Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY.

Rated M cause I am paranoid.

AU: Jaune has a different Semblance.

Much like my other fic Jaune's Grimm Hand, this fic will dive into various directions. Friendship, adventure, drama, slice of life, romance, comedy, action, everything goes, I can do whatever the hell I want.

Here we go.

Fracture: Prologue.

Today was a bad day for Jaune.

He'd never been a very good person, really, but today… Yeah, today really took the cake.

After all, he'd just set fire to his foster family's house.

The alarm was ringing loudly in Jaune's ears, but he was already used to it.

"…How did this happen." Jaune mumbled to himself as he watched the kitchen burn, the flames crackling wildly.

His foster family being absent, Jaune had tried to make himself some noodles.

Which made everything explode somehow. Don't ask him how. Jaune had no idea. He had thought he couldn't possibly mess up something as simple as noodles, but apparently, he did.

"Oh well." Jaune shrugged to himself.

Not a good person. Jaune was not a good person at all.

He grabbed the entrance door's handle to head outside and…

Crack!

The handle broke.

Jaune sighed.

His curse was really doing whatever it wanted today. In the past, it had never managed to set fire to a whole house like that, today was a first.

Jaune tossed the handle to the side and applied his palm on the lock.

Crack!

The lock broke down swiftly.

How? Jaune had no idea.

It just broke, somehow. It was some kind of magic power or something like that.

He opened the door and left the house.

There was a number of people gathered in front of the blaze. All the neighbors.

"There was the sound of an explosion, and then it started to burn…"

"Was there a dust leak?"

"Maybe it was incendiary…"

"We don't even know if they've gotten out…"

"I feel sorry for them."

"No, they are still working at this time. They aren't at home."

"Where's the fire department?"

"They recently adopted a young boy… A real calamity from what I heard."

"Ah!"

"It's him!"

"Get away from the fire!"

"Glad you're okay…"

"Stay calm."

"…"

Jaune was confused. One second they were calling him a calamity, the other they worried about him?

Still, it was nice to see people care.

"I'm okay…" Jaune mumbled, looking down.

They were probably giving accusatory glares. At these times, it's always best to look down, Jaune had learned.

"…"

"What happened?"

"…I broke the kitchen." Jaune said.

"You broke it! I see, so it really was a defective kitchen."

…No, it hadn't been defective at all. It had worked just fine.

But Jaune stayed quiet. He wanted to avoid the responsibility for a little longer.

Later.

"You delinquent!"

Jaune winced at the sharp voice of the woman.

Everyone, meet Miss Crappert.

"Do you realize how much work you're giving me?"

Miss Crappert was the person in charge of passing him from family to family.

She was a member of an organization helping orphans, something like that.

A nice, kind job like that, helping children getting a proper childhood.

Right now they were in a sort of... orphanage? Or was it just a place for teens to sleep? Jaune didn't know.

"Every single time! All you do is break everything you touch, a disaster waiting to happen!"

"…"

"Are you listening to me, boy?"

"Yes."

Did Miss Crappert ever call him Jaune?

For as long as Jaune could remember, she had always called him 'boy'.

"What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"…Nothing… I'm sorry."

"As usual! A complete waste of space and resources!"

I know. No need to repeat it like that.

It wasn't like Jaune could control it.

It was a weird curse that Jaune had had for as long as he could remember.

He broke things. Lots of things.

It was his own, personal talent… Well, at least he was good at something!

"This one lasted the longest, five whole months." Miss Crappet groaned from behind her ugly glasses. "And here I thought you had a good thing going with this one…" She sighed, and shook her head. "At your age, no family will take you anymore. You've turned seventeen last week. No one will take a seventeen-year-old boy in their house."

"It's fine…" Jaune muttered.

"Do you understand, boy? Our organization cannot take care of you anymore. Once your eighteenth birthday arrives, you'll be left alone. On your own in the real world!"

"…"

Jaune remained silent.

He was a very quiet type of guy.

He was used to this. He just had to let the storm pass.

"…The next one is gonna be your last chance. You have to make it work." Miss Crappet mused, turning away from him. "I'll see what I can do. Modern problems require modern solutions… But after that, you'll be on your own. This will be your last opportunity to change for the better."

"…Okay."

"Now, we have to face the parents; I hope you're ready to apologize…"

"Yes…"

Jaune followed Miss Crappert as she led him downstairs, and soon the voices of Jaune's foster parents could be heard as they were discussing in a living room.

"That boy is a disaster!" Jaune's foster father, Rick, was saying.

