Trust me, I felt like I was writing a betrayed Jaune fic during the last part.
I hope you guys enjoyed the first part, as I did enjoy returning some of your PMs when I had some time to kill. Of which I did passed on my midterms, which is good.
But now it's time for me to take a break before returning to write chapter 5 and I still have small ideas for it but not an actual draft. Sorry.
Wanna takes this time to thank Midnight49 for the review.
Gonsmoss - Not really a great start to it all. As I stated before, I wanted a slow start to the story. As for the introduction for RWBY, besides the leader herself, everyone else got a pretty terrible start since, well, a terrorist attack and all that. But yeah, it's a slow-burn type of story before some cliche romance parts. It's like those stories where Jaune suffers, not too much that it just becomes edgy for the sake of being one, and I just combined it with some regular ship fics. The best of both worlds, I say!
But yeah, Jaune's in trouble if anybody were to be able to see his power.
Hope you enjoy this one cause. The last part was rushed, as I want this out by the week. Might get some time to fix it, eventually...
Chapter 5 Teaser part 2 - La dernière partie
Fifty boxes. Three nondescript holidays' worth of saving.
To have met its fiery resolution all charred up; and to be honest, between claws, talons, fangs to speeding bullets and blade slashes, it held up longer than no-one could expect such lowly for a cheap one-off promo for a cereal brand.
To At least have his hoodie died worthy in a blaze of glory, saving lives and an entire street block. You had a great run.
Now what's left of its remains lay rest in his hand, scorched.
While, it's not exactly the preferred choice of attire going heading to combat with. But you're going to take what you can in every way and the financial situation Jaune is in forced his hands to take it into understanding.
He came to consider this cheap hoodie like a personality to him that just became part of who he was to everyone now to have it left in tattered and a burned ruin and the rest was now ashes.
If anything, it has to be some sick and twisted coincidence talking to him, manifesting itself into reality through words from Ruby's own admission of him he no longer resembling the old Jaune Arc… So a goofball, if memories serve him correct
How he wishes hard, really hard, for that day to come, but right now can't when his continuous spiraling trudge through the path filled of suffering looks almost no-ending along entertains whatever powerful being that leads him to another coincidence to add that just further to his point.
Jaune Arc; he has to be the biggest sack of irony with legs: Everyone's laughingstock.
Point and laugh. Because that's all there is to it… All you people are going to get. They might get a kick out of him burning alive too, but that's just his deeper cynicism he developed for quite some time talking. Talking at no one but his own subconscious. But the possibility is still up for resolutions.
The somber expression he adopted for some time let a chuckle out at the idea rising inside his hide. Try asking for Pyrrha to use that connection of hers as a champion to send a replacement, but that seemed redundant.
He already owed her too much just by the after-school training, and that's not counting the countless relationship advice to try on Weiss; of which still didn't go anywhere but to nowhere; crashed into port and he didn't realize it, till now facing a burning wreck of a ship he fell asleep in.
So now, here he was sporting his black undershirt with his burned perseverance and saved-up liens on-hand. He stayed quiet at a back of an ambulance after a brief check-up that concluded in nothing.
Might as well take it easy after risking himself along with those books.
But even that didn't take long as then, by the corner of his eyes, caught wind of figures sent by Beacon were to most likely assess the situation after an attack as this.
Causing a cold sweat to trickle down the blond's temple as the person in question stood like an oak tree amongst branches. Then have that tree sprout yellow leaves and bear fruits of granny Smith green apples.
Then congrats.
That gets you, Glynda Goodwitch, of whom also had Jaune had etched into his head as the deputy headmaster and a ruthless disciplinarian of the academy he came to personally meet with at least once a week.
Sexual jokes aren't included as those same meeting concluded with reminders of how his performance was slipping each waking day. Like the added pressure was helping things and now the threat from the second highest authority figure in Beacon was practically telling he could be dropped from being a huntsman altogether.
In terms of a way out of another confrontation, there never really was a way to spare himself the wrath of the deputy headmistress without avoiding the entire bookstore encounter, all together with squeaky clean hands, out of the dirt from any terrorist business.
That particular choice came and went when he passed beyond the point of self-preservation that also furtively signaled no return the moment he went and approached the white fang duo out back from the bookstore already.
He expected this, came down to another likely one-on-one with the probably wicked witch of Beacon, after an explosion such as this going off in a market district.
But was he ready, however?
