(Different take on Jaune Arc, a possible life he could've lived if he did stuff differently. A multiverse of opportunities if you will.)
"Jaune, please be careful honey. Remember, be back before sun down and stay on the main roads so don't go wandering off. We have given you just enough money for the groceries and any other fees that may come up. Don't let me find out you wasted a single lien on Pumpkin Pete action figures again." Jaune groaned as his mother wouldn't let the incident go. It was a limited time action figure and it was on sale. He could feel his scroll vibrating as an incoming call was trying to reach him but he couldn't answer in front of his mother.
"Yes of course mom. You give me this talk every time I leave for Higanbana. I've done this various times, and the action figure was a one time thing. I haven't done it since, please have some faith in your own son." She only stared at him through narrow eyes before relenting.
"Alright, make sure you close up shop before you head out. I will be going out with your father and your sisters are going to be busy for the day. There will be nobody to run the store so make sure everything is locked and secure." His mother finally left the store in a hurry giving him a chance to finally check his scroll. 20 missed calls and 15 new messages.
"Just a quick trip planned today and I'll be back in no time." Jaune reassured himself as he grabbed his satchel and bolted out of the village moments later.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
'Dad and Mom are going to kill me for sure. I was due back home over 5 hours ago.' 13 year old Jaune ran even though his lungs felt like they would give out at any moment. It certainly didn't help that he had been intensely training before he had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Intensely training what you ask? His huntsman skills. On his own? That was a laughable idea. No, a legitimate huntress or huntress-in-training. There was a combat school in the next town over which he frequented in order to buy supplies not available in his small Mistrali village.
A sob story about a Grimm attack that scarred him had been enough to convince Yamaguchi Sakura to train him. She was a 15 year old soon-to-be graduate so basically a huntress if you asked him. 'She likes it when I call her a huntress anyway' Lying to her didn't matter much back then as he was desperate to receive any Huntsmen training. Now, she was his only friend, with his village not having many people in his age group that he could befriend.
Several months ago - Flashback
"Now Jaune, close your eyes and repeat after me. Through this, yada yada, something about doing the right thing and honorable stuff. I now unlock your soul to do as you please." With this Sakura stands back as the blinding light emerges from Jaune's soul.
"I could have sworn the speech went a little differently. Like a bit more meaningful but I'm not complaining. Sweet, what can I do now that I have it unlocked?" Jaune looked up and down his glowing aura.
"You have a pretty strong aura, well at least compared to the time I saw other get theirs unlocked at school or my own. You know that brings up something I've been wanting to ask you, why aren't your parents training you? You're not an orphan, you've told me as much. I'm guessing they can't afford the tuition for combat school?" Sakura's curious expression clashed with her interrogating tone.
"Well, I uh, kinda don't have permission to become a huntress. Ever since the Beowolf attack, my parents have grown overprotective of me and refused me any opportunity to become one. Even going so far as to deny me the chance to unlock my aura although my sisters have theirs. They've settled on me becoming a clerk in their shop and that's all I'll ever amount to." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. Jaune mixed the lie of the Grimm attack with some truth regarding his parents.
The best lies were the ones that contained a portion of truth within them after all. Growing up with seven sisters and fiercely overprotective parents either broke you or forced you to adapt. Either way, it worked if Sakura's pitying expression was anything to go by. He felt terrible before resolving to make it up to her with the surprise gift he was hiding.
"Ah I get you. Seems being told that you can't be something just because they've said so, is an experience we both share. A few years from now, you'll have to make a choice. Resign yourself to the fate your parents have chosen for you or break free and follow the path your soul tells you is the right one." Jaune contemplates the words for a second before voicing his agreement.
"What do you mean in a few years?" Jaune felt as if this was some sort of goodbye.
"Think about it, combat school is not the final step before becoming a huntress. As much as I like it when you call me huntress, I still have to graduate from Haven Academy. You will too if you want to become a full-fledged huntsman. I can't train you forever, Jaune. I've enjoyed having a student but you also need credentials to become a huntsman. I can't give those out. If you are serious then you'll soon join me at Haven. Just a little more and I'll soon be just like her, Maria Calavera. The Grimm Reaper." Sakura hands him an envelope. Jaune grabs it and quickly unfolds the letter within.
"This is great, Sakura! Congratulations, Headmaster Lionheart would like to extend an invitation for you to join us at the prestigious Mistral Academy for young Huntsmen and Huntresses alike, Haven Academy. Your brilliant and talented self has long been noted by the noteworthy teachers at your school along with ours, please let us know your decision within the week." Jaune excitedly read the letter out loud much to her enjoyment.
"You see, find a way to join me at Haven Academy when you can. Only then will I acknowledge you as my equal, dear student of mine." Sakura teasingly tells him.
"Pfft whatever, even if I can't join a school. I'll still become a huntsman. Just you wait, I'll be the strongest, fastest, and smartest huntsman in the entire world." Jaune outstretches his hands dramatically up into the sky before getting elbowed in the ribs causing him to fall back down in pain.
"Careful student, pride goeth before the fall." Sakura giggles as she watches him painfully rub his aching ribs.
