Chapter 7: The Sisters Part 1.5
All new theories were coming to Jaune now, alongside different emotions. However, he put them to the back of his mind for now. He would need to give Yang his full attention.
The girl herself didn't seem to notice anything different about herself. Besides the copious amounts of energy she felt coursing through her body. She attributed it to adrenaline and was fully intent on using it. Surprising everyone except Jaune, Yang vanished in a similar burst of speed that Jaune had previously shown.
A sonic boom was heard as she appeared in front Jaune, already mid swing. She was surprised to hit air as Jaune seemed to teleport behind her. However, with her adrenaline sky high, she was able to do the same, dodging Jaune's backhand in the same manner he had just dodged her own strike. This time it did catch Jaune by surprise.
Yang's second strike hit Jaune and launched him into the forestland, kicking up a massive dust cloud as his body left a deep scar across the earth. Yang's eyes widened at the destruction her punch had just caused. She had never been that strong, even with her semblance at full power.
'What's...happening to me?' She wondered. However, at those words, it felt like the power coursing through her veins increased even more. Her crimson irises began to bleed into the whites of her eyes, staining them entirely red. 'I can't...control this…'
Yang gripped her head, trying to calm herself down, but to no avail.
"Yang?" Taiyang called, seeing that his daughter seemed to be in pain.
"Shit…" Qrow muttered and prepared to run to his niece.
Unfortunately, they were all too late. Yang let out a howl that caused her whipping aura to blast everyone backwards, the ground beneath her tearing apart into a massive crater. It seemed as if the entire island of Patch was shaking from the energy the girl seemed to be releasing.
The make shift quake seemed to last for 10 seconds before settling down. Once it had, Yang stood in the crater she had created, seemingly calm. The red and white aura about her body made a 'swishing' sound similar to when Jaune used his own enhanced state. However, Yang's eyes were now completely red and the calm look on her face was more haunting than anything.
Jaune had finally recovered and walked back into view, his face now serious. "I'm sorry Yang...I should've done this another way…" He whispered into the air. Seeing the look on his counterpart blondes face, he wasn't sure if she was even aware of what was happening anymore.
He knew for a fact that this is what happened to him back on Ars Magus. The reason his sisters called him a monster.
"I'll protect you, I promise." He wouldn't abandon Yang like his sisters abandoned him.
A single tear slid down Yang's cheek though her expression didn't change. It let him know that she definitely could hear him.
'She must be in so much pain, having a new type of energy all but consuming her. I need to stop this as soon as possible so that we can help her.'
As the silence grew, the stalemate shrunk. Soon enough, Yang's face contorted into rage and she howled again, powering up. Jaune didn't howl, but he activated his enhanced state, letting his white aura combat Yang's red and white. Patch began to shake again before both combatants vanished.
Several sonic booms could be heard happening in rapid succession all around them but none could actually see the two fighters. After a few seconds of the clashes, both appeared right back in the crater Yang had created, hands locked together as they tried to overpower the other. Yang's rage contorted face had a sinister grin while Jaune was eerily calm.
The girl brought her leg up between them, attempting to kick Jaune in the chin. The teen leaned back slightly before kicking the girls other leg from under her. The surprise on her face was short lived as Jaune drove a fist into her side, smashing her further into the crater they had already created.
The attack didn't seem to do as much as he wanted as he felt himself being pelted with several shots from the girls gauntlets at point blank range. He jumped back to avoid taking unnecessary damage but was surprised to see Yang on her knees with her mouth open. His eyes widened as ki began to form in the girls mouth. It was just like the attack Icarus had done.
Jaune put his hands up again and began to charge his own attack.
"This isn't good!" Qrow yelled and prepared to intercept the attacks, though he doubted he could do anything to stop them.
As Yang released her attack, Jaune smirked. Instead of combating it like he did with Icarus, the teen let his own energy fade away. He vanished and appeared behind the girl, letting her attack destroy more of the forestland around them. But in the next instant, he chopped the back of her neck. Immediately all the energy Yang had been releasing faded away and the girl collapsed forward, unconscious.
Jaune huffed as he stood over the unconscious girl. Her first time using ki and she was able to do things it took him years to do. Granted, she wasn't herself clearly. It was solidifying the fact that ki was something natural and not just to himself.
