A/N: So, I actually have something that's important to say (for once)
Next week I'll be out on a trip starting from this Saturday to next Thursday. I will be away from my precious little computer, so, no chapters during that time. IK. Sad face. :(
In a way, I'll try and make up for this. On this Saturday, I will not be uploading another chapter of Genderbent, instead uploading chapter six for this story. AAA should be on the same schedule, but may be postponed until Friday. But, yeah, that's really it.
:D
'Nyways, Onwards!
Jaune jumped when a pile of books slammed onto the table in front of him. Glancing up from his book, he saw Blake smiling softly.
"Here's a few books that talk about Dragon-class Grimm." She said, sitting down next to Jaune. "I don't understand though. How's this going to relate to your semblance?"
Well because I have a dragon inside of me and it seems to be the thing that makes me shoot tornadoes out of the mouth. Hm. No, Jaune wasn't sure if that was going to be a convincing argument or not.
Shrugging, Jaune grabbed the topmost book from the stack and opened it up, looking at the pictures of the various Grimm. "I'm hoping that there's something different about the Dragon-class Grimm that lets me do that shiny-light thing." Blake couldn't really fault that logic, no matter the phrasing, and opened up another encyclopedia of Grimm.
Time went by in silence as Jaune and Blake looked for any clues as to how Dragon-class Grimm worked, and how it related to Jaune's semblance.
After Jaune closed the third book and put it away, he sighed, trying not to fall asleep. All the books just talked about the physiology and attack patterns of each dragon, which didn't seem to help Jaune much at all. Why couldn't there just be a page that talks about their powers relating to Jaune?
Dust, these authors had no idea how to target an audience.
A pair of bracelet clasped hands entered his view. "How's the research going, lover boy?" Yang said, shooting a grin. Jaune returned the grin tiredly.
"Terribly. I can't seem to find anything right now." He replied. Yang crossed her arms under her chest and leaned onto the table.
"Psh, that's why I don't read books for research. If you wanna find out more about your semblance, you should go do another spar. Namely, with me." Yang finished by gesturing grandly at herself, puffing her chest out proudly. Jaune, trying his best not to let his eyes linger, rolled them and stood up.
"Maybe you're right." He said finally. "I think we're done for today Blake. Thanks a lot for helping me out here." Blake just smiled and stood up as well, internally feeling just as tired as Jaune was. "No problem Jaune. Friends help friends." Jaune returned her smile. Turning back to Yang, Jaune spoke.
"Well, I guess it's time to try out the physical side of things."
Yang started to bounce up and down ecstatically, prepping herself for the fight.
"I going to call Weiss and let her know that I'm ready." Jaune said before expanding his scroll out. He walked towards the library doors, only to be stopped by a pair of hands that spun him around to face a rather livid Yang. Jaune blinked.
"What?" He asked, his face perfectly innocent. Yang had half a mind to start the fight now and just sucker punch Jaune in the face. Yang took a deep breath to try and calm herself down.
"I meant… spar with me." She said slowly. Jaune tilted his head a little and put a finger on his lip in thought.
"Hm. I'm pretty sure I've already explained this already…" Jaune said thoughtfully.
"Oh, come on Jaune! I promise I'll go easy on you." Yang said, half begging. Jaune shot a dry look at Yang.
"I don't think you know the definition of holding back, Yang."
Yang decided to just pout, and turn away in denial.
Jaune gently laid his hands on hers and pulled them away. "Look, you're still recovering from the last fight that we had, and I'm not sure what would happen if we went at it again. At least with Weiss, she doesn't have to rely on getting close, which means that if I do… tornado blast her she can respond." Yang just pursed her lips, annoyed at how logical Jaune was being.
"And besides, I'd rather not screw up, not be able to use my semblance and end up being a smear on the ground." Jaune said sardonically. Yang's lips twitched into a smile.
"Well, so long as you know." Yang said, emulating Weiss as she rose her head haughtily high. Jaune just laughed and let go of Yang's hands, something that had completely slipped away from her notice.
"Well, I'll see you during dinnertime." Jaune said, turning away and heading out the door. Yang just stared at the empty doorway.
"Yeah." Yang muttered, rubbing her arm. "See you."
