A/N: Okay. Wow. You guys are really liking this story. I actually had no idea this story would get this much reception, let alone good reception. Now, I don't know who all saw the chapter 4 update prior to this, but that was a mistake on my part, and I'm still asking myself how I made it. Those of you who saw it, it was the fourth chapter for my AOT story, and I apologize for the mistake. This is the actual chapter for this story, continuing on chapter three. I'm alternating between this story and the story mentioned prior, so I'm sorry if you all end up waiting more than you would like for this story. Unfortunately, time between chapters is probably going to increase some, with school starting up again soon where I am. None the less, I will do my best to have chapters out as soon as I can. Anywho, now to reviews:
sonofsparda101: Exactly. And Thanks!
KAOS: I'm still debating on that, but maybe.
artem-abramov-2004: I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
Momoroid: 1. Aura only heals minor wounds, not major wounds and defects. And even if I did that, it would take away some from Jason's character. Especially what I want to do. 2. Good analysis. 3. I totally agree.
Guest: Here is more.
Neo Sailor Rider Ultra: I have plans for him, yes.
TheGentalGiant: I am glad that you are still here to read the story. I do my best.
Gamerman22: White Fang? Yes. Salem's pawns? Depends on which pawns.
Dinosaurchicken: I have no spell check with what I use and I have to write offline. I only have a limited amount of time to get a chapter posted, and I take the spare time to fix what I see.
That's the reviews out of the way, onto the chapter.
Jason couldn't believe his eyes. It was her! After so many years, Lacey was right here in front of him. Jason was son stunned and happy that he couldn't really think about all the problems. Like, shouldn't she be old? or shouldn't she not know these people? These questions were as far from Jason's mind as they could possibly be, as he focused on the girl in front of him.
Lacey smiled at the man with a large grin, reaching her hand out as an introduction. Her action shook Jason out of his stupor, and he slowly gripped her hand, returning the gesture. He made sure to keep his grip loose, so that he did not hurt her with his strength, but the look of discomfort on her face told him that his grip was still a bit strong.
When they let go, she shook her hand to ease the pain, before turning to Ruby and making a couple hand gestures. Jason recognized it as sign language, which mute people normally used. He himself did not actually know it, nor did he really ever have a use for it, but now, considering his situation, learning it would probably be much better than sticking to his limited communication skills.
Ruby nodded at whatever it was Lacey signed. "Yeah, his semblance is strength. He's even stronger than Yang!" She exclaimed, and Jason found himself being gazed at in shock and wonder.
"He's stronger than Firecracker?" Whitney asked, gazing in wide-eyed shock at the masked man. Ruby nodded.
"He beat an entire team without his aura leaving the green." She explained.
'How did you two meet?' Lacey signed. Before Ruby could reply, she felt a hard tap on her shoulder, and her attention was drawn to Jason behind her, pointing at Lacey with a confused tilt of his head.
"What is it?" She asked, not understanding what he was trying to say. Jason brought his hand to his mouth, and it hit Ruby. "Oh! Why doesn't she speak?" She asked for clarification, making sure that's what he meant. When Jason nodded, he noticed the atmosphere in the room get a lot darker.
"Poor Lacey saw a bunch of bullies throw a friend into a lake when she was younger." Whitney explained. Jason widened his eyes at the explanation. That was him she saw! He looked at Lacey, who was hugging herself as she remembered the awful memory.
Ryder nodded. "It traumatized her so bad, and she stopped speaking." Jason tilted his head, but instead of confusion, he was looking at her with sadness. So she saw him die. Jason wished he could comfort her, tell her he's alive, but he didn't know how. Jason suddenly thought of something though, and pulled out his scroll. Everyone watched him type something, before showing his scroll to Ruby.
"What was his name?" It said in big bold letters. Ruby looked up at Jason, before turning to look at Lacey, asking the same question.
"What was your friend's name?" She asked. Lacey signed something, and Ruby turned to look at Jason. "She said it was Jason...I don't know what the last name was. It's kinda creepy that you share the same first name." Lacey silently sighed, before pulling out her own scroll. Jason watched her type a few commands, before she showed him what was on the screen. He recognized it as the newspaper article detailing his death when he drowned, with a slight difference. Instead of wherever his Crystal Lake was, the newspaper had it placed somewhere called Patch. Where Ruby was from. He scanned the article, until he found what he was looking for. There was a picture of him as a boy, and under it, read his name. Jason Voorhees. Luckily for him, no one else saw the picture on her scroll. He looked at Lacey in slight shock, and she grew a little uncomfortable at his gaze.
