Author's Notes: Man it has been a while though I will admit that it was mostly my fault.
Important things happen in this chapter that will have major repercussions throughout this Fic so I wanted to make sure everything was right. Which resulted in rewrite after rewrite… Sorry about that.
The Grimmlands are without a doubt uninhabitable. There are no plants that naturally grow there and the very little research that has been conducted about that forsaken place suggests that no plants can or will ever grow there. Though no one understands why some have suggested the soil contains trace amounts of poison and others have suggested low air quality as the reason. However the most likely reason seems to be the water or rather the complete lack of water in the Grimmlands, instead, there are pools of black inky liquid whose existence are closely guarded secrets. The reason for the secrecy ties into the real reason why the Grimmlands are devoid of life, the Grimm and the black inky pools that give birth to them.
However, if one were to somehow venture deep enough into that hellscape they would find a palace, not a ruin devoid of life but, an actual palace with a sovereign sitting on her dreadful throne: Salem, the ruler of the Grimm. She was a woman of inhuman power, intellect, and presence that when combined with her morbid beauty left little wonder as to why some would worship her as an actual goddess. As for the good Doctor, Salem was not a goddess. She, however, was his boss, benefactor and someone who without a doubt a true Queen and thus deserved respect and now it was time for him to give his Queen a report of his time and findings.
"What's is it Watt." Salem's voice echoing through the throne room gave Dr. Watts Goosebumps and a small cowardly part of him wanted to simply apologize for the intrusion and leave. However then he would then be guilty of wasting her time and thus punished accordingly, so he kept going and once he was able to properly squash that rebellious part of him that wanted to run, did he speak.
"My liege, are you aware of the late Dr. Merlot's final project?" he asked with a respectful bow.
"I do remember it well. I remember that it was a complete failure, I remember that it took time away from his working projects, the ones that actually had value." Salem's voice was cold and her face was devoid of emotion but, there was anger. Thinking about Merlot made her angry or maybe it was the thought of that failed project or maybe it was both, her face gave no answers and no clues.
Dr. Watts was not prepared for this response and once again a tiny fearful part of him wanted to hide his discovery and pretend like there was nothing to report. Calm down, Arthur. Her mood will improve when you show her the file."My Queen, I have recently learned that Dr. Merlot final Project was not, in fact, a complete failure and if you should permit me I will show you the medical file of a young fool by the name Jaune Arc otherwise now known as Patient Zero."
Salem's eyes narrowed but she did not seem upset rather, she seemed interested. She motioned for Dr. Watts to come closer which he obeyed with all due haste. Once he was in front of her she silently motioned with her hand to continue his presentation. With a feeling of relief and satisfaction he pulled out his scroll, found the files regarding Jaune and with Salem's permission, he began his presentation.
Jaune hated going to the doctor's, people only ever go the doctor when they are sick when something is wrong with their body. Something was very wrong with his body but, at the same time it was thanks to that "Disease," he was still alive. Pyrrha would have killed him, The Nemean would have killed him and whatever that monkey thing was would have also killed him.
Jaune only survived because he was violated, mutilated and left for dead by whoever that Goddamned mad Surgeon was but even after all that, it wasn't enough. Laying on the medical bed in the Rest and Recovery ward, Jaune was reminded just how weak he still was and he hated that.
"Ah, you are awake that is excellent news." the sudden voice of Ozpin took ahold of Jaune's attention and thus he turned to face the headmaster who had just entered the room and was now standing next to Jaune's bed. "How are you feeling Mr. Arc?"
"I feel like shit." On any other day Jaune would never dream of talking to Ozpin like that however, he honestly felt like shit.
The Headmaster had every right to be offended by Jaune's blunt and rather crude reply but instead, he just chuckled and sat on the chair next to the bed Jaune was laying in. "First off let me be the very first to properly welcome you to Beacon. Congratulations Jaune. You earned it."
"But I was nothing be dead weight." Jaune tried to reason.
"You were not the one at fault there Jaune, it was Pyrrha who was at fault, she threw the Javelin. Your injuries and naturally your performance was due entirely to her lapse in judgment. But, even then you still managed to pass."
Jaune upon being reminded of what Pyrrha accidentally did to him was filled briefly with an incredible rage which was promptly drowned by the memory of her terrified face and her heartfelt apology. The anger that he felt toward her quickly evaporated leaving nothing but the hollow feeling of shame. This was something that Ozpin noticed, "Jaune it is perfectly alright to be angry at Pyrrha…"
"Huh?"
