"I told you I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spy on you and Rose and I- AH"

Jaune winced as his sister Natalie tightened her grip on his arms. Her fingers were like iron, and he was reminded of the feeling he got when He couldn't really pay attention to her at the moment however. Jaune knew he wasn't the most socially aware person in the world, but he wasn't blind enough to miss his sisters' clenched jaw and stabbing gaze. It had come about from a very unexpected flare up of brotherly protectiveness that he could not explain, and as he sat staring at two veritable blonde demons who looked to want nothing less than to stare him into a frozen tomb, he couldn't help but feel a flood of remorse and even more anger at himself. How could he ever have thought that his sisters would need his help?

"Do you realize how difficult it is to find a guy who doesn't mistake you for your twin?" Rose asked him without a hint of emotion.

"How difficult it is to find a civilian in this shitty village who is not only cute, but funny and smart and who doesn't fetishize you for being a huntress?" Lily followed up without missing a beat.

"What's fetishi-" Jaune made to ask only to get two very angry older sisters in his face, his mouth shutting seemingly of it's own volition.

"How difficult it is to even show your face to them again, after your idiot brother goes and accuses them of cheating on you with their own SISTERS?" Rose clarified the final part of her question with a screech.

"How was I to know they were their sisters?! I just thought that-" Jaune made to defend himself but the incredulous look on his sisters faces he had assumed to have been a breakthrough morphed into a scowl that he had never seen before. They both spoke at the same time in that way that usually creeped him out but now made him wince and close his eyes.

"YOU HAVE SEVEN SISTERS. HOW CAN YOU NOT ENTERTAIN THAT AS A POSSIBILITY?"

"Well I just-"

"And it's not like we can forgive you for doing it spontaneously either. You waited at least a week to picture them, and despite the option for you to come to us early so we could beat you over your head with the evidence, you waited till we were on our last dates before Beacon starts." Rose intoned with a sigh, the morph giving way to an exhausted look that had a pit forming in Jaune's stomach. Why was he always like this?

"I just thought that since I was useless while you fought Grimm in the wilds and Beacon, I could maybe help you here. You always protect me but I thought I could help to make sure that you didn't get hurt by those guys. Not that they could hurt you, just that they could make you distracted and then I thought of what happened to Jennifer and I didn't want that to happen and I thought if I made you guys break up now while we had some time you would be over it when you got to Beacon. I'm sorry. I know I should stop trying to act like I can protect anyone but you're my sisters and I-"

Jaune couldn't breathe as he was bear hugged from two sides. Natalie had let go of his arms to wrap herself around his neck, and Rose was trying to bury her head into his chest, her arms squeezing his chest with force. He looked up to see Lily staring at him wide eyed while he struggled to breathe. Seeing the blue tint to his face, Lily snapped out of her trance.

"Rose, Natalie, he can't breathe."

Rose instantly stopped squeezing but her arms stayed at his sides as she refused to let go of him, while Natalie did the same. Jaune was prepared for anger, for a tongue lashing, hell even a physical lashing. But he could never get used to any of the women in his family crying. Which was because he had never seen them cry in the first place. To say he idolized his sisters would be a gargantuan understatement. He knew the training they had to undergo, the risks they took every single day of their lives, the danger they were in at all times because of their aura. He was sure his heart had stopped beating when he saw the moisture in Rose' eyes. Rose was the one their mother relied on to keep them all in line. Even her twin Lily, and to an extent the elder sisters as well, bowed to her in most matters. To see her crying was akin to seeing the very foundation you built your life on teeter and tilt and expose cracks. And to know that you caused it? Jaune didn't even have the energy to hate himself as he closed his eyes and looked away, anywhere where he wouldn't see those beautiful eyes he had stained with tears. And to think this had all started because he didn't want his sisters to be hurt by some guy. God, what a joke. He felt a hand under his chin swivel his head back.

