Jaune was alive, his brain pounded that knowledge into him. After barging into a classroom, he heard the sound of a gunshot, and he saw a barrel pointed at him, but he was alive. The black embers of a bird-like Grimm and almost completely dissipated, and he was alive.
Silver eyes stared up at him with a smile.
"I'm… alive." He looked down and searched his body, just because he didn't feel the pain of being shot didn't mean it wasn't possible that he was hit. Maybe his adrenaline had numbed him to it, or maybe his nerves had gone numb, but no matter how much he patted himself down, he couldn't find a new hole in his clothes or flesh. "I'm alive."
Oddly, he didn't know what to feel. He had almost died and barely survived, he should be glad, overjoyed in fact that he didn't die a sudden death, but it was confusion that was dominating his mind. He didn't understand how he was alive, when he should be dead. His eyes barely caught a few of the drifting red rose petals shimmering as they turned into copper and lead scraps before they fell to the ground.
"Don't worry, Jaune." Ruby whispered as she stepped closer to him, her silver eyes glinting with conviction. "You won't die." She stated, vowed, as she smiled
His heart pounded in his ears, almost deafening him, and it increased in intensity when he noticed his teammate's eyes traveled down to stare at his chest. She was probably close enough to hear the thumping that was rattling his rib cage.
"My word! That could've ended badly!" An unfamiliar voice shouted and then chuckled, followed by heavy footsteps that approached Jaune. "Mister Arc, correct?"
Jaune tore his gaze away from the small girl inches away from him, and stared at a man that Yang had almost perfectly described. A portly fellow with bushy eyebrows and a large mustache smiled at him as he puffed out his chest. After swallowing down his confusion. "Yeah, that's me." He answered.
"Welcome to my class, young boy! I just have to say, I admire your spirit, lad! The gumption it takes to shake off Aura Exhaustion and then to be walking after being impaled in just a day is quite astounding! It reminds me of my own youth, when I was even younger than you are now, I had gotten lost during a trek through a treachero—"
"Professor Port." Yang's voice called out, interrupting the man. "He should probably take a seat first."
"Oh, of course! Miss Rose, please guide Mister Arc to his chair." Professor Port, turned around and walked to the center of the front of the class. "Mister Lark? What are you still doing here? If you're waiting for another Grimm, you will be there for quite some time. That was the final one for today's demonstration."
"Huh?" The boy named Lark looked up with an unfocused gaze at the professor, then he looked over to an uninjured Jaune, then he looked at the weapon in his hand. He removed a shaky finger off of the trigger, and looked at his hand in confusion.
Jaune could tell something was making a mess in that boy's head, but he didn't have time to give that any thought, his attention was on not falling over.
"Follow me!" Ruby, who had been listening intently to his heartbeat when the professor was rambling, had grabbed his arm and dragged him up a set of stairs and across the room.
His knees had felt weak, and his balance was off, but he managed to stay on his feet as he stumbled to stay upright. He could see the students present staring at him, colorful eyes examined and judged him. Whispers and mutters made their way to his ears. It seemed rumors about him had filled in his absence.
A bit of tension left his body as his mind moved away from the topic of his survival. He could deal with gossip. At the end of the room, in the top corner, Jaune found his team.
Three spots from the corner, Weiss sat, her metal crutch leaning against the side of the desk. Her eyes were locked on to him, but her hollow gaze made it difficult to guess her mood. After learning a bit about her past, he wasn't sure how he should treat her, but he decided that it was too late to change his approach now.
Two spots from the corner, a discarded chair was laying on the floor.
One spot from the corner, Yang was rocking on the back legs in her chair. Her face was plastered with a bright smile, it almost blinded him to the fact that two chunks from the edge of the desk were under her chair.
Ruby pulled out the chair from the corner spot and pushed him into it with a smile. "If you need any help let me know." She smiled and then turned around and picked the discarded chair. She shot him another smile as she sat down.
In the far corner of this classroom, his team sat. The door was across the room, and Ruby had intercepted a bullet after it was fired. After hearing her ramble about her Semblance for a while, he had also done a bit of research yesterday, so he was familiar enough with the concept of it, but seeing it in action was truly something else.
