For those complaining Jaune is an "edgelord" in the last chapter... I do have a line that went through my head as I wrote it:

"Soldiers aren't machines, we're just people" - Captain Lasky, Halo 4.

One reviewer asked for me to switch up his outfit...so I looked up a few pieces of traditional Japanese clothing. I hope everyone likes it.

Dead Bone Huntsman

Ch 4: Broken Crescent

Eight Years...

It had been eight years since they broke their promise to their dying mother. Four years since they had lost the right to their former family name.

Iris Orleans sat in a tree in the Emerald Forest with a clear view of Beacon Academy pondering their life choices as she held a scroll in her hands with a picture of two adults standing over seven girls and a young boy; all of them with wide grins on their faces. Laying on her stomach nearby was Saphron Orleans staring at bone claws protruding from her fingertips. Five other girls sat around the base of the tree all of them having the same symbol. A yellow upside-down crescent.

Saphron's expression was nothing but guilt and melancholy. Ever since she and her siblings broke their promise, nothing but ill followed them. Her actions destroyed any chance of a permanent relationship with Terra Cotta.

"I can't see a future with someone who abandons family in their time of need." Were Terra's exact words to Saphron. With Saphron's behavior in regards to her own brother; she had been afraid Saphron would do the same to her or any child they had if Saphron didn't like something about them.

Even now, if Saphron closed her eyes, she could see her dying mother. Smell the stench of spilled human blood. Hear her mother's dying words.

"Swear to me on our family name that you will look out for and take care of all of your siblings."

They had sworn that oath when serrated...trees (for the lack of a better word) made entirely of bone had sprouted around them and impaled the attacking bandits. They saw Jaune...standing there while peeling Crocea Mors from the dead hands of a bandit impaled on a tree as spikes of bone protruded from his elbows, shoulders, and chest with blood pouring from wounds the bones were protruding from. As their mother took her last breath, they only felt fear gazing upon their "baby brother". Then, some villager had yelled that he was possessed by a Grimm, and was showing his true colors.

Fear gripped their hearts. Would he attack them for failing to save their parents? Was he already dead and possessed by some unknown Grimm? Was this power...what the bandits had attacked to obtain? In that fear, they eventually helped the villagers drive away their little brother. The last time they saw him was him gazing at them with fear and betrayal shining in his blue, tear filled eyes.

While the villagers cheered, they only felt shame. As if a sign from the Brothers, their old house was destroyed by more...zealous...villagers. The tombstones of their buried parents (they hadn't even let Jaune come to the funeral, Saphron realized) cracked and dark clouds filled the sky as thunder rumbled. More and more, their guilt ate away at them as word spread of their brother's wanderings. Eventually, that negativity drew in the Grimm and Saphron awoke her Semblance as bone claws grew from her fingertips.

A loud cry of a Nevermore nearby pulled them from their thoughts and they shook their heads and gathered up before they went back to Vale.

They had to reconcile with their brother...it was the only way they could become Arcs once again.

RNBW and R(A)YN opened the door to RAYN's dorm. Jaune sat on his bed, staring out at the balcony as tears rolled down his face.

"Jaune..." Pyrrha softly said as she and the others approached, "You are not a mere sacrifice." Jaune made no effort to show any sign that he heard them, but they could see him tense momentarily, "You are part of the next generation of protectors. A part of Remnant's future."

"I'm not crying because of that." Jaune said with a dry, humorless, chuckle, "I'm crying because I will fail a mission given to me by Master Qrow." With that he turned to face his allies as a few tears still fell, "A mission to find those...precious...to me outside of my Master. Possibly one day...become a father." With that Jaune let out another dry laugh as a pained, broken, expression shone in his eyes, "I'm some kind of abomination and Grimm Spawn due to my Semblance! No one outside of my Master will truly accept me as I am, let alone before I was broken! How can I fully trust anyone besides my Master...when my own family and other villages I saved betrayed me?"

Silence hung in the air like a fog after Jaune vented what he believed to be a failed mission given to him by Qrow Branwen.

