Author's Note
So, my family is planning a trip sometime in mid to late August, before we all go back to college and become slaves to the damned thing called reality. Because we didn't decide an exact date or anything, I decided to focus on just finishing this chapter for like, the past five days.
I realized that with my pace of writing and grinding out ideas, it would conflict with the vacation and start of next semester. Meaning, that it would take a fucking long time in finishing.
I'm the type of person that takes FUCKING FOREVER to be satisfied with an idea. I write, erase, write, erase, undo, erase, then write, until I feel satisfied. In all honesty, I was satisfied with the way that this chapter ended out, given how much I over paced myself.
So I apologize if it seems rushed.
On a quick note, Beacon is more like a college-type education system. Because fuck you Jaune, I want you to feel the pain of college too.
With that, Enjoy chapter 4!
Disclaimer: RWBY is not owned by me in any way or form. Credit is due to its creators.
Jaune could only breathe deep breaths while gulping down saliva from his own nervousness. Although he had snapped his eyes right back towards Cardin after locking eyes with Silvanus, Jaune couldn't help but have the temptation to look at Silvanus.
Focusing his vision back into the simulation arena, Jaune saw Glynda looking at him worriedly. Jaune only gave her a reassuring nod. Although Glynda spoke the words that would begin the fight in a regular pace, it felt so slow for Jaune.
It was because Jaune was having millions of thoughts.
Ordinarily, Jaune would have no thoughts about how he would act this fight. He would lose, in the most pitiful way possible. Now that Silvanus was here, things changed. Looking at the way that his brother had already done random acts, combined with the way that Silvanus looked at him, Jaune couldn't help but think that something would happen if he lost in such a poor manner.
Then would he win the fight? Then the whole point of what he did until now was wasted. How about making the win seem like luck then? He was sure that the student body would label his victory as luck as long as he didn't get repeated victories. But Jaune didn't care about the student body. He cared about Silvanus. Would he be able to fool Silvanus with a 'lucky' shot?
His thoughts were cut short as Jaune realized that Cardin was charging towards him with his mace held high. Time was short, Jaune had to make a decision quickly with what to do with the fight. He decided to win. To make it appear as luck. He would embarrass Cardin this time, for making him stand out, for always treating him like shit. It was the golden opportunity. Jaune doubted that he could escape hiding his identity from Silvanus anyways.
Raising his shield, Jaune blocked the mace that Cardin had swung. After successfully blocking, Jaune had started to swing his sword. Cardin's face showed surprise at this action. Never had Jaune been on the offensive in a fight before in Combat Class. Cardin let a smile show on his face. He was gonna put trash where trash belonged.
Deflecting and stopping Jaune's sword midway, Cardin let out a victory cry as he slammed his mace down towards Jaune's defenseless body. His victory cry transformed into a confused grunt when his mace hit the ground instead of Jaune's body.
Jaune had tripped over his own feet. That was what it seemed like to the other students. So when Jaune had dodged the mace and attacked Cardin's exposed back, the students could only stare in shock. Jaune had managed to not only dodge Cardin, but also inflict damage. Looking at the aura levels, Cardin's had dropped to the red. Jaune had won.
Confused cries echoed in the room. Students were discussing with themselves on how Jaune had managed to drop Cardin's aura that much with only one blow. Jaune knew why. He had mismanaged his strength. He meant to only inflict small to mediocre damage. But when he remembered all the shit Cardin put him through, he couldn't help but let his attack be 'slightly' stronger than intended.
'Wh-w-what?" Jaune almost let out a sadistic laugh as he heard Cardin let out a strangled voice. Jaune, albeit not the way he intended it, had succeeded in his goal of humiliating Cardin.
It was getting harder to mask his smile as Cardin turned his head towards Silvanus and the others in the class. His pride as a Winchester had been spoiled, in front of Silvanus Arc no less. He had to amend this right now. He had to make sure that others wouldn't look down on him for this.
