( All rights belongs to Monty Oum and roster teeth and Marvel's and Stan Lee. )
These that know will knew that we can see jaune arc leaned on a tree in the the middle of the Emerald forest where hundreds of dead Grimm bodies lay as they all slowly disintegrated. However, he wasn't fairing as well either, his whole body was cornered in deep cuts as well as a claw mark on his face and across his back and chest. His weapon which is a different story, which had now become an long sword which was broke into two after having constantly used it to killing Grimm that was after some bandits were after the town people then , bloody more Grimm's. He already lost his supplier and as well as some of his body parts and blood because of an stupid bandit who had attacked him from the behind. How did he end up like this an way ? You may ask hmm well it all started at.
As Jaune was walking through the street of vale soaking wet with his blood as the rain was raining hard not carrying if he got wet or where he is he going, wearing only the clothes he had on since he left and with a bag of supplies are left. but you see jaune arc had lost everything, why you ask ?
3 months ago jaune had saved cardin Winchester the bully and his bully and his teammates life from a poisonous bee and a giant ursa now a normal person would be grateful but instead life took a turn he never would expected.
During a center girls point of view on life and duty, they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, "to think ..... All of this started because of that night on the rooftop with pyrrha".
(FLASHBACK - Night on the beacon dorm room rooftop.)
" I 'm a fraud pyrrha ! I didn't go to any huntsman preparatory school, I got myself forged transcript ,just so I could even get a foot in the door. " jaune watched as the spartan girl eyed him, mouth slightly agape, and eye's shaking. He continued, " I'm the son of an accomplish huntsman and hero and for generation and my dad refused to train me at all, so I made do with it , so I practiced with a wooden sword on my own in the forest for one year and my dad or family caught me trying to train , he'd take the sword away, and ground me for a mouth at a time "."......"
Seeing that his partner stood quiet, bangs shadowing her eyes as they stood under the moonlight with the lamppost below them, jaune couldn't hold it in anymore, as years of frustration at being overlooked by his family came flooding out. "So , one night , I
decided I was going to get out of his shadow. I took all the money I saved to that night and took some from our family's account along with crocea mors and left. I made it on a bullhead and got myself all the way to Vale. Found a cheap hotel, where I worked for free in exchange for a room. And applied to Beacon academy. I used the money I had to buy some forged transcripts from someone and eventually made it all the way to and through initiation."
He paused and looked up at his scarlet haired teammate. By now there was a stream of tears falling from her emerald eyes as she looked to the ground with an unreadable expression. And then all to sudden, her eyes found him again. She wiped her tears, and slowly strode forward, unsure of what to say.
She stopped once she was right in front of him, before he tilted his eyes to meet hers, and was met with a hard slap to his cheek. He fell to the ground from the force his partner hit him with, eyes stinging from the pain emanating from his cheek.
"I can't believe I, no, any of us ever trusted you Jaune." The young man froze as the words left her mouth. He didn't expect this from Pyrrha, the one who would agree to any half-witted idea he devised without hesitation while wearing a smile.
"Pyrrha, I-" He tried to speak but was cut off.
"NO! You listen Jaune." He was petrified at the presence she seemed to suddenly exude, nodding as he sat on the ground looking up to his partner.
"Do you even understand how much danger you put us all in by doing this?" He paused to think about it, before hesitantly nodding his head. He watched as her eyes narrowed and mouth shifted to sneer at him with disgust as her tone reflected more and more of her anger.
"You do. You came to an academy where risking life and limb is a frequent occurrence, with absolutely no plan but 'Get better once I'm accepted.' You knew that you wouldn't be able to handle the level of work expected of us right out of the gate, and planned to piggyback off us, your team, until you were competent enough. And to top it all off, once you became our leader, you waited this long to tell one of us who our friend was?"
How could you?!", Pyrrha spoke with a mix of frustration and disappointment.
"I just wanted to be a hero like my family. I just thought that-", Jaune tried to explain himself but was cut off.
"No, you just thought about yourself! You are our team's leader, Jaune. If anything dangerous were to happen, how would you be able to protect us? If we went on a mission against the Grimm, you would be putting the entire team's lives at risk, not to mention the lives of others."
Jaune didn't know how to respond. He had hoped that his partner would understand why he forged his transcripts, but it all ended up backfiring on him. All he wanted was to be a hero, that was his dream. To be like everyone else in his family.
Pyrrha left without another word, and Jaune was left alone on the roof to their dorm.
He ended up sleeping on the roof. He wasn't ready to face all his friends yet.
MORNING:
7:00 am
The following morning, he made his way to his team's room only to find both team JNPR and RWBY waiting for him outside their rooms.
And then, they all turned on him....
"We trained for years, sacrificed time and effort to be where we are. And YOU?! You cheated your way in. And you put the lives of your team and friends at risk. People could've died because of YOUR lack of skill.", Weiss was even colder than usual. Weiss' anger was justified. All the other huntsman had to put in years of effort to be as skilled as they were. They worked hard just so that they could be given a chance to study at Beacon and become huntsman and huntresses. Jaune didn't do anything to earn his place in Beacon. He didn't belong there.
Jaune could only stand in place with his eyes lowered. He felt a painful lump in his throat, as though someone was squeezing his windpipe.
"We trusted you, Jaune...I trusted you", coming from Ruby, his first friend at Beacon, just deepened the pain he was feeling. Ruby had unshed tears in her eyes. Her frail heart couldn't handle being betrayed by her very first friend at Beacon.
