CHAPTER 63 - Toxic Love

"It is textbook sexual grooming and emotional abuse," said Aunt Peach with all the emotional savvy of a robot. "He's a predator, plain and simple."

It twisted Jaune's gut even to think about, much less hear for the umpteenth time. He had to wonder, then, why he was still responding with the same question. "Are you sure?"

Peach sighed. "Yes, Jaune. Trust me, I would know. Now, I'm confident that Blake had serious issues far before she met Adam Taurus, but I'm confident these issues were made worse by him. It's not exactly a unique story. An adult preying on vulnerable teenagers, seducing them, taking control of them? It's more common than you'd think. And often perpetrators are people you know, people you see regularly, who you know personally. Friends, family, lovers. They're wolves among sheep, only feeding when the others aren't looking."

"But…" Jaune professed yet again, "It just doesn't sound like Adam. He's never seemed like that to me. Never. Are you sure it's not something else?"

"What else could it be?"

Jaune stared at the floor in conflicted thought. I don't know. Maybe Blake… maybe she…"

"What? Made it up?"

Jaune didn't not need to think very long to realize how that sounded. "No! I don't think she'd make this up…"

"Jaune, I get your concern. Really. But this is about as black and white as it gets. I talked to Blake, I watched her behavior. You cannot fake trauma. She is one of a million victims of grooming and emotional abuse who are diagnosed every day. I wish it could be something else, but it's not."

Jaune closed his eyes, lowered his head, covered his face with his hands. It couldn't possibly be true. Adam was not that kind of man. He would never do something like this. "I just don't see how…"

"And there's no way you could have. Clearly Adam knows how to manipulate people. He knows how to put on a face everyone wants to see. It's always those you least expect. In the real world, wickedness is never obvious. Don't blame yourself for not seeing it. He had us all fooled." Peach rubbed her temples with her fingers, perfectly reflecting Jaune's feelings . "Good lord… if I had only known, I would have never allowed him near you."

The urge to jump to Adam's defense was almost irresistible, but Jaune managed to control himself. Did Aunt Peach even know what she was saying? Adam had been a major help to him. He'd taught him how to be better, more mature, more in control of himself. Jaune felt lucky to have him in his life. Adam was everything Jaune wished to be.

So to hear that he preyed on and abused Blake? How could he believe such a thing? How could anyone? There had to be a more sensible explanation. There had to be.

Jaune jumped to his feet. "I-I need to talk to Adam!"

Peach held up her hand and fixed him with a stern frown. "You will not! Do not confront Adam about this."

"I'm not confronting him." Jaune complained. "I just need to know if any of this is true. There's two sides to every story, right? Maybe he can clear things up. Please, just let me talk to him."

"Jaune, you don't—"

"I promise I'll be careful. All of this is a huge misunderstanding. It has to be."

"Jaune!"

He didn't often hear Peach yell, and even less that she'd yell at him. So the suddenness of it shocked Jaune into silence, staring stupidly back at his aunt in anticipation of news he was very certain he didn't want to hear.

Peach interlocked her fingers and leaned toward him. "Think about what you're saying. You need to look at the objective facts. How likely is it that Blake is lying about this?"

Jaune didn't want to think Blake was lying, but he also didn't want to think Adam was guilty of the things Peach was accusing him of. So he said nothing.

"The fact is, even if Adam is somehow innocent of abuse, he is not innocent of sexual grooming. Yes, there are two sides to every story, but tell me in what scenario Adam would be completely justified sleeping with a teenage girl? Well?"

Jaune lowered his head and said nothing.

"I understand you like Adam. I can't deny he's been a big help to you. But you need to separate that from this situation. He may be a great man to you, but someone else entirely to others. Think about it, Jaune."

Jaune pressed his lips. It was horrible to think about. He wanted nothing more in the moment than to not be part of the conversation, but what he told and thought it through. No matter how he spun it, there was no situation where it was okay to groom a minor. Even more so now that he knew more details of their relationship. Blake had stayed at his house the past two days, which was an irony given her sudden confession. Emotionally rattled, in desperate need of help, she told him and Aunt Peach everything in disturbing detail. That Adam and she had met when she was fifteen, that they'd slept together shortly thereafter, that she'd kept her relationship with him secret from her parents by lying about his age. How she'd somehow managed to convince her parents to let her live with Adam, under the promise that they would not be having sex, and more and more. By the end of it, Jaune had too much of a headache to process it all.

