RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Roosterteeth
All OC's belong to their respective owners
REMINDER- 9 days left in the competition. If you want to enter then all you do is PM me.
'Pathetic'
'Worthless'
'Failure'
These words echoed in Jaune's mind, his brain empty of all coherent thought. The insults carved into his very sanity. Attempts to form any other thought or perform any action simply put him in immense pain.
He lay motionless, just accepting his fate. His eyes closed while he listened to the foreign words bounce off the inner walls of his mind and continue to echo and repeat themselves. He attempted to stand but the second he even thought about it the insults multiplied into hundreds, then thousands, then millions of insults. His mind overloaded and he yelped in agony.
He couldn't do anything; he couldn't even come up with a strategy without being in immense pain.
His worst enemy was the person he looked up to most, his own mother.
"Oh you stupid boy" came the voice of his mother. Fear gripped Jaune's heart, his breathing quickened and his eyes darted around his field of vision. Finally a pair of shoes entered his field of view, slowly getting closer. He wanted to yell for help but his mouth wouldn't work.
He was literally paralyzed with fear. One word came to mind, a word that did not disturb the constant chorus of words burned into his sanity. The word forced its way through his lips and came out as a whisper.
"Why?" He whispered in a voice shaken with fear.
The footsteps stopped and the words that bounced in his mind all ceased in their constant melody of repetition.
His mother began chuckling. He could hear it cut through his mind and penetrate his most inner thoughts. Her chuckle turned into an uncontrollable laugh that shook the earth itself. His mind screamed in agony at the boom of her laugh.
"Because my son…you took something precious from me…AND I WANT IT BACK" She yelled. Her footsteps began coming closer only at a much faster pace.
Her feet now stood directly in front of Jaune. One foot came off the ground and out of Jaune's field of vision. Pain surged through his back; he could feel her foot digging itself deeper into his lower back.
"Now my son, I think it's time you come and join me…in the afterlife" she said in a soft voice. The pain increased and the blonde knight was about to lose consciousness.
"ENOUGH!" boomed a male voice. That one word rippled throughout the earth and the heavens. It cut into Jaune's mind and cleared out the poisonous words that taunted him. The sound of the voice soothed his pain and made him feel safe.
"You!" the blonde swordsman heard his mother speak with venom.
"BEGONE!" the voice boomed, followed by a hiss. The pain in his back subsided and he felt that his mother had left.
He wanted to stand and thank his savior but he didn't have the energy to do so.
He felt his body be lifted up into strong arms. He noticed that the man who saved him was large and buff. A long beard flowed from his chin. His black hair reached his waist and he was dressed in ragged clothing. One noticeable feature was the blindfold that covered his eyes.
"Ji…ji" he breathed out without even realizing it. The man smiled.
"Sleep…you've earned it"
Jaune lost consciousness almost immediately, finally feeling safe for once.
…
Pyrrha's eyes gently opened. The rays of the morning sun waking her in a gentle manner. Her eyes glanced down to see Jaune's eyes open.
She scrambled off the bed and almost hit her head. She recovered quickly, blushing furiously.
"Jaune I-I uh…I" Pyrrha rambled on. She stopped rambling when she noticed that Jaune wasn't even paying attention.
His eyes merely looked forward, staring at the ceiling. He had not moved an inch.
"Jaune…" Pyrrha said softly.
His eyes didn't move and his body remained perfectly still. Pyrrha moved closer to Jaune, reaching a hand out as if trying to physically grab his attention.
"REN THEY WERE HERE!" shouted Nora. Pyrrha turned to her hyperactive teammate only to see her on her hands and knees, outside their door just staring at the ground.
"Who was?" Ren asked calmly.
"Th-they were…here, going to kill us" Nora rambled, more talking to herself than to any one in particular.
