The Sins of the Forefathers

Act the First: A Beacon of Hope

Prologue: Exodus

"Jaune Arc! Your mom is here for you."

The voice startled me from my book. I looked up from where I was sitting in against the wall of the waiting room, my disheveled blonde hair swaying with the motion. I closed the book I was reading - my great-great-grandfather's book - and stood up in time to hear a woman revise the guard's statement.

"I'm not his mother," she glowered. Ah, fuck, I thought, it's Juli.

The guard bowed his head and tipped his hat. "Apologies, miss. You 'is aunt?"

"Just leave it at 'guardian'. C'mon Jaune, I don't have all day!"

I sighed and walked towards the exit. Despite myself, I took a careful look at the waiting room on my way out - the plain white walls, a few plastic circle tables and chairs scattered haphazardly around the room, a row of plastic benches against the walls, and no windows. All the furniture was white, round, and plastic - the color was meant to keep people calm, and the design and material were supposed to ensure that no serious damage could be done with them if someone tried to use them for a fight.

However, I could personally attest that the designer had failed in that regard - I myself had used the benches to fend off attackers more than once, to a surprising degree of effectiveness.

In any case, I left the room and caught sight of Juli, as well as the guard. I almost tripped over myself, the way she looked at me. Damn, I thought, I'm gonna get a fuckin' earful tonight.

She didn't say anything as we left though, which I appreciated. Even if it was only for her own sake, it gave me a few more minutes of peace.

She was still silent when we got in her car though, which did unnerve me a bit. Usually she'd have said something by now, scolded me in some fashion.

Well, I thought, whatever. I'd deal with that when it came to it.
As Juli started up the car, I spared one last glance at the Center through the car's side mirrors.

One way or another, I wouldn't be going back there.

By the time we got back home, it was late, almost eleven. The lights were off, and the house was dark as we entered. No one greeted us, so I figured the others were asleep by now. We took our shoes off - Juli didn't like getting dirt on the carpet - and she motioned for me to follow her into the living room. She turned on one of the corner lamps and sat down in the sofa-chair, leaning forward with her hands clasped in front of her in contemplation.

After I sat down on the couch in front of her, she addressed what we were both thinking about.

"So Jaune, what's your next move from here?" she asked, easing back into the chair. "Gonna follow in dad's footsteps? Or mom's?"

I was silent for a few moments, expecting more. When she kept waiting, I realized that she had said her piece. I guess she was tired of the usual spiel - not that I needed to hear it, as I'd heard it all before. As for the content of her question… I had expected her to ask about following in dad's footsteps, but mom's came out of nowhere. To begin with, taking after dad was a definite no, but mom…

Would it really be so bad? To live a quiet life, own a small business, fall in love, start a family, die peacefully?

…

No. No, I love mom, may The Good Brother grant her rest, but I'm an Arc, through and through. A quiet life just wasn't for me.

"I'm taking after Gramps," I replied evenly.

Her eyes widened in surprise, as if she herself hadn't even considered the option.
"A Specialist? They'd never let you apply, not with your record. Unless you plan to enlist..."

"No, a Huntsman. I was planning on making my way to Vale tomorrow."
"Tomo- Jaune, what?" Juli stood up, exasperated, but still watching her volume. "That's too soon!"

"It's not soon enough," I replied, also standing. "I need to get away, as soon as I can."

Her eyes widened and she shut her mouth, understanding. "He already wants you for another job?"

"Yeah, he came and told me about it a few weeks ago. You don't need to know, what he said, but trust me when I say it crosses a major line. I need to go."

She nodded. "Right. You can leave tomorrow, but not before you talk to everyone. Get some rest, I'll get some of your documents and things ready and wake you up early."

"You won't sleep?"
She shook her head. "I'm not the one who has to leave. I can rest later. Everyone else can walk themselves to school now."

I nodded, then hugged her. "Thanks, sis," I said.

She held tight for a moment before replying, "What else is family for?"

I left her and went upstairs to my room, moving quietly to not disturb my other sisters. Luckily, Juli hadn't messed with anything. All of my books were filed as I had left them (by subject, and then title), my desk had my last project on it (an essay analysis of the battle of Cannae, and how the Faunus' General Ba'al Barca was able to turn a massive troop disparity into an outstanding victory), and my bed-

Well, she'd gotten a new frame, after that Specialist broke it by slamming me into it. And splurged on new covers. I guess she didn't expect that I'd leave again so soon.

…

"Sorry, Juli," I muttered to myself as I changed into my pajamas and went to sleep.

I woke early the next morning, to Juli shaking me awake.

"Jaune," she whispered forcefully, "it's six-thirty. The others get up at around seven-thirty. If you want to leave today, start getting ready. I left your documents on your desk."