"Before my Semblance awakened alongside my Aura...I was just a normal child." Jaune said, "The baby brother among seven sisters. We were close. I wanted to be a hero like ancestors my Grandfather told me about, they wanted me sheltered. Normal family drama." Jaune let out a chuckle as a small smile crossed his face, "My mother and father would teach me other lessons by disguising it as Hunter training. Me, in my childish naivety, believed them. Dancing? Mom called it 'movement training'. Learning about plant life? Dad called it 'wilderness survival lessons'. Cooking? Mom called it 'ration preparing'. Music? Dad called it 'Lessons of Remnant's societies'. Then it all came falling apart soon after I turned 9..."

An intense look of sheer rage an hatred crossed his face, "When Raven Branwen led her bandits and attacked my home...and my parents died." Nora buried her face into Ren's chest as his Negative Emotions Hiding Semblance activated and surrounded him and Nora in a pink Aura. Ruby was openly crying at that last statement, Yang clenched her fists as her eyes turned red and her hair looked like it was a golden fire, Blake looked horrified, and Weiss's pale skin nearly turned snow white.

"As I was attacked, my Aura awakened...and I grew angry seeing the bandit attacking me using MY family's sword...Crocea Mors. My Semblance awakened...creating what I eventually based my Dance of the Seedling Fern on, and killed the bandits who didn't have Aura...the other bandits left...but those in my home...my own sisters...Because of my Semblance they made me an outcast. While people were too afraid to attack me directly...harsh words...insults...overpriced goods or refused service...Everyone made it clear that I did not belong. Even my sisters... I heard them talking on how I..." Jaune closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"How I should have died that day." Those words. It was like someone put a frozen knife in RNBW and R(A)YN's hearts while a vice constricted their throats. It was one thing to dislike things about family...but none of them would EVER wish death upon one of them for something as trivial as a Semblance!

"The day of my parents' funeral...my own sisters chased me away from it." Jaune said, "I had to watch from a distance while hiding. That day...I left the only home I ever knew. I grabbed a bag and filled it with clothes, food, a few pictures and trinkets from my parents and ancestors, took Crocea Mors and left. That night... I could hear cheers and laughter as my family home was set on fire and destroyed. I just wandered across the land, helping drive away Grimm as I practiced honing my Semblance; only to be driven out after the last Grimm was destroyed or fled due to my Semblance. Then when I was 12, I came across my Master...the one who accepted me as I was and saved me from my loneliness."

Jaune stared at his own hands as claws of bone protruded from his fingertips. "That is why even the mere thought of failing him hurts so much. My Master...the one who became like a second father...who gave me the idea to turn dancing into a fighting style, taught me...cared for me...and got me into Beacon...I can never repay him for what he did...and failing a mission he gave me is unacceptable." The claws just receded back into his fingers as the holes in his fingertips closed and Jaune closed his eyes.

Ruby's clenched fists trembled and her silver eyes seemed to cause her tears to glow. "You're wrong." She said, and Jaune looked at her in confusion as Pyrrha, Yang, and Blake remembered what Qrow asked them to do when they met him, and how similar to the mission Jaune was talking about it was.

Blake could see herself sitting on a swinging bench in Menagerie with her head leaning on Jaune's shoulder as they gazed at Faunus and Humans coexisting as one as a little cat Faunus girl with blonde hair and amber eyes was reading a story on Jaune's lap as she excitedly made exaggerated movements and noises while Jaune held the book steady.

Yang Xiao Long saw herself with a blonde baby boy gazing at her with matching eyes as Jaune opened the door to their home in Patch for them, matching confident grins on their faces.

Pyrrha Nikos saw a little red-headed, blue eyed boy "training" happily with his dad, Jaune (both parents knowing Jaune was just playing with him and using the time to spend bonding with his son) in a nice quiet cottage away from the hustle and bustle of Mistral's cities; she never wanting her son to feel the pressure and loneliness of fame until he was ready.

