The fight may have ended physically, but it still raged in his mind.
Fury filled Cardin, consuming him like it had never before. Not even the Blonde Bitch had wounded him so, despite what she had torn away from him. Snarling, he tore away the sword left sheathed in his torso. This proved a horrendous mistake, nicking one of his own lungs in the process, blood filling his throat. Punching the ground with his ruined fist, black blood bubbling and spilling, Cardin took several deep breaths.
Already his healing was kicking in. By tomorrow, he would be back at full strength. And so would Jaune. His eyes narrowed, digging his split limb deeper into the cracking stone. He hadn't even reverted to his Grimm form! The bastard was toying with him! But if he acted quickly, he might be able to find where the miserable wretch dragged himself and finish this. Only, stopping as the freak zoomed down and collected the discarded weapons, it seemed others had similar thoughts. Brawnz was at his side.
"Come on, let's get you somewhere private. We can probably bind your arm back together with some more iron bars..."
Struggling to stand, Cardin brushed Brawnz away.
"I have matters to settle. He does not get to decide my fate like this. Not like this!" Cardin stopped, blood spilling from his mouth again.
"He'll kill you if you try."
Cardin turned on Wesson, the taller boy looking toward the locker room. "Him, or his friends. Beneath our notice, he has acquired a frightening group." The Death Stalker hybrid's miniature limbs clicked beneath his coat. "Somehow he has even tamed the beast."
Cardin glared up at the stands. The Blonde Bitch was watching what was unfolding with interest, the White Witch was pretending to ignore the comings and goings of those beneath her. Yet he could tell, she was concerned. Weakness. The Black Beast, she was out of sight. Typical. Preferable. None of this was typical any longer.
The Blonde was increasingly affectionate towards her freak of a sister, after years of eroding feelings for the illborn spawn. The White was similarly acting far too inferior for his tastes. Before, while her looks were hardly worth anything to a creature as virile and potent as Cardin, too dainty and bone thin, her attitude was perfect. Befitting her perfected state, which even he couldn't quite match. Ever since the new freak came onto the scene, her haughty demeanor was fractured by unsightly affections.
Bastards and whores the lot of them. Only the Black Beast remained inscrutable, Cardin still unable to get a read on her. The fact that Jaune still lived spoke volumes to him. Pain, unspeakable agony, tore through the larger boy as his ribs began regrowing. Baring his blackened fangs he forced himself away from the two.
"I will prove, I am strong." Came the hissing voice through clenched teeth.
Wesson and Brawnz shared a look before shrugging. "Whatever you choose. Fight well, die well, for our mother Salem and her everlasting glory." Wesson turned to leave.
Brawnz lingered for a second longer. "This is your fight. I cannot aid you."
Cardin spit at his feet. "If you did, I'd kill you myself!"
Brawnz continued. "I am going to kill Yang, next we fight. I promise you that here and now. When I face her next, I will avenge all she has taken from us. If you die, I will avenge you as well."
Cardin barked a humorless laugh. "Only one who's dying is Jaune. Going to find him and I'm going to use his bones in my next suit of armor!"
He pushed on. Brawnz holding a vendetta against the Blonde Bitch was inane to him. He could almost grasp it, holding some measure of thanks for Jaune putting an end to the abomination made of his followers. Yet it always eluded him. If she slaughtered them so, it was because she was strong and they were weak. What did it matter that she had killed them?
Cardin didn't begrudge her slaying his own followers. They were weak, she was strong. It was her every right to put them down. That was how things worked. That was why he was going to put Jaune's head into a pit with a spike driven through it. He would never forgive her for mangling his manhood for daring to try and dominate her as was natural. That was an injury he would force her to suffer for, but only after she carried a brood of his own as repentance.
He would have considered taking her sister as well, but the abomination put him off in the worst ways. Too small, too rail thin, and the feeling she put out was sickening. She was useless as a hybrid, weak and dependant on her own sister. He couldn't recall her being in a single fight that wasn't against a pure Grimm. Useless, worthless, disgusting. Not even good for breeding stock like her elder would be.
Struggling forward, he vowed to himself. She would be next. He would take her by both horns and rip her disgusting head in half. He would ruin her corpse, bisect her, dismember her, stomp her remains into so much meat and bone fragments until not even Salem herself could bring the little horror back. Just as soon as he was done doing worse to Jaune.
Dragging himself into the locker room, he stalled.
People, talking.
"What if I was a human?"
Jaune. Cardin's eyes widened.
He stopped, and he listened.
"What would you do if I was a real human who lied this whole time?"
On the conversation went. Higher Cardin's rage built. A human? A human! A human! Of course he was a human! Of course! He felt so stupid, how could this have gone on so far! Keeping himself from smashing the lockers, he fell back. The freak was going to abandon her victim, more proof of her failure as a hybrid. Biting back a snarl, Cardin took what he learned to heart.
Jaune's Aura wasn't recharging. Who knew if it would? Maybe Hazel, but Cardin didn't care for the larger man regardless. Too much shitting on about being more human. Human. Human. The hybrid grinned a wicked grin, blood leaking between his teeth. Jaune wouldn't heal in time. By tomorrow, Cardin would be back in fighting shape.
