A/N:

marcusholley95-

Your jaune is a good father 8/10 a good dad doesn't need to be perfect, he just needs to want the best for his son and be the best dad he can be for his family

Not gonna lie... this is HIGHER than I hoped it would be. I honestly thought some of you would bash Jaune for putting Argent in danger like everyone else did. But 8/10? WOW! I'd think something was up if someone said 10/10. No such thing as a perfect parent, after all. As marcusholley95 said, Jaune just wants the best for his son and really is trying to be the best dad he can be for his family.

In short... HE'S NOT A MODERN AMERICAN CARTOON DAD! WHOO! I mean, seriously, have any of you guys seen ANY recent cartoon dad you'd want as a father? I sure as hell haven't.

Anyway, onto the story.

Sandy was working on a car when she heard the roar of a truck. She looked out to see a familiar sight. She walked out of her garage, using a towel to clean the grease and oil off her hands. The truck stopped right in front of her, the doors opening. Argent jumped out first, with Jaune getting out of the driver's seat and walking up to Sandy, lessening her smile a bit.

"So... did you find Rob?"

"So that was his name," Jaune began. "Friend of yours?"

"Not exactly. He's just my usual driver. So, is he alright?"

Jaune shook his head before taking out the scroll from his back pocket, and handing it to Sandy.

"Is that right. Darn shame," she said with a shaky voice, tears welling in the side of her eyes.

Jaune looked at her sadly before sighing. "His body is in the bed of his truck. If you wanna call his family or have it buried yourself, it's up to you."

Sandy took off her glove and wiped the tears out of her eyes before putting the glove back on. "Thanks, Jauney. Ya did good, hero. Did ya get those varmints good?"

"Better. Brought some of them back alive," Jaune said as he pointed at the back of the truck.

"That's good to know, old friend."

Jaune's eyes widened before looking toward the voice. The owner was a man nearly as tall as Jaune himself. He had coal black hair tied in a Warrior's Wolf Tail in the same style as Jaune's. His skin was dark caramel color, with eyes as brown as the desert behind Jaune. He also had crow's feet, showing how much older the man was compared to Jaune. He wore leather boots, blue jeans, a leather vest with feather pattern sown down its sides, and a tanned button-up shirt beneath it with a red ascot finishing his look. He looked lean, had a warrior's face, and had an air of leadership to him. Another noticeable characteristic of his was the tomahawks at his side.

"Nimo? Nimo Cloud," Jaune asked with a smile.

"It has been far too long, old friend," the man said as he held out his arm, Jaune grabbing it as the two laughed and hugged each other.

"Dad? Who's he," Argent asked.

"Argent, meet National 1st Class Huntsman Nimo Cloud, the current leader of the Gero Huntsman's Guild, the #1 Guild in this region."

"Ah, the famous Argent Arc, my old friend's son. It is good to finally meet you, young warrior."

"Nice to meet you. Are you friends with my dad?"

"I would assume so, considering he saved my life," Jaune said.

"YOU SAVED MY DAD?!"

Nimo laughed. "I suppose that is quite the shock, learning that a man as great a warrior as your father needs rescuing. He is among the greatest Huntsmen I have ever met. One who I would have gladly allowed to join my tribe."

"Tribe," Argent asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nimo is also the leader of a tribe of ancient natives who were said to exist long before even the Kingdoms. His is one of the last remaining few, but also one of the most powerful. They're strong enough to rival most villages, some say even a small kingdom, and are considered the protectors of this region. So, no, they're not like your stepmom's tribe."

"Oh."

"You know, Jaune, you can still join us. I would be honored if you took Lena as your wife. She still loves you, my friend."

Jaune sighed. "Nimo, we both know why I didn't accept that offer the first time, and things have gotten much more complicated since then." Jaune looked at his hand. "Much more."

"You mean the darkness you now carry?"

Jaune's eyes widened. "How did you- But your tribe doesn't follow modern news. You don't even rely on scrolls."

"But we rely on the spirits."

Jaune realized it. "Your Semblance."

