Following the dance with Blake, the elusive hybrid had vanished as quickly as she'd appeared. With a wink and a smile that sat somewhere between flirtatious and murderous, the faunus girl had melted into the crowd to go and do whatever it was that she did. Jaune knew he'd rather not think about what those things might be.
Unless, of course, she was off to gather more information. Information he was in dire need of if he were to make some sort of attempt to foil whatever it was that Cinder and Salem were planning here at Beacon.
However, those thoughts were soon driven from his mind in one of the most pleasant but terrifying ways possible. A new dance partner had shown up to take Blake's place shortly after her departure. Fresh off her manhandling of the freshly-minted goth faunus boy, Yang had come over to the now free Jaune and taken his hand into her with zero hesitation. It hadn't been an invitation to dance. It was an order.
It seemed that ever after their spar the other day, this one could not be tamed.
Yang had taken him, and not in a way Winter or even Blake had. Even without her monstrous Grimm arm, her right hand squeezed down tightly on his left as a sign of dominance. It was clear to the boy with how she held him close to her, pressing him firmly against her chest, that Jaune was dancing with her. Not the other way around.
The glimmering golden scales of her dress were like those of a dragon, shining as the chandeliers above them glowed softly and reflected off her. More than just the gorgeous dress though, Yang possessed beauty the likes of which, speaking objectively, none of the other hybrids did. They were all beautiful in their own way, but Yang was the embodiment of classical beauty. Long flowing golden locks hung past her shoulders. Her hourglass figure was accentuated by her form-fitting dress. Her bust was the stuff of men's dreams. He could proudly say that it wasn't just a dream for him. He'd seen it back in Salem's realm.
As the two teens moved and swayed together, Jaune was forced to stare down at a flawless face that always seemed to have some trace of amusement gracing it, like she knew some secret joke that no one else was in on. Even the smallest of her smiles was bright enough to light the entire room by itself. Yang was a shining beacon of beauty and grace. Of fun. Of fiery passion.
All a façade, concealing the angry beast within.
"So, Yang," he said, moving the girl in his arms with the music. It was odd how he felt like a prisoner in Yang's grasp, yet she allowed him to lead. "So far everyone I've danced with has shared their deepest, most personal secrets and desires with me. Anything you feel like talking about tonight?"
Yang quirked an eyebrow as she peered up at him with bemusement. "What makes you think I'd be into any of that touchy-feely crap?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Just seems like it's something that's been happening tonight." A frown tugged at his lips. "Why'd you bite me the other day?"
The mischievous smirk never left her own lips as she answered. "Why'd you enjoy it?"
"I did not enjoy it."
"Right, right. You only like it when Weiss bites you. She's a kinky one, isn't she?"
Yang wasn't wrong. Still, despite having lived among hybrids for months, he still wasn't fully familiar with their culture and mannerisms. He had good ideas of what they meant in their hybrid forms. Ruby's horn nuzzling was a sign of affection. Weiss' horn poking was an attempt to assert dominance on him, though he knew in the end she was the one who enjoyed being dominated. But in lieu of using their horns now, they had to adjust to using more human methods of physical affection. Weiss had begun biting him. Yang bit him too.
Did that mean…
"Are you in love with me, Yang?" he asked.
The smile finally fell from Yang's face, replaced by disgust and horror. "Oh gods no! Ew!"
That… certainly hadn't been the reaction Jaune was expecting. Quite frankly it was a bit of a punch to the gut.
"Oh," he managed to say softly. "Okay."
"That would be awful!" Yang pressed, loudly and boldly in contrast to Jaune's own quiet tone.
"I understand," he said, trying to quell and end the discussion right here and now.
"That would just be the most repulsive thing ever," she instead continued to rant.
"Please," he begged.
"Could you imagine anything more sickening?"
"Yang, please."
"Gods, that would just be-"
"I get it!" Jaune snapped. Only to squeeze his lips shut immediately after.
Glancing around he saw how some of the closer couples had turned to stare at the pair. Jaune's face warmed, being the center of attention for all the wrong reasons. It wasn't unusual, given his unique circumstances with a quartet of girls who only barely understood normal human customs. His eyes came back to Yang, though they were unable to meet her… disgusted gaze. Was she really so turned off from the idea of love? Or was it just loving him specifically.
"I just wanna fuck you," she abruptly continued. "I don't love you."
And that answered that. Jaune felt his face grow warm all over again.
Being pressed so closely to such a gorgeous girl, wearing such a revealing golden dress, Jaune felt his heart rate increase dramatically. With Ruby and Weiss there was true, genuine love shared between the three of them. Even Blake had her own twisted idea of love that she was projecting on him. Yang though?
Yang just wanted his body. He'd be lying if he said he'd never thought about hers too, especially after seeing her in the shower back at Salem's academy. She'd seen his too.
He suddenly felt very differently about being trapped in her embrace right now.
"But being tied down in a relationship?" she continued. "No thanks. Commitment isn't exactly my strong point. I'm not looking for a pack. I am a pack. I'm a free woman, and I'll take who and what I want. You. Sun. Whoever. That faunus boy must be strong too if he's able to scare Blake so much. I wonder what he's like in bed."
Sun would probably be too sullen and depressed after this evening to even think about such things with Yang, not matter how enticing the idea was. He'd had his eyes set on Blake and was utterly shot down once more. One day he'd need to have a bro to bro talk with him about giving up his pursuit.
After all, the knowledge of what Blake saw Cinder doing depended on it.
"So if you're in the mood after this whole dance thing…" she trailed off, the suggestive curl of her lips returning to match the tone of her voice. "Or, if you wanna just blow it off right now and show a girl a good time…"
The temptation was strong, and it wouldn't be 'wrong' in the eyes of the culture of these girls. Weiss had in the past lobbied hard for Yang to join their pack, only for Yang to turn her down every time. Ruby herself had explained to him that as the alpha male of the pack, he was entitled to have multiple mates. Mating with Yang wouldn't be seen as being unfaithful to her and Weiss. If anything Weiss would probably be happy at the prospect of another girl to produce strong offspring with.
…he was using their terminology now in his mind. He'd spent way too much time with these hybrids…
Regardless, even if his partners would be fine with the arrangement, Jaune himself wouldn't be. He was still human. He still held human beliefs and traditions. Though it was unusual to be with two different girls at the same time, he would at least justify it by saying that he loved them both. Jaune didn't love Yang anymore than she loved him. At least not romantically. Like with Blake he did love and care for her, but not in a way where he'd ever want to be in a lasting relationship with her.
"Gods, I want to," he admitted softly, imagining the look and feel of her undressed body against his. Yang's eyes narrowed victoriously as her smirk deepened. "But I can't do that with someone who just wants sex. Not when there's no love involved." He couldn't believe he was saying those words. A year ago he would have done it with the blonde bombshell with zero hesitation. Now he was turning down her offer for no-consequences sex.
