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 Lee yang.
I hope this story continues to be worthy of your support.
Chapter 8 Reviled Acts do Stir
His feet pounded across the floor, kicking up the clinging fog as he charged forward, his features locked into a cold snarl.
Bullets whizzed by his head, the crack of the gun a mere blink behind; they would not be a deterrent.
A hound, savage and infected, with festering gums and yellow teeth, its mouth was swiftly filled with a blazing torch, its pained wretch silenced as sharpened steel cleaved its head from its body.
Before him, Huntsmen, mockeries of a true Hunter, a pitchfork jabs forward wildly.
"…Jaune…"
His boot crushes the improper tool beneath his heel; he burns the madman's eyes with his torch before knocking him aside.
Mind your distance.
Check their numbers.
Do. Not. Get. Overwhelmed.
Two more charge him, one with an axe and the other a shield, both with lit torches held out threateningly.
He throws his light source at the axe man, and the distraction leaves him open for his cleaver; the infected man dies, gurgling on his blood as his trachea is forcibly removed.
The second sees an opportunity to attack.
"…Jaune…"
He is ready; his cleaver unfurls, the extra length letting him bat the man's torch aside, his free hand clasping at the shoddy shield.
A turn, a pivot, and two more gunshots ring out; the Huntsman goes limp, his own allies' bullets perforating his chest.
The hunt is still afoot, do not falter.
Action is life; inaction is death.
A kick sends the corpse sprawling and frees the makeshift shield; he barrels forward, and two more gunshots ring out.
The shoddy wood splinters and his arm burns as it is punctured; he ignores the pain.
It is irrelevant.
"…Jaune…Jaune…"
They collide; he has momentum, and his opponent is not nearly sturdy enough.
The gunman to the left is sent to the floor, snarling like the maddened thing he is.
The second makes to switch to some auxiliary weapon.
His Saw Cleaver does not halt in its ascent until it meets the still-standing Huntsman's ribs; their innards are noisy as they spill to the floor.
The grounded gunner tries to fire his weapon again, and the damaged plank shield shatters as he swings it into the would-be gunman's face.
His eyes don't even blink as teeth and blood scatter from the impact, and the man hollers his pain.
"Mr Arc…?"
The sound of scuffing boots, a sneak attack; he rolls, a large cleaver bites deeply into the wrong target, and a beast is revealed.
He is on his feet before the bestial man has even removed the cleaver from the crazed Yharnamite, in his hands, the loaded rifle of the recently slain Huntsman.
It presses to the temple lightly, a kiss of hot metal against the matted fur of the beast's skull before, without remorse or higher thought, the trigger is pulled.
Skull and brain splatter across the cold Yharnam ground, and the beastly man falls atop its last kill, limp and deceased.
Thoroughness forces him to sink his Saw Cleaver into the fallen beast man's cervical vertebrae, ensuring it does not rise.
Only in Yharnam must one doubt the lethality of headshots.
"… Jaune… Jaune wake up…"
A pained sob, groaning whimpers, the smell of seared flesh… he turns to finish.
"Mr Arc… Please wake up…"
He drops the spent rifle, smoke still billowing from the hot barrel; the whining Huntsman reacts to the noise crawling away, terrified and in pain.
His boot stops his retreat as it plants itself securely in the centre of the man's back, he bucks and struggles, but his strength is found lacking.
His Saw Cleaver is still unfurled, and as he brings it over his shoulders, its weight almost begs to descend.
He can already picture the way the wounded man's head will split like wood beneath the axe, the way his grey matter will spew forth and blood, deep red and flowing, will erupt in a veritable flood.
His grip tightens.
He swings.
Blade meets fl-
"Mr Arc!"
Jaune awoke violently; his chair flung back to slam loudly against the back wall of the classroom, his fist wrapped around the edge of his desk, ready to hurl it at the waking threat. His teeth are borne, a brief flash of savagery on his features as his nose twitches almost eagerly for the coppery clinging scent of battle. But as the thrumming blood in his ears continues to pound noisily, it remains lonesome as no other sound joins it.
Jaune's eyes dart about, shoulders hunched, and arms tense to wield the makeshift weapon of his desk, his feet positioned to pivot. But he is alone, the room empty, the lights as bright as the light from the window, the light of the sun, the eternal night only real for the moment in his twisted mind's scarred and drowning depths.
"Mr Arc?" a voice chimes up again, bringing Jaune's wary gaze to the terminal screen atop his desk. His tutor, the same he has had for many years, sits behind the screen, her eyes aghast with worry as she looks ready to reach through the screen itself.
"Jaune, are you all right?" She asked, clearly distressed by what she had just witnessed.
Jaune, still breathing heavily, felt his body begin to relax little by little; slowly, he released the desk and took a step back. He was frustrated by his lack of control and the blatant betrayal perpetrated against him by his own mind. With a terse sigh, he lifted his seat off the ground and sat on it heavily, his tutor went to speak again, but he cut her off with a raised hand.
"I am fine… I apologise for dozing off. My mind slipped away from me," Jaune explained, finally making eye contact with the screen and observing how his long-time teacher reacted.
Worry was still her primary emotion, but Jaune saw the glint in her eyes he had long since recognised as intrigue. He saw her body shift as she slid back into her chair, a faulty attempt to relax that was honestly for naught as her tense shoulders still gave her away.
"What… what were you dreaming about?" She asked, stumbling for a moment as she sought to appease her curiosity.
"Nothing that should be discussed in polite company," Jaune answered honestly.
"It looked like quite a nightmare?" She queried, trying yet again to gain a clue to decipher the mystery before her.
"It was nothing," Jaune stated again, opening his book to the last page he had been taking notes on. While many might have preferred to type their notes, he remained very much fond of the physical feel of paper.
But reaching the last page of his book stripped him of any fond feelings.
The page where his mind had drifted was apparent; one page was covered in notes and highlights concerning the Vacuan leader Hawk Eye Yarrick. The Faunus said to have led the vast majority of the Vacuon defence during the Great War, granted a serendipitous number of titles and known for his use of brutal cunning and savage skulduggery to hold the northern alliance at bay for many years.
Post-Great War, he became a figure of great importance and renown as a leader among Faunus, taking part in the Faunus rights revolution. It is said that Yarrick won more victories with his mere presence than any other army did with militant action. So great was the respect that the people of Vacuo held for him that the fighting in Vacuo was less of a revolution and more of a drawn-out protest.
It was also interesting to note that even before the revolution, he was still a shaker and mover, a strong opponent against the 'desecration' of his homeland by the greedy Dust companies that 'gnashed at it like overzealous ticks.' Indeed, his career continued until he was old and his feathers moulting; he established many of the now infamous mercenary companies that called Vacuo their home and is said even to have had significant influence over the Hunter Academy of Shade.
He was someone that Jaune held a great degree of interest in, as it was Yarrick who helped prove to Jaune that the Faunus could genuinely have nothing to do with the Old Blood. While he could be savage in his stratagems, and his personal fighting style strictly focused on dismemberment, the man was more a general than a foul beast despite the trying times he found himself in.