"Now, Rick," said a consoling voice. It belonged to Mary, Jaune's foster mother.

It felt like a bit of a stretch to call them foster parents after only five months.

"I can't take it anymore!" Rick sputtered. "He destroys everything he touches!"

"He means well," Mary said. "He's a kindhearted boy."

"First the washing machine," Rick ranted. "Then the lawnmower. Then the upstairs bath. Now the kitchen… Which burned the whole goddamn house! All. In less. Than a year!"

"We knew the risks... He's had a hard life," Mary said. "He just tries too hard – how would you feel, being passed from family to family, never having a home…?"

"Well, can you blame people for getting rid of him?" Rick pointed out. "I –"

Miss Crappert coughed loudly as she and Jaune arrived downstairs.

They quieted down.

"M-miss Crappert," Rick gasped after opening the door. "And Jaune. I… I'm sorry," His voice faltered.

Like they always did when the time comes.

"I-I just-"

"No," Miss Crappert cut him with a sympathetic smile. "You already lasted longer than any other family."

Five months.

I guess that's a lot when it comes to taking care of me. Jaune thought, his stomach twisting. He had even started to like these two, but it can't be helped.

"You will be reimbursed like all the other families." Miss Crappert explained. "As per our agreement."

This was something that still confused Jaune.

The families he was handed to were warned of his destructive habits and were reimbursed for all the damage he did.

Where did the money come from? Jaune had no idea who was funding this.

And he didn't really care, either. He was a simple guy that didn't really consider the bigger picture.

"J-jaune…" Mary's voice trembled. "I-I We're so sorry. We couldn't… Just…"

"No, it's natural... I'm sorry for burning the house." Jaune apologized, his eyes fixed on the ground.

Jaune had actually grown to care for these two.

It was too bad, Rick and Mary would have made great parents for a normal kid.

"J-jaune…"

Mary continued sniffing as she looked at Jaune while Rick merely sighed.

"I can arrange for him to be taken tomorrow." Miss Crappert said.

"That soon?" Rick sighed. "Well, there is no choice. But…" he looked at Jaune. "I hope you solve your problem, kid."

Problem?

It's not really something that Jaune could solve magically. But Jaune appreciated the concern. The man had tried to help him, after all, though he wasn't able to handle it.

"Thanks," he mumbled, and after another exchange of apologies and goodbyes, the couple left.

If it's only a few months since you know them, goodbyes are not that painful. Jaune was used to it.

But these two, actually didn't get that angry compared to other families, especially after burning their entire house. Why were they so... chill about it? This made Jaune feel all the more guilty, and he sighed softly.

Miss Crappert turned to him.

"You better not break anything here," she warned.

"Yes."

"Now go to bed." She ordered, "You still have school tomorrow."

"Ah, that's true…"

"I will talk to someone next evening. Don't be late when you come back."

On these words, the woman left him. No small talk, no consolation.

Jaune went back upstairs into the small bedroom he had been lent.

He walked to the bed, sat down and leaned back into it, releasing a quiet sigh.

Crack!

"A-ah!"

…One of the bed's slat just broke.

So much for not breaking anything…

The morning after.

Jaune still had to go to school the day after.

So... Let's go through Jaune's typical day at school.

...

First thing in the morning today, sports class.

The worst. Jaune had no stamina and no strength!

"Haaa… haaa…" Jaune was panting as he arrived dead last at the ending line again.

"Good work, Jaune." The teacher still congratulated him.

Meanwhile, the girls were all gushing on the fastest boy in the class. Jaune wished he could be cool like these guys who were good at sports.

...

But running wasn't the only thing he was bad at!

Sports with balls were a no-go too.

Because whenever he would grab a balloon or try to shoot it,

Crack!

...The ball exploded! And the teacher would then yell at him for breaking furniture, like all the others.

Same goes with racket sports, or anything involving objects!

So he was forced to sit out during these lessons, watching his classmates having fun on their own.

Jaune didn't have friends, so he already didn't have much interaction with people his age.

However, because of his tendency to break things, they even robbed him of interacting with his classmates during school activities... This made it all the harder for Jaune to befriend people.

Not that he knew how to approach someone, of course.

...

In English class and Math class, the same thing was happening.

"Um, excuse me, I have forgotten my pen…"

"Ask your neighbor to lend you a pen." The teacher said.

"No!" Jaune's neighbor would say. "He always breaks everything I give him. I don't want to lend him anything anymore! Get your own stuff!"

