Next chapter after this is Vale. Finally, some more cannon characters lol.
I should mention that there will only be 2 more non-background OCs in this story, they've already been name-dropped before but just haven't appeared yet. And Gin is the only one who will have an effect on RWBY's main plot line. Not to the point where he becomes the centre of RWBY's verse of course, that would be too much.
Chapter 5: A Son's Spite
2 years later.
Gin sat barefooted in a seiza on a mat with his eyes closed. He was surrounded on his sides and front by lit candles on stands.
His straight platinum hair had its front fringes cut diagonally with a single lock of hair on his left side that was long enough to touch the shoulder. He wore a silvery-white haori with a hood, underneath it was a black tank-top turtleneck which was tucked in loose grey pants that tightened with cuffs above the ankles. He had a red sash tied into a bow on his hip and there were martial arts slippers left behind him.
On his left side, lying on the mat was a modified black shirasaya. A simple hilt and scabbard made of wood that looked like a curved rectangular cane without a handle.
Gin lifted one foot forward and got into a kneeling position. At the same time, he grabbed his weapon and got into an Iai stance. His left thumb pressed a button on the scabbard's thin side and it slightly ejected the sword.
Aura Realm
The blade swung free and the 3 candles lost their fire.
Or rather, their wicks were stolen and were now on the flat of Gin's sword, still burning.
They extinguished a second or two later, offering a proper look at the katana's form. It was mostly dark while its edge had a silver wavy pattern called a hamon, that increases in size towards the tip.
Gin rose, and he used Aura to make his sword spin on the back of his hand. Then he threw it in the air and positioned his scabbard on his back. The spinning sword fell and landed perfectly inside the scabbard.
His parents applauded from their seats on the couch.
"Well done, son." Jin grinned, "I taught you well.'' His light purple hair was much shorter now. It was parted in the centre where the fringes were still long enough to reach his cheeks. He also had visible stubble on his chin now.
''Indeed,'' Karin nodded. "That was cool as heck.'' Her hair was still mostly the same, except that it was tied into a ponytail now.
Gin smiled while rubbing his head. "Thank you," he said bashfully.
"I hope the shirasaya is to your liking?" Jin asked. "Is the dent on the side uncomfortable?"
"No, it's perfect for telling which side of the sword I'm holding. The mechanism that holds the blade works great too," Gin tried pulling out the sword but it stayed stuck until he pressed the button on the scabbard - this time on the opposite side from before - and it ejected the sword. "Thank you again for making this, dad."
"You're welcome," Jin said with a smile. "Though I still find it odd you'd ask for a shirasaya. Those are meant for preserving katanas and not combat, after all."
Gin shrugged, "Like I said, dad, it's the symbolism that's important."
"I second that. Practicality is nothing before style," Karin said with wisdom.
Gin chuckled. "Yeah," he said with a grin.
Jin shook his head but he relented with a smile against the two of them.
"Besides, it's not like Gin will use it much. It IS a dangerous weapon, after all. Isn't that correct, dear?" There was a slight edge to Karin's voice.
Gin's laugh was a little nervous this time, "Of course mom."
"Good, you spend a lot of your own money on buying that blade and it'd be a shame if I had to destroy it," Karin smiled.
Gin swallowed and he held his sword closer and away from his mother.
"Also," Jin said, "don't forget you still need a license for it."
"Yeah," Gin said. "Will we get one after the Grimm Hunt?"
"Hmm, probably," Jin answered.
Karin's expression twisted, "I still don't like that Grimm Hunt thing, Is it really necessary, honey?"
Jin chuckled, "I understand your worries, dear. But Gin and Jaune have never encountered a Grimm before. Their unlocked Auras make them more likely to attract Grimm and they might freeze upon seeing one. It's best to get them prepared for such encounters just in case. Besides, Nicholas and I will be watching over them so there's nothing to fear."
"Still…"
"Dad's right, mom. I might encounter Grimm in the future. It's better to be safe than sorry." In the back of Gin's mind, he had another motive.
He wanted to test himself against the Creatures of Grimm.
Karin looked slightly annoyed, "You say that as if fighting Grimm isn't more dangerous for you than other Aura users. Because if I recall correctly, using Aura Realm means you can't use Aura to shield yourself."
Gin winced, "That's not exactly true, I can still use Aura as a shield but it just becomes a little weaker…"
"Bullets being able to penetrate your skin, when it couldn't before, isn't 'a little weaker' sweetie."
"You could wear armour, you know," Jin offered.
"No, no, no," He waved a hand in refusal. "I don't need it. I've done a lot of practice dodging rubber bullets for a while now and I can even deflect them now. Grimm aren't as fast as bullets."
Karin's brows furrowed, "Where did you get rubber bullets? Or a gun to shoot them for that matter?"
"I borrowed them from a friend."
"You're right about Grimm not being as fast as bullets," Jin began, "but you've only faced human opponents and there is a big difference in facing animal-like opponents, especially the Grimm. And just because they're stupider doesn't mean they're easier to beat. Not to mention, it will be a life or death battle."
"I'll be able to handle it." Gin placed a hand on his chest, "Please, believe in me."
The husband and wife looked at each for a second.
Karin sighed, "Very well, I will. But please be careful."
"Yes, of course." Gin smiled and made a fist in glee.
"Well, anyway, have you thought of a name for your weapon?" She said. "Every good weapon needs a cool name."
"No, I haven't." Gin pinched his chin, "I have no idea what I want to name it either."
"Do you want me to name it for you?" Jin offered.
Both mother and son laughed.
Jin looked offended, "What?"
"Well, no offence dear," Karin sniggered, "but you named your sword Tree Cutter."
"Which is a great name," he said defensively. "I told you before, It's simple sounding yet it has big meanings."
"Well, I do agree with you dad, but it's not something I'd personally use. Thanks for the offer though," Gin said.
Jin sighed, "Fine." Then he turned to Karin and smirked, "I'm sure your mother will come up with something that will blow us all away."
"As a matter of fact, I have four suggestions in mind already. Silver Sight, Silver Seer, Steel Sight and Steel Seer."