"You okay, partner?" Yang smiled at him.
"Yeah, yeah, just a bit shocked." He was alive, and he was attending a class at Beacon.
"Now then! As I was telling young Mister Arc, back before I had hair on my chest, I had been led astray by a roaming seductress! Take heed, students, for this story isn't for the faint of heart. The sun was blazing in the sky, the ground beneath my feet had cracked greatly from the heat, and I could no longer sweat…"
Jaune heard the thumps of more than one head falling to their desks, he also felt sleepy, however he had already gotten enough rest. He ignored the professor, and instead examined his desk. After opening the top he found a compartment filled with books and some stationery, he grabbed a book titled: Basics of Grimm.
Until the bell rang, he read and re-read the book cover to cover. It didn't contain anything as groundbreaking as Aura or Semblances, but he was still shocked by some of the esoteric abilities some Grimm possessed. And if he wanted to pass as a Huntsmen, he should probably be intimately familiar with the basics of what he intended to hunt.
An overview of the Grimm, from the loosely understood structures of their physical bodies, and studies on their darkly ethereal cells and unstable particles of their residue, and to their behavioral patterns in relation to other Grimm, people, animals, nature and civilization. The book was titled the basics, it wasn't even a hundred pages thick, and yet it encompassed hundreds of years of research.
The Creatures of Darkness would probably never be fully understood by the collective of mankind's scientific efforts. And Jaune didn't really care, he was fine not knowing why they didn't shit, all he needed to know was how to kill the monsters.
After the bell rang, he closed the book and noticed that his team was staring at him. Weiss' blue eyes were still emotionless, but they almost appeared curious. Ruby's silver eyes simply captured his entire form, watching him. And Yang's purple eyes were blank, but then she smiled when she met his gaze.
"Didn't take you for the bookish type." Yang teased as she stood up and averted her eyes.
Jaune wanted to sigh.
Is this seriously my team? The people I'm supposed to trust to have my back?
It couldn't go on like this, it would probably drive him crazy too if he continued to be exposed to their odd behavior.
Great, now not only do I have to catch up on a Huntsmen's basic knowledge and abilities, but I also have to fix my team.
"Ruby, you're the team leader right?" He asked as he returned his book to the desk compartment.
"Yup." She answered with a pop and a wide smile.
Gods, he was starting to hate the constant smiles aimed at him. The unnatural grins were starting to twist his gut, smiles were supposed to be beautiful expressions of joy, not masks used to conceal turmoil.
He pushed down an urge to groan. "Great, can you tell me what you're working on so far?"
She tilted her head to the side in confusion.
Jaune couldn't suppress a groan after learning Ruby hadn't prepared anything yet.
As they walked to their next class, he talked to his leader about the responsibilities of being a leader. He explained the basics of team management and communication, and went into a lengthy lecture on organizing team dynamics and building trust between members.
Ruby just nodded eagerly and listened intently, but he had a feeling that she already knew most of this stuff and simply wasn't doing anything about it yet.
During their next class, Plant Sciences with Professor Peach, Jaune was relieved to discover he already had a reasonable understanding of the topic. Almost no magic was involved, and instead the class was simply about understanding the nature and effects of flora.
As a village boy, his father had taught him and his sisters about the plants growing in the forest near their perimeter. On camping trips he was even quizzed on their benefits and detriments, and he had been tasked with brewing an edible tea made with just the roots and herbs he could scavenge. He had taken pride in the fact that his tea was the tastiest, though it wasn't the healthiest.
He still had to scribble down everything he heard though, as his knowledge was only based on familiarity on not scientific research. The talk of chemical compounds and composition went in one ear and out the other, barely giving him enough time to jot it down.
Jaune was almost relieved when the bell rang and signaled the end of class, but then he felt it, the air of anticipation that engulfed every student. People who were lethargically taking notes now buzzed with excitement, and they scrambled out their seats and to the doors.
Practical Combat class was next, and the teenagers with magical abilities were eager to fight. Weapons would be swung with supernatural strength, a single misstep could prove fatal.