Ruby Rose saw a little girl with black hair that had blonde streaks in it (matching where she had her red streaks) and blue eyes grinning happily as she pulled a sheet of cookies out of the oven while Jaune cleaned the cooking pans used to make it while watching them with a smile.

They worked on fighting down a blush as they saw that Jaune had taken off his ruined shirt and was working on sowing the sleeve together. That...was not helping their efforts on hiding their red cheeks after seeing themselves have a CHILD with him.

"Regardless of what you experienced." Ruby said, seeing as she had lost Jaune's attention as she had trailed off, "There will be people who care for you besides Uncle Qrow. One day...you WILL be a father." Her words trailed off as she tried thinking of what to say next.

"Sure, you say you are broken." Yang said, "It's just like a motorcycle. Sure, it breaks occasionally, but it can be rebuilt even better than before." With that, Yang sauntered over, "We're gonna ensure you succeed in your mission...and make those creatures you called your sisters EAT their words!" Blake took a picture of Jaune one her scroll after he stood up and gazed at RNBW and R(A)YN and sent it to her mom...along with a little request...

The next morning Jaune awoke when someone was knocking at the door of RAYN's room. Slipping out of his bed, he turned and somewhat blushed to see that Yang had slipped into his bed after he fell asleep with Pyrrha and Ruby sharing a bunk above him. Blake had taken the bottom bunk that Yang had usually slept in, while Weiss had taken the bunk above it. Lie Ren was sleeping on the floor with Nora, who was using his head as her pillow. He slipped on a white shirt as Blake stirred and sat up, watching him with a small smirk while inwardly surprised about how quickly her request was fulfilled and sent.

When Jaune opened the door, the last thing he expected was a delivery man holding a package big enough for him to stand in and still be concealed; let alone one from Mistral paid for entirely by Kali Belladonna. After signing for the package Jaune watched the delivery man quickly walk off while muttering about a schedule and getting lost in Beacon. Gazing at the tape, Jaune held his right pointer finger straight and a claw of bone protruded from the fingertip before he carefully cut through the tape before opening it to reveal multiple copies of the same outfit. Jaune carefully ran his hand over the clothing after making the bone claw recede into his finger while glancing at his regular outfits in the closet. All of them were run down and carefully mended multiple times, yet had also been with him since he had trained under his Master Qrow.

"You should put them on." Blake's voice cut through his thoughts, "My mom thought they would look good on you while not impeding your ability with your semblance. Also, today will be combat class, so you should wear your new combat outfit after what my mom spent having it made and sent." Jaune grabbed one of the outfits and pushed the box into his closet before going into the bathroom.

The rest of RNBW and RAYN had been waking up when the knocking first started, but were now completely awake when they heard the bathroom door shut.

"So... Mama Belladonna sent Warrior boy a new outfit." Yang said as she gazed at the bathroom door, "I hope he rocks it."

After about twenty minutes, Jaune emerged with the same stony expression on his face-his venting helping him rebuild his emotional and mental defenses. He wore a snow white Happi with the Arc family crest on the back and a golden border going around his neck and down around the bottom; which went just past his hips. There were designs of red-eyed black crows and blue-eyed golden canaries and goldfinches in flight around the front, sides, and back. The baggy sleeves only fell to just below his elbows, and they could see loose gold patches on each shoulder that could move to allow his bones to protrude, and the entire Happi was loose and had room for his spine to emerge without damaging it and was open to expose his chest and stomach. He had black Hakama pants with black patches over his knees for his bone spikes. Around his waist was a gold colored Obi (Traditional Japanese sash) with his belt over said Obi. Strapped to his belt was Crocea Mors. On his feet were the most "modern" part of his outfit; black waterproof hiking shoes.

Each member of RAYN gave him a thumbs up as Blake looked proud of how noble this new outfit looked. With the exception of the shoes and belt, he almost looked like a wandering samurai or ninja. Ren gave him an approving nod as Nora flashed a grin and thumbs up at him. Weiss gave a critical eye over his outfit before she gave a curt nod as well. The red dots over Jaune's eyes furrowed as he moved around in the outfit, getting a feel of the new clothes. Sure it was different from what he was used to...but...it was a gift from a person he excluded from the category "Trash", so there was some obligation to wear it.