"It was luck, dumb luck! That idiot tripped on his own feet, which allowed that miraculous dodge to happen!" Cardin yelled at the students. The other students were slowly recovering the shock and remembering the events of the fight. It was true. Jaune had seemed to trip on his own footwork. It was dumb luck. It had to be. There was no way Jaune could beat Cardin otherwise. Before they could voice their thoughts, Silvanus had spoken first.
"It's disgraceful to see a Winchester act in such manner. What were those words you used in describing your opponent? Ah! Someone in need of help. It seems that I have overestimated the abilities of a Winchester." Cardin could only let out uninterpretable sounds.
"I hope to forget today's incident as soon as possible. I hope that the Schnee would not disappoint me as so." Weiss stood up after hearing these words. She immediately understood what Silvanus meant with those words. He expected her to win.
"That was a very entertaining victory. It was like watching a circus act. Thank you for the entertainment, Jaune." Jaune froze after hearing Silvanus's voice. Silvanus knew who he was. Jaune was sure of it from the way that Silvanus said his name. Slowly turning his head towards Silvanus, he saw a menacing smile on Silvanus's face.
Shit.
Weiss was on the stage now, and Jaune had no choice but to go sit back down on his chair. Pyrrha was giving him a pat on the back for his victory, but Jaune didn't even notice. That was how the rest of the class went. He didn't take notice about who won, or what Silvanus was saying any more. He only thought about what would happen from now on.
Jaune was still trapped in his thoughts when he noticed that people were standing up to leave. Combat Class had ended and people were heading towards lunch now. Jaune sat still in his chair until everyone else had left. Silvanus was sitting in his chair, just like Jaune. When Silvanus heard Jaune's footsteps approach him, he put a smile on his face.
Jaune only scowled. Silvanus knew that Jaune would approach him. Still, Jaune felt a small sense of security from Silvanus's actions. Silvanus had not exposed Jaune of his past in front of everyone. It seemed that Silvanus had understood that Jaune was an outcast, someone who was weak compared to the other students. Revealing Jaune as an Arc would dirty the Arc name. So it made sense that Silvanus would keep quiet about it.
The problem was whether Silvanus would tell the other Arcs. And if he did, what they would do. The problem was that Jaune didn't want the others to know that he was in Beacon. Ever since he was disowned, he had decided that he would get revenge on the Arcs. So if they knew that he was in a prestigious combat school, then the Arcs could possibly get cautious.
Jaune planned to make Silvanus keep his mouth shut.
"What does my brot-" Silvanus cut his own words and had a thoughtful look on his face. It seemed that he reached a satisfactory conclusion as he resumed his speech.
"I was wondering what I would call you. This thought never passed my mind. I thought I'd never see you again after you were disowned. Brother is crossed out as you're obviously not an Arc anymore. I'd call you Jaune, but that makes me feel the same as calling you brother. So I won't call you Jaune. I'll settle with whatever your last name is now." Silvanus had a mischievous grin on his face.
"Crocea." Jaune's voice came out as hoarse. Silvanus's eyes lit up in understanding the moment he heard the name.
"Our ancestor's weapon! I normally would appreciate your naming sense. However, do you deserve to name yourself with anything that is related to us?" Silvanus's voice was now cold, and the air was suddenly filled with tension.
Jaune's heart was beating like crazy again. His anger flared up after registering Silvanus's words.
"Meet me in the underground arena at midnight. Ask Ozpin where it is if you don't know." It was Jaune's ultimatum. He was sure that Silvanus wouldn't back out of a fight.
"We're gonna have a bet with this fight. I already know what my condition is going to be when I win. So prepare yours in the meantime." Leaving those lines behind, Jaune quickly left the classroom and headed someplace other than the classroom.
Right as he left the classroom and rounded a corner, he put his back against the wall and was taking desperate gulps of air. He pounded his chest over and over again, hoping that the futile action would calm his wild heart. He put a hand against his head, trying to calm the pounding in his head. Jaune was drenched in sweat, so he decided to head to the bathroom to wash his face.
