Once Jaune calmed down enough to speak, he tried to explain everything as best he could while Whitback helped to fill in the details. He started with how he caught Blake and continued to the point when he left Roman's apartment to find someone to help.

"It's a little blurry after that…" It hurt just thinking about what happened. Do I really have to tell him everything…?

"Just try your best Jaune." James answered the unasked question, forcing him to take in a deep breath to try and calm his shaking hands. He had made so many mistakes in such a short time. Leaving witnesses, disobeying orders, running away.

…killing an innocent person.

He would be punished, he was sure of it. He deserved it, he knew, but that didn't make it any easier to talk about what he had done with the man he had looked up to for so long.

Killing an innocent and terrified person? Wasn't that the very definition of a monster?

"There was a woman and a man in a dark alley," He wouldn't run away from his mistake, no matter how much he wanted to. "The man had a knife pointed at the woman, and he reeked of hostility." Thinking back on it, the whole situation was strange. What could have happened between the pair that caused such anger and fear?

"I didn't have any time to think. I just wanted to get him off her, but…" He trailed off while looking at his hand and focusing on what he wanted to happen. Blackened veins spread through and the glove was quickly liquified and absorbed through the skin, showing James a bit about how his body had changed.

"I lost control…" He could see the man now, embedded in the concrete wall like some perverse cartoon.

"She was so sc-" Jaune felt his throat close off as the woman's face played in his mind over and over. She had been so confused, she didn't understand what had just happened. All she could see was the masked figure looming over and reaching out for her. The same figure that had just turned someone into a pile of meat.

Why did he think she would react with anything but terror?

When a monster stood before her, how else would she?

"The next thing I knew… I-I had killed her too…" he couldn't explain any more, he could feel his hands shaking and his stomach flipping. She was innocent, and he had devoured her.

An innocent woman, just trying to go about her life. Maybe she had kids at home, or perhaps she lived with her parents. How long would it be before they even learned of the life he stole? How many of them would end up feeling the exact same thing he had, because he couldn't control himself?

"I-I didn't mean- I mean, I didn't want-..." None of that was supposed to happen. He was supposed to stop others from feeling the pain he had. And yet, he was the cause. It was his fault.

It was all his fault.

\-/

Whitback could feel the overwhelming guilt smashing through Jaune. It was unbearably suffocating, and it was getting worse by the second

How dare that woman make him feel such pain. It wished it could say that, but it knew the truth. It couldn't lie to itself. That woman was simply acting on her most basic survival instincts, understandable considering the fear of death most living things held.

No, it wasn't the woman's fault Jaune felt such pain. It was its own fault.

It had been the one to see and respond to the weapon coming at them. Jaune was fully prepared to take the knife to the gut. It was the one unable to differentiate between a harmful and harmless attack.

"Jaune killed the man by accident," Whitback spoke up when it was clear Jaune couldn't.

"He wasn't used to our new body and unintentionally sent a tendril forth."

"The woman Jaune had tried to help was hysterical, but I admit I was already on edge when she attacked us." It frowned awkwardly, not used to feeling the human emotions that Jaune was unintentionally thrusting upon it.

"Out of reflex, I killed her." Do you hear that, Jaune? You didn't kill her; it was me. It had wanted to tell Jaune this, but it had a feeling the stubborn boy would only refuse to even acknowledge the statement.

"I… regret what happened. Had I been clear minded I could have disarmed her and Jaune could have been spared such intense remorse." Its frown deepened as it reached up to touch the liquid forming at its eyes. When had Jaune created those? It was such a waste of material, but it doubted he even knew he was doing it.

"But that doesn't matter now…" It wished things could have been different, but it was far too late.

"With the added stress from the alleyway, all Jaune needed was a push to go over the edge. A push Roman's men provided." It finished and looked up at James, seeing the larger man scratch his chin thoughtfully.

"Am I going to have to stay in my room again…?" Jaune asked barely above a mumble, easily wresting control from Whitback.

\-/

James felt his heart wrench. He never wanted to keep Jaune locked up, but it was necessary to keep the public from learning about Whitback… Wasn't it? Or Maybe he had only done what was easiest for him, forgetting Jaune was still a traumatized child in desperate need of support.

"No, you won't." He let out a sad sigh.

"It was a mistake to try and hide you away. I'm sorry, Jaune." He could see now that keeping the boy secluded and ignorant of the world had only caused more problems. If things had been done differently, this whole mess might have been avoided.

"I just wanted to stop others from hurting like I did… I only wanted to help…"

"It's okay, Jaune. I know." He placed his hand gently on Jaune's head. Such a pure heart, it made him wonder what the boy would be doing now if he had never encountered the White-Fang or the SDC. Where would life guide him if he had never been caught between the two warring powers?

