So a bunch of people became really intersted in Zettai RWBY once I said that a non-evil teenage Cinder would be one of the cast. Guess it makes sense since it's pretty much the only time we're ever gonna get Knightfall in this story. Either that or they want to see a romance where there's no weird power disparity between Jaune and his love interest.
Speaking of romance, I'm tempted to replace team Order with an omake just focused on Penny being the solo Winter Maiden and Jaune being her mechanic/Aura battery. I could see a lot of humor with him teaching her to be normal and desperately trying to keep her from exposing her identity as both a Maiden and a robot. There was a short fic with the same premise sans Penny being a Maiden.
"Thank you for telling me this, all of you." Ozpin steepled his hands together and leaned forward on his desk. All of team RWBY-J sat across from him just having finished telling the headmaster about the Branwen clan's meeting with Yang. The woman of the hour was in a foul mood, her arms crossed and mouth forced down into a pout that looked out of place on her. She and Ruby might have been sisters, but the puppy dog eyes and pouts weren't a trait they shared.
Then again, anyone would've been in a bad mood after having Blake Belladonna lecture them on responsibility and hypocrisy. He did feel kind of bad having to be the snitch, but it was for her own good. Yang was strong, probably the strongest member of the entire team, but she was still one person going up against an entire group of bandits. Grimm were tenacious, but most of them were mindless. People weren't the same.
"This is disconcerting news, particularly the knowledge of who the previous Spring Maiden was." Ozpin's eyes flickered to the unnaturally quiet Qrow standing off to the side. He hadn't said a word, not since he found out Yang's mom - his sister - was dead. From what he knew of the guy, the two weren't close; hell, it'd been years since they actually had a conversation. Despite that it was hard to feel nothing. Family was family.
"Why's that?" Yang asked.
"Because when Raven left team STRQ, she made it very clear that she wanted no part in the conflict with Salem. Why then would she paint a target on her back knowing that the Maidens were of interest to Salem?"
"Cause she was a selfish, short-sighted bitch, that's why." Qrow growled, surprising them all. He stepped off the wall he was leaning against, face knotted in a scowl, "Too much of a coward to actually fight, but she'll attack villages and kill innocent people. She probably just cared about the power it could give her and didn't even think about the consequences. Shit, we gotta tell Tai too..." he said those last words in a whisper.
"Perhaps, though speculation is pointless now, I suppose." Ozpin sighed, "Regardless, it's clear that she informed at least this 'V' of the true nature of her abilities. Whether the rest of the clan is aware of your true nature poses more of a concern." His lips pursed, "If they know, then they would also be aware of how the powers are inherited. There's a reason that we kept the knowledge of the Maidens hidden. Far too many with a lust for power are tempted to take their chances."
"Yeah, I'd like to see her try." Yang snorted.
"It'd be preferable if she didn't, actually," Weiss said in a clipped tone.
"Either way we can't just leave them out there," Jaune said, "They said they'd contact Yang at some point, but they might just ambush her somewhere." Like him, he didn't say.
"Again, like to see them try," Yang repeated.
"You should've told me about this. I would've been able to track that goon back," Qrow said.
"You should've told the rest of us," Blake added, giving her partner a pointed look and her voice dripping with disappointment, "That was very irresponsible of you, Yang. I thought you'd know better."
"Ha ha...don't push it, partner." Yang glared at her, eyes turning red. To her credit, Blake didn't look put off at all, "And yeah, maybe I should've, but I was kinda hoping to find the answer to a question I've been looking for answers for ten years."
"And I was just trying to get information about my psychotic ex who tried to destroy Vale. Sounds so reasonable, doesn't it?"
"Ugh, stop fighting!" Ruby shouted, "You were both wrong, so shut it! We're supposed to be a team, not keep secrets from each other!"
"Quite right." Weiss nodded.
"Oh, screw you, Ice Queen. I heard all about your plans to swoop in on my sister's boyfriend so you can fib to daddy Schnee." Yang snorted while Weiss' pale face turned rosy, "Don't act like you haven't done something stupid before."
"Please stop fighting." Jaune groaned.
