"3 months?" Coach Mulberry asked with a sour expression.

Sky nodded. "At least." He said weakly. "Doctors said it was a bad break." Even now his chest stung like hell whenever he twisted, or took too deep of a breath. His hand was wrapped in a thick bandage and immobilized in a sling- it had taken the doctors two hours to remove all the shrapnel from his phone, and he had to keep it clean and undisturbed if he wanted to be able to use it again. Moving was hard enough… finishing out the season was a pipe dream.

The coach sighed. "Cardin, you better not pull any more shit, because if we lose anyone else from our offensive line our chances of winning nationals go right down the fucking toilet."

"The mutt started it." Cardin said, ignoring the glares of his faunus teammates. They had learned not to challenge him openly a long time ago.

"I mean it." The coach said sternly. "Shut your trap, and play ball."

Cardin shrugged. He was too strong for anyone on the team to beat, and too valuable a player to get rid of. He knew it, too.

Coach Mulberry sighed. "Alright, Sky, you're dismissed. I want you good and healthy for next year. The rest of you, suit up and head out."

The room cleared out. Sky slowly made his way down the hall.

The team captain caught up with him quickly.

"Who did it?" He asked.

Sky's skin paled. "I- I dunno."

Cardin scoffed. "Come on, man, don't give me that shit. You wouldn't even give the cops a description. Some punk attacks you head on and you don't even get a look at him?"

"I didn't see anything, okay!" Sky said, wincing after he foolishly raised his voice.

"So that asswhooping just fell out of the sky?" Cardin said coldly.

Some of the others had made their way over- Dove, Russel, about a dozen other dudes. They were all curious to hear what the pair had to say.

"Why do you care?" Sky muttered defensively.

Cardin closed the distance, thumping him on the shoulder. "Because you're one of us." He said firmly. "If some asshole thinks they can bum rush you and get away with it, they've got another thing coming."

Sky shook his head, heart pounding. "You really don't wanna do that."

Cardin's eyes narrowed. "It's all of us and one of him. What are you so scared of…"

Sky clutched at his throat reflexively, remembering the cold dark eyes that watched the life fade from his without a shred of mercy. Somehow, that stupid goofball from pre-school had turned into a cold blooded predator.

'I can't tell them… He'll kill them...He'll kill me … oh god, oh, fuck. '

The others noticed the shift in Sky's posture, how his skin was as pale as the moon, how his eyes were wide with fear, how his body was as stiff as a board. Only Cardin was bold enough to question him.

He tried to fill his voice with something like concern… he wasn't very good at it, but he was trying. "Dude… if whoever did this is that dangerous, we need to know who it is."

"I-I can't tell you."Sky stuttered.

"Was it an intruder?" He asked. Sky said nothing. "A student?"

The redhead didn't miss the cold sweat that broke out on his friend's forehead.

Cardin saw red. "Who?" He growled.

Sky shook his head. "I don't know what to tell you-"

"How 'bout his name ?"

"I can't-"

"This isn't just about you!"

Cardin's anger was legendary among his peers; even as a toddler his tantrums struck terror in most of his classmates.

"Take it easy man…" Dove said diplomatically. "If Sky thinks he's in danger-"

"We are all in danger until we sort this out!" Cardin bellowed. "Think, dude! If someone can send Sky to the hospital and leave him shitting his pants, someone with access to Beacon, any one of us could be next! We have a right to know, to strike first, to defend ourselves!"

Sky regained his voice. "Don't do it." He muttered. "Steer clear of him. So long as you don't cross him you'll be fine."

Cardin drew up to his full height and moved in until he was less than a foot away from Sky.

"Who?" He asked.

"... I can't tell you that."

Cardin Winchester was an All Valean Tackle, a gargantuan 6'6, and built like a brick shithouse. He was even taller than Jaune, barrel chested and bulky, though not quite as lean. When he made first string in Freshman year, the Varsity Team decided to bring out some friendly hazing… and he hazed them right. Two broken noses and several lost teeth later, no one said a peep when he made Captain the next year, the youngest in Beacon's history. A consummate Chad, he was unquestionably the biggest dick in the locker room, both metaphorically and literally, and he had no problem swinging it around.

"Who are you more afraid of?" Cardin asked. " Him… or me?"

Sky didn't even flinch.

"It's not even close, dude." He said, before walking away.

