Chapter 2

'Meet me at Beacon Cliffs ALONE after classes today… And bring your equipment'

Jaune looked at his scroll for what seemed like the hundredth time today. He was nervous to say the least.

He didn't want to tell anyone about the message he'd received from Cardin in the morning. What happened yesterday was bad enough, he didn't want to be treated like a kid. He had come to Beacon to learn and train to protect those in need, not to get protected himself. All of the events that had happened took out a big chunk of the very little pride that he had in the first place. During lunch he was walking to his friends' table when he caught Cardin making the slicing throat gesture with his thumb. As if Jaune wasn't already scared enough. He sat at the table and stared at his food, not eating a bite. Ruby, who usually snuck glances at Jaune while he ate because she thought he was cute while eating, noticed Jaunes worried expression and was starting to worry for the boy.

"Jaune? Is everything alright?" Ruby asked concerned.

"Huh…? Oh, hey. Yeah… I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Jaune replied with a forced smile.

That made everyone wince, Jaune was not the best at lying and it really showed. Pyrrha stormed out of the cafeteria, each step felt like thunder to Jaune. He knew why she was mad at him, and he would talk to her about this, but only after he took care of this whole business with Cardin.

After School

Jaune made sure to get to the dorm room first as to not worry his friends as to why he's rushing out of their room with all of his fighting equipment. But right as he was about to head off, he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

"Jaune, you know that you don't have to do this right?" It was Ren, he was hiding in the part of the room where the sun never touched, concealed by a veil of black. His sudden appearance elicited a girlish squeak from the blonde knight.

"Jeez Ren! Don't scare me like that! I almost had a heart attack!" Jaune said holding his chest where his heart is.

"Sorry about that, but I meant what I said Jaune. You can settle this any multitude of ways, and going to fight Cardin isn't the best choice here."

Jaune let out a long, drawn out sigh.

"Since when did you know?" Jaune asked with a defeated tone.

"You should make it a habit to lock your scroll before you throw it on the ground" Ren said, cracking a grin.

"Dang, that makes me feel really stupid. Does… Does Pyrrha know too?" Jaune asked with a hint of guilt.

"No, and I was planning on not having to tell her. But… What if something happens to you Jaune? You are the best strategist I've had the pleasure to meet, but your fighting skills aren't the best. I'm worried about you Jaune"

Jaune was caught off guard. They had barely shared a word together since their team was made. This was out of place for Ren, and Jaune didn't know what to say.

"I… I'll be fine Ren, thanks for worrying about me though" Jaune said as he tied the last piece of armour onto himself.

"You just watch, this'll all be over when I get back, it's not like he going to kill me!" Jaune yelled as he left.

Beacon Cliffs

"I'm going to kill you Arc!"

As soon as Jaune was in view of Cardin, he ran full speed at him, mace in hand, ready to strike. Jaune flailed about trying to get to Crocea Mors and his shield. He managed to lock weapons with Cardin and shove him away.

"WE DON'T NEED TO FIGHT CARDIN!" Jaune screamed at the monstrous looking teen recovering from being pushed away unexpectedly. Cardin didn't look himself, he looked bigger, more… Feral. He was doing what Jaune could only explain as growling and grunting. This scared Jaune, straight to his core. He could see the lust for blood in Cardin's eyes. If Jaune didn't fight, he knew that he would die.

"AAARRRRRRCCC! " Cardin's voice was now an ear wrenching screech. He was changing, slowly, but Jaune could see it none the less. He had spikes coming out of his back, and parts of him were becoming pitch black.

"Oh god…" Jaune knew what was happening, he had learned it from his studies at Beacon. The creatures of Grimm appear when big amounts of negative energy are condensed in an area. But there were some very rare cases in which a person with a big enough of a negative emotion would act as a vacuum for the stuff. Making said person like a shell with nothing but those feelings inside. If it get's bad enough, and I mean really bad, the person would slowly turn into a Grimm themselves. Jaune was confused, Cardin had entered the advanced stages within ten minutes. This wasn't normal, and Jaune didn't like where it was leading. At this rate he would have to do his job as a hunter, and rid the world of one more Grimm…

(Que: (Utada Hikaru)-Sanctuary Ending)

'No!' Jaune thought to himself.

'Not again! I can't let this happen again! I came here to stop this, not to see it happen again!' Jaune was thinking of a way to help Cardin, any way. Until he heard Cardin call out to him.

"Jaune… Jaune…." Cardin only had 3/4 of his human face and his right arm and left leg left to prove that he was once a human. He was coughing up blood and motioning for Jaune to come closer… He went.

"Don't worry Cardin, I'll find a way to help yo-" Jaune was cut off by Cardin's weeping.

"You know that can't happen…. I'm too far gone, you know what you have to do Jaune" Cardin said through clenched teeth with tears streaming down his face. He was in a lot of pain.

"Tell Velv… *cough* that *wheeze* I'm sorry I couldn't hold out any longer….. and that I've always loved her" Cardin said, half of his face now Ursa.

"Stop talking like this is the end! I won't let your story end here Cardin, I can't… Not again" Jaune said starting to weep himself.

"You have to be brave Jaune! You…. AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!" Cardin let out a wail as his organs changed slowly from human to Ursa Grimm.

"Cardin!" Jaune yelled grabbing the other teen/grimm.

"BACKOFF! You want to… UGH….. You want to be a hunter right? *cough* I believe that you have the strength to be the best hunter out there. I GGGKKKNNNOOOWWWW IIIIITTTTTTT!" Cardin was almost full grimm by now.

"DDDDOOOOOOO IIIIIIIIIITTTTT! WHilE I'M StiLL Of HumAN MiNd…..! Please….." Cardin only had his left eye still in human form by this point. Jaune pulled out Crocea Mors and prepared to slice off Cardin's head just like he did to the ursa that attacked Cardin in Forever Fall.

"Irony is a cruel mistress" Jaune whispered while planting his feet.

"I'm sorry for everything Jaune….. It wasn't the real me" Cardin said right before Jaune flipped the last page of the book called Cardin Winchester.

(End: (Utada Hikaru)-Sanctuary Ending)

Authors Note:

(I am going to be progressively making the chapters longer and taking more time to write them. I do take ideas that I am given (I will give credit if used), so feel free to review your ideas so I can see them. Or you could just review it normally? Whichever floats your boat I guess... Also, tell me if I should continue this. I did it on a whim, but it has a lot of views...)