Nothing too interesting in this chapter. JNPR makes its debut in the tournament and the Arcs see Jaune again.

Chapter 21: Family reunion

The Vytal Festival had begun.

The arena had been stocked to the brim with people during the first day.
The team matches were under way and were just as spectacular as one would have imagined and it would only keep getting better.

The Vytal Festival this year was however a bit different from the previous ones. While the Festivals before this one had been rather short and intense affairs, this one was more drawn out.
It was an idea the Council of Vale had gotten to keep tourists longer in town and get more revenue from them.

A very lucrative idea, even if a longer festival made the risks so much greater.
Even Atlas with its vast military resources couldn't cover all bases that long.

Atlas had protested and so had Beacon's headmaster but it was in vain.
Attempts to shorten the Festival had of course been done but the schedule had been decided on months, if not over a year, ago. All Atlas could do was to do what they could and hope for the best.
What could Atlas do? Why, bring in more troops and droids of course.

With the Festival taking slightly longer than usual the schedule for the Tournament had to be altered a bit in order to provide proper entertainment to the audience.
The first two days would be dedicated to the team matches followed by repairs to the arena.
It was believed that once the Tournament went on to the doubles and singles round the wear and tear on the arena would decrease.
Less trigger happy students in the arena - the less property damage was the philosophy.

Pity for the Council and all the people in Vale that Atlas was right. The modified plans for the festival meant more time for Cinder Fall.
"Well, Adam, how goes the preparations?"

"We have succeeded in regaining what Roman lost us. When it's time we will have more than enough."

Cinder smirked.
"Glad to hear it."

She ended the call.
All was going smoothly for her. Her little virus remained undetected and the White Fang had replenished their numbers and caught even more grimm than they had lost during the breach.
Sure, there were signs of someone "meddling" with her virus but nothing that would affect its functions. It had already granted her control over what she needed for now. Roman would take care of the rest.

Roman Torchwick's operation may have been interrupted by the brats but before that had the thief managed to set up a solid procedures for capturing grimm and keeping them contained.
In truth that was more than Cinder had ever hoped for actually. And now Torchwick was exactly where she needed him, locked up in a cell where nobody would bother him.

All according to plan.
Soon the power would be hers. Soon Beacon would burn, the the world.
'Leeet thee gaalaaxyy buuurrrn...'

"Emerald, Mercury, come along now. Let us enjoy the festivities while they last."

The Arc family had arrived at Beacon, all ten of them.
The patriarch was leading the troupe while the Arc girls walked after him with their mother while old Gaius Arc brought up the rear.
Augustus was carrying his Huntsman weapon just like his father. Like hell they were going to show themselves at Beacon without their weapons!

The Arcs were running late.
With the Festival in full swing it had been hard to get hold of a bullhead with room for them. They had just gotten of their first transport and were now heading for the next one that would take them to the actual arena. Maybe things would run smoother if the Council of Vale had invested more in functionaries instead of guards!?

The people around them, the students in particular, were excited about the day's matches. Two names in particular came up often in discussion among the students: Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc.

"Are we sure it is the same Jaune we are looking for? I mean, it could just be an estranged cousin of ours." suggested Iolite.
"I know what we saw of him and the Death Stalker but I still have not come to terms with Jaune having improved so much."

"Well, we will just have to see. Come along now, we are running late as it is." grunted Augustus.

The students were looking at them, pointing fingers. Some with concern, others with curiosity. Was it the sight of the Hunters' weapons or did they recognize their similarities to Jaune?

They got to a bullhead and got in line. They got their tickets ready to speed things up. They were late enough as it was.
One of the functionaries, a student who probably was doing this for cash or extra credit, raised an eyebrow when he saw the group. She looked at their hair, their eyes and the large band of girls that gave away their family's name.

"Mr. Arc, right? Come to see your son kick some arse? This way please. If you hurry up you can all still get some good seats."

Without further ado were the Arcs ushered into the transport, being allowed to skip quite a bit of the line.
They did not even have to show their tickets but they had to relinquish their weapons before entering the arena.
Augustus didn't complain but he was concerned that he and his family had singled him out like this.

They somehow managed to get to the arena in time before the match. There were even still seats left. There was however a small problem.

The seats were good but they were too few for the large family to sit properly together. Even as they were spread over three rows it seemed some of the girls would have to sit apart from the rest.

"Um, hello." said a voice.

Augustus Arc turned around and saw a faunus girl with rabbit ears. Judging by her clothes she was one of the students. A bunch of other students were sitting close to her, probably her teammates. And then there were a lot of faunus.

"Yes, can I help you?" Augustus asked, concerned over how the girl kept looking at his family.
"Are these seats already taken? We can move."

"Oh no! No, no." the girl responded in a panic. "I meant to ask, are you Jaune's family by any chance?"

"Um, yes, we are. I'm his father and this is his mother and sisters and grandfather."

"Ha! I told you so!" said the faunus' teammate, a girl in a beret.
"I swear, the hair and eyes are a dead giveaway. Alright folks, move your buts a bit. These people have come to see Jaune kick some ass and I want them to have good seats for it."