"You wish to help?" Ozpin made his presence in the room known, drawing a confused and nervous look from Jaune. The boy looked back to James, his question written on his face.

"This is Professor Ozpin, the headmaster of the Hunter's academy in Vale. Similar to what I am in Atlas." He explained patiently. He hadn't taught Jaune too much about the other kingdoms, but he had explained the importance of Hunter's and the academies that trained them.

"Despite the circumstances, it is a pleasure to meet you, Jaune Arc." Ozpin greeted with a polite bow. Jaune nodded back silently while his tears faded into his "skin".

"You said you wanted to help people?" The older man continued when Jaune remained silent. "How do you plan on doing that?"

"I'll do what a Huntsman does." Jaune responded without missing a beat, "Even If a Grimm like me can't be a real Huntsman, I'll help by protecting people from all the monsters that would hurt them!" James could tell, it wasn't certainty that Jaune's voice held, it was emotion.

Jaune wasn't certain about what he was doing or how exactly he would do it, that much was obvious. But the feeling behind the words, the passion.

Jaune would help people, even if he wasn't sure what the right thing was. Whether James and Ozpin helped or not wouldn't make a difference. He would do his best to stop people from hurting like he had, of that James had no doubt.

"So you wish to do what a Huntsman does, hmm?" Ozpin sipped his coffee. "I imagine working to become an actual Huntsman would help with that goal, don't you think?" Oddly enough, the suggestion seemed to catch Jaune off guard.

"I… Don't know if that's possible." The boy looked down with a frown. "I am Grimm. I've seen how people react to that realization. Would people really accept a monster like me protecting them…"

"Oh? You're a creature of Grimm are you? So why are you just sitting there, letting a human hold you like one of their own?" He motioned to the protective arm that James still had wrapped around Jaune.

He might have felt some embarrassment, the General of Atlas wasn't supposed to show such affections to anyone, let alone someone from a different nation. But when Jaune looked up at him, seemingly unsure of himself, James smothered those downright idiotic thoughts and responded with an encouraging nod.

"Becoming a Huntsman… Joining the Hunters. " His eyes were wide, as if he just caught sight of some long lost quarry.

"Do you think… That would be possible?" The eyes of Grimm, filled with equal parts regret and hope. What would Salem say if she could see what one her monstrous children were capable of? Even Ozpin looked caught off guard, though he hid it as well as ever.

"It won't be easy. First and foremost, you'll have to get your reaction to negativity under much stricter control. And that's not even mentioning the years of schooling you'll have to be caught up on."

"Will you shoulder such a commitment? Even with your abilities, it will take months, if not years of preparation and study. Can you do that? All to protect people that, in all likelihood, will hate and fear the truth of your existence?"

"I understand why people are afraid of me, and I don't blame them for it." Jaune gave a smile, one that spoke of sorrowful acceptance. "I'll be honest, I don't really care if people are afraid of me… So long as I can keep them from feeling what I did..."

The way he began staring at the floor, unfocused on anything while he continued to get quieter. James knew exactly what was going through the poor boy's mind.

"No one should have to go through that…"

\-/

An hour or so later, once Jaune was shown a vacant room in Beacon, Ozpin, Qrow and James reconvened inside the headmaster's office. After remaining silent for so long, Qrow was the first to speak, no longer able to hold his tongue.

"Do you two seriously think it's a good idea to train something that dangerous?" He didn't dislike the boy, but after seeing what he and the Grimm inside him was capable of? Caution was demanded.

"I know you both see how much that grimm has changed the kid already." Qrow didn't think Jaune was completely lost to the grimm, but that didn't mean it couldn't influence him. The fact that it was able to speak using Jaune's body felt like solid proof of that.

"Only with the Jaune's permission, which I believe speaks volumes for Whitback. They're only a danger if there's too much negativity." James defended a bit too quickly and Qrow felt his eyes narrowing at the Atlesian General.

"Don't you think you're a bit too "close" to be making statements like that?" He felt he had to point out the obvious favoritism that was on display. He never thought James was even capable of going easy on someone, but it appeared that, against all odds, watching over a kid for so many years had created something of a soft spot in the crass bastard.

"Peace, let's not let emotion get the better of us." Ozpin cut the argument off before it could start. "Let me ask you something, Qrow." The older Huntsman turned to him.

"How many Huntsmen and Huntresses graduate every year?" The question caught him off guard. Was Oz trying to change the subject? It wasn't like him to ignore concerns brought to him.

"Couple a classes maybe…? Why? What does this have to do with that kid?" What was he getting at? What did graduated Hunters have to do with Jaune being dangerous? Was it something to do with the amount of Hunters they would need to take down such a threat?

"And how many die every year?" The lightbulb flickered on. It wasn't about how many Hunters it would take to kill Jaune. It was how many he could take the place of on the battlefield.

