Restoring the Family Honor
Chapter 8; Truths and Dares
The real reason Jaune never trained to be a hunter is that he was busy fighting the temptation to be a playboy. It's Jaune vs. his imagined Harem. AU, Some crack.
Disclaimer; I don't own RWBY and this is total AU. Enjoy the ride, check author's note at the end for concerns, and kindly leave a review.
This is told primarily from Jaune's perspective, and he is not the most reliable narrator. Other perspectives will likely be equally unreliable. Honnestly, I just enjoy screwing with your minds, it's more fun for me this way.
On with the story.
-While Jaune, Blake, and Pyrrha were Away; Back at the Room-
"Do we really have to do this?" Weiss was very much out of her element. She had never played truth or dare; and, though she wanted to play back when she was younger, she would sooner die with dignity than die because of the shame her team would heap upon her.
"Jaune left clear instructions; it was either this or the blindfolded obstacle course." Rin adjusted Magnhild so that it would work as a spinner. "Would you rather stumble through an obstacle course, guided only by your partner, while Nora rampages less than ten feet from you?"
Weiss bit her tongue and looked on in terror as Nora set her hammer to spinning. After about two seconds of watching it spin, the ginger got bored and stepped in to stop it. Cassandra was first up.
"Truth…"
Rin was about to step forward to start the game on a sane note, but Nora decided she wanted to do her sloth imitation and was in the process of choking out the ninja. Instead Yang rose to the challenge. "Have you ever used your semblance to give yourself the night of your dreams?" Everyone stared at her with a mix of confusion and exasperation. "Get it? Cause her semblance is dreams!"
Everyone else groaned, but Cassandra took it straight. "Yes… learned… kung-fu."
Cassandra slowly took a martial arts stance with slothful vigor and everyone gave her a blank look. No one said anything until Nora set the hammer to spining again. Then she picked up the hammer while it was still spinning. "My turn! Give me a dare!"
Rin cut in as the voice of reason. "Give her a truth."
Ignoring the Valkyrie's pout, the sloth continued with a question. "what… relationship…Rin?"
"Rin is my bestest friend! We're going to be together forever, and I'll name my first daughter Rin, and I'll name her first daughter Pancake Syrup! Simple as that!" There was a half second pause as the ball of energy took a breath. "Ruby's next! I dare you to dance with Magnhild in front of everyone!"
Before anyone had a chance to protest, Nora tossed her hammed at the young reaper. Ruby clumsily caught the hammer but was still dragged to the ground by the weapon's momentum. The Rose strained herself, and barely managed to heft the weapon up. She took a single step, and the shift in balance caused her to tumble to the ground again. Nora gave a standing ovation. Rin sneaked away to grab the emergency pancake stash to distract the hyperactive girl if things went too far.
Ruby surged aura through her muscles and forced the hammer back up. Once the heavy weapon was balanced, she relaxed. That quickly proved to be a mistake, and Magnhild slowly tipped over, flinging the small girl like a catapult. Yang was the one to catch the red missile. "Nice dance, Ruby. It was like you were flying." Ruby pulled her hood up and pouted as Yang tried to ruffle her hair.
"Watch what you're doing, you oafs!" Weiss picked herself up from where Yang had toppled her over. "Don't drag me into your absurdities." She dusted herself off, but stopped when she noticed that all eyes were on her. The handle of the hammer proclaimed her as the next victim.
Yang had a Cheshire grin. "Hey Weiss Queen, truth or dare?"
The elegant and graceful Schnee felt like she was having a heart attack. The only thing that calmed her down was the realization that the one giving her the challenge was practically a child. Surely the girl wouldn't be able to find and hit any sensitive topics. "Truth."
The red girl put her head in her hands. "Are you a tsundere?"
"W-W-What?!"
"Yang keeps saying you are, and she won't explain what it is. Is it contagious?"
Yang was howling with laughter. Nora was leaning close with an expectant look on her face. Rin snuck back into the room with the emergency pancakes. Weiss was red as Ruby's cloak. "I-I'd never do such a thing as immature as venting my frustrations of Jaune because like him and want him to be better!"
Yang cackled. "Obvious lie~. Ruby gets to decide your wardrobe for the next week! Unless of course, you want the alternate punishment?"
Weiss pointed her rapier at the older sister. "If you're so interested, I dare you to date that dunce Arc, you- you Bimbo!"
Yang leaned forward to show off her superior assets. "Oh, I intend to. I mean, sexy blonde that can cook, give a massage, and fill me up inall the best ways? Where are the downsides? He can't even lie!"
"He is an insufferable flirt and other women won't stop corrupting him!" Weiss was very fired up about this. "I refuse to take part in a harem for a man who should already be mine!"