. . .
Jin closed his eyes and grabbed his face. "Honey, those are a bit—"
"Awesome," Gin finished with awe. "They're such a perfect blend of ironic symbolism and coolness." He placed a fist on his lips as he contemplated it, "I think I'll go for Steel Seer, it has this mystical yet… metal vibe to it," He laughed at his own pun.
"Well, I'm delighted that you like it, sweetie," Karin practically glowed with pride.
Jin massaged his temples, "You two have terrible taste…"
Karin snorted, "Okay, Mr Cutter."
Jin gave her the dirtiest look achievable with the human face.
/-/
Gin stood with his sword drawn in a regular grip, the scabbard tucked in the red sash. Before him was an unarmed Jaune who had grown even taller and was now around 6'1". He wore simple sneakers, blue jeans and a black short-sleeved hoodie that had a cartoon bunny face in its centre. He must really like his hairstyle because he's had it since he was a kid.
The two teens currently had deadly serious looks on their faces.
Gin two-handed his sword and pointed it at Jaune. "Are you prepared for this?"
Jaune gritted his teeth, "Do it."
Gin charged and attacked with his full might.
Jaune didn't even try to guard.
But he was glowing a bright white as he took Gin's onslaught of slashes.
Gin finally stopped his attacks and flicked his sword to the side, "Damn, you didn't even flinch." He twirled his sword into a reverse grip and sheathed it. "I wonder if this is what trying to cut a diamond feels like," he muttered.
Jaune exhaled with a grin, "Heh, those attacks kinda felt like jabs." He stretched his arms and rotated them.
"So this was the surprise you kept telling me about, huh? It's a pretty good Semblance."
"Hell yeah," said Jaune with a bright smile. "I named it Aura Amp and it can heal too. A couple of nights ago, Lavender cut herself while she was cooking and I managed to heal her. That made me think my Semblance was healing but after some experiments, I realised that it wasn't exactly healing but amplifying people's Aura to increase its healing properties."
"So, it even works on people who don't have their Aura unlocked?"
"Yeah, I think it works better on people who do but I haven't tested it."
"Hmm, can it reattach limbs and body parts?"
"I don't know."
"Let's find out, cut off the top joint of your index."
"What? No. There's no way I'm doing that."
"Don't be a pussy. The index is the most expendable finger and it's just the top joint anyway."
"If it sounds so easy, then why don't you do it jackass?"
"Alright—"
"You know what, never mind. You're stupid enough to actually do it."
Gin shrugged with a smile, "Fine, but that just shows you don't have faith in your Semblance."
"Heh," Jaune smirked. "You're just jealous of my Semblance."
Gin barked a laugh, "Why would I be jealous of your basic-as-hell Semblance? Even the name is uncreative and unoriginal."
Jaune looked annoyed, "Okay fine, maybe your Semblance and its name are cooler, but mine is definitely more useful compared to yours which is only good for battle."
"Your shit memory and uncreativity are showing again, dude," He said with a smirk. "I already told you that my Semblance has many uses. For example, making someone pick their nose, drawing on faces, pickpocketing and stealing, sneaking past people, murder, making time move faster for other people when waiting for something, pseudo-anaesthesia for first aid, etc. In fact, I think your Semblance is the one that doesn't have many uses outside battle. It can make your attacks more powerful too right?"
"Yeah, but I can't concentrate on it while moving so I probably can't do any combos. Also, why were so many of your examples so unethical and why did they escalate and de-escalate so quickly?"
Gin chuckled, "If you think those are bad, you don't want to hear my intrusive thoughts."
Jaune raised a brow, "Like sexual harassment and shit?"
"No comment," Gin said with even blinking.
"... Anyway, my Semblance can affect other Semblances too. So it's technically more useful than yours."
"Oh, it does?
"Yeah, it does," Jaune grinned excitedly. "You know my dad's Semblance is about predicting rain, yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Well, with my Semblance he was able to predict the likelihood of rain of every day for a month. We're not sure how accurate it is yet so we made a list and keeping score."
"Oh cool," Gin was genuinely amazed. "Let's try it with mine. Maybe it'll make the time limit longer."
"Okay, sure. Wait, what if it also makes the effect stronger in that, it doesn't get cancelled after getting hit or something?"
"Oh yeah," Gin beamed. "That would be awesome, let's try it."
"Alright, your time limit is twenty-five seconds now yeah?"
"Twenty-three," he sighed. "It's still an awkward number. Anyway, Let's see if we can make it a minute."
"Alright," Jaune was about to place a hand on Gin's shoulder. "Wait a second." He narrowed his eyes, "You're not going to hit me to test the one-hit effect, are you?"
"Of course not. That would be incredibly rude."
Jaune stared at him with narrowed eyes
Gin's face remained unchanged.
Jaune hummed and placed a hand on Gin's shoulder. He got his Aura up just in case.
Aura Amp
Blackout
Jaune froze.
Gin pinched his chin, "Hmm, it definitely felt stronger. Let's see," Gin moved around Jaune to his back and raised his hand into a fist but then he stopped. "Tall bastard." He said. The height difference would have made the punch awkward so Gin just used his scabbard to smack Jaune's head.
But Jaune remained frozen.
"I knew it." Gin smiled, "In that case."
Gin moved to Jaune's front again and drew his blade in a reverse grip. Then he started attacking almost every part of Jaune's front. It continued for a while until Gin felt that time was about to run out and he stopped. Then he moved past Jaune. He twirled his sword and started slowly sheathing it until the last second when he quickly pushed it in.
Jaune screamed, fell to one knee and clutched his body, "What the fuck?!"
"Holy shit," said Gin as he turned around. "I always wanted to do that trick," He laughed. "Sorry for dissing your Semblance man, I now understand that it's frigging awesome."
"You blind cunt," said Jaune with gritted teeth. "You know, you called my Semblance basic but yours is just a lame discount time stop!"
"… Tch. You talk a lot of shit for a virgin."