Azora Arc walked down the hall alone. She could have an entourage with her if she wanted, but she was in no mood to entertain and her clique knew to give her space when she needed it.

Still, she wasn't blind to the eyes that followed her as she went. With long, straight blond hair and cold blue eyes that were striking even behind her glasses, and the soft blue and white she favored in her clothes, she was a burst of bright color wherever she went. She was somewhat petite, at 5'2, shorter than her mother and 3 of her sisters, but out of all the Arc girls Azora was the curviest. Her D-Cup breasts were matched only by Saphron and her mother (at 32D Saphron was technically bigger) but they stood out even more on her smaller frame, and she had hips to match. All of the Arc girls were very good looking (even Lavender, who was barely a slip of a girl, was at least a pretty slip of a girl), but Azora checked off all the boxes for the cute, busty nerd, since she actually sat down and read while the others were busy being idiots. Her reserve made guys think she was shy, and just waiting to open up if they would only make the first move.

She wasn't.

Azora felt an unfamiliar pair of eyes digging into her from behind and turned around to see one of her brother's friends, Lie Ren, tailing her with a determined look on his face. Her mood lightened; this was a very pleasant surprise.

Unlike most of the guys who wasted her time, Ren was pretty cute. He was also sharp as a tack and didn't talk too much. Azora had never really considered him an option because of the basketcase always by his side; all the good men were either taken or gay. For all she knew, Ren could have been either… he did have a strand of pink hair, after all. Azora was happy to be proven wrong, however, and if he was sniffing around she wouldn't miss her chance.

She shot him a suggestive smile and made a show of twiddling with her skirt. Wrapping him around her finger would be fun, and it would piss Nora off spectacularly.

'I can't wait to see the look on that ginger limpet's face.'

She didn't have to wait long. As she was formulating her plan, the redheaded maniac popped up right in front of her.

"Just the girl I was looking for!" Nora said, grabbing Azora by the arm and pulling her in a completely different direction. "We've got lots to talk about."

Ren followed close behind, and Azora scowled as she realized that whatever Nora was trying to pull was the reason, not her own feminine charms. 'God damn it.'

"Could you let go?" She said sharply. "Some of us have things to do."

Nora smiled unnervingly. "Oh, this won't take long." She said cheerily. "We've just got a couple questions for you to answer. Won't take more than a minute."

Azora's scowl deepened. These weren't her friends, and while there was plenty she'd like to discuss with Lie Ren, if the pair of them wanted to talk with her it could only be about one thing. She was in no mood for that.

"No-" She said, pulling back before wincing as Nora's grip tightened. She may be loud and obnoxious, but that bitch was strong.

"Oh, I insist." Nora chirped, squeezing her fingers tightly as Ren opened the door to an empty classroom.

Or, what should have been an empty classroom, anyway. Three people had already made their way in: Ruby Rose, Yang Xiao Long and Lavender Arc. The three were talking in hushed tones… well, Ruby was talking, cheeks flushed with worry and eyes brimming with emotion. Yang stood guard silently, deceptively calm, and Lavender sat back, listening… wilting with every word.

The conversation stopped as the group noticed the newcomers. Azora looked at her sister, who was pale as a sheet, before drifting her gaze over Rose and locking eyes with Xiao Long. The two busty blondes looked each other over coldly.

"Yang."

"Zora."

The tension in the room was palpable.

Azora was the first to speak. "Mind telling me why you dragged me here?" she asked.

Ruby sighed. "It's about Jaune."

Azora exhaled. "Of course it is." she muttered derisively. "That doesn't explain why you brought us into it; you know full well we have nothing to do with-"

Azora stopped short. She could have sworn she had just seen Yang's eyes glow red. She blinked. The moment passed- the buxom brawler's eyes were their normal lilac, although no less menacing for it.

"Zora." Lavender murmured. "They- they said he's sick."

Azora's blood chilled.

Her voice was just as icy as before, though. "With what?" She asked, ignoring everyone else in the room and staring down the runt of the family.

Lavender quivered. "W-w-we-"

"We don't know." Ruby said firmly, stepping into Azora's view. "But it might be serious."

The older girl cocked an eyebrow. "Might be?"

Ren cleared his throat. "As far as we know, Jaune's last physical found no definite issues… but his hormonal profile is highly irregular. Androgen levels are nearly double the normal range, amongst other things."