What if one of his little sisters brought home an adult man and said he was their boyfriend? Jaune would become a murderer that day. He didn't even need to think about it. So why would the Adam and Blake situation be any different? Was there really some convoluted, convenient explanation that painted Adam's actions in a good light?

Or did Jaune simply want to deny reality?

"Adam wouldn't do this…" Jaune whispered, weakly.

"You don't know that, Jaune. You only know what he allowed you to see. I know it's hard. Listen to your conscience. You know the truth."

Jaune bit the inside his lip and forced himself to nod. Somehow, it felt like condemning a faultless man to the gallows. "What do we do?"

"Well, confronting an abuser is never a good idea. It could very well push them over the edge. There are many cases of a victim's friends confronting the abuser, and as a result the victim's abuse worsens."

"We could just keep Blake here. Doesn't seem like she's in any rush to leave anyway."

"She could change her mind, and if she does, we can't force her to stay. Literally we can't. She can dive into the Public Domain, which makes her essentially uncatchable. Advise her not to answer Adam's phone calls. That should lessen the chance of her up and disappearing on us. Blake hasn't mentioned any cases of Adam physically harming her, has she?"

Jaune vehemently shook his head, and boy was he glad she hadn't, for all their sakes. But especially his.

"Well, that might change if you confront him. Abusers go to insane lengths to keep their business private and being exposed to any degree is a substantial threat to them. It could very well cause him to do something rash. It's far too dangerous to confront the abuser. You understand?"

Jaune gave a reluctant nod.

"So the plan is simple. To help Blake come to her senses and leave Adam. You need to find her key. Purge the Despair from her heart and that should help her come to a more rational decision."

Jaune swallowed. "Will Adam just let her go?"

"She left him once, but Blake says she's the one who came back. I have to imagine Adam had already been losing interest in her, if Or perhaps he didn't pursue her because he was more concerned about being exposed. There's no knowing for certain. In any case, we can't factor his possible reaction. We'll deal with that if or when it comes. Start with Adam's house, you, Neptune, and Ruby should have plenty of time to find the key while Adam is at work."

Jaune blinked. "Just us? Aren't you coming with us?"

Peach shook her head in defeat. As if she'd already anticipated this question. "I guess there's no point withholding it anymore. I've gotten orders from the Superior for an incursion. That's when multiple Hunter teams are called upon to attack a dangerous enemy. Could be a particularly powerful Grimm, could be a rogue Hunter. In this case, it's the latter. Those people who kidnapped you in the PD. The rebels."

Jaune didn't know if he should be surprised or not. "You're gonna fight them?"

"The only way we won't is if they surrender, which isn't likely. I'd send Qrow with you, but he'll be more helpful where I'm going. Call it luck or talent, but you've beaten an Alter by yourself on your first outing. With a team, this one should be a certain success. That's what the Superior thinks."

A realization dropped on Jaune's head like a break. "He ordered you not to come with me."

She nodded grimly. "He did."

Well, fuck me. "Why?"

"I wish I knew, honey. My best guess is he doesn't want you to try getting involved. Perhaps he thinks you'd cause us trouble."

"Why does he think that? What could I possibly do in a big battle like that? I'm not that dangerous." Jaune paused. "Am I?"

Peach sighed. "You won't be involved so don't worry about it. Do you have the means to access Adam's home?"

Jaune nodded. "I'll use Blake's key."

"Then good luck. Be careful and protect one another. And if Blake's Alter proves to be too strong to overcome, I want you to escape. Do not take any unnecessary risks, understand?" Then Peach's expression softened. She came closer, touched his face, had a look as if she felt she'd failed him. "I'm sorry, Jaune. I know you were close to Adam. I wish it didn't have to turn out like this."

"It's okay. I'm fine." Jaune said. Only he was very much not.

He wanted to believe that there was some logical explanation to all of this. A reason behind all of this that proved Adam was not a predator or abuser, and also that Blake was not lying or delusional. But Jaune conceived dozens of scenarios over the next couple of hours and not a single one of them made sense. Adam could not be innocent without Blake being insane, or worse, a liar. And Blake could not be a victim if Adam was not the perpetrator. Only one scenario made any sense.

Adam, his wise, strong, reliable mentor was also a predator on a teenage girl, guilty of emotional manipulation and statutory rape. Jaune supposed that the only question remaining was why. Why would Adam do such a thing? Why would anyone?