That one is debatable.
Try not to get too much attention to myself, said the dumbass, who did the complete opposite. Being Jaune, if he's going to fail, he might as well fail in style, that being attracting along every department of emergency services to his location.
Jaune release another sigh with more to give tonight, one outed as coarse and tired. He might as well get on with it. No better time than today than tomorrow for a more cleared and thought-out disciplinary action.
He watched as Ruby's petite figure sporadically waving her arms around as she mostly likely explaining what happened from what Jaune could spot a guess by the reactions of his and the sister teams. Oh, of course, he didn't forget the almost looming figure of the Miss Goodwitch.
Weiss was indifferent, Blake on the hand was attentively curious, and he swore Nora's eyes were practically glistening with that giddy smile on her face and vibrating with some version of proud and joy. It didn't help when he felt a shiver crawling up his back.
Ren is still Ren, no surprise there.
Pyrrha, on the other-hand, was the complete opposite of her fellow Mistralian. Jaune could spot how visibly worried she's in, her head shifting from left and right; looking for her partner after his sudden disappearance had her nerves wracked up high with stress and worry and she won't stop until she can land her sights on wherever that blond leader of her is.
Finally at once, the fading sea-blue eyes met against her brilliant emerald pair that shone under the shade of night.
If there's another thing the blond knight expected with ending this night, besides the terror of the deputy. That's already a given.
It's the incessant nagging of his partner that actually feels like to him has no end is another thing. You'd be left seeing how rude he'd be treating someone who cared about him to call her annoying and even he'd be hard-pressed to feel bad calling her as such.
But after hearing the same words over and over again.
"Jaune, I'm worried about you…"or "Jaune please talk to me, is something bothering you lately?" thrice a day for gods' sake when he could barely catch a couple of minutes of actually sleep at night undisturbed only exacerbate his dwindling patients in his tired state.
"Jaune!" He returned from his thoughts to catch those words from Pyrrha as she practically sprinted towards him at the first second his eyes connected to her like there was a threat imperceptible to his eyes but hers just behind her tail and last he checked for anything dangerous to the Mistralian champion was just the deputy headmistress, but hey, to each of their own.
"Pyrrha please, I'm fine." Like it did anything to lull Pyrrha's maternal senses as it went to full blast, she arrived to ignore her partner's pleas and begun inspecting every inch of the knight's body for any injuries.
To Jaune's view, it's like she didn't bother nor care for the more professional field-doctor's assessment of him was all worthless as he was her partner, and she knows better.
In fact, she just might be frankly.
"Really, I got it under control… Well, only on the first and last part…" Hoping to laugh it off, Jaune tried to reach the crapshoot that his partner would drop whatever she was on with inspecting him with assurance. "The climax was a different story."
Only she did pause, along with her green eyes, staring back at him, filled with worry.
"But it all worked out in the end." Right? No large fire. Tukson guy is safe, and I sent the criminals behind bars. A pretty acceptable result, If I say so myself. Despite his bright response, he however receives none back, only more stares from the Mistralian hoplite…
It was like he returned to the clinic-bed that morning. He didn't know what to say. How to even say. Laugh it off? Certainly didn't work at the clinic and didn't work right now. Sincerity? Unless he was admitting that there was something wrong with him.
Which he vehemently denies.
Then why does it feel like she was treating him like a defenseless child? In fact, it's actually angering his better judgment. Come on, he's weak, but not outright frail. He hated that idea that he needed to be protected all the time. Is that how everyone sees him?
"Aren't you at least happy I stopped the attack?"
"You had us worried all day! How could you even come to the conclusion we'd sit around while you're gone?!" Welp, those words from his partner certainly spoke a lot to the blond; along the lines of he fucked up to great lengths to even more and to then be presented with no choice of possibly responding to her. He then reverted to the most basic body-response he knows.
The outburst was a best point of reminder that he has no clue what to say, as he's still the socially awkward mess with false bravado Jaune Arc is. This was beyond his emotional and social output. In other words, wordless, he stayed quiet.
"Correction, only she is. Nora and I happily accepted your decision to take a trip to Vale after your message reached us." Oh good, Jaune only left to wonder how much of the school property damage raised before the message reached them?
The blond turned to Ren, who arrived unsurprisingly in the nick of time out of nowhere, to clear things up like he always does; all the while taking away with withholding a certain lip busted by that of a Nora and a Yang along with an ego horribly bruised by a certain red-haired Mistralian.