"I know what you're thinking you lovely, perfect, stupid, boy. I'm not crying because I'm sad you idiot. I'm crying because I'm happy. Happy because of how lucky I am to have such a thoughtful, loving brother." Rose wiped the tears from her eyes as her smile was suddenly gone and she regarded him measuredly.

"And I'm not going to hear any more of that self-deprecating hogwash from you anymore. You're our brother. You'll always be our brother, and just because you can't fight Grimm won't change that. Have you ever seen mom ask dad why he can't fight? Do you think he wouldn't be out there with her if guys had aura? Do you think mom would just move on if something happened to dad? I know with all my heart that if you had aura you would be out there with us, and I love you more than you'll ever know because of that. Do you understand?"

Jaune nodded, and put on his best smile for his sisters. When he felt it waver he moved forward towards Rose to bury his head in the crook of her neck. He cursed as he felt tears escape unbidden to wet his sisters shirt. How could she understand? If she saw any of her family in danger she could fight, she could kill, she could – and he shuddered at the thought – die to protect them. All he could do was watch. Even if he chose to sacrifice himself he could barely give them more than a second before he would be struck down. Natalie stiffened behind him but he couldn't feel anything other than Lily coming around to wrap her arms around him as she kissed his cheek and wiped his tears. And it was to this scene that Jean and Anna Arc walked in.

"Well well, Anna. I never thought I'd say this but you were right. Our family is messed up. Rose said they were going to punish him but I can't really see a lot of punishing going on" Jean sniggered through a smirk.

Anna, ever the lewd one was not far behind. "What do we know, sis. Maybe they're brocons. Either way we should supp-"she couldn't finish as she was lifted up by an unseen force and plastered to the ceiling.

Rose returned her hand to Jaune's back and sighed.

"I hate her so much sometimes."

Jaune couldn't help but laugh quietly as he moved back. He could still feel Natalie at his back, and she had even gotten marginally tighter in her embrace. Jaune discretely reached for his shirt so he could wipe his eyes before he turned around to hug Natalie again, who finally let go very reluctantly.

"Im sorry for making you guys worry, and for ruining your dates."

Rose and Lily smiled before an expression he couldn't recognize flitted across Lily's face and she smiled the most saccharine smile he had ever seen.

"Well, that's all well and good but you do realize we still need to punish you right?"

Jaune paled at the question. He had subconsciously pushed the matter of atonement to the back of his mind after the group hug, maybe out of some misplaced feeling that his sisters had forgiven him. But once again the vindictive nature of the opposite sex scared him as he saw Rose move from a confused look to one of recognition as she too smiled her most sinister smile at him. Let it be said, that though they loved him, Jaune knew very well they would never let him get away with anything that crossed one of them.

Natalie couldn't help but smile when Rose and Lily opened the door to their room. It was a testament to their skills that she knew she would have mistaken Jaune for a shy, pretty blonde had she not seen him go into the room. His short hair was done up in that style she had seen some lesbians on TV wearing. The dress he was wearing was one of Natalie's, a floral print that reached her feet but only covered Jaune till the knees. His face was made up, with a dusting of blush she was sure was not needed seeing how embarrassed he was. The lipstick was a bright pink, and the eyeliner they had applied was a bright pink as well. Her sisters wanted their pound of flesh it seemed. Natalie had to admit if their resolve would waver after Jaune's outburst but she had been mistaken. Thinking of the outburst soured her good mood again but before she could dwell on it her mother came bounding up the stairs.

"What is taking you all- Goddamnit Rose, Lily. What the hell is this? I told you we were getting late and you're playing dressup with your brother" sighing, the matriarch of the Arc family moved forwards and looked her son over.

"Jaune, sweety you need to stand up for yourself. Stop letting them bully you so much. Now let's get you out of this mess while I think up a suitable punishment for Rose and Lily"

Before she could make to reach for his dress to unzip it, Jaune stepped back and spoke.

"Mom, its okay. I deserve it this time actually. I messed up their dates and this is my way of making up to them."

"Jaune you don't have to cower before them, these two will be gone to Beacon soon, thank God for that. I'll make sure they don't do anything to you before I kick them back out."