Her smile was wiped from her face in an instant. "A Mate, rather than a mate," she mused darkly. "I'm not built that way, Jaune. Mates have a tendency to disappoint you. To leave you…"
The atmosphere had changed completely, and Jaune feared that it was his fault. He was reminded of the last time he had danced with Yang. Back at the dance in Salem's school. When he'd held Yang in his arms, and she'd revealed the truth about her mother. Not the mother of Ruby who sat prisoner in Salem's dungeon, but the woman who'd been their father's first wife.
The one who'd left them when Yang was still a newborn.
"I'm not leaving Ruby and Weiss," he whispered. "Never."
She only hummed in response.
"I'm sorry for bringing it up," he continued. "Let's just enjoy the rest of the dance and the night, okay?"
She nodded, but it was clear that the wind had been taken out of her sails. Probably not even because he'd turned down her advances, but rather for being reminded of the unreliability of her father's first… Mate.
Jaune held her a little bit tighter after that, wanting to do his best to try to comfort the girl, but not quite knowing how. Yang was an entirely different animal from Ruby and Weiss. She was fierce and independent. Not at all open about her feelings. Not particularly willing to be comforted by him in the ways he knew worked on the others. All he could do was hold her with as much love and affection as he could muster, and try to show her a good time.
Until her head suddenly snapped up. Jaune saw lilac eyes wide with focus, and she turned to the left, staring at what he could only assume was something outside one of the large windows of the dance hall.
Yang's movements grew sluggish, and Jaune could tell something was amiss. "Yang?" he questioned softly. "What's wrong?"
He saw how the tip of her tongue poked out through her lips briefly, like a snake tasting the air to get the scent of its prey. The muscles of her back grew tight and rigid. Yang was like a coiled spring ready to release at a moment's notice.
With his attention focused squarely on the girl in his arms, Jaune was blindsided when Ruby rushed up to them. "You feel that, right?"
Jaune's head whirled around to see the girl in the dark red dress. Concern was etched onto her face. He turned back to see Yang's answer for her little sister.
"Yeah," she breathed. "Oh gods, I feel it." A twisted smile crept onto her face. "It's like someone must be getting murdered out there…" she gasped excitedly.
Jaune continued to look back and forth between the sisters, trying to piece together what they were talking about. If this was some sort of hybrid thing, he was surprised that Weiss hadn't come up to them as well.
He looked around. There was no sign of her or Winter. That was concerning to say the least.
Feeling a tug on his sleeve, Jaune turned back to Ruby. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.
"We have to go. Now," she insisted. Jaune made no efforts to fight. Neither did Yang as she released him from his grasp.
The trio of teens rushed through the crowded hall toward the door. To whatever lay outside that had the hybrids so excited in Yang's case, and worried in Ruby's.
Weiss burned with a blue-white Aura, dropping to her knees. Spittle flew from her mouth as her screams grew louder, Winter taken aback. Never in her life had she seen someone react so violently to their Aura unlocking. It didn't make sense to her. It was as if her sister's Aura was harming her. Winter's voice caught in her throat as the sight before her started to shift.
A trick of the light? Weiss' skin was the wrong color. Though naturally pale, this was an ashen white that no human could have ever boasted. The girl glared up at Winter, icy blue eyes melting away to solid red. Winter barely raised her Aura in time to take the hit, Weiss's leg lashing out and striking her in the stomach. The strength behind her kick, inhuman!
The Specialist rolled away, struggling to keep from coughing, watching as her sister picked herself up unnaturally. Her shoulders rose first, her legs following, her blood-red glare burning in the moonlit night. Changing eye color was not unnatural, though unheard of in their own family, but Winter could swear that all of Weiss' features grew sharper. Muscular detail that didn't previously exist made itself known against taunt skin, an inhuman strength filling the girl.
With a flourish of her hand, Weiss created a great black lance, twisting and organic looking. To Winter it looked for all the world like a Grimm transformed into a weapon. Black spider web-like veins pulsed beneath her skin, becoming visible across every inch of exposed flesh. Finally, from her forehead, a powerful horn emerged, splitting her otherwise pristine face and parting her now wild hair.
Winter shakily got back to her feet. "We-Weiss?"
Weiss' head turned sharply, the horn shining with an edged polish. Her head tilted slightly as she regarded Winter with idle curiosity.
"Human. You know my name," Weiss's voice was cold, harsh. The warmth and girlish simplicity was gone. "You must be slain."
Winter began to tremble. This couldn't have been her sister. But at the same time, who else, or what else could it be? "Weiss, you have to stop! Please!"
The command fell on deaf ears, and the creature with Weiss' face shifted her feat to attack. Seeing how she had no other choice, Winter leveled her sword at the monster and readied herself.
The two met in mid air. Avoiding the lance's tip was easy enough, but the bulk of the weapon caught Winter all the same. Not damaging, but still enough to throw her off. A slash across Weiss' arm was the best she could manage before being physically tossed away. Winter landed feet first, already running up the far wall as Weiss curved her own descent after her. Her arm bled black freely, Aura slow to heal with no practice. Winter tore her eyes away from it just in time.
Weiss was suddenly in front of her, slashing at her with an otherwise normal looking arm. Winter could feel the strain of her Aura keeping the attack from rending her in twain all the same. Thrusting, she found her counterattack deflected by the great lance of her would-be sister. Weiss landed another crushing stomp on Winter, throwing her back to the ground.
Winter crashed, Weiss' foot planted on her chest. The abomination tilted her head again. "Humans. Weak, pathetic, so unsure of themselves. I am most grateful to have been reborn, perfect."
"Weiss, please talk to me!" she cried through gritted teeth. Winter tried to focus, the crushing force of Weiss' inhuman strength straining her already depleted Aura. "What happened to you? What's going on?"
"I am the forsaken, given new life and greater purpose by my mother. She spoke to me once of it," Weiss lazily lifted the lance, Winter knocking her foot away long enough to roll out.
The stone shattered as the weapon effortlessly penetrated the ground. Her head twisted, glowing eyes following Winter as she tried to get back to her feet. Instead Winter found her erstwhile sister's foot connecting with her stomach, sending her up off the ground and into a far too fast punch, throwing her back into the wall. Winter, teeth gritted, fell to one knee. Weiss seemed to be in no hurry, slowly walking towards her, dragging her great lance through the earth behind her.
"Mother told me of how I was abandoned. On a flight, to be given away by those who never loved me. How her angels came and rescued me. Because I was special. Because I am special. Because I am perfect." Weiss' head twitched. Her attention wasn't on Winter anymore. It didn't seem to be on anything anymore. "I don't need humans. I don't need friends. I don't need a pack. I am perfect. I am alone. I am Weiss. Jaune will betray me. Ruby is weak. Yang is unstable. Blake is corrupted. But not me. I am-"
"A Schnee." Winter was only a few feet from her sister, her Aura flaring outwards dangerously. Blue-white at the edges, but black at the core. "You are a Schnee."
Weiss's head jerked back to Winter. Her breathing was erratic, free hand flexing back and forth. "That word means nothing to me!"
Weiss started her charge, Winter opening a glyph beneath her feet. Stepping on it had the desired effect, the smaller girl tossed into the air. Winter leapt after her, grabbing at the girl with both arms.