"Uh… Okay…? Great to see you too, pal. Pyrrha, I know, and I'm sorry."
Jaune took a chance to move his gaze beside the champion, subtly checking to see if anyone else saw or heard.
Good. Nobody heard or cared about Pyrrha's outburst.
Hell, he'll take Ruby, taking center stage of everyone's attention. As long as to keep away anymore nosey people off his back.
Then in a heartbeat through his sights does a short-haired ginger popped in with a huge smile and, like in a comical fashion, has both arms extended to wave at her fearless leader.
Earning him a sigh, coming out more relaxed. "You too, Nora. All of you, really."
"D'aww thanks, Jauney." A sweet voice that didn't last. "Now let's get down to the pancake and syrup. How did you do it? Any legs turned to dust? Did you overpower those fifty thugs with your fists alone?!" Now replaced with a thrilled voice, snarky and with how she carried herself. It was the leg-breaking guts and glory Nora, alright.
As expected, with her. Wait, fifty? Did she just raised the body count?
Whatever. "Well…"
"Nora, shush-"
"On the things that came to surprise me…" Of course, another surprise. This time taking form in the appearance of another blonde who thankfully bears iliac eyes. The lesser of two yellow-haired evils. It was Yang, who didn't fail to wear her smirk as she approached the group, emanating a mischievous aura that apparently only the other blond could notice. "So, how did'ya did it? Did ya fearlessly fought off the white fang all lone wolf?"
The blond leader asked, "Did what?" acting genuinely to save himself from a pit he dug.
Really, his stalling was the only thing he could think of until whatever thing or person could come crashing the conversation to stop, all spearheaded by attempts at pulling the feign ignorance card out of his ass.
While Yang all-so gladly raised her points. "Please, no need to play humble-bumble. So, what did you go with? P-money's guts and glory? Coming in with a smooth one-liner before striking them down one-by-one?" Jaune remained steadfast to whatever Yang had in mind, and he's going by most of his experience with her consisted of.
"Oh-oh! Was it Ren's ninja tutoring that you use the shadow to your advantages?" Not Nora too… Not failing to opt in, haphazardly adding more fuel to the flame. To Yang's amusement grew even wider through her grin as the blond could spot.
Hold on, is Yang getting off to this?
Another voice joined the fray, waiting as well for an answer she's never going to receive just like the rest. "Jaune, is what Ruby says true?" Then Pyrrha just had to step in. Jaune gave an annoyed look at everything. Isn't she supposed to defend him?
Unknown to everyone but the champion, while her worries lie with the safety of her partner, another part of her couldn't stop the proud feeling she was experiencing at Jaune's accomplishment and in part of her that helped him reached closer to his potential.
The scythe-using strawberry stepped in, sparkles in her eye, waiting for the awesome tale of Jaune kicking butt and saving the night with a wide smile, waiting with an expectant look that her story proven right to everyone directly from the source.
Unfortunately for them, the sad truth is best left in the dark, ideally swimming with the fishes wearing cement shoes, on who you ask, as there were never any guts and glory or sneaky ninja plays at work.
All of it was just some bullshit gene-powers he gained, and he was aware of it pretty well.
No over indulgence of awe from peers would he want when it was undeserving. Worse, caught the interest of someone's hidden agenda of what really happened inside Tukson's booktrade.
Right now, there's no need for a thumbtack pinning his picture on someone's bulletin board.
So, fine. Jaune will give them what they want.
A Jaune Arc who foiled an assassination plot covered under an explosive accident and beat down a sizable gang of white fangs thugs responsible too with just his bare fist through sheer strength and techniques all on his own, maybe spice in there some of his known stubbornness for an added measure of authenticity through his teammates' knowledge of his usual nature.
Even Nora's thunder-thigh lessons can join in as well. Why not? Have his entire team deserve the credits they earned it fair and square either way. That and the tinnitus he earned from Nora's… cheers or encouragement during their training.
Alright, he'll give them just that.
…
"Right… And I'm the queen of Atlas, but we both know that's not likely just as your story is." Right, really, what did I ever saw in her?
Was it really much of a surprise to Jaune that Weiss was the first to react to his little tale? Of which her face filled with humor and disbelief. She has her arms crossed during the storytelling and her eyes narrowed in scrutiny at the blond knight. Clearly not buying the tale of him using books and his fist to take than a gang. Really, who wouldn't? Tukson's place, it was a bookstore and usually bookstores have books in them. Who he capitalized on that simple fact.
