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Najimi Jaune 2
🕑 Added 2023-11-05 15:04:10 +0000 UTCNext chapter for this oddly popular fic. Seriously, I did not expect so much feedback. Guess the idea really appealed to people. Thanks to the commissioner for the premise!
This'll be the second and last chapter of this project. Not much else we can go from here.
For anyone interested in making a commission, email me at: storylover543 gmail . com
------
Pyrrha Nikos was the Invincible Girl. She'd been undefeated in a fight ever since she was thirteen and that streak had never been broken. Even at Beacon, where they were all preparing to be the protectors of mankind, she remained undefeated. Some like Yang had boasted about their intentions to 'dethrone' her, some friendly and others not so much, but she'd remained indomitable.
Until today.
Pyrrha could only watch, absolutely petrified, as the man she loved was taken away from her. There Jaune was, just a few feet away, and across from him was the new bane of her existence. May Zedong, Jaune's never-before-mentioned childhood friend and the first foe that she found herself faltering against. Not in a physical fight - she could more than easily snap the other woman in two - but she'd beaten her in every other way that mattered.
Jaune. It was bad enough when he had a crush on Weiss, but at least the Atlesian heiress made it clear that she wasn't open to a relationship with him. Her loss, though Pyrrha still didn't say anything at the time. She'd been so scared of ruining their friendship and she hoped, perhaps foolishly, that Jaune would realize that Weiss wasn't the one for him and see there was someone better for him. Someone figuratively and literally closer than Weiss.
But then his new (old) friends showed up and ruined everything. She barely got to train with Jaune anymore. Now he was working out with Sun or receiving lessons from those skanks in team NDGO. And of course, there was May, who was convincing him to take up usage of a sniper rifle. Ruby had pouted once that she would've taught Jaune if he asked, but there was no true envy in it. She was just happy her fellow leader was finally taking up firearms. Pyrrha envied the younger girl's relaxed nature. She wished she felt the same.
"Jau..." She reached a hand out to talk to him, to stop whatever the hell this was, but she found her voice fading. She tried to step forward to get between them, but her legs refused to move. Even her arms felt like they were weighed down and she could only stand there as Jaune reached a hand out and cupped May's right cheek.
She tried to scream, to whisper, to say something, but even her mouth refused to move, 'No, no, no!' She watched in silent anguish as Jaune's hand traced up and slowly pulled away the beanie covering the other woman's left eye. It was scarred with an ugly line running across the iris and turning it white instead of its natural gray. May looked away from Jaune in shame, but he smiled warmly and cupped her cheek again.
"May, it's alright," he said softly.
It was not! None of this was alright! Again, Pyrrha tried to scream, to stop this madness, but her body refused to obey. Tearstained eyes could only watch as Jaune activated his Semblance - the one they'd found out through meticulous training - and his Aura flowed into May. May moaned softly and blushed at the feeling of it and Pyrrha screamed in silent rage and grief at how she'd never felt what it was like.
The scar across May's left eye faded to nothing and the milky white iris matched the grey color of its twin. Both her eyes widened and she looked up at Jaune in gratitude.
"Jaune..."
"May..."
They closed their eyes and drew their lips closer-
Pyrrha woke up on her bed with a scream. She panted and placed a hand on her chest, her entire body dripping with fearful sweat. She'd sat up in shock as the dream ended and looked around the dark room frantically. Somehow, none of her friends had woken up from the shout. Which reflected on them poorly as future Huntsmen, but right now that was the last thing on her mind.
A dream. Of course, it was a dream. Jaune hadn't unlocked his Semblance yet and May's eye wasn't scarred. She knew that.
Her eyes shifted over to Jaune's sleeping form. Like Ren and Nora, he showed no signs that her scream had bothered him in any way. He was lying on his back with a dull grin on his face. She stood up and quietly made her way to his bedside, bare feet padding across the cold floor. Jaune looked so innocent at that moment, eyes closed and mouth slightly parted.
She was tempted to reach down and kiss him but held herself back. No, if she was going to get together with him, she wouldn't do it by sneaking kisses whilst he was unaware.
She'd do it...eventually. She just had to muster her courage!
Sighing, Pyrrha trudged back to her bed to try and go back to sleep. Perhaps she'd be in a better mood the next day.
No such luck. She barely got any rest and was plagued by nightmares of Jaune and May constantly affirming their love for one another. By the time she woke up again, there were deep bags under her eyes and she was in an extremely bad mood. Her agent would've been having a panic attack at how she didn't wake up looking serene and ready to take on the world.
They met up with team RWBY on the way to the cafeteria. Yang noticed her foul mood and looked like she was tempted to ask but a short glare made the dragon silent. They were just about to enter when...
"Salutations!" A cute orange-haired girl greeted them loudly while a darker-skinned girl in an Atlas uniform and beret followed behind her silently. Jaune turned and, much to her rising annoyance, recognized, "It is good to see you again, Friend Jaune and Friend Ruby!"
"Oh! Hey, Penny!" Ruby greeted back cheerfully, "Wait, how do you know Jaune?"
"He is a good friend of father. He was crucial in ensuring that some of his more critical projects were made into successes." Penny beamed.
"How's Pietro doing?" Jaune asked.
"He is doing very well! Thank you for asking!" Penny nodded eagerly, "He's also very eager to see you again."
"Yeah, I miss him too. Tell him we'll visit with the rest of the family when we can." Jaune chuckled.