All he need do is lay in wait, slaughter the man where he stood. Moving out of sight, the freak rushed by. Maybe he could even do it now, while the weak, defenseless human suffered his final nightmares. Stumbling forward, Cardin took a good look at Jaune.
Sprawled out, bleeding, still just as wounded as before. Even if Cardin left him alone he may not survive. He wouldn't allow that. Jaw lowering, the hulking brute would eat his heart while it still bled.
At least, he would have. A light slash from above left a cut across his face, Cardin recoiling back. Biting back a scream, he looked wildly around.
In the shadows, red eyes looked back. Twin red blades on the ends of long tentacles clashed, sending sparks everywhere.
Cardin retreated.
He would find Jaune alone, the next day. Before he could recover. Cardin would kill him. He would not be denied this.
Ruby had just fled, the truth of his nature too much for her to bear. Jaune had been content to allow his eyelids to droop, to rest and fall asleep, perhaps never to wake up again. He was tired. Both physically and emotionally. He had hit rock bottom. This place had finally broken him.
But its inhabitants had other ideas. As he leaned against the wall, all hope for his personal mission gone, he felt an all too familiar presence lurking about.
He wanted to laugh at his sorry luck, but his ability to find humor in the macabre had met its quota for the day. So this was how his journey ended. He couldn't say it was an unexpected way. If anyone or anything here was going to kill him, Blake was certainly at the top of the list.
The clicking of barbed tentacles skittering across the ceiling filled his fading hearing, and from shadows she descended upon him. Black hair and white flesh filled his vision, the only color coming from a pair of glowing crimson orbs staring down at him.
Jaune looked up weakly to see a long tongue circle slowly around her lips. She was finally going to get to enjoy the meal she had long desired to devour. All of her rhetoric about how tasty he was, about how she could just eat him up, was finally coming to pass. He wondered how long it would last. How long would his body be alive to feel the pain of being ripped apart by the monster girl? Jaune tried in vain to fire up his Aura, the last and desperate part of his self-preservation instincts kicking in to ward off the girl. But the fire was gone. The white-gold light from within him had fizzled out. It felt like hours since the fight, but the rational part of his mind told him it had only been maybe thirty minutes. Would it ever return? Would it come back just in time before Blake sunk her teeth into his flesh?
Horrific lines of teeth emerged as Blake opened her maw, and that long tongue of hers lashed out to taste her prey. It came down onto his chest, and dragged across one of his open wounds to leave a long line of saliva in its wake. Jaune gasped at the feeling of the organ running across his chest, a part of his mind reacting to the touch in the entirely wrong and inappropriate way. Blake pulled back, eyes as blood-red as his injuries staring down at him.
"So tasty..." the girl whispered. Blake's tongue slid across her front teeth in order to scrape the blood off of it. In order to savor the taste of his life fluid.
"Just do it," Jaune whispered in turn. "Make it quick. Please."
Blake shushed him, and as she came in again slid her tentacles around his torso. She brought herself close to his body, crawling between his sprawled out legs until their bodies met. Her head came to rest on his chest.
"I can't let you die," she hissed. "I won't let you die. You're far too precious to me, my... darling."
The girl began to giggle, the vibrations of her shaking body rattling against his chest. As if he didn't have enough of that already with his heart pounding inside his ribcage.
To Jaune's surprise she made no further attempts to lick him. Or made any moves to eat him at all. Blake seemed content to lay there with him, holding him and cradling his body against hers.
Yet there was something about this situation that amused her. Considering he had nothing left to lose, there was no harm in asking. "What's so funny?"
Her soft giggles slowed as she swirled a tentacle around his neck, letting the tip come to rest upon his chin. After a moment, the laughter stopped completely.
"Blake?"
"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," she stated coyly. "Naughty boy. But it's fine. I'm nothing if not forgiving to the ones I love. And you I love more than anyone else in the world..."
If this had come from any other person, or even any other hybrid, Jaune might have been inclined to believe them. Ruby and Weiss had both shown their own unique brands of affection toward him. Even Yang had displayed a purely physical attraction to him that made him think she would want to have sex with him if only for the fun of it. But Blake? Blake was an enigma. Her twisted perception of love could mean anything. For all he knew, sex with Blake ended with her devouring the head of her mate like a praying mantis would.
He would never take her words at face value. Even her confession of loving him.
"What are you doing?" he asked the black head of hair which he stared down at. One of her cat ears twitched from the sound, or perhaps the feel of his breath on it as he spoke.
The question prompted Blake to lift her head away from his chest, and an all too familiar cheshire grin stared back at him. "I told you," she purred. "I won't let you die."
The pessimistic portion of Jaune's mind wanted to ask her if it was so she could kill him herself. At her own pace. At the time and place of her choosing. However, if she was indeed going to try her best at helping him survive, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Or a gift... Grimm hybrid in the mouth.
He had already gazed into the abyss of her terrifying mouth far too many times as it was...
Blake's tongue darted out again, licking another of the wounds on his torso. Again and again she did this, finding each of the injuries that had been inflicted upon him by Cardin. It dawned on him what she was doing. Like a dog who had just been injured in a fight, Blake was licking his wounds clean. She was doing what was in her nature to try and heal him. Jaune's heart raced as he watched her, doing her very best to live up to what she had told him. She wanted him to survive. For what reason he could not say, but her actions certainly spoke as loud, if not louder than her words.
