A/N: June is here,
Hiatus is over,
Handled the bother,
Enjoy the chapter~
Jaune was falling.
Yet he felt rather calm.
It was a slow fall.
Everything was white.
He eventually landed softly on a white, solid ground.
Or the ground landed on him.
One of these. Had he even been falling in the first place?
"Where… am I?"
"Jaune."
Jaune looked up towards the voice.
"Cardin…"
The man was standing there, not moving an inch, staring at Jaune.
And smiling silently.
It was a serene smile.
Why was such a serene smile on Cardin's face?
"Cardin?"
"…"
Jaune bowed his head, unable to look into his eyes.
Crack!
Cardin's skin suddenly got fractured.
He started to slowly evaporate into dust.
"Cardin!" Jaune dashed forward, reaching for his arm before it disappeared.
Too late. Cardin vanished in smoke.
"…No…" Jaune lamented.
The cloud of dust cleared. Behind it, another person was revealed.
"…?!"
Jaune widened his eyes.
It was human - probably? - and its skin was glowing white light, making it impossible to distinguish its features. On his face, only his eyes were distinguishable, glowing an intense light blue, like a pair of flashlights. Its hair was also glowing white and seemed unaffected by gravity as if it was underwater.
Actually, it felt like it was more some kind of wisp than a human… This thing felt like… something made of pure energy.
This human-shaped wisp dropped its hand.
Ah… He's the one who disintegrated Cardin, Jaune realized, his heart sinking.
"You… are…" He widened his eyes, fear taking hold of his mind.
A dark smirk appeared on its face within the blinding light. The man stepped forward, raising a hand towards him.
Crack!
Jaune's leg shattered.
"Aagh!" Jaune screamed in pain, falling backward.
The wisp continued to advance towards him.
Jaune desperately crawled away from him.
Useless. The monster walked up to him, grabbed him by the neck, raised him in the air, and…
Crack!
Jaune felt his body disintegrate into ashes.
"AAah!" Jaune gasped, snapping his eyes open.
Diii… Diii… Diii…
Jaune panted for a moment, taking a minute to calm down as his heart hammered in his chest. Sweat rolled on his face and dripped off his chin.
What a scary nightmare…
Diii… Diii… Diii…
Sighing, he looked to his right, expecting Ruby to whine at the alarm clock.
There was no one, of course.
"…"
Diii… Diii… Diii…
Jaune sighed again and sat up on his bed, switching the alarm off.
"…"
After contemplating the ceiling for a short moment, he stood up.
He went to take his shower and prepared himself, dressing up in his usual hoodie and jeans. Wearing the uniform was no longer necessary since Jaune didn't attend classes anymore.
"…"
He grabbed his bag and rummaged through it.
He took out a box of cereals out of some drawers, and some milf out of the fridge.
He rapidly made himself a simple breakfast.
He sat down at the table and started eating.
"…"
Crchk crchk crchk…
Jaune could hear himself chewing his food.
Slrrrrp.
He loudly slurped the milk.
It resonated in the room.
"…"
This apartment was quite spacious… So much room for him.
This much space, huh...
"…"
Jaune stood up and walked over to open the window.
Sunlight filled the dorm, the chipping of birds came to his ears and the fresh air of the morning brushed against his skin.
His dorm was on the second floor of the building, giving him a nice view.
On the distance, he could faintly hear the distant sound of students chatting in the cafeteria.
"…"
Not too far from the window, was a series of trees.
On a branch, he noticed a bird singing.
Jaune smiled at the bird.
"…"
He stayed there for a moment, observing the bird that was singing peacefully.
It filled the silence.
Eventually, his eyes were drawn to the infirmary's direction.
Cardin…
The memory of his injured body flashed in Jaune's mind, along with his words.
'This is a blessing, not a curse!'
"I wonder… Does he still stand by what he said, now?" Jaune asked the bird.
Chirp chirp chirp~
The bird cried and flew away.
"…"
With Cardin.
"… It was you." Jaune groaned ominously, his aura flaring visibly.
"Yeah… It was me." Cardin sighed satisfyingly.
"You… You...!" Jaune's eyes flashed, a halo of white light surrounding his body.
CRACK!
Cardin drew his mace and dashed forward, not intending on letting him take the initiative.
"Raaaaah!" He yelled his rage and jumped, raising his mace, and bringing it down with all his strength in a devastating blow.
Jaune, whose whole body was like a miniature star illuminating the whole forest at this point, slightly bend over under the blow, enduring its strength, and merely bending his legs under the pressure.
He straightened up quickly, unfazed, and without warning, Cardin was blown away by a giant explosion, his mace and armor breaking apart in the process.
Cardin flew and landed ten meters away from Jaune. "G-gh…"
He looked up and widened his eyes.
Jaune was floating in the air.
No…
This was no longer Jaune Arc…
This was something else, not human.
Cardin felt true terror looking at this monster.
What had he unleashed?
"Ah… I see…" Cardin breathed as he watched the disaster unfold. "That guy, all this time, was made of pure destructive energy…"
Such was Cardin's final thoughts, as the white star radiated a final pulse of destruction.
"Nooooo!"
Cardin yelled as he snapped his eyes open.
Pain filled his senses as he panted harshly, each breath sending jolts of pain in his body covered in sweat.
He could not move a muscle, his whole body was immobilized by something.
"Jeez… You okay there buddy?" A girl's voice asked him.
Xiao-Long, Cardin recognized instantly.
"You know, they say dreams only happen in the last minutes of our sleep," She continued, "But you've been having nightmares all night long."
Slowly, Cardin managed to turn his head, which made him grit his teeth under the pain. Xiao-Long was in a bed too, on the other side of the room, albeit with only a broken arm from the looks of it.
"Nightmares?" Cardin managed to growl, which sent another wave of pain through his body. "Urgh… I don't have nightmares, blondie."
"Oh yeah? You're too manly to have nightmares, huh?" She rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Gotta stay the alpha, right?
"Exactly." He groaned quietly.
Every word he spoke required effort.
But Cardin refused to stay quiet.
He was the type of guy who just never shut up, no matter the circumstances.
"Then why were you whimpering all night?" Xiao-Long raised an eyebrow at him.
"Those were not nightmares."
"What were they then?"
"…"
"Well? Blake cut your tongue?"
"...Very funny." He scrunched up his nose at the mention of the Faunus and looked away, before reluctantly answering. "Memories… Those were just memories. Not nightmares."
"…"
To that, Xiao-Long went quiet.
"What are you here for, anyway?" Cardin asked after a moment of silence.
"…Jaune broke my arm." She answered.
"Yeah, he tends to do that." Cardin chuckled dryly, which sent another wave of pain up his chest.
"..."
He felt his body weaken already.
After only this much, he was close to passing out… His eyelids were becoming heavy.
"Yeah… Jaune, He… He really fucked you up, man." Xiao-Long sighed.
"I can feel it…" Cardin panted. "Has he… Has he been expelled or…?"
"No… Just removed from the dorms and standard classes. They're isolating him from the rest of the students."
"…That's… good… That guy… is a time-ticking bomb. When he explodes, no one better be around him…"
"…" Xiao-Long went silent for a moment.
Cardin closed his eyes.
His consciousness started to fade.
"You know… They say you can't ever be a Huntsman again."
Cardin's eyes snapped open. "…Who said that?"
"The nurse." Xiao Long answered.
"She doesn't know… what she's talking about."
"…"
"I'm going to be a Huntsman."
"..."
"I'm going to! You hear me?!"
"If you say so." She sighed.
She turned away from him to look through the window, hiding the expression on her face.
Fuck.
What was this bimbo bitch thinking?
They say you can't ever be a Huntsman again.
Cardin's heart squeezed as he panted harshly.
This can't be…
Is my body that fucked up?
