Spectre: This is a two-shot inspired from the one-shot works of azndrgn that featured Jaune as Sephiroth or him wielding a keyblade. Me, being a Mortal Kombat fan, decided to take a shot at this and hopefully nail it. Leave a review if possible.

Part 1: Vengeance Reborn.

Dying was certainly not in Jaune's bucket list.

After Phyrra gave him a goodbye kiss, Jaune knew what was going to happen, she intend to sacrifice herself in saving him from Cinder, and that is where he decided to shove her into the locker and setting off her coordinates, despite her pleas to let her out before he could do anything drastic.

After deciding to play the hero, just as he wanted, Jaune stepped forward in front of Cinder, asking for her surrender, and naturally she laughed at this implication, as if that was the joke of the century and that is where she rapidly engaged him in combat.

Of course, this didn't went well for the Arc, he ended up losing his shield when it fell out of the building, suffering multiple slashes all over his body before he ended up plummeting to the ground, with a pool of blood around his body before Cinder continued her rampage like it was just Tuesday.

Yep, dumbest attempt to become a hero just cost him his life and probably everything. He only regretted that he didn't tell his parents that he was okay, his farewells to his teammates and his friends, and probably one thing he will always regret. Being so damn tense about what Phyrra felt for him. Now, he wouldn't be able to return those feelings and he practically threw away his only chance of getting a girlfriend. Though her in his place would be much worse to bear. As he lay down, dying, his vision was engulfed by a flash of light.

Unknown Location

"Am I dead?", Jaune muttered as he found himself in a beautiful landscape. Several adorned buildings were seen and were shrouded by orange trees and banners, that are emblazoned by a yellow scorpion symbol who had knives for front claws.

Jaune felt he was in heaven at this one. He soon smelled the scent of tea, and following his senses, he decided to go in one of the houses. He slowly opened a door as he discovered three individuals, a family of three. The father is a middle aged man with a beard and ponytail, a woman in her thirties, and a child who is about ten years old.

"Oh, I-I-uh...I'm sorry", Jaune excused himself as he turned to close the door but before he could fully close it, a foot went in the way and he turned to see the gaze of the father, whose brown eyes gave him shivers on his spine and that a wrong word would certainly give him a beating, even in death.

"Why not join us for tea?", the man asked in a soft tone with a smile. Jaune was baffled at this, but he wouldn't want to risk the man's anger because of his lack of politeness so he complied.

The mother of the family gave Jaune a warm smile as she moved a little farther to give him some space next to their son, who keenly observed him. There were no chairs, in fact they were kneeling. He couldn't complain though, so he knelt down, with his rear resting on his heels. The man filled Jaune's cup with tea, before offering it to the teen, who carefully held it despite its very warm temperature. He blew it a few times, before taking a sip, tasting its mild sweetness while feeling the aroma of green that is fresh. All in all, the tea was good.

Jaune continued to drink his tea in silence while also glancing at the family every so often but he didn't really stare at them but for some reason, he felt that the man knew what was up but kept it to himself, causing Jaune to shiver because of it.

Gathering his courage, Jaune asked. "Um...where am I?"

The family was silent before the patriarch spoke at their behalf. "You are at the Shirai Ryu Fire Gardens, a memory of an old past.", the man spoke. "For introductions, allow me make acquaintances. I am Hanzo Hasashi, leader of the Shirai Ryu, this is my wife Harumi, and my son Satoshi", the man said to Jaune, who tried to maintain his cool towards the family.

"Hi...I'm Jaune Arc, student of Beacon Academy. It's nice to meet you", Jaune said with a smile.

Hanzo was not convinced at Jaune's expression, seeing through his smile with a calculating eye. "Is there something that troubles you, Jaune?", he asked.

"I-um...", Jaune sheepishly muttered as he awkwardly scratched his head. "This might be a little bit shocking, but I think I just died about five minutes ago?"

Jaune expected the man to laugh at him or to scowl and say something harsh but he nodded in understanding. "To share you this, Young Arc. You are technically in the afterlife, your soul is slowly ascending here after your demise.", Hanzo exclaimed with Jaune having a scathing look.