"You know Penny's dad?" Ruby asked him.
"Yep. My older sister's wife, Terra, is his niece. We met at their wedding." Jaune rubbed the back of his head with a goofy grin on his face, "I met Penny later and we became friends."
"Huh. Didn't know you two were friends." Ruby's comment had no heat or jealousy.
"Of course they're friends. Nevermind that Penny said you were her first friend. Oh no, of course Jaune is friends with her too. Why wouldn't he be? He's friends with everyone that's transferred in lately," Weiss whispered bitterly. No one paid her any mind and Jaune, thankfully, was too busy to hear her.
"It's nice to see you as well, Jaune. It's been 1 year, 2 months, 1 week, and 4 days since our last meeting," the girl in the beret said.
"Still as punctual as ever, huh, Ciel?" Jaune shook his head and laughed.
Pyrrha tuned out their conversation. She didn't even want to hear how Jaune was friends with this Ciel person. She was sure she'd just be inundated with another backstory of ultimate and lasting friendship that somehow never came up before today.
Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long before the two had to leave. Pyrrha did her best not to smile as the two walked away and the eight of them could finally get some breakfast in. Hopefully, some food would-
"Jaune, over here!" A uniquely accented voice called out. Pyrrha turned to the source and saw Velvet Scarlatina eagerly waving at them; at Jaune. Jaune, rather than being surprised, smiled and walked over to team CFVY's table after a quick goodbye to their teams.
"...He knows Velve too?" Blake raised a brow.
"It appears so." Ren nodded.
"Jaune-Jaune knows everyone, doesn't he?" Nora hummed, "Maybe he's friends with all the teachers too!"
"It would certainly explain how he managed to stay here despite his lacking grades and performance..." Weiss muttered. Again, everyone ignored her.
"Eh, so Vomit Boy's popular, so what?" Yang shrugged, "It can't get any weirder than this, right?"
...
Pyrrha so badly wanted to strangle her for tempting fate.
------
Weiss was in a foul mood.
The heiress crossed her arms and tapped her feet against the floor of the bullhead. Staying in school was impossible right now. The transfers had all finally arrived and her hope that there was anyone among them had been dashed. All of them were friends with Arc, and all of them couldn't stop singing his praises. It made her more and more irritated and she had to leave for the sake of her own sanity.
She refused to believe it. There could not be a world where Jaune Arc had more charisma and friends than someone like her! He was...a dunce! A dolt who couldn't take no for an answer, was blind to sarcasm, and was so stupid that he enrolled into Beacon with fake transcripts. Fake transcripts that somehow weren't caught by anyone despite Beacon being one of the most prestigious academies in Remnant.
She tapped her foot faster and willed the bullhead to speed up. She couldn't stay in Beacon and she knew that wandering around aimlessly wouldn't help, but thankfully today was one of her favorite times of the month. Winter was officially free to talk on the CCT and Weiss couldn't be happier. Her dear older sister would understand. She was always so sensible and she'd see how insane everyone in Beacon was acting.
Weiss felt good enough to hum as she walked over to the CCT building. Finally, she thought, she'd talk to someone sensible and sane.
She eagerly established the connection and waited exactly two rings for Winter to answer. She was always so punctual, "Weiss," Winter greeted, mouth curled up in a smile so slight that anyone else would've missed it. But not her, "How are you doing?'
"Honestly? I'm doing rather terribly." Weiss sighed dramatically.
"Oh? Has Beacon proven difficult?"
"Yes, but not in the way you'd think." Another sigh, "My grades are at the top of my class, and my performance in combat class is, of course, exceptional. There are no problems on that front." Winter nodded in approval, "No, it's something else entirely. The transfer students have arrived and they've all, to the last man, proven to be absolutely incorrigible."
"In what way?'
"They're all obsessed with the same person!" Weiss shouted. Thankfully, the CCT rooms were soundproof, "And I would understand that if they at least chose someone worth idolizing, but they didn't! They chose possibly the thickest, most clueless person in all of Beacon!" She slammed her hands on the table, 'It's nonsensical! These are the future protectors of mankind and they're all sharing a single collective brain cell!"
"Why does this bother you so much? You never used to care for the opinions of others."
"Because it's so...stupid!" She didn't know what else to call it. It was dumb, foolish, and flat-out moronic! "Honestly, to think that they would idolize Jaune Arc so much-"
"Wait, did you say Jaune?" Weiss' eyes widened and a pit of dread formed in her gut at the sound of familiarity and elation in Winter's voice. No...it couldn't be! "I know him."
'No...no, no, no, no!' Weiss put her head in her hands and resisted the urge to bash her head against the screen as Winter continued.
"He's an admirable young man. I'm not surprised people are so keen on him."
"How...How do you know him?" Weiss asked, forcing the words out.
"We met, in a manner of speaking, via a correspondence. I volunteered for the 'Write a Specialist' program at the behest of General Ironwood. He believed it would be a good idea to engender more trust among the citizenry."
"Jaune isn't Atlesian..."
"He isn't, but technically there's no rule against non-Atelsian citizens from sending in letters," Winter dismissed. It was so...off from the sister she knew. The Winter she remembered wouldn't waste time interacting with someone she didn't have to, "We established a quick rapport despite our different backgrounds. He helped me out with a few problems I'd been having and we've continued our correspondence since."
"I...see." Weiss gnashed her teeth."
