V.C.: Welcome to the eighth chapter, everyone!
K.N.: This is actually a very important chapter. But don't worry, we'll let you all find out why.
Phoenix: Also, don't forget to review and let us know your thoughts and ideas. You, dear readers, are what keeps this story going.
Frostwing: With that said, we hope you all enjoy this next chapter.
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Chapter 8: Secrets Shared
Jaune felt like a deer caught in the headlights of an incoming car. He stared wide eyed at Cardin, who was grinning like a wolf while he was still encased in the crimson red crystals which Diamondblood was made out of.
Jaune couldn't think straight. He was too afraid to think clearly, it was almost like his head was spinning. For the second time, since Ruby, a student of Beacon had discovered his secret. And of all the students it could have been, it was Cardin Winchester.
Jaune felt like he was going to be sick from anxiety-induced nausea. He tried his best to collect himself then took a shaky breath and attempted to speak. "I... I can explain this." Jaune barely managed to get it out as Cardin's grin grew dangerously.
"No need, dorky." Cardin stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and the blonde knight. "I get it. You can use that watch of yours to become a shapeshifter. And not just any old shapeshifter either; an alien shapeshifter to be exact."
Jaune was almost dizzy with fright upon hearing those words. That combined with his preexisting anxiety made him want to vomit or faint. Cardin had just given a fairly accurate description of how the Omnitrix worked on the most basic of levels.
He had to say something, he couldn't just let Cardin walk away with that type of knowledge, after all. "P-please Ca-Cardin, don't tell anyone...please! I'm begging you!" He got on his knees and actually begged.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. Now get off your knees." Cardin's demeanor changed to a much more nonchalant attitude. "My lips are sealed...mainly because Ozpin seems to like you and I'd prefer not to risk getting kicked out over some bullshit reason." 'There is also the fact that he just saved my ass, but I'm still trying to process that.'
"Wait, mainly?" Ruby's gaze narrowed at the brunette bully in suspicion. Cardin hoped she wouldn't ask the question he was expecting, but of course she did. "What else could you possibly get out of keeping my and Jaune's secret?"
Cardin's face grew serious at that question. "Two reasons; one is that he just saved my life. I figure keepin' quiet would make us even. And two, well, let's just say that Jauney over there ain't the only one with skeletons in his closet."
Cardin turned away, intending to walk away and leave the conversation there for now. But someone else had other plans for the three of them, as they would all quickly find out.
"Quite vague. Wouldn't you say, Cardin my dear boy?" A British accented male's voice asked from behind everyone.
They looked around in confusion for a second before turning toward the nearby trees to see a tall man in a white coat, Professor Paradox, was standing there. He was currently looking down at his pocket watch but quickly snapped it shut and glanced up at the hunters-in-training. "Hello. Care for a gumdrop?"
"Uh...hi?" Jaune awkwardly asked, feeling slightly confused and also a little curious as to who this mysterious man was. "Who are you? Better question, how did you know Cardin's name or where we were?"
"Oh my," The time-traveling professor chuckled. "Where are my manners? I am Professor Paradox, an old friend of Ozpin and a master of time travel. Not to mention dimensional hopping extraordinaire. As for your other questions," He paused for a moment then smiled. "All in due time, Jaune Arc."
"Hold on a second," Cardin eyed the time traveler untrustingly. "You're telling me that you're a time traveler? I guess that could explain a thing or two, but I don't know if I buy it. What? Are ya supposed to be from the from the future or something?"
"Not quite…" Paradox shook his head. "No. As a matter of fact, I exist outside of the realms of time and space. I watch over the many universes and their possible timelines to help ensure the best-case scenario. I also have ties with the creator of the Omnitrix, if that helps ease tension."
Jaune instantly felt his curiosity peak. He went to ask the mysterious time walker, but Paradox beat him to the punch. "His name is Azmuth and he is of the same species as the form you call Grey Matter. That is all I am authorized to disclose about him at this particular point in time."
"Why is that?" Ruby asked, her brows furrowing together. "I mean, aren't you like the lord of time or something? Can't you just tell us all the stuff that's going to happen?"