As if planned the faunus changed seats, letting the Arcs sit together. While Livia thanked the youngsters for their kindness and the girls were whispering about and pointing at the beret-girl, Augustus was at a loss for words.
The Arcs had fought faunus during the Great war and the conflict following that. Although the family had buried the war ax since then it was weird for him to get this sort of treatment from faunus.

And they were not being bullied to do it! They did it willingly!
"Am I missing something?"

The girl in the beret looked around, not surprised by the actions of the faunus. It took a bit of nudging from The rabbit faunus to get her mind on the right track.
"Ah, yes, this! Just our way of thanking your son for putting a stop to the racism of Beacon's former worst bully. And preventing anyone else from taking that position. Ain't that right, Vel?"

Now it was the sisters' turn to be surprised. Had their brother, that they had had to defend from bullies done that?
"What?"

"Um, we were having some issues with a Cardin Winchester bothering us." said the rabbit faunus.
"After that Cardin has been on his best behavior and none has dared to try to take his place."

The Arc sisters looked to one another for an explanation. They had dealt with bullies in their village. Hell, they were called the "Rock Wall Girls" back home for a reason. Protecting the victims of bullies like a solid stone wall, as well as for their actual names.

They knew that if one bully was taken down, another would rise to fill the power vacuum.
The only way to prevent that was to make the position so associated with getting one's ass beaten that no one would dare to approach it.

How in the hell had Jaune managed that?
What's more, it was Coco frickin´ Adel who was grateful for Jaune's action.
Coca Adel, fashionista extraordinaire, renowned throughout the kingdom for her sense of style and character!
The sisters knew Jaune knew such people as Weiss Schnee - heiress to the SDC, and Pyrrha Nikos - champion of Mistral, but this?

Before they could try to figure out who the mystery girl was the speakers let out the voice of doctor Oobleck.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the second day of the team matches!"

"Welcome indeed." boomed the voice of Peter Port.
"And starting things of today is quite the match."

"Quite so Peter. Many may not know this but many of the students have been itching to see today's combatants in the ring."

"Indeed. So let's get them into the ring then! Representing Shade Academy, Team BRNZ!"

The names of the team's members were read aloud as the fighters stepped out into the light of the arena. The screens showed their pictures and some footage of them fighting, all to get the audience pumped.
It worked as the crowd cheered but it felt off, like it was only the warm up to the real thing.

"And now, representing Beacon Academy, Team JNPR!" announced Port.
The crowd cheered even harder. The Arcs leaned forward in their seats. This is what they had come for.

"First off, Nora Valkyrie!"
A girl with bright red hair skipped forth, waving to the audience whilst carrying a massive hammer like it was a mere paper weight.

"She seems nice." stated Desmine.

"I suppose so. A bit lively, though." answered Rosinca.

"Lie Ren!"

"Oh, he is cute. Wonder I Juane could put in a good word foe me with him."

"GIRLS!" Livia scolded them. "Now is not the time!"

"Pyrrha Nikos, four time champion of the Mistral Tournament!"

The arena boomed in ear shattering applause. The youngest of the Arc girls joined in the cheering.
Pyrrha Nikos stepped out, waving to the audience in an experienced manner. She briefly fixed her gaze on the Arcs and gave them a small nod.
This made Blende almost stop breathing. Had Pyrrha Nikos recognized them?

"Well, at least Jaune has a good partner to look after him." said Gaius.

"Yes, I wonder if I can ask her for an autograph, you know, being her partner's brother and all."
Blende was almost trembling with excitement.

"Hush now Blende. It's Jaune's turn now."

The patriarch held his wife's hand, as much to comfort her as to comfort himself. The screen showed the footage of him facing the Death Stalker alone. Augustus Arc still couldn't believe that his son had managed that. Augustus never had when he was the boy's age. He looked around. All of Beacon's students were eagerly waiting for Jaune, especially the faunus.

"And finally, our Beacon's very own, descendant of heroes, defender of the oppressed, my prodigy, The Angel Of Beacon, Jaune Arc!"

As if in a chorus the students of Beacon bellowed their applause. Augustus groaned.
"Damn it Peter. Your prodigy, my ass! And what does he mean Angel of Beacon?"

He felt a tap on his shoulder by the faunus girl.
"Sir, ma'am, you may want to brace yourself."

Augustus nodded in response and held Livia's hand tighter.
If a huntress, even one in training, told you to brace yourself, you damned well braced yourself!
Gaius had understood this as well and took a dose of his nitroglycerin.

Jaune could hear the applause from the crowd as Pyrrha stepped into the light. With practiced ease she greeted the audience. Jaune just hoped he could show a sliver of her composure when he stepped out.

His heart was beating like a drum in his chest. He was nervous. He would show himself to the world, wings and all.
Would there be shock or rejoicing, terror or acceptance? How would his family take it? How would they take him?

But for all his worries he would not turn away. He had promised himself that he would do this, and an Arc never went back on his word.

