Well, not much I am going to really say this time regarding this little section. Do be honest I just do not know what to say.
Heck, I even ran out of-
?: Get to work you lazy bastard.
Shut the fuck up!
?: Alright, alright. No need to get all riled up for anything. Not like I am some ९߇૦৭১০
Ha!
?: The hell was that?
Some preventions in case you throw spoilers, ye damn ghost!
?: Tch. So what am I supposed to do until ߃੧੦২९૯੪߁௪௫௫୬౦௮? Can you STOP?!
Nup.
But anyway, the ghost aside, hope you guys are still enjoying the fic. Cinder is going to use Ash, or at least that is what she thinks.
?: Or Ash is the one being used while thinking he is the one using her.
For once...I cannot argue without saying something that shouldn't be said.
But yeah, and Roman and Neo will also have as much screen time as possible. But will Ash's relation with them affect everything you ask?
?: Nobody asked-
That remains to be seen, really. Only the author (I, Bloodfiend) know what will happen. For I am the ONE ABOVE ALL of this fic.
?: Oh, great. He is ranting and his ego has gone through the roof. Someone give me a fucking shotgun, please!
But yeah. Until the ghost appears I will have to keep it here. Now, without further adieu-
?: Which you are spelling right.
Let us begin.
It was a new day at Beacon, and Ash was enjoying it so far. Survived Port's and Oobleck's class, same with Goodwitch, despite her putting Cardin up against him again, and ending as a close match. But Jaune had been a bit of a concern for him lately.
He felt large spikes of negativity from him when Cardin, no surprise there, bullied him. But not the average amount either. Well, that is not his job to pry on a person's life. What was, unfortunately, and fortunately, was to feed Cinder, the woman holding Roman on a leash, with bullshit information. Did he do a good job until now? Kinda.
She messaged him on the special scroll she gave him, telling him that she wanted pictures of the students as well. Not a hard task.
He took them when people were not really paying attention, but he only did one until now. And by the Gods, was it easy. The name of the victim was Mark and he was a boastful and arrogant son of a Grimm whore. Literally thought Ash was taking pictures to admire them later, so imagine his surprise when Ash send them off and deleted the copies from his scroll.
But he did give Cinder a piece of half-true information on him. He was using a long spear which retracts and forms a classic revolver as a weapon, which was true. But what he altered was his semblance, saying it allowed him to negate the weight of things he touched directly or indirectly, making it believe he could pick up cars with his empty hands.
He'd really like to see Cinder try to fight him knowing he can lift her up and throw her around like a cheap cloth. Man, the satisfaction of seeing them both in pain.
But you can't have everything. Cinder was a powerful bitch if she could hold Roman in a place like that, and where the hell was Neo? He never sees the 2 apart for that long. He hated that but had to remain calm. He had to remember what Roman told him before; wait to strike, then strike hard.
Yet, for now, he was going to enjoy the sight of team RWBY and JNPR goofing around in the cafeteria. Nora was telling them about some dream she had, with Ren correcting certain exaggerated bits. How those 2 can stand each other only the Gods know.
"And that's the story" Nora finished and sat back down on her chair as the rest of the team talked over the whole thing.
"Damn girl, you have some pretty crazy dreams. And an even crazier way to amplify them into something almost scary" Were Yang's words at the story.
"It wasn't bad story-wise, but extremely exaggerated." Blake commended as she continued eating her meal.
"I think it was awesome!" Ruby cheered, making Nora make cheshire grin going from one side of her face to another.
"Oh, please, I haven't heard anything more exaggerated in my life! Seriously, a Beowolf with 3 heads that spitfire?"
"Blue fire to that!" Corrected Nora.
"See?"
"Can we all agree that Nora is like a hyperactive child at times?" As if on cue, Ren sighed at Pyrrha's words, as if he knew something she did not. Oh, wait, he did since he knew the ginger next to him for years.
"Hyperactive is kinda...fitting," Ash said looking at them through his glasses. So much positivity was good for him.
"No shit about that. Nora is like a hypertornado." And there go the grunts of everyone as Yang once again managed to butcher a pun-something supposed to be funny-into an abomination.
"Damn it, Yang…" Ruby sighed as her sister looked at the rest of the table, even Nora having collapsed from that one.
"Oh, come on you guys! That was golden! You could say I yanged" And another round of grunting and even Jaune hitting his head on the table so hard his Aura flared.
"Damn it Xiao-Long!" Said Ash in a voice just below a shout as he called her out.
Seriously, anything that was not dead now was surely rotting from such a bad pun. Everyone could see she made bad puns! Wonder why nobody said anything about it…
Yang laughed, showing that she had no sense of true pun-making skills. "Your loss. This girl here knows how to play the words, and she ain't ever stopping."
"That's what we are afraid of the most!" Jaune said as he slowly picked up his head, only to be slapped by Cardin as the bully walked by with his team and food. Everyone looked with venom at him, then at Jaune as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Why do you let him get away with that?" Weiss asked looking at Jaune. "He is clearly bullying you."
"Oh, it's nothing, really. He does that to anyone, so it is not really bullying if there are others there." Jaune tried to defend it, but everyone at the table, even Ash, raised their eyebrows at that. "What?"
"Listen, Arc, I know you are a bit dense, so I will be frank. Cardin does bully others, but he enjoys bullying you the most." Ash said as he gave the bully another look filled with venom hidden behind his glasses.
"What? That's not true!"
"Actually, Jaune, Ash is right," Weiss said, surprising Ash that she of all people would agree with him. "Remember that time after combat class when he unfolded your shield so you got stuck in the door?"
