Disclaimer: I own nothing of Kim Possible or RWBY.

Yellow

By: Imyoshi

Living was a lot like dying.

One minute Death's iron grip had a person's soul trapped between its bony fingers, and then suddenly it wasn't impossible to free thyself and escape. Suffering never truly left a person in the afterlife. Neither did hope even when hope seemed completely lost. No. Dying and living was oddly a fulfillment of terrifying experiences that very few could say they experienced and lived to tell the tale.

Jaune Arc was one of those people.

Opening his eyes again in a realm he thought stripped away from him forever, Jaune slowly let his vision come back to life—alongside the rest of his body—grudgingly making out the stars and the broken moon hanging over his head. He felt a gentle breeze pass his hair, stirring to life his nerves and forcing instinct to take hold once more of a once stilled and lifeless body. The final nail to be pulled off his coffin was the rhythmic drumming bouncing around in his ears. It was enough to bring a timeless smile to the young man's face.

"I'm back... I'm really back!" Jaune laughed tiredly, slowly allowing his emotions to take over, not even bothering to try to lift his body up from the bloodstained grass. Not yet. "Take that mortality! You can't keep me down! I'm alive again! I'm alive!"

"Tell me about it..." a familiar voice beckoned from outside his limited vision. His emotions were just as bright. "I didn't think the big guy would throw me a bone. Not that I'm complaining, but did he have to push me so hard? Those boney fingers really dug deep into my back."

Catching his breath, Jaune slowly turned his head to see his death-buddy Ron resting on a nearby tree. His foolish grin lit up the night sky with that peculiar sword of his lying idly on the grass, resting with the wind scrapping the metal. Unlike Jaune, he was sitting upright, most likely still ruffled up from their encounter with the Grim Reaper itself. Not to say Jaune didn't perfectly understand, he was just too damn surprised to see Ron in the first place to fully hold back his emotions.

That meant only one thing. "So I'm guessing my idea worked."

Ron poked himself on the shoulder. "Either that or I'm just some mirage!" The skeptical look coming from Jaune set Ron off. "Nah! Just pulling your chain! Your idea worked. Thanks for the save. I don't think I could've escaped that sitch without your help."

Jaune didn't know why, but he laughed, just laughed at the word sitch and found everything alright for a change. No glaring problems or misguided dreams to hold him back. Only unadulterated bliss escaped into the cool air for no one else but Ron Stoppable to hear. It was enough to bring a tear to the young Arc's face. Why he was still laughing would forever remain a mystery.

When he finally did stop, he lifted himself up from the floor, taking a quick second to glance down at the tear in his hoodie from where the Grimm had struck him. The blood around his hoodie was dried and his skin's damage free. Nothing popped out to him that screamed out death except for the obvious circular tear on his shirt, damaged trees, and the blood-stained grass around his feet, clothes, and even parts of his hair, and he found his throat suddenly dry from the implications.

No matter how he looked at it, be it sideways, backward, or up-and-down, the truth was he died. His death had come from the hands of some creature of darkness without a soul and the meaning sparked a powerful burst of self-preservation in his newly free soul. A desire not to die again bore the strongest knee-jerk emotion buried deep within his soul, making Jaune reconsider everything he reached to be and everything he wasn't.

It was all so sudden and emotionally draining that even Ron picked up on it.

The sidekick leaned forward. "Hey? Are you okay? Dude?" Ron's curiosity pulled Jaune out of his funk, forcing the Arc to confront his problems head-on. "Jaune? Hello?"

Fixated on the person resting on the tree, Jaune couldn't help but compare their deaths in an odd fashion. Now that the adrenaline of breathing air once more had sunk in, the harsh reality of everything gripped his newly thumping heart in a surge of determination. He died to a monster, Ron died giving up his life to save another. Their deaths had been completely different in every way, shape, and form.

Jaune Arc died a meaningless death while Ron Stoppable died a hero.

Facing the cold truth head-on, Jaune quietly rubbed the opened part of his hoodie, feeling his fingers trace along his skin. The wind blowing past his hair tickled his senses and he found his hand touching a sword lying beside him from some sliding—Crocea Mors—the blade he had been practicing with before that Grimm killed him. Kind of sad the blade didn't save him.

Gripping his ancestor's blade, Jaune looked up to the shattered moon, face uncharacteristically cold. No more fooling around! This time he was going to make something of his life. Jaune doubted he'd get a third chance. He wasn't going to die to some random Grimm again. Not while he was deadly determined this time around compared to following some dream without a backbone to hold him up. This time he had a backbone and determination to push him forward.

"I'm not going to lose again." Jaune suddenly spoke, tilting Crocea Mors carefully in his hand. It reflected the moonlight. "I'm going to become a Huntsman and stop the Grimm from terrorizing Remnant."

Ron blinked at his friend's sudden change in attitude, wondering what the heck happened to his happy-go-lucky one from a minute ago. He may not be the best people person, but even the sidekick could see when someone needed to take a chill pill.

"That's great and all, but you need to relax a bit. I don't know about you, but we just got our lives back and I intend to keep it for a while." Jaune dropped his glare to look over to him. "All that I'm not going to lose again is seriously going to mess up your mojo. Remember!" Ron grinned, holding his finger up. "Rome wasn't built in a day!"

He was only confusing Jaune more. "What's Rome?"

Figuring he'd never been one too good in English either, Ron dropped the subject. "Never mind! Forget I said that! Look!" He added, boxing his hands together. "We won! Who cares? Worry about those pesky Grimm later. Take it from a guy who's mastered the art of mellowing out. If you start to let everything get to you, you'll never find any time to chill back and relax. Just bask in the moment. Relax now and study later, or don't study at all. That's what I do and look where it's gotten me."

Jaune seemed to lose his heroic vigor, sighing sadly into the cool night air. He couldn't fault Ron for his poor choice of words considering they just beat Death. Compared to all that, well, maybe the Arc could learn to relax a little more. Didn't hurt with the confidence boost he had with having outmatched the Grim Reaper itself. If that didn't call for a time of celebration and relaxation, then nothing did.

Crocea Mors hung lazily by his side as he helped himself up, finally freeing himself from the dirt floor. Ron simply remained behind; enjoying the bark of the tree he called a wall. Still, his easy-going mood ignited questions. "How can you be so calm? What if another Grimm attacks? What if we die again?"

If Ron was panicking, he didn't show it. "So what? At least this time we know Death's a pretty cool guy. And this time there's two of us. Two versus one? I like those odds."

That pretty much halted Jaune's next retort, killing the words instantly. "Sorry, I guess I just got a little worked up."