The uncomfortable truth was that he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

There was an emptiness in Blake's expression. One which had been there for a few days now.

She sat on his couch, wrapped in a heavy blanket, staring blankly at the TV. Her eyes were red and puffy, evidence she'd been crying not long ago. Jaune pictured her had just been sitting there, dead-faced as the tears fell. She looked utterly and completely broken. Jaune wondered if that's how he'd looked, long ago when his life had gone all wrong. At least he had the small mercy of not remembering what happened. Blake did not have that luxury.

He took a seat beside her despite his reservations, looking across at her. He thought that might draw her attention, but it didn't. Jaune wondered if she even knew he was here. Perhaps she didn't even know where she was.

"Blake. I need your key." he said softly.

No reaction.

Jaune reached to touch her hand. Cold. "Blake?"

She jolted, turned to him. "Oh. Hey…"

"Hey. I need your key, Blake."

"I… I don't know where it is."

"Your house key, Blake."

"Oh, ,um, right." She pulled her key from her purse and gave it to him. "What are you gonna do?"

"My job. I think I have some ideas what your heart world might be." Except I actually have no idea.

"Should I come with you?"

"I think you've got some things to do here," He paused. "The things you told me, I'm sorry, Blake."

"Don't be. It's all my fault. if I hadn't left him the first time…"

"Don't say that." He took a firm grip of Blake's hand. "You thought things weren't working out with him, so you left. That's not a justification for him treating you like… like property. You didn't make him want to hurt you, okay? That was his choice." Jaune hated to say it about Adam, but he tried to think of Blake and what she needed to hear. "Don't you ever say you deserve something like this, understand?"

Blake said nothing to that, not even a nod, but Jaune didn't blame her. Platitudes were easily dismissed in the face of cruelty. Did he really expect some motivational speech to suddenly lift Blake's spirits? Saving her heart would not prevent future suffering. This would be a battle she fought for the rest of her life. And it seemed she knew it, for she'd gone back to watching the TV in an attempt to escape the pointlessness of Jaune's spiel.

He took the remote and switched the TV off. Then he took both of his friend's hands in his. "Blake, look at me."

She didn't.

"I'll do what I can to purge the Despair from your heart. That should help you a little. But it won't fix your life. Even if I defeat your Alter, if you and Adam stay together, it'll just regress. There's only so much I can do. You understand?"

No response.

He sighed. "Blake, I think it's time you left him. For good this time."

She lowered her head, but he didn't miss how her bottom lip quivered. "Then, who will be with me? Who will I have?"

"Blake, you don't need someone else to be happy. Why are you in such a rush to be in love?"

"I… don't know. I just want to be. I just want someone who loves me. That's just what I want."

"Your parents love you. Isn't that enough?"

No answer.

"Your friends love you."

"What friends?"

"This one." And Jaune wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his side. "Focus on what needs to be done now, okay? When I get back, call your parents, tell them what's been going on. Tell them you want to come home. That's where you need to be now."

The fearful look on her face said everything about how she felt about that prospect. "Can't I stay here with you?"

Jaune had considered it, but ultimately he knew it wasn't a good idea. For multiple reasons. "Not forever. But we'll give you some time, okay? But you have to do it. And I'd do it soon, before my aunt decides to."

"Okay…"

He heard a phone ring and knew immediately that it wasn't his. Blake's phone vibrated there on the table, the caller idea spelled out in bold letters. My Love. Jaune saw Blake staring at the phone and calmly said, "It's best that you don't answer, okay? Just to be safe."

Blake nodded. "Alright…"

With that, Jaune got up. "I should get to school. Help yourself to anything. And give what I said some thought. The job I do, it doesn't solve the problem. I can save your heart, but only you can save yourself. I'll see you later."

Blake didn't say goodbye or even watch him leave. The last Jaune saw of her was how she stared at her phone as it began to ring again.

Neptune grabbed the sides of his head and said, "What the fuck…"

About the reaction Jaune expected. Not specifically from Neptune, but from anyone who heard such a story. His had been no different, really.

It was raining this morning. The skies were gray, sunless, and the air was thick with the musk of a dour afternoon. They were the only ones out in the school courtyard for lunch, yet still hidden in one of the corner tables in the shadows of the building, sheltered from the rain by their table's sunbrella. They couldn't have looked more covert if they were invisible.

