Alright, I had extra energy to burn so I turned that into this chapter.
Cyanide Sins. Check him out guys, seriously.
Beneath the heavy snow covered evergreens, the light shone on two figures. One young blonde hair boy, that was suited in a small dark brown leather outfit made from furs and skins of animals past, held a bow and arrow. He gazed up to the taller being, that of the purest white fur and the darkest of masks in the shape of a canine. The gentle snow falling clung to only the ground as it did not latch onto the duo.
"Okay Jaune, once more." The woman instructed.
"Okay!" He gladly exclaimed. He notched a makeshift wooden arrow in a makeshift bow for training purposes. His small hands firmly grasp the handle and the string as he drew back.
The target was that of a small wooden log that would later be used for fire.
"Take a breath slowly and relax yourself." She instructed him. As she said that, she embraced him by placing her hands on each arm and raising them to adjust his targeting. "Your dominant eye is your guide, follow the arrow afterwards."
"Yes Lamb." Was the quiet reply the little boy gave. Whether his endurance ran out or he was confident, he let the string go and the arrow flew.
Through the falling snow and the in the midday sun, the arrow pierced the air. It flew with straight intention. At the end of its flight, it struck true, in the middle of the target. Above where the rest of his groupings were, and stayed rather than the ground where the rest had fallen off.
"I did it!" The boy exclaimed. Jumping up and down he hugged the female. The female embraced him back, picking him up and twirling in a circle with him.
"You sure did Jaune," she said as she set him down. "But you have a long way to go." She picked up her bow from the ground and loaded her arrow. She took aim while looking at Jaune.
"Soon you will be able to do this." The arrow flew with the sound of a twang confirming that it was properly set and released. The arrow flew properly and hit. Her eyes never left Jaune.
The arrow split the previous embedded one all the way in two, but it did not stop there. It followed through the target. Taking it from its propped up position and carried it into the tree where it sunk even further, and splitting the target in two.
"Wow…" a wide eyed Jaune gasped. No matter how many times she showed him the same trick, to him it never got old. Stars in his eyes glistened as he stared at her. "I will?" He innocently asked.
"You sure will little one, as long as you keep practicing." She kneeled down and ruffled his hair. He smiled and asked another question.
"Can I try your bow Lamb?" He asked with bright blue eyes. She giggled at Jaune's request.
"Of course you can." She answered and held out her bow. Jaune grasped the wooden handle, awkwardly positioning himself to compensate for the difference of height. When he was set he tried to pull the string.
Keyword tried. Every attempt was met with frustrated grunts and hard breathing as he attempted to pull the string, but he could not.
"Here Jaune, let me help you." Lamb said as she placed her hands below his on the handle and string.
"Now when you get really good, you can do things like this." She drew back the string to where Jaune's body would let him, while at the same time a soft white light formed in the shape of an arrow. "You will be able to craft arrows made from your aura that will have a devastating impact on your target."
"Really?" His childlike wonder was stirred once more.
"Yes, now watch what it can do." When both parties released the string. Faster than anything he had ever seen, the arrow flew. A blur of light not only hit the tree but punctured through and left a small hole.
"That's so cool!" Jaune shouted. Lamb giggled a bit before taking the bow back from his hands.
"It sure is, I cannot wait to see the day to which you are able to accomplish the same feats Jaune." Wolf spoke as he appeared next to them.
"Wolf!" Jaune again shouted and embraced the dark shadow without fear. "Did you find any rabbits?"
"Even better, I was able to hunt a deer today." He said while embracing the boy.
"Awesome, now we'll be able to eat together!" Lamb and Wolf chuckled nervously at his response.
"You know what we say Jaune." Wolf reminded him. The boy look down to the ground, downtrodden by what he means.
"I know, I have to eat first and then sleep." He mumbled. Lamb to a knee to meet his height.
"I know you don't like it Jaune. But your tummy must be full before we can have our share." Lamb said. "We wouldn't want you to have a tummy ache on our watch." She said while her hands dove to Jaune's sides and started tickling him. The contact and attack drove him into the snow but Lamb kept up her assault to cause him laughter.
Jaune's laughter filled the air while he begged for her to stop. When the tickling ended and Jaune caught his breath. He stood up.
"Okay." He yawned out. He rubbed his eyes and fought to keep them open.
"Come Jaune, we must make our way back to camp."