Paradox offered the red/black haired girl an apologetic frown. "Again, not quite. I cannot technically interfere with events as they happen. I cannot disclose certain events that 'will' happen. All I can do is inform you of what might happen at the current moment. I can also intervene at any point that is viewed as crucial to the world of any respective timestream, but only technically."
"If that's the case, then why are you here?" Jaune asked skeptically. He didn't believe that this moment was that important to Remnant's future. 'Or is it?' He asked himself before shaking his head. "What's so important about this moment right now?"
"Excellent questions," Paradox smiled at the blonde teenager. "I can see that you have a healthy dose of curiosity in you. The reason this moment in particular is so vital is because it determines whether or not Cardin will turn down a dark road that leads him to a life of criminality, equal in levels to the White Fang."
All eyes turned to Cardin as he became extremely scared to hear such a negative end point. Sure, he may have been a bully during his time at Beacon, but he would have liked to imagine he wasn't on equal levels with a group like the White Fang.
'Then again, with the way I treat faunus I'm almost like a reverse White Fang member. Instead of going after innocent people, I target faunus just cause I think they're the enemy. I never really think about gettin' to know them first.' He thought with guilt beginning to form as the morality behind his actions sank in. 'I use 'em and mess with 'em for fun…'
'And it ain't just faunus either…' He realized, glancing at Jaune and frowning. 'Without that guy, I'd be dead. And I've been nothing but a jackass to him. What does that say about me?'
Paradox nodded, knowing fully well what Cardin was thinking and decided it wouldn't hurt to shed more light on the matter. "There are many ways it happens. One future shows Cardin as an amalgamation of aliens from the Omnitrix. This is a result of making direct contact and absorbing part of the Omnitrix's power during a crisis. Another shows him making a deal with those crooks to earn himself freedom from death in exchange for becoming one of their mercenaries. There are more, but those are the two most common I see."
"No…" Cardin whispered hoarsely, unable to breath from the horrible thoughts of selling his soul to the devil just to keep himself alive. "I might not be the best guy around, but I wouldn't just-."
"Not the best guy around?" Paradox cut him off with a raised brow. "Between your racist targeting of the faunus, malicious bullying and blackmailing of your peers, and general selfish and egotistical behavior, I think you've earned worse than just 'not the best guy around' as you put it." Paradox bluntly said, causing a crestfallen expression to cross Cardin's face. "Sorry, but sometimes the truth needs to be said, even if it hurts."
Everyone was silent for a moment, then Cardin finally spoke up. "What do I have to do to avoid going down that road?"
"I'm glad you asked," Paradox smiled, seeing progress in the brunette, even if it was minor. "First off, be honest about your abilities and lineage. I am aware that your father told you to never reveal yourself as half-alien, but it would be best if your two potential friends knew the truth. Also, I would stop acting so cruel and try to let go of your bullying ways."
"Okay," Cardin turned to Jaune and Ruby, who both looked confused by Paradox's words. "I'm part alien, alright? That semblance I showed you was really part of my old man's species' powers. They're called Osmosians."
"Indeed," Paradox nodded. "In the dimension where the Omnitrix comes from, there are also Osmosians. They function quite the same as the ones found in this dimension. There are several species that exist in both this dimension and Azmuth's dimension. However, there are a few creatures unique to both worlds. The Grimm, for example, are not found anywhere in Azmuth's dimension. Likewise, Azmuth's species has long since gone extinct in this world."
"There are no Grimm?" Ruby asked incredulously. "But then what do hunters do?"
Paradox let out a small chuckle at that question. "Oh, in that version of Remnant, known as Earth, there are no 'huntsmen' as you put it. There are hunters, but that is simply a sport of killing wildlife for fun and games."
All three hunters-in-training felt sick to their stomachs upon hearing that news. It was entirely foreign to them that a version of their species would hunt for fun while the people of Remnant had to hunt in order to keep their people safe from the Grimm. Sharing a look, they all knew they felt the same about that thought, and silently agreed to never speak of it again.
Paradox noticed this and decided to move on and bring things back to a more relevant topic. "Yes, well, that is something for another day. For now, let me warn you about the instability of Osmosian halflings."