"Quite right," Ozpin added, "Regardless of what we all might think, we're aware of the issues now and can come at it from an informed perspective. And I'm happy that you're all telling me this now instead of me having to find out after the fact. How is Sienna Khan, by the way?"
"How should I know? We don't exactly talk pleasantries when we meet up-" Blake froze, finally realizing that exactly the headmaster had just asked her. The rest of the team followed suit, looking like they'd just got caught with their hands in the cookie jar, "Um, I mean..."
"I'm well aware of your secret meetings with the leader of the White Fang, Ms. Belladonna, and you can guess my feelings on the matter judging by the calmness in my tone. That applies to the rest of you as well."
"T-That doesn't help! Dad always sounds super calm when he's about to launch into a speech about how disappointed he is in us!" Ruby cried.
"Am I disappointed? Perhaps." Ruby winced, "But I also understand that you are all young adults capable of making your own choices." The entire team's expressions brightened, perhaps hoping that this wouldn't end in a lecture.
Until Qrow opened his mouth.
"Yeah...I'm still telling Tai about it."
"But Uncle Qrow!" Yang started.
"Ah, ah! Don't wanna hear it! I'm still on thin ice with the guy for keeping quiet about the Maiden shit, I ain't gonna risk pissing him off anymore. You two can explain why you thought meeting with an anti-Human terrorist leader was such a good idea."
"Oh no..." Ruby rocked back and forth in her chair.
"It...It will be alright, Ruby," Weiss patted her partner's shoulder, "I'm...sure your father will be understanding. Family is...they see more than you know."
"Is that so, sister?" Weiss froze and, very slowly, turned around only to meet the icy stare of one Winter Schnee. Jaune shivered. She didn't like him and he didn't much like her, so he felt nothing but sympathy for Weiss right at that moment, "Tell me, does that apply to me as well?"
"W-Winter?! How long have you been there?!"
"Long enough to hear that you've been meeting terrorist leaders behind my back." Weiss physically shrunk and looked close to jumping out the window, "We will be talking about this at the earliest opportunity, dear sister." And then she smiled. It was way scarier than when she looked angry, which Weiss seemed to agree to judging by how she hugged a trembling Ruby.
Blake looked around, as if expecting her parents would be next to pop out of nowhere for a lecture, and heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that wasn't the case. Jaune remained utterly calm. His parents didn't know their little boy was risking death every day or got kidnapped by a psychotic terrorist. Sometimes lying and being a horrible son paid off in the best ways.
"It'll...be alright, guys," Jaune said weakly, not quite believing it himself.
"Quite. I informed Jaune I was aware of it during the dance," Ozpin said.
"You knew?!" Yang shouted, eyes turning blood red again. It either said a lot about his trust in her or how apathetic he'd become that he didn't even feel slightly scared, "A little warning would've been nice! We're supposed to be friends!"
"It kinda slipped my mind when you came up afterwards saying you had to meet you know who, Yang!" Jaune shouted back.
"We can talk about that later," Ozpin continued, ignoring team RWY's trembling, "Right now there are other things to discuss. Team RWBY-J, I believe it's time I told you and Miss. Winter both about my true origins."
"...You sure about this, Ozpin?" Qrow asked, unexpectedly grave.
"Yes. I believe so."
Jaune's worldview was only slightly cracked as Ozpin told them everything. How he was immortal, how he'd existed and fought against Salem since the dawn of time and how he was the origin of all of the Maiden powers. They all remained quiet, though their expressions varied from calm acceptance (Jaune and Winter) to looking like they were barely keeping their sanity (the rest of team RWBY).
"So...these magic powers are yours?" Ruby asked first.
"They haven't been 'mine' in quite some time, Miss. Rose," Ozpin replied calmly, "While I am their origin point, the various Maidens have made it their own; as you all do now."
"...I still don't get why you made inheriting so weirdly specific," Jaune said, "Why only women under thirty? And why would the last person they thought of be the ones to inherit instead of something more safe?"
"Yes, well..." For the first time since he'd known him, Ozpin actually looked unsure of himself, "I wasn't in the best mental state at the time. I tried to change the rules some thousand years back, but as you can see that didn't work."
"What chance do we have?" Blake asked softly, "You've been fighting her for over a thousand years with no victory, why would any of us here now be any different?"