Besides, they didn't really restrict his movement. He was just unused to the higher quality material.

Tucking the bottom of his Happi under his Obi and belt, he shrugged his shoulders out of the top and slid his arms out of the sleeves and let it fall down; yet still remain on his body due to being held by the Obi and belt. Reaching down, he slid his arms back into the sleeves and walked out with a focused gleam in his eyes. He was a survivor, a warrior. With today being Combat Class, it was time to show the world to never mess with an Arc.

"Will Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester please make their way to the combat arena?" Professor Goodwitch said as she heard rambunctious laughter as Cardin walked down while his team cheered him on and yelled insults of his opponent. Seeing this, Goodwitch sighed and rubber the bridge of her nose under her glasses. Winchestor was not the ideal huntsman. He was lazy in his work ethic when it came to non-physical lessons, prejudiced, arrogant, and selfish. If it wasn't for the scholarship from the Combat School he went to and the influence his family held, Goodwitch would have rather denied him entry to Beacon.

More than once, she found him and Team CRDL surrounding and picking on Faunus students.

Her eyes then went to his opponent and all around...enigma; Jaune Arc. She raised a brow at his new outfit, but inwardly grit her teeth seeing his stony facial expression. He was not mentally prepared for being a Huntsman; he showed no compassion to others around him. Yet...she recalled what Headmaster Ozpin said about what he went through, and her gaze met his stony eyes. Sure enough, there was worry and pain shining in them...yet...there was something in them he did not have previously.

Hope.

Hearing the cheers of Team RAYN and Team RNBW almost broke through her professional air and made her smile. Those two teams...the oddest group of friends imaginable, would be the ones to remold Mr. Arc into a brilliant Huntsman. She knew a bit of Mr. Arc's fighting skills with his spar with Winter Schnee from Atlas's Military, but also knew Mr. Winchester's from initiation.

What would prevail in this fight? Finesse and precision, or strength and directness?

The two boys made it to the stage, and Professor Goodwitch almost saw sparks of anger fly from Cardin's eyes as Jaune showed no visible reaction to the taunts. She took their scrolls and plugged it into the screen; bringing up their Aura meter.

"Now remember, the winner of this match is whoever causes his opponent to go outside this arena or lower their opponent's Aura level to red first. This spar follows standard tournament rules." Professor Goodwitch said, "The match begins now."

(Naruto Shippuden OST 3- Standing up on Roaring Earth)

Cardin charged forward with his mace raised high as Jaune ran forward and slid under Cardin as he brought the mace down upon where Jaune once stood. "Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!" Jaune yelled, and Cardin turned to see Jaune's hands pointed at him with him on a knee, all ten fingers aiming at him with holes in the tips with ten bullet-shaped bones flying towards him. Cardin smirked as he saw the projectiles heading to his chest-plate and just stood there with the cocky look on his face.

Then the bullets impacted and the look was immediately wiped off his face as he felt pain as the bones impacted his armor and dented it. Sure, the dent to his Aura was minimal; the same amount Jaune used on his meter using the attack, but he would be bruised from the impact of his armor caving inwards. Then, Cardin turned seeing Jaune's Aura take a slight dip downwards on the meter. Cardin's gaze went back to his opponent in time to see an opening in Jaune's left shoulder close with his new "shirt" shrugged off him and his opponent holding a tanto sized sword made of bone with a bone hilt.

Cardin hefted the Mace onto his shoulders as he smirked at his opponent. He was now ahead on the Aura level meter, since his foe's Semblance used Aura. "Really, making things easier for me, bone using freak? Lowering your own Aura level so I won't beat you as bad?" Jaune's expression never changed as he burst forward in a surprising speed, thrusting the bone sword at his face. Cardin moved his mace to intercept, only to feel a stabbing pain in his abdomen as his Mace passed through an afterimage and Cardin saw the sword had pierced his armor, but not his Aura. Still, his Aura level had taken a hit and was now below Jaune's...unless...