"Half-Osmosians are unstable?" Jaune asked, his voice tinted with an uneasy edge. Both he and Ruby took a cautious step away from the brunette half-alien. They shared nervous looks on their faces as they sideways glanced Cardin.
"Yeah," Cardin rolled his eyes at the duo's reaction to this news. "That don't mean I'm gonna blow up or anything, just so you know. My old man used to warn me about it all the time. It has to do with us absorbing certain kinds of energy. The wrong stuff might get us hurt or make us go insane. He trained me before he died, back when I was pretty young, how to control it and always told me never to reveal my powers as anything but a semblance."
"Then do you not have a semblance?"
"I have one," Cardin answered. "My real semblance is called Transparency. Basically, I have the ability to turn myself and people or objects around me invisible. Like this." Waving his hand, all of the crystals Diamondblood had left behind were gone.
"That's...kind of cool." Ruby admitted.
"Thanks." Cardin smiled in response.
Paradox nodded. "Yes. Now that all that is out of the way, I should be off. I have informed you all of everything that you will need to know to help better your futures. I must meet again with Ozpin and discuss a few things." He went to leave before taking a slight pause, as if he just remembered something. "Oh, and Cardin?"
"Yeah?"
"Please, remember what I've said today, and do try to give up on your bullying ways. You'll find life much more enjoyable, not to mention fulfilling, if you do." Paradox then took his leave, disappearing in a flash of light.
Cardin began to ponder over what the time traveler had said about his future. He also thought about his close encounter with death, thinking over what it would have meant if he actually had died there. 'Would anyone care that I was gone? If my family knew about how I act, they'd probably be upset…but would they hate me? No one at Beacon would miss me, that's for sure. One less bully to deal with anyways.'
He frowned. He knew that he had not left a good name for himself, and he felt that was a mistake. A mistake he was going to regret if he didn't fix soon. Clenching his fists, the brunette nodded to himself. 'It's time for a change.'
Meanwhile, while Cardin was having his deep mental conversation, Jaune and Ruby realized something important. They had been talking to Paradox for a while now, but the duo of friends remembered Team CRDL's remaining members had run off, presumably to get help for them.
"Hey Ruby, where do you think the rest of Team CRDL-?"
"THEY'RE OVER HERE!" Russel's shouting voice cut off Jaune's question, answering it all the same, as Teams RDL, NPR, and WBY, and Professor Goodwitch all arrived at the clearing.
'That answers that question, I guess.' Jaune thought as he quickly hid the timed-out Omnitrix and thanked Oum that Cardin had drained the diamonds' material from his body.
The blonde then stared down at the dead Ursa laying near him. Before anyone could say anything, WBY and NPR surrounded their respective leaders with intense anger, concern, and relief.
"What were you two thinking?!" Yang demanded furiously while hugging her sister close to her chest. "You could have been killed! Both of you could have been killed!"
Jaune noticed that Yang wasn't only worried about Ruby, but also about him. In any other situation, he would have smiled and teased the blonde as payback for all the teasing she did. But, he realized, this was not the time or place for that. Her concern for him was because even if she didn't acknowledge it, Jaune was her friend.
"We're sorry Yang," Ruby apologized sincerely, feeling horrible for worrying her sister and her friends like she had. "Cardin dragged Jaune away and I had to make sure he was okay. I didn't want him to get hurt…"
"You still should have at least told us something was wrong." Blake sighed, running a hand over her face. "We were quite worried about both of you. If you had just told us then we would have helped take care of that insect."
"I told you we shoulda followed them!" Nora glared at Ren, blaming him for not letting them follow their leader to ensure his safety. Ren let out a heavy sigh and decided not to argue with her. In his eyes; she was right, and he had made a mistake in ignoring his friend in a time of need.
"You all can talk later." Goodwitch's gaze lingered on Jaune, who felt an immense unease from the stare. Her gaze moved to the Ursa near his feet before returning to the watch bearer. "Did you kill that Ursa, Arc?"