Azora shrugged. "Drugs, maybe?"

"Nope." Nora chimed in. "He passed all the tests. It was unscheduled too, so he couldn't have swapped piss with anyone beforehand. You'd be surprised how often people try to pull that." She said grinning wryly. "Even though 9 times out of 10 it's super obvious. Even if you know what you're doing the side effects can be pretty nasty, and if you're some idiot teenager trying to get a leg up for your next meet-" the redhead let out a long, low whistle. "-ooh boy. Anyway, Jauney doesn't look anything like that… even though he's gotten pretty jacked."

Azora rolled her eyes. " If there aren't any complications, then what's the problem?"

Ren remained poker faced. "While his physical health is sterling, his mental state is... less certain."

"Jaune has been hurting for a long time." Ruby cut in. "But it's getting worse. His grades are slipping, he's pulling away from everyone more and more. The last thing he told me was that he had to miss school because he isn't well, and he hasn't spoken to any of us for over a week."

Azora sighed. "What does that have to do with the physical?"

Yang scoffed. "Oh, I dunno. Our parents get a call warning them that Vomit Boy's hormones might be messing with his head the same time he drops off the radar? How could those two things possibly be connected?"

Azora shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine." She said, "If I had to just go off what you told me, I'd say he'd probably just be really aggressive and really horny. Beyond that, you've lost me."

Nora crossed her arms. "Afraid not. If Jaune did turn into some insatiable horndog, I think we'd notice."

"Then you've got nothing to worry about." Azora said sharply. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to drive my sister home-"

"-Wait."

The voice came out in a soft whimper. Lavender stood up, shaking, hands clenched. She took a steadying breath.

"What can we do to help?" She asked.

"We need your medical records." Ruby said.

Lavender paused for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

"Why?" Azora asked.

Ruby looked at Lavender gratefully, before answering Azora's questions. "Jaune might not have any symptoms now, but they're still worried because his numbers are too high. If other people have the same condition, and are fine, then we know whatever's wrong has nothing to do with the physical. If it is related, maybe we can find a way to help. And if it's a genetic quirk, the first place to look would be family-

Azora started laughing.

Four pairs of eyes glared at her, and another pair of blues that matched her own widened in hurt.

Azora wiped a tear from her eye. "I'm sorry." She said, sounding anything but. "Did you think about this at all?"

Ruby glared at her. "Of course I did! Ozpin said he needed the Arc family records-"

"Do we look like we're overflowing with male sex hormones?" Azora asked pointedly.

Ruby gulped and looked the pair over. Their builds were delicate… feminine.

"Females still produce small levels of androgens." Ren said calmly. "If yours are elevated without manifesting bodily side effects, it could be a family trait to just process those chemicals without allowing them to fully manifest."

Azora sighed. "Could be." She said. "But you're looking for a control, aren't you? A natural experiment to see what happens when someone else has the same condition as Jaune, or as close as you can possibly get, to see if that condition is causing his problems or causes any other problems. And if sex hormones are the big question, relatives of the wrong sex aren't going to be very helpful. What you need is a male relative- as closely related as possible. Preferably older, too- more time for symptoms to show up, more time to observe long term development." She shook her head. "There's only one match for that."

The blonde watched as her brother's friends narrowed their eyes in anger as she spoke… only to widen in understanding.

"Good luck with that." She said.

Ruby trembled slightly, but she didn't give up yet. "Maybe if you asked him-"

"Are you kidding?" Azora said sharply. "We're not supposed to have anything to do with Jaune. Dad would be pissed if he knew we were even having this conversation; what do you think would happen if we asked for some of his most private papers for some stranger on the street?"

Yang glared. "Jaune's not-"

"He might as well be." Azora said.

Ruby looked desperately at her. "Could you just… take them?"

Azora said. "Sure, I'll pull them out of my ass for you." She scoffed. " The fact is, I can't even give you my records without Mom and Dad knowing about it." Her voice softened. "...There's nothing I can do."

"Then tell us why." Yang said.

Azora blinked.

"Neither of you has tried to go behind Daddy's back to see your brother in over two years." Yang growled. " Is there a reason, or are you just that cold?"

Azora shrugged. "I suppose so." she said calmly.

Lavender bit her lip, on the verge of tears.