Ron waved his hand, resting easier on the tree bark with his arms crossed behind his head. "It's all good. No harm done!"

Lifting up his sword, Jaune swung Crocea Mors in the air and dug the blade into the dirt. "What if I'm not cut out to be a Huntsman?"

The sidekick opened one eye, pouting indifferently at the question. "Beats me! You never really explained to me what a Huntsman is, so how should I know? But c'mon, we beat the Grim Reaper. I'm pretty positive you can handle whatever life throws at you. How many people can say they beat Death by dancing? You should be proud. Those were some pretty badical moves back there. Beat mine by a mile."

Jaune laughed awkwardly with no mirth. "I don't think I want people knowing I can out-dance Death. I need to keep some semblance of masculinity around here. There's hardly any in my family."

Not finding the same enthusiasm from before, Ron lost his signature grin and glanced toward the Lotus Blade. A light frown grabbed him from the mention of family. "Hey, at least you still got your family. Mine's back on Earth. I'm all alone here. So life's not all that bad, huh?"

Jaune didn't think of that. Their deaths may have been different, but their outcomes ended up different as well. Where Ron died heroically, he ended up with nothing to show for it. Where Jaune died forgotten, he ended up with something to come back to. As far as the Arc could tell, he was the one who got the larger straw between the two. It was actually sad to think about. His life still had meaning here on Remnant. Ron was the one who was a stranger to a world he was never born in. If Ron Stoppable died right this second, only Jaune Arc would have any passing memory of the sidekick. Remnant would keep on spinning and life would go on anew.

Dropping the sadness, Jaune moved toward Ron, extending a hand out to help his fellow blond up. "You're right. Maybe it is time to stop mopping around. It's not gonna do me any good now. It actually might attract the Grimm and we don't want that."

"What?" Ron blinked, not yet taking the hand. "Do Grimm like people who are all teary eyed?"

Jaune laughed into the night air, loud and clear. "Wow! Two minutes in Remnant and you're already picking up stuff." He moved his hand for Ron to finally accept. "I'll tell you more about it later. Let's just get out of here."

Ron's goofy grin returned and he accepted his hand. His essential sidekick's assertiveness demanded he asked questions. "So what are your dreams? What's at this rainbow brick road you call a life? I'm boldly curious."

An easy answer. "To become a Huntsman."

Ron grabbed the Lotus Blade from the floor, wiping off dirt and he blinked curiously at Jaune. "You know, you still haven't told me what that is. I do like being kept in the loop. Being lost in the shuffle tanks like no one's business."

Jaune crossed his arms, returning the same look with a side of skepticism. "A Huntsmen is like a job. They fight crime and stop the Grimm from hurting people. It's pretty much what you used to do, but you need to go to some school before you can become one. Most Huntsmen are much older than we are. Which..." his eyes lit up. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea for you. You can come with me to one of those schools and become a Huntsman. I'm pretty sure Remnant could use another hero on its team. With your track record, I'm sure you'll have no problem qualifying."

Jaune Arc expected a lot of things when he offered Ron a chance to become a hero again. Gratefulness! Excitement! Even joy! Yet, none of those things happened. Instead, Ron's face scrunched up together in thought before he carelessly laughed into the night air, willing the Lotus Blade to turn and attach itself to his shoulders. Clearly, Jaune said something funny because Ron's full-blown smile remained bright but daunting.

"Let's see..." Ron counted. "Train to be a hero and fight crime and all that junk, I don't think so! Been there, done that! I'm good. I've had enough of the hero work for one lifetime. It's so last season. I have a whole new life to live. Why waste it doing the same old, same old?"

Never did Jaune think Ron would say those words. "Aren't you gonna miss your old life?"

A dumb question and he sighed miserably at the implication. "Of course I am. Who wouldn't miss their family and friends?" Ron gently pulled the Lotus Blade off his shoulder, staring sadly at the reflection glaring back at him from the stainless metal. "But I gave up that life to save Kim's. I'm good. This sidekick's perfectly fine. Moping about it would make it seem I regret giving up my life for hers and I don't. Seems like a waste." Ron smiled peacefully into the cool air. "At least I got to say goodbye to some people before I kicked the bucket. My best friend and her mom were with me during my final moments. She was like a second mother to me. I made sure to smile for her before I passed."

Mom?

Just thinking about his own mother made his stomach clench up in guilt. The Arc couldn't imagine what she would've felt if she had found his dead body following the next morning. He didn't even want to consider her reaction, happy she didn't ever have to face such a possibility. And Jaune planned to keep it that way. He also planned to keep his end of the promise, drifting his sights toward the direction of his home.

Ending the depressing atmosphere once and for all, Jaune chuckled to himself and clocked his head in a direction. "C'mon then, my house is this way. We can talk more about your future later. I just want to get back home. Maybe you'll figure out your true calling with a good night's rest."

Ron followed along, throwing a passionate finger up. "If I learned anything, it's that sleep solves all of life's problems."

"I'm starting to piece together that you were some sort of slacker in your past life."

"Hey!" Ron argued, unable to hide his annoyed frown. "There's nothing wrong with taking things slow."

Jaune poked him in the shoulder. "Says the guy who challenged the Grim Reaper with a stranger he only met minutes before. Yea, okay, I'm the slow one."

Reaching the Arc's quaint home, they enter through the backdoor and neither of them could see much with only the moonlight seeping through the windows providing any sort of ambiance. Didn't stop Ron from bumping into things compared to Jaune who knew the layout like the back of his hand, and eventually, the Arc had to grab Ron and lead him to the living room before Ron could wake up his family from all the stumbling around. He sat the sidekick down on a couch, leaving and coming back a minute later with a pillow and blanket underneath his arms.

"Just take the couch. I'll talk to my parents tomorrow. We'll figure this all out later."

Ron pouted and looked at the couch and Jaune. "Only one problem with your plan there, Jaune. I'm not tired, like at all."

"Now?" Jaune questioned, unable to hide his sarcasm. "Of all times you don't want to mellow and out and relax, you choose now? In the dead of night, after we just beat the Grim Reaper!"

Ron didn't hide his confusion. "What can I say? I'm too wide awake. I feel zesty. There's a whole new world for me to explore right outside these doors."

He pushed the pillow and blanket into Ron's arms. "Well, feel tired. I can show you all of Remnant tomorrow. I'm still trying to figure out a way to explain this to my folks. I don't need you running off and getting into who knows what kind of trouble. We can explore later."

"You know..." Ron trailed absently, falling back onto the couch. He hung his arms over the armrest. "You're more emotional when you're alive. How come you weren't like this when we were dead?"