All eyes turned to the fallen Grimm before looking at Jaune in astonishment. He blushed at the looks he was receiving from RDL alongside his friends, who chose to put their feelings aside for the moment.
He averted his gaze from everyone and muttered out a response. "Yeah. Ruby and Cardin helped, but I did most of the fighting."
"Impressive," Glynda nodded to herself. "I'm glad to see you're somewhat improving. After all, it does take some skill to kill an Ursa Major, Jaune. Now let's go everyone, the field trip has ended and it is time to return to Beacon."
"Fine," Yang huffed, annoyed that she had been stopped before she could really say anything to the trio about this event. She glared at Jaune, Ruby, and Cardin, nowhere near done with them. "But don't think this is over, any of you."
Later at Beacon:
Yang had forced Jaune and Ruby to sit on the couch in Team RWBY's dorm room while she attempted to cool down and collect herself enough not to start yelling at them. After all, she knew that wouldn't work. She needed to calmly relay her thoughts for them to be effective.
The rest of both teams sat on the four beds watching and wondering when Yang would speak. Finally, Yang turned to Jaune, deciding to start with him first.
"You should have asked for help with Cardin. I don't care whatever stupid macho man excuse you have, if you had a problem you should have asked for help." Yang stared him down intensely, waiting to hear what he had to say to that.
"You think this is about my pride?" Jaune asked her in surprise. He tensed, hands tightening into fists as something began sparking within him. "Well, what if it is? Maybe I'm sick of being the weak little runt who lags behind his friends and can't fight his own battles."
Everyone in the room noticeably flinched at those words. Sure, Jaune may not have been as skilled as them, but did he really think that was what they thought of him as?
Weiss, surprisingly, was the first person to find her voice after that shocking revelation.
"Is that really what you think you are to us Jaune?" Her gaze was steady, hiding the emotions that she felt at that moment. "Because if so, then there must be something wrong with the way you think. None of us look at you like that. You are our friend, and friends help each other. If the roles were reversed and I was the one being bullied, then I would have asked you for help because I know that you're a sensible person who doesn't jump straight to combat as an answer."
Jaune was taken aback by those words. He went to speak, only for Pyrrha to beat him to the punch. "We are a group Jaune, a team. We work together, we laugh together, and we cry together. If one of us is in pain then they should have no problems opening up to the rest of us."
"That's right," Nora nodded in agreement with her other friends' words. "The point is, we all care about you, both you and Ruby. None of us want you to think that you can't tell us if there's a problem. Sure, we'll probably tease you about it, or give some sort of critique that doesn't matter, but in the end, we'll help any way we can."
"The last thing we want is to find out you got hurt or worse trying to face something we could have helped with." Ren added, feeling the worst because he had been the one to convince Pyrrha and Nora not to follow Jaune while in that forest.
The defiant fire in Jaune flickered out as he looked at the concerned and upset faces surrounding him. He knew that they were only upset because they were worried. He felt a harsh pang of guilt for getting angry at them when he had no right to be angry. He felt an even bigger pang for all the lying and hiding he had to do to keep his secret about the Omnitrix.
He lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry."
Before anyone could respond to the blonde knight's apology, there was a loud knock at the door. Blake, currently being the closest one to the door, opened it and glared at who she saw standing there.
"What do you want, Winchester?" She spoke in an icy tone.
Cardin stood there, nervously shaking in fear of what might lie ahead. "H-hey, is J-Jaune here?"
"Why do you want to know? Better yet, why should I tell you anything? Personally, I believe that I should kick your ass right now, and then let Yang and Nora have some fun with whatever is left." Blake may not trust Jaune, but she too felt at least some connection to the blonde. Therefore, she was not happy at the moment.
Blake's glare, and anger, only intensified as the brunette before her shook with fear and tried to speak.
"W-well, I went to his dorm and he wasn't there, so I figured h-he might b-be here." Cardin stuttered. "P-please, c-can I see him? I n-need to talk to him."
"Why would we let you do that?" Weiss asked coldly, appearing next to her raven haired teammate.
"Because I need to set things straight," Cardin pleaded with the heiress. "I want a shot to start fresh. Just please, let me in." Both girls shared an unconvinced glance before turning to deny the alien halfling. However, before either of them could say a word, Jaune spoke from behind them.