'Is ki...something everyone can use?' He wondered.
"JAUNE!" The sound of Taiyang's angry voice drew the blondes attention. He turned just in time to have Taiyang punch him right in the face, making him stumble backwards a few feet.
Jaune could have easily dodged or blocked, but he knew he deserved it. He had put Yang at risk. It was clear she wasn't used to the ki and it made her go berserk. Just like he did when he was younger.
Taiyang grabbed Jaune by his shirt with both hands. "LOOK AT ME!" He screamed when Jaune failed to meet his gaze.
"Tai-" Qrow started but Taiyang wasn't hearing it.
"SHUT THE HELL UP QROW! I LISTENED TO YOU ENOUGH!"
"Dad, she's fine!" Ruby called as she knelt next to her sister. The retired huntsman looked to his daughter to see Yang's peacefully sleeping face. The rage and pain seemed like it had never been there in the first place.
His grip loosened but he didn't release Jaune.
"She's going to need a lot of food when she wakes up." Jaune said quietly. It grabbed Taiyang's attention again and the man glared at the boy angrily.
"What was that? What just happened to Yang?"
"It was ki." Ruby answered for Jaune. "I don't know how I know...but I could feel it. It felt just like Icarus…"
"Icarus?"
Jaune placed a hand on Taiyang's fist and finally looked him in the eye. "Please, let's just get Yang inside and then I'll explain everything."
After having settled in and listening to Jaune explain everything, Taiyang's anger had abated. Jaune told them everything, starting from the destruction of his families home. Finally having the full details, Ruby had rushed to his side in tears, refusing to release him for the further duration of his explanation.
The awkwardness from that morning didn't phase them any longer.
Qrow had a grim expression as he listened to the words from Jaune's point of view. Just as he had expected, Jaune still thought himself a monster. Though it was clear that the more they learned about ki, the less he thought the power a curse.
"Unbelievable…" Taiyang muttered his first word since Jaune had finished his story.
"I know." Jaune agreed solemnly. "I'm so sorry for putting Yang through that, but I knew I'd be able to help her if my theory was correct."
"I understand now Jaune, and I'm not angry with you." Tai sighed and wiped his face in exasperation. "But about your other theory…"
Jaune looked between Qrow and Taiyang before feeling Ruby give him a reassuring squeeze. Looking down at the petite reaper found her with a small blush and comforting smile. Jaune smiled back before nodding to Taiyang.
"I still don't know much of anything about ki or my abilities themselves. But Ruby and Qrow said Icarus mentioned it being just as natural as breathing. And seeing as Yang was able to utilize it, albeit in her semblance, I think everyone may truly be able to use ki to some degree."
He paused as he gazed at Yang. The girl was still sleeping peacefully, much like how he would when he overused his own enhanced state.
"And there is definitely more to it than I've learned after all this time. Apparently Icarus was able to use his ki to replenish my own. Something that would take a semblance, but it was all natural with ki."
Jaune began to channel his own ki. At first, it was how he would either power up or start an attack. Ruby, being directly next to him gasped as his energy washed over her. She tightened her legs at feeling Jaune on an almost spiritual level and the blush on her face was thankfully missed by everyone present.
Qrow could feel the energy too; the more ki he experienced first hand, the easier it was becoming to actually take note of it.
The blonde teen slowly switched the feeling of charging his ki to the feeling he would get when self healing with the ki. It took a little more concentration, but he was able to calm his whipping power down to a calming glow about his body.
"It's...easier than I thought now. I guess I just never really thought of using ki for anything other than enhancing myself and attacks."
He gently removed himself from Ruby's grip, much to her displeasure, and approached Yang. Taiyang didn't say a word, his trust in the boy coming back completely after their conversation.
The glow about his body grew as Jaune began to move the calm ki as he would a ki blast. He placed his hand over Yang and allowed a small white orb to form before placing it over her chest. The orb absorbed into the girl and only a few seconds later did she awake slowly.
"Ugh...why do I feel like I got hit by a bullhead?" She groaned as she sat up.
She rubbed her eyes before taking in the relieved looks of the people around her. Taiyang moved to her side and grabbed her shoulders, checking her for any lingering injuries.
"I don't think a bullhead could take the punishment you did." Tai joked after noticing that Yang truly did seem perfectly fine. Just a bit tired.