"Jaune, the life of a Huntsman is a stressful one and when you consider how we have to hide our fears for the sake of the people we protect... it's hard. I won't sugarcoat it for you, I've seen more than one huntsman go through a breakdown because of the subtle double life this work requires. Learning how to control and properly vent out your emotions is essential if you want to work in this career, honesty with others and especially yourself is key. In your case, Pyrrha made a mistake and it nearly cost you."
"But, she apologized! She tried to help me pass, I would have failed without her help!" Jaune couldn't believe his own ears, why was Ozpin doing this?
"Yes I know, Jaune, in fact, it was thanks to all the care and assistance she gave you that made me and the rest of the professors decided to appoint her as the captain of your team."
Now Jaune was just getting confused, "Then why are you telling me that it's okay to be angry?"
"Because it is okay because anger is a normal and perfectly acceptable reaction especially when we consider everything that you have already gone through. Normally, I would not bother to meddle like this in the affairs of my students. Don't misunderstand me, my door is always open to those who honestly want my help but, this is not a normal situation Mr. Arc. You are not a normal student."
There it is, there it is. He thinks I'm some kind of monster. And he's right. Without realizing it, Jaune began biting his lip. In fact, he was biting so hard that he had already broken through the skin and was now bleeding. Ozpin, however, noticed this and handed the poor boy a handkerchief.
"I must apologize. I never meant to offend you like that or imply anything. Jaune I have lived for a long long time and I have never seen anything like you before, there is a lot that I am not sure of. But I know this, you don't have to suffer alone. If you hold no grudge against Pyrrha then that is fantastic but if a part of you still resents her then please, tell her. It will save both of you much pain and regret to get this out of the way now."
Ozpin then got up to leave but as he when he reached the door, stopped as though he suddenly remembered something important that he was supposed to say. "By the way Mr. Arc, I would recommend lying about the nature of your regenerative abilities."
And now Jaune was confused again, "What do you mean Professor?"
"This is a Huntsman Academy, you are going to get hurt. Sooner or later you are going to be injured to a degree that will trigger that ability of yours. When that happens people are going to assume that it is your Semblance in action and I would recommend that you agree with them, at least for now."
Jaune quickly grasped the wisdom in Ozpin words but, the last part made him puzzled. "What do you mean for now?"
Ozpin gave a hearty chuckle before answering. "Do you honestly think that this is a secret that you can hide forever? Sooner or later, Mr. Arc, your true Semblance will reveal itself and then they will have questions. But, that is in the future and I am confident that together we will be able to resolve this whole issue."
With that Ozpin left in order to get back to work leaving Jaune alone.
Nora was excited how could she not be excited? She and Ren got into Beacon and more importantly, they got on a team with each other, Go team PRAN (Prismarine)! But there was still work that needed to be done! First, they needed to decide on sleeping arrangements, then they need to decide on chores, bathing schedules who will go out for booze runs, just so much needed to be done!
With many plans still running through her mind, Nora excitedly turned to her best friend and asked. "Say, Ren, do think you think you can take the bed by the window? With your Mad Ninja Skills, you'd be able to sneak out whenever you want!"
"Nora, maybe we should wait for the last member of our team to voice his opinion," Ren stated this in such a cool and interesting manner that most people would think that he was just tolerating his partner's antics. Those people, however, would be wrong as Ren was already considering the best means to put Nora's plans into action.
"Oh, that's a good Point Ren! We don't want our first meeting to be like. Hey! There, nice to meet you. By the way, while you were recovering we made a bunch of important decisions about the next four years and beyond without you! Let's be friends!"
Pyrrha who had been silently arranging her stuff on the bed nearest to the bathroom flinched at the reminder of Jaune's absence and especially at the reason why he wasn't with them. And then her treacherous mind began its assault. It's your fault you know, he wouldn't be in that condition if it wasn't for your selfish wish. Did you even ask if he wanted to be your partner? No, you Didn't, Instead, you Selfishly tried to pin him to a tree and what happened?
"Excuse me Pyrrha."
Her heart nearly jumped right out of her chest and when she turned around to see who startled her she saw Ren and even Nora staring at her with concern on their faces. There was a silence that felt like was going to suffocate Pyrrha who finally decided to break it.
"What?" she asked, not in a mean or annoying way but rather in a hushed tone. Like she was just trying to get away from this uncomfortable situation. Your fault.
Nora was the one to answer, "You were shaking."
"I… I was?!"
Ren decided at this moment to step in, "Go to him Pyrrha."
"What!?"
Ren pressed on, "I heard about what happened in initiation."
It felt like the world was slowly growing darker.
