Hey there Fanfictioners. Adventure is back!… uhh, sorry for the absence. Got hospitalized for a week. Honestly just… didn't want to write for a while. But I'm back in the game as it were. I've also redone some of my old chapters. I'll reupload them some time within the next week or so. No different story beats or anything. Just some grammar and spelling changed. Spacing. That kinda stuff.
Without further ado, chapter 9
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Champion of the zodiac,
chapter 9
Truth and lies. Fact and falsehood.
"Jaune, you must focus. Your aura is not just a blunt force to throw about or a shield you don't have to raise. It can be as subtle as a whisper. Or more pliable than a weed. Stop trying to bully it. You're coercing when you should be guiding. Start again, with breathing." Minerva says to the young blonde.
Jaune sat rigid, cross legged and both hands in his lap. A sheen of sweat rolled down his forehead while he grit his teeth. He took a deep breath. Then another. His eyes closed, he reached for the part of his soul that could work wonders, as his face went from a snarl to the calm he needed.
"Good. Now, find your center within. Do not try to move it, just feel where the edge is. Then let it be free. It will pour from you because it wants too. The only thing keeping it in is you." Minerva says eyeing the boy closely. Sitting just opposite him on the floor of a dojo found within her home.
Jaune's eyebrows lower as he does his best to understand. He can sense it, the force just under the surface. A wall of will. But it felt like it was encased in glass. Everytime so far he always broke that glass.
"I can't. There's something keeping it in. How can it want to pour out?" Jaune says after a clench of his jaw. Simply finding his aura was taking considerable concentration.
"You feel as if it is trapped, but there is no cage. That is you. A subconscious reaction to reaching for it without great need. To bring forth your soul at will is mastery. In battle, it senses your danger and your emotions. Pure instinct lets you connect with it. So far your use of aura has been largely reactionary. This is why many warriors don't use aura in more advanced ways for years or even decades. By simply finding it as you have, you are already on a different level of aura use then most. Once you let your aura open, you will see the world in truth." Minerva lectures softly.
This was the third day of training since Yōuměi and her… new ward had arrived. she wasn't quite sure what to make of their relationship just yet. Regardless, Jaune was an excellent student. He was diligent and quick to understand the heart of a problem. Given enough time and instruction, she had no doubt he would be discovering his own unique ways of aura use… if he can figure out how to properly call upon it.
Jaune let his mind sit, in so many words. There at the edge of his aura, he sent a sort of mental poke to the "glass box" as he thought of it. At first, as it had been all morning, it was firm and unyielding. But the longer he stayed within this frame of mind, the more it felt like the will inside pushed towards him. The concentration he needed to maintain this process lessened with each minute. After a time, he had no way of knowing how long, the feel of the floor beneath his legs faded. The sound of water running over rocks from the nearby garden was gone. There was only himself.
Jaune stopped poking at his aura. He stopped trying to call it out at all. He simply observed it. A feeling he couldn't quite explain trickled into his mind. A lounging for… something. It was like hearing a beautiful song for the first time and as the last note faded he wanted to hear it again.
The unyielding wall became like rubber as It expanded outwards from his center of self. He didn't know how he knew but he was sure the wall was now brittle. Still he waited. There was only the thinnest layer of resistance now. He nearly broke then, when he realised this. He wanted so badly to reach for it. It wanted to be let out, he felt that now. And somehow he knew it would mean something important. Something he would gain. Not power. Or, not just power. But of himself.
With an upwards twitch of his mouth the thought passed his mind that he was having a staring contest. With himself. Just as he resolved back into waiting in calm the wall broke. With the quickness of thought aura flooded his body… then went past it. His eyes were closed, but he could see Minerva in front of him, as well as Yōuměi by the door. His aura flowed around both of them like the current of a river. Minerva's smile was the biggest he had seen from her so far. Yōuměi was positively glowing. She was… proud. Yes, that was it. But how did he know that so certainly?
"Excellent Jaune! You have just achieved the second level of aura control. What does it feel like? To have your aura brush against ours?" Minerva says after clapping her hands a few times.
Eyes still closed, he tries to tell her. A goofy smile stretches over his face.