"You are a Schnee! You are Weiss Schnee!" Winter pleaded, tears in her eyes.
Weiss lashed out with another kick across her face, sending her falling back. Winter, stopping her descent with an emergency glyph, used it to bound back even higher into the air. Creating a summoning glyph, she unleashed a ghostly Beowolf on Weiss as she ascended.
Weiss' eyes went wild as the white Grimm grappled with her, Winter taking care that it did not harm her. "How dare you use the powers of Grimm, human! Who do you think you are!?"
"Your blood!" Winter cried back.
With a practiced ease, Weiss killed the Beowolf in just a few movements, falling to the ground in the process. While a hit to her already draining Aura, it was enough of a distraction for Winter. Separating her smaller saber from her larger, she created another glyph at the apex of her leap. She landed on it, the gravity glyph holding her in place.
Weiss's head snapped up, cold fury etched on her face. "You keep saying these stupid, meaningless things! You keep calling me something I'm not! You insult my very heritage and try to use it against me! I will not stand for this, human!"
"Weiss, you have to listen to me! Please!" Winter's breathing was ragged, her stamina drained.
"I am perfection! Others will hurt me, others will make me weak! They are distractions! I will kill you, human, and all others in my way!"
From the ground she tensed. Winter could feel the pressure built around her small body. After a moment she leapt, the rocky arena below shattering, the noise drowned out by Weiss' shout of mindless fury. Winter, eyes narrowing, let out her own battle cry as she fired off from her glyph, fast enough that her dwindling Aura struggled to keep her from injury. Weiss thrust her lance forward just as Winter predicted, stabbing her saber into its spiral folds. With a sharp twist, Winter disarmed Weiss and herself as the two rapidly approached collision. Winter displayed her smaller saber, drawing it back for one final stab. Weiss, for her part, lowered her head, not losing a beat by being disarmed.
After all, she still had her horn.
They clashed midair simultaneously. Winter wasn't sure what felt worse, her Aura shattering and Weiss's horn goring her through the right side of her chest... or the feeling of blood spraying, as her own saber sliced through the once flawless face of her sister. The two, unified through mutual bloodletting, crashed together into the rubble below.
Blood running freely, Winter found she was being held up painfully by Weiss's horn. One of her legs wasn't responding, pain screaming at her with every attempt to move it. Her right arm was limp, the wound numbing her from the worst of the pain. Her left arm, however, was intact, and her hand still firmly gripping her secondary saber.
It made a melancholic noise as it clattered to the ground.
Weiss, hair staining red with Winter's blood, stared at the older woman in confusion. Half of her face was covered in a mixture of Winter's red blood and her own black, dripping from a fresh wound torn down through her left eye. A wound that was far too shallow, the eye itself escaping major injury. The hybrid shook her head, jostling Winter.
"I don't understand. That was a killing blow," Weiss glared up at the human impaled on her. "Why did you pull back? Why didn't you end this? You're a human. You hate me. You must hate me. That's what you're for. You exist to hate me! Why didn't you kill me!"
Of course she hadn't. Winter could never have brought her full skills to bare against Weiss. She never could have even dreamed of putting the life of her sister in jeopardy.
Left hand shaking, tears flowing freely, Winter touched Weiss' cheek. "I could never hate you. You're my dearest sister. Never."
Weiss took a step back, black veins retracting slightly. Face screwing up in confused fury, she hurled Winter away from herself. The woman hit the far side of the rubble strewn ground, unable to rise again.
Weiss was muttering to herself, Winter barely able to hear her. Her own wound robbed her of any strength she had left. Still she could not tear her gaze from her sister, who was now screaming at herself.
"You can't love me! You can't, you don't, you're lying! I don't have a sister, I don't have a family! I don't, I don't, I don't! My family is Salem alone, and I exist only to-!" An inarticulate scream tore from her sister's throat, an inhuman noise that pained Winter to hear. "I will prove that humans can't- that you're lying. I will! You must be, have to be, can't be, I am not wrong!"
Winter wasn't sure what happened immediately after, nor how much time passed. Her vision went dark, until she felt a strange warmth flood her body. The boy, Jaune, was in her sight, standing over her with glowing hands. Her own Aura was reignited, but her body was in no shape to move yet.
"Weiss, where is she?" She heard him shout, scared out of his mind.
Strength and consciousness returned slowly to the Specialist, whose head rose to see a myriad of colors around her. Jaune's blond hair atop a black tuxedo. Ruby, her red dress matching the color of Winter's right arm and chest. Yang, a dress of golden scales shimmering in the pale light of the outdoor lamps.
Winter shook her head. "I unlocked her Aura. I can't..." She started to cough, her Aura trying to sort out injuries in her chest she was unaware of.
"We'll explain later! Just hold on!"
Winter, fresh tears falling, shook her head. It fell back down to the pavement to stare up at the night's sky. "I can't imagine how scared she must have been," she whispered groggily. To herself more than the teenagers gathered around her. "How lonely she was, all this time..."
Jaune and his healing hands placed on her torso was the only one she could still see. He grimaced, but said nothing. Was he like Weiss? Another child, stolen from another family, like Ruby and Yang? Winter couldn't know. Weakly she raised her hand to his.
"Go. Save her. Please."
Jaune stared at her hand for a moment, before nodding. "I promise."
Winter's arm collapsed. Even that was too much. Her injuries were worse than she thought. Idly she moved her head around and she saw Ruby looking scared. Even Yang looked nervous as the three spread out across the courtyard and beyond. As darkness claimed her once more, she only hoped that they could find her before it was too late.
Who they were didn't matter. What they were doing outside of the dance was of little importance. These two students, so happy and caught up in the moment, were shaken by sudden nervousness. How could they not be? They were outside, near where the fighting took place. They had heard, in part, some of its conclusion.
One, a female, grimaced. "Think some kind of Grimm got in?"
Her companion, a faunus male, shook his head. "So what if one did? What are they going to do, join the dance? They'd be killed instantly. We've got like, a dozen huntsmen!"
She giggled. "Yeah, you're right. I've just never done well with that side of things, you know?"
"Stick with me, babe. I'll keep you nice and safe." With those well worn words, he drew his companion close.
Together, they must have felt safe. Together, they must have felt secure. Loved. Together, they would be invincible.
She would show them otherwise.
The male was the first to go down, gored through the back, the tip of her horn piercing out through his stomach. He fell to the ground with a bubbling gurgle on his lips, the blood coming up from his abdomen choking any attempt he made to voice his pain.
His companion didn't even get the chance to scream as the hybrid struck her in the throat, the girl going down, choking. The boy, startled and starting to cry out, still found his voice strangled by his own life fluid. He wished to alert others of her being here?
Then he would be silenced.
She slammed him face first into the ground, leaping down with him. The poor fool hadn't even raised his Aura yet, the full brunt of stone and her own ferocious strength quieting him. The smell of blood and the subtle taste of enamel from cracking teeth filled the air, Weiss drinking it in.
The girl was moving, still gasping and gagging. Weiss slashed her across her face with her horn, a shallow wound all considered. Still the weak thing fell backwards, whimpering. Strangled screams would not come as Weiss skittered over to her. Head twitching, Weiss watched the girl thrash, blood oozing from her wound.