"Then you know what happened, how I hurt him." Pyrrha felt the heat leaving her body as she said this.
This time it was Nora who responded. "We also heard from Ruby how you helped him. How he wouldn't have passed without your help."
"But I'm Reason he needed help in the First place!" Pyrrha was now shouting.
"And that's why you needed to talk to him. The two of you need to be able to put this behind you. Otherwise, this will just fester and sooner rather than later it will burst." Ren's face remained so calm and collected as he said this but, his eyes were different. There was a nostalgic sadness in his eyes, as though he was remembering something.
"I know we just met Pyrrha but, please. Trust me and Ren on this. We… we have made similar mistakes in the past." Nora was looking down and gripping her arm as she said this.
Pyrrha was the top graduate at Sanctum Academy, she was four times Mistral regional champion, she was the Invincible Girl and now she was scared, no she was horrified. Pathetic. Just how pathetic can you be? And yet despite her fear, she kept walking down that hallway, walking to the room where Jaune was. Is he alright? Is he even still awake? Does he hate me? Of Course, he hates you. Pyrrha's pace quickened as she tried to ignore that tired old and always disappointed voice in her head. She was almost running now and before she fully realized it, she had reached the Rest and Recovery room and now the only thing between her and Jaune was a wooden door.
She reached out to the door handle to open the door but she couldn't, she just couldn't bring herself to open the door. She couldn't really explain it, she just felt the strength drain from her arms and as that happened she felt a rising desire to run away, to go back to her dorm room and lie to Ren and Nora by telling them that Jaune was asleep. But she couldn't do that either, for some reason her feet felt frozen. Coward. Failure. Weak.
"SHUT UP!" Pyrrha shouted into the empty hallway. "Just shut up!"
The door to the R&R opened up and a confused Jaune emerged. "Um, Pyrrha… are you okay?"
Pyrrha took a moment to compose herself before looking him right in the eye. "No Jaune, I'm not alright and we need to talk."
They stared at each other in silence. Jaune then stepped to the side and pointed inside the room.
"Dr. Gris is in his office right now, we can talk in private in here." With that, both he and Pyrrha entered the room. Once inside the admirably large and cozy room, Jaune directed Pyrrha to some sofas that were by the entrance and together they sat down.
Pyrrha spoke first, "Jaune, I wanted to know… are you going to be alright?" Such a disappointment. Pyrrha old anxieties were now in full force, it was almost funny really. The Great Pyrrha Nikos was stumbling towards an anxiety attack all because she didn't have the courage to ask her partner something as simple as "Hey are you alright and can I do anything to help?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. In fact, I was actually getting ready to go meet you and the rest of the team in the dorms." Jaune answered but, there was an edge to his voice that made Pyrrha flinch just little but it was something that Jaune noticed. I guess Ozpin was right, I'm still angry at Pyrrha and judging by her reaction she is still upset by what happened. Knowing what he had to do Jaune gathered his courage and continued. "Actually, No Pyrrha I'm not alright."
It felt like her worst fears were about to be realized but, to her credit, she did not try to flee the room. Despite what that damnable voice in her head may say, she was strong enough to bear the weight of his hate if she had to. Sure, she trembled every step of the way here but, she came anyway and she would take it, no matter how much she hated it or how badly it would hurt. You're Faking Courage.
Jaune continued, "Pyrrha I would be lying to you if It said that I wasn't still a little angry with you." That was the easy part, now comes the hard. "But, I am far angrier no… not angry. Rather I'm disappointed with myself."
Pyrrha was a bit bewildered at this, "But Jaune you did nothing wrong! I was the one who hurt you! You Should be angry at me!"
"I'm angry at you Pyrrha, but only a little. Sure you were the one who speared me, but that was an accident and you took responsibility. You argued on my behalf and you even carried me until I could stand on my own two feet. I passed thanks to you!" Jaune was fully sincere as he said this and this created an odd feeling in Pyrrha.
"Jaune… I don't deserve this. You should be angry at me not disappointed in yourself, I was the one at fault, not you!"
Jaune closed his eyes in order to better think for a bit, he needed to carefully word the next part correctly and as he sat in meditative silence memories began to resurface. Memories of a bar, memories of an operating table, memories of pain and a memory that felt like dying and now Jaune knew what he wanted, no. Want he needed to say. "Pyrrha, before I came to Beacon… I was hurt. Nothing personal but I'm not to tell you what happened and I would really appreciate if you don't ask me questions about it."
Pyrrha nodded her head in understanding.