Jaune couldn't rely on his classmates to lend him things. He could not afford a single memory lapse!

"Jaune, what is the answer?"

"E-eh?!" Jaune gaped in panic. "U-um, er, I… I-I don't know…"

The teacher sighed. "Really, Jaune? It's such a simple question though…"

The class snickered.

"He's so stupid…"

"Poor guy."

"I feel bad for him."

That's right. Not only Jaune wasn't sportive, but he wasn't book-smart either!

In fact, he was one of the worst at maths and had a bad memory too.

This was because whenever he would touch a book,

Crack!

Sometimes, the book would get torn apart by his curse!

Especially if Jaune was asked to read a certain paragraph for the whole class, Jaune would get nervous, because he had stage-fright. When he gets nervous, his curse would feel it too and rip up the book! This usually resulted in the class laughing at him, which in turn gave him even more stage-fright. A never-ending cycle!

Therefore, Jaune did not read much in his life, and didn't have the opportunity to educate himself properly.

Something like reading books seemed like a luxury for Jaune, who broke everything and had no possessions of his own.

...

"Hey, dobe! Go get me lunch! Wait, no, you would only spill it everywhere! Like you always do, fucking dumbass!"

"Bwahahaha!"

Jaune's classmates were often making fun of him as well.

He was bullied quite a lot because of this curse. It couldn't be helped, children are cruel like that.

Though at the same time, if things got 'physically' dangerous, the curse would protect him from getting hurt by injuring people.

It was terrible! Because of Jaune, there had been times when people got hurt really bad.

So Jaune tried his best to appease his bullies' anger so that things never turned into a fight. Getting physical could mean sending his classmates to the hospital for six months! Jaune couldn't let that happen, it was just wrong.

But as he was getting bullied, his fear and frustration would sometimes cause his curse to act randomly.

The thing with bullying, is that it's a constant thing that happens in school, everywhere. During lunch, during break time, during class, or even in the bathroom! There was no escape.

And so his curse was bound to lash out at little things sometimes.

So...

Whenever he would take lunch, sometimes he would break or twist the knife or the fork.

Whenever he would make a call, sometimes the scroll would break, or just cease to function.

Whenever he would write something, sometimes the pen or the paper would break or get torn apart.

Whenever he would drink, sometimes the glass would break, spilling water on his clothes, which he didn't have many of...

The list went on and on. Though it didn't happen that often, really... It wasn't like he couldn't touch anything, Jaune just had to be careful. Only one time, however, could ruin his day.

This was why, Jaune didn't have any possessions either, except for his clothes.

Anything he touched could break at any moment. He had long since given up on having a scroll now.

Things like a picture of his biological family were lost - or torn up - long ago, Jaune assumed.

Such was the nature of his power.

...

In fact, there had been a time when Jaune had fractured a whole road, making cracks spread like a web on the ground around him, effectively shutting down the traffic.

Sometimes, if his emotions get out of control, his power could prove even wilder.

One day, Jaune had lost control of his emotions, and he had nearly destroyed a whole building!

Jaune still remembered it, that fateful day, when he had been six years old, his power had gone completely out of control, and a Huntress had come to save him.

He still dreamed about that Huntress every other night.

"Listen, Jaune. Your curse is not a curse, it's a semblance! Some people say that Semblances define personality.

But, they are wrong! Do not listen to them! Semblance and personality are not connected.

Just because you break things doesn't make you any less human, Jaune.

Some people are fast, or strong, or smart,

Some are clumsy, or weak, or bad with words…

Some even spread bad luck.

You, you break things.

You see?

Breaking things, is just another one of these weird characteristics! Everyone has his own uniqueness, his own peculiar quirk."

"R-really?" The eyes of child-Jaune widened, full of hope.

"Of course! Everyone is unique! You must embrace that part of yourself, fill your heart with resolve, and continue to live positively!

It may be hard… It may be tough. You will suffer for sure.

But this suffering will make you a better person. A kinder person. This will fuel the burning kindness inside your heart!

Do you understand? This is the true secret behind one's charm.

Be human!

That is all."

Jaune gaped at the woman who was smiling softly at him, her words resonating within him.

"U-um… Could I maybe see you again sometime?"

That Huntress who had saved him that day was why Jaune hadn't been caught into a bad development and hadn't become a delinquent.

I mean, if you looked at the state of his life, it was a wonder, really, that Jaune hadn't turned into a bad person. It was all thanks to this white-cloaked, silver-eyed Huntress.

Some nights, he would remember their conversations, as the Huntress had accepted to drop by to chat with him, once every other week.