The blonde brawler rose an eyebrow as her eyes clouded over. Then her eyes widened as the memories came flooding back into her. Her gaze caught Jaune, the boy refusing to make eye contact.
"What...happened to me? I remember everything but...I have no clue how I did any of it. I lost control and that's never happened before…"
Jaune once more gave a full recounting of everything to Yang.
Surprising everyone, Yang had hugged Jaune tightly mid story with tears in her own eyes, but she released him so he could finish. Once he was done, she sat on the couch with a pensive expression. Everyone awaited her thoughts with bated breaths.
"Losing control sucked but...if I can really use this ki, that means I can become even more awesome than you!" She cheered.
Everyone face planted at her words and Jaune stood with a sweat drop. "You're taking this better than I thought…"
Yang shrugged. "It was the most powerful I've ever felt. When I first started using it, I felt amazing. As long as you can help me learn how to not lose control, I can only see this as a win!"
The Arc was flabbergasted. What he had always seen as a curse was being dismissed as not a big deal by his counterpart blonde. Though looking closer, he could tell she wasn't being completely honest. When he looked in her eyes, she looked away, her smile faltering.
She was scared too.
The power had scared Yang and she was putting on a brave front for her family. Jaune knelt before the girl, taking her hands.
"I promise I'll do everything I can to help you with this power. You won't have to worry about losing control like that as long as I'm with you."
The blush that adorned the brawlers cheeks was noticed by everyone, but she shook it away quickly. She smiled at Jaune and gave his hands a soft squeeze.
"Thank you." Was all she could say.
"Um, Jaune." Ruby started. "If Yang could use ki, do you think that I can too? Or any of us?"
The girl fidgeted when Jaune looked at her with worry. Qrow and Taiyang were a bit put off by the question, but it was one of Jaune's theories. Neither were really sure if they wanted to use ki even if they could.
"I'm not sure...there's still so much to learn about ki itself. I felt it with Yang because of her semblance and now I can feel that she has it unlocked within herself naturally. Maybe there's different stipulations for how people access their ki…"
Jaune's eyes widened and a wide smile formed on his face.
"Or maybe I'm just overthinking it!" He jumped up and started pacing, mumbling to himself.
Qrow chuckled and cleared his throat to get Jaune's attention. "Wanna share with the class?"
The blonde stopped his fidgeting and looked back to Ruby. "Just like a semblance and aura, ki is natural. So, let's just try to naturally access it."
The tension from earlier had completely vanished.
Instead, it was replaced with confusion and awkwardness as Jaune stood in the backyard of the Xiaolong-Rose household clad in nothing but a pair of yoga pants. Yang and Ruby both held blushes at his topless form, but their embarrassment was stemming more from the awkward yoga positions they had to endure, alongside a stoic Taiyang and perturbed Qrow.
"And now switch to downward dog." Jaune called as he shifted on the ground and took up the downward dog pose.
Yang and Ruby were able to easily do the pose, with Taiyang performing it fairly well too. Qrow, on the other hand fell on his stomach.
"Okay, screw this! What the hell are we actually doing kid?" Qrow called as he spat some grass from his mouth.
Jaune slowly moved to a lotus position and Qrow growled as the rest of his family easily followed. The teen closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Finding your center is the beginning of any inner journey brother." Jaune spoke sagely.
"As it should be." Ruby, Yang, and Taiyang chanted, sending a shiver up Qrow's spine.
"How is this going to get us to learn about ki exactly?" The dark haired man was almost at his wits end.
"Meditation and yoga transfers one into who they truly are. We are able to understand our inner selves and therefor, understand not only ki, but even aura and semblances as well."
"As it should be." The sitting trio chorused.
"And have any of you learned anything yet?" The huntsman was at his breaking point.
"Yes, actually." Yang was the one to speak up. She stood to her feet before allowing a small whipping aura to surround herself for a few seconds. "That's ki, right?"
Jaune stood and smiled at the girl, nodding his answer. "Once you've accessed it, it doesn't seem very hard to utilize. At least, in its most basic form."
Qrow's eyes widened at his niece. "That fast?"
Yang smiled triumphantly, but there was still a bit of hesitation in her.
"I think...I can feel it too." Ruby spoke. "But it feels like its buried deep down. I can feel the flow of my aura fine, and I think I can even feel what drives my semblance too."