"Put him on my back, he can take a nap on the way there." Wolf instructed the both of them. Lamb picked him up and placed him on Wolf's shoulders. "Sleep little Shepherd, we will wake you when we arrive."
"Okay Wolf." Was his tired reply. With that he closed his eyes against the soft warm fur of the wolf made of shadows.
In the middle of the day lunch was being served for the students. Where Jaune found himself at a table with Blake to his right, Yang to his left and followed by Weiss.
Across from him sat the sister team RVRN, with Pyrrha across from him, Ruby to her right, Nora to her left followed by Ren, who for some reason wanted to be as far away from them as possible.
"So! There we were, in the middle of the night." Nora began her tale. The excitement in her voice gave no concern for the occupants at current and surrounding tables.
Maybe that was why.
"It was day." Ren corrected her. Nora looked to Blake, who was lost in another one of her books, and to Yang who cupped her face to listen in on her tale.
"Continue child." Wolf happily requested.
"We were surrounded by ursai…"
"They are dangerous, how many?" Wolf asked inside his head. Jaune only poke and prodded his food as something was amidst in his mind.
"They were Beowolves." Ren objected again before he took a drink from his coffee.
"They are still dangerous, do not sell yourself short Lie Ren." Lamb gave him the benefit.
"Dozens of them!" Nora shouted at them. While Ruby and Pyrrha listened politely, Yang listened out of intriguement. Weiss completely ignored her by focusing on filing her nails.
At least Blake was kind enough to listen half heartedly.
"Haha! Yes! Ursai are formidable opponents young girl. But I am sure they were no match for you." Wolf shared. Jaune only looked halfway at her before going back to his food. At this Blake poured her eyes over to him, along with Ruby and Pyrrha. The three shared a look of concern for him.
"But they were no match... And in the end, Ren and I took them down and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!" Nora finished. Jaune looked over and smiled at the end of her tale. Only to immediately go back to playing with his food.
"She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now." Ren said with a sigh of exhaustion.
"Ursa skin rugs? You can't skin the grimm." Lamb let out a sighed.
"Yes you can Lamb, they'll just run around and scream in agony while they die." Wolf defended.
'Only you Wolf.' Originally, he meant to say that to the occupants that resided in his head. But he wasn't aware he let it out as a low whisper that was picked up by the feline faunus next to him.
Blake to a moment to set a bookmark in her book and set it down next to her tray. Jaune had his cryptic moments, but usually he was always trying to stir up a conversation with everyone.
But today he seemed a bit off.
He hadn't even said a word unless he was called out in class.
As if reading her mind, Pyrrha asked the question she was going to.
"Jaune? Are you okay?" As if snapped awake from a trance, he raised his head and blinked a few times.
"I'm sorry, I was lost in thought. What did you say?" He asked at he looked to her. Before repeating the question, Blake decided to speak up.
"Are you alright? You seem kinda distracted by something." Blake voiced as he locked her eyes with his deep blue ones. The rest of the table stopped their distractions to turn to them.
"Yeah, I'm alright Blake. Just...distracted with some...personal stuff right now." He waved off their concern as if it was nothing.
"Is it because of Cardin?" Ruby asked. Jaune looked at her.
"Who?" Blake felt her eye twitch at his cluelessness.
"The guy you beat in combat class." Yang clarified. As if a revelation, Jaune's eyes widened.
"Ohh, what about him?"
"He's a bully." Ruby voiced her dislike about the topic.
"I guess he is, but I never seen him do anything to anyone." Jaune said before poking his food again.
"Jaune, Cardin has been trying to get to you since the first week of school." Pyrrha explained. Jaune stopped what he was doing and looked at them all.
"He has?" Blake let out a breath at his response.
Jaune was walking down the hallway towards his next class. His eyes were forward but not paying attention. As the internal conversation between him and the spirits distracted him.
When the sound of a body hitting a floor snapped him from his daze he looked down to see Cardin face first on the floor.
"You okay?" Jaune asked. Holding out a hand to help him up. Cardin looked at him with anger, slapping the hand away and storming off.
"What's wrong with him?" He asked as he continued walking.
"What about the time we were leaving Port's class?" Yang asked.
"What about it?"
After another long class of listening to Professor Port, Jaune followed his teammates out of the room.
When his foot exited the door, he felt something beneath it.
A pained yelp was heard and it quickly moved from underneath him. Finding the source of the sound, he once again found Cardin on the floor holding his foot.