…

Well, this Huntress didn't come to see him anymore,

One day, without warning or goodbye, she had suddenly stopped visiting him.

But it couldn't be helped, Jaune was a bad person after all. His only good point was breaking things.

He was already very thankful for this Huntress, even if she didn't come to see him anymore. It had already been more than he deserved for someone like him who kept breaking stuff.

The next evening.

"…answer all her questions truthfully, and try to sound smart. I know your body is a little weak, and you are not the brightest, but this is your only chance to make something good out of yourself. Do you understand, Jaune?"

"Yes, Miss Crappert."

"Good. Don't embarrass me." The woman nodded, satisfied, and opened the door to her office. "And remember to be polite."

She closed the door behind him after she pushed him inside.

Jaune panicked as his eyes settled on a woman sat at a desk.

"Hello."

"U-um… Hello." Jaune hesitated.

The woman had very light-blonde hair tied back in a bun with a curl hanging down the right side of her face. Her eyes were a sharp, bright green and she wore thin ovular glasses, giving her a strict, mature look.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch." The woman greeted.

"Ah." Jaune blinked, as he was caught staring. "My name is-"

"Jaune, yes, I know. I have your file."

"…Oh." Jaune blinked again.

His file? What file?

The woman smiled. "Would you like to take a seat?"

"…Thanks." Jaune mumbled and sat in front of her. "Are you… Uh… My new... My new... foster…?"

"…No." She gave him an apologetic look. "I'm not here to adopt you, or take you with me, Jaune. I'm afraid you're a little too old for that."

"That's okay." Jaune gave her a smile to reassure her, seeing her sorry look.

She gave him a sweet smile, before looking down to read a folder.

"Jaune. You've had quite a journey with all these different parents… Thirty-two different foster families. The duration of your stay ranging from five months… to three days."

Jaune winced as he was reminded of some families that hadn't tolerated his habits of breaking things.

Miss Goodwitch continued to read. "Every time, the reason was… breaking furniture… or in some rare cases, injuring people."

Jaune looked down as his heart clenched itself.

In these situations, it was best to look down and wait for the storm to pass.

"However, there is one thing they didn't mention." Miss Goodwitch declared and slid a piece of an old newspaper towards him.

Jaune squinted his eyes to read the piece of paper.

'Young civilian child kills three Grimm and becomes the town's hero.'

Jaune blinked.

"Jaune. Is this true?" Miss Goodwitch asked him, narrowing her eyes. "Did you kill these Grimm?"

Jaune looked away. "…That was six years ago."

"…That's remarkable! For an eleven-year-old boy to destroy three of those monsters… Without any training. That's unheard of. Impressive."

"Th-thank you…" Jaune blushed.

For such a little compliment, he was quite embarrassed.

This was because he was not used to compliments.

Usually, when Jaune broke things, people yelled at him. Yet here, he was complimented for it?

This was new. In fact, he hadn't even been aware that the media had made a story out of it.

But Jaune knew better than the media.

Jaune was no hero, he only knew how to break. That time, he hadn't done anything. His curse had protected him so that he could continue living on to break more things. It was that simple. There had been no heroic bravery involved.

"Miss Crappert has told me your story." Miss Goodwitch declared. "You seem to be quite… destructive."

"My curse doesn't destroy." Jaune frowns, not liking the idea. "It just breaks."

"Your curse?" Miss Goodwitch repeated, confused.

"Yes… My, uh, my talent."

"Your talent?" She frowned, leaning forward. "Do you mean to say that your Semblance… is to break things?"

"…"

Jaune sunk into silence.

This situation was too familiar for him.

If he was right, then this woman was going to shout at him and tell him he was a waste of space. Something like that.

So the best option was to stay quiet.

"…"

"…"

She did not yell.

"This is not a curse, Jaune. It is a Semblance."

A memory resurfaced through Jaune's mind.

Listen, Jaune. Your curse is not a curse, it's a semblance!

It is just another weird unique characteristic.

"…"

Miss Goodwitch leaned forward, observing him from above her glasses. "You are in need of guidance, Jaune."

"…?"

"I was lost like you before." She revealed, her eyes turning nostalgic. "I could not control my semblance, and ended up breaking quite a lot of things."

"…!"

Jaune's eyes widened. Someone like him? Impossible! She had gone through the same thing?

At this moment, Jaune started paying more attention to Miss Goodwitch's words. If she understood what he had gotten through, then perhaps he could learn from her?

