The silence following their father's statement had lasted longer than Jaune would have expected when he reflected on it later. His family, headstrong and boisterous as they were, was not one for incoherent babbling when surprised. In the end it was Jean that brought everyone's minds back to the room with her guffawing laughter.
"HA, that's a good one dad. It almost sounded like you were serious about sending Jaune to an academy people train for years to have a slither of a chance of being accepted into."
"Jean, this is serious. We need t-"
"Of course it's serious dad. Jaune has aura and soon enough the type of people who would do anything to have him under their control will know about him. So I suggest we stop with the poorly timed comic relief and focus on getting him back to Vicus soon. Honestly dad, how could you believe Ozpin when she said that we won't be able to defend him. Do you think Jennifer and Arya or Lily and me won't be able to keep him safe? You think mom would let anything happen to her only son."
His father was a very cheerful man. Always present with a joke to lighten up a mood or make them laugh. So when Jaune heard the jarring lack of any emotion in his father's reply he couldn't help but wince at how wrong it sounded.
"You think I want to make this decision? To have to choose between handing my son over to a stranger's mercies or bring war to my family? To have to choose between my son possibly dyi-, not surviving initiation at Beacon or becoming a, I don't even know what, when the council gets their hands on him?"
His father was not meek. He was a social activist that had clashed with the highest authority in every one of the four kingdoms for causes he believe in. It had been the strength he had shown while kidnapped that had driven his rescuer –his wife– into his arms. Yet now he could see the tremors in his hands and the timbre of his voice wavering. He held his own right hand to try to stop the trembling but it was not enough. Not until he felt another hand on his shoulder from behind.
"We are not discussing this here."
Their mother came up from behind to support her husband and moved to the cables that were wound around his chest and arms, ripping them off roughly as one would a leech. The flatline was loud and grating on the ears, and she moved to turn it off next. The same nurse that he had woken up to ran into the room with naked worry on her face, and Jaune felt bad for how they must have nearly given her a heart attack. Her voice was shrill as she confronted his mother, but the look on his mother's face was one he had never seen before. She moved towards the nurse ever so slowly and gracefully, and Jaune wanted to get up. To stop his mother from harming the woman because every single person in the room knew there wouldn't be enough of the nurse left to bury if someone didn't move soon. Instead, she stopped just before the woman and spoke softly but clearly, dropping the temperature in the room with each word.
"I know it was you relaying information about my son. Tell your masters this. If they come after my family, I come after theirs. Leave us in peace. Or I leave you in pieces."
With that she turned away from the nurse who promptly fled as Jaune dropped his legs to the floor, not quite aware of his surroundings. Supported by his father, his gait was like that of an automaton. As the large family made their way through the hospital, some other doctors made to approach them. Whether it was from altruistic reasons or to keep him there till the council made a decision was anyone's guess, but none could bear to suffer the look his mother affixed them with.
On the way back their car was flanked by Jennifer's car with Anna and Jean on one side and with Arya's motorcycle on the other. The atmosphere was quiet, the only sounds coming from the engine, the seatbelt indicator and the turn signals. Jaune went over the conversation he had been rehearsing since they left the hospital in his head one final time and spoke, the voice coming out raspy and ineligible at first because of his dry throat.
"I'm *cough* *cough*"
His family looked at him with mild concern, but before they could smother him again he cleared his throat and spoke clearly this time.
"I'm going to Beacon."
Jaune couldn't fault his family their surprise. All except their mother that is. She had evidently been expecting this.
"Jaune. This isn't something we can be rash about. I know how having an aura can make you feel invincible, but you're not."
"I know mom. I'm as vulnerable as you. Or Jennifer. Or Arya, or Jean or Anna or Rose or Lily or Natalie."
"They have been training since they were ten. They've spent years at the combat schools. You can't reach the level of preparation and physical endurance they have in just one year Jaune."
"Then why would Ozpin invite me?"
"She's a collector. She likes her trophies." Violetta answered. "She doesn't see any more to you than something to boost Beacon's influence."
"So what? She's offered to help me. If the headmistress of Beacon thinks I can train enough in a year then why don't you?"
"BECAUSE YOU'RE WEAK"
He had expected it to come from Jean if she was here, or Jennifer. But not Rose. The girl looked positively murderous and aura or no aura, Jaune felt a pulse of fear sitting next to her before his own anger boiled up.
