Re-forged

So, this is a Jaune story. I can't help I like the character. However, this story is more for me really, so like a story that I wanna write for myself. But I figured why not post it anyways cause other people might like it too.

Anyways enjoy. I don't own RWBY or anything about it...I also do not own any of the songs mentioned.

Song of inspiration: Coming apart by Red

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

"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.

-.-

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 was desperately trying not to cry, not to lose hope. But he was fighting a losing battle….

-.-

Later that day he bumped into Cardin and things only got worse.

"Well if it isn't the faker himself. What's up Jauney-boy?"

Jaune's eyes widened. How did he find out? Could his team have told them?

"That look on your face is so pathetic. Trying to figure out how I know? What did you think would happen when you decided to share your little secret on the roof above my team's room? It actually makes a lot of sense now that I think about it. No wonder you were never a challenge in combat class."

Jaune tried to backpedal and get away, but Cardin grabbed him by his blazer. "Ha uh-uh, don't even think about trying to get away. If you want your little secret to stay safe, you're gonna do everything I tell you to."

Blackmail. There was nothing he could do about it all.

Doing their homework, cleaning their weapons and room. Even being used as team CRDL's personal punching bag. It went on for several days.

He had no choice but to follow their commands. What else could he do? He couldn't ask his friends for help cause he betrayed them. He couldn't turn to the teachers cause then Cardin would tell them about his transcripts.

So all he could do was take it.

Regular bullying from Cardin, eating meals alone and sleeping on the roof or in empty classrooms. That was the routine. He could hardly handle being beaten up, not to mention the loneliness.

Every evening was the same…going to bed crying.

-.-

In combat class

"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.

'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."

Jaune could only stand and watch as each nail was slammed into his coffin.

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-"

Jaune immediately stormed out the office. He couldn't take the pain anymore; he couldn't handle it anymore. Miss Goodwitch tried calling out to him, but he was sprinting at breakneck speed, desperately trying to get away from it all.

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.

-.-

That's chapter one, tell me whether you like it. Positive criticism is appreciated. The first couple chapters is gonna have minimal action cause I'm currently still setting the stage for the story. It will pick up and get better. Anyhoo…God bless and all the best with the rest.