This was why Jaune was brought to such anger by what he saw on the page adjacent to his notes on the man.
Crazed and frantic etchings, the likes of which were all too familiar to one who had traversed the mad city of Yharnam. Everything from rambling lines written in the gothic tongue of the Yharnamites to even older texts that would be at home in Loran.
And, of course, Caryll Runes.
Jaune could only stare at the page for a few moments before he began to hear the distant howls and screams… Before ever so faintly, he could hear an infant's wet, burbling sob. The force with which he slammed the book shut shook the entire desk and might have even bent the wood, but he could not bring himself to care. Unfortunately, he was not alone, and someone else was all too happy to care about the thunderous slamming of his book and palm against the desk.
"Jaune!" his tutor exclaimed, clearly jumping from the unexpected bang.
Jaune had to physically bite his tongue as he wanted to deny, to protest the mere idea that anything was wrong, yet something deep within him was stirring violently. Contemptuously he pondered what force could be driving him into such a mentality, what could have drawn him into the furrows of his mind.
"Something is wrong…." Jaune mumbled, his words thick across his tongue, his ire growing as his heart pounded in his chest.
"Mr Arc, do you need-"
"I need to go," Jaune said abruptly, dragging his book into his bag and shouldering his satchel in the same move.
"But Mr Arc, we still haven't finished our lesson; I can't dismi-"
Just as his tutor began to protest, the school bell rang, announcing the end of the day; Jaune halted at the door, looking up at a clock with confusion. "How long…."
"Mr Arc?"
"I could have sworn we were only a few minutes into our lesson," Jaune mumbled, confused by how much time he was seemingly missing.
"… Jaune, maybe it's for the best if you sit back down. I must admit I am a little worried for you," His tutor explained, taking her glasses off and running a hand through her short wild hair, its moss green colour looking like a tangled grass knot. Jaune noted that, as usual, her tie was askew and terribly loose, not to mention an appalling shade of orange. Honestly, he didn't know why she did not just forgo the eyesore if she was going to wear it so poorly.
"I assure you I am fine, a little bit of post-sleep disorientation," Jaune hurried to explain, his gaze still clinging to the clock.
"And your… explosive awakening?" She pried, leaning further back in her chair, her shoulders finally relaxing as she accepted that he would not be forthcoming.
"A nightmare. It was not enjoyable," Jaune deadpanned, pushing his chair in to lean over it, his gaze locking onto his tutor, seeing how she raised a single imperious brow at him.
"Clearly… you know I could just message your parents, right?" She baited, leaning her head on her fist.
"You assume I would withhold this information from them," Jaune batted back, shrugging with one shoulder.
"Most children-
"Most children do not have enough credits to already graduate with their high school diploma nor have they begun to work on subjects one would normally encounter in pursuing higher education… I am not most children, or did the fact that I am a six-foot twelve-year-old slip your mind?" Jaune huffed, gesturing to his frame as he rose to full height.
"Oh, right, your twelve!" His tutor proclaimed loudly, smacking her fist into her hand as realisation dawned on her face.
"Maybe you need a nap?" Jaune grunted, turning to leave.
"Hey! I am just trying to look out for you. Is that so difficult to believe?" his tutor rushed to ask, her indigo eye pressed up close to the camera, blinking expectantly.
Jaune turning to leave, gave a parting response, "perhaps."
"Hey wa- Oh fine! See you tomorrow Mr Arc!" His tutor exclaimed in frustration before killing the feed as Jaune vacated the room.
With the door to his back and the Special Resource building its usual degree of vacant, Jaune let himself lean on the closed entry as he grit his teeth in frustration. His mind was once again plagued by the damnable haze, the sensation akin to a fetid cowl of slime that clung to his brain like seaweed. To add to it, he still could not shake this sudden certainty that something was wrong; the two feelings combined had him feeling heavily agitated.
Reaching into his satchel, Jaune pulled out his notebook with unnatural ease and flipped to the page plagued by the cursed scrawling of his demented mind. Upon once more beholding the craze spew of imagery and words, his mind was struck as if by a leucotome, and the haze was pierced.
Jaune wanted to snarl at the realisation that the haze was linked to Yharnam or at least correlated to his state of mind concerning the bloody city.
Jaune could see the runes; he knew the runes; he knew them as he knew the scent of blood and the feel of rent flesh. The ones he scribed now only added to his foreboding anxiety, each spoken in his mind, sending a surge of dancing spark through his veins.
'Clawmark.'
'Heir.'
'Embrace.'
The last rune was utterly destroyed, Jaune in his sleep having utterly shredded the paper in his drive to destroy it. The words were written with such frequency and quantity that they overlapped each other to the point that it was a cloud of black ink with a few words fluttering about the edges. Jaune felt furious at whatever had stirred in his mind to conjure such foul memories and imagery; the mad impulse to probe his mind with a sharp implement was too tempting for his health.
"The night was long… why can it not rest!" Jaune snarled, slamming the book back into the door, his knuckles popping audibly as he clenched his fist tighter, his notebook furled up in a tight cylinder. His heart was audible in his chest, his blood sung with harrowing fury, and he could feel the electricity in his muscles, the potential energy coiling like a viper poised to strike.
When his scroll buzzed audibly, the noise elicited a visceral flinch as he physically restrained his arm from lashing out. With extra care, he pulled it out and checked his messages, a small smile appearing as he read the missive. It was a picture of Jade and Sky both waiting at the front entrance for him, looking about overdramatically with a caption reading 'hunting for giants.'
Jaune sent a swift reply notifying his younger sisters that he was on his way as he closed his notebook and stuffed it at the bottom of his satchel, even going so far as to load some other items on top of it to be sure that no one would accidentally glimpse what was inside. Then he took off, walking swiftly to where his darling sisters waited, a sense of relief at soon reuniting with his family settling in his gut.
YVYVYVYVY
The trio of siblings were nearly home, the three walking in line with Jaune in the centre and both his siblings holding each hand. Sky was currently regaling the duo with how her music teacher had paid her a compliment today; Jaune was listening intently, his eyes ever vigilant of their surroundings still despite the safety of Reach.
Jade was doing her best not to look bored at her younger sister's rambling.
"And then-"
"Wow! Look at that! Home already! Well, see you guys inside!" Jade announced loudly as she dashed off, sprinting towards their home shamelessly.
"I guess I'll just have to tell her later," Sky said with a shrug earning a snort from Jaune.
"That sounds like a splendid idea," Jaune agreed, giving his second-youngest sister a coy smirk.
Sky was just about to continue recounting events when Jade, who had only just reached the house after sprinting off, turned and began to flee towards Jaune with a look of terror on her features. The sight of his terrified younger sister erased all civility from Jaunes features until all that remained was the visage of a Hunter. Like a flash, he had scooped Sky up in his arms, the young girl giving a tiny eep and rushed forward to meet Jade at the front gate.
"Look," Jade stuttered, pointing at the front door, her tiny hand shaking slightly. Jaune's gaze narrowed, and he quickly saw what she was gesturing to as he smelt blood upon his approach.