"Cardin! Are you okay?" He asked him, with grave concern in his voice.
He didn't mean to hurt Cardin on purpose, outside of combat specifically. Jaune tried to help him up but was pushed back and away by the downed boy. Cardin's reply was to stand up and glare at him with an angered look and turn around. Cardin walked away with a limp.
"I need to pay more attention." Jaune scolded himself.
"Don't forget about the rocket lockers, that was funny." Nora said. Jaune chuckled at the memory.
"Each of you will be assigned one rocket-propelled locker to store your weapons and extra armor. Additionally, your locker can be sent to a custom location based on a six-digit code." Professor Goodwitch explained as they walked through the room lined with lockers.
Jaune was too busy marveling the technology of the lockers, as he ogled and stared in awe. He was unaware of the plot Cardin was planning as he stood next to an open but empty locker.
"Jaune, get closer to that one." Wolf told him. The moment Jaune moved, Cardin missed him and ended up putting himself in the locker and its metal door slamming close behind him. All the while locking and trapping him inside.
'What is it Wolf?' Jaune asked. Lamb started humming just loud enough to drown out the sound of Cardin trying to break out of his self made prison.
"I thought there was the smell of blood in this one, but I was wrong." Wolf explained.
'Whatever you say Wolf.' Jaune replied back. He walked away, oblivious to Cardin's teammates trying to get him out.
But they accidentally ended up sending him into the sky, via rocket propelled locker.
"I heard about that. He didn't land too far away from school." Jaune said as he looked at Nora.
"Jaune, you know if you need help, you can just ask." Pyrrha said to him. Her concern was noticed by everyone.
"We're your teammates, you can talk to us." Blake voiced her concern. Jaune waved his hands in the air.
"Guys, seriously, it's fine. Like I said it is some personal matters I have to deal with." Jaune waved them off again.
"I know what you should do. Break his nose like you did the first time." Jaune nodded his head to her before drowning them out again.
"Jaune, what is the matter?" Lamb asked.
'It's something I've been putting off.'
"Tell us what bothers you, so we may slaughter it together." Wolf darkly suggested to him.
'Why hasn't there been any word from the headmaster about my family?' The voices went quiet.
"We will receive answers-"
"Ow! That hurts!" A pained yell was heard as he snapped his head to look behind him.
'Didn't we see her before?' Jaune asked as he watched the girl with the bunny ears struggle in the grasp of Cardin. He was pulling on her ear.
He knew how sensitive they were from his lesson from Ionia.
"I told you it was real!" He heard Cardin exclaim.
"Velvet I believe, she was the one we encountered when we entered Vale." Wolf explained. Jaune eyes scanned the crowd around him. Everyone was either distracted or simply didn't pay attention to her suffering at the torment they inflicted on her. Not a single teacher we're not around to stop it.
"What a freak." The voice of Russel Thrush said.
As she struggled, her eyes locked with his. He saw tears made from pain build up. Her ears were yanked and she looked back to Cardin, begging and pleading to be let go.
Nobody was going to help her.
And that pissed him off.
"Do something then." Wolf's sinister voice was music in his ears.
He watched the girl run off.
He didn't hear the words his fellow classmates say as he stood up with his tray in his hand.
Before Blake could say anything to Jaune. He stood up with his tray in hand. The look on his face told her everything that she needed to know.
He was angry.
They both watch Velvet run off.
"Jaune?" Her attempt to try and stop him was met with the familiar feeling of ice cold washing over her. Jaune simply ignored her and the rest of the questions from the table.
Disposing his scraps in the nearby waste bin. He stood still and glared daggers at the direction that was of the bully. Noticing the connection between his anger, the cold he gave off and the fact that he was marching towards them with his metal tray in hand. She too started making her way to him at a brisk pace.
The rest of the table followed soon after.
"Jaune, hold up." Yang called after him.
As team CRDL continued to laugh and unaware of the incoming danger. Time slowed as Jaune began the swing.
"Jaune wait!" She called as she increased her speed into run, all in a vain attempt to stop him.
Immediately the laughing stopped, all the eyes of team CRDL look to Jaune as he swung. Cardin's eyes went wide when he finally noticed but was too late to do anything.
The tray connected and bent as Cardin was launched from his seat. As the deafening sound of the metal hit, the entire room was filled with gasps of surprise when Cardin was airborne and released a trail of saliva and bit of blood from his mouth.
Leaving the boy out cold on the ground.
