If Jaune Arc could use a single word to describe his current situation, it would be terror.
The boy lay in the grass, rain pelting heavy against his body. He felt cold, the rain drenching his clothes and freezing him to the bone. Jaune couldn't remember how he got here, but flashes of Grimm and his parents assaulted his brain. Trying to sit up, he winced in pain as his right shoulder flared in agony.
Glancing his eyes downward, Jaune took notice of a jagged shard of glass piercing his shirt. Blood soaked the material surrounding the shard. His eyes began watering in response. Pushing through the pain, Jaune struggled and sat upwards and felt the heat.
Fire assaulted his eyes. The orange glow of a raging inferno covered his entire body. Jaune gasped; his home was burning before his eyes. His teeth began to chatter in response to the cold and the fear enveloping his body.
A guttural roar pulled him from his trance as Jaune whipped his head to the left. His father was charging an immature Beowolf clutching a body in its' claws. The blade of Crocea Mors shone brightly against the flames, travelling through the air faster than Jaune could blink. In an instant, the blade cut clean through the Beowolf's right arm before decapitating the dark creature. The beast fell to the ground with an audible thud, murky water splashing at the impact.
His father, Barry Arc, fell to his knees and clutched the corpse tightly. A horrifying cry erupted from the usually cheerful man, causing Jaune to stop breathing. Never had his father cried so horribly before. Jaune rose to his feet and trudged slowly towards his father. He looked tired; his hair fallen from his usual tied up style. Blood covered the older Arc, staining his golden blonde hair and thick beard. Tears dropped silently from his eyes and soaked up into his heavy facial hair.
"D-dad? What's going o-" Jaune stopped cold.
Barry whipped his head up towards the voice of his son, attempting to cover what little remained of the corpse in his arms. He failed. Jaune caught a glimpse of the mangled corpse of one of his sisters clutched tightly in his arms.
"Amber?" Jaune croaked.
The older man placed his daughter down gently before wrapping his son up in his arms. Jaune cried horribly into his father's shoulder, the pain of his shoulder long forgotten. Regretfully, he had opened his eyes again. Peering over Barry's shoulder, he took notice of smoking Beowolves and more corpses. The blonde hair of some of his sisters only confirmed his fears, yet he couldn't see his mother anywhere. But he knew, deep down, that she had perished with them.
"Jaune…my boy. I'm so sorry." Barry cried.
The roar of an Ursa brought the man out of his grief. He retried his sword before sheathing it in the collapsed shield on his hip. Barry reassured his son that everything would be alright before clutching the boy closely and activating his semblance. The world seemed to slow as the older Arc sprinted fast out of the area, crackles of lightning trailing behind him. His speed was unmatched in Remnant, not even the enhanced movements of one Summer Rose's semblance could come close to beating his pace.
Barry skidded to a halt in the market district of Cyrus village. The stalls had been torn to shreds; bodies littered the area. He kept Jaune's head in his shoulder, not daring to let the boy witness the death surrounding them. He looked towards the sky; the rain had reduced its' intensity but still remained. The sun had not yet set and left the pair with enough light to work with.
His first priority was to get Jaune to safety. Safe, however, was nowhere to be seen. Barry growled in annoyance and reactivated his semblance to get closer to the village's center. He sprinted through the streets, taking care to not disturb the bodies left in the Grimm's destructive path.
Gasping in relief, Barry stopped near a fountain in the village's center. A group of survivors had congregated to keep the Grimm at bay. A couple of Huntsmen and a single Huntress had greeted the pair as they entered the "safe" zone.
"Barry! You're alive, thank the Gods." The woman greeted.
Barry grasped her forearm as she mirrored the action.
"Jade, it's good to see a friendly face." Barry returned.
"Guys, this is bad. We're running out of ammo and Aura fast." One Hunter said.
The other Huntsman audibly agreed in response.
"These are all the survivors we could find, everyone else is dead. We've got maybe two dozen people here; some are injured but they can walk." Jade confirmed.
"Our first priority is getting these people to safety. Cyrus is lost, we must leave. We can return later to gather the dead, but we need to go. Now." The last lamented.
"Okay…Cole and Kobe, you two take the front. Jade and I can handle the rear." Barry strategized.
The Hunters and Huntress agreed and took their positions. The terrified villagers moved in between their protectors and began their journey to safety. Jaune finally moved his face out of his father's shoulder and took notice of the voices around him. The Huntsmen looked tired, probably run ragged from their confrontation against the Grimm. He spotted a familiar face amongst the survivors, an older man that lived close to his home. Barry noticed this too and reassured his son that he needed to move into the group.