"It means I'm really dead now?", Jaune asked in a low tone, having no choice but to accept his fate.

"No. Not yet apparently", Hanzo said to him. "Your soul has not yet fully departed from your body, and the afterlife here is more or less of an image of your soul slowly shifting from your body to this place. Meaning, you are still alive, but not for long."

Hanzo motioned Harumi and Satoshi to give them some time alone, to which the mother and son complied as they went to another nearby room. Hanzo then turned to the teen with a question at hand. "Tell me, Jaune. How did you die?"

"Well...",

Back at Beacon

Back on the ground floor, Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha were rushing towards the tower, slaying Grimm as they ran. Weiss had suggested they take a two minute break under her ice shelter, but Pyrrha ignored her as she charged through, with Ruby right behind her.

"Guys! I really think we should take a break," gasped Weiss as she felt her Aura reserves being strained, "There's not point in helping Jaune if we're too tired to even help!"

Pyrrha was about to snap a reply back when something shiny caught her eye. She quickly used her semblance to pull the shiny object to her and gasped. It was Crocea Mors' blade end. Pyrrha knew this blade very well, seeing as she sparred against Jaune every night, becoming very familiar with it. She could see the damage and rust on it.

"That's Jaune's sword!" exclaimed Ruby in shock before quickly looking around and disappeared in a flurry of roses before reappearing again with his shield, "And this is his shield!"

"Oh no," gasped Pyrrha before running off again, muttering "I'm sorry," over and over again to herself. This time, Weiss put the pedal to the metal on her legs to catch up with Ruby and Pyrrha. Just as they reached to the base of the tower, though, they had to stop as the Grimm Dragon screeched loudly.

"My ears!" cried Ruby as she covered her ears. Pyrrha and Weiss were quick to mimic her action. They quickly looked up just in time to see the Grimm Dragon stick its head into the tower. Stone, mortar, and any construction materials rained down the sky right at them.

"Stay together!" shouted Weiss as she quickly formed an ice barrier above them to protect them from the debris.

"Pyrrha, don't go out yet," stated Ruby, noticing Pyrrha was inching away, ready to go through the hail of debris, "We can't help Jaune if we're seriously injured. Plus we need to plan out how we're going to get up there. I can get up there fast, but I can't carry you all with me."

Pyrrha grinded her teeth in frustration, but saw what Ruby was pointing at. Still, her heart and mind was worried about Jaune, who was now without weapons, stuck with a woman that most likely killed Ozpin, and now likely being attacked by the Grimm Dragon.

'Please be safe, Jaune,' prayed Pyrrha.

Ruby was staring at through the wreckage in the tower when she spied the elevator. Broken as it may be, it was made of metal.

"Pyrrha, can you lift us all up in that elevator if we get there?" asked Ruby, pointing to it.

Pyrrha looked at it elevator, calculating the weight and the needed distribution before nodding in reply.

"Great, Weiss, I'll need you to boost me up like you did with Blake back against Torchwick for just a few seconds," ordered Ruby, "Soon as I've got a clean line, I'll grab you both and dash right towards the elevator."

"You do realize that even if we get up there, we'll most likely be too exhausted to fight whoever is up there?" questioned Weiss.

"We're not going to fight," replied Ruby, "We're going to get Jaune and run. I'm sure there's something more important here that she won't give chase if we run. If we fight, I don't think we'll survive, but if we run, we'll live to fight another day."

The girls nodded in acknowledgment and prepared themselves. Ruby concentrated all her senses into her sight, waiting for the earliest available time. As the debris lessen, Ruby saw it.

"NOW!" screamed Ruby.

Weiss summoned her glyph and empowered Ruby for exactly two seconds, which was plenty of time for Ruby to grab Pyrrha and Weiss and dash for the elevator. As soon as they were in the elevator, Pyrrha began to channel her Semblance to lift the elevator.

