Well, here's a new chapter guys. I hope you all like it. This is Arc 2! I have some things planned for this.
I don't own RWBY. Rooster Teeth does.
Aurba
"So kid, are you ready to get your new weapons?" Maria asked as they navigated the streets of Aurba.
"Yeah, he said three weeks but man, Ash works fast," Jaune said as he
It had been two weeks since they left Beacon and Jaune and Maria continued Jaune's training. She had gotten him started on exercises on strength, flexibility, and speed as she planned to pass on her fighting style onto him. Jaune stated that he was going to add his own flair into the style to accommodate his semblance.
Speaking of which, Maria had explained to him about Semblance Types.
Jaune collapsed on his back as he stared up at the sky. His chest heaved up and down as he inhaled as much oxygen as he could. His muscles burned and he could feel the blood rushing and his heart pounding in his ears. His head turned tiredly to the side to see Maria standing there with a grin on her face. In her hands was her cane.
Hours of trying and several days of repetition and he still couldn't touch the damn cane. There was more to this exercise than disarming an opponent as Jaune had quickly discovered. She was training him to fight an armed opponent without a weapon, as well as training his reflexes, speed, strength, and endurance. There were times that Maria had forbidden Jaune from using his semblance. She reasoned that you shouldn't be overly reliant on your semblance. Jaune scowled internally at the thought. Her semblance, Preflexes, allowed her to predict and react with near-instantaneous speeds to whatever was coming at her.
"Good job kid!" Maria said as she sat down next to him.
"Y- Yeah, even with my semblance, I still couldn't," he said while panting.
"Hmph. I'm guessing this is your first time fighting someone with an Enhancement Type Semblance?" Maria asked.
"Enhancement?" Jaune asked as he finally sat up. He looked over and saw Maria holding out a bottle of water, which he graciously accepted.
"Hmm, did they not teach you what semblance types were at Beacon?" Maria asked.
"No, we never got to that I think or maybe they taught it in combat school," Jaune said as he unscrewed the bottle cap.
"Well, I guess I'll have to explain then. As you know, Semblances are capable of manipulating physical phenomena in accordance with their power. Someone with a Speed Semblance can go really fast while someone like the Schnees can use Glyphs to do a variety of things like Summon or enhancement," she explained.
"Okay, but what does this have to do with Semblance types?" Jaune asked.
"I'm getting to that. Semblances generally fall under five categories. You have Physical Type Semblances, Status Semblances, Manipulation Type Semblances, Conjuration Semblances, and Elemental or Dust Semblances. Physical Semblances are like mine. They enhance physical attributes or multiple physical attributes. My semblance, Preflexes, enhances my reaction time, giving me a sort of sixth sense. Status Semblances are often referred to as support semblances. The Schnee's Glyphs can fall under this category as their glyphs are capable of producing support type effects. In addition, Status Semblances can also grant debilitating effects. The worst recorded was that of Marcus Black whose Semblance is known as Nullify. It allows him to prevent others from using their Semblances. Essentially, it makes them powerless," Maria said.
Jaune paled. A man who could nullify semblances.
"What happened to him?" he asked.
"No one knows for certain," Maria said. "Moving on! The next type is Manipulation Semblances. Manipulation Semblances allows for the manipulation of natural phenomena. For example, someone could have a semblance that grants someone control over sound or limited weather control. Your semblance, Thaumiel, is a Manipulation Type Semblance as it allows you to control and shape your aura as you see fit. Hell, it might even have more applications than that. The next type is Conjuration Type Semblances. Conjuration Type Semblances allow the user to summon or create. As simple as that. Cloning Semblances and the Summoning Glyphs of the Schnees are a good example."
"Would my semblance also fall under Conjuration?" Jaune asked.
"It depends. Can you summon?" Maria asked.
"Er… no," Jaune said. "Does making arms and weapons out of my aura count?"
"Hmmm, we'll have to look into it more but shaping your aura into arms doesn't count. It's more the weapon creation part."
"Oh."
"Lastly, we have Elemental or Dust Based Semblances. These Semblances used to be part of the Manipulation Type Semblance but there were too many popping up so they were given their own category. Elemental Semblances are semblances that can control the elements. For example, your mother's semblance, Sunshine, allows her to control and manipulate fire," Maria said.