"Cooper! Please, keep Jaune close to you. I need both my arms, old friend." Barry pleaded.
Cooper agreed silently and pulled Jaune into his grasp.
"Listen up! Cyrus is lost, we're all that's left. If we stay here, we will die." Jade conveyed.
"Shion is a few kilometers from here. We can reach it in a couple hours if we keep moving." Barry informed.
The villagers silently agreed and began their dangerous trek from the village. Several taking up arms from scattered farming equipment and fallen Huntsmen. Cooper retrieved a farming sickle and kept it clutched tightly between his fingers, ready to strike down anything that threatened to harm the terrified boy in his arms. Several Grimm had been drawn to the negativity spilling from the group which had been cut down swiftly by their protectors.
Some would fall, Barry surmised. But he would do all he could to protect them. He had to, it was his duty as both a Huntsman and a father. Jaune would survive this, he was certain of it.
If he had to fall to protect him, so be it.
######
An hour had passed, they were beyond the Village's walls and not without casualties. The sun had long set. Several villagers had fallen in the process, Grimm within the dark forest had struck unexpectedly. They had died heroic deaths in the end, charging strong-willed into the enemy to protect the weaker among them.
Kobe had fallen with them, using what little aura he had left to take a blow meant for a teenager in the front. He was struck in the temple by an Ursa Major after running a Beowolf through with his spear.
Barry sighed in regret, had they been able to drive the Grimm back in Cyrus they wouldn't be in this situation. He rubbed his hand through his long hair, the moisture from the long-subsided rain coating his hand. Staring back into the group, he took in Jaune's appearance. The shard of glass had been removed before they left Cyrus, a dirty rag wrapped tightly to keep the blood within him.
A distant roar echoed through the forest and put the group on edge. Jade halted and whipped around to face the direction it had come from, her hand gripped on the hilt of her sword. She trembled slightly, eyes frantically darting between the trees.
"It's far off Jade, calm down." Barry reassured.
"I know it's just…I'm scared Bar. We still have a long way to go, who knows what'll happen." Jade sighed.
"We have to keep faith, Jade. For them." Barry gestured.
Jade returned her gaze to the group and kept walking. Some were sharing what little food and water they had brought along. The gracious thanks from a young woman who received a drier jacket an older man echoed into her ears. The Huntress smiled at the interaction.
"Yeah, I know." Jade admitted.
The survivors walked for two more hours. Their energy had depleted, water had run out a kilometer back. More Grimm attacked in that time, soon their 3 Huntsmen had become 2. Cole fell protecting a child and her dog, his blood covering the girl. The remaining 17 villagers had become 14. Morale was all but gone, their fear was overpowered by their exhaustion. Barry and Jade could attest to that.
Soon, the walls of Shion village became visible through the trees. The teenager saved by the late Kobe volunteered to run ahead and acquire transport to get the exhausted inside safely. An action that was not gone underappreciated. Barry and Jade stood guard, waiting for the boy to return. As if all the villagers telepathically agreed, they fell to the ground to rest their feet. Some cried in relief, others laughed in joy. Even little Jaune had hugged Cooper tightly while crying, the old man returning the gesture lovingly.
Barry agreed with the villagers, why not rest a little? The man leant against a tree, the bark cracking as his armoured torso slid down to the ground. Jade laughed at his actions.
"Getting tired, old man?" Jade smirked.
"Watch your mouth, young blood. This old man can still run circles around you." Barry shot back.
The pair dropped into a shared laughter and let their guard down for the moment. Jade collapsed to the ground in relief, sprawling her limbs out dramatically. A satisfactory sigh made its way through her lips.
"You think they have a good bar here? I could really use a drink." Jade asked.
"Well, it's a bar. It's not good, but it's got a good whisky on the top shelf." A villager shouted out.
The group fell into discussing what they were going to do once they reached Shion, a chorus of laughter echoing through the forest. The young girl's dog barked in agreement to the promise of some good food. Everyone felt safe, even though the danger was still prevalent.
Everyone but Jaune.
The young Arc sat silently, still clutched tightly to Cooper. The events of the last few hours began to repeat itself in his brain. The smoke, the flames, the blood, his sisters…his memories tasted like ash. His shoulder flared in pain again as he moved. The pain wasn't as bad as it was earlier. Or perhaps it was because he got used to it? Jaune couldn't tell, then again, he wasn't sure if he wanted to find out.
His gaze fell over towards his father and Jade, the pair were locked into a fit of laughter. Jaune was confused. Why wasn't he feeling like Jaune was feeling? He lost his daughters and his wife in the conflict earlier; shouldn't he be as distraught as Jaune was?