He got his story all planned out, but it seems it isn't enough, as skepticism is still rife among his friends, but Ruby, for he already expected her childlike behavior to fall for it. Anything that has action, she falls too quickly.
Unsure looks among to downright giving unimpressed looks at what they heard as the worst short story they have yet to hear. Blake, on the other hand stayed neutral, but even that just stood out as not believing even the smallest speck of dust out from Jaune's mouth.
It's just another argument.
Nothing special. It was the just another status quo that the two teams grew to get used to and while except for a silent minority, everyone in the circle just let that comment slide.
As even without a passing thought, Everyone but their two friends-in-question arguing in the same scene of like an elderly-couple that made in a silent agreement between themselves that tomorrow, everything will fix itself right back again, with Jaune coming to ask Weiss out in a futile attempt to receive another swift rejection. But what they didn't expect that left them shocked enough to crash the entire conversation.
One where even Yang experienced a massive whiplash at the alarming response.
The very moment where she heard Jaune say, slowing his eye-roll, which obviously drew easy for her team's ice-princess to pick up on.
"Well, you ARE the heiress of a powerful monopoly as the sole the life-source of Remnant. In some convoluted technical way, you're already well on your way there to become one, if not just Mantle or so. Making that balances thing out."
Oh, now he'd done it. A passive-aggressive dig at her family from out of nowhere. A real low-blow. What Jaune's cerulean eyes shifting from each of his friends only proved what the hell happened, just insured him to not find out at all.
Not even a millisecond passed when Jaune eyes blinked real hard to realize smacked in a second what his mouth carelessly runoff as he came to view a fuming Weiss with her brows furrowed and a nasty scowl all over her face for him to almost shook after charging a damaging blow at Weiss's family name's pride.
Never mention her family name, first rule with this troubled girl, and he just broke it, causing Jaune to gulp.
Then there's everyone else around that he considers his friends were in complete shock.
It wasn't something like the blond leader to go off like that and the knight himself looked to see and knew those faces were showing him.
They're stunned at him, at what he said.
A simple retort they're unable to comprehend was voiced by weeks without proper sleep, a grimm dream fueled by desperation of by a person's survival of living another morning to wake up to be bottled up and stored away never to surface.
Until it just became too much to carry and overflowed, spilling out at what he once considered was an angel in his eyes, degrading him, took its toll.
After that, it was like any sounds the dispiriting atmosphere muffled out around the knight; they uttered no more words around the circle of friends.
The fact that it took him this long to realize he couldn't help Weiss was beyond pathetic. What a fantasy he used to believe. At last, it finally opened his eyes to reality; sure took it's sweet time too, but better late than never, Jaune acknowledged.
Moments have passed and with no one raising their voice at all, had succumbed to the emergency sirens' deafening cries, as it drowned out the Beacon students with alarms and unimportant chatters that got drowned out.
Even the duo balls of positivity, Nora and Ruby, now unmoving like stones, with eyes wide from hearing the response. Being known for their effortless defusing of situations such as this with varying degrees of success, only had their eyes fixed on the knight, who they have yet to hear anything being sardonic until now.
All the while, in his own response, did left Jaune split, where he truly felt he needed to take a step back and come to grips with what he had just done, as this isn't like him and far from it; he needs to salvage this mess before he further buries himself under deeper and there's the other side where to just be an honest little-boy and to go ahead and state the obvious, everyone knew it, but just don't want to say it out loud.
A few seconds is all he needs, and carefully towards it; Memories began replaying. He witnessed everything in a brief flash his time at Beacon so far until he ended up in this mess; It left him nothing to help him care anymore.
He truly would have once upon a time, really, but with how recent things transpired lately; can't help himself at all.
"Excuse me!?"
Then adding was Weiss snapping at him to his growing frustration, her cold glare throwing daggers at his way. So, why care at this point, really?
There was never any friendship between them. Knots mending were nowhere in sight, only pathetic tolerance towards him. As much as it would've pained him back, then would've.
"What? Cut me some slack, snow-angel. I just went through hell and back to save part of the street. Best you can do is a thank you."
"Ugh." A lone groan, irked from the young heiress, one where she felt was enough for a response for a dolt like Jaune to let waste her time.