"Because Salem, for all of her powers and immortal lifespan, is still flawed. I might not have won a decisive victory and yet neither has she." That seemed to calm Blake and the rest of the team. Jaune still wasn't so sure, "Regardless, I hope that you understand even more the responsibility on all your shoulders. While I won't restrict your choices, I want you to make them knowing all the information you need."
"What are you talking about?" Winter's eyes narrowed.
"He's talking about team RWBY working for the council of Vale on some things," Jaune said. The rest of the team looked at him as if he'd just commited an utter betrayal, "What? You guys are planning to livestream the things you do! Did you think Qrow and Ms. Winter wouldn't notice?"
"You've been snitching a lot lately, Jaune. I think we need an intervention," Yang said, only half joking.
"It appears there are yet more things we need to discuss, dear sister." Winter said. Weiss moaned.
"Oh, and before I forget," Ozpin said suddenly, "Ms. Penny Polendina will be officially enrolling in Beacon at James' behest. Given your lack of a partner, Jaune, I thought it prudent to pair the two of you together."
He was about to shrug and tell him it sounded good when Ruby stood up, "What?!" she shouted.
"Is there a problem, Ms. Rose?" Ozpin raised a brow.
"N-Not really, but Penny..." Started that rumor about her being some kind of man-eater. While she didn't hate Penny for it, she also wouldn't like the idea of her hanging around her boyfriend, "C-Can't Jaune just partner up with me?"
"Abandoning me for a boy? I knew this day would come." Weiss sighed melodramatically.
"I'm not saying that!" Ruby squeaked, looking between him and Weiss, "W-We can be each other's partners! A threesome!"
Despite the situation, Yang snickered while Blake facepalmed. Ruby didn't seem to notice her poor choice of words and Weiss sighed, "I don't want to be in any kind of threesome with you and Jaune, thank you. We're close, but not quite that close."
"That's not what I meant!"
The conversation finished soon enough and the entire team trudged back to their room. Brothers, what a day. First that secret meeting with Yang and now all of this. Now to mention over half the team was currently awaiting lectures from their families, which he doubted was gonna be pleasant. It was at times like this that he agreed wtih Blake. Sometimes lying to your family was for the best.
...
He was agreeing with Blake. He really was going insane.
"Ugh, this sucks." Yang faceplanted into the closest beanbag and groaned.
"Quite." Weiss sat down at her bed.
"At least it's all out there now." Jaune said. They all glared at him, "Hey, it wasn't gonna remain a secret forever. Better to rip that bandaid out now than deal with it later."
"Oh yeah? How about we call your parents then?" Ruby challenged, looking up at him with a glare. He didn't say it out loud, but it looked more cute than terrifying.
"Sure, if you want them to drag me back home. Go nuts." He shrugged, easily calling her bluff. The thought of him suddenly being expelled from the team made them wince, which was kind of sweet in a way, "Look, I know this kinda sucks, but they're your families. If they're letting you fight against an immortal Grimm Queen, I'm pretty sure they won't do anything too bad after finding this out."
"Perhaps..." Blake nodded.
"Oh, screw you, Blake! You're not even in trouble!" Yang said.
"That's cause I know when to be economical with information."
"Oh yeah? Fine, next time your parents come for a visit I'm telling them you seduced me to being part of your little harem." Yang grinned while Blake glared, "Oh yeah, you were a really naughty kitty, sneaking into my blanket at night when everyone else was asleep. You tempted me with the pleasures of the flesh, the same way Kamisoto Ayaka seduced the ronin Kazuha."'
"How do you know that?! Have you been reading my books?!"
"You leave them lying around. You were kinda asking for it."
Blake jumped and tackled Yang off the beanbag. Jaune ignored the ruckus and started making five cups of hot chocolate for them all. He got the feeling it was gonna be a long night and they'd need a little help sleeping.
"Oh, Blake, what are you doing with those fingers?! Our teammates are watching your depravity!" Yang cried in false panic.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
...
A really long night.
Jaune was used to doing damage control whenever one of his sisters had a horrible day. Doing the same for his team wasn't that different. After months of living with them, he'd gotten used to all of team RWBY's quirks. More importantly, he knew the things they liked.
