Ghosts of a Lifetime Past

Anima –? – Jack

Jack sighed contently. After so many years he felt rested, at peace. All his troubles, all his worries were behind him. There was nothing to bother him now. A cool breeze drifted by as he lay in the warm sun. He didn't know where he was. He didn't really care. He was at peace, that's all that mattered.

As he lay there, Jack started to hear a woman's voice quietly singing. It was hauntingly familiar, both the song and the voice. He couldn't quite place his finger on it but he knew them both from somewhere. Opening his eyes, he gazed at his surroundings. He was back home in Hasiel, lying on the porch of his family home. He assumed he must be dreaming, reliving a long forgotten memory from his childhood. He soon realized, however, that it wasn't a memory. Jack was his normal adult self. This was strange. Jack never dreamed about himself as an adult. Only nightmares ever graced his mind when he slept and always about his childhood.

"I see you're awake," the woman said cheerfully.

Jack craned his neck to look at the woman speaking to him and felt his heart leap in his chest. Pale fair skin graced by long auburn hair and a pair of beautiful sky-blue eyes gazed down at him. Jack found himself at a loss for words. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was impossible. Yet, here she was, singing the lullaby she'd created for him as a child.

"Elly?" he said, finally finding his voice.

"Hello little brother. It's so wonderful to see you after so long."

"Am I dreaming?" Jack asked, his mind wrestling with the reality of things.

"Yes and no," she said, her smile wavering as she spoke.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Jack," she began, hesitating for a moment as she searched for the words to say. "Are you happy with your life thus far?"

"What's that supposed mean?" he asked, puzzled by her response.

"If you were to die today, and given a chance to look back on everything you've accomplished, would you say you were truly happy?"

Jack sat up, seating himself next to his sister. Having grown up over the past decade or so he never realized just how petite Elizabeth had been. Now that he was older he was a full head taller than she. Looking her over she seemed so fragile. As a boy his sister seemed almost incapable to imperfection. She was the most important person in his life. She could do anything, be anything. Unfortunately, reality always has a nasty way of exerting its dominance over one's life.

"I'm dreaming," Jack said with a chuckle. "I have to admit; this is a new one for me. I never expected to have an unconscious intervention before. Can't say I disagree with my choice of a representation for my conscious. If I didn't know any better I would have expected a cricket with a top hat and umbrella," he said, laughing sadly to himself.

Elizabeth reached out and turned his head towards hers. Her hand felt warm to the touch, surprising Jack who had not expected such intricate details in a dream. "You're not dreaming, little brother. You're are unconscious, that much is for certain, but you are not dreaming. I am as real as you are right now."

"That's not possible," Jack said in retort. "You're dead. I watched you die."

"Death is not a permanent end. It's merely the conclusion of one journey and the beginning of an even grander one."

"Then how are we..." Jack trailed off, using hand motions to signify their conversation.

"It's simple, really, and at the same time terrifying. You're on the verge of death."

"Huh," Jack said, somehow not surprised by this revelation at all.

"Really? That's all you have to say for yourself?" she asked in mortified annoyance.

"We all have to die sometime," Jack said in a monotone voice.

"Jack, please be serious. I don't have much time here," she said, concerned. "Now, you haven't answered my question."

Jack was silent for a moment, thinking on what his sister had asked. He knew his answer wasn't going to be what she wanted to hear. Hell, even he didn't like it, but it was the truth nonetheless.

"Happiness isn't something I've been very familiar with," he admitted. "After you died, after I was left alone, happiness became a stranger in my life. All I knew was suffering, mistrust, and deceit. I've seldom known what it was like to truly let go and allow my feelings to lift me up. Even when I came close to feeling joy of some kind it was always a foreign feeling, an unnatural one that I quickly buried."

"What about now?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't feign ignorance with me, little brother. You've opened up over these past few weeks, haven't you? Try as you might to hide it life has started to give you reason to smile again, to feel happy again."

"If that is life's doing then it is merely a trap meant to lure me in like a worm on a hock before it leaves me to suffer in the noon day sun," he replied in a sour tone.

"Is that how you truly feel about her?" his sister asked coyly.

"Her?" Jack asked.

"Don't play dumb, you know exactly who I mean," Elizabeth chided him.