Jaune dropped the tray and it clattered against the tiles. Jaune stood over him, one hand reaching down to grab him.
"Oh boy…" Nora whispered. Her voice was enough to snap her out of shock. Her hands latched onto Jaune's shoulder. He jerked himself away and glared at her. The anger in his eyes promised fury that she had never seen before. Not even in Adam.
The spike of fear caused the bone chilling sensation to bite even deeper in her. She was stiff and every inch of her body screamed for her to get away. Fighting the feeling she was barely able to repress it as she looked at him in the eyes.
His eyes were deep blue, and cold. In them, there was a certain glow that she had never seen before.
After a few moments, his eyes softened. They were kind and spoke for him as he understood that he was about to go too far. A wave a relief washed over her as she was able to stop him from regretting what he was about to do.
While everyone stared at them, Jaune inhaled deeply. While the cold feeling faded, Jaune walked away. Clenched hands and hunched shoulders signaling he was still furious.
"I'll see you all in class."
As doors to the cafeteria closed, everyone decided it was time to go to class.
"This man speaks at heightened levels, and his speed is unmatched."
"Chasing fast things are fun, not fast words that assault our ears."
History, had to be the absolute worst subject in his opinion. It wasn't because he was bad at it. No, he had two individuals residing inside his head that had been to every single conflict great or small, every single rise of tyrants and general, every single moment in history that was major or minor.
It was not because he was bad at it, no, not at all.
It was because the so called doctor spoke so fast even the two indie his head couldn't keep up.
And that was a feat on it's own.
The amount of information he was spewing out was so much that he would have to ask Lamb and Wolf about it later.
In turn he was utterly bored and annoyed. And so was Wolf, when both Jaune and Wolf were bored and annoyed, things happen.
Such as the temptation to bash his skull against the desk until it either broke or his aura gave out and he knocked himself unconscious. Instead he settled with not groaning aloud.
Stupid spiky green hair man, his stupid white shirt half tucked into his stupid dark-green pants that had it's stupid collar raised. His disgusting yellow tie, along with dumb mismatched brown and black shoes.
And worst of all, his disgusting, dumb and stupid round glasses that weren't see through!
"...humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie." Doctor Oobleck pointed to his map with the location before zipping off to the otherside of the room to sip out of his thermos of coffee. Then appearing in front of his desk.
"Another word for zoo." Lamb clarified.
"Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you…," Oobleck began.
"Which it is." Wolf drawled out.
"...it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events!"
"Which of course we do." Lamb dryly said.
"Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!" he finished before zipping off to drink some more of his caffeinated drink.
"Because nobody could see that happening." Wolf sarcastically said.
"Now! Have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your Faunus heritage?" The doctor asked the class. Jaune took a moment to look at his fellow classmates. Some of the students in the back. Mainly those of faunus who have gathered into a group raised their hands, even Velvet who he met at the cafe and seen in the cafeteria raised her hand.
'That's sad.' Jaune thought and turned his head to the front again. The amount of racism wouldn't have been tolerated out in the wilds.
Cooperation was key to survival.
"These people have lived most of their lives sheltered behind walls and protectors." Lamb explained.
"So they've used this peace to build anger amongst themselves." Wolf growled out.
"Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence!" The professor stops himself to take another sip of his coffee.
"It is a sad truth." Lamb spoke quietly.
"I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to White Fang!" with those words Jaune's hands clenched into tight fists. He knows of them, he never had a good encounter with them.
"Relax Jaune, you've done all you can when we've encountered them." Wolf soothed him.
"Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the War?" At the question he notices Weiss out of the corner of his eye raise her hand. "Yes?"
"The battle of Fort Castle." Weiss answered.
"A wonderful ground of slaughter."
"Precisely! And, who can tell me the advantage the Faunus had over General Lagune's forces?" Oobleck asked once again.
"General Laugne? Oh I remember him, don't you dear Wolf?" Lamb asked.
"I remember that coward, he tasted just- Jaune behind you." When Wolf warned him, his hand shot up and caught a piece of paper. He turned his head around to glare with anger at Cardin frozen who was shocked at his reflexes.
Before he could decide to repay Cardin in kind, Doctor Oobleck called on him.
"Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent! Excellent! What is the answer?"
"Heightened senses were key in his failure." Lamb explained.