"Mister Arc, can you stay back for a minute?" Professor Peach called out, her voice barely rising above the chatter of students leaving her classroom.
"See ya in a bit, c'mon Rubes." Yang dragged Ruby with her as she left.
After a few seconds, the chatter was completely gone and rustling papers echoed in its place.
Professor Peach carried a small stack of papers over to his desk. She cleared her throat, pushed up her big rimmed glasses and tucked a loose lock of pink hair behind her ear. "Mister Arc, I understand that my class probably isn't the most interesting, no one came to Beacon to become a herbalist or botanist after all. But what you learn here might very well save your life, or the life of—"
"Uh, no, I get it. My father already explained the importance of this field of study to me." He normally wouldn't interrupt a teacher giving a lecture, but he could see that Professor Peach was just going through the motions. His words weren't a lie, he just spruced up the truth a bit, his father had stressed the importance of plants as a whole for survival in nature.
"Ah yes, well," she absentmindedly fixed her glasses again, "You were absent for the speech I gave on the first day, so I thought I should tell you just in case. Anyway, here's the syllabus for my class, and the assignments you can do for some extra credit. Most students don't get enough normal credits by the end of the semester, so there's a lot of options to make up for the work."
Jaune skimmed papers handed to him, and his attention was caught on a certain sheet. For a handful of credits, he had to cultivate and harvest one of the plants they would be covering. And the growth process and final result would be graded separately, so even if it came out bad, so long as it had fully matured, he would get credits. What caught his attention was one of the listed plants.
"Professor Peach? Will you really be providing the items for this assignment?" He asked as he showed her the sheet.
She narrowed her light orange eyes as she checked what the paper he was holding out towards her. "Hmm, ah, yes I will. Are you interested in this one?"
"Yeah, uh, I have some experience with one of the options on the list, and I would like to try growing it here. So can I take the trial test for Papaver comniffea? I do get to keep the product, right?"
"If you're serious, I can get the test ready by tomorrow. And yes, I'll only need one seed back and a sample of the final product."
"Sweet." Jaune actually smiled, this simple interaction had distracted him from any of the many troubles plaguing his mind.
Moreover, the prospect of getting his hands on some P. comniffea cherries and beans was enticing. His father had brought some over from Vacuo and had a small crop growing for a few years, until some pests ruined it. He wasn't overly familiar with all the history of the plant, but his father had rambled for hours about them and their qualities.
And more importantly, the opium coffee that the beans produced was heavenly, and it worked wonders for relieving stress and boosting productivity.
A heavy sigh caught his attention, and he looked up at the woman standing over his desk, her palms were on the edge of his desk and she was leaning forward. She stared down at him with half-lidded eyes. "Do you like… plants?" She whispered, as a curtain of her pink hair tumbled down and encircled his face. With the hair inches away from his face, he could see small green thorns along each strand.
Jaune jerked back as he felt something caress his cheek, his chair hit the back of another desk. He hadn't stopped himself, his legs felt weak, his body felt weak. He smelled something sweet fill the air as his eyelids felt heavy. And then he felt a cold chill.
"Professor Peach." Weiss' hollow voice echoed around the room. "Miss Goodwitch has instructed me to inform you that you shouldn't hold up Arc for too long."
Jaune felt his gaze slowly drift over to the snow-form of his teammate who suddenly appeared, and when he looked back, Professor Peach's hair was tied back in its crown design. Her back was facing him, and she was walking away. "I'll see you tomorrow Mister Arc, I hope your extra credit project grows well."
His legs moved on their own as he walked out the classroom, and then his thoughts cleared up after a few seconds of aimless wandering.
What the fuck?
He took in deep breaths as a fog drifted from his mind, his heart raced and he felt restless, as if vitality had been directly injected into his veins. He barely remembered asking about the extra credit project, and then his memory grew blurry.
"Arc, this is the wrong way. Please follow me, I shall lead you." Snow-Weiss spoke and snowflakes drifted against his skin.