Before she could stop herself, the tears started to leak, and she rushed back into her room.
Jaune lifted his head. "Wait, Ruby let me explain-". He was quickly met with a fist that brought him to the ground. Yang's eyes were blood red and the look she gave him promised only death. "Don't ever come near my sister again, or I'll break every bone in your body!"
And with that she went into the room to comfort Ruby. Weiss and Blake followed shortly.
Jaune could only sit there while silent tears rolled down his face.
Ren looked at his leader, but only felt conflicted. Jaune was his only male friend at Beacon. He was like a brother. But after hearing what his friend had done, he wasn't sure of anything anymore.
"Jaune, please tell me it's not true", Nora's usual bubbly mood was gone. She too had tears in her eyes.
"I-I...I'm so sorry.", Jaune tried.
Nora couldn't stop herself from crying. Her cheerful mood was crushed by the feeling of being lied to and betrayed by a friend.
Ren could only stand in place with his fists shaking. He was desperately trying to calm his emotions. Never before did he have to deal with such intense emotions before. He was always cool, calm and collected. He was always patient, always in some minor state of peace. He had built a strong wall to control his emotions, but now the dam wall was breaking.
Jaune tried to get up and make his way closer to his teammates. "Guys, please. I didn't mean to-"
However, he was met with Ren's fist to his stomach. Jaune fell to his knees as his wind was knocked out. The rest of team JNPR returned to their room, leaving Jaune in the hallway alone.
He had built a strong wall to control his emotions, but now the dam wall was breaking he was getting desperately trying not to cry, not to lose hope. But he was fighting a losing battle after all.
Jaune could do nothing but listen to her list his deeds, and shamefully lowered his eyes to the ground as he said nothing, confirming her accusations.
Pyrrha just stood silent for a moment, before turning on her heels and leaving him alone on that rooftop. Jaune realized that Pyrrha came from a different walk of life than him, she saw what he did as lacking integrity, untruthful, and illegal. And while she was right, Jaune was never proud of what he did, and he really did put in his all to everything he's done so far so that he could become better a better leader, a dependable friend.
"Hey Jauney-boy, interesting conversation I happened to hear just now."
Jaune's blood ran cold as he turned to the edge of the rooftop where another teen was now climbing up from. Cardin Winchester, a bully who had taken it upon himself to make Jaune's life hell, had just overheard his worst secret, and wore a devilish grin that promised suffering.
was a promise of pain if compliance wasn't given. Jaune stood his ground, gripping the jar tighter and tighter before feeling the pressure of the last two weeks overwhelm him and move him to do something no one expected.
He threw the jar, at Cardin. It shattered upon impact with the teen's armor plate, covering his chest in a scarlet colored syrup. The world seemed quiet as Jaune realized what he had done, before he heard a chuckle.
"You really shouldn't have done that." Cardin's team burst into movement, moving to restrain Jaune before he could come to terms with what was occurring. Once he was secured by CRDL, they dragged him deeper into the forest following behind a seething Cardin, before reaching the clearing they were resting in earlier, and proceeding to beat the blonde into submission. "Let's see how much of a man you really are-" A roar cut Cardin off. The ginger-haired menace and his team froze and turned around to see an Ursa, attracted likely by the negative emotions being emitted by the group, as well as the forest sap that now coated Cardin's chest plate, if it glaring solely at him was any indication. It let out a deep growl before rising to stand on its hind legs, standing at an intimidating 16-feet tall.
Cardin took his weapon into his hand, and looked to his team for support, but was angered when he saw them abandoning him with Jaune, leaving them to their fate. Cardin was knocked from his thoughts of retribution when the Ursa sent him flying with a swipe from its mighty paw, his weapon fell away sailing from his hands giving him no defense against the bear grimm. The bully watched as the Ursa ignored Jaune in favor of him and lumbered forward towards him until he was mere inches away from him. From the corner of his eyes, Cardin noticed Pyrrha arriving at the edge of the tree line with Ruby and Weiss in tow, just as the soulless abomination raised its paw to end his life. He shut his eyes as the paw came down, prepared for the end, when he heard the telltale sound of something impacting metal.
Cardin opened his eyes, shocked to see his victim for the last weeks standing in front of him defensively with his shield raised, not giving an inch in the battle of strength between him and the Ursa. Jaune grit his teeth and looked back to Cardin as the grimm began to slowly push down more against the boy, tipping the scales in their contest of power.
"Cardin! Move! I can't roll away with you behind me!" The blonde teen commanded. The bully, still to overwhelmed to argue, just nodded and scrambled away from behind Jaune, rushing for his mace. Jaune seeing that he was clear, took a deep breath in preparation, before angling his shield and rolling away from the attack.
"Cardin! I'll distract it, hit it from behind!" Jaune instructed to the bully as he began to run around the bear grimm.
Cardin having recovered from his shock, wore an angry face of indignation as he glared at the blonde.
"Who put you in charge Jauney-boy?!" He shouted back with an edge.
Jaune blocked another swipe from the grimm, before jumping back to dodge the follow-up attack sent his way and leveled a searing glare towards the ginger with his teeth bared in annoyance.
"Do you have any better ideas asshole!" Jaune watched as the boy recoiled from the aggression he was showing, before staying silent and just looking down to his mace.
