Authors note: This story has passed 4,000 views! Thanks you to everyone who has read this fic! Angst chapter ahead. I know that some of you might be confused as to why Jaune is shocked to hear about what exactly happened in Mike's past, considering that the flashback with Raven tells of what happened. That was a flashback to tell the full story. Mike only told Jaune about the bandits jumping him and the fight between Raven. So I hope that clears things up. ALSO! If we can reach 50 followers, 15 reviews and 25 favorites by the end of the day I'll update tomorrow! On with the fic!
(4 months into Jaune's training, Jaune's POV)
"Alright Jaune. I taught you how to extend your aura to certain parts of your body so you could hit harder. Now I'm gonna teach you how to extend your aura to Crocea Mors as well."
I nodded in anxiety and watched as Mike channeled his aura into Yacidian. Black energy wrapped around the blade like an extra coating. He walked up to a boulder and slashed down onto it. He cleaved it in two.
"I was wondering Mike, does your Yacisin Barra use aura?" Mike started to speak, "Well, yes and no. Yacidian is special. Somehow, Yacidian has it's own power and aura. For centuries, my ancestors have tried to find out why it has aura, considering it's an inanimate object but they found no answer. My father told me about it and I started to experiment with Yacidian and found out something crazy. Yacidian can absorb the users aura and can store the aura it absorbs. The aura becomes it's own and if I use a Yacisin Barra it won't take away any of my aura. Do you understand?"
I nod and dwell on the fact that his blade is something more than just a deadly, giant, meat cleaver.
"So Jaune. Let's see you try to send aura into your sword."
I hold my sword in my hands and clear my mind. I think of positive thoughts and feel my aura wrapping around my blade. I open my eyes and see that my blade is enveloped in the bright white light of my aura. It looks like it's set ablaze by a white fire. I walk over to another boulder and cut in half just like Mike did. I start laughing in joy and excitement. "This is freaking awesome!" I thought in my mind.
Mike grinned and walked into the tree line out of my sight. I yell for him and he doesn't respond. I quickly realize that he's gonna send a Grimm. In our past training exercises, he disappears every time he gets ready to send a Grimm after me. I ready my aura enveloped blade and wait for the Grimm. I hear Mike cussing a bunch in the distance and see a few trees fall down. Sweat drops from my brow in anxiety and nervousness. A few seconds later Mike comes running with a maniacal smile on his face. and he jumps up onto a tree
"Alright Jaune! Here's your training partner for the day!" He yells at me while laughing. I look at the treeline and a Deathstalker comes smashing into the clearing. I yelp in surprise and roll out of it's path.
I look up at him in disbelief while I dodge it's pincers and scream, "OK! First! How in the HELL did you catch a Deathstalker? TWO! I gotta fight it on my own?!" I slice a small part of it's claw off and it screams in rage.
He smirks down at me and responds, "First, I got a huge ass rock and trapped it. Second, yes. You have to fight it."
I flick him the bird and get ready for the giant bug to charge. It skitters towards me and try's to impale me with it's tail. I dash back and Mike flashes in front of me. He roars in rage and cuts the Deathstalker's tail off. He continues to cut into the Grimm with uncontrolled anger. I see him grab the Deathstalker's pincer and tear it from the bug's body. It shrieks in pain and actually looks afraid. Mike charges it with it's own pincer, jumps into the air and impales it through the head with it's own limb. He brings out Yacidian and repeatedly stabs it even though it's dead. He starts screaming, "YOUR NOT KILLING ANYONE ELSE I CARE ABOUT! YOU HEAR ME?! NO ONE!"
I run up to Mike and tell him to calm down. He looks back at me with eyes full of pain and rage. He has tears coming down his face in streams. He falls to his knees and starts to cry with his head in his hands. I put my hand on his shoulder to comfort him. I have no idea what triggered him like that but I intend to find out.
I speak softly, "Mike. What the hell was that man? I've never seen you freak out like that. Please tell me. I want to help."
He looks so vulnerable. The man that has trained me for the past 4 months relentlessly, who seems so powerful, so unmovable, is crying in front of me uncontrollably. He wipes his tears and looks at me with pain and sorrow.