Jaune didn't know how much time had passed since of his short panic attack, but he now felt somewhat calm. It was then that Jaune realized how hungry he was. With a grunt, Jaune left the bathroom and headed towards the dining hall.
Upon arrival, he saw that many of the students had already left. Looking at the time, Jaune realized that lunch was almost over. He would have to eat quickly. Jaune quickly purchased lunch, making a note to head out to hunt some Grimm soon.
When he searched around the dining hall for a comfortable seat, preferably a corner spot, something caught his eye. It was Pyrrha waving at him. Was she waiting the whole time for him? Why? Then it hit him. He had told her during class that he would explain his actions for hiding from Silvanus. He felt another wave of nervousness as he quickly tried to form a well planned lie.
He arrived at the table, and put his tray filled with food down. He ate as quickly as possible, shoving food down his throat. He didn't have the time to enjoy the meal, it was almost time for next class.
At least, that was the plan. But feeling Pyrrha's intense glare stopped him from eating.
Jaune looked up and shivered from Pyrrha's face. It wasn't angry. It was a more patient look. However, the lack of emotion displayed on the face, paired with the slightly raised questioning eyebrows made it seem like she was an interrogator. He could tell that she wanted answers.
Distracted from her stare, Jaune accidentally tried to breathe and swallow food at the same time, resulting in a very loud coughing fit. After repeated coughs, Jaune finally caught his breath. He frowned slightly at the aspect of not being able to finish lunch. But there were much more important things that he needed to do. He locked eyes with Pyrrha before opening his mouth to speak.
"Silvanus isn't exactly what the public makes him out to be." Jaune started cautiously. Pyrrha slowly nodded her head as she listened to Jaune's words.
"He may seem to act as some kind of savior for the weak, and only cruel to those he has expectations for. In truth, he despises the weak. He sees them as nothing but pebbles on a road, or as insects in the middle of a forest. But he understands that the weak need to exist in order to maintain balance. So he chose to show a false personality to the weak. I'd be really grateful if you don't ask for details, but I was someone who was affected by Silvanus's true side. Let's just say that my life changed from there." Jaune finished.
He didn't lie. He just didn't reveal anything, making a vague statement. Jaune believed that Pyrrha would be able to respect his decision, and wouldn't pry for details.
"It did always surprise me how people always just blindly idolize him." It was the only comment that Pyrrha gave after listening to Jaune. Jaune stood up to go and return the tray. As he was about to go, he turned his head around to face Pyrrha.
"Hey Pyrrha, thanks for caring for me. Is it alright if I considered you…. a friend?" Jaune carefully asked. Pyrrha only let a smile show on her face.
"Of course."
"51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 11:10. 1, 2, 3, 4" Jaune was counting out loud the seconds of the time. He had about thirty minutes before he would head out to fight Silvanus. He was nervous. So damn nervous. He had alerted Qrow and Ozpin of his actions a while ago.
Qrow had responded with curses and insults.
"Why the FUCK would you even do that? Jaune, do you even think you can win against him? I'm not sure if I would even win against that monster!" Jaune swore that his he was deft on his right ear now. Qrow's love filled words continued to tear apart his eardrums for almost 20 minutes.
Ozpin in the other hand, just responded quietly. He asked Jaune if this was what he wanted. When Jaune replied with 'yes' Ozpin only nodded. Then their conversation ended.
When he reflected upon Qrow's words, he realized just how stupid his action was. He challenged an Arc. A genuine Arc that was born with the potential and power that succeeded both the predecessors and the legacy of the Arcs.
It was too late to back out. He had already issued the challenge, and if he backed now, then it would seem as if he was admitting his weakness. Admitting that the choice that his father made was right.
He continued with these thoughts until it was finally time to go.
Jaune took deep breaths and headed outside towards the underground arena. Due to his nervousness and focus on the upcoming battle, Jaune didn't notice the other student that was out wandering the halls.