"I got enough for one last boost," gasped Weiss as she summoned her glyph again to empower Pyrrha, "After that, I'm tapped out for that move. I'll focus on getting out blonde idiot out of there when we get to the top."

"Thanks, Weiss," said Pyrrha as she felt empowered from Weiss's glyph. Using that power, she lifted the elevator up, forcing it to shoot all three of them to the top floor.

When the elevator doors opened, they only widened their eyes in horror. They found Jaune's bloody and broken body, laying down in a pool of blood as Cinder watched in glee behind him to Vale's ruined state.

"No...Jaune!", Phyrra cried out as she went over to Jaune's body, feeling pulse as she checked his vitals. "This...this is all my fault..."

"No...", Ruby covered her mouth with tears running down her eyes at the sight of Jaune's broken body, not seeing any hope that he would survive because of this encounter. He was her best friend, the one guy she could always lean a shoulder on, to laugh with, to have fun times with. But now, she didn't even want to think that it would be impossible for her, now that she is going to lose a valued friend despite his character.

Weiss, on the other hand, was trying desperately to hold back her tears. After all the times she had treated him suddenly flashed on her mind, how she treated him poorly unlike the others had. She may be harsh on him, but she didn't want him to die. Not after she wanted to apologize for rejecting him at the dance. Seeing his broken body made her usually cold exterior shattered, silently cursing herself for not treating him like a true friend.

Phyrra was not taking it. The man she had fallen in love with was dying in her arms, unresponsive and is soon to depart due to his wounds and blood loss. She knew that it was her fault that she chose to make that decision in trying to save him that cost him his life instead. Her heart shattered, her purpose distorted.

"Care to join him?", Cinder snarkily asked as the three girls glared at her. The Grimm dragon was behind her, floating in the air as Beacon continued to fall. "I would take the pleasure of you bringing you to him once I am finished with you."

Phyrra struggled to maintain her focus at the thought of Jaune dying, but she has to do this, for the man she loved. Ruby and Weiss stood behind her, ready to avenge their fallen friend.

"You have breathed your last", Phyrra cursed out as the three Beacon students engaged the Fall Maiden.

Unknown Location

"And that's that", Jaune finished as he exclaimed to Hanzo how he has died. The Hasashi Patriarch cupped his chin before asking him.

"You gave up your life so you can save your friend?" Hanzo asked Jaune, who nodded as his hands were trembling.

"Yes. I just...I just didn't want her to throw away her life just like that.", Jaune exclaimed exasparetely.

"You could have saved yours, knowing your lack of skill or power would surely lead you to your death. But why do so?", Hanzo asked out of curiosity.

Jaune lowered his head before replying. "I...I don't think I could become a Huntsman. I faked my transcripts so I could enter but by miracle, Headmaster Ozpin gave me a chance, I failed plenty of times as a leader, I got bullied at school, got almost zero to below average combat skills, I ditched my parents and family because I wanted to be a hero, and I pushed everyone back at first because I wanted to prove I could be strong without their help."

Hanzo listened to him intently with a calculating eye.

"And there she is. Strong, kind, a champion, she had almost every quality of both a friend and a student. She has everything, and I didn't want her to lose all of it because of a loser like me. I had no future! She did! And I don't want her to waste everything because of me!", Jaune finally exclaimed. "The least I can do was to get her out before she could do anything drastic"

Hanzo nodded in understanding.

"But, now after I realized that, I can't die now! Phyrra and my friends are in trouble! And if I don't act now, Cinder and her minions will destroy everything!", Jaune exclaimed to Hanzo, who maintained a stern expression.

"So please!", Jaune begged. "I need to save everyone! I don't have to be a hero! I can't risk losing them! So please, how do I get back?!".

Hanzo placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You have passed my test then."

Jaune was obviously baffled at this. "What do you mean?"

"I wish to see if you have the heart to protect the ones you love, that alone makes that person a true warrior, just as my clan had done.", Hanzo exclaimed to him. "You acknowledge all your flaws and you are that willing to give up everything you had left so you could save theirs. Your desire to go back and protect them rather than vengeance. Those traits alone are enough to be convincing."