"BECAUSE YOU'VE ALWAYS CODDLED ME. All of you. None of my friends had aura but they could still go to the field trips, they still learnt to fight. Every single one who had a mother or a sister who was a huntress could fight, except me. What use is having a family of huntresses if I couldn't even defend myself against a fucking Beowulf? They let kids 3 years younger than me fight them for training for fucks sake. Did any of you ever think that I wouldn't always be with you? So much for 'I know you'd fight with us if you could Jaune'. You just didn't care, each one of you passing it off to someone else, so you wouldn't have to train the defenseless babe that was your brother."
"Enough Jaune, Rose. No more talk of this till we get home." His father's voice had that steeliness he was unfortunately getting used to hearing but the fire in him was still not abated.
"Of course. Why wouldn't you cower behind mom? It's not like you've ever had your own opinions is it dad?"
His sisters gasped, and it would have been comical had it not been for his mother turning around. She had the same look that she had given to the hospital staff when leaving. Lips thinned, eyes narrowed and focused, boring into him with gusto.
"You will shut up NOW Jaune."
He wanted to argue but the chill with which his mother looked at him unnerved and smothered his rage easily. The rest of the ride was in silence with Lily trying to figure out whether to turn to her twin or him. She ended up falling back into her seat dejectedly as both of them shrugged off her hand, each staring intensely at the scene outside the window. When they finally reached home he didn't wait for the car to stop fully before he was bounding towards his room, ignoring the calls of his mother. He locked the room as soon as he entered and took out his scroll from his drawer.
The ride back home had cemented one thing in his mind. He couldn't ask for what he wanted anymore. He had a chance no man had ever had before him. A chance to stand as an equal next to his sisters, his mother, maybe even his future wife. He may have been weak but he was still an Arc. Navigating to Beacon academy's scrollpage, he searched for Ozpin's contact information. His family would give him time before they came to him, he knew that. He would have to do it now. The number dialed once, twice, thrice and Jaune moved to cancel the call before a voice called out.
"Professor Ozpin's office. How may I help you?"
"Yes, it's Jaune Arc. Can you tell her I need to talk to her? Tell her I have an answer for her."
"One moment please."
There was a pleasant wait tune which was mildly interesting to him with how benign it sounded. Before he could get through the first iteration of the tune however it cut off and a familiar voice spoke.
"Mister Arc. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one."
"Yes, umm headmistress Ozpin? I have, an answer. For you. I accept. I want to join Beacon."
"That's wonderful, I'll just send over-"
"My family doesn't know. They won't let me go. I know I don't have any training at all but I was thinking maybe you could help send me somewhere I could train till next year's initiation when I'm ready to join. I know it's not a long time but I know I can do it, I've seen my sister's practicing and I copied their exercises sometimes."
The line was silent for so long that Jaune thought Ozpin had hung up on him.
"I appreciate your position Jaune, but I do not think going behind your parents back is the correct option. I have no shame in saying that your sisters are formidable huntresses in their own right, and so is your mother. Any attempt to go behind their backs would result in threats at best and , well, you know full well how bad it could get."
Jaune breathed in once. This was his only chance to convince her.
"Professor, I know you don't owe me anything. Hell, I know you're probably taking a massive chance even inviting someone like me who has had no training to Beacon. But I want this more than you could ever imagine. You know I'm not meant for living at home while my sisters abandon their lives to keep watch over me. If you want I'll submit to whatever medical tests you want me to do to understand why I have aura. I know you want to know what's different about me and so do I. My family will, well they will understand. Eventually. I'm not asking you to whisk me away in the dead of night, anyway."
The silence this time stretched long enough that Jaune looked at his scroll, only to see it still connected. He didn't dare breathe a word however, waiting for the older huntress to begin.
"Pack your luggage and weapons tonight. Someone will be by to pick you up tomorrow morning."
Jaune could have almost cried in relief, but his gratitude was cut off by the almost silent voice on the other end of the scroll.
"Firstly, you do not have to consent to anything you don't want to do Jaune. You will be treated like any other student at Beacon, and no one will ever force you to do anything you don't want to do. Secondly, you should know this. You will not reach even half the skill of any of the initiates that will be attending Beacon. Despite how hard you get drilled or how long you train, you cannot compress six years of training into one. You will without a doubt be the weakest person in the entire batch. Combined with the unique position you find yourself in, I can ensure you that your first year will be tumultuous and chock full of challenges."
There was no question at the end. She was laying out the situation for him, to ensure he knew what he was getting into. Unfortunately for her, Jaune had always known he was the weakest. Except this time he had a chance to do something about it.