"Okay, that's it," Jaune stood up and pushed his sleeves up and cracked his knuckles. "I beat your midget ass all the time in our spars nowadays, I think it's about time I start doing it with my fists."
"All the time?" He asked. "And here I thought golden dogs had good memory." Gin planted his weapon into the dirt while infusing it with Aura so it wouldn't get damaged and placed his haori on top of it. "Oh well, I guess I'll help you with that using Pavlov's method, violence edition," Gin snickered as he cracked his shoulder. "Also, what will we be betting?"
"We'll be betting shit!" Jaune yelled and charged in with a straight.
"Why would I want dog shit?!" Gin yelled back as he prepared a counter.
And thus began their friendly(?) match of beating the shit out of each with their bare hands.
Some time later, the two had already laid down on the grass on opposite sides, battered and bruised with their heads next to each other.
"Hey, you excited for the Grimm Hunt?" asked Jaune.
"Yeah." Gin raised his hand as if he was trying to grab the sky, "There's a big chance my Semblance doesn't work against Grimm, since they have no soul and I'm not sure about a brain. So, if I can kill them without it, it'll prov— increase my worth as a Swordsman." He clenched the hand into a fist.
"Hah, that's just like you."
"What about you?" Gin asked as he put down his hand. "You still want to be a Huntsman, right? So you must be more excited than I."
When Jaune announced that he changed his mind and wanted to become a Huntsman some time ago, Gin wasn't surprised one bit.
"Yeah, well kinda," said Jaune. "I'm hoping that if I do well during the hunt, it'll convince my dad that I CAN become a Huntsman." Jaune frowned, "Honestly, I thought me unlocking my Semblance would do that, but it had the opposite effect and it just made him double down on it…"
Gin winced, "Hey, I'm sure your dad doesn't mean anything bad by it."
"Hah, I don't know about that," Jaune grumbled. "Cause it sure feels like I can't do anything right in his eyes…"
"… Damn," said Gin awkwardly.
"Anyway, what about you? Have you considered it? About us trying to become Huntsman together?"
"Eh?" Gin shrugged. "I'm still not sure, man."
Jaune sat up and turned to Gin, "Come on, we could try to apply to one of the four Huntsman Academies, the nearest is Beacon Academy in the city. My dad even went there too." Jaune then realised something, "And hey, Lizzy went to the city to study computer science yeah? Maybe we could visit her sometimes too."
"That would be fun, yeah. But, slow down for a second. Don't you need to go to… a huntsman school or something to be able to apply for the big academies?"
"Yeah, a Primary Combat School but Beacon also has an entrance exam for non-combat school graduates, we could try that if our parents allow it." He scratched his head, "We could also become Huntsmen by apprenticing under an active one, it's why I hope to impress dad enough to convince him to make me his apprentice. But I'm not sure if he'll be convinced…"
"… Damn," said Gin unhelpfully.
Jaune paused for a few seconds. "Actually there might be another way we could get into Beacon Academy."
"You've been using a lot of 'we' even though I haven't even agreed to it."
"Oh for fuck's sake, man. You don't even have anything you want to do, right?"
"Well, no I dont…"
"Why don't you want to be a Huntsman anyway? My dad might say otherwise but they're basically heroic and great warriors. They defend humanity from monsters, they have glory and prestige, and they earn a lot of money too."
"Hmm." Gin sat up and contemplated something. "Well, I'm not sure but my clan hated Huntsmen and would always talk shit about them, so I guess that kind of affected my view towards Huntsmen." He looked annoyed and grabbed his mouth, "Actually now that I think about it, that definitely is the case. It kind of pisses me off…"
"… Damn," said Jaune.
"Hey, why do you want to be a Huntsman anyway?" Gin asked. "I don't think you mention it proper yet. And don't tell me it's because you want to save lives and shit, you probably do but it's more of a bonus to you and not your real reason."
Jaune looked away and scratched his head. "Well, I'm not fully sure but like, I guess I want to prove myself to my family.
"Ahh," said Gin in understanding.
"It sometimes feels like they don't have any faith in me," Jaune continued. "Like they don't expect much from me. Especially my dad…" He grumbled the last part.
Gin hummed in thought, I wonder what those shitbags in the Sasaki clan will think if I became a Huntsman. Gin fell back on the grass and smirked, Heh, imagine the look on their faces if I became a renowned Huntsman. Oh, it would be glorious.
"Hey," Gin addressed Jaune, "if you become a Huntsman, maybe you could restore your family name to its former glory? That would be cool."
"Eh? I guess that would be cool. But I don't know if I can, I'm nowhere near as good as my dad and he wasn't able to."
"That's because he doesn't care about things like that. Also, you're still young so of course, you're not as badass as him, not yet anyway. In time, you'll be as good as he is, maybe even better. He's your dad after all." Gin huffed, "You're lucky to be born with that potential."
"... Maybe." He turned to Gin again, "Anyway, let's try to be Huntsmen. Say yes."
Gin sighed, "Fine. Maybe I will if I show promise in Grimm Slaying during the hunt."
"Hell yeah!" Jaune held out a fist with a grin, "Fist bump."
Gin returned the gesture with a smile.
/-/
Two pairs of father and son were heading out into the forest in search of Grimm, with the fathers being in the lead.
Jin's battle attire changed a little from before. He now wore red armour that fully covered his left arm and chest and now had a silver handguard on his red odachi.
Jaune also wore amour over his black hoodie. It consisted of a white chest plate and a pair of white spaulders with rerebraces set under them. He also wore brown wrist-length fingerless gloves with metal plates on the back and two brown belts crisscrossing at the waist that had pouches on them. Jaune carried a simple kite shield on his back and a simple longsword on his hip.
Gin had decided to wear his haori on his hip by tying the sleeves, exposing his muscular arms. He carried Steel Seer in his left hand with its edge skywards.
"So Jaune," said Jin as he slightly turned to Jaune, "Gin tells me that you have a Semblance that can heal. That's amazing."
"Hehe, thanks," Jaune said bashfully.
Then he nudged Gin with his elbow and grinned.
Gin rolled his eyes.