She watched as Jason started pulled something up on her scroll, and when he showed her what was on it, she felt like she had been hit by a ton of bricks as she read the information on the screen.
Name: Jason Voorhees.
Age: 17
Semblance: Strength increased to an unknown degree.
Birthday: June 13th
Known relatives: Pamela Voorhees (Mother), Elias Voorhees (Father)
Information: Was born on a Friday the 13th, considered one of the unluckiest day of the year by the superstitious. Ironically, he was born with a defect that altered his face, causing him to have a misshapen skull.
Lacey felt swirl of emotions pass through her, as she realized just what he was trying to say. Her gaze moved up to the masked man as he put away his scroll. She signed something to him, and he felt awful that he couldn't understand what she was saying. He turned to Ruby, hopeful that she was paying attention. The cloaked girl had a confused expression on her face, much like everyone else in the room did, as she looked up at the masked man.
"She asked...if it was really you." Ruby informed him. Jason turned to look back at Lacey, who had an expression her face that mixed shock with hope. Slowly, Jason moved his head up and down in a nod, and Lacey felt tears of joy well up in her eyes as she realized that she was, in fact, talking to the boy she thought had died all those years. Everyone watched as Lacey quickly closed the distance between her and the man, and wrapped her arms around his waist, as she let her head rest upon his chest. She was scared to let go, afraid it was a dream. She was plagued with the awful thought that if she let go of the man in front of her, he would disappear, or she would suddenly wake up in her bed, finding out was a dream.
"I don't understand what's going on here." Danny said, looking at the scene in confusion. His words earned him a smack to the back of the head, courtesy of Whitney.
"Shut up, idiot!" She scolded, gazing at the two people in front of her. She wasn't completely sure, but she had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
Lacey silently sobbed as she gripped onto Jason, and the man felt guilty at making her cry like this. It wasn't his intention, he just wanted to tell her he was alive, show her that she could see him again. Slowly, he wrapped his own arms around the girl in an effort to comfort her. Lacey widened her eyes as she felt his big bulky arms around her back. That was what did it for her. She melted in his arms, tears running down her face, as she realized that this wasn't a dream. She was currently in the arms of Jason Voorhees. Both friends dropped to their knees, as Lacey felt her legs turn to jelly, and Jason simply following her, trying to comfort her. The other occupants of the room stared, some in confusion, others in understanding.
"What's going on?" Ryder asked in a whisper, trying not to disturb the scene in front of them.
"I think Jason is...well, Jason." Amy said. Ryder tilted his head in confusion, turning to look at Dex for clarification.
"Her friend. When we she was younger." He explained. Ryder's eyes widened as he realized what they meant, as he looked at Jason and Lacey in shock.
"Jason? Lacey?" Ruby's voice asked. Jason turned his attention to the red cloaked girl, while keeping his arms around Lacey. "Why's she crying? How does she know you?" She asked in confusion, looking at the scene with a tilted head. Jason simply shook his head, his way of saying 'not now' as he turned his attention back to Lacey. Ruby nodded and didn't say anything else. Jason let the cry and sob, until she finally had no more tears to spare. When she could no longer produce said fluid, she wiped her eyes as she slowly looked up at Jason. She tilted her head as she realized something. Jason watched as she signed something, and his own head tilted in confusion. He really needed to learn sign language. However, before he could ask Ruby, she clarified what she meant by reaching her hand up, tapping her index finger on the mouth of his mask.
She wanted to know where he got his mask. He was not comfortable explaining that one right now, to anybody. Hell, this is his second hockey mask. The first one he got was from that prankster, the day after he was tricked by that one blonde. The second one was from some poor sucker on a class cruise to New York. Not his most favorite trip. Unsure of how to answer, he simply shrugged. Lacey's brow furrowed and she tilted her head, but she did not force it. She smiled and snuggled her head into Jason's chest, and Jason would've laughed if he could've at how cute she looked.
"Okay." Danny's voice caught everyone's attention. "Does someone wanna explain what's going on here?" He asked with an annoyed edge to his voice. Jason silently huffed. He only just met the guy, and he already hated him.
"You really are an idiot, Danny." Ruby commented. "Jason was the friend Lacey thought she saw drown." She explained. Danny's eyes widened.