He could hear Port beginning to announce him. He stepped towards the light, bracing himself for what was to come. He could hear Port prattle on, giving him titles.
Dust, could the man not do that?

As the final title was given Jaune stepped into the light. The students of Beacon had gone silent, eager to watch the surprise of the outsiders.

First a foot left the shade, then the rest of him. The bright light of day stung in his eyes but he did not flinch. He looked up to the people in their seats. They were all focused on him.

They saw the armor, now painted in the colors of the IX legion. The white was gone, replaced by a deep red.
His shoulder guards were marked with the heraldry of the Blood Angels - a drop of blood on a pair of wings.
Ruby had not had any gold for him to use but the crimson paint would do all the same.

He left the shade entirely and the wings were revealed to all.
There was a gasp as over a thousand voices were silent, seeing the great wings protruding from his back.

All of Remnant seemed to stop just to behold this Angel.
Jaune strode forward, letting the world get a good look at him.
He could guess what all were thinking: 'Are they real?'
Before anyone could voice the question he flexed his wings, demonstrating his rather amazing wingspan.

He gave the audience a smile, knowingly showing his fangs. The world would learn of them sooner or later. Better to get it over with.
There were gasps and whispers but none dared to say anything out loud.
But there was a voice, a small and timid one. Jaune turned his head and found the source.

A child, a small girl, had let go of her balloon, probably by accident. Now she tried to ask her mother for help to get it back.
Fixated on the strange being in the arena the mother did not even notice, even as the girl tugged at her hair asking to have his balloon back.

Feeling partially responsible, Jaune took off from the ground.
The audience let out another gasp but the child's mother had a look of terror in her eyes. Jaune Arc was headed for her and her child! She took the child in her arms and hugged her tightly. She did not ask anyone for help for none were moving to help her, not even the Huntsmen in training.

Catching the balloon was not difficult, neither was landing on the back of the arena's chairs. With his wings it was easy to adjust his balance.
He crouched down, returning a balloon to the child. The girl looked at him perplexed as she grasped the string of the balloon.
"Don't lose it again." Jaune said, giving her a smile.
"Next time I might not catch it in time."

"T'ank yo'." said the girl wide eyed. "Mama, mama, look. Angel!"
The woman didn't answer. She didn't say a word.

Jaune figured he had caused the woman enough distress and kicked off from the seat. The little girl was waving him off.
When he had caught the balloon he had seen some people in the crowd, familiar people.

He changed course and flew off to his family. There was dad and mom and his sisters and grandfather, sitting together, all staring at him.
He noted the smirk on Coco's face. Clearly she was enjoying this more than she should have.

He landed in front of them, again balancing on the back of the seats.
"Hi guys. Long time, no see."

Livia Arc reached out to her son's face, gently touching it. Her eyes kept moving from his wings to his fangs.
She did not know how to deal with this.
"Jaune, what, what has been done to you?"

"Mom, I'm okay. I really am."

"But Jaune, you're-" Augustus tried to cut in, in vain.

"Mom, dad… I'm sorry for not telling you this earlier but I wanted to do it face to face. Would you come see me after the match?"

"Of course! But-, but-"

"Thanks, I will see you later. I won't be long."

"Jaune!"
His mom grabbed hold of his hair before he could take off, not wanting to let go of her boy. Not again.

Jaune gently removed her hands.
"Mom, my team is waiting for me. I will see you after the match. Arc's promise."

He furrowed his brow. Was there anything else he should tell them now?
"Oh, right! There is someone I want you all to meet! She has been such a great help with all of this!"

Before he kicked off he turned to Velvet.
"Please escort them to my dorm? It might take awhile before I can leave the arena after the match."

Team CFVY nodded collectively. They had planned to. Jaune's appearance was sure to turn heads. That meant there would be questions, pictures and a bunch of annoying journalists. Jaune's family would undoubtedly be a target.
CFVY would make sure they were not bothered too much. The towering form of Yatsuhashi was an excellent detergent for such things. And if that was not enough, well, Coco was not know for taking shit from anyone.

Having said hello to his family Jaune gilded back to his team who were eagerly waiting for him. Nora was grinning.
"Heh, show-off."

"Hey, I didn't see any of you trying to get that balloon back."

"We could just have bought her a new one after the match." Ren retorted but his tone did not show any disapproval of Jaune's actions.

Pyrrha coughed into her hand, getting her team's attention.
"Well, if we are quite done chatting we do have a match waiting for us. It is quite rude to keep one's opponent waiting."

If Team BRNZ were bothered by Jaune's actions they did not show it. They were trying to keep their cool as they were up against the Champion and the Angel.
Team BRNZ of Shade academy was comprised of Brawnz Ni, Roy Stallion, Nolan Porfirio and May Zedong.
They wielded claws, saws, a modified cattle prod and a sniper rifle respectively.

JNPR had briefly studied their opponents, just as BRNZ surely had done the same, trying to find an advantage. And frankly, it would be rude not to at least get a brief overlook of the enemy before a match.
It was part of the sport, as Port would say.