"…Both of you stay here; stay low; I will come to get you; if I'm not back in five minutes, leave and call someone immediately. If someone you don't recognise comes out of the house, flee and call someone immediately. If you hear a commotion or gunfire, do the same… do you understand?" Jaune asked, making sure both young girls understood his instruction, both replying with quiet nods.
Sky was shaken but kept quiet even if her eyes looked a bit moist; Jade was putting on a brave face even if she was still trembling. Jaune leaned in and hugged them both, whispering soft words of comfort, "do not fret; your brother will get this all fixed up."
With both girls safely sequestered behind the gate, Jaune silently approached the house, his feat making nary a sound as he practically glided across the driveway and up to the front door. Quickly he took in the scene before him, his eyes examining the door and blood smears for any clues as to what was happening. The blood smears were light, with little blood loss and no splatter, so it was just transferred from contact. The smudge on the frame looked like it was brushed against, but the doorknob was a little more concentrated.
There was the hand print on the door itself where someone had pushed it open, the hand was small, but the actual size was difficult to tell as it was smeared, distorting its size and shape. Instinctually he leaned in until his nose was adjacent to the doorknob where the blood was most concentrated; he breathed in the coppery scent of blood wafting into his nose, where his mind began to disseminate even more information.
Then he recognised the scent.
The last iota of Jaune Arc disappeared as all the hellish fury of Yharnam rose to the forefront. The Hunter was now in complete control; he slid his bag from his shoulders and placed it quietly adjacent to the front door, unencumbered, he began to hunt. The Hunter opened the door and entered his house quietly; the scent of blood, fear and antiseptic immediately assaulted his nose. He crept across the foyer, his feat not making a sound as he expertly avoided the creaky floorboard, and his hand reached into the shoe cabinet, pulling the hidden weapon from the top of the cupboard.
Held in a tight grip was a revolver, a Tier 1 Vasto Revolver, a firearm known best for its widespread use in many movies. Jaune had spent much time researching the weapons of his homeland; learning just how prolific firearms were here had honestly been a blessing and a comfort.
After all, many had known the prayer of the Powder Kegs Hunters despite the ostracisation they suffered.
'Great Ones bless Yharnam and her guns!'
The Vasto was a former officer sidearm; it rose to prominence as firearm technology increased in response to the war and massive surges in Grimm numbers. Replacing the former Bolto, the Vasto was renowned for its sturdy and simple design, it's rugged make allowing for it to be considered a far more reliable and thus favourable weapon on the battlefield. The Vasto became so popular that it can still be found in use today, being favoured by both collectors and outrider sheriffs who prefer a reliable revolver.
Some even contested its Tier 1 ranking, but Jaune's affection for the weapon halted there as he did not care how famous the gun was. The ranking system was not there to track the popularity or usefulness. It existed to stop people from winding up dead from shooting a weapon made specifically for Hunters, capable of blowing someone's joints out.
With the weapon in hand, the Hunter quickly retrieved the bullets from a pair of hideous purple Ugg boots with green polka dots. He loaded the gun gently, ensuring that only the faintest sounds of metal latching were audible, his ears twitching as he finally heard some noise from the quiet house.
Emanating from the lounge room, the Hunter heard soft whimpers and a pained hiss followed by the ruffling of fabric and a strangled sob. Gun loaded, the Hunter strode forward, cold eyes perusing the many entryways of the hall, wary of surprises. His silent form halted next to the doorway of the lounge room; he waited for a breath listening for any more sounds that may hint at possible threats but heard none. In a move he had performed countless times in the many alleys of Yharnam, the Hunter pivoted about the door frame, weapon ready to spit fire and death.
A startled squeak was heard as the revolver barrel came to centre over the source of the whimpering. It was his older sister Saphron her face heavily bruised and her lip split, looking at him with unmitigated fear in her eyes. The sound of shoes scuffing across the floorboards had his arm whipping to the right. A swallowed breath slipped out as the Hunter found his other elder sibling staring at him cautiously.
Her arms were laden with a blanket and a med kit, her body perfectly frozen as her lips, slightly parted, trembled away fearfully. The Hunter lowered his weapon away from the eldest of the Arc children, his cold gaze settling somewhat as he quickly interrogated his sibling tersely, "are you alone?"
"What?" Scarlett whispered, confused.
"Is there anyone else here?" the Hunter asked again, his gaze locked with his sister's, the intensity in his eyes causing her to flinch.
"N-no it's just us," Scarlett stated.
"… Good," Jaune breathed, taking the bullets out of the Vasto, "I will be right back; I left Jade and Sky outside, and then we will discuss why my sister looks like that."
"What, no! I don't-"
"Ok, go get them," Scarlett agreed, cutting off Saphron's sudden protest and shooting her younger sister a glare that had even Jaune raising a brow at the ferocity in her expression.
The two youngest arcs were quickly instructed to stay out of the lounge room and out of the older siblings' way. Jaune found out then that his mother had been called to deal with an emergency just south of Reach, a possible spotting of an Elder Grimm, causing a squad to be dispatched to investigate. His father was probably with her or still on patrol, but either way, the twins were with Tami, who would be by later to help with dinner.
With the younger girls out of the room, Jaune took a moment to check over his injured older sister, but what he saw only made his head throb. Her face was heavily bruised, she had a split lip and bleeding from her nose, and a section of her scalp appeared to have bled where hair had been pulled out.
Her neck was red and raw. Jaune recognised a handprint where she had been strangled and scratched from what he guessed were long nails under her left ear. Her shirt was torn, her sports bra exposed, and another bruise atop her collarbone. She clutched at her abdomen, leading Jaune to conclude more trauma to her midsection, the severity of which he would have to wait as Saphron refused to let him check her over.
Her lower half was also a concern; her legs were heavily bruised, and her ankle was swollen and showed signs of heavy trauma in addition to what looked like two broken toes on her left foot, judging by the discolouration. Then there was the fact that her shorts were missing, only her bike pants remained, and there were more scratches on her thighs from what Jaune assumed were nails.
"Right, the girls are somewhat settled. They will stay out of the way at least," Scarlett proclaimed, walking back in.
"What happened? Jaune asked, wasting no time as he sent Scarlett a stern inquisitive look.
"Well-"
"Shut it!" Saphron interjected, shooting Scarlett a scathing look. Jaune immediately rose to his full height, his stare piercing as he stepped closer to Saphron.
"Now is not the time for your abrasive antics, sister. Tell me what caused you to wind up in such a state." Jaune's looming form did nothing but cause Saphron to clamp up, turning her head to the side as she avoided making eye contact with him.
"You should tell him, sis," Scarlett sighed as she gently pushed Jaune back, opening up the med kit and pulling out cotton buds and the antiseptic.
"Shut up; it's none of his business!" Saphron snarled.
"So what's different between him and me then? Huh, turn your head," Scarlett calmly replied, dabbing the antiseptic cotton on the scratches beneath her ear.
Saphron huffed, "look, I know that you and he are all buddy-buddy now, but that doesn't change the fact that he is still… Jaune."
"Broken, you mean," Scarlett sneered, no small amount of self-loathing in her words as she shot Jaune an apologetic glance.