"I think I get it."
"Good. Now, let's head back."
Jaune blinked when he felt someone tug on his sleeve. He looked down and saw Mae looking up at him, her golden eyes begging for something.
"What's wrong Mae?" Jaune asked.
"Can you give me a piggyback ride?" Mae said. Jaune smiled and squatted, allowing the small Fox Faunus to climb on. The four walked for a few more minutes before finally arriving at the Scorched Hammer.
Maria pushed the door open to see Ash at the counter. The old man's eyes lit up upon seeing them.
"And here I thought I'd had to sell these weapons to the highest bidder," Ash joked as they walked to the counter.
"Sorry, we're late. We had some, um, problems getting here," Jaune said sheepishly.
"He lost our bus tickets and we had to wait in line for new ones," Maria said.
"Oh come on! I didn't lose them! I just… misplaced them," Jaune said, his cheeks red from embarrassment.
Mae and Maria laughed alongside Ash at the boy's predicament.
"Look, can we just get the weapons?" Jaune asked with an annoyed look on his face.
"Sure thing kid," Ash said. He turned and gestured for them to follow. Upon entering, Jaune saw that the table was covered in a large brown cloth. He became giddy as they got closer.
"I haven't siderite in years so this was a journey," Ash said as he pulled off the covers. While he wasn't a weapon nut like Ruby, Jaune couldn't help but gush upon seeing his new armor and weapons. His finished set of Kamas looked beautiful. The blades gave off a silvery sheen as the light hit it. Its curved, hook-like blades looked sharp enough to cut just by looking at it. Jaune noticed that the blade was segmented. The shaft was at least a meter long and looked like it could alter its size, suggesting an alternate form. Jaune picked one up and noticed how light it was despite its size.
"Kid, you're gonna like what it does," Ash said. "Pick up the other one."
Jaune nodded and grabbed the other scythe.
"Now, I added a few twists to the ranged option of the weapon as well as its alternate form," Ash said.
"Alternate?" Jaune asked.
"If you noticed, the blades look like they can fit together," Ash said. Jaune looked down and saw that he was right. The blades looked as if they could fit together. Jaune placed the two kamas close to each other and two his surprise, the segmentations glowed violet and the two blades snapped together. As soon as they did, the shaft got shorter and the now single blade shifting ninety degrees into a curved sword with a four-foot-long blade.
"A sword?" Jaune said, swinging it.
"Yeah, I figured that in you wouldn't want all that training in sword combat with your parents to go to waste," Ash said.
"Thanks," Jaune said, feeling elated at having a sword once more. "How do I turn it back?"
"There's an aura sensor on the grip of the weapon. Just activate your aura around it and it will transform back into kamas and detach from each other," Ash said.
Jaune did as instructed and lo and behold, the weapon transformed back into the dual kamas.
"There's another feature I added. Atlas experimented with vibro-weapon technology a while back and an old friend of mine lent me a vibro-generator and I integrated it into your weapon. When you activate it, it causes the blade to vibrate at extremely high frequencies. Anything that blade hits will be shredded," Ash said.
Jaune's face adopted a wide grin as he cooed at the weapon affectionately. After a few seconds of giving his weapon its well-deserved affection, Jaune noticed his new armor. Ash was glad that he kept the overall design of his prior armor. The only new addition was the greaves.
"Does it have…?" Jaune asked.
"Check the vambraces," Ash said.
Jaune picked up one of the vambraces and strapped it on.
"Now, like your kamas, I placed a pressure sensor that allows for the ranged weapon that I have fitted on your vambrace to activate and deactivate," Ash said.
"You actually did it?" Jaune said as he inspected the brace. He noticed that it was slightly bulkier than normal. He activated his aura and heard a sliding sound. He looked at the end of the vambrace which opened up to his hand and noticed two circular holes.
"It's outfitted with barrels that are hidden by your vambrace. Don't worry, I placed some shock absorbent material into the design so your hand doesn't get blasted into pieces when you fire it. Give it a try," Ash said, pointing at a wall that was riddled with bullet holes.
Jaune raised his arm and pointed it at the wall.
"How do I fire it?" Jaune asked.
"Ah, right. There are pressure sensors on your gloves. All you have to do is clench your fists," Ash said.