They would look at the individual fighters in order to take them down. This was obvious as BRNZ were currently focused on Pyrrha and Jaune, JNPR's front figures. Something they would pay dearly for.

The arena began to shift its terrain for the match. No two consecutive matches would have the same layout. Soon a mountain was assembled behind Team JNPR and a forest ahead of them, behind BRNZ.

"Okay guys, remember the plan." Jaune said and readied his weapons.

"Wait, we have a plan?" joked Nora as she got ready.

BRNZ would undoubtedly focus on Jaune and Pyrrha. But Jaune had taken that into account and made it into a part of his plan.
BRNZ was going to focus on him and Pyrrha? Well, let them!
That would leave Ren and Nora free to act unimpeded.
If team BRNZ was going to make the error of ignoring Ren and Nora over Jaune and Pyrrha, then Ren and Nora would punish BRNZ for it with gusto and relish.

"3! 2! 1! BEGIN!" Port all but shouted.

"GO!" shouted Jaune and propelled himself forward with his wings towards a rifle wielder.

Out of all the enemies that could cause his team problems, a sniper would be a genuine pain to deal with. Melee was JNPR's forte and if the rifle wielder could just keep taking potshots at them she could wear them down. Or worse still, take them out when they had their backs open during close quarters combat.

May Zedong had not expected this stratagem as Jaune slammed into her backside as she had tried to run into the forest.
Just as Jaune had expected May had tried to obtain a good sniping position among the trees.

He was not going to let that happen. Jaune shifted his shield, tilting it so that he lifted May up from the ground.
"What are you doing?"
She was scared, not surprising as she was currently moving fast over the arena with no control over where she was going.

"Taking you out." said Jaune and let her fall down.
She hit the water surrounding the arena with a splash.

Jaune took his time and landed on the false mountain in order to view the ongoing fight. It went rather well for his team even if they had deviated from the plan a little bit.
'No plan survives first contact.'

Each of his teammates kept an opponent each occupied, even pushing them back towards the mountain. Jaune jumped, or rather glided, back into the fray.
Not making any sound of footsteps on the ground, Jaune was able to sneak up on his foes.
It was hardly how he would have gone about it in his past life but he saw no reason to make things hard for himself.

Team BRNZ did not notice him until it was almost to late.
"Behind us!" shouted Brawns and barely managed to disengaged from Pyrrha in order to block Jaune's sword.
Having his feet solidly on the ground he was just barely able to push his winged opponent over his head.

Jaune just flexed his wings to reorient himself and stabbed at Brawns, forcing him to back away.
"Fall back! To the mountain!"
The rest of BRNZ did as their leader said.

Backing off to the mountain made sense for them in a way, Jaune admitted that. With the mountain at their back their enemies would not be able to attack them from behind again.

But with their sniper gone, BRNZ had no way to attack without losing their new advantage. And right now they were all centered together, hoping for strength in numbers.

"All according to the new plan." mused Jaune.
"Nora, would you do the honours?"
He signaled his team to not let their opponents slink away from the recently created kill-box.

"With dust-o!"

"Gusto, Nora, gusto." Ren corrected her.

"Silly Renny. " Nora smirked, changing her hammer into its grenade launcher form and loaded it with dust grenades.
"I meant with dust-o!"
She took aim at her targets.

By now BRNZ realized their situation but were prevented to leave by a spray of dust bullets from Pyrrha and Ren.
Jaune had placed himself between them and Nora, keeping her covered from any possible retaliation. Not that he expected BRNZ to be able to retaliate after this but it would be foolish not to consider the possibility.

The dust grenades flew over his head, right into BRNZ's midst.
The explosion threw them from each other. They had survived and their auras were not in the red yet despite having taken the brunt of the explosions up close.
But they were scattered and dangerously close to the boundaries of the arena.

JNPR split up, all going after an opponent before they could recover.
Jaune however decided not to focus on one opponent. Using the mobility his wings gave him he settled to assist his teammates with their opponents, one after the other.

The second of Team BRNZ to be outed was Brawnz who had been facing Nora, a very bad matchup for Brawnz. His electrified prod only fueled Nora's attacks, forcing him to adopt a more cautious tactic. Too bad that he kept focusing on just Nora.
Jaune's sudden appearance distracted the Vacuonian long enough for Nora to knock him out of the ring.

Third to be escorted out of the ring was Nolan, who faced Pyrrha. Pyrrha had not really needed help but JNPR worked as a team.
Once again Nora dealt the final blow, having been delivered like a bomb by her winged team leader.

Roy Stallion, having seen what had become of his teammates simply disengaged from Ren as the rest of JNPR approached. He was not going to take this assbeating if he could help it.
"I surrender!"

"The Tournament rules does not recognize the forfeiting of matches until the doubles round." said the voice of Oobleck, sinking Roy's hopes.

Roy acknowledged his predicament, gave a curt bow to his opponents and thanked them for a good match.
He then proceeded to jump into the moor himself.
This made Nora slump. She had hoped to get three-for-three.

"And the winner of the team match by complete ring out is Team JNPR!"