No one in Beacon would say that Jaune was an exceptional fighter. On the other hand, a year of intense training from the Mistral Champion herself, as well as a smattering of lessons with his other friends, had really buffed him out. Nowadays even Cardin would reluctantly admit that Jaune could hold his own against most of the student body. However, Weiss had trained for years in fencing and practiced the use of her semblance since she was a child.
It would be a long time before Jaune could beat Weiss in a straight up fight.
So instead, Jaune opted to try a battle of attrition. Relying on his stellar defense and large aura stores, Jaune played the immovable shield to Weiss's tactical offense. Weiss had quickly caught on to his intentions and had backed away, holding in a defensive position.
Several minutes had passed before Weiss lowered Myrtenaster.
"Jaune." She said.
"Hm?" Jaune kept his guard up and sword ready, focused on the still form of Weiss.
"While your defense is acceptable and you have the appropriate tactics to fight me, this isn't what we're here for." Weiss said sternly.
Jaune winced at her words and lowered his shield, pointing his sword to the ground.
"I know." He said. Weiss's eyebrow raised an inch as the undertone of frustration made itself evident in his voice. "I know this is for my semblance but," Jaune sighed and collapsed his sheath, stowing away his sword in one smooth motion. "I honestly have no idea how to use it." He finally admitted, sweeping his sweaty bangs away from his eyes.
"You don't?" Weiss asked before putting her rapier away as well. "You don't even have an idea of how to?"
Jaune shrugged helplessly. "I mean, the only time I did it was with Yang, and I had this—this voice and it kept saying… something…" Jaune trailed off. What was Vedrahgol telling him?
Weiss finally grew impatient at watching Jaune muttering nonsensical things about 'tearing them limb from limb' and 'what the hell is a maldovah'. Quickly drawing Myrtenaster, Weiss formed a glyph below her feet and flew towards Jaune. If Jaune wasn't sure how to use his semblance, Weiss would force his body to use it.
Or die.
Well, probably not die, but hopefully it would spark some kind of instinctual use of his semblance.
Jaune barely had any time to draw Crocea Mors out of the sheath before being assaulted with slashes, stabs, and lunges. Weiss kept the pressure on, and Jaune was forced to parry and dodge, knowing that if he made any movement to bring out his shield Weiss would impale him.
Weiss was entirely too fast for Jaune though. While his eyes did see openings, his body couldn't react fast enough to take the advantage.
What was entirely surprising for the both of them was how long Jaune was lasting however. Even though Jaune had improved immensely, his reaction time was still being trained and he normally would have lost a good chunk of aura from mistakes and being just a little too slow.
But now Jaune was able to dodge almost every stroke of her blade, and parry any that he couldn't. Weiss was astounded. While he still wasn't fast enough to do anything besides keep himself uninjured, it was still something of a miracle to see.
Weiss knew that she was tiring. Swinging Mrytenaster around in varying dynamic patterns was costing her a lot of stamina. Any longer and Jaune would have the upper hand.
Weiss bit out a curse as she swung a little too wide with the rapier and hoped Jaune wouldn't catch it. But whatever miracle was aiding Jaune with his speed let him see the opening, and Jaune flicked his sword to strike her waist. With a bit of quick thinking, Weiss formed another glyph and sped away from the blade.
Now's the chance, Jaune thought, as he drew in a breath. Weiss prepared herself, forming several glyphs around her in preparation to defend and evade as Jaune unleashed his terrifying semblance.
"FOAM'S OKRA!" Jaune yelled at the top of his lungs.
Weiss took a step to the side and… stumbled at the ridiculous phrase, accidentally putting too much pressure on the glyph and letting it overturn her, causing her to backflip once and crash into the ground.
Jaune hurried over to Weiss in concern. "Oh dust, are you alright Weiss?" Weiss didn't bother replying as she struggled back onto her feet.
"What," She hissed lowly. "was that?" Jaune flushed in embarrassment.
"I-I couldn't remember what the words were exactly." He muttered, trying to wipe away that event. Weiss shot him a deadpan glare.
"So you thought… foam's okra was the appropriate thing to… shout?" She asked. Jaune just cringed.
A giggle floated through the arena during this time, causing Jaune and Weiss to turn to the stands, watching Yang trying not to burst out laughing.
"Foam's okra." Yang snorted in amusement as Jaune slowly grew redder and redder. Weiss primly brushed off the dust on her skirt and sheathed Myrtenaster, tilting her nose upwards to the ceiling.