Jaune squeezed his fist and nearly jumped when the barrel went off and added a new bullet hole to the wall. His eyes lit up and he began to squeeze his fist over and over again, adding a new hole to the wall. Eventually, the sound of empty clicking could be heard. Ash smiled and handed Jaune a new cartridge.
"Just know that the bullets are smaller than the average but they're fired at the same speed as your standard 9mm," Ash said.
"Can I fire dust rounds?" Jaune asked.
"Of course," Ash said, crossing his arms. "What do you take me for? I'm the best weaponsmith this side of Mantle."
"No, no, I wasn't-!" Jaune stopped when he saw Ash laughing.
"I'm kidding, kid. So how do you like 'em?" Ash asked.
"They're great. More so than what I expected," Jaune said, holding his new weapons and armor. He turned to Ash and bowed deeply. "Thank you."
"No, no, you can thank me by putting them to good use," Ash said.
"How much do I owe you?" Jaune asked.
"Hmm," Ash put his hand on his chin as he calculated the fee for creating Jaune's armor and weaponry. He looked at the boy and sighed.
"1200 lien," Ash answered.
"That's it? I thought it would be more," Jaune replied.
"It was. 10,000 was the original price I was going to charge. Getting that vibro-generator from Atlas from under Ironwood's nose wasn't easy you know. Also, I had to purchase the siderite from your parents because I called them out of nowhere and didn't tell them what the metal was for," Ash said.
"Um, how much did Mom and Dad charge?" Jaune asked.
"Not much. 500 lien. I was talking about the shipment from Domremy to Aurbis," Ash said.
"Oh," Jaune looked down.
"Still, though, I won't charge you that much. I want to see where you go with that weapon," Ash said.
"But allow me to make up for your losses," Jaune said. He began to rummage around his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out a large amount of lien and handed it to Ash.
"2000 lien?" Ash said, after counting it.
"My parents gave me this before I left. I figured I can use it to begin to pay off the money you spent on making this," Jaune said.
"Kid, I can't take this. Your parents gave this to you to pay for lodging and food," Ash said.
"It's okay. I'll just take on jobs to pay for my living and food expenses. Plus, Maria has money," he said.
"Oy! Don't think that you can use me as your backup source of money," Maria said.
"Look, kid, I'll take the amount I charged you and give you back the rest. If you still feel like paying me off for the expenses in making this, you can pay me off later. When you have the money. However, until you have that money, this is the amount you have to pay," Ash said.
Jaune looked conflicted but accepted the money he was handed.
"I can't thank you enough," Jaune said.
"Just go out there and do your thing," Ash said, smiling at Jaune. Jaune nodded and put down his scythe. He hugged the man before walking over and strapping on his armor. Jaune grabbed his scythes.
"Um, how do I…?" Jaune asked.
"Just convert it to its sword form. Oh right, here. A sheath," Ash said, handing him a curved sheath.
"Thanks," Jaune said.
"No problem, kid," Ash said.
After a few more pointers from Ash on how to maintain his weapon, Jaune, Mae, Nyx, and Maria left the Scorched Hammer and walked out into the streets of Aurba. Jaune had his new weapon strapped to his side and looked every bit the hunter he wanted to be. Now all he needed was the skill that came along with being the hunter he envisioned himself as.
"Okay kid. We're going to stay in Aurba for a few more days before heading back out on the road. This time, we're not taking any mode of transportation, except for the air ride to Sanus. I doubt any of us can walk on water. After that, we're traveling the old fashion way," Maria said.
"Old fashion way?" Mae asked.
"Yup! We'll walk everywhere!" Maria said.
"That doesn't sound so bad," Jaune said.
"Right. The closest large town to Aurba is actually on the other side of the Mantle-Sanus Border across the sea and is about a day's journey from the port. 10 minutes if we take transportation. There, we'll continue your training," Maria said.
"What about jobs? We'll run out of money eventually," Jaune said.
"Small towns like that one don't get much in hunters coming around so if they have a grimm problem or bandits, they just ask passing hunters to take care of them," Maria said.
"Were you one of the passing hunters?" Jaune asked.
"I was," she replied. "Once."
Jaune nodded and didn't ask any further, opting instead to pull Nyx out of his hoodie and pet her while they were walking.