The crowd cheered. Nora did a courtesy and Ren gave a small bow to the audience.

Pyrrha was giving the crowd a small wave, a motion ingrained into her after years of gladiatorial fighting. She nudged Jaune who was just standing there, almost dumbstruck. The crowd was cheering, at him! Taking a cue from his partner he raised his sword into the air in celebration of his victory.

*SCREECH*
There was a screech in the loudspeakers of the arena and a voice was heard. It was not Port's or Oobleck's.
"Prim-ch... Legio... Pater... Imperator..."

The audience were confused, not understanding what was being said.
Jaune understood it however for it was High Gothic. Even so, the words were twisted and contorted.
'Probably because of the long distance the signal has to travel.'

They had found him. The astartes had found him.
He looked into a camera that was currently recording and spoke:
"Ave Imperator. Prepare for planetfall but hold for now."

He didn't expect anyone to be able to hear what he said over the din of the cheering crowd but perhaps they could read his lips.

Soon after the words had left his lips did the noise stop.
Jaune simply hoped he had made the right choice to tell the astartes to wait. They would come forth eventually but by having them wait maybe Jaune could prevent a panic among the people of Remnant.

"It seems that our sound system is experiencing some issues." said Port.
"Nothing to be alarmed of."

Augustus Arc was awestruck. Jaune had done it. He had actually done it! He had won!
The crowd boomed in cheer and the Arcs joined in!
"That was awesome!"
"Way to go, bro!"

Augustus clapped his hands. He was proud of his boy, he really was, but even so he was worried.
The victory had been because of the wings and the mobility they gave Jaune.

How had he gotten them? What had been done to his little boy? And what's more, where had Jaune learned to fight like that?
And what was that Jaune had said into the camera? Was someone supposed to wait for something?

"Dear?" Augustus snapped out off his worries by the voice of his wife.
"Is something wrong?"

"Well, no- but- and-" Augustus sighed, trying to formulate a proper answer.
"Yes. I mean look at our boy. How am I supposed to take something like that?"

Livia Arc sighed. For as much as she loved her husband, the huntsman-turned-family-man had a tendency to focus on the wrong things at the wrong time, much like his son at times.
"Yes, yes, we all see him and we will talk about it later."

"But-"

"Besides, now is not the time for that. Look how happy he is. I don't think I have seen him this happy since he learned to ride a bike. Let's just cheer him on for now."

Augustus nodded. Livia was right. Now was the time for celebration.

But even as the crowd cheered Jaune put away his weapons and approached the moor around the arena, helping some of his opponents up.
Like a gracious winner he shook the hand of Team BRNZ's hand, thanking him for a good match. He was even giving them pointers on what they could have done better.

"Well, that was that." Coco said, getting up.
"I have to admit, I was expecting more of a show from him."

"What? Even more? I think he did really well." Livia said and the sisters agreed. They were all getting up and ready to move to Jaune's dorm.

"Yeah, that was good and all but it was nothing compared to what he did to Cardin and his team."

"His team? Did Jaune take on an entire team on his own." Augustus was shocked. To do such a thing was folly, even for experienced huntsmen.

"No." the large young man said, speaking his first word to the Arcs.
"He challenged Cardin to a duel and won a superb victory."

"Afterwards he took on the rest of Team CRDL on his own and won." the other boy of team CFVY said.

"And that was before he had wings, mind you. And it had been a close call." Velvet said, urging the family of blondes to hurry up.

Later at JNPR's dorm

The Arc family was waiting in the dorm of Team JNPR, having been let in by the professor Glynda Goodwitch.
Said professor had also all but ran away from Livia Arc's angry glare. Their little talk over scroll was still fresh in Livia's memory as well as in Glynda's.

The sisters were looking around the room, resisting the urge to dig around in the drawers. Augustus was looking out the window, remembering memories of his time at Beacon, some good and some bad.
Livia was sitting by the desk. She was looking through a journal. It had Jaune's name on it but the handwriting was nothing like his.

Gaius was just resting on one of the beds, just having taken his medication. He was taking all of this rather well. Being the level headed one all the time did take a lot out of him though.

The family was snapped out of their thoughts as the door opened. Team JNPR entered. Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos and finally Jaune Arc.
"Hi guys."

Before Jaune could even react he was rushed by his entire family, giving him a big hug.

"Damn it, young man! I was so worried when you wandered off in the night! Did you ever think of how we would feel when we couldn't find you?"

"I'm sorry, but it was the only way for me to make it into Beacon." said Jaune, returning the hug as best he could. His arms were not enough for his entire family. Instead he let his wings envelope his loved ones. The sisters initially recoiled but soon accepted the feathery embrace.

The rest of Team JNPR were watching the heartwarming scene. Nora was almost crying. Pyrrha was smiling and Ren was… Ren.
Ren was simply Ren.

Ever stoic he put an hand on his partners shoulder. He did crack a smile though.

The hug lasted for several minutes until finally Livia broke it up, still teary-eyed. She tried to form words but couldn't. Jaune let her sit down on one of the beds. She was soon joined by her husband and daughters while Jaune began to introduced his team.

