Grimm Nightmares Chapter 5 Wretched Yellow, a RWBY + Bloodborne Crossover fanfic

I do not own Bloodborne or RWBY.

A very special thank you to Patrons; your support is the fuel that lets my creativity burn all the brighter. So, thank you to – E-Elf and Nut Guy.

I hope this story continues to be worthy of your support.

Chapter 5 Wretched Yellow

A symphony of horror serenaded the night as howls, screams, moans, and roars echoed as if an orchestra of suffering was putting on a grandiose performance. The din was particularly loud upon the entrance to the Great Bridge as Yharnam's newest hunter immersed himself in his harshest challenge yet.

The littering of abandoned carriages and their displaced cargo made for many a hazard as Jaune weaved betwixt his bloodthirsty foes, the two colossal wolf-like creatures lunging and pouncing after him with ravenous hunger. His gun barrel smoked as he fired shot after shot, desperate to keep the two fiendish beasts away from him.

His eyes stared them down meticulously, ensuring that neither slipped from his line of sight; he had already perished here from such actions. The fact that these very beasts were the ones to slaughter him previously made him curious about the owner of the blood that caked their drooling maws, but such thoughts should be a distraction for a later time.

But it was too late.

His brief instant of distraction cost him as he felt his back thump into the carriage door, and he watched as those inhuman eyes seemed to gleam with cruel excitement. One of the two monsters pounced, but Jaune would not succumb so quickly, and with a panicked leap, he threw his whole self to the side. Its unnaturally long claws sheared down his shoulder blade and scratched the very bone, but he was alive.

The overeager beast crashed into the carriage and through the door like it was made of cardboard, the other being distracted as a pungent scent like condensed blood washed out from the carriage. Jaune smelt the horrid scent, but the searing pain in his shoulder was a far more potent sensation as he did his utmost to take stock of the situation.

He was screwed.

He had Blood Vials, but getting one out and injecting it would leave him vulnerable. He was low on bullets and would not be surprised to find he was down to his last. His Saw Cleaver's serrated teeth were dull, having lost their bite as he carved his way through Central Yharnam, and he was unsure if he had the strength to push its edge into the hide of the agile beasts.

Once more, it seemed he was doomed to perish to these vile things yet again, what he would not give for Gehrman to provide him but a modicum of guidance. But Jaune was not quite as doomed as he thought, and instead, he found himself drawn from his thoughts by a most unusual sound.

It was a whining keen, distorted and erratic. Rolling onto his back, gun raised, Jaune saw a glimmer of hope as one of the beasts had become trapped. Its large form snared in the carriage like a rat in a box. It thrashed about, desperate for freedom, the wood splintering but still restraining it, if only for the moment... a moment Jaune could use.

The other beast noticed him rolling onto his back and pounced forward but was met with the flash of his Pistol as it bucked in his hand and fired a Quicksilver Bullet that lanced through its exposed throat and sprayed a visceral mist of red across the cobblestones. Its large frame barrelled over Jaune and crashed into some crates, the bullet staggering the ferocious beast and ruining its lunge.

Jaune made to get up, shifting to his knees when his previous desire for guidance was fulfilled most unusually. One of the tiny grey creatures that seemed to follow him was just in front of him, and held in its little arms was a bottle with an off-colour rag sprouting from its opening. A Molotov Cocktail... now there was an idea.

With a nod of thanks, he let his pistol clatter to the ground and grasped the bottle, the rag igniting as he took hold of it. The beast in the carriage snarled at him, its lower body having gotten trapped in the broken carriage floor with one arm while the other swiped at him savagely.

Jaune did not hesitate.

The Molotov soared into the carriage and erupted into a roaring flame instantly. The trapped beast howled and screeched as the entire carriage ignited with startling speed and its filthy, matted coat caught alight just as swiftly. It was almost as if the fire was transformed into something ravenous as it began to consume the panicking beast.

Jaune found himself hypnotised by the raging flames, his breath coming out in a small gasp as the ablaze beast cried out in agony, its fur now charred and its flesh beginning to bubble and crackle. Jaune watched transfixed as the beats thrashing grew weaker and weaker until it was but random spasms and choked coughs. But his distraction cost him gravely as the second beast took advantage of his lack of awareness and pounced.

Its monstrous mass crashed into Jaune, and long-wicked claws eagerly sunk into his flesh. Jaune did not even have time to shout as the wind was forced from his lungs violently. He crashed to the ground, the beast atop him and his weapon armed pinned beneath their combined weight as he struggled to keep it from biting into his neck. Winded and dazed, Jaune struggled to get the thrashing beast off his back, but the fierce wolf-like creature did not budge. Instead, its claws dug deeper, tearing through flesh and muscle and causing blood to stream out of the punctures.

Jaune screamed silently in agony and thrust his head back to the sound of a wet crunch, his head impacting the beast's snout. This was sufficient as the maddened beast's assault halted long enough for Jaune to bring his weapon arm out from beneath him, the serrated edge of his saw cleaver ripping his chest up as he tugged it out. His weapon, now free from beneath his form, Jaune jabbed it over his shoulder and, with a flick, transformed his weapon into its trick state.

The whirring grind of machinery, of metal grating against metal, was loud in his ear but not as loud as the oh-so-satisfying sound of his Saw Cleaver's serrated teeth finding purchase in the underside of the beast's torso. He was pleasantly surprised that they still held more bite than he had given them credit for. The beast gave a pained yelp and reared back onto its hind legs taking Jaunes weapon with it but allowing Jaune to scramble to his feet hastily.

He was in quite a state. His left hip and right bicep were now bleeding heavily where the beast had grabbed onto him. But he smiled as he saw that his Saw Cleaver had lodged beneath the beast's right arm, sinking deep into the beast's armpit and was now working as a tap as its vital fluids ran down it and dripped to the floor. It also had the gunshot wound in its throat, the gruesome hole open and bleeding still as the quicksilver round did its job by negating its natural hardiness. Indeed, where this not a beast born of a nightmarish disease, it would no doubt already have perished.

But for all it was weakened and bled, Jaune was injured and tired... and disarmed. His pistol was nowhere to be seen, lost in the scuffle, and his weapon was out of reach, to say the least. The beast snarled, landing on all fours but immediately lost its balance because its right forearm could not bear weight.

