Sup guys? Welcome to another chapter of Whatever the Cost. Don't really have anything to say, so let's answer your reviews.
Horrorfan247: Glad you enjoyed it. It obviously won't happen in the show, though like you said. I wish this was addressed in it. Making him comic relief ain't it. Not saying he should take the spotlight, but at least address the issue at hand.
Chrome94: They probably won't. Well, unless Volume 8 ends in the way I see it ending. Ruby's speech is something she'd most definitely say if this were to happen. They know that it might be too late for him, but they want to try and help. I doubt they'd fall for each other. I think they'll keep going with the Neptune route.
Guest: A good point. But, you'll see what happens in a few chapters.
EternalInternalScreaming: The only reason he went for RWBY instead of his own is because he holds more gripe towards them. Glad you enjoyed the chapter.
ZenithTempest: Always keen on receiving good criticism. RT does write them as one dimensional unfortunately. Which is why in the coming chapters, there will be a few interesting interactions with Jaune. One will be Salem. The other, will be Tyrian. All I'm gonna say on the matter. About Jaune pretending to be okay, depression doesn't really have a face, so who knows. Might see him act like that. Maybe even this chapter. I will be doing more POVs; I can assure you of that. Oscar/Ozpin will be one of them. Don't worry about the ending just yet. Still have a bit of story to go through after all.
ATNF: Soon.
Rogue-eL: Glad you think so.
Julio lucero: I doubt RoosterTeeth will let Jaune rot in loneliness. If they do, I'll be surprised.
Guest: Kinda true.
Dax379: Appreciated, but I wouldn't go that far.
Reesesracer: I'll debunk this by saying one simple word… nope.
Grannster10: You'll see.
RedDemonEye: Thank you. And you'll see.
Stratos263: That they are.
Patriot-112: Exactly that mate. Despite everything, Jaune is the one left to fend for himself.
Engineer1869: I've never seen Doctor Who, so I don't really know of the poem. The quote I know though. Glad you enjoyed the chapter.
And that's it for the reviews. Tried to keep my answers short so they don't take up the word count. Also, if you lads want I have a new story on here, Project Ultra. If you like Black Ops 1, then you'll know where the inspiration came from. Go and have a read. So, let's get on with it.
Chapter 9: Therapy Session.
Jaune sighed as he waited in the waiting room. Just as he promised to Ren, he thought about going to therapy. Of course from a lot of people's viewpoint, they would never want to go to therapy, claiming they were okay. But, Jaune couldn't deny that his mental state wasn't the best.
The way he acted towards his friends a few days ago was enough proof of that.
That deserved it and you know it…
Maybe Team RWBY did… But he wouldn't extend that to his Team.
You should. They will always look after one another. They claim you're family, but when push comes to shove you'll be the one on the chopping block… whilst they look after each other, you'll be on the backburner, a second thought in their minds. Never try to think otherwise.
That… Oh who was he kidding? He knew it was the truth. No matter how hard he tries to deny it, he knew what his head was saying was true.
But he could give them one. They were trying to make amends. Over the last few days, Ren and Nora kept asking about him, wanting to know more about him. Ruby kept trying to hang out with him whenever she had the time, thinking all sorts of activities for them to do. Yang asked if he was interested in learning hand to hand in case he ever found himself without his weapon. Blake invited him to come with her to the library or come with her and Yang whenever they went down to Mantle to relax. And whatever conversation they were having, it always involved him. Hell, even Weiss offered to help him with his Dust usage. Try and use more elements than just Gravity on his shield.
They're only doing it now because they don't want you to make any rash decisions. Pretty late for that, don't you think so? Plus… the damage has already been done. What kind of friends leaves one of their own to suffer for as long as you did?
At least they were trying to make it better!
Only to fuel their own goddamn benefits! To fuel Ozpin's agenda!
He flinched as the logical side of his head screamed at him. Yet, he couldn't refute it.