"Incredible. You're so happy! And I can just tell somehow. It's like… when my aura hits yours it can read you like a sign. I just know what your feelings are like. How does that work?" Jaune says opening his eyes. Minerva let slip a giggle before answering.
"That's just the nature of aura and life, little one. When you finally brought your guard down you were working with your aura, and not commanding it. By doing so you could listen to it. Your aura has been trying to tell you about the world around you all your life. Today was the first time it didn't have to scream to be heard." Minerva says with a hand covering her smile at Jaunes confused look.
"Umm… what?" Jaune says.
"Let me Min. Jaune, If aura is your soul, then to bare it is to feel the world without any filter. We are all of us, connected. The plants and animals. Human and Faunus. The very planet lives in its own way. That connection runs deeper than you can imagine. By bringing your aura out as you have you've felt that connection." Yōuměi says, smiling warmly.
"Everything has an aura. Some are small and less developed. A plant is happy when it sees the sun and has water. Some auras are more expressive. Most animals are quite content with a full belly and a mate. A warm spot for a nap. Humans are… a little more complicated than that, but all the same our aura speaks to the world. If we care to listen so too can we hear it. Just as when you feel happy or sad, your aura will reflect that. Are you understanding all this?" Minerva says.
"Umm… kinda? I think I get the gist of it. So your aura is like a window for who you are and when I extend it outwards I'm… uh, reading the auras' around me? Right?" Jaune says with a furrowed brow.
Both of the women give a light chuckle at the look on his face. With a sigh Jaune just shakes his head at the laughter. Somehow he keeps forgetting what he's dealing with all the time. These two weren't normal women after all. They were gods in their own right. Great spirits that have roamed Remnant forever. All this "we are one" stuff didn't seem all that plausible to him. But who was he to question them?
"Ok, so what's next?" Jaune says with a grin. He was proud of his accomplishment. No matter what else, he had taken a big step today in his training.
"Well, we've worked on aura for a good bit now. I say it's time to test out something else. I'm sure Měi here has told you of the three things you need for excellence?" Minerva says.
"Mind, body and soul right? An open mind to guide the way. An empathic soul to feel the world. And finally a sound body to house both." Jaune lists off dutifully.
"Indeed so, little one. Your body is quite fit, being trained every morning and afternoon. Your soul is bright and unwavering So far. That will develop overtime… I'd say it's time to broaden your mind." Minerva says with a mischievous grin.
"And uhh, what does that entail?" Jaune says, his grin nearly slipping away.
"Studies. Math. Logic. History! Now that you've reached this level of aura control, it's time to even out your learning. Not only will you train your body twice a day, but you will also study and work on aura control! Isn't that great?" Minerva says with a feral grin.
"Yeah. Great." Jaune says under his breath.
Yōuměi couldn't help but console the poor boy when his face fell.. He wasn't a particularly studious type when it came to academic pursuits. He had the mind for it, but for some reason his interest quickly fades.
"But before that, lunch. And perhaps a small break and a bath. You've done well today my little Wēnróu de lóng. I think a break is in order. For today, no food restrictions. You may have anything you want." Yōuměi said, eyeing her young ward.
"Yeeeeessssss" Jaune says In glee.
Jaune's face lit up like a Christmas tree. She didn't starve the boy. Quite the opposite. His constant training had him eating his weight in food it seemed. But she did make sure he stayed away from things like cake and potato chips. Seriously, how people kept coming up with junk food was ridiculous. The whole planet is assailed by shadow beasts everyday, and they eat twinkies. The hell are those things even made of? He's probably going to want a piz-
"Pizza! A meat lovers pizza with ice cream afterwards." Jaune says smiling ear to ear. Yōuměi just rolls her eyes.
"Very well then. Let's go eat some pizza. Why don't you run along to the kitchen. Me and Min are right behind you." Yōuměi sighs.
Jaune bolts out of the dojo as fast as his little legs could carry. Since his aura was now not only unlocked but active, he was slightly faster than normal. The kid almost beams himself on the door frame. But in his haste he didn't even notice. Kids. You teach them inner mastery and pizza is still a bigger event.
"He's a good kid Měi. Two years with this much progress. I can't tell if that's him or just the fact that he's so young he can learn without reservations. Remember when we tried to teach this stuff to full grown adults? Damn nightmare." Minerva says with a smile.