"Can't say that I do," Jack said stubbornly.

"You mean you won't admit to your feelings," she countered.

"Feelings can be misleading," he argued.

"Perhaps or perhaps you're just afraid to admit to yourself that you might be infatuated with this young girl," she prodded.

"That's being a little presumptuous," he said snidely. "Even if I did have something akin to affection towards this girl there's nothing to say she feels the same. At best I'd say she sees me more as a friend or brother figure," he reasoned.

"You don't know that. Weiss may very well see you in a different light. All you need is the courage to take that first step."

"Who says it's Weiss?" Jack retorted.

"Jack, please, I practically raised you. Even when you did try and fib to me, which was very rare, you could never pull the wool over my eyes."

"Even if you are right, even if Weiss does feel something for me, it could never work. We're from two completely different worlds, she and I. More so than that she is a woman who walks in the grace of a light generated by her friends and those she has come to care for. I have always been shrouded in darkness, shunned by the world simply because I refuse to conform to their standards. The light and the darkness do not mix, dear sister. They destroy or repel one another but they do not come together."

"And what if I told you you were wrong? What if there was proof that a child born of light and darkness does exist?"

"Then they have my sympathies," Jack said in a dour tone.

"She is stronger than you give her credit for," Elizabeth said with a knowing smile.

Jack glanced over at his sister, puzzled by her cryptic statement. He was about to ask what she was going on about when Jack was hit with a wave of nausea. Slowly his head started swimming as his eyes grew heavy and his sight dim. Without showing any surprise Elizabeth took hold of her brother and gently lowered him onto her lap. He laid back down, his head still spinning as his grip on reality faded.

"It seems our time is up, little brother. I'm sorry I wasn't able to spend more time with you."

"Elizabeth… where are you going?" he asked, trying his hardest to stay awake.

"Death has not come for you yet, Jack. You still have time left to reconsider. Let go of your grudge, little brother. Seek out the happiness that lays right beside you."

"Elizabeth," he said, attempting to reach out to her but grasped nothing but air.

Slowly Jack's sight grew dark. His body grew limp as his mind faded into sleep. He knew Elizabeth had left. He didn't feel it physically, rather, it was simply something he sensed. He was alone again. Just him and the darkness as it had always been.

Before long Jack's senses came back to him. He could hear the world around him and knew that, wherever he was, it was unfamiliar to him. The first thing Jack noticed was that he was lying on something soft. It wasn't grass, that much he knew for sure. It felt uncomfortable, unnatural, like the damn thing was trying to consume his body.

What was also apparent was how bright it was. Even with his eyes closed the light still hurt his eyes. Jack wished he had his glasses on. At least then he might be able to tolerate the light. Reaching his hand out he blindly started grasping around. His hand freed from the unfamiliar soft object he felt something made of wood nearby and soon retrieved his glasses sitting on top.

Now that he could see Jack took in his surroundings. For a moment he was confused as to where he was. However, his mind slowly caught up with him as he realized that the décor was reminiscent of a modest hotel. The bed he'd been sleeping in explained why he'd felt so uncomfortable and the drapes drawn back from the window explained why it had been so bright. The only question he had now was how he had ended up there.

As he shifted in the bed he looked over and noticed someone leaning against it, half asleep on the bed and half asleep in a chair. Her soft breathing and stark white hair was a dead giveaway that it was Weiss Schnee. The moment he noticed her his memories came flooding back. Absentmindedly he reached out a hand to touch the cut on his head. He found a bandage in its place, an indication that his aura had been depleted enough to warrant some extra care.

By now, though, his aura had been fully regenerated and Jack was growing tired of the overly soft mattress. He shifted his weight, attempting to crawl out from under the covers without disturbing Weiss. His efforts backfired, however, as his shifting caused the light sleeper to wake up almost instantly.

"Good morning," Jack managed to say apologetically.

"Jack, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Weiss asked in obvious surprise.

"A little uncomfortable, to be honest. I haven't slept in a real bed in ages."

You were soaked through the bone. If we had laid you in the tub you would've caught phenomena," Weiss said.

"At least I would have been comfortable," he joked.

Weiss gave him a sharp glare that showed she wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"So, how bad was I?" he asked, dropping all humor in his voice.