"You are in need of a foster family, is that correct?" Miss Goodwitch asked with a gentle tone.

Jaune looked away. "…No."

"Are you lying to me, Jaune?"

"I'm fine on my own… It's okay." Jaune smiled, trying to reassure her.

Jaune liked this woman, she was nice to him.

That was why it was best that she didn't take him with her.

"…"

"…"

"I have an offer for you." She said carefully, observing him. "Will you hear me out?"

"…" Jaune frowned.

This was new territory. An offer? What did this mean? Usually, he never had much of a choice in the matter.

He nodded once, narrowing his eyes as he stared at her suspiciously.

"I am a professor at Beacon, an academy for Huntsmen."

"…?"

"Come study to Beacon. You could learn how to control your semblance-"

"It can't be controlled."

"…Jaune-"

"It can't. Be controlled." Jaune insisted sternly.

"…Even then, you can still put it to good use." Miss Goodwitch replied, "Six years ago you were able to save numerous lives and even kill some Grimm, were you not? You have potential."

"…R-really?" Jaune blurted out, eyes wide.

He immediately regretted it, grimaced and cursed his mouth.

His mouth had spoken on its own! Jaune couldn't help but be envious of the opportunity Miss Goodwitch presented him, so he couldn't control his mouth, but… At the same time, he was a bit hesitant about this offer.

"We will provide the funds for your scholarship." Miss Goodwitch continued. "You will enter based on my and the headmaster's recommendation."

"…"

"You can become a hero and use your special talent to kill monsters." Miss Goodwitch continued to insist, determined. "This power of yours, you can canalize it. Perhaps even learn to master it. What do you think?"

"…"

"…"

But... What if he wasn't worthy?

He had no training. Was it fair for the other students?

He was weak. No strength, no stamina.

And stupid. Not book-smart, and a bad memory.

There was no way he could become a Huntsman.

He was going to fail...

Crack!

The chair under Jaune suddenly broke down and he fell.

"A-ah, I'm sorry." Jaune apologized.

Curse this semblance. Everytime Jaune got nervous it broke something.

At this moment, Miss Goodwitch smirked, brandishing a crop.

The remnants of the chair rose in the air and reassembled themselves.

"Do not worry. I will repair everything you break until you learn how to control your power."

Jaune gaped at her and the brand new chair. "W-wow… Thank you! Thank you!"

At this moment, Jaune was completely star-struck by this woman!

Until now, Jaune had thought he was alone to be cursed, but now, not only he had learned that she had gone through something similar to him, but she had mastered it so she could repair things instead of breaking them?

Could she repair the books he ripped up? The pens he broke? Could he finally hold an object without fearing that his Semblance would break it? Could he be able to study properly?

That was what Jaune was thinking about.

Miss Goodwitch was like a star illuminating his life with such hopes!

As he was gaping with eyes full of admiration, Miss Goodwitch raised an eyebrow. "Please, sit back."

"Y-yes!" Jaune hurriedly did what he was told and eagerly took place in front of her.

Before, he had been nervous, but now he was completely trusting her, even though he had only talked to her for a few minutes. This was, unfortunately, because Jaune was painfully naive and easily influenceable.

"I know this is a hard decision," Miss Goodwitch began carefully, "But I genuinely think that you could find your path in-"

"I accept!" Jaune exclaimed suddenly as he bowed his head to her.

"…Are you sure? You can take your time to think about it-"

"I am sure! I'll try not to break too many things. I'll work hard!" Jaune promised.

"…Very well." Miss Goodwitch nodded eventually after going through some papers. "I have actually already gone through the paperwork with Miss Crappert. All you need is to sign here."

She gave him a pen and paper.

Jaune took the time to skim through it rapidly. Even though he couldn't understand much of the words, because Jaune wasn't used to read, he still tried his best to understand what was said.

And something caught his eye at the end.

"This…" Jaune pointed at his name on the contract. "Madam, what's this?"

"This is your name." Miss Goodwitch smiled.

"That's my name?" Jaune asked, confused.

"Yes." Miss Goodwitch declared. "From now on… You will be named Jaune Arc."

"…" Jaune's eye frowned.

The name felt familiar, as if long forgotten.

It only cemented Jaune's opinion, and he eagerly signed the paper.

And so, the life of Jaune Arc took a turning point, as he became a student of Beacon Academy.

A/N: What do you think?

This is quite a different personality Jaune has, obviously. His ability to break things defined his whole life. I wonder if people will be able to identify with such an MC.

I should update this reasonably often, as it is a brand new fic. See you all next time.