Jaune glared, rubbing his hair. "Because we're alive, that's why. Now I'm not so worried anymore. The moment's gone."

Ron hummed in place, racking his brain for an answer. None came and he simply sighed easily back into the couch, feeling his easy-going attitude taking over. The couch was soft, and if what Jaune said was true, then there were monsters out there ready to chew him out. The last thing Ron wanted to do was die again because he didn't know what they looked like. Maybe sleep in a warmly lit home was better than seeing what Remnant had to offer for the time being. Tomorrow was another day, anyways.

Ron kicked his feet out and knocked off his mission boots. "Alright, fine, you win, Jaune. Sleep first and exploring later."

Jaune could barely make out Ron's relaxed grin in the darkness, but he smiled nonetheless. How could he not? Ron was directly responsible for giving back his life. Without him, Jaune would be Monty knew where. All things considered, he was a great friend to have. Someone he already knew he could depend on to get him out of a tough situation. Sure, he may have still just met the guy, but after their entire ordeal, well, he was feeling zesty as well. Friends were cherished people and Jaune made the greatest one. Whoever this Kim girl was, she had been lucky gal to make such a great friend. The thought was both heartwarming and saddening to think about and he hoped Ron was okay inside.

"Good..." Jaune began as he walked toward his room. "I'll see you in the morning. Try not to get into any trouble. I don't think I can bail you out a second time."

"Yea, yea..." Ron waved off, fixing himself into a more comfortable position. "Go to bed already, Mr. Paranoid. I'm not going anywhere."

Fixing Ron a quick glare, Jaune lightly traveled back to his home, taking extra caution to avoid hitting anything. Eventually, Ron could no longer make out his silhouette in the darkness and when he heard the telltale signs of a door opening and closing, he let go of a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. The happy-go-lucky smile on his face died and the Stoppable quietly grabbed the Lotus Blade from over his shoulder.

This piece of magical metal was the last thing he owned from his own world—minus the clothes on his back—and it pained him to no end. On a fair note, it wasn't a useless sword, far from it. This piece of Mystical Monkey Magic did save them when they really needed it, and Ron was happy to have anything from his old life still hanging about, but he felt awful inside. Yamanouchi was missing a mystical sword and he had no way of returning it. He silently hoped Master Sensei wouldn't be too mad about the sword missing. All things considered, with no one else possessing the Mystical Monkey Powers, except for his rival, things might be better if he had the sword.

It was a weak excuse, but it was all he had.

Ron wasn't lying to Jaune earlier. He really was going to miss his old life, but it was a life he'd sacrificed and traded away for another. And deep down, in the very pit of his soul, Ron knew he'd give up his own life in a heartbeat to save Kim's again. No question. It was just; it was hard for the Stoppable to take everything in. Nothing made sense, yet, it all made perfect sense. Life after death meant almost nothing when given a second chance, and Ron had been handed that honor. He found just thinking about it so exhausting. Never before had his thoughts ever raced this fast, not even when a mission had gone wrong.

Deep down, Ron knew if some freak machine accident or crazy ninja magic had dragged him into this sitch, he would've been tweaked to be stuck in an unknown world. A part of him would've done anything to get back home. But nothing like that actually happened to him. None of it! He gave up his life. End of story. So he shouldn't feel so glum about this sitch. And honestly, he wasn't, not really. He was saddened, there were no two ways about it, but he wasn't regretting any of his choices. Not in the slightest. Preferably, that was more than enough to keep him going. He was going to miss his old life, but it was time to move on and see what next grand adventure Ron Stoppable found himself in this time.

The only difference was Kim wasn't here to tag along.

Putting the Lotus Blade down, Ron settled easier into the couch, suddenly finding himself beyond exhausted. The adrenaline high from beating Death seemed to have worn off and he no longer felt so anxious to move around. The gentle quietness of the world around him lulled him to sleep, pushing away the mountain of questions he had built up in the past half-hour.

He could always ask Jaune about them later.

Unknown to him, Jaune was lying in bed as well, thinking heavily about the entire situation he'd been thrown into. Just like Ron, he was recalling the past half-hour with renewed vigor, finding sleep almost impossible. The little things were starting to get to him, surprise him even. Like sleeping in his own bed, or breathing for that matter. He never knew how much he would miss them until he had been given another chance to enjoy them. Now Jaune Arc was going to take life two-steps at a time versus the one. Death sure was a funny motivator.

Thinking about what to say to his folks, Jaune sighed miserably into the darkness, lightly scraping his fingers over where the hole in his chest used to be. There was still a remnant of blood-soaked around his hoodie and skin, and the Arc simply didn't have the energy to change into more comfortable clothing for sleeping. There was no blanket around his body to shield him from the cold, but he welcomed the goosebumps with earnest. Feeling meant he was alive. Being alive meant he wasn't dead. That was enough to push any burden off his soul.

Recovering from the initial shock of being dead had taken some time for the Arc, but accepting his beating heart once more took little to no effort at all. It must be instinct shielding him from what burdens that must come with beating the Grim Reaper. Honestly, he didn't know, and more importantly, he no longer cared. None of it mattered for him; he'd gained what he was lost and then some. It was his friend Ron he was troubled for. Poor guy was all alone in this big, monster-infested world without anyone to call family. And Jaune couldn't even imagine what that felt like. To not have anyone to call family must be the worst, and for once, Jaune was grateful to have such a large family.

Throwing his head harder into his pillow, Jaune shut his eyes and attempted to force himself to sleep. Thinking about the negatives wouldn't help his new friend in the long run. He needed to focus and come up with a plan to get Ron to stay here. No way was Jaune going to let Ron roam the streets and live with no identity of his own. Who knew the kind of trouble a guy with hero skills, hero knowledge, and a mystical sword could get himself into? Some master criminal might come up and grab Ron for his nefarious goals and Jaune wouldn't allow that to happen!

Mind focused and determined, Jaune allowed the darkness around him to take root and bury him in a land of dreams. Tomorrow's going to be a big day and he needed all the energy he could muster up before tackling it head-on.

...

The morning came faster than either of the two fools expected. The sun's rays were reflecting down onto a sleeping Stoppable's face and some soft murmuring slowly woke up the sidekick from his dreamless slumber. His eyes open half-hazily before opening all the way, drinking in the appearance of four fairly young looking blond girls peeking over the couch, soaking in his messy appearance with acute curiosity. Judging from their struggle to peak over the bottom of the cushions, the sidekick assumed they were very young.

Ron couldn't help but wave non-threateningly, silently putting two and two together. "This must be that masculinity thing Jaune was talking about."