Beacon
Pyrrha sighed as she looked out the window of Port's classroom. It had been two weeks since Jaune left and an entire day since he called her. Was she getting worried? Yes. What if there was some grimm that didn't listen to his command and just killed him? The image from her nightmare had never left her of Jaune's mangled corpse and Ruby smashing his skull like a grape. Of course, Pyrrha knew that Ruby would never do such a thing. The girl was too sweet to kill anyone. She would never say it aloud nor show it, but Pyrrha had relished at looking at Ruby whenever Jaune was brought up. She secretly enjoyed all of their depressed faces. Even Ren and Nora's to a degree. Blake, however, was the one she felt sorry for. Blake was the only one of their friends who had stuck with Jaune and didn't do anything to him. She even tried helping and for that, Pyrrha found a friend in her.
"Hey, Pyrrha, you alright?" Alice asked, snapping Pyrrha out of her reverie.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Pyrrha said.
Alice nodded and returned to her doodles.
"Hey Alice," Pyrrha said.
"Yeah," she responded.
"Do you think I'm being a clingy girlfriend by wanting him to call me all the time?" Pyrrha asked.
Alice stopped her doodles and sighed. This wasn't the first time Pyrrha had asked her for advice on how to be a good girlfriend to her brother. It was the fifth time that day she had asked and three hundred and first time in the span of the past two weeks. Alice found it cute but also annoying.
"Look Pyrrha, he's fine. I can sense him remember," Alice said.
"Right. You're right," Pyrrha said, feeling glum.
"Pyrrha, you're a wonderful girlfriend but you need to stop worrying all the time. It's not good for your health and Jaune can take care of himself. He's not a baby anymore" Alice said.
"Yeah, yeah, besides, what's the worst that could happen?" Pyrrha said.
"This is officially the worst thing that has ever happened," Jaune said as he wiped the slime off his face. He was currently being nuzzled by a king taijitu. Jaune, Maria, Mae, and Nyx had arrived in Sanus several hours ago and had begun to make their way to the village Maria was talking about. On the way, Mae needed to go to the bathroom and ran back screaming with a King Taijitu on her literal tail. The large grimm was about to grab her when Jaune got in front of her. The grimm had frozen and licked the air around Jaune before wrapping around him and licking him all over his face. Which brings it to now.
"Looks like you can control more than just Beowolves," Maria said as she walked around the two.
"Seriously, I didn't even do anythin- DOWN BOY!" Jaune said. The massive serpentine grimm back off and lowered its head. Jaune immediately felt bad and went over and pet its snout. The white half nudged Jaune and he sighed, bringing his hand up to pet the white half.
"Looks like Nyx is jealous," Maria said as she glanced over at the growling Beowolf Puppy in Mae's arms.
"Aww, Nyxie," Jaune said, walking over and grabbing the pup. "I could never replace you!" he said. Nyx barked and licked Jaune's cheek before growling at the Taijitu. The Taijitu bristled and hissed at Nyx.
"Hey, how close are we by the way?" Jaune asked.
"Just an hour left of walking," Maria said.
Jaune nodded and looked at the sky. The sky was turning violet, indicating that the sun was going to set soon. They had to make it to the town by nightfall so that they could get some rest before Maria continued Jaune's training. As the group began to walk, they heard shuffling behind them and saw that the Taijitu was following them. Well, it was following Jaune.
"Umm, we can't bring a giant snake into town," Maria said.
"I know. Hey, um look big guy. You can't come with us," Jaune said. The snake looked at him curiously with both heads.
"You'll have to stay here," Jaune said. The snake looked at Jaune for a few more seconds before slithering away.
"Huh, I didn't think it would be that easy," Maria said.
"Yeah, well, I'm a Grimm Whisperer now so that wasn't going to be hard you know!" Jaune said, puffing out his chest.
"Don't get a big head now, kid," Maria said, turning around and continuing her walk into town.
"So what is this town called?" Jaune asked as he picked Mae off the ground and placed her on his shoulders. The young girl had become tired and was slowing down so Jaune decided to carry her. Mae smiled and looked into the distance.
"It's called Kinrin. It literally means Golden Wheel," Maria said.
"Interesting name for a town. Is it a mining town or something?" Jaune asked.