She looked nice like this, Weiss decided. Grabbing the girl, Weiss pulled her to her feet. The student, of which school Weiss could not know and did not care, was crying. She smelled delicious. Weiss, knees bent, slashed at her in a dizzying dance.
Clothes and flesh tore equally, the terrified child kept standing only by Weiss' erratic blows. Did this girl still feel like she would be safe, because she had another? No. She couldn't. Weiss would teach her that. Weiss would teach her that it was best to be alone. That it was her fate. Yes, that was best.
To have nothing. To be nothing. To know nothing.
The boy started to rise again, desperately struggling against his superior foe. He was swiftly knocked down, Weiss flipping backwards and slamming her foot into the back of his head. No, that would not do. He wouldn't get to ruin this. She was understanding, finally. Alone, was best. Alone, was what she was. She was alone. That was proper. That was pure. That was perfect.
Why was she attacking them? It was an odd question to occur to her. Part of her screamed that it was because they were. They existed. They dared to stand when they should have just died in the crib. But why not just kill them? Wouldn't that be faster? They abandoned her, after all. They tried to get rid of her. They rejected her. Everyone rejected her. Everyone would reject her. Everything would. She would have nothing. She would have-
Weiss watched as the boy started to rise one more time. She waited for him this time. Let him see the state of his companion. As he started to turn, all sorts of pleasant ugliness burning from him, she plunged her hand into his side. Blood sprayed as she tore it back out, covering her face and drenching her hair further.
Weiss stared at her hands as he fell. Her fingers were ruined, flesh fraying, nails cracked and bleeding. Her head tilted at the red that stained her arms. Was he dead? She found she no longer cared, watching the blood drip from her fingers. At first it was warm, but it steadily cooled. Soon even this temporary warmth would leave her and she would be-
Something, behind her.
Weiss turned, Blake staring at her. The other hybrid was clutching a wall, staring at Weiss expectedly. Her tendrils were on full display, her mouth its true horrific form. Weiss lowered her horn.
Inferior, corrupted beast. Nothing like she was. She was perfect. She was-
"So," the faunus interrupted her. "This is you."
Weiss' breathing quickened.
"Can't you speak? You were always so wordy before..."
Weiss stood. She was not like this thing. She was more. She was perfect. She was-
"What would Jaune think, seeing you like this?"
Weiss snarled. "Queens need not consider the opinions of beasts."
Blake's grin, if anything, widened. "And that is what you are? A queen? What of that woman you've maimed? What was she?"
"Nothing! Lies and trickery. Nothing more. I have no family. I need no one. I am perfect! I am-!"
"Lonely?"
Blake was gone, even as Weiss' fist smashed a hole in the wall.
"This is what you truly are. All pretense burned away. All ignorance bled dry. You can now truly understand who, and what, you are, Weiss."
Weiss twirled, the voice coming from behind her. Her breathing was becoming erratic, harder and harder to control. That word kept hammering at her, her resolve to prove herself fading inch by inch.
"Alone."
If Weiss was in her right mind, she would have realized that voice was not Blake. If she was in her right mind, that voice would not exist at all. She would not be drenched in blood that was not hers, screaming incoherently at things that were not there.
The building she heard the voice coming from was familiar, but Weiss wasn't sure why. It was filled with books, she discovered as she smashed her way in. She had been here but why didn't seem to matter. Stalking forward, she stalled.
Before her was a stranger.
Long red hair, a scar across her face, and a haughty, superior expression greeted Weiss. The stranger wore red gloves that went up to her elbows, pointing at Weiss as the hybrid gestured at her.
"Who are you?"
The woman repeated these words, Weiss' face twisting into a scowl. The woman copied her.
"Answer me!" They screamed.
"I am Weiss," she offered. The stranger parroted the name.
"You can't be me! There is only one of me, and I am her! I am alone!"
The stranger smiled at her. It was a sad smile.
A coldness settled over Weiss. As cold as the drying blood on her face and arms. There was no stranger. It was her. It was only her.
Her reflection in a mirror. Because she was right.
Weiss fell to her knees, quaking. Who were those people she attacked? Why had she attacked them? Was that person really her sister? Where was Jaune? Where was Ruby? They were supposed to be her pack. They were supposed to be with her! They weren't supposed to abandon her! To leave her-!
"Alone," the mirror spoke to her. "The loneliest of all."
Weiss, falling forwards and only catching herself with her hands, stared at the reflection. The image in the mirror was crying. She didn't want this. She didn't want to be this!
"M-mirror, tell me..."
Jaune would have said that this was bad, but to utter the words aloud would be a hilariously stupid understatement.
Leaving the side of Winter Schnee, he was flanked on either side by hybrid sisters who appeared just as concerned as he was. For Ruby he could assume she had Weiss' best interests in mind. For Yang on the other hand, tonight's events threatened to expose their entire operation. He knew that was what she feared most.
Walking with no destination in particular, Jaune wracked his brain on how best to proceed. He might have asked Winter where Weiss had run off to, but in her current state he wouldn't have trusted the information to be accurate even if she had been conscious enough to give it. He had to think, and think fast.
His head whipped around to face Yang. The one who'd alerted him to the situation in the first place. "Yang, do you have any idea where Weiss might have run off to?"
The blonde hybrid's head rose, chin up, inhaling through her nose like dog might have. In times like these it certainly paid to have what was essentially a pack of negativity-seeking bloodhounds. "No," she said softly. "There's too much damn negativity in the air. Including from that one back there," she added, jabbing a thumb behind her at the still recovering Atlesian Specialist.
Jaune turned to Ruby now, like a patient seeking a second opinion on a medical condition. Ruby's expression was just as grim as her sister's. "She's right. With how many people are in the dance there's a lot of bad emotions."
The boy nodded, accepting the answers from the girls. So much for things being easy.
Still, she couldn't have gone too far. And in her Grimm form he hoped that Weiss would have the common sense to stay hidden. Either in the shadows or one of Beacon's buildings. He didn't know exactly how she would have reacted to having her Aura unlocked. His experience every time so far had been different.
Yang had become little more than a feral beast upon having her Aura unlocked by him, rampaging through the combat arena trying to tear apart both her friends and sister until Ruby had finally gotten through to her. Blake on the other hand had been able to speak when Professor Rainart had her flare up her Aura for a class demonstration. Though after what Jaune had heard from Blake's lips when she broke down, he wish she hadn't been capable of speech.
He still wondered why Ruby hadn't reacted at all. When her Aura had been unlocked flawlessly and harmlessly the first time they'd made love.
"If she's running on instinct she might be sticking to the shadows," he mused. It was troubling that he was able to have insight on feral Grimm behavior. He'd spent far too many months surrounded by Salem and her cohorts. "But if she's attracted to negative emotions then she might be going after people too. Just not a huge crowd of them. She's too smart to start a fight she couldn't win. But is she thinking clearly enough to know that?" A hand came up to grip his hair tightly, frustrated beyond belief that Weiss was missing and there was nothing he could do about it but blindly search. "Damn it," he whispered harshly.