Pyrrha was up all afternoon and night thinking about the words Jaune said about Silvanus had affected his entire life in some way. She wondered why Jaune lied to the others during the other day. Why Jaune had told everyone that he was just jealous of the Arc's power. She knew he was hiding something during that time, and it still felt like he was hiding something.
Pyrrha was heading towards the training field to vent and organize her thoughts when she noticed Jaune walking. She was about to greet him when she noticed his face. It was filled with anxiety. It felt to Pyrrha that Jaune had a destination, and wasn't walking aimlessly around. She decided to follow him in stealth.
Normally, she would never have thoughts of following someone in secret. Pyrrha hated it when she found out about something she wasn't supposed to. But with Jaune, she felt conflicted. From day one when the semester started, Jaune was the focus of the other students. They had ridiculed him, laughed at his failures.
Pyrrha felt that Jaune needed someone to speak to, someone to let his true emotions show. Pyrrha herself was someone who knew the pain of concealing emotions. In her face, she only allowed smiles to show. She had to appear confident in front of other people, as that was what they expected of her. Four year champion of Mistral Regional Tournament. Prodigy in battle.
Automatically, people associated her with power, strength, invincibility. Ridiculous titles and ideals that others had forcefully planted in her image.
Because of this, Pyrrha had hidden her true self to live up to other people's expectations. What others didn't know, was the pain, the pressure that associated with this. While Pyrrha was pressured to be successful, Jaune was pressured to be a failure.
So Pyrrha would help him. Even if her current actions went against her own ideals, she would follow through in order to help Jaune.
This was what friends did, right?
She quickly ended her line of thoughts when she saw Jaune meet Ozpin. Her brows furrowed in confusion. Ozpin rarely met with students individually. She quickly deduced possible reasons as to why Ozpin would meet with Jaune at this time.
She reached the conclusion that Ozpin knew why Jaune acted the way he did towards Silvanus. The question was, could she hide her presence in front of Ozpin? Taking a nervous breath, she followed the two and tried to hide her presence even more, if it was possible.
Ozpin only smiled as he led Jaune towards the hidden arena. It seemed that someone cared for Jaune other than him and Qrow. He thought about turning around to make their follower leave, but decided against it. Pyrrha Nikos was one who was very mature, even for her age group. She was someone who could be trusted.
Also, this was what Jaune wanted, and something that could possibly help fix Jaune's problem with his past. Friends. It was difficult to make friends while hiding secrets as big as Jaune's, So perhaps, having one such as Nikos know was a gift, a blessing.
The two, no three of them arrived at the entrance of the hidden arena. They entered the arena and headed down the stairs that would lead downstairs. Pyrrha could only widen her eyes in shock at the realization of a hidden area.
Her suspicions were not answered, but rather increased. Why did Jaune out of all the students know about this hidden location. Why was Ozpin fine with Jaune knowing? Her nervousness increased, and continued to pursuit the two.
Arriving to the bottom of the stairs, she was surprised by how large the arena was. Arena was a misrepresentation of the size of the place. It was more of a coliseum. Pillars with intricate designs were lined up, with the main field having grains of sand everywhere. She quickly hided behind one of the massive pillars as her eyes widened more at the sight that befell her.
Jaune and Ozpin had met up with Qrow that was waiting for their arrival. Jaune scrunched his face as the odor of alcohol hit his nose. Qrow had given Ozpin a questioning face. He noticed a unwanted stranger enter the hidden area. Ozpin wouldn't let the person enter without reason. Ozpin only gave a smile for a response.
Grunting, Qrow quickly patted Jaune in the back. When Jaune looked up at Qrow he was surprised to see worry on his face.
"If only I could take a picture of your face right now." Jaune let a small snicker out as Qrow's face turned into a glare. All of his humor currently was false, to try and mask the anxiety and fear that etched his heart.
Turning his head towards the main field, he saw Silvanus waiting with a smile on his face. Jaune closed his eyes as he slowly made his way into the field. He could hear every beat that his heart made, he felt as if time had slowed down.
