If I could take you with me, I could, but most people would freak at the sight of you, and the rest would've shot you by now. You're not a monster, but something like you is unheard of, and new things scare people."

Jackson heard a whimper, and it crushed his heart, knowing he was powerless to stop it.

Suddenly, he had an idea. "Wait a minute, I might have something. I can't show you off to the public, but I think I know a few people you CAN see. Speaking of which, I wonder how they're doing?"

…

"JACKSON!"

"Yang please! He's a good guy, Weiss can vouch for him!"

"HE'S A DEAD MAN WALKING!"

"PUT CARDIN DOWN!"

"I'M GONNA BEAT A MOTHERFUCKER WITH ANOTHER MOTHERFUCKER!"

"YANG NO!"

…

"Eh, I'm sure they have it under control. It's a long shot, but if you have any shot of being accepted, it's with them. Let's go."

Jackson turned to walk back towards Beacon, but he paused as a thought occurred. "Um, I know this is awkward, but would you mind giving me a ride to Beacon? I'll point the way for you."

Jackson could've sworn the sigh was one of annoyance, but relented and let him get on. Jackson gratefully got on right next to one of the spines, clutched on to one, and pointed in the direction of Beacon Academy. His friend raced off in the direction he was pointed to.

'Just like old times,' he thought as he flew towards the school.

…

Beacon Campus

30 Minutes After Tantrum

After Yang's, "tantrum", classes were cancelled for the rest of the day, as Goodwitch was busy repairing the damage done to the classrooms as well as the cafeteria, leaving them half the day and the weekend to do whatever. Yang would serve detention, but for now, Team RWBY walked around the campus in their regular outfits, weapons holstered.

"I'm glad you finally calmed down Yang," Ruby said. "Believe me when I say Jackson means well, we just got off on the wrong foot, that's all."

Yang was still upset after regaining what was left of her memory, but calmed down enough to refrain herself from using Cardin as a bat to launch him across Remnant. Also, Cardin now spares no effort to keep himself at least 20 feet from Yang and her team, which didn't bother them in the slightest.

Weiss was still worried about where Jackson had run off to, and was about to bring it up, until they heard an all too familiar voice from behind them.

"Hey guys!" Jackson called out.

RWBY froze in place, slowly turning around to see Jackson running back from the direction of the Emerald Forest. Weiss was the first to react, running towards Jackson and wrapping him in a hug.

"Thank goodness you're alright!" Weiss said. "Where were you? I got nervous after seeing you in that state after Oobleck's class."

"Weiss calm down, I'm fine," Jackson said. "I just needed to relieve some stress, that's all. Hopefully Yang did the same while I was gone."

Yang let out a low growl, hair flickering to life. Ruby was able to calm her down before things could escalate any further.

"Wait a minute, shouldn't we be in class right about now?" Jackson asked.

RWBY had a sheepish look on their faces at the mention of classes. "Yeah," Ruby started with. "About that, once Yang got her memory back, she also had to, "relieve" stress, and some regretful actions happened, and now we have the rest of the day to ourselves while things get sorted out."

'Huh, that's convenient,' Jackson thought. "Well, since you guys have some free time on your hands, Blake," Jackson said.

Blake was caught by surprise, and turned towards Jackson, wondering what this was about.

"You were upset about me keeping to myself. And, while I have yet to completely open up to you guys, I do have one way to start it."

Blake suddenly seemed nervous, for some reason. "I-It's alright Jackson. You don't have to do that."

This completely threw off Jackson, as Blake was the one pressing him to open up to them. No matter, it was all set up, so he'll continue with what he had planned.

"It's fine Blake," Jackson said. "I have it all set up anyway, why not go through with it? Now, if you would kindly follow me." And with that, Jackson turned on his heels and began to walk towards his destination.

Team RWBY could do nothing but follow, curious as to what he has in store for them.

…

Edge Of Emerald Forest

15 Minutes After Departure

RWBY and Jackson stood at the edge of the forest, utterly confused as to why Jackson would bring them here. Weiss had a few suspicions, but was not completely certain. Blake looked a little pale, guilty maybe? But why? Yang was on alert, the entire thing throwing up red flags in her head. Out of the group, Ruby was the only one genuinely interested in what he had planned, without feeling in danger or feeling guiltily responsible for it.

Jackson had a few minutes to himself, before he turned to face the group.

"Okay," he said. "This is where I'm going to show you my little surprise." Ruby continuously grew excited as each second passed, the suspense killing her. "But, before I do that, I need you all to hand over your weapons."