Nimo shook his head. "There are other powers beyond one's soul, old friend. You don't need to hide it from me."

"Hide what," Sandy asked. "Oh, wait. I know. Yeah, show it off, big guy. Ya can't scare this girl off that easily."

Jaune stared at his friends before he sighed. "You asked for it," he said as he pushed the face of his watch, deactivating the hologram.

Both Sandy and Nimo stared at Jaune, looking him over.

"Is that all? Shoot, I've seen scarier things in the junk people roll into my garage."

"You carry a heavy burden, old friend. I am sorry. If there's a way we can help, my tribe's medicine men can-"

"Sorry, Nimo," Jaune said as he raised his hand. "But I already found out that nothing can reverse this. I'm stuck as a Grimm-Human hybrid. . . And trust me, I'm going to need these powers."

". . . I see."

"Also, even without them, I'm kinda off the market," Jaune said as he held up his left hand.

"Oh! So ya finally popped the question," Sandy clapped.

Nimo smiled. "A shame. Lena will be saddened, but happy to know you found love. Who is the fortunate maiden?"

"Yo," Nimueh went as she popped from behind Jaune.

The moment Nimo saw her, his eyes widened before he quickly bowed, making Nimueh sigh. "And this is why I didn't show up sooner. I'm not one of your worshiped spirits, Nimo."

"But you are still a Great Spirit, Lady Nimueh. Please, allow me to. . . Wait a minute." He then looked up at Jaune with wide, shocked eyes. He then stood up, not taking his eyes off of him. "You... married a Great Spirit?"

"Yup."

Nimo stared at Jaune before falling back. He then fell hard with a thud. Sandy began to laugh nervously.

"Ow. A man in his late sixties really shouldn't be doing that," Jaune said.

"Is he going to be alright," Argent asked.

"Probably," his parents answered.

One of the thieves groaned as he woke up. He hissed in pain as he tried to get up, only to feel that he was bound and see nothing but darkness.

"Hey, anyone awake?"

"Ow. Shut up. I feel like I have the worst hango- What the? Did we go to that kinky brothel again?"

"Hey, whore, I told you I wasn't into having my eyes covered!"

"OW! Son of a- Wait, what did I just run into?"

"Wait. Oh, shit! It's coming back to me! We got jumped!"

"By who?!"

The truck doors were then opened, making the thieves wince from the bright sunlight.

"Oh, terrific. Nimo Cloud."

"T-That's not who we need to worry about."

The thief looked at his comrade before following his gaze, the man's eyes widening. "J-Jaune Arc."

"The World's Greatest Huntsman? Fuck."

"Your reputation proceeds you, old friend," Nimo said to Jaune, who just shrugged. Nimo then jumped into the truck, walking towards the three thieves. "By my authority as a National 1st Class Huntsman, I place all three of you under arrest for theft and the murder of a civilian and being in league with the Fury Roads. Anything you say can and will be held against you," Nimo said as he easily lifted two of the men by their cuffs and jumped out of the truck.

"Oh, come on. Bad enough Arc was here, but the freakin' Gero Guild," the thief asked as he saw two other Huntsmen and a van ready.

"Take them back to the guild. Have Sky Sees All interrogate them."

"Sir," the Huntsmen said as they took the men, the last one being handed to them by Jaune himself. One tried to struggle, but the muscular Huntsman knocked him out with a punch to the back of the head.

"Tss, he doesn't handle nonsense very well," Jaune said.

"Mahcata. One of my best. Also, one of my most serious. He has promise. He's already a National 2nd Class at his age. He could very well be my successor when I retire."

"So, when you're close to one hundred," Jaune jokingly said as he nudged Nimo, making the older man laugh.

"I have business to attend to. I'll be leaving. Goodbye, old friend."

"If you need me, Nimo, I'll be around."

Nimo then nodded with a smile before walking away. He then stopped and turned toward his friend. "Jaune."

"Hm?"

"If you are truly planning on entering the desert, be careful. The spirits have been restless. The desert was never safe, but it seems almost... darker as of late. You may have even greater power now than before, but even you still need to be careful."