Azora saw the warning signs. By the time you got to 8 children the kids watched each other as much as the parents did- there were just too many bodies for it to work any other way. With a 9 year age spread between oldest and youngest and so many competing pulls on each other and their parents' attention, the relationships between the Arc siblings were complicated, and none were more complicated than the ones with Jaune. Everyone had to find their own niche, had to work to stand out from the crowd, and Jaune was just gifted one. He was the prince of the family, the precious baby boy. He didn't have to work to be special, and that had a way of bruising egos.

Lavender adored him.

Born sickly and unable to compete with any of her bigger, stronger sisters, the runt of the litter had gravitated to her only brother as soon as she could wak. Most of her siblings were too old to play with her, and even when they did they treated her like a porcelain doll. Azora, the closest in age, preferred her own company, and had tried to pawn Lavender off at the lost and found on a camping trip when the pair were 4 and 3. Unfortunately, the ranger had been able to pick out the incoherent toddler's family and the sisters were stuck with one another once again. But Jaune didn't seem to mind keeping the squirt company, and she worshipped the ground he walked on. Azora remembered how Lavender would wait eagerly by the door for Jaune to get back from school, how she never complained about being squished in next to him on every road trip… how she sobbed herself to sleep for a week after he got kicked out. Azora had spent their entire childhood incessantly ribbing Lavender for being an incessant crybaby, but for one week she didn't say a word.

She wouldn't be that lenient today.

"Midget, don't you dare-"

"They said he was dangerous!"

Azora's glare could have cut steel.

Lavender continued on anyway, words flowing like tears. "Th-they said that we had to stay away from Jaune for our own g-good, and someday maybe they could tell us why, but that it was a family secret and we could never tell anyone, it was how things had always been, how things h-h-had to be."

Ruby put a hand on the girl's shoulder, looking her in the eye, tone demanding and reassuring all at once. "Why?"

"... I don't know ." Lavender hiccoughed. "The-they said that if they told us we w-wouldn't b-believe them until it was too late."

"Lavender, please, if there's anything you can tell us, anything at all-"

"I don't know…"

"Anything."

" I don't know …"

"Just a hint…"

" I SAID I DON'T KNOW! "

The dam broke. Streams of salty tears ran down her face as the girl buried her face in her hands, her body contorting in a series of wrenching, ugly sobs.

" I don't know why. I don't know why… why?" Why ?"

Yang was the first to move. Whatever her issues with the Arcs, she was a big sister through and through. She wrapped her arms around the crying girl and cradled her in her arms, gently rocking her. " I know." She whispered gently, drawing circles on Lavender's back. "I know."

Ruby, Nora and Ren turned all their ire on Azora, who stood still, poker faced.

"Tell us everything." Ruby ordered.

Azora shrugged. "I don't know." She said airily.

"Azora, we need to know." Ren insisted.

She sighed. "Look, Lavender already told you, we're not supposed to have any contact with Jaune. If we do have to interact with him, he gets no special treatment, he's just another classmate, just a random passerby, and never, under any circumstances, are we supposed to be alone with him. You already knew that."

Ruby didn't back off. " She said it was a 'family tradition', a 'family secret', what does that mean?"

"She also said 'We could never tell anyone' and that they never told us 'why'. Or did you miss that part?" Azora said. "What do you think secret means? I don't know much and I'd be crucified if I told you what I did. We're already in hot water if Mom and Dad find out about this."

Nora's eyes twinkled. "What if they do?"

Azora's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't dare."

The shortstack smirked. "You might get in trouble if they find out you told us everything." she said. "But you'll definitely get in trouble if we let them know you were here."

"Like they'd believe you over me." Azora said, although even she knew she was bluffing. At the very least her parents would question her and Lavender, and even if Azora had the best poker face in the world, Lavender would talk.

Nora's smile was all teeth now. "What's it gonna be?" She asked.

Azora sighed. "... Dad left home when he was 15 too. If I had to guess, so did his dad, and his dad before him, probably going back all the way since there's been an Arc Family. We've never met our grandparents, and Dad takes a lot of pride in being a self made man. I guess every Arc has to make it on his own."

"Why'd you get to stay then?" Yang asked hotly.

Azora smiled sweetly. "Because the rest of us aren't true Arcs; not father's real heir. We don't need to be hardened for the bloodline, we're just delicate flowers who get to keep the name until we marry off into our own families."

"That's rather misogynistic." Ren noted.