"More than a few classes worth…" Qrow mumbled. Despite the message of peace the council tried so hard to cram down everyone's throat, the grimm were getting more aggressive by the day. It was a miracle if a Hunter lived long enough to see their first gray hair.

"We're losing this war, Qrow. Even if Jaune is a risk, he is still one of our best chances of catching Salem off guard and turning the tide against her." Ozpin explained patiently, forcing Qrow to nod his head while sighing quietly in defeat.

"He will still be kept under close watch, at least until we are certain he isn't a risk to the public, negativity or not. He'll also have to learn to keep a low profile and hide his more monstrous abilities before we officially register him as a student."

"I mean, that could probably be left unsaid." Qrow pointed out. "All his good intentions wouldn't mean shit if the public saw him as a creature of Grimm or anything close to it. He'd be crucified in front of a cheering mob."

"Thank you for that lovely image." James said with a glare to Qrow before turning to Ozpin. "What about the things we can't hide? I understand that we can explain his strength and weight with a semblance, but what about his lack of aura? What if he gets injured and bleeds black blood everywhere?"

"His armor should prevent any lacerations, and that's only if his opponent is even able to hit him after Qrow's training. Any other issues that might arise should be easy enough to bluff our way through. At the end of the day, aura is not fully understood by anyone, let alone the average citizen."

"Hmm. I can see the logic there. And I suppose, with how much the Atlesian council likes to watch my academy, Beacon would be the better place for Jaune to learn without interference."

"Then it's official." Ozpin announced with a tap of his cane. "I'll fill Glynda in on the details when she gets back. Should anything come up, I'll be sure to get in touch with both of you." Qrow gave a nod to Oz while giving a glance to James before leaving the office with an exhausted farewell.

"You haven't told Glynda yet? Risky move, you know she hates being left out of the loop. She practically runs this school for you." James smiled along with the headmaster. He could admit to feeling a bit of disappointment when he learned she was away on a school-trip. He was sure Jaune would have loved her, so long as she didn't scare him too badly.

"Indeed, now I've gone and recruited a fifteen year old grimm hybrid." Ozpin chuckled, he wasn't going to be getting away with this one without a few choice words.

"Will you be staying the night?"

"Unfortunately not, I have spent too much time in Vale already. Winter is handling things while I'm away but questions will start popping up if I stay much longer." James didn't want to leave so soon but he had little choice in the matter. Duty called.

All he could do now was trust that his oldest friend would be able to handle whatever came his way.

\-/

Deep in the emerald forest, far from prying eyes, Qrow branwen raised harbinger in its sword form to deflect a tendril aimed for his ribs. He charged a second later and kicked Jaune with as much force as he could muster, using his aura to keep from breaking his own foot.

"Come on Jaune, it's been three months already. You have to stop using your tendrils already." He scolded while Jaune landed on the ground with a loud thud. He recovered quickly, twisting his sword out of the way and adjusting his shield to ready himself for another attack.

"Let me try again." Jaune insisted stubbornly. He refused to admit defeat just yet. He was already stronger and tougher than most any Hunter, and yet he wasn't even coming close to Qrow.

Even without Whitback's help, Jaune thought he would at least be able to put up a fight! But, as it currently stood, he had spent more time on the ground than standing, just like every previous sparring session he had with the older man.

After a few more hours of being tossed around by the experienced Huntsman, Jaune was finally given a break when a scroll's alarm sounded.

"That's enough for today, kid. Glynda should be waiting in the usual spot." Qrow said while tapping at his scroll to shut it up. Jaune nodded but didn't move right away. There was something he wanted to ask, but he wasn't quite sure how to go about it.

"I uh-" He began, unsure how to approach Qrow outside of their lessons. Three months of training and he still wasn't sure what the older Huntsman thought of him. Did he think of him as a monster like Winter had? It was hard to tell when they only spoke during their spars.

"I heard that you're related to Ruby, is that true?" The blunt method, it was the only way he knew how to ask. Plus, it might have the added benefit of helping see what his teacher thought of him.

Qrow always seemed cautious, but he didn't have that anxious look that Winter usually had. Did that mean he was more accepting? Like Ruby or James had been?

"Mhmm, She's my niece. Why do you ask?" He answered with a blank expression that gave nothing away. So much for that idea. Jaune thought with an internal sigh

"Well, I guess I was hoping to see her again." He answered without thinking.

"Oh? And what's got you so eager to see my adorable little niece, hmmm?" Qrow leaned forward while a more critical look entered his eye. Was that a bad look? Had he said something wrong?

"Oh, um- well, she kind of…" Jaune found himself struggling to explain.