This was Jaune's chance, and he took it.

He dashed around the beast and legged it back the way he came, but the beast was more aware than he had first thought, and it lashed out, tripping him. He stumbled but struggled on, the beast on his heels, and as he made it to the stairs from where he had first made his way up to the bridge, it impacted him once more.

But Jaune was already beginning to change thanks to Yharnam and the deluge of threats it threw at him. Because of this, when he felt the beast's mass try to pin him once more, he rolled with the momentum and thus, the beast, carried by its speed, slammed into the wall of a nearby home.

Jaune scrambled back on his hands, even going so far as to descend a couple of steps. His heart was pounding in a panicked frenzy, but his fear was brought up short when he got a good look at the creature that had nearly had him dead to rights. Luck had sided with Jaune most peculiarly. Thanks to Yharnam's grim architecture, the stairs leading up to the great bridge were bordered by rails of sharpened iron poles. The beast had been pulled down by gravity after crashing into the house only to be impaled upon said sharpened poles. Its left claw, jaw, neck and possibly parts of its chest beneath the clavicle were all impaled, trapping it as its back legs continued to kick and its right arm spasmed uselessly.

Jaune was suddenly struck with a macabre curiosity and thus cautiously hauled his injured body back up the stairs, using a Blood Vile to beat back blood loss and seal the gashes that this very beast had wrought upon him. Getting closer and grunting as his hip still ached like crazy, he examined the savage monster and what he saw made something inside him stir.

He could see rags that might have at some point been clothes, trousers and possibly a shirt, but that was where all traces of humanity ended. This was a monster with long yellow fangs, sickly tangled fur that reeked fiercely of gore, and long unnatural claws coated in fresh blood. But the worst of it was the eyes. Jaune expected maybe to see some intelligence, or perhaps some animalistic fear or panic, but no. This thing... This beast was so twisted that in those eyes, he witnessed only a savage hunger and a furious desire to maim and slaughter.

Even trapped and severely injured, this thing looked at him, and it was apparent its only desire was to rip his throat out and gorge on his innards. It was a savage monster, plain and simple.

And it was this realisation that awoke something in Jaune, and just like that, his curiosity was sated and left in its wake was desire. Jaune reached for the handle of his Saw Cleaver, and the creature began to buck even more fiercely, its monstrous strength serving it well as he witnessed its left-hand tear free of its impalement, the massive split in its hand no deterrence as it began to try and claw at him from beneath its torso. Blood was now pooling under the beast in such quantities that it was starting to cascade down the nearby stairs.

Jaune would happily add to it.

With a violent wrench, he tore his saw cleaver from its form, and a fresh squirt of beastly blood rained down from its impaled body. Its thrashing slowed but did not stop, and those inhuman eyes continued to hunger for him even as it gurgled in its own blood. Jaune didn't know if it was the scent, the sight or the sound that set him off, but something inside him was roused and demanded action.

He brought his saw cleaver over his head and, like an executioner, brought it down on the base of the wolf things neck. It sunk into the meat but not nearly deep enough, for he was wounded, and his blade was dull... so he tried again and again... and again, over and over.

*Thump*

*Thwack*

*Squelch*

*Swish*

*Thump*

Finally, the beast's body laid still, and Jaune stood there panting. He was drenched head to toe in crimson spray as the beast's body laid still, removed from its impaled head. He plopped onto the top step, exhausted, his pants soaked in blood, splashing in the crimson puddle cascading down the stairs. He dropped his Saw Cleaver with a clatter, its edge bordering on blunt now, as he brought his blood-soaked hands to his blood-drenched face.

He let slip a dry laugh as he voiced a stray malicious thought aloud.

"What the hell is happening to me?"

YVYVYVYVY

Jaune awoke not with a start but with a slow, drawn-out return to consciousness, a good thing as he was not alone in his bed. Another joined his tiny body in the form of Jade, who at present had burrowed her head into the side of his ribs and absconded with two pillows. With a sigh, Jaune did his best to cast off the rampant emotions his dream was cruel enough to leave him with. He slid out of bed, his tiny feet making nary a sound as he touched the floor. Jade, of course, did her best to burrow into the mattress, but with his rib cage absent, she could not find a suitable spot and thus awoke.

"... Mm, Jauney?" Her sleepy voice chimed up as she looked about the dimly lit room with dreamy eyes.

"Go back to sleep, Jade; it is still quite early," Jaune instructed gently, turning around to pat his adorable little sister's cheek.

"Ah... ok," She yawned, turning about and snuggling into one of Jaunes pillows again. Seeing her comfortable, Jaune did not stick around and instead headed to another room in the house.

It was the newest room in that it was the most recently refurbished, decorated in beautiful light shades of blue reminiscent of the sky on particularly clear days. There was also a litany of stuffed toys, but they were of varied colours. Jaune chuckled as he saw the pile of toys he had donated, the rise next to it was from Jade, who eagerly copied his actions. Towards the centre of the room was a crib in which laid Jaune's newest baby sister, appropriately named Sky. He softly approached her crib, his movements silent so as not to disturb the sleeping baby.

Peering over the crib required him to rise on his toes, but he didn't mind. Seeing her brought a cheerful smile to his face and did much to beat back the emotions that had haunted him since awakening. She was perfect in his eyes, pinchable cheeks with a light pink tint to them, her whole body plump and soft in that adorable potato-like way only babies could be. She was wrapped in a soft white blanket that made her appear as a cloud in this oh-so-blue room.

Jaune lost track of how long he looked down upon his sister, but honestly, he felt he could do it for hours. The sight of her awakening took his smile to new heights as her tiny eyes began to flutter slowly, and her small arms jerked about, clinging to the blankets of her crib. She made cooing noises as she seemed to try and look about even though Jaune knew her sight was still only developing.

He wished for his old height as he wanted to reach into the crib and let her grasp his finger. But with his present stature, such a goal was simply unreachable, so instead, he settled for speaking to his darling baby sister.

"Good morning, Sky. I hope you had a wonderful sleep," Jaune grinned, his voice as gentle as he could manage.

But rather than smile back at him or coo, baby Sky had other plans as she looked about, searching for something she couldn't find.