Ruby looked on the verge of tears, quite as if she was the one who'd been in Blake's position once upon a time. "I can't believe it. All this time that's what she's been going through?"

Jaune nodded grimly. "Yeah. Seems like it."

"Well, we gotta tell someone." Ruby looked at them both, waiting for them to agree with her. "Right? Call the police or something!"

"That won't help," said Neptune. "Police can't do anything without probable cause or evidence. There's no way to prove that he was emotionally abusive. He's never hit her, right?"

"Blake never mentioned it." said Jaune.

"Don't know whether we should be relieved about that or not."

"Then what do we do?" asked Ruby. "How do we help?"

"I already had a conversation with Blake. I… Well, I said the obvious thing. She has to leave him."

Ruby looked worried. "But will she?"

"I don't know."

Neptune had a hand running through his hair, started pacing. "God, it's all so obvious now. We should have known something like this was happening

We might have been able to do something sooner!"

There was nothing they could have done. Had everyone known and they did something foolish like confront Adam, it would have made things worse, as his Aunt said. Jaune did not doubt that both Yang and Sun would have been ready to storm Adam's house to take Blake back. Maybe even fight Adam, which would not end well. Jaune didn't often fear any opponent, but even he knew that fighting Adam would not end well for him. Jaune didn't think Adam was the type to react violently, but was that a risk he could take? As much as he wanted to, it was not wise.

"I'll find her key. Tonight." Jaune looked at them both. "I'll be okay. You two don't need—"

"We'll go with you." Ruby nodded emphatically. "I didn't do all that training just to get sidelined again."

Jaune looked up at Neptune, who said, "Blake was my friend. Till she did what she did to Sun. Can't say I like her much anymore but… this is the job. We help people. I'm going."

It was strange to see that hardness in both of them. Ready and willing to risk their lives for someone they had little reason to care about. Who was he to tell them no? "Alright. Let's do it."

Neptune went on ahead to return to their usual table, but Jaune kept Ruby back. "I… need to tell you something. A lot of things, actually."

Ruby looked confused, but sat down again.

Jaune let out a nervous breath. "Ruby, are you happy with me?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Like, am I happy that we're together? Yeah, of course." She paused. "Are you happy with me?"

He nodded immediately. "I am. Really happy!" Right? "But I know that I've been difficult… and I'm sorry. I don't mean to be. I have problems. I mean, you know that, but it's not an excuse. I meant to tell you all this sooner, so sorry to unload on you like this."

She nodded and took his hand. She said nothing, just urged him on with her eyes, focused on him. He couldn't have expressed how much he needed that.

So he told her everything. About his jealousy toward Roy and how uncomfortable he felt when they talked. He admitted how he'd judged the club too quickly, and how he'd been wrong. He told her how did not like how she insisted he do things he wasn't interested in and why that upset him. All the important things. Not the tiny dislikes like her pet names or obsession with anime. If he expected her to accept the type of person he was, then he had to do the same. At the end, he did feel lighter, having gotten it off his chest. Though that barely lasted with Ruby's look of guilt.

"Jaune, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like that. I thought I was helping."

"You are. Just… be a little more patient with me. Please. I'll give a little, so you give a little. Does that make sense?"

She nodded.

"I know you have some things to say too." Jaune implored.

Ruby looked hesitant, but in the end she said her piece. How he could be stubborn to the point of frustrating, how he was untrusting and distant. She understood why but her attempts to help him were always to help him overcome his struggles, not to change him. She even admitted how she was distrustful of Blake and never said anything. She was afraid that Blake was trying to take him from her.

"Erm. Well, unlike me, you weren't wrong." Jaune sighed, "Blake kind of… confessed to me."

He saw the flag of hurt, pinch of anger for a moment. "And what did you say?"

"No. Of course." he said, "I'm not… into her like that."

Ruby's face lit up and Jaune had to resist a sigh of relief. But why? I'm telling the truth. I have no reason to be worried. Right? "I don't think she's actually into me. I think she's just confused."

"So confused that she tried to steal someone else's boyfriend?"

Jaune scratched his head anxiously."That's messed up, yeah, but she's not in a good way right now. I mean, am I really all that different from her? Causing problems for people?"

"There's a difference. You have good intentions."

Jaune wasn't so sure about that anymore. He liked to help people, needed to help people, but he was beginning to wonder if that was pure altruism or something else entirely.