Jaune glanced at his dad, "Imagine how useful it would be if I was Huntsman. I could save so many people who might be dying from their wounds."
Nicholas narrowed his eyes but didn't turn his face, "You're still naive if you think just a healing Semblance is enough to save lives. You need other things too."
"Gee, if only there was a Huntsman who could teach me those things," said Jaune.
This time Nicholas did turn to Jaune with narrowed eyes. Jaune looked away with a slight scowl.
. . .
Both Jin and Gin sweat-dropped at the awkward situation as they walked.
"So hey dad," Gin decided to break the silence, "the Aura Realm can attract Grimm, right?"
"Not exactly," Jin was more than happy to comply, "It's not that it attracts Grimm per se, but rather it makes your Aura more visible depending on how big you make the Realm. It's like a beacon in a way."
"Huh," Jaune noted with curiosity. "Can you use it during a fight to like, bait Grimm into targeting you?"
"Yes. But I suspect that it might not work if there's a group of people who're feeling negative feelings like fear and such. Fortunately, it's never gotten to that point in the battles I've fought."
"Oh cool, it's kinda like a taunt ability in video games that tanks can use."
"Nerd," Gin said with a grin.
Jaune gave Gin a punch on the arm, "I don't want to hear that from the guy who graduated at the top of our class."
"Hey, that's a different kind of nerd," Gin laughed while punching him back and they both laughed.
Jin smiled at the two boys, Nicholas also seem to lighten up a little.
"So anyway dad," said Gin, "you mentioned before that you used the Realm to attract Grimm during a Hunt like this, right?"
"Yeah."
"Let me try that this time. I can increase my Realm's range to about sixty metres in radius."
Nicholas looked a bit surprised and turned to look at him, "That big?"
"Yeah. Though it's really exhausting and I need to be careful with what I choose to sense, otherwise I'd experience a sensory overload."
"Hmm, well you can use it if you want but keep it at around forty metres. There's no need to attract too many Grimm," said Nicholas.
"Yes sir," Gin replied with a smile.
The group stopped and got ready.
Gin then made his Aura Realm bigger and waited.
"And remember," Nicholas told the two teens, "the Grimm may be mindless but some are capable of basic strategy like surrounding you in a group. Strike first and don't let them. But if you couldn't avoid it then try to get into the centre and lead the Grimm into hitting each other. Your Aura will protect your back but never let an enemy into your blind spot." He paused, "Well, I guess that might not apply to you, Gin but don't get complacent because of that."
Gin nodded, "Yes, sir. Also, they're here."
Several seconds later, a pack of six beowolves rushed out of the bushes and trees and stopped before them.
The Alpha was in the lead of the pack and it roar—
Its head fell.
Nicholas was already on the other side with his sword drawn, having quickly killed the Alpha.
Both Gin and Jaune gaped.
Jin laughed as he drew his sword, "Well, good luck trying to one-up that, you two." He planted his scabbard into the ground, "If you want my suggestion, perhaps face them while sticking together back-to-back in the centre."
Gin and Jaune looked at each other. They both smirked even though one couldn't see the other's face too clearly. Then they dashed off to different sides.
Jin let his sword lean on his shoulder, "Or turn this into a competition, I guess." He sighed with amusement, "Boys."
While the sons faced their battles, their fathers stood in vigilance, ready to intervene in case something goes wrong.
Eyes closed, Gin stood on one side with his Aura Realm active and smaller at its most effective size. The Realm seems to be why the Grimm had their gaze on him and ignored the others.
Blackout
Gin made sure that his Semblance's ripple reached only the Grimm.
"Tch. Didn't work. Expected but still annoying," He muttered as he drew his sword and placed the scabbard in his belt to two-hand his sword in a normal grip.
Aura Amp
On the other side, Jaune glowed. With the brightest part being his sword.
Three beowolves turned around and they charged with loud growls.
Jaune smiled, "Heh, knew it. Just like a taunt ability."
When one Grimm came close, Jaune yelled and released a Semblance-enhanced Aura Arc.
It bisected one beowolf and managed to even injure another that was behind the first before it vaporised a fair distance away.
Gin looked annoyed. Even though Jaune was outside his Aura Realm, he could tell what had happened thanks to Aura sensing and his hearing.
Gin charged at the remaining Grimm when he felt one of them beginning to turn around.
He used his own Aura Arc on the one who turned around. It injured the Grimm and made it stagger and fall but it was still alive. He got in front of the other one and waited for it to attack.
Though it wasn't as effective as Aura Sensing, his Aura Realm allowed him to detect attacks from feeling the monster's slight movements and increasing the precision of his own movements. So, he was able to parry and block the Grimm's fast attacks while countering with his own attacks. However, Gin gritted his teeth in frustration as he couldn't counter as much as he wanted, not used to such wild attacks from a beast-like opponent.
The other beowolf joined its brethren in attacking him and he had to use his scabbard to defend against this one. Now he couldn't counter at all, having to focus entirely on defence.
This continued for a few seconds before one of the beowolves seemed to have enough with using its claw because it opened its maw and turned it sideways to bite.
Just as the other was initiating a big attack with its entire arm.
Gin ducked. Extremely low to the point he might as well be doing a one-arm push-up if not for the position of one knee.
The beowolf bit at the air. Then its vulnerable jaw and neck were slammed into by the other beowolf's arm.
As it fell to the ground on its side, Gin switched his sword into a reverse grip and dashed towards the fallen Grimm. He sliced its neck with an upwards swing and gained his first kill.
He turned around to face the remaining Grimm, tucked his scabbard back in the sash and switched back into a normal two-handed grip. Using Aura Ripple with his feet, he jumped back and got a lot of distance.
The beowolf roared and charged.
Gin prepared for a swing to the right as it got closer.
The monster reared its claw up for an attack.
Then Gin dashed in and sliced its arm off.
Gin grinned in victory.
However, he forgot he was dealing with a mindless monster and let his guard down.
"Agh!" Gin yelled as the beowolf bit into his right bicep and drew blood. His Aura Realm crumbled and scattered, causing him to lose a good chunk of Aura. But he was able to use up Aura as a shield again.