"Or that time he changed your shampoo with glue in the gym?" Added Nora.
"Or when he, clearly, was the one to make you trip and fall on the stairs?" And Ren finished.
"So? He might just like jokes and pranks." Jaune said maintaining neutrality. "Besides, I don't want to bother any teacher with my problems." Teacher? "I mean, bullying is not that uncommon, so why bother them with something so trivial?"
"Heh? What do you mean, Vomit Boy? The teachers are not going to do anything." replied Yang, making Jaune look at her with a confused face.
"She's right. The moment we stepped into this Academy we became Huntsman-in-Training, and are thereby expected to solve our own problems. No help from the faculty involved." Ren said before taking a sip from his tea. "So it is up to you to solve it."
"What do you mean?" Jaune asked slightly gulping, and Nora answered.
"Simple; break his legs during a fight so he stops ever messing with you again" Her answer, although simple for mostly everyone, caught Jaune off guard. Ash could feel his emotions swirl around a bit.
"Huh?"
"Woah there, Nora, that is too much. " Yang said dismissing Nora's words, to Jaune's relief. "Jaune only has to defeat him in a fight so Cardin gets it through his thick skull not to mess with him again." And there go his emotions again.
"Woah, Woah, Woah. Look, I appreciate your care, but I'm fine, really." Jaune said forcing on a smile, but everyone at the table, well, maybe not Red or Nora, but everyone could see it was kinda fake.
"Besides, Cardin is too bulky and strong for me to beat that easily-" His words were cut by the sound of a scream, and they looked behind them.
The bully in question was, well, bullying a Faunus girl with large rabbit ears. If Ash remembered correctly, that was Velvet Scarlatina, a member of Team CFVY from the second year. Seeing an older student get picked on like that, and a Faunus no less, made blood boil in many.
"Why is she not fighting back?" Asked Ruby as she watched. She was most likely aware of Velvet's skill, made obvious by her seniority.
"Because she is a Faunus, that's why." And Blake answered with an angry tone of voice, showing her frustration on the situation. "If Velvet fights back that will only give Cardin and others like him more ammo to keep saying that Faununs are just animals, no different than any other White Fang member."
"But...That means…"
"She cannot fight back because she is a Faunus, so she is forced to endure." Ash tightened his fist and grit his teeth, slight feline fangs showing. But unless someone looked in his mouth…"But no one can say the difference in my case…" Ash got up. "Watch closely Jaune, for this is how you deal with people like Cardin. Yang. Nora. Watch my back in case the others try any funny business."
"Alright" Yang got up and popped her knuckles.
"Finally, I can break some legs!" And Nora got up on the chair at once. This girl really wanted to break some legs, huh? Maybe later Ash will break Cardin's while he is not looking.
"Wait, guys, there must be another way to-" Ruby's words were cut short as Weiss put a hand on her shoulder. Ash doesn't know what happened while he was gone, but Weiss was apparently willing to give Ruby a chance.
She said Port gave her a lecture or something, but Ash had doubts about it. There was no way Weiss, nicknamed Ice Queen, was so willing to give Red a chance out of the blue. Something happened, and Ash was willing to bet it happened in their room. Best not to pry into the sacred garden which is a girl's privacy.
Lesson from Roman? No. Neo told him this one in case he didn't want to end up looking like cheese. But back to the main topic. Ash got up and walked to Cardin, the bully not seeing him until Ash grabbed his arm.
"What do you want?" Was all the bully asked as Ash gestured to Velvet to use the little opening and take her ear back, running back to her team who were giving Cardin a deathly glare "Oh, come on! She got away."
"Best not to do that anymore, got it?" Ash asked still holding his arm. As expected, Cardin shook Ash's hand off and stood up to tower over him, but they were pretty close in height anyway, so his attempt didn't work.
"Do what? Put an animal in its place?" Oh, he did not. The racism he just showed made many Faunus students glare at him, the cafeteria going quiet as the 2 were boiling on low flames.
"The term is Faunus," Ash said squeezing the words through his teeth and trying not to send Cardin to Kingdom come.
"Why should I care? They're just animals, dirty, good-for-nothing animals! So who cares if they won a battle or two in the Great War?" Ash's fist got tighter. "We, the humans, are superior. And frankly…" He moved his gaze to Velvet once again, the girl hiding behind the back of her teammate, and most likely partner, who was twice Cardin's size. "I think I will just put a collar around her neck next-"
The bully didn't even get to finish as Ash punched his teeth in and making him fall over the table, the bully's Aura flaring to prevent any real damage. But as he got up and whipped his lower lip, he eyes Ash with newfound fury. "So, you are a sympathizer of them animals, huh? Well, take pride knowing you bled for them!"
As expected, he leaped at Ash in the very next second, the hybrid using his agility to dodge, but felt a kick from behind as Sky, Cardin's teammate, hit him from behind. This, unfortunately, allowed Cardin to score a good one into his chin.
Ash stumbled back at the hit, his Aura flaring its usual grey as he took the strike. Cardin's teammates were going to jump in, and just as told, Yang and Nora, with Ren even, joined to reinforce the flanks. Save to say Cardin was not going to get help from his teammates, and that gave Ash the key advantage.
Jumping on the table with his left leg, he leaped at Cardin and tried giving the bully a solid kick in the face. But he blocked, forcing Ash to jump back as well. Cardin charged at him, trying to grab him, but Ash dodged once again, allowing him to strike Cardin in the neck, this time punching hard enough to pass by his Aura and make the bully erupt into coughs.