"Let him in."
"You sure about that, Vomit Boy?" Yang asked the watch bearer. Her question actually made Jaune pause for a moment to think. Did he really want that?
All of the memories of the torment Cardin had caused him and Ruby prior to earlier today came flooding back. He flinched at the memory of just before Ruby had gotten involved and the Ursa had attacked, though to his credit Cardin had tried to control his team.
A large part of him wanted to say 'no' and ignore the half-alien. But another part, the bigger, more sensitive part, didn't want to deny him a chance to at least speak.
So, instead of acting in spite, Jaune nodded slowly before sighing. "Y-yeah, just please stay and make sure he doesn't do anything."
"You got it." Yang nodded in agreement. "We'll be your strong Arc of defense." She smiled as her pun worked as she'd hoped, earning light laughter from the dorky blonde.
Weiss and Blake both hesitated before agreeing. As they went to let Cardin inside their dorm, Weiss surprised him, and everyone else to an extent, by pulling out her rapier and pointing it straight at Cardin's chest.
"If you do anything at all, I will remove one of your limbs. Possibly two, as I haven't yet decided which is worse; missing an arm or a leg." The heiress spoke in defensive friend mode at that moment. Even if it was Jaune, she cared just as much as everyone else.
"I believe he'll find his legs quite useless after Nora has broken them beyond repair." Ren commented, which Nora enthusiastically agreed to with devilish glee.
"We'll do one better," Pyrrha interjected with a rare sinister look on her face. "We'll break his legs, remove them, and then send them to his next of kin."
Cardin was getting progressively paler as the possible torments continued to be offered. He thought about running. When he turned to look and see how hard making a run for it would be, Ruby was standing there with her beloved scythe in hand and a devious look on her face. "Where ya going, Cardin?"
"N-nowhere." He steeled himself, resolving that he had to do this.
"Oh, that's good," She smirked evilly. 'Payback is so sweet. The least I can do is scare him for blackmailing Jaune and hanging our secrets over our heads.' "For a second there, I thought you were gonna run away."
Cardin shook his head, standing his ground and hesitantly turning back around. Knowing this was his last chance to run, he fully entered RWBY's dorm room. He saw Jaune with his arms crossed and his friends backing him up
Cardin took in a deep breath to calm himself from the intense fear Jaune's friends were giving him. "Jaune..." He trailed off, trying to find the right words.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry." Cardin flinched at the sight of Teams RWBY and NPR preparing to attack. "Wait, I wasn't done. I'm sorry Jaune. Sorry for all the harsh words, all the vicious mocking, the blackmail, and everything else I've done." He sighed. "Hell, I'm sorry for the way I've been acting toward the faunus. Everything has been swirling around in my head since we got back. You saved my life, and I don't get why."
"Because it was the right thing to do." Jaune replied honestly.
"You see?! That's what I mean!" Cardin exclaimed while pointing at Jaune. "I've been nothing but a douche to you, but you still found it in you to save me. Right thing or not, I bet at least a small part of you wanted to leave me to suffer."
"And none of us would have blamed him," Blake replied with a stoic look on her face.
"Why are you so guilty about everything all of a sudden?" Jaune asked suspiciously, not sure he believed the brunette just yet.
"Like I said, you saved my life back in that forest." Cardin sighed heavily. "I woulda died because I was stupid enough to think my semblance would allow me to take down the Ursa by myself. If you hadn't jumped in...I would be dead right now."
"Are you saying you're only sorry because you almost died?" Pyrrha asked with a narrow gaze.
Cardin shook his head. "Not exactly. When you realize you were in a near death experience, it makes you think about your life. You know; how you treated others and how you'd be remembered if you had died. I didn't and still don't like the way I would have been remembered."
"Then you want to change to be remembered as a better person?" Ruby asked.
"Kinda." He stared at the silent Arc. "Jaune, you don't have to believe me. Hell, I don't expect you to believe me. But please, just give me one chance to show you I can be a better person, a better friend. Let me show you I can change."