"He's actually been to the mansion a couple of times," Winter said in the same tone one used to discuss the weather."
"What?! I've never seen him there!"
"You haven't? Odd. Perhaps it was when you were training." Winter shrugged, "He made quite an impression on the whole family. Whitley adores him, as odd as that may seem, and mother seems quite taken with him as well. She actually stops drinking when he's around."
"She what?" Weiss asked flatly, "Mother stopped drinking? The same woman who we once caught snuggling up to a bottle of vodka stopped drinking?"
"Only when Jaune is around, sadly." Winter sighed as if it was the only problem here, "Also, and I know you might not believe this, but Jacques seems fond of him as well."
"WHAT?!" This time she couldn't stop herself from screaming. Her father, the man who treated his own family with less intimacy than his business partners, was fond of Jaune?!
"Indeed." Winter nodded, ignoring Weiss' well-justified outburst, "I was doubtful myself, but I've heard from Jaune. He apparently just found out about the abuse Jacques does to his employees, particularly the Faunus ones, and he confronted Jacques about it. And he listened."
"No..."
"Yes." Winter nodded, "I assumed Jacques simply faked his shame, but he's actually been improving things lately. The mines have passed all safety inspections and I've heard that the conditions of Mantle have significantly improved since Jaune called him out. It doesn't erase Jacques' previous sins nor does it redeem him in any way, but I guess this is as good a start as anyway."
Winter continued to talk, but it went in one ear and out the other. Weiss pressed both hands against her forehead and looked down at the table. Jaune was taking everything from her. Her bond with her family, the friends she deserved, and now her role as the one to redeem the SDC. He'd taken it all. Would there be anything even left to fix by the time she was ready to take her position as the CEO?
"At the rate this is going, there won't be any problems left for you to clean up by the time you become CEO," Winter said, hammering the final nail in the coffin.
"No!" Weiss shouted, causing Winter to lean away from the screen, "This isn't...that's not...this is wrong!" She slapped her hands on the table over and over. She knew it made her look like a child throwing a tantrum, but she didn't care, "I was supposed to be the one to fix the SDC and redeem our family name! Jaune can't just...swoop in and fix everything with a stern lecture! It doesn't work like that!"
"I must confess that I'm confused. I thought you'd be happy about this."
"Happy?! Why would I be happy about anything you just said?!"
"Because innocent people are being saved?" Weiss froze and couldn't say anything back as Winter continued, "I'll admit that this is unorthodox, but isn't this good? The mines are safer than they've ever been since grandfather retired, the salaries are fair, and the people of Mantle have hope again. Does it really matter if it was Jaune or you that caused such a change? The end result is the same. People's lives are being improved."
"B-But...it was supposed to be me."
"I thought you wished to do this for the sake of others? Or are you doing it only for yourself?" Winter sighed, and her next words felt like a death knell to the shocked heiress, "I'm disappointed in you, Weiss."
...
Weiss' screams could be heard all across Vale.
------
Blake wasn't used to jealousy. She'd been dealt a bad hand in life through no fault of her own and she'd had seventeen years to grit her teeth and bear it. Born to two loving parents and living in a big house on a tropical island. It was so difficult being her, especially when she had to run away from home to keep fighting with the White Fang. That was five years of being a fugitive and living outside the walls where the Grimm were always hungry for blood.
Then she was forced to run away a second time when Adam went crazy. And after that, she had to run away from Weiss when she was being stupidly racist and Blake outed herself as a former member of a terrorist group that specifically targeted Weiss' family.
Her life was so hard.
It was on her third attempt at running away that she met Sun. He was nice despite his delinquency and she really did appreciate that he offered to help her out so quickly, but she could tell he did it because he was attracted to her. She liked him, she really did, but she just wasn't ready for a relationship considering the mess her last one with Adam had been. It would take her some time to get back to a proper relationship again.
Which was why she found herself torn when Sun's attraction seemed to just...stop. When he and Neptune reunited with Jaune, she felt like chopped liver. Sun barely paid her any mind, and when he did, it was with a degree of casualness that she didn't know how to feel about. Yes, she wasn't ready for a relationship just yet, but Sun's sudden about-face was kind of annoying.
Unlike Weiss, she wasn't jealous of Jaune. Sun was still a friend and she had no desire to be popular because of a horrible childhood. She was, on the other hand, confused by it all. Maybe it was just her, but she just didn't see what the big deal about him was. Jaune was nice, sure, but so was just about everyone on their team; even Weiss once you got to know her. Nothing was astounding about him physically or mentally, and yet all these people rallied to his side. It confused her.
And now he was here.
Yang had sat her down and told her to trust in the others, so she did. She asked the rest of her team and Sun for help and they gladly offered, Weiss almost desperately so. She planned to sneak into the White Fang rally she'd heard about and find out their plans from there. She would've been fine doing it alone, but Sun said that he and a friend could come in as backup.
She expected Neptune. Instead, he'd brought Jaune. The very Human Jaune who would've stuck out at a rally. Yes, many Faunus had non-obvious traits, but at least her ears and Sun's tail assured that no one would look twice. Sun had brushed off her concerns and plopped a pair of fake dog ears on his head. She was so tempted to call it out as cultural appropriation but did it count when another Faunus was the one responsible?
In the end, she agreed so that they could make it on time. As long as he stayed back and kept quiet, it wouldn't be an issue.