"Of sorts. There's a dust mine in the town and the SDC has a large presence inside the town, however, due to the hardline policies against big companies implemented by the town's current mayor, the SDC's presence is only really present within the mines. The town has one of the largest faunus populations on Sanus, outside of the capitals of Vale and Vacuo," Maria said.
"Look!" Mae said, pointing. Jaune and Maria looked ahead and saw the walls of a town in the distance.
"Finally. My legs are killing me," Jaune said.
"Mine too. Let's get to town and find somewhere to stay. After that we can go get food," Maria said.
"That sounds nice. You two are starving, right? Mae? Nyx?" Jaune asked. Mae nodded while Nyx popped her head out of Jaune's hoodie.
The small group arrived at the town, passing through the gates. Kinrin was a fairly large town. Most of the houses possessed the same architectural design reminiscent of the buildings in Mistral from the pictures that Pyrrha had shown him. The rest possessed the same design one could find in Vale with a more western take as opposed to the eastern-influenced buildings. Lampposts lined the roads and people walked the streets. Stores that sold weapons, dust, clothing, and food lined the street that Maria, Jaune, Mae, and Nyx walked down.
The four turned down the corner and saw the inn. The building was a large wooden cabin with four floors. The building looked cozy and gave off a warm feeling. A sign hung out at the front with the words "The Inn" written on it.
"I feel like they could come up with a better name," Jaune said as he read the sign.
"Well, the name clearly draws in people," Maria said, looked through the window.
"Let's go," Jaune said as he allowed Mae to get down from his shoulders. He pushed open the door and held it open for Maria and Mae to walk inside. Like Jaune suspected, the building was cozy. A fire burned in the hearth as patrons sat around in chairs, enjoying a warm meal. The lighting added to the homely feeling as the bulbs cast a warm orange light across the entire lobby. A bearskin rug was on the floor in front of the check-in desk.
"Here kid," Maria said, handing Jaune several hundred lien. "Two rooms. One for me. One for you, Mae, and Nyx."
Jaune nodded and walked over to the check-in desk. Upon walking, Jaune noticed a faunus looking at the computer. He had short spiky black hair and wolf ears on top of his head. The faunus also had a pale complexion and wore a blue uniform with The Inn embroidered in small letters on the upper left breast of the uniform.
Jaune rang the bell and the faunus looked at him.
"Welcome to the Inn. How can I help you?" the faunus said.
"Umm, I'd like to rent two rooms for a couple of nights," Jaune said.
"We only have second-floor rooms available. Would that be alright?" the faunus said.
"Yeah, that'd be great!" Jaune said.
"Your room numbers are 216 and 218. Enjoy your stay here at The Inn," the faunus said, checking him in. He walked over to a small board that held a few keys, grabbed two and walked back over, handing them to Jaune.
"I got us rooms," Jaune said, walking back over.
"Good, let's go rest up and then go get some grub," Maria said.
"So, anyone feel like Mistralian or Vacuan food?" Jaune asked as they walked down streets, looking for something to eat.
"Mistralian food sounds nice. But it all depends on if we're getting eastern Mistralian, North Mistralian, or Southern Mistralian Food. I personally vote for getting Eastern Mistralian food. Their Mongolian Beef is to die for," Maria said.
"I know that Mongolian Beef is good but Northern Mistralian Katsudon or any Donburi is better than whatever Southern or Eastern Mistralians can make," Jaune argued.
"Fine, let's play rock-paper-scissors to see whether we get Eastern Mistralian Food or Northern Mistralian Food," Maria said.
"Okay," Jaune said.
"Rock!"
"Paper"
"Scissors!"
"SHOOT!"
"BULLSHIT!" Maria said as she saw Jaune's scissors. She had thrown out paper. "Fine, kid."
"Okay, I saw a Northern Mistralian Place called Tsukihime Restaurant," Jaune said, leading them down the street.
"Please, I'll pay!"
Jaune and Maria turned and saw an old bear faunus on the ground. His daughter was being held by several soldiers dressed in white. Jaune immediately noticed the SDC logo imprinted into their uniforms.
"You had your chance old man and now, your granddaughter will be what we're taking as payment," the one Jaune and Maria presumed to be the leader said.