"It's not just his age. He's a prodigy and doesn't even know it. Now if only I can get him to do his math homework on time." Yōuměi says walking towards the exit.
"Ohh don't you worry. I'm an old hand at teaching academics. He'll do his studies. You just have to make it fun for them." Minerva answered lightly.
The two Zodiac follow the same path as Jaune at a much more relaxed pace. A silence lies between them. But it was far from sullen. After quite a few conversations and late night interviews the two's friendship was as strong as ever. But as it has been every day since Yōuměi's arrival, an argument was not far from the surface.
"Have you decided to tell him yet? That which humanity faces? The sooner you tell him, the sooner he can prepare himself." Minerva says firmly.
Yōuměi sighs but doesn't answer hastily. This conversation was getting old, but no less important. Yōuměi trusted Minerva's judgement more than any other. But on this, she loathed to bend her stance. He was just a child.
"He's not just a child, if that's what you're thinking. You chose him. You fostered his aura with your own. That makes him the first dragon champion in over two centuries. He's strong and the trust you share is like steel. It won't be long until he bears the mark. With his aura open it could happen in a week or a month. If you tell him while he's young it will soften the blow." Minerva says turning a corner but stopping by the kitchen door. She faces Yōuměi and folds her arms, waiting.
Still, Yōuměi didn't answer. A world shattering truth can break those with a lesser will. She knew Jaune wouldn't break. But it would change things. A child shouldn't shoulder that kind of weight. She didn't regret fostering the boy. But taking him in so young was a hasty choice. As Minerva resolves to get to the bottom of Yōuměi's reluctance, she relents.
"When the mark appears. Only then will I decide. Our masters told us not until humanity became one. That peace was achieved and the cruelty of their kind was gone. Only then would their return usher in paradise and return the gifts taken back. How long have we watched, Min? And we're no closer than we were the day the brothers left. They squabble endlessly. Bleeding the planet dry of dust to power their laziness. And all the while assailed by Salem and the grimuzúl. Yet even as they die by the thousand, greed grips them and squeezes. And you want to tell the boy all this? The utter failure that his kind is? An impossible task blocked with impassable barriers laid before them." Yōuměi says with contempt.
She loved humanity. But as a mother whose child has lost their way. Why should Jaune have to worry about any of it. Was he not deserving of a peaceful life? Must he suffer for the sins of those long dead? She knew all too well that life wasn't fair. How could one soul change the course of fate? And to lose a second son to battle… Minerva places a gentle hand on her friend's arm.
"Měi… life is choice. It should be his choice to join the fight or not. I think you already know what he will do, don't you? That is why you hesitate. You think if he's never given the choice he won't have to make one. But by your actions he will be a beacon to those who would snuff out hope. He may hide for a decade. Maybe two. But eventually he will be found. You started this mess by taking in a child. We had rules for a reason, Měi. You broke them. Better to prepare him now, then dump it on him later. He would see it as a betrayal then, if you never tell him… but he is your ward. I will not reveal anything until you decide. But I urge haste." Minerva says softly.
After her gentle words Minerva enters the kitchen to a brightly smiling Jaune waiting for his reward. But Yōuměi needed time to think. She steeled herself with a smile. But just before she opened the door she remembered what Jaune just accomplished. She takes a moment to reel in her aura completely, letting none show to the world. She didn't want the boy to know how uneasy she was. She walks in and the three of them have a fun night together making pizza and relaxing.
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After putting Jaune to bed, Yōuměi took her time in the open air bath watching the stars. Somewhere out there the gods waited. She snorted. Gods. Right. Arrogant shitheads who prefer to spank a child then explain why what they did was wrong. A guiding light for all to be inspired, yet they kept their perfect gardens far away from the eyes of people. Her faith had waned greatly over the endless years. Loss after loss has compounded into a sinking suspicion. A doubt of the heart. Her job would be so much easier if she could just help directly. But her and the rest of the zodiac held more of the brothers essence then others. A command was given, and a slave must disobey. And that's exactly how she saw herself now. For all her power, she was a slave.