"What's wrong, little one? What are you searching for?" Jaune enquired, tilting his head at the shifting baby. But to his horror, he watched as she began to turn red, and her coos began to transform into soft sniffles and sobs. He rapidly spewed a series of placations in a desperate attempt to holt her oncoming cries but to no avail.

Sky erupted into a baby's main form of communication, wailing at the top of their lungs. Jaune flinched viscerally as he took a step back. Her cries were like a flashbang that shook all manner of horror free of his mind. But despite all form of nightmare that began to writhe and squirm in his mind, he did not halt in his attempts to calm his little sister, even as every new cry sent a chill down his spine and forced him to bite his cheek. But no matter his attempts, Sky continued to wail, and Jaune was reduced to softly begging her to stop.

"P-please, Sky. Do-don't cry. Your brother is here, and you're ok... It's all ok little sister..." Jaune hushed, attempting and failing to reach her with his tiny hand.

The baby's loud cries were suddenly joined with another noise, quick steps approaching the crib and swiftly scooping the fussy baby up. Hella, her hair still a disorderly mess, immediately set about calming the infant down, rocking her back and forth while humming. Jaune, for his part, was just happy to hear her cries soften as it allowed him to take a moment and calm himself.

"Good morning Jaune. Greeting your baby sister again?" Hella asked, still bobbing the now softly sobbing child in her arms.

"Yes, sorry if I upset her mother, I just..."

"You didn't upset her, Jaune. She's just fussy and possibly a little hungry since she almost slept the whole night," Hella explained.

"Oh... good, I don't want to make Sky upset... I can't afford to alienate any more sisters," Jaune stated dryly. Hella's brow furrowed as she looked at her son's frustrated expression, even as her baby calming movements continued.

"... They still aren't talking to you? It's been months!" Hella exclaimed while whisper shouting, her exasperation clear.

"Well... school didn't help the matter, not to mention we have all been quite busy as of late," Jaune mumbled, hoping to excuse his sister's actions.

Jaune was by no means wrong, of course. The past few months had been nonstop. First was getting his cast removed, which had been fantastic; as much as he loved Jade's illustrations, the blank spot left by Scarlett and Saphron left a stabbing pain even as it was removed. The ability to move more freely allowed him to honestly play with Jade, which he enjoyed with a silent euphoria. The cherry on top is that Dr Kaiser was kind enough to remove the cast at the Arc residence sparing Jaune the... discomfort of a clinic.

Following his cast being removed was his introduction to school. In an ironic turn of events, he was right about it being troublesome, just not in a way he or his parents could have expected. Naturally, his advanced form of speech had made his teachers all a flutter, but his talent in other classes had been the source of the issue. He was far more advanced than any child his age had a right to be, already capable and knowledgeable in things far above his grade.

For example, in science, his understanding of biology, especially anatomy, had left everyone stunned, even more so when he was able to draw a surgical diagram of his leg and the injury he had suffered due to the Boarbatusk attack. It only escalated when he showed that he also had a firm grasp of chemistry and physics. The only place where he was at the same level as his peers was in his literacy skills.

Or at least that had been the case for about a month.

As soon as he had a grasp of the lettering and the fundamentals of the written word, he began to advance at a pace that left everyone in his age group utterly outpaced. From there, his position only increased, and now that he could read, he could devour other sources of knowledge.

The first thing he researched was Grimm... naturally.

He harried peers and teachers alike in his pursuit of knowledge, so much so that even his parents were called up about his troublesome behaviour. This led to Jaune being shown how to use a computer and, more importantly, the CCT web.

From there, one might say he spiralled out of control for a while, delving into history, sociology, a rather anxiety-ridden spell of geography, and then Dust. But Jaune didn't see it that way. This was information he might have once known, and the worst part about amnesia was never knowing what it was he had forgotten. So, he pressed on and on, going so far as to fill an entire notebook with pages and pages of text, notes, images, and hypotheses. In the end, he was finally able to draw conclusions that were equal parts concerning and highly worrying.

Firstly, there was no evidence of Yharnam, the beastly scourge or the Great Ones. This was both relieving and deeply troubling as he was positive that what he had endured was true, and he knew things that couldn't be if what had occurred was merely a nightmarish fantasy. So, either Yharnam had long since been forgotten along with the Great Ones, or somehow it did not exist. A puzzling thought but one he could handle.

This also led to the next issue his research had caused, or more accurately, revealed to him. Something was terribly, awfully, horribly wrong with his world. Firstly, throughout all the historical texts he had examined, one thing was clear, the number of civilisations that had been utterly removed from existence was startlingly high. There were also far too many gaps in historical understanding. Some of this can be credited to the Grimm making archaeological research difficult, but even that did not account for the sheer number of unexplained gaps.

And this led to the matter's cusp, the Grimm.

As he understood it, they were an innumerable number of terrible monstrosities, drawn towards negative emotions that sought only to exterminate man and Faunus alike. They were an entire species that came in different shapes and sizes and seemed almost designed to target and eradicate any traces of sapient life they encountered. Jaune might be paranoid and even be utterly mad... but that screamed suspicious. The Grimm seemed to have always been around, and seeing how the Grimm were still a threat today, just how was it that any civilisation managed to fend off these creatures before they discovered Dust.

Now the obvious answer would, of course, be Hunters, but that didn't track because Hunters even now, even with more advanced training, weaponry and again, Dust, still perished in the field. So just how was it that back when Humanity and Faunus were armed with little more than spears, they managed to fend off creatures capable of surviving bullets. Something wasn't adding up, and it was not sitting well with Jaune, but there was nothing he could do about it as it was. There was vital information he was lacking; without it, he had no way of knowing what wickedness truly stirred in Remnant. So, his theories remained just that, theories.

But his research spree caused other problems. For example, he became even more reclusive. He was consumed with unlocking the truth that he knew was just out of reach, driven by a desire never again to be beholden to the unknown as he had once been. Only taking breaks if someone requested it of him, most of the time said person being Jade, who desired to spend time with her big brother. Jaune, of course, was utterly oblivious to this. The trend continued for far too long, with his older siblings still feeling uncomfortable around him and his parents being out of their depth.

This would have continued, no doubt spiralling out of control until it inevitably collapsed into something far worse, or an explosive confrontation was it not the most exciting of occurrences.