"That's what I thought. Now, get your head out of your ass and let's kill this damn thing!" Cardin looked somewhat conflicted, before letting a deep exhale escape him, and walking towards the boy until he stood side by side next to him. Though reluctant to cooperate, he wore a cocky smirk as he raised his mace onto his shoulder and spoke.
"Fine, but this is the only time you and I are ever teaming up." Jaune just nodded his head at the teen and responded in kind, "I wouldn't have it any other way partner." Cardin shifted into a battle stance next to the blonde and spoke. "Then I'll follow your lead."
The girls couldn't believe what they were seeing. Weiss and Ruby were shocked at the display of, although hesitant, camaraderie between the two boys, but Pyrrha, while shocked at the development, was also angry that Jaune was willing to work with the ginger after all that had developed the past weeks at Beacon. A smaller, more rational part of her felt proud that her partner would still protect someone that tormented him and told her that she had no right to feel angry at him, since she had all but abandoned him. Conflict raged within the red head's being as she watched the boys operate, though clumsily, rather well for two had been at odds since the beginning of their time at the academy.
The two members of team RWBY both prepared themselves to enter the fray and help their friend, before a hand shot in front of both of them, forcing them to halt as they sent looks questioning the partner of the blonde currently battling for his life in the clearing.
"...Let's wait. I think the two of them have this handled." The two girls paused before reluctantly agreeing to just observe.
The battle didn't last long. Jaune would take a blow with shield so that Cardin could land one on the grimm from behind. This cycle continued before Jaune noticed the Ursa starting to waver. When it went to take a step forward, one of its legs gave out as it found itself on all fours, trying to regain balance. Jaune sent Cardin a look, and the ginger just nodded before returning to Jaune's side and following behind the boy in his charge against their bone masked foe.
Jaune was the first to strike. He quickly made a deep slash in the Ursa's neck, eliciting a roar of hate and pain, but before the grimm could make a move to retaliate, Jaune drove the bottom of his kite shield into the gash he made before quickly jumping back. Cardin then jumped high into the air, the dust crystal in his mace beginning to glow as he brought in down with all the force he could muster onto the top of Jaune's shield, propelling the shield downward and beheading the Ursa.
The girls watched in minor shock as the two spoke no words but displayed magnificent teamwork with their combined attack. The girls watched as both boys stored their weapons away and walked toward each other until they stood a few feet apart.
"...I'm sorry...for everything" The ginger's words surprised the girls who stood at the edge of the clearing.
"Apology accepted. For what its worth, sorry about your team ditching you." The instant apology from the blonde knight of team JNPR did shock the girls, but what spoke out to one of them, Ruby, was the tone of empathy and the somber frown the blonde wore.
"Listen, Jaune-" Cardin began to say before getting cut off by the blonde.
"No Cardin, you listen. I don't know what your problem is but pull your head out of your ass." At this everyone watched as the normally pushover-ish knight adopted a firm attitude before continuing to speak. "You want to be a huntsman. That means you protect people, human or faunus. It means you don't prey on the weak or people who look different, you protect them." Jaune watched as his words made it through to Cardin, something everyone thought impossible as the ginger lowered his eyes to the ground in shame, but he didn't relent. "You're a team leader Cardin. Don't be an asshole. You're supposed to be an example for your team, and for other teams, of what a hunter signifies." He leveled one last glare at Cardin, and the boy became slightly uncomfortable at the presence the blonde seemed to exude. "And don't ever mess with my team, my friends, again."
He turned away ready to leave the clearing, but suddenly Cardin called out to him.
"Jaune!" The blonde turned his head to look back tiredly to the ginger, waiting for him to say what he needed to. "The truth about your transcripts...there safe with me." Jaune shot him a look slightly disbelieving before he continued. "Russ, Sky, and Dove only knew I had dirt on you, I didn't tell them what it was. I won't tell anyone about your transcripts, you have my word."
Jaune just stared at the boy for what to everyone watching felt like an eternity before nodding to him and limping off, never noticing the girls in the tree line as he left.
"Pyrrha, what was Cardin talking about with Jaune ?
I think I have a idea but let's leave it at that girl's, said Pyrrha and watched jaune leaving the battlefield that he made.
IN COMBAT CLASS : 6 day's later
"Ha, what's the matter, Jauney-boy? Not feeling up for our usual sparring session. You're normally such an eager punching bag, but today you're just no fun.", said Cardin with his usual cocky grin.
"Fighters, ready?!", Miss Goodwitch announced. Cardin nodded with a cocky smirk. Jaune nodded too, if rather glumly.
"And...BEGIN!"
Both combatants charged and started fighting.
Cardin swung his mace in a downward arc, with Jaune quickly blocking with his shield. Jaune tried countering, but Cardin quickly back-pedalled out of reach. Jaune's swings were sloppy. No effort, no intentionality, no drive.
Cardin knocked a swing to the side before swinging his mace against Jaune's shield. However, this time he activated the fire dust stone in his mace. The mini explosion blew Jaune back a few feet.
Jaune corrected his stance as he got back to his feet and waited for his opponent to make the next move. Cardin charged and with a sideways swing knocked Jaune's shield aside causing him to be defenceless. Jaune tried to counter with his sword in that moment but received a foot to the chest. Cardin had kicked Jaune so hard that it winded him slightly. He rolled across the arena before coming to a stop. He tried to get up but received another kick to his side. He tumbled and rolled further along the arena floor.
'Crap that hurt...'