Goodwitch was not here to scold them for fighting dirty and without honor, so…. Ash taunted Cardin, making many gestures with his hands to further annoy him. He remembered how he lost focus and became sloppy when mad, granting the half Faunus a crushing advantage.
In the meantime, Jaune watched in awe at the skirmish, and how Ash was handling Cardin with mocking ease. Mocking for him that was. Everyone else watched as well, the fight is more than one-sided.
But that made Jaune ask something of his partner during it. "Hey, Pyrrha?"
"Hm?" His partner turned to him, green eyes meeting ocean blue as Jaune tried to find his words.
"Can you...help me improve? I know I am not much, and I want to keep up with everyone else. Who knows…" He saw how Ash dodged Cardin's punch once again and kicked him in the side of the head as revenge. "Maybe I will be able to do that too one day."
The redhead smiled at his request. "Of course, Jaune. We can practice on the roof of the dorm if that is okay with you."
"Yeah. That'd be lovely." He looked at the floor for just a second and missed the finale of the fight. Cardin just received a hard punishment from Nora, the hyper girl elbowing him in the junior.
"Ouch. I definitely feel sorry for him though. Just a bit."
Cardin nearly collapsed on the floor after the hit Ash gave him, and teammates were busy dealing with his aid. Not that it took long for them to be DEFEATED. Seriously, they were up against Yang, Nora, and Ren. Those 3 were bad, crazy, and ninja-like respectively. So of course, he lost.
But he hated to admit that Goodwitch was right; Auburn was pulling punches during the last class. Now? Cardin couldn't even hit him! The guy was just so quick on his feet it was downright infuriating for him, almost like he was some cat with those reflexes of his - wait a minute...Wait a Godsdamn minute! Oh, now Cardin was really pissed, but at the same time, he could help but smile.
"See what I mean?" The bully got up, hand on the table as he used it for support. "Nothing but animals, the lot of you"
Crud. Ash knew Cardin was not entirely dumb, but this was fucking ridiculous. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, nothing. Just how a Faunus had beat up a defenseless human" Ash's eyes narrowed on him. "That's so filthy rich! You, a Faunus! How come I didn't see this before?"
A crowd was gathering, the negativity coming with it as Ash could feel his own anger wanting to lash out and maim Cardin's ugly face until he was no longer recognizable. But he had to clench his teeth and tighten his fist instead, watching and feeling how Cardin was enjoying the sight.
He thinks he lost a battle but won the war. "Ash Auburn, you are a Faunus hiding among humans!" He shouted pointing at Ash. "And most likely a White Fang as well!"
"Who the fuck told you he's a White Fang member you idiot?" Shouted Yang as she drew closer. "You are shouting nonsense because he's Faunus!"
"Of course I-wait...You knew?!" Cardin's face reflected his surprise. "Ha! More traitors for the callows!"
"The only one who's getting their neck snapped here is you" Yang's eyes flashed red as she tried getting near Cardin, the bully taking a step back. But surprisingly, Ash stopped her.
"It's not worth it anymore, Yang, so let's go back to our seats before Goodwitch shows up or something," Ash said as he put his hand on her shoulder, his claws coming out and digging into her vest slightly. "Besides, he lost the war"
Someone threw an apple at Cardin, which was followed by multiple students, including Faunus, to draw closer to team CRDL, then turn their backs on then. They were only bullies after all, and they made their point clear.
The group got back to their table, but Ash could still feel his body burning. That negativity shot was too much! He needed time to calm himself, and he knew just how...sorry Pyrrha, but you're sharing. "Jaune? Do you want to move like me?"
The blonde chocked on his food a bit. "What?"
"Wait, Ash, Jaune has already agreed to train with me and-"
"Only regarding sword, right?" Ash cut Pyrrha off, not giving much care about her nicknames or titles. Or the fact that she was the strongest person in Beacon among the student body. "I can train his body to be more flexible and quick."
"But wouldn't that be a style fitted for those with little Aura? Jaune's reserves are quite generous, and I do believe weird training is enough." Pyrrha was worried about Jaune, that was obvious. And frankly, she had good reason to. Gods, the thing Ash went through when Neo trained him to get him like this. Not everyone had a Faunus heritage.
"Are you saying my Aura reserves suck?" Ash asked coldly to which Pyrrha immediately started to freak out a bit.
"No, I didn't mean that! I just said that the style you suggest is...Oh, my Gods, I'm sorry!"
Ash couldn't help but chuckle at the champion's reaction. Gods, it was priceless. "Relax, I won't hold it against you. I know you didn't mean anything bad by saying that"
"So...2 trainers...How are we going to do this, if I may ask?" Jaune's question was a good one.
"Well, looking at Ash's own fighting style, which, judging from combat class, is a mix of multiple moves shared among the arms, legs, and blade. An I right?" Right on the money P-money.
"Yeah, my moves are kinda messy"
"That might actually be a good thing" Ren interjected. "It makes you more unpredictable. So anyone fighting you will have a hard time adapting to your fighting style because of that"
"Heh." Ash was quite surprised by the ninja's words, and he was not wrong either. The shades-wearing guy just didn't think about all that much. Well, he learned his sword moved from his father, and Roman a bit, as well as unarmed combat from the thief. Neo took care of his agility and speed as well as teaching him some of his kicks. The rest came from their spars.
"So, when are you free?" The blonde knight, who will be regretting his choice later if Ash had a say over the Goddes of Victory; Invincible Girl; Pyrrha Nikos, his partner, and most likely strongest one on the table.