Fifteen minutes later and the three of them were masked and suited up for the rally. Well, she was suited up. She'd changed into an outfit perfect for infiltration while Sun kept his usual unbuttoned shirt and Jaune just made do with his regular outfit sans the armor. Did either of them know the first thing about infiltration? Just look at her. Her ingenious disguise kept her team from finding out she was a Faunus till she flat-out told them.
"Welcome, brothers and sisters."
Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Adam on the stage. She expected she'd see him again at some point, but not so soon. She forced the air back into her lungs and did her best to stay calm. She was scared of being caught, but a part of her almost wished for it. She and Adam shared a bond like no other before and she wanted to convince him there was another way.
"You know why we're all here. The Humans have trampled over us long enough! It's time for us to wait." Adam suddenly stopped and looked closer at her position. Blake's heart rate sped up. Did he recognize her? Should she stay and try to talk or run away now? She could-
"Jaune, is that you?"
...
What?
All eyes in the rally turned to look at the masked fake Dog Faunus. The blonde squirmed in place at the sudden attention and rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah. Hey, Adam." He waved at her ex awkwardly. Blake's brain crashed. Jaune knew Adam? And he was still alive?
Even weirder was what Adam did next.
"Haha, it is you!" Adam smiled. An actual smile, not a wry smirk or sardonic grin. He hopped off the stage and, without warning, pulled Jaune into a wide embrace, "I'd recognize that terrible hoodie anywhere. Still have terrible taste in fashion, I see."
"Hey, look who's talking!" Jaune laughed and punched Adam in the shoulder. She knew people who were gutted for less, but Adam just laughed again, "Black and red with a blindfold? Come on, man! You look like an edgelord!"
"It's a brand! It makes me recognizable!" Adam huffed then turned to the rest of the rally, "Could you guys clear out for a bit? I'm talking to an old friend."
Surprisingly, everyone complied with minimal complaints. Blake could only watch in stunned silence as the entire crowd shuffled out, leaving just the four of them alone in the large room.
"Adam..." Blake was so shocked she forgot about not drawing attention to herself.
"Hm?" Adam gave her a sideways glance.
Without a word said, she slowly took off her mask and looked into his blindfolded eyes. She'd been dreading this reunion for months. What would they say to one another? How did he feel about how things had ended between them? So many words left unsaid, grief bottled up. It took everything she had to cut that line and separate herself from Adam because she knew she couldn't stay with him.
Adam looked at her for just a moment, "Hm, didn't know you were here." And then he turned back to Jaune, "How did you know about the rally, by the way? I was pretty sure I kept it a secret."
...
"Ahem." Blake coughed pointedly.
"What?" Adam actually sounded irritated that she drew his attention.
"Is that all you have to say?" Blake asked in a clipped tone.
"I'm trying to talk to an old friend, Blake. Whatever we have to deal with can come later."
"An old friend?" Blake asked in disbelief, "That makes no sense!"
"Hey now," Jaune said, slightly offended.
"It's not about you, Jaune! Adam hates Humans! I literally heard you once say 'The only good Human is a dead human'! Which you said after skewering an SDC guard!"
"Well, there are exceptions to every rule, and Jaune is one of those." Adam rolled his eyes at her, she could tell even through the blindfold, and spoke like he was talking to a five-year-old, "He's an old friend."
"Hey, same!" Sun said, speaking up for the first time.
"How did the two of you even meet?!"
"That's a long story." Adam sighed melodramatically, "I won't expound on all the details. Let's just say that he and his family took in a badly scarred Faunus boy at his weakest and leave it at that. When I succeeded in my plan to kill all humans, I promised to myself that Jaune and his family would be spared. Also, he helped me start the Bellaholics Anonymous group."
"The what?!"
"Really, man? You're still trying to destroy humanity?" Jaune sighed, completely ignoring Adam's horrific proclamation and her shocked question, "We talked about this."
"Not everyone's as good as you and your family, Jaune," Adam said. It sounded downright patitent coming from him.
"But come on! There's a better way!" Jaune took off the mask and fake dog ears then offered Adam his hand, "Look...I know it's not gonna be easy, but I actually had a talk with Jacques and he's already doing good! It's not gonna be overnight, but we can change things without going full genocide on anyone. What do you say?"
She wanted to tell Jaune that Adam wouldn't listen and she'd tried those pleas dozens of times before. She didn't get a chance to before Adam sighed and accepted his hand. And not to cut it off.
"Were it anyone else, I wouldn't believe it, but with you? Fine, I'll give it a chance. We'll stop our plans to let Grimm pour into Vale and murder the populace."
"Thank you."
...
"WHAT?!" Blake shouted, "Adam, I've been pleading with you for months to change your course and now you're suddenly okay with it?!"
"What can I say? Jaune's a convincing man, and he's a close friend."
"We were literally fucking! How does it get any closer than that?!"
"Pleasures of the flesh pale in comparison to true bonds. I expected you'd understand that, Blake." Adam clicked his tongue and shook his head in disappointment. She wanted to tear the blindfold off and gouge his damn eyes out.
She was tempted to do just that when the door behind them opened and a new voice cut in, "Alright, you animals! Why are you all hanging around outside? I paid good money for this warehouse and if you're not gonna use it then-" A pause, "Jauney boy, that you?"
Roman fucking Torchwick walked over to where Jaune was and pulled him into a hug, laughing and smiling all the while. Blake's brain was short-circuiting.