"I'm really not comfortable saying this but, back then I felt such a feeling of helplessness that I swore I would never feel that way again. And then initiation happened and once again I was helpless for a while. I was furious at you, at Weiss, at the whole damn world but mostly at myself. I thought I had grown stronger since then but, I was still just as naive and vulnerable as I ever was."
"I'm sorry Jaune." it was now starting to dawn on Pyrrha just how grim her sins were.
Jaune attempted to interrupt the apology but Pyrrha raised a hand to ask him to wait, which he did.
"Jaune, you did nothing wrong. As soon as you could you began walking on your own, you helped us in every fight that you could and you were the one who spotted the Nemean. Weiss is alive thanks to you."
"And then I was ambushed by the same thing." Jaune bitterly added.
"You got ambushed while trying to make sure Ruby was safe! None of us knew that there even were Grimm that could mimic voices but more importantly, you were able to fight it off! You even killed another Grimm while ambushed and wounded! You are Strong!" Now it was Jaune's turn to be blown away by the sincerity in Pyrrha's voice.
"Thank you, Pyrrha. Thank you for carrying me, thank you for fighting for me and thank you for calling me out for my idiocy… I'm glad that it was you that found me in the forest."
"So are the two of you going to make out or what?"
Jaune and Pyrrha both nearly jumped out of their respective seats before turning to see both Ren and Nora standing at the door. Before Jaune could ask who were they, Nora already crossed the distance and began shaking Jaune's hand.
"I'm Nora Valkyrie and he is Lie Ren! But don't call him Lie, that's last name not his first but it comes first instead of last and it is weirrrrred! Also, you owe the two of us a Monkey!"
Ren then stepped in to clarify, "You stole our kill."
And now Jaune was more confused than ever, "Pardon?"
"You heard him you kill Stealer you! We were going to kill that monkey and then I was going to make a jacket out of it!" Nora proclaimed.
"Nora, you can't make clothes out of Grimm. Their bodies evaporate when they are killed." Ren Calmly stated.
"And that is bullshit! I mean come on! You already tried to kill me, the least you could do is let me make a jacket out of your skin!"
Looking at them, looking at his teammates for the next four years filled Jaune with an odd sense of relief. Sure there were still plenty of uncertainties that remained on his mind and on the mind of Pyrrha but they didn't seem so big anymore. Rather they felt like everything was going to somehow work out just fine.
Salem was smiling as she watched the recording of Jaune fighting the Varana. But, it was not the fight itself that impressed her, after all, it was a rather short fight. Nor was she impressed with Jaune, he was just another one of Ozpin's ignorant pawns in the middle of beating what amounted to an overgrown monkey to death with a rock. However, what was inside the boy was a whole other story.
Quite frankly Jaune should be dead, he should have died months ago at Watt's hands, he should have died after that Javelin cut his flight short, he should have died again at the jaws of the Nemean and finally that first blow from the Varana should have ended his life and yet there he was still alive and more importantly fighting with a strength and ferocity that was more suited to the Grimm. The medical reports revealed that Jaune was not huntsman material, while he was by no means unhealthy he was nowhere near the level of physical requirement needed to be accepted into a Huntsman academy let alone one as prestigious as Beacon. And yet there he was on screen overpowering and pinning down a Grimm with one hand while the other was raising a rock to finally crack the monster's skull open and it was all thanks to Dr. Merlot's yet unfinished creation.
When the video ended she turned to Dr. Watts. "Arthur I most certainly hope you did not use all of those delightful vials experimenting on random people."
"I most certainly did not your Grace, I still have around a dozen left." Arthur quickly answered,
"Excellent, then I want you to get to work right away on finishing what Merlot started. I, of course, will assist you in this endeavor."
"Right away your Highness!" With that Dr. Watts left the throne room to begin work on his most ambitious project yet.
Author's Notes: So let's talk about Pyrrha, first off Jaune was never going to be the leader thanks to his condition which leaves Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha. Nora was out thanks to her wild nature and since Nora and Ren never met with the others Ren never got a chance to show any leadership skills. Sure Pyrrha hurt Jaune but that was an accident and she took responsibility for it and was even willing to trust in his abilities later. So, I felt that there was never really a choice.
As for the voice in her head, that is part of my own headcanon. I personally think that Pyrrha wasn't exactly at the peak of emotional and mental health and I tried to demonstrate that here.
The Real funny thing about all of this is that originally there wasn't going to be any focus on what the characters were thinking or what they felt about things. Then I was writing it just sort of happened and I think that the story is better for it.
PS
Writing for Nora and Ren is a delight and if there are any fanfics with them as the MCs please let me know!
