Chapter 1

(Beacon Hunter School)

Jaune's stomach churned with acid. He shouldn't be here. Every day was a lie, a performance he was failing to deliver. The transcripts were forged, a desperate gambit born of naive ambition and crippling insecurity. He couldn't fight, not really. Every spar was a humiliating reminder of his inadequacy. And these people, Team RWBY, Team (J)NPR... were they his friends? Or were they just indulging him, taking pity on the pathetic kid who didn't belong?

The thought settled like a lead weight in his chest. Everyone would be better off without him. He was a drain, a liability, an embarrassment.

He found himself drawn to the precipice where the initiation had begun. The wind howled, a mournful song that echoed the despair in his heart. He looked down, the dizzying drop a stark promise of oblivion. 'All it'll take is one little step.'

He closed his eyes, a single tear tracing down his cheek. He took that step.

He fell.

A piercing scream ripped through the air.

"NO!"

It was a female voice, sharp with terror and disbelief. She rushed to the cliff edge, her red cloak billowing behind her, but she was too late.

Ruby dropped to her knees, her hands clutching at the unforgiving stone. "Why?" The word was a broken sob, a question hurled into the uncaring wind. Tears streamed down her face, blurring the already hazy view below. "Why would you do this, Jaune?"

Just then, the rest of her team reached her.

"Ruby!" Yang's voice was laced with concern. "Did you find him?"

Ruby nodded, her back still to them, unable to face their questioning gazes.

"Where is he?" Weiss's voice was clipped and demanding, but underneath, there was a tremor of anxiety. They noticed Ruby's shoulders shaking, the raw emotion radiating from her like a palpable force. Something was wrong.

"Ruby? Where's Jaune?" Blake's voice was soft, almost hesitant.

Ruby just pointed to the cliff, her throat choked with grief. She couldn't trust her voice.

Blake gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "My Oum, he fell off."

"What?" Shock laced Weiss's words. "No, he couldn't have. That dolt is too stupid to…" Her voice faltered, and she started to break down, tears welling in her ice-blue eyes. Jaune. He had committed suicide. He had jumped off the cliff to his death.

"We have to tell the Headmaster, Goodwitch, anyone!" Yang was shaking, her fiery aura dimmed with fear and desperation. Just then, they saw two figures running towards them. Ms. Goodwitch, her face etched with worry, and Headmaster Ozpin, his usual calm demeanor replaced by a mask of grim urgency.

"My Oum!" Goodwitch exclaimed, her hand covering her mouth in horror. Ozpin was already on his scroll, his voice cutting through the wind as he barked orders. He was trying to get people down to where Jaune had landed.

(On a huge ship in the med bay)

Light flickered behind Jaune's eyelids. He groaned softly, his eyes fluttering open. Confusion warred with pain, a dull throbbing resonating throughout his body. He was in a highly futuristic hospital room, a stark contrast to the rugged world he knew. The air hummed with unseen energy, and the sterile scent of antiseptic filled his nostrils.

He was surrounded by a golden, shimmering aura that seemed to pulse with a gentle warmth. He was resting on a bed unlike any he had ever seen, its surface impossibly soft. (Think the bed Odin had slept in) He was clad in a simple white bodysuit that felt strangely restrictive. He tried to sit up, but the bed wouldn't let him. A gentle force held him in place, a silent promise of support and restraint. He was still injured, his head throbbing with a dull, insistent pain. He had a massive head injury, and it was not going to let him go until he was healed.

Just then, a young woman appeared in front of him, seemingly materializing out of thin air. She had long, wavy black hair that cascaded down her shoulders, framing a face with warm hazel eyes and lightly tanned skin. She was dressed in a sleek white suit and matching boots. Her expression was one of profound worry, her brow furrowed with concern. She reached into the 'pod,' her hand hovering over him for a moment before gently grasping his. "I was so worried," she said, her voice soft and melodic.

"Who are you?" He asked, his voice raspy and weak.

"My name's Katrina," she said, her grip tightening slightly. "I am the A.I. for the Carrier."

"Huh?" Confusion deepened his frown.

"The ship we're on." She gestured around the room with a gentle smile.

"Okay, but why am I here? Why am I still alive?" The question was laced with a bitter edge, a hint of the despair that had driven him to the cliff.

"Because it's not all that bad, Jaune. You are only human, it's okay for you to make mistakes." Her voice was firm, yet compassionate.

"Yeah, but I'm always making them." He said sadly, his gaze drifting to the ceiling.

"Jaune, I'll help you. I promise. You just lie there and rest."

(Beacon)

Teams RWBY and the remaining members of (J)NPR were gathered in Ozpin's office, a somber group united by grief and disbelief. The news had hit them hard, the reality of Jaune's actions a crushing blow to their fragile sense of security.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND HIS BODY?" Ozpin roared into his scroll, his usual composure shattered. "HOW HARD IS IT TO FIND A DEAD OR NEARLY DEAD BODY? His Mother And Sisters Are Shattered! Find My Nephew, NOW! Or I Will Unleash Unholy HELL Upon You!" He hung up abruptly, tossing the scroll onto his desk with a frustrated growl.

"D-Do you think they'll find him?" Ruby's voice was choked with sobs, her silver eyes brimming with tears.

"I don't know, Ruby," Glynda replied, her voice unusually gentle.

"But why would he do this?" Rin asked, her voice trembling. She had considered Jaune her adopted brother, and the loss was devastating.

"Jaune has been having darker thoughts lately," Pyrrha said, tears streaming down her face. "He was thinking he was useless and it would be… would be…" She couldn't finish the sentence, the words too painful to utter. She broke down completely, burying her face in Nora's shoulder.

"Better if he had died?" Ozpin finished, his voice heavy with understanding. Pyrrha nodded, her body wracked with sobs. "But, why…?"

Just then, Blake's scroll rang, the shrill tone cutting through the oppressive silence. She answered it, her voice trembling with emotion.

"Hello?" She sobbed into the device.

[Blake? Honey, what's wrong?] Her Mother's voice was filled with concern.

"Jaune's dead." There was a moment of stunned silence.

[No, Blake, what happened?]

Blake started to explain what had happened, her voice breaking as she recounted the events at the cliff, but she couldn't bring herself to say the word 'suicide'. Ozpin, sensing her distress, went over to her and took the scroll.

"Khali?"

[Ozpin? What is going on? Why is my daughter saying her brother is dead?] He could hear the tears in her voice, the raw pain of a mother who had lost a child. He told her everything, his voice flat and unemotional as he relayed the details.

[We are on our way.]

And so it went. Word spread like wildfire. Raven, somehow managing to obtain Yang's number, called her, her voice uncharacteristically subdued.

[Yang, I heard a horrible rumor that Jaune's dead. Is this true?]

"Yeah… He's gone." She said, her voice flat and devoid of emotion.

[Did they find a body?]

"No."

[We're on the way.]

Just then, the Heads of Shade and Vacuo called Ozpin, each seeking confirmation of the tragic news. The weight of his responsibility pressed down on him, a burden made heavier by the loss of his nephew. The world was tilting on its axis, and Ozpin felt, more than ever, that a storm was coming. A storm and Jaune's absence would leave a gaping hole in the defenses against it.