"Mom, dad, sisters, meet my team."
His teammates stepped forward, one at a time, to shake the hands with the Arcs. They all got up for the handshake as it was not a thing an Arc would do sitting down, not with Livia Arc in the room.

"Lie Ren." said Ren as he shook the older man's hand.

"Augustus Arc. I do not mean to pry but would you happen to be Li Ren's-"

"Yes, but I would prefer not to talk about it, if you don't mind."

"I understand. I met the man once. Shame what happened really. But enough about that. I hear Jaune thinks of you like something like a brother here."

"The feeling is mutual. It has been nice having someone help with Nora's more…. energetic tendencies."

Augustus nodded, looking over to the pink whirlwind that seemed to pass by his daughters.

Meanwhile Nora was going through the blondes' hands like a hurricane, barely giving them time enough time to state their names. Pyrrha Nikos on the other hand took her time. She intended to make a good impression.

"Eh, hello. I'm Pyrrha Nikos, Jaune's partner."

"Livia Arc, his mother."
The woman's handshake was firm and steady. Obviously she was a levelheaded woman, being able to keep calm despite seeing her son as he was now. Still, she was a bit red in the eyes.
"I trust he hasn't been too much trouble for you? With all that has happened to him and all?"

"Well, there were some bumps but overall he has been doing quite well. We have all tried to help him as best we can."

"That is good to hear. Now, don't mind my youngest too much. When she learned Jaune had been partnered with you she got a bit excited."

"A bit?" Pyrrha hesitated to ask. Jaune had warned her.

"Well, Blende forgot how to form coherent sentences for a while."

"MOM! Could you not tell her that!" Blende shot in, embarrassed beyond belief. She did however compose herself quickly.

"I mean, uh, could I have your autograph?"
She produced a notebook and a pen from her pocket.

This earned some bothered looks from the other sisters.

"Of course."
Pyrrha was used to people asking her for these things. Even so she was glad that Jaune had been right about his family. They did not really care about her fame!
Sure, Blende seemed to do it but she was the youngest of them. She would probably grow out of it soon.

With introductions over the Arcs sat down on one of the beds, preparing for the serious talk. Ren put his hand on Nora's shoulder.
"Come now, Nora. I think Jaune and his family need some time alone."
Nora nodded and walked out, waving goodbye to her new friends. She was soon followed by Ren who simply gave a curt bow.

"Say Pyrrha, are you not going to join them? I believe Jaune is going to have us meet someone." noted Iolite as Jaune's partner did not tag along with her teammates.
Instead the red haired girl sat down with Jaune on another bed, their fingers intertwined with one another's.

"Oh, I see." Iolite said, looking at the slightly embarrassed faces of the couple in front to her. It was quite a sight, seeing them touch foreheads while Jaune put a wing around her, as if to embrace her. They looked so happy.

"I can't believe it! Bro, how are you and the Champ-" Blende Arc tried to ask but was silenced by both Virdine and Thulite.
The other sister moved to restrain her arms and legs.

Once they had their youngest sister pinned to the bed they muttered an apology for their sister's outburst.
Virdine, the oldest of the girls, decided to be the voice of the sisters.
"Sorry about that. We really didn't expect our brother to get a girlfriend so soon. Congratulations to the both of you."

"It's quite alright. I don't think either one of us had expected this either." Pyrrha said as Jaune gave her a hug that she returned.

"So, where do I begin?" Jaune asked.

"At the beginning."

And so Jaune told them everything. How he had not gone back on his word to his parents. He told them how he had forged his transcripts and sent them to Signal. He explained how he had managed to make his way to Beacon and how he had met Pyrrha and how she had saved him during the entrance exam.

He told them how his fangs had emerged the day after meeting his team and how he had been having nightmares and how he had started to remember things that he had never done or seen.
Pyrrha helped him tell of how they had discovered his growing wings and how they had tried to hide them at first.
They blushed as they told the Arcs of how they had gotten together, how Jaune had danced with Pyrrha with his ruined trousers.

The Arcs gasped when the pair told them of how Jaune's wings had suddenly grown into their full size in the middle of the grimm attack of Vale and still had risked his life to save a civilian.
"And the rest you know." Jaune concluded.

He and Pyrrha had not gone into too great detail but they had given Jaune's family an overview of all that had happened. They had however chosen not to mention the Red Thirst or all his extra organs. That would be too much at this point.

"But why?" Rosinca asked. "That still doesn't explain why this has happened."

Jaune took a deep sigh. The moment of truth was here.
"Because I'm…"
Dust, he had tried to prepare himself for this, going over it again and again in his head.
"It's because I'm reincarnated."

Jaune picked up his dream journal and showed it to his family.
As they looked at the text and the drawings he told them of the Emperor and the Primarch project.
He told them of his brothers and his sons, how they had traversed the stars, ushering in a bright future for mankind.
He then told them of Horus' betrayal and war against the Emperor. He told them of his death at his brother's hand.