We have set them the path, my children. It is up to them to walk it. You must not interfere directly in their struggle. Your work is to watch, learn, and remember. You are forbidden from solving this puzzle for humanity. Perhaps the next batch will be more repentant. Time will tell.
The words of her god echo in her mind as they want to do. No matter how much time passes or what choices she makes, these last words return to her unbidden. Over the millennia there were many times where the zodiac took a more direct approach. Or tired to at least. Never have any of them fought Salem directly. That was so obviously against the gods wishes they simply couldn't. But they advised and trained. Fought Grimm when they could. Anytime the balance shifted out of humanities favor they could join the battle in small ways. A balancing act perhaps. But who knew what the gods wanted.
Was she willing to set Jaune down that same path? No. But Minerva was right, damn her. Yōuměi let a sigh escape into the rising mist from the mineral bath and stretched her legs. Time will tell indeed.
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Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye for Jaune. His new meditation lessons were proving eye opening. Not three days prior he was set out on one of the great branches of Zakarah. His goal was to listen to the world around him. He was more than a little surprised that sometimes the world could talk.
He sat and listened to the great tree and over the course of four hours the tree uttered a single word. Not in an actual voice as people have, but a feeling. The tree's aura was massive and daunting. After thirty minutes the tree's aura completely eclipsed his own. There within the vast rolling lifeforce he noticed the tree was trying to convey something. He got so engrossed he completely lost track of time. Once he figured out what the tree wanted to say he was stunned to silence… hello. He was listening to a tree and it said hello. Everyday his world gets bigger and stranger.
And everyday after he returned to listen. How many people go their entire lives and never know the world around them. He'd never been into a hub city before, but he'd seen pictures. All concrete and tall buildings. Walls and masses of people without a drop of nature. Here and now he felt like he was right on the edge of something important. Not literally of course. Zakarah was obviously important. No, he meant some kind of understanding. Perhaps the lesson was-
"GAH! The hell?" Jaune hisses out.
A white hot pain burns on his left hand so intensely He nearly falls over. Luckily the branch he was on was the width of a two lane road. He probably would have fallen the few thousand feet to the ground otherwise. The pain fades as quickly as it came leaving it feeling cool. He brings up his hand in fear. Did something bite him? Did he piss off the tree or something? No, that was stupid Jaune. What would the tree do to him? Bark? Oh god, now he's making bad jokes. He always did that when he was freaked.
There on the back of his left hand was a… tattoo? What. The. Hell? Bringing it up to his face it looked kinda like a stylized Yōuměi. A dragon with an open maw shined bright and wound itself around the back of his hand and over the wrist, palm side…
…
…..
…..
As he sat there and wondered at his new… thing, it started to fade. After about a minute only a single bit of the tail over his wrist remained.
"Right. I bet the master knows what this is about. About time for lunch anyways." Jaune says hopping up.
He was a little wary of what just happened, but it was far from the weirdest thing he ever saw. If anything the only reason he was worried was because whatever this is might not go away. It was a dragon, so it had to have something to do with Yōuměi right? Why wouldn't she warn him about it? What was she hiding from him? He trusted her with his life. But he was getting tired of her dodging his questions.
Walking into the castle proper his two escorts appear on either side of him. The more he thought about it the more annoyed he became.
"Hey you two. Take me to Yōuměi please. This is important." Jaune says quicking his stride.
The two foxes sensed his distress and dropped their usual playful ways. Yapping in usion they shot off in front of him to lead the way. Two years. Two years of yes ma'ams and if you say so master. Hasn't he proven his use? He'd killed grimm on her orders. Done the most ridiculous training without a single complaint. Well, without complaining much. Never got to eat junk food but once a month. Was he just a pawn or something?
The two foxes lead him to a large sliding door made of some kind of paper. Had he not worked himself up so much he would have realized just where he was, but Jaune was letting every frustration he's felt for a long time out at once. He grips the door and slams it open, startling the two females within.
"Master! We need to talk! Something just happened and I want answers. You can't just... Uhh. Whoops." Jaune says before his mouth snaps shut.
The two Zodiac Women were bathing in the open air bath with nothing to cover them. After his face goes beet red he turns around and closes the door lightly behind him. He hears some movement behind him before the door slides open once more.