"You're right! I forgot the free babysitting part. His sisters, us seven, that's at least two weeks clear for dates and missions! And no way are our kids are going to be orphans!" Ruby looked at her sister in worry as her older sister descended in old, bitter memories. "We'll never have to see him alone after he lost mom, and we won't have to hunt her down because she'll be right there taking care of us and helping Dad…"
A strong hand landed on the girl's shoulder. Yang automatically turned to hug the figure before she realized it wasn't her sister. The blonde brawler tried to draw back, but Laurelai didn't let her escape the embrace. "You aren't alone. Each of us are orphans in our own ways, but we've made a new family together. You're welcome to join; the only cost is a sob story."
Yang felt lighter as the athlete incorporated Ruby into their little group hug. Yang giggled at the feeling of Laurelei's golden hair tickling her nose. She wondered if this would be what it felt like to have an older sister. "Sorry, but Weiss gave me the dare, so it's my turn again. What's your sob story?"
The athlete laughed, but everyone could tell that the topic was still tender. The very air seemed heavy. "Unlike the rest of my sisters, my parents are still alive, they just didn't want me. My father was a Mistrali Politician looking to kiss the ass of someone wealthier than him, and my mother was a trophy wife who sold herself for a life of luxury. My older brother was groomed to be the successor to the family, and I was supposed to become the perfect little toy to be sold off. Long story short, I rebelled. So, when I turned thirteen, my parents tattooed their crest on my back, then dumped me off with Pervy Uncle Jirai."
The gravity of the tale affected everyone in the room, dragging them down. The huntress half of the room were stunned to silence. Yang and Weiss were the most effected. Weiss flicked her eyes at the emblem on her suitcase then over to the black olive wreath that stood out on Laurelei's upper back. "What happened then?"
A smile lit her face, and the weight lifted. "The old goat threw me in a padded room with Jaune, one pillow, and a box of tissues. We wrestled, I won. More wrestling, he cheated, I still won. Then he started tickling me and I ended up venting my entire life's story to him. He listened, told me that I could have anything I wanted if I was willing to work for it, so I decided I wanted him. Now I'm his trainer, the popular face of his family, and in exchange he gives me whatever I want."
"When you put it that way, it sounds like a really unhealthy relationship." Jaune walked into the room, holding a purring Blake with one arm and leading the dazed Pyrrha with the other. "Aren't relationships supposed to be more equal?"
Atlanta playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "It is equal, all you need to do is ask and I'd do anything for you. I accepted that you're my boyfriend and you have to do whatever I want, you just have to realize that I'm your girlfriend and initiate more often. You're the one holding this relationship back. C'mon, be more selfish, you selfish jerk." The light mood had returned, and everyone laughed. "Now be a good whipped boyfriend and cuddle with us while we watch chick-flicks."
Sweat broke out over Jaune's brow. "Can I take your advice and selfishly ask to be excused?"
The sweet smile on the Athlete's face meant trouble. He felt his feet begin to drift off the ground. "Nope. Yang just had a heartfelt confession and needs to be assured that you'll always be there for her. Plus this is the traditional entry ceremony for sister members of the harem."
"Can't we do something else? I mean, I enjoy cuddling with beautiful women as much as the next guy, but most of you are going to get bored of it within five minutes. You remember what happens when you get bored, don't you?"
"Exactly! That's why we need you to keep us entertained!"
Jaune tried in his sweat through sheer force of will. He remembered what happened the last time this happened. Fortunately the proceeds from the book which that night inspired covered repairs, but he was not eager to relive the contests and escalation that happened when seven super-powered girls got bored. "How about this; You let me go, and I can find other guys so you don't all have to share?"
"Nope. We accept no substitutes! You're the only one for all of us, and we expect you to keep up!"
He was dragged through the air to the home entertainment area that Navy and Ruby had designed together, and was left floating above the couch while an argument broke out about who to put where. The argument was settled when Jaune decided that Weiss was the least dangerous and awkwardly pulled her onto his lap. The pale girl blushed and weakly punched his chest once before giving in and making herself comfortable. "I-Idiot. I'm only agreeing to this so the other girls don't do anything. It's not like I enjoy this or anything." "Curse you Yang, and curse your alternative punishment. This embarrassment is way worse than what Ruby would have had me wearing. At least he's comfortable and smells nice, and it feels good to have his arms around me and… Wait, am I a tsundere?"
Ruby squeezed herself next to them and looked in curiosity at the pair. "Weiss, you never explained what a tsundere was."
Jaune gave a sigh of long suffering, but couldn't help a smile breaking through. It was going to be a long night, but some part of him actually was taking pleasure in the thought. "I really need some guy friends, I think I'm actually starting to enjoy things like this…"
-Next Day, Combat class-
"The next fight will be between Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester. You have three minutes to prepare."