"Really?!" He asked in shock. There were simultaneous groans of annoyance throughout the room.
"Meet the resident idiot, everybody!" Dex said in annoyance, as Jason and Lacey stood to there feet. Lacey looked up at Jason when they finally separated, and signed him something. Jason looked at Ruby for a translation.
"She asked where you've been all this time." Ruby translated. Jason nodded, and turned back to Lucy, pulling out his scroll once more. As he was typing, Lacey looked at Ruby.
'Doesn't he know sign?' She asked Ruby, who shook her head.
"No. We've gotten to know him, and we figured that certain actions at certain times mean different things." She explained. Lacey nodded and turned to Jason as he finished typing, giving her an answer.
"Crystal Lake. Then the Emerald Forest." Was what was typed on his scroll. Lacey pulled out her own, deciding it was easier to type with Jason that it was to have Ruby translate.
"Do you know sign language?" She typed. Jason shook his head. Lacey typed again. "I know where you can learn, if you like?"
"Can't you teach me?" He typed. Lacey thought for a moment, before nodding.
Before the silent conversation could continue, the door burst open, with Yang and Blake walking in.
"So, are you ready to go to the arcade, sis?" Yang asked as she walked into the room.
"Please say yes so we can get this over with." Blake begged, her arms dragging. "The only fun thing today was the library, and watching Jason's fight again."
Ruby was silent for a moment, before she lit up with an idea. She turned to Whitney. "Hey, are you guys doing anything?" She asked.
"Well, Dex was working on something on the computer, and me and Amy are partners for a project for your dad." She explained.
"Is Lacey free?" Ruby specified, both her and Whitney looking at the brown haired girl, who shook her head. Ruby grinned. "Great! You wanna go to the arcade with us?" Lacey looked up at Jason for a moment, who was gazing at her with soft eyes, and she turned back to Ruby and nodded.
"Uh, Rubes? This was supposed to be a-" Before she could finish, Blake smacked her hand over Yang's mouth as she spoke up herself.
"We're glad you're joining us, Miss."
A wolf whistle sounded out, and everyone turned to look at Danny, who was gazing at Blake with a ravenous look in his eyes. "How'd you meet that hot babe?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. Everyone glared at the biker dressed boy, and Jason turned to Ruby, pointing at Danny, before smacking his fist into his palm. Ruby nodded.
"Yes, you can. He definitely deserves it." She said, giving Jason permission to do what he wanted.
"Deserves what?" No sooner than Danny had the words out did he find himself unconscious on his bed, as Jason drove his fist into the pervert's face. Everyone laughed as he drooled on himself.
"Serves that pervert right!" Amy said, smiling at the masked man. Jason nodded, smirking smugly under his mask. He turned to look at Lacey, who was silently giggling at the entire display. He felt himself light up with joy, knowing that he had made her laugh.
Once Blake had stopped laughing, she still had a smile in her face as she spoke. "Thanks, Jason." She said, grateful that he was defending her. The masked man nodded, giving her a thumbs up. He was happy to do so. She was his friend, and he didn't like it when people insulted his friends. Plus, he wasn't fond of the fact that the boy shared a dorm with Lacey.
And he hadn't kicked his habits yet.
"Well, I'm ready to go to the arcade, so can we please get going?" Yang asked impatiently, her arms crossed.
"Yang, don't be rude!" Blake scolded. Ruby sighed.
"Yeah, let's go." She said, turning to the dorm occupants. "It was good to see all of you." He gaze landed on Danny's unconscious form. "Well, most of you."
Whitney chuckled. "It was good to see you too."
Amy nodded. "Please stop by whenever you get the chance. We enjoy seeing you!" She exclaimed, a large grin on her face.
Ruby smiled. "Thanks. I will!"
Dex smiled. "It was good to see you, Ruby." He said. Ryder nodded.
"Yeah!" He turned to look at Lacey. "See you when you get back, Lace." He said. Lacey smiled, and nodded.
While Yang, Ruby, and Blake, who was forced to play as a part of her promise, played games at the arcade, Jason and Lacey simply wandered around, content to be in each other's company. But a thought occurred to Jason.
From what he was told, Lacey didn't talk because she was traumatized by his death. He understood that, but now that he's alive and in front of her, would he be able to convince her to talk? Pulling out his scroll, he typed in something, before tapping her shoulder, gaining her attention so that he could show her what he had typed.