One day while Jaune was researching the biodiversity of Grimm and, more specifically, the phenomenon of region-specific Grimm and a possible angle of Grimm evolution, he was torn from his work by a thunderous banging on his door. Egged on by the heavy pounding, he rushed to his door and wrenched it open to see an excited Saphron.

Jaune was stunned and stared at her blankly, not knowing what to say after actual weeks of avoidance but was saved as his sister exclaimed loudly, "Mom's gone into labour!"

Those four words seemed to wipe all other thoughts from his mind. He was no longer consumed by an overwhelming need to understand the Grimm and the threats he might never face. Instead, he had only the sole wish to meet his newest sibling. He hurriedly threw on shoes, and he and Saphron rushed into town with all haste, bee-lining it straight for the hospital.

That day, Jaune was reminded of what he desired above all else. It wasn't knowledge, it wasn't understanding, and it wasn't power. The only thing Jaune wanted above all else was his family, and when he held his baby sister for the first time, he remembered the wave of emotion he felt when he first remembered his family. He remembered what it was like to have Yharnam as nothing more than a past, something that was behind him. And even as he cried while smiling euphorically, much to his family's concern, he promised there and then to live for his family.

When he returned from the hospital, he gathered all his research and tossed it into a box in the back of his closet. All save one book... a book he instead put inside a lock box and hid inside his roof.

That book... he needed it, but it was dangerous.

When Hella and Sky finally came home, the whole family rejoiced, and Jaune could be found at all times, either with Jade or near Sky. Watching over them or playing with them, an act which mainly consisted of doing whatever Jade said as he genuinely had no idea what constituted playing, but if it made Jade or Sky smile, he would do so happily. Hella noted this to Cloud, both happy to see Jaune no longer cooped up in his room.

At school, he had been removed from most normal classes. Instead, he was being taught by a private tutor online who was charged with his education and did their best to provide him with educational content that was more befitting his level. It was costly, but the Arc's made a good deal of money as Hella and Cloud were professional hunters.

The tutor was both a positive and a negative. On one side, it allowed Jaune to engage with his education, and when he cooled off his research spree, the tutor could readily adjust to a more relaxed but still advanced curriculum. Jaune appreciated this and enjoyed his time with the tutor, but that did little to balance the negatives.

Jaune had no friends... none. This wasn't a problem for him as he was pretty happy with his isolated state and had more than enough company with his family. But his parents saw it as an issue, and that awful unspoken tension again began to rear its ugly head in the house. Jaune was aware of it, and so were his sisters. This led to Saphron and Scarlett distancing themselves all over again, and Jade, not understanding what was wrong, became... temperamental.

All this leads back to the now, with a worried Hella looking down at her smiling son, who was lightly rubbing his baby sister's back as she was held in her mother's arms.

"Jaune... are you ok?" Hella asked, her voice filled with worry she didn't know how to express.

Jaune heard this and gave her a beaming smile, "of course, Scarlett and Saphron just need space, and that's ok... and I have Jade and Sky. Oh, and you and father, of course!"

Hella swallowed; his words seemed sincere; he was doing great with his tutor, and he honestly spent a lot of time playing with his sister, but that was all he did. Hella and Cloud were not blind. They had been monitoring Jaune closely and what they saw was very concerning. Jaune had no friends whatsoever. In an attempt to help him with this, they took him to the park, but he spent the whole time looking after Jade. So, they tried again, only bringing him, but Jaune just sat with them on the bench, completely content to relax on a nearby bench with his parents.

They asked if he wanted to play a sport, and he declined, they asked what he liked to do for fun, and he said to spend time with his sisters. They asked if he wanted any toys or games, and he said something for Jade. Hella decided more drastic action was needed, so she sent Cloud out with all the kids except baby Sky. So, with just her Jaune and the baby in the house, she was hopeful boredom might push him to do something he found fun. Instead, Jaune spent nearly the whole day around baby Sky, asking to hold her and asking lots of questions about what babies liked. Was it adorable? Yes, and it warmed her heart. But it also felt like a punch in the gut because it showed his sincerity.

Jaune really did want nothing more than to spend time with his family.

What five-year-old chose to spend the whole day with their baby sister than do literally anything else in a house filled with toys, tv, video games and a massive backyard. When she reported this to Cloud, his shoulders visibly slumped, and both parents seemed burdened with their inability to help their son.

Hella cut her reminiscing short and placed her hand on Jaune's head, his golden hair like silk, as she brushed her fingers through it. She wanted to help him, but he said he was fine, she tried to fix what was wrong, but he seemed perfectly happy. Hella was never skilled with social things... Give her a problem that she could stab, shoot, cut or explode, and there were few better. So how the hell was she supposed to explain to her five-year-old son that he wasn't ok.

"Jaune... I love you."

Jaune reached up to hold her hand to his head and replied with sincerity, "I love you too, mom." Baby sky made a little gurgle as she tugged on Hella's shirt, desiring breakfast, and ensuring her mother was aware of the fact. Jaune chuckled at this, "I think Sky has the right idea. I am going to go get my breakfast, mom."

"Ok, Sunshine," Hella dismissed him even as all the words she wanted to say buzzed about her throat, desperate to escape.

YVYVYVYVY

Jaune was lazing on the couch with Jade as she cheered on the protagonists of some animated show she was watching. It was a weekend, and as such, Jaune would get to spend the whole day with his sister, a day well spent, in his humble opinion. For some strange reason, though, as of late, Jade had taken to sitting atop his body, saying something about it being funny. Jaune failed to see the amusement, but if she enjoyed perching on his shoulders, he wouldn't stop her.

"Yeah, beat em up X-way!" Jade cheered excitedly. "Did you see that, Jaueny, did you?" Jade asked her brother, patting his head rapidly.

Jaune chuckled, gently patting his sister's leg, "yes, Jade, I saw, very exciting."

Before Jade could say anything else, the sound of the front door stopped her as she spun around to see who had just entered the home. She gave an excited gasp and hastily climbed off Jaune's shoulders before hopping off the couch and darting out of the room. Jaune knew who it was even before Jade excitedly cheered their name.

After all, his father always carried a strong scent after a shift.

"Daddy!" Jade cheered, leaping at her father, who was ready for said adorable assault and readily scooped her up with one of his trunk-like arms.