Thinking it about it some more, he might have better chances taming a beowolf than winning a fight against her, but for now, he had to play it cool. He saw her personality, a kind, and well-mannered girl. Something he can take advantage of.
"We may start tonight if that is ok with you." Ash said looking at the 2.
"Hmm. Pyrrha?"
"That's fine. The sooner we start the better." Jackpot! The Goddess of Victory gave her ok on the matter. Now, where would they meet…
"Is the roof a good location, by the way, Ash?" And the blonde's question answered that.
"It would be a perfect location, Jaune."
"Way to go, Fearless Leader! Getting 2 trainers to help ya!" Nora patted Jaune on the back, congratulating him. But at that moment, Ash could feel a slight hint of something. Sadness? Jealousy? It was something of the like, but pretty unclear.
But he would not have too much time to dwell on that as his scroll, his special scroll, started to buzz. He knew who it was even without looking, for only one person called him on it. "Excuse me, I have to take this call." Ash got up from the table and went outside, missing the rest of Nora's antics and more puns from Yang- which he didn't mind missing- and going a bit further away from the cafeteria. He looked around, making sure he was in the clear before answering.
"You sure choose your time, Fall," Ash answered, growling as he did so, then fumed as he heard the slight giggle on the other end.
"Can you blame me? I had to make sure you will answer my calls when I contact you." And so came the voice of Cinder Fall. "But this is not the reason why I called. I have a little something I want you to check for me, and I know you are aware of her."
This sounded bad…"Name your business."
"Straight to the point? I like that. You see, one of my associates has a little 'crush' in Beacon, and he'd like to know some things about her."
This...This was spying. And worse, targetting. If what Ash thinks is right. "Name?"
"Blake Belladonna."
And now it hit him. Roman told him of this before. Whoever Cinder's associate is, the idea was simple; hurt her through her loved ones. Disgusting. Even Roman wouldn't stick that low. Well, if there is no other option, but still. That made Ash's stomach turn and swirl, barely able to push the next words out of his mouth. "And who is this...associate?"
"You needn't concern about that, Auburn. He just requested information about her current place in Beacon, friends, contacts. Run of the mill stuff."
Ash glanced back at the cafeteria, seeing Blake through the window. If one of Cinder's associates wanted information on her, then what else is this girl hiding? Ash wishes he knew. But he is certain, from the emotions Blake is putting off, that she is not willing to talk about her past that easily. Heck, the whole reason she revealed she was a Faunus to him was that she thought he was hiding his traits as well behind the glasses. Not hard to believe that some Faunus had only eye-features.
But this? It was a risk. If he lies to her and she finds out, then that means no more dust for him, which limits his use of his semblance. But if he did it, then he was backstabbing them. He didn't know them for long, but his father taught him better. Much better.
"She is enrolled, yes, and in a team." Cinder started to listen closely. "But she is cold towards them, her partner included. Not so close as you'd think, and I doubt she'd shed a tear for them." That was harsh to say but needed. Cinder had no way of knowing the truth. Heck, even Ash didn't know the relations in team RWBY. But if this was enough to fool her for now, then it was good enough.
"Really now? That is very unfortunate, but I do not blame her. She did have quite the break-up" Break-up? Just what is Blake hiding? "Anyway, I'll leave you to your own business now." She hung up.
Ash remained silent, scroll against his ear, listening to the beeping of the cut connection. Slowly, he put the scroll away and got his actual one out, thinking about contacting Roman. But then he remembered; Cinder had been listening in to their talks. Blood boiling point? Achieved.
He exhaled furiously as he put his scroll away and returned to the cafeteria where, apparently, someone has raided the pancakes and left none.
This had Nora written all over it.
Later that evening was the promised training lesson, and Ash was on the roof with Pyrrha and Jaune. He was sitting on the edge, one leg lazily laid down while the other was coiled upright, allowing him to rest his arm on the knee.
The spar they were having was not that bad. But Jaune was. Seriously, this guy acts as if he has 0 training, not even the basics being present in his movement. Miracle by the Gods this one.
Well, Pyrrha was at least going easy on him. That helped, somewhat. "Oof." Before Arc fell on his ass, again.
Ash chuckled seeing the scene for a fifth time tonight. "That is so not getting old quick." It was. Actually, it already had. Ever since they started, since Arc passed through the door leading up to the roof, Ash felt it. One of the most potent negative emotions; depression. He was merely masking his knowledge of this because he didn't know what caused Jaune to be depressed.
"Oh, quiet you." Said the Red-head to the one wearing sunglasses during the night. Seriously, how good was his night vision if he could see through those in the night?
Pyrrha extended a hand towards Jaune and complimented him on 'improving' a bit. A blatant lie if Ash ever heard one. But surprisingly, the blonde refused her hand for the first time in 5 times. He got up and sheathed Crocea Mors, then looked over the roof, drawing his breath.
Ash perked up now. He was feeling it. Frustration. The more Jaune looked around himself, the more it grew. He jumped up, dusting his hands and trying to act coy. "Alrighty then, I think it is time I get my turn with- blame Yang for telling - Vomit Boy"
"Ash...Don't bother." Ash looked at Jaune as he muttered to him, and Pyrrha reacted as well by going closer to him.
"Jaune? Is everything alright?" She asked her partner, worry obvious in her voice as she put a hand on his shoulder, but Jaune let out a frustrated snort and walked away to the other end of the roof holding the bridge of his nose. "Jaune?"
"How can I become a Hero when I am not even meant to be here…" Another mutter, then Pyrrha went closer. Ash only stayed silent and watched, knowing this was not something he can intrude onto.