Certainly, he did feel pain in every part of his body, and couldn't move a muscle… But, it couldn't be that bad, right?
No… No way… After all this training?
Cardin had struggled hard to get on the level of a Huntsmen in training, and had barely been accepted into Beacon.
He, a normal guy with no particular talent… had given blood and tears to gain his strength. To compete with the talented people.. the special people.
All of it, to end like this?
"…F-fuck…" Cardin let out a growl unconsciously.
"…"
"…"
"Honestly, Cardin…" Yang began, "If you hadn't-"
"You shut your bitch ass up!" He snapped, making his pain spike wildly. "You think I can't do it? You think I can't become a huntsman anymore?"
"…"
"…I will become a Huntsman. I will… I know I will."
"…"
Cardin smirked at the ceiling, "I know for a fact that I will heal. I will not back down… I'm too angry for that…"
"…"
"That's right… Your semblance…" Cardin groaned, realizing something. "You, of all people, should know this, Xiao-Long… You should understand."
"…understand what?" Xiao-Long frowned.
"Negative emotions… make the soul stronger." Cardin muttered tiredly, "Anger, in particular… is the most powerful emotion. Just look at what Jaune did in a fit of rage… Negative emotions do make people stronger."
"…"
"Because I am… a pretty negative guy… I will grow stronger… and heal my body."
"…"
"Jaune… That guy, he has a lot of negative emotions bottling inside… that's why he was so powerful when he snapped."
"…"
"…"
The silence lengthened between them.
She's speechless. Cardin realized. Not that I blame her…
The common belief among Huntsmen nowadays is that negative emotions are bad because it attracts Grimm. However, the truth is, negative emotions also impacts the souls and the overall strength of people.
That's right, who is stronger? The one living happily without losing anything, easily carrying on with a life of luxury and pleasure?
Or the one going through the most terrible of hardships, yet still keeps moving forward?
It is the latter! That is a fact!
The wisdom and the traditions of Cardin's family had taught him so.
Negativity breeds strength… which is why I won't give up on being a Huntsman.
As he meditated on these words, he felt an angry fire ignite within his heart once again.
Satisfied that he had reignited the flame of his pride, Cardin released a quiet sigh and fell unconscious again.
With Yang.
"P-pyrrha…"
"Shhh," Pyrrha growled dangerously.
Yang winced as she looked away from Pyrrha who was standing right next to her bed.
It was the first time she had seen Pyrrha so pissed off.
Nora and Ren were standing in silence on the other side of her bed. Uncharacteristically, Nora had nothing to say. It seemed like she had already been lectured by Pyrrha.
"It would be one thing if you had gone after Cardin…The true culprit responsible for destroying Ruby's weapon." Pyrrha muttered, nodding to Cardin's body that was encased in plaster. The guy's eyes were closed, and he seemed to be sleeping.
"…"
"But you went after Jaune Arc, Ruby's partner." Pyrrha continued.
"…"
"The one guy that the teachers warned us about!" Pyrrha added.
"…I… I figured it couldn't be that-"
"Let me talk!" Pyrrha snapped, making Yang and Nora wince.
"…"
"As a result of your actions, not only Jaune has been removed from the normal student course, but Cardin has also been so injured that he may never fully recover… And you've broken your arm, too… And Nora broke her weapon."
"…"
"…"
"…I know… I fucked up." Yang sighed. "For my defense, everything was pointing at Jaune to be the one that destroyed Crescent Rose...!"
"Even then!"
"…When I saw my sister cry, I got mad…" Yang explained, "And I wanted to make the culprit pay."
This was not an uncommon train of thought. In a school for Huntsmen, brawls among students are very common.
Because of their Aura, people can start fights easily without suffering the same consequences as civilians. For many students, it's all considered good fun to punch each other in the face. It's a way to measure their own strength against their classmates.
But Jaune… Jaune, he's completely different from a normal Huntsman in training.
He can break through people's Aura, negate their semblance, and bypass their defenses to directly target their body… How scary was that?
Should he really be with them in this school?
"…"
"Hey, Pyrrha…"
"Yeah?"
"That guy, Jaune… He's dangerous."
"…"
"Since we never saw him fight, there was no evidence to back up what the teachers claimed." Yang muttered, "I was the second in combat class, I always won my fights… I was confident in my strength! I thought I could take him easily. I mean, he looks so weak! So when I attacked him recklessly, I didn't…"
"…"
Yang bowed her head. "I didn't think this would happen…all of this. If I had known…! I was stupid."
"I was the same." Nora pointed out, sending her a sympathetic smile.
Yang looked at Nora. "But because of me, Jaune broke your weapon…"
Nora waved her hand. "He just disassembled it, actually. It's gonna be put back together within a week. It's nothing compared to your arm..."
She sniffed. "Your poor arm... Yaaaang~!" Nora exclaimed and jumped at Yang's neck before anyone could stop her. She started crying on her shoulder.
"H-hey, don't cry on my hair!" Yang protested.
"W-we were so duuumb!" Nora ignored her and continued whining.
"You were…" Pyrrha sighed and leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms.
"It's gonna take so much time for you to heal, Yang…" Ren mused.
Yang looked up to Pyrrha and Ren, who had worried expressions on their faces. They are mad because I'm injured… not because of what happened with Jaune?
Yang smiled as she finally hugged back Nora. As expected of my team, they are the best…
"There, there," Big Sister Yang comforted the distressed Nora, holding her in her arms. She looked at Ren and Pyrrha. "Sorry, we didn't stop even when you tried to hold us down." Yang smiled apologetically.
"I'm used to it." Ren shrugged as Nora finally let go of Yang, to send an embarrassed gaze to her Ren.
Pyrrha's eyes turned sympathetic. "You should probably apologize to someone else, Yang…"
Yang's heart clenched.
"How… is Ruby?"
"She hasn't come to see you?" Ren asked.
"Nope."
"…Then she's even madder than I thought…" Pyrrha sighed.
Yang hummed. It certainly sounded like Ruby was mad. But...
"...But, she's gonna be all right?" She asked.
"I think so," Nora answered. "She's still eating cookies energetically!"
"Well, then, that's good!" Yang grinned.
"Yeah…" Pyrrha nodded, "Ruby lost her partner and her weapon on the same day… and her dear sister broke her arm like an idiot." This made Yang laugh in embarrassment. It wasn't every day that Pyrrha was so crude with her words. "But somehow, Ruby is all right."
"…She's strong like that." Yang smiled proudly. "She's been through worse."
"Let's not forget what happened to Cardin, too." Ren pointed out.
"You're right, Renny." Nora nodded seriously. "At least something good came out of this whole mess!"
"…Goddammit, Nora." Ren sighed. "He's right next to us..."
It spoke of their opinion of Cardin that they all gave Nora a chuckle.
As she watched Nora argue with Ren about how Cardin deserved everything, Yang thought back to Ruby.
Yeah, her little sister was strong. That was true.
What Yang was really worried about, though, was Jaune. She was really uncomfortable with him being Ruby's partner.
Will Ruby really be able to handle him without getting injured? That guy is too dangerous.
She's already two years younger than the rest of us, isn't that asking too much of her?
As she was lost in thought, Pyrrha suddenly grabbed her hand.
"Hey… It's okay, Yang." Pyrrha reassured. "Your sister will be okay. She has Weiss and Blake, they are pretty close together. You should take it easy… you don't have have to be the tough and reliable big sister right now, we'll be there to support you. Me and Ren and Nora."
"Yeah!" Nora nodded, "You can count on us!"
"N-nah…" Yang laughed awkwardly and shook her head, trying her best to give a wide grin. "I don't need much help you know. It's not the first time I break one of my limbs, you know! This will heal fast!"
Her partner smiled. "You keep telling yourself that."
"But if it doesn't…" Ren added.
"… You can lean on us until it does!" Nora finished with a wide grin.