The youngest of the quadruple move forward and pointed childishly at him, voicing out her curiosity without inhibitions. "Who are you? And what are you doing sleeping on our couch? Are you a burglar or a thief?"

Another shook her head. "Don't be silly! He can't be a burglar! He's still here!"

"But just look at his clothes!" the first one said again. Ron looked down at his own getup. What was wrong with it? "They're dark and his weird pants have a lot of pockets! He must be a burglar! He must've fallen asleep stealing our couch! We should go to mom and dad before he escapes!"

Well then, this was a first for him. Ron chuckled as the four argued whether or not he was a thief. Kind of ironic since he was the furthest thing away from a thief. Maybe in another life, he could've been some thief in this world, but for now, he was Ron Stoppable, not elusive couch thief. It did have a nice ring to it though.

Sitting up, he almost missed the tug on his cargo pants as he rubbed his eyes awake. A yawn escaped him before he looked down at the little tot who was missing one of her front teeth still. She was trying to glare angrily at him, failing terribly at it due to her unparalleled adorableness. Probably would help if she dropped the blanket secure snuggly in one of her arms, but Ron's heart was too big to hurt her feelings. Still, his smile was impossible to stop.

Lowering his upper body to level with her, Ron grinned at the little blond. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"Are you going to steal our couch?"

Ron held back his laughter and shook his head. "Uh-uh!"

That seemed to pacify her young mind and she moved back to join her three sisters. Now that Ron had time to observe them, he took notice of the twins glaring back at him. They were slightly older than the tike who tugged on his mission pants, but no less threatening in the terms of cuteness. Unlike the younger one, these two have some more common sense than to trust a stranger they found sleeping on their couch. Luckily for Ron, Jaune happened to enter the living room that second and spotted the five blonds lazing around. And before Ron could get a word in, the middle child of the four rushed up to Jaune and hugged him by the leg, pointing criminally at Ron.

"Big brother! We found a burglar sleeping on our couch! Do something!"

Jaune blinked a few times at his baby sister's accusation, tilting his head at Ron with the latter shrugging his shoulders in fascination with a smile that looked like it hurt. The other three of his baby sisters look to him for some sort of guidance, waiting for their big brother to march in and save the day from the big bad burglar. He only wondered how their reaction would be if they found out this so-called burglar saved his life last night.

Reaching down to pat her head, Jaune laughed quietly at the terrible screw-up. "That's not a burglar, Catherine. That's my new friend, Ron."

She glared back and forth between the two, finding it hard to comprehend for a three-year-old. "Really?"

Jaune ruffled up her bedridden mane. "Really, really! Ron here needed a place to stay last night and I gave him the couch. He's not a thief."

Letting go of her brother's leg, Catherine Arc curiously moved toward Ron, sizing him up with her three other sisters. She eventually grabbed Ron's hand and pulled him off his feet, which, of course, Ron played along for her benefit. Then she was shoving Ron next to her brother, inspecting the two with all the power and imagination a three-year-old mind could conjure up. The other sisters do the same, glaring minuscule pouts as they compared the two.

Looking into their minds, they see the differences and similarities between them. They were pretty much the same height. Ron's hair was just more unkempt compared to Jaune's more tamed hair. Their builds were strikingly the same. Ron had freckles and Jaune did not. His eyes were brown and Jaune's were blue. They also both have that dopey smile. Only real difference between them was their choice of outfit. Whereas Ron's outfit consisted of a tight long-sleeved shirt with pants that had many, many pockets, Jaune's outfit was less conspicuous than Ron's, looking fairly normal, minus the giant the hole and dried blood on his—!

"Big brother!" One of the twins pointed at Jaune's opened tear on his hoodie. "Where did that hole in your sweater come from?! It's so big! Did you get hurt again?"

Ignoring the no-longer couch burglar, the four sisters move toward Jaune and surround the older Arc in an inescapable circle of adorableness. Their voices begin mixing together, asking what happened, and Jaune was trying to diffuse the situation with little to no success. His words didn't really reach them and they were reaching out to pat his hoodie, making sure the hole was real.

While he was busy fretting over a Grimm attack—whatever that meant—Ron took in the appearances of the little sisters of Jaune Arc. Catherine Arc had hair like her brothers, only messier and she was wearing a shirt two sizes too big for her. Most likely she just woke up, but based on the way she was hovering near her brother, she idolized him. Made the Stoppable feel good he was able to keep her hero safe and sound. And then next came the other three.

The twins were easy enough to note. They were as tall as Jaune's waist level, maybe a little shorter, and each one of them had only one pigtail going in the opposite direction, most likely used to tell them apart. Their faces were dirty like they love to play outside; their faces were also much skinnier than Jaune's. And the last one was a mix of the other three, taller than Catherine and shorter than the twins. She had a messy ponytail and eyes full of curiosity and wonder.

"Girls!" Another voice beckoned from outside the living room, and came in what Ron could assume was the mother. She was the matriarch of the household, and if Ron Stoppable had learned anything in his previous life, it was that the wives and mothers were the true powerhouses that rule the household. "What's with all the commotion... and who is this?"

Jaune untangled himself from his sisters and moved toward his mother. "Hey, mom, I want you to meet—!"

"Sweetie!" Jaune's mother, Julian Arc, was grabbing the tattered stitches of his clothing and noticing the dried blood. There was concern all over her face. "What happened to your hoodie?! There's a giant hole in it! Did you hurt yourself again?"

Ron wasn't sure whether he liked the idea of Jaune's hoodie becoming the focus of attention. Kind of spelled out how this family viewed objects of interest over sudden changes to their normal lifestyle, and it wasn't bad, just weird, majorly weird. Maybe, because it was Jaune, that was why she was taking such a sudden interest in it over him. He should know. Kim's dad could be kind of clueless at times to things that mattered and did not matter.

And this was coming from Ron Stoppable.

Grinning weakly, Jaune laughed awkwardly to the side, unable to meet his mom's concerned glare. Now that he fully realized the implications of being alive once more, well, he didn't really have the heart to tell her that a Grimm attacked him the night before. All things considered, he wouldn't—couldn't—tell her about him dying, but just the thought of informing her of his near-death experience was making the idea all the harder to swallow. A guy could only go so far to worry their mother before they pushed themselves into the lion's den.

Unluckily for him, his father and remaining sisters choose that moment to walk in, eyes landing between Jaune's blood dried tear and Ron's appearance. And just like before, he was amazed at how much attention some blood received. Not to say he was surprised but amazed in a different light. Considering what his pal told him about this world, blood should be a common occurrence in a world full of monsters. Then again, maybe that was why they were freaking out over it and ignoring his presence entirely, hard to say.