"Arghh, help, help, a ravenous Jade is attacking me!" Cloud mock cried, spinning about with his daughter giggling explosively. Jaune paused the TV before he too got up and went over to greet his father, the paranoid part of his brain refusing to relax until after he had ensured his dad was safe after his patrol.

"Good morning, father. How was your shift?" Jaune greeted Cloud with a light bow, his old manners appearing instinctually. It was something he noticed always happened when his father returned in his hunter gear; he just instinctively wanted to speak more professionally.

"Morning Jaune, it was good, an almost quiet night only had to take care of a few wandering ones," Cloud spoke nonchalantly while carrying his daughter under his free arm. His weapon currently occupied his other arm, a massive two-handed claymore his father lovingly called Hallowed Hrunting.

Jaune looked at it with appreciation; it was a weapon perfectly designed for his father, and it excelled at dispatching Grimm with excellent efficiency. It could cut and crush in equal measure, and should his father transform it; the weapon could decimate a vast area with but a single swing and turn a pack of grim to dust in moments.

"Father, would you like me to store your blade in your office?" Jaune asked, holding his arms out to take the colossal weapon. A sudden bout of laughter could be heard as Saphron made herself known, her mirth obvious to see. "What is so funny, sister?" Jaune asked, confused by his sister's reaction.

"Jaune, it will crush you," Saphron explained plainly before departing for the kitchen, apparently having already met her quota for interacting with Jaune. Rather than object loudly, deny her claim, or get angry at her for brushing him off... Jaune frowned at the empty hallway where she had just stood, his thoughts a mess of conflicting emotions.

"She's not wrong, Jaune. It is pretty heavy," Cloud explained, hefting the weapon up with one arm showing that it was, in fact, taller than Jaune. Jaune only nodded even as his features retained a frown, unbeknownst to him though this had a powerful reaction on Cloud.

Jaune rarely, if ever, showed emotion to something that wasn't directly related to his family, to see him acting like a frustrated five-year-old gave Cloud a much-needed spark of hope. Maybe that was why he said the following words without really thinking.

"You sure you wanna try?" Cloud asked a single brow perked on his features as he lowered the cross guard to his son. Jade answered before Jaune could as the young boy looked at the proffered weapon with surprise.

"Yeah, go fow it Jauney, you can do it!" She cheered, flailing in her father's arm, not even causing the man to flinch as he chuckled. Jaune did not respond verbally but gave his father a stubborn and determined nod as his tiny hands wrapped about the hilt, unable to even encompass the circumference.

Cloud was not nearly foolish enough to place the total weight of Hallowed Hrunting on top of Jaune, but he figured there could be no harm in leaning a portion of it on him. "How are you doing, champ?" Cloud asked, his hand still firmly attached to the ornate guard that was the key to his weapon's unique ability.

"I can handle it," Jaune assured sternly.

"Haha, alright, then have some mo- argh Jade not in daddy's mouth!" Cloud exclaimed disgustedly as Jade sneezed directly into his face and, more importantly, in his open mouth. Cloud was so stunned by the sudden wet assault on his vulnerable face that he released his weapon. He realised far too late the cost of quickly wiping his face as he let out a yelp and hurried to grasp his weapon before it crushed Jaune.

That's why he was stunned when instead of beholding his son flattened beneath his weapon, he saw his son, not even a decade old, managing to hold at least half of his claymore aloft. Hallowed Hrunting was a Hunter weapon, but even amongst them, it was unique for its mass and size. Cloud designed it specifically to aid in the use of his Semblance and his specialty in clearing hordes of Grimm.

He trained his strength to the peak of what he was capable of so that he could wield this weapon with one arm, and even then, he knew that without Aura enhancing his skill, it was little more than dead weight. His weapon must have weighed more than Jaune did, with the long blade only being balanced thanks to the addition of the enlarged blade base to hold and protect its internal mechanisms.

He was so stunned that he just stood there, staring, shocked as his child managed almost to hold a sword that positively dwarfed him. He was only shocked from his stunned silence when he heard someone shout out in a panicked voice. Although he did not listen to what they said, he still lunged into action, quickly hoisting Hrunting up and revealing a red face Jaune who looked close to collapsing.

"Jaune! Cloud, what the hell were you thinking!?" Hella barked as she hurried down the stairs carrying Sky. Cloud, still in a state of shock, put down Jade and then hurried to look over Jaune, who was taking in big gulps of air. When he had finally got his breathing back to normal, he shook his arms out, trying to relax the burn in them with a smile.

Jaune turned to his father with a bashful smile and spoke in a voice just shy of a chuckle, "sorry, dad, seems I still need to do a bit of growing before I can heft Hallowed Hrunting."

Cloud was silent. He had no words as his mind went over the absurd anomaly that was his son. Lucky for him, Jaune was quickly distracted by a worried Hella, who promptly checked over her son for any injuries. When Hella finally approached Cloud, her features were still marred by concern, but they quickly transformed into confusion when he held his weapon out.

"Hella... can you please hold Hrunting?" Cloud asked, passing her the colossal weapon.

Hella, with baby Sky still held to her hip, looked at her husband baffled, "wha... what? Why?"

"Please... just do it," Cloud insisted, sounding oddly hollow. Hella gripped the hilt with a frustrated sigh and held the blade in a single hand, her arm not even shaking.

"He is off-balance, a bit of maintenance, and he will be good as new, satisfied?" Hella shrugged, handing the weapon back to her husband, who took the hulking sword apathetically.

"... How heavy is he?" Cloud asked, his voice still oddly void of emotion.

"Excessively so... oh."

"Yes, oh... distract the girls. I am going to get to the bottom of this now," Cloud instructed Hella, his eyes suddenly filled with mettle that had not been there a moment before. Without even waiting for Hella to respond, he moved over to Jaune. "Jaune, go out to the backyard and wait for me. I will be there in a moment."

"Yes, father," Jaune responded, turning about and heading for the rear of the house without hesitation. Cloud was quick to follow, forgoing the removal of his gear and stopping in the lounge room to gather but a singular item from atop the mantle.

YVYVYVYVY

Jaune sat on the porch steps enjoying the cool breeze as he observed some fluffy white clouds drifting in the morning sky. He did not have to wait long as his father's rather audible footsteps were an obvious indicator of his approach. Jaune was already standing when Cloud opened the back door and looked at his father with a subtle eagerness.

"Why did you call me out here, father?"