"Alright, how about a thumbs up at least?" Then the blond opined for something less.
"In your dreams, Arc." She scoffs, finally fed up as she turns away from the blond until she walked off, but not before hearing the obnoxious voice of the dolt, in some way to drill through her nerves as he ended with.
Hey, she said my name, part of it at least. "That I'll do. Maybe next time we can use your personality to stop the next fire." Earning a chuckle at her predictable response towards him. No negative impression from the blond knight that all the reactions directed at him were composed of disgust and annoyance.
But it just wasn't him.
That was not the Jaune Arc his parents had raised him to be. Not the Jaune Arc who survived several devastated utopia and woke up to not-tell the tale. He was just an unmemorable student at Beacon who just happen to get lucky to be surrounded by people completely opposite to his combat prowess.
"Is that supposed to be your pickup line? If so, you toss it along with the rest because I'm not impressed." A finally send-off by Weiss that seemed unnecessary to the rest where Yang felt Weiss admitted Jaune got under her skin deeper than usual. Okay, then… Wow.
But the blond was still a friend to her, Weiss Schnee, even if she didn't feel the same way; and stubbornness along with the Arcs goes along well, like sweet-flavored syrup and shaved ice.
Jaune would not give up on her. For her.
Just shrugging with a small smile as he ended in a tone, not even intending on another sarcastic jab at his crush as he says. "Oh well. Your loss, your majesty." Not sure if his ears were hearing things after it, but he could notice grumbling off from the snow-angle as she walked away.
The silence continued. Confusion running amok.
Like a certain Mistralian champion for one, going through the most hectic rebound from another wallop to her logic. Did… Did her partner just went and drop the girl he's been chasing for since before initiation began? That just really happened, which is a hard concept to grasp as she whispered, "What was... just happened?" no longer even caring for who might answer. Was this her chance to strike?
Any answer at this point would work for her. Who Nora was happy to toss her two-cent in.
"Fearless leader is turning into slick leader." Hearing that whisper causes the champion to turn to her team's demolition enthusiast, who gave a satisfied smile, clear as day thrilled that showed by the warmth on her expression belonging to a proud parent or a mentor even slowly nodding her head.
As the mentor in charge of her fearless leader's strength, she's proud to see him has come a long way.
Not really surprise she was enough that tons of white fang bad guys apparently blocked that way, but she placed confident enough on her pupil would find a way through, and boy, did he deliver to have with her massive approval for tonight.
A Nora's seal of approval! Of note, maybe suggest to him more explosions…
Then first was Yang to voice her reaction. "Woah, Vomit boy… Jaune, slick. Real smooth. How about I take you on that offer?" really impressed at the grease-spill made from Vomit boy, if she would even call him that anymore.
Earning Jaune's attention as she flashed a grin towards the knight. He wasn't sure what had just happened. Woah, where did this strange burst of confidence came from? It wasn't anything like his father had taught him, and it appeared when he almost lost it.
Well, whatever. It did save his butt. He might as well fly with it. "Ehh… I tried my best. Sure, why not? Could be a learning experience for the both of us." He says with a casual shrug,
Which, in hindsight for him, looked cool to the rest of his friends, but him ironically, also asking who was this person and what did they do to Jaune Arc; was this even person the same guy they met before initiation? Mister awkward-bravado, yet endearing?
Truthfully so, confused wasn't even the correct word to describe the tons of questions from around the circle about this strange burst of pure confidence come from as they felt mixed feelings.
It's not that they witnessed Jaune grew a far sturdier spine to boot was fine, even with Nora being the proponent of already planning on celebrating for when they get back to their dorm; except because his personality happens to take a sudden swerve along to angering Schnee, that took several replays in Ruby's mind to even register what her other best friend just said.
To the rest of (J)NPR and R(W)BY but the knight who is under scrutiny and the princess who steered far away was under a silent agreement that it was out of character for Jaune.
"There won't be any fights."
Just on cue, everyone's attention turned to the imposing figure stepping forth. Glynda Goodwitch turned to her fellow blond with a simple instruction she spoke earned him a feared look from the person in question.
"A word, mister Arc."
The air around the two team became tense, even more so for the man of the hour who felt his body shiver like he had poked the nevermore's nest purposefully and was now about to feel the utter consequences, expecting something until Glynda restated. "Alone."
Oh boy…
"Don't worry." Jaune nodded. "I'll be fine."