He struggled to his feet. He searched for his weapon but... "You looking for this?". That cocky grin didn't help the fact that Cardin had his sword. Or the fact that his aura was on its last legs.
Cardin threw the sword outside the combat arena. "Give up, you don't stand a chance. You're too weak. It's hopeless."
Weak and hopeless....
Yip, that pretty much summed him up. No strength, no talent, no skill, no friends...no hope.
Jaune wasn't sure what to do now. So he just stood up and readied himself anyways.
"Ha, idiot."
Cardin charged directly at Jaune. Jaune jumped to the side and rolled out of the way of a swing and quickly rushed to retrieve his shield. The moment Jaune turned around, Cardin was charging at him again. Cardin repetitively beat at Jaune's shield. Every hit made his arms ache. Cardin raised his mace as if about to bring his mace downwards on top of Jaune. Jaune lifted his shield ready to block the blow. However, this blocked his view of Cardin.
At the last second it proved to be him feigning a strike. He quickly changed the trajectory so that it was now an upwards underarm strike aimed for Jaune's defenceless chest.
Jaune hesitated and seemed to freeze with a look of panic.
Cardin struck his chest. Jaune's aura broke on impact but then Cardin activated his fire dust stone. The point-blank explosion went off. Everybody's eyes widened as Jaune flew across the room. Audible gasps could be heard. The force of the blow combined with the explosion made him drop his shield as he was flung right out of bounds and he landed roughly.
Jaune coughed hoarsely. His ears were ringing. He was dazed, unsure of his surroundings.
A buzzer rang out indicating the end of the match. "This match is over!". Professor Goodwitch was not pleased. "Mr. Winchester, that kind of act will not be tolerated! While in a real-life situation you can resort to such crude methods, there is no excuse for attempting something that dangerous in a sparring class. Mr. Arc's aura was already nearing the red, so such an act was completely unnecessary. If you were any closer to his face something far worse could've happened. You can join me for detention tomorrow afternoon."
Cardin visibly gritted his teeth. He glared at Jaune's form, before leaving for his seat.
Jaune wasn't taking the loss like he usually did...
'Weak. Huh, guess some things will always be the same.... All I ever do is try and try and try, and for what? Every day is just the same routine of being beaten up or burdening those around me. Cardin is right, I really am hopeless.'
He let out a defeated sigh and just stared at the ceiling above him as he zoned out. He didn't really feel like he had the will to even get up.
Prof. Goodwitch approached Jaune's prone form. Jaune was lying on his back and seemed to be lost in thought. However, the defeated almost death-like look in his eyes made even Glynda hesitate to speak at first. He looked utterly defeated. Apart from the soot on his clothes and the slight dent in his chest piece, his eyes looked the worst. They were hollow, duller than the usual bright blue. It's like the spark was snuffed out.
It's like he was on the verge of tears, yet too weak to cry.
She spoke, nevertheless. "Mr. Arc?". Hearing his name woke him from his thoughts. He faced Glynda, but quickly looked down ashamed of himself. "Mr. Arc, hesitation is an important thing to deal with during combat. It can ultimately determine life or death. Especially when facing the Grimm."
Then with a sigh and a sad look, she spoke in a gentler manner. "Go to the infirmary, get yourself cleaned up and get some rest. You don't have to attend the rest of today's class."
Jaune slowly got up, head still lowered. He responded but didn't make eye contact.
"Y-yes ma'am...."
He slowly made his way to retrieve his sword and shield before leaving the class.
None of the teachers knew what Jaune was going through. They saw the obvious changes of course. Like how ragged his clothes were. His generally down mood. The drop in his grades. But whenever they tried to address the matter, he would just try to dismiss it and say everything was fine. They offered their help, but he simply gave a weak smile and refused it.
For teachers like Miss Goodwitch it was frustrating. As much as she wanted to help, she couldn't unless Jaune accepted it. You simply can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped.
Jaune slowly made his way to the infirmary where they checked to make sure he was fine. The nurse said he was lucky he didn't burst an eardrum. A bit of ointment to the bruise on his chest and the slight burns under his neck, and he was on his way. His aura would help with the rest.
He made his way to his dorm room. There he took off his combat clothes and took a quick shower. His team was still in combat class, so he didn't have to worry about bumping into them. He had to regularly sneak into the room to fetch a change of clothing. He normally washed himself at bathrooms or in the locker rooms. As he looked at the dent in his chest-plate, he caught a distorted glimpse of his reflection.
Pathetic. Some huntsman I'm turning out to be. Why'd I even do this? Mom and Dad and everyone was right, I don't belong here. I'll never be a hero, no matter how hard I try....'
By the time Jaune had put on a fresh set of clothes it was lunchtime, so he made his way to the cafeteria. On the way there however, people would give him strange looks. When he passed a small group of students, they would glance at him and then whisper something to each other. And then the look they gave him would become sourer. Almost like they suddenly realised he smelled of garbage or as though he did something to upset them.
When he entered the cafeteria, it was even worse. Most of the cafeteria seemed to give him glances and then whisper with each other. Like they know about my secret then it hit, his eyes wide a bit.
'Just get your food and get away. No need for attention.'
He tried to ignore them and just get something to eat but he ended up hearing snippets of what the other students were saying.
"That's him. The faker."
"What a chump. And he wants to become a huntsman?"
"Yeah, what kind of huntsman cheats his way into Beacon? I thought huntsman were supposed to be honourable."