"No! Don't come yet!" He yelled at the men who were just about to intervene. Even Jaune, who had already won his own fight.
Gin gritted his teeth as the Grimm's teeth were still in his flesh and it began mauling.
Using Aura residue, he tossed his sword from his right and caught it with his left into a reverse grip. He prepared for an upwards swing.
With a growl, he attacked with an Aura Arc at point-blank range at the Grimm's neck. It was beheaded and he finally gained his second kill.
Gin hunched over, panting and sweating.
No one could see the euphoric grin on his face.
His face relaxed and he straightened up a little, then he awkwardly sheathed his sword with one hand after flicking it once. It would have been even harder to sheathe it if it wasn't for the knob on the scabbard that allowed it to latch onto the sash.
Jin and Nicholas approached him.
"Are you alright?" Jin asked with a serious look.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Overall that is," He touched the blood on his wound. "I made a mistake."
"You did," Nicholas said simply, without judging or accusing him. "You should never let your guard down until you're fully sure the enemy is dead. And you should have gone on the attack instead of waiting to counter."
"Yes, you're right. I'm sorry," He gave a bow.
Jin grasped his son's shoulder, "As long you learn from them, mistakes can be one of the best teachers."
Nicholas nodded, "I agree."
Jaune jogged over. "You alright, man?" He asked with a worried expression.
"Yeah." Gin gave a wry smile, "It seems you won, rather astoundingly too."
Jaune had slain 3 Grimm without any injury but he looked like didn't care at all. "Here let me heal you," He placed a hand on Gin's shoulder.
"Wait. I appreciate it but can you make it so that a big scar remains? I want to have a reminder."
Jin and Nicholas nodded in approval. Using scars to remind yourself of your mistakes so you never forget them was a great notion.
"Uh, okay I'll try," said Jaune as he activated his Semblance.
Gin shivered at the odd tingle. He raised his injured arm and winced at the slowly receding pain. He was more than happy to welcome it. My first battle scar and a reminder of my victory today, He thought. Ahh, it feels incredible.
/-/
Later that night in a bar.
Jin downed a mug of beer and exhaled when he was done, "Gods, my heart almost leapt out of my throat today."
Nicholas downed his own beer, "Aye. At least, nothing worse happened."
"Except for the fact I'm sleeping on the floor tonight."
Nicholas laughed, "My sympathies. I know how that can feel."
They ordered a refill.
"Still, even though it could have gone better, your son did good today," Nicholas praised. "Despite that one hiccup, he handled it well. He used his head when he attacked the Grimm that got distracted. He successfully used the tactic I gave about making them attack one another and didn't panic when he got mauled. I know a lot of grown men who'd be losing it from fear if that happened."
"I know, I told Gin that too," Said Jin. "But I worry if he doesn't see it that way."
"Why?"
Jin shrugged, "I'm not as good at reading him as his mother so I'm not entirely sure but after what happened today, he was pretty quiet and deep in thought. I think that his spirit and confidence in his abilities got affected by what happened today." He drank from his mug without finishing it this time, "Especially if he compares himself to Jaune and how well he did."
Nicholas grimaced. He sighed and drank again.
Jin smiled wryly, "I take it that Jaune's desire to become a Huntsman increased after today."
"Aye. It was bad enough when he unlocked his Semblance," He grumbled. "I expected that he'd do good against the Grimm but he did even better than I'd thought. Even though I know it's not, a part of me can't help but think today was a bad idea."
Jin stared into his mug as he swayed it, "You're not the only one."
A couple of seconds of silence passed before Jin decided to break it with a wry smile, "I know it's none of my business but I think Jaune would do a lot of good as a Huntsman."
Nicholas' nose crinkled, "I know that, okay. You don't know how many times I've felt like an asshole denying Jaune that. Especially since he's become so passionate about it now for some reason. But being a Huntsman is a harsh life. Don't get me wrong, I love saving people and helping them but the ones you fail, the ones you have to abandon because you have a family to return to… they haunt you." He took a long drink and finished it with an explosive sigh.
"… I apologise, I never knew," Jin finished his own mug.
"It's fine. Most people never do and that's intentional. The media glamorizes the profession to attract more people into it, it's why so many Huntsman - mostly the younger ones - are so flashy and colourful. I suppose it's not all bad, it gives people hope and positivity and that reduces the negativity that attracts Grimm. And when Grimm attacks do happen, people can easily recognize Huntsmen and be reassured by their 'heroic'," he sarcastically emphasized, "presence. Well, not that it works all the time…"
The two men got their refills.
"And now Jaune wants to be one," Nicholas continued while drinking. "Even after all my subtle discouraging and direct ones by telling him what I told you, it instead feels like it's having the opposite effect. Worst part is, Jaune has the talent for the profession and he even has a great Semblance for it."
. . .
Jin sniggered, then it turned to slight laughter, "I'm sorry, I just can't help but find it funny that a parent is troubled by their child's abundant talent. It's usually the other way around." He drank again.
Nicholas snorted loudly. He placed a hand on his face and shook with mirth, "It's not even that funny—" He laughed, "I blame the alcohol."
"You know what, that's enough negativity for tonight or we'll bring a Grimm horde on us." Jin raised his mug, "Let's make a toast."
"To what?"
"I don't know, to beautiful but harsh wives?"
"Hah! And lovable but worry-inducing children."
"Yeah, Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
/-/
Gin was meditating on the floor of his room with his Aura Realm activated while his Scroll played music and an aroma candle was lit on a stand. Unlike its usual bubble shape, his Realm was now in the shape of a cube.
In his former clan, the next step after manifesting a Realm was learning to shape it into a half-sphere. After all, you usually didn't need to know what was underground so there was no need to add such information into your mind when you could be using that energy to increase the sensory effect and size of the Realm.
Gin's Realm turned into a cylinder that reached past the roof. Then it went down to the floor. Then the cylinder disappeared and reappeared coming out of his chest and going past the wall. Then it moved around him like the light from a lighthouse.