Ren didn't like this at all. His childhood friend had been getting worst by the hour. She began talking to herself more and more, her attitude changed dramatically, and she always seemed worried about something. He hated it when she used her semblance, she would turn into a completely different person and eventually shut herself completely off from the rest of the world, even her best friend.
"Nora you need to talk to me…" Ren said
"Someone was here last night…here to kill us" Nora looked at her friend. Ren could see the fear in her eyes.
'Something's really got her shaken up. Who in the hell has that evil of a presence to make her so afraid' Ren thought. His thoughts were disrupted by an announcement.
'All students please report to the gymnasium'
'Great…what now' Ren thought.
…
The gymnasium filled students. Jaune mindlessly followed his team as if on autopilot. Ozpin finally came up onto the stage and everyone fell silent.
"As all of you know, the Vytal festival tournament begins today. I wanted to go over the rules of the tournament with you beforehand so that you'll be prepared"
Silent murmurs spread through the crowd but died shortly after a death glare from Goodwitch.
"The tournament is setup so that it will be teams of 4 vs 4. If a team does not have enough members, they will be disqualified. More than 4 members are allowed on a team but only 4 members per match. You will be allowed to switch out your teammates in between matches. The match will end after all 4 team members aura drops into the red."
'Okay so teamwork is vital' Ren thought.
"Killing is absolutely forbidden, any murders will result in a disqualification of the entire team"
Disapproving whispers spread through the crowd.
"Any and all weapons are permitted. No age restriction so any third or second years can enter as well. Hmmm I think that's about it…Oh wait! Almost forgot, the location of each match will be different. Locations can vary from desert-like environments to frozen wastelands so be prepared."
Complaints came from the crowd, but were immediately silenced by Goodwitch's stare which promised pain.
"Remember that you are representing Beacon so I advise you to be on your best behavior. You are dismissed"
…
Pyrrha had already signed up their team for the tournament. They would be notified when their match would begin and who they would be up against via scroll messaging.
The members of team JNPR waited anxiously in their dorm, awaiting their match.
Pyrrha decided that simply sitting in anticipation and waiting would probably not do them any good so she decided to listen to some music while she waited. Ren meditated, and Nora paced nervously. Jaune merely stood by his bed and stared at the wall. The same empty look in his eyes that he had this morning.
Nora approached Jaune and stared at him. She was frozen in place.
"Where did he go?" Nora asked quietly
"Hm" Ren hummed
"Where…did…he…go?" Nora asked again in a dangerous tone. Ren recognized this tone; it was something he had not heard in a long time. He became worried for the hammer wielder.
"Who?"
"Jaune"
"He's right there"
"No he's not…" Nora looked into his eyes once again.
"…not anymore" Nora whispered.
"Nora this has got to stop. I don't care what Jiji said, this semblance is going to drive you insane"
"Ren I'm serious. Jauney isn't here anymore"
Ren was now losing his patience. He got up from his meditative sitting position and walked over towards Jaune.
"Nora he's right here…" his voice trailed off once he looked into Jaune's eyes and saw no emotion, an empty void stared back at him. Ren turned towards his childhood friend; she visibly shook and looked desperately at Ren.
"No he's not" she whispered
Ren wanted to calm her down but her attitude changed. She stopped shaking, and her hands reached up to clench her head.
"It was them, the ones that came last night! They took him!"
"Nora you're speaking nonsense." Ren's words fell on deaf ears.
"I SWEAR I'LL RIP THEM APART IF THEY DID ANYTHING TO HIM!" Ren stumbled back at her outburst. He had never seen her so angry before.
"What's going on?" Pyrrha asked finally taking out her earbuds.
"Jaune's gon-" Nora was cut off by the sound of four beeps. The three teammates checked their scrolls to finally see the details of their match
'Team JNPR (Juniper) vs Team SDER (Soldier). Both teams be ready at the dustplane docks in thirty minutes.'
Pyrrha froze, her hand trembled.
'No…not them' Pyrrha thought.