Crimson eyes looked over him, drinking in the sight of his bare chest. Jaune wasn't sure if she was inspecting his wounds or checking him out. Or maybe both. However, Blake soon deemed her work done, and gave a small nod of satisfaction before her gaze returned to his face.
"Your Aura was broken. It will return."
The words sent a chill down Jaune's spine. He had never experienced a broken Aura before, and for the first time ever he was happy to hear something come out of Blake's mouth. She was the only other student here with an Aura. She had possessed it before she had been turned into a hybrid. If anyone knew the mechanics of how it worked, it would be her.
"You just have to survive until then..." she continued. "And that's why I'm here."
Jaune frowned. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for her attempting to help him in her own way, but he wasn't sure that licking his wounds counted as ensuring his survival.
"I'm not sure even you can save me..." he said softly.
"I thought you were supposed to save me?"
He had wanted to. That was before he was certain that he was going to die here. Before his body and spirit had been broken.
The girl giggled again, and her tentacles moved up to his shoulders to press him back against the wall. She brought her face close to his ear, as if to let him in on a secret just between the two of them. "Your injuries are fine," she breathed into his ear. "But we are not alone."
Jaune's eyes widened, and for a moment wondered if Ruby was still hanging around. He looked around the mane of black hair that was obstructing his vision, but saw no telltale sign of the girl's red cloak.
Blake pulled back, her soft hissing laughter slipping through her lips. "He's hiding, but I smell him," she whispered. Her cat ears twitched once more, pulling Jaune's attention up to them. "I hear his grunting breaths. A ninja he is not."
He. Jaune had no idea who Blake was speaking of. His first thought was Tyrian. All three of them had clashed earlier today, but their combat professor had proven to be more than a match for both of them together. If anyone would have been interested in Jaune's current condition, it was that psychopath. It would just be another excuse to throw him out into the wild in order to be killed off once and for all.
Before he could think of more possibilities, the tip of Blake's tendril slithered up to his forehead. The sharp barb came down and grazed against the skin of his eyelids with as tender and gentle a touch as he had ever felt, and slowly lowered one after the other. Jaune complied, not wanting to risk getting his eye gouged out by the hybrid.
"Rest, for a moment," she whispered. "You will be fine soon. But until then... you are mine."
For the first time since her arrival, Jaune allowed himself to relax. Before today he never would have expected to find comfort in Blake's ar- tentacles... but here he was. His Aura would return soon, but not yet. Right now she was his only source of protection in this cruel and unforgiving environment. In this world of bloody evolution.
The first thought that entered Jaune's mind upon waking was amazement. Amazement that he was still alive. That he had not been murdered in his sleep. Then again, maybe he wasn't giving Ruby enough credit. Or maybe what Blake had told him the day before had indeed come to pass.
In any case, he had lived to see the next day. His secret had been exposed, and as far as he knew, Ruby had not told anyone about it. She had not acted on the information. A part of him dared to hold out hope that it had been done out of their friendship. If it even still existed anymore. He honestly didn't know. He wouldn't know until he saw her. Spoke to her.
He dreaded the thought of such a confrontation.
Jaune sat up in bed, the walls around him familiar to an extent. He had not been brave enough to return to his room the previous night, knowing who inhabited it. If such a confrontation were to have gone down there with Weiss present, he wasn't sure how the white-haired hybrid would have reacted. So with that in mind he had decided to take up residence in her old unoccupied room. A room where only a few days earlier he had tended to her wounds. Where he had told her to trust him. It was such a pity that he could not do the same. He asked for trust, but gave none himself. He felt like a hypocrite for that. He felt like a scumbag. But sometimes that was the only way to stay alive.
That... and a little help from others.
As his feet hit the floor, he thought about the past day. A day where he had been nearly beaten to a bloody pulp by Cardin. A day where for the first time since arriving at this school, his Aura had been broken. It had been a terrifying, chilly, and entirely unfamiliar feeling. At the time he had no idea if it was going to come back. Until help from a most unexpected source had arrived.
Blake had left soon after that. As soon as he had rediscovered the fire within him. Jaune had called upon his Aura, and even in its weakened state, he had begun to mend his body. Cuts and gouges sealed themselves up. Fractured bones fused inside of him. Internal bleeding had ceased. While he still felt weak, while his body and mind were still both weary, he had been able to recover. Flaring his Semblance proved beneficial, but taxing.
He could only do it for moments at a time, his Aura straining to the point of breaking in its fragile state. It felt nice though, exhilarating. Maybe it always had, he just never noticed due to being in better physical health? Doing it periodically eased bones and skin back together, but left his head swimming. Which he couldn't have happen too often, for other reasons. Blake reasons.
The person who Blake said had been watching, there was no sign. Perhaps it had all been her imagination. Blake's sanity and perception of reality were suspect in Jaune's mind. Maybe she had invented the stalker just for an excuse to be alone with him like that.
As if the stalker needed the excuse of another stalker to stalk her victim...
In any case he was grateful for what she had done. Whatever her motives were, Blake had been there for him in his time of need. Now after a good night's sleep, he was nearly fully recovered. If anyone sought to try and take advantage of his current weakness, they would be in for a rude awakening.