The music from his Scroll turned off. [You have an incoming call, from Arc of an Ass,] said the AI voice from his Scroll.
Gin stood up from his lotus pose using only his legs. He plopped down on his chair and picked up his Scroll from the table. "Answer," he told the repeating AI voice.
"Yo," said Jaune.
"Yo."
"How's the arm?"
"It's basically fine now. But my mom banned me from doing any physical exercises." He sighed, "Even though she knows I have Aura. Well, not that I was keen on arguing against her."
"Is she mad?"
"She's pissed."
"Oof. That's gotta suck."
"Yeah. Well, what about you with your dad? Did your performance today finally convince him."
"Take a guess," Jaune slightly growled.
"Damn…"
"Yup. And now I'm fucking convinced dad will never change his mind."
"You have my sympathies," said Gin. "What will you do now?"
"Well, there's something I got but I'm not sure yet. Anyway, what about you? Do you wanna be a Hunts… uh never mind. That was a stupid question."
"You're asking if I made up my mind on becoming a Huntsman? If so, then yes I have."
"Wait what?"
"I want to become a Huntsman. I'll have to talk to my parents first though."
"For real? Why? Because of yesterday? How the hell did that convince you?"
"Well, honestly fighting that Grimm felt pretty… fucking good, to be honest. The rush of a fight to the death and coming out of it as the victor." He let out a sigh, "Oh man, losing my virginity pales in comparison to that feeling," He snickered.
"… You sound like one of those edgy battle junkies in comics."
Gin laughed, "Fair enough."
"For fuck's sake man, wanting to become a Huntsman because of edgelord reasons is cringe as hell."
"Shut the fuck up," said Gin dryly. "Fighting Grimm being fun isn't why I want to become a Huntsman, alright? It was just the final push that convinced me."
"So, why do you want to be a Huntsman then?"
"You know how my clan hates Huntsmen?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"Well, I think I'll become a Huntsman to spite them." He smirked, "Just imagine it, I become a renowned Huntsman and those shitbags hear about it. They would be so fucking pissed. Not just because I became one, but because I distinguished myself as a warrior to the point my name is famous. Hah! Maybe I'll even use the Sasaki name again just to make them even madder. The Elders might even get heart attacks and die," He laughed.
. . .
"Hey uh…" Jaune began, "when you become a Huntsman, you're not gonna like, use your training to genocide your clan, are you?"
"What the fuck?" Gin looked repulsed. "No. Why would I do something like that? I'm not some psychopath."
"Oh. Uh, well that's how it usually goes in— you know what, forget I said that."
Gin sighed and shook his head, "Idiot…"
/-/
The next morning.
"A Huntsman?" Jin looked confused.
"A Huntsman?!" Karin looked horrified.
"Yes, a Huntsman," Gin smiled.
The Suzumes were currently in their living room, Gin sat on one chair while his parents sat on another to discuss the topic at hand.
"Dear, why on Remnant would you want to be a Huntsman?" Karin asked almost desperately. "You've never shown interest in it before."
"Yeah, it's been in the very back of my mind for a while now, to be honest. I was only recently convinced I want to do it. And I think it's a suitable choice considering I've been training as a warrior since I was young. After all, Huntsmen are considered the greatest warriors and are paid a lot of money. Plus, I have a great Semblance, yes it doesn't work on Grimm but Huntsmen sometimes face other people as well."
"But you got injured from Grimm yesterday," Karin's voice slightly rose in pitch. "That should be detering you from the profession."
Gin smiled, "Mom, life is full of hardships, I should know. But I've never been one to give up on my goals because of them. Besides, I can learn to become better at slaying Grimm so it doesn't happen again."
Karin's face twisted.
Then she took a deep breath. "Alright, you're right about that," she started. "But first, I have to ask, must you really be in an occupation that involves combat? Fighting ability is not the only thing that determines your worth."
Gin's lips slightly twisted, "I know. It's just… I spent my whole life learning how to fight."
"You're still young," said Jin. "You have plenty of life left to learn other things."
Gin slightly sulked.
"Are you sulking?" Jin asked, genuinely confused.
"No."
"Alright," said Karin. "If it must involve combat, then why not become something like a police officer or a soldier? You said it yourself, you're more suitable for human opponents with your abilities, no?" Karin made a compromise even though she'd REALLY rather Gin be something much safer. Like a doctor.
"Eh? They're not exactly what I have in mind… Don't get me wrong, they're noble professions but Huntsmen just have more benefits, like more income."
"Hey, did Jaune make you want to become a Huntsman?" Jin cut in.
"Well, he did have some influence on it. But it's mostly because of the aforementioned reasons." Gin grinned, "Not to mention, I want to spite the clan as well."
"What?" Karin asked with wide eyes. The same look was on Jin's face.
Gin grinned, "Well, they hate Huntsmen so imagine the look on their faces when they hear I became a Huntsman, they would be furious." He chuckled. "I'm not sure if they're keeping tabs on us so I'll need to gain enough renown for them to hear my name. Maybe I'll even use the Sasaki name again just to mess with them."
. . .
The parents both exchanged looks and they let out a silent sigh.
"Son," Jin began, "I understand how you feel and I know it's hard but you have to let go of your hate. We've started a new life, away from the clan. We shouldn't let the past get in the way of our future. Especially if it causes you to pursue a future of needless vengeance."
"What? It's not… okay I guess it is but it's nothing dangerous. It's just a kind of small revenge."
"But it could spiral into something worse," Karin countered.
"Like what?" Gin's eyes narrowed, "You don't think I'm going to try to kill them, do you? I'm not some kind of bloodthirsty killer in a comic book."
Karin chuckled, "Of course not, we raised you better than that. But back to my point about it spiralling into worse. Your revenge right now is indeed small, but what if you decide that you want to show yourself to them as a Huntsman, believing that it's just harmless fun? Then your hate takes over and compels you to do more, such as harassing them. You might even be emboldened by your new Huntsman skills and Semblance to goad them into directly fighting you. We all know they're too stupid and proud enough to do it."
Gin looked thoughtful.
"Something tells me you find those ideas a bit enticing," Karin teased with a smile.