So he woke up bright and early to prepare everything. Thankfully, Beacon's kitchens were open to all the students. Not that a lot of people took that offer given the caliber of chefs, but it was there in case aspiring Huntsmen wanted to practice their cooking skills. They wouldn't have access to chefs outside of the school.
Thankfully for him, he was the best cook in the family. It was weird; almost every time any of his sisters got in the kitchen they almost burned it down, so mom put all her hopes on him. He hadn't had any complaints so far, "Let's see here..." A few of the chefs preparing breakfast nodded his way and let him work. The cookbooks in Beacon were varied and told him exactly what he needed.
He knew all their favorite foods. For Ruby he'd make strawberry snickerdoodles, Weiss a caramel apple cheesecake, Yang (unsurprisingly) loved steak, and Blake would get tuna melt sandwiches. For someone who cried about how the Faunus were more than their animal traits, she was weirdly catlike.
The hours spent cooking helped him keep his mind off things. So many things and more and more he felt like he was drowning in it...but if he felt like that, how did the rest of them take it? They were the ones who were going to save the world, not him. He was just lucky enough to be here and help them. So, if he had to wake up early and cook sometimes, it was a burden he'd happily bear.
"Cooking up quite a feast there," one of the nearby chefs said.
"Big day for the team." He smiled and shrugged.
Finally it was done. He stacked them all up in a big tray and lugged it all back to the room. It wasn't a healthy or balanced breakfast, but whatever, not like that mattered. Nora ate more pancakes than anything and she had no problem bench pressing five times her own weight, "Come on, come on..." He twisted and wriggled, carefully swiping his card against the reader.
Jaune stepped inside and Blake immediately sat bolt upright, "Fish..." she mumbled, staring into space blankly. Yeah, not a stereotype at all. The rest of team RWBY caught the scent of food and slowly woke up as well.
"Morning." He smiled set down the tray at the center of the room.
"What's going on...?" Weiss rubbed the sleep from her eyes then stared when she saw the cheesecake, "...I don't know what's happening, but I will pay you anything you want for that delicacy."
"Nice offer, but I made all this for you guys. Come on, dig in."
They all grabbed at their designated foods, all fatigue forgotten. Seeing them all so relaxed and happy made him feel lighter than he had in a while. Sure they were happy when shopping for the dance, but even then thoughts about the White Fang and their other problems lingered in their mind. Right now there was none of that, just a team having a good time before classes started.
"If you're trying to say sorry for snitching on me, it's working, Grimm Slayer. Apology accepted." Yang grinned.
"Yeah, yeah, don't make a big deal out of it." Jaune rolled his eyes as he ate some Pumpkin Pete's. Might not have been fancy, but it was still one of his favorites. This one had Pyrrha on the cover, "Oh, and don't go expecting it to happen all the time. I just figured you guys needed something good after what happened last night. This isn't gonna be a usual thing."
"Not even for me?" Ruby gave him the true power of her silver puppy dog eyes. Zwei didn't help, sitting on Ruby's lap and nibbling on the cookie Ruby fed him. It was an utterly adorable scene that would melt anyone's heart.
"Hmm...maybe." He smiled, "I might surprise you sometimes. We are dating, after all."
"That hardly seems fair." Weiss scoffed, "Petition to have Jaune officially be made our cooking slave?"
""Agreed."" Both Blake and Yang raised their hands. Blake then added, "Technically we're also going out, so I believe I'm afforded the same priveleges." She tried go give him the eyes as well. It wasn't nearly as effective.
"Nice try, Blake." Jaune scoffed.
"Damn."
"So you guys are gonna do the first thing for Blanche the next weekend, right?" Jaune asked. It was an abrupt change in topic but it was light enough not to ruin the mood, "What's he got you doing again?"
"Taking out a Grimm Horde that overran a village a month back." Weiss said, "An experienced enough group of Huntsmen could clear it, but no one's willing to take such a risk without financial incentive." Her lips thinned in distaste. Despite the rosy view of Huntsmen, it was an undeniable fact that most of them were mercenaries. They didn't fight Grimm for the good of it.