'How did they-'
Jaune's thoughts were interrupted when he felt a piece of food hit the back of his head. It seemed to be mashed potatoes mixed with gravy. When he looked for the source, he found Cardin pointing his finger and laughing. His team was also laughing at the sight.
"That's what you get for getting me into trouble."
Cardin then threw another lump of food that collided with his face and slid off. He then hollered at the students in the cafeteria.
"Check out the faker! He can't use a sword or a fork properly!"
Jaune could hear some of the students snickering at Cardin's insults. Students that weren't laughing just stared at him with disgust.
Disgust, Disappointment, Anger, Frustration. It was evident in the eyes of many students. He couldn't take it anymore. He dropped his tray on the floor and ran out the cafeteria. When he got to a bathroom he rushed into a cubicle and locked the door. All he could do was cry.
He spent the rest of the day inside. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He didn't want to see anyone. He just wanted to be left alone.
With team JNPR and RWBY.
"I think we should go talk to the headmaster.", said Pyrrha. "I think we should convince him to remove Jaune from the team and expel him. I don't think he will be able to survive everyone hating him. And he will only be holding us back as a team."
The others had varying reactions to Pyrrha's suggestion. Weiss, Blake and Yang seemed indifferent about the matter. Ruby seemed saddened by the idea but didn't reject the idea. Nora was similarly too saddened to comment.
"It's for the best. With his skill level he won't be able to survive.", Ren spoke up. He had time to figure out his thoughts on the matter and came to the conclusion that Jaune didn't belong at Beacon. It would simply be too dangerous to have someone with his skill face Grimm. He would be putting civilians and fellow huntsman at risk.
"Okay, we'll go talk to the headmaster on Friday. It's Tuesday today so if everything works out, he can pack over the weekend and head back home.". No further discussions were made on the matter that day. Unfortunately, in the days that followed the news of Jaune's transcripts spread like wildfire.
And then, his father found out.
Dad: Meet me in Vale and bring Crocea Mors.
When Jaune read the text, his blood froze in his veins. He wasn't ready to face his family about his dishonesty. But he had to....
"What were you thinking?!". Jaune's father was furious. Far more so than usual. More furious than he'd ever been.
"Did you even think about how your sisters would be effected by all this? Do realise the kind of harassment our family will have to endure once this gets enough publicity. Your younger sisters are still in school, how do you think their friends will react to this news? And your mother? She's been a nervous wreck ever since she heard about your fake transcripts. You lied to us."
No. Jaune hadn't thought about his family, about his mother and sisters. He didn't think about how his actions might have effected them. He only thought about his dream of becoming a hero like his father, and his grandfather, and everyone before him.
"I just wanted to be a hero like you. I didn't wanna be the wimpy idiot who couldn't even defend himself. I always put everyone else first. For once I wanted to focus on my dreams and what I wanted. I just wanted to have purpose, I wanted to matter."
"You did matter. You mattered to me. And your mother and your sisters."
"Then why did you refuse to train me? Why didn't you give me the chance to prove myself to you? You knew I wanted to be a huntsman more than anything and you still wouldn't let me.". Jaune felt some of his sadness replaced with frustration.
"You were never ready. To be a huntsman requires a strong will. You didn't have one and you still don't. If you couldn't even stand up for yourself to bullies in prep-school, how would you be able to stand up to the Grimm? I didn't want you to become a huntsman. I didn't want you to face things that you couldn't handle. When we saw the letter that you had run off to Beacon, I thought that perhaps I made a mistake. That maybe I misjudged the skill you had. But now I see that I was mistaken. It was all just one big lie. So now you leave me no choice. For the sake of my family, I cannot have you using the Arc name. Hand over Crocea Mors."
Jaune froze. The little frustration that he had towards his father turned to despair. His world seemed to shatter right in front of him. He hesitantly held out the weapon and his father took it.
"I'm sorry but you are no longer considered an Arc. This isn't any easier for me than it is for you. It's the only way I can guarantee that your mother and sisters won't be bothered or effected by this scandal."
His father took out a small pouch and handed it to Jaune.
"I don't know what your plans are for the future, but this should be enough Lien to accommodate you til you find some way to provide for yourself. I know you're a smart kid, so you'll be able to figure something out."
And then, without another word, his father left. Jaune just stood there in the middle of Vale. As crowds of people flocked past him, he just stood there. When the shock had finally worn off slightly, he made his way back to Beacon.
The next few days just added to the pain and suffering. Sleeping on the roof or inside empty classrooms. Washing in the men's locker rooms. Randomly getting beaten up by team CRDL. And let's not forget trying his best not to cry in front of everyone. His friends had abandoned him, and now his family had done the same.
And then Friday came....
-.-
In team RWBY's room
You sure there isn't any other way? Can't we just leave him be? I mean Blake also had a secret, but we didn't turn our backs on her.", Ruby was still conflicted about the entire situation.
"Blake is different, Ruby. She may have been part of the White Fang, but she's changed now. And she at least has the fighting prowess to back it up. Even you yourself got in two years early cause of your combat abilities. That dolt doesn't have the skills to back up his attendance at Beacon.", Weiss remarked.
"But couldn't we just train him? Like help him get better or something. He's all alone and no one is even trying to help him out."
"Ruby he doesn't deserve our help. Heck, he doesn't deserve to be here. Training him will only give the wrong impression. He's in the wrong, not us.", Yang commented.