In reality, Barry was mourning. Barely, but he was. He needed to keep it together, they were so close to the safety of Shion's walls. Once he crossed that border, he could finally embrace his son. All he wanted to do was stroke the distraught boy's hair and tell him it was all going to be alright. Until that moment, he needed to remain focused on the task at hand; protect the people.
His mind couldn't help but wander to the memory of his family. It had gone wrong in an instant. One moment, he was sat on the deck of his home drinking a beer after a long day of patrols. The next? He was running a pack of Beowolves through that had intruded into his home. One by one, his daughters fell. His wife, Cat, had protected their youngest till the end. The curtains had caught fire from the long-forgotten meal being cooked over the stovetop, the oil having ignited after burning for so long. He clutched an injured Amber in his arms as he rushed upstairs, finding a terrified Jaune hiding in his room on the second floor. The Grimm hunted him through the house, clawing at the locked door behind him. In one barely thought-out decision, Barry Arc clutched his terrified children in his arms and jumped through the window.
His feet slipped against the wet roof tiles and sent Barry and his children tumbling to the ground. One moment, his daughter was helping him up. The next, Amber had been impaled by an immature Beowolf's claws.
He shook that image out of his head instantly.
'Stay focused Barry, you fucking idiot.' He chastised.
"Look! The kid's on his way back, looks like a couple of Huntsmen are with him!" A villager yelled.
A series of cheers broke out through the survivors, only to be interrupted as Barry Arc was struck across the chest as he stood up.
Recovering from the surprise attack, Barry rolled back onto his feet and drew Crocea Mors while expanding the sheath into its' shield form. Another attack struck from the darkness as a pair of claws scratched through the once golden Arc insignia from the pristine white of the shield. The villagers screamed and terror and bolted towards their escape, all but one Jaune Arc.
"DAD!" Jaune screamed.
Jade took her opportunity to dive towards the boy before he was attacked from behind as another set of claws reached from the darkness. The Huntress tackled Jaune to the ground before drawing her sword. In one slick motion, Jade drew forth her blade and decapitated the Ursa that attacked. Sensing danger behind her, Jade flared her aura as she jumped towards a nearby tree. Planting her feet, the Huntress used the trunk as a springboard to propel herself backwards and impale the Beowolf with her blade.
"TAKE HIM AND GO!" Barry yelled.
To the dismay of Jaune, Jade sheathed her blade and scooped up the distraught boy before running out of the battle. A bone chilling war cry clawed its way out of the older Arc as his semblance activated. Flipping Crocea Mors into a reverse grip, Barry pushed forward with his semblance. Electricity flowed through his limbs as his shield ran through an unprepared Beowolf in his path. Dropping to his knees, he let his momentum push him forward as he spun around. The blade of his sword erupting a brilliant glow of blue lightning through the trees and Grimm alike.
The enemy before him fell, that did not apply to the pack of Beowolves that stalked out from the trees. He was low on aura; Barry was sure of it. With the amount of Grimm before him, his death was inevitable. If Jade hurried back, it was possible they stood a chance together. The pack's Alpha stalked forwards, letting out a guttural roar which set the rest of the pack at the ready. Barry breathed in deeply before releasing. His semblance activated; lightning crackled from across his body.
"If this be my moment…so be it." Barry declared.
######
"They took us back to Shion, I remember crying when Jade put me onto the cart. She promised she'd bring him back. 30 minutes later, she came back with Crocea Mors. He died protecting her." Jaune finished.
Weiss sat frozen, horrified at the story Jaune had relayed to her. Her arms detached from his right arm and enveloped his whole body, tightly. She felt his arm raise up and wipe away at his face, clearly trying to hide whatever tears had spilled when she looked away.
"I was in Shion for about two weeks. Saph had just got back from an event in Atlas with Terra when she got the message about what happened. When she saw me, she broke down and hugged me…shit, she was my rock y'know?" Jaune said.
Weiss kept quiet and let him continue.
"After about a year in Argus she started training me. For a woman who used a bo staff, she really knew how to use a sword. Dad trained her so I guess she got good at avoiding sword strikes," Jaune laughed, "she taught me everything I know. From Crocea Mors to writing essays, she was the best. Helped me get into Beacon just by asking Ozpin how to go about getting some transcripts."
Jaune sighed, leaning his head against Weiss's. They stayed like that for a minute or two, Jaune wasn't entirely sure. The landing of the airship confirmed it had definitely been longer than that, more along the lines of 5 minutes. As the other students disembarked, Jaune and Weiss reluctantly rose to their feet to join them.