"Pyrrha what's wrong?" Ren asked.
"The team we're going up against is my brother's team"
"I'm sure we'll be fine. Trust us Pyrrha, we've gotten a lot stronger" Ren smiled reassuringly.
Pyrrha smiled back, finally getting control of her nerves.
…
Jaune woke up to the feeling of discomfort. He took a minute to look around and take in his surroundings.
He had been sleeping on a rock that appeared to be at the top of a mountain. He was used to waking up in strange places ever since he went through Jiji's training so he wasn't surprised.
"Finally awake I see" spoke the voice Jaune had heard earlier. The blonde knight turned to see a man several inches taller than him. He was very muscular and very hairy. Even though his appearance was different Jaune knew it was still Jiji.
"Jiji…"
"That's my name"
"But…how?"
"Well technically speaking I'm not the real Jiji. I'm just the manifestation of some of his aura that he left in this place in case you needed some extra guidance."
"But you look so different"
"This was me in my younger years…before I became a tiny old man"
"Wow"
"Wow indeed"
"So you're gonna help me!"
"The only help I will give are words of wisdom"
"*sigh* Great, that's just GREAT!" Jaune yelled
"What's the matter Jaune"
"What's the matter? EVERYTHING" Jaune screamed at the top of his lungs. "I would have been ready to take on any opponent you threw at me, even if I lost…but not her. I can't fight her…"
"Jaun-"
"I could never raise my sword against her after everything she's given me. She gave me my LIFE in exchange for hers! She gave her life thinking I would be a great man worthy of the Arc name and instead I'm nothing but a failure!"
"Jaune calm down-"
"NO, I mean I would hate my guts too if I gave my life only to be given utter disappointment in return! …She hates me…and she has every right to."
"…"
"…"
"Jaune I've figured out the problem here"
"What?"
"The problem is not what your mother thinks of you or your ability to live up to the Arc name. The problem is you"
"Wha- I don't understand"
"This realm that we're in is purely based off of everything about you. It makes sense that your mother is the final trial…in your head…you truly think she hates you"
Jaune remained silently but gave a slight nod.
"Jaune if you think of her that way then she is going to be that way in here."
"…"
"I don't know what you've heard about your mother but she never, not even for a second, hated you. She gave her life to you because she loved you with all her heart."
Jaune was uncertain. He still felt that she resented him.
"I wish I could've met her again. I don't remember much of her"
"But Jaune…you can!" Jiji said excitedly. "But first you need to let your current view of her go or you won't be able to"
"What else?" Jaune replied quickly
"Close your eyes and clear your mind of everything else, just let the desire to see your mother be the only thing in your mind"
"Okay…you're sure this'll work?"
"Absolutely"
Jaune complied and focused. He meditated for what seemed like hours but he never broke his concentration.
…
Jiji had been silent for a long time and Jaune started getting worried.
"Jiji…you there?" he whispered. When he got no reply he opened his eyes. Jiji was nowhere in sight and he was no longer on a mountain. He stood atop a body of water that expanded as far as Jaune could see. There was nothing but him and an endless expanse of water.
"Jaune?" spoke a soft voice. He turned around to once again see his mother. "…is that really you" she spoke almost in a whisper.
"M-mom"
"JAUNE!" She yelled and ran forward to hug her son. "My baby boy!"
Jaune was in shock but eventually he returned the hug and embraced her tightly.
"Mom…I've missed you…
A/N- I think this will be an alternate timeline for the RWBYverse. Who's excited for RWBY volume 2? I know I almost had a goddamn seizure after rewatching the opening a hundred times.
Welp, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, sweet memories and round one of the tournament are in the next chapter so you can look forward to that. Please leave a review, tell me if you like it or not. Constructive criticism is also welcome as it helps me see my weak points and improve on them. Special shout out to Spartan Ninja and ScytheReaper for giving me good advice on how to improve. Have a good day, Carnage out.