Jaune was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I could help you go back to the mortal realm and help your friends", Hanzo said to him as Jaune widened his eyes in amazement.

"You could?"

"I will", Hanzo agreed with a smile. "But only if you let me help you"

"Then I will", Jaune said with determination. Hanzo nodded as he went to his family, saying that he had business to take care off, to which they agreed as long as they can come back. "Very well then, Jaune. There is still time to return to the mortal realm.", Hanzo said as he reached out his hand.

"Take my hand. That is where we will begin", Hanzo told him as Jaune reached out for his own hand and grasped it to Hanzo's. Jaune gasped as an orange light began to engulf them, and he began to see Hanzo's memories, from the death of his family to his own death at the Netherrealm. But regardless, Jaune was prepared, getting ready for anything that comes between them.

'Phyrra, Ruby, you guys...I'll be there soon", Jaune thought as he felt his consciousness leaving the afterlife.

Back at Beacon.

Ruby, Weiss and Phyrra lay down on the ground, battered and bruised after Cinder's assault on them. She turned out to be more powerful than they thought with the Fall Maiden's power, in addition from the continuing support from the Grimm Dragon. Cinder smirked as she stood victorious over her adversaries, and felt that her victory is all but assured.

"At least you three put up quite a show unlike that weakling over there", Cinder said with malice, pointing at Jaune's bloody body. "How would it be entertaining for him to see all of you die together".

Phyrra weakly crawled to Jaune's body, tears running down on her face as she looked at his eyes covered in blood. "I'm sorry..Jaune...I couldn't do it", she apologized as she held his cheek with her bloody hand.

"Romantic to the end are we?", Cinder asked as flames erupted from her hand. "You may die now".

With those words she launched a huge beam of flames towards the three Beacon students, who couldn't move due to their injuries. Phyrra only closed her eyes as she accepted her fate.

Only for the beam to be absorbed by when a huge pillar of flames suddenly erupted on the students, shocking Cinder as she knew she was not responsible for it. As she observed the pillar, she realized that the level of the flames was leagues stronger than her own flames, meaning whoever adversary she would be facing won't be an easy one.

From the flames appeared Jaune, but he was no longer the boy she had seen earlier. Jaune was much taller, and muscular, his hoodie, armor and jeans had all been modified.

He had dirty blond hair, fiery blue eyes and was wearing a new garb along with a black leather made hood that was attached to the leather strapped sleeveless shirt that sat beneath a black vest that held a yellow colored tunic on top of it along with a hard yellow mask on his face. He also wore a pair of yellow greaves with silver platings around the wrists, the middle of the forearms and the top of the forearm of the gauntlet along with baggy black and yellow pants with red strapped belt around his waist with two sheathed katanas in his waist.

But perhaps the most noticeable figure is his eyes that shifted from blue to white pupilless eyes and they do not hold the eyes of boy who wanted to be a hero, but that of a cold-hearted killer with vengeance to accomplish.

Jaune looked at Cinder with a cold look, who took a step back at caution. He knelt down and checked on Phyrra, Ruby and Weiss, and was relieved that their wounds were not as grave as he had earlier.

Phyrra opened her eyes to find her saviour looking at her as she uttered Jaune's name before losing consciousness. Jaune laid her down as he looked at Cinder.

"Cinder Fall.", the yellow-clad ninja asked as he pulled out a kunai and formed a stance towards her. Cinder tensed as she prepared to face her adversary.

"You will burn in Hellfire".

Notes:

End of part one, I'll post part two either tomorrow or in a few days. One of my current plans is a MK/RWBY fic that features Jaune as an actual reincarnation of Scorpion, Ren as Sub-Zero, Yang as Cassie and so on while fighting Salem who turned out to be a puppet of Shinnok while Ozpin is the sort of follower of Cetrion, who realized the error of her ways after Kronika had prevailed on her New Era after killing Fire God Liu Kang and her Revenant followers.

To those who were reading Remnant Watches the Multiverse, I decided to take a week off. But don't worry, I'm not giving up on it.