"The General also did not recon the area before hand either. Many traps and ambushes were laid out to give the faunus the advantage, many of the humans died to them. Even the general was caught in one. That is your answer." Wolf followed on. Before answering he sat up straight, he cleared his throat.
"Well the first thing was that the faunus have better senses than humans do. Such as sensitive hearing and better sense of smell." Jaune began.
"Very good Mr. Arc, close but not exactly what I was looking for. Now Mr. Win-," the historian began.
"The second thing is that the general did not have any survey of the land before hand and marched right into the traps and ambushes the faunus laid out." Jaune finished.
"Well said Mr. Arc, while close it is still not what I am looking for. Mr. Winchester, would you share your thoughts on the subject while we are still on it?"
"Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier." The orange hair boy replied. Jaune clenched his teeth before he said anything.
"Jaune…" Lamb whispered in his ear.
"You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?" The voice of Pyrrha spoke up.
"He will have to learn his lesson the hard way." Wolf said a little too happily. Cardin scoffed at Pyrrha.
"What? You got a problem?"
"No, I have the answer! It's night vision. Many Faunus are known to have nearly-perfect sight in the dark." Cardin growled at her. Before any other word could be said between the two of them, Blake spoke up from right next to him.
"General Lagune was inexperienced, and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured." Blake turned to Cardin and looked at him directly in the eyes with a piercing look. "Perhaps if he'd paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure."
"Oh the cat has claws." Wolf gasped. Jaune stifled a laughter while Cardin was fuming.
"Claws that could be sharpened on our Shepherd's back." Lamb teased in his ear. Jaune raged against them in his mind, shouting all sort of profanities. He stopped when Cardin stood up with. Jaune immediately felt the tension rise from him.
Instincts kicked in and he stood up as well with both hands ready for a fight. Surprising everyone in the room when his chair hit the floor with a loud crack.
"Mr. Arc, Mr. Winchester take your seats right now! Both of you will see me after class!" The Professor yelled at him.
Jaune sighed in frustration, but felt something on his hand. Next to him Blake had covered her hand over his. He smiled appreciatively to her as she gave one back.
Her soft amber eyes held some form of understanding and compassion to him.
"Yes!" Wolf exclaimed. Jaune went back to shouting at them.
When the doctor had finished grilling Cardin and assigned him additional readings along with an essay, he ushered him out of the classroom. With a breath of relief that the walking testosterone muscle head was away from him, Jaune relaxed.
That was until Dr. Oobleck sat down in front of him behind his desk.
"Now as for you Mr. Arc, would you like to tell me about what happened in the class today?"
"Careful Jaune, he is playing a deceptive game."
"Are you asking me, or do you expect me to tell you?" Jaune asked. Oobleck sighed and took a sip of his coffee again before clearing his throat.
"Mr. Arc, the professors here at Beacon are aware of your circumstances. You are not the first student to come here from less than unfortunate situations."
"Explain, doctor." Wolf growled. At Jaune's silence he continued.
"You are not the first, and certainly won't be the last of the students that have come to Beacon from surviving in the wilds. Usually this is a double edge sword, while you may excel in certain areas, your others may need some refinement."
"What do you mean sir?" Jaune asked.
"As well you tend to excel in certain class based on application, but mainly your social skills are in need of some refinement." the historian explained to him.
"And what does this have to do with what happened in class?" Jaune asked.
"While I may be a teacher here at Beacon, I am also a person. I understand that you may have seen horrible things out there, you may think everything is fine but in reality you are not."
"He wishes to be a counselor for you."Lamb clarified.
"You want to be my counselor?" He asked.
"Yes, while it may seem that you can't trust me, I can guarantee you that I have full confidentiality here between you and me. Nothing said will leave this room unless you yourself say otherwise."
"Word games, I hate them. You can't eat words!" Wolf shouted. Jaune pondered at the thought.
'Should I guys?' he asked the two spirits in his head.
"Whatever you want Jaune, an outside perspective can do so much more than we can." Lamb comforted him with her soothing voice. Jaune sighed before gazing the Professor through his glasses.
"There's not much to say, I traveled around from place to place." He began. Oobleck's attention was on him entirely and Jaune would say his coffee was abandoned.
"Go on."
"I saw injustice against faunus sometimes, but never to the extent I have seem it here," he stopped as he remembered Ionia. "But to me, the faunus helped me out more times than I can count."
"Remember their names Jaune…"
"So they don't die twice." Both spirits reassured him. Oobleck spoke at the end of his short explanation.