Jaune's father, Ignatius Arc, bellowed. "Dear Monty, what happened to your shirt, son? Is that blood I see? And who is this stranger in our living room?"

Jaune opened his mouth a few times, finding the words hard to come by. His lips got dry and he anxiously looked over to his younger sisters, save for the older one next to his mother, he didn't really want them to hear what happened. Luckily for him, his mother saw this and kindly shooed the girls away, promising them breakfast after they whine at being shooed away. Not to say they were following their mother's order, they simply find good hiding spots to eavesdrop on them.

Catching his breath, Jaune looked them squarely in the eye. "Mom... Dad... Sis... you might... you might want to sit down for this. It's kind of a bad story."

His older sister groaned and threw her head back. "Oh my Monty, did you kill someone? How many times do I have to tell you, there are people weaker than you out there? I know you don't believe it, but there are!"

"No, Jean! Nothing like that!" Jaune grumbled. Funny enough, she was partially right, someone did die. "Why must you assume the worst of me?" She glared at the gaping hole in his outfit. "Whatever! Look! What I'm trying to say is... something happened last night."

Julian grabbed her son's shoulders reassuringly. "Yes, sweetie, what is it?"

Winging it, Jaune pointed at the hole in his hoodie. "I was out training last night—and yes, I don't need you to lecture me why that's not a good idea, dad." Jaune stopped Ignatius before he could open his mouth. "I've already almost learned why I shouldn't do that. A Grimm attacked me last night—!"

"Oh my goodness!" Julian's already hugging her son protectively. "Are you hurt? Is this your blood! What happened to the Grimm! I'm so glad you're alive!"

"Mom... mom!" Jaune pushed back, separating himself by at least four feet. "I'm fine! Thanks to Ron here." He gestured to the awkwardly waving Ron. "I'm fine. He saved me. If it wasn't for him... I'd be dead right now."

The sidekick was suddenly grabbed by the queen Arc, being pulled in and getting crushed in a hug that seems too powerful for a woman with a thin stature such as hers. He was taller than her for god's sake, but she was far stronger than him. Alone she had replaced his happy grin with a pained expression and Jaune had to separate the two, but Julian still held onto Ron's shoulders, feeling eternally grateful.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, young man!" she cried, smiling wistfully at Ron. "Thank you for saving my baby boy." Ron had to hold back a snicker on Jaune's behalf. "Jaune's not the best at fighting, and if it wasn't for you... I... I..."

"Hey! Hey! It's fine!" Ron quickly finished, breaking the hold awkwardly. He held his hands out in surrender. "No big! I just did what anyone would've done. You can stop the waterworks now."

Ron's shoulder was then clasped by a man taller than both the males, towering over their height by half a foot. It was Jaune's father and his smile wasn't so much happy teary like his mother, but grateful and honor bound. No hugs were given, but he did offer Ron his hand, and the sidekick took a moment to realize what he wanted before he reached out and shook the older Arc's hand.

"You're wrong." Ignatius stated so passionately. "It's big. Very, very big! You saved my son. You don't know how grateful we really are." His eyes narrow slightly. "If you would, could you show me where the fight occurred?"

Ron spared a glance over to Jaune, and they head out the door, leaving behind a flurry of childlike eyes peeking through various hiding spots. They start to whisper amongst each other as the older blonds leave to go inspect where the battle took place, wondering who this guy was and where he came from.

They didn't walk far. Jaune did say he died in his own backyard, and when they get outside, they all notice the splotches of blood on the grass and damaged trees from claws scratching against it, most likely the Grimm that had killed Jaune. Of course, his mother gasped and his father sighed underneath his breath, hating how close-by a Grimm had been near his flesh and blood and family. Jaune's sister shook her head while the man of the hour finally took the sight in with his own eyes, where his final resting place had been, for all about an hour. Ron wondered how tough it was to see the sight of one's own burial. Last night the moon only provided so much light to see.

Now, however, the damage was clear as day. Couldn't be easy to see one's own graveyard.

"Ron, was it?" Jaune's father asked suddenly, breaking the silence and giving the sidekick a subtle nod. "You have our eternal gratitude. If there's anything you need, just ask for it."

Ron being himself simply waved away the man's generosity. "It's Ron Stoppable and don't sweat it, big guy. No harm done! Really, I'm just happy I had a place to sleep for the night." It had been an added note, one Ron didn't seem so important to gloss over, but the older man did.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Ignatius narrowed his eyes. "Did you parents kick you out? Why were you outside in the dead of night? No child, teenager or not, should roam these parts at night."

Ron suddenly clamped up, refusing to answer. So Jaune did it for him. "He doesn't have anywhere to go. So I offered to let him sleep on the couch for saving me."

"What?" Julian poked, oddly interested in Ron's past now. "Do you have a bad relationship with your folks?"

Ron took a long moment to answer, literally counting down the seconds until he finally felt confident enough to answer. "No." Julian and Ignatius almost sigh in relief from hearing that. "I don't have any parents. Not anymore." It was the truth, ironically, and both the older Arcs frown deeply at poor Ron. "I don't have anything but the clothes on my back and this sword. I'm a stranger in this world. I help whenever I can and get small favors in return."

It was downright funny to Ron because it was absolutely true, just the context was severely lacking. He used to help people and get favors from them, both him and Kim. And he no longer had parents to call his own and truly was a stranger to this world. All things considered, Ron was telling the honest truth, keeping whatever white lies to the bare minimum. It just so happened he was bending the truth to fit his story.

Julian rubbed her hands together, thinking of what a life Ron lived. "So you don't have anyone to call a family, and you travel around the world helping people? Do you even have a home?"

"Uh-uh." Ron grinned weakly; glad he could answer her questions half-truthfully. "I try. It's not as hard as you think it is. Believe me, camping out in the wilderness ain't so bad. You get used to it."

Jaune's mother heard none of that. "You poor thing, it must be frightening to travel around the world, not knowing what's waiting out there for you."

Ron swore this woman had an autobiography about him because everything she was saying was hitting the nail on the head. True to her word, traveling around the world had the personal effect of added fears of death. And whenever Kim and he needed to stop a bad guy, they normally didn't know what to expect when they jumped into the frying pan. Sometimes the sitch turned out to be good and other times not so good. It really tanked when he thought long and hard about it.

"It can be scary at times." Ron answered honestly, but he still kept up his large grin. "But I make do with what I got. Jaune here just made my night easier by giving a place to sleep in. It was nice of him, but I guess I should be going. I don't want to overstay my welcome."

