1. Enrollment Day
Understand, Jaune, that bravado is at the heart of every Yakuza. Big gestures, little substance. So even you, can be Yakuza.
-Junior, to Jaune Arc
A certain day
Junior has a conundrum. It's blond, if you can put a color on a conundrum. It's also whiny, naïve, weak, and worse of all, it was family. So, despite his misgivings, Junior needed to come up with a solution. It can't be any worse than his sister's plan of keeping the blond conundrum whiny, naïve, and weak, considering that it was now 300 miles from home with a stolen sword and ten days of training from a dubious duo.
"Look, Jaune. There's no time left. These kids started training since they're six in specialized schools. Fighting and killing is their life. I don't even think they learn math in those schools. You don't have that background, and three months won't get you up to Beacon standards to pass the practical tests so that path is out too. How about I teach you to be a farmer? That's doable."
Jaune, the now-named conundrum, slammed his head into the ground once again while kneeling on the floor.
What are those girls teaching him?! Junior thought.
Undeterred, Jaune spoke to the Club's tiles.
"I just need a shot, Uncle. One chance to follow my dream. To bring honor to our name!" Once done, he raised his head, looking into Junior's eyes with all the determination he can muster. Then, he slammed his head into the ground again.
But we have different family names. Junior took off his sunglasses, and rubbed his eyes. Seriously, what are those girls teaching him? It's like he's a… a… those girls deserve a raise.
Junior's mind whirred as a plan came to him. Huntsman schools may teach a person to swing a blade and shoot a gun, but that's only one aspect to strength. Junior knew, for he lived in a world where so much of one's strength merely lied in the art of appearing to have strength. While one may be too weak to take on all challengers, one can seem so strong, so unassailable, that challengers scared themselves away in the first place.
Or, in this case, Junior mused, So strong that one does not need to take practical exams.
In the long and forlorn silence, Jaune's determination withered away, and he looked up at his uncle while holding back the beginning of tears (of pain, the tiles were quality imports.). His parents raised him to believe in his family, to trust and love and support family. Yet, his father refused to train him, his mother forbid anyone from teaching her frail darling son, and his sisters interrupted his self-training, meager as they already are, by training him in anything but fighting. The settlement of Ansel knew the situation well by now, and it seemed like everyone he knows in that town has bowed to his parents' wishes.
A month ago, however, Jaune had an idea; a true lightbulb moment if he says so himself. Which he did. He considered the only family he knows outside of Ansel. Uncle Hei, who was as big as a bear, and as strong as one too. Uncle Hei, who didn't just lead a crew, but an organization. A man like that must easily be able to train him! That night, Jaune grabbed the family's mantelpiece sword and ran off to Vale, to what he saw was his last hope to get into Beacon. Yet, that last hope is offering to train him to be a farmer! Even after Melanie and Miltia said he had potential!
Jaune pleaded, "Uncle, please! At least talk to Melanie and Miltia. I've been training under them every night! We go at it every chance we get! They know I won't disappoint you!"
Junior tapped a beat on the bar's counter, a few beads of cold sweat running down his forehead as he contemplated his nephew's words.
"Oh I will, not least to make sure they haven't corrupted my nephew." Judging by the blonde's blank stare and tilted head, they haven't, thank Oum. Junior swept his arms apart dramatically, "But also because I have a plan to get you into Beacon."
He hadn't seen that gob-smacked smile on the kid since Dustmas ten years ago. The hell he'll catch from his sister might be worth it. Wiping the (manly) tears from his eyes, Junior puffed his chest up for effect and said.
"I was once where you are, Jaune. I was weak, I was inexperienced, I thought the whole world was against me. And look at me now. I stand as a king in his castle, I clawed my way to the top, I held the Xiong Family against all comers. I have become strong by following the Way, and so can you. You too, can be Yakuza."
Later that evening
Melanie lounged at the bar counter, not an easy task as people were not meant to lay horizontally on one-legged barstools. Only her well-honed skill kept her balance upon her precarious perch. And her natural grace, of course. And her strategically-placed left elbow braced against the counter, and her right heel-blade hooked around the next stool over. Lounging was hard work. Why, any simple goofy noodle would have fallen by now.
Aaaaand there he goes, Melanie couldn't suppress her snort, as man met floor in a union usually only seen in Junior's bar after 3AM.
She considered one Jaune Arc. A few weeks ago, she saw just another delusional loser, important insofar that he shared blood with Junior. The boy was a stuttering mess, yammering on about wanting to become strong. Melanie and Miltia felt almost compelled to bully him, mainly by sending him through half of Vale on errands and imparting "lessons" that usually end with the boy flopping on the ground as he was currently demonstrating.