"Wait, that guy has a team of all guys. That's perfect! Finally a guy friend; we can go out to fight huge monsters then go to the bar and talk about our relationships with our girlfriends! And we get to start it with a fight! This is textbook perfect!"
The two young men hurried to prepare for combat. Jaune's mind was racing, trying to find a good way to make a good impression of the other boy. Eventually, he decided to go with the Action Hero route. He pitched his voice down and started with a light verbal jab. "Nice toy you have there Cardin, you make it yourself?"
The larger boy replied with a grunt, which Jaune took as a sign that it was working. Now all he needed to do was beat the guy, and they'd be great friends, or at least frenemies. Either way it was more than he had, so he was going for it.
In short time, the two of them were facing each other in the sparring ring. Jaune glared at the meter when his aura stopped at ninety percent. His aura had been mysteriously dropping from time to time, and he wanted to know why. He quickly put the thought out of his head when Glynda called for the match to begin.
Jaune would like to have said that the battle was over before it even began, but the battle went off the tracks and had to make a pit stop at improv station. The fight began well. Cardin swung his mace downward, and tried to hammer it into Jane's head. The blonde took half a step back, and the heavy weapon slammed into the ground at his feet. His retort was a solid blow with the handle of his sword. It progressed like that for about a minute, then it all went wrong when Jaune failed to account for secondary functions. He foolishly decided that some friendly advice before his victory cemented their friendship. "Thanks for giving me such good practice fighting mindless grimm. You telegraph your attacks, can't feint, and your mace is laughably easy to read. Swinging it around wildly might work on mindless Grimm, but you'll have a hard time hitting anything with a brain."
Cardin grunted in rage, and pressed a button on the handle of his weapon. The crystal on the end of his mace glowed, and the swordsman only had enough time to jump back before he was rocked by the explosion.
The mace user let out a cruel laugh. "You're all talk! Maybe after I beat you I'll visit your girls and show them what a real man can do. Don't worry, I'll take care of your team, and then some."
Jaune rolled onto his feet and calmly dusted himself off. Internally, he was freaking out. Not because he had any fear of loosing the battle, no he was scared for the safety of his soon-to-be friend. "Is this guy insane? He wants to get involved with those trigger happy girls? Doesn't he realize what he would be getting himself into? Obviously not. As a good future friend, I'll just have to warn him."
"I appreciate your attempt to keep me on my toes, but I'm afraid you just made a grave error." Jaune raced toward his opponent, low to the ground. Cardin slammed his mace into the ground and the explosion flared up from the ground where he struck. The knight threw his shield, leapt onto it, and used it as a platform to leap over the larger boy's head.
As he came down, he ran his blade down the back of his opponent. Blind to what was happening behind him, Cardin could only apply his aura right above his skin. Unaware of what he had just unintentionally done, Jaune kicked out Cardin's legs from under him, rolled the Winchester over him back, and slammed him into the ground. With his blade at the Winchester's throat, Jaune growled in the coolest way he could, "If you so much as touch any of those girls, I won't be held responsible for what happens. But I can guarantee that after your first attempt, you won't be in any shape to try again."
Laughter from the stands led Jaune to widen his focus to find the source of the humor. He quickly realized that his blade had cut through the Winchester's clothes, and he had inadvertently pantsed the other boy in the process of throwing him.
"That will be enough. Cardin, as you have seen, strength alone is meaningless unless you can hit your opponent. Work on improving your reactions and the range that your aura protects; The grimm will not always be considerate enough to attack from the front. And Jaune…" The woman used her crop to tilt his head, "We will need to have a discussion about this…"
Both boys gulped. Cardin grabbed his pants and ran off to the locker room. Jaune slumped and followed Glynda to her office.
-Glynda's Office-
"Mister Arc, do you know why I want to talk with you?"
Jaune threw himself to his knees, knowing from experience how much it made girls take things easier on him. "I'm sorry, I thought that his aura would protect his clothes as well. It never occurred to me that cutting into his clothes would even be possible."
"It's not about your fight, Mister Arc, but what happened before it even started." The beauty took a seat on her desk. Jaune barely withheld a blush when the angle allowed him to see a glimpse up the teacher's skirt. "Your aura was partially depleted before you even fought. Do you know why?"
Jaune did his best to focus on the woman's face. "I don't know." He could tell from her face that there was going to be a catch coming. "What do I need to do to learn, Miss Goodwitch?"
A shiver ran up the Professor's spine. She lifted one leg and placed it seductively on his shoulder. "Call me Glynda. You know, I was on the same team as your father and mother, though I was two years younger than them. I still remember the first night in the room, the celebration was… heated. You were born nine months later…" She was drooling. "But your father had the same problem. I'll share his solution if you'll pay the same price he did~"
"Umm, I need an adult?"