Ron turned around to shake his hand, willingly to leave either way, but Ignatius slapped his hand away. "Nonsense! You saved my son from certain death!" Damn, if that wasn't true. "As far as I'm concerned, you're welcome here. Stay as long as you need. The outside is no place for a good person such as yourself."

Jean's about to throw her own two cents into the mix, not liking the idea of trusting a random stranger, but he was suddenly elbowing her with a very rare glare. Whatever she wanted to say, her younger brother was silently ordering her to drop it, now. She was tempted to ignore him for the sake of her family's safety, but the older sister couldn't remember the last time Jaune looked so hostile, so demanding, and toward her of all people. Normally, he was more docile around her. To think he was basically telling her to keep her mouth shut. So she did, not enjoying the secrets her brother was suddenly holding onto, but willing to play along for his benefit.

"I don't want to impose..." Ron trailed, but he was being led back to the house by Julian. His efforts to stop her were all in vain. Not even digging his feet into the soil slowed her down. "How strong are you? Seriously, you're the strongest women I've ever met."

Snickering at poor Ron's dilemma and damn happy they found a way to keep Ron around until they could sort this whole mess out, Jaune's cut out of his amusement by suddenly finding Catherine pulling his tattered sleeve. She was looking at him with wide eyes. Soon enough the older Arcs realized all the children were outside, having hidden behind the trees, and they were all waiting for the littlest Arc to ask their big brother the fated question plaguing all their minds.

"Does this mean we have two big brothers now?"

...

After learning of Ron's extended stay, all the younger Arcs gravitated toward their new temporary-brother, awing at his almost Arc like appearance, like he could be some distant relative of theirs. Minus the brown eyes and freckles, he had a lot of the same features as Jaune and Ignatius. His clothes were vastly different and he spoke in phrases a lot of them couldn't fully understand, saying words that they've never heard of. But the little ones enjoy having a second person to follow around, and Jaune was all for splitting up the workload of watching all five of them. Although, eventually, within the first hour of living in a household full of now eleven people, Ignatius confronted Ron about the sword attached to his back, oddly curious about the simple sword and the idea of a weapon around the house. Not to say he was any better with letting Jaune carry around Crocea Mors wherever he went, but he trusted his son a lot more than Ron.

Finding Ron entertaining the twins with stories of places he'd traveled to in the living room, Ignatius sat down next to him, glancing interestingly at the Lotus Blade. "That is a peculiar weapon you have there, Ron. Not many people out there still carry around such simple weapons."

Ron made a mental note to ask Jaune questions about this world's weapons when they have some time alone. "What can I say, I love the classics."

Judging based on the way Ignatius smiled, Ron must've said something right because the older Arc laughed. "Girls, why don't you go bother Jaune for a while. I need to talk to Ron alone for a bit." They quickly scamper off and Ignatius pulled Ron up by the sleeve of his mission shirt. "Come with me, Ron. There's something I must discuss with you outside."

Leading Stoppable to the front yard, Ron took in the view of a vast amount of green with a town further down from where he could see. It was beautiful and unknown to him. Nothing stood out to him he recognized. Actually, the more he glared at it, the more it hurt to gaze upon. Without anything to anchor him to home, the sight's actually disheartening at its finest.

"My wife can be pretty impulsive when she wants to be. She goes and acts without thinking." Ignatius was speaking without looking to him, breathing the fresh air deeply. "That's one of the reasons why I love her. Her heart's bigger than all of ours put together. Mine could never compare."

Ron could already tell where this conversation was going. It was similar to the talk Kim's father gave him when they started going around the world to stop bad guys. Only now, Ron wasn't sure he liked the side of the coin he resided on. Before he was on the side to protect her, now he was acutely aware the game being flipped, where he was one to watch out for now. Trying to diffuse this sitch was next to impossible and Ron didn't even plan to try it. He'd take the warning with stride.

"Yea..." Ron added. "She's really nice."

Losing his pleasant smile, Jaune's father finally looked at Ron. "For some odd reason, my son's spent the last hour really spending time with his family. Normally, he tries to avoid being surrounded by his younger sisters at all costs, but something's made him reconsider all that."

Ron shrugged his shoulders, unsure what he wanted him to say. "Maybe almost dying makes him want to spend time with them? I know if that happened to me, I wouldn't want to spend my days not living like each day might be my last. That'll be a waste."

Ignatius nodded at this answer, having come to the same conclusion earlier on. Words were left unspoken for a while and this gave Ron time to observe the town further out. If he tried hard enough, he could see the people bustling about down there. But he got bored and looked to Jaune's father who was clearly an older and stronger version of his friend. The appearance almost made the sidekick laugh. He and his father looked nothing alike, having gained more from his mother than anything else, metabolism and looks included.

He missed his folks.

"You saved my son, which I cannot deny. I'm thankful for that." Ignatius began with a voice cold and distant. "And he seems oddly chipper to have you around. He's even agreed to practice dancing with his mother again. You don't know how much joy that brought her. Now I don't know what you did to make Jaune so adamant in keeping you around, but you did something. So I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. But know this, if you hurt my family in anyway, I won't hesitate to take you down. I hope you understand that, Ron."

If Ignatius expected fear from Ron, he was sorely disappointed. Black Holes were a greater threat. "Loud and clear, sir."

"Good. I'm glad we're on the same page. Breakfast is in half an hour. If there's any rule not to break in this household, it's not to miss mealtime." He left without offering another word and Jaune came out a minute later.

"So..." Jaune hummed, hiding his hands in his pockets. He'd changed out of his hoodie and was wearing an orange shirt instead. "What was that all about?"

"Your old man was just giving me the third degree."

Jaune stopped to bounce the idea around his head for a bit. Sounded like something his father would do. Protecting the family did come first above all else. No matter how Jaune looked at it, Ron was a stranger to his folks. With the Grim Reaper's contract binding them from spilling the secrets of their fight for their souls, they were stuck walking around a fine line of lies. Not easy with a family of many sets of curious eyes watching their every move. Life was only going to get a whole lot harder from here on.

Jaune walked up next to Ron, grinning foolishly. "Anyways, the plan worked. You're here to stay!"

"Yea!" Ron huffed, fixing Jaune a nonchalant glare. "But for how long? Eventually, I will have to leave. They won't want me around here forever."

"You could still go with me to Beacon." Jaune offered.

"That school you mention that trained heroes and whatnot?"

"That's the one."