"Way to be subtle, sis," Saphron snarked, Scarlett, replying by dabbing at her lip. "Ahh! Bitch!" Saphron hissed as Scarlett continued her work unimpressed.
"You know all those memories he lost don't even equate to half his life anymore… strange to think about, huh?" Scarlett commented as she put down her cotton bud. "Bend down; need to check your head," the eldest Arc child ordered, holding her hands out.
"You already check her for a concussion?" Jaune chimed in, the worry in his tone beating out his frustration.
"Yeah, she's good, got that thick Arc skull on her side," Scarlett mused, attempting to lighten the mood.
"They didn't get my head," Saphron spat, annoyed at the jovial attempt.
"So, there was more than one attacker," Jaune chimed in, his hand twitching to reach for the Vasto.
"Wha- Shit! You get out!" Saphron ordered, her tone defensive as she snarled at her younger brother.
"No! You sit. You ain't going anywhere until I'm sure you won't go on a war path," Scarlett ordered Jaune as he rose out of his chair.
"With all due respect, sister, I don't think you are in much of a position to stop me," Jaune commented, the smile on his face hollow.
Scarlett stopped examining Saphron's head, turning to give Jaune her full attention, "I am presently the only adult in this house, Jaune. On top of that, you know damn well that when no one else is present, I am in charge, so I am telling you, as the eldest, sit your scrappy ass down." Her no-nonsense voice was stern but pleading. She knew well that Jaune would do anything for his sisters. She had witnessed it, and as such, she knew her younger brother would do as she said.
"… You will need to wash her scalp; they tore out a chunk of her hair," Jaune informed Scarlett, his tone demure as he obeyed his older sibling.
"I don't want to erase evidence," Scarlett informed Jaune, but upon hearing her explanation, Saphron reacted adversely.
"I told you no cops!" She screamed, her voice manic as she pulled back from her older sibling, only to cringe in pain from her actions.
"And I told you to stop being stupid!" Scarlett yelled right back, getting in Saphron's face, an echoing silence permeating throughout the room as a sore Saphron slumped back sourly.
Jaune would generally be too happy to hold his tongue in a tense situation, but seeing as he was presently hearing the screaming death rattle of living nightmares, he preferred noise. "Why don't you want to involve the police? It is obvious that you have been assaulted… did you perpetrate a criminal act of your own?"
"None of your business," Saphron murmured.
"I think you will find Saphron that someone laying hands on my sisters is very much my business," Jaune snarled dangerously, his hand grasped tightly about the handle of the Vasto, his thumb flicking at the hammer of the unloaded firearm. He was doing his best to remain calm, but with the current situation, he was finding his usual tricks to push back the echoes of Yharnam ineffective.
"Jaune, gun down," Scarlett asked politely, not even glancing at her younger brother as he stared down Saphron.
"Apologies…"
"What the hell happened between the two of you," Saphron grumped.
"He saved my life, shirt off. I need to check your ribs…." Scarlett ordered.
"What! When did this happen?" Saphron enquired, startled, her head bouncing between her two siblings.
"About a month before the twins were born. Now take your top off," Scarlett ordered again.
"I want de-"
"If you don't take that top off now, I will cut it off of you," Scarlett demanded, reaching for a pair of scissors.
"Fine, fine, but what happened that Jaune needed to save you," Saphron ground out as she pulled her top off slowly, a deep moan of pain following her movements as she struggled with the simple motion. Scarlett was quick to kneel by her side and give her sister aid in removing her filthy, ruined top, unveiling all-new injuries to behold.
Jaune to the opportunity to quickly re-examine her top half, his rage growing to degrees he had not felt since his time in Yharnam as he saw that his sister's right arm was held firmly to her chest, her fist closed protectively as her left arm did most of the work at removing her shirt. When he saw her stomach, he swore he smelt burning flesh and corrupt blood; seeing his sister's stomach marred by an already discolouring bruise made his blood boil.
"Fuck me, Saphron… I think we might need to go to the hospital!" Scarlett stated, seeing the savage injuries on her younger sister's stomach. Despite her attempts to remain a clear-headed voice of reason, the sight of her baby sister with so many injuries and her skin turning such horrendous shades of pain brought tears to her eyes.
"… Possible internal bleeding, bruised ribs for sure, possible fractures, serious trauma to her right hand, possibly broken phalanges," Jaune mumbled, his tone pained as he clenched his hand to the point his knuckles popped noisily. It felt empty… it needed a blade.
"Shit… I-I can't handle that, fuck me, Saphron, you idiot, what are you doing? You could have died!" Scarlett raged, pawing at her hair and attempting to remain calm. Saphron remained quiet, but Jaune saw the moistness begin to creep into her eyes as she refused to look at either of her siblings directly.
Jaune cleared his throat and put the gun down, getting down next to Scarlett; with them kneeling, he was a bit taller than the eldest Arc. He gently patted his oldest sister's shoulder, giving what little comfort he could as he turned to face Saphron. "I need to touch you. Will you let me, or do I call the authorities?" Jaune asked, his tone even as he posed his enquiry. He tried to ignore how being this close to his sister's blood made his nose twitch and conjure images of him disembowelling monstrous things with his bare hands.
Saphron seemed to think for a moment before she closed her tear-laden eyes tightly and gave a hesitant nod. Jaune wasted no time reaching out with his fingers to prod around the heavily bruised area with an intimate knowledge of what he was looking for. He was no stranger to the effects of blunt force trauma, and internal bleeding was all too detectable to one such as him. His fingers continued to trace and prod, much to Saphron's discomfort. He found no signs of dangerous swelling or fluid build-up, just the tender muscles and expected swelling of new trauma. He couldn't sense anything, so he relented in his prodding and backed off, moving a reasonable few steps away from his sister before speaking again.
"You don't appear to be internally bleeding as far as I can tell… you still require attention from a… Doctor… as I am sure that the injuries to your Ankle, Toes, Ribs and Fingers are outside Scarlett's ability to mend." Jaune explained plainly, returning to his seat. Both sisters looked at him with unreadable expressions, but Jaune did not at present have the temperament to decipher either of their unspoken thoughts. His mind was still consumed with wrath and fury, his only thoughts on how to bleed the fetid scum that would dare lay hands on his sister.
He would hunt soon. This he knew.
A sick and bloated silence descended on the room; Scarlett was lost to her inadequate frustration, and Saphron was in a myriad of emotional turmoil impossible to decipher. Jaune, being of no help, closed his eyes and did his best to calm his racing pulse; it would not do for his sisters to see him losing his composure. Just as it seemed the silence was fit to burst, the opening of the front door split the air, followed by the cooing sounds of babies.
Jaune was the first to move, his protective instincts in overdrive, sending him straight to the noise, holding one hand behind his back with the Vasto firmly in his grip… just in case. While again unloaded, it would make for a good bludgeon if need be, or better, a decent threat. But he swiftly found it would be unneeded as he saw that it was simply Tami arriving with the twins. Jaune seeing her arms laden with his baby sisters, quickly retrieved them both with a smile. The Vasto subtly tucked into the back of his belt, with Tami none the wiser.