"Well, you were unconscious for quite some time so we weren't sure how you were doing."

"That's not what I meant," Jack said.

"You mean your overall attitude?" Weiss asked. Jack nodded, feeling apprehensive about what she might say.

"You were a complete jerk, there's no denying that," she said unsympathetically. "Not to mention your reaction to the inn keeper's comment was overly hostile."

"I see," Jack said, feeling more ashamed by how Weiss now saw him rather than how he'd acted.

"Jack," she began, hesitating for a moment as she carefully constructed her question. "What that man said, about your sister. What really happened?"

Jack was silent for a while. He starred off into space, causing Weiss to think he was ignoring the question, but his facial expressions showed that he was carefully considering his answer. He shifted in the bed, pulling himself up into a sitting position that allowed him to lean against the wall as he spoke.

In the process of moving he exposed his bare chest. Weiss blushed and quickly turned away. She expected him to make a crack about her embarrassment but when he said nothing she turned to look at him. He was still deep in thought, unaware of Weiss' reaction. Stealing a glance at him she noticed to her surprise that Jack's whole chest was covered in scars.

While he was nonetheless well toned for a man his age this feature was hidden beneath various scars he had accumulated over the years. She could denote smooth, even strokes, probably from weapons such as swords or knives. There were harsh, jagged ones that were obviously from Grimm who had managed to get in a lucky strike. Along his sides and disappearing onto his back, however, were some odd ones she couldn't quite make out. They are smooth but so closely grouped together that it seemed as if he had been struck multiple times in the same area.

"Weiss, may I ask you a question," Jack said, cutting into the silence.

"Oh, um, sure," she said, jolted from her thoughts.

"What was your childhood like?"

Weiss took a moment to think. It was not an unusual question to be sure but it wasn't exactly something she had expected him to ask either.

"It was fairly normal, or as normal a childhood can be for someone growing up in a family of privilege."

"Describe it to me," he said.

"It's what you would expect it to be. I got anything and everything I wanted. I ate all the best food, wore the latest fashions, went to the most lavish parties. I could do whatever I wanted," she said before her small smile faltered into a frown, "so long as I did what I was told. Spoke only when spoken to. Didn't speak out of turn. Did everything my father wanted me to."

"It was a privileged life, that much is true, but it was one that was slowly suffocating me the more time passed."

"What about your sister? From what I've gathered you two must be very close."

"We are," Weiss agreed, the smile returning to her face. "She and I have been close ever since I was little. She was the only person who ever encouraged me to become a huntress and attend Beacon."

"I take it your father didn't exactly approve of your decision?"

"He was furious," Weiss said with a grin. Jack smiled widely, amused by her reaction. "Up until I left Winter trained me. Everything I've learned, all of my skills, were drilled into me by sister. She was more than just a sister to me."

"I know what you mean," Jack said, his smile wavering for a moment as he reflected on his past.

"I never really knew my parents," he said. "By that I mean we never interacted enough for me to consider them a part of my life," he added upon seeing Weiss' look of surprise.

"I was born a very sickly child. It's actually why my skin is so pale and why I have very little hair."

"I thought those were just your sense in fashion," Weiss said jokingly.

"No," he said in a deadpan tone, obviously unamused.

"My mother was a very religious woman. After I was born and my apparent health had been diagnosed she chose to spend her days at the local church in prayer rather than caring for me. She believed more in her faith being paramount in making her son better rather than actually attempting to make me better through medicine."

"My father wasn't much better. The breadwinner of the family, he spent his days working in the local dust mine. From dawn till dusk he worked, barely even uttering a word when he was home or acknowledging my presence when he was around."

"Despite their short comings my parents did have the good sense to leave me in the care of my elder sister." Jack smiled, his tone becoming audibly more cheerful as he spoke.

"She was everything to me as a child. She was my mother, my life, my encouragement. She was the only person who ever believed I could be greater than the bad hand life had dealt me."

"She sounds wonderful," Weiss commented.

"She was. I wish you could have met her," Jack said in a nostalgic tone. "She was the one who encouraged me to become a huntsman."

"Something like that wasn't a very realistic goal for the people of my village. Not only were we dirt poor but my poor health made any possibility of my becoming a hunter null and void. Still, I'd spend my days pretending I was a great huntsman, fighting off hordes of Grimm with a stick for a sword, until my lungs burned from exhaustion and I'd have to go back inside to rest."