Arriving at the main field, and standing across Silvanus, Jaune started to speak.
"Not a single word of my existence in Beacon shall be spoken to anyone. Not a single word of my past shall be spoken to anyone. That is my condition for you to keep if I win." Silvanus seemed to have expected the condition as he started to speak.
"I don't have any conditions for you to keep if I win. I don't need anything from you." Silvanus's arrogant smirk was back onto his face. Qrow started to walk into the field to signal the fight to begin.
Jaune thought of a strategy during this time.
In terms of knowledge, Jaune had an advantage. He knew of Silvanus's weapon choice, his semblance, and the way he fought from when they were young. Of course, all of this was useless if he had changed over the years. In contrary, Silvanus only knew of Jaune's weapon choice from Combat Class.
Second, it was highly likely that Silvanus would underestimate Jaune. Would Silvanus let his guard down for a reason like that? That was the question.
"I'm aiming to kill you." Jaune didn't even know himself that the words slipped from his own mouth.
Silvanus seemed surprised, as his mouth was parted slightly. The surprised look was quickly changed with a smile.
"Of course, that's what I expect."
Those were the last words spoken between the two as Qrow signalled the fight to begin.
Silvanus had taken out his double bladed katana. He whirled his weapon around with masterful expertise in one hand before he sprinted towards Jaune, making a short exchange of blows.
Silvanus seemed to be enjoying the battle. Jaune only furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. He wanted his brother to feel pain, to feel fear as he did when he was left for dead. So when Jaune felt the black aura start to come forth, he let it. He didn't try to control it.
Feeling the familiar burst of strength, Jaune tried to make the most out of the element of surprise. He used his burst of speed to appear behind Silvanus and swung his sword with the aim of killing Silvanus.
The sound of flesh and clothing ripping could be heard as first blood was drawn. A cry of anger was followed suit as Silvanus felt pain resonate within his back. He was confused. How had Jaune gotten so much agility suddenly? How had his pathetic brother manage to cut through his aura? Most importantly, what the fuck was that black aura?
He had never seen such aura, and was confident that no other Arc had seen it either. It didn't matter, he was an Arc. There was no way that he would lose against Jaune. There were no more traces of the arrogant smirk. Instead, a face devoid of emotion was shown of Silvanus now.
The trash had crossed the line. Silvanus decided he would leave Jaune bloodied on the ground. Jaune made a frustrated face. He couldn't win with the strike. His element of surprise was now gone. It was expected of Silvanus to survive. Still, Jaune had hoped that he would win with that attack.
Jaune let out a surprised noise as he quickly put his shield in front of him. Silvanus had recovered from the attack with miraculous speed and went on the offensive. Even after training with Qrow for so long, the attacks of Silvanus were barely blocked. The speed and offensive abilities in every single blow were made to harm.
Sweat drenched his body as he kept up pace with Silvanus. Frustration was shown in both Jaune's and Silvanus's face. Silvanus was angered that Jaune was managing to block all of his attacks. Jaune was angered that all he could do was block. It took all of his focus.
Knowing that he would lose with the current pace, Jaune had decided to take a risk. Instead of blocking with his shield, he decided to parry the next set of attacks with his sword. Taking a step forward after his successful parry, Jaune attempted to bash Silvanus with his shield.
Silvanus evaded the blow and backed off into the clearing. Pure fury was visibly showing now. Silvanus had originally planned to defeat Jaune without dual-wielding or using his semblance. He had planned to completely wipe the floor using only swordsmanship. He had to admit, Jaune's ability with a basic sword was much better than his.
Jaune felt his breath quicken as he felt Silvanus's aura thicken. Silvanus had splitted his double bladed katana into two separate katanas now.
This was where the real fight started.
In terms of only physical abilities and swordsmanship, he was confident that he could beat the majority of his past family. He had practiced that for almost a decade afterall. However, if that was the case, then the Arc family wouldn't disown him. Although physical ability and weapon mastery was a heavy part of battle, another main part of battle was Aura and semblance, something that Jaune had lacked.