"What's gotten into you Jaune? Trying to peek on some old ladies? Could have sworn you didn't have the nerve." Yōuměi says with a grin.
Yōuměi had a form fitting red towel covering her torso and hips. After making sure she wasn't showing anything she shouldn't she grabbed his shoulder and turned him around.
"You're angry. More angry than I've ever seen you. What's happened?" Yōuměi says concerned.
"It's uhh… my hand. It hurt for a little bit and something appeared. What was it?" Jaune says, trying to retain his anger from earlier.
Yōuměi stares into his eyes for a few moments before sighing.
"I see. Join us, we need to talk." Yōuměi says walking back to the large bath and getting in, yet keeping the towel on. Minerva had a similar white towel as well now.
"In… the bath? That's not, uhh… it can wait." Jaune says without looking directly at her. She wasn't really someone he could look at that way after all. I mean, sure she looked like she was twenty-five or so and gorgeous. But this was his master. It felt wrong.
"Ohh suck it up boy. We're not going to pounce on you for heaven's sake. You're twenty years too early for us to see you as anything but a child." Yōuměi says blithely. He was interrupting her bath after all, and Minerva snorts at the implication.
It was perhaps the exact wrong thing to say though.
"A child? A child? Normal kids don't fight Grimm at twelve. Normal kids go to school and worry about stupid stuff. Is that really all you see me as? A kid?" Jaune said at a near shout.
After Yōuměi got the shocked look off her face she glanced at Minerva. Minerva met her eyes and shrugged in a "he's your kid" kinda way.
"No, Jaune. That's not just how I see you. Calm down and we'll talk. If it bothers you that much I'll get out. But I think you should get in. You'll understand once you do. The bath has special properties." Yōuměi says with as level a voice as she could.
Jaune shakes his head and goes behind a nearby four panel room divider. After stripping down and placing his clothes in a nearby basket he grabs a white towel and secures it tightly around his waist. Sighing, he slowly walks down the steps into the large Square bath. It takes him a moment to adjust to the heat and steam. But once he does his muscles relax more than he thought possible. The smell of mint and other earthy things make his head spin for a moment. The bath was like a magic of its own.
Yōuměi lets the boy relax and takes a moment to get her own thoughts in order. It was his first time in the Onsen since getting here. He had refused to join them so far out of some need for propriety. It wasn't magic in the strictest sense either. But it was special. The water was transported from a mountain that so far was untouched by man. It had a mineral content that could heal wounds. Minerva also had one of the land zodiac put together a herbal concoction that rejuvenated the mind. it could even speed up the rate an aura could refill and expand one's capability. Yōuměi had made sure a small amount of it was placed in his bathtub since getting here actually. But this was on another level.
"Aahhhh… you weren't kidding. This is amazing… but we still need to talk." Jaune says warily. He'd never truly confronted his teacher before like this. She saved his life and trained him. She's lived for him ever since. He never felt like he had a right to question her.
"Of course. Then let's talk. I'm pretty sure I know what happened. Tell me anyway." Yōuměi says calmly and moves to sit next to Jaune.
He recounts his meditation under the great tree and how his hand burned. When he was done he held his wrist up to show her.
"Yes… I do know what that is. I suppose it's time. I honestly thought we'd have another year or so before we would have this conversation. I thought I slowed the process down. But it seems your progress has upped the time table." Yōuměi says while inspecting his wrist in her hands.
"that is the mark of a zodiac. My mark, to be precise, as I'm sure you could have guessed. Let me start at the beginning since this may take awhile. When I told you two years ago this was a lifetime commitment I wasn't joking. it was… cruel of me to offer it to a child at the age of ten. Normally we wait until people come of age to offer a kind of deal. That's part of the reason Minerva here was so pissed when we showed up… and why I wanted to wait before introducing you to the others." Yōuměi says, unable to meet Jaunes eyes.
A short silence stretches, and is broken only by a cough from Minerva. Yōuměi shot her a glare that she returned with a flat stare. Okay, so maybe she was in the wrong here.
"Deal? What kind of deal?" Jaune says quietly.