His stomach had been in for a rude awakening too. Burning his Aura and using his Semblance so much took its toll on his body. He was famished, and nothing would help him recover quite like food. Jaune set out from Weiss' old room with only one destination in mind. The kitchen. His eyes were glued to the door of his true room the entire way, hoping against hope that Ruby would not emerge from it. He wasn't sure what he would say to her if she did.
Thankfully she did not come out. It was still fairly early in the morning. Early enough for her not to wake on her own, usually needing prodding from himself in order to get ready for classes. After falling asleep early last night, it was no wonder that Jaune had awoken on his own at this hour.
As he continued he began to wonder what exactly the future held for him. Ruby knew. If she spilled the beans, would he have anyone left on his side who would aid him? Would Tyrian? Or Hazel? Or Salem herself? Or would they all let the chips fall where they may, and let nature run its course?
Would Weiss defend him? Or even Blake? Blake had said she wanted him to stay alive. Would knowing that he was human change that?
In any case, if he didn't get some food in his belly those questions would be a moot point. He needed food to live, and he couldn't live to see himself die at the hands of a hybrid unless he ate first. And if there was one thing he wanted, now that both his mind and body had recovered, it was to survive. Both for his sake and theirs. However, he still knew his chances were slim. He knew he should still treat this day like it could be his last.
Upon reaching the kitchen he began to plan out his meal. It wouldn't be fancy. It wouldn't be gourmet. It would simply be food. Something warm to fill his stomach. Something to give him strength and energy. Eggs, bacon and toast were simple enough. Dump two of the three in the frying pan and let the flames do their work. While they did he would shove the bread in the toaster and give himself something quick to snack on while the others cooked. The perfect plan.
"There you are!"
Of course all perfect plans shattered once they made contact with the enemy.
Jaune turned to see Weiss standing in the doorway. The question was, was Weiss his enemy?
The tiny hybrid stomped into the kitchen, anger etched onto her normally beautiful face. If her accusation was anything to go by, she had been searching for him. But did she know? The idea sent a shiver down his spine, and her glowing red eyes narrowed on him as she approached.
Jaune's hand fell slowly to his side, where the handle of Crocea Mors laid against his hip.
"And where exactly were you last night?" she asked accusingly.
Fingers froze before they made contact with the blue-leather bound hilt.
The way Weiss spoke to him made it sound like she was his wife, and that he had been out all night on a bender with the guys. It was an odd sensation to feel as she strutted over to him, hands resting on her hips and head tilted up to peer into his eyes expectantly.
"I..." he started, but came up with nothing. He couldn't very well tell her the truth of what had happened. If he did, he was certain that only one of them would leave this kitchen alive.
A sharp poke from her horn earned a pained gasp. "I know exactly what happened last night."
Fear once more coursed through his body. Jaune rubbed his sternum, the area extra sensitive today while he still recovered from his injuries.
"You do?"
Weiss took a step forward to close the gap between them. Despite the fact that her head only came up to his shoulders, her horn made up for that difference and threatened his face. All it would take was one swift motion to take out one of his eyes.
"After all that talk about trust, and you have the audacity to not come back to our room? I had to sleep alone with Ruby!"
So that's what she was mad about? A wave of relief surged over Jaune. Unless...
"Oh. Did she, um, say anything?"
Weiss scoffed. "Nothing anymore inane than usual. She simply went up to her bed and fell asleep."
Jaune frowned. So Ruby had gone up to her old sleeping spot on the top bunk? He supposed it made sense. Without Jaune being there it wasn't likely that the two hybrids would share a bed. He acted as a buffer between the two both in and out of the sheets.
Another poke made him wince. "And now I find you down here making breakfast without me? How dare you treat your master in such a manner!"
The realization dawned on him. That's right. Making breakfast together was their routine. He had gotten so caught up in everything from the previous day that the idea of it completely slipped his mind. He had far bigger issues on his mind right now than his daily alone time with Weiss.
She poked him again. "Are you ignoring me?"
He wasn't in the mood for this. Routine or not, he was not prepared to deal with a demanding Weiss this morning. And all her pointy assaults. "Just drop it, Weiss."
Those were apparently the wrong words, as Weiss did not drop it. If anything she only got angrier. Another peck. "I will drop nothing!"
The smell of cooked eggs and bacon demanded his attention, lest it burn in the pan. And despite Weiss' presence in the kitchen, he was determined not to let a good meal go to waste.
Jaune grabbed hold of the frying pan's handle and the spatula he was working with and began to tend to the food. As he did, the long horn of the hybrid found his hand, nudging it up in an attempt to dislodge it from his cooking utensils.
The pan tilted with her horn. With rather predictable result, the eggs splattering all over him, and not her. Frustration boiled over as his head whipped around to see a seething hybrid.
"Weiss!" he spat angrily. "What are you doing!"
"You weren't paying the proper attention I am due," she said haughtily, as if that justified the mess she made, and backed up for Jaune to clean it up.
"I'm not in the mood today," he growled. "Just leave me alone."
The fact that Weiss was still ignorant of his true nature did nothing to relieve him. It was only a matter of time. Ruby knew. She would probably tell Yang, if she hadn't already. And then Yang would grasp him in that massive Grimm hand of hers and slam him into the ground until he was nothing more than a bloody, meaty pulp.