The Arcs were known for their semblances afterall. The mood of battle had completely changed, and one could tell that Jaune was completely backed into a corner now. Silavnus was continuing his onslaught of attacks with his two katanas. Blood was leaking from the small cuts and injuries that were appearing. Jaune had to accept the damage, he couldn't block everything.
Jaune knew that he was completely fucked when his feet felt tied and couldn't move. He looked down as he saw roots grasping his feet. Controlling plants and their growth was the semblance of Silvanus. He could completely alter the tides of battle by himself with this ability. Looking back up, he saw a victorious smile on Silvanus's face as he sliced diagonally across Jaune's chest.
Pain didn't even register as he crumpled down face first into the ground. His body felt so heavy. The dirt below his was saturated with his blood, and was now forming a pool. Jaune saw his own reflection through his blood. His eyes were so devoid of life.
It was then that pain started to register in his mind.
It hurt so much. It hurt so fucking much. It was also so fucking frustrating that he couldn't do anything but lie down there. He couldn't stand up, he didn't have any strength. He felt tears form in his eyes as he thought about his life.
He wondered why he was so dumb to even try to get revenge on the Arcs. There was no way he could stand up to them.
Why did he even bother to try and become a hunter under the guidance of Qrow? Why did he just silently take all of the student's shit? Why did he deserve all of this?
He didn't know if the fatal injury was fucking with his head, but Jaune just wanted it all to end. He was so goddamn tired of everything. He was slowly closing his eyes, letting the darkness embrace him, when he saw Silvanus's face.
It had that despicable, disgusting smirk. The same exact smirk that was displayed on his face when Jaune was disowned in front of his family.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
He felt his lungs desperately asking for air. He felt his heart pump blood like never before. He wanted to kill Silvanus. He wanted to murder him so fucking badly. It was weird. Jaune himself knew that he had no chances of winning against Silvanus. Yet he tried so hard to get up. His entire front was soaked in red, and still, he slowly went on his knees to stand up.
He felt Silvanus's katana blade against his neck. It felt like a sight one would see before a beheading execution. Jaune tried to move his body even more, but with no avail. It was then that the landscape suddenly changed.
Jaune didn't feel pain anymore. Looking down, he still had the fatal wound, with blood drenching everything, from his clothes to his skin. He looked around, and noticed that… there was nothing. It was like a white canvas, with only him as any substance. Silvanus was no longer in front of him, getting ready to behead him, Ozpin and Qrow were gone.
Was he dead? It was the first thought that ran through his head. He started to panick. No, no, no, no, no. He couldn't die like this. He had to repay Qrow and Ozpin, he had to do something with his second chance at life.
Perhaps this was punishment for wishing for death earlier.
Jaune let out a roar of anger as he slammed his fists on the ground. He repeated this action, even when it felt like his bones were breaking, even when it felt so hopeless. That is, until a voice resonated.
"Do you want to win?" Jaune snapped his head, eyes wide with surprise. In front of him, lay a formless black mist. It was so familiar to the scene near the Arc Manor, when he was about to die from the Beowolves.
"Yes, yes, I want to win, no, I NEED to win." The mist just stayed silent.
"I'll do anything, you can take over my body, you can ask for anything. I'll follow you for the rest of my life, I'll grovel before you for the rest of my life, just please. Let me win." Jaune continued his plea for what felt like an eternity. It didn't matter. He would continue to do so.
It was when his vision went black that Jaune noticed that the mist in front of him must've done something.
Qrow tried to end the fight when Silvanus put his katana against Jaune's neck. This was too much. The damn boy had endured too much already. For his life to end like this, it was too cruel. As he stepped forward, he felt his skin crawl suddenly. It was then that black aura suddenly erupted from Jaune's body. Black aura continued to flow, as if it was a fountain.
All of the spectators could only stare in shock as they felt the menacing aura. It was then that they noticed Jaune.