Lily came by and knocked on his door a few hours later to call him to dinner. As he sat their eating the steak their mother had cooked, he could feel their gazes on him. The table was dead silent except for the nudging and silent pleas Lily was sending her twin to apologize to him. But they were both Arcs, each more stubborn than the last. Even Arya, the rebellious one was quiet. The worst was his parents. He could tell she was looking at him wistfully. Out of his peripheral vision he saw her extend a hand halfway towards him then pull it back. He couldn't fault his parents the lack of communication. They probably thought he still needed time to figure out his new reality, and any contact before that was liable to aggravate him further. But they didn't know how he had fantasized about this exact scenario since the day he had seen Jennifer in her huntress regalia defending against a Grimm breach on television. How he had taken to practicing with a stick, copying his sisters routines. The awkwardness eventually became too much for him and he stood up, the thuds of his feet on the stairs deafening in the silence.
He had been on his scroll when there was a knock on the door. When he didn't answer it opened after a few moments anyway. His mother stood in the doorway, her eyes forlorn as she stared at him for permission. Tomorrow was going to be his last day at home, and he was loathe to leave his mother in this state. He nodded once and his mother near ran to his bed. As she sat next to him, he couldn't help but lay his head in her lap. Her hands stroked through his hair as he fell asleep, any concerns about packing forgotten as he reminisced of a far simpler time. He needed this as much as his mother did.
The morning found him tucked into bed with a blanket over him. The sun had been out for some time now. For a moment, he forgot what his life had become, content to lie in bed and enjoy his vacations. Then he remembered the call. He near jumped out of his bed and went to pull out his suitcase from underneath. The first to go into the suitcase was the pyjamas his sisters had given him. As he was packing he realized that Ozpin had told him to pack his luggage and his weapons. His weapons. He had never been bought a weapon, for training or for defense. Why would he need one anyway? Before he could think of a way to overcome this new problem the door opened. Jaune felt a pit in his chest not unlike the one he had felt when facing the Beowulf. His mother stood in the doorway, her mouth open and her eyes frozen to the suitcase he had been packing. Could he pass it off as just something he was doing in case they had to leave quickly? Y'know, for when the council sent robot huntress assassins after him. She would buy that right? He had expected anger, grief or even betrayal to be plastered on her face. But all he saw was resignation. She closed the door and walked into the room, sitting down on the bed and gesturing him to take position beside her. Jaune approached gingerly, still not sure whether this was a lure to get him to lower his guard. She spoke softly, her words caressing his ears as she had caressed his hair last night.
"You know you don't have to run away. I never expressly forbade you from joining Beacon. I just told you why it would have been a bad idea."
"I didn't know. I was worried about the girls more than you. You saw how Rose was, and I can already tell you most of them agree with her. Besides, I wasn't running away. I talked to Ozpin yesterday, and she said she would send someone to pick me up. I still have a year mom. I promise you I'll train hard enough to make you proud."
His mother cradled his head almost suffocating him, but he didn't mind. He didn't know when he would be coming back.
"I know you will. When are they going to arrive?"
"Any time now."
He could feel her start, before she composed herself again. So soon.
"Well then, you are going to have a breakfast you can remember. Besides. Ozpin may have managed to sway you but no number of huntresses, Grimm or teachers can keep me from visiting you whenever I want."
"I'd love that. Umm, mom can you tell the others. I don't really feel like testing how much damage aura can withstand so soon."
"Oh no, you don't get to hand that off that to me and-"
Her voice was cut off by a commotion downstairs. He ran to his window only to whimper as he saw all of his sisters and his father crowded around two huntresses. One of them was Qrow, the one who had saved him and the other was a beautiful huntress with blond hair, a white long-sleeved, pleated top and a black high-waisted pencil skirt.
"I'll get down there and calm them down. Finish packing."
"Wait, mom. I don't exactly have a weapon."
His mother gave him a look that he couldn't figure out, and without another word raced down, leaving Jaune alone. The volume of the commotion was growing, jerking him out of his indecision and he moved to pack the last of his essentials. Idly he noticed that the bag he was lifting was much lighter than he had thought it would be. The conversation outside had muted, but as he reached the outside doorway he heard Jennifer's voice cry out.
"Mom, you can't be serious. He's never even held a sword before. How do you expect him to learn six years' worth of combat skills and experience in barely an year? And if you're dead set on letting him do this, why not train him yourself? Or let me do it, or Arya or anyone else in the family?"