Jaune almost jumped in surprise, but he vaguely remembered his teammate arriving at the class. He almost feared his memory was failing again, but he hadn't died yet, or at least he hadn't felt like he died yet. He shoved down his concerns and followed the slowly drifting apparition.
His mind had cleared up enough when he stood in front of his combat locker, so he could speak clearly. "Weiss, you can leave now. I don't think you're allowed in here in the first place, and even if you were, I'm not changing in front of you."
"Very well, Arc, if you say so, I shall take my leave." She curtsied and then disappeared.
He wanted until the room became warm before he changed. He couldn't blame his shaking hands in the cold, it was anxiety that was making his grip unstable.
As he looked and held his armor, he could see chips and scratches, wear and tear. His armor was old, as old as his sword, and these were the only pieces that had survived from the full set, the rest had fallen apart over the decades. Small and light pieces of metal barely covered anything, just his chest, back, shoulders, the back of his wrists.
Now that he had Aura, it seemed foolish to even wear armor, especially when it reminded him of its failure to protect him. But it also paradoxically made him feel safe, unlike his Aura, he didn't need to train to use it. It was a physical barrier meant to shield him from harm.
Of course, there was a better tool for that though. He retrieved his weapon from his locker, his weapon was passed down from patriarch to patriarch, and he had practically stolen it. He didn't deserve… He didn't deserve… He didn't deserve…
What? Why? What? I-I can't remember its name.
He suddenly forgot how to breathe, and fresh tears fell from his eyes as he cradled the steel sword and sheath/shield. He leaned against his locker. All of a sudden, he didn't care about dying and he racked his brain, desperately searching his mind for the memory of his weapon's name.
A legacy he didn't earn, a heirloom he stole, a weapon he didn't deserve. The sword and shield that had been wielded to carve a path to victory and to protect the innocent, he wasn't qualified to hold it. He didn't know its name anymore, the name that had been whispered in awe as he stared at the silver blade and white shield, fantasizing about the day he would use it to become the hero he was meant to be.
Where is it!? What's the name!?
His brain boiled, and his eyes burned, fresh blood dripped from his nose and yet he still couldn't remember. A sob escaped his lips, and he gritted his teeth, he would remember what it was even if it killed him. It had been used by his father…
A blurry face flashed through his mind, muffled syllables rushed through his mind. He didn't know, he couldn't remember his father's face or name.
No! No!
More blurry faces and muffled names filled his mind. He didn't know, he couldn't remember his family's faces or names. His ancestors, his grandparents, his parents, his uncles, his aunts, his cousins, his nieces, his nephews, and even his sisters, Jaune couldn't remember a single one of them.
"Fuck!" He punched a locker, his fist leaving an indent in the metal, and he fell to his knees as he sobbed some more. Heavy heaving and sharp sobs shook his body.
The legacy he had been so enthralled by, the family he loved so much, he couldn't remember anymore. Dying sucked, having his dream crushed was agonizing, but losing the connection to his family was soul crushing. Before he could comprehend his intentions, the weapon he didn't deserve was pressed against his neck, drawing the blood he shared with the family he couldn't remember.
Phantom hands traced his cheeks, wiping away his tears. "It's okay, Jaune. Delta is in a better place now, and she wouldn't want you to waste away like this, stand up, run around and play, have fun for her." A memory of Saphron, his sister, whispered as she wiped his tears away and hugged him after their dog had died.
Saphron…
Jaune continued to sob, his arms wrapped around the imaginary figure of a small memory. He focused on every detail he could recall, burning this moment into his mind, he didn't want to ever forget this warmth.
After he calmed down, he realized he still remembered his home address, so he typed it down and promised himself to visit home as soon as he could.
He washed his face clean in a nearby sink, and as he was drying up, a boy walked in the locker room. They blinked at each other, then he recognized him, it was the boy who almost killed him during class.
Thanks for reading! I'm always open to feedback, so please leave a review, or reply in my forum, about what you liked or hated about this chapter or the whole story. If anyone wants to be a Beta Reader, then PM me and we'll talk details.
Hello, it's been awhile, I can't promise constant updates, but my schedule has opened up considerably so I will try to take less breaks between chapters.