The Arc girl shrugged. "If misogyny lets me live in a mansion and inherit millions I'll learn to live with it." she quipped. "Better that than ending up like Jaune."

Yang's scowl deepened. "You know, 'Zora…" she snarled. " I never liked you, because you were a bitch in grade school, and you are a bitch today!"

She rolled her eyes. "Not everyone can be a strong, independent woman like you." She snarked. "Which reminds me… I don't think I've ever asked, but I'm curious; how do my brother's boots taste?"

Yang's body tensed, and she almost lunged forward before Ren stepped in front of her and Ruby held her back.

"Don't." Ruby muttered. "She's not worth it."

Yang went slack in her grip.

"No argument here." She said coldly, prying Ruby's hands off her.

Azora remained remarkably calm for someone who had nearly gotten the hell beaten out of her. "Is that all?"

Nora broke the silence. "Actually, Coco wanted me to tell you that we're putting together a calendar shoot with the hottest girls in school to raise money for the prom, and you and Lav are both being considered for some of the final slots."

Azora cocked an eyebrow. "Only considered ?" She asked pointedly, glancing at Yang. "Sounds like a biased selection process."

"Oh, fuck off." Yang shot back.

"Thank you." Ruby cut in, heading off another fight. "For what you told us today."

Azora ignored her, and looked at her younger sister, face still stained with tears. "I'll be waiting in the car." She said. "You have 5 minutes."

Ruby and the others looked each other over worriedly.

Ren was the first to speak. "We'll just have to ask Jaune what he's dealing with the next time we see him."

"...What if he doesn't tell us?" Ruby asked.

Nora shrugged, feigning cheeriness. "We'll just have to beat it out of him." She said, forcing a laugh. "A little tough love never hurt anyone, right?" She playfully elbowed Yang.

The blonde said nothing. Nora's smiled faded.

"...We have to head home now." Ren said tiredly. "My mom's waiting for us."

"...Right." Nora said, following her best friend out. Yang went to follow, but Ruby grabbed her arm before she left the room.

"Yang… thank you… for being here today."

The blonde put on her best reassuring smile. "What are big sister's for?" She said, patting Ruby on the head comfortingly. "Everything's going to work out just fine."

'No it won't.' Ruby thought, but she had enough respect for her sister's feelings that she kept her lips sealed shut.

Yang couldn't honestly tell Ruby that she wouldn't lose her best friend; not when he had already pushed one away. Ruby had seen it happen over weeks and months, as the gulf between the two blonds widened by the day. It had crushed Yang, but she hadn't been able to stop it. Ruby had resisted the initial push, but she wasn't better than Yang. She stood a little further back, she was able to see that Jaune was pushing everyone away, that he didn't like being touched anymore, that he needed more personal space to be comfortable, that he needed some needling to get out a rut. Yang was too touchy, too close, and too easily hurt to pivot; Ruby had clung to what she could.

That didn't make Ruby better than Yang. That didn't mean that Jaune couldn't get rid of her just as easily. She could live without touching him, could not take signs of withdrawal and abandonment as personally, but she couldn't hold on to a friendship with someone who never spoke to her, with someone who never took her calls, who she never even saw. She could lose Jaune just as easily, and there was nothing she could do about it. That terrified her.

A soft voice cleared its throat.

"C-can I ask you for a favor?" Lavender asked.

Yang and Ruby turned around to see the girl. The tear stains hadn't left her face, but there was a little more courage in her eyes.

"Could you pass on a message?" She whispered ."...For my brother."

Yang looked at her sternly. "You see him every day." She said. "Why don't you tell him yourself?"

Ruby was gentler. " It would mean the world to him if you did."

Lavender's face tightened. " I-I know." she said brokenly. "But I can't."

"Because he's dangerous." Yang said skeptically.

Lavender shivered. "B-because I'm not strong enough… not like him ."

Losing his family had been bad for Jaune, but he had continued on as best he could, even established himself. Lavender wouldn't survive the same treatment.

Yang sighed. Without condemning, or condoning… she understood.

"What do you want to say?" She asked.

"Tell him I miss him." Lavender whispered. "T-tell him I love him, and- … and-"

"We will." Ruby said firmly, grabbing the smaller girl's shoulder.

'Thank you.' She mouthed, before hurrying out to the parking lot before her sister left her behind.