Bleary eyed, and not quite awake, I nodded and muttered a quick thanks before getting up. I laid out my clothes for the day, then hopped in the bathroom. I showered and brushed quickly, but thoroughly - there was no telling when I'd be able to do so next.

As soon as I got back and changed, I started packing. I had three bags to work with - a luggage bag, an Atlesian Military-style duffel bag, and a backpack. I had to work quickly if I wanted to keep my deadline, so I'd have to be certain about what I brought with me - only the essentials.

I was able to fit three pairs of pants, two weeks worth of socks and underwear, twelve shirts, and a few hoodies into the luggage bag. I made certain to pack in my Pumpkin Pete's collectible hoodie - sure, it wasn't exactly fashionable, but I put in work for that thing, dammit. I was also able to stuff in a travel toothbrush and a few other toiletries, a large hunting knife, a multi-tool, an Atlesian Army Knife, and a fully stocked First Aid kit.

In the duffel bag, I crammed in my armor, basic sewing and tool kits, a lockpicking set, as well as a cleaning kit for my equipment. I was also able to stuff in a few books in the side pockets - stuff about battle tactics, and basic combat manuals.

I glanced over at the clock - seven-twenty. My other sisters would be waking up about now, getting ready for school-

"Big Bro!"

Surprised by the interruption, I whipped my head over to the door just in time for my youngest sister - Marigold - to jump and give me a tackling hug. I managed to keep my balance, righting myself before returning the hug. "Hey Mari," I said, ruffling her hair. "How've you been?"

"I'm doing really good in school!" she proclaimed. "The teacher said I was the best at finger painting!"

"Oh really? I should see it for myself, then!"

"Juli put it on the fridge! I painted everyone!"

"Everyone must have been really happy to be painted by you," I said as I put her down.

After I did so, she noticed that I was packing.

"Big Bro?" She asked. "Are you going to leave again? You just got back!"

I squatted down in front of her and patted her head. "Sorry Mari, but I got a job." Well, technically speaking I would have a job, since I'd have to pay my way through Beacon somehow. And once I got through Beacon, money would practically cease to be a problem, though the work would be more dangerous than a conventional job.

Well, not that many conventional jobs would be willing to hire me at this point. Not if they got wind of my record.

"A job?" Mari asked tilting her head.

I nodded. "A job in Vale. If I work there, I can help Juli provide for everyone."

Mari glanced downwards, and I got worried that she would cry, but she looked up and smiled. "Okay, if Big Bro is moving to Vale then so is Mari! And so is Juli, Alice, Lorena, Kiana, Rayna, and Haruka! We're all gonna move with Big Bro! And Juli can get a job in Vale too!"

I chuckled at her optimism and shook my head. "No, you all can't come with me. See, my job wants me to live in a special building that's just for employees, so that workers can always be near the job in case of an emergency." Once again, technically true, if everything worked out. But I had to turn the conversation around, change the topic so that I could get back to packing. "So Mari, I need you guys to stay here so that I can come back when I get vacations, okay?"

She scrunched her face up as though she was having a hard time making a decision before she finally nodded. "Okay! Mari will be a good girl and help everyone with chores! And then when Big Bro comes back, you can bring us toys from Vale!"

I laughed and said, "I'll make sure to do that. Now, go and get ready for school."

She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before running off, and I got back to packing. There wasn't much more to think about. I put all my important documents, identification, and other stuff in a folder and placed it in the backpack, along with the essay I was working on (no sense letting all that effort go to waste), my great-great-grandfather's book, a few more books relating to my research, my laptop (old and used, but still kicking), a few notebooks, a smaller knife, and another First Aid kit (you never could be too careful).

Satisfied with what I had chosen to pack, I set about cleaning up after myself - no sense in forcing Juli to do any more work than she had to - when one of my sisters cleared their throats. I turned around expecting to see either Alice or Lorena, only to be taken aback when I realized that all of my sisters were standing there, minus Juli and Mari.

After a short silence, Lorena spoke up. "Juli explained the important parts," she began. "Were you going to leave without seeing us?"

The important parts? I thought. So the fact that I was leaving, maybe that it was to become a Guardian. She probably hadn't said anything about dad, but the older girls would have figured that part out anyway. "Of course not," I began quickly. "I just wanted to get my stuff ready first."

Lorena scoffed. "Yeah, whatever. I see it's already too late to talk you out of it, but…"

"You should have told us!" Rayna shouted as she rushed over and punched my leg.

"Ow," I grunted before dodging her next punch.

"Look," Alice asserted herself, stepping over my bags and into the room. "All we wanted was to hear it from you."

I closed my eyes and breathed, collecting myself. Then I said, "Guys, I'm sorry, but I'm leaving for Vale to become a Huntsman." And to get away from dad, but the little ones didn't need to know that.

Alice and Lorena already understood, and they nodded, satisfied.

Kiana was less than happy, piping up with "Isn't that a really dangerous job?"
"Who cares about that!" Rayna shouted. "Jaune's gonna be a superhero!"

Haruka, ever shy, walked over and hugged my leg before asking, "You're not leaving because you don't love us?"

I tousled her hair and replied, "I will always love all of you. You're my sisters! How could I not? But this is for the best. When I become a Huntsman, I'll be able to provide for all of you. You can all go to college, and get nice new clothes, and other things."

Haruka nodded and let go. "Okay. Then I'll pray for you to succeed, Jaune!"

Slowly, they all dispersed and went back to getting ready for the school day.

We said our last goodbyes at around eight, when they were all about to leave for school. We gathered in the entryway and they lined up, all dressed up to go on with their day. I had put my bags in the entryway, but I didn't expect to leave until about midday - I had checked my Scroll and the next flight to the city of Vale wouldn't be until the afternoon.

"So," I began, when all of a sudden they all rushed me with a group hug.

After a moment of quiet comfort, I spoke again. "I'm sorry that I have to go. I'll miss you all."

Slowly, one by one, they separated from the hug and went out the door, off to their school. I wiped my tears and went back up to my room, deciding to spend my last few hours doing some reading.

I left the house around twelve-thirty, after a light lunch. I made sure to give Mari's painting a good, long look before I left. It was all of us, in front of the house. It was simple, but everyone was pretty easily recognizable. She even painted her mom, and dad.

…

I shouldered my backpack and duffel bag, and set the luggage bag on its wheels. Despite my already overburdened bags, I brought the textbook I had started as well - a primer on college-level Dust chemistry - I hadn't read it yet, as I had gotten it just before my incarceration.

I made sure to lock the door behind me, then threw the key in through the mail slot. I wouldn't be needing it, not for a long time.

Well then, I thought. First thing's first, my stash of Lien - assuming dad or someone hadn't already found it.
It's not as though I was totally dependent on it - I had had enough in the house to pay for a ticket, but for what I was trying to do, I would need all the money I could get.

It took me about an hour to look through all my hiding places. Of the five of them, three remained untouched - lucky break for me, as I now had about three and a half grand of Lien, plus some change. More than enough to get to Vale and survive for a while.

I considered walking to the airport, but decided to catch a cab to save time.

The ticket cost a bit more than I expected, and I had to spend some Lien to keep security off my back about my luggage, but in the end, I was able to get through to the waiting terminals with two and a half grand Lien intact. I decided to forego dinner at the airport, as the flight would offer a meal.

As I was waiting at the terminal, I happened to get in a conversation with a woman next to me. She had shoulder-length black hair, amber eyes, and a rather stunning little dress. She was rather beautiful, but not quite my type - she was more of a 'sexy' girl than a 'cute' one. Still, I thought, nothing wrong with being friendly. And besides, she wasn't setting off any bad vibes, and I'm pretty good at sniffing those out.

Just not hers, I would later find out.

I started the conversation by asking about the book she was reading and we went from there.

"What are you reading?" I asked.

She looked up, regarded me, and smiled. "The Third Crusade," she said.

"Isn't that-"

"The White Fang book? Yes, I know it's not exactly popular literature here in Atlas, but I'm interested in what about it has them all riled up."

"How is it? I haven't read it yet, so just give me a general idea."

"Well…" the woman glanced down at the book, thinking about what to say, and then looked back at me. "The author's general philosophy is sound, but they tend to contradict themselves in regards to detailed information. They tend to focus too much on the effects of Human/Faunus conflicts, for example, but ignore the many recorded instances of Faunus-on-Faunus warfare and conflict. Then again, it is a propaganda book, so I suppose that's to be expected."

"I see," I mused.
"And you? What are you reading?"

"Well, at the moment-" I pulled the Dust Chemistry textbook from my backpack, and held it up. "It's a primer for college level Dust Chemistry."

"Are you a student at Atlas U?"

"No, AU was a bit too close to home for me, and I wasn't interested in joining the military. I'm planning on going to an Academy in Vale."
"Beacon?"

"Yeah, that's the hope."
"Isn't it early to be moving?"

"Well, I wanted to finally move out and be on my own, so I managed to make a deal with a guy in Vale. He's gonna let me live with him until the school year starts in exchange for helping with rent." A lie, but also the ideal situation I desired. Well, here's hoping.

"I see," she mused.

"So why are you going to Vale? Vacation? Part of the reason I left early was because I've heard it's pretty nice in the Summer."

"Unfortunately, no, I'm going on business. My company is considering a merger with one in Vale, and they've sent me as a representative."

"Wow, that's impressive. Good luck with that."

"Well," she said, "You see, it's not so simple." She leaned in and whispered lightly, "Supposedly, some of the higher ups in the company have ties to the White Fang."

I raised my eyebrow. "Is there any credence to that claim?"

"No, it's mostly rumors just because the higher-ups of the company are Faunus. Still, part of the reason I decided to start reading this" - she tapped her book - "now was because I wanted to be able to clearly state my thoughts on it if I needed to."

"Well, that's smart of you to think ahead."

She smiled evenly. "It's how I got my job."
"Say, what's your-"

"ATTENTION PASSENGERS TO VALE ON FLIGHT 927, IF YOU ARE SEATED IN FIRST OR BUSINESS CLASS THEN PLEASE LINE UP TO BOARD NOW. I REPEAT, PASSENGERS TO VALE ON FLIGHT 927, IF YOU ARE SEATED IN FIRST OR BUSINESS CLASS PLEASE LINE UP TO BOARD NOW." The intercom cut me off and I glanced up at the desk before turning back to the woman, only to notice that she had stood up.

She turned to me and held out a card. "Cinder Fall," she said. "And you?"

I stood up, took the card and shook her hand. "Jaune Arc."

"Well, Mister Arc," she smiled again and gave me a wink. "Gimme a call sometime. I'd love to talk more." With that, she grabbed her bags and walked off towards the loading gate.

I looked down at the card. Pale Nimbus, raised lettering. Simple white color. It was clean, efficient. I looked back up at her retreating figure and found myself staring at her a second longer than I had intended.

"Did she just come onto me?" I muttered to myself, shaking my head. "Was I just flirted with?"

…

"Nah, no way."

After a few more minutes, the second and third class passengers were called to board. As I did, I passed by Cinder's seat, and I gave her a friendly wave, which she returned.

Well, at least I wouldn't be going to Vale completely alone, I thought.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: ESTABLISHING BASIC AU DIFFERENCES

For the sake of alleviating any confusion, I will take a few moments to explain basic differences between the canon RWBY universe and the one presented within this fanfic. At the moment, these differences are largely semantic in nature, though there are a few important ones regarding the differences between Faunus and Humans, and Grimm.

As the story goes along, I will provide further Author's Notes to detail further differences as necessary.

-Semantic Differences

-"Huntsman" is used in the show as a catch-all term for people who specialize in combating Grimm and protecting people. Within this fic, there are several terms with varying levels of detail and relevance.

-"Assassin" is a professional term for someone who specializes in combat against people. They are often as skilled as the average Guardian, and, given their specialty, are typically successful in beating Guardians in battle.

-"Guardian" is the catch-all term used around the world of Remnant to describe anyone who, in particular, attends and/or graduates from one of the four combat schools with the specific goal of protecting people from Grimm. Guardians, upon graduating from their chosen school, typically have the option to contract themselves to any given government, or to freelance themselves and serve as private contractors.

-Atlesian "Specialists" are the Atlesian-specific term for a Guardian who has graduated from Atlas Academy. Unlike the other four nations, Specialists are required upon applying to contract with the Atlesian Military and serve as Officers upon graduation for a minimum of five years, though many simply decide to make Military Service their lifelong career.

-Valese "Huntsmen" are the Vale-specific term for a Guardian. The term originated as a colloquialism, as in the early days after the founding of Beacon Academy, the local Guardian corps' propensity to use traps and specialized combat skills to kill Grimm, rather than overwhelming the beasts with technology, led to a comparison to common Hunters killing for food.

-Mistralian "Bushi" are the Mistral-specific term for a Guardian. The term is a holdover from the days of the Mistral Caste system, when being a Guardian was a prestige reserved for families of particular pedigree.

-In Vacuo, "Vizier" is the national term for a Guardian. Due to the nomadic nature of the people, who largely stick to travelling with their own tribes, Viziers who graduate from Shade Academy are granted enormous prestige upon returning to their tribes and are often trusted with family secrets and governmental duties, which is in fact the origin of the use of the term.

-Differences between Faunus and Humans

The difference is a matter of biology, as one might expect. On average, a Faunus is physically superior to a Human - night-vision aside, a Faunus will typically have better senses and better physical strength, dexterity, and endurance than a Human. On the other hand, the average Human has more Aura than the average Faunus, as well as a better ability to control the use of their Aura.

-Grimm

The Grimm are no longer attracted to "negative emotion". It's a stupid plot point that ruins the narrative flow of the world and only really benefits like, two scenes out of canon.