The affronted expression of the twins was worth it as they stared long and hard at their mothers face set in a neutral mask. The staring contest stopped when they spotted a slight uptick of their mothers full lips and both twins huffed and turned around, only stopping when Jaune spoke again.

"It's not that mom, they didn't have to threaten me this time. I, just, lets just please go to the lake. I saw myself in the mirror and even I couldn't tell it was me. I'm sure no one will recognize me."

Their mother stared into Jaune's eyes long and hard before she sighed in defeat and ordered them all to get to the cars.

Their dad was waiting with a bored expression that lit up when he saw his 'brood' as he called them affectionately come out, though he couldn't help but stare long at the eighth blonde he saw trailing behind the twins. Had the girls brought a friend over for the getaway?

"Hey girls, finally ready? I see you brought a friend. Won't you introduce us?"

At this the twins devolved into fits of laughter that he thought were very unladylike and perplexing. Was it something he had said? To his surprise even his wife Violetta was having trouble holding in her laughter as she covered her face with her shawl in vain, the great heaving breaths she was taking telling him all he needed to know. Only Natalie was somewhat composed, with a small smile threatening to break out. The girl on the other hand looked positively murderous, glaring at him with sapphire eyes that he couldn't help but feel were famili-

"Oh God Jaune tell me that isn't you."

At this, his wife finally lost her control, erupting in guffaws that he would make her pay for later.

"Can we just go to this fucking lake already?" Jaune as good as screamed as he lurched into the car. It seemed his son was very good at emulating the opposite sex, so good that he even gave Anthony the familiar feeling of a pit in his stomach that was associated with female displeasure before he remembered this was his son. At least, he hoped it was his son.

People would ask Violetta why she gave up her illustrious career and disappeared from the huntress sphere. They would ask why someone as talented and powerful as her would choose to settle down with a man so early in her life. Why someone who was being considered for the next headmistress of Beacon academy would give up the life she had worked so hard to make. No one kept records of how many Grimm a huntress had killed. Even then, few doubted that none could have surpassed her kill count. She had killed Goliaths that were 30 feet tall alone. She had been caught in the middle of a massive Grimm migration and had made it out with not so much as a scratch on her beautiful face. Why then would someone settle for a life of mediocrity? She couldn't help but laugh in the face of the interviewer that had asked her that. She saw Natalie jump from the swing into the river right on top of Lily's head, the older girl emerging from the water sputtering in rage as she gave chase to her younger sibling. She saw Rose laughing so hard she was afraid she would drown because of how out of her faculties she seemed. She saw her husband creeping up on Rose and she knew that would not end for either for them. And she saw Jaune laying his head on her lap. She had to admit, he made a pretty girl, not that she would admit it in front of him. His sisters teased him enough as it was. The sun was at the perfect position in the sky, and the shade of the trees made for the perfect temperature. He was asleep, his eyes closed and his breathing quick.

Violetta loved her children. To ask her to choose between them would be to admit that you knew nothing of what it meant to be a parent. It wasn't that her heart was divided between her children and her husband, but that with each child her heart expanded to fit the absolute adoration she felt for them all. Most of the time, anyway. But deep down inside, and after Jennifer, she had been secretly relieved when she saw her son for the first time. No more worrying about whether he would want to be a huntress, no more worrying about her child fighting creatures of Grimm and no more worrying about her child facing the worst that humanity and Faunus could offer. He stirred just then and opened his eyes, the bright sapphire spheres meeting her own browns.

"Hey mom, how long was I out?"

"Not long. Don't you want to swim?"

"I don't feel like it. I'm gonna take a walk alright?"

"Don't go too far."

"I'm not a child mom. I can walk without dying to some grimm." He replied tersely, and she couldn't help a gasp as an image of her baby boy underneath Grim- she pushed the image out of her mind and watched him go.