"But that's all over with now." said Jaune, "I just want to help her and put this whole situation behind us."

"And after that?"

"After?"

"After it's all over. What then? Are you gonna keep hanging out with Blake? Even knowing what she tried to do?"

Jaune had not given that any thought. "Well, I…"

"And what about everything else she did? She broke Yang's heart and left hanging for months. I don't know what happened with Sun, but I doubt it's any better. Yang even told me she doesn't want anything to do with Blake anymore. If only because she's afraid she might still love her. Maybe Blake didn't mean to hurt anyone, but do you really think everyone will want her around after this? I get that there's an explanation for why she did the things she did. But like you said, reasons aren't excuses. Right?"

You're absolutely right. There is not a single flaw in your logic. You are one hundred percent correct. So why am I hesitating? "Well, someone needs to look after her. Maybe I can keep helping her."

'It sounds like Blake needs to look after herself. That seems to be what she's the best at. Maybe she should find new friends. People she hasn't hurt."

"And leave her all alone? That's messed up, Ruby. I promised her, okay? I promised I wouldn't abandon her. She doesn't have anyone else."

"Yeah, because she screwed over all her friends. And tried to do it again. No one abandoned Blake. She abandoned us. Jaune… she's not a good influence. I wouldn't be comfortable with her around you."

"I'd never do anything with her, I swear."

"I know you won't. It's her I'm not certain about. Please, don't make me stay up worried that Blake's gonna keep trying to take you, even if she'll never succeed. The fact that she'd even try is a spit in my face."

Exactly right. She hasn't said a single wrong thing. And yet…

Jaune clutched Ruby's hands tightly, looking at her and trying to seem impartial. "I know. You're right, but… she's my friend. I can't abandon her when she needs me."

"Jaune, remember what I said when I told you to stop trying to save the world? That's what you're doing now. Blake has to take responsibility to some degree, doesn't she? After everything she did to everyone, not once did she apologize. She just ran away. Then expected everyone to welcome her whenever she decided to come back, and she left a mess for everyone else to clean up. She's toxic, Jaune. Whether she means to be or not."

What else could Jaune say? He knew she was right. Ruby was right about a lot of things. Could Blake really be forgiven if everyone knew the reason behind her actions? Being hurt is never a justification for hurting others, especially your friends. And Blake had burned bridges, ones that probably couldn't be mended anymore. The fact was, no one missed her. No one brought her up anymore. Not even Sun.

"I just think it's for the best, Jaune. For everyone." Ruby squeezed his hand. "Blake…. she'll drag you down."

Jaune found that he didn't much care if he was dragged down or up or whatever direction, all that mattered was that he was not on an outright bad path. Yes, Blake was problematic, arrogant, foolish, selfish, terrible, toxic, and all these awful things. But she was also funny and had a dark humor like he did. They talked about any and everything without limit, no shame or judgment, and she never pushed him to be more than he was. Never asked him to do anything more than be her company. No obligation, no responsibility, no pressure. When he was with her, they were just two people struggling in the present, and if one was to struggle, wouldn't having someone to share it with make it easier to bear?

Ruby couldn't expect him to let that go.

Jaune pursed his lips. "How would I even explain this to her?"

"Just be honest." shrugged Ruby, so matter-of-factly that it felt like a slap in the face. "It'll be okay, Jaune. There's plenty of better people out there."

Jaune didn't want better people. He wanted someone he could be a complete asshole with. Nobody liked Blake, just like how most people tended not to like him. And there was no stronger foundation for friendship than two outcasts hating the world that hated them. Yes, it was rather edgy and childish, but also kind of… romantic.

No. Ruby was right. Blake may have been Adam's victim, but plenty of their friends had been victims of her past actions, intentional or otherwise. Blake could make him a worse person, and was not the entire point of coming to Vale that he was supposed to become better? To become a mature, responsible young adult that his family could be proud of? After all his work, he couldn't just flush those improvements he'd made down the drain. For his sake, he could not be around Blake. He could not be friends with her.

He had to break his promise.

"Come on, muffin. We should get back," said Ruby.

Jaune let out a breath through his nose. "Yeah, gimme a moment, okay? Just need a few minutes to think."

Ruby seemed uncertain, but left anyway. Leaving Jayne to his thoughts alone in the rain. For many long minutes, all that could be heard was the static-like sound of the rainfall. Interrupted only when a phone call broke the awkward silence.