"Jaune, I'm sorry but it is just…. I just can't believe it. No one has ever been able to leave Remnant. How do you know that all this is not just some great lie to fool you?"

It was really too much for Livia to swallow.
Jaune could not blame her. He had not really believed it either, nor had he wanted to believe it, until Pyrrha had convinced him otherwise.

Jaune fished out his scroll from his pocket and showed them the results from doctor Surgia's latest MRI-scan of him. His parents gasped at what they saw. His sisters did likewise as they saw all the extra organs.
"Are all of these meant to be there? Are your wings part of this?" asked Desmine her older brother worriedly. Was he even her brother anymore?

Jaune shook his head.
"No, they aren't. I mean the wings aren't supposed to be there, nor the fangs. They are mutations. The rest though, that is meant to be there."

"Why? What could possibly justify this?"

"When Father, the Emperor, did something he would not half-ass it, for the most part. Me and my brothers were made to conquer a galaxy so Father made sure to make us prepared for it."
Jaune bowed his head in shame, shame of being flawed.
"His work was not perfect though."

"Your father?" muttered Augustus angrily.
This being, this Emperor, had forged his sons for war and had just left them to their own devices. He had not even bothered to help his sons with their afflictions or help them understand why he left them, instead opting to just turn his back on them and seclude himself in his golden palace.

And Jaune still called this ass "Father"!
What was Augustus then? What was Augustus Arc to his son then?

"Dad." Jaune said, noticing his father's anger.
"Dad, I know the Emperor was not a perfect father. For all his greatness he was not perfect. Even so I could never turn my back on him for he is my Father, my sire."

"And I'm not!?"

Jaune shamefully shook his head. He had contemplated this before. Augustus was not "Father".

Augustus got angry and shot up from the bed.
"The bloody hell, Jaune! I looked after you more than him and you still think of him as your father!?"

"Augustus, please! Let's hear him out!"

"No! I am done with this madness! Space soldiers! Gods and demons! It is madness! I want my son back! My real son!"
He gestured at Jaune.
"Because I sure as hell did not breed this!"

Augustus was so busy shouting at his family that he did not notice his son approach him from behind, hugging him tightly.
"Dad, you are not my Father." Jaune's voice was quivering and he tightened the hug.
"But you will always be dad to me. I just want you to know that."

He let go of his dad and backed away, crying. He had been afraid of this but it had to be done.
"I'm sorry I didn't turn out the way you hoped."
Jaune tried not to cry but he couldn't help it. His dad had rejected him and he couldn't do anything about it.

August looked at his son, his baby boy, who was crying.
'What have I done?'

Before Jaune could return to Pyrrha's side did Augustus grab him and hug him.
"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have lashed out like that. Please, forgive me. It's just so much."

Soon the hug was expanded by Livia Arc.
"Jaune, I want you to know, that no matter what happens, we will always love you."

"Mom?" Jaune held back a snivel. His eyes were watery from crying.

"Hush now. No matter who you were in your past life or whoever you think is your Father or what you end up becoming, you will always be our little angel."
Livia brushed gently over her son's hair, calming him down. Soon his cries of sorrow were replaced by cries of joy and his sisters joined in the hug. For all his changes he was still, and would forever be, their brother.

They were brought from their family hug by a sob. They all turned around to see Pyrrha crying.
"Pyr, what's wrong?"

"It's my fault." Pyrrha said weakly, almost in a whisper.

"Don't say that. We should be thanking you for looking after our Jaune." Virdine said.
"You are not at fault in any of this."

"But I am!" Pyrrha shouted.
"It all started because I unlocked his aura, because I was selfish!"

Jaune stepped closer and went down on one knee, taking her hands in his.
"Pyr, you are not making any sense. How is anything your fault? If you hadn't unlocked my aura I would have died during the entrance exam. And how can you think it was you unlocking my aura that caused any of this?"

Pyrrha steeled herself and looked into his eyes. Those clear blue eyes, they had been the first clue to her misdeed.
"Jaune, do you remember what aura is?"

"Sure. it's the manifestations of our souls. You taught me that."

She nodded.
"When I unlocked my aura I pushed some of mine into you, stirring up your soul, awakening it."

"Yeah, so?"

"Don't you see? You started changing after that! First it was your eyes in the Death Stalker's nest.
That same night you started having nightmare of your old life. You would scream and wake up in a cold sweat all the time. You were suffering. You kept falling behind because you wouldn't get any real sleep."
She remembered it. He would wake up and be miserable each and every day. And he was still having those nightmares.

"It is not your fault, Pyr. Anyone would have nightmare after I went through."

"It is my fault! All the pain and suffering you have had to go through! The fangs, the nightmares, the wings and the Thirst!"

She pulled away from him, moving towards the window. She would not run from the Arcs but she didn't want to face them either. It was her fault that all of this had occurred, that Jaune had suffered, that he was now a freak in the eyes of the world, that his father almost had rejected him. And to make matters worse, she had just told them of the Thirst, their team's secret.

He would hate her. They would hate her. And they would be right to do so. And all because she had wanted a friend so badly. She didn't dare to look them in the eye.