"Awww! You're all too sweet!" Yang sniffed with a wide smile.
"Waaaaah!" Nora whined and jumped on Yang again, causing them to laugh.
Ah… What was this? Yang didn't have to be in charge?
Right… Ruby and I are in different teams... teams that will help us when we need it.
Yeah. For now, I'll take a rest.
"…"
"Yang."
Another voice suddenly called from the entrance.
Yang's heart froze at the sound of the familiar voice. Oh no, please no…
"My sunny little dragon~" Taiyang Xiao-Long greeted.
"Pfft." Nora snorted and leaned back, hiding her mouth behind her hands.
"…"
Just like that, Taiyang Xiao Long appeared out of nowhere to ruin the moment!
"Dad!" Yang gaped, surprised. "Did you come to see me…?"
"Hm?" Her father blinked. "No, I was just bored, and I had nothing to do." He shrugged. "So I dropped by to have a good laugh at ya."
"…" Yang grinned. "You jerk!"
The two of them laughed loudly as he approached the bed.
"I'm Yang's father, nice to meet you all!" He presented himself, "I see my little dragon has made some good friends~"
"Daaad!"
"Cute little dragon~" Nora repeated with a shit-eating grin on her face.
Oh god… I'll never live this one down.
"…Dad…" Yang sighed, "These people are my teammates. This is the wholesome Pyrrha,"
"Hello!" Pyrrha waved wholesomely.
"The crazy Nora…"
"Hello, sir! Wait, what did you say about me?"
"And the ninja Ren."
"…Good morning, sir." Ren nodded.
"Nice to meet you all," Her father waved his hand at them.
"…We should go, we have our classes in a few minutes," Pyrrha declared after checking her scroll.
"Indeed." Ren nodded. "Take care, Yang."
"Bye, sunny little dragon~" Nora laughed.
"You shut your mouth!" Yang called after them, as she shared a last smile with her team before they left the infirmary, leaving Yang and her father to chat on their own.
Pyrrha's POV.
"Yes! That was juicy stuff!" Nora grinned on their way back. "Sunny~ little~ dragoooon~"
"Hmm," Pyrrha mused and noticed something on the ground.
Those were… rose petals?
She knelt to examine them, but they evaporated before she could pick one up.
Pyrrha smiled. So, Ruby did come to check on her sister… Was she listening in the whole time?
With Yang.
"How touching," Dad mocked her, "It's been two months and you're already sharing such heartfelt smiles with your teammates. Aaaah, the spring of youth~…"
"Shut up, old man."
"Hey! Not the age!"
They shared another laugh.
"Sooo…" He grabbed a chair and sat down next to his daughter's bed. "Looks like this time, you bit more than you could chew, huh."
"Yeah… Why are you here, dad?"
"To see my beautiful little dragon, of course~~"
"I mean… Why are you really here for." Yang asked, not buying it.
Her father sighed. "You're no fun today. Though I guess I can't blame you." He shrugged. "I'm here to replace Miss Goodwitch as a teacher for Combat Classes."
"…What?!"
"That's riiiight~ You're dear old dad is gonna teach your class~ It's gonna be so much fun!"
While her father was all happy, Yang's face had frozen in an expression of pure horror.
With Jaune.
Jaune's training, like always, was useless.
Miss Goodwitch was working him hard, but it seemed all worthless despite the amount of time they dedicated to his training.
At lunch, Jaune and Miss Goodwitch would eat together.
Jaune was not allowed to go to the cafeteria or interact with other students.
After the disaster that happened with Cardin, it was understandable.
Still, though.
I want to talk to Ruby… and Weiss, and Blake. And I want to apologize to Yang and Nora…
Jaune missed his friends.
I'm sure they must have fun together… Meanwhile, I'm stuck here alone.
The realization of how deeply he valued these three girls was falling on him.
But he was not allowed to see them.
And I want to see Cardin, too…
Jaune kept wondering about Cardin.
Sometimes, he would look at his hands, and think about what he could do with these hands.
How easy it would be, to kill someone with these hands. Whether or not he would even have a say in it.
Jaune tried to not think about it too much. Despair threatened to overtake his mind every time he thought about it.
So, in order to avoid such dark thoughts, Jaune decided to devote his all to his training.
And so Jaune's training took place from the morning to the afternoon.
"Haa… Haa…" Miss Goodwitch panted, "How are you not… tired, Jaune? We've been practicing all day."
"Breaking things is much easier than fixing them, Miss Goodwitch." Jaune wisely replied.
"…Hmm… Yes, I suppose that's true." Miss Goodwitch chuckled. "This is good training for myself, as well."
Jaune smiled softly at her as he watched her take a deep breath.
At least he still had Miss Goodwitch to support him. Despite what he had done, somehow she managed to keep a high spirit and stick with him without losing faith. And she stayed positive, too. Jaune was grateful for all of that.
Though it wasn't the same as spending time with Ruby, Weiss, and Blake.
"Well, good work for today." She nodded at him.
"Thanks."
"You can rest until tomorrow."
"…I'm not tired, though," Jaune said.
"I am tired, Jaune." Miss Goodwitch replied.
"..."
It was kinda weird, that when it comes to physical training, Jaune was the weakest, whereas, for Aura training, Jaune was the strongest.
"And you can't train alone without me containing and repairing the damages of your semblance," She added, "It would be too dangerous. That is all for today."
"…Okay…" Jaune nodded reluctantly. He had wanted to train more. But it couldn't be helped.
The evening, Jaune didn't have much to do.
He couldn't go to the library. If he wanted a book, he had to ask the staff to get it for him.
To eat, a member of staff also brought him lunch. Sometimes, Miss Goodwitch would eat with him, other times, she would eat with her colleagues at the cafeteria or somewhere else.
After only one day, Jaune already felt like he was in jail.
He couldn't go anywhere but his apartment and his training ground.
In such solitude, eventually, thoughts about losing control and blowing up everything would surge back in his mind.
This wasn't good… Just thinking about it was sickening. He needed to occupy himself.
"…Guess I'll train." Jaune groaned to himself.
He started doing his physical training in the evening rather than in the morning.
Training his body like this felt strange, as he was used to doing it with the rest of Team Rainbow.
He half-expected one of his teammates to run by him and explode his track record like they usually did.
Now, however, there was no one to compare his performance with.
So he just kept doing it until he was exhausted.
A tired mind will not wonder about past mistakes, or so Jaune hoped.
When he came back from his first day, Jaune was very tired and decided to go to sleep early.
…
…
…
…I don't… want to die…
…
My family. They're not like me… They're good people.
…
Every single time! All you do is break everything you touch, a disaster waiting to happen!
…
Jaune could not sleep!
Thoughts about Cardin plagued his mind, along with the good old venomous words of Miss Crappert.
Though Jaune wasn't completely overwhelmed with guilt for Cardin… Jaune had injured people in the past, though not to this extent, he was still relatively used to it.
It was true that Jaune did feel bad about what he had done to Cardin, but what really plagued his mind, was the fact that he had lost control of himself; it represented a huge defeat for him. It proved that he could not change himself.
What if he lost control again?
That night, he kept changing his position in his bed, unable to find a comfortable position.
Knock! Knock!
"…?" Jaune opened an eye at the sound of something knocking on the window.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Jaune sat up on his bed, frowning.
What was this?
Jaune walked over to the window and opened the curtains.
No one was there.
Eh?
"…"
Jaune narrowed his eyes and carefully opened the window, letting the cold air of the night enter the room.
"...?" He leaned forward to try to see if there was-
"BOOOH!" Ruby's face suddenly appeared upside down right in front of him.
"Ga-" Jaune was about to scream before she applied her hand on his mouth, muffling the sound.
"Sshhht, Jaune, we're gonna get caught!"