So what was he even doing? Why was he even making food? What did it matter? He was a dead man walking. This was a nightmare. A living nightmare. His luck had finally run out, and he was living on borrowed time.
"Are you going to make more?" she asked. One of her fingers was pointed down to the floor where the spilled eggs lay. "What you have in the pan is hardly enough for the both of us."
An incredulous laugh slipped through his lips. "Are you kidding me? You made that mess, Weiss."
"Perhaps you will remember to mind your manners when I am present."
He wasn't paying attention to her, a costly mistake. Harder than before, she struck his freshly injured arm with her horn. Jaune cried out, feeling his Aura strain as the still healing skin tore. Blood bubbling up, he turned on her in a fury. Weiss for her part looked momentarily taken aback, before crossing her arms.
"Damn it, Weiss!" He held the bleeding arm up. "Look what you did!"
"Are you shouting down at me, servant?" Weiss huffed, an expression Jaune hadn't seen before crossing her features. "Know your place and make my food."
"You are not stabbing me again, Weiss." Without thinking, he put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back.
A blush darkened her complexion, cheeks turning gray. Jaune figured that it was in outrage over him daring to touch her but he couldn't care less. His food was burning.
Jaune quickly looked to the pan, where a few precious strips of bacon still remained. They were finished, and he turned the stove flame off. Grabbing a still hot piece from the pan, he tore it in half with his teeth. "Make your own damn breakfast."
He turned to walk away, but was stopped when Weiss grabbed hold of his free hand. She spun him around, and the sight of angry red eyes stared up at him.
She lunged up, intent on stabbing him once more with her horn, but Jaune was ready for it this time. Flaring his Semblance, he made himself faster and stronger. His hand intercepted the incoming attack, fingers curling around the hard keratin of her horn. Weiss' eyes widened in shock, but it was nothing compared to the reaction when he shoved her forward. Assisting his firm grip on her horn, he put a heavy hand on the center of her chest and slammed her up against the nearby wall. The nearby shelves shuddered from the impact.
"Enough!" he shouted. "No more of that!"
Weiss began to struggle under his grip, but the advantage he had over her head by having control of her horn made such efforts difficult. The weight of his body against hers did nothing to alleviate the pressure.
"Unhand me, you vile cur!" she snarled through gritted teeth. "I did not say you could touch me!"
"No. Not until you tell me you're going to stop attacking me."
She was breathing heavily, a blush of gray darker than ever on her cheeks from her struggling. Struggling that all but ceased now. Glowing crimson eyes peered up at him, unflinching as they stared into his own.
A twinge of guilt slowly built up inside of Jaune. Frustrated or not, he shouldn't have done that to Weiss. Dropping his Semblance, the same craven desire hit him full blast. Something, anything to keep it going. Shaking his head Jaune got a grip on himself.
He released his hold on her head and took a step back. With a little bit of breathing room between the two, he lowered his head in shame. "Weiss, I shouldn't have-"
Jaune never got a chance to apologize before Weiss pounced. Leaping at him, her hands grabbed him by the cheeks, pulling his head down to her level before smashing her lips into his. Taken by complete surprise, Jaune had no idea what had happened until it was already in progress. Weiss assaulted his mouth with hers, her lips and tongue hungry to take every last bit of flesh into them. Invading past his teeth like an army which had just breached the gates of a fortress.
His legs attempted to move back and away from the hybrid, but her hold on his face was absolute. Where Jaune went Weiss did as well, and for long seconds he could do nothing but endure the hard, lustful kisses from the girl.
Eventually she broke from him, likely only because she needed oxygen. Her breaths came out in ragged gasps as she desperately drank in air. A look at her breathless face showed it was even darker than before. Red eyes danced with mischief, and an eager smile played on her lips.
"W-what was that?" Jaune stuttered, his body and mind still in shock from what had just occurred. "Since when did you learn to do... that?"
"I have studied the documentary we watched together to ensure I had a proper grasp on the art of kissing," she explained. "I will ensure that I never make that mistake again."
He moved to take a step away from her, but was stopped when Weiss grabbed hold of his hoodie, pulling him toward her while she backed up. She pulled him so close that his body was once more pressing her against the wall.
"No. Keep me against the wall. I want to feel your weight pressed against me."
He nodded absentmindedly, still struggling to understand what was going on. His mind went blank as she reached up and kissed him again, but was broken from his stupor when this time Weiss bit down on his lower lip. She pulled back again, only releasing her teeth's hold on it at the very last moment.
"I thought you weren't going to make that mistake again?"
She grinned. Lustfully, if Jaune had to make a guess. "Not unintentionally, at least." Her breaths continued to pour from her lips. "Now... take me as your mate, Jaune. Dominate me as no male ever has before."
Jaune's eyes widened. Did Weiss... have some sort of domination kink? This only happened after he had slammed her against the wall, after he had shouted her down...
For a third time Weiss brought her head up to kiss him. Only this time the rest of her came with, and Weiss used the wall to shove herself up, wrapping her legs around his waist. His arms moved without thinking, and came around her hips so that there was no risk of her falling. And by the gods, did she had a wonderful backside. Human or Grimm form, Weiss was an amazingly beautiful girl.