"It's time for Thunder Thighs to make her official debut." Yang ruffled Ruby's hair.
"Ugh, shut up, Yang." Ruby gently slapped her older sister's hand away, "Are you sure you don't wanna come with us, Jaune?" This time she didn't give him the eyes, though there was still something prodding in her tone.
"Nah, I'll be training with Peter. Can't afford to skip out." That was the only reason.
"You're afraid because you'll drag them down. You're a burden to them." A voice that sounded eerily close to Adam Taurus hissed.
"I'll be cheering you on, though." He smiled.
The week passed by quickly and soon enough team RWBY left for their first official council mission. Jaune gave Ruby a quick peck on the lips, "Good luck." She beamed up at him and looked ready to take on the world. The rest of the team rolled their eyes or playfully cooed at the public display of affection before they all headed towards the Bullhead. Professor Qrow would be keeping an eye on them, at least.
Jaune walked to the training room where Peter was already waiting, "Jaune, my boy! It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" The older man clapped him on the back and laughed, "I'm sorry we haven't had time to train recently, but I trust Qrow's been keeping up with your studies?"
"Uh...yeah." And by that he meant going to a fight club to test how far he could go. Jaune wasn't complaining. Being down there, beating and getting beat on, it helped quiet down Adam's voice in his head.
"Well then, let's get started!"
Training with Peter was different than with Qrow. Qrow taught him how to fight people while Peter focused on fighting Grimm. Sometimes that included going to the Emerald Forest and literally fighting Grimm, but again he didn't complain. The training was hard but necessary. It was better than sparring matches and the feeling of danger, even though he knew Peter would intervene if necessary, helped push him past his limits.
He was an hour into his training when he got a ping on his scroll, "Hold on a sec, Peter." He clicked the message and saw a link to Ruby's livestream along with a message 'You better be watching, mister!' it said. Jaune smiled and clicked the link. The livestream had was streamed via bodycams and disseminated across the public via Blanche's advertisement campaign. They wouldn't tell anyone the location - better to avoid being trapped or ambushed - but people knew it'd be happening.
Seeing team RWBY demolish the Grimm was a sight even across a screen. The very elements themselves were putty in their hands and the Grimm were killed in droves. It wasn't just their magic, of course. They cleaved through the monsters with ease, effortlessly bisecting, stabbing, or crushing any that got through the elemental barrage. The Grimm never stood a chance.
People loved it, of course. He only saw bits of the chat but they were all complimentary save a few trolls here and there. Blanche must've been happy.
"Why are you even here? They don't need you. No one needs you. You're useless."
"...Hey, you mind if we go somewhere? It's part of my training," Jaune said, expression neutral. He wouldn't be as happy about it as Qrow, but Peter was an understanding guy.
"Eh? Well...it's hardly orthodox, but I don't see the harm in it. Lead the way, lad!"
He took him to the fight club. Peter looked surprised he knew a place like this but didn't question him. Jaune knocked on the door and let out a relieved sigh when the bouncer let him in. He half expected to get turned away without Qrow there, "You kinda stick out, Pete." Jaune joked weakly. The bright red suit got a few stares, but at no one really questioned it. As long as you didn't make trouble you were fine.
"I didn't expect this would be the place we'd go to, Jaune."
"Yeah, Qrow introduced me. Said it was a good way for me to gauge how good I was." He stripped off his armor and hoodie, leaving him in just a plain white shirt. The last time he went there fully clothed his opponent used the cloth as handholds. Technically it was better if he went in there shirtless, but he wasn't keen on going half naked in an arena. He still had some pride.
"Are you sure this is the best thing to do with your time?"
"Can't hurt." Jaune shrugged.
The opponents were the usual fare: big bulky guys who relied more on their muscles than any kind of technique. Sometimes that was enough, though. Jaune grunted as he was slammed against the cage wall and ducked the meaty fist aimed at his nose. What Jaune lacked in...everything, he made up for in speed and a high Aura reserve. Jaune slipped past the larger man and, before he could turn around, grabbed the back of head and smashed his face against the bars over and over till his Aura sputtered out.
He won.
"You beat one human. The rest of your team could do that blinded and with both hands tied behind their back."