Ruby lowered her gaze. She just wanted to find a way for everyone to be happy, like they used to be. But every idea was just shot down by her own team. Even the rest of team JNPR seemed determined to stick to the idea of approaching the headmaster.
-.-
Later that day, Pyrrha approached the headmaster about the matter and made the request to have Jaune removed from their team and expelled from Beacon. The headmaster explained that those types of decisions required the team's approval. So, the entirety of team JNPR was called to Ozpin's office.
"So, according to Miss Nikos, team JNPR would like to have Jaune Arc removed from the team and then expelled from Beacon academy. I won't be expelling Mr. Arc. However, I will discuss the matter of his transcripts with him privately. For now, I can fulfil the request to have him removed from the team. Cases such as this happen more often than expected and there have been many a team that have split up in the history of Beacon. All it requires is the unanimous agreement of all the members of the team, excluding Mr. Arc. If Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie and Pyrrha Nikos all give a verbal agreement on having him removed and sign the following document: Then Jaune Arc will no longer be a part of team JNPR."
Jaune thought that he was at least starting to get a handle on his emotions, but all the chaos was eating at him. He could only keep his head lowered and grit his teeth hard to try and stop himself from crying. His jaw was aching from the strain of holding back his emotions.
"It will also require valid reasoning. So, Miss Nikos, please explain why you feel he should be removed from the team.". Ozpin didn't like the situation. He may have been the headmaster, but he was in no position to try and persuade the team otherwise. They were growing huntsmen. It was their responsibility on how to deal with team dynamics and issues. If they wanted to have Jaune removed, he wouldn't interfere. So he would handle this situation with a neutral tone, even if deep down he was against the idea.
"Although Jaune is hard-working, sir, I feel he lacks the skills required to lead this team and to face the Grimm. If we were to take on missions, his lack of combat skills would only hinder the team and put peoples' lives at risk."
"I see. And you, Lie Ren?"
There was a pause before Ren spoke. "I agree with Pyrrha, sir. He would only be a liability to the team. And he would be putting the lives of civilians in harm's way."
"Miss Valkyrie, do you have something different to add or do you agree with your teammates' reasoning?"
Nora seemed to hesitate but answered, nevertheless.
"I think it's for the best.", her gaze lowered to her feet.
"Miss Valkyrie, I require a more serious answer. Do you agree with your teammates reasoning for having Mr Arc removed from team JNPR?"
"Yes...I agree with their reasoning, Professor."
Ozpin filled out the document and then slid it to the other end of the desk. "Very well then. All I require now is your signatures and then everything will be settled."
The team signed and handed the document back to Ozpin. Ozpin filled out some more info, then signed it himself and stamped the document.
"Everything has been completed. From now on you will be known as team Pincer(PNR), led by Pyrrha Nikos. I will be sure to contact you with regards to assigning you a new team member. There are first year solo hunters studying at Beacon who are looking to be a part of a team. If there are no further questions, you are dismissed. I would like to speak with Mr. Arc-"
Team PNR could only stand and watch as Miss Goodwitch tried to catch up to Jaune. They eventually left to go to their dorm room.
-.-
Jaune kept running and running away from Beacon. He didn't wanna be near anyone, he just wanted to be alone. So he went to the Beacon cliffs and huddled up by a tree. He brought his knees close to his chest and did his best not to cry. He knew he was weak, but he didn't wanna cry. He didn't wanna give anyone that satisfaction. All he had done all week was cry. He couldn't fight back, he couldn't run away, he could only cry.
If his tears didn't matter to anyone then he wasn't going to cry, not again. So he just sat there and gritted his teeth til his jaw hurt.
"Jaune? I've been looking everywhere for you."
It sounded like Miss Goodwitch, but she seemed out of breath. He didn't want to confirm, so he just kept his head down between his chest and knees.
"Jaune, look at me...."
She laid a hand on his shoulder. The contact was enough to make his emotions seep out. 'Don't cry...don't cry....'
"Jaune, please...."
Her voice sounded soft and broken, like she was also trying not to cry. He then felt her embrace his form....
Rejection and pain were the only things that he had felt for the past couple weeks. His teammates, his friends and then his family had all turned their backs on him. He was alone for so long and for the first time he felt the support and comfort of another.
So, he broke down.
He had finally let all his emotions escape. The suffering of the week was all poured out in a matter of hours. The pain, the suffering, the rejection, the frustration. He cried and kept crying til he eventually fell asleep in Glynda's arms from exhaustion.
She used her semblance to take him to her room. She laid him down on her bed and then sat in a chair, keeping an eye on his exhausted form. Eventually she too fell asleep.
After hours
While Port's was obliviously playing chess with Ozpin, they say it was Cardin who had started a fire in Beacon's rumor mill. Rumors had always spread quickly, but this one was different. Beacon Academy was known as the best Huntsman Academy out of all four kingdoms. The vast majority of students had trained for years to get into Beacon. They were considered the best of the best. Everyone was training to protect the kingdom from the monsters of Grimm.
Having someone cheat their way into Beacon was an affront to them.
The subject at hand is what caused this rumor to spread at Ruby-like speed. The fact that these rumors were about Jaune Arc made it even worse. It was no secret Jaune was the weakest first year. So any of the first years who were questioned would tell the upperclassmen about him. The rumor combined with how bad Jaune was in combat class made believers out of many. Within an hour of Cardin spreading Jaune's secret, everyone at Beacon knew.