He sighed and rubbed his eyes. As much as he wanted to give his Team's and Ruby's the benefit of the doubt, he honestly couldn't. Not anymore.
He was absolutely done defending them.
Finally… now you can focus on the plan. You still don't have one yet.
At this point… the only plan he had is to wing it. Unless, Salem informed him of whatever was happening. He hasn't talked with her since they left Argus. But, maybe it was for the best, at least at the moment.
Atlas and Mantle are always secured with cameras, soldier, Atlesian Knights and flying robots that constantly took pictures that went straight to Ironwood. It would be difficult to find a secluded spot for them to talk.
You don't need Salem's aid to make a plan. You can think of one on your own. I believe in you.
Well… at least one of them did. He wasn't sure if he could pull it off. But, he'll try his fucking best. That's all he can do at this point.
He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the door to the therapist's office open, a middle aged woman stepping out. She wore blue boots with heels, dark blue pants that stuck to her legs and a pure white jacket. A tie could barely be seen, hidden by her jacket, black hair tied in a neat ponytail.
"You are Mr. Arc?" She asked, her voice soft and gentle.
Jaune nodded, standing up to greet her.
"Good. Please, come inside."
Jaune followed her inside the office, looking around the medium sized room. It kinda looked like the dorms back at the academy; the difference was that they were no beds. Instead, a large white desk that sat at the middle of the room that had papers, pens and pencils, a few notebooks and the holographic keyboard that could be seen anywhere in Remnant at this point.
She opened one of her notebooks, a yellow one, writing something in it. She then picked up the black one and walked towards the sofa near the window, a larger one sitting across it with a small coffee table in between them.
"Take a sit so we can begin." She told him, mentioning with her hand at the larger sofa across her.
Jaune sat in the middle sit, staring everywhere around the room but her, an uncomfortable expression sitting on his face.
"Is this your first time in therapy, Mr. Arc?" She asked with a small smile.
"Uhh, yea… Never really been to therapy before so you could say that I'm feeling sort of… anxious about this. Is that common?" Jaune asked, rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh yes, you wouldn't be the first Huntsman or Huntress that I've talked to who wasn't anxious or at least a little bit intimidated by being in my, or anyone else's office. But, I can assure you that however many sessions we have, everything said will remain classified. Not even the General can know about what we is being said in this room. That's why there are no cameras here." She said with a chuckle.
Huh… Jaune didn't even notice the lack of cameras. Something to keep note of. Though he felt a bit relieved to know that he wasn't the only one that was feeling anxious about this.
"Before we start, would you like anything to drink? A snack perhaps?" She asked with a smile.
"Oh uhh… I don't want to be a bother." He said.
"Nonsense. The most important thing is to make sure you're comfortable."
"Well… I guess some water would be nice."
As the therapist stood up to bring him his drink, Jaune couldn't help but be surprised by her attitude. He expected her to be… more frigid and stiff, like most people here in Atlas. But instead, she was way nicer than he expected. It was honestly pretty comforting and welcoming.
She returned with two big glasses of water, handing one to him. He smiled and nodded in thanks, taking a small sip and setting the glass cup on the table.
"Now, we can officially begin. We have about one hour on our hands. This first session, I will be asking about you Mr. Arc to try and get a better grasp on what is troubling you. So please, I'll ask you to try and answer me with complete honesty. Can you do that Mr. Arc?" She asked, opening her black notebook and pen.
"I guess I can. And please, just call me Jaune. Mr. Arc makes me think of my dad and I don't think I'm that old yet." Jaune said with a small smirk on his lips.
The therapist chuckled.
"Very well. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Sable Tawny. A pleasure to meet you Jaune."
"Oh, I knew your name already. General Ironwood told me when he arranged the meeting. Plus, your name is on the front of your office. But, likewise. A pleasure to meet you."
"Okay. To begin with, tell me about you Jaune. Where did you grow up?" Sable asked, readying her pen.