He was much taller than any of his sisters, probably because of his father's genetics. She couldn't help the feeling he was hiding something from her, and the gnawing at her heart grew stronger. Biting her lip she turned to watch her husband submerging their daughter under water. Surprise was all that kept her from instantly coming back up. Jaune would open up to her when he was ready and he was probably angry because of the dress. She'd make his sisters make it up to him. And, she thought as she got up, her husband looked too delicious shirtless to not be taken advantage of.

Jaune didn't know where he was going. The trees all looked the same to him, and his sense of direction was worse than a compass with a magnet on it. He just wanted to walk so he could get the dream he had out of his head. He didn't understand what had brought this sudden bout of depression on. Of course he was saddened when he learned he couldn't have an aura because he was a boy. He had thrown a tantrum for days before Jennifer had calmed him down. And it all came down to Jennifer didn't it. The oldest Arc offspring was absolutely perfect in the eyes of nearly everyone. She was beautiful enough that he remembered dozens of bouquets arriving at their house throughout her stay at beacon, and even more suitors when she came home. She was also undoubtedly the best huntress in a generation, undefeated throughout her four years in Beacon. She had received offers of employment from the SDC multiple times to head their security apparatus but had turned them down again and again. All of which changed when she went on one simple scouting mission. It was supposed to be simple recon of a white fang facility that harbored some of the more extreme cells. In the end it had turned out to be anything but. No one was willing to give him the details but he had seen the scars his sister bore when they visited her. Her bicep was burned and almost black, while her sternum had a net of scar tissue that ended above her right breast. He remembered feeling helpless for the first time that day. He had been ten years old at the time. She had visited him again in his dreams today. All she did was look at him, her disfigurement bare for the world to see. The doctors had said the damage was too much and though she would be back to a hundred percent for combat, the most they could do was hope for the scars to fade. In his dreams he saw her stare at him silently, then ask him one word.

"Why?"

"I don't understand Jennifer, what's going on?"

"Why didn't you help me?"

"I, I-"

"Why didn't you stop this from happening?"

"Jennifer please I don't know what's"

Before he could ask anymore she had removed her garment. He expected to feel shame but he couldn't help but cringe when he saw her entire body blackened and scarred. That was when he had woken up. He would have to apologize to his mother when he got back. A snap in the distance caught his attention, and he could hear voices. He pushed through the undergrowth to see a peculiar sight. It was a huntress and two girls. That and there were numerous dead Grimm around them. One of the girls was almost as tall as him, with a beige jacket and a yellow mane of hair that reached her hips. With a blush, he realized he had been staring at the well-endowed girl for longer than appropriate. The other girl was much shorter, with black hair. What made him stare at her though was the massive scythe she wielded like it was nothing. It was clear she was related to the huntress, who was quite tall herself and dressed in a grey suit with the same massive scythe in her hands. These were clearly huntresses in training practicing with the huntress. He wanted to watch but he felt rather than heard another twig breaking directly behind him.

Turning around, he realized two things immediately. He was face to face with a Beowulf, the large red eyes staring malevolently into his own as its mouth foamed and a low growl escaped its throat. He had heard the growl on the vids but nothing could have prepared him for the sheer fear the sound sent through him, his very bones vibrating along with the sound. The second thing he realized was that he had pissed himself. Before he could think anything else the Beowulf was on him. He didn't hear himself scream as the monster buried itself in his chest. In his delirium he was reminded of Rose nuzzling his chest this morning. The next thing he knew the Beowulf had been sheared in half. Its red eyes were as surprised as his, and if he could have, he would have laughed. As the creature fell to the side, the red in its eyes dimming, he looked down and saw a curious sight. He could see his intestine, slipping out of the gouge the creature had made. He made to touch it only to be restrained by soft hands as the huntress from before straddle him carefully and place her hands on his chest. He remembered his mother unlocking his sisters' aura much the same way. He wanted to say something, to tell her it was no use. Instead he thought of his mother, his father, his sisters. Would his mother hate him? The huntress stopped her chant and he spasmed. It felt like his heart would beat out of his chest. What was this feeling? Was death this, this exhilarating? How cruel was this irony, that he felt like he was invincible at the moment of his passing? He realized he could make out words again but his mind was still addled.