"She reminds me of someone I used to know…" He took a calming breath but still refused to go into any further detail. He still had lessons to do and skipping out on them wasn't an option if he wanted to become a Huntsman. He didn't have time to let himself get distracted by such thoughts of the past.

"Huh, not the answer I expected." The older man backed up and relaxed some.

"Either way, that's not really up to me. If you want to travel around freely and visit who you want to, you'll need to prove to Ozpin that you're able to handle being around crowds of people."

"Right." He knew that much already, but he couldn't help but frown behind his mask. It looked like it would be a while longer before he was able to meet up with Ruby again.

With a quick goodbye, Jaune made his way to the vacant classroom Miss Goodwitch used for his lessons. All while doing his best to avoid people. It wasn't too hard, as his time-table was made to have him moving between classes while every other student was already in class.

While remaining completely out of sight was impossible, he was still able to avoid the vast majority of people. Hopefully one day he would have both the chance and the confidence to speak with the official students.

As soon as he was seated and a textbook was opened in front of him, Jaune couldn't stop himself from zoning out. The endless stream of text made even the simplest of tasks seem exciting in comparison. He'd rather trim the entirety of the Emerald forest with safety scissors than read through "The Creation and History of the Steam Engine".

He still listened intently whenever Glynda taught him personally, but the mountain of papers to grade that seemed to be ever-present on her desk kept those lessons few and far between. It was hard for him to put any real effort in when his average lesson consisted of a few books and a quiz.

He knew he should probably be studying more himself, but when Whitback could read a textbook once and repeat every word verbatim whenever the information was needed? Well, it made studying feel a bit obsolete.

At least Glynda was nice, in her own way. She didn't talk very much when she wasn't actively teaching and she had this perpetual stern look on her face that might have scared him a bit more than he would like to admit.

But the one thing that had him convinced she wasn't a bad person was her reaction to his voice and appearance. It felt so natural he almost thought that she must have met someone like him before. To his eyes, she didn't seem to see him as a creature of Grimm.

It was a relief when compared to Qrow's more cautious demeanor.

You know, Jaune. Whitback spoke up once their lessons were over and they were back in their dorm. If you'd like to visit Ruby, I'm sure I could find her. Patch is a rather small town, afterall.

"I know, but I want to do this properly." Jaune was still surprised that the initial issues he had caused upon entering the city hadn't been punished further. And while he desperately wanted to see his sist-... Ruby. While he desperately wanted to see Ruby again, the thought of losing control around her was too much to bear.

"I want to make sure we're in full control when we see her next. We can't let what happened in Vale happen again."

"Now, let's get started shall we?" Instead of reply, Whitback began numbing their senses. The first to go was his sight, enveloping him in a world completely devoid of color. Next was his hearing, silencing the distant conversations that were happening all around the school. Then it was his sense of touch and he could almost imagine his body going limp as the numbing sensation spread through him. Finally the process came to his sense of smell, and while that should have stopped any scent from being understood by his mind, one refused to be numbed.

A sickeningly sweet scent that he had only recently begun to purposely seek out.

What he had done at Roman's apartments, it was a horrible slaughter that, if he could, he would take back in an instant. But without that event, he wouldn't have realized that avoiding the scent that negativity brought wouldn't help him.

In order to learn how to deal with it, he needed to experience it on a more regular basis.

The amount of negativity in Beacon was minimal, but it was by no means non-existent. The stresses of school, injuries brought on by training or Grimm, there was small bits of negativity everywhere around the school. There was a reason the Grimm in the Emerald forest needed regular culling.

With a deep breath, he did his best to ignore the heady feeling that filled his head. The pain that soon followed was intense, like a burning sensation he could only describe as ants under his skin.

"Arrghh!" He began coughing heavily as his senses came crashing back, unable to handle the pain for longer than a few minutes. Normally such a small amount of negativity wouldn't be enough for such a reaction, but the lack of any other stimuli made it impossible to handle for long.

"Alright… let's try again"

If you wish.

Another deep breath was taken before Whitback stripped his senses once more. Jaune refused to hesitate while repeating the cycle. The pain was bad, no that wasn't right. It wasn't just bad. The only thing he could compare it to was the feeling of being burned alive from the inside.

But no matter how painful it was, he wouldn't stop. Losing himself to the pleasurable haze would have been so easy, but he couldn't accept the escape. To give in meant to become less than he was. Grimm nature would take over. How many would he kill? How many would suffer?

It wouldn't happen. He refused to let himself be a slave to his emotions or instincts.

He would not become a beast.

\~/

Not sure how I feel about this chapter. Feel like it might not be a great one, but a I also felt like an explanation on what Jaune and Whitback were feeling, and how Ozpin's group was reacting to these events was still needed. But also feel like I'm just overthinking and it's fine. Either way, hopefully its entertaining! Hope you all are enjoying your evenings/mornings!