"You're telling me you would push him to the limit? Can you honestly tell me anyone of us would be able to ignore it when his body screams out to him that it can't take anymore? Every one of you, including me, would stop. And that would be the death of him. No, Jaune needs someone that will force him to confront his limits and surpass them. That is the only way he survives this. Besides, I trust Ozpin to train him enough to pass initiation. After that it's up to Jaune. And anyway all of you turned out fine didn't you?"
The blonde woman's eyes met his over his mother's shoulders and she spoke, shattering the silence his mother's revelations had left.
"Mister Arc, I see you're here. We should leave soon, we have a long journey ahead of us."
The faces that turned towards him carried a range of emotions. Hurt, concern, betrayal, anger. Each of his sisters worried for him in their own way. What he didn't expect to see was the pride in his father's eyes, despite what he had said. His sisters were still stumped by the news that their brother was going to go train under some huntress they had never met, and he took full advantage. Embracing each of them briefly but tightly, leaving them with a kiss on the cheek and playful assurances. Jennifer was too quick to let him get away so easily however. She returned his embrace many fold, then keeping him at arm's length looked into his eyes and spoke.
"You will call one of us every night."
Jaune nodded. There was nothing he could say that would assuage the worry she felt, apart from him doing his part to not leave their hearts in turmoil.
His father was next, and in the usual paternal fashion was the stabilizing force that steeled him for what was to come. His apologies were cut short as his father simply hugged him before passing him on to his mother.
He had never seen his mother in her battle regalia. She wasn't fully armed even now – only her sword was on her hip – but if she looked as terrifying and as valkyriesque now he shuddered to imagine what she might look like in her full ensemble. As he approached her she dislodged her sword and held it up.
"This is Crocea Mors. None of your sisters ever took a liking to my style so I never had an opportunity to pass this on to someone else, and I wish it had stayed that way."
She sighed, took a deep breath and refocused her eyes on his before handing it to him.
"I know your fighting style may evolve differently, or you may want a different weapon but for your initial training this should be enough."
With that she stepped back, the mask on her face impassive. Jaune didn't care however, embracing her fiercely and whispering into her ear.
"You don't know how much this means to me. Thank you. I promise I won't let you down."
"I know. Call me every night Jaune. If you ever need anything, know that each of us is there for you. A huntress is at her strongest in a team, remember that."
With that their arms untangled themselves and he moved towards the car, pretending he didn't see the minute drops of moisture in his mother's eye.
The blonde woman followed him into the car as he seated himself in the back. As they moved out of the driveway he couldn't help but steal glances back at the home he had thought he would live in for the rest of his life. They stayed out, eventually a few of them even waved, but they all stayed looking at him go. He knew even after he would have turned the bend they would have stayed there still, watching phantom cars carry phantom brothers to phantom new lives. Despite how bitter it was, he couldn't believe the happiness he was feeling. Unbidden a verse came to his mind. The author was probably dead, but in that moment Jaune felt closer to her than anyone before.
I craved to go beyond the garden gate, to follow the road that passed it by, and to set out for the Unknown.
Fair warning, I'm a sappy writer and I usually hate leaving vital characters unfleshed so if you read a lot of someone that seems insignificant, they usually will have a part to play in the future. Now, I can't express how grateful I am for the support, the follows, the favourites, and the reviews you guys have been leaving. That said, I'd like to ask a favor. I have two new fics that I'm thinking of writing along with Pity the plight of young fellows. Their synopses are as follows:
1. Black Snow : In a distant, distant universe many quintillion permutations away, Weiss Schnee was born with a twin brother, Schwarz Schnee. That wouldn't be that radical except her twin brother also remembered his past life on Earth (I told you it was quite a few permutations). Now how will Weiss turn out when her only familial support is not from Winter? How will Schwarz cope with life in a different universe? Will the gears of fate be stopped or will this large of a wrench be enough to thwart fate?
2. Fides, Unitas, Obsequium: It was a sunny day on the Earth defense forces base Khanjar. That is, until the entirety of the base and it's 2000 personnel were transported to a patch of dirt outside Vale on Remnant. Can man's nature be tamed or will humanity never learn?
I would like your opinion on which fic I should work first. Please note that this won't mean that I stop working on pity the plight. The fact is that this fic's idea isn't completely mine and while I love working on it, I'd like to add something that I haven't really seen to the RWBY universe. So as a result, I would greatly appreciate if you could complete the following :
strawpoll (dot here) me /14053903
Delete any spaces in the above link. Your feedback is much appreciated, thank you. And it goes without saying that reviews are always welcome.