The cool air assaulted the pair as their feet touched solid ground. Jaune sighed, bringing his left hand to rub at his eyes. Weiss tightened her grip on his right arm, trying to help the boy keep warm…never in a million years would she admit that she liked clinging to the Arc like this, however.
Jaune adjusted the straps on the backpack around his shoulders before speaking.
"I don't know what to do Weiss. How…how do I keep going after this?" Jaune asked.
Weiss let go of his arm. Striding to stand in front of Jaune, she wrapped her arms around his torso. Her face pressing into the cool metal of his chest plate.
"Well, you take it one step at a time," Weiss began, "and don't forget, you have us by your side too."
The boy smiled and thanked her quietly. Weiss quickly stepped back and blushed lightly.
"I apologize for my…closeness as of late. My sister always embraced me like this when I was upset. Believe it or not, my enrollment in Beacon was the first time in a very long time that I was able to interact with peers my age. I must admit, I do not know how to properly comfort people. Physical interaction was the first thought that crossed my mind." Weiss admitted.
Jaune coughed lightly, clearly somewhat embarrassed when his mind finally caught up with his body after a few hours. Nervous laughter escaped his lips.
"Uh…yeah that's fine, yeah no totally I get it. I wasn't really sure how to approach that…not that I minded! But, uh, yeah just a little weird now that I think about it…" Jaune confessed.
"As such, I promise to…release my hold on you. After our extensive history, I don't mean to give the wrong impression. Especially after the unfortunate events from the last few days. But regardless, no matter what I am always here." Weiss told.
The pair began their walk back in silence, passing by an amused Headmaster Ozpin who had witnessed their embrace on his evening walk. The Arc greeted him and apologized profusely for not informing him sooner. The old man merely shrugged it off, waving the two students on their way.
"Death is nothing to apologize for, Mr. Arc. We cannot control these accidents, only accept them. I am very sorry to hear of the passing of your sister, Saphron was always a favourite student of mine. Miss Schnee, I would like to thank you for bringing him home safely. I'm sure the weather must be debilitating to the two of you, so best to go back to your dorms and be warm." Ozpin smiled.
The two students thanked the headmaster for his words and continued on their way. He watched them go, however. Sighing in sadness at the loss of a former student, Ozpin thought back to a time a young Saphron Arc set fire to the combat arena after a particularly explosive battle against one cocky upperclassman. The poor boy required more than aura treatment after that. The old man laughed and continued on his way.
"The last Arc…what a tragic sight to behold." Ozpin grimaced.
######
A confused team RWBY was pushed out of their dorm room by a comfortably dressed Weiss Schnee.
"Hey! What gives? Also, where the hell did you go? You weren't answering any of our calls." Yang questioned.
"Jaune's back and he wants to speak to all of us. Now. Across the hall, go." Weiss demanded.
A still confused team RWBY opened the door to see an equally confused team JNPR standing around one Jaune Arc sitting on his bed. His cold armour had long been discarded; a warm black hoodie graced his upper body. Ruby looked towards Weiss eased her concern.
"She's okay now." Weiss reassured.
Everyone in the room who were unaware of the events of the previous days looked to Jaune expectantly. He felt uneasy, as if he was in Goodwitch's office for something Nora had done again. Weiss took notice of his nervousness and urged the boy to continue, no one would judge him here.
Pyrrha narrowed her eyes at the action. Never before had Weiss so…caringly reassured her partner before. Something was amiss and his absence the previous days all but confirmed her suspicions
"It's okay, we're all here for you." Weiss urged.
Jaune stared into her eyes, lips parted slightly. He felt as if he stared any longer, he would find himself lost in them as he did from time to time. Her subtle nod strengthened his resolve as he turned to face all of his friends. But first, an apology.
"Guys…I'm sorry for disappearing like that. I probably worried you." Jaune began.
"Worried is a bit of an understatement, Jaune-Jaune." Nora chimed.
"She's right, Jaune. You disappeared without telling us, you never do that." Pyrrha added.
"Your actions frightened us." Ren declared.
He sighed before continuing, this wasn't as easy as he thought it was going to be.
"I know, I know. I'm really sorry." Jaune said.
"We get it VB, stop apologizing. As much as we were scared, at least you're safe." Yang smiled, warmly.
"Are you okay, Jaune?" Blake asked, worried.
He felt tears streak down his face before he closed his eyes in an attempt to stop them; it didn't work. The mood in the room changed instantly.
"No," Jaune cried, "I need to tell you all something."