"Pyr…."
She felt Jaune reach out to her but she pulled away. She couldn't see for all the tears in her eyes. Dust, she was a coward and she hated herself for it. She felt something soft run over her shoulders, enveloping her, pulling her closer. It was one of Jaune's wings. Soon she found herself in one of his hugs, having her tears wiped away.

"Pyr, I forgive you. Even if there is nothing to forgive."

She sniffled.
"What?"
How could he not be angry with her? She looked over to the rest of the Arcs. they were not angry either.
"Why?"

"Like Jaune said: there is nothing to forgive." said Mrs. Arc.
"You couldn't have known, dear. No one could have known."

Augustus nodded. "And even after all of this began you stayed with him, helping him."

"Thank you, Pyrrha, for looking after our brother." the sisters said in unison.

"Besides, if you hadn't unlocked his aura he would most certainly have died. And if he somehow survived without you unlocking it, it would have been unlocked at some other time, only then he would not have had you with him." Gaius Arc said.

There was silence for a while. Tears dried up and moods brightened until Livia spoke up.
"The Thirst? Jaune, what's the Thirst? I couldn't help but notice that you forgot to mention it before."

She saw his son grimace. It was clear that it was another bit of garbage in his new genetic makeup.
"Another mutation, like the wings and the fangs. I never found a solution to it my last life. It's- I- "

How was Jaune supposed to tell them of it? He had all but been running scared in his past life about it, fearing Father's response to learning of it. How would his parents take it? How was he supposed that he had a thirst for blood so strong at times that it had reduced proud astartes to mindless savages?

He turned to Pyrrha for help. She was the strong one when dealing with these things, or so he had believed.
"It is a thirst for blood." she said, wishing for all of this to be over with.
"If Jaune doesn't drink blood he suffers. He has a hard time focusing and thinking, and he has a hard time controlling himself. And even if he drinks it is always there at his core, waiting."

"Jaune, is this true?" Rosinca asked, terror in her eyes.
She was not afraid of her brother, she was afraid for him.

Jaune nodded.
"Yes. It is always there but drinking makes it subside for a while. It gets worse with stress. When it was at its worst I could hardly look at people without wanting to tear open their throats and drink."

"How have you managed? If it is so strong, how have you not gone mad yet."

"Heh, I told you already. Pyrrha has been a great help with all of this." he said sheepishly.

His family took it as well as he had expected: with shock.
"But how? Why? He didn't hurt you did he? I swear he would never forgive himself if he did!" Livia Arc bolted up from the bed and started to examine Pyrrha's neck. It was the most stereotypical place for vampires to bite in novels so why not in real life?

"Jaune never hurt me, Mrs. Arc, and he never would. Even when the thirst was at its worst he was always very careful. As for why, I couldn't let him suffer like he did."
Pyrrha gave a small laugh.
"Looking back at it, it was a miracle that I convinced him to do it in the first place. He was so determined not to hurt anyone. Even when he had Cardin dead to rights he held himself back."

The Arcs nodded. That was Jaune alright but it was time to wrap things up.
"Right, well this discussion has been very enlightening!" Iolite said, clapping her hands together.
"Quite so. Brother is a reincarnated space-warrior-prince." Thulite agreed.
"And is apparently a son of a god-emperor." Rosinca noted.

"Do not call him that!" Jaune barked at her.
"My brother Lorgar did and Father did not take too kindly to that!"

"Duly noted."

The other girls continued with their summary.
"There is apparently life elsewhere but Remnant." Virdine pointed out.
"And he has more spare organs than I have fingers." Morganite chimed in.
"And he has a girlfriend." said Blende. "Who really is out of his league."
"And he is a bloody angel-vampire. Never thought I would ever say such a thing out loud." Desmine said, making Jaune chuckle.

"Well, my legion was the Blood Angels. And before you ask, no, it was not because we drank blood. That only became a thing later."

Meanwhile Mr. and Mrs. Arc were just smiling. Their family was together again and all the bad stuff was over with.

"Well, this has been grand but let's talk about some more pleasant matters." Augustus said.

"Oh, yes! Jaune, would you mind showing me your suit! I need to make sure it suits you."

"Mom, I'm pretty sure it does."

"Jaune Sanguinius Arc, I will be the judge of that."

With a sigh Jaune got up and took out the suit from the wardrobe and found himself subject to Livia's question as to why the pants were still in tatters.

Pyrrha found herself faced with the Arc girls and their father.
"And while my better half is interrogating Jaune on how he was able to afford a new suit, how about you tell me why the school's faunus were singing in my boy's honor when we made our way here."

Pyrrha cringed.
"They were singing? But I'm sure Jaune asked them to stop with that."

"Well, yes, he would. But I'm more curious about the context of the lyrics. What is this about him being a "smasher of balls" and "end to the Winchester line"?

"Um, well, you see…"

Well, I hope you enjoyed this attempt of a tearjerker of a chapter.
In the next chapter: we meet Weiss' sister while Ozpin and his inner circle keep being stupid.