"I wanted to talk, just the two of us, but first..." Cloud trailed off, holding up a blade with a far more ordinary appearance than Hallowed Hrunting. It was a plain-looking arming sword, its sheath was of light ivory in colouration, and the Arc crest was printed on its side in what at first glance appeared to be gold.

"Here, catch," Cloud spoke lazily, tossing the sheathed weapon at Jaune, who caught the weapon in his arms, grunting at its weight as it forced him to take a step back. Jaune was quick to look the weapon over up close, which was why he missed the way his father's brow furrowed or the deep look of worry that took over his features for the briefest moment.

Cloud removed Hrunting from its sheath upon his back and leaned it against one of the pillars on their porch, showing a possible reason for their Mistrali yard design if only to take advantage of marble pillars for their architecture. Even though his shoulders were relieved of his colossal weapon, his shoulders were still slumped as he took a seat on the porch steps and removed some of his armour. As he shrugged off his singular pauldron and heavy protective coat, he watched as Jaune looked over the weapon with a critical eye.

"Here, let me hold the sheath," Cloud spoke, grabbing a hold just below the Arc crest, allowing Jaune to pull the blade from its case. While he did so, Cloud loosened his vest, causing the heavy piece of armour to clunk to the patio floor, its smooth black design was special ordered from Atlas, and the specialised design made it excel in protecting from heavy piercing and bludgeoning attacks. Perfect for taking on large numbers of Grimm.

Jaune finished with his inspection and spoke up, "The writing... it's not common... I can't read it."

"No, it's old Atlesian, from back when the kingdom was still Mantle... back before the Arc's migrated to Vale before the Great War," Cloud explained, dragging his Hunter Mesh over his head and leaving himself in just a tank top and his lower combat gear. The Mesh was Tarasque tier like his Vest and also hailed from Atlas, heavier than even a lot of hunters could handle. Still, the additional defensive powers of the interwoven and heavy braided mesh were worth it, in Cloud's opinion.

"We hail from Atlas?" Jaune asked, curious about the origins of his family.

"Sorta, as I said, when we still lived there, it was called Mantle... and it was a lot different to what it's like today. It was before even the alliance with Mistral. Back then, we were just crazy northerners stubborn enough to endure the harsh climate and strange Grimm. We survived by the sea's grace and the sheer cliffs' protection." Cloud chuckled, removing his knee pads, the angled plates having to be slid from their position to unhook the interlocking teeth that bound them to his greaves. These were Valean and took their design from the armour that the high king's royal guard once wore.

"I see... what does it say?" Jaune chuckled, pointing to the rune-like etchings.

Now free of all his armour, Cloud was in the middle of kicking off his boots as he answered his son, "it's our family motto. 'No matter the storm, we rise,' like I said, Jaune... crazy northerners."

"... I like it," Jaune replied earnestly.

Cloud sans boots looked at a son for a second and smiled as all his worries seemed so far away. At that moment, it was like the world was right, and he didn't need to push things... but he did. After all, how could he not when seeing Jaune hold the family sword as he was.

Clearing his throat, Cloud spoke up, scratching at his stubble, "y'know, we got another motto of sorts and a creed... but let's focus on the motto for now. It goes 'with family, for family,'" Cloud revealed, doing his utmost to keep a calm façade.

"I like that one too," Jaune chimed in.

"Thought you would... that's actually the cause for our little chat Jaune... have... any of your memories come back yet?" Cloud asked delicately.

"No," Jaune answered, his face devoid of emotion.

"I see..." Cloud mumbled, frustrated with himself for feeling so uncertain before his own son. With a big sigh, he slapped his face lightly as he doubled down on his intent to see this through properly. Jaune just gave his father a curious look as he attacked his own face feeling somewhat confused at his dad's strange behaviour.

"Jaune, did you know that a month or so before the umm... incident, when you lost your memories, I mean, you asked to see that very sword." Cloud mused, pointing to the weapon in Jaune's hands, "it's actually a family heirloom, wielded by your great-great-grandfather during the Great War. It's called Crocea Mors."

"I thought it looked older than the other weapons we have," Jaune mumbled to himself more than his father.

"Yes, well... the reason I bring this up, Jaune is that, well, you see... when you asked to see it the other time... Jaune, you couldn't even lift it an inch off the ground," Cloud finally stated his voice hard as he watched his son for any perceivable reaction.

But Jaune just looked between the weapon and his father calmly, musing on the subject for a moment before shrugging, "guess what they say about kids growing fast is true... I had no idea I was getting so... what's the word Jade used again, 'ruff'?"

"Buff."

"Yes, buff, that's the word, thank you."

Cloud felt a spark of amusement but swiftly ground it beneath the heel of his worry as he was pretty sure his son was trying to divert his attention. "Jaune... your mother and I are worried about you," Cloud huffed, finally biting the bullet.

This elicited a reaction from Jaune, who looked his father dead in the eye, his blue orbs oozing concern as he frowned. "It was not my intention to worry either of you... I thought... I thought I was doing better recently. I swear I was trying..." Jaune trailed off, his features shifting from concern to frustration as he was no doubt beating himself up about causing problems for his parents.

"You have been," Cloud quickly blurted out before he reeled himself back with a heavy sigh. "It's just... Jaune, we are your parents, it's our job to worry, and maybe we haven't been doing the best job of that."

Jaune looked very confused, resting Crocea Mors on his shoulder as he shifted his weight. "I don't understand what you mean, father, I have not needed you to worry about me, and I don't think I have done anything worthy of your concern."

At this, Cloud gave a pained laugh as he ran a hand down his face. "Jaune, buddy, we haven't stopped worrying about you since that day. Yes, we backed off, which was a mistake because... no matter which way you slice it, son, you need help... You need to let us help you," Cloud pleaded, crossing his arms to stop them fidgeting.

"... I don't understand," Jaune admitted.

Cloud took a steadying breath and prepared to take the plunge, there would be no more going back after this, and it terrified him. But he had to, for his son.

"Jaune, tell me what happened to you that day you killed the Grimm," Cloud demanded in a passive tone, even if his eyes were pleading.

Jaune looked at his father with a confused expression, rolling his shoulders so that the tip of Crocea Mors now rested on the ground. "But you already know what happened. I told you and mother both... and that doctor."