After spending weeks sharing a bed with two beautiful girls, after having held them in his arms every night, Jaune snapped.
All the stress, all the frustration, all the fear, had finally reached its boiling point. If his secret was going to be exposed, if he was going to die, he might as well get to enjoy something before he went. He might as well enjoy one moment of carnal pleasure before he was killed. This could very well be his last day on Remnant. He should go out with a bang.
Stepping back away from the wall, pulling his head away, Jaune smiled down at Weiss. "I thought you were the master and I was the servant?"
"I am the master. Do as you're told," she whispered when the kiss broke. Emboldened and filled with lustful passion, Jaune squeezed down on Weiss' flesh. She gasped from the touch, and sharp fingernails dug into his hair. "Make me yours."
For someone who had a domination fetish, Weiss was quite demanding. But then again, what else was new?
The wall shuddered a second, but not last time.
Ruby's mind was wandering as she sat in Doctor Watts' class. Not an unusual occurrence, however today's lack of focus had nothing to do with his boring curriculum.
Jaune was missing. That was entirely expected. After what she had learned, after hearing the truth about his nature, it made sense to her that he would not be here. He was afraid, and rightfully so.
The question now was, what would she do with that information? Could she, would she, betray him? Would she do what she was meant to do, and kill the boy?
She shook her head as she sat in her seat. No! How could she? After everything they had been through. After all they had shared. After all the times they had been there for one another in their times of need, how could she even consider it?
Jaune had been her first friend. For a time, her only friend. And he hadn't even been a hybrid! This whole time, a no-good, stinking human had been her friend. The friend of a Grimm hybrid. How was that even possible? How was a human like Jaune able to look at her in her Grimm form and not be utterly repulsed? How was he able to share a room, much less a bed with her every night, and fall asleep? How was a human able to wrap his arms around her and kiss a monster like her...
Ruby's face grew warmer with the memories of the times they had shared together. All of the positive times. All the shows of affection. All of the friendship. The love.
It made sense to her now why Jaune was able to tolerate her presence. Why he was so good at being positive himself. Why he was able to act so human. Because he was one. And despite that, he had still managed to befriend her. After witnessing all kinds of things that a human must have found horrible and terrifying, he had still been there for her.
Did she not owe him the same then? Did their bonds of friendship cease to be because he was human? He had been human all along, and he had still managed to find a place in his heart for her.
Yes. She absolutely owed him the same. She had made a terrible mistake, and it was one that she must rectify.
Another glance around showed that Jaune was not the only one missing from the room. The fact that her friend was gone was indeed expected. However, Weiss being gone was highly unexpected. She was never one to miss class. She followed the rules to the letter, and chastised those who did not. The fact that she was missing was highly suspect.
Then there was Cardin. Him not being here was concerning. He was far from a model student, and the only class he was ever interested in was combat with Professor Callows. Still, him being gone today of all days was suspicious as well. Three students being missing the day after she learned Jaune's secret could not be a coincidence.
A sudden sense of urgency filled Ruby's mind. Standing up from her seat, she rushed toward the door of the classroom. She had to find Jaune.
"Ruby, where are you-"
She didn't even turn back to acknowledge Doctor Watts before she pushed through the doors, and ran as quickly as her legs would carry her.
Jaune proved difficult to track. Despite being injured, the human could move. Or his sycophant moved him. Didn't matter. Cardin would find the bastard. He had feasted, the worst of his injuries rejuvenated, even if they had to be patched together with new iron bindings. Wesson had inquired about his fresh injury, but he brushed him off. None of that mattered.
He refused to tell them what Jaune was. That insult could never be learned. It was another reason the freak must die after Jaune. No one could ever find out that a human, a mere human, had bested him. Cardin would not allow it. No this bastard would die screaming before that truth made itself known.
He found his prey's scent in the kitchen, but again was the weakling surrounded by his group. This time was a truly disgusting display as he rutted the White Witch like they were animals in heat. Cardin reviled the mere thought of the act, that such a lowly creature would dare to sully so perfect a hybrid. Her boney, thin frame did her no favors, of course, but to Cardin it was the sheer gall of the human to think he was worthy of such an honor. Her physical shortcomings were secondary to the crime that was Jaune doing this at all.
Cardin understood perfectly well that Weiss was most likely under the delusion that this creature was like them, a higher being. Further, he held no illusions that she could kill him if he took her so called mate from her, in front of her no less. Yes, she would be understanding once he explained what the horrific truth was, but Cardin knew he would not likely survive that long. Briefly he considered telling the Blonde Bitch about what was embracing her so beloved sister night after night, but he thought better of it.
Let her rot for all Cardin cared. His own pride was more important. After their copulation, he watched and waited. They were resting when one of the teacher's, Professor Fall, came into the room and made a remark. He was too far to hear, not that he ever listened to the uppity sow to begin with. She left, and not long after they awoke and parted ways. He didn't know where Weiss was going, and he didn't care. All that mattered was that Jaune was alone now. This was the opportunity he had waited for.
Finally.
Jaune favored his left side still, as he should. The human, so frail and weak, did not yet recover fully. Perhaps this was a last ditch attempt to knock up their superior women with his inferior seed? He snorted. As if that would be allowed.