"Jaune? What's the matter? You look depressed." The red-head put her hands on his face, moving it to look at it, but before she could look at his eyes, Jaune shook off her hands and inhaled deeply.
"I'm fine, Pyrrha." A lie. "I know it looks bad, but I am fine. Just frustrated, that's all." He looked down, not daring to gaze into her eyes. Now, this put the cap on the bottle, and Ash couldn't take it anymore.
"Arc, spill out the beans."
"What?"
"Something is obviously wrong and you are not telling." Auburn looked at him, straight at him through his glasses. "Call it Faunus gut."
"Jaune?" Pyrrha looked at him. "Jaune, if this is about Cardin or what Miss Goodwitch says about you during Combat Class, then-"
"It's not that!" An outburst came from the blonde, making him go past Pyrrha and Ash and up to the edge of the roof. "I...I don't deserve to be here…" He muttered under his breath, the emotions shifting to something else...Shame.
"Pardon?"
"I said that I do not deserve to be here! I just...I don't!" Jaune was making no sense now, and Ash didn't know what to make of his emotions. Frustration, depression, shame, anger? What was with this cocktail?
"W-what do you mean?" Pyrrha asked, trying to make sense of his words. But they just didn't connect.
"What do I mean? Simple; I cheated!" Wait...Cheated? "I got my hands on some forget transcripts and snuck into Beacon! I never went to a combat school, passed special tests, not even trained a day in my life for this!"
Pyrrha and Ash both remained silent. "I just...I am sick and tired being the damsel in distress! My father, his father, and his father before him! They were all Huntsman, Heroes! The only thing I wanted was to be a Hero as well, someone people can look up to. But I never good enough."
"Jaune, I-"
"No! I don't want any help! As I said, I am sick of being the one being saved and helped! I am sick of being the damsel in distress! The lovable idiot stuck in a tree while his friends lay their lives fighting. Do you not understand? If I cannot fight alongside anyone, if I fail each time, then...What good am I?"
Words couldn't describe Ash's own feelings now, but a simple action explained Pyrrha's. She simply ran with a hand over her hand, hurt from his words. "What the actual fuck, Arc?!" Ash shouted, gripping his collar. "Listen here, you little shit, because I am sick of keeping this facade as well!"
Ash gripped his glasses and, in one quick motion, pulled them off for Jaune to see. The blonde's eyes widening as he saw them. Never...In his entire life, even with the little he knew, had he seen something like that. "Ash...What?"
"Listen here, for I am not repeating myself," Ash growled putting his glasses back on. "You think you are useless? You got put as a team leader for fuck's sake! Maybe you are a fake, and a coward, but as long as you are here you better play the part." He dropped Jaune on his ass, turning around to leave.
Jaune was shaken to his very core by what he saw. But that was quickly replaced by something else as he heard a certain voice behind him.
"Now, isn't that just interesting now, Jauney Boy"
Idiot, shitface, Godsdamn blonde! The fucker had the nerve to say all of THAT?! Ash was fast pacing to his room, going through the dorms without paying any attention to the looks some people gave him as he walked. And he snuck his way into Beacon no less! He has absolutely no training whatsoever! Gods, does that explain a lot…
Ash was, for the lack of a better word, oblivious as he bumped into someone on the hallway, making her collapse on her bun and give a soft whine in the process. He looked down to see none other than Red there in her PJs- A cute black top with white pants with strawberries on them- most likely getting ready to go to sleep. But what was with her here?
"Oww…"Red slowly got up, then she looked at Ash. "Hey Ash, do you know what happened with Pyrrha?" The boy stiffened. "She just ran into their dorm room and hasn't said a word. Did something happen?"
If something happened? Of course, it did. But Ash was not going to say anything. He just inhaled deeply and exhaled to calm his mind a bit. Then he answered. "It's...Jaune. He has some issues."
"Issues?" Ruby echoed with a slight hint of worry. "Is Jaune alright?"
"Not if I catch him in Combat class…." Ash muttered under his breath.
"What?"
"Nothing." He pushed his glasses against his face. "Look, Red, better not pry. I am not the one you should be asking this, but Jaune or Pyrrha. This is something their team has to deal with."
"Wait, what? I don't understand."
"You will." Ash stormed past her, walking back to his room and locking the door behind himself. He was going to have a fit. A bad one. He growled then roared out as he kicked the mattress he had into the wall, glad he didn't have furniture yet to break.
"He had to just…" Ash scratched the sides of his head furiously, ruffling his hair. "Damn it!" He threw his glasses on the mattress. His pupils taking in the cold air they rarely get nowadays and the fit went on. "Why didn't he say anything sooner? Not like I cannot relate!" True, Ash didn't get in by conventional means either. But at least he was not-...No, he was.
He looked in the reflection of his face in the window, and soon he realized what he did. He showed Jaune his eyes. He saw what only a handful ever did. Knowing that Ash's anger was replaced by something else entirely; Fear. He dashed for his glasses and put them back on, trying to calm himself and think.
He heard that the Arcs never go down on their word. EVER. So maybe he could get Jaune to make an oath to keep his secret? But why would he? He yelled at the boy and was less than the better person. He was impulsive, which was his weakness. Unlike Cardin, Ash gets taken by his emotions almost never due to his condition. He is susceptible to the emotions of others. But his are more influential. He just...lost it when Jaune snapped like that. And now he will rip what he has sowed.
He sat on his mattress, trying to calm down more. He could practically hear the Grimm howling from his negativity at this point. He needed to find Jaune tomorrow, he had to. He had to apologize and see about him holding his secret. Can't be that hard, right?