Jaune moved to pull Ruby to her feet, officially disbanding the session. "It's most likely because Yang's semblance naturally drew on ki, while yours doesn't. Or at least, not as much as hers."
"So this means…" Qrow trailed off.
"It's most likely possible for anyone to use ki." Jaune finished. "And I may be able to help them access it. If they're willing."
"But should you?" Taiyang finally spoke as he stood up. The look on Jaune's face and the anger that flashed across Qrow's made him raise his hands. "I didn't mean that in an offensive way. It's just after what just happened with Yang, and what you've told us about when you first started learning ki. As powerful as this energy seems, it seems just as dangerous to the user at first. Plus, what if this information got into the wrong hands?"
Everyone looked down at that. It was also something Jaune had been contemplating. Yang seemed okay now, but he could still see she was a bit scared of the concept of ki. But she was also trying to fight past that fear.
But what if some corrupt huntsman learned about ki? The power seemed extremely volatile and in the wrong hands could possibly cause major destruction that even pro huntsman couldn't deal with.
Then there were the two grim like creatures that Jaune had encountered. The one that killed his family and destroyed Ars Magus, and the one he had encountered when first arriving on Sanus.
He knew for a fact that the grimm that destroyed Ars Magus could easily overpower any huntsman and even himself with his ki. In that case, didn't that mean more people needed ki?
"I get what Tai's saying." Qrow started. "And I know the answer overall is yours little brother. But I think keeping your ki relegated to the people who already know about it for now seems best. You've had access to ki since you were a child and from what Icarus said as well as what we've learned today, there's so much more to it than even you've realized. It's a brand new concept, one that you should experiment more with before bringing it to the public."
Qrow wanted to add bringing it to Ozpin too. If Ozpin found out about ki, he'd no doubt do everything in his power to get access to it for his fight against Salem, regardless of who needed to get hurt in the process.
Jaune took several moments to contemplate their words. After a while he sighed and nodded. "Then just us. I'll help you all get access to ki, and after that, we can all learn more on our own. Once we've learned more, then someday we can slowly introduce it to the public. Or at least to huntsman in the academies."
Qrow agreed. "That could take years, but it may still be years before any of us learn anything substantial about ki."
Ruby suddenly perked up. "What about that attack you did against Icarus Jaune? What was it? The Masenko?"
The blondes brow furrowed. "I honestly don't know. It just suddenly came to me. Speaking of Icarus, there's also the issue that it said it was sent here to us. That means someone else out there has a lot of answers to the questions that we have now."
"That is troubling." Taiyang said with worry. "But I'm guessing until this dragon wakes up, you have no leads on it?"
"Not a clue."
A solemn silence fell on the group at that. Ruby was the first to look up, shuffling her feet again. "Well, if there's not much to do on that end, can I keep trying to learn ki?"
Her words ate the tension away and Jaune chuckled. "If it's okay with everyone, then I want to get everyone caught up to Yang at least."
"Don't forget about our trip to Coveland tomorrow!" Yang cheered.
"Oh yeah. Guess we shouldn't try too hard today then. We can keep going, but only up until dinner time. Deal?"
"As it should be." Everyone else chorused.
The rest of the day had been spent trying get Ruby and Qrow to access their ki, while Jaune minutely helped Yang get a bit used to feeling the energy circulate through her body. Taiyang opted out of learning it and said that once they learned more about it, then he would be on board with accessing the energy too.
Unfortunately, neither Qrow nor Ruby were able to access ki, though Ruby felt like she was really close.
Yang had made the most progress, being able to enter something akin to Jaune's enhanced state. She was only able to access it while using her own semblance, and it was only for a few minutes before she felt the power starting to make her lose control again. She opted to learn how to use ki without her semblance first before pursuing the enhanced state again.
Qrow was able to actually feel his semblance when attempting to access ki however. He felt the energies that made up his inner self. Unbeknownst to the others, he also felt the 'magic' that was within him, provided by Ozpin. With that knowledge, he knew he would be able to help the others more than they realized. If he were to learn how to use magic like Ozpin, maybe he'd be able to give his nieces and little brother access to magic as well. With aura, magic, and ki, he wondered just how powerful they all could get.