Adam.

His heart began to pound with chance and terror. A thousand questions ravaged his mind. Why was Adam calling him? Was it about Blake? Did he know Blake was in his home? Had Blake told him? All such questions he was not in the right headspace to answer. Plus, Peach would tell him not to answer. Jaune had specifically told Blake not to answer. It only made sense that he shouldn't either.

But he had to talk to Adam. He had to. This could be his only chance.

So he answered the phone and tried to keep the tremble out of his voice. "Hello?"

"Jaune," Adam's deep voice, stony and commanding . "Hey, how are you?"

It sounded like normal Adam. Jaune almost relaxed. Almost. "I'm okay. Just, you know, school and stuff."

"Of course. Listen, was Blake at school today?"

Jaune swallowed. It was hard to say which answer was best. "Erm, I'm not sure. I didn't see her."

"What's wrong? Your voice is shaking."

"I'm good just… some personal stuff going on. That's all."

Silence for an incredibly long, incredibly painful moment. Fimir some reason he suspected Adam of reading his mind, of knowing more than he was letting on. "Jaune, buddy. I need your help. Blake isn't answering my calls. Will you contact her for me? Find out where she is and let me know as soon as you do."

That sounded ominous and suspicious in almost every way. Not at all like Jaune expected of Adam. "Okay, yeah. But… maybe she's just at a friend's house. Stayed the night or something."

"Sorry to say, that's probably not the case. I know Blake. and if she's at someone's house, it's not a simple friend."

"Oh," Jaune said, "Well, I'm sure she's fine. Yeah, I'll call her and let you know."

"Thank you, Jaune. You're really helping me out here."

"Of course."

"And Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"You would tell me, right? You're not keeping anything from me about Blake, are you? You wouldn't let me down like that, would you?"

It felt like his words were knives, stabbing him in the heart. A challenge to his loyalty. A suspicion of betrayal. A threat of abandonment. "No, sir. I promise."

"Thank you, Jaune. I knew I could count on you. Honestly, I never should have introduced Blake to you. She's a bad influence. I'll have a long conversation with her, and make sure she never causes trouble for you. You can't trust anything she says, understand?"

Jaune closed his eyes and held in a sob. "Okay."

"Thank you, Jaune."

And the moment he hung up, Jaunes back hit a wall. He felt drained and his nerves were on overload. A couple of times he'd nearly broken down in admittance. But then how would Adam have reacted? Actually your girlfriend has been here in my room for the last two days. But don't worry, we definitely weren't having sex. Who in their right mind would believe that? Jaune would have only made the situation worse. This was why Peach said not to confront him. Not to even talk to him.

Jaune threw his face in his hands and tried to steady his breathing. For so long, people had told him to try to make friends.

So why was that the first two he truly connected with turned out to be the worst choices possible?

Perhaps it was too much to expect it to be easy.

Jaune snuck around Adam's house in the pitch of night, armed with a small flashlight and hopefully the luck of the gods. He wasn't the best at Scrying. Neptune had a better aptitude for it, but Jaune stupidly insisted on doing it himself, out of some misguided sense of responsibility. Still, average though he was, he could work out that there were two signals. Both very similar, but still different.

Meaning both Adam's and Blake's heart worlds were in the house.

That made Jaune considered the possibility of their heart worlds being partially converged, which would make only too much sense. It didn't change his objective any, but it did mean that saving Blake's heart could end up being more difficult than initially suspected.

He searched the kitchen and found nothing noteworthy. Nothing in the laundry room, either. He searched the one bedroom in use and even there, he found nothing. Searched the empty bedroom. Nothing. Not even what one might expect in an unused room like unpacked boxes. Looking at the house as a whole, there really wasn't much in it beyond basic necessities and a few common pleasantries. There was a Gamestation 5, which seemed like a decent option, but he only had two games, and the dust collecting on the console told him it hadn't been used in months. Though it was impressive how nice the house was, and not in a cheap part of town either. How hard had Adam worked to get a house at his age? How hard had Adam worked to get where he was now? And where did it all go wrong?

If Adam was truly nothing more than a master manipulator, then had Jaune been put in his web of control? Had all his kindness and help but nothing but half-hearted attempts to shut him up? Had he just been some annoying, whiny kid that he was forced to supervise? Or worse, had Adam planned to use his manipulations on him the way he'd used them on Blake? The thought of that made Jaune shiver.