"Jaune, you're training to be a huntsman; you are an adult. Although, I can make you an adult, if you want~. I bet you're over twice as good as your father was~. Now get over here and give me a massage!"
-Lunchtime-
"Jaune, as your doctor, I have to break the news to you. Your hands are perfectly fine, and therefore you don't have any reason to not give us the same aura massage." Cherri was examining Jaune after his harrowing near death experience at the hands of his desperate teacher. When the two of them emerged from the woman's office, she was practically glowing with health and relaxation, her appearance as if she had just come out of a professional beauty salon. Jaune, on the other hand, looked like he had just lost a fight with a hurricane.
"But they huuuurt! Aura isn't meant to be used that way! My fingers feel like they're going to fall off! She didn't even explain how it was supposed to help with my aura!" While Jaune was busying himself complaining, and inadvertently asking to cuddle, the rest of the group was chatting up the latest gossip and starting the process of exaggerating Jaune's fight to absurd levels.
"How can you effortlessly beat a guy twice your weight without sweat but can't handle how sore your hands get from a mere three hours of massage." The doctor gave a dramatic sigh. "Nurse Cream, Jaune needs some milk."
The blonde's eyes widened. The cow faunus took a seat on his lap before he could escape, and led one of his hands under her shirt. He felt the aura flow into his hand and restore the sore muscles as she urged his hands higher. His aura leapt up at the pleasurable contact, even if he didn't want to admit it. Most of the team was watching and joking, and Vell was setting up a timetable for the team to get their own aura enhanced massages.
The playful atmosphere was interrupted by the sound of jeering coming from a few tables over. Jaune pulled himself out of his daze and quickly took stock of the situation. It was Cardin and his team mocking a rabbit faunus. Blake silently glared at the racist and Pyrrha shook her head. "Absolutely despicable. Someone should teach him a lesson."
"Ooh, can Jaune steal his pants again? Rin says that I'm not allowed to do that after I tried to steal Jaune's in class."
"We should make sure that he doesn't try anything against our Lady-Killer. What do you think Jaune? Jaune?"
The blonde leader had already slipped away and was almost the group of bullies. Cardin reached out the grab his victim's era, but the Arc stopped him. The sound of the grab cut through all of the noise of the cafeteria, and all eyes were on the coming conflict. "Cardin. Do you have no sense of self-preservation? I already gave you one warning, now this is your second. You won't be walking away the next time you try something like this."
The Winchester heir glared at the Arc, then his face split into a wicked grin when he laid a sucker punch into the blonde's gut. Jaune staggered back from the unexpected blow, and was almost immediately blindsided by Russel. Jaune quickly focused his attention to the new threat, but he was blind to the rest of the team.
Fortunately, or perhaps not, the confrontation had attracted the attention of the rest of the faunus girl's team. Cardin was about to throw another punch when a fashionable handbag sent him to the floor. Pointed heel kicks quickly took down Lark and Russel, and Dove quickly surrendered.
The older girl sashayed over to the Arc before lowering her aviators to give him an obvious once over. "Tall, blonde, and rugged; I like. A gentleman and confidant too, already laying a claim to my little Bub-bun." She gave a playful wink and pushed her faunus teammate forward. "The dinner date's at six. Both of you be at the dock by three so I can get you ready. Though, blonde might just look better without his clothes than anything I can get him." Coco gave a playful growl before leaving to plan the embarrassment that she would but her teammate through and the myriad of outfits she could stuff her new unwilling model into.
Velvet was left blushing in the arms of one very confused and distraught Arc. "But… I just wanted to warn him that bullying this girl would bring her team's wrath down on him, why would he get so mad about that? More importantly, did I just get another girl that will lead to my death if I don't keep her happy? because I think I did. Damnit, I can barely keep up with my team and sisters, why would I want more? Am I at least getting something out of this from Oum?"
As both Jaune and Velvet were lost in their own little world, they failed to notice the fashionista trade high fives with Vell Arc. "All According to Plan."
Chapter 8 done! Wait, it's done already? And it's long? Did I fall into a time portal with this or something? No, work's just been easy and the ideas have been flowing.
But Monster Hunter is kind of mainstream now, so I can reference all the memes! Nekos, grinding, huge weapons, grinding and absurd monsters. Oh, and grinding.
In other news, Forever Fall and Bunny Boy is planned for next chapter, so stay tuned. Leave a review with thought for how to improve this, or just boosting my frail ego against the cruel buffeting waves of reality. At least this helps me to sound more natural and tame my instinct to constantly add on more clauses. I still blame the Latin.
But that's enough complaining for today, enjoy your day and prepare for the overlap of special days. April fools day is Easter, this is not going to end well, I feel. Noctis Sol, signing off.