"Have you lost something, darling?"
The voice, one from above him, stopped Jaune in his tracks. Peering upward, sure enough, was a familiar dark-haired girl in a purple dress sitting lazily upon a thick tree branch. Pale legs hung loosely down, swaying gently like leaves on the evening breeze.
"Blake," he snapped. "We don't have time for this."
The faunus girl grinned, and in the moonlight a normal looking mouth of teeth appeared as a maw full of daggers. Was it a trick of the light, or had Blake intentionally misshapen her face to give him such a frightening smile?
"Oh, silly me," she lamented with all the regret of a cat who'd just caught herself a delicious mouse. "And here I thought you would want to know where our errant sister had gone."
"What?" Jaune gasped. His gaze up at the girl intensified, and in doing so caused Blake's legs to kick up and down with more energy. "You saw her?"
"I see everything, darling," she bragged, leaping from the branch and landing on her high-heeled shoes with amazing grace. A cat faunus indeed. "Though, our little Weiss is quite quick on her feet for such short legs."
"Where," he pressed, not in the mood at all for Blake's usual games and riddles. The fact that Ruby and Yang had stepped up to stand on either side of him made it clear that they weren't either.
Blake hissed silent laughter, amused by the threatening display. Obviously not afraid in the slightest. "Perhaps we should split up," she suggested. "To cover more ground."
It was a surprisingly good suggestion. Jaune looked to his right and locked eyes with Ruby. She merely looked back up at him, waiting to see if he agreed.
In the end he did. "Ruby, take Yang and go toward the strongest source of negativity you feel. If you find her, call me right away."
Ruby nodded. "Right."
He smiled, watching as the two sisters ran away from where he and Blake stood. He trusted Ruby. Out of all the hybrids she was the most stable. She was the most capable of looking after Yang. If the blonde got out of control for any reason Ruby would be able to calm her down.
That just left him with…
Blake linked an arm around his own, pressing herself close to his side. "How romantic. A stroll through the park under the moonlight. It's just like a date, don't you think?"
Jaune moved, taking Blake with him as she refused to relinquish hold of his arm. The two strode side by side, and to anyone else it might indeed appear that they were out on a date. Looks could be deceiving, however. The fact that these Grimm hybrids wore human skin was proof enough of that.
"Lead the way," he begrudgingly requested of the girl at his side.
Blake laughed once more. "A true modern man, allowing the lady to take the lead. How progressive of you, Jaune."
"We're just finding Weiss," he told her as she did indeed begin to lead him in another direction. Following a scent he could never hope to sense. "Do you think you know where she is? Or do you already know, and you just wanted to split up to be alone with me?"
Jaune saw how her lips split into a satisfied grin. "Oh, Jaune. You know me so well…"
"So you do know."
Blake giggled delightedly. "Follow the misery and bloodshed~" she sang.
He didn't know what she meant by that until seconds later when he saw it. When he saw them.
A pair of bodies on the ground. Neither moving.
Jaune was finally able to break free from Blake's grasp, her apparently having let him go so he could rush up to the first of the two. He wore a black tuxedo like himself, and was undoubtedly around the same age. Another student. Another attendee of the dance.
A wet hole pierced his gut. Under the campus lights Jaune could see blood pooling around him.
The boy brought a hand up to the neck, and thankfully felt a pulse. "He's alive," he sighed with relief. "Blake, check the other."
As he placed his hands upon the boy's stomach and activated his Semblance, he saw how Blake casually approached the girl who lay prone on the ground as well. Like the boy she had been attacked, and there were multiple lacerations from raking claws on her arms and torso. A dress, once a shimmering white, was stained red from numerous wounds.
Blake strolled up to the girl with her hands clasped behind her back, seemingly indifferent to the injured girl as she bent down at the knees to examine her closer. Jaune's eyes widened in horror as Blake reached out with a finger and spooned up a tip full of the girl's blood before licking it clean.
As Blake's tongue darted out to lick her lips with satisfaction her eyes met Jaune's. Her lack of reaction showed that she found nothing wrong with what she'd just done. "She lives," the hybrid stated indifferently. "And the blood is fresh. Weiss can't have gone far."
Jaune shook his head without a word, standing up after finishing mending the boy's wound before moving onto the girl. Like before he placed his hands over the girl's worst injuries and her body began to glow a soft white.
"We should hurry," Blake insisted. "There are many huntsmen in this school, but only one Weiss. Allow this one to die so that she may live."
Jaune couldn't believe he'd just heard what Blake said. "I'm not leaving anyone to die."
A soft, guttural growl hummed in the back of her throat.
"I'm not," he insisted.
Blake took several steps back, her hands once more clasping behind her back. "As you say."
It didn't take long to heal the girl, and when Jaune was satisfied that both students would live stood back up and moved toward Blake. She urged him onward with a motion of her head.
The library was close now, and Blake was making a beeline straight toward it.
The door was ajar, and it creaked as Jaune pushed it open, squealing like something out of a horror movie. The scent of paper and ink filled his nostrils. He briefly glanced over to Blake to gauge if she might smell anything different.
"Weiss?" he called out, the word echoing in the dark, abandoned library. He really was like the stupid protagonist of a slasher film, about to get cut to bits for his shouting. "Weiss, are you there?"
Soft cackling sounded near him. Blake, of course, found this highly amusing. "Weiss isn't here…" she whispered.
Jaune felt ready to explode. He'd told her he wasn't in the mood for any of her games. "Then why did you-"
He cut himself off when he heard another noise. Another voice. An all too familiar one in the distance.
"Weiss…" he gasped. He swallowed before summoning the strength to shout. "Weiss! Where are you!"
"She's not here," Blake repeated. "But she is."
Jaune ignored Blake's words as he drove himself deeper into the library. Through the labyrinth of shelves that darkness had made into a formidable obstacle. All the while following the whispers and mutterings of his target.
Until he found her.
There, hunched over on the floor with her legs pulled up to her chest, and staring into a full-length mirror which stood up against the wall, was his missing teammate. His missing friend. His missing lover.
"Weiss!" he yelled, rushing over to stand behind her. Even in the darkness he saw her reflection in the mirror. It was a horrifying sight to behold.
Red marred a once pristine head of snow-white hair, a cocktail of perhaps three different people she had attacked in her rage. Her beautiful white dress was torn and sullied, never to be worn again for a dance by the beautiful young woman. A single, proud horn stood defiant in a place where so many students had studied the skills to kill a being like her.
Most horrific of all, however, was the large gash which nearly split her face in two. A line, crusted black with scabbed hybrid blood, trailing down her forehead, past her eye, and onto her left cheek.
Jaune knelt down behind the girl, staring into the mirror to witness blank red eyes that were open but at the same time not awake. Weiss' lips moved and trembled, as if trying to speak but allowing no words to pass.
"Weiss…" he said gently, placing his hands atop her shoulders. Her body was trembling under his touch. Like she was freezing.
He'd expected her to flinch. To turn and snarl at him. To even attack. Nothing, however. No reaction. It's like he wasn't even there.