Jaune walked over to the corner and met Peter's worried eyes, "...What?"
"Are you quite sure you're alright? I don't think being here's the best for you."
"I'm fine." Jaune wiped the back of his right hand across his forehead and panted, "Qrow was right, it's a good place to test myself."
"I daresay Qrow isn't the best at giving advice, Jaune." Peter's mustache bristled.
"I'll be fine."
The next opponent was more difficult than the last. Big, easily a decade older than him, and with muscles bigger than his head. Jaune's heart sped up in anxiety and something else he could't quite place as the match began.
It didn't end well. His strikes and whatever techniques Qrow taught him helped, but about half of them were blocked or easily countered. Jaune winced as a particularly harsh blow to his chest knocked him back and nearly had him crashing against the back wall. His Aura was nearly out, he could feel it. Just a couple more good hits and he'd lose.
Jaune grabbed dirt from the floor and threw it at his opponent's face. It caught him by surprise and gave Jaune the chance to tackle him forward. He was bigger than him, but the unexpectedness of the attack was enough to knock the other man to the opposite wall where a few of the nearby people grabbed at the back of his shirt and held him in place.
Jaune hit him over and over. Both his and the man's Aura reeled from the hits and, with one last punch that bent his nose, the man's Aura finally sputtered out, though not before he struck and broke Jaune's aura in turn. Jaune cursed and almost hit him again before a klaxon blared overhead, "Oh, looks like we've got a tie!" The announcer shouted, "Bet those two are gonna feel that in the morning!"
A tie...?
"Of course you didn't win. Did you expect anything else?"
Jaune stumbled out of the cage only barely noticing the blood dripping down his nose. Right, his Aura broke. He was debating on what to do next when a firm hand gripped his shoulder, "Jaune, we need to talk. Now," Peter said, his tone uncharacteristically harsh and leaving no room for argument. Jaune nodded and let his mentor silently lead him out of the dirty alley.
They kept walking till they ended up at a small park. For the first time since he knew him, Peter was quiet. Jaune pressed a thick wad of tissues against his nose and just watched the afternoon sky.
"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Peter asked.
"Huh?"
"Don't play coy, lad." He let out a slow breath, "The way you fight...that's not training. You're just looking to hurt people and to get hurt in turn." Jaune didn't say anything, "Talk to me."
"I don't know what to say, alright?" Jaune set down the tissues. His nose had stopped bleeding, "Being in there, fighting those people...it helps me forget that I'm useless." Even saying it out loud felt bitter in his tongue, "And I know I have no to blame but myself. I was the idiot who came into school with forged transcripts. I want to help team RWBY with this war, but I just..."
"You know you're nothing but their pet."
"Jaune...I understand your frustrations, but this isn't the correct outlet. All you need is time-"
"Do we even have that time?" Jaune snapped, "I already got kidnapped! What else is gonna happen? How long am I going to be dead weight?" He stood and took a deep breath, "...I'm sorry. I know you're just trying to help, but...I think I just need some time alone."
Jaune walked away and Peter didn't stop him. He made sure to stay in public places; no more saving crying girls from alleys. Gods, he needed a drink. Didn't feel like going to a bar, though. Instead he went to the nearest corner store and bought some cheap beer. It wouldn't get him drunk, but the buzz would help quiet that stupid voice at the back of his head. Fucking Adam Taurus.
Jaune loitered around various places till the sun went down. He felt like crap. Peter was his friend and he just snapped at him, as if any of this was his fault. He shouldn't have come here, not today. Qrow at least didn't care about how he fought, probably cause he was raised by bandits for most of his life. He didn't see anything wrong with getting bloody in a cage for money.
Eventually he could put it off no longer and took a bullhead back to Beacon. With any luck he could head to the bathroom and wash the smell of booze from his mouth. The last thing he wanted was to drag the rest of the team into his personal issues. Team RWBY had actual problems, he was just being a drama queen. He opened the door to the room and froze at the sight that greeted him.
His four teammates sitting in a semi-circle. And there was an empty chair in front of them.
...
Shit.