"Whatever, we have to celebrate before you go. I know! Let's throw a small party, just you and me. One last party before you go off to Haven." Sakura enthusiastically agreed before they set off in search of the perfect restaurant. The sun was going to come down soon so only clubs and a few restaurants remained open.
Sakura's status as a future Haven student allowed them to get alcoholic drinks in a small ramen restaurant which they got promptly thrown out of in the end. Turns out that huntsmen skills don't actually translate to good alcohol tolerance and that went for both of them.
He had woken up with a headache and found that he was cuddling with Sakura who was also now stirring awake. A few awkward moments later, and they both promised to never speak of this again.
"Think of this as a small payment for the lessons you gave me. I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for you. It's now your turn to close your eyes." Jaune secretly took out the locket necklace from a box and held it behind his back. She eyed him suspiciously before deciding to go along with the surprise. Jaune quickly snapped the locket necklace around her neck and stepped back to admire his present.
"My grandmother gave it to me as a birthday present back when she was alive. I only wore it a couple times before I forgot about it entirely." Sakura never once asked for payment but he felt obligated to give her something.
"I can't take this! This is a family heirloom, save it for your future wife or something." Sakura panicked and rushed to take it off.
"No, like I said, it has just been sitting in my closet collecting dust. You, on the other hand, place a picture inside that reminds you of home. That way even when you become a hotshot huntress you don't forget your roots." Jaune jokingly said.
"I have the perfect picture in mind."
End Flashback - Back to present
Today was the last class Sakura held for him before she left for Haven in the morning. It was an intense workout finished off with a spar that she would obviously end up winning. Nonetheless it proved to be very educational but very tiring. Tiring enough for Jaune to take a quick nap that lasted the entire afternoon. So now he was tearing down one of the isolated but quicker routes back to his village.
It was hard to see the road in front of him and his lantern didn't help much besides helping him stay on the path. A calculated risk that Jaune was beginning to regret since the main roads held street lamps and huntsmen guards to protect the main trading routes. But anything to make it back home and hopefully without his parents knowing he was gone for so long. 'It's a long shot but a boy can dream.'
Jaune immediately rolled to the side as his instincts screamed for him to move out of the way. Sure enough, an Alpha Beowolf of all things pounced right on the spot he was previously on. The ground cracked from the force of the attack while also destroying the bag of groceries he let go in order to dodge. Jaune quickly grabbed the transforming weapon out of his satchel and took aim.
Firing 5 shots in quick succession proved to only be an annoyance for the monster. Said Beowolf who was now greatly angered by the bullets sticking onto the side of its face. His tough dark, whatever he was made out of, prevented the bullets from fully penetrating. If the purrs of the Beowolf were anything to go by, it could sense his terrified state.
"Oh come on, this has to be karma for my lies. Isn't it? I didn't terrorize any little kids yesterday, shouldn't that count for something?"
The alpha Beowolf licked off the bullets and spit them out onto the ground before rushing forward. Jaune screamed in terror as he tried to dodge but was too slow and felt the monstrous paw almost break through his aura in one go. He transformed the long barreled pistol into a short sword and took up a defensive position.
He fought back against the desire to run as he tried to recall everything he learned. He wouldn't make it 10 steps before the Alpha Beowolf inevitably caught up and tore him to pieces. Only a gravestone was all that awaited him if he didn't find a way out or some help.
The fight lasted a couple more seconds as Jaune somewhat successfully parried the Beowolf's swipes and landed some of his own. He could already feel the effects of significant blood loss as his vision blurred at times along with his body slowing down. Unfortunately the strength of the Beowolf proved to be more than the sword could handle as it broke after a failed parry.
Jaune watched in slow motion as the monstrous claws of the Grimm broke his Sensei's gift and now were on their way to claw his heart out. He could only furiously hold back tears at the unfairness of his life and the short stick he was handed. He had gotten a taste of freedom after finding his teacher and the road to becoming a huntsman but it seems he was always fated to die a simple clerk. He found it cliche but the few cherished moments he held dearly outside of his sheltered home life flashed in front of his eyes. He could only hope Sakura would leave for Haven without ever finding out he died after their last class.
"I would have liked for someone to at least hear my last words. At least then I'd have a cool gravestone." Jaune spoke sadly to no one.
"Huh, What's taking you so long? What!" Jaune came out of his final moments to realize that the Beowolf was frozen in mid-swipe. Not frozen but inching ever closer at a snail's pace not like the dizzying speed it once attacked with. As he looked around he noticed the scattered rocks and dust also slowly falling back towards the ground in the wake of the Beowolf's charge.
"My semblance! It can't be anything else!"
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Jaune takes the opportunity to grab his broken sword and plunge it right into the monster's head. His hand blurred forward as it not only pierced it but also held the force to plunge his entire arm through its skull. The Beowolf tackled him onto the ground as its momentum returned along with the end of Jaune's enhanced perception and speed. He briefly expected the Beowolf to start tearing into him but it dissolved a few moments later into black mist.
Jaune panted as he tried to get back up on his feet and muster all the strength he had. All he achieved was stumbling forward into the ground as he realized that even though he won, he was still bleeding out.
"At least I got a cool semblance and not some weird useless one like bad luck or something." His vision was going dark but this time Jaune felt satisfied with his ending. He could proudly say he welcomed death like an old friend as he closed his eyes in exhaustion.