This girl! She was scaring him like this, yet she was shushing him right after?!
"…Ruby! Why are you upside down?" Jaune whispered in her hand.
"Cause I'm a ninja!" Ruby grinned, turning around and jumping into his room.
"What are you doing?!" Jaune hissed, worried. "You're not allowed here! You have to go back to your dorm."
"Nope!"
"…But…! What if a teacher catches you!" Jaune said.
"…Nope!"
Grinning, she closed the window and curtains.
"You don't seem very happy to see me~" She teased.
"I'm worried about you. You're breaking the rules…" Jaune insisted, even though he actually was very happy to see her.
"It's fiiiine." Ruby waved it off. "I'm the one who's worried! Weiss and Blake are worried! We need to know, how have you been doing, Jaune?"
"Good…" Jaune sighed. "I'm training with Miss Goodwitch… Though it doesn't seem to do any good, I continue to try my best."
"That's good, that's good!" Ruby nodded enthusiastically. "And when are you coming back to the team?"
"Coming back?" Jaune hesitated. He hadn't even considered that as an option. "Um, I'm not sure they would allow me back, Ruby…"
She crossed her arms and pouted. "What do you mean? They can't just keep you there forever…!"
"…Hmm." Jaune hummed quietly. "I mean, I guess they can always expel me for good if I mess up again."
"Nononono! Let's not think like that, okay!" Ruby shook her head wildly. "I'm sure they're gonna let you free after a while!"
"Sure, let's hope so." Jaune nodded, not believing that such a miracle could happen at all.
Ruby looked at him. "What about Cardin?"
Jaune winced. "What about him?"
"Are you… okay… with what happened to him?" Ruby asked.
"…I think about him." Jaune admitted. "Similar accidents already happened before, but this is the first time it's this bad." Jaune sighed. "Cardin, he is a jerk, but he didn't deserve that…" Jaune looked away. He hurriedly changed the topic, "…Anyway, how long are gonna stay? You should leave soon before someone finds out you're here."
"Nope! I'm staying late~"
"Late?" Jaune widened his eyes, "How late?"
"Who knows," She shrugged and giggled. "Now come on, Jaune, I'll debrief you on what we've done today." She grinned, climbing into the bed and sitting up against the wall. "Come here!" She tapped the place beside her.
Jaune moved over next to her and brought the cover on himself.
"…How's Yang?" He asked.
"She's got her arm in a plaster cast." Ruby answered, "She's gonna need about a month before it goes back to normal."
"Oh… Tell her I'm sorry, okay?"
"Nope."
"What? Ruby…"
"I'm not telling her anything. I'm mad at her, you know." She pouted stubbornly, an expression of resentment on her face. "She was always a bit overprotective of me, but this time, she really overdid it. Punching you like that even though you didn't do anything wrong… And now… Now, look at where it got you!"
"But, um…"
"No buts." Ruby shook her head. "The one who broke my scythe was Cardin. So Yang's the one who has to apologize, she was in the wrong. She got the wrong guy."
"…I still broke her arm." Jaune pointed out.
"The teachers warned her about it!" Ruby replied, "She might as well have put her arm into a dust crusher, that idiot." She pouted.
However, even though Ruby said that, Jaune could see on her face that she was still concerned about her sister.
"Ah…" Jaune winced, feeling guilty that he was causing such conflict between the two of them. "There's no need to fight because of me… She's your precious sister, so you should make up with her, no?"
"…Haaa…" Ruby sighed as she looked at him, "You're so kind, Jaune." She smiled softly and laid her head on his shoulder, making him freeze for a second. "But, nope. When you told me it wasn't you, I didn't believe you. So I was in the wrong too…" She looked up at him. "And I want to apologize for that!"
"Ruby… Crescent Rose was precious to you, and you were shaken." Jaune smiled. He was relieved to hear her say that. "And knowing my power, it was understandable for you to assume it was me."
"Still!" She shook her head stubbornly, "As your friend, I should have trusted you…! I want to make it up to you!" She proclaimed, staring into his eyes with determination. "So I'm gonna have your back, and I'll make Yang apologize to you!"
Jaune winced. "But, I feel like I should be the one to apologize to her…"
"...Oh, Jaune…" She sighed on his shoulder. "You don't have an ounce of rancor within you, do you."
"That's not true… Sometimes, I can get really angry." Jaune said. "And I can't control myself. And... Well..."
"…It's fine, Jaune." Ruby muttered, "It's that way with everyone. Just look at Yang!"
"But my semblance…"
"Your semblance," She cut him, straightening up, "Is just another part of you." She poked his cheek with a finger, making him blink. "A muscle that you can't quite control yet. Everyone gets angry from time to time! And every time, our Aura reacts to our anger, our emotions. It's natural. You just have to get the hang of that muscle…"
"…"
Jaune remembered these words.
You see? Breaking things, is just another one of these weird characteristics! Everyone has his own uniqueness, his own peculiar quirk.
Yeah… There had been someone before, who had said the same thing.
But she was no longer here.
She had left.
After what happened to Cardin… Perhaps that Huntress had foreseen something like this would happen?
"No, it's different for me." Jaune eventually said. "I mean… Look what I did to Cardin… Other people, they can be stopped at least. But for me, I feel like I can't be stopped.
"That's why it's dangerous for me to feel anger or rancor.
"…I never know what could happen if I get stressed out. Because of this, Ruby, even though we're friends, I feel like I can never have a proper fight with you.
"So I've been trying my best to avoid confrontation."
She looked up at him.
"What... What do you mean?"
"Take that love letter, for example… Weiss and Blake, they were so dismissive about it, it was a bit insulting, to be honest." Jaune said.
"Uhuh…"
"I feel like a real friend would have argued with them or mocked them or…fought back, or said something." Jaune explained, "But I just left, because I didn't want to take any chances. Any kind of confrontation is risky for me, cause I can snap at any moment."
"…"
"…Because of this, I feel like we're not really very close as teammates, and friends," Jaune continued, "We can never have a fight… We can never argue. And I've seen it before, this will ultimately lead to dishonesty between each other."
"..."
"..."
"…Man… this sucks." Ruby sighed on his shoulder. "But you know what, Jaune… Did I do anything to bother you?"
"No," Jaune answered. "You did not."
"And you didn't do anything to bother me, either," Ruby stated.
"Hmm…" Jaune hummed, not sure of the veracity of her words.
"It's true!" She insisted. "If someone else had been my partner, I think I would have struggled a lot more to be a good leader…! You've always supported me.
"And seeing you work so hard, no matter how many times you pass out from anemia, or how many times you stumble… Seeing you running behind us and never giving up… Just seeing you like that, it's really motivating for the team, and it gives us courage. Weiss and Blake don't show it, but… we really respect you!"
"…That's kind of you to say that, Ruby." Jaune gave her a smile.
"I'm not just saying it! And trust me, these problems will go away once you've learned to hold you semblance back!" "She stated, giving him a thumbs up.
She sure was good with words, Ruby. She had a natural talent for making charismatic speeches.
It sounded so good, Jaune really wanted to believe in her.
"…Now," Ruby grabbed her bag, picking up her notes. "We shouldn't waste too much time, I can't stay here forever. Look, here's what we've done today in class, I'm gonna give you a recap."
"A recap?" Jaune blinked, "Okay..."
"You listen carefully, all right?"
"Yes!" Jaune nodded, although he was still feeling very tired from his day.
And so, Ruby started talking about what they had done during the day.
How Pyrrha had wiped out a whole team by herself,
What Grimm they had covered with Professor Port,
What they had studied in history with professor Oobleck.
How Weiss was still secretly hunting the people that were discriminating against Blake behind her back.
What weird motions Blake's cat ears did today.
How Ruby's father had come from Signal to replace Miss Goodwitch for Combat classes.