"I think you need a lot more practice there Jaune." Yang grinned as Weiss walked over to grab a bottle of water that Yang held in her hand. Jaune followed suit and tried to take the other bottle in Yang's right hand. Yang pulled it back, Jaune missing the bottle by a few inches. Yang continued to tease Jaune as she spoke up.
"You know, I don't think that's what you said when you blew me away." Yang said, winking as she raised the bottle again away from Jaune, who was blushing at the double entendre.
"Yeah?" Jaune grunted as his fingers glanced the plastic of the bottle. "And what did I say?"
Yang tapped the bottle on her chin, finally allowing Jaune to snatch it out of her hands. With a pout, she replied, "I don't remember exactly, but it ended with something like 'ro dah', or whatever."
"Oh!" Jaune snapped his fingers as the array of words finally appeared in his mind. "I remember now! It was Fus Ro Dah—"
"I hate your semblance." Yang grumbled, holding an ice pack on her head. Jaune moaned in agreement. Weiss on the other hand, nursing a twisted ankle, simply decided to chuck her ice pack at Yang, hitting her on the shoulder. They were all sitting in Team RWBY's room after getting a dressing down by Professor Goodwitch for tearing up another arena. Something about how 'they weren't the only ones in the school'.
Even if it felt like it sometimes.
Jaune's scroll rang once, twice, before he moved to pick it up. Checking the ID, Jaune's face paled a little. Standing up, Jaune laughed a little nervously.
"Well, that was fun Weiss, Hot-head," Jaune said, nodding to Yang. "Hey!" Yang pouted. "But I gotta go take this."
"Who is it? Some secret lover on the side?" Yang teased, hoping to get Jaune back. Instead of blushing and denying it however, Jaune just gave a wan smile.
"Not really. It's my dad." He said before exiting the room. Yang's eyes trailed after Jaune as he left.
"Methinks the lad hath some tension with the father." Yang said blithely. Weiss just grabbed her ice pack once again and tossed it towards Yang's head.
"Hello Jaune. How are you?" A low voice carried out of the scroll. Jaune forced a smile.
"Not much Dad. How about you?" Jaune replied, happy to make small talk if it meant not having to dive into any deeper issues. Of course, Jaune's father never really was going to let that happen.
"Well, being the only male in a family of ten actually at home during a time where everyone seems to be on the time of the month at the exact same time… I could be better." Jaune's father replied lightly. Jaune knew the undertones of the conversation though.
Why aren't you home?
"Well you're going to have to keep it that way for a while," Jaune gave a fake chuckle. "I'm just finally starting to learn so much!"
There's nothing for me at home.
"Aw come on, I'm sure your sisters miss you so much!"
So your sisters don't mean anything?
"Well then I'll be sure to visit them over the break." At this point Jaune was snapping a little too harshly.
Except for them.
"Like you'll actually come home." Jaune's father spat out angrily. There weren't any undertones to that statement. Jaune decided to keep silent, unless he wanted it to become a screaming match between him and his father. His dad sighed.
"Did you need something Jaune?" He asked tiredly. Jaune winced at the tone of voice even more than that previous tone of anger. Jaune didn't hate his dad. Bitter, yes. Bitter that he refused to teach Jaune anything, bitter that while his dad was out there risking his life and potentially leaving him and his sisters fatherless, that he wouldn't let Jaune pick up the load.
Bitter that his dad hadn't believed in him.
Jaune calmed himself with a drawn out breath.
"So my semblance unlocked." Jaune's dad gave a noncommittal grunt in acknowledgement. Oh no, that's amazing son, I'd love to hear more about it. Jaune pushed the thought away. His dad was never one for congratulations. At least not with Jaune. He continued speaking.
"And apparently I can dissolve dragons with my hands and shoot tornadoes out of my mouth and I've been contacted by beings that aren't from Remnant." Every word in that sentence rose in anger until the ending sounded more like an accusation than a statement.
Stunned silence went over the scroll as Jaune's father tried to process all of this. Jaune could see his face changing from one emotion to the other in rapid succession. Guilt, Anger, Denial.
Fear.
"Jaune…" The patriarch of the Arc family was almost whispering. He knew that this would happen. He knew never wished Jaune to face this. "…I'm sorry." He whispered.