"Mostly the same offer I gave you, but with a caveat. A condition or two. I'd offer training and protection. My resources would be your resources. In older times it meant a fast track to nobility. We held considerable sway with the leaders of the world back then. And if someone was chosen by us it meant they were noble. If not by blood then by virtue. The Valen royal line was from such a person." Yōuměi Explains without eye contact. She really didn't want to do this yet.
"And the conditions?" Jaune says looking straight at her with hard eyes.
"...not something I was going to force you into, for starters. my offer wasn't made because I wanted something from you Jaune." Yōuměi says, finally meeting his eyes.
"What were the conditions, master." Jaune says harshly.
"...very well. A question for you then Jaune. Where do Grimm come from?" Yōuměi says with a flat stare.
"The Grimm? What do they have to do with this?" Jaune says with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He didn't like where this was going at all.
"Everything and more. Remember your lessons and textbooks I got you. Where do they come from?" Yōuměi asks.
"No one is completely sure. The stories say it was a dark gods doing. Some feud between immortal brothers. Scientifically we think they spawn in the badlands. The land of darkness. But as for how they are actually born or if they are born at all is a mystery." Jaune says. Despite his anger he couldn't help but fall into his old student habit. He was genuinely curious now. Was he about to learn how Grimm are made?
"Close enough to the truth. They are spawned from dark congealed pits of hatred. Nasty pools of condensed negativity. But in a way they are also made. A witch sits upon a throne of bone in the land of Grimm. she controls them all." Yōuměi says with distaste.
"A witch? As in, she can use magic? But you said humans can't use magic… Anymore…." Jaune says with shock.
"She can and the humans now cannot. But that is far from her most dangerous tool. There are Grimm out there almost as ancient as we are. Intelligent and cunning. Ruthless. Beasts that have powers you couldn't imagine. She's a master at manipulation as well. She beguiles many to her terrible cause. She has been doing so for millennia, for she is immortal." Yōuměi says.
"My god…" Jaune whispers and closes his eyes. He never imagined that such a thing existed out there. The Grimm were bad enough. Now there's some dark goddess with the power to control the very enemy of humanity.
"Not quite. She isn't a god, only a pale shadow of one. She hates people. ALL people. Salem is the name she's chosen, and her goal is the destruction of all things you hold dear. Her tale is sad and filled with pain, not only for her, but for us all." Yōuměi says with a heavy finality in her voice.
She hated that they were speaking about this at all. Yōuměi could tell the sweat on Jaune's face wasn't just from the heat of the bath. She glances over to Minerva who nods with a fraction of movement.
"The deal is to stand in the forefront of such a foe. To take a stand for all who would perish at her hands. To become a beacon of hope. To help lift the people out of fear. It was this very deal that started the idea of becoming a huntsmen. To slay the evil in this world as a full time commitment. That mark used to mean you were chosen to defend all. That at any moment you would drop everything to be a defender." Yōuměi says.
"But you weren't going to make me do that? Were you ever going to tell me about all this?" Jaune says with a pained face.
"I wasn't going to make you fight anything. But I believed you would have fought anyways. Yours is a gentle soul, Jaune. It was a desire to protect that drove you this far is it not? You already wished to be a huntsmen. As for telling you? Of course I would have, little one. When I felt the time was right." Yōuměi says softly.
"Can she be killed?" Jaune asks with a hard swallow.
"Perhaps. Her immortality was bestowed upon her by a… higher authority than mine. I can not foresee the end of her story, I'm afraid. There was something else as well. The zodiac has another goal. To unite humanity and Faunus under one banner. To do away with things like racism and greed. A far more elusive foe, but just as difficult to defeat. Maybe even more so. It would have also meant you would be a... Mediator. Protector. Enforcer of law. There isn't a word for it in this language. A knight I suppose." Yōuměi says with a sigh.
A heavy silence follows her words this time. None of the three moved even an inch. As if even the water was holding its breath. A swallow flies close but leaves just as quickly, like it could sense the atmosphere. Jaune's ears were ringing in his head. So much responsibility. Nobility. Knight. Hero.
"What makes the mark appear? Is it just magic? Do you just decide for it to appear?" Jaune asks, trying and failing to wrap his head around it all.