Jaune could imagine each of the scenes in his head. It made him wish he had been there.
As Ruby continued to talk, Jaune found it increasingly difficult to focus. He was exhausted and sleepy, and his eyelids felt heavy.
Still, this giant bedroom felt a lot warmer with someone else to share it with. So much so that he was able to momentarily forget his problems.
Jaune was touched. Ruby, this girl, she was so kind to him, despite the fact that he couldn't fulfill his role as a partner anymore.
How could she be she such an awesome partner? Even though Jaune was nothing but a weight.
Plus, there was something oddly nostalgic about her… Whenever he spent time with Ruby, it felt familiar, it reminded him of something in his past… Something that allowed him to relax.
"…over and- Hey, Jaune!" Ruby frowned at him when she noticed he was dozing off and poked his cheek again to wake him up. "Are you listening? Aaah, you must be exhausted, training your semblance all day, huh?" She smiled leniently, "It's okay. I'll just repeat a little slower. Try to pay attention! Okay?"
"S-sorry," Jaune mumbled.
"All right." Ruby nodded patiently, "As I was saying-"
As Ruby started talking again, Jaune had only one thought.
I want to spend more time like this…
I can't stay alone like this forever. I want to go back to my team, somehow.
And to do that, I need to master this damn semblance…!
Somewhere else…
Jaune was falling.
Again.
The same slow fall.
Everything was still white.
After a while, Jaune landed softly on the white, solid ground.
"Jaune."
Jaune looked towards the voice.
"Yang?"
She stood there, smiling silently. Serenely.
Someone appeared behind her.
Her skin began cracking.
Jaune widened his eyes. He had seen this scene before.
"No!"
Before he could do anything, Yang disappeared in dust smoke, disintegrated by the same human-shaped wisp glowing white light, the one that had killed Cardin.
"N-no… Why did you do this!"
The shining man smirked darkly.
Deep fear took hold in Jaune's guts. He instinctively knew what was going to happen next, which caused him to turn around and flee, afraid.
The monster of white light followed after him.
Crack!
Jaune felt his leg shatter.
"Aagh!" He screamed in pain and fell.
He tried to crawl away, only for him to get picked up by the wisp, who smirked as he raised him in the air.
"D-don't…" Jaune begged, struggling against his grip.
Another hand suddenly pat the shining man's shoulder.
The wisp's body flashed white and disappeared before it had a chance to finish him off.
Jaune dropped to the ground, whining in pain as his leg was still missing.
"It's okay." A voice said.
He looked around frantically, eyes wide. Something had banished the monster?
"Jaune." Someone called. "Didn't we go through this already?"
He looked up to the voice.
"You…" He recognized.
"It's me." The White-Cloaked Huntress nodded softly.
She had her hood on as always, so he could not distinguish her features clearly.
Her form was blurry, like an old, broken memory. Which she was.
She knelt beside him.
"Listen, Jaune. Your curse is not a curse, it's a semblance.
"Your semblance.
"Breaking things, is just another part of you. Everyone has his own uniqueness.
"You must not lose hope."
"But… How…" Jaune sighed.
"You will find a way." She smiled. "This suffering will make you a better person. A kinder person. All this negativity will fuel the burning kindness inside your heart.
"Do you understand? This is the true secret behind one's charm.
"Be human!"
…
…
…
"…Be human… you say. But… Where are you right now?" Jaune asked.
"…"
"You abandoned me, just like the rest." Jaune accused, "You didn't believe in your own words yourself. You vanished!"
"…"
"I don't know why you disappeared.
Was it because you gave up on me? Or was it because of something else?
But I've lost faith in your words. I still try my best to live by them, but I've grown unsure.
Your words are no more than a nostalgic memory, something I try to hold onto.
In the back of my mind, I always wonder why you stopped visiting me…"
"…"
"I tried to not think about it, all these years. After what happened with Cardin, though…"
"…"
"It's all clear now. I've destroyed his Huntsman career. You foresaw that something like this would happen, right…? So you kept your distance. Is this not proof enough? It has to be it."
"…"
"I don't blame you. It's a natural reaction. Just… Don't speak about things you can't understand." Jaune demanded, looking away from her. "Stay away from me!"
"…"
"…"
"…What are you saying, Jaune."
She grabbed his head softly, turning it towards her.
Her hood went off.
The face of a silver-eyed, mature woman was revealed.
"It's me."
"…?!" Jaune widened his eyes.
The face transformed, her looks growing younger.
The features softened, her height reduced, and her white cloak turned red.
"It's me, Jaune."
"…Ruby?!"
"Don't give up, Jaune."
"I'm here."
"Jaune!"
"Jaune!"
"Jaune!"
"Jaune! Are you in there?"
Jaune's eyes opened his eyes sleepily as he heard his name called several times.
"Jaune!"
It was Miss Goodwitch's voice coming from behind the door.
"Are you ready yet?" She called.
"Huh... Hm?" Jaune blinked repeatedly, still weirded out by his strange dream. "What?" He raised his voice.
"You overslept!" Miss Goodwitch said. "Hurry up. We need to train."
"S-sorry!" Jaune apologized, sitting up in his bed. "I'm coming!"
"Mrgbl?" A groan echoed beside him.
"…?" Jaune looked to the side.
Ruby was there, blinking sleepily.
Jaune gaped at her as she sat up and yawned next to him.
"…Good morning, Jaune…"
"…G-good morning."
"…"
She paused for a moment, freezing.
"Eh?"
She looked down at the bed sheets.
Then back at him.
"GYYAH-"
Jaune put his hand on her mouth. "Shhhh!"
"Jaune?" Miss Goodwitch called again. "What was that?"
"N-nothing!" Jaune raised his voice, thinking hard. "Just, uh… The bed screeching…!"
Ruby glared at him.
"Hurry up, Jaune." Miss Goodwitch demanded and walked away.
"What the hell?" Ruby hissed indignantly when he put his hand away. "The bed screeching, Jaune, really?"
"That's what has you worked up?" Jaune widened his eyes, disbelieving. "We slept together, you doofus!"
"A-ah…" Ruby blushed bright red, "E-er… Y-you make it sound so bad, even though we did nothing else but sleep in the same bed…! And quite a large one at that!"
"You should be more mindful who you're sleeping with!"
"Eeeh, but isn't it fine if it's you?"
…This girl…!
"Ugh! N-no time to be embarrassed!" Jaune flushed.
"No, I'm over it already!" Ruby laughed, and pointed a finger at him, "You're the one who's embarrassed!"
"Whatever!" Jaune shook his head. "Quick, you have to go back to your dorm!"
"R-right!" Ruby nodded and jumped out of bed.
She hadn't changed out of her clothes for the night, so she didn't need to dress up. She quickly went to the bathroom to splash some water on her face, and then she opened the window and took a step on the edge.
"Don't get caught," Jaune warned her.
She turned back to him with a little teasing grin.
"What? You have to go." He urged her.
"Heheheee… Jaune, this situation, this forbidden meeting~... doesn't it feel a bit like Romeo and Juliet- Oof!"
Jaune threw her a pillow in the face, making her fall outside. She bolted away in a burst of rose petals right before she hit the ground.
Jaune closed the window and leaned against it.
Now that he had some time to recollect his thoughts, he once again remembered that weird dream.
"…What the hell was that…" He groaned, ruffling his hair with his hand tiredly.
A dream about the White-Cloaked Huntress.
But then she turned out to be Ruby?
"…" Jaune frowned. "Could it be… These two are related?"
...
Slowly, Jaune was piecing things together.
With Ruby.
"Er… S-sorry I'm late…"
Her father crossed his arms and glared at her as the whole class watched them.
"Well, Ruby, I see you've volunteered to fight a spar."