Jaune sighed before looking towards the desert. "As if the Vaccuo Deserts weren't enough of a death trap. Don't worry. I'll be on my guard. Besides," Jaune smiled as he rubbed his son's head. "I gotta kid to think of, don't I?"

"Dad, I can take care of myself," Argent went in embarrassment.

Nimo chuckled. "Brave little warrior. You raised him well, Jaune. You'd think he was a member of my tribe."

"Everyone wants my kid," Jaune said with a roll of his eyes.

"Be well, my friend," Nimo said before jumping onto a motorcycle and riding off.

"Cool old man," Argent said with his hands behind his head.

"That he is," Jaune agreed.

While he was talking to his old friend, Mahcata was watching the interaction the entire time.

"Something wrong, Mahcata," a beautiful Huntress asked him.

"That's the legendary Jaune Arc, supposedly the mightiest warrior in all the lands."

"Yes. Why?"

"The chief wanted HIM to marry Lena?"

The woman sighed. "Mahcata, you don't need to worry about that anymore."

"I know, Nako. Still, why would the chief want his daughter to marry someone so... dark?"

Nako looked at Jaune as he was talking to his son. "It is strange. The darkness emanating from that man's soul. Does the chief know something we don't? Even still, the contrast between him and the boy."

"If that man is the moonless night, that boy is the shining sun," Mahcata said. "How could darkness give rise to such light?"

"That isn't our duty to discover, friend. Come. Our chief gave us orders. Hopefully, this fool can tell us where Ratcliffe is."

"RATCLIFFE?!" The Huntsmen looked into their back seat to see their prisoner with fear in his eyes. "YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT HIM?! NO! NO, NO, NO! COME ON, MAN; YOU CAN'T HAVE ME TALK ABOUT THAT LUNATIC!"

Nako looked worried while Mahcata looked annoyed. "Watch us," he said as he got into the car, Nako following.

"NO! COME ON, MAN! IF HE FINDS OUT I SQUEALED, HE'LL FILLET ME! HE'S GOTTEN EVEN WORSE SOMEHOW! PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME TALK!"

"SHUT UP," Mahcata yelled as he drove towards the guild.

"NO! NO! NOOOOOO!"

"What was that about," Argent asked.

"Mhm," Jaune shrugged.

"There ya are!" The two looked to see Sandy walk out with the tires. "And they're in right good shape. Ain't they purdy? And you brought in quite a haul, Jauney. Give me a few blinks and yer girl will be purrin' like new, on the house."

"Free? You sure? I can afford it, you know."

"Oh, I know, but what you did more than covers the costs. Go get yerself a bit to eat and the ol' girl will be ready to take on the sandy sea. 'Course, if ya'll wanna do a few more jobs or close yer eyes for a spell, that trailer will do ya nicely," she said as he gestured towards a nice-looking motorhome.

Jaune smiled. "We'll think about it." Sandy gave a pearly white smile before heading towards her garage, the King's Glaive already prepped for repairs.

"So, kiddo, honey, you two hungry?"

"SURE," Argent said in excitement.

"I could eat," Nimueh shrugged.

The Vaccuo desert was a deceptively beautiful sight. Golden sands were kissed by the blazing sun, the rare breeze softly blowing the tanned grains across the dry sea. Dunes, plateaus, and rare desert plants decorated this beautiful death trap. Yes, death trap, for the desert held many traps. The swirling sands that can suck you into the earth, the Grimm that swam through the dunes as if they were water, and the very sun itself made the desert quite dangerous. Only the bravest and mightiest dared enter the barren land.

Then, in this mystic landscape, the King's Glaive roared through the sands.

Argent was holding onto his dad, his mom behind him, the family riding through the desert to reach Vacuo. They had been riding for at least two hours, having gotten an early start in the morning when the sun began to rise to not have to deal with the heat for too long. Argent complained about leaving the station so soon but was now grateful to his father since it was already getting hot. He now understood why his father insisted they wore white clothes, especially since they were specially made with Ice Dust sown into them.