Now? Now she saw her favorite gopher, one who followed every order to the letter not out of fear, but admiration. The goof wanted to be a Huntsman, but didn't even know what Aura was! She and Miltia showed a few Aura-assisted moves one day, and the boy thought they're the closest thing to superheroes he had ever seen. Now, he begged them for Huntsman lessons, and if her curriculum can't be found in any Huntsman schools…well, he'll never know. Melanie must admit, being seen with such worshipful eyes made for quite an ego boost. She didn't want to lose that so soon. The boy even stopped grumbling on coffee runs, especially after the twins said he had potential and Miltia began calling him disciple. Too easy. More importantly though, a strange feeling swelled within her every time she sees Jaune try and fail to emulate his current heroes. And try as she might to control herself, Melanie had to give in to this urging of her heart.
"Hahahahaha-snort-hahaha! Good job, gopher! 10 out of 10!"
The feeling may be that of sadistic glee.
Jaune sat up, rubbing his nose, "This is a lot harder than I thought."
Melanie smirked, and languidly stretched.
"No duh, it takes talent to make this look good. Maybe you'll get it in a few years." Out of the corner of her eyes, Miltia sauntered up to the bar. Her sister sported a smirk of her own.
"Stop teasing poor Jaune, Melanie. He needs guidance. Now, disciple, let's try again."
"I don't think I can take much more humiliation. Also, I think my nose is bleeding. Is it bleeding?" Jaune whined, but Miltia was not so easily deterred.
"Yes. Yes it is. But remember lesson #03, my disciple. Do you want to be like us or not? Good! Hop on the stool, and lean back as far as you can-" Junior interrupted the sisters' fun, walking behind the bar and placing his hands wide apart on the counter.
"Enough. I called you two in early to talk about the training you two have been putting Jaune through."
Melanie winced. She saw this coming a week ago, but was having too much fun to control herself. The two resembled nothing like each other, but Jaune was Junior's family; maybe she and her sister had gone too far. Leaning against the counter, Miltia also braced herself for Junior's scolding.
"I need you two to devote more time to his lessons."
…Whut? Twin heads tilted in confused unison. Noticing their stares, Junior continued.
"I've decided to help Jaune achieve his dream of attending Beacon. Traditional methods of training would take too long, so the best path I see available is to train him in our Way." Miltia balked incredulously.
"Our Way? You thought-, but we were just-"
"I know. You girls are already two steps ahead of me, don't think I didn't notice Jaune absorbing your lessons. I thank you for giving him a chance, when even I hesitated." As Junior bowed low, one hand pushing on Jaune's back to do the same, twin heads turned and met each other's eyes over the two men in an unspoken conversation.
We will never tell him.
Agreed. Roll with it?
SO agreed.
Turning back to Junior, Melanie said with a wink.
"We can totally go harder and make a man out of Jaune. But our Way won't help him pass the practical exam." Miltia jumped in.
"Right? Those stuffy tests are super focused on, like, robots killed per minute or whatever."
"Which is where I come in." Junior confidently said. "I can get my hands on a set of transcripts, and I have a few Huntsmen and Huntresses who owed me favors to provide recommendation letters. They can provide an alibi if Beacon decides to follow up on the references. Jaune will be able to skip the practicals altogether. While I arrange that, you two will help him learn enough of the Yakuza Way to survive Beacon until he receives enough physical training to hold his own." Jaune, wide-eyed, piped up in awe.
"You can even sneak past Beacon's faculty, Uncle Hei?! That's so cool!"
The man grinned.
"Ha! I've run rings around Huntsmen and Huntresses, the Council, and the cops. During these three months, I'll be passing my skills and knowledge to you too. Back in college, I got my start smuggling booze into dorms and selling dirt on professors and students. Who knows, maybe you'll become the Junior of Beacon and rule that campus too. Would you like that?"
Jaune's eyes nearly popped out in excitement. "Do I ever!"
Another meeting of the eyes passed between the twins, as they watched Junior seem to grow three inches taller.
Is this how Beacon ends, with bad role models?
Please, I'm the best role model.
Uh, excuse you, I'm right here.
Girls, settle down. And Jaune has admired me since he was five.
Both twins startled in shock, unsure if their eyes played a trick on them. They squinted suspiciously at Junior, who has already turned away with a grin. Ignoring the two bouncers rapidly turning green while remembering all the times they thought they had one over him, Junior slapped a hand on Jaune's shoulder.
"I will do all I can for you, and so will the twins. If you can take our teachings to heart, you will live and breathe the Yakuza Way. But it depends on you to follow this path to the very end. Will you heed my word? Will you promise, on your name, to give your all?"
Jaune stood tall. He look from Junior to Melanie to Miltia and to Junior once more.
Melanie must admit again, that she quite enjoyed being admired with such clear and bright eyes.
"I won't let you down. I won't quit. Arc's word."
Junior clapped his hands once to signal the end of the meeting.
"That's settled then. Now, the girls have the right of it. Remember Lesson #03. Get back on that barstool, Jaune."
Twin heads turned to Jaune, and smiled.
A Yakuza does not give an inch!
He doubles down!
Even to his detriment!
Especially so!
-M&M's Yakuza lesson #03, to a starry-eyed Jaune Arc
Author's note: So, first story.
Chapters will be pretty short, sporadic, and episodic. If anyone wants to take the story and run with it, let me know!