He turned around just in time for Ruby to shout, "Nope!" With a burst of Semblance-enhanced speed, she tackled his back and held him in a tight embrace. In any other situation he would've welcomed the gesture, but right now all it did was slow him down enough for Weiss to cover the doors and windows with Glyphs.
He was trapped.
"Professor Port contacted us upon our arrival," Weiss started, businesslike as always, "He was straight and to the point, which was disconcerting in and of itself. Jaune..." She steepled her hands together and gave him a comforting smile, "I think it's time for us to have a talk."
"Yes, Jaune, time to talk." Blake smiled. He couldn't tell if it was sadistic or sincere, which only made it scarier.
Neo was bored.
Normally those three words would've been a harbinger of doom. Innocents would weep and beg for mercy, mothers would hold tightly to their children to use themselves as shields, and other forms of begging and mewling. Unluckily for Neo, and luckily for those hypothetical men and women, she was in no position to rectify her boredom right now.
The mute criminal looked up at the roof of her padded cell and sighed. Her psyche profile - which likely had DOES NOT PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS double underlined - and Semblance, along with her numerous crimes, meant that she was doomed to solitary confinement. Her arms were strapped down with a straightjacket and she was continously pumped with anti-Aura drugs. The only contact she'd had since her incarceration was the doctor who administered the drugs every few days and the guard who dropped off her food, both of whom were all too eager to leave as soon as they could.
Neo was bored.
She huffed and banged the back of her head against the padded wall. It was one thing to imprison her, but boredom? That was just cruel and unusual. Sending her to dig in the mines would've been more fun than this.
As always she entertained herself with thoughts of revenge. Time lost all meaning in the cell and the only way she was able to tell how many days had passed was because she knew they were obligated to feed her three times a day.
The door opened and Neo raised a brow at the one who stepped inside. It wasn't a doctor or her normal prison guard, but rather a woman in her twenties with bright orange hair and an outlandish outfit - a chainmail top with blue sleeves that left her midriff exposed, red short-shorts, and black thigh high boots - that marked her as either a Huntress or a Criminal. No one else would run around dressed like that.
"...?" Neo regarded her silently.
"You must be Neo." She smiled, her tone lax, "I've heard a lot about you." She laughed, "Shit, where are my manners, huh? The name's Carmine, and I'm here to offer you a deal."
Omake: Truly the Worst timeline
They didn't know how it happened. Perhaps it had something to do with proximity or maybe some kind of magical glitch during the fight with Salem, but the worst thing in the history of Remnant had happened.
Blake Belladonna had received all four of the Maiden powers, and with Salem sealed she was now the most powerful being on Remnant.
It was truly a horrible turn of events. One second team RWBY balanced each other out, however poorly, and now all the power had gone to their most unstable member. The only bright spot was that Ruby, Yang and Weiss were somehow still alive despite the sudden transfer.
Things changed after that. Blake realized her new powers gave her just a bit more leeway to accomplish her goals. Her demands for Faunus equality, which would've normally been scoffed at or put off, were suddenly the top priorities for both Atlas and Mistral; especially after Jacques Schnee loudly scoffed at her on live TV and then suffered an 'accident', leaving Weiss to take over the SDC.
Speaking of Weiss, she'd been very complimentary to her new overlo- er, fellow teammate. She probably realized that it was only Blake's godly self-control and kindness - which was in no way delusion, no sir - that kept her from smiting Atlas right out of the sky. Ruby and Yang, though still treating her like a friend, now realized that there were some buttons that couldn't be pushed.
General Ironwood had considered attacking Beacon in a missile barrage to pre-emptively end any threat, but ultimately held off. If Blake were to survive then there would be nothing left of his precious country after her retribution. Even the White Fang had catipulated, pushing a new agenda of peace and self-defensive violence only after Blake had 'talked' with Sienna.
Oh, and Adam Taurus was gone. Not just dead. Gone. There was literally nothing left of him and no one was quite willing to question Blake about it. Everyone was too scared or too awed of their new deity.
All except one.
"Seriously?" Jaune sighed and looked up at the most powerful being on Remnant. She was floating in the air above Vale surrounded by tornadoes and lightning. The skies darkened and people all around him either ran in a panic or prayed for mercy that wouldn't come.