He responds quietly, "When I saw that Deathstalker try to stab you with it's tail, It...it reminded me of what happened the night I lost everything. When I was too weak to prevent those that I loved from dying".
I sit down in front of him and speak again, "Mike. Tell me what happened. You can't keep your emotions bottled up. Please?"
He ponders this for a moment and nods. He starts to speak, "It all started seven years ago Jaune. I was eleven years old when I lost my home, my clan and my parents. My clan was known to be strong and feared. We were becoming almost as notorious as your family Jaune and we lived in Vacuo. My father started training me when I was five years old and he taught me how to fight and exercises to make me strong. His name was Thel Yacidian and he was the leader of our town called morrowwind. I trained hard and became the strongest child in the whole village. I felt so proud when my father deemed me worthy to wield Yacidian. My mother was the one who taught me aura control. Her name was Artemis Yacidian. They were amazing in combat. They came from the same team and were partners at their old school. My father was a tank and could kill massive Grimm in single blows. My mother was his polar opposite, she was a speed fighter and could inflict damage in seconds. She was so fast that people nicknamed her lightning. Her semblance was teleportation and my fathers was density manipulation. When I was eleven, our village was celebrating a very successful hunting trip. When we all went to bed the watchtower at our borders sounded the alarm. A Grimm horde was approaching the village and was large enough to possibly destroy one of the four major cities in remnant. Every able bodied person grabbed a weapon to fight against the oncoming swarm. We fought hard for hours but we were starting to get overwhelmed. My mother was almost out of aura and was fighting alongside my father and I in a small triangle. An Alpha Goliath stomped towards us and my father gave my mother a look to run. She grabbed me and teleported me away from the battle. She hugged me tight and told me to survive for her and my dad. I tried to protest but she gave me her necklace and one last hug before she teleported back to my father. I ran up a guard tower and saw a sight that would haunt me to this very day. My mother was hanging in the air impaled by a Deathstalker's stinger. She was dead. She blocked it from trying to stab my father and died saving him. My father roared in rage and brought his war axe down on top of the Alpha Goliath. He killed it, but it impaled him with it's tusks and he succumbed to his wounds. I ran away from my village and survived for a year out in the wilderness by myself. I then traveled Remnant to become stronger. If there was one thing that I remember distinctly besides my parent's deaths Jaune, it was that my father spoke silently before the battle that someone orchestrated this attack. Someone behind the scene wanted my clan dead because it was gaining strength. Someone not human. Someone that could control Grimm. After that attack happened, I swore to find and kill the one responsible for the destruction of my clan. That's why I was in Vale when I me you. I was going to ask Ozpin for answers but I saw you moping and the rest is history."
I look at Mike with wide eyes and sympathy. Lord Monty above was that terrible. One question plagued me. I asked, "Mike. If your clan was almost as strong as the Arc clan, why was the Arc clan never attacked?"
Mike responded, "Because your family and clan lives close to a major city. My village was almost in the middle of nowhere. Far away from any major city in Vacuo. That's why whoever orchestrated the attack targeted my clan. If they would've targeted your clan, there would be a high chance of your clan surviving, because you live close to a major city. Mine didn't and was targeted and destroyed." He hung is head in sadness.
I pull Mike into a hug and speak, "That's why you gotta keep moving forward Mike. Live for your family. Make them proud." I feel a few tears fall on my shoulder and he slaps me on the back.
He pulls away with a small smile, "Thank you Jaune. I needed that. How about we take the rest of the day off and go home?"
I nod in agreement and we travel back to the cabin. I walked into my room and pulled out my scroll. I had a text message from Pyrrha. She said that there was a dance at Beacon next month and Ozpin said that I could come with her if I wanted to. She said that Mike was welcomed as well.
I walk to Mike's room and go inside, "Hey Mike?" He sat up and looked at me. "Could we take a night off next month? I got something that we can enjoy and get some relaxation in." He nodded and responded, "Sure Jaune. What exactly do you have planned?"
I smiled a little mischievously and spoke, "How good are you at dancing?"