Jaune hesitated for a moment before glancing at his friends. Blake and Weiss looked less than thrilled by the idea, Pyrrha looked more than willing to try but also looked hesitant. Ren had an unreadable expression while Nora looked ready to hug Cardin and pronounce him her friend to the whole school. Yang had her fists raised and ready to show her opinion, and Ruby...
Ruby looked incredibly hesitant. She was the only one besides Jaune and Cardin who knew the truth of Cardin's torment on the blonde knight. How he had been willing to blackmail him, rough him up, or mercilessly harass him.
But, at the same time, she also knew Jaune wasn't entirely innocent. He had messed with Cardin too, most notably blowing up Executioner while stuck as Grey Matter. Even still, that was more out of payback then it was malice. Cardin was acting maliciously.
To say the least, Ruby still felt anger over the things Cardin had done to Jaune, and even her as well. But for what it was worth, she was still somewhat willing to give him one chance. Perhaps it was because she didn't want Paradox's predictions to come true, or perhaps she genuinely thought he could change. Not even she really knew. She gave a small nod to the blonde to show she would support him either way.
Jaune also remembered Paradox's words about what may become of Cardin. He then recalled his ideas of Cardin being misguided and what he had said to Ruby the day prior. He wanted to give Cardin a chance, but should he?
As Jaune pondered this, the question he had posed to Ruby the day prior suddenly popped back into his head. 'Maybe we could befriend him and show him that what he's doing is wrong?'
The young Arc paused, thinking that question over once more. He then nodded to himself as he made his decision.
"You'll have to start changing a few things." He finally said after his long silence. Cardin looked at him with wide eyes before nodding vigorously.
"Yes, anything. What do I have to do?" He asked desperately, not wanting to go down the dark road foretold by the time-traveling professor.
"First off," Jaune spoke while staring him dead in the eye. "Tone down your ego a bit. Try to be more friendly about your teasing instead of being insulting and rude. Take Yang for example, she teases everyone but rarely means much by it. Also, try to keep your team from being too bad. I doubt they'll be as quick to clean up their acts like you might."
"You're right." Cardin nodded in agreement. "What else?"
"Be more considerate to the faunus," Jaune stated firmly, surprising Blake who gave him a stunned look. "They deal with enough on their own. They really don't need an abusive bully to make life any worse."
"Right, of course," Cardin sighed. "I screwed up big time there. I really frickin did."
"Why are you so against faunus anyways?" Nora raised a brow in curiosity.
"My old man always used to go on and on about how bad faunus were. I guess I just sort of agreed with him cause he was my dad, so he musta knew what he was talkin' 'bout." Cardin admitted, rubbing his neck. "I never really stopped to think about it till now, but maybe he had it wrong. The White Fang are the wrong ones."
"Yet just earlier today you would have said all faunus were bad because of the White Fang." Ren pointed out, not trusting a word Cardin said.
"Yeah, I would have." Cardin admitted honestly. "But I realized something while I was thinking. The White Fang might be an all-faunus group, but I guess that doesn't mean all faunus are in it, or really that bad. Even if my dad said they were, I can't say for myself. I haven't met a faunus who I gave a chance to prove themselves."
"Hmph," Blake crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn't say she was surprised to hear about his upbringing being the way it was. Many people lumped faunus and the White Fang together, as if all faunus were involved with the group. "At least you're willing to acknowledge there can be good faunus."
"Yeah," Cardin sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "I gotta do something to show the faunus here that I'm sorry and that I'll be cleaning up my act."
"Good idea." Jaune nodded. "So, do we have a deal?"
"Yeah." Cardin spat into his left hand and offered it. "Friends?"
"Why did you do that?" Jaune asked with a slightly disgusted look across his face.
"It makes things more personal." Yang spoke up before grinning. "Don't tell us you're afraid of a little spit, are ya Vomit Boy?"
Jaune glared at the beautiful blonde before sighing. "No."
Letting out a small sigh, Jaune spat into his right hand. He looked down at it for a second before glancing at Cardin. He nodded to himself one last time, then took the brunette's hand and firmly shook with Cardin.
"Friends."
To Be Continued...