"Oh, Jaune, thank you; the little ones were quite squirmy for some reason, practically crawled out of the car themselves," Tami admitted, her hair sticking out the side of her head where one of the girls had gummed the brown strands. Jaune was suddenly grateful he had taken the time to clean the door somewhat, done initially to quell his nose but now for not frightening Tami with the girls.
"It is my pleasure… Tami, you are here early. Is everything all right," Jaune asked cautiously, unsure if he could handle more terrible news now but led on by damnable curiosity.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I ahh… you heard about your mother's deployment?" Tami asked with slight trepidation as she put her bags down.
"Possible Elder Grimm, precautionary investigative squad deployment, increased patrol scrutiny, and Sheriff department put on notice as well as standby security protocol engaged," Jaune listed off having read the Reach Huntsman guide for his father, who had asked him to help study for his protocol qualifiers, a standard test performed at set intervals for hunters under extended government contract.
"… You are such a nerd," Tami giggled, reaching up to ruffle Jaune's now quite lengthy hair.
"And you have baby spit under your ear," Jaune replied, much to Tami's dismay, who swiftly found the spot and let out a prolonged 'ew' noise.
"Gross, well yeah, I was granted permission to escort the twins back here and then given leave for the rest of the evening as they saw little reason for me to remain as my shift was about over," Tami explained.
"Even with the Elder Grimm sighting?"
"Possible Elder Grimm is not the same as an actual sighting," Tami warned as she tried to step around Jaune but found her way blocked by the abnormally tall boy. "Jaune, mind scooching a bit. You take up a lot of room."
"… I feel inclined to warn you that there has been an incident…." Jaune spoke hesitantly, shifting the twins in his arms.
"Oh no, tell me Jade didn't try to repaint her room… again," Tami groaned, face palming at the memory of tiny green footsteps littered about the house and the powerful, overwhelming scent of wet paint.
"No, nothing so pleasant, I am afraid… Come, it will be easier if you see," Jaune admitted pressing himself to the wall and indicating that Tami should take the lead.
He heard Tami's terrified gasp when she entered the lounge room and listened to her demand to know what had happened. He also heard Saphrons immediate stone walling; he paid it little mind walking into the kitchen where Jade and Sky were working on their homework and eating some cookies. "Are you girls doing ok?" Jaune asked, genuinely concerned.
"Yeah, we are ok. How's Saphy?" Sky asked, worriedly putting a cookie down that she was just about to devour.
"… She is injured… we are discussing options; Tami is here now and will hopefully help her see reason," Jaune explained, placing the twins in their baby seats. He kissed each one on the head and put some baby toys on their little chair tables. With the two small girls already enraptured by the colourful jingly things before them, he turned to Jade, who looked quite sombre.
"Are you all right, Jade?" Jaune asked, kneeling to be at eye level with his younger sibling.
Jade gulped audibly before speaking softly, "was Saphron attacked by a Grimm?"
Jaune knew well that his younger sister was still frequently plagued by nightmares of being trapped in that tree trunk. He had often culled such dreams and been sure to comfort her in her sleep; it seemed that despite his best efforts, the fear still clung to her. Jaune leaned in, hugging his sister gently as he rested his head atop hers, hoping to impart some sense of comfort and security.
"I do not believe it was Grimm that attacked our sister Jade… you needn't fret; your brother will make sure it doesn't happen again; he will make the fiends disappear," Jaune whispered, stroking Jade's hair as he did.
Jade squeezed her brother tightly, letting out a quiet hum before speaking, "ok, Jaune, I trust you."
"Thank you, now pardon me. I need to go talk to our older sisters," Jaune spoke, dismissing himself. Jaune was ashamed to admit he all but fled the kitchen, but he didn't wish for either of his younger sisters to see his wrath. Scarlett had already seen him lose his temper, and honestly, Jaune was quite fed up with this attitude of Saphron's, so he did not care if she saw it.
He would apologise later to Tami.
When Jaune re-entered the loungeroom, it was to Tami holding her Scroll out of Saphron's reach while the two had a whisper shouting match. Scarlett immediately moved to intercept him, but Jaune brushed past her, his face a rigour of suppressed hate. When he reached the two squabbling women, he quickly pushed himself between them and got in Saphron's face, Tami being sent staggering back, shocked by Jaune's actions. It was pretty strange to see him acting so pushy, literally.
When Jaune spoke, it was no longer as a concerned brother or a frustrated sibling; it was as the Hunter who had once made the gutters of Yharnam run thick with the blood of any and all that crossed his path. "Your time is up, sister, you will now tell me who did this to you, or I will deduce the answer myself and see to it that any I suspect are dealt with."
"What? Get of-"
"Now, Saphron!" The Hunter bellowed furiously, eliciting a flinch from everyone in the room.
"Jaune, I don't-"
The Hunter growled audibly, cutting Scarlett off as he slammed the Vasto on the coffee table, he rose, walking instead to the nearby storage cupboard under the stairs. Tami was now pale as was Saphron but Scarlett looked understanding moving swiftly to her brother's back and speaking in hurried whispers, "Jaune, think for a moment you can't do this!"
"Someone dares to lay their hands on one of my sisters. You know well what I did to the last maggot that performed such an act," the Hunter hissed as he rummaged through the cupboard for the hidden weapons compartment.
"Jaune, that was different. You were protecting me," Scarlett argued, grasping Jaune's arm.
"This is no different! I am protecting my family by ensuring that those who are guilty are put down!" The Hunter snarled, yanking a vacuum out of the way and finally seeing the hidden weapons locker.
"What you are contemplating is murder!" Scarlett admonished.
"I am far past the contemplation stage, sister," he huffed, reaching over to the security panel and putting the code in swiftly. Before he could put the last digit in, though, he felt two people collide with him, their combined body weight shoving him away from the panel. Looking down, he saw Scarlett and Tami looking at him, their eyes wide and expressions concerned.
"What the hell are you doing, Jaune," Tami whispered sternly, a warning in her voice as she spoke.
"What needs to be done," he answered simply, already pushing back against the two women. Scarlett struggled to hold him back, going so far as to jump on his back and pull him down, but her attempts were fruitless.
"I will not let you go to jail, little brother!" Scarlett bellowed.
"You assume they would catch me," the Hunter hissed as he finally reached the cupboard again, but before he could put the final digit in, Tami lunged and pressed every button she could. Immediately the keypad dimmed as it entered the secure state which it would remain in for five minutes.
"Hah!" Tami cheered triumphantly.
The Hunter merely cocked a single brow before brushing by her and picking the Vasto up again, rummaging around in the coffee table drawers for the bullets he had previously removed. "Bugger me, could you please stop loading that and think for a minute, Jaune!"
"I am done thinking… hopefully there are not more than six," he muttered, rising with the now-loaded revolver.
"Oh, will you just cut it out! No one is buying your stupid macho, tough guy bullshit! You're not going to kill anyone, so shut the fuck up and sit down, freak!" Saphron exploded, tears in her eyes as she finally got fed up with what she saw as the overdramatic antics of her weird little brother.
"… I am going for a walk," the Hunter proclaimed, unperturbed by Saphron's eruptions, turning to leave the room only to have Scarlett grab his arm again.