They froze.

Yang immediately went on the defensive, loading her gauntlets and aiming them directly at Jackson.

"And why would we do that?" She asked menacingly.

It seems he expected this to happen as he let out a sigh and looked Yang square in the eyes, suddenly making Yang feel smaller, which means something.

"It's only a precautionary measure," Jackson stated. "With what I have in store, no one would think twice when pulling out their weapon and opening fire upon setting eyes on him. Nothing bad will come of this, you have my word. And if he injures any of you in any way, not only can you kill him, but you can shoot me too."

This is how serious he was. Yang looked for anything hiding within those eyes, but found nothing, meaning he's telling the truth. Meanwhile, Weiss paled and silently begged him to not make that promise. Yang's hands started to tremble, the more she stared into his eyes, the more and more her hatred for him melted away, the golden orbs giving off such a warm and welcoming feel.

Eventually, Yang's arms gave out, and began to take off her gauntlets, the rest of RWBY following suit, albeit Weiss was more hesitant than the others.

Once the group put their weapons in the care of Jackson, he smiled and put two fingers in his mouth.

*TWEEEEEEEEEEEET*

Nothing but silence, confusing the girls. One of them was about to speak up, but they heard a series of thumps coming from the forest. The sound gradually increased, until they could see distant rustling deep within the forest. They all freaked and realized that the loud whistle attracted a nearby Grimm, and a large one at that, something they DEFINITELY didn't account for. They attempted to pull out their weapons, but only met air as they realized the terrible mistake they made. They were about to shout for Jackson to hand them their weapons, but it was too late as the Grimm emerged from the forest line.

Towering over them was a beowolf standing on its hind legs, but not just any beowolf, an Alpha Beowolf, making it much more dangerous. When it's standing at full height, it stands twice as tall as them, with a large tail almost touching the ground. The Grimm had bone spikes protruding from its kneecaps and shoulders, as well as the side of its forearms and down its spine, patches of bone armor below the shoulders and above the kneecaps. It had large sharp claws from its feet and hands, small pieces of bone where the knuckles would be along with an external rib cage. The whole head was covered in a bone face mask, save for the ears, which were large and pointy. Even the jaw was protected by bone, with the face mask containing two large canines, as well as other teeth, giving it a serrated feel to it. The entire Grimm was a step up from the regular beowolf, even the skin was much more tough. What would kill a regular beowolf would only make this one mad. All in all, this was a fight they would lose, miserably, without their weapons.

They were prepped to run, and they would have, had they not witnessed the most dumbfounding thing in all of Remnant's history.

Jackson ran up to it and hugged it.

"Beanie!" Jackson said in glee. RWBY gaped at the sheer insanity of what Jackson did. But that wasn't even the most baffling part.

It got down on all fours and licked his face as it barked happily.

By this point, they were absolutely floored, jaws slamming into the ground, and Weiss even fainted.

"Oh, I've missed you! Yes I have! Yes I have!" Jackson gushed as he scratched the Grimm behind the ear, causing it to pant happily and pound its leg on the ground.

Ruby was the first to snap out of her state, and her eyes sparkled at what she was witnessing.

"That's amazing!" Ruby squealed as she ran up to it, a little too quickly, startling it and causing it to growl loudly and stand again, taking Jackson with him.

"Aah! Beanie, back down, back down!" It eventually complied, putting Jackson safely on the ground, allowing him to continue scratching behind the ear. He turned towards Ruby, who snapped back to reality after the sudden change in behavior caused her to cower away, realizing what she was dealing with.

"Ruby, you need to be careful when approaching him," he said. "He doesn't know you guys, and your Grimm record doesn't exactly help you. Be careful and precise with your movements. But don't worry, once he gets to know you, he''ll turn into a giant fluff ball." Not many people know this, but Grimm fur is actually quite thick and soft, perfect for hugging them. Then again, no one really gets a chance to hug them, as they don't live to tell the tale, and then the rest are sane.

Ruby nodded and started to walk towards Beanie, but more careful this time. The large beowolf still tensed up as she got near, but didn't make any movements that would indicate an attack, and Jackson would be there to help if things began to get out of hand. Ruby got very near, and stuck her hand out for him to sniff. He seemed to understand as he sniffed her palm, but continued his thorough examination of her by pacing around her, inspecting her from all angles.

After a full rotation, the beowolf got in real close to her face, it's beady eyes piercing her soul, causing her to sweat.

Then he started to excessively lick her face.