"Hey, Roman! Long time no see!"
"Yeah! Not since I gave you those fake transcripts." Fake what? "Hey, we really gotta catch up! Neo's been hounding me about how she misses her favorite ice cream dispenser."
"Has she been behaving? I'll know if you're lying to me." Jaune crossed his arms and adopted a faux-strict look.
"Eh...sorta. She's better than before."
"That's not a yes."
"It ain't a no, kid. Take what you can get." Roman tipped his hat.
Blake watched the reunion through flat, empty eyes before she turned and left without another word. Sun didn't follow her. She didn't care. She just wanted to go back to their dorm and pretend the world wasn't crazy.
------
Yang was someone who rolled with the punches. Why bother worrying over and dwelling on something? Move on and keep going. Life was too short to focus on one thing and let it drag you down.
Well...mostly.
There was one thing that was always on the back of her mind. Raven Branwen a.k.a her useless deadbeat mom. Hell, she couldn't even call her that. She left before she could even change a single diaper. Who the fuck did that?
But even though she was a waste of space, Yang still wanted to find her. Not cause she thought they could be a happy family again - fuck that noise - but cause she wanted to punch her right in her gods damned face and ask her why. Why was she so damn pathetic that she couldn't stay and take responsibility for the husband and daughter she abandoned? Was living as a hick out in the woods really better than being a mom?
Sadly, she didn't have much luck in her search. Her last attempt with Junior ended with crushed balls and a wrecked nightclub, but no info on Raven. Maybe she should've asked first and offered money before grabbing the guy's crotch? ...Nah.
She'd put the search for her estranged mom on the backburner ever since she got to Beacon. Right now her focus was being a kickass Huntress and having fun while she did it. Maybe she'd pick up the search again when summer break hit.
Right now she was more curious about something else: Vomit Boy's sudden popular phase.
She liked Jaune. She teased him a lot, but that was just a sign of how they were friends. Still, as much as she liked the guy, she didn't get where his suddenly becoming Mr. Popular came from. She didn't let it bother her, though. Weiss was going insane with jealousy, Pyrrha looked like she was eating shit every day, and even Blake was suddenly resentful and angry, but not her.
No, she took it all without a care in the world. Cause who cared if Vomit Boy was popular? It wasn't a competition or anything. At least Ruby thought the same and didn't let his sudden popularity bother her either.
She was alone right now. Weiss was going to therapy to deal with her stuff, Blake was brooding over in the library, and Ruby was doing upgrades on Crescent Rose while talking sweet nothings to it.
Why couldn't anyone on her team be normal?
She was just about to step into her dorm when she heard Jaune talking. The door to his room was slightly ajar so she could hear him. She knew he was alone too. Ren and Nora were out on a date while Pyrrha had to deal with another Pumpkin Pete's commercial. Yikes.
Yang figured hanging out with Jaune was better than staying in her room alone. She was about to pull the door back and brazenly walk in when she heard another voice, "Yeah, it's been hell trying to keep the clan in check ever since we started raiding." The voice wasn't familiar, but for some reason, she still felt a stirring in her gut, "I've been training them so we can act as a wandering Huntsmen group, but it's slow going."
"Keep going," Jaune replied, "I know it's not easy, but nothing good in life ever is."
"Tch. Yeah, yeah. I can't believe I let you talk me into this shit."
Yang peeked through the crack in the door and froze at what she saw. There Jaune was sitting on his bed with a carefree smile and across from him was a figure she knew all too well. Long dark hair like a bird's feathers, blood-red eyes, pale skin, and a black and red kimono that looked wrong on someone who was hitting middle age. She'd only seen her in pictures, but Yang knew exactly who she was.
Raven Branwen, her useless waste of a 'mom'.
"What the fuck?!"
Yang kicked the door down and stomped into the room, eyes a shade of red that matched her egg donor. Jaune yelped and fell to the floor while Raven stood protectively in front of the fallen blonde, a hand on the sheath of her katana. She couldn't help but feel resentful at the sight of it.
"Yang...?" Jaune looked up at her in shock.
"Yang?" Raven relaxed her stance slightly.
"What the fuck are you doing here?!" Yang snarled, teeth bared and hands balled into tight fists, "Did you come here for a family reunion, huh? Well, you're seventeen years too late, 'mom'! Fuck you! Couldn't even see me face to face?!"
Raven looked... embarrassed wasn't the right word, but it was the closest thing she could think of. She rubbed the back of her head and, in a sincere tone, asked, "You go to Beacon? I thought you were still at Signal. Isn't that where all the 15-year-olds go?"
...
Yang's golden hair burned in a raging inferno and she was about to break her 'mom's' jaw when Jaune stood and walked between them, "Woah, woah, woah! Let's calm down!"
"Outta my way, Jaune! I gotta cave her face in!"
"Tell me what's going on first!" He refused to move. In any other situation, she would've congratulated him for being so ballsy, but right now she wanted to toss him out the window.
"That's my useless opinion egg donor! The one who ditched me and Dad!" Yang growled.
"Wait, what?" Jaune looked at Raven in disapproval and she actually looked ashamed. Yang didn't know whether to laugh or get even more pissed, "You left your family?"
"Yeah, it's...a long story-"
"No, it's not! You left literally as soon as you popped me out! You didn't change a single diaper!"