Even the famous first-year team, RWBY was discussing it and if the rumor was true.
"Sure, he's weak, but Beacon wouldn't let a fake transcript slip under them. Goodwitch would never have allowed it."
Yang Xiao-Long, Ruby's older sister, was laying on her bed which happened to be the top bunk of a double decker, head propped up on her arm. Saying she was stunning was an understatement. Tall, toned, with an impressive rack, guys would give their right arm for a single date with her. She had lilac eyes and a large amount of long bright golden hair. Since she wasn't in her uniform, she was wearing her favorite outfit consisting of a tan jacket that revealed her midriff. Underneath this, she wore a low-cut yellow crop top. A brown belt was wrapped around tight black spandex shorts.
"That's just it! Arc had to have found a way."
The silver-haired girl with an off-center ponytail, pinned with a small silver tiara, and pale blue eyes was marching back and forth in the middle of the room. She was wearing a thigh-length strapless dress with a faint color gradation from white to pale blue at the hem. Over this, she wore a bell-sleeved bolero with the same color gradation as her dress from shoulder to wrist.
Her name was Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company.
"It all makes sense!" Weiss continued. "Why he's so bad in combat class. He never had training and just cheated his way into Beacon." Her eyes glared at Yang. "Why aren't you upset? We worked hard to get here and he gets in without any effort."
"It's just a rumor, Weiss Queen," Yang reminded her. "As I said, he's pretty weak, look at those noodle arms, but he survived initiation and helped take down a Death Stalker."
"Pyrrha was in his group though," Weiss pointed out, still consumed by anger at the thought of Jaune sneaking into Beacon. "Maybe he sought her out so he could pass?"
"Didn't Pyrrha pin him to a tree to assist him in his landing strategy?"
"Because he called for help. She wouldn't leave someone alone. That idiot must have planned it."
"Really?" Yang crossed her arms under her chest and raised an eyebrow. "You called him an idiot and at the same time suggest he somehow forged transcripts good enough to get past Goodwitch, befriended Pyrrha before initiation as an ally, and then teamed up with her to pass initiation because he couldn't fight himself? Do you realize how ridiculous this sounds?"
Weiss paused her rant. Hearing that out loud, it did sound kind of far-fetched.
"Okay, I'll give you that." The heiress reluctantly conceded. "The thing is, most rumors usually have some basis in fact. If it was a rumor about you cheating your way into Beacon, no one would believe it and it wouldn't spread like this."
"Maybe that's why the rumor was about Jaune?"
Weiss and Yang looked at the third girl laying on her bed. Blake Belladonna, a young woman with wavy black hair and amber eyes. She was wearing a black, buttoned vest with coattails and a single silver button on the front. Underneath this was a white, sleeveless, high-necked, crop undershirt and white shorts. Her full stockings graduated from black to purple at her ankles. Atop her head was a black bow.
"What do you mean by that?" Yang asked curiously
Cardin started the rumor after Jaune headed to Ozpin's office," Blake explained, not taking her eyes off her book. She had been listening to their conversation, but not really getting involved until now. "I would take it with a grain of salt."
"Thank you!"
Yang and Weiss jumped after hearing Ruby shout suddenly from her top bunk over Weiss' bed.
Ruby had been uncharacteristically quiet while her team had been arguing. Clutching her pillow tightly on her bed, her stomach kept churning uncomfortably. Those rumors couldn't be true, right? Jaune wasn't the kind of person to cheat at anything. He was honest, kind, goofy, and treated everyone with respect. During their first meeting, Jaune went out of his way to cheer her up after her first fight with Weiss, which left her in a Dust-created crater.
Besides that, he was Ruby's first and best friend. Well, best male friend. Weiss was still her best female friend. It was obvious Jaune wasn't strong, but as Yang pointed out, he did survive initiation. Nora and Pyrrha always said what a good leader he was too. Just because he didn't brag about his achievements, didn't mean he wasn't a good leader.
If he left, Ruby knew Beacon would be a lot lonelier. Weiss was an awesome friend, smart and caring once you got past her initial prickliness, but she tended to be too serious and worked on school work all the time. Jaune was fun to hang out with and did silly stuff which reminded her of Yang, minus the horrible jokes. Even if he wouldn't let her upgrade his weapon with something cool, like a gun or flamethrower.
"Weiss!" Ruby continued, glaring at her partner. "I know you aren't a fan of Jaune, but this is enough. You don't need to insult him every day! He's my friend and even with all the mean things you say about him, he never says anything bad about you. Or anyone else for that matter!"
The room was quiet. Ruby rarely raised her voice unless it was in excitement. Expressing anger was unusual for her. If she was upset, Ruby usually snuck away to be alone and calm down. Little did the rest of her team know, when she was having trouble trying to adapt to the stress of being a leader, Jaune always listened to her worries and gave great advice. She did the same for him.
"But..." Weiss spluttered, at last, trying to find the right words to use here.
"She has a point," Yang admitted, shrugging a bit. "Yes, he continues to ask you out, and honestly, he needs to take a hint, but he never actually insulted you like you do to him. He's even dialed it back a lot so he only asks like what? Once a week? You won't believe how many guys suddenly start getting aggressive and angry if I decline their advances. Nice guys, am I right?"
"That's not the topic at hand!" Weiss's face was glowing slightly in embarrassment. "It's the fact Arc may have done something illegal. You know it's a crime to forge documents like this for Huntsman Academies. Expulsion would be a natural result of him cheating-..."