"I see, that is fortunate of you to have experienced. Anything else Mr. Arc?" He asked. Jaune shook his head.
"That's all I am willing to share, I wasn't expecting this and I really don't feel like telling someone my entire life story." Jaune explained.
"In due time Mr. Arc, I understand. You are free to go. Make sure to complete the assignment before next class." Dr. Oobleck stood up and guided him to the door.
Blake waited for him after the last class of the day had ended. Her teammates wanted to wait to but she reassured them everything would be fine once he was out. Jaune didn't seem like the type to lash out suddenly, he was too calm, too collected for that to happen. Weiss proposed that they shouldn't suddenly overwhelm him, Yang agreed too. For that she was thankful, her hopes of for the team increased.
She lost all hope for Yang personally when she commented on "Blake being the only one who can reel the beast in."
Shaking her head, she lead on the wall next to the door.
At first she was expecting both Cardin and Jaune to leave but what she saw was Cardin storm from the room while flipping her the bird.
It was pathetic and funny at the same time.
When the door opened a second time, Jaune walked out.
"Hey Blake," He said, looking to her. "You didn't have to wait."
"I wanted to make sure you were okay." Blake explained to him. Jaune lips curved into a soft smile.
"Thanks, but I probably could use some fresh air right now." When he said that, an idea popped in her head. She discovered a peaceful place to sit down and relax, even she would go there when she needed to.
Jaune began walking, as soon as he took one step, she grabbed his hand. He turned around with a look of curiosity on his face.
"Come on, I know where you can get some air and peace." She explained. As she began walking Jaune spoke up.
"Uh Blake…," Blake stopped and turned around. "Can I have my hand back, please?" She looked down and felt her cheeks heat up when she realized what she was doing.
"Sorry." She totally didn't squeak out. Jaune only chuckled.
He followed her up the flight of stairs with minimal distractions.
"I wonder where she is leading you." Lamb wondered with a sultry voice.
"She is isolating him, I bet to get him alone and ravish his body." Wolf proudly stated.
Minimal distractions.
While the voices in his head taunted and teased him, Blake open a door to the rooftop where he stepped out into the cool night's air.
He found himself on top of Beacon. More specifically above the dorm rooms. Out past the railing he could see one of the many courtyards. They were lit up with lamps that casted small pockets of light to the grounds beside them. The black silhouette of trees were below the beautiful starry night sky. The gentle breeze pushed past him as he felt it across every inch of his body, from his hair to his feet.
"This is nice Blake." He said as he leaned against the railing.
"It is," she began. "I usually come up here and read or when I need to be alone for a bit."
"Oh alone you say…" Wolf began.
'Please, both of you, don't start.' He begged them.
"Alright Jaune, we will drop it for now." Lamb laughed.
"She will, I probably won't." Wolf continued. Internally sighing, he found Blake leaning on the railing next to him.
"Jaune, do you need someone to talk to?" Blake asked as she looked at him.
"Were you listening in on my conversation with Dr. Oobleck?" Raised his eyebrow at her.
"Kinda..." he could tell she was struggling to find the correct words as she looked away.
"She cares for you Jaune, do not push her away."
"Loneliness can be the downfall of many." They were being genuine and honest with him. Before she could say anything, he decided damage control was the best option.
"What do you want to talk about?" He asked her.
"What happened today? In the cafeteria and in class?" She asked, there was a trace of concern. Jaune to a breath before he could continue.
"I can't stand by when someone needs help, and I can't stand when someone causes others pain and suffering." He began. "I've seen it happen, out there in the wilds and here in Vale."
Jaune hands tightened around the railing as he remembered the suffering one person or one group could inflict on a population.
"We can't stop them all." Blake said.
"I know that, but it is up to people like us to take a stand." He replied. There was a string of silence before Jaune spoke up again.
"Remember back in the forest when we were coming here, I said to you i found my coat in a bullhead crash?," She nodded "I lost my family for fourteen years from that Blake, from one person. Many others lost their lives and their families lost them forever."
"You were five when it happened, weren't you." She stated.
"Yes, and in those fourteen years I have traveled from place to place. Seeing what I could do to help others, for those who helped me." Jaune said with pride laced in his voice.
"Why?" Blake asked.
"Tomorrow is a hope…" Lamb started.
"...never a promise." Wolf repeated.