"Raven..." Jaune crossed his arms, his disapproving expression worsening. Raven coughed and looked away, shifting from one foot to another.
"How the fuck do you two know each other?!" Yang shouted.
"Well. Actually, that's a funny story." Jaune laughed awkwardly, "I can't really tell you though, sorry. Rae-Rae gets embarrassed so easily-"
"Rae-Rae?! You have fucking nicknames?!"
"Yep! She calls me Jay-Jay." Jaune laughed.
"He's like the blonde kid I never had," Raven added.
"I'm the blonde kid you did have!" Yang screamed.
Raven gave her a disapproving look, "Not everything's about you, Yang."
Yang made a strangled noise and was about to wring the bitch's neck when Jaune spoke up again, "But let's not change the subject." His expression became stern again, " Rae-Rae, you ditching your family's not cool." He said it like it was a profound lesson. The worst part? Raven acted like it was. She kept shuffling on her feet and couldn't quite look him in the eye, "You should apologize to Yang and her dad."
"...Do I have to?" Raven sounded so small and petulant when she asked.
"Yes."
"Fine." She sighed and faced Yang, "Yang, I'm sorry for ditching you."
"Well, you're not fucking forgiven! You abandoned me and Dad for seventeen years!"
"She's right, Rae-Rae. You gotta do a lot to make up for that."
"But..." Jaune looked at her sternly again, "Alright, alright! I'll try to make up for it, okay?"
"That's better." Jaune nodded in approval, "Now, we should call Yang's dad too. No time like the present, right?"
"His name's Taiyang. I can portal us over to him now."
Yang was about to voice her very loud disapproval of this plan when Jaune cut her off again, "Wait, Taiyang? Do you mean Taiyang Xiao Long?" Raven nodded and Yang could only look dumbly as the other blonde smiled, "Oh, that should make things easier then! I was hoping to talk to him about his garden again."
He knew Dad too. He knew Dad and Raven went to visit him without even realizing that her own fucking daughter was across the hall.
Yang's Semblance burned so hot that she ended up burning down team JNPR's dorm and got detention for it for a whole month.
------
Beacon was burning.
Pyrrha leaned against Miló's hilt and panted. Her entire body was wracked with pain and her vision swam from both exhaustion and her wounds. Her Aura was gone, and though she had no wounds, the agony that enveloped her entire being was enough to make her nauseous.
Across from her was her opponent. Cinder Fall, the monster that masterminded this whole ordeal. She'd planned all this. She plunged Beacon into chaos and tried to kill that poor Amber woman. Pyrrha had barely stopped her from doing just that, though it was a hollow victory. Even with just half of the Fall Maiden's powers, Cinder was far too overwhelming an opponent for her.
She was going to die here.
Pyrrha closed her eyes briefly and forced herself to stand on shaky legs. Beacon was ablaze around the tower in which they fought, providing them with the perfect arena. She could only thank small mercies that the damage had been restricted to just the academy. Vale was safe, though Pyrrha didn't know how long that would last when she fell and the megalomaniacal woman gained Amber's powers.
But she wouldn't give up. She was Pyrrha Nikos, and she would fight until her dying brea-
"Cinder Fall! You've got some explaining to do!"
Pyrrha's head snapped to the new voice and she gasped as Jaune walked over to where they stood. She wanted to scream at him to run and save himself, but her voice was too weak. She had to save Jaune. She had to-
"J-Jaune?!" Cinder Fall, the smug murderer and attempted destroyer of Vale, suddenly looked like a kid with her hand caught in the cookie jar. The fiery power faded from her eyes and she stood ramrod straight, hands wringing together nervously. It was such an about-face that she wondered if she was dreaming.
It was only when she looked at Jaune a second time that she realized he wasn't alone. At his sides were Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai, Cinder's two cronies. The two of them looked absolutely chastised and looked at the ground in shame.
"What did I tell you about doing nefarious plans?" Jaune crossed his arms and scowled.
"B-But-"
"No! We talked about this! You were doing so well! A whole year without any evil machinations and now you ruined it!" Cinder looked away and pouted, grumbling something under her breath, "Hey! Use your speaking voice!"
"I wasn't gonna attack Beacon if I knew you were here!" Cinder whined.
"That's not better! You shouldn't be attacking Vale even if I wasn't here!" Jaune groaned, "We made so much progress and now we gotta go back to the beginning. Do you remember the first step?" Cinder grumbled again, "Cindy, first step!"
"Apologize to everyone you hurt!" Cinder whined again, "But...I've been working on this so hard, Jaune! Can't I have just a bit of chaos?"
"No."
"Just a little bit?"
"No."
"Just a teeny, tiny, little-"
"NO!"
"Ugh, fine!" Cinder sniffed petulantly and crossed her arms.
"Good." Jaune nodded sternly, "First things first, you gotta give that 'Maiden' stuff back to Amber then apologize for what you did."
"But-"
"Apologize for what you did." Jaune tone left no room for argument.
"...Okay," Cinder said, a woman defeated.
Cinder Fall and her two cronies walked away without another word said, their heads bowed in shame. Pyrrha...didn't know how to feel. She'd live, but was now burdened with the knowledge that Jaune was also somehow friends with that woman.
"Pyrrha, are you alright?" Her heart fluttered as Jaune cupped her face with both hands. Oh, it was all worth it for this, "I'm really sorry about this. I thought Cinder was making progress and then she goes and does this. I'll give her another talking to later." Pyrrha didn't even care to ask how Jaune knew someone as horrible as her. She just leaned into his hands and sighed, "Are you hurt?"