What would happen after all of this? Peach wouldn't let him see Adam anymore. Logically, Jaune shouldn't want to either. He was a predator and an abuser. These were horrible, unforgivable actions. Jaune should have immediately come to hate him, be disgusted with him, and never want to see him again.

But even now, knowing all of that, Jaune could only think of how he loved Adam. He'd been there when he felt he had no one. He had been someone he could look up to and be inspired by. He loved his sisters, but Adam was the closest thing to a model older brother that he'd ever had. And maybe would ever have.

Had everything he'd learned from him truly been for nothing?

Jayne swallowed those concerns, hard as it was to, and continued the search.

He saw something above the fireplace. In the dark it was hard to get a proper look. He couldn't turn on any lights without possibly alerting a neighbor, so he peeled back the curtain, allowing what little moonlight in. Carefully, he pulled it off the wall, observed it in the dim light.

It was one of those eastern style swords. A katana. Only it was a longer variant. A nodachi, if he remembered right. The handle was black with red trim, golden ropes hanging from the hilt. The scabbard was a weary auburn, with obvious signs of age. Nicks and scratches, tears in the leather. Quite as if the sheath itself had been used in whatever duels Adam had been a part of.

He remembered how Adam talked about how he wished to teach people the sword. How he had only given up that dream for realistic reasons. He was more likely to get a welding job, and probably paid more, than becoming a martial art teacher and opening his own dojo.

Now that Jaune thought about it, Adam never said if he liked his job. Never said if he was content with it, either. Perhaps he hated it. Perhaps it was soul draining to work that job for eight hours a day, with not much else to put your passions toward. Yes, he had the community center and likely cared about it. Jaune doubted that was some elaborate ruse. But maybe he wanted more. Jaune wondered if he'd ever know.

The signatures did feel close. Maybe this sword…

Nothing.

Jaune held in a sigh and set the blade back up on the wall. So much for that. Part of him had thought to try the community center first, but he was glad he came to the house instead. So he kept up the search and for the next thirty minutes found nothing. It was strange how little there actually was in the house. No baubles or flowers, no paintings despite Blake being an artist, not even anything Adam was interested in. Though Adam hadn't told Jaune much about what he was interested in. What even was this house but a big save point for people to sleep in? Not even to live in, for it seemed there was nothing to live for. Felt like a big box more than anything.

So what was something that was important to them?

Was it possible that their keys could share the same object?

It'd make sense, he supposed. There was no rule saying it was impossible. And they had once been in love, he figured. There was no way it was totally one sided if Adam was calling to find out where Blake was. To some degree, he had to want her, if only for entirely selfish reasons. Perhaps love wasn't the only thing that could make hearts converge. What was that saying? Hate is not the opposite of love, but rather its sibling.

So that narrowed the search down to one object, but that hardly helped him. What else was there to look at? He checked all the other rooms, their laundry, bathroom, and everything else. And he'd been thorough. The key was not here.

He recalled Cinder's advice. Try not to think so linearly.

So Jaune exited the house, turned, raised his hand toward it and attempted the dive. Nothing. He should have expected that. Blake had mentioned feeling trapped so he wondered if it was a similar case to Ruby in her family home. But apparently that wasn't the case.

Jaune stood there in the cold night and gave it more thought. Clearly it was not something obvious. So what else could it be? There was nothing else to try.

And then, a question popped into Jaune's head that he had never once asked before.

Does a Key have to be an object?

What if…

No, that'd be outrageous. Not only that, but it would say a lot about inflating his own importance. But what if it was possible? There was no rule saying it wasn't.

He headed down the street, back to Neptune and Ruby, who waited in the former's car for him. He signaled to them and they stepped out, meeting him in the shadows by the road.

"What did you find?" asked Neptune.

"Nothing. The key isn't in the house."

"So it has to be at the center," said Ruby.

Jaune shook his head. "Impossible. I sensed the key in the house."

"But it's not there? How?"

Jaune looked down. Not at the ground or his shoes, but at his chest. "Because the key wasn't in the house until I arrived."

Sensibly, the two of them looked confused.

"I need you to try something weird. We all will." Jaune put a hand over his heart. "Use me as a diving point. Dive… well, into me."

Neptune actually blinked twice before responding. "You? Jaune, what are you—"

"I know how it sounds. Please. Let's just try it."