"I grew up in a village called Ansel. It's on the North-West of Vale, near the border that separates Vale and Vacuo. Quiet place, nice forest surrounding the place and decent enough people. Though I never really talked to many people, mostly because I'm… well, a bit awkward around strangers. Especially people my own age." Jaune said, rubbing the back of his head with a slight flinch, remembering the embarrassing moments from when he was growing up.
"You seem to be okay thus far." She pointed out with a smile.
"Yea… guess my time at Beacon and on the road kinda helped me with that. I guess it's also the fact that I'm more used to talking to adults rather than other teenagers. Since I didn't have any friends growing up, my mum, dad and sisters were the only people that I really shared any conversation with. But like I said, that changed when I entered Beacon."
"Very well… tell me about your family now. What are your parents and siblings like?"
Jaune allowed a small smile to come to his lips as he remembered his sisters.
"My sisters and I have a great relationship with each other. I have seven of them, by the way." Jaune paused and took a sip from his water, secretly enjoying the surprised look of the therapist.
"Yea, everyone I tell has the same reaction. Anyway, we did everything together. Watched TV together, played together, learned a lot of things together. Heck, even braiding hair, sewing and cooking. Recently, we went to Argus and I saw my oldest sister Saphron and her wife. Despite all the teasing and treating me like a little kid… I really missed her. Even though the time we spent in Argus was short, it was nice to see her again."
"Sounds like you had a very loving childhood. What about your parents?" Sable asked, writing something in her notebook.
Jaune frowned as he thought about his parents. He loved them, he really did. But…
"Jaune, whilst I'm happy for you that you've enrolled into Beacon… Don't worry if things don't work out for you and you end up coming back home."
"What your father is trying to say honey is that you'll always have a place here in Ansel."
Jaune grimaced as he remembered the words of his parents. Outside of that, they were a loving and caring bunch, they really were. But, to realize that the two most important figures in your life didn't believe in you in the slightest was… disheartening.
"Jaune?"
"Oh sorry. I was just… thinking of something unpleasant."
"Is it something that happened with your parents?"
Jaune sighed heavily and looked down slightly.
"Yea… when I got the letter that I got accepted into Beacon, they told me not to worry if I ended up coming back home. That really stung. They didn't believe in me, in my potential to be a warrior like every Arc before my dad. I remember not writing them a single letter in my time at Beacon. Even when it fell, I didn't go back home. I stayed in Vale, helping people as best I could. Then, we went to Mistral, Argus and now here. Haven't talked to them in almost two years now…" Jaune finished, letting out another sigh.
"They didn't support your dream then?"
"Exactly. They didn't want me to become a Huntsman. They supported everything else though. If for example, I gained a small interest in art, they would make it their mission to keep me in that certain path. Anything to steer away from the path of a Huntsman. I didn't realize back when I was younger. I thought I was just lucky to have those two support me as much as they did. But when I realized what their intentions were, I tried to make it clear that this was what I wanted. They toned it down a bit, but they kept trying to remove the 'Becoming a Huntsman' from my head. I can see why they did it; I wasn't the best when it came to actual combat. But… it wouldn't hurt for them to at least try and believe in me." Jaune finished, taking another sip of his water.
"Sorry… I rambled for a bit too long there." He said with a sheepish look, rubbing the back of his neck.
Sable shook her head.
"No, it's quite alright. It's best to at least get those feelings out now rather than later. But, you should at least write something to them. Despite what happened between you, I can tell that your parents love you very much. It was because of their love for you that led them to try and make you become something else rather than a Huntsman. A job like that contains a lot of death. No parent wants to bury their own child." Sable said.
Jaune looked to the side and thought about her words. He couldn't refute them.
He knew they loved him. But, too much worry for what could happen to him led to good parents making an incredibly stupid decision.
"I… guess I can write something to them, let them know how I am."
Sable smiled and nodded.
"Now, the General said that the main reason for you to be here is depression and anxiety. What happened to make you feel this way?"