"Don't hurt my grandpa!" the girl said, struggling against them.
"Shut her up," he said.
"Yes, sir," one of them said and slapped the girl.
"Hey!" Jaune said, walking over.
"Huh?" the leader turned and saw Jaune.
"Leave them alone," he said.
"Oh, and who's gonna make me?" he said, getting in Jaune's face. "You?" the leader shoved Jaune, sending him stumbling back.
"If I have to," Jaune said, trying to remain calm.
"Kid, we work for the Schnee Dust Company. We can do whatever we want and if we want this Faunus Girl, we'll get this Faunus Girl," the leader said. "Now back off before you get hurt."
The leader lifted his uniform slightly, revealing the handle of a gun.
Jaune looked at the gun and then back to the leader.
"Okay," he said.
"Good. At least you know your place. Below your betters," he said.
Jaune remained silent, his bangs hiding his eyes.
"Now where were we?" he said, turning back to the Faunus. He felt something grab his shoulder and turned expecting to see Jaune only for is face to be met with a violet fist. The leader flew across the street and crashed into a wall.
The soldiers reacted immediately and pointed their rifles at Jaune.
"Let them go," Jaune said, revealing his now violet eyes. His aura flared and became visible as several aura arms grew out of the shroud.
"What are you waiting for?" the leader said, holding his arm. "KILL HIM!"
The soldiers prepared to fire, only for their rifles to be grabbed by Jaune.
"You don't need these," he said. Jaune willed the arms to drop the rifles next to him before stretching his arm out and sending the fists, hitting all of the soldiers. No, these weren't soldiers. Soldiers put up more of a fight. These were thugs. One of them ran at Jaune with a knife in hand and Jaune dodged it. He drew his weapon in sword form.
Might as well test out the vibro function, he thought as he turned on the generator. Jaune blocked the knife with the sword, cutting through the blade like a hot knife through butter.
The thug looked down at his now destroyed weapon and backed away.
Jaune sent an aura arm, punching him in the face. A sick crunch was heard as the man's nose was broken and he was knocked out.
"Hey! What's going on here!?" Jaune turned and saw several Faunus policemen walking over to him.
"We were being harassed by these Schnee Thugs!" the girl said, sitting next to her grandfather. "Luckily, this guy was here to save us."
"I see. This is the third time this week," the cops said, walking over to the SDC employees and cuffing them.
"Hey, let go of me! I am an employee of the SD-!"
"Blah, blah, blah. You know the rules of this town the minute that bastard signed a contract to mine here. The SDC has no power or jurisdiction outside the mines," the officer said as he and his partners led them away.
"Thanks for saving us," the girl said.
"Yeah, no problem," Jaune said. He noticed that she looked significantly different from the man she called grandfather.
"Still, thanks. The SDC has been a problem in this town since they moved in. They think they can bully everyone in town just because a majority of our population are Faunus," she said.
"Really?" Jaune said.
"Yeah. More and more people are turning to the White Fang and rumor has it that they've begun targeting the mines for dust," the girl said.
"I see," he replied.
"So be careful out there okay?" the girl said.
"Yeah, thanks," Jaune said.
"I need to go get my grandpa some help. Thanks again!" the girl said as she ran over to her grandfather and helped him up, leading him to where Jaune could only assume was a clinic.
"That was nice of you," Maria said as she and Mae waited for Jaune.
"It was no biggie really. I don't like watching others being picked on. Had enough of that happen to me back at… Beacon," Jaune said, his eyes dimming slightly as he remembered the bullying he faced from Cardin and later, the entire student body after his transcripts were revealed. He could only hope that Alice was not facing the same treatment due to her relation to him.
"Come on kid. I think I saw that Tsukihime place you were talking about," Maria said. Jaune nodded and followed her to the restaurant.
After the restaurant, the four returned to The Inn to get some rest. Maria had said that she was going to wake Jaune up early the next day to begin training in how to use the kamas before going to her room. The incident with the SDC was now the talk of the town and on the way back, Jaune had seen several members of the White Fang preaching about how Adam Taurus was going to end human oppression and how the Faunus were going to rise up and take what they deserved.
Zealots. That was the only word Jaune could use to describe them. He felt someone tugging his sleeve and he looked down and saw a sleepy Mae.