"E-eh? B-but, my weapon…"
"Any good Huntsman should be able to fight decently without his weapon." Dad grinned widely, showing all his teeth. It terrified her. "And as it so happens, another one of your classmates had her weapon broken…"
"Y-you don't mean…"
"Nora Valkyrie." Her father called. "Please come on stage."
Ruby froze as she watched Nora jump down on stage with a wide grin.
She turned towards her and cracked her knuckles, smirking.
"U-um… Ahahaha…" Ruby laughed awkwardly, breaking in a cold sweat.
"Ready?" Dad asked them.
"No-"
"Yes!" Nora shouted over her voice and brandished her fists.
"Then, fight!"
Nora immediately dashed towards Ruby.
"Eeeeeee!" Ruby squeaked in terror.
Later.
"Sorry, Ruby." Nora laughed. "Nothing personal~"
"Gaaah…" Ruby groaned painfully, lying on the ground.
Why was Nora so adept in hand to hand combat? Did she practice with Ren?
"That's what you get for being late to my class, sweetie." Dad laughed. "And admittedly, for neglecting hand-to-hand combat. You'll need to practice."
"Uuuuu…" Ruby groaned again.
"H-hey you!" Ruby heard Yang talk to Nora. "That was too harsh! You didn't give her any chance!"
"Oh come on, she can handle it..." Nora laughed it away.
"That was sloppy," Weiss critiqued when Ruby came back to her team. "Even I know some basic self-defense techniques of hand to hand combat. You really need to work on that."
"I knoooow…" Ruby groaned.
"More importantly, what about you last night?" Blake asked. "Did it go well?"
"Yeah, I sneaked to his room and managed to see him. Easy!" Ruby grinned, as she raised to finger into a 'v' sign. "He's doing okay for now!"
"That's good…" Weiss smiled, before whispering, "But I can't believe you stayed the night over there!"
"I was sleepy!" Ruby replied, shrugging.
"That was careless, Ruby," Blake said. "You're lucky you didn't get caught."
"Indeed. As for us, went to see the crater last night," Weiss said. "There were a few other teams checking it out as well. You didn't do it justice, that hole is giant."
"Yeah..." Blake nodded. "It's honestly frightening. How could one person do that on his own?"
"I know, right," Ruby nodded along.
"But it's also... kinda exciting," Weiss added.
"Exciting?" Ruby blinked at the word.
"So you're excited, huh..." Blake snickered. "Now you're all turned on after seeing how big it is, huh...?"
"Wh-wha?" Weiss blushed. "Y-you! What are you saying!"
"Do you want your crater to be filled, Weiss?" Blake asked mockingly.
"Bwah?!" Weiss went bright red. "B-blake!" She exclaimed indignantly. "I didn't mean it like... like that!"
Ruby was blushing too. "S-so what did you mean it like, Weiss?"
"I meant as Huntresses!" Weiss huffed, which got the attention of both Ruby and Blake. "It is our duty to help harness the use of such a powerful ability! In the future, we would be able to destroy entire hordes of Grimm easily! Explore Grimm infested continents! Uncharted lands! And kill the most ancient of Grimms!" She listed, fired up. "It will be a huge asset for humanity, therefore, as huntresses in training..." She put a hand over her chest, "It is our duty to help Jaune master his power!" She proclaimed, before adding rapidly with a low voice, "And also, we'll become the best team and win the Vytal tournament."
Blake and Ruby shared a bored look together.
"Haaa, Weiss, Weiss, Weiss..." Ruby grabbed the heiress' shoulder, and drew her at her side.
"Wh-what?" Weiss flinched.
"You have a lot to learn, my dear friend..." Ruby sighed, "Team RABW is about much more than just Huntress duty!"
"That's right, in the first place, Jaune does not seem that interested in becoming a Huntsman." Blake nodded, a disappointed look on her face as she stared at Weiss. She shook her head and sighed. "Weiss, for you to think like that... I guess it can't be helped... It is the Schnee way of thinking..."
"Alas," Ruby tragically sighed along.
"H-hey, if you have a problem with my family, just spit it out!" Weiss huffed, offended. "A-and why are you all getting so blasé about? What's wrong with what I said?"
"Team RABW is about the four of us being BFFs forever, Weiss!" Ruby lectured, waving a strict finger on the heiress. "You cannot allow such impure thoughts in your mind..."
"However impure they may be," Blake added mockingly, making Ruby giggle.
"What's wrong with ambition..." Weiss frowned and crossed her arms as she watched Ruby laugh. Fed up, she suddenly said, "You stink, by the way, Ruby. Just inhaling your toxic air is enough to cure my cold."
"W-wah?" Ruby blinked in surprise. An unexpected angle of attack!
"...I was wondering about that, too," Blake admitted, sniffing Ruby. "There's that weird smell on you..."
Ruby blushed bright red and sputtered some incoherent words, before immediately escaping to the showers.
It was a good thing she had fought Nora as soon as she came back, and sweated profusely through the combat, or she'd have the smell of Jaune's bed all over her.
With Jaune.
The routine of Jaune's daily training continued.
Every day, Miss Goodwitch trained him, even if they did not make much progress.
The evening, either Ruby, or Weiss and Blake would come to visit Jaune, but never all three at the same time. Someone always had to stay behind to guard the dorm, and unlock the windows when the others came back. Plus, the fewer they were, the lesser the chance of getting caught when sneaking around.
Today, Weiss and Blake were visiting.
"I don't know how this dolt made up her mind of staying here for the night… But we are not sleeping here!" Weiss stated coldly. "Right, Blake?"
"Of course not." Jaune nodded.
"Pretty sure he wouldn't do anything if we stayed, anyway," Blake shrugged indifferently, "Honestly, I don't really mind sleeping here. It's a big room, bigger than our dorm."
This made Weiss choke.
"Eh?!" Weiss gasped, blushing. "W-well then, I have to stay too!"
"…Why are you so nervous?" Jaune frowned at her. "Even though we've been sharing a dorm for a month before!"
"Th-that's true..." Weiss flushed. "But all four of us were there... If it's only two, it's different!" She tried to argue, blushing bright red in embarrassment. "That's why I have to stay!"
"I'm kidding, Weiss," Blake smirked, teasing. "I'm not gonna stay to sleep, I want the comfort of my own bed, thank you very much."
"Y-you…! You're impossible!" Weiss huffed, causing Blake to snicker.
Weiss tried to grab her, only for Blake to dodge and jump away.
Weiss tried again.
Blake jumped away again.
She had that smug little smile on her face. You know, that cat smile. That damn cat smile.
"..." Blake stared at Weiss, her smirk frozen on her face.
"...Hmf."
Weiss proceeded to ignore Blake for the rest of the evening, causing Blake and Jaune to share an amused look.
"Now, listen, Jaune." Weiss demanded as she turned to him, "I'm sure Ruby did a poor job of recounting you our lessons…"
And so Weiss started telling him about their day at school.
Weiss was a lot more 'teacher-like' than Ruby, who had been sharing the funny details with him in addition to the lessons. Weiss, in contrast, only focused on the lessons he had missed, rather than what had happened and what their group of friends had done today.
But Jaune didn't mind. This was Weiss, it was to be expected that she took a more academic approach.
As for Blake, she was staying with them and read quietly while lying on his bed, sometimes making a helpful remark or a snarky comment.
She didn't contribute much, but Jaune was still glad she came with Weiss.
"Guys… Thanks for your help."
"There is no need for thanks. I am just being the best teammate one can ask for." Weiss stated proudly.
Yeah, well, you're not gonna top Ruby for that spot, Jaune thought but kept it to himself.
"Before we leave… Your training, how is it going?" Weiss asked him.
"Still the same?" Jaune shrugged.
"Yeah?" Weiss mused. "I was thinking about it the other day, and I got an idea."
"What is it?" Jaune asked curiously.
"Well, when you break someone's Aura, you cancel their semblances, right?" She asked him.