"Y-Yes, but I can still walk." She smiled at him. She could kiss him now. It was the perfect time for it. She'd barely survived fighting for her life and it was just the two of them. She could lean forward now and-
"Jaune, is she okay?!" The moment was shattered as May Zedong climbed up the stairs, her rifle drawn. Jaune's warm hands left her cheeks and she cried out weakly as the love of her life turned away from her and met May halfway.
"Yeah, she's fine." He sighed in relief, "Thank the Brothers you saw them through your scope. We both owe you."
"Hehe, it was nothing." May blushed and smiled brightly.
...
She owed her life to May. The crushing realization hit her like a truck. The only reason she was alive right now was because of her, the woman who was taking Jaune away from her. Pyrrha's lips curled up in a manic smile and she let out a soft, crazed laugh. Insane. This was insane. It was as if life wanted to make sure she suffered.
Not anymore. She'd take what she deserved even if she had to-
"Planning on going full yandere?" Pyrrha jumped and looked to the side to see Neon Katt standing there without a care in the world, "You're a bit too late for that. Neo's already pulling that off and a repeat's just boring."
"Wh-What? Wait, how are you even here?"
"Don't worry about it." Neon shrugged, "By the way, Jaune and May just left."
Pyrrha's head snapped back and found only empty space.
...
Her scream could be heard throughout the entire kingdom.
------
This was it. The final battle.
Ruby hefted her scythe and steeled herself as the door to Salem's throne room slowly opened. This was a long time coming. They'd fought and bled for a year and she'd trained her Silver Eyes for this exact moment. This was the battle that would decide the fate of Remnant. If they fell here, Salem would win and there'd be nothing to stop her from destroying everything and everyone they loved.
She looked at her gathered allies. Team RWBY and JNPR stood united, but the headmaster and Jaune's friend, May, were there too. The rest of their assembled coalition was off fighting the Grimm to buy them time to fight. To win.
A miasma of pure evil bombarded them as soon as the double doors opened. Ruby grit her teeth and stood proudly, "So, you've come." Salem, the queen of all evil, reclined in her seat and looked at them all with condescending pity, "You all think you can succeed? You..." Salem trailed off and her blackened eyes widened, "J-Jaune? Is that you?"
...
"NO! THIS CAN'T BE!" Weiss suddenly screamed.
"Sally? Wait, you're the queen of all evil?" Jaune set his sword and shield down.
"Well...evil is such a relative term-"
"HOW DO YOU KNOW HIM?! HOW DO YOU KNOW HER?! HOW?! THIS MAKES NO SENSE!" Weiss screeched.
"Sally..." Jaune looked at her in disapproval.
"Alright, fine, I'm trying to destroy Remnant! But I have a good reason!"
"Pft, good reason." Headmaster Ozpin rolled his eyes. It looked really weird, "She's just doing it because she doesn't want to admit that she's the reason our marriage failed.
"I'm the reason?!" Salem stood up and glared down at her ex-husband (wow, that was a bombshell), "I wasn't the one who tried to run off with our kids in the middle of the night!"
"You were planning to outbreed and replace Humanity! Do you have any idea how genetics work? Because that's how you get a civilization full of inbreds!"
"Alright, alright! Calm down! It's clear that there are a lot of things that need to be talked about here. Sally, how about you tell your Grimm to stop and we can sit down and talk this through?" Jaune asked.
"He's not gonna listen." Salem pouted.
"Neither will she." The headmaster mirrored the gesture.
"Then I'll be there and force the conversation. Now, Sally?"
"...Fine, but only because it's you asking." Salem waved her hand and the sounds of fighting immediately stopped. Weiss looked like she was having an aneurysm, "I don't think it's actually going to work, but I don't want Ozma to say I didn't try."
"Okay, good. We're taking the first steps here." Jaune smiled, "Now let's find a chair for both of you and get to the bottom of this."
Team RWBY, JNPR, and May could only watch as Jaune played marriage counselor to the two oldest beings on Remnant. This was...weird. She'd come in expecting to fight for both her life and everyone on Remnant and now she was watching the world's worst divorce ever being patched up.
It only took an hour before the headmaster and Salem were hugging and crying about how sorry they were and they wanted to make it work again. Jaune clapped his hands and stood up, "Alright, I think we've made a lot of progress here, but reconciliation is a process. We'll need to keep talking to make sure there's no backsliding or shifting the blame again. Same time next week?"
"Of course, Jaune." Salem smiled warmly.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," the headmaster added.
"Good. And Sally, you're gonna stop trying to destroy the world now, right?"
"Yes, I'll also do my best to control the Grimm and make them less dangerous to those outside the kingdom's walls."
"Alright, that's great! See what a little talking can get done?" Jaune turned back to the assembled group, "I think we're done here!
Weiss let out a crazed laugh and then suddenly fainted. No one paid her any mind.
"Wait, that's it?!" Yang shouted, Where's the fight? We've been training our asses off for this!"
"The world's saved and Salem's stopping the Grimm. This is better, right?" Ruby answered for Jaune.
"How are you so cool about this?! You were the Chosen One, Ruby! You and your Grimm-killing eyes!"