"…"
"Jaune, I know this is a difficult question to answer. Especially to a stranger like me. But, please know that I am going to help you. I just need to know the source of the problem." She spoke professionally.
"… When Beacon fell, I lost a teammate. My partner, Pyrrha Nikos. We were at the base of the Communication Tower, trying to call the other teachers for help. She… Kissed me, pushed me into a locker and sent me away. When I got the news from Glynda Goodwitch that she didn't make it… I was a wreck. I kept thinking why she did, why push me away when we had better odds surviving together. Didn't she believe in me? Didn't she love me? Didn't she care for what would happen to me after I found out she didn't survive? I tried to stop her, I really did… but she thought it was her… destiny… to go up there and sacrifice herself so that I could live for her." He couldn't stop the tears running down his cheeks as he remembered that fateful night.
He didn't have the heart to say that her sacrifice was meaningless. Not after what they learned about Salem.
"Despite how angry I want to be at her… I can't. But, as a leader, as her partner, as her friend… I can't help but think that I failed her in some way. I would give anything to have her here with us, with me, today. If I could trade places with her, I would in a heartbeat. She mattered more than I ever will…" Jaune finished, his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor.
Jaune took a deep breath and raised his head.
"That's where my depression comes from. My anxiety… when we were in Mistral, Weiss took a heavy hit. All those feelings that I kept bottled up since Beacon came out, multiplied by ten. She was going to die. I managed to discover my Semblance by sheer luck and managed to save her. Amplified her Aura's healing capabilities by using mine. After that, these thoughts keep plaguing my mind. What if one of them took a hit and I'm not there to help them? I don't want to lose another teammate. Because I know it would destroy me." He finished with a heavy and tired sigh.
He looked at the woman across him, who was writing down what he told her. She opened her mouth to respond.
*BEEP*BEEP*
She blinked and looked at her scroll. She frowned when she saw that their hour was over. She closed the scroll and stood up.
"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. I'll arrange another meeting, same time tomorrow. But, I believe we started off pretty well. The first step of healing is by letting out all these pent up emotions you've kept inside you for so long. Tomorrow, we'll work on your anxiety by using a few methods, see if you can look at certain situations in less anxious way." Sable said with a smile, handing him a tissue.
Jaune nodded, wiping his tears and nose with said tissue.
"Is it weird to say that I expected you to say that you're sorry for what I've been through?" He asked.
"Jaune, the last thing a grieving man or woman would want to hear is that you're feeling sorry for them. Pity isn't going to help someone feel better about what they've lost. It only makes it worse." She said with a small smile.
Jaune could see the logic behind that. He went to open the door to step out of the office, but was stopped.
"Jaune, wait a second. I know our session is done and all, but I was wondering. Was there anything else that you forgot to mention?" She asked with a raised brow.
"You'd all choose your partners, your sisters and your best friends. Heh, I'd do the same thing if we're being honest. Makes me look like a hypocrite, huh? But, it shows that you all have each other… and I'm the one left to fend for myself."
"No, I think I covered everything." He said with a small smile.
"Very well. Have a good remainder of your day, Jaune."
Jaune opened the door and stepped out of the office, stretching his hands above his head.
"Hey Jaune!"
He turned and saw Ruby sitting in one of the chairs, a smile on her face. His eyes dulled a bit as he saw her with that smile. Pretending like everything was okay. Like her lies wouldn't be exposed eventually.
"So… How did therapy go?" She asked, her smile turning nervous at the way his eyes stared at her.
Dull sapphire continued to stare into nervous, but still bright silver eyes.
Then, he grinned.
"Therapy went great, Ruby. Come on, let's get something to eat. I'm starving."
He walked ahead of her, not noticing how she continued to stare nervously at his back.
You avoided calling them your friends, aside Pyrrha of course, during your session. Very good… You're finally learning.
Jaune's grin turned into a small smile.
And that's it for chapter 9. Tell me what you guys think. Check out Project Ultra, my new RWBY story if you want. Until next time then lads.