"Yeah…" Jaune confirmed, frowning.
"So that's when I realized… I'm not sure it can work but… Maybe…" She hesitated, "Use your semblance to break your own Aura? So that your semblance stops working?"
"…" Jaune gaped at Weiss.
This… This idea… is just insane!
But in theory, it should work, shouldn't it?
"Wow, Weiss," Jaune began, impressed, "That might actually wo-"
"That's an extremely dangerous thing to do," Blake cut him, not liking the idea at all. "Not to mention… It's just wrong, and would not be different from something like self-mutilation."
"O-oh... Is that so?" Jaune sighed, disappointed.
"Of course." Blake nodded categorically. "You already have a bad connection with your semblance. If you start breaking your own Aura, it's only going to get worse. Not to mention, I imagine it would be extremely painful… And you would still break your surrounding environment, right? What's the point of stopping your semblance if by trying to stop it, you break your surroundings anyway?"
"Hmm…" Jaune mused. "I suppose you're right," Jaune admitted reluctantly.
"Y-yeah," Weiss winced. "Sorry I mentioned this… I guess it cannot work." She turned to him. "But I'm sure you will get it right eventually, Jaune." She smiled at him. "You may have received one of the worst educations, but when it comes down to it, you're actually decently fast at learning, and smarter than you seem. I have faith that you will figure it out!"
Oooh, Weiss being supportive and kind, what a rare sight! Did something special happen? What's the occasion?
Meanwhile, Blake had an approving look on her face for some reason as she watched Weiss.
"Right, time to go now," Blake decreed. "Good night, Jaune. Keep working on it."
"Good night, Jaune." Weiss nodded.
"Good night!" Jaune smiled.
When they left, he was back to his solitude, and the heavy silence of the giant empty room returned.
"Right... They already left..." Jaune sighed, looking at the window longingly.
Days later.
One day, someone unexpected visited him at lunch.
"U-um…"
"You!" Jaune recognized the girl. "You're that girl… The Faunus!"
"Y-yes." She nodded hesitantly, 'My name is Velvet Scarlatina."
"I'm Jaune Arc." Jaune smiled, happy for the unexpected company. "Um, what can I do for you?"
"Um, no… I just wanted to apologize." She mumbled as she bowed her head. "Cardin made me write this love letter… So it's my fault that you've been isolated from the rest of the school… I'm really sorry."
"No, it's not your fault," Jaune protested, "They forced you to write that letter. It is completely my fault, I am just being fairly handled. I am a bit dangerous to have walking around the school freely at the moment, I understand that."
"S-still! I feel guilty." She insisted.
"I don't resent you at all. I accept your apology!" Jaune smiled.
"J-just like that?" She blinked, surprised. "But, I set you up…"
"Just like that." Jaune nodded.
"Juuuust like thaaat!" Coco Adel suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Coco!" Jaune recognized the girl.
"Rookie!" She smiled back.
"…It's Jaune…" He groaned, disliking the nickname.
"How are you doing, rookie? I'm accompanying my best girl Velvet here, cause she lacked the courage to go see you alone." She ruffled Velvet's hair and ears and clapped her shoulder. "Looks like you had nothing to worry about, huh? Just like that, it's forgiven, poof!"
"S-stop it, Coco…" Velvet groaned embarrassingly, trying to keep her hands away.
"Hey, rookie." Coco turned to him, "Between you and me… That Winchester asshole completely deserved it! The bastard was messing with our Velvet. You did good! It's a shame he didn't die, that little bitch!" She spat.
Jaune reared back from the spite. "H-how can you say that…! You're a Huntress."
"Yep. And you know what they do sometimes, rookie?" She asked. "They kill people." She whispered as if revealing a conspiration theory. Jaune gave an appropriate gasp. "I know, shocking." Coco nodded, "But it happens. So don't act like everyone is a saint around here!"
"But… I came here specifically to learn not to do that." Jaune replied. "What happened with Cardin, it's a big failure, regardless of whether he deserved it or not. It could have been anyone."
"…Anyone dumb enough to push your buttons, that is," Coco pointed out.
It seemed she was really dead set on hating Cardin Winchester. Jaune could understand the feeling.
"...You probably shouldn't stay here too long." Jaune said, "A teacher will catch you."
"Right," Coco nodded.
"It was nice meeting you properly, Jaune!" Velvet waved her hand as she walked away.
"See you later, rookie!"
"It's Jaune!" Jaune called back after them.
They laughed and left.
...
From that point onwards, Coco and Velvet dropped by every once in a while on lunch period to chat with him.
With Glynda
Glynda hummed quietly as she observed the various footage from the cameras of Beacon.
On her scroll's screen, was displayed Jaune channeling his semblance on various moments.
Sadly, the cameras in the Emerald forest got broken when Jaune snapped and made the crater, so the recordings were lost.
But she was still reviewing the other moments where Jaune had channeled his semblance.
She narrowed her eyes as she switched perspective. There must be something…
There!
He's closing his eyes.
He's… calming down. Relaxed…
And his semblance followed his feelings… and calmed down as well.
He claims he has no control over his semblance, yet his semblance follows his feelings…
In other words… This training, they had been doing it all wrong.
It was not about controlling the semblance, or the Aura.
It was about managing his feelings and emotions.
But…We are already doing that. Glynda frowned. He meditates. Every day. He should be able to control his emotions, at least to a degree…
So what was the problem?
Well… There definitely was a fear of breaking everything he touched. Constant fear is extremely stressing in the long term.
Like spasms. Randomly breaking items.
But even then the semblance does calm down after breaking them… Why is that sometimes his semblance stops, and other times it doesn't? Was it random?
This semblance defied all reason.
Let's see... The fact was, Jaune knew how to channel his semblance. That was the only thing he knew for sure.
So rather than learning how to use it better, as they tried until now, he should train to learn how to stop it altogether, especially after what happened with Mr. Winchester.
To do that...
What if… What if he learned to meditate while channeling his semblance?
A constant state of peacefulness, not just during his seances of meditation, but all day. This should stop it, right?
Glynda's eyes narrowed. If so, then a new training method was necessary.
However, this is going to be very risky. Channeling his semblance to its maximum potential, and let it go wild will be required for it to be meaningful…
In short, this training should teach Jaune how to stop his Aura's rampage, should he lose control of it. It was not something that would make Jaune better at controlling it, it would just teach him to shut it down.
Glynda closed her eyes and sighed.
This... isn't what how Ozpin wants me to train him... But...
I'm sorry. I have no choice. It sounds like an insane idea, but it's worth a try.
With Jaune.
"Today, we will have a special type of training." Miss Goodwitch began. "This will be extremely exhausting for you, so do not hesitate to tell me if you need breaks."
"Yes."
"Not that you would need any breaks," She chuckled. "Since... You know."
"...?" Jaune blinked in confusion.
"Since you have no problem breaking things." Miss Goodwitch explained.
"..." Jaune stared at her.
"Anyway..." She coughed in her hand, "The reason we came here-"
"Oh, I get it!" Jaune cut her, his eyes widening. "I don't need to take breaks! That is funny." He acknowledged.
"Yes. Well." Miss Goodwitch's eye twitched, apparently upset that he didn't laugh, yet called her joke 'funny'. "I was trying to relax you, since we're going to attempt something rather dangerous. As I was saying, this new training method is the reason we came to the Emerald Forest."
She took a few steps back, distancing herself from him.
"U-um…?" Jaune hesitated, unsure.
"Now, Jaune… You're going to channel your semblance." She said.
"What?"
"To get control back, you need to get used to losing control, first. I will contain the damage the best I can, and make sure no bits and pieces are thrown towards Beacon." She assured. "You can use your full power. Go ahead."
What…? Something like this...