When dinner rolled around, it was almost unanimous that Jaune be the one to cook. He only agreed if they promised not to chain him to the stove or threaten to kidnap him. Many false promises were made in that moment.
Regardless, dinner went off without a hitch, sans the orgasmic sounds the Rose/Xiaolong family made. Once everything was said and done, Ruby and Yang opted to sleep in their room after spending time with Jaune watching movies until late. The awkward look given between Jaune and Ruby before they bid their good night honestly made Yang want to laugh. But their earlier conversation also brought up a feeling she couldn't place.
Jaune was awoken by his scroll going off the next morning. Looking around, he saw that that the sun had already risen and the day was bright, meaning he had slept in. Picking up his scroll a bit groggily, he already knew who it was.
"Hello?"
"Wakey wakey, sleepy head! You didn't forget about our trip did you?" The chipper voice of Bulma called through the speaker.
"Nope. Just had a long night."
A pause on the phone gave Jaune a moment to wipe the grogginess from his eyes.
"Had that much fun with Ruby huh?" She asked.
Jaune rose an eyebrow. "Wouldn't call extensive training and teaching, before cooking a five course meal fun."
"You cooked a five course meal? You can cook?"
"Probably shouldn't tell anyone apparently, since I was almost kidnapped for a second time in less than 48 hours." Another pause on the line made Jaune start to sweat. "You there?"
"So...how bad do you really want to go to Beacon?"
"No I'm not becoming your personal chef."
"Damn. Anyway, hurry up and grab Ruby. It's almost noon already and Coveland gets really crowded around this time."
"You're coming here?" Jaune stood and stretched, his shirtless form glistening with a light sweat.
"No. I'm already here."
A honk of a horn made Jaune rush to the window. Sure enough, Bulma was out front in the same vehicle she and her parents had taken home. She gave him a wave.
"Eager much?" Jaune deadpanned. She just flipped him the bird through the window before hanging up.
The honk had indeed woken up everyone else in the house. Ruby and Yang lost their annoyance at seeing who it was and both rushed to get ready.
"Have fun out there kid. We'll be heading to Vale in a few days so just relax while you can." Qrow informed him as he waited by the door for Ruby and Yang.
"Ozpin and Glynda back at Beacon?" Jaune asked.
Qrow nodded. "They've got a bit more stuff to take care of but I've already informed them that we need to see them."
Jaune nodded and felt a small weight return to him. The conversation he needed to have with Ozpin made him wonder if he could afford to take time to go have fun at an amusement park. However, seeing Ruby and Yang rushing downstairs in casual clothes with beaming smiles shook his worry away.
Ruby wore a black skirt with red trim on the bottom that stopped mid thigh. With a black spaghetti strap tank top with a red and gold picture of a dragon and a rose. She wore thigh high red socks instead of her usual stockings, and he could see how the top of the socks hugged her thighs and showed a bit of plumpness. Jaune blushed a bit, seeing that Ruby wasn't as small as she seemed either in her chest or hips and thighs. The devious smirk on her face let him know she was well aware of her absolute territory.
He shifted his gaze to Yang just to be just as flabbergasted. The girl had put her hair in a ponytail that truly complimented her face and wore a yellow version of the same top that Ruby wore, though her assets were much larger than Ruby's. While Ruby's shirt covered her stomach, Yang's midriff showed. She also wore tight black jean shorts that stopped mid-thigh and highlighted her long legs that were covered in black leggings. Even though she technically covered more skin than showed, it was just as tantalizing.
With the door open, Bulma approached and frowned at the two.
"Am I over dressed?" She asked, wearing a white blouse under a sleeveless red tank top vest. With blue jean capri, she was essentially just under business casual.
"It's going to be over 90 degrees (32 Celsius)soooo, maybe." Ruby answered with a shrug.
Seeing as Jaune hadn't been able to get any extra clothes, he was borrowing a simple black t-shirt from Qrow and a faded pair of blue jeans from Taiyang. The shirt did little to hide his own taut figure.
"Nice to meet ya, by the way. Name's Yang Xiao Long. Ruby's older sister." Yang waved to Bulma, her usual confident grin on her face. She looked the older teen up and down.
The blue haired scientist noticed and blushed a bit but gave her own confident grin. "Bulma Schnee, only child."
The two shook hands but seemed to hold each others gaze fiercely for a moment. Jaune and Ruby blinked.