"You don't know he cheated!" Ruby cried out, jumping out of her bed. "I'm going to find out from him. Don't you dare help spread that rumor. That's a Team Leader order. Also, no insulting anyone anymore!"
"This is an abuse of power!"
"No Insults!"
Ruby slammed the door behind her as she went to look for Jaune, leaving the rest of her team in silence.
"What did I do?" Weiss finally asked.
"Really?" Yang stared at her in exasperation. "Do you really not know?
"You could dial the insults back a little bit," Blake suggested, closing her book. "But she is acting out more than she normally would because of stress."
"Stress?" Yang and Weiss repeated.
"She's afraid of losing a close friend," Blake continued. "Even if you two don't think much of Jaune, he's been a good friend to Ruby." From time to time, Blake actually caught them talking about their problems and comforting each other. It was kind of interesting to see a true platonic relationship. Jaune was surprisingly insightful from the glimpses she saw.
"I guess you have a point," Weiss admitted, looking at the ground. "Maybe I have been too hard on him." She gripped her hand into a fist. "If that bastard did sneak into Beacon, I'm never going to forgive him and it's going to confirm everything I've said."
"One step forward, two steps back." Yang sighed.
"Pyrrha!"
Pyrrha jumped into the air as she sat on her bed. The door to her room flew open with a bang as Nora rushed in frantically, Ren close behind her. Nora slammed the door shut and turned to Pyrrha, eyes wide and looking to be in a panic. This was a far cry from the cheerful girl who would always laugh when facing Grimm or angry teachers ready to dish out punishment.
"Did you hear!?"
"Hear what?" Pyrrha asked, confused. She really hadn't been all there since Jaune's confession. "Did something happen?"
"Jaune's been expelled!"
Morning
6:00 am
It was around 6 am when Glynda had woken up, only to find the boy mumbling in his sleep and fidgeting in bed. As she noticed the tears at the corners of his strained eyes, she could only imagine the pain and trauma the boy was experiencing. Nightmares plagued the boy's mind as he tossed and turned in the bed.
She leaned forward and placed a gentle hand on his cheek. The boy initially flinched in his sleep, only to calm. His breathing settled down and he visibly relaxed. Glynda let out a sigh, glad that the boy was calm now.
He had gone through so much in the past few weeks and only now did Glynda have an idea of what he was going through. It frustrated her that she couldn't help the boy with the chaos he faced.
He tried to be strong and struggle alone. Was he trying not to burden others with his mistakes and issues? Or was he trying to run away from the issue and avoid solving it altogether? Facing things alone only made things worse and Glynda only hoped that he would finally accept the support of the staff members at Beacon. Not just for his own sake, but for the sake of the staff members themselves. The teachers cared for the students. They invested in the students so that they could become ideal hunters and huntresses. Strong-willed, wise, noble and just.
Glynda felt the boy stir underneath her hand. She watched as bloodshot eyes slowly fluttered open. He didn't move his body, only surveying his surroundings until his eyes rested on Glynda.
"M-miss Goodwitch....", his voice was hoarse and weak, but she heard it, nevertheless.
She gave him a weak smile, but it quickly faded as she recalled the events of the previous day.
"How are you feeling?"
Jaune sat up slowly and tried to gauge how he felt.
"T-tired. Just...really tired."
Glynda nodded.
There was a moment of silence before Miss Goodwitch laid a hand on Jaune's hand. He flinched but relaxed soon after.
"Jaune, Professor Ozpin is gonna want to speak with you. Will you be okay to go there?"
Jaune nodded but didn't say a word.
They quietly made their way to Ozpin's office. It was luckily still too early, so there were no students roaming the halls.
-.-
When they arrived, Ozpin was gazing out over Vale's horizon.
"Ah, Mr. Arc, nice to see you still in one piece. Please, take a seat. Glynda, would you be so kind as to fetch us some breakfast? I'm sure he must be rather hungry after yesterday's ordeal."
Glynda nodded and left the office. Ozpin took his seat in front of Jaune.
The headmaster and Jaune sat in silence for several minutes. Jaune kept his eyes on his shoes. He already felt his heart break several times this week. He didn't want to face anymore.
Ozpin just continued to stare at Jaune. It's as though he were pondering something very important.
"Tell me Mr. Arc, would you like some coffee?"
Jaune looked up to see a sombre smile on Ozpins face. Ozpin knew a lot, so it was no surprise that Ozpin knew how Jaune must've felt. He too had made mistakes in his life. He too had betrayed the trust of those dear to him. And he too had to deal with being betrayed.
Jaune just nodded his head. Ozpin got up from his seat and made his way to a desk on the one side of the large office. He took out two mugs and prepared some coffee.
He made his way over to Jaune and handed him one of the mugs before taking his seat again. They sat in silence once more. Every now and then one of them taking a sip from their mug. And then Ozpin decided to speak.
"Miss Nikos said that they kicked you out of their dorm room after they found out about your transcripts. Where were you sleeping during this time?"
"...uhm, m-mainly in some empty classrooms...or on the roof of the dorms...."
"Prof. Port and Dr. Oobleck said that they would see you exiting said classrooms some mornings. At the time we simply looked past it since there weren't any signs of vandalism, drug use or any sort of actions outside Beacon's code of conduct. A same time, those two believe you are too nice to ever do something bad. According to many of the staff, they had tried to address you on matter in hand.
TO BE CONTINUED