"Jaune, can you tuck me in?" she asked.
"Of course," Jaune said, gently picking her up. He set her down on the bed and placed the covers over her. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and smiled.
"Good night Mae," Jaune said.
"Good *yawn* night," Mae said. Before she fell asleep, Jaune heard her mutter one more word. "Big Brother…"
Jaune's eyes widened before softening. His gentle smile grew wider as he stroked her hair.
"Sweet dreams Mae," Jaune said as he walked back over to his bed. He sat down and pulled out his scroll and dialed Pyrrha's scroll number.
*Ring*
*Ring*
*Rin-*
"Hello?" Pyrrha's voice was heard on his scroll.
"Hey Pyr," Jaune said.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha said, happily. Jaune could practically imagine her smile on the other side. "How have you been?"
"I've been fine. We're staying in Kinrin right now at a place called The Inn," Jaune said, chuckling.
"Creative name," Pyrrha said.
"I know right. Anyway, I got my armor and weapon. I'll send you a picture," Jaune said. He pressed a button and went to the messages. He selected an option and took a picture of his weapon and both its forms and sent it to Pyrrha.
"Scythes? And a sword too?" Pyrrha asked as she looked at the photos.
"Yeah. The sword splits apart into dual kamas," Jaune said. "Pretty cool right?"
"Well, at least our training on the roof isn't going to waste since you still have a sword," Pyrrha said.
"I have my weaponsmith to thank for that," Jaune said.
"Oh, give him my thanks too… I miss you Jaune. Our spot on the roof, our dorm, and Beacon are so lonely without you," Pyrrha said.
"I miss you too Pyr. The Festival is still far from here. Mom and Dad told me that it would be another three weeks before they can get everything back into working order and set up," Jaune said.
"It's fine. As long as we can meet up in your hometown. Alice said that since I was invited as a guest by your parents, I can bring a plus one with me. I was thinking of bringing Blake with me," she said.
"Blake?" Jaune asked, confused.
"I think she deserves to know that you're alive," Pyrrha said. "She stuck with you the entire time like I did."
Jaune went silent. Blake did stick by his side and was there whenever Pyrrha wasn't able. He remembered when Pyrrha had to go into Vale to take care of something about her champion status. Cardin and Dove had found him and beat him. He was thankful his aura was full or he would have suffered worse injuries. Blake had found him and taken him to the infirmary. The girl never left his side and catered to his needs until he was cleared by the nurse.
"I think that's a good idea, Pyr," Jaune said.
"Really? Should I tell her now or wait until the Festival?" Pyrrha asked.
"You can tell her if you want," Jaune said.
"I think I will. Anyway, Jaune, I hope all goes well with your training and all," she said.
"Hey, I'll never forget what you taught me Pyr. You're the reason I can even stand training with Maria," Jaune said.
"R- Really? W- Well, um, I'm glad that I was able to help you. Though I wish I could have done more back when you were…," Pyrrha said.
"Hey, that's all in the past now. You helped me through one of the worst periods in my life. Honestly, if you weren't there, I probably would have left the school," Jaune said.
"Really?"
"Yeah, you were my anchor Pyrrha. My reason for staying."
"U- I- uh…"
"What I'm trying to say is… thank you for finding something of worth inside of me for you to stick by me Pyrrha."
"Jaune. We're best friends, partners, and a couple. I'll always stand by you."
"Me too. I'll always be by your side Pyrrha."
"..."
"Pyrrha?"
"It's nothing… I just caught a little something in my eye."
"Hmph. Using the same excuse I do whenever I get teary-eyed."
"I do not!"
"Aww, my girlfriend is so cute," Jaune said, chuckling.
"Jauuunnneee!"
"Hey, Pyr. I have to get some sleep. Maria is starting my weapons training early tomorrow," Jaune said.
"Okay then. Good night Jaune. Sweet Dreams," Pyrrha said.
"Yeah, good night Pyr," Jaune said. Before he could end the call, Pyrrha said one more thing.
"I love you Jaune," she said.
Jaune paused for a second before a wide smile etched itself on his face.
"I love you too Pyrrha," he said.