They looked hesitant, but in the end they raised their arms toward him. Jaune wasn't sure what to do himself, so simply kept his hand over his heart and focused. Tried to connect. To feel one or the other or both. Moments passed. Nothing happened.

Then, a gust of wind whistled in his ear.

He was falling now. They all were. Through a pit of pure darkness, the wind rushed around them as they plummeted into a void of nothingness.

It was hard enough to get over the shock of it. That a living human being could be the portal to someone's heart world, let alone two. It was unbelievable.

But now they had their entryway. He fell toward the darkness, light already beginning to spill through. Once they landed, they'd search the world, find Blake's Alter, and save her heart. At the very least, he would keep his promise about that.

Through the darkness, and so suddenly that he barely registered it, a hand broke the abyss, and snatched him by the collar.

Then, he was in heaven.

Snow white everywhere. Clouds floating, crested with vibrant gold, yellow, orange, as if they were embers floating in white dust. Holy light came from everywhere, beautiful and terrifying. It arrested his speech. His thoughts. All mental functions except for pure horrified awe.

It seemed Jaune was in a rare case of total narcissism, because the man holding him by the collar was looking at the most beautiful man he'd ever seen. A man that looked exactly like him.

He smiled down on Jaune, this clone. A smile of the purest purity. Of someone who did not know what it meant to sin. A man who could do no wrong, for he did not know what wrong was. Eyes sharp and perceptive, baby blue sapphires. His golden hair floated all around him, long and billowing out like a gigantic cape, dancing in non-existent wind. And that included his actual cape, which was long and white and almost seemed to resemble angel wings. No, they were angel wings. Huge and powerful looking, light particles floating from them like his body was made of light. Jaune couldn't look down, but he saw that the man wore white shoulder guards and a heavy white breastplate, all with golden trim. He looked like a warrior. A general. A king. A hero.

But that smile of his… There was something wrong with it.

Faintly, he heard them. In the back of his mind. Thousands of voices singing like a choir in a church. Singing to a God? Or a devil?

"Found you…" his voice came out smooth yet oddly constricting. It made his throat clam up, as if a hand was closed around his throat. "Shield Knight."

Jaune couldn't not say anything.

The warrior's eyes roved him up and down. "Your power is vastly underwhelming in your present form. That's puzzling. Perhaps it is buried within you, like the young master, only unleashed when the proper conditions are met. That could explain why you turned into the Orphan, where all others have failed. "

This other Jaune rubbed his smooth chin with his free hand. "Or is there something more to you? We do appear… vaguely similar. Perhaps there is some merit to that woman's claim."

Woman? Who was he talking about?

"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. I'm not one to get caught up in specifics. That's more my brother's way. Let's make this brief."

The smile was twisted, contorted, crooked and evil. It was the coldest, most cruel smile Jaune had ever seen. "Soon, my brother will sleep. I know it and he knows it." He drew him closer. "Then, I will be free. We will be free. When that day comes, let us run wild together! Give me control, then we can destroy it all. Everything! We can do whatever we want! Who can beat us? Who can stop us?"

He sounded like a real estate agent trying to sell someone on a house. A very shitty, unstable house haunted by the ghosts of a murdered family. The smile was that unnerving.

The Jaune clone raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you? Did a cat bite out your tongue? Well, I suppose you're busy with whatever you overworld creatures do. I'll let you be. But my survival depends on yours, so I've been told. I can't say I like it, but well, fate and her little tricks."

He held Jaune out with one arm. "When you feel the jaws of death begin to close around your neck, call upon me. When you feel the reaper's scythe touch your very soul, call upon me. If you find yourself weak and love cannot be saved by your means alone… call upon me. There is no enemy I cannot defeat. I am the strongest of all."

Still, Jaune was speechless. But in the moment, it was hard to look at him and think he was a liar. The confidence he exuded. As if he had searched far and wide for someone to challenge and been disappointed every time. Forced then to accept that he was a god competing with mortals.

He gave Jaune a courteous wave. Like an innocent child waving to a stranger. "Give it some thought. Brace yourself."

And Jaume was let go. The abyss of darkness closed around him from when he'd dived. It was as if it had simply been on pause during that angel's spiel. And as Jaune fell, he could only think…

What the fuck had just happened?

Oh yes. It's time. Get ready y'all. The brakes are off from here on.

ISA