Jaune just rolled his eyes. "Really? About what? Neglecting me? Refusing to teach me how to defend myself? Being the best father I could ask for—until I turned eleven, and then it seemed like you never had time for me?" Jaune almost demanded for his dad to apologize for every little thing that happened to him, even if his dad wasn't to blame. Well, not a hundred percent anyways.
Jaune's dad looked away from the scroll.
"For all of it, son." A brief pause as Jaune's dad tried to gather his thoughts. "Seven years back, I had a dream of this... abomination. A Grimm-black sun that had tentacles spewing out of it was facing me. It spoke to me." His face twisted in pain as he remembered the visions of blood and screams. "It showed me… death. It showed me violence and pain. And you were in the center of it."
Jaune's heart stopped.
"That's why I tried to separate you from all this, Jaune." His dad continued. "I hoped against everything that if I didn't train you and I didn't expose you to my world, everything would just pass over you." A tear rolled down his cheek and he palmed his face. This was a surprise for Jaune. Jaune never had a sensitive father. Even before, when his dad paid attention to him, he was always Noah Arc, protector of humanity.
Now he just looked like a dad who lost his son.
Jaune swallowed uncomfortably, finally understanding why his dad had been so cold to him all these years. That didn't let Noah off the hook however. Jaune wanted to remind him of this.
"But now I'm way behind everyone else because of that." Jaune said quietly, this time without the accusatory tone. He just wanted to point out the error of his dad's ways. Noah just nodded silently.
"I know son. I'm sorry."
Noah looked Jaune in the eye for the first time since the beginning of the call.
"But I can try to make it up to you. The vision told me to tell you—look up a book called the Oghma Infinitum. It said that the book is in Ozpin's office. Tell Ozpin that Mr. Mora wants you to look at it."
Jaune nodded. It was a start.
It was a start to his investigation, and a start to mending his relationship with his dad.
At that moment, Jaune couldn't ask for anything more.
"Thanks dad." Jaune said, giving a more heartfelt smile than the one he had before. Noah returned the smile.
"Look son," Noah looked into Jaune's eyes, making sure that Jaune knew he was serious. "I'm not sure what I exactly saw in my vision, but know that no matter what, you have people that love you and support you no matter what happens."
Jaune nodded, his thoughts wandering to his mom and dad, his seven sisters, and his friends. Pyrrha, Ren, Nora. Blake, Weiss, Ruby. Yang.
"I know dad. Thanks." Noah nodded.
"Be careful out there Jaune."
"I will dad. I promise."
A/N: Wow this drama. Tch, shape up Jaune. Gods you sound like an angsty teenager.
Lul, and now for a lighter note.
OMEKE TIM!
"Give it up Nora! We have you surrounded!" Jaune said, his voice cracking in fear as he hid behind his shield. Team RWBY, JNPR, CDRL, and CFVY had formed a loose ring around Nora, who stood on top of a mound of Grimm, cackling madly. Nora kept waving around the blasted staff, making everyone wince in fear.
Everyone there had been hit at least once by a blast from the Wabbajack, and had various effects happen on them. Many of them were in various states of undress, while others were the wrong gender. Several had been chased by giant crabs and monsters that emanated fire or ice or lightning, as well as momentarily being turned into objects such as mounds of cheese.
Pyrrha stepped up, carefully trying not to stumble on her very long pants.
"Please Nora," She pleaded, "haven't you had enough fun?" Pyrrha glanced up at Jaune, who had to fight the momentary urge not to pet her head, as she had shrunk to the size of a ten year old. Nora continued to laugh.
"Never! Why would I stop having so much fun?!" Nora said before blasting another stream of light, summoning… chickens?
The chickens flailed about, clucking in panic and streaming around between some of their legs and pecking some of the defenders, who cried out in surprise and dropped their guard.
Pyrrha turned desperately towards Jaune, grasping onto his sleeve. "Please Jaune, do something!"
Who's a good little girl, you are, yes you are—what?
"Huh?" Jaune said dumbly before snapping out of his daze, "Oh right!" He said before trying to advance to Nora. She kept the grin on her face and stood up tall and gave a bellowing laugh.
"The gods support me!" She declared and raised Wabbajack into the air, summoning an old man wearing clothes that would go well on Neo. He gave a wild laugh and snapped his fingers at the approaching crowd, a flash of light emanating outwards.
When they were able to see again, there was much shouting as Nora and the old man had disappeared, along with everyone else's clothes.