Ash was regretting thinking it was going to be easy. This was awkward and strange. He was at the table with teams RWBY and JNPR, albeit the later missing the J. How? Ash saw Jaune at the table with team CRDL, and Cardin was pushing him around like some kind of slave.
Pyrrha, on the other hand, looked terrible. Ash felt the sadness in her greatly, and it hurt to see her like this. Despite her rep as a 4 times champion, she was a sweet girl with good manners. She didn't deserve this one bit.
Nora and Ren looked confused as well about how this came to be, most likely Pyrrha did not tell them about Jaune's lie. Gods, this girl. Why would she protect him? He lied to them. His selfish desire to be a Hero almost got him killed in the entrance exam from what Ash heard, and if not for Pyrrha, then they would've collected him off the ground. Or what would've been left that is.
Yet, here he was, the Leader of Team JNPR, reduced to a slave for the whims of a bully. But something was strange. Jaune did not have a black eye the last time they talked, and Ash does not recall giving him one. Something was amidst.
"Any idea why Vomit Boy is hanging around those douche bags?" Yang was the first to break the ice and ask, but was greeted with silence from Pyrrha and shrugging from the rest.
"We do not know. " Ren answered, his eyes going towards the table where Jaune was from time to time. "He just avoided us all day today and went to sit with Cardin and his team. Last night he also returned late, with a black eye no less."
"Do you think Cardin might be blackmailing him somehow?" Blake asked, and now it hit Ash why.
Damn it. Cardin must've heard them on the roof. How Ash did not sense him was his mistake alone. Well, Jaune did shout all that stuff, so it was not exactly hard to hear.
"No way! I know we are supposed to fix our own problems while in Beacon, but the teachers can't just sit around while something like that is going on, right?"
"Yang has a point," Ruby added, supporting her sister. "If Jaune is being blackmailed by Cardin somehow, then we must help him."
"No, Ruby, just...leave him be."
The whispering voice of Pyrrha got everyone's attention, the champion not daring to raise her head.
"Pyrrha?! What are you saying? He is our leader and your partner! Why shouldn't we help him? We can easily go there and break Cardin's legs in 4 places!" Nora's exclamation did not go unnoticed by Cardin, and Ash noted that. The bully did glare at them, but a quick shielded look from Ash behind his glasses made him turn around as he must've recalled the last time they had a skirmish.
"Just...Leave him." Silence fell upon the table. Pyrrha was not angry in any way with Jaune, Ash could tell. She was sad and hurt.
Now Ash had enough reason to question the blonde. And he had a chance to do so as they had Combat Class next. If Goodwitch pins Ash against Cardin again, then he can beat the answer out of him during the match. Or better even, after class. But if he can get to Jaune before that it would be even better.
And it seems the Gods heard him as he saw Arc heading to the bathroom. Perfect chance. "Excuse me, guys." Ash got up and followed him, eager to get answers to his questions.
Well, this could've gone smoother and less awkwardly. When Ash arrived in the bathroom he caught Jaune with his pants down, literally. Yet, the blonde still turned around in fear of seeing him. Ash quickly groaned and facepalmed as the blonde knight fixed his clothing. But the damage was done, and nothing can erase that image from Ash's head now. Damn you, Arc!
But back to the main topic, Ash went to him and pinned Jaune to the wall using his arm. His elbow pressing against his neck. "The fuck are you playing at?"
"What do you mean?" Jaune wheezed out as Ash held him.
"Don't you try playing dumb with me, Arc. You saw my eyes. And now, you are hanging around Cardin as if he was some friend of yours. But you are not fooling anyone. He has something on you, doesn't he? He heard you that night."
Jaune froze as he looked at Ash again, the one before him growling and snarling at him as he talked. But Jaune was not going to lie. Not now. He couldn't get anything from doing it, and Ash figured out anyway. "Yes." He admitted in shame, dropping his head down.
"And the black eye? He must have been the one to give it to you, right?" Jaune looked at Ash, mouth slightly agape.
"He did...I refused to tell him…"
Tell him what? "What did you refuse to tell him that earned you a punch to the face?"
"Your secret" Ash was caught off guard by this, even dropping Jaune back down to allow him to talk properly.
"My secret?" Ash echoed. "What do you mean?"
"Cardin heard everything we said; my transcripts, and the thing about your facade. He wanted to know what you were hiding, but I...I refused to tell him. I made an Arc oath right in front of him that I won't tell anyone your secret."
"You...what?" Ash couldn't believe it. This boy, this foolish, selfish boy, who put his life in danger coming to this place, protected him? Why? He had nothing to gain from this. Worse, he got punched in the face for it. What could his reasoning be? "Why, Arc?"
"Because...Because I did not want you to share my fate." Was he trying to be a Hero? Now? "Cardin doesn't have any sense of empathy inside him and looks down on anyone else, treating humans as less, and Faunus even less. It is no surprise he likes blackmail so much."
Ash growled. "Damn it, Jaune!" Jaune closed his eyes, expecting a hard hook from Auburn, but instead, he was met with something else entirely; a fish in front of him, held in the air. "Don't leave me hanging, blondie."
Jaune fish bumped with Ash, then Auburn pulled him and threw his arm around Jaune's neck. "Listen here, Jaune. I am still mad about what you said, but I am willing to forget it for one thing."
Jaune gulped. "What?"
"Pyrrha had her turn throwing you around, so tonight, on the roof, same spot, is my turn."