"Now that you know I'm alive, can you start speaking again?" He had typed. He was honestly thought that was how it worked. And for some people, it does. Lacey looked at him, her eyes showing confusion, her head tilted, before she looked down. Jason wondered what she was doing for a moment, before she looked up at him. And her mouth opened.
"I...I...I haven't...spoken...in years." Jason's eye widened in surprise as he heard her use her voice, but he could also tell she was forcing herself to speak, and he felt guilt wash over him at his question. He was only curious. He didn't want her to do that. "It...hurts...a little." She told him. Lacey spotted the guilty look in his eye, and shook her head. "Don't...feel...bad." She told him, causing him to tilt his head in confusion. "I...need to...start...speaking...again." She admitted. "It'll...make it...easier...to talk...to you." She told him. Jason's eye widened in surprise. So she was attempting this just for him? He didn't mean to sound self-centered, but that was how it felt right now. Lacey's smile relieved him of some of his guilt though. He was quick to envelope her in a hug. An embrace which she promptly returned.
A thought occurred to Jason. She made an attempt speaking for him, to make communication easier. He knew that before he arrive here, his own vocal chords were mush. Destroyed, mostly by the amount of time he had spent in water after fighting the blonde boy. And aura couldn't heal permanent injuries and defects. That's why he still looked like a rotted corpse, and his face didn't look any better. But, if his vocal chords were mostly damaged by water, could his aura have healed them when he arrived? He decided it was worth a try.
Lacey watched as Jason's head slowly moved back and forth. It almost looked like he was attempting to speak. She could hear slight growls, moans, and groans, as he made an attempt. The way he put so much effort into it told her that he didn't talk, not because he didn't want to, but because he practically can't. So imagine the massive shock she gets when she hears two quiet, simple words emit from the hulking man in front of her.
"Thank...You..." A deep, hoarse, guttural voice said, and Lacey looked at Jason in shock, before smiling, pulling him as close to her as she possibly could, burying her face into his chest.
Jason was shocked himself, even as he hugged her back. If he forced himself, and put enough effort into it, he could speak! Granted, it felt like Krueger had grabbed all iof his vocal chords in his fist, and had ripped them out of his throat, but if he could find a way to get around that, and heal himself, he just might be able to start speaking again!
For now, though, he was just gonna have to stick with learning sign language from Lacey.
Lacey pulled her face away from his chest, and her eye caught something. It was one of those strength testers, the ones where you punch the bag as hard you could, and it gave you a certain level. Looking at Jason's hulking form, she wondered how strong he actually was, and she felt her face heating up as she realized that she could feel just how hard and bulky his arms were as they wrapped around her. Pulling away, she grabbed Jason's hand before tugging on it, pulling him towards the machine. She put a lien card into it, before turning to Jason, gesturing to the bag on the machine before imitating a punch.
Jason tilted his head. She wanted him to do the game? Well, who was he to disappoint her? Turning to look at the machine, he tilted his head, wondering how much strength he should put into it. He couldn't go full strength, because that would definitely obliterate the machine. But he also wanted to max it out, and get the highest score. Eventually, he decided to just give a casual punch. One that he would use to knock out an aura user, and maybe shatter the aura. Most people could get aura, so the machine could take that kind of punch, right?
Unfortunately, that was just Jason's childlike naivety shining through, as the moment he punched the machine, the whole thing went flying, snapping in two, the top flying a little bit away from the bottom. Both pieces of the machine embedded themselves into the wall, making a perfect indent. Both Jason and Lacey looked on in wide-eyed shock, at the unintended damage the masked man had done, before looking at each other, silently asking if that had actually happened. Other people were also looking on in shock, their gazes moving between Jason and the destroyed machine pieces in a cartoonish way.
"What was that?!" The familiar voice of Yang filled their ears, and both Jason and Lacey turned to see the blonde brawler running in their direction, Ruby and Blake in tow. Jason was about whip out his scroll, but Blake was quick to put two and two together, and answered for him.
"It looks like Jason tried out the strength tester." She said, pointing to the broken pieces, which had by now fallen out of the wall. The sisters' jaws dropped, before Yang glared Jason.
"You beat my high-score!" She said. Blake rolled her eyes.
"He caused damage to both a public building, and an arcade machine. And you're worried about your high score?" She asked, looking at the blonde with a raised eyebrow. Yang stuttered for a moment.