"Jaune, they will catch you!" Scarlett argued again.
"I'm sorry, did I stutter!" Saphron shrieked again.
"No, the town will be on standby, so there will be fewer people on the streets… if I get past the Sheriff patrols, I will have plenty of time to deal with the filth and be back before it is raised, longer still if it truly is an Elder Grimm…." The Hunter reasoned, giving Tami a side eye to see if the woman would contradict him.
"They will hear the gunshots," Tami argued, gesturing to the loaded sidearm.
"Why are you taking him seriously!" Saphron barked again.
"Then it will be a backup; I am more than capable without a firearm," he shrugged, reminiscing about the many times he had ended something's life with his bare hands.
"Yeah, and what about the evidence that will leave behind," Scarlett argued, her grip tightening on Jaune's school shirt.
"… I will be cautious."
"Listen to me!" Saphron screamed at the top of her lungs, her shriek drowning the house in silence until the Hunter finally whipped around to look at her with the sickliest apathetic look imaginable.
"Sister, you shouldn't strain your throat… the woman who attacked you did so quite severely," the Hunter explained calmly.
"It is not that bad! Arti didn't-"
He was across the room like a blur, his face a breath away from Saphron's as his eyes gained an intensity that could only be described as manic, and a beastly growl whispered along his breath. "Arti… so that is one name… any others you wish to share, poor sister?"
"Wait, Arti! That bitch with the fucking bob cut on your volleyball team!" Scarlett erupted.
The Hunter perked up at that, turning to his sister, "got a picture of her?" he asked hopefully.
"Oh fuck yeah, I do… and I bet I can guess who else helped…." Scarlett suddenly was right next to Jaune, her gaze venomous as her blue eyes met Saphron's identical ones. "… Sis… is this because of the fucking captaincy?" Scarlett asked disbelievingly.
"I guess, but-"
"You mean to tell me that they beat you this bad because you are better than them at FUCKING VOLLEYBALL!" Scarlett erupted, her face turning flush as she became visibly enraged.
"Fuck me, and I thought my high school days were rough," Tami commented, rubbing at her squirrel ears.
Scarlett was about to continue when there was a knock from the doorway, the soft knock of a young hand. In a blink, the Hunter departed, and it was Jaune who turned to see a shy-looking Jade standing there, holding her hands in front of herself nervously. "Umm, I know you guys are having a serious talk, but I already put the headphones on the babies, but like… I think they can still hear you… cause I kinda can… sorry…." Jade explained, looking demure.
Jaune responded quickly, "of course, sister, we will keep it down; I will be going for a walk later. Do you want anything from the store?" He asked kindly, giving Jade a sympathetic smile.
"No, I'm good, thanks for asking; I'll go now… sorry again…." Jade muttered, darting back to the kitchen.
Jaune turned back to Saphron, giving her a contemplative look before sitting down once more, Tami giving an audible sigh of relief as he did. "Right sister, last chance to explain things before I go find this Arti and get the names of the others from her… you know… you would be amazed how many bullets you can take before actually succumbing to death," Jaune stated, his tone utterly devoid of emotion once more as the Hunter stewed just below the surface.
Saphron looked weirded out by Jaune's erratic mood change, but Scarlett was the first to respond, her tone pleading. "Jaune, you can't kill school kids; even if they are fucking criminals, you will be arrested! Think what that would do to us, dammit, Jaune; we love you!"
"She's right; Jaune… murdering a kid isn't something the Sheriff's department can take lightly… the Hunters would probably get pulled in as well…" Tami explained warily, the unspoken fact that she would, of course, have to turn him in obvious.
"He can't do anything! Why aren't you listening to me!" Saphron pleaded again, grunting as all her shouting finally caught up to her abused throat.
Scarlett could have reacted to another bellowed exclamation in a hundred different ways, snorting was probably not the best option, but it was out of her hands. "Saph… he killed a fucking Grimm when he was five," Scarlett spoke slowly as if her sister was an idiot.
"So, what! Mum and Dad kill tons every day! He got lucky?" Saphron coughed.
The silence that met the question was encompassing until Tami broke it with a disgruntled sigh, "see, this is the problem with all that 'there is no danger' propaganda!"
"You can't deny it has shown positive effects in reducing city-based attacks," Jaune chimed in. The subject had interested him once upon a time; he had even done a report on it, measuring the pros and cons as it was an authentic way to decrease Grimm threats in areas with large populations.
"Yeah, except here is the daughter of a literal pair of Hunters stating that a five-year-old killing a Grimm is no big deal!" Tami raged back.
"Well, she isn't wrong. I did get lucky," Jaune admitted scratching at his face.
"Jaune, you killed a Boarbatusk with a fucking rock… that's more than luck, trust me… luck doesn't get you shit… not alone anyway," Tami said morosely. She was all too aware of the lethality of the Grimm, and she had handled many horrifying casualty reports. She had even gone on hoard surveys… she had seen villages that had fallen, blood smears, and utter desolation.
Counting on luck got you an early grave, nothing more.
"Besides Jaune, you forget you saved me too," Scarlett chimed in, patting her brother's head.
"A mad drunk is hardly a daunting threat, sister," Jaune mumbled.
"Doesn't matter; you still saved me, and that guy was plenty dangerous," Scarlett spat.
Tami, at this point, rejoined the conversation, a single brow raised, "… Jaune, this wouldn't happen to have anything to do with that night, would it?"
Jaune replied by turning to Tami, putting a finger to his lip, and nodding his head. Tami's lips thinned, but she understood. That had not been a fun night for her, and it was strange to think what that night meant for her relationship with Jaune… knowing he trusted her enough to come to her so vulnerable honestly made her cherish the male Arc child more… it was nice to be trusted by someone so reclusive as Jaune.
He was a lot like his mother in that sense.
"Right… I feel like we got off topic, but that's fine because I am ending this conversation now," Tami stated, pulling her Scroll out again. "I am calling the cops, and we will press charges, and those little fuckers will be lucky not to be tried as adults… actually, they will be lucky if your parents don't make them disappear!"
"No, no cops!" Saphron argued defiantly.
"Fine! If you don't want cops, I am calling your parents on the emergency channel!" Tami shot back, daring Saphron to argue with her.
"You can't call them either!" Saphron coughed, trying to rise out of the seat to snatch the Scroll from Tami's hand.
"… Are you always this stupid kid! If I don't call them, not only will they be fucking furious with me, but they will still find out as soon as they see you! You look like you got run over!" Tami raged at the teenage girl, fed up with this needless argument.
"You can't! They can- I cant… I-I…" Saphron broke down sobbing, her choked cries tearing at Jaune viciously. He made to get up to comfort her but was held back by Scarlett, who now looked very cautious, as if she was staring at a primed explosive.
"… Saph… what did they do?" Scarlett asked carefully.
Saphron didn't respond, continuing to sob and cough painfully, her face a blotchy swollen mess as she hugged her abused gut.