Gripping his weapon, Cardin stalked Jaune. Soon, he came to the courtyard. The hybrid smiled, pleased. Open, alone, no one around. No one to hear the screams, until it was too late.
With a bellow, Cardin tore the doors away. Jaune was without what remained of his armor, without his weapons. His body was still ravaged and his Aura was no doubt still weak. Cardin's grin turned into a snarl as he smashed into Jaune, sending the blond flying into a pillar. Again and again he battered the defenseless boy, stomping and punching as Jaune struggled to fend off half of the blows that rained down on him.
"Before, human, I only would have struck you down to prove who was superior," Cardin approached slowly, Jaune staring up at him with terror. A terror only humans could possess. "Now!" he barked, raising his savage maul up high. "Now I put an end to a traitor and liar! Scream, human! Let me hear your lungs rupture!"
Jaune brought his arms up, crying out in pain as he took the brunt of the blow. Cardin smiled wickedly as his Aura flashed, on the verge of breaking.
"That's it! More, human! I'm going to take my time to enjoy this. Every bone, every inch of skin, not a single piece of you will be left untouched when I'm-!"
He felt a curious pressure at his waist.
Blinking, he looked down to see a blade settled around him. It looked like it belonged to a scythe. What would that-
Were the last thoughts of Cardin, before the scythe tore him in half.
Ruby found Jaune in the courtyard, Cardin attacking him. Mauling him. She froze when she heard the larger hybrid, the true hybrid, speak.
"Human."
He knew. Cardin knew. No one else did, but Cardin. Time slowed around her, even as Cardin tried to break Jaune's arms.
What did Jaune mean to her? What had he ever meant to her? Why should she care?
Everything. He meant everything. He was everything to her. He loved her for herself. Not for who she could be, not for what she should be. He cared for her as a person. Unlike any other hybrid, there was no reason for it. Just simple kindness. Just a simple, kind boy who found himself stuck in a world of horrors and monsters.
Her eyes flaring with a fury she had never known, Ruby refused this. She refused to allow this sweet, kind, loving boy to die, just because he wasn't what others thought he should be. After all, was she what others thought she should be? Any and all fear of Cardin fled as she raced forward, summoning her scythe in hand.
Sinking the blade into his flesh was extremely easy. Tearing through still healing bones and his spine was easier still. Blood sprayed like a fountain. The sound of tearing meat was reminiscent of how she used to feed in the cafeteria. His top half fell backwards as his bottom half fell forward, Cardin staring up at her in confusion and wonder.
Her vision was red with rage. How had she ever been scared of this small, insignificant creature? Snarling, Ruby sliced him four more times before he hit the ground. How dare he seek to harm Jaune! How dare he seek to take her friend away!
Ruby's scythe danced with a lethal grace that most hybrids could never have imagined with their simple, brutish minds. Legs split apart, left falling to the right and right falling to the left. His head was sent up into the air as his torso fell in half, arms bisected as a consequence themselves. With one final slash, Ruby turned away from the shower of gore that followed his head being obliterated in mid air.
She breathed heavily, looking down to admire her handiwork. Cardin would threaten Jaune no more. His secret would be safe. No one would harm her first and best friend.
Grinning a bright, wide smile, she launched herself at Jaune, weapon forgotten. He yelped in pain as she made impact.
"I'm so sorry!"
Jaune was very still as she hugged him tight.
"I will never, ever let anyone hurt you, ever again."
She nuzzled her horns against his chest, methodically up and down. He was slow to react. Hesitant. She could hardly blame him, either. Their true selves had been exposed to one another.
"Ruby..." he said carefully. "Why..."
"No matter what, you're the most important thing in the world to me!" she shouted into his chest.
Her arms clung around him, but his did not do the same. Not for the first time since meeting him, she longed for his touch. For his embrace. For his affection. She wanted nothing more than for Jaune to hug her too.
A familiar scent lingered strongly on him, but Ruby was not about to question it. Right now was about the two of them, and only them. No one else mattered in this moment.
"I don't understand," he admitted.
"You're a human," she whispered into his hoodie. "And you can still like a monster like me?" She paused for a moment, letting the words hang in the air as they went unanswered. "Thank you..."
The strange liquid that sometimes built up in her eyes began to leak out. Thankfully Jaune's shirt was excellent at absorbing the stuff.
"You saved me," he said. Ruby lifted her head away from him, and stared into terrified blue eyes. "Why?"
Unfamiliar feelings continued to build in Ruby's heart. She knew why she had done it. At the same time, there was something else inside of her which had made her act. An instinct deep down that told her to do one thing. One that did not mesh whatsoever with her Grimm nature.
Protect life. Protect Jaune's life.
Ruby smiled as she gazed into his eyes. "Because you're my friend," she said happily, all the while the liquid was leaking from her eyes. She sniffed. "You're my friend despite what I am and what you are. What kind of friend would I be if I turned on you?"
The fear in Jaune's eyes seemed to lessen. "You mean... you don't care that I'm a human?"
She shook her head. "Nope. You didn't care that I was a hybrid. So why should I care that you're a human?"
The truth is, by her very nature she did care that he was human. Her instincts made her attracted to negative emotions. Her instincts told her to attack humans. At the time when this revelation came out, Ruby had been conflicted. Emotional. Unable to control her urges. As a result she had fled, not wanting to lose control. To risk killing the boy before her.