"But, um…" Jaune hesitated, not liking the idea at all. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, don't worry." She nodded, taking a dust crystal out of her pocket.
With a wave of her crop, a series of pink glyphs appeared all around her.
"I will need all the power I can get..." She explained, focusing.
Miss Goodwitch using her full power?
"Okay…" Jaune accepted, seeing how much she had prepared for this. "But you should distance yourself further, then."
"Very well." Miss Goodwitch nodded and stepped back ten extra meters.
He waited for her to finish setting up her glyphs.
There were so many glyphs, it formed a giant pink dome around them.
She was channeling the Dust crystal's power to amplify her energy, pushing the limits of her abilities.
Once she finished, there were several layers of pink Glyphs in place around them.
Jaune gulped, mildly raised his arms and widened his feet, lowering his stance to the ground for better balance.
Having gotten used to shattering the ground, it was a stance in which he was able to keep his balance relatively intact.
Jaune took a deep breath.
She gave him a nod.
Jaune took a final, shaky breath of nervousness,
and channeled his semblance.
Crack!
The ground shattered, cracks spreading like a web around his feet.
Immediately, the damage was contained by Miss Goodwitch's telekinesis and glyphs.
"Keep going, Jaune!" Miss Goodwtich called. "You're still holding back. You need to let it go wild!"
"Haaaaaa!" Jaune screamed, releasing all restraints.
Crack! Booom!
The trees around him were blown away. The first layer of glyph instantly shattered, and Miss Goodwitch had to surround herself with stronger glyphs to shield herself.
The ground below Jaune's feet collapsed, creating a crater that was growing deeper and wider the longer he channeled his semblance.
"Good! Now, try to stop!" Miss Goodwitch yelled, "Try to meditate, to relax! It should calm down your semblance!"
"O-okay!"
Jaune closed his eyes, and tried to close the valve.
Nothing happened, of course.
Everything continued to break apart around him. The second layer of glyphs broke apart.
"St-stop…!" Jaune called, trying to gather his semblance back together. "D-dammit!"
"Jaune! You need to stop!" Miss Goodwitch called.
"I'm trying!" He shouted was a hundred times worse than the bullhead crash.
"Don't try to stop your semblance itself! Try to calm yourself down, not your semblance! Think back to the meditation!" Miss Goodwitch suggested, "Try to reach that state again!"
"…C-crap…" Jaune panicked, finally losing his balance and falling on his butt in the middle of the crater. "I… I can't contain it!"
His Aura was rushing out of his body endlessly. All the layers of pink Glyphs shattered one after the other, powerless.
Jaune panted harshly as he felt a sharp pain surge in his chest… his heart was racing, he breathed with difficulty, and he felt dizziness along with a sense of fear and impending doom overwhelm his mind.
In other words, he had a panic attack!
Jaune had absolutely no control!
"Agh!"
Miss Goodwitch's voice was still coming through, but he could no longer make sense of her words.
And his body was getting hot.
Jaune looked at his hands in panic. They were covered in a thick, white halo of Aura.
He had never seen so much Aura.
"Argh… It-it burns!"
His hands were burning.
F-flames…
There were flames. White flames.
Jaune screamed.
Something ignited within him.
No!
Not this time! I refuse!
Crack!
A loud crack resonated in Jaune's ears as he focused all of his willpower on himself.
I will not endure this anymore! I won't!
Reach down deep! If I can't stop it…
Weiss... I'm going to try your idea!
Crack!
Whether it's right or wrong, whether it's healthy or not... These things mean nothing to me!
Stopping my semblance is my only objective! No matter the cost!
Crack!
Jaune screamed in agony and clenched his eyes closed as his own Aura was attacked by his semblance.
Channeling his power inside his body, rather than outside!
No more! That's it, I don't CARE!
"AAAAaaaaaahh!" Jaune roared.
CRACK!
Cracks spread around the halo of white light wrapped around his body, breaking the momentum of the destructive force, extinguishing the white flames, and causing excruciating pain in his whole body, making him cringe violently.
For a moment, the pain was so intense, like needles that had been dipped in alcohol had been jammed through his skin. The feeling shot up through his body and exploded in his head with a blinding whiteness, and made Jaune lose all sense of perception of the world around him.
…
…
Eventually, the pain slowly faded, and Jaune opened his eyes, panting.
He was in the middle of a little crater. Much smaller than last time.
His brains and body were hurting so much, that it felt like it had split in two.
But... his semblance had gone back under control.
...
His semblance had gone back under control...
...
His semblance... had gone back under control?
"Ugh…" His body ached. "I… I did it?" He breathed, looking at his palm. "I broke my Aura… I negated… my own semblance."
His Aura eventually reappeared and the white light slowly spread through his limbs once again to heal his body.
Almost timidly.
"Jaune."
Jaune turned his eyes towards the voice.
Miss Goodwitch was walking over to him.
Limping, actually.
Her right arm was broken, her skin had turned a dark blue. Some of her clothes were torn apart and she was covered in dirt. Her glasses were missing, and her hair was let free.
"…" Seeing her like this, Jaune felt a spear of ice stab his heart.
"You did… well." Miss Goodwitch panted and smiled at him, her face strained by the pain. "You got it under control. At the last moment."
"…"
"This is good, Jaune," Miss Goodwitch insisted. "If we keep this up, you'll get used to-"
"No."
"What?"
"No!" Jaune raised his voice. "I don't want to do this anymore."
"Jaune…"
"No. This is over."
"You can't-"
"No. I quit. It's useless!"
"But, Jaune-"
"I said NO!"
Crack!
The ground under Jaune cracked loudly, ominously.
"M-maybe... take a day off." Miss Goodwitch tried.
"...No." Jaune refused. "We can't continue this. Ever."
"..."
"..."
"...We'll see about that later..." Miss Goodwitch breathed, "For now, let's take some rest."
"..."
They both remained silent as they walked back to the teachers' apartment.
Jaune glanced at Miss Goodwitch who was walking beside him.
"I'm okay," she smiled at him.
"..." Jaune looked away.
He was upset. Even though he had finally progressed, he had ended up injuring his benefactor Miss Goodwitch in the process.
I can't change...
As he walked, he suddenly stumbled.
"Aouch!" He groaned and fell on the ground.
"Jaune?"
"M-my legs..." Jaune whined in pain.
He looked at his legs.
They were trembling and hurting, glowing of Aura.
It was painful... but there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it?
Why? Why was it hurting so much?
His Aura lit up again.
Dzzt...
Another jolt of pain rushed through his body, making him contract all his muscles.
"G-gh!" Jaune gritted his teeth.
"Jaune!"
He slowly stood up as his Aura was continuing to spike. Under Miss Goodwitch's eyes, he took a step forward.
Dzzzt!
"AAAh!" He cringed in pain, falling on the ground again.
"Jaune! Are you-"
"I'm okay!" He groaned, sending her own words right back at her.
"..."
This time, the pain had shot through his whole body.
...Is that the consequence of breaking my Aura? Jaune realized as he looked at his body glowing a soft, white light. This training is doing more bad than good...!
With difficulty, Jaune managed to stand up again.
That's right, this absurd training method… It was way too dangerous, in the first place. He should have never agreed to it.
Back then, if he hadn't broken his Aura in time… He would have… to Miss Goodwitch…?
"…Jaune..." Miss Goodwitch sighed as she watched him worriedly.
"..." Jaune remained quiet.
As she accompanied him, Jaune slowly limped back to his apartment while his Aura was slowly calming down.
Yeah… I'm tired of this… It's not worth it. Let's stop this.
A/N: I know people expect Jaune to somehow instantly improve after coming to Beacon, but it's not gonna magically happen just like that. There needs to be a transition period to get a sense of growth. Also, I'll point out that Jaune did improve in this chapter, he just doesn't focus on the good things and only sees the bad.
Next chapter: In a week or so.