He laughed, flicking away some imaginary dust from his sleeve. "Pass. I'm done with the hero work. That's not the life for me anymore. I'll find something else to do. Maybe I'll open up some restaurant? Now that sounds badical!"

Jaune frowned, pointing at the magical sword attached to his back. "Kind of seems like a waste to not become a Huntsman with that sword of yours. If you're not going to use it, then can I borrow it? A weapon like that will make becoming a Huntsman a cinch!"

Ron laughed even harder, holding the magical sword in an amusing manner. "Sorry Jaune, the Lotus Blade doesn't work like that. You need Mystical Monkey Powers to use it. And the last time I checked, only I have that power. Well, so did my arch-rival, but he's back on Earth. So that leaves just me to wield the power of this radical sword."

"Mystical Monkey Powers?"

Ron did a double-take, just now realizing he never revealed to Jaune about his magical powers. "Long story short, I have this power called the Mystical Monkey Powers that let me transform this bad boy into anything I want. Along with this freaky sword, the powers also gave me the power to command monkeys and monkey kung-fu. Although, that power comes and goes as it pleases." Ron crossed his arms, pouting. "Kind of a rip-off if you ask me."

"Mystical Monkey Powers?" Jaune echoed like a bad record player. "Commander of monkeys? Monkey kung-fu? Are you just making up stuff now so I don't ask for the sword again?"

"Here!" Ron tossed him the blade. "I'm not lying. Knock yourself out. Try to make the sword transform into something—anything! You won't be able to. I guarantee it or I'll eat my shoe!" Ron watched Jaune shake the sword and yell as he tried to transform it into anything. This went on for about half an hour, and Ron left and came back with a soda in his hand to check on his progressive minutes later. He enjoyed drinking his drink through a bendy straw. "Are you ready to give up yet? This stopped being funny ten minutes ago."

Jaune finally gave up and threw the sword onto the floor, or at least tried to. The Lotus Blade stopped before hitting the floor, floating there for his confusion before moving toward Ron. It strapped itself to Stoppable's back, acting like nothing interesting happened in the last half-hour. To make matters ten times worse, Ron simply drunk his beverage in normalcy.

"That's so unfair." Jaune said after a minute silence. "How do I get these Mystical Monkey Powers? Is there some test I gotta do?"

Ron slurped down the rest of his drink. "Do you have four freakish looking monkey statues lying around?" Jaune didn't say anything to that. "Didn't think so. No monkey statues. No Mystical Monkey Powers. Hey! Consider yourself lucky! I don't even like monkeys all that much."

Every time Jaune learned something about Ron, he was only left with more questions. Questions like what Ron's life was really like back on Earth, or how he came into possession with such an amazing sword. Questions like that only seem to line up and confuse the Arc to no end. Maybe he should just stop asking and accept the crazy moments for what they were. Seemed like a better idea in the long run for his mental health, anyways.

"Boys!" Jaune and Ron turn to see Ignatius walking toward them with a look of determination. He stopped in front of Jaune, holding out Crocea Mors for him to grab. "Son, I've been thinking about this all morning and I've finally come to a decision. After hearing how you almost died, I figured it's time I unlock your Aura. I don't want to take the chance of you getting hurt again."

"Uh, what's Aura?" Ron asked, saving Jaune the embarrassment from asking the same question.

Oddly enough, Jaune's dad was surprised at his inquiry. "You don't know what Aura is? I figured you had yours unlocked when you saved my son." Ron's empty expression continued to haunt Ignatius. "You really don't know what Aura is? You know, it's that stuff that makes you strong and protects you when you're fighting the Grimm? It's the stuff that Huntsmen and heroes are made of?"

"You're losing me."

Not believing Ron for a second, he pulled out a device later Jaune would explain was a scroll. The older Arc then pointed the device at Ron, scanning for any residual amounts of Aura. When he found none he couldn't hold back his surprise. "That's strange? My scroll's not picking up any Aura coming from you. Have you not had it unlocked yet?"

He was losing his patience. "How can I have something when I don't know what it is? You just told me what Aura was? I'm good, not that good."

Confused to no ends, Ignatius shook his head and calmly breathed in once. He gathered their attention with his strong voice and posture. "Very well, listen up you two; I'm going to explain what Aura is." Fumbling his hands in a circular wave, he began. "Aura's the power to fight the Grimm. It gives up strength, speed, and endurance. You need it to fight the Grimm. And when you achieve and practice with it enough, it grants you a second power called a Semblance. What yours will be is up to your soul. To be fair, I should've unlocked your Aura a long time ago, son. I'm sorry. So I'm going to do it now."

Reaching out, Ignatius gripped his son powerfully on the shoulder. Jaune would admit he was slightly afraid. "Dad?"

Ignatius ignored his son, concentrating heavily on the words he wants to say. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."

There was a sense of Déjà vu for the sidekick as he watched Jaune get shrouded in a white glow. A warm feeling overcame him and Ron fought the urge to bask in the glow, remembering a time where he faced his greatest fears to achieve his own power. Meanwhile, his eyes were widening as he felt his body suddenly became lighter like some unknown burden had been lifted off his tense shoulders. Everything made sense for one glaring moment before it was stripped away and back to feeling normal.

"Wow!" Jaune's dad bellowed. "You sure have a lot of Aura, my boy! Who would've thought! With that much Aura, you can become a great Huntsman. I believe in you!" Jaune took a step back, inspecting any changes to his body. Ignatius glanced over at Ron, smiling sympathetically to the other blond. "I'm too drained to do it anymore, but I'm sure Jaune can unlock yours with his newly unlocked Aura. Do you remember the words I spoke, son?" Jaune nodded dumbly and Ignatius grinned. "Good! Hop to it then! I'll be inside."

Leaving the duo by themselves, Ron observed Jaune as he inspected his newly Aura refurbished body. The sitch reminded Ron of the time he unlocked his Mystical Monkey Powers. Only this time there was a lot less yelling, holograms, and sick and wrong monkey hybrids chasing after him, threatening to kill him in order to become the Monkey King. Nonetheless, this took him back. Now whether those memories were good ones were left into the air for debate.

"So this is Aura?" Jaune checked his body for any more signs of glowing. He found none. "This is definitely different. I feel like I can take on the world."

"Good luck with that?" Ron grinned, stomping onto the grassy floor beneath their feet. "The world's pretty big. It might take you a while to beat it down, but I believe in you." Based on his poisonous smile, he didn't, not at all. "So? You wanted to be a Huntsman without knowing what Aura is? What kind of wannabe hero are you?"

Jaune fought back a losing fight. "Hey! You didn't know what Aura is either?!"