"Even then Elizabeth never once tried to dissuade me from my dream. Not even when I had to be homeschool after my health made me bedridden for nearly a year. Right up until the end she made me believe that my dream was a possibility. All I had to do was reach out and grab it."

"What happened to her?" Weiss asked. Almost immediately she wished she could take back her words. She didn't know what had come over her to ask such a personal question.

Jack's smile immediately disappeared. His expression darkened as the memory of that day came back to him crystal clear. Weiss attempted to apologize but was surprised when Jack answered the question regardless.

"I was six, at the time. My birthday had just come and gone. I'd been given my first present, that wooden sword I showed you at our house. Then more than ever I was determined to become a huntsman. I'd travel to Haven and learn as much as I could. Nothing was going to stand in my way."

"Then, one day, I decided to do something incredibly stupid," he said, taking a deep breath as he attempted to push back the tears that were threatening to form in his eyes. "I ventured out into the woods. I stayed on the outskirts, close to the village. Children were forbidden from going into the woods alone but I didn't care. With my sword in hand I felt courageous enough to tackle them and anything that threatened me."

"I never heard it approach. All I heard was its deep breathing and the sound of crunching leaves under its paws. I didn't even have to turn around to feel the fear and anxiety that its very presence caused."

"When I finally did manage to face it, and look into its deep crimson eyes, I couldn't move. I couldn't even scream. I was so scarred I lost any ability to fight or flee. Neither would have done me much good, though. I never stood a chance of surviving."

"The next thing I remember was my sister screaming out my name. It was enough to jolt me back to reality just long to stumble towards the village. I'd never seen her so panicked before. She raced into the woods, scooped me up into arms and bolted for the safety of the village with the Beowulf in hot pursuit."

"Her screams had attracted people from the village armed with whatever they could find in order to repel the creature. It wasn't enough. Before we made it to safety Elly…" Jack chocked on the words, a few stray tears rolling down his face as he spoke, "she was attacked from behind."

He wiped the tears away only to have fresh ones replace them. "There was nothing we could do. The wounds were too deep. By the time we managed to call for a doctor she was gone."

Weiss reached out and took Jack's hand in her own. Listening to him speak she found herself on the verge of tears as well. She gripped his hand tightly, letting him know she was there for support. Jack returned the feeling by squeezing her hand in his.

"We held her funeral a week later. Try as I might I just couldn't accept the fact that Elly was dead. I let my feelings overcome me and, due to the stress brought on by my emotions, I unlocked my aura and subsequently discovered my semblance in the process."

"As a child my poor health had always put a distance between me and the rest of the village. The moment my semblance revealed itself any attempts to close that distance became marred with hostility," he said darkly.

"I saw. You weren't kidding when you said your village didn't take kindly to outsiders."

"It was actually worse than that," Jack said.

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.

Shifting his weight Jack turned himself so that his back was visible. Weiss gasped in silent horror at the sight that greeted her eyes. While mostly faded from the course of time there were visible lash marks all over his back. Absentmindedly Weiss reached out and ran her fingers over the numerous scars. Jack shuttered at her touch but made no attempts to dissuade her. She felt the uneven ridge lines from his scars and couldn't help but shutter herself at the thought of having been given so many unwarranted reminders of his past.

"How could they do this to you?"

"It was simple. I was a freak. No one cared what happened."

"But for the adults to do this to a child- "

"The adults didn't do anything," Jack interrupted. "In fact, they simply stood by and watched as their children beat me and whipped me with switches."

"Switches?" Weiss asked, almost afraid to know what they were.

"Thin sticks that are surprisingly bendy. The adults would sometimes use them to discipline unruly children. Obviously they saw me as someone deserving of such treatment."

"The torture I received from the village, however, was nothing compared to my life at home. My father's absence from my life became even more pronounced after the funeral. He took extra shifts to give himself an excuse to stay away from the house. Even when he was home, if we were ever in the same room together, he would get up and leave immediately, avoiding all possible contact with me in the process. The worst, unfortunately, came from my mother."