Now, however, she knew what was at risk. He was at risk. As a result, Ruby would squash her natural desires. She would hold back with everything she had. Aside from the trauma of nearly losing Jaune, she was calm and collected. She would not let her instincts dictate her relationship with him. After all, she was one day expected to infiltrate the kingdoms of man. What kind of a hybrid agent would she be if she couldn't control herself around humans?
"You really mean that, don't you?"
Ruby nodded emphatically. "You're my bestie," she confirmed. "Just because you're a squishy human doesn't change that."
To her surprise, Jaune laughed. That was good. It was positive. He was more comfortable around her already. The fear she sensed from him was eroding.
"You really are a freak, you know that?"
The hybrid pouted, recognizing his jovial tone as joking, but felt offended all the same. "Am not!" she shouted, jabbing a finger into his chest. "Take it back!"
"A Grimm hybrid making friends with a human. I think we're both freaks."
Both freaks. It was one thing if Ruby was the lone freak in the school. She had long carried that burden.
However, if she and Jaune were freaks together... well, she would be just fine with that. As long as they were together.
She rubbed her horns up and down against him again. Yes. They would be freaks... together.
"I can live with that," she happily agreed.
Ruby saw Jaune look past her, and her head turned to follow his gaze. The bloody and dismembered body of Cardin lay close by. She wasn't sure if the presence of the corpse made this moment more or less romantic. Going by human standards, probably the latter.
"So... you killed him," Jaune said referring to Cardin. "Are you going to get in trouble?"
She laughed off the question. "We're vicious killing machines," she reminded him. "I'd get in trouble if I didn't kill another student every now and then. Survival of the fittest and all that. It's in the student handbook."
"There's a handbook?"
"Maybe. I don't know. But all I know is that no one's gonna lose any sleep over Cardin being dead."
The blond nodded. Ruby wasn't sure how much he truly understood. Knowing his true nature now made her look at him from an entirely different perspective.
"But," she continued. "I didn't kill him."
Jaune squinted with confusion. "You didn't?"
"Nope. You killed him, buddy."
"But..."
"You killed him," she repeated. " Because you're the meanest, toughest hybrid around. If we want to keep your secret going, we'll just have to keep lying. Like you said."
The more Ruby thought about it, the more it made sense. Teachers like Tyrian had obviously lied on Jaune's behalf. Salem undoubtedly knew his true nature, and had spared his life all the same. For what purpose, Ruby could not say. It was not her place to question her mother. But if Salem wanted him alive, if the teachers looked past Jaune's humanity, then she would protect and defend him to her last breath. It wouldn't be for them, however.
It would be for herself.
"Okay, sure," he agreed uneasily. "Did I have a reason for killing him?"
Ruby shrugged. "I dunno. Just say... he was mad about your match yesterday and attacked you. So you finished the job once and for all."
It was believable. A story anyone would buy at face value. Ruby was proud of herself for coming up with such an awesome story on the fly.
"Yeah, that works. But for now, um... could you maybe get off me? We should probably get going before someone finds the... three of us out here like this..."
As much as she didn't want to part from Jaune, he had a point. Being found outside embracing the boy could raise some questions.
Ruby got off of Jaune and helped him to his feet. She wondered if the two of them should just skip the rest of classes today. Jaune already had. Weiss had. Cardin had, until his untimely death.
Maybe they should just go back to their room. They had to make up for lost time, after all. For a lost night of cuddling that she had sorely missed. She didn't know where Weiss was, but right now she wanted to spend a little alone time with her human best friend.
Salem watched the display outside through her Seer's orb. She would have the Beowolves recover what remains were left of Cardin in time. Poor boy, he always did think too far above his station. Jaune had survived, forged deeper bonds. Brought three of the girls closer to him than ever.
A small smile graced Salem's timeless face.
Good.
"May then your soul prevail, free to roam again." Salem turned away, leaving the two to their quiet comfort. "Very well done, Mr. Arc. I am most pleased."
Author's Note: Despite all the major things that happened this chapter, the Jaune and Blake scene was my favorite to write. Blake is absolutely the breakout character in this story, and she's a scene stealer every time she's included.
And speaking of major things to happen, Weiss and Jaune. Who got hints of her little... kink in the past couple chapters? I have only one word to use to describe her demeanor in this chapter. "Shallchair". A reference that some of you may understand.
I want to thank the usual suspects Burkion and Lightningstrxu for their contributions as always. But this time I have another friend who helped out in a new way you might appreciate. Anonymous02 has done me the great honor of writing out the smut scene between Jaune and Weiss. I didn't include it here, since that would definitively bump up this story to an M rating. So go check out his new story, Grimm Passions. You'll notice that we both borrowed from each other while writing our respective chapters.
So there's a lot of questions up in the air now. What happens with Jaune and Weiss? What about Jaune and Ruby? What's Salem so happy about? Who's taking who to the dance! Who even remembered there is a dance, since I only mentioned it in passing months ago! All of these questions and more will be answered in time.
And of course, I want to thank all of you for your continued support and inspiration. Without you it would be difficult to keep doing this on a weekly basis. So thank you all for showing your appreciation.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter.