The Intersection(s) at Vale

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters. I'm just playing around with Rooster Teeth's property.

A/N: This new story is something that I've been having on my mind since starting the Monogatari series. As such, this story will take many inspirations from said series. This isn't a crossover, however. It is simply adopting some ideas and themes (or a lot of it), while still keeping it RWBY. I don't really consider this to be a fusion crossover, since it's still set in Remnant. The only thing making it different is the fairy tales being more involved with the world.

That being said, this story is effectively an AU. While the White Fang is very much going to be a thing, as it is an integral part of Blake's backstory, Salem will be taking a back seat, very far in the back, or even straight up thrown out of the picture, for reasons that you readers will understand after reading far enough.

With that said, let's start!

Prologue: Blake Ghost, Part 1

It didn't take long for the light to turn green. Putting a foot on the pedal, Jaune rode his bicycle past the traffic light towards his destination. Said destination being the place of his part-time job; Tukson's Book Trade. The owner had been kind enough to lend him the job when he started high school in Vale. It wasn't that he was short on money. He was actually pretty well off, considering his father was a huntsman, and a good one at that. His family always sent money to his account every month or so. It was always enough for necessities and his rent.

No. He wasn't short on money. He just needed something to keep his mind off his family. Being in his third year of high school, he would say that he had done quite well in putting his mind off them for the last two years.

Perhaps a little too well, Jaune thought, narrowing his eyes as a car almost hit him as he passed, despite the light clearly being red on the car's side.

Two years ago when he first moved to the city, he probably would've yelped and fallen off his bike. Now, however, it was nothing more than an annoyance, seeing that scenarios like these were quite common in a city as busy as Vale.

His bike maneuvered past the traffic with ease that could not come from anywhere else but repetition. A swerve to the right as he moved past a car. Another to the left. Take a straight path before heading left on the intersection.

Yes. Repetition was certainly the right word. Monotonous was probably a correct word to describe it too.

Monotonous…

He wished it were still like that. His life, that is.

A sharp pain struck him, ripping the nerves of his neck apart. He could feel his throat twisting and tearing, blood draining off the stump of his neck as it sprouted like a fountain of blood while his eyes took in the sight of it all, while his head was already disconnected from the rest of his body and flying through the air. He tried to take a deep breath, before remembering that his lungs were down there with his body. He closed his eyes.

And opened them, seeing nothing but the book store in front of him. He blinked twice, pushing the memory of spring break to the back of his mind. Tukson had certainly cleaned up since he was last here. He remembered that the front wall had some graffiti last Sunday. Must've covered it up with some fresh paint. And it looked like Tukson had decided to repaint the whole exterior of the store, since the walls looked clean and dry, no dirt spots whatsoever.

Oh, well. He had no doubt that the walls would look no different than before in a few months. That didn't mean he did not enjoy the sight of it.

Sighing with a smile, Jaune got off his bike and led it to the back of the store, where he locked the wheels as a precaution against thieves. Pushing the back door open, Jaune heard a greeting from Tukson himself. Giving back a greeting of his own, Jaune put his school bag in a small locker in the back room.

Tukson had no set uniform, but that doesn't mean Jaune was free to wear whatever he wanted. Shrugging off his Pumpkin Pete's hoodie, Jaune pulled a checkered black and white shirt from his bag and changed into it. He made sure to put on his nametag before heading out to the store.

"How's your day, Jaune?" Tukson asked as he leaned on the counter. The large faunus with thick sideburns had a pretty intense face, if Jaune were being honest. It didn't matter much though, since the man was all smiles. Even if most of his smiles were practiced smiles reserved for customers.

"The usual," Jaune shrugged before walking up to some boxes by a shelf. Opening one of them, Jaune began to set the books tidily by genre. "Slow day?"

Tukson sighed, "Not many customers come during weekdays, but today's even fewer than usual."

Jaune hummed as he knelt down, putting a particularly large hard-cover book on a bottom shelf. "I saw that you repainted the exterior."

"It was a long time coming, to be honest," Tukson shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if those dirt spots return in a few months. Heck, maybe even weeks!"

Then the bell above the door rang, signifying a customer. "Welcome!" Tukson greeted, before perking up in surprise. "Blake?"

"Hello, Tukson," said a black haired girl wearing a black buttoned vest, along with sleeveless, high necked, crop undershirt. She also wore white shorts and dark purple stockings. Jaune couldn't help but look up at her amber eyes, and then at her bow. He couldn't place it, but it felt off. It was cute, but somehow Jaune could see that she was a tad bit uncomfortable with it.

His sisters would jokingly call it his woman's intuition. Well, he couldn't help but develop such a thing after living with nine females for most of his life, could he?

"You never come on a Wednesday," Tukson said. "What changed?"

"I got into Beacon last week," the girl, Blake, said. "I guess that changed. Had to rethink my schedule now that I have assignments and training in it."

"Well congratulations, then!" Tukson said with more cheer than he usually showed. Genuine too. "I'm guessing you haven't met Jaune?"

"New employee?"

"I've been here for two years, actually," Jaune answered for himself, dusting his hands on his jeans as he stood up. "I guess we just never come across each other. I'm a part timer, after all."

"Tukson never said anything about a part timer."

"He didn't?" Jaune asked, eyes meeting Tukson's. The older man had the decency to look a little sheepish.

"Must've slipped my mind," he scratched the back of his head with a laugh.

"For two years?" Jaune asked.

"I have a lot on my mind."

"…"

Jaune rolled his eyes and sighed, not wanting any argument between him and his boss. "So, are you looking for any particular book?" Jaune asked the black haired girl. Her eyes glanced to the side, as if unsure. Odd. If she were a regular, shouldn't she have a fairly good idea of what she'd be looking for?

"Jaune. I think I'll handle this," Tukson cut in.

"No, it's fine," Blake immediately replied. "I'm not here for my usual books."

Usual books? Jaune thought for a moment on what would incite such a special treatment. Seeing Tukson's treatment of her, they must've gone way back. Perhaps even before he came to work for the faunus. Judging by Tukson's quick interference, it was probably something embarrassing. Something private, it seemed? A peculiar taste? Something risqué?

Smut?

Jaune looked at her for a second, realizing that they were probably the same age. He wasn't really a fan of those kinds of books, but he could certainly understand the appeal.

They were at that age, after all...

Ultimately, though, it was none of his business. And right now, she was looking for other sort of books. He ran a hand through his mop of blond hair. He really needed to stop thinking of people like this. It wasn't healthy, and not to mention impolite. Her reading tastes are her own. She didn't need his profiling.

It was hard for him to get over the events of spring break, and the habits he developed after it. He even flinched when going outside for the first few times after it was over.

He wondered how Cinder was doing right now…

"Then what books are you looking for?" Jaune asked politely. "Maybe I can help."

"I'm looking for books on occults and the supernatural."

Jaune blinked. "Supernatural? Like ghosts?" he asked. Blake only nodded with a serious expression. Asking no more questions, Jaune led her to the appropriate shelf. She scanned the shelf for a moment before nodding in satisfaction.

"Thank you. I'll take it from here," she said.

It didn't take long for her to return with a few books. Some of them considerably thick. Jaune stood behind the counter as he checked the prices on each of them. A few of the titles caught his eye. Accounts of Hauntings, Ghosts and the Psyche, Banishment Rituals, and the list went on. He looked at the raven-haired girl who was waiting patiently for the check.

"If you don't mind me asking," Jaune started, looking at the girl for any sign of disapproval. He found none. "Doesn't Beacon have a library of its own? I heard it has quite the collection."

"I've checked the library. Unfortunately, it doesn't have what I'm looking for," Blake answered.

"That's surprising," Jaune replied as he put the purchased books into a single bag. "You'd think Beacon's library would have pretty much everything."

"Well, it doesn't!" she snapped. Jaune was a little taken back, and it seemed so was the huntress in training. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Jaune said. "I haven't had the best day either. That'll be 113 Lien."

She handed him the appropriate amount of Lien. Taking the money from her, Jaune noticed how cold her fingers were as it brushed against his. Instead of cold and dry, her fingers were clammy, and Jaune noticed a trail of sweat running down her cheeks. Her skin also looked unhealthily pale.

Putting the money in the cash register, Jaune turned to her. "You okay? You look pale."

She flinched. "I'm fine. You don't need to concern yourself with me," she said, taking the bag full of books with her. She turned back from the counter and proceeded to walk out of the store. Jaune couldn't help but examine her, taking in small details.

Her movement felt heavy, and the arm that was holding the bag seemed to tremble, too small to notice, unless you were specifically looking for something. It wasn't until Jaune looked at her legs again when he noticed that they seemed to be dragging themselves, as if they were too heavy to lift, as if there were invisible arms dragging her downwards to the ground. She wasn't so disturbed when she came into the store, but now that she was leaving it, Jaune couldn't ignore what was happening.

"Wait!"

The girl turned around in surprise and looked him in the eye. "What!?" she asked, taking a deep breath before exhaling it. Jaune blinked twice, contemplating the words that would come out of his mouth.

"Is there something holding on to your legs? Your arms, as well? Something invisible?"

The girl blinked in surprise, taking in his words. She didn't grace him with a verbal answer, but the desperate look in her eyes cemented Jaune's resolve. He looked around, making sure that Tukson was in the back room and nowhere near them.

Jaune promptly pulled out his scroll and dialed a number. "I know someone who can help."

Short, but it's intended to be. It is just the prologue, after all. I wonder if any of you would think that Jaune is a bit OOC here, because that's kind of true. This Jaune isn't the same dork that applied to Beacon with no training. This Jaune is someone who has lived on his own for more than two years, and he lived in a big city such as Vale. That's also not taking into account the incident that befell him during spring break. Some of you might be familiar of what it entails, but for those who aren't, all will be explained in due time. Don't worry, though. He is still a dork at heart, and you will see many dorky side of Jaune in the future.

I would be happy to get some critics in order to improve, but I'm most looking forward to the questions. So, tell me what you think about it. Don't forget to follow, favorite, and especially review.