"Kind of. While I've been training you I've been infusing you with my aura. The meditation we would do together, remember? I could have simply not done so. But I wanted to. My aura is powerful Jaune. It can increase yours by a large factor. But it takes a lot of time and exposure for the mark to appear. Years of it. Even now, after the connection is made it has faded, yes? Leaving only a small tenth of its potential. That's one of the reasons I no longer join you for meditation. It was your aura opening to the world that sped it up. You started to absorb more of it simply by being near me." Yōuměi says. She lifts her left hand out of the water to let it dribble out. This was the most worrying part of this talk.
"Can you stop it?" Jaune asks, resting his elbows on his knees and cupping his hands over his mouth.
"Yes." Yōuměi states simply.
Jaune closes his eyes and reaches for his aura. It was comforting for him now, to use it. He lets it wash over his surroundings and the two beings with him. Yōuměi flinched at the touch, but otherwise she did nothing. He couldn't sense anything from either of them. He could tell they were there, sure. But they were blocking him somehow. Hiding their aura. Jaune now realizes Yōuměi had been doing so for some time now. To stop from transferring aura? Or to hide something?
"Yōuměi. Minerva. Please open your auras." Jaune asks softly. He needed to know the truth.
The two Zodiacs share a look. After a few moments Yōuměi nods and mouths "please" to her friend who sighs. Both of them open their aura up completely. A monstrous wave crashes into Jaune. His eyes snapped open expecting to be under water but he wasn't. It was so powerful he thought he was hit with it physically. Then it condensed down around them and he could feel their emotions without reservation. Minerva was grim and angry. At Yōuměi, he thinks. She felt no small amount of shame either.
Yōuměi's core at the moment was… love. A deep love that was so strong it brought tears to his eyes. Lining it was hurt and confusion. She was scared. He didn't even think she could be scared. What could possibly scare a… oh. She thought I wanted out or something. Did he?
"Thank you. I… I need some time to think. I'll be in my room." Jaune said and hefted himself up out of the bath.
The room was silent while he got dressed and walked out. After leaving he barely noticed Flax or Bella who followed silently. Jaune was barely watching where he was going and only looked up when one of the foxes yapped. He had walked right past his door. Turning around he went in and sat on his bed. He felt disconnected. Off. And very tired. Like his head was stuffed with cotton.
Was this what he wanted? To be a hero? He'd be lying if he didn't say yes, absolutely. As long as he could remember it was others protecting him. His sisters in school. His parents outside. And Yōuměi, that fateful day he met her. No one wanted to train him before Yōuměi. And he owed her his life. Even more importantly, his sister's life.
But… daydreaming was different from reality wasn't it? Flashes of his fight with the Pangari roll through his mind. The absolute fear. The feeling of digging his blade into a skull. The pain. The uncertainty of life. He was sure Yōuměi wouldn't have let him die. But what if next time she wasn't there and he messed up? Battle wasn't some noble act either. It was death and screams and blood. He was getting good at killing things. A new, deep searing fear he never thought about before made his blood run cold. What if he starts to like it? Killing things. He felt so good after winning last time. A kind of validation that he was becoming skilled. That his endless training was paying off. Is that what makes a hero…
He didn't remember starting to scratch behind Bella's ears when he looked down at His hands. But they had started to shake and she ran off to the other side of the bed with a small growl.
"Sorry Bella. I wasn't paying attention. Got a lot on my mind." Jaune said absentmindedly and let his hands drop.
The two foxes look at each other, then at him. He couldn't help but chuckle at how human they acted sometimes. Each fox came up and laid a head on one of his legs and made a light keening sound.
Jaune laid in his bed for the rest of the day and for many hours into the night. He wasn't going to stop training. Not now after everything. But he didn't think he wanted to be a hero anymore. How could he? He was just… Jaune. A small boy from a nowhere village who got lucky. He couldn't fight a god. He could barely fight Grimm at all. No, he wasn't a hero. Not even in his own story. But… but he could still do his best. He wouldn't let his teacher down. He would fight. Even if he couldn't win.
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And there ya go. Chapter 9. I hope anyone who's made it up to this point enjoyed the story. I'll try and post another one soon.
Won't be doing review stuff this chapter since I went and left for a few months. I'll pick that back up next time, if I get any new ones. Please know bowever that I read each and every review amd greatly appreciate them.