"What? Why?" Jaune pulled away from Ash. "Why would you want to train me? It makes no sense! I already told you I do not need help-"
"You know my secret, Arc. " Ash cut him off. "I am not helping you, I am merely looking out for myself. If Cardin becomes really desperate for that info you hold, he might try some meaner things to get to you, so you need some more strength to back up your claims, got it?"
"Y-yeah…"
"Good. Because believe me he will try stuff like that if I beat him again in Combat Class. Take it as punishment and reward for lying and keeping my secret."
"Wait!" Jaune called out to Ash as he was about to leave. "Are you going to tell Pyrrha and the others about my situation? About my transcripts?"
"You have my secret, don't you? My lips are sealed. Pyrrha did not say a thing either. But you really hurt her, you know." Jaune looked down, ashamed by the realization of this. "But everyone already suspects the blackmail scenario."
Jaune shrunk himself, worried about what might happen. And frankly? He had all the right to do so. On one hand, if teams RWBY and JNPR do assault CRDL, beat them to a bloody pulp for blackmailing Jaune, then Cardin will either use Jaune to make them back down or expose him. Both outcomes of this bad for the blondie. On the other hand, if they do nothing, that will only make things worse over time. Jaune is already neglecting his team as it is, Cardin keeping him on a short leash.
If Jaune rebels, Cardin tells. If his team attacks, Cardin tells. If anyone tries something, Cardin might just tell everything. Gods, talk about a hard spot. But Ash did not survive Roman and Neo without learning some tricks to put the blackmail on the stove, and Cardin was going to get himself burned for it.
"Then what do we do?" Ash smirked. It seems Arc was not hopeless.
"Listen here, for I am going to both beat your ass into shape and teach you some pretty nifty things."
The rest of the day went by smoothly, with Ash, due to what they had done to Jaune, toying with Dove in Combat Class this time. He did fight dirty, shooting an ice round on his eyes only to punch him in the gut then using combustion rounds to throw him out of bounds.
Goodwitch gave him a scolding for breaking Dove's Aura, which meant the guy ended up with a painful injury as his back kissed the wall. But hey, it was a legal strike. Dove's Aura was still in the yellow and Ash simply put a little too much Combustion Dust into his semblance that time.
But man, the fuming face of Cardin made it worth it. And the stressed-out Jaune before him showed how much.
The 2 were on the roof, training just as Ash said they would. And honestly, Arc still sucked. Ash was going easy on him with the basics and he seemed to struggle. But there was progress. To this point, Jaune was able to dodge 2 out of 25 punches from Ash previously from an hour ago when the score was 0 to 36.
It seems the little tip Ash gave him about focusing his Aura into his legs and midsection, and his eyes a little to increase reaction timing, was taken to heart. Arc was getting quicker on his feet. But he was still not a fast enough learner.
"Oof!" Jaune collapsed once again on his ass, whining as he rubbed his rear in pain. He got up and looked at Ash before taking a stance again. They were doing no weapons, so that meant fist and legs only. And Jaune had to admit that Ash was deceivingly fast. He could hardly dodge what he dodges and striking back was impossible for now. For now.
"So, your semblance allows you to absorb the elemental properties of Dust and infuse them into bullets and weapons at will, right?" Jaune asked, surprising Ash. Of course, before he had to block a high kick with his arms before it could hit his chest.
"Talking while training? You sure have balls, Arc." Ash quickly pulled his leg back and spun around, jumping and giving Jaune a double kick to knock him back and make him wince from the pain in his arms. One thing about this training was that they would use no Aura to protect themselves.
"I was just asking. It sure is a useful Semblance considering it cuts on the cost of having to get actual Dust bullets or multiple Dust infused blades for your sword." Jaune went forth with a hook, but sloppy as he was made it easy to dodge.
"It does. But that does mean the need for Dust in crystal form goes up" Ash said before grabbing Jaune's failed hook and throwing him on the ground once again. He pinned him down by putting his leg on his shoulder and pulled at his arm, making Arc wheeze out.
"Can you...use it directly as well?" Jaune wheezed out, bending his midsection to bring legs up and shake Ash off, allowing him to get up.
Ash raised an eyebrow. Maybe this talk was helping him distract himself from the issue of Cardin. "I can, but it hurts me like a bitch." He went at Jaune with around the house kick, but Jaune ducked and managed to jump into Ash, bashing him down with his shoulder to make them both drop.
Jaune panted as he got into a sitting position. "How so?"
Ash got up, dusting himself. "If I use fire, for example, I get burned. Each Dust has different drawbacks if I use it directly, so I almost always need to have some weapon on me." He extended a hand to Jaune. "And that was a bold move, using the small opening from my kick to go for a tie. But don't expect others to be defeated just as easily. Besides, what we want is not a tie."
"I know." Jaune took Ash's hand, getting up on his feet. "But do you really think I can stand up to Cardin? I don't even have my semblance, and he is way stronger than me."
"And way, way dumber." Jaune snorted hearing Ash. That was true. "I saw you during the entrance exam, and while you are a shit fighter, you are a master strategist. "
"Oh, that? It's nothing. While I might've not trained I did play a lot of strategy-type games with my 7 sisters and-"
"7 sisters?!" Ash cried out. "Holy shit, man, no wonder you are so wimpy! Did you have no brothers at all?"
"Nup." He quickly replied. "I am the only son of the Arc family. That was also a reason why my parents never really allowed me to train to become a Huntsman as well." He winced. "Man, if my parents knew where I am now."
Ash was silent, still processing the 7 sisters' part. His mother must have criminal hips if she was able to birth that many children. "Ash?" Jaune called out to him, snapping the boy out of his little thought.