"Saph, what did they do to stop you from reporting them?" Scarlett asked again. Jaune sat forward, his eyes dancing between his sisters as he felt a noxious weight settle in his gut at the serious question. The hunter was bristling again, the sounds of his mind turning cold as he heard the sound of hauntingly cool crypt winds.
Saphron continued to sob, but slowly she regained enough composure to reply with a single shaky word, "… pictures."
Scarlett was sent rigid as if the words were lightning, her face aghast as terrible realisation struck her. Jaune was still confused, but seeing his eldest sister's reaction was enough to alert him that whatever was happening was horrible. Scarlett got down and pulled her little sister to her breast, whispering of love and promised safety. Jaune only listened with half an ear turning to face Tami, who had gone pale and was now glancing at him and the loaded gun in his hand wearily.
Jaune did not fully understand what was happening, but he was sure someone needed to die this night.
To add to the current storm of emotion and trepidation, Scarlett whispered fearfully a question that seemed to pain her, "… Saph, did they-"
"No, Scar… they groped me and held me down… but couldn't get further, said something about a time limit… They managed to turn the cameras around the locker rooms off… bragged about it… there is no evidence other than me pinned down and… and."
When Jaune finally realised what was being talked about, he was already at the front door before anyone could react. The Hunter was entirely in control, and all the howling, screaming horror of Yharnam was at the forefront of his mind. Gun in hand, he planned to head straight for the school; he would find this Arti; school files would help, and then he would rip the other's names from her.
The night would be serenaded with the screams of his prey, and none would survive the night. He was just about at the front gate when Tami lunged onto his back, the tiny Faunus twisting about with decent skill to unbalance him.
But he was no stranger to pouncing attacks or the intense grapples that often followed, so rather than be sent to the floor, he swept about and pulled Tami from his back, sending her rolling on the grass. The Faunus woman was back up with impressive speed, showing that despite her lack of Aura, she was still well-trained.
"Jaune, don't!"
"Say here, tend to my sister," he ordered.
"No, kid, you can't do this; your parents-"
"Will understand, worse case I leave Reach," the Hunter hissed, moving to continue walking but was halted when Tami pulled a weapon on him.
"Kid, I will fucking taze you, your parents would be destroyed, your sisters would be broken and fuck if I'm losing you, Jaune, you aunty Tami ain't gonna let this happen on her watch!" Tami threatened, bringing up one of the few Dust projectile weapons a civilian could use.
The Tier 1 Surge Projector, lovingly referred to as the Shock Pistol, was one of the only readily accessible weapons for civilians that were a Dust projectile weapon. It operated by firing out a highly pressurised spray of ferrofluid mixed with Electricity Dust making it quite effective at non-lethal disabling, even capable of harming and stunning lesser Grimm.
"… They hurt her… they violated her flesh with their vile fucking hands! I will drag them beneath the night sky and take a pound of flesh for every bruise! A quart of blood for each cut! A scream for each tear!" Jaune raged beyond reason now as his mind was lost to the echoes of Yharnam, so apoplectic that the furious brother subsumed the cold pragmatic nature of the Hunter. His vision tinged red as he felt cursed blood pump through his extremities, hungering for the spilling of more sanguine fluid.
"I know, but is it worth you never seeing your family again, Jaune?" Tami pleaded, desperate to stop Jaune from ruining his own life
"They need to pay!" Jaune roared, his teeth bared, ready to fend off the older woman so he could escape. Before things could escalate any further, the front door opened, and Scarlett exited the house. Only she did not come looking to side with Tami but instead, her face a mask of cold hate as she held a firearm of her own in her arms.
"No!" Tami shouted, moving the Shock Pistol to point at Scarlett, who stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading to the house. She looked like a woman ready to damn herself, made all the more frightening by the weapon in her arms. The shotgun in her grasp was one of the few firearms almost entirely of Valean design; the gun was made infamous during the war due to the absolute havoc it reaped in trench warfare on the easter front.
So prolific was the damage it inflicted that it earned a place of reverence in the hearts of firearm enthusiasts, especially those of Valean origins. It was one of the few firearms that suffered from constantly having its tier disputed, as many stated it was safe for civilian use. Still, the damage it could inflict made several groups desire it to be placed in Tier 2. The weapon was non-other than the Close Quarter Trench Assault Shotgun or the CQT Assault Shotgun. But most people called it the Bore Gun due to its habit of leaving sizeable holes in those killed, be they Human, Faunus or Grimm.
"Tami, go inside and take care of the girls; we will return later…." Scarlett instructed. She had taken the time to change into some grey shorts and singlet her feat wearing a pair of sneakers.
"I thought we were kind of in agreement here, Scarlett!" Tami cried, looking especially stressed.
"One of them was her friend…." Scarlett stated, simply walking up to Jaune and standing with him.
"I… what…" Tami looked almost ready to scream in frustration but pulled herself back and shook her head, "no, I am sorry, but that can't change things… I won't let you two do this!"
"She betrayed her! She needs to pay!" Scarlett roared, her grip on the Bore Gun tightening.
"… Agreed… but what about the pictures, huh! What's to stop them posting them if you go in their guns blazing?" Tami argued.
"… I wasn't gonna give them a chance to reach for their phones, Tami!" Scarlett explained angrily, gesturing to the pump action in her hands.
"… Tami is right…" Jaune grunted.
"I'm sorry? What!" Scarlett barked, whipping about to her younger brother.
"Oh no, sorry, I am still fully in favour of us blowing their twisted brains out, but we need to eliminate those pictures… then we can kill them," Jaune explained, a sadistic grin settling on his features at the end. Despite now firmly standing with her brother Scarlett could not hide the fact that seeing that smile sent a cold chill racing down her spine.
"Oh fuck me, you really are your mother's kids… I am stuck between a rock and a hard place here," Tami bemoaned, her tail becoming a frazzled mess as she continued to stress.
"… You have maybe one shot there Tami… you might get one of us… how are you going to stop the other?" Jaune pointed out as he slid his revolver into the back of his belt strap.
Tami snorted at that, her Shock Pistol coming to rest on Jaune, "no offence, kiddo, but if you think for a second your scary ass wasn't going to be the one copping a whole shit load of volts to the face, then you have greatly misunderstood my understanding of who here is capable of killing."
Jaune chewed on that for a moment before curiously inquiring, "how many volts?"
"Enough… don't try it, Jaune; this one is adjustable, and who knows what setting I had it on last? I work around a lot of disgruntled hunters," Tami warned, taking a half step forward, her eyes locked on the only son of the Arc family.
The three stood in a deadlock, none willing to move for their own separate reasons. Jaune because he didn't doubt Tami's conviction to stop him. Her love was endearing, and it was nice to know that his aunt cared enough to electrocute him. Even if, at this moment, it was most inconvenient and was stopping him from gouging out the eyes of his sister's attackers.
Tami couldn't move because she knew how fast Jaune was; she had always kept abreast of him since the incident when he was five, even more so since he had contacted her that night. Besides Hella and Cloud, no one else knew just how athletic the boy was, but she had seen Jaune dead sprint when one of the girls had tripped over and hurt themselves.
Professional athletes would be envious.