Jaune's wound had completely stopped bleeding, and he was now opening and closing his fist as if to test something. He then looked at Silvanus. Silvanus felt like hiding when he saw Jaune. The once blue eyes were now a bloodshot red, glowing. His head was tilted towards the side, and Silvanus, for the first time, felt fear from an enemy.
Silvanus quickly tried to attack Jaune before he grabbed his weapons. Jaune only lifted his arms as the black aura formed a wall in front of him. It seemed like black ink in water. It flowed without an exact form. But it acted like a shield, blocking the attack.
Suddenly, Silvanus felt his body erupt with pain as he was blown back.
Silvanus snapped his head back up, attempting to ignore the pain. Seeing Jaune and the black aura move closer, he used his semblance to create walls of trees and other plants. He encased himself in a dome in order to stop Jaune's advance. It was futile as the entire dome eroded. The plants and trees all decayed and crumbled, as Jaune appeared in front of Silvanus.
Blood spurt out of his mouth as he saw Jaune's sword impale him right in the middle of his chest.
His vision came back, and the sight that befell him made him stunned with surprise. Silvanus was in front of him, stuck to a wall thanks to his sword that impaled him in the chest. Blood was scattered all over the wall behind Silvanus, and a puddle similar to Jaune's earlier formed at the bottom of his feet.
He had won the fight. No, his power had won him the fight. His power gifted him the final blow. Jaune could only stare at Silvanus's own eyes as he lifted up one of Silvanus's katana.
Before he killed him, he needed answers.
"Why. Why didn't you or anyone stop his decision in disowning me? Weren't we brothers. We're blood related for fuck's sake! WHY DIDN'T ANY ONE OF MY SEVEN SIBLINGS DO ANYTHING TO HELP ME AFTER?" His scream echoed throughout the arena. His voice was becoming hoarse from the sudden yell. He started coughing up blood.
"I hate you… I hate all of you! I'll kill you all, I'll get my revenge." Jaune was muttering now. He picked up Silvanus's katana and was ready to end his life. He felt a hand grab his arm. Turning around, Jaune was met with Qrow stopping him.
"Why?" It was all Jaune said.
"If you were prepared to kill him, I would have left you to do it. Looking at you now, I know you're not ready." Not understanding his words, Jaune tried to refute before he saw his hands.
They were shaking uncontrollably. Jaune laughed at his pathetic self. He made a vow to get revenge, and he couldn't even keep it. Even now, he still felt Silvanus as his brother. The prospect of killing him disgusted Jaune.
It was at that moment where sudden nausea and pain hit Jaune. He could feel the torturous burn from his fatal wound as blood violently spurted from the wound again. Jaune fell down towards the ground as the world faded to black.
Pyrrha could only stand still behind the pillar, hiding. Her knees shook as she slowly fell to the floor. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Jaune was an Arc. Jaune was from the Arc family. She had to take time just to process this fact. Sure Jaune and Silvanus both had similar hair color and eyes, but a lot of people had blonde hair and blue eyes.
He was disowned. His family had abandoned him.
She took deep breaths. No wonder Jaune had froze during the news. He was going to have a possible reunion with his brother. His brother that only watched and even agreed with the choice of disowning him. It explained his actions during class earlier. How he hid himself. Anyone would want to avoid seeing Silvanus if they were in Jaune's shoes.
Pyrrha quickly made sure to hide herself better when she heard the rushed footsteps of the others taking Jaune and Silvanus towards the infirmary. After surveying the clearance, and making sure it was clear, Pyrrha made her way towards the bloodied battlefield.
Amidst all her feelings of nausea from seeing all of the blood, she couldn't help but feel slightly happy at the thought that Jaune had managed to win the battle. That led her to another thought. How had Jaune managed to beat Silvanus?
In class, Jaune was easily one of the weakest students attending. So how did he win? She remembered the black aura and shivered. She hugged herself as the air around her suddenly felt cold. It was so ominous, the aura.