"… You're the one who's putting them in my head," Gin muttered.
Karin chuckled, "Fair enough. But still, that just proves my point. It could even go further than just a brawl and blood might be drawn again."
Gin's entire face twisted.
But he quickly managed to control it.
Karin got up and sat down next to Gin to hug him with one arm and lean on his shoulder.
"I understand your feelings, dear. I hate the clan too, which is why I know how insidious that feeling can be. It's a poison that grows stronger the more we dwell on it. We have to just leave it in the past. Heck, I'd say the best revenge we can have is living life with more happiness and joy than they ever can and removing them entirely from our lives."
"I agree," said Jin with a smile. "Also, let me get in on that." Jin sat down on Gin's other side and pulled the two of them into a one-armed hug.
"This is a bit embarrassing…" Gin mumbled.
"Besides," Jin continued, "being a Huntsman is an excruciating job from everything Nicholas has said. I have faith you could handle it Gin, but I don't want my son to suffer regardless of if he can endure it or not. Especially, for something like revenge. Your mother and I know that you'll do great in any work you choose, and you'll have our full support in it as long as it's not too dangerous, alright?"
. . .
"Alright," Gin nodded.
"Wonderful," Karin said with a smile. "You know, if you want my suggestion, I think you'd do great as a surgeon with your Aura Realm and maybe your Semblance too. If not, you could even be a psychiatrist, physician, cardiologist or haematologist. Ooh, you're good with children, so how about being a paediatrician?"
Gin hummed and turned to her, "Any reason why all of those options are medical professions?"
"Mere coincidence."
Jin laughed along with them.
Jin was glad that they could change Gin's mind about being a Huntsman, especially after the things Nicholas told him. Though he was slightly worried that Jaune was giving Gin ideas. He thought about telling Nicholas about it for a second before deciding against it. No need to get the boy in trouble, after all, it was probably just a harmless suggestion.
/-/
Gin and Jaune were hanging out in a forest.
"Well, they said no," said Gin, who squatted on the ground while chewing on a piece of grass. Steel Seer leaned against his shoulder.
"What? Why?" asked Jaune who leaned against a tree on his side.
"They didn't like my reason being about spiting the clan."
"Why didn't you just not mention that?" Jaune asked exasperatedly with raised brows.
"… It probably wouldn't have mattered either way."
"Oh really?" asked Jaune dryly.
"Yeah. Mom sounded terrified when I first brought it up. Probably because of this," Gin raised his bicep where a scar was visible. "And apparently, your dad's been filling my dad about how shit being a Huntsman is so now my dad's not very supportive of it."
"Ugh." Jaune scowled, "Fucking typical."
Gin sighed, "Well whatever, I suppose." He rubbed the scar on his bicep and hummed, "Maybe we should do more practice with blocking gunfire. Real bullets this time and closer."
Jaune's lips twisted. "… Hey, I think you should stop taking things from Tom. He's always talking about how he gets into trouble with his parents and I feel bad for him. Like, I know he tried to attack you and shit but you've been bullying him and his friends for two years already."
Gin spat out the piece of grass, "For the last time, I don't bully anyone. Only small fries do that."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're 'borrowing'," Jaune made air quotes, "their things with force."
"No. With the threat of force."
"Ugh. Fine, whatever. Just fucking stop it."
"You didn't seem to care when we practised with those guns."
"Yeah, because those guys were cunts who tried to jump you. But it's enough karma now, we've graduated high school so no more childish crap like that."
"Sure, whatever," Gin lazily waved him off. He licked his gums, "By the way, do you think I'm fit to be a doctor?"
"Hell no."
"Why? Because I'm blind?" Gin wasn't offended, but was just genuinely curious.
"Of course not, blind doctors exist, stupid."
"Then why?"
"Because you're a cunt."
"Huh? Does being a cunt make me unfit for the job?"
"Yeah. Doctors need to be nice people."
"What? No, they don't. Well, I mean, being nice would probably benefit them but I doubt that it's a requirement for the job."
"You ever met a cunt doctor?"
"... Well, I've met a fair share of doctors and they were all pretty nice, but logically speaking, there's bound to be some bad apples."
"Why are you always such a cynical ass? Nobody likes them."
Gin rolled his eyes. "Firstly, I agree that no one likes them. Secondly, I'm not a cynic, alright? I'm just being realistic. I mean come on, there are a lot of stories online about psychotic surgeons and the like."
Jaune snorted, "You shouldn't believe everything you hear on the internet, bro."
"... I will fucking stab you," Gin said flatly.
Jaune waved him off. "Why do you want to be a doctor anyway? What about being a Huntsman?"
"Haven't you been listening, dumbass? I can't. My parents don't allow it."
"And you're happy with that?"
"… Well, no but they're my parents. It's the same with your parents, isn't it? There's nothing we can do about it."
. . .
Jaune looked away and scratched his cheek, "Well, there is something we could do."
"Like what?"
"We could run off and enter an Academy by ourselves."
"… What?"
Jaune held up his palm. "Just hear me out, okay? I've been thinking of it for a while now, my parents won't change their minds no matter what, so I might as well just pack my things and sneak away to join Beacon on my own. Or rather with you, the two of us can do it together."
"... I don't know, man. How will we even apply to Beacon?"
"Forgery."
. . .
"Dude, that's a crime…"
"So? You never cared about breaking the rules."
"Because there's a fucking difference between rules and the law, Huntsman laws and light laws notwithstanding. One leads to prison and we're only one year away from being eligible to actual fucking prison, not juvie. Do you know what my mom will do to me if I go to prison? She might pay the goons in there to shiv me."
"Don't worry about it, man. We'll be fine."
Gin's face turned flat, "Do you have any basis for that other than a gut feeling?"
"You know me, of course not," He grinned.
Gin sighed, "Of course."
"C'mon, man. We should totally do it. You said that your parents don't believe in you yeah?"
"That is not what I said."
"It's the same for me too, except my entire family doesn't believe in me." Jaune paused and looked down, "Not even Lavender and Amber…"
"Huh? Those two don't? They adore you."
"Yeah, well they don't outright say it but I can tell…" Jaune's previous enthusiasm was replaced by depression.
"Damn…"
Jaune shook his head. "Anyway, my point is, this is our chance to prove our families wrong."
. . .
Gin's brows furrowed and he clenched his hand into a fist. Then he took a deep breath and relaxed. "Well, I don't really need to prove my parents wrong or anything… but I guess that kind of applies to my clan."
"What?"
"Yeah, I got reminded of the times when those fuckers told me I could never be a Swordsman, much less a warrior of any kind. But… I could prove them wrong by becoming a Huntsman. And fuck what they think about Huntsman, most of them are just small-minded idiots anyway. After all, everyone else agrees that Huntsmen are the true warriors, right?"
"Yeah!" Jaune shouted, his enthusiasm returned. "And besides, I think you can be a Swordsman AND a Huntsman. I mean, look at my dad, he's a great Huntsman who only uses a sword and shield."
"Oh yeah," Gin smiled. "Damn, I always knew that but I never really realised it for some reason."
"So? You're going to come with me right? We can flesh out the details of the plan later, together. What do you say, bro?"
. . .
Gin harshly rubbed his head, "Ah fuck it." He smiled, "I'm in."
Jaune jumped to his feet and pumped a fist in the air. "HELL YEAH!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
Gin started laughing, "I didn't think you'd be this excited."
"This is gonna be so awesome! Fist bump!"
Gin laughed again and returned the gesture from his seat. "You're a bad influence on me."
Jaune clicked his tongue and got around Gin and put him in a chokehold, "You're literally the last person I want to hear that from, fucker!"
And the two started wrestling with laughs and grins.
/-/
Some time later.
It was early in the morning with the sun not even rising yet but Jaune wasn't asleep. He was alone in his room and he sat on his bed with one leg bobbing up and down. On his side was a huge backpack for travel. He wore the armour he used during the Grimm hunt.
"Ouch!" He hissed and rubbed his head.
"Yo," Gin suddenly appeared from nowhere. He held a sword different from his own which was on his hip. It looked like Gin used it to hit Jaune. This was because Gin couldn't release his Semblance on only one person.
"Here," Gin handed the weapon to Jaune.
With a smile, Jaune took it and slightly unsheathed it. "Crocea Mors," He exhaled the words with slight awe.
"I'm still not sure how to feel about being made to steal your father's weapon."
"Like I said, it's important that I have it if I'm going to become a Huntsman."
"Sure, whatever. Unless you want to get hit again, we better hurry. I refreshed my Semblance before hitting you so we have 18 seconds left."
"Right."
The two hurried out of the house, careful not to make a mess but not caring about making noise. When they got out of the house, Gin rushed into the forest and Jaune followed. "I put my duffle bag there."
They ran towards the trees and made sure to be out of sight of the house, not wanting to take chances.
"There," Gin moved to pick up a large duffel bag.
"Yo, you got an emblem put on your haori?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah," Gin grinned. On the back of his haori was a black sphere and inside of the sphere was a stylised platinum bird ascending towards the left. It had a red X on where its eye was supposed to be, with three triangular red dots on its right wing. "Designed it myself." It was covered when Gin carried the duffle bag on his back
"Wicked." Jaune mecha shifted his scabbard into a shield and took a look at the family emblem on its front. It was two golden crescents that were reminiscent of a rainbow. Jaune shrugged, "Eh, simple is best." He shifted it back into a scabbard and put it on his hip. "Anyway, you got a new number, yeah?"
"Yeah. I packed everything I needed too."
"Did you leave a letter?"
"Of course." Gin made sure to apologise to his parents in it along with a promise. I won't let my revenge grow into something bigger, mom and dad. I promise.
"You made sure to say that we were going to the Kingdom of Vacuo, right?"
They would have used Atlas, since that was on a different continent but Saphron started living there with her wife, Terra. So their families might contact her about them and Saphron might check Atlas Academy to find them.
"Yeah. But I'm still not sure if that will work to throw them off our trail, though," said Gin.
"Let's just hope it does." Jaune checked the time on his Scroll. "The bullhead we'll be using will leave in around forty-five minutes. Asking again but you're confident that we'll be fine sneaking on it, right?"
"Yeah. I'll use my Semblance on the pilots so we can sneak in and hide somewhere among the cargo. It may not be foolproof but the City of Vale is close so hopefully, the pilots won't check the cargo and find us."
"There's still the option of paying them."
"Hell no. I told you, we can't leave any traces, not to mention those pilots might ask about our parents and shit."
"… Right. And it has nothing to do with you being a cheap bastard?
"Yes," said Gin with a smirk.
"Well, whatever." Jaune took a breath, "Damn, I can't believe we're actually doing this."
"Nervous?" Gin asked
"Yeah, but excited too." Jaune paused as he thought of something, "Hey, wanna do a sword handshake where we cross our swords just for the hell of it?"
Gin snorted and laughed, "Yeah, why not?" He pulled out his sword. Gin grinned as he thought of something, "Hey, let's make an oath of sorts too, while we're at it."
It was Jaune's turn to laugh. "Yeah!" Jaune slightly shouted with his own grin while pulling out his sword.
Gin held out his sword. "To becoming one of the greatest Huntsmen on Remnant," He said as his grin grew wider.
"Heh." Jaune locked his sword with Gin's, "To becoming one of the greatest Huntsmen on Remnant."
Under the shattered moon of Remnant, these two young and reckless boys made an ambitious pledge. Thus, taking the first step towards their goals.
Whether or not, they are ready for the uncertainties of the future and if they succeed will yet be seen.
End of Chapter
Hopefully, there will be an update before the end of next week. Unless I end up procrastinating, which I have a real problem with because of my ADHD. These five chapters took me fucking months to finish because of this bad habit of mine. I've been trying to fix it for a year and I've made some progress but it's pretty small. Hopefully, finally publishing this and having readers who expect another chapter will force me to get my shit together and I can finish this story around the time I start college this year.
Until next time, bye bye.