"... Jaune, that simply isn't the truth, and I think you know that", Cloud reprimanded sternly.

"But it is I killed the Grimm, I saved Jade and then I passed out," Jaune reiterated.

"Jaune! You cannot honestly expect me to believe that's all that happened," Cloud erupted in disbelief. The blank stare his son gave him was infuriating and damning as it communicated that Jaune very much did expect his father to believe such a farcical thing.

"... Jaune, last chance, please just," Cloud sighed, wishing more than ever he could read his son's thoughts. "Just tell me the whole truth Jaune, please." But despite his plea, Jaune remained silent and even went so far as to avert his gaze, instead focusing wholly on the sword in his grip.

A silence stretched between the two for a few moments before, in a more level tone, Cloud spoke disappointedly, "fine... I am going to make an appointment for you with Dr Kaiser."

Jaune, hearing this flinched violently, "t-thank you for the thought, father, but I don't think that will be necessary," Jaune spoke up with an edge to his voice.

"I am sorry, but it's not up for debate. You will see a professional if you would prefer another doctor; that can be arranged, Jaune, but you will see someone. You need to see someone." Cloud doubled down, recrossing his arms, giving Jaune a firm stare.

Jaune brought his eyes up to his fathers and prayed that his dad could not see the barely restrained fear in them as he spoke, "no."

"Yes, you will, Jaune!" Cloud reiterated his tone, broaching no argument.

"I cannot... I will not go see a doctor," Jaune shot back, his tone still level as his tiny hands gripped the sword even tighter.

"Why not! Jaune, you need help," Cloud growled in frustration as he tried again to get his son to understand the situation.

"Because I don't need a doctor, father, I don't need anything except my family... I just need you all and everything... everything will be alright. It has to be alright!" Jaune growled out defiantly. Once again, he lamented the pitch of his voice as the tone of a child did much to drain the seriousness from his words.

"No, it won't, Jaune! Don't you see how worried about you we are? You lost your memories, and you act so differently from how you used to. It's like you're an entirely different kid! You do nothing but hang out with Jade and study. I haven't seen you touch a video game in months, Jaune, when I used to have to physically separate you from your console just to have a conversation." Cloud rambled, rising off the porch to stand in front of his son to try and force his child to look at him.

"You suddenly know more about anatomy than I do, and you knew it before you could even read. In the span of a few months, half of which you had a broken leg, you can now lift a sword that weighs more than you do! And to top it off, you somehow passed out from killing a Grimm and woke up with a vocabulary more diverse than some adults I know and again, all without being able to read!" Cloud listed off as one of his hands went to grip his hair, but with his crew cut, such an act was impossible. "And, in case you forgot, you are FIVE!"

"I am sorry that I have been acting strange; I am sorry my physical and mental abilities are apparently an issue for you, father, but I have not been acting in a discontent manner! So, if nothing is wrong, why should I see a physician," Jaune argued, grinding the tip of the sword into the ground, a tiny hint of vitriol seeping into his words.

"Because something is wrong, Jaune, something you don't feel comfortable telling your mother or me about! But someone needs to know Jaune... you need to be able to get help from somewhere!" Cloud pleaded, moving closer to his son. But his pleas had little effect on Jaune, who only heard his father's attempt to force him into another clinic, a situation he would not abide by.

Jaune didn't know what to do. He felt overwhelmed, he never wanted to cause his family distress, but he simply couldn't go to a clinic. He didn't have the strength to endure such a thing, and even now, his mind felt as if it was caught in a barbed-wire net. With each thought, a memory tagged along until, without even knowing what he was doing, he stood up, sword in hand and snarled viciously at his father, "I will not be seeing a doctor! You cannot make me!"

"Jaune-"

"You want to know what happened?! Well, so do I! I want to know why the me that went into the woods isn't me now. I want to know what I lost; I want to know my own likes and dislikes!" Jaune raged, his squeaky voice even now infuriating him. But he didn't stop; he couldn't, this madness would end now, and he would protect his family, especially from the evil within his mind.

"What happened that day is I broke father! I AM BROKEN! I am not the Jaune you knew, and I am sorry, and I wish I could be... I wish I could be the son you loved, and I wish I could still be whole, innocent, and perfect... I... I can't, though." With tears in his eyes, Jaune lifted the sword and saw in it his reflection, tarnished by the old metal and distorted by his teary eyes. But even such a poor reflection showed him the hunter drenched in sinful blood instead of the innocent child his father longed for.

"I am... what I am, and I have tried so hard to make that ok. I want so badly to just be with you all. For us all to be together... it seems I was fooling myself." With a sniff, Jaune reached for the sheathe to Crocea Mors and with the blade securely back in its home; he handed the weapon to his father. "Here... take it," he said with a broken tone.

Cloud took the old weapon even as he stared at his son in horror, appalled at what his child thought of himself. "Jaune, you're not broken y-"

"I am," Jaune quickly spat, cutting his father off. "... I don't know what to tell you, father. Without those memories, I cannot be the Jaune you knew... Can I even call myself your son?"

"Jaune, how can you say that?" Cloud asked, his voice cracking as he felt a wave of pure fear wash over him. But his words went unheard as Jaune seemed to begin to ramble and mutter to himself his words coming out in a splurge.

"... I ruined it... am I still dreaming? I wonder... Is this yet another nightmare I must put to the blade?" Jaune muttered, his words shifting to the gothic tongue of Yharnam as he felt something in his chest ache violently.

"Dreaming? Jaune, I don't understand what-"

"When I awoke, I thought it was over... was I fooling myself? What more must I do to move forward?"

"Jaune, please, you're not making sense!"

"... I... I need to go," Jaune mumbled as he began to walk off slowly, heading for the woods behind the house.

"Jaune!" Cloud called out, but as he made to reach for him, the small boy took off in a dash, his tiny legs carrying him with startling speed. But Cloud was a hunter whose speed was inhuman and thus could easily catch his troubled child, but before he could even attempt to, a hand grasped his shoulder and pulled him about with immense strength.

"Cloud! Cloud!" Hella's shouted, shaking her stunned husband.

"Hella! Jaune ran off. I don't know what I said; he was speaking that other language again- I don't know what to do!" Cloud explained to his wife, looking into the woods desperately.