She didn't feel like thinking anymore for the day. She just wanted to sleep it off. Hell, she didn't even know if she would tell Jaune that she knew of his past. As she left to leave the area, Pyrrha shrieked when she felt a hand grab her shoulders.
Ozpin was standing there with an amused expression on his face.
"Your ability to conceal yourself is pretty amazing Ms. Nikos. Although I have noticed you from the beginning, it is still impressive for a student. Anyhow, how do you feel about the whole spectacle that you saw?" Pyrrha froze. That means the headmaster knew she was tailing them from the beginning.
Considering the fact that he let her see this 'spectacle' as he put it, she assumed that he wanted her to see it. Why? Her question was answered with his next words.
"Although I would have immediately stopped any student from seeing this, I feel that I can trust you Ms. Nikos. I'm sorry to put you in such a spot, but Ms. Nikos, would you become friends with Jaune? At least accomplices?"
Pyrrha slowly nodded before talking.
"We've already reached a point of friendship, headmaster. If I may ask, why is Jaune not fighting as he is now in combat class or when he's hunting Grimm? He has enough strength to even defeat Silvanus Arc…" Ozpin stared at her silently before taking a sip of his coffee.
"As love as I'd like to tell you all the answers Ms. Nikos, I think it'd be better if you ask Jaune yourself. Jaune is a boy that would never talk about this to anyone that is not me or Qrow, no matter the circumstance. So please, Ms. Nikos, take the first step and talk to Jaune."
Throbs of pain and drowsiness were the only feelings that Jaune felt when he woke up. He was lying down in some kind of Hospital bed. A shitload of cords and machinery were beeping and were attached to him. He groaned at his current state.
As if god had planned it, Qrow had walked into the hospital room the moment that Jaune had woken up. Staring wide eyes at Jaune, Qrow suddenly cursed.
"Shit, the boy is awake!" He slammed the door shut before running off to some other place. An awkward silence wandered the air. A few moments passed until Ozpin and Qrow came into the room.
"How are you feeling kid?" Qrow asked.
"Like shit." Qrow chuckled.
"How long was I out?" Jaune asked. He knew that with the wounds he took, it would be days at the very least.
"Including today, that makes it a eleven days!" Jaune's eyes boggled after hearing the number of days. With quick thinking, Jaune was thinking about Beacon work.
It had been in total about a month since the first semester had started, which meant that exams would be near.
Shit.
Fuck.
A desperate scream could be heard all over the medical ward.
He had missed about a week's worth of lectures, which meant that he would have to self study History of Remnant, Grimm Knowledge, and Tactics. He had to pass the main knowledge classes due to Jaune having to purposely fail the Combat exam.
He would have to ask others to help him catch up. He prayed that Nora, Ren, or Pyrrha would help.
Qrow only laughed at Jaune's antics. He was worried that Jaune's personality might have changed from the fight, but it seemed that it didn't. He was glad.
"Although Silvanus had healed much earlier than you, he asked me to pass you this message. That he would keep his promise on the condition you set in the case that you win." Ozpin said. Jaune let out another sigh. It seemed that his identity wouldn't get leaked. He wished he had more aura. That way, these fucking wounds would heal faster…
"Well that's all for us. We'll come from time to time to make sure you're not lonely." Qrow had said before the two left. Once again, Jaune was left in his room with silence enveloping him.
When he heard the door open, Jaune wondered if they had forgotten something in the room. He was wrong. His eyes widened when he saw who had come in.
Pyrrha was standing there and awkwardly waved her hand in greeting. Jaune repeated the same gesture with just as much awkwardness.
"I noticed that you weren't in class for a long period of time, due to some accident. I thought I'd help you catch up." Jaune felt tears of joy well up in his eyes.
An angel had descended upon him.
Chapter 4 ends here, and I hope you guys had fun reading! Thanks again for taking your time to read this story! Thank you for anyone who fav'ed, followed, or left a review!
FalseOrdeals