"Eh. As long as Remnant's safe, I don't really care who does it." Ruby shrugged. Salem really should be punished considering she probably killed thousands if not millions of people, but they could deal with that later. Good thing it wasn't personal for her. Dad and Uncle Qrow were still active huntsmen and Mom was happily retired back home. She would've been mad if Salem killed Mom or something.
"Oh, and one more thing." Jauen blushed and held May's hand, "I was gonna tell you all when we survived, so now's as good a time as any: May and I are getting married!" May blushed and snuggled up to Jaune, "We've actually been engaged for a while now and you're all invited to the wedding!"
Pyrrha sounded like she was choking.
"That's not all..." May's blush deepened and she put both hands on her stomach, "I'm pregnant."
...
Pyrrha's scream could be heard all across the Grimmlands.
One month later and they were all attending the wedding at the beautiful venue in the Valean countryside. Ruby hated that she had to wear the stupid lady stilts, but she'd do anything for her guy bestie.
Speaking of besties. Weiss was off on her own little corner with a straight jacket over her dress. She was rambling and screaming, though no one paid her any mind, "This is the best, huh, Weiss?" She screamed about how 'Arc was omniscient' and 'he was the true god of this world'. Ruby rolled her eyes. Weiss was being so silly. She really needed to stop being jealous of Jaune.
In the opposite corner was Pyrrha. She was sitting with her knees tucked to her chest and rocking back and forth, muttering something that Ruby couldn't make out. It was so nice of her to support her partner!
She looked over the other guests. There was the rest of Jaune's family, of course, with his nephew Adrian as the flower boy (so cute!). The rest of team RWBY and JNPR were there too, of course. Yang and Blake were already drinking, which Ruby thought was bad manners. There were other people she didn't really know. Weiss' family, some Bull Faunus with red hair, a weirdly familiar woman in a red kimono, and a bunch of other people from the other academies.
Even Mom, Dad, and Uncle Qrow showed up. Weird, but cool!
Neon skated around the venue with a laugh while a dark-skinned woman - Arslan, if she remembered right - looked around and asked aloud what the big deal about Jaune was.
"Having fun?" A green-haired girl with a stripe across her nose asked.
"Yep!" Ruby chirped, "The name's Ruby!"
"Reese Chloris, flower girl!" Reese grinned, "Vendetta and Titan have been neglecting me! It's my turn to get some spotlight!"
"What?" Ruby asked.
"What?" Reese asked back.
The back and forth was interrupted when the wedding music started. Ruby watched in utter joy as May walked down the aisle, her blushing smile obvious even through the Vale. At the head of the altar was the headmaster, who was apparently an ordained minister. Salem was not too far away and looked on with a smile that somehow didn't look creepy even though she was a Grimm person.
The headmaster got through the usual boring stuff and then told Jaune to kiss the bride. Ruby clapped hard when they did and ignored Pyrrha's tears of joy in the background. Weird, Pyrrha didn't sound as happy as Ruby thought she would.
------
Saphron leaned back on her chair and smiled. They'd just come back from the wedding and she was absolutely drained, but it was a good kind of fatigue. Her little brother got married! Oh, she couldn't wait for him to have kids of his own. Adrien could use someone to have play dates with. She wished him and May the best.
Oh, but she had to share the good news.
She tapped the fourth number on her speed dial and grinned at the woman who answered the screen, "Jess! You busy?"
"Nope! Just doing the usual Green Lantern patrol." Jessica laughed, "What's up?"
"Jaune got married!"
"He did? That's great!" Jessica beamed, "Oh, I wish I could've been there to see it, but you know how hard crossing dimensions is. The League doesn't like it when I rip a hole in the space-time continuum to visit a friend."
"Don't worry, Jaune understands. I gave him your blessing."
The two of them chatted for a while before another supervillain attack made Jessica apologetically cut the call. Saphron wished her luck and stretched her arms above her head.
She almost went to sleep (after checking on Adrien, of course) when she remembered two others who would've been interested in an update about her baby brother.
Saphron tapped her scroll again and called the Brother Gods.
------
You thought Jaune was the only Najimi in this world? Think again! Saphron's got friends in other dimensions and has literal deities on speed dial! Jaune's got nothing on her.
Anyway, that's the end of this commission. Ended up being longer than I expected, but it was a fun one.
Questions:
1. So what did you guys think of the story? I kinda felt bad for Weiss and Pyrrha by the end, but what the commissioner wants, the commissioner gets. At least both Blake and Yang end...somewhat okay by the end.
2. Was Weiss wrong to feel the way she did? It seems selfish, but redeeming the SDC is her goal in life and Jaune did kinda take ir away from her. That and it’s kinda insulting for your drunk mom to make the effort of sobriety for Jaune but not Weiss.
3. What would you guys think of a film noir Jaune story with a Dragonslayer or Silent Knight pairing? Jaune as a non-powered monologuing private investigator. The story starts when Yang goes to his office and asks him to look for info on Raven and it all escalates from there. And just like many film noirs, Jaune will be dealing with crime bosses, and femme fatales, and gets in over his head than a missing persons case.
And just to keep him as still Jaune, he's not nearly as badass or cynical as he portrays himself as. He's really just copying all the noir movies and books he's read and has a good enough poker face to fool even Yang or Cinder. He only became a PI cause his fake transcripts got rejected. Jaune kinda spends a lot of the story screaming on the inside but still refusing to give up despite his lack of Aura or credentials.