"With Elly's death I found myself more alone than I ever thought possible. I had no friends and I did everything I could to avoid going into the village for fear of being attacked. Unfortunately, a day came when I had to venture out. There was no food in the house and, with my parents elsewhere, I had to run the risk of getting sustenance myself. I took some lien with me and ventured into town hoping to get something, anything to eat."

"I wasn't there long when a group of children spotted me and made a beeline for me. By this point in time I was pretty good at running away from my attackers and, after some time, I managed to lose them. I slipped into an alley way and made my way to the local church. I hoped to find some solace inside as no one dared to cause trouble inside a holy building."

"It was the biggest mistake of my life," he said, anger evident in his voice.

"I went inside, keeping to the shadows in order to avoid being noticed. I knew no one would attack me but I doubted they were above throwing me out to the mercy of my pursuers. I wondered around for a bit and was surprised to see my mother inside, praying. I crept up to her, hopeful that I might find some solace in her presence. What I heard her say, though, was the last nail in the coffin."

"Jack, you don't have to- "

"She called me the devil's child," he said, ignoring Weiss or rather too engrossed in his past to notice. "My own mother, the woman who gave birth to me, completely rejected me."

Jack was soon overcome with emotion but rather than cry her started laughing. He laughed harder, finding some sick irony in what had happened while Weiss looked on with a mixture of surprise and apprehension. Before long, though, Jack's laughter morphed into crying. Try as he might he was unable to hold back the tears and was soon trembling with anger. His knuckles turned white as he clenched them, unable to contain his feelings.

Weiss was at a loss for words. She wasn't sure of what to say or what to do. Instinctively she reached out to him, pulling him close as the tears continued to fall. He leaned into her shoulder, staining her dress as he sobbed. Tenderly she patted his head, realizing that he was in great deal of pain, much of which he had been holding back for so many years.

"How could she say that?" he said in-between sobs. "I was her son. I was her son! How could she abandon me like that?"

After a while his sobs died down until he was wiping away latent tears. His eyes were bloodshot from all the crying and he was strangely quiet. Weiss squeezed his hand and gave him a reassuring look. Jack attempted to smile back but found it too much of an effort. Reflecting on the events of his childhood was always a depressing subject for him and a rather draining one at that.

"I ran away after that," he said, continuing on with his story. "I returned home, took what little money I could find, slipped out and never looked back."

"Where did you go?"

"Anywhere, so long as it led away from the village," he answered solemnly. "The money didn't last long, obviously. I took on odd jobs just to get by. I actually stumbled onto bounty hunting by chance."

"I tripped up a mugger on the street one day. I was about seven at the time and the man was twice my size. However, the authorities were close behind. By the time he had recovered they were already on top of him. I was given a small reward for my involvement in his capture. Since then I've been doing nothing but hunt people for a living."

"Seven? That sounds a little young to become a hunter," Weiss commented.

"The regulations for bounty hunting are fairly lax. I've known of other bounty hunters who've taken on apprentices that were younger than I was. Only difference is that I had to teach myself everything from scratch rather than being mentored."

"What about the academy? I thought you had wanted to become a Huntsman."

"I did but there were more obstacles preventing me from achieving that goal than I'd first realized. Apart from money I'd also have to have my parent's or guardian's permission to begin attending. Seeing as how I had no intention of returning home, let alone speak to my parents, I gave up on that dream."

"In the end I took what I could get and made the best of it. Now, over a decade later, I' one of the best Bounty Hunters on Remnant."

"Still, that must have been difficult."

"I've never known anything else, Weiss," he said sadly. "This is the life I've chosen. Regardless of how I feel about it I intend to see it through."

"You don't have to see it through alone, though," Weiss said comfortingly.

Jack looked over into Weiss' eyes. Her light-blue eyes shown with kindness and sympathy. It was difficult for him to look at her and not feel something drawing him in. Almost as if on cue his mind went back to the strange dream he'd experience with his sister. He started to wonder if she had really been telling the truth. Did Weiss see him as something more than a friend?

"Weiss, I want to ask you something," he said.

"Of course."

"When we get to Vale, when we get your friends to safety, what do you plan on doing after that?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't really given it much thought."

"You do realize that your father will continue to send people after you."

"Of course I know that," she retorted in an apprehensive tone.

"What if you were to come with me?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I know most of Remnant better than anyone else. I've been all over the world. It wouldn't be difficult for me to help you disappear."