She was caught off guard, but immediately recovered as she laughed at his drooling onslaught, attempting to stop it, but to no avail.

"He's a big furry!" Ruby gushed. Half her face was covered in drool, but she couldn't care less as she dove in for a hug, realizing just how soft and thick Grimm fur is. Beanie was just as happy to receive the hug as Ruby was giving it.

Yang was next to come back to reality, and saw Ruby engulfed in Grimm fur, Beanie's tongue sticking out and panting happily. She still had trouble wrapping her head around this, even when witnessing Ruby treat him just like Zwei. Everything about this felt wrong, considering they did nothing but murder every Grimm they set eyes on, and here they are with an Alpha acting like any other dog.

Ruby tried to wrap her arms around his neck, but she had a little trouble completing this task. Once she did, Yang noticed a devilish grin come across his face. Before she knew it, Jackson yelled out a command. "Beanie, up!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Beanie stood on his hind legs, standing up at full height, bringing Ruby with her five feet up.

"Waah! Beanie no!" Ruby yelled as she dangled in the air, thrashing her legs about in a desperate attempt to climb Beanie as she kept an iron grip on his fur. Meanwhile, Jackson was dying of laughter, watching the entire thing happen, on the verge of tears witnessing Ruby's feeble attempts at climbing.

After a few moments, Jackson was able to regain his composure, his stomach hurting. "Alright Beanie, that's enough. Down," he said. Beanie complied and got back down on all fours, Ruby's feet finally touching the ground again. Once she regained her footing, she stomped over to Jackson, visibly angered at what he did.

She started to swat at him. "You're such a jerk!" She exclaimed. Jackson began to shield himself as he began to laugh a little at the attack.

Ruby eventually let up, and crossed her arms, Jackson turning towards her and smiling.

"Consider it payback for startling Beanie," Jackson said. Ruby let out a huff, but also gave a small smile, one that didn't go unnoticed.

Yang made her way over to them, a bit hesitant of the Grimm.

Jackson also noticed this, and said to her, "It's okay Yang, just stick out your hand like Ruby did, and bam, furry."

Yang did as instructed and stuck out her arm for Beanie to sniff. He walked up to her hand and took a sniff, taking a bit longer than Ruby, and came to the same result, a large, scary furry. Yang relaxed, as she now knows the Grimm doesn't mean any harm. She even began to scratch him behind the ear, pleasing him.

"Heh, he's not so bad," she said as she continued to scratch him. "By the way, how did this even happen?"

"Well," Jackson said. "I don't want to go into full detail, but long story short, I picked him up when he was just a little pup, and took care of him from there on. Hell, I thought it was just a regular wolf when I saw him. He still had red eyes as a pup, but I didn't think nothing of it at the time. By the time I found out, I was basically his mother, and I had spent so much time caring for him, I couldn't bring myself to kill him, not that he would even consider hurting me." The Grimm barked happily to confirm it.

Yang let out a small chuckle. "Hey Blake, come over here, it's actually not tha-" She turned around to see nothing but a note on the ground, along with Gambol Shroud missing.

Yang went over to pick up the note to see what it said:

I want nothing to do with it,

Blake

Yang was confused as to why she would leave, but suddenly remembered something important about her, the note now making sense.

Yang heard Jackson from behind her. "What's the note say, Yang? Why isn't Blake here?"

Yang decided that she would withhold that information from him, saving it for later, since she doesn't know his viewpoint on her kind.

"Blake remembered she had to help a friend of hers with classwork, so she left to go meet them."

Jackson could understand that. He turned to face Beanie. "Alright Beanie, we have to go now, but I promise that I'll visit soon, and I'll bring these guys too if they want, okay?"

Beanie let out a whimper, but it was gone as soon as it came and licked Jackson's face before heading back into the forest.

"Welp, it's time we do the same," Jackson said. He walked over to Weiss, picked her up, threw her over his shoulder and began walking back towards Beacon, as well as picking up her rapier and carrying that too. Ruby and Yang picked up their weapons and followed him back.

They caught up to him, and began to talk to pass the time. "So Jackson," Ruby said. "What do you plan on doing this weekend?"

"Clothes shopping," Jackson said. "The ones I have on now are torn on one side, and the uniform is all that's left, and I don't plan on wearing that for the next few years. As for Sunday, I don't know what I'll do."

Ruby suddenly had an idea. "Hey, I'm going to a weapons store in Vale to look for some upgrades for Crescent Rose. Wanna come with me?"