"S-sorry. I was still stuck on the part about 7 sisters."
"Oh."
"Are any of them close to our age and single, by the way?"
"What?! Dude!"
Ash laughed at Jaune's reaction. "I take it that's a no? "
"One of them is even married to a lovely wife and has a son! And that is the oldest! The youngest is barely 10, and my twin sister is-
"Hello, there. Did I hear the word, twin sister?" Ash mused. Earning a look of disbelief from Jaune.
"I can't believe you'd go after my sisters…"
"I can't believe you have 7 of them, and that you're an uncle no less." Ash retorted to the blonde knight, to which Jaune snapped his fingers.
"Well, mind explaining the...thing?" Jaune asked to change the subject, but he couldn't have chosen a more poor one to go to. "You know, your-"
"I know what you mean. " Ash replied darkly, then he began to sens around the area for Cardin and his goons. They were in their room, out of ear's reach. He then turned to Jaune and checked him for microphones and even took his scroll to make sure he was not recording.
Jaune simply said nothing, knowing this was most likely Ash being careful. Finally, he was finished and gave Jaune his scroll back, his number now inside because why not since he had the chance.
Now the fun part. Ash proceeded to tell Jaune about his condition and what he could do thanks to it. Jaune was, in simple words, shocked and sad for him. His condition seems to have made his life a hard one, but then came the part where he told Jaune, by mistake, about a certain family friend.
"Roman Torchwick is your uncle?!" Jaune cried out in shock, making Ash cover his mouth with his hands.
"Shut up, Vomit Boy! Do you want the whole Beacon to wake up?" Ash said, then removed his hands from Ash's mouth. "He is not my real uncle, but close enough to one. He and his partner, Neo, took care of me after my father died. Trained me, taught me things, and even helped me get into Beacon."
"Oh yeah, how did you get into the Academy?"
"Similar to you, actually. But I might've, more or less, asked Ozpin directly to let me in."
"You asked the Headmaster of Beacon, the person recognized as the strongest Huntsman today, to let you in just like that?!" Jaune said in disbelieve, to which Ash gave a weak smile while scratching the back of his head.
"Yeah, it might've also been because of my father having some connections or something. Or simply because I also showed him my eyes. Of course, he did pull a quick one on me by doing this Wild Card thingy and making me a spare member to any team on Beacon"
"Well, one receives what they give, I assume."
"Yeah," Ash said. "But now that I think about it, my Lien for furniture is coming in tomorrow, so I could go with your team to get it. I assume Cardin won't leave you much of a choice in the matter anyway. "
"Ugh. You're right." Jaune sighed. "He will want me close so he can make fun of me and see if he can get me to break my oath on your secret, which won't happen by the way, and then brag about it all.
"Don't forget the revenge for Dove!" Ash pointed out. "They are really going to squeeze you now for that after what I did to him"
"Did you have to break his Aura, though?"
"Hey, he had it coming. I would've liked it more if it was Cardin, but I made due." Ash yawned. "Anyway, I will go back to my room to sleep. I am going to hit up your team tomorrow, ask them if they want to join me, ok?"
"...Ash?"
"Yes?"
"Take care of them for me. " Emotions detected? Worry. Jaune was actually worried about his teammates. "They are cool people, and I know I don't deserve them, so can you watch over them for me, please?
Ash smirked. It was not like him to get soft like this, but Jaune managed to get back on his good side for now. Barely. "Very well. Don't blame me if I lock lips with the ginger though."
Jaune snorted, not the reaction he expected. 'Good luck dealing with Ren then"
Oh, that was right. Damn ninja boy was going to be a problem if Ash was going to try to get to Nora. But for now, he simply faked a gasp of terror. "The ninja!"
The 2 couldn't take it and cracked up laughing. "See you later, Jaune." Ash left, leaving Jaune on the roof.
He told him how he can feel emotions, and right now he felt something good from Jaune. He was still troubled, but less now. And he actually seemed happy that he found himself a friend at Beacon he can rely upon.
Now, if only he could also learn how to take a hint. Seriously, Arc, Weiss is out of your league by a notch.
And that's the chapter. Some stuff might be modified about the whole Cardin being, well, Cardin ordeal. But overall I am proud of how this chapter turned out. As you saw, Jaune is the first to know about Ash's little secret, and even protected it, which earned our protag's respect. Now Jaune will get himself some moves to use in a few chapters during the trip to the Forever Fall forest, meaning Pyrrha won't have to save his ass with her semblance.
Making Jaune stronger? Yes. While Pyrrha helped with his form and whatnot, his style still struck as that of a tank. Bt now we know that he is a healer, which is more of a support thing. Well, he amplifies one's Aura, and semblance, which is cool. But at the start of the series, we saw how Cardin collapsed when punching him, meaning he must've amped his own Aura at the time.
Something they FORGOT to re-mention later. Seriously, imagine if he used that now? Hmm. I wonder what amping Yang's semblance would do. Good God, the carnage.
?: Focus!
Thank you, ghost.
Anyway, as you saw, Cinder is getting info for a certain someone
?: We all know she was talking about Adam, Bloody.
Jeez, way to spoil it! But yeah. I have plans with that part. Moving on, the forever fall chapter is still some chapters away. I will let it boil again as I did with Weiss. But next chapter we are having a shopping trip!
?: Should they bring Yang as well? Her strength might be useful.
Hell no! Too many girls=bad shopping trips. No offense to my female readers. But I want Ash to choose his furniture himself. Nora will already give them headaches.
Anyway, Follow, Favorite, and Review.
Bloodfiend out.