"It's okay Yang, let go of her. I've unlocked her aura."

"Are you sure Qrow? That Beowulf took a chunk out of her. I think we need to get her to a hospital."

He felt the vibrations of footsteps running towards him and the bushes were trampled as his mother emerged, her eyes wild and panicked. The scream that left her throat when she saw him would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"JAUNE". In a moment she had pushed the huntress off him with a whimper and she took his face in his hands.

"No, no please baby don't go I can't lose you. Please stay with me Jaune."

The huntress tried to interject.

"Hey, it's okay. I've unlocked her aura. She's healing, see for yourself."

His mother ignored her nonsense to stare into his eyes. She kissed the back of his hand and he was surprised he didn't feel any pain. He could visibly see his mother's grip his hand and he could tell that she was applying force.

"Im sorry mom." He croaked out.

"Shhh, its okay baby. You're going to be just fine. Your father called the hospital, they're sending a bullhead to pick us up. I'm not letting you go anywhere." Jaune wanted to keep his eyes open but fatigue wrestled him down and he couldn't help but fall unconscious.

As her son's eyes drooped Violetta's mewling became desperate. This couldn't be happening. She refused to accept it. She would kill the first liar who told her that her son was dead. She reached down to try to stop the bleeding but she couldn't find the wound. Loathe as she was to take her eyes off him, she looked down only to find no trace of the fatal gash. There was only a scar where the wound should have been. How was this possible? She looked up to see the huntress looking at her with concern. Two girls hid behind her and she could see the smaller one's eyes red, tear tracks visible on her cheeks. It must have been a semblance of theirs. She looked down and choked out a happy sob. Jaune was breathing. It was erratic and unsteady but he was breathing. A smile broke out on her face as she addressed her son's savior.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much. Thank you for saving my son."

The huntress looked at her warily, before slowly replying.

"I'm sorry sister, but that's your daughter. If it was your son I don't think we could have saved him."

"But your semblance? Didn't you use it to heal him?"

Qrow almost scoffed at the shaking, desperate woman. Her semblance was probably what caused this to happen.

"It definitely wasn't my semblance. Or my nieces' for that matter. I unlocked her aura and it did the rest. She's got a lot of it as well, almost as much as some full grown huntresses I know."

The woman had gone very still at her words, and Qrow thought she had made some faux pas. The tension in the air was suffocating as she waited for the woman to speak.

"You unlocked his aura? But. How?"

"Aren't you Violetta Arc? I knew I recognized you from somewhere. Do you not remember how your semblance was unlocked?"

Qrow must have prodded too far because the woman scowled at her before growling.

"Do not try to fuck with me right now. I'm not in the mood for jokes." The underbrush parted again as a man and 3 girls came bounding out.

"Violetta, what's hap- oh God Jaune."

The man and the girls fell to their knees next to the woman as he tried to look for the injury.

Violetta hugged them all together before speaking softly.

"It's alright. We just need to get him to a hospital."

"What the hell happened to him?"

Qrow couldn't help but wonder what she had gotten mixed up in. The family was treating the poor girl like a boy. Qrow knew that wasn't possible, she had unlocked her aura herself. The couple stopped talking and the man picked up the girl in his arms. Before he could go though, Violetta stopped him.

"Anthony, I can run faster with him. I'm going to get him to the car and to a hospital."

Turning to Qrow, her face morphed into a grimace.

"I'm sorry for my outburst. You saved my son, and I won't forget that."

"It's fine. You get her to a hospital. I've got a car, we'll bring the rest of you there."

Nodding in thanks, Violetta bounded away almost as quickly as Ruby when she was using her semblance. The stories about her weren't exaggerations apparently. One of the girls spoke up then.

"Can we get to your car now?"

Nodding, Qrow started to jog back to where she had parked. She would have been happier she had saved someone but a feeling that this was far from over pervaded her mind. Why did she feel like she was about to be a part of something big? Again?