Scarlett was the shiftiest of the three, the weapon's weight in her hands especially heavy as she saw the conviction of the other two. Part of her was still in a contest concerning her desire to drag those fuckers into a shed and treat them like the sick mutts they were. The other part remembered the night Jaune had saved her, recalled how he had utterly dismantled that man. The way he had taken a grown Faunus and reduced him to a pile of broken bones and bruised flesh with naught but his own bare hands.
He had borne a savage and sinister look as he systematically shattered bones and dislocated joints as if pulling apart a toy. She could recall his soft snarls, the muffled screams and choked moans, the sound of flesh impacting flesh… part of her wasn't sure she had that in her… part of her prayed she didn't.
She didn't doubt his intent; as much as she wanted to match him, the weight of pre-meditated murder did not rest so easily on her shoulders. With a heavy sigh, she put her gun down on the ground, the other two watching her actions curiously, Jaune as stoic as always and Tami with massive relief.
Scarlett took a deep breath; her thoughts finally settled on a course of action, 'time to meet Tami halfway' … "what do you propose then, Tami?"
"Huh?"
"What do you suggest we do? My little sister dragged herself home, beat half to hell and betrayed rather than go to the police. Those pictures must be removed to make this right, and those fuckers need to pay." Scarlett stated, moving to step in front of Jaune, causing Tami to go rigid as she saw Scarlett's apparent intent. "So, you tell me, aunty Tami, what do we do?"
"Not murder!" Tami shouted as if the answer should be obvious.
Scarlett nodded, taking a step forward, her eyes turning cold as she asked her next question, "then what? What do you propose that keeps my sister from being further tormented, that keeps Saphron from having to see the worst day of her life posted online?"
"… I don't-"
"You love us, aunty Tami. You were there when Saph was born. Are you just going to let them get away-"
"Don't! Do not for a second think that I am letting them do anything! But I cannot jeopardise you guys. We should wait for your parents," Tami explained, her turmoil leaving her pained.
Scarlett sneered at the idea, "we don't know how long they will be out there, and you know that! The longer we delay, the greater the chance those pictures get passed around… if they haven't already."
Tami seemed to physically flinch at the idea, and Scarlett would swear she heard some abhorrent noise escape her brother that made her blood run cold. Jaune even saw fit to add his own to cents, his words probably not helping her argument at all, "the best way to deal with rot is to cut it off at the source…."
"That! That is why I can't let you guys do this, I know Saph is hurting, and gods, I would throttle the bastards that did that to her if I could, but, and I say this with all the love I have for you Jaune, he would fucking massacre them given a chance!" Tami argued again, gesturing to her unrepentant brother.
Knowing what he had done that night had been done to save Scarlett helped her come to terms with some of the stuff she knew.
It did not change the fact that a small part of her now feared Jaune like a sensible person feared a large predator.
"… That's your only argument?" Scarlett asked curiously.
"Yes, Scarlett, that is my only argument. I don't want to see any of you kids in jail; shocking, I know," Tami deadpanned.
"Ok… Jaune gun," Scarlett ordered, holding her hand up. Jaune didn't move at first, staring at her hand, only for his sister to turn and quirk a raised brow at him. She again gestured with her empty hand expectantly.
Jaune gave a small grunt before putting the firearm in his sister's waiting appendage with a frown on his features.
Scarlett immediately unloaded the gun, placing both the firearm and the bullets on the driveway next to her shotgun. When Scarlett turned back to face Tami, she was again all business, the confused Faunus having now lowered her Shock Pistol. "Satisfied, now let us go help our sister," Scarlett demanded, her arms crossed.
Tami looked to the eldest of the Arcs, her gaze again flicking to the stormy eyes of Jaune, who was looking at Scarlett, his eyes narrowed in confusion. Tami knew she should tell them both no, ask them to go inside and comfort their sister but the truth was they weren't wrong. Heck, Tami knew that when their parents got home, Hella's first reaction would probably be arming herself to purge the scum from the face of the planet.
Only no one would be able to prove it was her. They would know, but they wouldn't be able to prove it. Cloud wouldn't be far behind, with a warrant for capture, because honestly, there were benefits to being the Hunter Commander of Reach. If they just so happened to resist, well it would be such a shame that he swung Hallow Hrunting with enough force to obliterate them and their homes.
They were their parent's kids, that was for sure.
Tami holstered her Shock Pistol, the weapon condensing to a more compact form as she slid it back into its pocket. She groaned, knowing she would probably be in so much shit for this. "… No killing," Tami ordered, her eyes firmly on Jaune as she stated her demand.
"We ca-"
"Not you, Scarlett," Tami spoke abruptly, walking up to the two and gently moving Scarlett to stand face-to-face with Jaune. "Promise me, Jaune, promise me that you will get the pictures and that no one will die, do that, and you can go… promise me, Jaune, that your family won't lose you to this."
Jaune was silent, his eyes tumultuous as he stared right into Tami's pleading ones.
"Your word Jaune," Tami pushed, "give me your word."
Silence reigned in the afternoon, only to be broken by a mellow breeze. Jaune wanted to resist; he wanted to sprint away and find the wretches that harmed his sister. To break their bones, yank their tendons from their squirming writhing forms, and bleed them like stuck pigs. But seeing the care Tami held for him, the genuine concern, the fact that she was asking this for him and his family both… as well as herself.
"I give you my word… none of the guilty will die by my hand… and I'm not going anywhere," Jaune swore, placing a hand over his heart.
"Good… good. And remember an Arc-"
"Never goes back on his word, I know… we will be back later, with the pictures taken care of," Jaune informed as he turned to leave, Scarlett at his side, ready to help her brother and revenge her sister.
"Wait!" Tami called at the two on the street, Scarlett turning to see what the problem could be now, only for Jaune to snatch something from in front of her face. Opening his hand curiously, they beheld a set of Tami's car keys, the Faunus giving them a half-hearted smile as she picked up their discarded weapons.
With a smile that was honestly more savage than either of the Arc children expected to see on their aunt's face, she gave them one final instruction.
"Kick their asses."
A.N.
Sup readers,
So, we hit another chapter, and this one is mostly just scene setting. I feel like it's important to introduce Jaune to a high-stress situation where he is restrained. Not by anything physical but rather by the societal norms and the wishes of others, a chance for the killer to compete against the son.
Also, just a point of note, the two weapons mentioned in this are inspired by the Vasto Sidearm courtesy of Warframe. And the shotgun that Scarlett carried is based on the IRL Winchester Model 1897, which has some fascinating real-world history.
As I stated previously, I recently decided to start posting my works on Ao3; now this matters because I figured that since I was there, I might as well look for some inspiration by looking for any new good fics… specifically any in the RWBY fandom.
Instead, I discovered that the Ao3 community are insufferably horny, like I cannot stress this enough, everyone, myself included, deserves a bare minimum of one horny bonk for merely being on that site. Now I do not know if it is just the RWBY community, and of course, I have encountered such… mature works before on FFnet, but with Ao3 it was like a flashbang of horny.
Just wanted to share that amusing experience with you all.
I'll stop rambling here.
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, the same icon as my FF account.
Eat a dessert.
And as always.
Until next time.