"Did we...miss something?" Ruby asked.
"I have no idea…"
With the short introduction out of the way, the quartet made their way to Bulma's car and back towards Valkenhyn.
They once again made their way towards the bullhead airport and took the Schnee's private aircraft.
"Wow, so you guys really are rich! Why do you dress like you go to a thrift store?" Yang questioned.
Bulma shot the blonde a dirty look but sighed. Jaune snickered while Ruby wondered what was wrong with shopping at a thrift store.
"Like I told Jaune, I don't care about clothes and fashion or any of that superficial junk. But it doesn't mean I dress like a hobo either. What's wrong with my clothes right now?"
"Besides it making you look like you're in your 30s?"
"I work at a company where we have this thing called standards. Ever heard of them?" Bulma countered.
Yang's smile faltered and she conceded defeat with a huff. The two girls didn't speak to each other for the rest of the flight.
Thankfully, whatever little issue the two seemed to have with each other went out the window as they landed in Covedale. Jaune even overheard them both apologizing for taking their little personality clash a bit too far.
He wondered if it was some type of game girls played with each other but for the life of him decided it in his best interest to not try and find out.
"Come on guys! We need to go buy swim suits!" Ruby cheered as she used her semblance to get in front of the group.
"Swimsuits? We're doing the beach?" Jaune asked a bit worriedly.
"Well yeah. We just couldn't say so in front of dad or Uncle Qrow." Yang answered. "Dad would have a heart attack at the thought of us showing that much skin in public."
Bulma rolled her eyes, seeing that both Ruby and Yang were both clearly attempting to draw attention with their clothes, even if Ruby's was a tad bit more conservative.
The group ended up at one of the stores closer to the amusement park. Jaune picked a pair of black and blue trunks with a little grim reaper on one of the legs.
On the other hand, Jaune frowned as the girls seemed to go through the entire catalog of swimsuits on display. He held a stoic look but with a permanent blush as the girls all modeled for him, asking his opinion.
Of the three, he expected Ruby to be the modest one and go for one pieces and such. However, she proved that she and Yang were indeed sisters as she modeled string bikinis with her sister, regardless of the massive blush on her face.
He was sure some of the swimsuits the two wore were probably illegal to show in public.
Bulma seemed a bit uncomfortable as she tried to compete with them, but after wearing only a single bikini that may as well have been made with shoe strings and dorito triangles, she opted to get a modest bikini with a removable skirt. Jaune would miss Ruby and Yang silently celebrating their victory.
'Thank Oum for today, but if Qrow and Taiyang find out, I'm dead.' Jaune thought holding back tears.
Once the girls had finally decided on their bathing suits, they approached Jaune.
Ruby decided on a black and red once piece that had an opening in the front from the bottom of her chest to a bit below her navel. It didn't cover her back at all. It wasn't modest in the slightest, but better than everything they had worn to one up each other.
Yang went mildly conservative as well with a black and yellow bikini with a somewhat see through sash to wrap around her waist that fell to her knees. They looked to see Jaune holding his own swim trunks.
"Aren't you going to try them on?" Yang asked, Bulma and Ruby behind her with gazes of anticipation as well.
Jaune shrugged, went into a dressing room and changed. He came back out and the girls all felt steam escape their ears. It was the first time any of them had gotten a good look at Jaune and he was absolutely the definition of a model among gods. Every inch of his body looked taut yet flexible. Strength and speed all rolled in to one.
"Holy crap Jaune, do you chisel granite on those?" Yang whistled eyeing his abs.
"I did once." He shrugged.
The three girls paused at his response. Seeing the smirk on his face, they figured he was joking.
He was not.
After getting dressed again, the group made their way into Coveland. Jaune's excitement grew as he saw people of all shapes and sizes, including faunus, going around having a good time. It was the happiest place he had ever seen, even on the internet.
"Well ladies and gent," Bulma started, gaining eager grins from everyone. "Let's go have fun!"
Sorry for the abrupt ending. This was done months ago, but I hadn't planned on stopping it here. This was supposed to be The Sisters Part 2, and just kinda turned into a filler chapter instead. I have no idea when I'll continue this, but I hope this chapter was still enjoyable. Feedback is most appreciated and your thoughts on the story can help me get an idea of where to go next.
Til Next Time Loves~