Beacon
Pyrrha smiled, a pink hue dusting her cheeks as she ended the call. She began to walk back to her dorm, thinking about the future when she and Jaune would meet again at the festival. She was also thinking of how she was going to break it to Blake that Jaune was still alive. As she walked, she bumped into someone and fell to her butt. She looked up and saw Blake with a book in her hand.
"Blake?"
"Oh hey, Pyrrha," Blake said. Pyrrha got a good look at Blake's face when the moonlight struck it. Her eyes were red-rimmed, presumably from crying. Poor girl. She must still be grieving Jaune's "death".
What kind of coincidence is this? I think about breaking the news to Blake and she just happens to be coming up here? Pyrrha mused.
"Hey, Blake, can we talk?" Pyrrha said.
"Yeah, sure," Blake said.
"I'd rather we do it somewhere where no one can hear us," Pyrrha said.
"Oh! Um, sure," Blake said. The two walked down the hall and to an empty classroom. They entered it and Blake stood there, looking at Pyrrha curiously. Her amber eyes analyzed the Spartan as she turned around.
This is it, Nikos. The moment of truth!
"So the thing is Blake… Ummm," Pyrrha began.
"You see…," she said.
"Yes? What is it?" Blake asked.
"I… uh…"
I CAN'T DO IT! Pyrrha screamed internally.
"There's this festival in Jaune's home town that's happening in a couple of weeks and his parents invited me along. I was wondering since you stood by Jaune, would you like to come as my plus one to, you know, pay our final respects?" Pyrrha asked, putting on a somber, depressed face.
Blake's eyes widened at her request. Visiting Jaune's hometown to pay their final respects and send him off from their lives for good? Blake looked down, thinking long and hard about Pyrrha's offer. Blake didn't want to say goodbye. That would mean having to live with the reality that she could never see Jaune again. Not even as a friend.
"Blake?" Pyrrha asked.
The cat faunus sighed. Tears began to flow from her face.
"I- I don't think I'm ready to completely say goodbye to him," she said. "Why? Why him?"
"Blake…," Pyrrha said.
"He was one of the only good people in this school! The only one of us who actually had a goal that was worth something!" Blake screamed as her tears flowed even more.
"So why!? Why him!? Why him and not someone like Cardin!? OR ME!?" she yelled. Her eyes widened when Pyrrha wrapped her in a hug.
Blake quieted down and began to sob harder.
"Shh, it's okay. Jaune… he wouldn't want to see us sad Blake. He would want us to keep fighting for his sake," Pyrrha said as she hugged Blake.
"*sniff* Yeah…," she pulled away from Pyrrha. "Hey, Pyrrha. I think I will go with you and Alice to the Festival."
"Really? That's great!" Pyrrha said.
"For Jaune."
Pyrrha smiled a little when she saw a flame burning in Blake's eyes.
"For Jaune."
I feel bad for Blake. Does anyone else feel bad for Blake? Anyway, thanks NobleDarkHunter for giving me the Deadshot Wrist Mounted Guns idea. I liked it a lot. As for the other parts of this chapter, I decided to split semblances into five categories. Here they are.
-Physical Semblances: Semblances that involve physical aspects of the user, i.e Ruby's Petal Burst and Yang's Burn
-Status Semblances: Semblances that can provide beneficial effects to others or status effects.
-Manipulation Semblances: Semblances that can manipulate natural phenomena or aura itself. i.e Pyrrha's Polarity, Alice's Keter, Sieg's Ergogenesis, and Jaune's Thaumiel
-Conjuration Semblances: Semblances that can create, conjure, or summon i.e Blake's Shadow
-Elemental/Dust-Based Semblances: Semblances that can manipulate the elements or have effects that are reliant on dust, i.e Jeanne's Sunshine and Willow's Glyphs.
Also, for those of you readers, I will plan on training Mae soon so I need your help with her semblance. Here's the form for it.
Semblance Name:
Semblance Type: Note, the semblance can fall into more than one Typing. For example, Weiss's Glyphs would fall under all five types since it has a wide array of functions. Emerald's Semblance would be Status and Conjuration, etc. etc.
Brief Description:
Please feel free to PM me your ideas or write them in the reviews.
Well, that's all I have time for today guys. Cheers if you stuck around until the very end, it means a lot to me. Remember, review, follow, fav, all that good shizz. And always remember to have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours!