OMAKE - FUN CHAPTER

Chapter 10.5

Patch, Signal Academy—Taiyang Xiao Long's Kitchen

The dull hum of the Scroll connection buzzed over the speaker as Yang leaned back in her chair, idly twirling a spoon in her coffee. The screen in front of her showed the familiar sight of Qrow Branwen, her uncle and professional alcoholic, sitting on the couch of their old house in Patch, his ever-present flask in hand. Across from him sat Taiyang Xiao Long, her father, his arms crossed and expression expectant.

"So," Qrow drawled, taking a swig from his flask, "what's the news, Sunshine? You called just to shoot the breeze, or is there some juicy Beacon gossip you're dyin' to share?"

Yang grinned, eyes glinting with mischief. "Oh, you know I called for the gossip. Figured you and Dad would wanna hear all about what's been going down at Beacon."

Taiyang raised an eyebrow, sipping his coffee. "If it involves my daughter nearly blowing up another school building, I'm not interested."

"Dad, please," Yang scoffed, placing a hand over her heart dramatically. "I would never—" She paused, eyes shifting to the side. "—intentionally cause property damage."

Taiyang groaned. "That's not reassuring."

Qrow chuckled, swirling the flask in his hand. "Alright, Blondie, spill. What's been going on at Beacon?"

Yang stretched her arms behind her head. "Oh, you know, just the usual. School, training, drama—oh! And get this, the strongest team in Beacon completely fell apart in, like, two weeks."

Taiyang blinked. "Wait. What?"

Yang smirked. "Yup. Team JNPR? Gone. Donezo. Finito."

Qrow tilted his head slightly, curiosity piqued. "I thought they were solid. What happened?"

Yang leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "Well, first, Pyrrha—you remember Pyrrha, right? Miss 'I'm basically the poster girl for Mistral's warriors'? Yeah, she packed up and left to join some super-prestigious secret academy or whatever."

Taiyang furrowed his brows. "Just like that?"

Yang nodded. "Mmmhmm. Didn't even look back. Honestly, we all kinda saw it coming—well, Jaune saw it coming. He predicted it before she even made the decision."

Qrow made a face, shaking his head. "That kid always did know how to see three steps ahead."

Taiyang glanced at him. "Wait, you knew him?"

Qrow scoffed, rubbing his temples. "Knew him? Tai, that kid—listen, all I'm sayin' is, if there's anyone who could make even me rethink a fight, it's him."

Taiyang frowned. "...That good?"

Qrow sighed, muttering something under his breath. "Let's just say that kid being at Beacon was probably the safest place for everyone else."

Yang snickered. "And Pyrrha? Couldn't handle it."

Taiyang raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

Yang smirked, taking a sip of her coffee. "She spent her whole life being the golden girl. The prodigy. The one everyone looked up to. But then she met Jaune. And you know what she realized?"

Qrow's eyes glinted. "That she wasn't the strongest one in the room."

Yang snapped her fingers. "Bingo!"

Taiyang frowned. "So she just… left?"

Yang shrugged. "Pretty much. She got an offer to join Mistral's super-secret, super-elite Royal Hunters or something, and poof, she was gone."

Taiyang exhaled, rubbing his forehead. "Wow. So that was it for their team?"

Yang grinned. "Oh, it gets better! Because then, Beacon's finest administrators realized 'Oh no! We can't have a three-man team!' and boom, disbanded. Just like that."

Taiyang frowned. "And the rest of them?"

Yang waved a hand dismissively. "Ren and Nora? Pfft. They were gone the second Pyrrha left. They packed up, hopped on Jaune's ship, and went wherever the hell he was going."

Qrow let out a low whistle. "Loyal."

Yang nodded. "Ride or die."

Taiyang groaned, running a hand down his face. "So you're telling me one team—the strongest team—collapsed because one person couldn't handle not being the best?"

Yang nodded. "That, and because Jaune doesn't play by the rules."

Qrow huffed, shaking his head. "That kid was never gonna stay in one place for long."

Taiyang frowned, still trying to piece everything together. "So what about you and Ruby? What have you two been up to?"

Yang's grin widened. "Ohhh, speaking of Ruby…"

Qrow narrowed his eyes. "Why do I feel like you're about to say something I don't wanna hear?"

Taiyang, now fully alert, set his coffee down. "What happened?"

Yang leaned forward, eyes glinting. "Ruby got a crush."

Silence.

Then—

Qrow, mid-drink, choked violently on his flask's contents, coughing as a spray of alcohol shot from his mouth.

Taiyang, meanwhile, slammed his fist down on the table so hard that the entire thing shattered into splinters.

"WHAT?!" Taiyang roared, eyes wild.

Yang howled with laughter, slapping the counter. "Ohhh my gods, I knew you'd react like this!"

Taiyang's chest heaved as he stood, hands clenched into shaking fists. "Who?! Who is he?! Where is he?! WHO—"

Qrow, still coughing from his spit take, wheezed. "Holy hell, Yang, you couldn't ease him into that?!"

Yang smirked. "Nope."

Taiyang turned his fury onto Qrow. "Did you know about this?!"

Qrow held up his hands defensively. "Nope! First I'm hearing of it! But considering I nearly drowned myself with whiskey, I'd say I'm just as blindsided as you."

Taiyang's fingers twitched, his aura flaring. "Who. Is. He."

Yang leaned back, smirking. "Oh, you're gonna love this."

Taiyang growled. "YANG!"

Yang cackled. "She's got a crush on Jaune."

Qrow's coughing fit worsened.

Taiyang's anger reached critical mass.

"THAT KID?!" he bellowed, face red with absolute rage. "SHE'S BEEN SPENDING TIME WITH HIM?!"

Yang, thoroughly enjoying the chaos, grinned wickedly. "Ohhh, and it gets even better, Dad!"

Taiyang's eyes were practically glowing with fatherly wrath. "HOW COULD IT GET WORSE?!"

Yang rested her chin on her hands, smirking.

"She kissed him."

Silence.

A dangerous silence.

Taiyang's aura flared so hard that the floor cracked beneath him.

Qrow, shocked into silence, reached for his flask, visibly shaken.

Taiyang's hands trembled.

"She… kissed him?" His voice was eerily calm.

Yang nodded, dragging it out as much as possible. "Mmmhmm. Gave him a little kiss on the cheek. And you know what she said?"

Taiyang's fingers curled into fists of death.

Yang leaned forward, feeding the fire.

"She told him not to forget her."

Taiyang EXPLODED.

"RUBY ROOOOOOOSE!"

The entire house was shaking from the sheer fury radiating off of Taiyang Xiao Long. His aura burned like an open inferno, heat distorting the air around him as he seethed in place, his fingers digging into what little remained of his shattered kitchen table.

Qrow, still wiping whiskey off his shirt from his earlier violent spit take, exhaled shakily. "Godsdamn, Yang, you really went straight for the throat with that one."

Yang leaned back in her chair, arms behind her head, grinning like the agent of chaos she was. "Hey, it's better you two hear it from me now, rather than find out after he whisks her away in his ship."

Taiyang froze.

Qrow tensed.

Both men turned toward her.

Taiyang's voice was deadly. "His ship?"

Yang gave an innocent hum. "Oh yeah. The Tempest. Huge piece of work, sleek, fast, probably the most advanced personal vessel flying in Remnant right now."

Taiyang's eye twitched. "Probably?"

Yang's smirk widened. "Definitely."

Taiyang groaned into his hands, his entire body vibrating with barely restrained fatherly terror.

Qrow, meanwhile, let out a long sigh, muttering, "Please tell me this guy at least has one normal thing about him."

Yang snorted. "Oh, you're gonna love this part, Uncle Qrow."

Qrow gave her a wary look. "...What."

Yang held up a finger. "Be careful, Dad."

Taiyang blinked, confusion flickering through his rage. "...What?"

Yang crossed her arms, her voice laced with teasing amusement. "You might wanna rethink trying to intimidate this guy. Because, fun fact—Jaune and The Tempest made the entire Atlas fleet hesitate."

Silence.

The words hung in the air like a nuclear bomb about to detonate.

Taiyang froze mid-breath.

Qrow's hand stopped halfway to his flask.

They stared at her.

Taiyang, very slowly, turned his head. "...Excuse me?"

Yang smirked. "Yup. You heard me right. The mighty, untouchable Atlesian military? The ones with an entire fleet of battleships and mechs?" She leaned forward, voice dropping into a dramatic whisper. "They stood down."

Qrow's fingers tightened around his flask. "...One guy—one ship—made Atlas hesitate?"

Yang nodded, biting back her laughter. "Oh yeah. General Ironwood himself personally had to rethink things when Jaune parked The Tempest right in front of his warships."

Taiyang's face twitched.

Qrow stared at the ground, muttering under his breath. "Why couldn't she like a normal guy? Why did it have to be him? The Invincible Human himself."

Taiyang blinked.

Paused.

Then—

WHIPLASH.

His entire body jerked toward Qrow so fast it was a miracle he didn't give himself whiplash. His expression? Pale. Stricken. Horrified.

He lunged across the broken table, grabbing Qrow by the front of his shirt and shaking him.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

Qrow groaned, rolling his eyes even as Taiyang manhandled him. "Oh, now you wanna listen?"

Taiyang's fingers tightened. "ARE YOU TELLING ME—" his voice cracked in sheer horror "—THAT MY LITTLE GIRL HAS A CRUSH ON THE INVINCIBLE HUMAN?!"

Qrow exhaled, arms going limp. "Yup."

Taiyang's face was rapidly draining of color.

"THE INVINCIBLE HUMAN?!" he screeched. "THE ONE THAT THE WHITE FANG FLEES FROM ON SIGHT?! THE ONE THAT MAKES ENTIRE BASES GO DARK?! THE ONE THAT EVEN GRIMM WON'T APPROACH?!"

Qrow let out a long, tired sigh. "That'd be the one."

Taiyang released Qrow and staggered backward, his knees hitting a chair as he collapsed straight onto it, looking like a man who had just received the worst news of his entire life.

"I…" Taiyang's voice wobbled. "...I was not prepared for this."

Qrow rubbed his temples. "You think I was? Godsdamn it, Ruby, why couldn't you have a normal first crush?!"

Yang, thoroughly enjoying the sight of her father spiraling, hummed. "You know, since you're already freaking out—I might as well send you guys something fun to watch."

Taiyang blinked up at her. "...What?"

Yang chuckled, scrolling through her Scroll. "Boom. Sent. Fair warning though—it's a little scary."

Qrow's eye twitched. "Why do I feel like I don't wanna watch this?"

Taiyang, still looking shell-shocked, pulled out his Scroll with trembling hands. "What… what did you just send me?"

Yang's smirk was devilish. "Oh, just a little something from Mantle."

The screen flickered.

Qrow and Taiyang watched as the footage began, their expressions guarded but tense.

Then—

They saw it.

The Terrormorph.

Their stomachs turned.

"What the hell is that?" Taiyang muttered, his voice tight, his fingers already clenching into a fist.

It wasn't a Grimm. That much was immediately clear. This thing—this thing—was something worse. It was wrong. Malformed. Twisted. Monstrous. Its body pulsed unnaturally, like flesh and bone had been forced together in ways that defied reason.

Qrow's grip on his flask tightened. His instincts screamed at him. This wasn't a mindless beast. It wasn't some animal that fought on instinct. This thing was hunting.

And its prey?

It wasn't just the Huntsmen.

It wasn't just the soldiers.

It was Jaune.

The creature let out a guttural growl, its faceless head twitching as it locked onto him. But Jaune—or the thing that was standing in his place—just tilted his head.

"Leave my team alone."

Qrow sucked in a sharp breath.

That wasn't the voice of a Huntsman.

That wasn't the voice of a kid.

That was the voice of a damn executioner.

The Terrormorph lunged, massive claws slashing through the air, a blur of deadly speed—

And Jaune moved.

Taiyang flinched—because Jaune was already there. One moment, he was still. The next, he was in front of it.

And then—

A fist slammed into the monster's skull.

A thunderous crack rang through the chamber.

The Terrormorph was sent flying.

It soared across the battlefield like a ragdoll, its massive form slamming into a wall hard enough to send stone debris crumbling from the impact.

Taiyang's eyes widened.

Qrow inhaled sharply, his grip on his flask turning white-knuckled.

Jaune didn't even let the creature recover.

Before it could blink—he was on it again.

A kick to the chest sent it hurtling across the room. It skidded violently, slamming into another wall with bone-crushing force.

Taiyang's mouth was dry. "Holy shit."

The Terrormorph twitched.

Jaune's golden energy pulsed.

Qrow barely breathed as the fight continued.

The Terrormorph was regenerating—pulling itself back together—but Jaune didn't care.

He sidestepped effortlessly as it lunged again. And then, before the beast could even react—

His fist shot forward.

The impact was deafening.

The monster crashed into the stone again, its movements stuttering.

Jaune. Didn't. Stop.

Taiyang felt his heart hammering in his chest.

He watched as the thing that wasn't Jaune anymore walked forward, step by step, with an aura that burned like an inferno.

For the first time since the fight started—

The Terrormorph hesitated.

And Taiyang felt it.

Fear.

The monster was afraid.

"This… this isn't possible," Taiyang muttered.

Qrow couldn't look away. He couldn't.

Jaune broke its bones next.

Taiyang staggered back as the sickening snap of the Terrormorph's ribs echoed through the chamber.

He was ripping it apart.

His hands shattered its bones. His fists crushed its body. His golden glow burned like the sun.

Taiyang had seen powerful Huntsmen before.

But this?

This wasn't a Huntsman anymore.

This was something else.

Then—

The ripping began.

Taiyang made a strangled noise as Jaune tore the monster's arm off with terrifying ease.

Qrow swore, his breath catching in his throat.

Jaune kept going.

Another limb—ripped free.

Then another.

Then—

The creature staggered.

Jaune's boots crushed the stone beneath him as he grabbed the last limb and tore it away.

Qrow felt his stomach twist. Taiyang's mouth had gone completely dry.

They knew what was coming.

They felt it.

Jaune lifted the monster by its throat.

Taiyang held his breath.

Jaune's voice was a command from the abyss.

"YOU LOST."

Then—

He ripped it in half.

The screen flickered as the Terrormorph's corpse twitched.

Jaune stepped forward, as if finishing a task, not a battle.

His hands plunged into its body—ripping out its heart.

Taiyang felt his own heart stutter in his chest.

Then—

Crushed it.

The screen darkened.

Taiyang's hands trembled.

Qrow's flask slipped from his grip.

Neither of them spoke.

Neither of them could.

They just sat there.

Silent.

Processing.

Because they had no words for what they had just witnessed.

Taiyang's breathing came uneven.

Then—

"Why…" Taiyang choked out, his voice breaking.

"WHY COULDN'T IT BE A NORMAL GUY?!"

The silence hung heavy.

Taiyang sat there, staring blankly at the screen that had just displayed Jaune Arc dismantling a monster that defied reason. His hands twitched against the table, his breathing uneven. Qrow was still frozen, though his flask was long forgotten on the floor.

Neither of them spoke.

Because what the hell were they even supposed to say?

Jaune had ripped an apex predator apart with his bare hands. Had moved like a phantom, calculating, cold, unshaken by the impossible force that had just tried to end him. He had not fought it like a man.

He had executed it like a god.

Taiyang swallowed thickly. "That was... that was the scariest thing I have ever seen."

Qrow let out a breath—then chuckled.

A slow, tired, utterly disbelieving chuckle.

Taiyang snapped his head toward him, still shell-shocked. "What the hell is so funny?!"

Qrow, wiping a hand down his face, took a deep breath before muttering dryly, "That wasn't even the best part."

Taiyang's brain short-circuited.

His face twisted in horror. "HOW THE HELL DO YOU TOP WHAT I JUST SAW?!"

Qrow smirked, leaning back in his chair, watching his friend's impending meltdown with morbid amusement.

He took a dramatic pause, then—

"Jaune's an Arc."

Taiyang's expression went blank.

Then—

He lunged across the table, grabbing Qrow by the collar, shaking him violently. "WHY DIDN'T YOU LEAD WITH THAT?!" he roared. "IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE NOW!"

Qrow, entirely too pleased with Taiyang's suffering, let himself get shaken like a ragdoll before Tai finally slumped back in complete, utter defeat.

Yang, having spent the past five minutes watching her father fall apart, narrowed her eyes, suspicious. "Okay, what the hell is going on?"

Qrow, still grinning like the bastard he was, adjusted his coat. "It means, Sunshine, that your friend is from a family of absolute monsters."

Yang's brow twitched. "Jaune never mentioned his family."

Qrow smirked. "He wouldn't." He tapped his fingers against the table. "The Arcs don't usually brag—at least, not the ones that actually live up to the name. Most of 'em don't even acknowledge the weight their lineage carries. They just... show up, do something ridiculous, and the world either breaks or bends around them."

Taiyang groaned, burying his face in his hands. Yang, however, was fascinated. "Okay, spill, old man. What's the deal with the Arcs?"

Qrow's grin widened. Perfect.

He leaned forward, enjoying every second of Taiyang's suffering. "The Arc family? They don't just produce Huntsmen. They produce heroes."

Yang blinked. "Heroes?"

Qrow nodded. "Capital H, kid. The kind of people who don't just protect a village—they save entire kingdoms."

Yang's mouth parted slightly.

Taiyang let out a miserable groan.

Qrow, merciless, continued. "Every other generation or so, an Arc shows up and completely rewrites history. They aren't like normal warriors. They don't just fight well, they fight like their very existence bends fate around them. They don't 'win' battles—they define them. People don't forget an Arc once they've seen them in action."

Yang's mind reeled. Jaune had already cemented himself as a legend in the White Fang's nightmares. His title alone—The Invincible Human—was spoken in hushed whispers.

And now, Qrow was telling her this was just... a thing his family did?

"There's even some genealogy research that traces them straight back to the King of Vale," Qrow added with a casual shrug.

Yang's breath hitched. "Wait. Wait, what?"

Qrow grinned. "Oh yeah. The Arcs were the only family line that had a solid connection to the King of Vale. Some historians even think one of them was the king's heir. That the whole 'King of Vale' thing never ended—it just... went quiet."

Yang's brain started connecting dots.

Jaune's ridiculous strength. His unnatural presence on the battlefield. His unshakable command presence.

Everywhere he went, the world adjusted to him.

And he fought like a king.

Her eyes flickered as she recalled something else.

"Jaune always carried a spear," Qrow mused suddenly, stroking his chin. "That's unusual for an Arc. Most of them carry swords. Interesting choice—"

Taiyang's head shot up.

A glimmer of hope.

Yang froze.

Because she remembered.

That night in the prison.

The ornate blade Jaune had pulled from nowhere.

The way it had glowed.

The way he had looked as he held it.

The weight of his presence when he wielded it.

Her eyes widened. "Holy shit."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Something click, kid?"

Yang stared at them. "Jaune has a sword."

Taiyang and Qrow both whipped around to face her.

"And it looked powerful as hell when he pulled it out."

Qrow let out a long, slow whistle.

Taiyang's soul left his body.

Yang, despite herself, grinned. "Oh man, Ruby is going to LOVE this—"

"DON'T YOU DARE—!"

Taiyang screamed as Yang hit send.

The call cut off.

Taiyang sat there.

Motionless.

Qrow let out a snort, casually leaning back.

"Oof." He shook his head, mock sympathy laced in his tone. "Tough spot, Tai."

Taiyang barely reacted.

Qrow continued mercilessly. "How exactly are you supposed to tell your daughter she deserves better when her crush is shaping up to be the second coming of the King of Vale?"

Taiyang let out a long, pained groan, slumping forward as he truly processed his fate.

Qrow just laughed.