Cardin swung his Mace at Jaune's head, who just crouched and ducked under the swing. As Cardin raised his knee at Jaune's face, he spun to the left and delivered a stab to Cardin's right knee. As Cardin stumbled from the blow, he felt a slash tear through the back of his armor as Jaune swung that bone sword and delivered a strike to Cardin's exposed back.

Okay, so his usual fighting style wasn't working against Arc, Cardin decided, so it was time to continue psychological warfare.

"You really think you will belong here. You aren't even accepted by the Faunus Freaks." Cardin said, blocking another blow with his Mace but frowned seeing bone of all things leave a scratch in his heavy steel Mace. "Just give up...maybe those girls you hang out with can come to my team and spend...time with real men." He teased, giving a quick leer at the girls of RNBW and RAYN.

"Trash." Jaune's voice was gravelly and quiet, yet somehow carried through the entire room, "I will not let you lay a hand on them. The Dance of the Camellia is finished." Jaune lowered his left arm and long, solid curved bones protruded and connected, forming a large drill over the lower half of his left arm. "Let's see if you can handle Dance of the Clematis: Flower."

Cardin took a quick look at the Aura meter. Both him and Jaune were now in the mid-yellow; though Jaune's biggest drain was from forming the new weapon as his sword shattered into white dust. "YOU LOSE FREAK!" Cardin said, running forward and swinging his Mace from sideways at Jaune from his left hip just as Jaune thrust the drill forward. The tip of Jaune's bone drill met the head of Cardin's Mace as Cardin leaned his weight into his steel weapon. The entire audience could hear snaps and cracks from the two locked weapons.

Then the drill shattered the head of Cardin's Mace, pieces of steel flying everywhere as Jaune kept moving and a red dust crystal fell and bounced away from the two warriors. Continuing forward, the drill pierced armor and the momentum of bone hitting Aura knocked Cardin off his feet and onto his back. Cardin growled holding the handle of this once proud Mace, but froze as he looked up and saw the tip of the bone drill mere inches from his head.

"Mr. Winchester's Aura had dropped into the low red upon the last impact. This means that Mr. Arc has won the match." Professor Goodwitch said, as Jaune took a few steps back and let the bones forming the drill recede into his left arm.

"Mr. Arc, while you have an excellent form and fighting style, I would suggest practicing with your Semblance to reduce the amount of Aura it uses and decrease the time it takes to form and use your weapons, and practice using the sword on your hip for actual combat. The Grimm will not pause to let you make your weapon; nor would they stop if you run out of Aura." Professor Goodwitch said. Jaune gave her a slow nod in her direction while his eyes darted from her, to his opponent, and the audience.

Jaun placed his Happi back on and stared at Cardin with no visible expression.

"Mr. Winchester. Your style needs a lot of work. You rush forward with no real strategy and each swing leaves you open to counterattack. Each time you tried taunting your opponent, regardless of your opponent finding ways to use it to his advantage. You also were overconfident, and cocky, so sure you would defeat your opponent that you let your attention drift away from your foe to the Aura meters. There will be signals that someone is eliminated, and you were lucky Mr. Arc did not choose to press his attack at those times; instead using it to form new weapons. The worst part is when you directly struck your weapon on the sharpest part of Mr. Arc's last weapon; despite seeing the previous one leave a scratch on it. Without a weapon, your fighting style is useless against the larger Grimm species." Professor Goodwitch said, handing him the pieces of his weapon she picked up with her Semblance.

"Also, Detention for that vulgar wording about fellow students." Goodwitch said, making Cardin growl and glare at Teams RNBW and RAYN. The Arc Family Symbol at the back of the Hapi that Jaune wore taunted him. No one made a fool of Cardin Winchester.

The feud between Cardin of the Winchester family and Jaune of the Arc family had only just begun.