Argent, getting a bit bored, decided to look at the wheels of King's Glaive. "It's like we're gliding over the sand," he said into the mic of his helmet.

"Yeah. Sandy gave us some good tires," Jaune said.

"Did we really have to switch, though?"

"Absolutely. Snow tires are different from tires designed for sand. You can't compare the sand to snow-covered ice. If we had kept the tires we had previously, the bike wouldn't be going as fast as it is now, which would eat up the Aura fueling it."

"But couldn't you just refill it?"

"That's what makes the Vacuo Desert so dangerous. The extreme heat from the sun slowly drains your Aura, since it's also working to prevent afflictions like heatstroke and sunburns. Using your Semblance too much out here will exhaust you, and the last thing you want to do is fall unconscious out in the desert. If the heat and sand won't get you, the Grimm most certainly will." Jaune then glanced in a direction. "Speaking of."

"Hm," Argent went. He then looked around before he saw what looked like a fin rushing towards them. "WHOA! WHAT IS THAT?!" Argent watched as the fin started to keep pace with the motorcycle.

"That would be a Sand Shark," Jaune answered.

As soon as he did, the Grimm jumped out of the sand. It really did look just like a shark, with a shovel-shaped head and webbed feet. When the beast jumped out of the sand a second time, it spat out a bullet of sand rushing towards the King's Glaive.

Fortunately, Argent prided himself in the quickdraw of his shield. He easily blocked the attack, Nimueh finishing it off with a single blast to its head from the tip of her finger.

"Nice job, you two."

"That wasn't so hard," Argent said as he spun his shield back into a sheath with a smile.

Jaune sighed. "Oh, Arie. You should know by now to never say phrases like that."

Argent's eyes widened in realization before laughing sheepishly. "Oops?" He then saw more fins. "Oooh."

"Sand Sharks are pack hunters. They are also ambush types, so they tend to pop out randomly." A Sand Shark then lunged at Jaune, mouth wide open, ready to chomp down on him, only for Jaune to punch it in the face hard enough to make it skip across the stand before smashing into a random rock. "Like that."

"So, uh, dad? How are we supposed to deal with underground Grimm?"

"They have really sensitive hearing, which is how they are able to follow us while swimming through the sand. However, that's also their weakness. A loud enough strike to the ground sends them flying out and flopping on the sand like fish thrown onto land. Most Vaccuo Huntsmen use a special tool called Sonic Bombs made from a special mixture of Dust. The mix is compatible with Crocea Mors' shield."

Argent looked at his shield, not knowing his shield had a sonic bomb.

"But I don't have that mix."

"WHAT?!"

"It's been years since I've been to Vaccuo, kiddo. Not a lot of jobs requiring International 1st Class out in these parts, lately. Well, until recently, with those rumors."

"Rumors?" Argent shook his head. "Forget about that. What about the Sand Sharks?"

"Well, since I have magic now," Jaune began as he created the orbs of magic, making them spin faster and faster.

He then performed a precise drift that became a donut circling the pack. "Get ready, Argent!" Jaune then slammed his hand onto the sand, a loud boom is heard even above. Right after the boom, the entire pack of Sand Sharks shot into the air, screeching in surprise. "NOW!"

Argent drew Crocea and swung with all his might, creating a Wind Blade that split the entire pack in half. "WHOO," Argent cheered.

He laughed when Nimueh hugged him. "That's my boy!"

"Dad, that was awesome!"

"Yeah. Having magic has its perks. Still, don't celebrate just yet," Jaune said as he pushed down the side stand. "A Pack this big always has an Alpha nearby. A Bull Sand Shark." A boom and the sound of a roar occurred behind Jaune, caused by a Sand Shark twice the size of the already motorcycle-sized Grimm lunging at Jaune.

He smirked. "Like clockwork."

Jaune then quickly turned around and landed an upper palm strike to the chin of the beast, shutting its mouth. He then grabbed its mouth, forcing it to remain shut, then Conquered it.