"I know, I saw, and we will handle it, but there has been an emergency, a caravan sent out an SOS, and you and have been called in. You need to go now!" Hella informed her husband, her face serious even if she too kept glancing at the woods almost longingly.

"But Jaun-"

"I know, Cloud, my love, you love him. You want to help him, but those people need you. They need you now. I will handle Jaune, calm him down and bring him back, but you must go now!" Hella informed her husband as she cupped his face between her hands, staring into his hurting gaze.

Beaten by her logic and driven by his duty, Cloud hugged Hella close and whispered to her, "please, help him... fix my mistake."

"You did nothing wrong; now go!" Hella ordered as she began to head for the woods, already set on tracking down her son. Cloud saw her agile form depart into the woods swiftly, pregnancy having only slowed her by the smallest of margins. With a snarl of frustration at fate's cruel sense of humour, he redonned his gear, ignoring the stink of his last shift. Picking up his sword, he pressed his forehead to the cool metal and took a calming breath, doing his best to get into the right mindset.

"Right... just you and me again, Hrunting... back to work," Cloud hurried back into the house, informing Scarlett that she was in charge until their mother got back, and then he was sprinting back to the HQ, his eyes already able to spot the Bullhead landing on the distant roof.

YVYVYVYVY

Jaune didn't know why he ran, he didn't know what was wrong with himself, but he knew that being around others was problematic. The morning sun did not shine nearly so bright as he made his way through the woods, the heavy canopy obscuring the sky and casting shadows about him that brought a wicked sense of comfort.

He could hear his own heart pounding in his chest, feel his lungs burn as he strained them, pushing his legs onwards. But it was one sound that made the spit in his mouth feel like ichor, and it was the sound of the blood rushing to his head, that siren song of surging sanguine fluid. With a sudden nauseous lurch, Jaune's shoulder collided with a tree trunk and his body was flung to the floor.

It throbbed dully, but like all pain, it was so numb to him it may as well be non-existent. He tried to stand, but his legs buckled, his lower body like jelly. He couldn't stop though; after all, he ruined it... he ruined everything.

Like always.

"The sweet blood, ooh, it sings to me! It's enough to make a man sick."

Jaune lurched again, tears blurring as he gagged, dragging his body further away from his family. Desperate to spare them the ruination he brought, the utter devastation he left in his wake no matter his intention.

"Save me, please... Save me..."

The grass was cooler now, the soil beneath darker and thick with captured moisture, the trees slowly parting and opening to the lake. The same lake his family had visited the day the Boarbatusk attacked... the day he drove apart his family and, upon his return, wrought nothing but suffering among those he loved.

"Mum, come home... I'm alone... I'm scared... It's not fair..."

Jaune pulled his body towards the water, the great still body, his mind stirring with new echoes as he beheld a lake and the meanings that such a thing imparted within him. His clinging hands clung to mud now as the soil turned to mush, and, in his mind, he beheld the wet earth as cold, vicious red.

"Oh, how did this happen..."

The cold, lapping water pulled away illusory blood but did nothing to stop the buzzing pressure in his head, and so it was that in either a bout of madness or desperation, he plunged his head into the shallow water and screamed. He screamed and cried, the water bubbling about him as his eyes burned and his mouth filled with the taste of iron that wasn't there.

When his lungs were spent, and his mind was reduced to the traumatic wreck it should be, he pulled his head from the lake and rolled onto his back. The soft water lapped at him, rocking him gently as he cried, broken, and distorted as he was, longing for love and family but doomed to do little more than to force them all to suffer in his presence.

He sobbed harder when his mother waded into the shallow water and hugged his drenched filthy form to her chest. He felt ill when she hushed his cries and attempted to settle his bleeding soul. But when she cried with him, he desired a fresh death, for her tears cut him more profoundly than anything else he ever endured.

What was the point of surviving, of living, if his grief lashed at those he cared about in the end?

Indeed, he was a vile thing.

Just another hunter... ruthless and murderous.

A blood-crazed fiend.

A.N.

So... this chapter is nothing like I said it would be...

It's late, it is not a time skip of a couple of years, and we have yet to see Jaune be genuinely protective of his sisters. But after reading your reviews, I figured it would be better to slow burn for a little longer.

So instead, I want to show that Jaune is not a well-adjusted person. He is very twisted in his views and lacks any sense of ambition or personal drive. In a sense, he prefers to operate as a passive observer and can come across as nonchalant to most, if not for his extreme feelings towards his family. And that is just when he isn't afflicted by the nightmares and memories that haunt him.

Regarding Jaune's intelligence, I want to clarify that he is smart, but his abilities would be sorely lacking in the creative and social departments. Jaune would not excel in social studies outside of subjects such as anthropology or other schools where one can derive facts and evidence. Skills like persuasive speech, philosophy, and reasoning... well, he is straightforward.

Obviously, he is horrifically antisocial and actively avoids interacting with other parties he is not familiar. When he does have to interact with someone else, he maintains a degree of separation in the form of roles. A good example would be his tutor. They are his tutor, nothing more; he does not think of them outside that role. In his mind, they are his tutor, not a 'person' who is also his tutor.

Right now, that's enough story talking... time for some in-house talk.

Yes, the rating is going up.

I am trying to update quicker, but I need to try harder in that regard.

Jaune will not be actively eating Faunus. I'm not saying he won't bite playfully though, gotta keep my options open, lol.

Jaune's method for handling mental issues is very ill-advised. It's not wrong to seek help.

I read all your comments... all of them.

This brings me to my last point, so I want to make this clear, and I'm not going to bother with names because I don't need to. I am by no means ever intending to put my fic behind a paywall, this fic is indeed free as it should be, and my Patrons are aware of this; I want to make it clear that their support means so much to me that it is hard to put into the written word. The rewards I offer as tiers are my attempt to show them my appreciation, to let these wonderful people know the depth of my gratitude.

One of my primary goals in taking up writing was to pursue a facet of myself that I never put the effort I desired into. Seeing that I can write something so many of you enjoy only makes that better. To hide my work behind a paywall would be utterly asinine as it would only inhibit new readers from seeing my work.

And with that, we are done with this chapter.

Remember, if you find yourself really, really, really liking my writing and want to show some financial support, I'm AceReaper on Pat re on, same icon as my FF account.

Believe in a better world.

And as always.

Until next time.