Her lips continued to move, repeating the same motions over and over trying to say a single word. "M… m… m…"
"Weiss. What are you trying to say?"
Like a fish out of water, gasping for air, Weiss's lips opened and shut, pressing down to try to formulate the word just out of her reach. "M-m-m-mirror…" she finally managed to say.
Jaune's eyes glanced from her cheek back up to the mirror. Was that all? She was just trying to say the word of the object she was staring into?
"That's a mirror, Weiss," he agreed. Like talking to a child who was still learning to speak. "Mirror."
"M-mirror," she repeated, easier this time. "M-mirror. W-what's. Inside. Me?"
Jaune peered back down at Weiss again, searching for an explanation. Was she talking to him? Or was she talking to the mirror? He glanced up at Blake, who stood back curiously studying the scene before her.
The faunus girl merely shrugged. "Don't look at me. She's insane."
That was rich coming from Blake of all people. But right now he wasn't trying to compare the two, nor was he trying to put Blake down. She was a victim just as much as Weiss was. Right now, however, Weiss wasn't handling her newfound Aura well at all.
The question she had asked though. He had the answer for her. Her Aura was inside her.
Jaune's hands squeezed gently on Weiss' shoulders, trying his best to reassure her with his presence. She still shook in his embrace. "That's your Aura," he said soothingly. "Your human Aura. Do you know who gave it to you?"
He hoped he was doing this right. Weiss wasn't acting how Yang had, so he wasn't sure if the same method would work on her. Telling her how much he loved her over and over again might not do it. He might need something stronger. Luckily he knew just the person for the job. Or at least, the person's name.
"M-mirror," she said again.
"Not mirror," he corrected her. "It was your sister. Winter."
Weiss' head snapped at attention. A fire returned to her eyes, and for the first time since coming upon her, it felt like Weiss was truly alive. Those glowing red eyes of hers regarded him with sudden interest.
"Winter," he repeated, seeing how it had gotten a reaction from the girl.
Weiss snarled, and began to thrash under his grip. Jaune steeled himself, and pressed down so that she couldn't stand and attack him.
"Winter gave you your Aura," he said as calmly as he could even as he had to force Weiss to stay down. "Because she loves you."
Weiss shook her head, snarling bestial sounds through sharp, blood-stained teeth. "No…"
"Yes," he insisted. "Winter, your sister Winter, loves you. She unlocked your Aura because she loves you. I love you too, Weiss."
Weiss snarled and grunted, the savage noises sounding more like something from a Boarbatusk than a beautiful young woman.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Blake commented from behind. "Witnessing her true self. The monster that sleeps in your bed, still asleep even while awake."
"That's not the real Weiss," Jaune snapped as he turned to look back at Blake. "She's not a monster. None of you are."
Blake sighed dreamily.
He could deal with Blake later. Right now he needed all his focus on Weiss. "I love you," he repeated. "Your sister loves you. Winter loves you."
Her body jerked under his controlling hands. "I… don't…"
"We love you," he insisted.
"Don't… have… sister…"
"You do. Winter."
Weiss shook her head. "Loneliest of all…"
"Not anymore," he whispered, bringing his face down to her filthy red-stained hair. "Not alone anymore."
She shuddered, and Jaune pulled up to gaze back into the mirror. To witness twin trails of liquid dripping down her white face, one of the streaks becoming dirtied as it passed over dried black blood.
"Not… not… alone…"
"Not alone," he echoed. Hands moved from her shoulders to wrap around her chest, pulling her back close to him. His chin rested on her shoulder as he stared at her face in the mirror. "Not alone anymore. Winter. Ruby. Yang. Even Blake." He held her gaze before he said the final name. "Jaune."
The muscles of her face contorted. Her lips shook. Red eyes held more clarity in them than they had since he'd arrived. In the mirror they moved to peer at his own blue orbs. "Jaune…"
"Jaune," he agreed. "Jaune loves you."
"Jaune…"
Hands which had rested at her sides came up, and clawed fingers found his human ones. She dug her fingers in between his, clenching his loving hands in her own even as they rested atop her stomach.
"I love you, Weiss. We all love you."
"Jaune…" she barely managed to squeak, her voice cracking and signaling the waterfall which began to descend down her cheeks.
"Weiss," he breathed. He kissed her cheek, uncaring of the filth that marred it. "You're okay. It's going to be okay. Winter's okay."
Her chest heaved, and shuddering breaths fled her mouth as the tears began to flow freely down her face. "Jaune… I… I…"
He didn't give her a chance to finish, and Jaune moved around on his knees to her side, willing her to turn to face him as he did.
Weiss obeyed without hesitation.
His arms wrapped around her back as she buried her face into his chest, screaming a cry of anguish that was muffled in his tuxedo. She cried. She cried and cried and cried. Uncaring of who saw or heard her. Uncaring that the image of the perfect, strong hybrid had been reduced to a weak, frail mess of a girl.
Weiss' back heaved as Jaune held her tight, sobbing uncontrollably into the boy she loved. The boy who loved her. With one hand he began to gently stroke her hair, doing his best to comfort her as she continued to let her emotions flow freely. He rested his forehead on the top of her hair, squeezing his own eyes shut as he tried to prevent tears from falling from them.
"I'm sorry…" the girl sobbed into his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…"
"Shhh," he whispered. "It's okay. It's okay. Everything's okay."
Was it, though? Winter may not have been killed, but all that meant was that she knew their secret now. He had no idea what she planned to do with this information, but the fact that she had told him to save Weiss gave him hope. Hope that he and his friends would live to see another day.
But if this turned out to be his last, he would use every last second of it in order to comfort the girl in his arms. He would love and protect the girls he cared about to his dying breath.
Red-tinted water pooled around his feet, swirling around before exiting through the drain. There was so much of it. No matter how much went away, there was always more.
The scent of shampoo filled Weiss' nostrils as the warm water of the showerhead hit the back of the man behind her. As his body shielded the nude young woman in front of him. Yet despite the fact that neither she nor he wore a stitch of clothing, there was no arousal here. There was love, though none of it sexual. Even had the blood which soaked her hair and covered her skin never been present, now was not the time for romance. Now was not the time for their usual games and shenanigans.
Now was the time to show how much he cared.
Large hands ran through impossibly long and thick white hair, squeezing and stroking as Jaune worked the shampoo over every little bit of her mane in order to cleanse it. Her short stature gave him easy access to it, and Weiss stood before him wordlessly as his fingers dug and kneaded into her pure white locks.
She recalled the last time he had shown such a display of care and affection toward her. It was a curious thing, having thought of the same incident only a few days ago. The morning he had bandaged her wound and held her in bed. That wound had been physical. This time…
Not even her enhanced hybrid physiology could heal this wound. Not even Aura could heal this wound. No, this wound was on her heart.
Her heart. Weiss glanced down at her chest, and pale human skin greeted her eyes. Modest breasts, the tips gone hard from the water, stood proudly. Normally she would have been proud of her lithe and beautiful body. Normally she might have been inclined to turn around and suggest that she and Jaune mate here in the shower. Now, however, her mindset and her mood made all such desires impossible.