"Welcome to MY pack, big guy."

The Bull Sand Shark shook its head before giving a sort of bark to Jaune, showing that it was now under his command, especially when it bowed before its new King.

Argent walked up towards the Sand Shark, the creature looking at him, turning its head in curiosity. When it did, it invertedly gave Argent the perfect angle to pet it, which he did, making the creature pure.

"It's so rough. It feels coarse. Kinda like a cat tongue."

"Makes sense," Jaune said as he rubbed the Grimm's head. "Sand Sharks spend their time swimming through the sand," Jaune began as he grabbed a fistful of sand, letting the grains pour out of his open palm. "No way anything soft can glide through this. Also, see the shape of its head?"

"It looks like a shovel," Argent said as he traced the brim of the creature's face.

"Exactly. This helps it move through the sand more easily. Also, if your Aura wasn't up, you would have cut your finger."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. Sand Sharks use their heads not just for movement, but for battle. A well-placed and timed headbutt from one of these bad boys will do a lot of damage to your Aura, and couple that with the desert's intense heat, and an unprepared Huntsman will be another chapter in the story of the Vaccuo Desert."

"Wow, dad. You're really smart."

"Kinda have to be if you want to be an International 1st Class Huntsman."

"I'm surprised you were never a teacher." Jaune jolted. "You're a better one than most of the ones in my school," Argent said with a genuine smile and laugh.

Jaune laughed nervously. "Arie, kiddo, please NEVER say that in front of your Aunt Glynda. I don't need her to get another excuse to make me so much as a temp. professor."

Meanwhile.

Glynda was signing away documents at her desk when her beautiful green eyes were hidden by the sudden shine of her glasses. "Ho-ho? Did you think you can hide your potential from me, Mr. Arc?" She then stood up and went towards her window, looking down at Beacon. "This school is in need of new educators, and you'd be perfect Jaune. Especially now," she said as she pushed up her glasses.

Jaune sighed. "Knowing her, she'd make me use my powers to bring in a tamed Grimm and have students closely analyze them," Jaune said as he began to scratch the bottom of the Sand Shark's head, making it purr as it shook its leg.

"My dad being my teacher at my school?" Argent shuttered. "I think we're fine as we are now," he said with a nervous smile.

"Good boy." Jaune then looked at the Sand Shark and hummed. " I wonder..." Jaune then placed his hand on the top of the creature's head.

"Uh, dad? What are you doing? I thought you already tamed it?"

"I just wanna see if I can read its mind like I do with Nimueh."

"You can read a Grimm's mind," Argent asked in awe.

"Well, I've heard voices before when I Conquered them. I'm trying to see if I can hear those voices on purpose this time."

Jaune then closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. Moments passed.

'What do you desire to know, my liege,' a voice asked.

Jaune's eyes shot open as he smirked. "Jackpot."

"You did it?! What did say?! What are you gonna ask," Argent asked excitedly.

"Easy, kiddo. You know how I mentioned rumors?"

"Huh? Um, yeah. What were you talking about?"

"A while back, I heard talk of two new massive Grimm in the desert. One in the sand and one in the sky. The dominant Grimm that swim in the sand are Sand Sharks and Death Worms. I'm willing to bet that whatever started one of the rumors is an above-average Death Worm. Those things can get pretty big on average."

"How big?"

"Maybe about the size of a train car."

"Whoa. What about the other one?"

"My only guess is that it's probably a big Razor Wing. Maybe the size of Neverflame." Argent's eyes sparkled in excitement, wanting to see either Grimm.

'No.'

"Wha," Jaune went as he looked at his Bull Sand Shark.

'Not Worm. Not Wing. Something... different. Something. . . new.'

Jaune's eyes widened. "New Grimm?"

A/N: And so we begin the Vaccuo Saga. A lot of crazy things happens in this part of Remnant. However, if you're hoping to see some familiar faces, don't get your hopes up. Honestly, I'm a pretty lazy writer. Also biased (obviously). I just hope you guys enjoy what comes next.

Until then!