"Tomorrow is a hope, never a promise." Jaune repeated for her. Blake stared at him a bit before looking out to the sky. He followed her lead as she stared out. Following the stars, he could tell where he has been from the constellations, and he could probably walk there if he wanted to.
"Can I ask you about something then?" Blake questioned.
"Sure." Blake remained silent for a minute before taking a breath.
"When we were at Tuskon's place, you talked about a place called Ionia. Can you tell me about it?" Jaune's face took a sudden turn to sadness as he recounted the village. Steeling himself he started.
"It was a small village, they were all faunus. It was a small paradise in the snow away from humans, not that I could blame them."
"Sound like a nice place." He could tell she was referring to her nature.
"It was, the people save for a few were kind to me. They needed my help sometimes and I gave them a hand. In return they let me stay for a while but there was one person who rose above the rest."
"Ahri?" Blake asked.
"Ahri," he confirmed. "She saved my life, nursed me back to health, defended me when I needed it, and let me stay with her until i was ready to move." Jaune smiled at the good memories with the fox faunus.
"What happened?" Blake asked. Jaune looked to the heavens again.
"The White Fang and Grimm happened." His voice was cold. Blake let out a small suppressed gasp. "The White Fang came in, trying to strong arm the people into joining. When that didn't work, a fight broke out attracting grimm from miles around." Jaune paused.
He recounted the fires and blood that spread from both sides.
"I'm sorry." Blake whispered.
"Don't be," Jaune steeled himself once more. "The villagers didn't deserve what they got, I did what I could. It wasn't enough, the village was destroyed at the end."
"Did the villagers get to safety?" Blake questioned. The silence Jaune gave was unnerving to her.
"I...don't know." Was his quiet reply. "I was busy fighting both White Fang and grimm." Blake took her hand and place it on his shoulder. He didn't look at her, as she could tell it was a bad memory.
"I'm so sorry Jaune." She felt so sort of responsibility as she was once part of the White Fang. A part of her felt ashamed, another angry and another scared. Jaune stood up straight and looked at her.
"Don't be Blake, you weren't there. I remember all their faces." He stopped and looked out in the distance. "Even the ones I killed there."
In that moment she wrapped her arms around him, in a comforting hug. As his smell of sandalwood and vanilla filled her nostrils, she had figured out a small part of him.
He was in pain, that is what was wrong with him. It took him to open up a bit before he figured out what was wrong with him.
And now she knew.
Jaune wrapped his arms tightly around her body. The lavender scent comforted him and kept his emotions from causing the dam in his eyes to break.
They stayed like that for a bit before he started to let go. When Blake released her hold she looked at him in the eyes.
"If you need to talk to anyone, you can trust me Jaune." She let a small comforting smile appear on her lips. "You have a story, and I want to hear it."
"Thank you." He replied. Blake turned on her heel to walk back in.
"Are you coming in?" She stopped to ask.
"I'll be in a bit, I have to collect myself first." He said as he leaned back on the railing.
"I'll see you in the morning." Blake said before closing the door behind her. When he was left alone Lamb spoke to him in her comforting voice.
"Do you feel better now?"
'I do Lamb, just a little bit.' He replied.
"That's good Jaune." Wolf joined in. He remained in there for a good while. In silence he was able to stare out into the star filled sky while blocking the memories.
"Someone approaches." Wolf growled out.
Jaune turned around to see Cardin standing in the doorway.
"Oh, Jaune…" Cardin's sly voice filled the air. Jaune narrowed his eyes at him, but remained silent.
"Come on, is that some way to greet a friend?" He asked as a smug look appeared across his face.
"Friend?" Jaune asked.
"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with your girlfriend. A killer? Here in Beacon? What would the presses say?" Cardin mocked.
"You were listening?" Jaune growled out.
"No, we are above the dorms, so he unwilling heard." Lamb explained.
"Well it doesn't help my room-"
"What do you want?" Jaune interrupted him.
"Well...since we are friends now, Jauney boy! And the way I see it, as long as you're there for me when I need you, we'll be friends for a long time."
"Can we kill him?" Wolf was very tempting today.
"Get. To. The. Point." Jaune punctuated while reaching for the mask on his belt.
"That being said, I really don't have time to do those extra readings Dr. Oobleck gave me today. Think you could take care of that for me, buddy?" Jaune laughed as he undid the straps to his mask.
"What proof do you have?" Cardin chuckled as he pulled out his scroll and pressed a button on the screen.