"Jack, I understand what you're saying but I have no intention of running from my father forever. I plan to retake my family's company and restore it to what it once was."

"I know, which is why I want to help you. Right now you're cut off financially and lacking greatly in resources. Tagging along with me will give you an edge, a chance to prepare to retake your birthright while maintaining some anonymity that'll prevent your father from interfering."

"Jack, I can't let you do this."

"Of course you can," he argued. "I don't doubt your friends' loyalty but even they can only risk so much. I have nothing to loss in this endeavor. I want you to use me to help achieve your goal."

"Jack, why would you want to help me do this?" Weiss questioned him, confused and concerned.

"I have my reasons," Jack said simply.

"And what are those reasons?" Weiss pressed.

Jack looked at Weiss. She gazed back at him. Jack knew the answer but he was afraid. He'd never done something like this before. He'd always lived and fought for himself, thinking only of his needs. Now that he had someone he cared about, someone whom he wanted to help succeed admitting his reasons for doing so was a challenge. He was afraid of what she might say, of what she might think, of how she might feel. It was a 50/50 chance yet it felt like the odds were stacked against him.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a knock at the door. Without waiting for an answer Yang and Demi walked in the room, a welcome distraction from the conversation they were having.

"Jack, you're wake?" Demi said happily. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, though a bit uncomfortable."

"How come?" Yang asked.

"I'm not used to sleeping in a bed," he admitted.

"I'm surprised you can sleep in a tub at all."

"You get used to it," Jack said, moving to get out of the bed.

"Jack, hold on!" Demi said.

"What?" Why?"

"What you mean why? Why do you think?" Yang asked.

"I don't understand," Jack said, confused.

"Think about it. When we brought you here you were drenched clean through from the rain."

Jack immediately caught on and, as discreetly as he could, took a peak under the sheets. Weiss blushed, realizing what must be going through his head. Jack looked up, his face turning a light pink.

"Yang, where are my pants?" he asked as calmly as he could manage.

"Well, considering how much it rained and the fact that you took a face plant in the mud, we had to get them washed. They should be clean by now, though."

"I see and who all undressed me?"

"About that. Considering the circumstances, it was a group effort to get you upstairs and undress before your condition worsened."

"Are you telling me everyone saw me?" he asked, his tone becoming more unstable as a result.

"Pretty much. Have to say, for a pale, skinny guy, you're well developed," Yang said with a devilish grin.

Jack's face turned a deep red as he buried his face in his hands. Weiss would have helped him in not for the fact that she was too embarrassed to even move.

"Demi, I want you to go get my cloths and everyone else is to leave the room. Now," he instructed.

"A thank you would be nice," Yang chimed in but a sharp glare from Jack told her he was far from a thanking mood.

Without another word she left the room, Weiss hot on her heals, as Demi rushed off to get his clean cloths.

"Well, Elizabeth was correct about one thing," he commented to himself. "I'm on death's door because I'm going to die of embarrassment."

This chapter took me a while to make. I'm currently in the process of moving so things have been a little hectic for me. I also had to rewrite certain parts of this chapter simply because I didn't like how I was painting the scene or characters or the mood just didn't work. Basically I spent a lot of time just trying to make things work and still be interesting without being overly dramatic.

This is one of the chapters that I have been planning for a while. I basically wanted to have a point where Jack was pushed to the edge both physically and emotionally enabling Weiss to see him at his most vulnerable. I had originally envisioned it with Demi in mind to have a sort of father-daughter moment between the two of them but I decided to switch her out with Weiss to add more depth to their relationship.

While I know the beginning may be confusing let me clarify some things. Elizabeth is dead. What Jack saw was basically a vision of his sister due to the fact that he was very close to death himself. It doesn't have anything to do with her semblance because she doesn't have one. Hopefully that takes care of that.

The next update may not happen for a while. I'm currently trying to come up with a good addition to this one. Basically their relationship is about to get whole lot more complicated and, while it may seem like I'm rushing things, bare with me on this.

On a related note I'm actually planning to add a few little story extras once this part of the story is finished. I'm going to post a character sheet for Jack along with a sort of soundtrack list to go along with key moments in the story. Let me know what you think of this idea.