Jackson seemed to ponder it for a moment. "I don't need a new weapon, but I could see what kind of ammo they have in stock for my revolver, maybe even an upgrade or two. Sure, why not?"

"Yay!" Ruby cheered. No one was as much of a weapons fanatic like Ruby, and would rather go by themselves, so the fact that Jackson was coming along with her made her feel happy.

They continued to make small talk until they reached their dorm rooms. Yang opened up their room, allowing Jackson to gently place Weiss on her bed, her rapier resting on one of the legs. Blake was already there when they arrived, her face in a book.

None of them didn't really plan on school being cut short, so they decided that they would just stay in their rooms and use their extra time to catch up on either school work or sleep. Jackson had to steer clear of Team RWBY during lunch, so he missed out on food, a visible sign as his stomach grumbled.

"I'm gonna go grab a bite at the cafeteria, I'll see you guys later," Jackson said as he walked out. Yang and Ruby waved goodbye, while Blake just gave him a head nod.

Jackson had a little trouble finding his way, but found it nonetheless, and made his way to the cafeteria. Upon walking in, there were other groups of students within the dining hall. He really didn't pay any mind to them as he grabbed a tray and started throwing food on it, varying greatly, from pizza, to burgers, to corn dogs. When most of the food he ate is based off of what he killed, most of it consisting of elk or deer, it begins to become boring. Jackson intended to take full advantage of the mess hall.

After he thought he put on enough, he sat down at an empty table, preferring to be alone, and dug in. The food exploded in his mouth, flavor beyond his imagination enchanting him, so much so he thought he would cry. Thankfully, he managed to restrain himself, and continued eating.

While eating, he noticed a rather colorful group sitting at a table not too far away from him, only four.

The first one had blonde hair, blue eyes, armor plating over a hoodie, sword and shield at his waist. He had a somewhat scrawny figure, slightly less than the average build of a man his age. He looked like he had no idea what he was doing, let alone in a fight. Sitting next to him was a girl, who had red hair and wore gladiator style armor, modified to fit her feminine figure, as well as her… assets. What stood out were her eyes, an emerald green color. Her weapons were on her back, a spear and shield, similar to the blonde one's arsenal. After her, there was a man who was completely quiet, only listening in on the conversation, rather than converse himself. Most of his clothing was green, a pink strand in his otherwise black hair, as well as pink eyes. He had a long ponytail down his back, and he didn't see any weapons on his person, so either he didn't bring it, or he has them well hidden. The last one of the group was the most interesting. She had short orange hair, also containing blue eyes. She wore a vest of sorts, a heart cut out in the center of her upper chest, along with a pink skirt. She had pink finger-less gloves, most likely leather dyed pink. Her weapon of choice was a giant war hammer, capable of slamming an Ursa across Remnant. It also looked like it could obliterate any Test Your Might stand at a carnival. The girl herself was moving all over the table, unable to sit still for even a second.

Jackson finished his meal and set his dishes in the box, soon leaving the Mess Hall shortly after.

'That was a, colorful, group of people back there,' he thought. 'Maybe I'll run into them in the halls someday.'

Jackson made his way back to his dorm, entering and locking it behind him. He began on working on the homework given to him by Port and Oobleck. As for his other two classes, he appeared to have a Combat class, with Miss Goodwitch, and Science, with a Professor Peach. He knew Goodwitch, but he doesn't know a Peach, and the surname doesn't really help identifying his/her gender.

He continued with his homework until he finished it, and spent the rest of the day on his scroll, watching videos from famous internet celebrities.

Eventually, night time rolled around, indicating it was time to go to sleep. He intended on leaving early tomorrow to browse the shops in Vale, buy some extra things for his room, and maybe catch a film or something of that sort. He undressed until he was only in his boxers, and hopped onto his bed.

Tomorrow would be a busy day for him, and he wants every second of shuteye he can get.

…

AN: FINALLY! THREE WEEKS, THREE GODDAMN WEEKS! I know I said uploads would be at random, but jesus. As for the pet Grimm, he's based off of my own pet dog named, surprise, Beanie. He's still only a pup, but he is much bigger and much fluffier than any other dog his age should be, and I love him (black fur btw). I do plan on pairing Jackson with one of two people from RWBY, but I'm torn as to who. I'm sure you can guess who those two are, as it was evident in the chapter-

"IT'S ONLY A THOUGHT!"

Hehe. If you guys want to leave your thoughts on the matter in a review, it might sway my decision, just maybe. I've gone on for long enough, Review, Follow, Favorite, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter. See ya (hopefully) soon!