"Yea, but I'm not from around here. I'm allowed to be dumb, you're not."

Jaune huffed, clicking his teeth together. "Whatever." He moved toward Ron and grabbed him by the shoulder. He reworded his father's phrase. "Alright, let's see if I can get this right. For it is in passing—!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Timeout, Jaune!" Ron backed away from Jaune, holding his hands out in a time-out gesture. "What are you doing?"

"Uh, what does it look like? I'm unlocking your Aura."

Ron laughed hollowly, backing away more with an x-cross gesture painted onto his chest. "Yea, uh, how about no, I'm perfectly happy with being me. I don't want any weird power going through me... at least not some other one. I'm happy with being a Mystical Monkey Master. Well, not really, but you get what I mean."

"But you need it to become a Huntsman!" Jaune argued.

"I'm not going to be a Huntsman! How many times do I have to go over this? Me and hero work? We're done! Finished! Through! Over!" Ron argued back. Jaune was taken back by his conviction and the sidekick sighed. "You can keep your Aura and I'll keep my Mystical Monkey Powers. If there's anything I learned from gaining powers, it's that they lead to nothing but trouble. Why would I want more trouble? The answer, I don't! No way! I have a second chance and I'm not going to waste it fighting crime again. It's just... it's not my calling anymore!"

"You were being serious before? You're serious about not being a Huntsman?"

Ron glared and pointed at his face. "Note. Serious. Face."

"I can't believe you!" Jaune couldn't, he really, really couldn't. "You were part of a crime-fighting team! With your knowledge and experience, you can make Remnant a better place—!"

"I was just the sidekick."

"No!" Jaune cut in, throwing his hands out. "I don't believe that! No sidekick just saves their friend's life. No sidekick goes around the world and helps people. No sidekick beats the Grim Reaper at its own game! A sidekick doesn't do that. You're not some dumb sidekick! You're the real deal! The real deal! Why can't you see that?"

Ron shut his mouth, unable to look at Jaune anymore. He glanced off into the distance, wondering what Kim was up to and alone that was all the confirmation he needed. "Sorry, Jaune, it's not going to happen. Not again. I would say maybe in another life, but, hehe, you already know." Ron plucked the Lotus Blade and held it up to reflect the sun's light. "We beat Death. Why can't that just be enough for me? Why do I have to put my life in danger again?"

It was a selfish thing to ask of Ron, Jaune Arc knew this, but he couldn't fight it. This was the guy who gave him back his life on the sheer idea of nothing's impossible. How could he not try and make Ron go back to becoming a world protector, especially in a world as corrupt and dangerous as their own? He would be letting all of Remnant down if he overlooked this opportunity. Yet, he wasn't budging, not even a little, and Jaune already knew he wasn't going to.

Not for him.

"So if not a Huntsmen, then what? Will you really follow that idea of opening up your own restaurant?"

Ron shrugged carelessly. "Beats me. I'm pretty badical at cooking. Maybe I'll find something else I like? I do have the magic fingers. And don't worry! Who cares! The day's still young and you have a lot to show me. I want to see it all! It's not every day you visit a new planet."

Sharing his friend's enthusiasm, Jaune dropped the subject for now, still not completely sold on the idea of Ron not becoming a guardian of Humanity. A haunting thought for the Arc, but considering everything that happened in the span of less than a day, he was willing to drop it for his friend.

"Alright! You win." Jaune turned his attention down to the town farther ahead. "That's my hometown called Cover over there. It's about a mile away. If you want... we can check it out after breakfast. I'll show you everything there's to see here and give you a rundown of Remnant."

Ron gave Jaune a quick thumbs up before chuckling a little. "Sounds like a plan! Eat breakfast and then get the four-one-one on this new world, I'm game!" Turning around, Ron walked straight into a mass of darkness and coldness, colliding face first into the tallish hell figure. When he fell flat down on the floor, his eyes land on the soulless red orbs glaring emotionally down at him. It was Death and that was more than enough to scare the sidekick half to death. "What the heck are you doing here?!"

Jaune ran up to Jaune, hand instinctively reaching for Crocea Mors. It was all vain. "Why's the Grim Reaper here?! How did he get here! When did he get here?"

Allowing the two mortals to panic to their beating heart's content, Death calmly waited a moment to gauge the situation while it towered over the both of them in a mass of power. Without any introduction or former warning, the embodiment of all things ending reached down with a bony hand and gently grabbed Ron's mission shirt. In one swift tug, it helped the sidekick back on its feet, and the Earthling quickly jumped back, old hero training on its highest alert, even that accursed sword of his was glowing with emotion.

Their attention centered on it amused the Grim Reaper in ways it hadn't enjoyed in countless eons. Then, like all good things, it came to a screeching end, at least for now. Time was, after all, irrelevant to an immortal being. Concepts the fickle humans have created were fictional and ageless in the grand scheme of things.

"Boys!" Ignatius came out the house, yelling out to them, unable to see Death literally standing next to him. The Reaper didn't even so much as pass a single glance to the lackluster mortal. "Breakfast is almost ready. Come in and wash up!"

Ignatius left them, never passing a glance toward the direction Ron and Jaune's eyes remained fixated at. Little effort was needed for them to figure out why his father couldn't see Death, but the idea still unnerved the two blonds to no end. Suffice to say, neither of the two fools moved or dropped their guard. Even if they had beaten the big guy, didn't mean they wanted to see him for a second time, at the very least not so soon.

Jaune built up enough courage first. "What are you doing here?"

Ron found it strange to see Death standing in the middle of a grassy patch of land. Without Limbo to make the Grim Reaper pop out, it almost blended into the background, almost. Contrasting colors, however, didn't hide it very well, and the sidekick couldn't fathom why it was here now. All of the places! Their business was done. Contracts void and all that nonsense.

Answering Jaune Arc's question, the Shinigami hovered over and pulled out a parchment from the inside of its bottomless sleeve. Unlike the original contract the two had previously signed, this one bore no hidden clauses or justifications for them to abide by. Nothing so trivial like that. Instead, the paper contained a message for them to read, and Death handed the paper to Ron since he was still the closest one to it. And the sidekick grabbed the message with almost shaky hands.

Reading over the words for the first time—then a second time to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him—Ron almost scoffed at the notion and words scribbled down on this cursed paper. He lowered the paper and all the fear left him, replacing every emotion with pure, acute skepticism only the sidekick had mastered in his previous life.

"Wait! Wait! You're here because you're bored!"

Author Notes: I really miss my old fandom. This story will be a short story.

Prequel: Ivory - Ron Stoppable and Jaune Arc crossover story.