"Who dares interrupt my- oh, it's you." Blake looked down at him, eyes burning with Maiden power.
"Get down from there." Jaune rolled his eyes.
"You're talking pretty disrespectfully for someone in smiting distance." She crossed her arms.
"Yeah, like you'd smite the guy who makes your favorite food." He opened up the paper bag he held and she smelled her favorite tuna melt sandwich, "Now get down from there before I toss these in the garbage."
"You wouldn't..."
"You wanna test me?" He raised a brow.
She didn't. With an almighty sigh, she slowly floated down to the ground and gratefully accepted the 'offering'. All around them, the citizens of Atlas praised Jaune for giving them yet another day of life spared from Blake's wrath. He had become her official herald, much to his annoyance. His experience in dealing with her insanity for so long meant h knew just what made her tick."
"Lemme guess, you didn't get the book you like," Jaune said.
"No, that wasn't it." She sighed, "I got the book, but it ended really badly. The worse love interest got Yoimiya's heart and the bad guys completely got away with their crimes. I got really annoyed...and then I figured, hey, Atlas hasn't had a good smiting in a while..."
"Blake, you can't just smite a kingdom cause you're in a bad mood." He rubbed his temples.
"...But Atlas kinda deserves it, don't they?"
"You smite anyone and you're not getting any more tuna melts for a month." Her eyes narrowed, "Yeah, I'm not scared of you, so try that somewhere else. Now come on, we gotta go talk to the council and tell them you're not actually gonna destroy Atlas." He paused and looked back at her, "You're not going to destroy Atlas," he said firmly.
"Alright, fine, I'm not going to destroy Atlas even though it absolutely deserves it." She rolled her eyes as if she hadn't just casually declared her plans to destroy and entire kingdom. Jaune sighed. This was gonna be a long day.
It's Jaune's turn to have an intervention and the Vacuo delegation is now starting to sow their own seeds of chaos. Meanwhile we get a glimpse of what would happen if Blake was in Pyrrha's place as All-Maiden and she truly proves she's the Worst.
Sorry if this chapter isn't very funny, but we should return to humor in the next one since that has the parents visiting Vale as part of the Vytal Festival. Cue Jaune officially meeting Ruby's dad while fake dating Blake and also being roped into fake dating Weiss so she can lie to her own dad. Yang just watches it all in utter amusement while Penny, as always, assumes that Ruby has now become open to a polyamorous relationship and makes an offer to join again.
Question:
1. What do you guys think of Jaune's angst? While he's not wrong about how weak he is relative to the team, he also seems to completely ignore how the others - particularly Yang - have already talked to him about this and just keeps relapsing back to old habits of self-doubting.
2. Speaking of Jaune's angst and behavior, how would team RWBY react to it? While I have a general idea of how they would respond next chapter I'm curious about your thoughts since I sometimes incorporate suggestions in the reviews and change certain story segments if they're better than the original ideas I had.
Review Answers:
de griseo rege - Thanks for the idea. He becomes the Blake wrangler in this timeline :P
Austin - Yeah, All-Maiden Pyrrha with pregnancy hormones is a nightmare. As for Ozpin taking the powers back, seems impossible given they had to use Pyrrha and the Aura Transfer machine. If he could just snatch it back he would have done it to both Amber and Cinder.
Chuck B. Winanaki - Yeah, Jaune's the only reason Atlas remains flying in the omake. This pretty much means no one is willing to fuck with him lest they incur Blake's wrath.
Spartastic 4 - Where else could we take team Chaos, though? It ended pretty well, like you said.
BrazeRancor - One of the main inversions for the fic is that the good guys pretty much always have the advantage power-wise due to the Maidens. This forces the bad guys to be smarter since fighting head on is now dangerous for them.
BomberGuy789 - I asked this myself but honestly I think it's a flaw of making Salem too strong. She's an immortal archmage, so really she could take over the world through sheer attrition. The only reason the good guys have a chance is she's lazy. Can't really do anything about that without drastically re-writing the lore.
ReadYesyes - Blake and Jaune continue to piss each other off despite her becoming essentially a deity in the omake. As for All-Maiden Cinder, I might make an omake based on that. We'll see.