"Uh...um...well...uh...let's scram!" she yelled, running out of the building as fast as she could, the other four trailing behind her. They all ran, or Jason's case, walked, as far as they thought they had to. They eventually stopped at a little park, where everyone except Jason were panting, taking in as much air as they could to fill their aching lungs.
"I think we're safe." Ruby said between breaths, Lacey nodding in agreement.
"No one is chasing us." Blake remarked, looking back in the direction they had came from.
"Do you see anyone, Jason?" Yang asked the masked man. Something that Teams RWBY and JNPR had come to learn, is that despite missing one eye, something only three of them knew about, Jason had the sight a hawk. He had once spotted Cardin following them, attempting to pull a prank on Velvet, despite the fact that the boy was out of earshot and hidden by a crowd. Not to mention it was night time.
The masked man shook his head, everyone sighed in relief. If Jason didn't see anyone, there was nothing to worry about. Lacey smiled at Jason, and Jason smiled under his mask, giving a thumbs up to the brown haired girl.
"Well, the arcade's a bust and it's almost time to head back. I think we're having a wonderful day!" Yang said sarcastically.
"Hey, at least you got to see your dad." Blake said. Ruby nodded.
"That's true, and I got to see my friends again!" She said cheerily, before her gaze turned to Lacey and Jason. "And we were able to watch two crushes find each other again!"
Their eyes widened, and they looked at each other, before looking away, Lacey's face taking on a red tint as she moved a strand of hair behind her ear. They couldn't see Jason's face, but he was standing with an arm on the back of his head and a hand to his hip, his eye looking away in embarrassment. The other three smiled at the display.
"I guess." Yang admitted with a small smile on her face. Jason and Lacey eventually turned to each other again, before Jason wrapped one arm around Lacey's shoulder, the girl smiling at the one armed embrace as she held her hands together, leaning into Jason's side.
"So, Lacey, can you make it back on your own?" Ruby asked. Before Lacey could even answer, however, Jason started waving his hands back and forth and shaking his head frantically, vehemently expressing his dislike for the idea. Lacey smiled at the man's concern.
"Will you...walk back...with me?" Lacey asked, causing both Ruby and Yang to widen their eyes in absolute shock.
"Since when do you speak?!" Ruby exclaimed in shock. Lacey smiled.
"Since Jason's...back...I thought...that I should try." She said. Ruby stared for a moment, before slowly nodding.
"I guess that makes sense." She said, smiling at the two.
"Well, I'm glad your talking again!" Yang said. "Can't wait till your talking normally."
Blake nodded. "I guess we'll be seeing you again, sometime." She said, to which Lacey smiled.
"Welp, see you when you get back, Jason." Yang waved him off.
"Yeah. And it was nice seeing you, Lace!" Ruby said as she waved at the two. Blake, Yang, and Ruby all turned and walked in the opposite direction of Jason and Lacey, who turned and walked in the direction of Signal.
"Thanks...for walking...with me." Lacey said, looking up at the hulking man, who nodded. He'd always jump at the chance to spend time with her. He hadn't seen her in years. To her, they had only been apart a few years, but for Jason, it was more than five decades. He patted her head, as if trying to tell her he would always do so. "So," She spoke again, gaining his attention. "Do you...still want to...learn sign?" She asked him. Jason nodded eagerly. If it made communication easier, he would gladly learn sign language. Lacey smiled. "Would you...stay? A little later...tonight?"
Jason thought for moment. He had to be back before curfew, or he could get in trouble. But then again, he hadn't seen Lacey for years, and his friends took top priority in his mind. Especially his closest friend. Eventually, he decided, and turning to Lacey, he spoke for the second time that night.
"Always."
A/N: Okay, that's the end of this chapter. Once again, I'm sorry that this chapter is so short compared to the first two, but I missed my intended deadline, which was this passing Wednesday, and I wanted to get this chapter done as soon as possible. For those of you worried about whether or not Lacey will appear again, trust me, she will. Whether I pair the two together, I'll just have to see, but I am thinking about it. Also, I intend to put as much focus into this story as I can. But with school starting up in three days, I may fall behind on it.
Also, I plan on putting up a poll. I'm gonna have three AU versions other horror icons join Jason on a team, and the top three most voted will be the ones who join him.
Anyway, next chapter is when we finish off the Jaune's arc of the story. And for those of you waiting for Jason to go on a rampage, I hope I do him justice. Reviews and favorites are appreciated, and I will see you in the next chapter.