Sister. She had a sister. A human sister. How was that even possible? What was she? Who was she? Schnee. Weiss Schnee. That word which Winter had told her. The surname of the Atlesian Specialist. It was hers as well. Not Slate. Slate was a lie. She was a lie. Weiss was a lie. Weiss Schnee was the truth.
Jaune's hands ceased their movements in her hair again. This was their third run in shampooing her long hair in trying to cleanse it entirely of the red tint that her sister's blood, that the blood of two strangers, had left in it. "Turn around," he ordered softly.
Weiss nodded, and the two flipped places so that the water from the showerhead rained down on her. Jaune's hands aided it, helping to squeeze the water and shampoo out and down her back as the warm liquid hit her. White suds flowed and dripped down her flesh before joining the filth around their feet.
The feel of his large, strong hands on her head and back warmed her inside as much as the warm water did her body. Weiss closed her eyes, basking in the feeling of someone who cared about her taking care of her. There may not have been anything sexual about any of this, but there was a certain level of romance that came with tending to your lover and mate which could not be denied.
With the last of the shampoo rinsed from her head, Weiss leaned back against Jaune's chest, feeling his strong ribcage and collarbone on the back of her head. Water continued to pelt at her chest, and both her front and back felt warm from two entirely difference sources of heat. With her arms she reached up and behind her, finding Jaune's own hair and running her fingers through his wet blond locks.
"Hold me," she ordered him in turn.
Arms wrapped around her front a moment later, squeezing her body against his. There was no arousal or hardness on his part, and Weiss was fine with that. There was always time for that another day. Right now she just needed to feel comforted. She needed to feel loved. Like her whole world wasn't falling apart. Like her entire reality hadn't just been uprooted.
She needed a little piece of familiarity and security, and right now Jaune was just that.
"We didn't get to dance tonight," she lamented, her thoughts drifting to the ruined and bloody dress which was crumpled on the floor outside their shower. "But I'll settle for being in your arms here and now."
Weiss felt his chin brush against her hair as he nodded. "Whatever you need, I'm here for you."
A soft smile graced her lips. "Whatever I need," she echoed. She would always have what she wanted and needed. She was Weiss. Perfect. What she desired she received. Right now she needed him. Ruby couldn't have him. Blake couldn't steal him. Yang couldn't mate with him. He was hers right now. Hers for as long as she needed.
Her eyes closed again, and against the back of her head she felt his heartbeat thump against his ribcage. It reminded her of the boy she'd impaled through his own ribcage. Him and his female companion. She wondered if they were alive. If her actions tonight would bring down consequences for her and her team. Jaune didn't seem concerned. But did Jaune even know about them?
The smile slipped from her lips as pale blue eyes opened once more. "Jaune."
"Yeah?" he answered softly.
"There were two humans," she said uneasily. "On campus when I… attacked." She wasn't about to say when she rampaged. Or went insane. Or lost control. All such words and descriptions were unbecoming for someone of her station.
"I know," he said soothingly. As his hands rubbed gently around her stomach. "They're okay. I took care of them."
Had he not said the first part, Weiss might have thought that by taking care of them, Jaune finished them off. Dead men told no tales. However, dead bodies also raised too many questions. It was good that Jaune helped them to live. However…
"They were weak," she spat. "Such pathetic specimens are not fit for an academy that hopes to train huntsmen. Their lives mean nothing, and had you allowed them to be taken out of the gene pool nothing of value would have been lost."
Jaune said nothing in response to that. She heard him exhale behind her.
His silence only prompted her to continue. "Truly pitiful if you ask me. Neither were armed nor prepared to face me. The boy was impaled and rendered incapable before the fight even began. And the girl? Reduced to a crying and blubbering mess in the face of true danger. Weak. Pathetic." The words rolled off her tongue with unbound disdain. "Human."
The worst word of them all. The worst crime they had committed was being themselves. Being human. Like her sister. A sister who was somewhere out there even as they spoke, plotting who knew what against her far superior younger sister.
At least… that's what her mind screamed at her. Her heart told a different story. Her mind and heart were at war with one another.
"So am I."
The words struck Weiss like lightning. Her arms fell limp to her sides. "What?"
Jaune's hands came down from her stomach, leaving an aching cold in their wake. Like the chill that was running through her body now. "So am I," he repeated.
Weiss turned, head tilting up to gaze upon the naked young man behind her. Blond hair was soaked and water ran down his face and body, making him appear vulnerable and exposed. His eyes, however, were strong and certain.
"You're what, human?" she questioned. Her vision gave him a look up and down. Of course it made sense, he was in his human disguise. He always wore his human disguise. He had since the day they'd met. "There's no reason to maintain our façade in the privacy of our own-"
"I'm a human, Weiss," he interrupted her. His words were hard and deliberate. His hands came up to rest on her shoulders, holding them firmly in his grasp.
Weiss shook her head softly, eyes squinting as they peered into his own. "What are you talking about? You're not some weak, pathetic-"
"Not anymore," he stopped her again. "But I was." He shook his own head, biting down gently on his lower lip. She felt a strange mixture of emotions from the boy. "My life matters, doesn't it?"
It was a strange question to ask, but Weiss had the answer on her lips without hesitation. "Of course it does. You're my mate."
"Then a human life matters to you, Weiss."
Her face twisted, nose scrunching up as she struggled to comprehend his words. "What are you talking about?" she asked again. "Jaune, you're not making any sense. You can't be human. You not only went to Salem's academy, but you survived. You thrived. A human couldn't do that."
"If my life matters, then theirs do too," he continued, ignoring her protests. He was still caught up on those dumb, stupid humans she'd nearly killed. "But if their lives don't matter to you, then mine doesn't either. Which is it, Weiss?"
She was beginning to get irritated by this game, but Weiss still had an answer for him without hesitation. "Of course your life matters. My mate's life matters, just as mine does to you."
"Your mate," he agreed. "Your human mate."
Weiss felt him use his grasp on her shoulders to push her against the tile wall of the shower. It was cold on her back. She wanted to feel his warmth again, yet there was none anymore. Only the cold, hard stare of his eyes boring into her own as he pinned her to the wall.
"You need to know now," he whispered. "You have a human sister who loves you." This Weiss knew, and despite the fact that she knew it, it confused her. How was she supposed to feel about it? "And you have a human mate who loves you. Humans aren't evil, Weiss. Humans aren't made for you to dominate and kill. They can love you too. We all can. If I can, if Winter can, why not others?"
Weiss tried to move away from him, but Jaune's grip on her shoulders was absolute. For the first time in a long time, she did not want to be manhandled by her mate. By her mate who insisted on proclaiming that he was human.
"Jaune," she snarled. "Let go-"
"I'm a human, Weiss. And I love you."
Without waiting he leaned in and took her lips with his own, and Weiss felt her resistance melt away. Actions spoke louder than words, and despite how he had repeated that he was human, none of it mattered when she felt the loving and familiar feeling of his kiss. Doubt and anger fled from her body as she gave in and returned his kiss with equal passion and vigor.