"Don't be Blake, you weren't there. I remember all their faces...Even the ones I killed there."
Jaune shook his head as he laughed darkly, placing the mask on his face and tightening the straps he walked closer to Cardin.
"Show him Jaune." Lamb whispered.
"You think...," the wood on his mask began to crack "that I am afraid of what they'll do to me?"
Dark wisps floated from Jaune and gathered into a shape behind him. Before Cardin knew it, Jaune had grabbed him by the collar and forced him within inches of his face. Cardin's face turned from his once smug face to a shocked one.
"They'll kick me out? I have survived out there for fourteen years Cardin." He explained to him, the mask of the wolf was finished. Glowing purple fire radiated from his eyes as he stared into Cardin's terrified ones. More wisps started to flow off of him faster and darker in color.
"You are trying to blackmail someone who isn't afraid to take a life." He finished. The shadow behind him formed and Cardin looked up.
High in the sky, stared into a maw of moonlight teeth. The shape of a ferocious wolf stared back, the same colored eyes glared with malicious intent. A white mask sat upon its face.
Cardin couldn't look away as the wolf stared down, petrifying him in place. If it wasn't for Jaune holding him, his shaking legs would have gave out. Every part of him body told him to run away, contrasted to his headstrong nature.
Cardin realized the masks were a full of the split one that once sat upon Jaune's face. In his fear he dropped the scroll that was in his hand.
"How fast can you run?" The shadow spoke, leaving Cardin speechless and afraid.
"Now get out of my way." Jaune demanded in a grave voice as he shoved him out of the way. "Tell them, and we will see how deep I cut." Jaune walked away from him while crushing the scroll beneath his foot.
Cardin stayed in place until he was sure Jaune made it to his room, and when he finally decided to go inside, he ran to his dorm. His confused teammates asked him what happened.
Cardin didn't realize the urine that settled in his pants until he got back to his room, and for them it explained everything.
But for Jaune himself, he had a peaceful sleep.
High in his tower, Ozpin stared into the blue flame that was Lamb's eyes. As calm as ever, he stood his ground, more or less in the chair of his.
But Lamb, chose to stand, her body language told him she was irritated.
"Well, what do you have to say?" She scolded him, bow and arrow pointed at him. He's faced her arrows once before.
There was no point in fighting when her weapon could bypass aura with no resistance. It was an all too well know situation for him.
"As I explained to Mr. A-",
"The Shepherd." Lamb corrected him. Ozpin sighed and began to correct himself.
"As I explained to the Shepherd, I have sent out many letters and calls, but they continue to ignore me." Ozpin calmly said to her. He lifted his iconic mug he always held to drink.
"You have many pawns Wizard, use them." The arrow pierced the mug and shattered. The contents spilled across the desk and soaked into the papers.
"Glynda won't be happy about that…" he mumbled as he stared at the dark liquid.
"You can play your games with others and we won't interfere." Lamb lowered her bow to her side and relaxed. "But our Shepherd, at any point in time, is not your pawn."
"I'll see what strings I can pull." he hoped that was enough to satisfy her.
"Better puppet the unlucky crow then." Lamb suggested. Ozpin's eyes went wide at her suggestion to one of his aces. "Don't be so surprised Ozma, every life ends with us."
"Qrow is on a critical mission. He has been out of contact for a while." Ozpin tried to steer her away.
"And the can twilight calls for the maiden beneath us." Lamb threatened, Ozpin should have been surprised.
"I will do what I can dear Lamb." Once again Lamb blinked out of his sight. Ozpin sat back in his chair, rubbing his temples at the incoming headache of dealing with Qrow.
A thought entered his mind. She had warned him of manipulating Jaune.
But she never said anything about his team.
As a small smile appeared across his lips, he pulled up the files on the three females of team ABYS.
Then he selected his files on the current locations for the Arc family. When he found what he was looking for he finalized his plan.
It was a long shot, but it might work. There was too much at stake to let an opportunity like this to slip between his fingers.
Finally pulling out his scroll, he dialed the number for the dusty old crow.
The ringing happened for three times then it was answered.
"Qrow, I have a new mission for you. Make your way to Argus, I'll explain more when you get there. This is a turning point for us."
So I have ideas for later chapters that will affect the AU. So I am trying to figure out a way to set it up to take that path.
Enjoy, I can't promise when the next chapter will come out. Fixing errors was done by me.
And I am still working on what you asked of me Cyanide.