After long seconds Jaune pulled back, the hard expression on his face replaced with one of love and care. "I'm human, Weiss."
Meeting her sister tonight had shaken Weiss' world to its very foundations. If what Jaune was saying was true…
Her world, her entire outlook on both her own life and life in general, would be shattered.
She still didn't want to believe his words even as she shook her head in disbelief. "You're…" she began, unable to give the word of what he was utterance.
"Human," he finished for her. "After tonight you need to know. You deserve to know. All this time I've been lying to you. All this time you fell for a weak, lowly human." He choked back some sort of vocal emotion when he spoke next. "And a human fell for you."
He always wore his human disguise. He had since the day they'd met. He always wore his human disguise. He had since the day they'd met. He always wore his human disguise. He had since the day they'd met.
The cold truth was dawning on the hybrid girl. The boy she'd gone to school with. The boy whose bed she shared. The boy who she'd mated with. The boy who was the Alpha of her pack, and who had shown her nothing but unconditional love, was human.
How was any of this even possible?
"You're human…" she whispered.
Jaune nodded. "Human. Just like Winter. If we're both human, Weiss, then can we really be bad? Can we really be what you want to kill and destroy?"
Kill. Maim. Burn. Everything she'd ever been taught, every instinct she possessed screamed at her to destroy humans. Destroy their creations. Even now, as Jaune stood before her naked and vulnerable, a small part of her brain was telling her to tear him apart. However, an even larger part of herself was refusing to do so. To tear and rend her mate apart like he was cattle was unfathomable to the hybrid.
Even though he claimed that he was human.
He was human. And she was a hybrid. Yet she had fallen in love with him. He had fallen in love with her. Which meant…
An incredulous laugh slipped from Weiss' lips. Even as water hit her back, it heaved with uncontrollable laughter. Her eyes closed and her mouth was wide open as Weiss imagined that she must have looked and sounded as unhinged as Blake right now. But she didn't care.
After many long moments she was able to catch her breath, and her head dropped down, softly shaking at the funniest thing she'd ever heard in her life. "I'm a hybrid, and you're a human…" she mused out loud.
She wasn't struggling anymore, and Jaune removed his hands from her shoulders. Still, she could sense his apprehension. That, and all of the negative emotions which accompanied his confession. "Yeah. What are you thinking, Weiss?"
She glanced up at him, staring into his wonderful blue eyes. His human blue eyes. Of course he was human. It all made so much sense in retrospect. Why didn't he ever show his Grimm form? Why did he have a human weapon? Why did he know about human cooking? Kissing? All those human customs period? How could she, the smartest and most perfect of all the hybrids, have been so naïve?
Weiss leaned her head against his chest, giggling with glee as she did. His heartbeat echoed against her once more. "Of course you are."
"Are you okay with that?"
Weiss grinned widely as she stared down at his lower body while her forehead remained pressed against his chest. "I seduced a human."
"What?"
Her head came back up, and she gazed into his eyes once more with unrestrained joy. "I seduced a human," she repeated. "I was your first mate. Before Ruby. You were mine first. As a hybrid, I was able to seduce a human being."
The strange, sour expression on Jaune's face indicated he didn't understand. "So… you're okay with it?"
"Okay?" she asked incredulously. "My whole purpose in existing is to infiltrate human society. Professor Fall taught us that sometimes we will need to be able to seduce humans with our feminine wiles in order to get close to them. I've done it! I've seduced a human to become my mate!"
Jaune's mouth opened and closed a few times like a fish. "Is that really what you're getting out of all this?"
"This proves what I've said is true all along," she continued. "Truly I am the greatest, most talented, and most beautiful of all of my kin." Her hands came up to his chest, rubbing his strong, toned muscles affectionately. "I've seduced you and made you mine. I've passed the most difficult test any hybrid must complete. I've been able to make a human fall for me."
Without warning she took him in her arms, hugging him tightly and pressing her face into his chest once more. She laughed. It was hysterical. Her very existence was validated. She had purpose. Meaning. She could accomplish what Salem had made her for.
She could bring death and ruin to humanity. To the faunus. To her new friend Velvet. To her mate Jaune. To her sister Winter.
Moisture welled in her eyes as they pressed against Jaune's bare flesh. Wetness not from the water of the shower.
"I can destroy you all," she whispered. Laughter turned to shuddering breaths a moment later. "I can destroy you all," she repeated, squeezing her eyes closed even as liquid dripped from them. "Jaune… I don't want to destroy you…"
His arms were around her in a heartbeat, and like he had done for her in the library, he held her impossibly close to him. One hand rubbed her back while another stroked her hair. This human, this mortal enemy of hers that she was supposed to destroy, loved her.
And she loved him.
"I have a sister…" she sobbed into his chest. "I have a human sister… I have a human mate… I… I… I don't wanna… destroy you…"
Jaune's lips pressed down on the top of her head. "Then don't," he whispered gently. "You don't have to. None of you do. You can be human too. I promise, you can be human too…"
Be human too. Be weak. Soft. Ignorant. Scared. That was what it meant to be human.
Images of her sister flashed in her mind's eye. Proud. Strong. Beautiful.
Jaune, a human, held her tight. Brave. Loving. Warm. Safe.
Soft. Strong. Scared. Brave. The words she was taught about humans clashed with those she had experienced for herself. Jaune and Winter were both human. Both were the opposite of everything she believed humans to be. What were they? What was she? Who was she?
Was she Weiss? Or was she Weiss Schnee?
"I love you," he spoke into her hair. "And Winter does too. You can be more than what you were made for. You can fight it. You're a fighter, Weiss. You always have been. Winter and me will help you. I know she will. You're her sister."
Human. This human loved her. Winter loved her too. She wasn't alone anymore. She didn't have to be alone. She had those around her who cared. Ruby cared too. Hybrids and humans alike cared. She had a pack. She had a family.
"I love you too," she whispered back to him.
She would very much like to be able to keep those things. To not destroy the ones she held dear. To not have to be alone ever again.
Author's Note: Hey, have you ever wanted to read smut of Jaune and hybrid Blake? Well now you can, because I was commissioned to write a story about it called Tamed Horrors! So if you're interested, head over to my profile and check it out!
So this was the longest chapter of the story yet. Sorry for not getting it out last week and leaving you all hanging, but my body decided to get sick again for the third time in the span of a month. That's unprecedented for me. But now I feel all better and will hopefully be able to keep writing with no further issues.
For those who were concerned that Weiss was becoming little more than comedy relief with her porn obsession, I hope this makes up for that. This was always the plan for her, but her comedic side is also just really fun to write. However at her core, just like in canon, she's a lonely girl on the inside who needs love and affection. Her arrogance is nothing more than a facade to mask her pain and loneliness. Now that she has people, humans, willing to give her love, how will that affect her loyalty to Salem? I think we're starting to see how.
Plenty more fallout to come next chapter. What's Winter thinking? How will this wild Grimm attack be explained? That and much more will be covered! I hope to see you all back here for the next chapter!
My thanks go out to Burkion for his aid in writing this chapter. And of course, my thanks go out to all of you for your continued support. I hope you enjoyed this update.